Rambly updates!

Sigh. My family is a mess of skin issues. On Tuesday the left side of Taylor's tongue swelled up and then it went away, and then on Wednesday she had swelling inside the lower part of her mouth, and today her wrists are swelling and she took Benadryl and has gone to bed. Quinn is actually ok and we haven't had to give her Benadryl in a couple weeks (since she ate the wheat and reacted...please don't let her allergy test show an allergy to wheat!!!). She has survived the worst diaper rash ever although it seems to be trying to make a come back (we used a few kinds of diaper cream, jock itch cream, compounded prescription cream, and finally an anti fungal that seemed to work)...and we have had to switch to 7th generation disposables.

Quinn had blood drawn for allergy testing and the results should be back on Monday. As we weren't able to expose her to eggs and a couple other things I am worried she is allergic but it won't show up. I am hoping for no allergies to soy and wheat. She has been weaning, which is sad for me and brought up all kinds of mommy guilt, but she is drinking diluted goat's milk (good for the lactose intolerant) and seems to be adjusting fairly well to that combined with breast milk.

What else? She is a super crawler and has even stood up a few times, has three teeth, says "hi", "bye" (not at the right times), "uh oh", and "mama"--but not to me. Oddly, her favorite word is sometimes "dada". She is trying on the "zaza" but isn't quite there. She is firmly in the stranger anxiety phase and can be clingy but is a really happy mellow kid still. The change to the "mobile" side of the room has been hard at daycare. If you are looking for daycare I would strongly encourage the selection of a daycare where the teacher moves with the kids or the kids stay with the same people as they grow.

Here is a picture of Quinn with her favorite great Aunt Kathy. For all of you who have asked Aunt Kathy is doing really well. The cancer was caught early and we have every hope that she will recover without the need for any more treatment.

Quinn crawls

So, this clip was taken last month - in most other circumstances it would be considered recent, however, given the rate of babies' development this is rather old. You can see her perfected army crawl here... she has since perfected her hands and knees crawl. She enjoys doing this most just after her diaper has been taken off, naturally. She has even begun trying to pull herself up onto her feet. It's fascinating to see her development as it unfolds and we wish we could capture it all...

Happy Halloween!

Quinn was still feeling a little sick today but we were able to enjoy a walk through the village where all the shops were handing out candy and they had some face painting, photography, and other fun activities. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

Quinn's two S activities

So, Quinn and I just finished the third of three sign language classes at our local community center. The first week's topic was food signs, the second week's was action words and this last one was animals. It's really amazing how many of the signs we covered in class pertain to our day-to-day life - even the animal ones! I hadn't realized the number of animals depicted in children's books before - it's apparently a popular theme. Our other S activity is swimming lessons. We have gone for two weeks now and have another lesson tomorrow, though we may not attend because she ran a fever of 102.7 this morning and came home early from daycare. She responded well to my regime of medicine, food, liquids, and sleep but we're still not sure if taking her tomorrow is the best idea. There are a total of nine lessons this session. She seems to really love the water and does not mind in the least to have water on her face... she doesn't even mind my putting her face in the water. It's really neat to see the other children in her class respond differently, there's certainly a range of comfort levels represented by the group of 7 or 8 kids, of whom, Quinn is among the youngest. We are going to be starting another music class soon, but Megan assures me it won't be anything like our last music class and recitals will NOT be a requirement. I'm holding her to that.
Here's a picture of Quinn in her swim outfit, unfortunately, it's a little bit small. We'll have to look around for another one soon.----Taylor

