If Quinn Could Understand English...

I talk to Q a lot. She talks back sometimes which is always pretty funny and cute. It's like she knows exactly what she's saying and she wishes so badly I understood her. Well, there have been a lot of moments when I wish she understood me too. Here are some things I wish Quinn could understand when I tell her...

• Mama and Daddy love you very much!

• It's okay to take a nap. I promise you aren't going to miss anything outside your room. In fact, your parents are pretty boring. 

• On that note, I love our cuddle time together when I spoil you and let you sleep on my shoulder. Can we do that until you are like 5 years old?

 I love these times together!

• The car is a fun place to be! You have lots of fun options in the car: look out the window, play with your friends that hang down or even go to sleep. There is no reason to cry in the car. One day, you will want to drive a car all by yourself and I will remind you of the days when you hated the car.

• The whole fussy from 5:30-8:00 thing is getting old. Don't you know this is one of the greatest times of the day?! Daddy gets home, we get to eat dinner and best of all, Wheel of Fortune is on! I will be glad when you are over that little phase!

• You have the best smile EVER! You smile with your whole body and it melts my heart every time. One thing: when I am trying to take photos, can you freeze for a couple of seconds? It's hard to take pictures when you are moving every part of your body in a smile. :)

 Best Smile Ever!

 

You smile with your whole body!

• You are so lucky to have the best Daddy in the world! He's very handsome, smart, loving, hard-working and funny. 

 Best Daddy ever!

• I promise laying on your tummy is not that bad. You will get stronger and stronger and then one day you will be able to get on your back or your tummy all by yourself! For the time being, just be patient with Mama while she makes you do your exercises. 

 Tummy time with all your friends.

• Thank you for sleeping so well at night! Mama and Daddy are so spoiled that you sleep for 10+ hours every night. You are such a good girl with your night time routine! 

• I promise I won't starve you and I am sorry for laughing when you get so impatient at feeding time. When we sit in the rocker and you start your little quasi-fit, it's hard not to laugh. You act like you haven't eaten in three days. I'm also sorry for laughing when you throw your little fit when I burp you. You HATE having to stop in the middle of eating to burp. I promise it will make you feel better, so just chill out and enjoy your milk slowly. It's not going away and Mama will always make sure you get enough. 

 "I hate burping!"

• You are so lucky to have so many people who love you! (family and friends)

• I'm sorry I won't let you watch tv. It will overstimulate you, and books are way more fun! 

Maybe one day you will be a book nerd like Mama and Daddy!

• How in the world did you get poop on your tummy?

One day when Q understands what I am saying she might think I am crazy...so I guess for now, I should enjoy talking to her while she can't talk back. :) 

I imagine this will be Q's face when she understands me one day!

"What did you just say, Mama?!"

Quinn Meets More Family

Last weekend we got the chance to go to Humble and Livingston to visit Jeremy's family. His mom lives in Humble so we stayed there with her and made the short trip to Livingston on Saturday and Monday.

Saturday we spent the day at the Indian reservation. For those of you who don't know, Jeremy is half white and half Native American. He comes from the Alabama-Coushatta tribe that is in Livingston. His grandfather (Ahwo in their language) is the chief of the tribe and he is such a cute man. They call him "Smiley" because he's always so happy. Quinn got to meet her great grandparents, her uncle Josh and tons of cousins.

Quinn with Ahwo Smiley.

Quinn meeting Ahpo Ethelyn and one of her cousins.

 

Quinn with her Ahpo Fern.

Quinn meeting her great Aunt Hilda.

The reservation is a unique place. There are kids running around everywhere and it seems like everyone knows everyone else. Jeremy's family is loved by everyone, so people tend to just show up and make themselves at home. I think they are all there for the food! :) Belinda, Jeremy's stepmom, makes amazing Indian Tacos. It's basically a taco salad with Indian Fry bread as the base. YUM!

Indian Tacos.

Sunday was a day of relaxing. We spent the day at Renae's house and Jeremy's brother and sister were there with their kids. Renae made her famous fried chicken and we had fun watching our niece, Lily, play and talk up a storm. She is a little over a year old and she has her own little language. It's precious! Jeremy spent the afternoon outside with our nephews, Jaden and Kameron, playing football and being a good uncle.

