Christmas 2020

We just had the best Christmas I think I’ve ever had! It was a little bit different because my in-laws didn’t come home so that was a bummer but totally understandable. However, watching Quinn’s face when he saw his slide on Christmas morning was the best thing ever ❤️. He had a small one that was frankly, quite pathetic to watch him slide on 🤣.it was time to upgrade. We didn’t go overboard with other  gifts for several reasons. He doesn’t know the difference, he lost interest after opening about 4, he didn’t need a lot, we have only one income now, our house isn’t huge, I don’t like clutter, etc., etc. I’m happy with what he got from us and everyone else. Everything was perfect (minus the annoying drum set my dad bought him 🙄🤪). Aside from the gifts from family, we had a few people who went out of their way to make his Christmas special, and I appreciate that so much! Someone who used to attend my yoga classes sent him a card with a little bit of money in it. My great aunt Alice sent him $2,  both of sisters-in-law families helped make it special for him; one sent him a gift and the other sent him a Santa letter. He even got a few Christmas cards addressed to him. Those small things really filled this mama’s heart with joy and I’m so grateful. 

I’m happy to finally have new toys to play with, with him 🤪. I said before that we think he gets bored and this last week, especially, he has wanted lots of extra attention and has had a hard time keeping himself occupied. He’s usually pretty good with our routine and entertaining himself during the times that I need to get stuff done but it’s been a battle lately. However, he’s doing well at following more complex directions, such as “first we do X, then we’ll do Y,” and being able to wait (for short periods of time) when he wants something. I’ve always told him, “Hang on, Mama is doing Z, and then I’ll get what you want,” when he asks for something when I’m busy. I don’t usually just drop what I’m doing to bend to his will, unless, of course, he’s hurt and crying. However, importantly, I always follow through. I think that is essential in teaching him to control his impulses and to know that I will do what I say I’m going to so he doesn’t have to throw a fit to get what he wants. That wouldn’t work anyway but he doesn’t know that yet. He is not a fan of being told, “No,” and cries almost every time 😂. Except for when he doesn’t, and instead says no back to us 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️. The last few weeks have brought big, negative head shakes and verbal noes, alike. The first time he said it, I had to keep from laughing. I told him, “No,” when he was pulling Sophie’s tail and to get out from underneath the table (her safe space). He told me, “No,” right back 🙄. 

He’s on a terrible schedule right now because he’s transitioning to just one nap a day and if it happens too early, he’s a pretty big crank ass for most of the evening, until he finally gives in and passes out around 7pm. That would be fine if he didn’t then wake up, raring and ready to go at 5 am 😩. He went to bed super early one night and a few hours later I was sitting at the kitchen table, working on a felt board for him. I had just let the girls outside and I heard someone walking in the living room. It totally freaked me out for a few seconds until it registered that it was Quinn 😂. It’s kinda scary that he can just get out of bed on his own now. He didn’t even cry or I would have heard him on the baby monitor that’s in the kitchen. He just woke up and came looking for me 😅.

Quinn is in a bully stage; he likes to pinch and push people and dogs. He gets jealous of the dogs sitting on our laps and will pinch and push them. He gets reprimanded for that, of course. Philip played along with him one day as he tried to push him off the couch so now he thinks he’s capable of doing that and tries any time you sit by him. He even tries to push me out of bed, and Sansa, too 🤦🏻‍♀️. When he’s not trying to domineer, he can be the best cuddle buddy and lay forever. There are some days when that’s what he needs. Other days, he asserts his imagined authority by chasing and terrorizing the dogs with that damn duck toy I told you I hated and then didn’t hate but now hate again 🤣. Thanks for that, Nathan and Carly 🤪. Really, he just likes chasing Sophie, with or without frightening toys. I tell him it’s only fun if both parties think so, otherwise it’s just bullying. 

He’s still “washing dishes” several times a day and I’m not excited for the day when he learns to operate the faucet on his own. He probably already could but he can’t quite reach it. For now he just yells my name to get me to turn it on or off. 

