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June 28, 2004
Talking talking talking
Quinn's new pastime is playing with her fingers to make shapes and letters. She's been making a "try-angle" for a few days now, but this morning she was nothing short of jubilant when she discovered that she could make a "j", then an "l", then a "t", and on and on. When I showed her how to make a circle, she nearly plotzed.
She also greatly enjoys "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the door, see all the people!" GREATLY ENJOYS IT, nighttime, daytime, any time is the right time for finger tricks.
Tonight she was playing with a straw, trying to make it into a triangle, and not having much luck. All she could do was get it to bend into an A-shape, so she sat there studying it. Finally she announced, "Look! It's a rainbow!!!"
When we were in Los Angeles, we went to a book store that Andy and I fell in love with on our honeymoon, Book Soup. Quinn toddled in the door, marched straight over to a display sitting in the corner, and announced, "HERE'S DADDY'S BOOK!" I followed her over and looked at it. Yes, it was indeed a book that Andy had been reading some time ago. It's not like the cover has any large, recognizable image on it, and it hasn't been sitting out lately or anything. It must just be another little nugget of information she has squirreled away in that mook noggin of hers.
Also adorable to probably just me is the fact that she pronounces the word gum as "fum."
"YOU HAVIN' SOME FUM, MAMA?" she asked me as I tried to sneak a piece on our way out the door this afternoon.
"Uhhh, yeah, sweetie," I said. "I am."
"I'd like some of your fum! I'd like some please!"
I offered her a piece, but she took one look at it and said, "No! No fum!"
A few minutes later, she asked, "You like your fum, Mama?"
"Yes!" I said. "It's delicious!"
"Eat it all up!" she told me. And I did.
Posted by Amy at 10:51 AM | Comments (3)
June 24, 2004
Ten pounds of pictures
I was getting a little stir-crazy, holed up in Ed and Pam's lovely home here in California, so Quinn and I did a little sightseeing.
She was pleased as can be to drive by "the beach!" and "the ocean!", but once we parked the car at Seal Beach and started to walk towards the pier, she changed her tune.
"No beach!" she said, hanging back, trying to get back into the car. "No beach! No beach!" I finally got her to start walking with me towards the pier, but she repeated her mantra the whole way.
In this picture, she's standing exactly how I left her, afraid to move.
She finally loosened up a bit, and even was brave enough to check out the action on the beach.
But really, this vacation has been all about the pool.
And the animals. The ever-present animals. The best $6.50 I ever spent.
Here she's bending over to manhandle the animals some more, but then notices the water running off her inner tube and she declares...
"I'M MAKING PEE-PEE!"
Quinn has been a fishy since she was itty-bitty, but the week before we came here, she took a fall into our pool, head-first. I was standing right there and helped her pop back up immediately, but it scared her, because she's been wary of the water ever since.
At first she wouldn't even go into the pool here, until I held her close and coaxed her in. She is still terrified of going underwater, which is kind of sad as last year her favorite game in the pool was to be tossed over my head. I'm hoping she'll conquer her fear eventually, but for now don't even suggest it.
That's why it's cool that a few days ago she started swimming around the pool all by herself in her inner-tube thing, kicking and paddling her arms and twirling around. Between the animals, the drain, the stairs, and the ledge in the deep end, she had to be dragged out of the water every evening.
She also drank a lot of pool water. This alarmed my mom to the point where she was constantly yelling, "QUINN! Close your mouth!"
And Quinn would snap it shut. For about three seconds.
Here she's jamming her baby Annie (named after my sister Peggy's deceased dog; we also have a baby Millie at home named after Grandma Lester's deceased dog) into a little inner tube bath toy that I didn't even know we had with us. It was difficult work...
...but she got her in!
Tonight as I was packing our suitcases to go home, I was a little sad. We miss Andy, but it's been a good visit here at Unkie Ed and Aunt Pam's house.
