Two Chairs, Still Share, Backwards Shirt, Don't Care!

This was my view from the couch today after school as I nursed baby Quinn. Talmage read Everett story after story while they were all smashed together on one chair even though there were two available. They laughed and asked each other questions and before long they were off to their bedroom to act out what they had just read. These boys are something special, especially on days like today!

A few other recent random brother pics:

 A Lego outing with Mema and Daddy at Madison Square Park. They were in little boy heaven.

 A walk in Central Park to see the pretty trees.

 Saturday pajama mornings!

Read More

Selfies and Such

Sometimes I wake up in the morning with an Everett in my bed, other times I find Michaelangelo.

Me and my girl. We're pretty much ALWAYS connected. No joke.

T and his baby. He loves holding that girl!

Quinn--you're just too cute for words.

Read More

Mema & Pepa

On Sunday night Quinn and I pulled an all-nighter. At one point in my life I thought those were super exhilarating, but alas I've gotten old and staying up all night is more like torture now--torture at the hands of the most adorable newborn around. I walked out of my bedroom on Monday morning to find Talmage already off to school with James, Everett finishing up his oatmeal breakfast, and my parents packing their suit cases so they could return to their home. Yes, after taking care of us for a month it was finally time for my mom to leave (and my dad too, who had spent the last week here with us)--and the tears that instantly welled in my eyes let me know what kind of day it was going to be, a no-mascara one for sure. I couldn't talk about their flight, let alone look in my mom's direction, without bursting into tears. I'll be the first to admit that the sleep deprivation added to my desperation at the thought of them leaving, then again I am the worst goodbye-er ever so maybe I would have been hysterical regardless. But with parents as cool as mine, how could I not be?

I have had the best transition into life with three kids and it has absolutely everything to do with my mom. She allowed me to focus on Quinn and heal from surgery while she took care of everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING! She's cooked, cleaned, done school-runs and become the soccer (grand) mom. She's gone on field trips, and practiced piano. She's done laundry, taken temperatures, gone to doctors appointments and playgroups. But most importantly she's just been my friend during the emotional, hormonal, stressful and exhausting post-partum period. My relationship with my mom is one of the reasons I was so excited to have a daughter. I love her so much, and boy am I grateful.

By the time my dad came into town I was able to move a little better, and we basically spent a week eating our way around New York City. I can assure you that there is no one in the world who is more fun to eat with than my dad. We had a blast! He also resumed his role as a tease, and was sure to bug the heck out of the boys (don't be fooled, they begged for more!)

Thank you Mom and Dad for sacrificing so much for our family. The little Wigs of NYC are beyond grateful!

And now, the Mema and Pepa photo dump:

 

The MET rooftop exhibit.

 

All day, every day: me nursing and Ev begging to play on Mema's phone.

Ev LOVES matching with people. Here he is being twinners with Pepa and Mema.

More Mema at the MET.

Pepa and Quinny-girl.

At the Natural History Museum.

Mema cuddling our girl.

Levain bakery cookies, yes please!

Afternoon lovin!

Grimaldi's pizza and walking the Brooklyn Bridge.

Quinn's first carousel ride at Jane's Carousel.

Jack-o-lanterns drawn and carved by Pepa and James (with help from the littles).

Last meals in NYC :(

Miss Quinn in her Halloween best!

The boys helping hail a cab. We love you guys, see you soon!

Read More

Being Quinn's Mama

This time around has felt so different. I can't describe it except to say that I see so many people suffering great and small around me and shoot, I've had a trial or too of my own in my day, and that just has a way of putting every darn thing in perspective. Like not sleeping at night for instance. If there's one thing I can say about Quinn it is that she LOVES her Mama. Like, serious love people. That love manifests itself through endless days and nights of her in my arms--read: on my chest--and a really crinked neck from sleeping all silly with her bundled in my arms (with a trillion pillows propping us up). Sure, I'm a walking zombie when I open my bedroom door in the morning but I still just feel so grateful that Quinn is here and she is healthy and my mom is here taking care of us and making T's lunch that I don't feel like I have one ounce of anything to complain about. I had a healthy baby! She is at home, cuddling with me nonstop! And gosh, she's cute to boot!  As for my mom's role in this equation--she's making it much easier for my life to be blissful. When she leaves next week this blog (and my life) might take a sour turn. You've been warned!

So, on a completely unrelated note, Quinn was tongue-tied from birth which made for the sloppiest, chokiest, worst feeding sessions you could imagine. It was like this: latch, slurp, choke, cough, cry, gas, repeat. But then after she repeated like three times she would tire out and just fall asleep on my chest, hungry but exhausted. I never worried about "breaking" the boys because let's be honest, both of them came to me in a pretty broken state and I was just worried about keeping them alive. Oh, but Quinn. She came to me just as whole as can be and my new-mama emotions made me believe that I was starving her and she'd never make it with me as her mom. So dramatic, I know, but I guess that's what a lot of shifting hormones will do for a girl a few days after being released from the hospital. Luckily the tongue fix is quick and with a little snip that baby girl looked like a little lizard. I, on the other hand, straight up passed out in the ENT office. Me, the mom who has held her boys down for stitches, and cuddled them while they went under with anesthesia, and has gone through surgeries and stitches and broken, bloody heads and all sorts of tubes. Through all of that, I was fine. But shoot darn heck touch my baby girl and I'm a goner. And don't even ask me how I felt when they told me I'd need to stretch her sore tongue with every feed so that "you don't have to put her through that again." Oh barf. But, I'm happy to report that her tongue is looking just as tongue-y as any tongue should ever look and there is much less choking going on around here. Still some crying, and have I mentioned I can't eat chocolate, but it's all good around here now.

Random Quinny fact: she is a city girl, through and through. She will sleep for hours and hours while being walked around the city but bam! take her back in the house and she's screaming like she's been robbed. She loves the horns and sirens and traffic of the city, the noiser the better in fact, and she loves it when the sidewalks a little uneven as well. My mom says she's just like me--already a girl full of adventure and I can't wait to see where her adventurous spirit will take her. But for now, Quinn and I are loving this city together.

Anyway, I don't really know what this blog post is about except that it's about Quinn, which is what my lucky life revolves around lately. And just in case you need proof, here are a ton of pictures of her from my phone, because apparently she is also the ONLY thing I take pictures of anymore. And that's mostly a fact.

 Quinn at 1 week old. Weird how she was in my tummy a week before this picture...and then, you know, she was out!

So, we call Quinn our little mouse, because I kind of think she looks like one. Except when she's crying and howling, then I think she looks like a muskrat and that's what I call her. I love her muskrat self just as much as her mouse self though, so don't worry! PS--There's nothing like a sleeping baby, right? Except when those deep eyes are looking back at you. Then there's nothing like an awake baby! PSS--That hair!!!!!!

 Daddy cuddles and Mommy kisses.

 

And lounging babies taking a bath.

And as if I don't already have a ton of pleasant pictures of Quinn, sometimes I play with my camera functions while I nurse. I make Quinny coloring sheets and cartoons of her and sometimes I do those weird x-ray pictures and I love and save every single one. I don't think there's anything about that girl that I'm not obsessed with! I also like to get caught up on articles while I'm nursing--everything from silly animal stories to hard news to celebrity trash. If you ever read something and even semi-like it, send it my way. I'm doing a whole lotta nursing these days!

One more thing. I texted this picture to James and asked him if he noticed anything different about her. He said, "Did you cut Quinn's hair?" Ha! Turns out this isn't Quinn at all but it's ME!!! I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but this girl and I look an awful lot alike. So, super fun!

Read More