Quentin: 18 Weeks / 4 Months

Somebody is 4 months old this week! Silly bug!

Likes: Toys (anything that makes a noise when he grabs it), being outside, Arthur, snuggles

Dislikes: Not being fed immediately, loud noises

Sleeping: We've settled into a decent routine of bedtime around 9pm, sleeping until at least 2am, and then back down until 6 or 7am. Daytime naps just don't really happen on any schedule.

Eating: Big eater right now! Wonder if this means he's gearing up for a growth spurt.

Playing: He's really starting to manipulate toys and grab things. So cute to watch him "play" with things now.

Doctor Visit Stats: Q had his 4 month check up this morning. Three shots and one oral vaccine. He was a champ. Only cried for about two minutes and then was fine after some snuggles. I have a long long little boy. Stats:

Height: 26 3/4" (97th percentile)
Weight: 16 lbs. 12 oz. (74th percentile)

Milestones: Officially rolling over and scooting in circles.

Living with the gorillas (not so sure about it...)

Schedule: We've settled into a pattern of just trying to listen to Q's cues. No really schedule other than bedtime.

He was talking to his baby until I tried to snap a pic...

Out and About: This past week we got outside for a few activities. Multiple times we accompanied Arthur when he went to "ride" his bike. We're still working on it. On Thursday, we joined friends at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. So much fun! On Saturday we had brunch at the Black Bear Diner.

Quentin: 17 Weeks

Photo bomb from big brother. They were talking to each other.

Likes: Snuggles; chewing his blankies; bath time

Dislikes: Rain and cold; Arthur getting too close to his face

Selfie with mom at the play place (it was raining outside)

Sleeping: We settled into a decent routine of bedtime at 9:30ish. Sleeps until at least 1:30am, but usually more like 3:30am. Wakes up to eat and goes back down for 3-5 hours. Daytime naps are sometimes nonexistent, but here's to hoping we settle in to something soon.

Eating: Consistent with 6 ounce bottles lately

Playing: Q has recently started playing with his toys. Mostly he grabs things and tries to eat them, but it's a start. He's also gotten interested in "reading" his little books, especially the one pictured above. The one page is crinkly and he can chew on the book itself. I am hoping to clean the jumper this week and introduce him to the big toys. (It's in the garage and a bit dusty from being stored out there for almost two years.)

Doctor Visit Stats: Q's four month doctor's appointment isn't until Jan. 30th, but we made a visit on Thursday. Everyone in the house has had a nasty cold and I was concerned that the baby was developing bronchitis or RSV or something of the like. He was very wheezy at night. I took him in, doctor checked him out, and he was diagnosed with a mild case of the croup. Nothing super major and nothing that needs antibiotics. So far, he's slowly getting better... On a side note, they weighed him and Q is now 16 pounds!

Milestones: Rolling from back to tummy. He can probably roll the other way, but hates tummy time with a fiery passion. He's also started moving around in a circle while on the floor. He's never in the same place as I put him.

Schedule: Eh. Other than bedtime, we don't really have one.

I put him on the mat facing the other way

Out and About: The rain has discouraged our outings. It's just too crazy to attempt to get a toddler and and baby in and out of our tiny 2 door mini cooper in the rain. We did get out to the grocery store earlier this week and a visit to the indoor play place on Thursday. Q went with mom to book club in Redwood City on Sunday. He got to visit with Miss Janine and Miss Amanda and baby Esha. We have an actual outing planned next Thursday to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Here's hoping it doesn't rain.

Quentin: 14-16 Weeks

Likes: Arthur, snuggles, milk, playtime, being outside

Dislikes: Being cold, feeling sick, not being able to roll over

Sleeping: Ugh! We had a few great nights of 6-8 hour stretches. And now we're back to 5 hours at the longest. Daytime naps aren't very good either. Somedays he only sleeps in 30-40 minute stretches. I was looking at a sleep chart the other day and according to the chart, Q is 9-12 months old. He's awake for 3-4 hours between naps and only naps for 45-60 minutes at a time. My goodness Q, act like a 3 month old please.

Eating: We're up to 6 ounce bottles consistently. And he loves to watch me eat. Somehow I don't think we're going to make it to 6 months before his first taste of real food.

