Victory!

I am really ashamed to admit this but Quinn is nine months old and I haven't let him soothe himself to sleep. This proves how little I know about babies. I have always heard that you put your baby in his crib and let him cry himself to sleep, but I just didn't understand how that actually works. When we have tried it it seemed like Quinn would work himself up so much that he wouldn't be able to calm down without us comforting him. Well, last night we tried it and he screamed and screamed so Chris took him out, and it took two hours before he finally fell asleep. Tonight I gave him a bath, read him a story, said prayers, and put him in his crib. His crying wasn't as frantic tonight and after about twenty-five minutes miracle of miracles, he fell asleep! I can't believe it! It actually worked. My baby can now continue in his development. Hopefully I didn't ruin him by waiting too long.

Mark it down in the record books. December 29, Quinn officially took his first step. He lunged towards furniture a few times up at Ed and Joann's, but he took a step without holding onto anything or grabbing onto something afterwards yesterday down at Steadman's. Yay! He is on his way to being able to get into more mischief.

Baby's First Christmas

Happy Holidays everyone! We had a wonderful little Christmas vacation. We got to see lots of grandmas and grandpas, cousins, and aunts and uncles. We stayed at so many different places by Christmas day, after laying down for twenty minutes, I woke up and had no idea where I was.

Park City was beautiful and picturesque. It snowed almost the whole time we were there, so we stayed cooped up in our Deer Valley condo. No complaints here.

Do you think he looks like Papa?

From Park City we stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Forsyth's and attended the White Family Christmas Party. We got to see a lot of family we haven't seen for a while, including some other little babies.

After Grandma's we stayed home for two nights to prepare for the Christmas festivities at Ed and JoAnn's. We went up to Draper on Christmas Eve where we enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner and opened the first presents of Christmas (i.e. jammies).

 I don't think this picture really looks like him, but this gives you an idea of what he does every time I try to sneakily take a picture of him--he charges towards me and gets whatever part of the camera he can in his mouth. In this picture it's the lens cap.

 I look dumb, but it's funny because it looks like Quinn is punching the camera.

 Kira's two kids, Reese and Riley, played a beautiful Mary and Joseph while we read the Christmas story out of the scriptures. Riley lasted for about a minute before he ripped off his costume and started kicking the baby Jesus. It made things a little more entertaining.

 Quinn got to test out his social skills with 11 month old Max (Ashley's baby). They tried to poke and prod each other for a greeting while the moms tried to tell them to be soft and gentle, but what about baby boys is soft and gentle? Also, Quinn was more interested in the bow than trying to open the present, which is surprising because he loves crinkly things and ripping things. That should be the perfect combination for opening presents, but the shiny bow trumped them both. Max (2 months his senior) eventually opened his jammies for him.

 Dad and baby in their jammies.

 We could not keep him away from the tree, and after he got a hold of his first bow, he wanted them all.

Christmas morning (don't be fooled, he still didn't open his own presents).

We had a great Christmas and hope that everyone else did too! Now we are ready to get back into our regular routine and look forward to a new year.

Mommy's Little Monster

Quinn is a week away from 9 months, and he is a delightful little handful. He can now open cabinets, climb, open the drawer under the stove, and wriggle his way through whatever barrier I devise. On the plus side, he has started using "mama" more liberally, and he still always has a big smile for his dad when he comes home. He is really close to taking his first steps. Yesterday he stood up without using anything to help him, and he walks along all the furniture and the walls. It is all very exciting, but sometimes (like when I'm changing his diaper) I wish I could rewind back to the time when he couldn't move, and I could set him down somewhere without worrying where he will end up or what he will get into.

My parents get into town today, and we will be spending the rest of the week in Park City! I am in need of a break and this will be perfect. We will get out of our closet of an apartment and venture into a condo that is normally enjoyed by the other half (really the top few percent) of society. However, it will bring new challenges, namely...stairs. I will just have to keep an extra watchful eye on my adventurous little baby.

Baby's First Snow

Winter is officially here! I have mixed feelings. I used to love when it snowed because I could hunker down in our apartment and make wonderful comfort food. I can still do the same thing, but it also means that we can't go for our daily walk until the weather clears up. It isn't easy keeping myself and a little baby entertained all day in our tiny apartment, but I did manage to make some absolutely wonderful soup. I highly recommend looking up the recipe for "smoked salmon chowder," on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. The flavor is incredible, and you can always omit the salmon if you are allergic or not a fan.

Christian wasn't going to fix the flat tires on my stroller because winter was coming soon. I quickly reassured him that I was going to continue walking through the winter and there was no way I was staying cooped up inside. Today we proved it. It snowed 10 inches yesterday, but the roads were clear enough for my rough and tumble jogging stroller. The big wheels plowed through snow, slush, and ice without disturbing a sleeping baby. I am determined to continue my daily walks (weather permitting), and 10 inches of snow can't even stop me.