Quinn's 9 month checkup appointment

Quinn had her 9 month appointment last week. She is still in the 95th percentile for height, in the 75th for head circumference, and had dropped a lot to the 45th percentile for weight. The pediatrician was not that concerned as we explained Quinn loves to eat and eats a lot (and nurses too!) but will not want to see it go down at all by her next appointment. Our theory is that this is because she had a growth spurt a couple weeks ago and got quite a bit longer! I am a little worried but know that she is fine. We are adding some flax seed oil to her diet, we can start some proteins, and we are increasing her iron fortified cereal as her iron is a little low. We did decide to get her the swine flu vaccine as our pediatrician by some miracle had some. It was a little bit of a debate as Quinn is on a slow vaccine schedule and we weren't planning on giving her this but after some discussion with the pediatrician felt it was a good thing to do. She will need to go back on about a month for the two vaccines that she would have gotten at this appointment but can't be given with the swine flu vaccine. So we are finishing the first round of beans and lentils...we have been a little disappointed with them, so I am going to have to find some of my own recipes! Oh, also we were referred to a pediatric naturopath who is somewhat of an allergy and food sensitivity specialist and will make an appointment soon. I will keep you all updated.

Oh San Francisco, we do love you!

We took our first plane trip with baby for my birthday trip to San Francisco. Anyone who knows me knows that I usually have to drug the crap out of myself to get on a plane. Since I am breastfeeding I obviously can't go the pharmaceutical route so decided to have a hypnotherapy session with the woman that did our hypnobirthing class...not really holding out much hope that it would be effective. I am now a big believer! Taylor will vouch for the fact that I was the calmest I have ever been on a plane (without drugs...with them, I am practically comatose). Quinn was a fabulous traveler and fell asleep before take off on the way there and was really chilled out on the way back. Taylor even managed to make small talk (which she hates) with the over-sharing woman next to her.

Our trip was fabulous, we saw some of our favorite places and people. Unfortunately we didn't always get to spend as much time as we had wanted (so sorry Sarah and Alex!) but it made us very nostalgic for the time we lived there. One of the best parts was spending some time with our friends April and Jake and their son and their nephew (we were a big group!) at the Academy of Sciences...amazing! Quinn was so moved that she donated her pacifier to the albino alligator's swamp. A biologist had to be paged and we politely turned down the offer of its return. I also had a wonderful birthday party with the above group and my friend Cindy who braved the drive to join us for the Mel's diner extravaganza.

I did have a moment (okay we had several) of really considering what it would be like to move back to San Francisco. There is such a great vibe and such amazing diversity in the city. Diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc. etc. I wondered if we are denying Quinn a richer cultural experience by living in Portland. Don't get me wrong, I love Portland but there is something about San Francisco. Hmmm something to think about. Thoughts?

Cute picture and health update

Here is a cute picture of Quinn and her Uncle David with big smiles behind the pacifier. She is such a smiley little thing most times. Which is so great for the obsessive worrier of a parent that I am, I do try to control it! She has been diagnosed (if you want to use that word) with eczema on her face, ankles, and elbows. We are trying various creams and ointments and given her skins tendency to break into rash and hives the pediatricians office thinks that she will be the kid that needs to go to the allergist. She will probably have food allergies as well so we may end up being vegan again not by choice. She is a good sport and doesn't scratch too much and puts up with us rubbing random stuff all over her all the time. On a happier note we went to the pediatric ophthalmologist and instead of having actual strabismus she has psuedo-strabismus most likely because of her asian heritage...check out the links for information if interested. So no glasses yet but she goes back in at 2 1/2 or 3 and we will see then!

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001004.htm
http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/conditions/pseudostrabismus/index.cfm

Pioneer Days

Here is a picture of Quinn with her Great Uncle Steve at Pioneer Days. Yes, that's right we go to Southern Oregon every year to pioneer it up with the family. This was Quinn's first time at Pioneer Days and our first time as a family in a hotel...we didn't get a lot of sleep but I did catch up on my late night t.v. with sound off and captions on as we have made it a priority to avoid the t.v. and computer for Quinn until at least 2 years of age. People seem to have fairly strong views about media and children...what does everyone think?

Quinn's First Recital

The greatly anticipated video of Quinn's first recital. She seems surprisingly serious here - it was very hot and way past her bedtime!

Gay Yellow Pages

Oh hey...I forgot to mention that we are the supermodels in the Alma Midwifery ad in Portland's Gay Yellow Pages...pick up a copy and check us out!

