Two birthdays, "Thundersnow", and Quinn's 5th month

A cinnamon roll for breakfast on my birthday - my favorite!

A lot of new things have happened this month. We celebrated my 28th birthday with food, a massage, and lots of well-wishes from friends and family. J.J. turned 4 years old this past weekend. We are sadly noticing some white hair on his face, a sign of aging. He is a great "big brother" to Quinn. Quinn has discovered J.J. a great deal this month. He laughs when he sees him, smiles when he gets slobbery kisses, and loves to grab his fur. He has also discovered Zoie, though she is quickly realizing that he isn't aware yet that kitties don't like their fur grabbed and pulled.

Birthday treats with Nonna

Quinn has grown and changed so much this month. Perhaps the biggest development is the realization that he can imitate us. He splashes in the tub, grabs at our glasses and pulls them to his mouth to "drink", and is even imitating some sounds. He is trying so hard to sit up by himself. He can pull himself up from a semi-reclining position without help, but needs a little help keeping his balance. He can fully turn himself around in our arms to reach for things or look around. He is also beginning to understand us, I think. He seems to know what "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?" means, because he reaches for me and sticks his tongue out excitedly, waiting to nurse. Just yesterday he started to really understand the peekaboo game. He is experimenting a lot with sounds - he can say "d", "m", and squeals and screams a lot. We wake up each morning between 5-6am to Quinn babbling and screaming.

Smiles for Daddy

The most wonderful thing is seeing his sweet personality emerge. He loves to smile and give hugs. He will grab your face, turn you toward him, and give you "kisses". He will look around to find you if you say his name. He laughs hysterically if you kiss and tickle him. We have a lovely bedtime routine that includes a bath (which involves a lot of bubble eating - don't worry, they are non-toxic), baby massage, pjs, and lullabies (which Jonathan and I both sing). Though he still only takes about 30 minute naps usually, our daily routine is making things easier. He is now wearing 12 month clothes, and even some 18 month, and 18-24 month pants. He is so big. Life with little Quinn is full of surprises!

Tasty spoon!

Laughs for Grandad

Our sweet J.J.

The thundersnow - sorry, can't figure out how to rotate right now!

Last week we had an incredible storm, "Storm Q". It brought lots of snow with thunder and lightning. The University was closed, so we had Jonathan home with us. After going stir-crazy with cabin fever, we followed my mom's advice and went outside to play with J.J., build a snowman, and get some fresh air. J.J. loves the snow, and while Quinn didn't seem to impressed by it, he did enjoy watching J.J. play in it.

Poor sick baby

Well, you can't keep a kid in a bubble. Little Quinn has his first cold this week. The runny nose and cough started Sunday night. Aside from sounding like a bulldog when he breathes and getting a bit annoyed about it sometimes, he has been in remarkably good spirits. He must have a very mild version of it and a healthy immune system, because he isn't really very sick. My mom and I on the other hand feel like poop. Apparently we aren't as hearty as the little man. :)

Here are some fun pictures from last week.

A scholar in the making. Haven't I seen his daddy doing this before?

Baby Tiger

Fun new discovery for Quinn - he has a tongue that he can control! He has been mimicking Jonathan darting it in and out and finds it hilarious. He has also discovered that he can splash in the tub. It's amazing to watch the gears turn in a baby's head; this morning I watched him carefully pinch one finger with the index finger and thumb of the other hand. He was so focused!

4 months old!

Quinn sure keeps us on our toes! I hardly find time to get things done with the little man around. Right now I am lying next to him while he sleeps. He wakes up if I move, so I use his nap times to work online, read, and watch Downton Abbey.

He has grown so much lately. He discovered his feet in the bathtub this week - it's adorable to see him grab them. He is also wanting to sit up all the time. If I lay him down, he will struggle to pull himself up. He has started communicating when he wants something; he looks at an object very intently and makes excited noises until you give it to him. He is definitely in the oral stage - he wants everything in his mouth! He gets frustrated that he can't get his entire gloworm's face in his mouth though. The past few weeks have been tough because he is still not sleeping well and fights going to sleep. He still wakes up about once every hour at night. On good nights, I get a 2-3 hour stretch, then it's up every hour after that. I can easily spend 4+ hours a day just trying to get him settled for naps. This kid really does not like to sleep. I've been trying hard this past week to get him on a sleep schedule, though, which seems to be helping a bit. I try to get him down as soon as he shows signs of being sleepy, in an effort to prevent the grouchiness of being overtired from settling in.

His 4 month check-up was Monday. We weighed him at home last week and he was over 19 pounds and 26.5 inches long. He is completely off the WHO's growth chart for his age. Sadly he has outgrown some of his 9 month clothes and is well into 12 month clothes now. I can't believe how huge he is! He is so much fun though. Jonathan sings the Mario Bros. theme song and gets Quinn cackling every time! He is doing great at standing with just a little support for balance. He is ready for a walker, which we will get soon. He also reached for me for the first time on Wednesday. My boy is growing up so fast!
School started last week, and Jonathan is teaching his class with the Honors College. It is very exciting to see him in his own classroom. He's also busy at work. I started tutoring online again this week; other than that, my days are spent playing with baby Q and struggling to get him to sleep. My mom is a huge help. We went out on our first date since Q was born the week before last and it was glorious. It was only an hour, but an hour without crying is so special!