Thanksgiving with the Gartons

    Quinlan had quite the adventure back in November when he flew down to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving with the Garton Family. This was his first time flying and the woman sitting behind us said that she would have never known we had an infant if she didn't see daddy lifting him overhead. Go Q!
    Quinlan did not sleep longer than 45 min and his parents just needed to be creative on how they kept him entertained.

     Auntie Em was nice enough to send the photos along to document all the new relatives that Quinlan got to meet. He had already met Grandma Melanie and Grandpa Steve, but that was back in May when he was half his size, so he enjoyed becoming reacquainted. He also finally got to meet auntie Em and uncle Alex, and even his great grandma Mary and great aunt Denise.
     Quinlan was a bit shy at first with everyone, as he is still in the "stranger danger" phase, but by the second day he was enjoying all his new playmates. In this picture, he is showing off how much his hair is like his aunt Em's!

Quinlan can hardly wait to see everyone again soon!

A Warm December Day

Since it was almost 60 today, we decided to head to our favorite park with mom's friend Bec. Quinlan enjoyed his time on the swings.

And riding his favorite dinosaur.

Which he of course tried to eat. No teeth yet, but still chewing on everything.

Not Gaining Weight?

     Despite our best efforts to fatten him up, Quinlan did not gain any weight for the 2 weeks between  seeing the GI specialist and the pediatrician. We were unable to get an appointment with our regular doctor for the weight check, so we saw another pediatrician in the practice. This doctor was quite humorous, stating that Quinlan's diet of steamed squash, beets, pears and prunes was what he ate when he was on a diet and suggested we add some protein to his diet.
     He was not overly concerned about the lack of weight gain and suggested giving him more milk for his bottles and giving him legumes, yogart and cottage cheese. The cottage cheese did not seem to agree with him, and we are still trying the yogart. He LOVED the chickpeas that dad made up for him mashed with avocado and olive oil.

     Hopefully a few adjustments to his diet will help with the weight gain. We swear he is getting longer though as more and more outfits get removed from the rotation as we are no longer able to squeeze him into them. Of course, Quinlan is super happy about the doctor's orders to feed him more and has been quite content otherwise.  

Early Intervention Update

    Quinlan just had his 6 month evaluation with Early Intervention and it is amazing how much progress he has made! Our initial goals includied being able to breast feed without need for supplemental bottle, making eye contact and focusing in on faces, and being able to lift and turn his head side to side. He has, of course, accomplished all this and then some, so new goals were set.
     His new 6 month feeding goal is to be able to feed from a bottle and/or sipping cup independently - he is currently reaching for mommy's morning tea mug, holding it and gumming the rim.
     His new mobility goal is to be able to transition between positions. Currently Quinlan will sit and play independently if he is placed in that position, but does not get into sitting from the floor without assistance.

     His new social goal is to be able to interact with other children in play. Currently Quinlan spends more time with mom, dad, and his nanny Kristen than he does with other children. When he has been around other babies, he has been more reserved quietly sitting back and observing everything with wide open eyes. He lets you know when he is overwhelmed, usually around 45 minutes, and starts fussing. He has recently started reaching towards one of his friends, baby Grace, and he plans to attend a birthday party this weekend so we will see how that goes.
     It has been suggested that Quinlan join a formal play group through the Early Intervention program, but currently it does not fit into our schedule so we are looking to informal venues at present.

A Cold Morning in the Park

     Even as the weather gets colder, Quinlan still gets outside daily to play in the park or go for a walk. Now that he is up for 2 hours at a time, Quinlan is able to go for longer outings. He still enjoys the swings and has tried the boucy-dinosaur, but is unsure how he feels about that yet. Sometimes it seems as if his smile may just be a reflection of the joy his parents have in bringing him out to play.

     Here he is showing of his warm weather gear: a hat given to us from we think Emmet that Quinlan is still growing into, and a lovely sweater knit by his great grandma Mary and shipped over from the UK. And while you cannot tell in these picture, the tan pants he is wearing are a nice pair of corduroy overalls accented nicely with the racoon socks from great aunt Alice.

   What a stylish young lad!

All Things Fall

    Quinlan is now enjoying some pumpkin & squash as part of his solid food diet this fall season. He has recently transitioned to a 4 hour schedule: so he is up for 2 hours, down for 2 hours. At least that is the ideal, so he now has 6 oz of breast milk 4 x/day and 5-6 spoonfuls of purees 2-3x/day.
     Another fall favorite is apples!  