We read ‘Llama Llama Red Pajama’ about 50 times a day. I remember when I liked that book 🤪. Quinn repeats EVERYTHING now and often picks out a word on each page and repeats as we read (hair, sink, etc.). He also gives the book a kiss and then me one at the end, and then lays his head down for the last page, which reads, “Baby Llama goes to sleep” 🤣. He’s learning so many new words that we now have to spell both bath and walk in this house, one for his sake, and one for the girls’. He loves getting a bath and they love going for a walk. You don’t say either of those words aloud unless you’re prepared to do them 😉. We’re working on colors and he can sometimes find or identify blue objects but I have yet to decide if they’re coincidental or not 🤷🏻‍♀️😅. He says two 2 word sentences. The first, I told you, happened on Thanksgiving, and he said, “poop stink.” We have a leash holder that looks like the back end of a dog and the tail is bent up to hold the leash. When he points to it, we tell him that’s a “dog butt” and he now says that and wants to play with it 🤣. “Poop stink” and “dog butt.” We couldn’t be more proud 😉🤪. He’s mastering naming most major body parts, including ones on other people. I was taking a quick bath the other day when I didn’t want to wash my hair and of course, Quinn was right beside me, outside the tub. He’s still obsessed with belly buttons so while I’m trying to do a quick wash, he’s poking my stomach and saying, “belba” (belly button). I’m like, ‘Uh huh, ok please move your hand so I can finish,” and then he poked my boob and said, “ball.” 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤣🤣🤣

🤣. 

Dog butt 😉

Quinn loves playing with his lid pictures I made and those are, by far, the best thing I’ve ever made. Especially during a pandemic, when we don’t see people as often as we’d like. He can identify several people and has even started to notice them in other pictures around the house. Some days he chatters none stop and it can be amusing. Some days it’s not amusing. One of my biggest pet peeves is being interrupted and his chatter and impulse “needs” habitually grow around the time Philip gets off work, so having a conversation can be challenging. 

Speaking of challenges, a few days ago he left a path of destruction everywhere he went. If I was cleaning up, he was tearing out; picking stuff up over his head and throwing it like Mario chucking turtles 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. Someone tell me this phase won’t last! 🤞🏻 He also climbs on EVERYTHING 🤦🏻‍♀️. He went into this room one day and I didn’t hear him for a few minutes so I went to check on him. This is what I found 👇🏻

I was careful not to let him see me take a pic because I don’t want to encourage it. Ugh. 

Climbing in his signature outfit- diaper and shoes 🤦🏻‍♀️.

One year olds have the worst eating habits, sometimes eating everything in sight, sometimes eating nothing but crumbs they find on the floor 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️. Philip said he found a snack in the bottom of the wagon and ate it when he pulled him in it up and down the driveway the other day. I said that was ok, we have to strengthen his immune system somehow, since he doesn’t get exposed to many people 🤣. Really though, on the days he’s willing to eat more than just the dry pasta I let him scoop and pour with, he’s very adventurous in trying different foods. He loves Mexican food, including salsa and chicken tortilla soup, also, chicken lo mein, cheesesteak hoagies (meat), and chili. Weirdly, he doesn’t like mashed potatoes or bread. We think that’s more about texture than taste. He likes to sit on one of our laps during dinner. He’s really good with Philip and eats with him. He steals my fork, tries to mess on my plate, and feed me 🤬. Why do kids always give their moms so much shit?

Looking cute in his hand me down hoodie from cousin Link, while riding in his wagon, which was gifted to me by my friend, Holly 😊. We’re getting lots of use out of it! 

Speaking of food, I made a quick trip into Walmart the other day (I do grocery pickup but sometimes you can’t get everything on there 🙄) and walked past the display of discount cookies. I couldn’t leave them there all sad and at risk for being trashed so I bought them. They were the least flavorful cookies I ever had. I asked Philip to eat one just to make sure I wasn’t losing my taste. You know it’s 2020 when you question whether your discount cookies just suck or you have Covid 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

I can tell you one thing I’m thankful for that COVID made necessary and that’s the offering of pick up services at most major retailers. Aside from wanting to avoid people, it makes shopping with a toddler a breeze! I don’t have to waste my time shopping (although I love shopping at some places...alone 😉🤪), and I don’t have to get a baby out of the car or fight with him to get him to stay in the cart. It’s great! Walmart and other grocery stores were already offering these services but others weren’t. I am truly thankful for making my life a little easier. I was able to order Christmas gifts and go pick them up at the highlands last week. I planned to take Quinn with me but Lori very generously offered to watch him. I had a pleasant drive while checking out the newest Taylor Swift album 😊. If our local Walmart hadn’t blown a breaker and canceled my pickup order, causing me to have to shop for my own groceries elsewhere, I could’ve been up and back in under 2 hours!

