"I'm Pooped"

I just tucked Banner in for the night, and I immediately hopped on the blog to write this story down because it was too cute not to! We read a book from Banner's school library tonight. It's about a superhero with a secret identity: a young boy. In the middle of the story, the "superhero" talks about how tired and worn out he is and says, "I'm pooped! (I love to say 'pooped.')" and Banner thought that was so funny. I explained that "pooped" can mean extremely tired and exhausted. He said, "No, Mommy, it means to go potty." I said, "Yes, that's typically what it means, and most of the time you say it, that's what it means, but sometimes people will say that they are so tired - they are pooped. It just means they are tired and really would like a nap!" "Oh," he said, and we read the rest of the book. He wanted to hear the story again, so I read it, and when we got to that part, of course he laughed again.

After we read one more short book, I told Banner a story about the "Inja Turtles" (as he calls them). He was pretty demanding about what should happen in the story, and I tried several times to even tell a different story altogether - stating that "Daddy is really the only one that knows the Ninja Turtle stories; it's special for you and Daddy." But, he insisted that it could be special for me, too, so I tried. The story kind of sucked, and I could tell he was ready to fall asleep, but he kept throwing out different characters (Penguin) and places (Gotham) and events (they built an igloo) that should be included. None of the ideas went together, and I could tell he was ready to doze off so I quickly ended this absurd story, and then, Banner said, "I'm finished, Mommy," as if he had been the one telling the story.

Then, he closed his eyes as he turned toward me and we held hands. He had a very faint smirk on his face.

"I love you so much," I said.

"I love you so much, too, Mommy."

"Goodnight. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight. Sweet dreams," he echoed in a soft slur.

"I'll see you in the morning," I whispered.

"See you in the morning."

A long pause followed. Then, he started telling me about a disagreement he had at school with another boy. "C. thinks Blades is a monster truck, but I told him he's a helicopter."

"Makes sense to me," I softly replied.

Then, his eyes closed again.

"I love you, Angel Baby," I whispered.

"I'm pooped," he said. We both grinned, and then he was out for the night.

12-Month Check-Up

Quinn had his 12-month well check with Dr. B yesterday. It went very well. I always like to document these visits to look back for various information: stats, what we discussed, etc. This visit was special because Banner got to come with us (because he needed his flu mist vaccine). When we walked into the exam room, we passed over a dozen cupcakes from Quinn's party to the nurse. She was happy to take them to the kitchen for us so the staff could enjoy a little treat! Then, she weighed, measured, and listened to Quinn before Dr. B came in.

Dr. B questioned Banner about who just had a birthday and what we did to celebrate. Banner told him we had cupcakes at the party. Dr. B jokingly asked, "Well, did you bring ME one?" to which Banner replied, "Yes, we did. They're in the kitchen." Dr. B's face was priceless. I don't think he expected him to say yes! He was seemingly surprised and shocked and said, "Really?" looking to Sam and me. We smiled and told him that Banner was right. :)

Anyway, Quinn did great - minus the screaming during the actual exam. He did NOT like the exam table. Once off of it, he was fine. Here's what we learned about Quinn during this visit:

• Weight: 23 pounds even = 55th percentile
• Height: 29 7/8 inches = 50th percentile
• Head: 46.6 cm = 55th percentile
• Still no teeth, and Dr. B doesn't really see any on the way (except MAYBE the top two, but he's been saying that for months, so . . .)
• Developmentally, he's scoring between 12 months + 3 weeks and 15 months + 3 weeks. Slightly ahead of his age - which we are very proud of!
• We can add in strawberries, raspberries, eggs, and fish now. We'll be trying those out soon!
• Dr. B advised quitting the bottle immediately. We'll see about that . . . so far, Quinn only expects water in sippy cups, and when milk is offered in them, he rejects it. I'm not ready to give it up, either, but we'll work on it! 15 months is my goal. Banner seemed to have the same transition problems, and we did just fine with him, so I'm not terribly worried.
• We talked about the laryngomalacia diagnosis- and Dr. B isn't concerned since Quinn is growing so well. He also seconded what Dr. M says about how he will grow out of it.
• Quinn got his HepA, Prevnar, Chicken Pox, and Flu shots.

