Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Fall Favorites

The hot, exhausting days of summer are far behind us, and fall has flown by! We've been busy, busy, busy this season - with lots of traditional activities that have become annual events for our family and friends. Here's how we have been spending our time when not at home fighting the clutter that comes with a newborn and a toddler, doing load after load of laundry, and begging for more sleep! :)
Marin, Landry, Banner, Avery, Ryan, and Quinn ready for the TX/OU game
My little longhorn - 4 weeks
Landry
A little horsey-ride time
Quinn's first Race for the Cure - all bundled up for the frigid morning walk (5 weeks)
My gorgeous sister and my niece or nephew!
Quinn is sleeping in the back of the stroller
With the strongest person I know, my mom

Love my face in the back (and holding Quinn to keep him warmer - and asleep!)
Sweet Brycen
We may have been one of the last few people to cross the finish line at 2 hours - but we did it!
Most of our team finishing the LONG, DRAWN OUT walk with infants and toddlers
Grandma & Nami
First bath together - and sweet brother kisses
Annual Arboretum visit - loving the pumpkin patch!
Q wasn't much of a smiler that day
Cute toddlers
And what those toddlers see when all the mommies have their cameras in their faces all the time!
Logan & Landry
Marin & Logan

Sleepy boy
Not the most comfortable place to try to sleep
My little offspring
Alan & Avi
Celebrating Matt's birthday at the Stars game
Birthday girl, Marin
He's saying, "Hey, Everybody??!!" with a "Look at me!" tone. He's his father's child.















A little brother love
At Truck Time
Kissing friends - Myka & Banner at Shabbat at school

Quinn (9 weeks) at Miles' football game
Grandma & Papa with grandkids at Quinn's naming


Sunday, November 10, 2013

Quinn's Naming

This afternoon, we had Quinn's baby naming, a Jewish ceremony where he is officially given his Hebrew name. He had his bris on the 8th day of his life, but today's ceremony was held for our friends and family - to meet Quinn, hear all about his name, and to welcome him into this big circle of love! What a perfect day we had! Seriously - perfect! From start to finish! As I arrived at my mom's house to help set up, my best friend Cherie came through the garage door to the house with the fruit tray she was bringing. I helped take that from her - thinking she had already been at the house for a while and had just parked in the back. Then, there was a knock at the garage door. My mom told me to open it. Thinking it was Cherie's husband, I was totally shocked and surprised to see my other best friend, Robyn, and her husband standing in front of me. They had flown in from Houston to surprise me - and what a surprise it was! In my head, I had an image of them surprising me, but I never thought it would actually happen. I was thrilled to see them, and I wrapped my arms around Robyn and just cried! I was so happy that she came to meet Quinn and to be a part of this special ceremony. I can never describe how happy I was to see her.  That will always be a favorite memory - as will standing with my husband and two sons in the middle of a giant circle of friends and family being blessed and showered with their love. 

Anyway, the day was just so amazing, and I want to have this letter we read aloud to Quinn at the ceremony for always, so here it is - in my blog. (You can read about Banner's naming back here.) But, before I post that document here, I just want to thank my mom, my step-dad, my father-in-law, my friends and family who attended, the rabbi, and Banner and Sam for making this day so special for me, and more importantly, for Quinn who will hear all about it one day! We are ALL so blessed...

Dear Quinn,
A: Today is a very special day. We are here in this room filled with family and friends who have loved you since before you were born. Right now, you may or may not be able to feel how much joy they feel in knowing you, but one day, we hope you know just how loved and wanted you are! Like I told Banner at his naming, you have an emotional mommy – and an emotional daddy – and we may both already be crying. So, bear with us as we share some very deep thoughts we’ve wanted to share with you for a long time.

S: Many people in this very room have asked us about the meaning of your name and how we finally chose it. We’ve waited until today to share that with them because we haven’t even really told YOU about it. We think you should know first, but we’ll go ahead and let them in on it while we’re at it. Mommy and I think it’s a pretty cool name, and we certainly hope you like it since we put quite a bit of thought into it.

