A few months back when I invited myself to stay with Taylor, Megan and Quinn, I thought that it would be a pleasant way to spend the first month or so of my unemployment. Lest you think I'm a complete layabout, I suppose I should mention that I had a one-year fellowship that ended in May and there is a pretty good job prospect that will likely come to fruition soon-ish. And yes, I would introduce myself as a fellow.
Returning to my expectations of what my visit would entail, I expected tons of pleasant time with Quinn, but that there would be sufficient amounts of time to spend in some of my favorite pursuits—reading, knitting, and watching films. Cut to 5 weeks since I left Missouri for the trek westward, and I've only read or re-read 8 books or so, barely finished half of a single knitting project, and only seen two films in the theater. And frankly, I would call my time spent with Quinn as exhausting. At times stressful. Often fun and full of wonder.
It's amazing to me how much she's changed and developed just since my arrival on June 6th. Her vocab in both words and signs, as mentioned in the previous post, has increased. Aside from when she wears her brand new purple Chuck sneakers (a half-birthday from her favorite aunt), she no longer walks with a seemingly drunken stagger. She's clearly grown as many of her socks and pajamas are starting to get tight. And Quinn's also starting to take more notice of the world around her and trying to identify or figure out people, animals, objects, etc.
It's obviously not all amazement and good times though. She's suffering from a horrible diaper rash currently and this comes after running a bit of a fever, developing canker sores, another slight and fortunately brief fever, and an ear infection. And that's just in the time I've been here. Fret not, as Quinn is showing what a hardy and typically good natured little person she can be. Not all the time, however. There was an instance during which she screamed, cried, kicked, and just WOULD NOT settle down after I removed her from the presence of her parents who had to attend a function at a university and she started to fuss. I got loads of sympathetic but judgmental looks from several passerby's. I still shudder thinking about it. My subsequent babysitting experiences have gone much more smoothly. It helped considerably that two of the three were after her bedtime.
Though I know it's just part of being a toddler, but there are days when I'm certain she's bipolar. Her moods change quickly and while, as mentioned before by those who know her best she is quite the good natured child, it can be physically and emotionally draining to spend time with her. She's fickle as well. One of her favorite words is “no.” Often, though, she won't really mean it. If offered food, she may not take it at first, but in the next second will then gobble it up (she's often cautioned to chew and swallow before taking more).
She’s learning at a rapid pace and has started to mimic certain sounds or gestures. I’ve taken great pleasure in trying to expand her vocabulary and range of expressions. For example, I’ve tried to introduce “fiduciary” into her everyday conversation but so far she finds it more amusing than educational. And one of these days she’s going to have a great evil baby laugh as she can throw her head back with abandon. She just needs to practice on finessing the cackle.
While I’m sad to be leaving, I’m incredibly glad to know that technology exists that allows me to see and speak with her on at least a weekly basis. Still, I very much anticipate my next visit and can’t wait to see the next batch of changes.
