one year on

{remember}

bulemia

Now I know that cows can't be bulemic*, but what about 4-month-olds?

Q-Bert keeps stuffing his fingers so far into his mouth that he makes himself gag and spit up. I know it's probably part of the teething process, but still. A phase? I hope.

And here we thought he was a clever boy.

(* A reference to one of my less than fine blonde moments that I can't seem to live down.)

four months old

(words to be added in a bit)

a special day

Eleven years ago today, Jeremy and I had our first date. Dead Man Walking on the Tulane campus followed by a few beers and a game of Scrabble at my place.

One year ago today, we found out I was pregnant.

(Will add photos once I can access my scanner. Major technological issues in my world. I don't even want to think about it.)

playing

It's Tuesday morning and I'm using Quincy's morning naptime to have a play with Photoshop. It's been a while since I've had fun with more than just the basic fixes.

Original after adjusting the levels...

Converted to Black & White with the Channel Mixer & contrast and curves adjusted...

Played around with sharpening masks and filters to try to lose the dreaded halo effect. It's still not perfect.

That white space is just screaming for some journaling. Playtime over. He's squealing.

bum crack jack

(This post is for you, Ollie.)

You reckon it might be time to go up a size in Q's nappies? Bummer.

And those cute things on his legs? Baby Legs. Love 'em. They make nappy changes so quick and I can imagine they'll come in handy once he's crawling.

The crazy stripes have inspired me to dress him as a clown for Halloween. Gotta make a wacky shirt and bowtie for him. Hmmm and a wig somehow. We'll be in the US for Halloween this year. Woohoo. NZ certainly has a lot of things going for it, but, in my experience at least, celebrating holidays is not one of them.

Bring on the candy corn.

sleeves

What does Quincy hate just as much as being hungry and getting his hands inked and stamped for posterity?

Putting his arms through shirt sleeves, that's what.

It's already such a battle.

How can a 4-month-old be so strong?

Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund

Babies certainly make weekend mornings a lot more productive...

Started off the day with a trip to a fruit and veg market that we just learned about. Good prices. Local produce. I think it'll become a regular part of our Saturday mornings.

On the way back stopped for fish a few bays away from us. A couple local fishermen go out fishing in Cook Strait and return to sell their catch straight off the boat. Not necessarily cheap but very fresh and convenient. Plus you gotta support the locals.

I'm not a seafood person, but am trying to train my pallet to accept the weird textures. Does it work the same as for babies? Try something new 10 times and you'll like it. I hope.

bonding with far-away family

Q loves getting his diaper changed.
Why?
Because he gets to check out his far-away relatives. He just squawks, squeals, and shrieks with delight as he looks at them.

Very cute. Not long before he can meet them in person.

passport to meeting the fam

We got Quincy's NZ passport photos yesterday. Obtaining an acceptable baby passport photo isn't always an easy task. They can't be smiling, must have their eyes open, be looking at the camera, and not squirming. We got lucky with the first shot. I guess being the son of a scrapbooker pays off sometimes!

We have to wait 'til a US consular officer visits the area before he can obtain a US passport, so I guess the little foreigner will have to get fingerprinted in LA. I suspect that's going to mean more hassles and longer lines at customs. Exactly what I want to hear as I anticipate travelling on my own for about 24 hours with a 5-month-old!

So the trip back home is becoming more of a reality. :)

once again

I've fallen seriously behind. Stories to tell. Photos to upload. An influx of posts expected any day now. Maybe little by little this time instead of ten in one day!

And just a quick pic from two weeks ago when he was 14 weeks old...

Staglands Wildlife Reserve

At about 11:30 Jeremy suggested we head to Staglands Wildlife Reserve for a wander and a picnic. In just over an hour, I fed Q twice, bathed him, folded a load of laundry, hung up two loads of laundry, showered, and had the bub good to go in his carseat. Meanwhile, Jeremy dressed the wee fellow, cleared off the camera memory card, and prepared a meal fit for a king.

Now this is in sharp contrast to last week when we were just going for a walk. The conversation went something like this...

Me: Man, by the time we're ready, I'm gonna need to feed him again.
J: By the time we're ready, he's gonna be like twelve.

So I guess we're improving, slowly but surely.

Back to Staglands... It was a really fun family outing for us newbie parents. As expected, Quincy slept through a good chunk of it, but was bright-eyed when it came time for the picnic feast. Can't blame him--Jeremy grilled out steak, potatoes, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Not the usual picnic fare that the roosters who were stalking us expect. Anyway, there were two little lambs, three piglets, and lots of tiny rabbit babies, all for my lover of all things little pleasure.

I got nipped by one of said piglets, Jeremy got told off by an angry goose, I nearly fell in a stream after getting frightened by a bird, and we saw a peacock in all its glory. Magic. Plus I got an annual pass--first of many over the coming years, I'm sure. Oh and Quincy went across his first swinging bridge. A very eventful couple of hours.

Q is now 16 weeks. Yikes.

hello spring

The weather here sure turned it on for the first day of spring. I even dressed Quincy in shorts for the first time, although they are a bit on the big side so they were more like pants. We had to break out his new sunnies and sun hat too. Hello spring!

We can't wait to go to the zoo, play at the beach, sit in a paddling pool, test out the brisk sea waters, visit the local pool, head to Lindale farm for some white chocolate raspberry ice cream and to check out the spring lambs.

But most of all, we can't wait to shed some layers!