The calm before the storm and 9 months old!

Right now we are enjoying what I think will be the calm before the storm. Quinn is mobile enough to get from belly/back to a sitting position, and scoot/crawl enough to reach things he wants. He is perfect at sitting up and is enjoying independent play. This means that we can set him on the rug to play with some toys and leave him there for 10+ minutes. I can actually clean the house! And get other things done without a little person hanging on me every minute! Yippeee! The house has been much cleaner the past few weeks, thanks to this new independence.

See that look? It's the look he gets when he's feeling mischievous.

The storm we anticipate is Quinn's full mobility. He is pulling himself up on everything, so he really has to be left in the middle of the floor to by himself safely. He is standing up unassisted a lot, but doesn't have it down enough to not fall over. He takes steps with help and can walk across a room before wanting to stop. So, we are going to be in trouble soon. I imagine he will be walking, no running, all over the house and getting into things very soon. We're starting the baby-proofing and enjoying these last moments of mobile-free babyhood.

Quinn loves his potty!

Quinn turned 9 months old this week, and weighed 25 pounds at his check-up. Quinn has recently taken off in mimicking and communicating. He is waving Hi and ByeBye and will sometimes give you a high five. He loves to sit and read books together. He turns the pages, studies each page, and anticipates some of the little antics I put on while reading. His pincer grip is getting really good, but he still crams so much food in that choking is a risk, so he doesn't get to eat "finger foods" yet. But mealtimes are fun. He loves ALL food. All fruit, veggies, grains - if it's food, he loves it. He likes to feed himself and tries hard to dip the spoon into the food. He makes a holy mess every time, and I've been hosing him down in the shower instead of bathing after each meal. So much water! Speaking of water, he had a blast at the spray park two weeks ago. He enjoyed swimming at a friend's house last week, too. Oh, and he now has two bottom teeth. That last one was a bear - he cried every night for at least an hour before bed and woke up crying all night.

Father and Son

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Jonathan's first Father's Day. We had a wonderful weekend together, just doing things as a family. I made Jonathan a photo collage and had some daddy/son photos framed for his office. We went out to eat, and Quinn gave him is first Father's Day card. Jonathan is such a terrific father. He plays games, sings songs, gives him baths, and loves on him all the time. Quinn has a wonderful father for a role model and will realize how lucky he is someday. Thank you for all you do, sweetie!





In other household news, a friend of mine from grad school came to visit from out of state this week. It was wonderful to see her and catch up, sharing similar thoughts of existential crisis and the purpose-driven life. You know a close friendship when you don't see each other for a year, but it seemed like yesterday when you meet up again. Our garden is going strong. So far we have had several zucchini, tomatoes, and strawberries ripen. Jonathan installed a rain barrel this weekend to save some water. Jonathan is doing great in his summer class, and I'm enjoying the time at home with Quinn before I teach again in the Fall. I'm working on getting my dissertation ideas figured out so I can get to work on that soon, too. July will be busy with lots of traveling.