S: The definition of your first name, “Quinn,” means several things. First and most importantly, it is a tribute to Terry O’Quinn, an actor who starred as “John Locke” in the greatest television show ever created– Lost. . . .

A: Okay, you got your “Lost” reference in… Quinn means “fifth.” You are only the fourth member of our immediate family, but Quinn is perfect for you when we look a little deeper. You are the fifth living male J___. There’s Papaw, Zaide, Daddy, Banner, and you. You are the fifth great-grandchild of Daddy’s Bubbie & Zaide. There’s Miles, Colby, Bailey, Banner, and now you. And, you are also the fifth grandson to my mom and dad – your Grandma and Big Boss. There’s Caden, Banner, Brycen, Nami, and you, Quinn.

A: Your first name is also a derivative of a surname meaning wisdom, intelligence, or reason. We have also seen that it means “free man” and “counsel.” We liked this name for you because we hope you will always remain free – from both a physical and intellectual perspective. Our sincere wish is that you will always seek wisdom and reason in how you treat others and in how you perceive and influence the world around you. Our people have endured and survived millennia of persecution in which our freedom to act and freedom to think were restricted. We wish for you the wisdom and ability to carry on the torch of perseverance. We also liked that “counsel” is another meaning of your name, as daddy and I are both counselors. Before your brother was born, I spent years as a school counselor helping families at Bowie Elementary School. Daddy is an attorney and counselor at law, a job that requires not only legal knowledge but also the skills to read people and help guide his clients through trying times. We wish for you the ability to help counsel others through offering your kind thoughts, your empathy and your compassion.

S: The definition of your middle name, “Redding” is son of the red-haired. While I can grow a reddish beard, and I’m known for having a red face most of the time, we did not choose this name for you because of it’s meaning. Ellis Boyd Redding, or “Red,” is a character from my all-time favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. This movie is a story about the pursuit of justice, the beauty of true friendship, and most of all – the power and importance of hope. In the movie, Red is a source of friendship, experience and – touching back on your first name – wisdom. And although he was the character who was the most self-aware, he was able to learn in the film that hope is something we should always keep, always seeing it on the horizon, even when its already in our grasp. We hope for you that you, too, will know who you are, seek and distribute wisdom when you are able, and always have hope for a joyful and prosperous life.

A: You also have a Hebrew name, Matan Lev. These names were chosen for you by your dad and by me to honor the memory of two very special people in our lives. Because you won’t get to meet these special members of our family, we want to tell you about them now and let you know how you came to get this special Hebrew name.

A: My grandfather, Manny, your great-grandfather, was a giver. Every memory I have of my Grandpa involves some kind of gift. Yes, the first thing most people think of is the gift of money or tangible gifts – and definitely Grandpa gave those things, from establishing trust funds when his grandkids were born to bringing us candy when he’d pick us from school to paying for us to travel to Israel as teenagers. Grandpa valued money, and he wanted us to save it well and spend it well.  When I was only 13, he taught me about stocks and bonds and how to read the newspaper to see if my investments had paid off. When I bought my first house (which is also your first house), it was with the money in the fund Grandpa had started for me. So, yes, there are plenty of memories of money and “things” when it came to my generous Grandpa.

