Happy Hallowe'en!!!

  

We had Quinn's photo done at Superstore for their "Pumpkin Day"...too much fun!!! I was really worried that she'd be crying in the picture, but she was good as gold!! She was actually awake for a while before the photographer came, but then fell asleep (obviously as she's sleeping in the picture).  To be honest I was glad that she fell asleep since she sometimes will fuss if she's put down when she's close to asleep.

I've also decided to be shameless and take Quinn door-to-door tomorrow night as she's just too cute to not show off!  We're not sure how many kids we'll have since this is our first Hallowe'en in the house, but I guess we'll see tomorrow night!

Up to 6 Hours Now!

Quinn is starting to sleep longer stretches in the night now - last night was 6 hours, and the two nights before were both 5 hour stretches.  Last night's was also then followed by a 3 hour stretch.  It's amazing how much better I feel having 6 uninterrupted hours of sleep!  I don't know how tonight will go though, as Quinn slept quite a bit this afternoon, but I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Strollercise was also really fun today!  All the little ones had their costumes on and we got a few great pictures.  Quinn's costume is a bunting bag style one though, so we couldn't put that one on today since she wouldn't be able to be in her carseat, so instead she wore her fuzzy bear coat and her "Boo" Hallowe'en hat.

The little ones with Jules the instructor

Now with the mommies!

Bear on a skateboard and a little lion

Proud mamas!

Dancing

Getting Back Into Shape

I've started the long task of getting back into shape and losing the baby weight...wow that's easier said then done!  Carole and I are going to Strollercize when we can (i.e. when it's not raining) and that's a great way to start - we can do walking, running, or intervals of both.  I'm attempting to do the intervals as much as I can on the 4.2 km route.  I've also recently started going back to the gym and doing some classes.  The great thing about my gym is that they have childcare there for a very reasonable price.  You drop off your little one (in our case, I have to call them 24 hours in advance since Quinn is under 18 months and they need to make sure someone is there to watch her) and go do your workout.  They don't change diapers though, and if your little one gets too fussy, they come find you in your class/gym.  Totally reasonable I think!  I checked out the playroom and they have a lot of staff watching the kiddies and they know the little ones by name.  I'm trying to go to classes in the evening so that Quinn and Steve can have some alone time, but that unfortunately cuts into my time with Steve...but we'll figure something out I'm sure!  I'm hoping to get to classes 3-4 times a week in addition to the Strollercize.  I'd much rather get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes versus buying all new stuff!  Much cheaper!

I've also set a goal for weight loss before going shopping...since I love shopping (and so does Quinn!) I think that it's a realistic goal to have.  And definitely some motivation!  Otherwise I'd be buying Quinn clothes all the time...even more than I already am!

Going shopping at Rideau Ctr

A Sweet Video

Quinn enjoying her 1 hour break from her boots and bars...

Nighttime Sleeping is Getting Better!

Quinn still isn't sleeping completely through the night, but we're making progress! She finally is able to sleep in her bassinet without having to be completely to sleep before I put her down. And she's sleeping longer stretches in it too - 4 hrs straight two nights ago and 4.5 hours straight last night. This is also on the heels of 4-5 hour sleeps of tummy time/sleeping on our bed while we watch TV. It'll be awesome when those two sleep stretches aren't interrupted with a feeding! Although feelings don't take nearly as long now...only 10-20 minutes at night.

Quinn is also an excellent shopper! She sleeps most of the time when we're parading around in her stroller through all the stores and even feeds well in the middle of noisy food courts.

Quinn's a Shopping Machine!

Lately Quinn and I have been filling our days with shopping and random errands.  We went to Place D'Orleans today and discovered their "Place Bebe"...what a great place!! It's a room that has a washroom large enough for a stroller, 3 change tables, and 5 "cubicles" that have glider chairs in them for feeding.  We just plopped down and nursed after lunch...so great!

Quinn's also smiling a lot more now and making cute noises every so often too.  It's so amazing to see her smile at me!

Big smiles!

I'm a "true Mama" now with my family stickers on my car. :)

No More Cast!!!

Quinn got her last cast off on October 14th and was happy as a clam the whole time at the hospital!  Dr Kontio was very pleased with how her foot looked and we have to go back to see him 6 weeks from that appointment.  We then had to go to Nepean to pick up her boots and bars.  It was there that we found out that Ontario has an "Assistive Devices Program" that pays for 75% of the brace, so we were thrilled about that!  It will always be applied even when we have to get her bigger boots as she grows.  They told us that we were to just put the boots on her for the first 2 days, then add the bar.  We always are to keep her right foot at 45-degrees, and her left foot started at 45-degrees.  Then every 2 days we adjust her left foot 5-degrees until we get to 60-degrees.  Today we started at 55-degrees, so pretty soon we'll have her all the way adjusted!  She actually hasn't minded the boots or bar that much when it's on....just really doesn't like it when we have to hold her foot to put the shoes on.

The only annoyance with the boots/bars is that every time we put her into her carseat, we have to take the bar half off to loop her legs through...and obviously the same goes for taking her out of the seat, so it makes things a little bit more of an ordeal!  But we're getting used to it!