6 Months

I know, I have been away too long especially as some sweet person thanked us for having this blog on our last post! I blame Facebook...it is an evil mistress that makes you start thinking about your life in one sentence fragments and obsess over all your old high school friends posts. But feel free to "friend" me if you are my friend and you can see all the inane quizzes I spend my time taking (my hippie name is Meadow Lotus Song and I rock at Buffy the Vampire Slayer trivia!). ANYWAY...back to the fabulousness that is our child.

Quinn had her 6 month checkup today. This doesn't mean that we haven't seen a pediatrician since her 4 month (we went in for welts and for congestion) but this was the first routine visit since then. She is in the 90% for head circumference, the 95% for height and the 85% for weight. She is a healthy active growing baby! She has started saying dadadadadada quite I bit (yes, I can appreciate the irony in that) and is still very strong. She loves to be on her tummy and push up on her arms. They did note that one of her eyes doesn't quite track as well---at little bit cross eyed so we are to see a pediatric ophthamologist (we have been referred to Dr. Wheeler: http://www.ohsucasey.com/bios/wheeler.html) for that. I have passed on my crappy vision genetics as I think I have something similar and the one of the few things that we didn't love about the sperm donor was that his vision sucked as well. Oh well, yay for early intervention! She will look quite dashing in an eye patch or tiny glasses.

Taylor and I feel like we are getting a little bit back to normal as a couple and as a family. I find the gender issues or people's perceptions of gender more challenging sometimes than anything having to do with sexual orientation but that is a ramble for another post!

Much love to all...

Rolling, rolling, rolling

Food and Babies

Tonight was banana night. The current prevailing wisdom in baby food is that you try one food for 3-5 days feeding them only 1 teaspoon or so for the first couple weeks and then increasing to two feedings a day. We have to admit that we do more like 1-3 Tablespoons because seriously a teaspoon is nothing! So far we have done sweet potatoes, brown rice cereal, pears and now banana's. Again, the amazing thing is that I am making the food myself, I know mushing up a banana doesn't sound complicated but figuring out how to brush my teeth is complicated for me some nights. Balancing work and parenthood is HARD, I have so much more appreciation for my own mother especially as she was a single mom. Back to food; so the child LOVES banana's and yelled at me tonight when I told her we were done. If I knew where the camera was I would have taken a picture, as it is Taylor is trying to add a couple new video's to the website. Quinn is also really excited when people say her name and has moments of being very sad at daycare if she sees us and we don't pick her up right away, she definitely knows who Mommy and Zaza are now...which selfishly is a pretty cool feeling. I am off to try to get lunches made and get to bed but I would like to take a moment to say congratulations to all the new parents we know (and those of you we don't!). This is a big baby year for our circle of friends and family so welcome babies Max, Ezra, Noah, Aubrey, Madison, Alexandra, Zahra, and soon to be here Blix!

Update

Hi all! We are doing great or rather we are attempting to be doing great...it varies from day to day. Quinn is wonderful, she is in the 96th percentile for height and the 95th for weight. The pediatrician encouraged us to start solids a little early and we have. I have been making food myself (I know, it is amazing) and gave her sweet potatoes and tonight (at Zaza's birthday party) she wolfed down some homemade brown rice cereal. We have only tried food four times but she seems to be getting the hang of it. We also recently went on a family trip to the coast and hung out with Nona and Grampy much to their and Quinn's delight. It was during that trip that Quinn first rolled from her front to her back and within the week she went from back to front. As of today she is rolling over whenever she feels like it...although she does get stuck occasionally. More later!

Sleeping and Parenting Books

Not to jinx it but I think that the transition to the crib has gone well for the whole family. Quinn usually gets up two times (or three if we are sleeping in) for food/diaper change but goes right back down. Getting her to sleep can be a little challenging but we have a routine and some techniques that we feel good about (no, none of these include dosing her with cold medicine, yet!). She went down super easy last night (we idealize our friend's son Jude who has been fabulous at going to bed the times we have babysat so Quinn has a lot to live up to) and slept well. We do use the swing during the day b/c the daycare does and she likes it. We have upgraded to a big swing from the small travel swing we started out with and the thing does so much stuff and looks so comfy, I want one. Of course she will sleep for hours at daycare and usually for about 45 minutes-1 hour for us but she seem fine with it.