He had a good time hanging out with his cousins while I did my pick ups. We both listened to Taylor Swift 😊.  

We all enjoyed our white Christmas, even the girls! Sansa keeps going out and rubbing her face in snow 🤦🏻‍♀️. I’m glad the ground finally froze so I don’t have to clean up muddy paw prints every time they go outside. Ya know, like every 5 minutes 🙄. We haven’t gotten to walk for a bit though so they’re more than ready to get outta this house. Soph is doing well going back in her crate when we leave. She even lays in there sometimes when we’re home 🤷🏻‍♀️. I’m enjoying her being in there because 1) I don’t have to worry about her tearing things up and 2) I don’t get attacked when I first come in the door. She goes nuts when she gets let out though but at least I can have my hands free of toddler then 😆.   

Quinn also likes soph’s cage. No, I didn’t put him in there. I also didn’t close the door. Although, some days it’s tempting 😉🤪. 

Another time. 🤦🏻‍♀️

And another. Pretty sure she went in there to get away from you, Bud 🙄. 

Quinn is learning to feed the girls 😊. 

I finally finished my dog gallery in the hallway with photo tiles from Snapfish. It’s a progression from baby Sansa to baby Sophie to both being big girls. 

From 2 to 3 kids 😉. 

I apologize I don’t have a repurpose or organizing tips for you this time. I’ve been busy, like all of you, I’m sure. Don’t worry though, the new year is coming and I’ve got some decluttering and side hustle goals so I’ll have plenty to share 😉. 

Passion for Repurpose: Toddler Toys

🤦🏻‍♀️

It’s been a limit testing kind of two (or three😉) weeks in this household. Between Quinn working out just which buttons to push with me, and these insubordinate dogs who want to stay outside and ignore me when I call, I’ve almost lost my mind. I remember when I used to want Quinn to say my name. Now he says “Mom” 946 times a day and I want him to stop. Anytime he wants something—“Mom, Mom, Mom,” (like Stewie in that one episode of Family Guy, for those of you who’ve seen it), even if I’m looking at him, and even if I ask him what he wants. Sometimes I’ll get his attention and make eye contact and say, “What do you want?” His response will be a very emphatic affirmative head shake 🤦🏻‍♀️🙄. When he’s not saying my name, he’s squealing and I honestly don’t know which is more annoying. I had a breakdown one day and was in tears by the time Philip got off work. Quinn literally screamed for most of the day,  no matter what I did, I couldn’t do the right thing. It was awful. When I finally couldn’t take it anymore and started crying, he got very quiet and kept giving me kisses. I told him I would be okay, I was just frustrated and sometimes when I’m frustrated, I cry. Although everything else that day was a shit show, Quinn demonstrated empathy and that made me happy. He has gotten one molar already and is working on the other, which is, I hope, why he’s being so testy right now. Isn’t that always the thing with babies and toddlers? If they’re in a mood, blame teething 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

My sweet sister-in-law, Lori, left me surprise on my porch the day after my meltdown. She has 4 kids, she gets it 🤣. 

In the spirit of being thankful, since Thanksgiving just passed, I’m going to quit complaining (just for a minute 😉) and say that I’m so grateful for my little family, our extended family, and friends that are now family. Thanksgiving was different this year because we didn’t host a dinner at our house like usual. There was a possibility of exposure to Covid so even our small get together of just my brother’s family and my dad (people we already socialize with regularly) seemed like a bad idea. We still made dinner for ourselves and delivered food to my dad and uncle, and Lori made a dinner for them. I hope we never have to spend another Thanksgiving without guests in our home. 

