Happy Halloween

I don't think she appreciated the costume, but everyone who saw her did!

Quinn the Eskimo.

A lot of admirers asked me where I got the coat, because "it looks real".

The coat is a Gap kids coat that I found at Goodwill Store. I bought faux fur trim and the red geometrical trim at the craft store, and attached them. I used leg warmers with the same red trim for her boots. The husky dogs were from Goodwill too.

On the Road

It has been a very, very long day. Only fourteen hours ago we were at the foothills of the Grand Teton Mountains, in  a little town called Driggs, a stone throw away from the Idaho-Wyoming state line. It was a nine-hour drive from there to our hotel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Quinn, the mighty jet setter that she is, traveled very well! [Click here to see that story.]

All that traveling, and then a thirty-minute swim in the hotel pool, no wonder she was famished! She refused to eat her bottled pureed food, which we reserve for being out of the home. Instead, she ate with gusto the Thai food I ordered for dinner.

And she loved the red curry with bamboo shoots, eggplant, carrots, and Thai basil, no star for spice.

We brushed our teeth before bed time. She loves brushing her two teeth! Actually, she just loves to gnaw on the toothbrush!

And off to sleep she went, re-charging for the next day's drive. Again.

Quinn's God Brother

Liam is nine years old. He loves football - playing and watching it on TV - and baseball. He is all boy! Athletic, tough, and competitive. Every now and then Liam would spend a Sunday evening with us. He and 5-Star Scotty get into some heated games of H-O-R-S-E on the court, or if we were on a walk, he wants to push Quinn's stroller. Every so often, Liam stops what he is doing to pay Quinn a moment of attention. He touches her so gently, and coos "Hi Quinnster. Are you okay?" And immediately goes back to whatever he is doing, whether it be eating dinner, walking alongside us, or during a basketball pick-up game.

May 2014

 

May 2014

 

May 2014

 

May 2014

 

September 2014

 

September 2014

 

September 2014

 

One day, Liam introduced Quinn to his friends. "This is Quinnster, my sister-in-law."

Actually, it's GODsister.

Mana Sa Aunties (Taking After the Aunties)

I hold these ladies close to my heart. From them I hope that Quinn will learn and take after their characters.

Tia Alfonsina: her love of the outdoors, her strength and her stamina.
Auntie Colleen: her love of God, her kindness and her outreach.

 Jazz (My friend, The Author): her passion for the arts, her scribaciousness and her Catholic faith.

 Yaya: her loyalty, her hard work and foresight.

Auntie Shannon: her motherly love, her devotion to family and her sense of fashion.

Auntie Kaarina: her determination, her hospitality and her goodwill.

 And Tita-Ati Mayet (whom we haven't seen since the day Quinn was born): her gumption, her imagination and her creativeness.

Amen!

Poor Child!

Those marks on Quinn's cheek, between her fingers, and on the burping cloth aren't ketchup. It's blood.

Quinn's blood.

I cut off a little more than her thumb nail.

When Lola K was still here, she ordered NOT to cut Quinn's nails. Yet. Now, Lola K in the Philippines, Yaya advises "Do not cut her nails on Tuesdays and Fridays". For you die-hard Catholics, those are the days of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. 

So today, SUNDAY, a day of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, I cut Quinn's nails, starting with the left fingers. All went well until I started on the right hand. She screamed  –  I mean SCREAMED!  – bloody murder a split second after the telltale "clip" of the fingernail cutter. And blood was everywhere. EVERYWHERE!

She cried more from this accident than she did for her shots. My poor child! I had to work up boobs-ful of milk to finally appease her, which took a good portion of an hour. POOR CHILD!

And even after her crying fit, exhaustion putting her to sleep, she still wore a painful countenance from the ordeal. MY POOR, POOR CHILD!

I still have her toes to clip... Poor, poor Mama Netty!

Hey, wait a minute... It's Lent. During Lent, Sunday's Mysteries are the Sorrowful...

Bad Netty! I need to brush up on my Catechism.

Tita Ain and Kuya James Visit

Quinn was a happy baby tonight because Tita Ain and Kuya James came to visit her.

Kuya James was enthralled by her.

"She was in your belly?" he asked. Yes, Jamesie Cat, she was in my belly.

Kuya James gave her presents. Well, Tita Ain picked them out, and he presented them to her.

And then all he wanted to talk about was animals. Monster animals with prehistoric alien-like names that sounded terrible. And Quinn loved hearing her Kuya James's voice.

By the way, notice the handsome fellow in the background... Ahem! All I have to say right now  -  because I'm not supposed to say more  -  is that he sounded like Matthew McConaughey. And he's rather handsome, if I do say so myself Ain!

First Vaccinations

Yesterday marked a milestone for Quinn. She received her first set of vaccinations - three pokes and a shot of liquid icky-drink. She was all smiles and coos before that, then it was all pouts and wailing afterwards. But the good thing about this is that now we can start (or continue) venturing out into the world without the constant paranoia of catching "the" bug. 

Quinn's doctor was pretty amazed with her progress. She was able to hold her upper body up while on her tummy! She is in the eighty-somethingth percentiles for height and weight, considering the genetic contribution of my tiny structure! And she is watching us closely, and "having conversations"!

"Keep up with the tummy time," said her doctor. "She's already trying to crawl, which means she'll be rolling over soon, so don't leave her alone near high ledges!"

 Well, Quinn was very unhappy the rest of the day.