Basically, that's it. Fairly easy appointment. Poor Quinn cried harder than ever with those shots, though. A pacifier, a snuggle with Mommy, and a quick escape from the exam room helped, and by the time we were in the hallway, he was fine. As always, I'm proud of both my boys and how they did, but more importantly, I'm just so grateful for their good health and strong, growing bodies!

Party Time!!!

Whew! What a party! We did it. We celebrated Quinn's first birthday with a big shindig at our neighborhood park this morning, and man, was it fun! Honestly, with two kids and a crazy schedule, it wasn't easy to throw this party together. Just last night, I said to Sam, "We are never doing these big birthday parties again!" simply because it's just so much work, energy, time, and effort! But, then he said something that put it in perspective for me. He responded with, "We better keep having these birthdays!" And then, I thought about it, the same way I had on Banner's first birthday (when I gave up worrying about whether everything would go as planned and look the way I wanted after reading my friend's blog post about her son having cancer right before we left for B's party). Simply put, birthdays are milestones to celebrate - and to celebrate big time! I'd rather be stressing over cupcakes and icing and balloons and how much food we have and the weather - etc, etc, etc - than not having these birthdays to celebrate. Thank God for birthdays and that my children have them! So, with that perspective, I pressed forward with getting everything ready and organized for the big day!


So, where do I begin writing about this fun celebration? Well, let's start with the theme. I selected a literary theme for Banner's first birthday (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and I decided to stick with literature for Quinn's first birthday. I picked Oh, the Places You'll Go for his birthday theme - fitting for a celebration of life just beginning. Oh, the many adventures he'll have, the many people he'll meet, and the many places he'll go! It just seemed to feel right. So, with that, we moved forward with his invitation that we decided to call his: Quinnvitation! :)

And, once party day rolled around, I couldn't have asked for better weather (well, okay, I maybe could have asked for less humidity to get more cooperative hair and to allow for me to use cotton candy in the party favors instead of lollipops - see below). Seriously, the high temperature for the day was 81; there was no rain; there was a nice breeze. Perfect! And, we had such a nice turn-out! I especially love how helpful everyone was - helping clean up, take pictures, watch the kids, clean after the cake destruction, pick up pizza for us, etc. We have the best people in our lives!

Here are a "few" pics from the party:

The big cake - the one I did NOT make

Monthly photos in a suitcase

The sugary spread

These were supposed to have cotton candy in them. The wet air was making the cotton candy wet, and it shrank. I had to come up with a plan B. I think these worked out, though! And, I'm glad I won't be saving baby food jars anymore!

We asked guests to jot down a few wishes for Quinn and all the places he'll go. We will give these to him on his 18th birthday.

Sam made a short video of Quinn's first year. It's our little gift to him. Sam did great!

Watching the video

When the video was over, we posed for a family picture. Banner was not up for it. Quinn wanted to give Daddy kisses. I was the only one participating. :)

THIS is the cake I made. Quinn's smash cake - a hot air balloon basket.

Although not strongly enough, Quinn did blow on the candles. We've been working on "blow."

He was tentative about this new food.

He did NOT like this texture and kept trying to throw it on the ground.

With some help, he got to see the inside (a rainbow of colors), and he got more interested.

Daddy showing him how it's done!

After the party, we got home for some much-needed rest. Quinn was spent and needed to nap. But, once he woke up, he got to open a few presents. (We had requested no gifts - unless guests wanted to make a contribution to The Birthday Party Project. Some people didn't listen to us! Regardless, here's a few of Quinn opening his gifts, which he and Banner both enjoyed!)

Quinn LOVED his new toy from Aunt Mischelle, Uncle Brock, and kids...

Giving kisses to it!

And, Mommy's gift was another "I Believe" just like Banner got this year. I decided to do these for the boys each year - which helps me and them reflect on our year together. This was the year Quinn was "0" years old, hence the big "0" watermark. Reading through it makes me cry - just thinking back to how far we've come in this big year of change. Oh, the people we've met, the experiences we've had, the things we've touched, tasted, smelled, seen, and heard. Oh, the places we've been!

 

Happy Birthday, Quinn Redding!