Soccer Star??

Dearest Quinn - 

You are playing soccer for ROYSA Lil Renegades this fall with your little friend Anna & new friend Mira.  Anna & Mira both live in our neighborhood.  The team is all 3 & 4YOs.  The first half of each Saturday session is instruction & the second half is a scrimmage.  You're really enjoying it ... maybe more so the socialization than the soccer ... maybe the same for the parents. =p  It is so sweet to watch you learn & experience an organized sport: you just don't 'get' that you don't stop mid game for a snack or to say hi.  You had no idea that when you play the scrimmage you use only one ball for both sides.  At the first game you came running over to Mommy & asked for your ball for the game.  So sweet & innocent ! You just don't have any frame of reference.  You are just wondrous to witness experience life!

We love you!!
All my love for always,
Mommy

The Sweet Things You Say

To Mommy on a number of occasions:
Q: "Mommy, I want to tell you a secret. (Whispering in my ear) Want to know how much I love you? I love you since the day you were born."
... And then I kiss you all over & melt all over the place.  (That phrase comes from one of your books.)

Q: "Mommy you are so sweet."
That's something I often tell you, BabyLady.

You are also VERY into asking Why lately.  And I must admit, I am puh-retty good with answering those.  Eventually I might hit a wall & have to respond with something obtuse like, "I'm not sure" or "Because that is just how God made it" or something along those lines, but I really do my best to explain why!

I love you, your very inquisitive mind, & your heart of gold, BabyLady.
All my love for always,
Mommy

You are a blank canvas ...

I know I have said this a number of times, BabyLady, but I love your innocence.  Last night you & I played CandyLand before bed, sitting on your bedroom floor.  When I opened the board, you exclaimed with a gasp, "It's beautiful!." Later, as we were playing ... You caught on QUICK! ... You asked me how to get to the places on the board.  So sweet & innocent, you thought that the places on the board were real.  I really hated to tell you otherwise ...

I love you, LadyBabes,
Mommy

First Day(s) of "Pwee-scoo"

Well, BabyLady, you have now crossed the threshold into your academic career.  You are attending Shrine (National Shrine of the Little Flower - where we attend church) 3YO pre-school.  You go Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8.05AM to 11.05AM.  And so far? So good!  The only tears that were shed were Mommy's.  You are such a brave girl.

On Tuesday Daddy & I took you for orientation from 8 to 9AM.  Your teacher, Mrs. Oldani, told us no less than 6 times how excited she is to be teaching preschool.  She taught kindergarten for many years previously.    She was also an art teacher so she is very into arts & crafts!  Your building is a double-wide portable classroom directly across from the "big school" AKA the grade school.  It's really cute with a fine-motor skill room & large-motor skill room.  Mommy took scrupulous notes, as always. =)  (Daddy says I was the only one taking notes. =p ).  You played while we sat & listened (& took notes).  They have a big Little Tikes castle to play on - you said that was your favorite & that you shared it with the other kids.  You're so sweet!  I got choked up a couple times Tuesday but managed to power through without any tears.

Thursday, however? Not so much.  We both dropped you off together again.  This time Mommy got teary because our baby girl is growing up. So. Fast. Sigh.  There was a little boy at the table where we sat you down.  He had BIG crocodile tears rolling down his cheeks, the poor baby.  His mommy had already left.  I told you that he looked sad & you should talk to him & be his friend.  I just wanted to hug him, but I think some random Mommy hugging him might have just freaked him out. Seeing how upset he was & wondering you'd react the same way really set me off.  As we left, I hugged you, kissed you, & told you I'd miss you a half dozen times. I couldn't stop saying goodbye.  After all, this WAS the very first time I'd ever left you anywhere without family (or someone as close as family).  Wow, that was tough. I needed a REALLLLLLY big hug from your daddy so I could get in my car & head to work.

When I picked you up, Mrs. Oldani said you had lots of smiles.  Hooray!!  You did well!  You told me that you drew a picture "for the big kids", played outside, read stories about teachers, & sang songs about cleaning up.  How perfect!!  You said you liked making pictures "for the big kids" the best.  I asked  you if you were glad that we enrolled you in preschool.  You told me that you were!  And Mommy breathes a sigh of relief.