Our little turkey last year to this year ❤️  

Quinn said his first two word sentence on Thanksgiving! This is an exciting achievement! His dad was changing his diaper and telling him how stinky he was and he said, “stink poop.” We’re so proud 🤣. He also said his first Spanish word, “Hola,” which Philip has been learning for several months and is trying to teach him. You say the weirdest things as a parent. Things like, “No, you can’t bring Dad’s shoe to bed with you,” “We don’t dance on the (open) dishwasher door, you will break it,” “Please stop trying to drink out of the air fryer basket, you’re making a mess on the floor,” (while *helping* me do dishes) and in order to get him to comply, “If you want to go downstairs with me, you have to spit out the dog food” 🙄. He loves going in the basement to help with laundry. He now realizes that Philip’s office is downstairs though and sometimes bangs on his door 😬😆. Other weird things that happen when you become a parent? You get random kid songs stuck in your head, and no, not just the ones you grew up with; stupid ones, like the ones his car sings or his Leap Frog Scout (thanks again for that, Michelle 🙄😉). “Let’s sing a song about me and my friend, Quinn. Do do do do…..” You also might take a binky with you when you go to do a grocery pickup, even when your child stayed at home with Dad 🙄. 

Got to the store and sent this pic to Philip. WTH 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣

Quinn is very receptive to learning right now and wants to be involved in everything we do. He literally inserts himself between me and whatever I’m trying to do, often making it impossible to finish doing it 🙄🙄🤦🏻‍♀️. I love that he’s so curious but most things are 1000 times easier to do without a toddler on your lap. He has learned to take off all of his clothes—shirt, pants, socks, and shoes—unassisted. I already know he can take off his diaper because he went streaking one day over the summer but he hasn’t attempted it again thus far 🤞🏻. His most recent favorite pastime is washing dishes. He learned that he can move his safety stool to places other than the counter 🤦🏻‍♀️. It’s supposed to have sticky-like feet that prevent it from moving but they came off already. Now he can push it to the sink anytime he wants. He “washes” dishes about 5 times a day. That’s usually what precipitates his shirt coming off. The first time, anyway. As soon as he gets it wet, and he’s certain to, he wants it off. We now mostly live a shirtless toddler life. He moved his stool to the table one day as well so that he could reach my water bottle. That was actually a really good problem solving strategy but it was the gateway to even more freedom. I didn’t realize baby proofing was going to happen in levels. You make sure choking hazards stay off of the floor, you put covers on the outlets, you install corner guards on furniture, and keep things that can be pulled onto their heads away from the edge of the table. Now I’m going to have to clear the countertops that are typically out of his reach. He has an area that I keep his water and snacks and all around it is safe. However, he can now venture to the dish drainer and acquire knives or touch a hot stovetop. Or unroll the 3,000 feet of plastic wrap that was already moved out of his reach once before 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. Ugh. 

Yep. 

He took the Swiffer mop from me so he could do it 🤣. 

He LOVES pouring anything. 

I was sweeping the floor so he went and got his mop to help 🤣. 

I can’t do anything on my laptop without an extra set of hands wanting to push every button. I charged an old laptop for him that was Philip’s mom’s, that’s old and she doesn’t want anymore. It helps to keep him occupied while I’m paying bills or making vinyls. Thanks Nanna! 😉

We feel like he gets bored sometimes so I’ve been trying to do some new activities with him. I gave him an early Christmas gift to keep him entertained one day. It was a set of magnetic animals that disassemble the head and legs from the bodies. He loves the giraffe. He gives his toy animals kisses all of the time. He also gives his real animals kisses all of the time as well 🤣. He waves at them and tells them goodnight every night, as part of his routine. He pretends to snore like them, too, when he’s resisting going to sleep 🙄🤣. He does a lot of that—resisting, that is. He’s at the stage where you have to make him think everything is his idea if you don’t want a struggle. However, if you need him in a certain spot, throwing a blanket on the floor will work to get him there. They’re now referred to as “Quinn Catchers.” Works every time. That’s another thing he has in common with the girls. Anytime anything goes on the floor, someone is certain to sit on it 🤦🏻‍♀️. He likes to dance so turning on music will amuse him for a bit. He does this funny walk where he looks like an old man, all hunched over and sometimes holds his back. It’s hilarious and he never does it long enough for me to record it. He’s been trying to walk on his tiptoes and taps his foot to music sometimes. He can identify most of his body parts—eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, hands, arms, leg, foot, toes, belly, and beard 🤣. He’s a smart boy and I love watching him learn. 