Playing: Slowly discovering toys. He really likes the playmat now, but not tummy time. He tries to grab toys and is sometimes successful! Currently his favorite "toy" is his little blankies. Lots of chewing on them.

Milestones: Rolling over a few times. Just like Arthur, Q's starting back to tummy instead of the usual tummy to back. He's also talking a lot more and focusing on objects and people for longer amounts of time.

Schedule: We're starting to settle into some sort of schedule. He's usually up for the day around 6 or 7am. About three hours later, he takes a nap. Then there's a little nap after lunch and another around dinner time. Q goes down in his crib around 9:30pm. We tried putting him down the same time as Arthur (8pm) but found that Q needed a bit of downtime before going to bed.

Out and About: Q is officially a traveler! Unfortunately he's also earned his poo on an airplane merit badge. Not fun for mommy... Other than plane travel, we've his the grocery store and Target since being home. He also accompanied mommy to her stamp class. And charmed the pants off of all the ladies.

52 Weeks of Arthur: W46-52

One of my 101 in 1001 Days goals is to take weekly photos of Arthur. I want to create a photo book for this year. Instead of posting them each week, I’m going to post in 9 week intervals. See W1-9 here, W10-18 here, W19-27 here, W28-36 here, W37-45 here. Without further ado, here are weeks 46 through 52:

Quentin: 13 Weeks/3 Months

Another week in Fort Wayne visiting family... and Quentin turned 3 months old today

Quentin: 12 Weeks

We're in Fort Wayne visiting family for the Christmas holiday. Quentin (and Arthur) did great traveling on two different airplanes and through O'Hare. I was very happy with how the day went. Beyond traveling, we've visited a few family members and the library. The bitter cold has restricted spending a lot of time outside, but we've still had some fun so far.

Q and his baby meets Arthur and his baby

Quentin: 11 Weeks

Likes: Long talks with momma; hanging with big brother; snuggles; walks outside

Dislikes: Not being fed right this instant!

Sleeping: More 5-6 hour stretches as night. The past few he's gone down around 10pm and slept until 3:30 or 4am. This momma is super excited to get a bit of actual sleep.

Eating: Less of a snacker this week. He's actually been drinking an entire 6 ounce bottle in one sitting.

Playing: More tummy time. More chewing on blankets. More watching and talking to people.

Milestones: No big changes this week.

Schedule: Other than the increased night sleep, things have stayed pretty much the same.

Out and About: A few activities this week. Monday we headed to the zoo for our last visit of 2016. It was super chilly and threatening to rain (it didn't) so we basically had the zoo to ourselves. All the animals were super active and we got to see some that we don't usually see like the lions. Very nice visit with a couple of friends. Wednesday we hit up the indoor play place so Arthur could get all the wiggles out. Arthur got to run, Q slept mostly, and I got a bit of reading done. Thursday was the big cookie exchange party with our parent group. I hosted with another mom. It was utter chaos (~20 kids in one room can do that), but we had fun and took home some great cookies. Very yummy! A friend and her son (Arthur's friend) came to craft on Saturday. It rained all day, so great day for crafting. After they left we snuggled up and stayed in.

Quentin: 10 Weeks

Likes: Snuggles; chewing on his blankets; any attention from Arthur; being outside

Dislikes: Gas; loud noises

Sleeping: Last night, Quentin slept 6 hours straight for the first time. It was glorious! Here's hoping we get more longer stretches at night from now on.

Eating: Q's turned into a snacker during the day. He eats 1-2 ounces and then hangs out for awhile. About 30 minutes later, he'll drink another 1-2 ounces. A bit annoying, but I'd rather he do this during the day than at night.

Playing: I've been putting Q onto his playmat more often. He loves staring at the hanging animals. He's even grabbed them a few times. Now if I could get him to enjoy tummy time...

Milestones: Smiling, talking, grabbing objects...

Schedule: Not really any schedule during the day except for us trying to put him in his crib by 10pm.

Out and About: Wednesday we traveled over to Niles for the Train of Lights. Q loved all the lights. Thursday was went on an epic road trip up to Martinez to pick up his birth certificate. While out, we made sure to take care of the rest of our errands including stops at Michael's and Target. Plus, we popped into Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Arthur played and Q watched the kids for awhile before falling asleep. We ended the week with our big Secret Snowflake party. Q slept through almost the entire thing.