But, most of my memories are of the deeper gifts – the gifts of humor, of music, of commitment, of devotion, of dedication, of strength, of knowledge, of love. He used to say that we “grew up together,” because he was such a big part of my childhood, and he was the grandparent I had in my life the longest. I have such fun memories of him. Grandpa was always telling jokes, always singing a song, always shaking his hand to do a little dance. My grandpa always opened his home to us, allowing my friends over for loud swim parties or for aerobics lessons with Aunt Karen at sleepovers. He gave of his time – always visiting my Granny nearly daily for years when she was in the nursing home. He gave us values – teaching Judaism, encouraging education, and instilling love of family – and of course, how to eat tons of chocolate but then work it off at the next morning’s early workout. He gave advice – always telling me what a gift learning to play the piano would be, hounding me when my gas light would be on in my car when I’d pick him up and drive him somewhere, and annoying me by telling me how he wanted me to wear my hair.  And, Grandpa always gave the gift of loyalty – to both Granny and then to his long-distance girlfriend, Dora, but also to my mother. He took your Grandma in as if she were his own daughter, helped her when she needed it, and always maintained his relationship with her. I knew my Grandpa loved me and was proud of me  – he celebrated my marriage to Daddy at my wedding, he loved that I was working as a school counselor at the same school he used to pick me up at twice a week – which he thought was too cool, and he knew I loved my family with a deep passion the same way he did. He was a giver, a provider, a nurturer, a teacher, a fighter.

Quinn, your Hebrew name, Matan, is in memory of my Grandpa, and it means “giver” or “gift-giving.” In these short couple of months we’ve gotten to know you, you are already such a giver. You have given us so much love and brought so much joy to our hearts. You love to be held and cuddled, you smile and coo, you gaze into our eyes intensely and with curiosity, and you pee on us daily. You bring smiles to Banner’s face every day – which is a gift to him and to us. Daddy and I love to watch you two interact. There is so much love and admiration there already! To me, you are a gift every day, a gift that keeps unwrapping and unraveling to reveal more of you. You keep changing and growing, our bond gets even stronger, and you brighten our days even more. So, yes, you are named after my giving Grandpa, and the name already suits you!

S:      Quinn – your second Hebrew name is in honor of your Bubbie, my mom, Leslie. I never expected that one of my own children would be named for her, but unfortunately your Bubbie had to leave before she ever got to meet you. I’m going to take a few moments to tell you a little bit about this amazing woman for whom you are, in part, named. As Banner will confirm, though, I’ll spend the rest of my life telling you many more stories about this woman who even still loves you so very much.

Your Bubbie was many things to many people. I think that her most important quality that allowed her to fill so many roles so well was her greatest quality: her endless capacity to love. Sometimes it was in the way of advice, sometimes by way of a hug. She may have handed it out with a quick phone call, or with a 27-minute voicemail. Other times it was a gesture of a favor, of a snack for the road, or her secret stash of $50 as you’re heading back to Austin. But no matter how she was giving away her love to her friends, family and to people she barely knew, she did it unconditionally, wholeheartedly and never expected anything in return. After I moved home from law school, I enjoyed being able to go see Bubbie and Zaide without having to make a 4-hour drive to get there. Every time I can think of that I left their house, Bubbie would stand on the front porch and, after I told her I loved her, she would proudly shout: “I love you more.” Admittedly, I sometimes thought to myself she was being immature. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t. What I didn’t know at the time, though, was that as much as I loved her, she was right. I wasn’t a parent yet, and couldn’t really understand the gutwrenching, universal love a parent has for his or her child. It is only through my eyes as yours and Banner’s daddy that I have finally been able to appreciate what she was saying. She wasn’t necessarily telling me she loved me more than I loved her; I think she was telling me she loved me more than anything else in the whole world, that however much love you could have for a person, she had more than that much for me.

Your other Hebrew name, Lev, is in memory of my mom, your Bubbie. It means “heart” or “love” in Hebrew, and I hope that you will have the same capacity to love and be loved as your Bubbie did. I hope that, like your Bubbie, you carry love with you everywhere you go, and that you share it with the world around you, brightening your friends and family’s lives with its brilliance. I hope you know how to accept love in all of its forms and that it warms your heart every day of your life. I hope you always know that, no matter how much love you give and take, looking at the sum total of it all, your mom and I love you more.