Lovin’ on his rocking dog that we got from my friend, Mandy. He loves it 😊. He just recently learned to rock on it by himself. 

Got him! 🤣

Here are a couple of homemade toys I made for him. The first is a simple shape sorter. He has one that he plays with in the bath sometimes but I wanted to work on it more with him so I made one from a box. I don’t know about you but we get a shipment many days of the week so boxes are not in short supply in this house. Also, since our recycling program is shut down at the moment due to the rise in Covid cases, I can’t recycle the cardboard so I had to find a use for it. Other than wrapping Christmas gifts, that is 😉. Quinn has foam shapes we can use with the box but you could also just use the shapes you had to cut out to make it. I kept those, too, and wrapped them in duck tape to make them pretty and slobber proof 🤪. 

I had to cover the middle with duck tape because I tried cutting out a star shape and it was a big fail 🤣. 

Another super simple toy is a fine motor skill enhancer popsicle stick push. That’s the official name, if you were wondering 😉.  I cut slits in the lid of an oatmeal container. Instant toy. I accidentally made one hole too big by pushing my finger through it when I was trying to tear off a strip of paper that didn’t come off. We put clothespins in that one now 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

It’s easier to get them in with just one shoe on 🤷🏻‍♀️.

The last one is a touch and feel board I made with different textures ribbons, wipes lids, and a shelf from an organizer that I didn’t need. 

I’ve actually added a few more since I took this pic but I don’t feel like getting up to take a new one 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣. 

Both girls had a birthday this week! Sophie turned 3 on November 29 and Sansa 5 on December 3. Sophie has been being destructive lately when we leave (which is rarely but still). She’s earned herself a spot back in her crate for a while. I went out porch dropping a few things, was gone less than an hour, and she chewed up Philip’s hat. I’m sure she thought it was Quinn’s and since she has pent up middle child animosity toward him, she usually targets his toys. By the way, speaking of middle child syndrome, if you’ve never read anything about birth order, I recommend The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman. It’s fascinating no matter what order you are. I did a research project on it when I was working on my Associate’s in psychology. Fun times. 

Peanut butter pancake

Peanut butter waffle 

I’m hating this weather because I have to clean up muddy paw prints a million times a day when the girls go out and back in. I told ya I’d be back to complaining before long 😉. To counterbalance that, I wanna quickly give a shout to 3 companies that have excellent customer service. A few months ago the front wheel on our jogging stroller locked up and wouldn’t budge. The ball bearings went bad and so I emailed the company, Baby Trend, to ask how I could purchase new ones or if my stroller was still under warranty. They asked for a picture of my receipt (I purchased it while I was pregnant so it’s been awhile) and a pic of the model info on the stroller and immediately sent me out a replacement wheel, free of charge! I had a similar experience with Gaiam when the front bracket of my exercise ball chair broke. I had had it for over two years and I asked about purchasing a replacement and they sent me two new ones (front and back) for free. The third company I want to rave about didn’t go above and beyond other than sending out my item super fast, even for normal standards, let alone Black Friday shopping. I ordered a personalized stocking from Things Remembered for Quinn and it arrived 3 days later! I couldn’t believe it. Philip and I bought some things there for our wedding and got reward points for spending a certain amount of money. That year for Christmas I used them to buy us personalized stockings so I wanted to get one for Quinn to match. Unfortunately, the thread color isn’t the same so I’m pondering ways to fix that, such as having someone embroider ours in a darker color to match his. Or maybe just painting over our threads 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️. I haven’t decided yet. It really bothers me that they don’t match though! 

By the way, I painted the fireplace and that box that the tree is in 😉. 

Anyway, now that I’ve repented for all of my complaining, I’m going to enjoy this quiet night since Quinn went to bed at 6:30 pm 😳. He’s certain to wake up in the middle of night so I have to enjoy it while it lasts 😉.