     And of course, overalls are in this fall! Didn't you know? Quinlan has been sporting a few different pairs of overalls that now fit him and were given to us by our friends Ted & Juliana. Thank you!!! Changing is so much easier now, and Quinlan no longer has the discomfort of elastic pants around his waist. One would think that this might increase mobility, as mom has hoped, but Quinlan is still quite content to lay or roll around on the floor.
     He can now sit unsupported, but likes to throw himself backwards when he has had enough upright time.

More Sitting Practice

      Quinlan is continuing to work on his sitting. He still does best when propped up and is not sitting independently yet. The women from early intervention are mildly concerned and want us to continue to place him in the sitting position as much as possible to work on his balance and trunk control.
      Quinlan does best when there is something interesting at eye level, so his parents do their best to hold an interesting toy in front of him. Mommy has even brought him out to play with other babies and he seems to find people at his level and size the most interesting by far! Mommy plans to make some more playdates to help Quinlan achieve this goal of sitting unsupported.

     Quinlan is super happy to be sitting on the couch at eye level with mommy and daddy, and appears to be getting less camera shy allowing more pictures of his lovely smile. Quinlan also likes to giggle and laugh with both parents, especially when daddy attacks his belly with raspberries and kisses!

Mr. Smiley

                                                                                         Quinlan is so much happier now that he is a more "regular" guy :) Here he is sporting a vest given to his parents by Teena and baby Rishon. He only wore it for 10 minutes before spitting up all over it, but at least mom got a picture first! Quinlan has definitely been into the layering since the weather has gotten colder. He is actually wearing a full footed pajama suit under his vest and pants. Mom has gotten creative with the clothing layering to make sure our little man is both stylish and warm.

                                                                                                   However, we did break down and get a couple of full fleece outfits, like this one here, to make changing easier. Quinlan stays nice and toastie in the fleece suit, but usually wears a short sleeved onesie underneath to have the cotton against his skin. Not that he has shown any sign of skin irritation, but he has his parents' fair skin. And, does it look like red hair? The more hair Quinlan grows the more we are seeing a redish hue. Some more Garton genes shining through!



Appointment with GI Specialist

      Our pediatrician wanted us to meet with a GI/liver specialist about the spot on his liver as it has not changed size and he wanted a second opinion on if further imaging is needed, so mom took Quinlan out to MGH West today to see Dr. Biller. He had already consulted a colleague and their radiologist regarding the imaging that had already been done. They all concluded that if the spot on his liver was more than just a cluster of blood vessels it would have spread, and that we did not need more imaging for another year!
     The MD was more concerned about Quinlan's lack of bowel movements and put him on over the counter MiraLax instead of the Lactulose. Within a day on the MiraLax, Quinlan began to have regular bowel movements 2-3 times a day... and even at 1 AM, something his parents had not anticipated or missed out on.  

6 Month Visit with Pediatrician

     Quinlan had his 6 month check up with the pediatrician last week (a couple of weeks late, as Q is 7 months tomorrow), and everything went well. He weighed in at 16 lbs, 3 oz and his height is 25 3/4". This has him in the 15th percentile. Of course his head again has him in a higher percentile, he is 55th for head circumference. It may be a cardigan winter :)
     We discussed Quinlan's developmental milestones: his rolling front to back and back to front (mostly witnessed via video monitor, as Q likes to practice in his crib first). However, he has rolled onto his stomach while reaching for toys on the floor. Quinlan also is passing items between his hands and is now grabbing hair and glasses. In fact, he stole daddy's glasses the other night while dad was getting him ready for bed!
     The pediatrician thinks Quinlan is doing great and is continuing to catch up developmentally to his birth age. 

     Quinlan has even started sleeping on his stomach some, which we hope helps his digestion a bit. Quinlan is having a rough time in that department as he is going over a week between bowel movements, and then is quite uncomfortable a few days before and when they occur. The pediatrician has prescribed Lactulose, an indigestible sugar solution, to be taken in the morning in order to pull water into his bowels and make his stool softer. Since being on it, Q has had a couple of large poops (one that soaked through his night sleep sack) and seems much more comfortable.
     We are hoping to transition him off this solution as he starts moving more (rolling outside the crib, sitting and playing, crawling, etc.) helping his bowels regulate better. The doctor also prescribed more tummy time, so we are making sure Quinlan spends time on his belly (both in and out of the crib). 