Renae with her kids and grandkids.

Quinn loves her Granny!

 Jaden and Kameron...sweet brothers.

Monday was lots more fun in Livingston. Jeremy's aunt Debra and Uncle Allen live on a ranch outside town so Quinn got to meet her first horse. Don't worry...we didn't ride! She also got to meet her Granny Great for the first time. She was laughing it up with Granny Great!

 Quinn meets her first horse!

Laughing at Granny Great!

Sleepy girl with Great Aunt Debra.

Four generations: Wanda, Renae, Jeremy and Quinn.

Silly girl loving the farm!

Quinn also got to meet more cousins. Jeremy's cousin, Rachel, has two precious kiddos (Alexis and Briley) and they had fun getting to know Quinn.

Alexis, Briley and Rachel hanging out with Jeremy.

We had a great extended weekend, but it was nice to get home. Home means so much more now that we have a baby. It's our safe place and where we are so very comfortable. It was nice to get back to 9 hour sleep stretches with Quinn, and as always, our Tempurpedic. :)

Quinn is Two Months Old!

Dear Sweet Baby Q,

I can't believe you are already two months old! Part of me feels like it's been forever since I met you in the hospital for the first time, but another part of me feels like it was yesterday and you just grew overnight! At your two month appointment, you already weighed 12lb. and 14oz and you were 24 inches long. (Both in the 90th percentile!)You are going to be a beautiful, tall model one day! You have such a unique personality and I can't wait to see it develop as you get older. Here are some of my favorite things about you:

• You like being awake during the day. I can't say this is one of my favorite things, because I don't get a lot done during the day, but I love seeing your bright eyes look around curiously at everything. Your neck is really strong now too, so you whip it around a lot to see what's going on. 
• The changing table is your favorite place to be. We have a lot of fun talking and smiling while you just chill out on the changing table. 
• Our bath/bed routine is my favorite (bath, bottle, swaddle). You have grown to expect it and you do so well. You love your bath and I love the way you smell when we are finished. Then, you get very excited and anxious because you know that Daddy will be feeding you the bottle next. (You have been a little finicky with the bottle. Randomly, you will decide you don't want it, but for the most part, you have done well.)
• You love looking at the fan. Other than your doll, Joyce, it's your best friend.
• You like chilling out in the kitchen with me while I do dishes, eat breakfast or lunch, or while Mama and Daddy eat dinner. 
• Your acid reflux has gotten so much better, but I can still count on you to be the spit-up queen every day. 
• You like it when I read books to you. I LOVE this about you because I want story time to be one of your favorite things as you get older.
• You have figured out that you have strong legs and you want to "stand up" a lot when you are in our laps. When we try to burp you, you always stretch your legs out to try to stand up, and you get very upset that we interrupted your feeding time. 
• You love looking at the dogs. You are pretty mesmerized when they get close.
• You have the best smile ever. It melts my heart every time.
• You have the cutest, chubbiest cheeks ever! I have decided you are storing milk in them for a rainy day.
• Your clothes fit funny because you are so long and your feet are kind of big (maybe we can share shoes when you grow up). Your sweet little feet don't fit in some of your onesies and some of them are too short for you too. 
• You recently found your hands, and it's funny when you see one and go cross-eyed trying to figure out what it is.
• Even though I shouldn't spoil you, my favorite thing in the world is when you nap on my shoulder while I read or watch TV. I know that won't last forever, so I am cherishing every cuddle moment I can get. 

Our daily routine is my favorite thing. I am going to miss you more than I can express when I have to go back to work. Here's what we usually do:

7:30ish-wake up, sing our good morning song, change your diaper and nurse. Then we talk, play and sing and do tummy time until you start yawning.

9:00ish-you go down for your first nap (which is usually pretty short...45ish minutes)

11:00ish-you nurse again and we play for a while before going down for another short nap. Mama tries to eat, clean, do laundry or even shower during this time depending on your mood. Sometimes you are fine chilling out in your bouncer, but a lot of times you like to be held while I do chores with one hand.

1:30ish-nurse again and play and then we go for a walk/jog for an hour or so (Mama has to get back into shape) and you usually sleep during the last part of our walk

5:00ish-nurse again and then we play and wait for Daddy to get home. You are always so happy to see Daddy when he gets home! Daddy usually gets you down for a short nap in the evening, but sometimes you are a little grumpy (which is normal for a baby your age at this time of day) so we just hang out.