People who know me well know I tend to be a little on the anxious side (I can hear Taylor giggling hysterically when she reads this and repeating "a little?") and I have found a new thing that causes anxiety for me: parenting books. They all say something different and all imply that you should have started x, y, and z at birth. I try to just take tips from whatever I read and stay away from one philosophy...for example the Baby Whisperer has some great tips that we use a lot for sleep but I feel vaguely patronized while reading it and it is a parent centered schedule, our daycare has a very baby centered schedule, and we fall somewhere in between. I think as long as she and we are mostly happy with our routine and lives we are doing well! Any thoughts from any of you on different philosophies and books? A whole different topic is advice from family and friends...sometimes a little overwhelming. :)

And the not so glamourous side of Quinn

Enjoy!

Quinn, the model...

Here she is at three weeks old; naked and in front of the camera! See if you can pick her out of the crowd.

Bodily functions and fluids

So yeah. We have turned into those parents that call the pediatrician a lot. To be fair to us I think they should expect this of new parents and really we have only called three times since our last appointment. The first was when we were diagnosing my lipase enzyme milk issue; just to be sure there wasn't anything we could do and to ask some nutritional questions for Quinn, the second was when she hadn't pooped in five days; apparently aside from dehydration growth spurts can be an explanation as they are using all of their nutrients for that...also the child had two major blowout poops that night after we had called, and then last weekend when we experiencing "baby's first vomit"--when she threw up all over me and out her mouth AND nose. Props to Taylor here who came running and helped clean up despite a strong aversion vomit. This recalls the time we were at a 4th of July party at a downtown Portland hotel where two suites had been taken over. This poor girl started to retch and Taylor was out the door, down the hall, and in the next suite before it even hit the floor. So the vomiting was scary and probably a result of all her sinus drainage but we called to double check and see what we should watch for. Quinn is, of course, fine just very snarfely (yes, I made that up) due to her daycare cold. Taylor took some fun pictures that we will try and get posted and a great video that we hope to figure out as well. Oh and the other news is that she seems to be teething, good times!

April update

I know, I know…no guilt or I won’t post at all! Here is an update on us (remember that even when we don’t write the pictures on the left get updated).

*Breastfeeding is still going really well although we discovered (luckily before daycare started) that I have this lipase enzyme in my milk (doesn’t hurt the milk or the baby) that makes the milk taste soapy after awhile and therefore it does not last as long as milk without this enzyme. Basically I have to scald my milk which gets rid of some of the immunological properties but allows for longer storage. She gets a bottle of scalded and fresh milk for the morning; I feed her at lunch, and then the fresh milk I pumped in the morning for the afternoon. She transitioned to the bottle really well for the daycare folks (Rosa is fabulous!) but still doesn’t like taking a bottle from her Zaza or obviously me.

*Daycare has been working out really well. She goes M/W/F and the people there are really nice. The babies seem happy and the other parents I have talked to, some with older kids as well are very pleased with the program. I wish we didn’t have to pay so much money but it is worth it to have her in such a good place.

*Quinn is a smiley wonderful baby. For the most part she is mellow except when her basic needs (sleep, food, pooping) aren’t met.

*We started transitioning her to her crib last week which has been a struggle but not as bad as we thought it would be…last night was the worst so writing that was hard! She had been in the bed with us and then in the bassinet but she outgrew it. Plus, we discovered that she and I sleep much better apart as much as I want to snuggle. Taylor can sleep through anything so she doesn’t count.

I am sure there is so much more but I want to make sure this gets posted.

Love to all!

Ramblings

I can't believe that Quinn is almost 2 months old. We are working on getting the birth story written and will post a little of it online but we feel really good about the birth and about the community we created around the pregnancy. We had amazing people to help us and they still are helping! Our last appointment at the birth center was last Monday and next we see the pediatrician.

