it's raining, it's pouring

And we are seriously water logged. Will it ever stop?

glasses & other current obsessions

Quincy is fourteen months, one week, and four days old. He weighs 11.98 kilos. He is 81 cm tall. He has had a cold for nearly three weeks. He falls asleep to Baby Einstein Lullabies at around 7. He sleeps in his Go Go Bag with two or three pacifiers and his snuggle lion. He usually still takes two naps a day, but he sometimes doesn't fall asleep for one of them. He eats with us except on Tuesdays when Jeremy works late.

He thinks crawling is beneath him. He has stood up a few times in the middle of the room, so is needing to crawl even less now. He laughs a lot. He is ticklish. He has a pretty long attention span. He likes to share. Sometimes. He loves people. And animals. When he is sick and/or tired he gets easily frustrated. He gives great kisses. He is cuddly. He is a chatterbox.

And he is totally and completely obsessed with our glasses.

Seriously into them.

His other current obsessions (not all of which are encouraged) include:

• the ugly green chair in the kitchen that has never found a proper place in our house until now,
• climbing on and off of said chair,
• walking 24/7,
• pacing the kitchen (between the green chair and the dog's jail),
• giving the dogs cuddles,
• following directions (I will enjoy that one while it lasts!),
• going bye bye,
• birds of all sorts,
• cars (especially the ones he sees on the road from his car seat),
• pressing the button to open the garage door,
• books,
• balls,
• towers (building them and knocking them over),
• the blocks from his hammer and peg toy,
• music,
• the poster in the playroom,
• his fire hat and police hat,
• trying to feed himself,
• my silverware,
• the whisk and measuring cup,
• pots & pans & lids,
• pressing the buttons on the dishwasher,
• other kids' water cups,
• the toilet roll holder,
• his 5 o'clock mini cow's milk bottle (This is something new that I am loving--allows him to last 'til dinner and gets him drinking milk because he wasn't drinking much out of a glass. Plus Jeremy put him to bed the other night with a bottle and he didn't even bat an eye. I give him one most days now. I never planned to introduce a bottle, especially at this late stage, but...),
• trying to sneak the scissors out of "mama's drawer",
• glass bottles (beer, hot sauce, juice, dessert sauce,...),
• carrying things around that have handles (like baskets and this pink flower pot tin),
• sticking his fingers in my ears, eyes, nose, and belly button,
• photos (I occasionally print photos out for him and he carries them around for ages.),
• Billy the Big Mouth Bass,
• brushing his teeth, and
• not getting his nappy changed.

dog sitting

for the neighbor Sheltie.

what could be better?

Playground. Storytime. Playground.

We've been due for a beautiful day, so when I looked out the window this morning I thought we had better take advantage. We headed to the library early so we could hit the park across the road first. We ran into a friend and her son from our PIN group (Plunket in the Neighborhood: a mums and bubs coffee/playgroup set up by Plunket in each neighborhood). They had the same idea. These two guys are major buddies. We were cracking up at how in sync they are. I'm not sure who got dirtier. After storytime (where Q had his first Maori language lesson) we headed back to the playground for a million trips down the slide.

And a dose of determination. I guess those swings looked pretty inviting.

And now he's fast asleep.

walking progress & soccer

Over the last week, Quincy has become quite the proficient walker. Walking all around the room now. Very steady. Navigating obstacles. Carrying stuff. Getting quicker and quicker. Falling often. And getting wounded. Often. He is still sporting a cut above his eye from the other day--his first cut. It's becoming rare to see him down on all fours, but since he doesn't know how to stand up in the middle of the room yet, he sometimes has to crawl out of necessity. Oh and he still walks like Frankenstein, holding his arms out in front of him. Cracks me up.

Friday afternoon, he discovered Berkley's soccer ball on the deck. He had a ball. Literally. He just loved carrying that thing around. For ages. Hasn't quite figured out the kicking thing. Is he going to be a goalie like his godfather?

And two parting shots for good measure.

Notice Kai in the corner. The dogs soon joined in the fun.

Now I seriously need to get to bed. It's been after midnight for too many nights in a row.

visit from poppa

This morning Quincy waved bye bye to his Poppa, only his Poppa was already halfway down the road. Typical. We had a lovely visit and although Q has had a cold for the last week, he always had a smile and a cuddle for his clone, I mean his Poppa. A long walk on the beach with our pack of three happy dogs, a stop at Days Bay Cafe for morning tea, a tasty dinner out with the fam, and lots of play time made for a very nice visit indeed.

in his own little world

Yesterday evening Quincy played happily all alone in the playroom for about 30 minutes while I worked on dinner. He couldn't see me or hear me. The dogs weren't there to keep him company. He only had Satchmo serenading him with Disney songs. He is a good player, but usually likes me to be in the same room, although lately I've been letting him play in his crib for about 10 minutes or so while I shower. Generally though if we're in the kitchen and I pop down to do laundry, he always waits for me at the gate. With the dogs. All their worlds seem to be put on hold until I return. (Putting it in writing is a bit of an ego trip!) Tonight was a pretty big step toward independence.

Once dinner was in the oven, I spied on him from the ladder and enjoyed watching him in his element. Playing with my old Fisher Price Little People furniture, these three stacking activity cubes, his two puzzles, a ball, a police car. And of course reading books. I'm not sure how much longer he would have carried on in his own little world, but he caught me. And that was the end of that!

(The photo above is of him the other day in the playroom, again in his own world, absorbed by music and his new poster. It was a nice day, so the doors were open and he could move freely between the playroom and the kitchen, giving him free access to me! Also the state of the room last night was far more messy!)

at 1, happiness is putting one foot in front of the other

Yup, he's offically walking! From taking his first two steps over a month ago on 1 June to 15 steps today, Quincy is now the third vertical in the house. He did 5 or 6 steps back on 21 June and we thought he was nearly there, but then he got cold feet. Over the last week he has been gaining more and more confidence, launching himself between further and further supports, falling more than ever, taking a couple more steps each day, until today when he spent more time walking than crawling. He is carrying stuff while he walks, doing his twist dance move while free standing, and this evening I caught him taking about 10 steps, pausing, and then changing direction. So in my book that makes it official. As you can see, he is digging his new found freedom!

I love the look on his face as he judges whether he can make it and then decides to risk it. I love the way he throws himself into my arms. And the relief he feels once he's made it safely. I love how proud he is of himself. And I just love how he sometimes uses Berkley as a stepping stone.

And it won't be long before he can do this all on his own...

Our little toddler.

a plea for votes

One of the layouts I created using the Glitz Design Roller Doodle Stamps was spotted and chosen as a finalist in a competition. The prize is pretty wicked... $500 of goodies and a feature in their booth at CHA.

So anyone feel like voting for me in my very first scrapbooking competition? The voting only lasts for one day.

To vote: Glitz Design

To see the projects where I used the roller stamps: little pink beauties and happy birthday husband

Thanks!