8:00ish-Bath time!! This is your favorite because you know the routine: bath, bottle, swaddle. You love the bath and we play and sing our bath time songs. Daddy gets to feed you a bottle and then put you to bed. Lately, you have gotten too smart for us and you don't want to take the bottle. I think you know that nursing would be much more enjoyable, but we are still working on that one.

In honor of your two month birthday, I made a video. I can't wait for you to see it one day! We love you very much!

Love,
Mama

My Sister the Debutante and My Debutante Memories

Last week was the Odessa Crystal Ball Foundation's annual debutante ball. This is a fundraiser that benefits the Permian Basin Rehabilitation Center and it has been a tradition in Odessa for 51 years now. During the ball, debutantes and their escorts are presented to the community, and it's one of the most exciting social events of the year.

Debutantes and escorts are invited to be a part of the CB during their sophomore year of college. I had the honor of being a debutante in 2001 and my little sister, Emily, was a deb this year. It's crazy that it's been 10 years, so I had to dig up some old photos and reminisce a little.

As a debutante you get to:

-Tour the rehabilitation center. This was pretty awesome and it's so great to know that all the money at the ball goes toward such a great cause.

-Attend quite a few parties while you are home for Christmas. These parties are thrown by people in the community to honor different debs and escorts, and they range from pottery painting to murder mystery dinners. My sister even had a party where they did skeet shooting this year!

-Buy a wedding dress. This seems crazy, but debutantes are presented in a big, poofy, white dress. Ideally, I should have worn my deb dress for my wedding, but by the time I got married, I was ready for a different style. Emily's dress was gorgeous!

-Do a big debutante bow. Yep. The stereotypical one where you kneel to the ground and your forehead almost touches the floor. Silly, but kind of a fun tradition. We even had bow practices and coaches. I wonder if I can still do my bow? It's so different watching people bow as opposed to being on stage. I was more nervous for the girls I was watching this year than I was for myself. I was praying none of them fell or tipped over! Emily was, of course, perfect! She was graceful and took her time.

So, now that I have sort of explained the CB, here are some fun pics!

This was in 2001...wow we both look so different!

2011. Emily is gorgeous and I am a little chubby two months post-baby. 

Hey, it's all about the memories.

My bow in 2001.

Emily practicing her bow in 2011.

Molly Ann the debutante in 2001.

 

Emily the debutante in 2011.

This year, I went to the ball presentation and left right after it was over to get home to Jeremy and Quinn. But, we took some pics before the ball to have for posterity. 

 

Quinn's White Christmas

There's nothing better than a white Christmas unless you get to share that white Christmas with a beautiful new baby! Quinn, Jeremy and I (and of course the dogs) spent the week in Odessa (my hometown) for Christmas and it was wonderful. It snowed all day on the 24th and most of the day on Christmas Day. The dogs loved it too!

Mom's front porch turned white.

Ella and Lexi loved the snow!

I love, love, love being home for Christmas! It's my favorite time and even though there is a little stress in traveling, it's always worth it to be around family. Just the smell of my Mom's house when we walked in made me so happy! (A mix of pound cake, stew and Christmas potpourri.) I am so glad Q got to have her first Christmas at the house in which my Mom grew up and our extended family has made so many memories.

Nannie Mae (my Mom) was SO excited to have Quinn home. She couldn't get enough of her! The greatest part of the trip was that Quinn reached a milestone...she started smiling and talking! It was so awesome! My Mom got her talking on the second day we were there. Quinn loves hearing her voice, and over the next few days she was smiling and talking to everyone.

Nannie Mae wanted Quinn to stay with her forever.

Smiling and talking to Mama after a full belly.

Traveling With a Baby
Who knew a baby could have so much stuff?! I mean, let's be honest, she didn't need some of it, but I had to pack enough outfits for her to have options! Luckily, my Mom had a crib set up for us, so we didn't have to take the pack and play, but all our other stuff and the two dogs filled our SUV to the brim. Quinn did so well! We only had to stop twice, and our normally 5.5 hour trip only took us 7 hours. Way to go Q! I think traveling and breastfeeding in the car was the most interesting part...let's just say a lot of modesty goes out the window (pun intended).