Quinn slept for almost 6 hours in one stretch last night...this is unheard of so of course I was up and worried that she was sleeping too much. I am an anxious mom. She was, of course, just fine and today is not taking as many naps but seems to be pretty happy. She is smiling a lot and made some almost giggly noises at her ZaZa today which was so sweet to see. We are really in love with her and just stare at her most of the day! This does not mean that we don't feel completely out of our element as new parents most of the time. :)

We are still trying to get into some semblance of a routine but it is hard. We started charting her eating, sleeping, and diapers yesterday to see if there is a pattern. I will start back at work on 3/23 and Taylor has been working from home a little and goes back into the office for a few days starting next week. Quinn starts daycare on 3/30...I am not excited to leave her somewhere but know that it is good in the long run and what we have to do right now. We have managed to arrange our schedules so that she only will be going M/W/F. I will be home Tuesday and Taylor on Thursday.

I am on my own on Monday nights as Taylor has class and Quinn is waking up so I am off to get her.

Megan

Hello from the land of baby!

Hi all,

Sorry for the blog silence, it is hard to find the time or energy to blog since Quinn was born but we really appreciate all of you that have been e-mailing, calling, and dropping by to visit! The last six weeks have been a crazy roller coaster ride and we are still trying to figure out what we are doing. Quinn is amazing and is growing very fast. She was 7lbs 15oz at birth, went down to 7lbs 7oz and then 7lbs 5oz but by 1 week she was back up to 7lbs 14oz (they wanted her to be at birth weight by 2 weeks), at her 2 week checkup she was 8lbs 8oz, at her 4 week check up she was 10lbs 5oz, and today at her 6 week check up (a few days late)she is 12 lbs and 22 inches long (up 1.5 from birth). She doesn't really have a schedule but has in the last week started having one stretch of sleep at night that lasts around 3 hours which is amazing for her exhausted parents. She also has started smiling in the last couple weeks (mostly at everyone but her parents). I hope that we can post more regularly because for all intents and purposes this is her baby book!

She is starting to fuss and as Taylor is in class I am a single parent tonight so off to snuggle and feed her.

Megan

Please take note of the slideshow on the left side of the blog

I am updating it periodically, so keep track of it at your convenience.
We promise to try to post a real blog sometime soon.

Taylor

Welcome to the world baby Quinn

 

Quinn (full name available upon request) was born Thursday (1/8/09) at 10:23 a.m. after Megan experienced 30-hours of back labor. Quinn was born at our chosen out-of-hospital birthing center with midwives, doulas, me (and an acupuncturist) in attendance. The birth was both longer and more painful than what had been hoped for, but as expected all worth it in the end. I have never been more impressed or amazed by Megan; she was magnificent. Quinn weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces at birth and was 20.5 inches long. The hat is covering all of Quinn's hair, but rest assured - there is A LOT of it(!) all black and while it seemed wavy at birth, it has straightened out at this point. Quinn seems to have Megan's mouth and ears but the eyes and nose are definitely from the donor's gene pool. We are extremely excited and exhausted. We welcome emails and phone calls (but don't be surprised if we don't get back to you right away). Short visits are also welcome, but please do check in with us first before coming by. We appreciate all your support and love and can't wait to introduce you to our new baby!

Due Date...yeah right!

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. The biggest part of your baby's body is her head, but her still-pliable skull will give it the flexibility necessary to squeeze through the birth canal. Many parents are surprised by how long and sharp their newborn's nails are from the get-go. Clipping them right away (ask a nurse for help) can prevent your baby from scratching her face.

Hi all...just an update (on the due date) that the baby is still inside. I have been feeling pretty awful this week...fluish, headachy, tired etc. which has not been fun for anyone. I started some accupuncture induction treatment on Friday and have been three times so I hope that will do something. We have a midwife, an accupuncture, and a chiropractic appointment tomorrow so maybe I will start feeling better. Just wanted to let everyone know we are still waiting and we apologize for the lack of phone calls and e-mails, we are in hibernation mode but we are getting all of your messages.