Quentin: 2 Months/8-9 Weeks

Guess who's already 2 months already? That's right, this stinky guy!

Likes: Arthur, snuggles, his play mat, lights, being outside, baths

Dislikes: Diaper changes, not being held, daddy's coughs and sneezes

Sleeping: Oh man! Q's still not a great sleeper. He's done a few 5 hour stretches at night, but not consistently. Some nights, he's still up every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. We haven't figured out a pattern to his crazy...

Eating: Up to 6 ounce bottles although he seems to like to snack during the day instead of eating it all at once

Playing: We've been doing more play mat and tummy time. He tolerates tummy time for about 5 minutes before dissolving into crying. The play mat is interesting for a little while. Arthur keeps trying to give him the stuffed Tigger and rubber ducks. A doesn't quite understand why the baby won't take the toys. We're working on it... But Q is much more interested in the world around him.

Doctor Visit Stats: Two month visit this morning!

Length: 24 3/4"
Weight: 13lbs 7 oz

Milestones: Two weeks ago, Q started talking and smiling! So excited to start to see more personality and growth. He loves talking to momma and Arthur. Lots of cooing in the morning during breakfast. He also grew out of most of his 0-3 and 3 month clothing. We're into 3-6 or 6 month onsies and 3-6 pants. The dog sleeper below is officially too small. He doesn't fill it out, but it's definitely too short. Q's too tall!

Schedule: Starting to see more of a pattern during the day. He's up and happy from about 6 or 6:30 until 9 or so. Then he naps until lunch time or so. The afternoon is a bit different each day, but he usually takes a big nap before dinner and wakes right when I sit down to eat. Baby radar!!! We've been taking him upstairs to sleep in his crib sometime around 9 or 10pm.

Out and About: In the past two weeks, we've not been many places. The entire family came down with a nasty cold that lasted for over a week. In fact, J and Arthur are still suffering from a bit of a cough. Q and I seem to have gotten better pretty quickly. Beyond that, we've run a few errands, but mostly stuck close to home. We did venture to the mall to meet a friend for lunch last Monday. Arthur had fun playing in the indoor playground and Q enjoyed looking at all the things.

Quentin Update

Sickness took the entire household down this week... Never got around to doing my Quentin update. It will be back next Monday just in time for his 2 month birthday.

52 Weeks of Arthur: W37-45

Quentin: 7 Weeks

Likes: Being in the baby carrier, "talking" to mommy, being outside

Dislikes: Gas, being cold, diaper changes

Sleeping: Still very spotty. He hasn't slept more than 3 hours at any time. I think he's getting easier to go back down to sleep after feedings in the middle of the night. But that could just be me being optimistic.

Eating: Mister pIggy piggy has been eating a ton this week. Q's probably on the verge of a growth spurt. Otherwise I have no idea where he's putting all the food.

Playing: He's starting to look at more things and being interested in the world around him. Arthur can't wait until Q actually plays with him. A few more months...

Milestones: Q's started "talking" to people. I love the coos and gurgles he's making this week. And he's on the verge of rolling over with intent. Maybe next week.

Schedule: Still no real schedule. However, he's been awake more often during the day with a "morning nap" about 8am.

Out and About: This week's plan went up in flames. Q had horrible sleep Sunday to Monday and I developed a horrible migraine that lasted throughout the day. So no Oakland Zoo for us on Monday. We spent most of the week at home. Friday we ventured out to the Chabot Space and Science Center. We have a membership and it's only about 20 minutes from home. Perfect for a visit with friends. Saturday Q accompanied me at the Holiday Bazaar. I was helping out a mom friend selling our homemade greeting cards. Sunday both boys went with me to host Coffee and Cards at Panera and to a visit at Target.

Quentin: 6 Weeks

No time for a big blog post, so here are the few pictures from the past week.

Quentin: 5 Weeks

Apparently, I took hardly any photos from Wednesday until Sunday... Oh well. A light week.

Likes: Snuggles; being up on my shoulder to look around; his paci

Dislikes: Diaper changes; not being fed immediately!

Sleeping: I thought we were moving towards longer sleep stretches at night, but that seems to have gone out the window. Oh well. Eventually we will get this down...

