Urban Farming

So, urban farming.....I want to do it. I understand that living in a condo limits this to a point, but I am reading a book about a woman who lived in Oakland, and turned an empty lot next to her house into a garden, and raised bees, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and rabbits for eggs and/or food in a shared/rented house. And she does some amazing things. We even have an abandoned lot not too far from here, although it would require me climbing a fence. And to trespass, and I am really not a rule breaker.

Anyway,

I know urban farming is so trendy right now, but I don't care. I really like the idea of being more responsible for my food. I also like the idea of Quinn knowing where her food comes from. Also if you look back at American history, it is the norm that people, even in cities, grow gardens/raise rabbits during times of war or economic hardship. I worry about not being self-reliant if there was a food shortage or if the economy gets worse before it gets better. On the other hand, I do worry that I may be romanticizing the whole farm thing a little bit. But seriously my long term dream would be to live on a working farm that was self-reliant.

I think we could start with a little veggie garden in the back, and work our way up to rabbits. I don't think we could get away with poultry until we own a house, but rabbits I think we could get away with. I assured Dalan I would be responsible for the care and the slaughtering of said rabbits. He doesn't think I could do it- the slaughtering, not the care. I really think I could.

So, some questions.....

* Do you grow any of your own food?
* How dependent are you on it?
* Do you think I have it in me to kill poultry/rabbits for meat?
* Do you think you could do it?
* Do you think it is important for your kids to learn about where food comes from?

Frenemies and Other Milestones

Piper and Quinn have the classic love-hate relationship that most (small) dogs and (small) children eventually develop, especially if the dog was there first. Piper loves Quinn and has never hurt her, but she now growls any time Quinn approaches her. Not that I totally blame her, these approaches usually involve a 16 pound baby coming at her holding a weapon (toy) and petting (more like smacking) her repeatedly while ignoring the growls. Quinn just smiles and laughs. She loves Piper. If Piper moves to a new spot, Quinn follows, and she is a very fast and proficient crawler these days. I am torn during these interactions. I don't like Piper growling at Quinn, but I don't like Piper feeling preyed upon either. So, the other night I put Piper in the Play n' Pack to protect her. She ended up staying in there for like 20 minutes.


At one point, Quinn discovered her, and they full on made out with each other through the mesh, prison-style.


All was forgotten over puffs and cheerios the next day.


But, they quickly returned to old habits, Piper growling, and Quinn shoving her fingers right into her mouth.


See this adorable little girl?



She hit two important milestones last night!

First of all, she went from a crawling position to standing all on her very own while playing on my parents' lawn last night. She was so proud of herself. We were so excited! The grass seems to help keep her balanced/reassured that if she falls, it is soft/she is eager to have the least amount of body parts touching the grass as possible.

Second of all, she signed "more" repeatedly last night while playing "Lagoon" with Ali. We have been working on some signs on and off (mostly off) for the last couple of months, but last night, our little daredevil was loving all the wild "rides" (throwing her in the air in the style of rides at Lagoon) Ali was taking her on, and it was enough to motivate her to sign more to get a worn out Ali to keep going.

And some more good news! Quinn has slept much better the last two nights, and is now cool with her crib again! Hooray! This picture is of her sleeping on the couch after a trip to Target wore her out, but she did take one her naps in her crib yesterday!

B.U.S.Y.

We had the busiest weekend (Friday through Sunday)we have had in at least 14 months. It was so much fun, but a lot for us considering just two months ago we were still on "house arrest."

We....

*went to the zoo.
(Thanks Megan, Brody, Andee, and Ali! )

*went to a BBQ.
(Thanks Shelly and Hoyt!)

*(Quinn and I) went to a bridal shower.
(Congrats Marie and Josh. Thanks Sierra for hosting!)

*went to the Bees game.
(Although semi-disappointing, thanks Julia, Sierra, Scott, Odessa, Kate, and Marie for seeing Whiplash with us!)

*(I ) went to my 10 year Westminster Reunion.
(10 years! Good thing none of us have aged a day, and can still party like it is 2001!)

* (Quinn and I) went to a baby shower.

(Congrats to Susan and Mikey. Thanks Julia for hosting!)

*visited with relatives.
(It was great seeing Nana, and Aunt Linda and Uncle Dave....And my mama too!)

Whew! It all wore me out! And Quinn has most def. decided that sleeping in her crib is so last season. So, I hardly slept at all. So, I am off to bed to read and hopefully get some sleep, before the little monster decides she is so over her crib!