Last picture with her cast

Another "new" foot shot

Look at her "new" foot!

Her boots

Her boots with the bar

Just a point of reference for what her foot was like before treatment

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Quinn survived her first Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with her friends Brooke and Teagan...and the parents too of course!  It's so fun to have these holiday milestones with her even though she won't remember!  She behaved well so that I could make the turkey, cheesecake, and dressing...and only started crying near the end of the meal from her swing.

Ryan and Shauna also took some pictures of the 3 girls together that I can't wait to see!  Teagan is infatuated with Quinn (calls her "Baby Kin", but usually the words are run together and more like "Babykin") and it's so cute!  She saw that we could make Quinn smile by playing with her nose, so she did the same thing! So cute!

The second turkey I've ever made...so delicious!

Turtle Cheesecake...from scratch!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Another Video

This one was taken this morning of the little monkey smiling. :)

A Couple of Videos From the Past 5 and a Half Weeks

Little monkey during her first week having a hiccuping fit...she still gets these fits and it's still just as cute!

These Boots are Made for Walking

Today was a pretty gorgeous day minus the kind of cold temperature in the morning - so Quinn and I took advantage of it and went for two 1 hour walks with some friends and their kids!  This morning we took a burn around Carelton with Shauna (with Teagan and Brooke) and Vanessa (with Lydia).  After that walk we headed to Shauna's to relax and have some lunch before heading toward home to go for a walk with Carole (with Alex) and Sue (with Anne).  Great day with friends and Quinn was pretty well behaved except for needing a mid-walk-park-bench-poopy-diaper-change.  I'm so glad that she likes to go for walks and be in the car and that she can sleep in her carrier!

All bundled up

Her warm suits are still all too big, so this is the closest we can get!

Princess and the Pea

Turns out that Quinn is really what fair tales are made of! Our theory about her not liking to sleep on harder surfaces was bang on! Since we added a little more padding with a thicker blanket to her bassinet, she has been sleeping in it at night now! What a munchkin.

Yesterday Quinn went to her first movie - and her "first date" with Baby Alex. He wore jeans for the occasion and Quinn wore sweats haha. Both of them slept through the movie with the exception of a feeding. Was a great experience though! There were a lot of moms (and some dads) there with their babies. The theatre had tables set up with diapers, wipes, creams, and change pads, and there was "stroller parking" along the outside wall of the individual theater. Too cool!

After the movie we headed to Auntie Linds' to meet up for a walk. Quinn decided that she was a little hungry again, so I fed her. Then when it was time to burp her, she let out a burp...but I was followed by her projectile spitting up the entire contents of her little belly all over my lap and the couch. Poor monkey! But then she calmed down instantly and got dopey eyed to fall asleep. I guess even as a baby the pattern of "drink too much-throw up-instantly sleep" can start!

1 Month Check-Up A Success!

Today Quinn had her 1 month check-up with her doctor and passed with flying colours!  She weighs 9 lbs 3 oz (which is average for her age) and measures 22" (which is in the 75th percentile!!).  She also didn't pee on the scale this time, so that was a bonus!  The doctor was running a touch late and it was around Quinn's feeding time, so it was then that I really realized how convenient nursing is!  We were in the exam room, so it was even easier because I didn't need to use my "Hooter Hider" (or "Udder Cover").  The greatest inventions ever - it's really something that kind of looks like an apron.  It has an adjustable strap for around your neck and a plastic strip along the top edge so that you can actually see what you're doing and have some eye contact with your baby!  Greatest inventions ever for nursing in public!

Yay for playpen naps!

The challenge continues for getting Quinn to sleep in her bassinet.  The last couple of nights she has only managed to lay in it for about 45 minutes before crying...so I'm trying to get her to lay on her back to sleep in any of her contraptions...right now she's asleep in the playpen even though she wasn't completely zonked out before laying down.  Success on that front!  I think that she feels the bassinet is too hard for her, so we've tried to cushion it a little bit since she sleeps well in her swing, playpen, in the mamaroo and on a blanket on the couch next to us.  Since all those things are cushier, that's the conclusion that I've come to!

Rainy Days and Mondays

It seems that all it is doing here lately is raining! Which doesn't help so much when you want to use walking as a way to lose the baby weight and the weather is rapidly turning colder...if I wasn't feeling so lazy today, I'd pack Quinn in the car and go for a walk around the mall or something. But, I've decided to have a lazy day in with the Munchkin.

Yesterday was a fun but busy day! First, Quinn and I went to our friend Shauna's house for "Cupcake Sunday". Basically we organized an outing for all the moms and babies to get to know each other while making delicious treats! It all seemed to go quite well - there were a total of 7 little ones (ages 1 month to almost 3 years old) and 5 moms there. Quinn was pretty well behaved...she wanted to stay up the whole time and be a part of it all! After cupcakes, we picked Steve up from squash and went to Kent and Erin's for a delicious (and this time water-breaking-free) dinner. Can't complain!

Today we're expecting a visit this afternoon from another one of our friends who has yet to meet our Quinn...the only thing on the to-do list is to shower before she gets here!