Posted by Amy at 1:23 AM | Comments (3)
June 21, 2004
Vacation Bunny
Quinn, Grandma and I are vacationing at my brother Ed and sister-in-law Pam's home in lovely southern California this week in honor of my niece Kaitlin's high school graduation.
Two mornings ago, "Unkie Ed" showed Quinn a nifty game where she could drop one of her rubber floaty animals in the pool and let them swim around until they were sucked into the little filter area. Then you could lift the lid and find them, after which you could set them off to sea again. It only took a few rounds of this game to make Quinn an addict, and she'd be playing this game 24/7 if only she didn't have to come inside for things like naps and food.
"Here they ARE!" Quinn trumpets when she removes the filter cover.
It's hard work dragging them to safety...
Note that the animals all have to be put on their side after a rescue, as "they're resting."
Grandma gives directions from her perch on the chair.
The next day, Quinn set a lone starfish out to sea
. 
Posted by Amy at 12:33 PM | Comments (3)
June 11, 2004
Brother Ray
Yesterday, for some reason, I had the urge to put The Blues Brothers on.
"I love this movie!" Quinn exclaimed, hurrying over to the tv.
I put on her favorite song, which of course is "Shake a Tailfeather" by Ray Charles.
"I LOVE THIS SONG!" she shrieked, dancing in circles, dancing through the kitchen, dancing across the room.
Later that evening, I heard the news.
Rest in peace, Brother Ray. All three of us will remember you.
Posted by Amy at 2:56 AM | Comments (1)
June 9, 2004
New pictures
A few weeks ago, we went to Kenosha to celebrate Aunt Peggy's birthday. I won't say how old she is here, but I will say she and Oprah have a lot in common.
Quinn wore a saucy hat.
And fell to the floor when I cut her off after 10,000 pretzels.
It's always a better party when Uncle Dennis is nearby.
Since the weather's been hot, we've been able to go in our pool. Here are Quinn and Baylee (my friend Colleen's daughter) getting ready.
And here they are after, taking a breather. It's hard work being the princess of the pool...
Posted by Amy at 10:47 AM | Comments (5)
June 2, 2004
Today
Quinn and I spent the morning outside with the previous occupant of our house. She took me around the house and showed me what each piece of landscaping was, how to care for it, and she tried to be polite about how I'd let most of it grow wild in the past nine months. Heh.
Quinn followed us along happily until she saw a fire hydrant at the corner that she wanted to go investigate. She kept trying to sneak down the hill to get to it, but unfortunately for her she was unable to do so without narrating her thought process. "I go see the FIRE HYDANT! It gots WATER init! The FIRE HYDANT is on the GLASS next to the red OCK-TA-GON! S-T-O-P spells STOP!" Then I'd call her back and she'd follow us obediently until it caught her eye again.
While we ate lunch afterwards, Quinn told me how many macaroni noodles were on her fork as she ate. For each bite. In Spanish, then in English. It took us several years to eat lunch.
After lunch, I read her Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever, a book of nursery rhymes that is questionable at times.
The cat sat asleep by the side of the fire,
The mistress snored loud as a pig;
Jack took up his fiddle by Jenny's desire,
And struck up a bit of a jig.
Finally, it was nap time for Lesters big and small, so we headed upstairs to bed. Quinn went down happily enough, but I was giddy and kept popping into her room.
"Tom, Tom, the piper's son!" I'd whisper
"Stolea pig and away he run!" she'd giggle.
"The pig was.."
"EAT!"
"And Tom was..."
"BEAT!"
"And Tom went.."
"CLYING DOWN THE STREET!"
Then I'd try to lie down, but I'd get up and return to her room.
"The three little kittens, they lost their mittens..."
"AND THEY BEGAN TO CLY!"
And we'd giggle, and I'd go back to my room, but then I'd think of another one.
I love playing with the Mook. She's so fun.
Posted by Amy at 10:21 AM | Comments (3)