So glad you like it, our sweet angel.
We are so proud of you.  So, so proud.
All my love for always,
Mommy

Just a few of many occasions where you melt Mommy's heart ...

Quinn to Mommy as we sat on your bed together at bedtime, nuzzling up to me, straddled on my lap with Blankie over my shoulder: "I just love to cuddle you!"  <3

The other night I told you that "you are SO sweet." Your reply? "Mommy, YOU are so sweet." And you kissed me.

Just about every night the last thing you want to do before I turn the fan on & close the door is to give Mommy a kiss on the cheek & to get one in return.  "I just wanna give you a kiss. on. the cheek." you say, very deliberately with finality & conviction.  I will take alllllllll the kisses I can get from my BabyLady!

You often tell me "Mommy, I just love you so much!"  I say the same to you lots.  It's amazing, gratifying, & terrifying the impact my words have on you.

Just head over heels for my BabyLady!!

All my love for always,
Mumma

July Quotes from our Sweet, Sweet Angel

"You better feed that parking meter, Mommy.  It's HUNnnnnnngry!" in the parking lot downtown Royal Oak before headed to the farmers' market.

"I kinda like having a baby brudder." (Swooooon!) exiting the car after church.

"Minnie, you can't talk to your daddy like that.  You get a time out behind the dinosaur." As you were playing with your new Minnie's Bow-tique toys from your birthday party.

"Mommy, your dress is boo-tee-ful." after I got dressed for your birthday party.

3YO Well-child Pediatricial

Our Growing Up Guy & Girl - ADD PIX & COPY to Tait

We're hitting milestones all over the place up in here.  Quinn, you slept in your newly converted toddler bed for the very first time last night.  You woke up only once because you were, in your words, "Mommy, I'm poopy, hungry & sirsty."  I'd wake up, too, can't blame a girl for that!  (After a fresh pull-up, a sip of water, & a cheese stick, you were tucked back in bed.)  You helped Mommy make your bed this morning, folding the blankets with me & lining the wall with your animals & dolls.  You're enjoying being able to sit on your bed & hang out, too.  You were just in your room "having a party, a summer party, with my dolls."  They were having tea & you decided that your Uggs (that I was trying to store away) were the perfect party attire (& on the wrong feet!).  You have the most creative imagination, BabyLady.  We just love listening to you sing, dance, & play with your dolls & Little People.  You have them speaking so nicely to each other, just as we do to you & are teaching you to do with others .  That makes us feel so good that what we're teaching you is resonating  with you, LadyBabe!  You love a lot of the songs that we do, too, like Annie Wants a Baby Now (RHCP), Last Great DJ (Ting-Tings) & more.  You are so musically-savvy that you ask for these by name!  We love music - namely Indie rock & alternative - so it's cool to see you embracing our love of music.  Your vocabulary is extensive & growing every day.  If you are unsure what a word means, you ask immediately.  It keeps Mommy on my toes coming up with clear explanations that you can relate to.  I love words & it looks like you do, too!  (I hope you'll have my spelling/English ability ... but not my lacking math ability !)

Then there is Tait.  IttyBitty you are growing by leaps & bounds & getting more mobile by the minute.  Just in the last couple days you've gone from successfully pulling up on the furniture, windows, doors, & larger toys to pulling yourself toward things, letting go for a second (OMG!!), effectively officially cruising for all practical purposes!  Your progress is SO fast.  You're so much more physical than your sister was at the same age.  It's so cool to see your different personalities & different traits from girl to boy.  You shake your head No when we say the word No.  It's hysterical, especially because you KNOW you are funny!  You won't shake it Yes, though, Stinker!!  You are infatuated with your sister & she just loooooves you.  You shriek & squeal out of happiness a hundred or more times a day... especially when you see Mommy.  You are a true Momma's boy ... & there's nothin' wrong with that!! All you shrieks, squeals, goos, & giggles are music to my ears!!!  You've cut four teeth in the last week or two.  All of them are on top.  Poor guy, teething is tough on you!  We've gotten so used to seeing you with just the two bottom teeth that you'll have a whole new look once those top four come fully in.

