Quinn can stay up many hours after bedtime entertaining herself. Sometimes - scratch that - a lot of times, she ends up coaxing us back into her room at least once for something or other. Bedtime is between 8 and 8:30pm. We leave, but she continues to keep herself up by talking to herself, singing, playing with her dolls, whatever it takes.
I'm posting this as a reminder of how good focused she can be. Kirch was out of her room by 8:15 tonight. By 9:45, after her usual one-on-one conversation with herself, she began crying more than just a usual whiny cry, so I went in to check on her. She said a noise scared her and she wanted me to stay with her. I stayed for about 2 minutes, then she told me she wanted a "little drink of water." Here we go... so I made a deal with her. I get her the water, but that means I not going to stay with her anymore. Fine - she got her water and I left the room. Not 5 minutes later, we hear on the monitor, "Mommy cover me up." We decided that we were going to wait this one out. She ALWAYS, ALWAYS finds things for us to do to prolong the falling asleep period. And we let her do it (shame on us), so we've been trying (the operative word here) to break the habit. Now was as good a time as any to ignore her plea, and thus began the THIRTY FIVE MINUTES of meltdown crying for one of us to cover her up! At 10:20, I heard her at her door crying, so I had no choice but to go in and sternly tell her to get back into her bed. After she did, sweaty and sobbing, I quickly threw the sheet over her, gave her a kiss and told her, "there - you're covered. I love you now go to sleep. Enough!"
In less than 5 minutes that child was out! She has some serious will power, I tell ya!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Welcome President Obama!
What an amazing day! It all started at breakfast at a hotel restaurant in Dupont Circle (of which the name escapes me) with Bill and Dorothy. There we were, with about 3 other tables occupied in the place, all minding our own business and enjoying the delicious food, when none other than Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn walk in! How surreal... He was very gracious, shaking our hands and saying his hellos while the Secret Service followed close behind and made their way through the restaurant. We all left them alone to eat their breakfast and then when we were getting ready to leave, I caught his eye and he smiled at me, and then engaged in a short conversation with all three of us. It really was a great, great surprise, and quite an honor! I did refrain from pulling out my camera, although it crossed my mind more than once...
Afterwards, Bill left Dorothy and me to fight the crowds and make our way Downtown. We walked and made it down to 13th and Pennsylvania before we hit the blockades. We had tickets to a standing area at the Mall, but we couldn't even make our way down there - and BOY WAS IT COLD!!! So after 2 hours or so of trying to move forward, we finally just resorted to going over to the Reagan Building and attending the American Ireland Fund Luncheon where we thawed out, ate good food and watched the whole thing unfold on big screen TVs they had set up throughout the room.
As the swearing in of Biden took place, I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. This was history in the making and we were about to have our first African-American President! Then it was Obama's turn. I distinctly remember not feeling quite as overwhelmed because the words were a little bit jumbled, and there was a little laughter, but still it was really something to see it happen - finally! And then his speech made me feel hopeful in this dark time for America. I cried thinking that for the first time in a long time I have hope for my daughter and the people of this country. I think he is a very brilliant man who will be able to help us out of this sadness - it will not be easy and he will piss off a lot of people in the process, but I have faith that he will make good decisions for the well-being of this country. I hope so, anyway!
We stood out on the balcony as the day grew colder and colder to wait for a glimpse of Barack and Michelle - but unfortunately all we got was a little glimpse of Michelle's arm and hand waiving from inside the limo. It's understanding that they didn't walk the whole way from the Capitol Building to the White House! TOO DAMN COLD!
I was shocked to see that when we left at 5pm to get on the metro to head home that it really was like a normal rush hour day. It was said that about 1.8 million made it down there to see history unfold. I will always be thankful that I did it - and hopefully I can impress the magnitude of this onto Quinn someday when she is old enough to understand how really special a day it was for me - and millions of others who, deep down, believe we can still find it within ourselves to be a good nation.
Afterwards, Bill left Dorothy and me to fight the crowds and make our way Downtown. We walked and made it down to 13th and Pennsylvania before we hit the blockades. We had tickets to a standing area at the Mall, but we couldn't even make our way down there - and BOY WAS IT COLD!!! So after 2 hours or so of trying to move forward, we finally just resorted to going over to the Reagan Building and attending the American Ireland Fund Luncheon where we thawed out, ate good food and watched the whole thing unfold on big screen TVs they had set up throughout the room.