A: Quinn, Daddy and I have so many hopes and dreams for you already. We hope you like your name and that you come to feel proud of it when you hear it – and later say it. We hope you love your family and can always feel wanted, accepted, loved, and nurtured by us. We hope you are eager to learn about the world and about other people. We want you to enjoy your friends, be okay with making mistakes, enjoy delicious food, appreciate music and art, believe in yourself, find love, recognize how blessed you are to be surrounded by an abundance of family and friends, know how to relax and enjoy yourself, value education, know how to take care of your body and your mind, respect others and their opinions, and find strength from within yourself.

S: We hope you will appreciate where you came from, know your family history and heritage, and respect those who came before you. And, we hope you come to know, trust, and love yourself. We want so many things for you, Quinn, but mostly, we want you to be happy, healthy, and full of love!

We love you,
Mommy & Daddy
November 10, 2013

Saturday, November 9, 2013

2-Month Newsletter: Quinn

Dear Quinn,
Today, you are 2 months old.. months... plural! I can't believe how fast time is flying. I feel as though time is speeding by much faster than it did when Banner was your age. At that time, I felt like I was still living one long day - but now we definitely have starts and stops to our days, even though you are still waking up at night for feedings. Perhaps Banner's schedule makes me feel like yours just fits right in (even though you're not really on a schedule yet). You definitely fit right into our family, and this adjustment has been so easy. Physically, it's difficult to attend to two children at a time, and I always experience some kind of guilt when tending to one child and having the other wait, but mostly, having you join our family has been seamless.

I fall in love with you so much each day. Your sweet smiles ignite a deep love as I see that little sweet personality unfolding and revealing itself. Your eyes have stayed a beautiful blue so far, and your coos are the sweetest, softest sounds that melt Daddy and me. You even kind of coo through some of your cries, and it's both the saddest and most precious thing ever. We just started listening to your lullaby mix at night, and the past three nights of singing and humming them to you bring huge tears that stream down my face as I embrace the quiet night with you. Last night, you were having trouble falling asleep when Daddy was putting you to bed, so I came in to help (you do seem to do better for me right now). You instantly quieted and closed your eyes. I thought you were asleep after a few minutes, but then you opened your eyes wide and were very alert. You smiled a big smile at me - several of them actually. I told you how much I loved you - again and again, and you kept smiling. It was like you were saying "Goodnight, Mommy! I love you, too!" after a long day away from each other. (I had been subbing all day, and this was the longest day we have been apart.) I wept, Quinn! I wept and wept for loving you so much and just wanting you to be safe and sound. Man, do I love you fiercely!

So, what have you been up to this month?

-Like I said above, you smile! You coo! I definitely got your first smile at 4 weeks old, but those were few and far between. You started smiling more at 5 weeks, which is when you first smiled at Daddy. And, by 6 & 7 weeks, you have been smiling various times throughout the day! By 8 weeks, now, I have felt that maybe you were about to laugh, but I haven't heard a real one yet.

-You have been eating about 4 ounces every 3 hours during the day. Just recently, you seem hungrier. We bumped you up to 4.5 ounces last week, and the past couple days we've been experimenting with 5 ounce bottles.

-You slept 8 hours last night: 8:00pm-4:10am. Then, you slept from about 5:15-8:45am. I'm hoping the 8 hour stretch continues and gets even longer!

-Naps are difficult right now. You love to be held, and once I put you down when you fall asleep, you wake up either right away or 25-30 minutes later. But, you are taking about 4 naps a day. Other than trying to get anything done while holding you for your naps, the hardest part of the nap "schedule" is trying to NOT let you nap too close to your bedtime. Your bedtime got earlier and earlier this month. We now start bath at 6:45 every night - sometimes 6:30. You love your bath time, so I like to bathe you each night, although we only use soap every other night. Then, Daddy or I give you a bottle and then try to get you down for the night - which can be difficult if you are overtired. You fight it, but then you typically sleep pretty great after that.