Eating: Sometimes he downs 4 ounces at once and other times, he loves snacking. He'll eat 2 ounces and then be hungry again in an hour and a half.

Playing: Arthur loves chatting with baby brother. And Q's even been "talking" back sometimes. So cute!

Milestones: We've survived the first month! Woohoo! Looking forward to the next round of milestones.

Schedule: Nothing to report.

My Recovery: I have my postpartum appointment tomorrow morning. Hoping to be medically cleared. i feel like i'm just about back to normal. Now I get to focus on losing the extra weight.

Out and About: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we stayed home and out of the rain. I focused on cooking and cleaning. Saturday the rain stopped enough to allow us to visit the Oakland Zoo for their special Halloween activities. Arthur trick-or-treated while seeng the animals. Q mostly slept. Sunday I hosted crop day so Q got meet some of the crafty ladies.

Quentin: 1 Month/4 Weeks!

Likes: Baby carrier snuggles (Arthur hated the carrier so this is a nice change); car rides (thank goodness); watching his big brother play

Dislikes: Diaper changes; digestive issues

Sleeping: We're still working on sleeping better at night. Lately, he's been sleeping only 1-2 hours at a time between night feedings. I'm so over this. We all need better sleep around here.

Eating: The original formula we tried caused some major constipation. We tried a "gentle" formula that fixed the constipation, but caused lots of gas. We're on our third different formula. We need to give it another day before determining if it's going to work.

Playing: Q's definitely focusing more and more on things and people. We pulled out the play mat this week. He doesn't seem to care at all. We'll keep trying.

Milestones: Head control is increasing! He's getting there

Schedule: No schedule. Maybe in a few weeks.

My Recovery: I haven't taken any pain meds in almost two weeks. I feel almost back to normal. I get a few twinges of pain after lots of housework or walking or bending in weird positions. I'm still trying to be careful, but I think everything's going really well. My postpartum appointment in coming up on Nov. 1st.

Out and About: We've had a busy week of outings and activities!

Mel's Play Place
Grocery store trip
MVPA Fall Costume Social
Book club with momma
Big Target trip
Trick-or-Treating at Santana Row
So many activities...

One Month Photos!

Wearing 3 month clothes even though NB onesies still fit. His legs are too long!
Drinking 4 ounces of formula in a sitting
Working on head control
Isn't a fan of swaddling anymore
Next doctor appointment is Nov. 28th

Quentin: 3 Weeks

Likes: Snuggles with momma, watching Arthur

Dislikes: Diaper and clothes changes, eating slowly

Sleeping: We're still adjusting our days and nights, but it's better. Slowly, Q's been increasing the sleep stretches at night time. But he still struggles with going to sleep the late evening time. He's staying awake during the day for longer stretches of time. The other day he went two and a half hours of awake time before falling back asleep. Holy cow!

Eating: This kid is a snacker. During the day, he'll eat 2 ounces and then refuse any more. But in 30-45 minutes he wants another 2 ounces.

Playing: I think I should pull out the baby mat soon. He starting to look at more and more things. Q may just like the hanging animals on the baby mat.

Milestones: I see definite improvement in Q's eye contact. He loves to stare at people more now.

Schedule: Still allowing him to dictate the schedule of the day, but we are going to start doing some activities this coming week. Arthur really needs more engagements out of the house.

My Recovery: I'm basically off my pain meds. I took a Motrin the other day after developing a horrendous nausea-inducing migraine. Otherwise, my incision has not pain. My ab muscles are still repairing and I have some soreness, but not severe enough to require medication. Weight wise, I'm down another 3 pounds.

Out and About: I accomplished my first solo outing with both boys. We had the ambitious plan of hitting the library, Walgreens (pick up pictures), and a short grocery visit, but I was fully prepared on scraping the other two errands if the library did not go well. We ended up completing all our errands. Quentin slept almost the entire time. Car rides seem to agree with him. Yeah!

Arthur: 3 Years Old! (well, tomorrow at least)

Arthur’s 3 years old! Well, okay his birthday is tomorrow, but I'm posting today. Time has really flown by... Arthur had his 3rd year doctor visit this week complete with flu shot. That did not go well at all, but we made it through. Arthur is currently 36 pounds and just over 3 feet tall. He's hitting all the developmental milestones perfectly.