Getting Ready for Cold Weather

      Quinlan is getting ready for the cooler weather. He is now sporting a nice fall hat knit by mommy's friend Steph, and a fleece hoodie with ears that may only fit him for a few more weeks. With his warmer wardrobe, Quinlan is still enjoying daily outdoor walks and time in the park. He is definitely enjoying the swings more, and he likes to sing to himself in his stroller.
     In fact, Quinlan is spending more time talking to himself in his crib as well and to his parents as well. Currently just vowel sounds, but he is trying hard to communicate. We cannot wait to hear his first word!

     Here he might be saying, "I plan to spit up on this before we get to your friend's house, mommy!"

Big Boy Changes

     Quinlan had a big weekend: he started riding in his stroller without the infant adaptor and carseat, he went on the swing in the park, and he started practicing some serious rolling in his crib. As the weather continues to cool down, Quinlan has been able to enjoy the outside more. Of course he is always wearing the blue sun hat he got from Emmet as our fair man burns quite easily.
     Mom and dad took him to the park near their house and tried pushing him a bit in the swing. Quinlan did not really know what to make of this, but he didn't cry out and actually seemed to be enjoying himself a bit. We had to abandon the swings and continue our walk when the wind picked up as Quinlan was getting cold. 

      We then bundled him up in the blanket we had planned to spread out and sit on and took a nice stroll through Ball Sq. Quinlan liked looking out the front of the stroller now as he is now facing forward since taking out the infant insert. He opens his big blue eyes wide to take in all the new sites and occasionally coos and babbles to himself. Quinlan is looking forward to some more big boy milestones. Currently he is working on rolling over - he can roll back to front consistently and front to back when the mood hits him. He is also working on sitting up unsupported. Currently he needs just one hand at his hips.

Looking More Like Mommy?

        Daddy took some pictures of us before heading off to work the other day. Quinlan was wearing his fancy alligator pjs and looking super cute. Dad has been able to wake up early every morning, chant for 45 minutes to an hour, prepare for his day and then spend a few minutes with Quinlan when he first gets up.
      Quinlan is so lucky to have both parents be able to greet him each morning and he always wakes up with a smile... even if he hides it from the camera. Dad is then usually able to get home to spend time with Quinlan before bedtime, and mom also bikes furiously home on the days she is at MGH for a hope to see her little man before he goes to sleep.

     Mom has shifted her hours at MGH to 3 days a week, and had a good first day at Boston University as a teaching assistant on Tuesday. Mom is excited to be teaching again and is looking forward to the fall semester. Quinlan now has 2 teachers in the family.
     Quinlan has been working on his sitting, his rolling and some vowel sounds. We visit with the pediatrician Sept 26th for his 6 month check-up and we think the doctor will be pleased with all his good progress.
     Oh, and people are starting to say that Q looks more like mom these days, while she still thinks he looks a lot like daddy... either way, he is still pretty darn cute!

Fun in the Park

      Quinlan and mom went to the park on Saturday and enjoyed the great weather together. We played on the quilt in the grass, practiced our sitting (Quinlan is still working on his trunk control) and just laid back and let the wind blow on our faces. Quinlan definitely enjoyed this after the initial shock of feeling the wind blow.
     He has been able to enjoy more time outside with the improved weather and goes out for walks daily with Kristen or his parents. He will even get a short walk in the carrier under an umbrella if there is a bit of rain as we have found time outside helps him to nap during the day and sleep well at night.

First Week of School

      Dad has been hard at work getting ready for the first week of school that started today. He spent multiple hours sorting through his classroom, devising classroom rules, and developing interactive educational activities.
     Mom has been doing her best to support by preparing meals in the crockpot before she leaves for work that will be done when she gets home. That way, after Quinlan goes down for bed, a nice hot meal can be enjoyed immediately.
      Quinlan is handling the transition in stride and is having fun with Kristen, his new nanny. They have walked to the park together and read a book in the shade, practiced standing in his exersaucer, and ate yummy peaches and prunes. She has been amazing and has helped us all in this transition.