-Speaking of sleep, we have been putting you to sleep on your tummy. You sleep much longer this way. I'm constantly checking on you because we're really supposed to put you to sleep on your back, which is safer, but you love your tummy so much more. And, you've been so congested at night, sleeping on your back helps you breathe better since all that mucus at the back of your throat stays less in your way.

-Your right eye is looking better - a LOT better! Less gunky, not green anymore, and tearing a lot less. From time to time, your eyelids look red or swollen, so I'm not over my concern yet, but it's definitely better and less bothersome to both you and to me!

-Events this month: You had your first Halloween this month, as well as your first "play dates!" You first "played" with Blakely G. and Andrew L., and then the same week, you had a play date with Noah L. We had Marin's 3rd birthday party, you went to your first Race for the Cure walk, you went to Truck Time, and you went to the Arboretum to see all the pumpkins. You also had your first sleepover at Grandma and Papa's house when Daddy & I went to the State Fair with some friends.

You have become so much more alert this month! I'm so happy to see all your grins and to hear all your coos and "almost laughs!" I am so looking forward to all the changes I know this coming month will bring, but I do so love you just as you are now! Tomorrow is your naming ceremony, and I can't wait to tell you all about the significance of your name. And, Monday is your first round of shots at your 2-month well check-up*. I'm dreading that a lot, but I know you will handle it better than I will which gives me some kind of peace! :)

I love you, Quinn Redding! I hope your second month was even better than your first and that life outside the womb is getting more "normal" for you! Happy 2 Months, Sweet Boy!

Love,
Mommy



*After I published this post, you had your 2-month well check-up. It went great! Dr. B is pleased with your growth, and we are happy to report that you are a healthy baby! Other than crying/screaming through your 4 shots, you weren't bothered by Dr. B's exam at all! (You also had an oral vaccine, but you had no problem with that since the nurse just snuck that medicine in while Daddy was feeding you!)

Here are your current stats:

Weight: 12 pounds, 1.5 ounces = 60th percentile
Height: 22.5 inches = 30th percentile
Head Size: 39.25cm = 40th percentile

Oh, and while I'm at it, I'll add in:
-Size 1 Diapers
-Level 1 Nipples
-3M clothes

Friday, November 1, 2013

Halloween '13: The Story Behind the Costume

Banner is obsessed with ice cream trucks. It doesn't help that the ice cream man drives through our neighborhood almost nightly - even in the winter. Sam and I used to hear him when Banner was a newborn, and throughout the next few months, when he was more alert and sensitive to noises, we'd get so frustrated at the blaring music right at our tiny son's bedtime. And now, two years later, we are still frustrated when the ice cream truck drives down our block with the recognizable tunes playing oh-so-loudly so our dinner is often interrupted with the wide-eyed, quiet stare as Banner figures out that the truck is headed our way - and the quiet turns to "ICE CREAM TRUCK!" Sometimes Sam jumps up, grabs Banner from his chair and the couple dollars left near the front door for this specific reason, and hauls tushy out the door to try to catch (what will then become) Banner's mid-dinner dessert. The delight and excitement on Banner's face is priceless - and it kind of is on Sam's, too! Secretly, I'm pretty stoked when they catch him because I know Banner is thrilled, but I also wish the guy would just find a different neighborhood every now and then!

Like I said, he's in love with these trucks - watches videos of them on YouTube, loves to hear the "Ice Cream Truck" song that I downloaded just for him, and often takes any truck, car, or Lego for a "drive" around the "neighborhood" (our coffee table) while singing the Ice Cream Truck song himself ("Do do do do do do do do ditty doody do..."). Banner fell madly in love with his little brother when Quinn "gave" Banner a small Mater Ice Cream Truck die cast the day after Quinn was born. Two months later, and he still LOVES this toy.