You are BOTH so lovable, affectionate, sweet, & cuddly.  Now I'm sure that every mother says this about their children, but others tell me this about you guys, too.  It's NOT just me who thinks you are so positively amazing, happy, & wonderful.  You BOTH truly make Daddy & Mommy's life a better one.  Daddy often remarks how happy he is that we had you guys & that we had you when we did.  I thank him for TALKING me INTO having you guys!!  To think that I was not at all convinced I wanted a baby?!!  Look at me now!  My whole world is you both.  Sure, there's work & stuff, but all that pales in comparison to raising you two.  I can't scarcely even begin to describe how much I love being your Mama!

it probably goes without saying, but I LOVE you guys!  My sweet babes!
Love,
Mommy

Quinn at 2YO10MO

Quinn Ryan, you are the sweetest, smartest, silliest girl! Here are some recent highlights:
- You have a huge vocabulary. You correctly use words like: comfortable, familiar, humongous, & giant excavator.
- You have a heart of gold. Yesterday, before your nap, you told Michelle you would dream about Mommy while you slept. That makes Mommy's heart soar!

Recalling the Rhythm & Routine of Maternity Leave

This one goes out to both my babes, the BabyLady & the IttyBitty ...

I was nursing you to sleep tonight, as I always do BabyTait, & thinking back to our glory days: maternity leave.   It was the cuddling & closeness that brought that time to mind.  My leave with you was quite different than my leave with your sister, just because I had both of you to keep up with!  It's really hard being a SAWM.  I never truly feel like I am giving either of you enough of me, no matter what I do.  I constantly crave more time, more affection, more attention to you.  I often actually physically crave you guys - that is how much I love & how much I miss you when I am at work.

Oh how I miss our days of maternity leave ...

Quinn, you & I would wake up, get some coffee (for me, that is =p ), & head downstairs for the news & a marathon nursing session.  One (always you) or both (sometimes me, too) of us would drift back to sleep curled up & cuddled into the couch.  Rarely did we have any kind of agenda.  Mostly, sweet little YOU were my agenda.  And I was quite happy to spend my days just like that for nearly three months, until the cold reality of work set in.  (Mommy cried for three days prior to my return to work.  Leaving you to go back to work seemed like such an insurmountable feat.  I could scarcely wrap my head around how I would get myself together & out the door on time, let alone LEAVE my precious tiny BabyLady!  Augh, just recalling that time makes my heart ache.  And now, you are 2 1/2 years old.  Beautiful, vivacious, gregarious, precocious, perceptive, & downright hilarious.  You make me smile a million times every day.  Back to my leave for a moment, what I always want to hold onto is the closeness, the cuddling, & how I had the privilege of just pouring all of myself into you.  Just you.  Already it is difficult to recall how your little face looked at that time of our lives, though I stared at  you constantly & vigilantly.  Maybe it is MommyBrain, maybe it is just the passage of time, but it scares me & makes me really sad that it is already this difficult for me to recall.  (INSERT PIX OF ME HOLDING & CUDDLING A VERY YOUNG Q)

BabyTait, it was you who brought these memories rushing back to me tonight as we sat together in the rocker in your nursery, your warm little body pressed against me, your little hand opening & closing into a half-fist stroking my stomach & side so sweetly & lovingly.  I never want to forget your face as it is today (& was as a smaller baby) either.  (Thank goodness we take a lot of photos ... Now if I could only find the time to edit them ... ).  On my leave with you, I didn't really have the "luxury" of getting to sit around & cuddle all day.  I had a toddler to mother, too!!!  We had more of an agenda this time around.  Every morning, we'd get up, nurse you, get Quinn her "oat-me-meal" & fruit & milk.  After that we'd just hang out & play & cuddle & read for a bit until I got us all dressed for the day.  Mommy would try to get you guys (& Dexter) out for walks & to the park & sometimes to meet friends out.  Our quiet time was when Quinn was down for her afternoon nap.  It was then that you & I would sneak away into Mommy's room & curl up together to nurse & snooze on my bed (for at least half of Q's nap ... until my never-ending to do list tapped me on the shoulder).  That was sort of our time, just like Q's time with just me was when you napped.  I try really hard to have one on one time with each of you, but it's not easy.  Whatever child I am NOT with, I feel guilty about leaving - even if I am leaving you with your Daddy!!  Most of all, I want to always remember & cherish our Maternity Leave as a time of love, adjustment to being a family of 4, & endless cuddles & kisses & all of the things that you & Quinn do that Mommy's heart just soar. [INSERT SOME MAT LEAVE SHOTS OF US ALL - LIKE IN JAMMIES TOGETHER & SITTING ON COUCH, MY FAVE PLACE TO NURSE)

You two make me grin ear to ear with love, with pride, & with wonder that God somehow deemed Mommy worthy of not one, but TWO, beautiful, healthy, & amazing babies.  I still have not wrapped my head around that. You two are the biggest & best blessing I could ever imagine.