As the swearing in of Biden took place, I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. This was history in the making and we were about to have our first African-American President! Then it was Obama's turn. I distinctly remember not feeling quite as overwhelmed because the words were a little bit jumbled, and there was a little laughter, but still it was really something to see it happen - finally! And then his speech made me feel hopeful in this dark time for America. I cried thinking that for the first time in a long time I have hope for my daughter and the people of this country. I think he is a very brilliant man who will be able to help us out of this sadness - it will not be easy and he will piss off a lot of people in the process, but I have faith that he will make good decisions for the well-being of this country. I hope so, anyway!
We stood out on the balcony as the day grew colder and colder to wait for a glimpse of Barack and Michelle - but unfortunately all we got was a little glimpse of Michelle's arm and hand waiving from inside the limo. It's understanding that they didn't walk the whole way from the Capitol Building to the White House! TOO DAMN COLD!
I was shocked to see that when we left at 5pm to get on the metro to head home that it really was like a normal rush hour day. It was said that about 1.8 million made it down there to see history unfold. I will always be thankful that I did it - and hopefully I can impress the magnitude of this onto Quinn someday when she is old enough to understand how really special a day it was for me - and millions of others who, deep down, believe we can still find it within ourselves to be a good nation.
New Year's Eve - An Entertaining Night!
New Year's Eves have changed dramatically since we've all had children. We were lucky enough to spend this year with the Koltz Family and the Coppens Family again. We've done this before (many times), but this was the first year where the girls kept up with us until the wee hours and we finally had to force them to go to bed!
Abby is now almost 4, Quinn almost 3 and Sophia is just over 2. Man, it's fun to watch them interact now that they are older. This was the first time we really noticed them all playing together instead of playing parallel. And a funny side note is that Abby still calls Quinn "Baby Quinn!" Carrie, Brenda and I all joke that Quinn will be 16 years old and Abby will still insist on calling her "Baby Quinn." I fricken love it!
We did our usual gift exchange and the only little munchkin missing this year was Dylan. Poor Dylan was home with a babysitter because he was suffering from RSV. No worries, Chad stayed until after midnight (enough to see all of us other adults get kind of tipsy) and then went home to be with him. And we were happy to hear in the morning that Dylan had had a good night of sleep and was doing very well!
After watching the girls play HARD together for hours and hours, we finally got them all to bed and enjoyed a couple of hours to ourselves. We really enjoy each others' company and it was a great way to end our trip to Michigan!
Abby is now almost 4, Quinn almost 3 and Sophia is just over 2. Man, it's fun to watch them interact now that they are older. This was the first time we really noticed them all playing together instead of playing parallel. And a funny side note is that Abby still calls Quinn "Baby Quinn!" Carrie, Brenda and I all joke that Quinn will be 16 years old and Abby will still insist on calling her "Baby Quinn." I fricken love it!
We did our usual gift exchange and the only little munchkin missing this year was Dylan. Poor Dylan was home with a babysitter because he was suffering from RSV. No worries, Chad stayed until after midnight (enough to see all of us other adults get kind of tipsy) and then went home to be with him. And we were happy to hear in the morning that Dylan had had a good night of sleep and was doing very well!
After watching the girls play HARD together for hours and hours, we finally got them all to bed and enjoyed a couple of hours to ourselves. We really enjoy each others' company and it was a great way to end our trip to Michigan!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
...And Then We Headed to Michigan
The trip was fun - as it always is. We got snow - as we always do! Quinn outlasted us in the snow - as she always does...
As the whole Swanson-Meland family gathered for another holiday, I was so happy to see how much Quinn has an effect on everyone. Alex and Aric just think the world of her, and she loves them right back. It's amazing to see how much she changes at this point. I look back on pictures from last year and see significant differences. From longer hair, to longer sentences, she is growing faster than I care to acknowledge.
We all had a wonderful Christmas. One of my favorite times was when Laurie and I got to go shopping. I LOVE Girl-Time, and I can't wait to share it with Quinn when she gets older. But this was just myself and Laurie, which I savored every moment of it! We went up to Port Huron, which was a nice change from the usual trek to the Clinton Township area. I hadn't been through Old Town in a long time, and it was nice to see that it seemed to be building up again. We hit Birchwood Mall, along with Kohl's and just really enjoyed ourselves.