Likes: Playing with friends (especially J, V, and C), his baby and bis (blanket), his little brother (thankfully), jumping and running everywhere, cars and trains

Dislikes: Picking up his toys at night, being quieter when Q is sleeping, having a dirty diaper

Sleeping: I was going to write that he's a champion sleeper going down at around 8pm and waking around 7:30am. But... this week then happened. He's been getting up in the middle of the night and it's really hard to get him to go back to sleep. This may be due to the arrival of baby Q, but it certainly is annoying. I want my good sleeper back. As for naps, they have been nonexistent for at least a year now. It's a crazy day if he falls asleep during the day and usually ends with a cranky toddler after he wakes up.

Eating: Typical toddler pickiness. He's really not a fan of meat beyond chicken (and even then it depends on what is on it). Dinner time is always a crapshoot as to wether he will eat it or not. The other night I offered cheese, a peach, broccoli, and peanut butter pretzels (J and I were having really spicy food). Arthur ate the cheese and broccoli and then asked for seconds on the broccoli. So yeah I guess. But that doesn't guarantee that he will eat broccoli tonight. I'm not super worried about his eating. I just keep offering a variety of foods.

Playing: Oh my the imaginary play is at full force right now! Everything is a big new game and only he knows the rules. We try to meet with friends for playdates at least once a week. He's also a huge fan of vehicles of any kind (trains, cars, planes, etc). Definitely his favorite toys overall. Although right now, he's fixated on his Paw Patrol figures. I think a few more may be in order for Christmas. We don't have Sky or Everest figures yet.

Schedule:Well, we had a schedule, but with Q arriving, that's gone out of the window for right now. Hopefully we can get back to a semblance of a schedule soon.

Out and About: Before Q came, we were out and about at least three days a week. Arthur's favorite places include the Oakland Zoo (his #1 fave place to go), any park, the library, Bay Area Discovery Museum (one of mom's fave places to go), Mel's Play Place (indoor play area), Target (for cars!), and Chabot Space and Science Center.

Birthday Party: Due to Q arriving at the end of September, I elected to throw Arthur's third birthday party mid September. He requested a Paw Patrol theme and I delivered. We had a small party of about 5 toddlers and a few babies which was the perfect number for our house. Arthur and his friends spent most of the party playing, but we did also have pin the badge on Chase game and an adopt-a-puppy game. Each kid got to punch out a puppy and take it home complete with an adoption certificate. Arthur loved his cake with Paw Patrol "candles" (really little figures). Yum yum! Overall, it was a great party and his last solo party. Next year, he'll probably be sharing a party with Quentin. Mommy can't organize two parties within two weeks of each other. Too much work!

Quentin: 2 Weeks

Likes: Snuggles, being up all night long, generally being cozy

Dislikes: Diaper changes, seriously he screams during them, baths

Sleeping: Still working on switching our days and nights. He takes forever to get to sleep at night, but is out instantly during the day. The situation is getting a big old.

Eating: My pumping has resulted in less and less milk. I think I'm done with pumping also. We're moving to 100% formula fed over here.

Playing: Not quite playing, but he is looking around more and more. Plus, Arthur loves to talk to "Baby Quentin."

Doctor Visit Stats: Q's two week doctor visit is actually tomorrow on account of the holiday. I even got Arthur's 3rd year appointment scheduled right before Q's. Easy peasy! I anticipate being out of there before the second appointment officially starts.

Milestones: Two big developments this week. Q's cord fell off two days ago and everything looks good. Plus, he has flipped himself from back to tummy at least three times. I have no idea how he did this early, but he did. Arthur didn't flip over until almost three months. Q has done is at 1 1/2 weeks. Kid, you need to slow down...

Schedule: Trying to work on flipping Q's schedule so he's awake during the day and asleep at night.

My Recovery: Feeling better and better. I've cut my pain meds down. I'm still taking the occasional Motrin, but I go anywhere from 8-12 hours between pills. I also weighed myself for the first time two days ago. At admission to the hospital, I was 230 pounds. Currently I am 210 pounds. I'll take it! Now I just need to work on those extra 40-50 pounds I'm still carrying around.

