Dear Quinn,
This has been a month of ups and downs. At first, I would have said way more downs... but we turned a corner sooner than I thought, and now we're on a high. Although, every time I say that, we take a turn again and things go downhill quickly. Mostly, your health is always a concern to me. You're always congested, always sounding and looking clogged up, but I'm pretty sure these are side-effects of your laryngomalacia, and one day - I hope soon - you will outgrow it all! I have to remind myself often that you have a weak breathing tube and that accounts for various things: the way you breathe and how it sounds, reflux, irritated nasal passages, and congestion because of that. You will always sound worse than you really are, but when things are good and you are doing great, I forget that you even have this issue. Then, you have a bout with allergies or a cold, and I have to remind myself all over again. So, I think that's the root of why we have these ups and downs of sleeping, of eating, of feeling cranky, etc.
If it weren't for these issues, I would otherwise say you are easy-peasy! You have the best personality - so eager to learn, so playful, and so incredibly loving and sweet. You have a great sense of humor and enjoy making us laugh! You've become quite independent and enjoy exploring places and things on your own. You're still pretty attached to Mommy and Daddy, and you don't like us to leave, but I think your time away from us every now and then helps you build confidence that we will always come back to you!
What else have you been up to this month?
- You gave up bottles completely. This was definitely a trying time for all of us. Dr. B had instructed us to only give you milk in your sippy cup - no water whatsoever until you learned to drink at least 16 oz of milk per day from the cup. I knew this would be a challenge for you - used to getting your milk from bottles regardless of how many times we offered you milk in a cup. You NEVER took it that way. But, you took the challenge to a whole new level. I completely understood why Dr. B wanted us to follow his rule, but after 4 days of you only sipping about an ounce or two of milk from a cup, I called the nurse at Dr. B's office. I asked their advice, and I wanted to know exactly how long was I supposed to play this little game with you when you walked around all day saying "wah-wah" (water), and wanting to eat all day long, yet never eating anything (probably because you lacked the calories you were once getting, and probably because you were thirsty not hungry really). It broke our hearts, raised my anxiety, and pissed me off - to be totally honest with you. The nurse (after checking with Dr. B) said to stay the course and not deviate from the plan whatsoever. In tears, I got slightly angry with the advice. I said something to the effect of, "I just want to make sure I understand and that I'm not in danger of abusing and neglecting my child by depriving him of water when he refuses to drink the milk. I have family and friends who are giving me c-r-a-p because of this decision, and I want to be sure you really mean to tell me to withhold water from my toddler." She said something like, "Yes, ma'am. I know it's hard. I know. Just keep going with this plan, it will work. Don't give in or he will own you." HA. Well, I quickly got off the phone, called Daddy and vented to him in a fit of tears having to decide to follow this advice or not. Daddy reassured me that this plan was awful and wasn't right for our family. So, that night, we gave you some water at dinner, and you guzzled it like you'd been wandering the desert for 40 days with nothing to quench your thirst. Your eyes rolled back, your mouth wouldn't release the cup, and our eyes teared watching you. I put in a call to Aunt Erin (who is finishing her residency in pediatrics this year), and got her opinion on the matter. She put out minds at ease by reassuring us we should follow our guts, not pick battles over food with you, and offer you other choices (like lots of yogurt or cheese) if you weren't going to drink milk. We talked about other things, too, including how she's never heard of this kind of advice before. You can bet we both Googled the topic and read about it on BabyCenter, and the information we found was mixed. So, Daddy and I moved forward by offering milk at meal times and water in between. Lo and behold, two days later, you were guzzling milk from a sippy cup (just like you had from your bottles) and we were all finally satisfied. I'm SO glad I followed my gut; I'm SO glad you finally drink enough milk to make us all feel relieved. Now, you happily take milk or water from a cup throughout the day.
- Your naps suck. Truly, I don't know what happened, but you only sleep for 30-75 minutes (75 being on a miracle day). Please change this.
- You had a cold, followed by a double ear infection. You're still on antibiotics for the ear infection. This could have been the reason your napping has been awful, but I'm not convinced because the awful napping has been going on WAY too long.
- You're saying so much more! Since last month, you've added "nack" (snack), hot, baby, this, hat, cookie, bread, and knock.
- When Banner was a baby, he used to cry whenever he heard "Hush Little Baby" being sung or played. Well, we found "your" song this month. Daddy bought the book What a Wonderful World for you because he wanted to have a special book just for you and because this song reminds him of his mommy. It has also been a special song between my dad and me for as long as I can remember. Well, one night I was putting you to bed, and I wanted to see how the song was turned into a book. I read it through once, and then I decided to go back and sing the words. By the last chorus, you were whimpering, and then you were putting your bottom lip out and your eyes were teary. You were shaking your head no, but at the same time, you were signing "more." I stopped once, but you signed "more" again. So, I kept singing, and then you whimpered again. At the end of the book, I decided that was enough, even though you continued asking for more. It was a very special moment for us, though. I hugged you and told you it was okay, and we danced to your first lullaby on the play list before I put you in bed. Just to be sure that is what was making you have this reaction, I sang it again two nights later. Same thing happened. Daddy also sang it to you once, and he reported to me that you "started wailing." Sweet boy. It's both awful and heartwarming to see this reaction.
- You have two new teeth - the upper sides - bringing the total to 6 now (4 top, and 2 very stubborn ones at the bottom that haven't completely finished growing tall).
- You LOVE to be read to. You bring books to us - mostly to Daddy - and say "this, this, this."
- You parallel play with Levi and Banner so well! You even follow Banner around and copy him a bit. It's not unusual to find you driving a Hot Wheels car or a fire truck while you make a noise or a siren sound.
- Today is your first day with a nanny/babysitter. You will still be at Grandma's twice a week while I work (long-term part-time counselor sub), but one of those days you will have Paige stay with you. You have met Paige a couple times and have loved your play time with her - you're even a little bit of a flirt. I'm hoping you are really happy with her this semester!
- This was a month full of time with family and friends: Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's Eve/Day, and all that accompanies those events: Candlelight, parties, presents, new toys, yummy food, fun games, and being off schedule a lot. You handled it well given not feeling well much of the month. We also went to a few fun places for the first time (or your first time): the Children's Aquarium, Play Street (you LOVED it here!!), and Nickelmania (you loved playing the game where you hit the crocodile heads as they peep out of the hole).
Quinn Redding, I love you so much it hurts! As I rocked you to sleep tonight, I just couldn't get enough of your sweet smell, your cuddly body, your chubby little hands, the warmth of your personality! You are just so delicious, and I love watching your personality continue to unfold. One of my favorite things now is reading to you at bedtime, pointing out all the things on the page, watching you try out your own language while you try to copy me, seeing so much of the vocabulary click for you! It's such a fun age. Sure, there's lots of "No, Quinn," going on around here - as you try to pull things out of the trash or put things in there that don't go, as you swat your food from your tray to the floor, or as you forget to be gentle with Levi or get revenge on Banner's antics. But, you're still pretty obedient, truly hate to be in trouble, and love a good reassuring hug. Daddy and I love watching you explore the world and test things out. We always knew you were smart, but watching you develop that brain of yours even more is awe-inspiring. Seriously, you are like a gift we get to keep opening every day!
Happy 16-months, My Love!
I love, love, love you!
Love,
Mommy
 |
| your "funny face" - copying me and Daddy at dinner one night had all of us cracking up! |
 |
| This was taken yesterday... very into hats/helmets/kipot. |