All packed with Quinn's clothes hanging in place of Mama's. Mine just got stuffed in a suitcase! :)

Quinn learned how to drive at Christmas. 

Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve afternoon was pretty low key and we spent the later part opening gifts with my Mom, Emily, Justin and Abby. Quinn got some cuddle time while I opened the massive amount of gifts she received. Let's just say she has plenty of clothes! One of the most memorable moments was when Justin gave Abby a pearl necklace that was our Margaret's. My Mom had saved it for his future wife and Abby was so moved. I am so glad she is going to be a part of our family and I know Margaret is looking down just as thrilled as we are!

Aunt Abby cuddling with Q and wearing one of the gifts I got for her: ear muffs for the wedding in Utah complete with fur and rhinestones on the headband.

Opening gifts!

Pawpaw loved his framed photo of Quinn.

 Justin and Emily sharing some sibling love.

Abby opening the pearls...let the waterworks begin.

My Mom's side of the family has always had a tradition of spending Christmas Eve together. We used to all gather at my Margaret's house where Santa had already come and exchange gifts. All the cousins would draw names and Margaret would make food. The past few years, we have continued to meet but at my cousin Erica's house. I couldn't wait to take Quinn over there to meet all her crazy cousins and her Great Aunt Sandra and Uncle Randy. She didn't disappoint...Sandra cried. :) Uncle Randy always gives nicknames to babies when they are born and Quinn's is the best. Ready? Quinn will be called Snowflake from now on when she's around Uncle Randy. He said it's because she is unique and there is not another one like her, just like a snowflake. I LOVE IT!

Family photo on Christmas Eve.

Q loved meeting all her cousins.

Aunt Sandra getting some cuddle time.

Christmas Day
Santa came to see Quinn! Nannie Mae couldn't help herself and Quinn got a precious pink rocking horse, a crawl-to-walk toy and some other fun stuff from "Santa." Jeremy and I decided it wasn't really necessary to get Quinn a Christmas gift this year. My Aunt Kerri got us a "My First Christmas" ornament and we tend to buy stuff for her every week. Plus, we can save the money and go all out next year when she can sort of appreciate it!

Quinn on her new rocking horse from Santa.

 Talking to Nannie Mae on Christmas morning.

My Dad's side of the family has a tradition of gathering on Christmas morning in our pajamas. My Aunt Kerri makes breakfast and we usually wait around for my Mimi and Tom since they are habitually late. But, they always come with TONS of gifts, so it's hard to complain. This year it was fun to see Quinn get toys and clothes (of course my Dad, Quinn's PawPaw, had to get her Red Raider gear). I can already tell that Christmas will be very different from now on. I will not want anything and I will want Q to get everything!

Q got to meet her great Aunt Kerri and cousin Brady.

I had the Moby ready to go, and Jeremy tried on his new red "jury picking" tie.

After our Christmas morning, we went back to my Mom's house to get dressed and then we headed over to Mimi's house for lunch. It was so fun being around family, but I must say, Quinn is going to have to get used to that side of the family. They are very loud and rambunctious, but that's what makes them my family and I love that about them. We got to see my great-grandmother, Nana, and she was so proud of Quinn. She got her a doll for Christmas and wanted to hold her every time she heard her cry. Poor Nana is not strong enough to hold Quinn, so I sat and helped her hold her for a while. We also got to take a photo with all five generations that will always be very special to me (and of course Quinn later on).

 Family photo on Christmas Day.

Nana loved meeting her first great-great granddaughter.

Quinn loved talking to Mimi and her cousin Tobi.

Talking up a storm with Mimi.

Five generations of women on my Dad's side.
(Nana, Mimi, Aunt Kerri, Tobi and Me and then Quinn.)

Quinn loves her PawPaw!

We spent Christmas night at home with Mom, Emily and Dennis. It's funny to think about what Christmas was like before Quinn. Normally, we would play games and stay up late watching a movie or talking, but this year Quinn dictated our schedule. We fed her and got her to sleep, and then went to bed early. Such is the life of a new parent, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait until next Christmas when her face will light up at the gifts, Christmas lights and the story of Baby Jesus.