A Two-Part Post

Part I: A rant about cleaning.

Tonight, I am making my third attempt to get all caught up on laundry around here. It seems impossible for the following reasons,

1. I am not a great housekeeper to begin with.
2. I have a baby.
3. I have a baby who still spits up/spills formula from her tube.
4. Laundry is literally never done. Even if I get all "caught" up tonight, which let's be honest, is unlikely. I still have to wash the clothes Dalan and I are wearing now. So, I am technically not caught up.

It makes me think of an article I once read about the satisfaction men and women get from traditional gender-specific chores. Men, in general, have a much higher rating of satisfaction than women because their (and remember we are talking traditional here) chores end and you can see the fruits of their labor. For example, if they fix a leaky sink, the sink is fixed, and that chore is done and crossed off the list. And they feel good about it. On the other hand, if a woman gets the floors all mopped, the kids and the dog are just going to track dirt and spill food all over the clean floor that afternoon. Her chores are never done, and thus, the lower satisfaction.

During the school year, Dalan and I both try to do our fair share of the chores. We are both working, so it only makes sense to split up the household tasks as well. However, in the summer I try to do way more than my half since I have less outside responsibilities. It brings me little to no satisfaction. Last week, I had the house perfectly clean...and now certain rooms are slowly looking disastrous again. I can never seem to keep up, and I am greatly dissatisfied about it!

Part II: Quinn news.

1. She decided that sleeping in her crib was for suckers again for the last two nights. Last night was comical. She was overly tired and slap happy. She was giggling at everything, and refused to sleep. We actually had a good time playing in her room, and if she wasn't already hooked up to her feeding pump, I would have just brought her downstairs and played. I really have no problem with her being up as long as she is happy. Finally, at quarter to 11, I got her to sleep by patting her and shushing her in her crib, because she had gotten fussy.. She then needed this repeated every hour basically. Luckily tonight, she went right to sleep. I think the two hours in the pool helped wear her out. Let's hope she sleeps through the night.

2. She stood up on her own on three separate occasions today. We have been trying to get her to stand solo forever, and she just learned to squat and go to a crawling position any time we tried. Today, she decided it was cool. This evening at my mom's, she just let go of me and stood, and stood, and stood, like it was no big deal.

3. Quinn likes to take a part out of her Dr. Brown's bottles, and play with it, while we are tube feeding her. If she pulls it out of her mouth against her gums, it makes a squeaking sound. When she does it, I say squeak. She now understands what to do if you tell her to make it squeak. I told her to show Dalan today. She took the part, smiled, looked to make sure he was watching, put it her mouth, and pulled it out so it squeaked. She is a smart girl!

Colors

Quinn prefers the color orange. She just does. In fact, that is why we picked to wear orange shirts of the March for Babies for her birthday.

Today, at her grandma's house she crawled around with an orange toy in her hand, and did not want to let it go when it was time to go home.

She loves her orange puffer fish bath toy too. She just holds it the whole time, and splashes around. Sometimes, she thinks about playing with her other toys, but always goes back to the orange puffer fish.


I made Quinn a green smoothie the other evening with spinach, pears, and applesauce. She liked it. It made a big green mess. She also totally looks like she is wearing a bad toupee in the picture.


While wearing this adorable yellow polo, Quinn showed us her TV addiction. While Ali was babysitting Quinn they caught some of the show Secret Agent Oso, and Quinn loved it. I used On Demand to play it for Quinn while we were tube feeding her, and she got sucked in. She stared. She cheered. She totally got it. Not cool for our 13 month old, but a handy tool for big tube feedings.

Crafty Sisters

VaRonica and Ali are two of the most creative people I know. They are also very crafty, and artistic. They can see a picture of a craft or a dessert, and actually recreate it. Impressive! I am not that way at all. I can rarely execute my projects in a way that I am proud of or want to display them. This week their talent was shining brightly.

VaRonica made me these adorable flamingo cupcakes for my birthday. They were so cute. I say were, because we ate them all. They were also super delicious.



Ali made Quinn this clippie holder out of a picture frame, a wooden Q, and some ribbon. It turned out so well. It is hanging up in Quinn's bathroom, and now we know where all the clippies are, and don't have to search for one that matches her outfit. Super cute, and functional!

THANKS GIRLS!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!

Litttle Slugger

Quinn loves her toys. She is increasingly "getting" how to play with things, as well as, developing her motor skills. It is amazing all the things babies can learn in a short amount of time. She understands cause and effect, and how she can use her body to control things. Amazing, I tell you!