This year we had to ship THREE very large boxes of gifts home - mostly Quinn's gifts, as expected. The girl cleaned up. Between clothes that will last her for 2 more years at least to books and toys, it really was a treat watching her tear through the wrapping and get to the gift beneath. She is loved, it really it apparent!
As the whole Swanson-Meland family gathered for another holiday, I was so happy to see how much Quinn has an effect on everyone. Alex and Aric just think the world of her, and she loves them right back. It's amazing to see how much she changes at this point. I look back on pictures from last year and see significant differences. From longer hair, to longer sentences, she is growing faster than I care to acknowledge.
We all had a wonderful Christmas. One of my favorite times was when Laurie and I got to go shopping. I LOVE Girl-Time, and I can't wait to share it with Quinn when she gets older. But this was just myself and Laurie, which I savored every moment of it! We went up to Port Huron, which was a nice change from the usual trek to the Clinton Township area. I hadn't been through Old Town in a long time, and it was nice to see that it seemed to be building up again. We hit Birchwood Mall, along with Kohl's and just really enjoyed ourselves.
This year we had to ship THREE very large boxes of gifts home - mostly Quinn's gifts, as expected. The girl cleaned up. Between clothes that will last her for 2 more years at least to books and toys, it really was a treat watching her tear through the wrapping and get to the gift beneath. She is loved, it really it apparent!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas with the Kirchers
Quinn made out like a bandit this Christmas! Thankfully, she went to sleep early on Christmas so Santa Clause could come to the house early and drop off the gifts. She came into our room at about 7:30am and we got her to sleep with us until 8ish, when we finally got up and took her out to the tree. She was pretty excited to open up all of her gifts, of which 2 were the major hits - the purple tutu and the Ariel dolly she had asked Santa for.
Once we got the house in considerable order, we headed off to Grandma Kircher's for the traditional breakfast and gift exchange. Again, with all of the Kirchers and Beavers there, it was a controlled mess, but a happy one nonetheless. By now, Quinn was getting pretty accustomed to opening gifts - and we still had Christmas in Michigan the next day, meaning gifts from Poppy and Manka, and lest we forget Santa Gail! But this day was good. Long, but very enjoyable. After we spent several hours at Paula's, we packed up and went to Bill & Suzie's for their Italian Christmas dinner. By the time we got home, it was 11pm and we had to be up at 4:30am to catch our flight to Michigan!
Back to gifts - Quinn got another Ariel doll from Jodi, and she was thrilled. She had 2 Ariels to play with now! She received some very cute clothes and other toys that have since overtaken our little condo.
The day itself was a mild one. Once we were over at Bill & Suzie's, we actually spent some time outside playing and hanging out by the fire pit. We were looking forward to some snow in Michigan!
Once we got the house in considerable order, we headed off to Grandma Kircher's for the traditional breakfast and gift exchange. Again, with all of the Kirchers and Beavers there, it was a controlled mess, but a happy one nonetheless. By now, Quinn was getting pretty accustomed to opening gifts - and we still had Christmas in Michigan the next day, meaning gifts from Poppy and Manka, and lest we forget Santa Gail! But this day was good. Long, but very enjoyable. After we spent several hours at Paula's, we packed up and went to Bill & Suzie's for their Italian Christmas dinner. By the time we got home, it was 11pm and we had to be up at 4:30am to catch our flight to Michigan!
Back to gifts - Quinn got another Ariel doll from Jodi, and she was thrilled. She had 2 Ariels to play with now! She received some very cute clothes and other toys that have since overtaken our little condo.
The day itself was a mild one. Once we were over at Bill & Suzie's, we actually spent some time outside playing and hanging out by the fire pit. We were looking forward to some snow in Michigan!
Borowski Christmas Party
The Weekend before Christmas, we went to the Borowski Holiday Party. I have to say, this was the best venue yet - they had it at the Howard County Fairgrounds in the 4H building. There was a Christmas tree and all! And suffice to say, our little elf had a great time, seeing Santa for the THIRD time!
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