All my love to both of you for always,

Mommy

Quotable Quinn 2012-4-24

Today at 4AM over a banana & a few sips of water, cuddled on the couch in the dark living room ...

Quinn (wrapping her arms around my neck): You the best Mommy I ever met!
Mommy: Oh thank you, BabyLady, you're the best toddler I ever met & I love you so, so much!

A few minutes later (finishing said banana):
Quinn (kissing me): You the best Mommy in the world!
Mommy (pulling you as close as I can): You are the best daughter ever!! You make Mommy so, SO happy!

You also told me that you'll miss me when I am at work today.  That makes me sad.  I * WISH *  I could spend more time with you!!   I do the best I can to be with you two as much as I can.  Some days, it feels like a balance.  Others, I am racked with guilt & I literally physically crave closeness with you & BabyTait.  It's not easy being a SAWM (stay-at-work-mom), it's definitely not easy.

All my love for always, BabyLady,
Mommy

Q at 2YO9MO

...

You love to play doctor
You love to play Little People & your Disney (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) characters
You love Sesame Street, especially Abby's Flying Fairy School.  Mommy begrudgingly allows television

Quotable Quinn

This morning, over a slice of cheese & some apple ...
Mommy: Quinn, I love being home with you!
Quinn: I love being home with you, too!
Mommy: You know what else? I love being your mommy!
Quinn: I love being your girl!

The other day as I got the knot out of your shoe:
"Mommy you're good at fixing things!" ...  I have officially arrived in MommyVille, then, because Quinn you're right.  Fixing things is chief among the duties of a mommy!

This morning as Mommy got up & you wanted me to make your breakfast, "Mommy, you the best Mommy ever!"   Ohmygoodness, you make my heart sing BabyLady!!

Last night over dinner ...
Daddy: Are you sure you are all done, Quinn?
Mommy: You aren't hungry any more?
Quinn: No, I'm fine.
... You have SUCH a good vocabulary & use expressions & figures of speech correct.  SUCH a smart girl!!  (You can also count to almost 30, you can count by tens (??!!), you recognize letters, you know your colors & your shapes.  We're really proud of you!  You'll be all set for preschool in the fall, as bittersweet as that is for Mommy & Daddy ...)

all my love ... all of the time ...
Mommy

Literal

Me: We're gonna brush teeth & read one page of Pooh & then it's time for bed.  Roger that?
Quinn: I not Roger, I'm a GIRL!

... The next night ...

Mommy: Please just pick a short book because we are past your bedtime.  Roger that Kimosabe (sp?)?
Quinn: I not Kimosabe, I'm a GIRL!

That you are, Quinn, that you are ... A very literal girl!

Love,
Mommy

A good heart

BabyLady, you have such a good heart, a sweet soul.  Recently, one of Mommy's coworkers' father passed away.  Mommy mentioned this to you so we could include her in our prayers at bedtime.  You never forget.  Tonight you asked "Mommy, what passed away mean?"  I told you that it meant he went to be with Jesus in heaven.  You looked very thoughtful for a minute while you processed this & then you asked, "& Mary & Joseph, too?"  You then said we needed to pray for Daddy's coworker (Gloria who died earlier this year) & the people in the car accident (we got stuck in traffic on I-96 on the way home from Grand Rapids a few weeks back due to a car accident).  I just can't get over how thoughtful you are. By this I mean, that the wheels are always turning. You don't forget a thing.  You can recall so many details from BabyTait's birth. You told Michelle just exactly how to get to the Big Park.  You talk about how you went to Mommy's work at Halloween & got candy (trick or treated).  You're only two & yet you can readily recall so many details for your experiences ... & without even being prompted!