      Kristen is coming 4 days a week for 6 hours: M, W, Th 10-4 as mom is working only 3 days at MGH 1130-630, and on Tues from 7-1 as mom is working as a teaching assistant and Boston University. The position at BU is only for the fall, but allows mom to still remain in academia as she was not able to teach in her regular summer course at MGH Institute of Health Professions as she was home with Q.
     Quinlan is supporting us both wearing his Back-to-School bib and by sleeping through the night. Quinlan now sleeps from 7-4, wakes up eats, and goes back to sleep till 7. He has been going down well for his naps and sleeping 1.5-2 hours at times allowing mom to bake snacks for lunches and to prepare dinners. Quinlan, you are an amazing little man!

Parental Update

Quinlan 2 days ago in the bouncy seat

Quinlan 2 days after he came home from the hospital

We realized that we had not sent any updates about mom and dad recently, just prince Quinlan. So we thought we would update everyone on some new family changes: dad has excepted a position with the city of Somerville as a 3rd grade teacher. He had new teacher orientation Wednesday & Thursday and spent most of Thursday and Friday getting his classroom ready. Dad has amazing ideas for setting up a reading corner, and establishing collaborative work areas for the students. After a few days of hard work, and some help from mom & friends, the classroom is almost ready for the 20 students that have the pleasure of having Mr. Garton as their 3rd grade teacher starting Wednesday Sept 5th! Updates of this adventure will definitely be posted.

Check out the comparison shots of Q in the bouncy seat: 2 days ago verses when he first came home. He has definitely taken to the Eat Grow Plan!

    

Improved Sleep for All (Thank You, Allison!)

     As some of you may know from our earlier posts, Quinlan has been refusing to stay down for longer than 30-40 minutes for his naps the past few weeks. He has also gotten progressively more adamant about not being put down for naps and most recently for bed. He is more interested in the world around him and would prefer to stay up and play, then he gets cranky and tired and cries regardless of whether you let him stay up or try and put him down.
     We had decided to stop swaddling his arms by his sides as he is now rolling and likes to suck on his hands to soothe himself back to sleep (well, at least at night. He had not mastered this talent during daytime hours.) Mom was getting concerned as she was spending 30 minutes to get him down for only a 30 minute nap. Other parents were consulted and finally a call was made to the pediatrician who told her to "relax, and focus more on his night time sleep," as he was still waking up 3 x a night to feed.
     We were originally opposed to letting Quinlan "cry it out," but he appeared to be crying whether we held him or placed him in the crib. The former just seemed to drive his parents crazy. So, when we went to a friend's wedding Saturday afternoon and our friend Allison watched Q, we told her that it was ok to let him cry some. She took this picture so we could see how happy he was after his 3rd 30 min nap of the day, and when she put him down for nap 4, she allowed him to cry 20 minutes until he put himself to sleep.

     While that was longer than mom and dad had intended, it seemed to have worked as he went down easy for bed that night and has put himself to sleep with minimal fuss for each nap since. He has even started napping for 90-110 minutes! We have also moved Quinlan to his own room and he is sleeping for 5-6 hour stretches waking only 2x (around 11-12 and at 530 AM). He seems much more happy and interactive during the day, as our his parents who have increased their ZZZZs as well. :)

Starting Solids

      We started Quinlan on solids a week ago with his first food being sweet potato mashed up with a little bit of breast milk. He seemed to really like it and would even open his mouth wider to get more in. Here he is in his feeding chair that we have now attached to one of the dining room chairs so he can join us at the table.
     We decided to start solids because he was becoming more and more interested in what we were eating and was more hungry at night despite upping his bottles to 5+ oz/per bottle. Oh, and he loves putting objects in his mouth. He loved the sweet potato so much that we moved on to avocado. Unfortunately we overdid it on the avocado and Quinlan was a little constipated, which led to his 3rd food... prunes.
    

     After the prunes and his welcomed relief, Quinlan was back to a more graduated solid food plan. We are feeding him 1 tsp twice a day after his normal breast feeding or bottle. He really enjoys it, so if he continues to digest it well, we will increase by a tsp every 3 days.
    Other first foods on our list: bananas and pears. Pretty sure he will enjoy those just as much as all the other solids. It has not resulted in longer stretches of sleep at night, well, not yet. He is sleeping up to 4.5 hours at a stretch now.