She got a sports set from my parents for Easter. It has a mini-basketball hoop, football, and a ball and a bat. Quinn played some baseball the other day. She was pretty darn good at it too. T-ball here we come. Although, she was a little like Bam-Bam as she went around the house carrying a bat. Ha!

Family Photos: Total Daddy's Girl

Here are some solo Dalan and Quinn shots. These pictures turned out so sweet. Quinn loves her daddy, like really LOVES her daddy. And I really love these two!

Family Photos: Mama and Baby

Today is my birthday! Thirty-deuce!

So in order to celebrate, here are some photos of just Quinn and me from our Lazy Day Photography shoot.

Quinn's One Year Old Photos (part two)

Ladies and Gentleman,

Here are more of Quinn's photos. Enjoy!

On Being a Preemie Parent....

I read this story about being the parent of a preemie. It hit a nerve with me. Maybe because I have enough distance from the worse parts of it now, but this article really got me reflecting on how much I felt all of these things. I think all new parents feel a lot of these things that the article discusses, but I think it just amplified when you are the parent to a preemie, a sick baby, or a baby with disabilities. Here are the parts of the article that rang most true to me, although luckily, I avoided the postpartum depression that preemie parents are more likely to experience.

1. Insensitive comments. The article talks about people commenting on a baby's size, and while an innocent enough comment normally,can really get to a parent on an off day. It hasn't been size for me (usually), but the whole your baby could of/should have died discussion I have had repeatedly with people I barely know pushed me over the edge some days. Or people I barely know asking me if this will happen with all my pregnancies and if I will have more babies. (Yes it will, and not likely, in case you were wondering.)

2. Feelings of isolation. Spending almost five months in the hospital with Quinn all day, every day was extremely isolating. Phone calls were next to impossible, and the only way to communicate with the outside world at times was a quick blog post, or an email. Plus I was trying to figure things out in my head. Quinn was very sick, and her future was very uncertain. I was not in a place to be social, even if I had had time, which I didn't.

Spending the next six months on "house arrest" was even more isolating. I think people thought at this point I was blowing them off. I was really trying to balance work, doctor's appointment, a baby who wouldn't eat, and needed to stay on a strict feeding schedule, oxygen and machines beeping, keep Quinn healthy, and being a new parent all at once.

3. Feelings of stress. This is pretty obvious. Quinn was very sick for a long time. Stressful. Pumping was stressful and time-consuming. The hospital itself was stressful. Dealing with my health issues was stressful. Going back to work was stressful. Quinn's eating was stressful. Quinn's machines beeping was stressful. Dealing with insurance companies was stressful. Avoiding germs was stressful. The lack of sleep was stressful. Not knowing what the future looked like for us or Quinn was stressful. Never being home was stressful. You get the picture.

4. Feelings of guilt. Although, not logical, I had many days when I felt horribly guilty that Quinn was suffering, and it was all my fault she was born early and so sick. And then, when I quit breast feeding, I felt all the guilt all over again. It sucked. And I felt like I was being betrayed over and over again by my body, while letting my child down.

5. Mourning the loss of normal pregnancy. I missed out on going into labor, and telling Dalan, "it's time." I missed being hugely pregnant and uncomfortable. Only I ever felt her kick, everybody else, especially Dalan, missed out on feeling her kick from the outside. I missed out on them placing her on me after she was born. We missed out on getting to hold her for the first month of her life. We missed out on hearing her cry after she was born. We missed out on getting to really celebrate her birth, because it was so scary and not a time of rejoicing.

Aero-planes

On Sunday, we went with Ali and McKay up to the Hill Air Force Base Museum. We had delayed this trip for several weeks due to rainy weather, and of course as we pulled up, it started to sprinkle. However, it never was too bad. Just mostly ironic, don't you think? We saw big planes, and lots of them. I had been up there once before, and it has a ton more planes than it did ten years ago. McKay was in heaven. He was so excited to see the planes, and even to visit the gift shop at the end of our trip. I really enjoyed reading about the military using Navajo in World War II, and also women's roles in the war. If you have little kiddos, particularly boys who are into machines, it is a great place to visit, plus it is free, and open on Sundays!

(Quinn fell asleep about 37 minutes into the 45 minute drive, and missed the first part of the activity)

(Low clearance)

(McKay is so strong!)

Family Photos: The Three Amigos

Here are more photos from our morning with Lazy Day Photography. These are some of my favorite family pictures. (The whole family shots have more of the urban feel than Quinn's solo pictures.)














Don't worry, there is still more to come.....