You take in everything we say & soak it up.  One of my favorite things that you say is "I just need a little MommyLove."  That's something Mommy says, "Aww, do you just need a little Mommy love?"  To hear you request MommyLove melts my heart & makes me grin ear to ear.  Another example of your adorable one-liners happened the other night ... In the middle of the night.  All of a sudden I heard, "Moooooommmmmy, I have a problem!!" at 3AM.  You were poopy & hungry & needed Mommy to rescue you.  Mommy loves to be needed by you guys!  Your speech is peppered with words & expressions that Mommy & Daddy use.  For example, as you're playing with your Little People, you say things like, "how wonderful !" & "nice to meet you!" & "oh man. oh boy."

BabyLady, I've said it before but it still rings true: I can't get enough of  you.  You are an amazing blessing.  A gift from God.

All my Mommy Love,
Mommy

Quotable Quinn

Said by you last night when we said prayers after our Hail Mary & Now I Lay Me (your current favorite prayer ... Mommy ends it with a twist to be a bit less morbid & scary.  It goes like this: Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  May angels keep me safe from harm & wake me with the Mommy alarm!):

Mommy: God bless ...

Quinn: Your eyeeeeeee ...

Mommy: Ok ... Who else?

Quinn: Your eye brow.

Mommy: <chuckling> Ok ... Who else?

Quinn: Santa Claus, your necklace, Baby Clare, Grandma & Grandpa, Grammy & Grandpa "Patt-i-son" (Patterson), etc.

Quinn to Mommy after Mommy got out of shower & 'lotion-ed' up:  "You smell delicious." I say that to you & your baby "brudder" after your baths.

You also think it is hilarious to call us by our first names: "Ay-win" (Erin), "Tahd" (Tad).  It is BEYOND cute how you say Erin.  Swoon!!

Out of the mouths of babes ...

Dear BabyLady -

You say the cutest things & this certainly won't be the last time I record them here!

A few adorable things you've said lately include:

"Me the best singer I ever met!!", you were dancing & singing in the living room for your audience (BabyTait & me).

"Me the best dancer I ever knew!", again while showcasing your adorable dance moves for us, including "wagging your tail", shaking your booty, & "dropping it like it's hot". Absolutely awesome.

As we were deciding when to go to birthday shopping at Somerset for Grandma, "Me like to buy things!" wuh-oh. You are your mother's daughter! I looove to shop & I enjoy it even more with my BabyLady in tow!

Something else you said lately that made me laugh happened the other night when we were saying prayers. Every night we say Hail Mary or Now I Lay Me or both. After that we do God Bless. (Mommy said prayers every night just the same way as a kid & I still do today!) This particular night after we started off "God Bless ..." & you replied "Santa!" cute. "Ok, who else?" "The Paci Fairy!" Ha!! Guess you forgave Mommy & Daddy for sending the Paci Fairy to our house ... (bless Santa & paci fairy). ...

My Compassionate Quinn

Hello my sweet BabyLady -

Last week Mommy had a bad day.  Wednesday, to be exact.  It started in the morning with an argument with Daddy (nothing for you to worry about - it's all blown over now).  Then, as usual, Mommy was rushing home to relieve Michelle (she watches you & BabyTait on Wednesdays now).  I was running up the steps in the parking structure where I took a misstep & smashed my knees into the concrete steps & cranium into the concrete wall just before the steps took a switchback at a landing to reach the next level.  Um, OUCH, to say the least.

Though Daddy has been harping on Mommy to SLOW DOWN for, well, years .... it took smashing my skull into concrete in a stairwell for me to have a wake up call.  SIGH.  I got up, dusted myself off, cursed a bit, & continued on to my car & home.  After Michelle left, it hit me.

You - you are so perceptive & compassionate - sensed something was wrong & asked "what the matter. Mommy? You sad Mommy?"  And then I started to cry as you climbed into my lap, wrapped your little arms around my neck, & told me "don't cry, Momma".  You were JUST what I needed at that moment.  Two & a half years old with all the wisdom & compassion of someone much older.  You held me close & I held you closer even & there we sat on the couch for a while until i could resume being the mommy & you the baby.  I can scarcely begin to describe what you mean to me ... & what your love & empathy meant to Mommy in that moment.  I love you with all my heart & soul, Quinn Ryan.  Words cannot describe it.