One day, after Banner searched "ice cream trucks" on YouTube, he saw a little boy in a wheelchair whose costume was an ice cream truck built around the chair. It was awesome! I was jealous of this boy FOR Banner. I showed the video to Sam, thinking maybe we could do something like this for Banner for Halloween. Then I looked up more ice cream truck costumes to find a different way of creating an ice cream truck for my boy. Lo and behold, we found a very easy costume - but who has this kind of time to design/make/create a costume with a newborn at home? I figured we'd try, but I didn't get my hopes up. And, I never said anything to Banner.

This past Sunday, Sam decided he would make it happen. He took Banner to Home Depot (one of Banner's most favorite stores), and they bought the few materials it would take to build the costume of my son's dreams. They spent the day in the garage - Sam constructing, Banner making a mess. I spent the day inside downloading ice cream graphics for the sides of the truck while holding my "I-have-to-be-held-all-the-freaking-time-in-order-to-sleep" newborn. By Banner's nap time, the truck was constructed and painted, the pictures were printed, and the headlights were ready to be "installed." During nap time, Sam and I finalized the truck: making the "Watch for Children" sign on the back of the truck, installing lights, putting in straps to help Banner hold it up, taping the iPod to the top of the truck to play the Ice Cream Truck songs, and taping the ice cream pictures to the sides. By 4:00, we were ready to take the truck for a "test drive" at Marin's 3rd birthday party - a costume party.

I was SO proud of Sam for his dedication and commitment to this project. I was THRILLED to show it to Banner. I was beyond excited to watch him wear it and parade around in his costume with lights that worked and sounds that played. I thought this thing was so cool, and I kept thinking what a great gift of love this would be for Banner. I had even told Sam the night before we made it, "If we can pull this off and get it done, this will be the best gift we've given him!" (Minus Quinn, of course!) :)

And, . . . then it went downhill from there. If we DID get him to wear it, he wore it for 10-15 seconds. I could never get a good picture or video. And, really, all Banner kept talking about was which ice cream he wanted (from the pictures on the side). "Mommy, I... want Sponge Bob. Mommy, I.... want Tweety Bird ice cream."

I was willing to let it go that he wouldn't wear the costume at Marin's party - because we still had Halloween. But... same story. Banner wouldn't really wear it for a little play date we had Halloween morning. He wouldn't put it on for more than a couple minutes. Yes, an improvement, but still... so disappointing. One thing he DID do, which was super-cute, was he walked around pretending to hand his friends some ice cream. He smiled as he did it. I loved that!

Then, that night, he maybe wore the box for a total of 5-7 minutes. He mostly just walked around in his hat, white shirt, and khaki shorts looking like he wasn't really participating in this whole costume thing. He still had a great time trick-or-treating and getting candy, for sure. He was willing to let me try to take a quick picture, and he did seem to get a tad more interested in wearing the truck when a little girl who was out trick-or-treating came up on the lawn to play with his lonely costume. He ran over and said, "Hey! That's MINE!" I was actually happy to hear him say this! :) And, he wore it for about 3-4 minutes after that.

So, now we have this ice cream truck box. It will either get destroyed, thrown away, or put in the attic for a while. Maybe, just MAYBE he'll play with it for a bit. But, really, on this Halloween - it's the thought that counted. I'm so grateful that my baby boys have a daddy who would put in hours and hours of labor and time to construct something he knew all along may never have been appreciated or utilized. I'm grateful that I have a husband who wanted to make ME happy because all I wanted was to make my SON happy. And, quite honestly, I'm grateful for even the short few moments Banner wore the costume - because that smile he had while wearing it was worth every moment of time, thought, and energy that went into that truck! (And, I'm pretty sure Sam would agree!)
First time wearing it - all smiles - til he pushed it off 10 seconds later
Daddy insisted SOMEONE wear the costume!
Sweet little ice cream man without his truck
A few seconds wearing it, then it was off to trick-or-treat
Trick-or-treating
And, of course, Mr. Quinn fully cooperated and wore his costume all day!