Out and About: Other than the two visits to the Newborn Care Center last week, we stayed home to let me recover. Saturday Arthur requested that we go to the "bear house" otherwise known as Black Bear Diner. So we loaded up the car and had a nice lunch. Quentin slept through the entire trip.

Quentin: 1 Week

Likes: Snuggles, being swaddled, Arthur

Dislikes: Diaper changes, being cold

Sleeping: So far Quentin seems be a good a sleeper. He's pretty easy to get back to sleep after a feeding if I use the swaddle. Funny seeing as Arthur hated being swaddled and would scream until we took it off. Q loves being a baby burrito. I wish he would go to sleep a little faster after those middle of the night feedings, but otherwise I'll take it.

Eating: I again attempted to breast feed, but excruciating pain put an end to that pretty quickly. Instead, I am pumping and supplementing with formula. Q is now completely bottle fed. Once his stomach adjusted to food, his spit up volume has decreased dramatically.

Playing: Obviously no playing yet, but Q does love watching Arthur play.

Doctor Visit Stats: Unfortunately we have already been to the newborn care center twice since being discharged. Thankfully we have been cleared and don't have to go back to the doctor until his 2 week appointment on the 11th. Q ended up losing 11% of his initial birth weight necessitating those doctor visits. With the start of supplementing with formula, we are back on track.

Birth weight (9/26): 8lbs 4oz

Discharge weight (9/28): 7lbs 14oz

Thursday weight (9/29): 7lbs 6oz

Friday weight (9/30): 7lbs 7 oz -- back to gaining weight!

Milestones: We made it one week! Woohoo! And Q had his first bath. Really a sponge bath as his cord stump hadn't of fallen off as of yesterday afternoon (although it's really close). He screamed until I wrapped him in a towel. Not a big surprise. Arthur screamed through his first one also.

Schedule: No set schedule as of yet. Q eats, sleeps, and wakes whenever he wants. I'm starting to see some pattern with about 3 hours between feedings. However he has went through a few cluster feed periods.

My Recovery: Recovery is going much more faster and smoother this time around. The hospital has been offering a new pain management system after c-sections involving Tordal and IV Tylenol. Whether it was the different drugs or something completely different, I was up and moving a lot sooner this time around. One week out, I'm still taking my Motrin, but have moved away from Percocet. My energy and stamina has been increasing over the week. I'm hoping to be off my pain meds and be able to get out of the house soon.

Pregnancy Update at 39 Weeks

Due Date: October 1st . The c-section is scheduled for Monday Sept. 26th sometime in the morning. I'm in the third slot for the day so we're thinking surgery around 11am. Less than a week to go!

Weight Gain: My official doctor record says that I have gained 30 pounds. I'll take it. Hoping to be able to establish an exercise routine once cleared by the doctor.

Symptoms: Overall feeling like crap. But at this point, that's to be expected. I've also been having random contractions here and there, but nothing consistent.

What's different this time: I have to take care of a toddler. This is exhausting when I'm already super tired.

Cravings/Aversions: Food is a necessity, but nothing really tastes great. And I get super full really quickly. This kid is pushing everything around so much that I don't think my digestive system is doing very well.

Sleep: Having lots of trouble getting and staying asleep. At this point, I have to prop myself up to a semi-reclining position. Baby does not like me laying flat in bed.

I am loving: J is back from Romania. I have another pair of adult hands in the house to help out with Arthur. I definitely needed it.

I miss: Being able to bend over without major pain.

I am looking forward to: Getting this baby out! Five days!

I'm spazzing about: OMG I only have five days until Q comes! What else do I need to finish?

Movement: I don't care what the baby apps say, this kid has not slowed down.

Preparation: The pseudo-nursery (really the twins' room) is all done and ready. I've got baby supplies in two places (upstairs and downstairs) to make my life a bit easier. The car seat is ready to go. I think we're good. Just waiting for the kid to come.

Quentin's Stuff: The "nursery" (really the twins' room while they are gone) is ready for the little guy. I also had the bright idea of making a clothing/burp cloth/diaper/essentials basket for downstairs. I don't want to have to go up and down the stairs anytime I need to change his diaper or outfit. Go me on the planning ahead of time! I also packed his going home outfit in my hospital bag. Now I just need to pack my stuff!