... Related to that incident, I am giving serious considerate to a tattoo of a very small elephant mother & calf on the inside of my left wrist where my watch strap is as a symbol & perpetual to slow down in all things so that I can enjoy you & Tait as much as possible.  Daddy thinks it is a silly idea ... .but it is really growing on me ... We'll see if it takes shape ...

I love you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for your love, compassion, wisdom, empathy ... at all of 2.5YO.

All my love for always,
Mommy

The Paci Fairy Cometh

Dear BabyLady -

Right now the house is silent, short of "Luna's" insistent meows to get downstairs to feed she & Murph.  You are asleep. In Mommy & Daddy's bed. On a "nest" of blankets I built for you & your new friend, Koala, because you know, koalas live in trees.  =)  That was my last idea to get you to settle down & go to sleep last night.  Though you did OK at naptime, you were very upset last night at bedtime because your pacis were no longer.  You are 2 1/2YO & it was time for the Paci Fairy to come & for you to ditch that habit.  We talked about it for a couple weeks & then yesterday was the day!  Mommy took you (& a sleeping Tait) to Build a Bear Workshop @ Somerset to build a bear all of your choosing to replace pacis' position in your sleep routine.  You chose a Koala, which you named exactly that.  =)  We chose an outfit: hoodie, skinny jeans, & Ugg-style boots, all like you have!! So cute!  We took her home & before nap you dropped your last 2 pacis in a little gift bag for the Paci Fairy to take to babies who don't have pacis & can't sleep. You were so brave & solemn about it!  There were some tears at naptime, but after laying beside Mommy for 5 mins on Mommy's bed, next to Murphy, with your arm around your new friend Koala, you zonked out for a good nap.  So precious!!  Bedtime was a lot tougher for you, after all, old habits die hard!  It was nearly 11PM by the time I executed this Koala nest idea & got you to calm down.  In the midst of all of this, BabyTait popped back up, too, from his bed to join in the fun.  What a circus it was there for a while!!  At any rate, you were very brave, we are very proud of you ... & I must admit, while I was ready to ditch the pacis (you'd wake up during the night & need us to retrieve it from the floor & they were chapping your poor little chin), it was definitely bittersweet.  Our sweet, silly, smart girl is growing every day before our very eyes.  & it is an amazing, wonderful ride with you each & every day.

Sweetest dreams in a Koala nest of BabyTait's blankets, BabyLady, sweet dreams,
All my love like always,
Mommy =)

BabyLady, you are so inquisitive & perceptive.  Yesterday morning, you sat on my lap with your milk & we snuggled while Mommy finished up a deck for work.  You noticed that the image for CTAs (the little guy without a face) was "That boy has no face, Mommy?"  So innocent & sweet!  I explained to you that it was just a picture & he was just drawn that way.  You make me see the world through fresh new eyes & innocence, Quinn.

I love you,
Mommy

Quotable Quinn

Here are some of your more recent, most memorable quotes ...

"Look Mommy!!  I'm a bike rider!" (riding your Christmas tricycle from Santa in the living room WITH your new helmet, of course)

"Mommmmmyyyyy, I'm talKIng to YOU!" said in a sing-song voice while you ate lunch & I was looking something up on my iPhone

You've started using Not Yet & Soon correctly as you talk about things

You state your emotions, i.e., "I sad."  "I want my puppy back." "I crying, Mommy." "I excited!!" as you pump your little fists in front of you & pant, like the puppy to show your excitement ... You wear your heart on your sleeve, it's really very sweet & innocent.

When Grandma was visiting about a month or so ago, you told us you were sad while we were eating dinner.  When we asked what was making you sad, you said: "Dinner make me sad."  Well, Grandma just thought that was hysterical.  And, quite honestly, it was (I s'pose you had to be there ... =) Grandma started cracking up laughing.  You gave her the stink eye!  You didn't want anyone thinking you were funny!  You wanted to be taken seriously!

You say "bay-bana" for banana & "oat-me-meal" for oatmeal, your current breakfast of choice.

The other day you brushed my hair & then announced, "Now you look boo-tee-full."

Yesterday on two separate occasions you told Daddy he was "a nice daddy" & followed that sweet proclamation with a hug & kiss. You told Mommy the same. You have the unmatched (well, except maybe your baby brother) ability to make us melt with a single statement or bit of affection. Amazing.

I love you, you silly, sweet, smart girl!
Mommy