Riding the Rails

Quentin took his first train ride today! Grandma and Grandpa (Hay) are in town from Denver and we all went down to Baldwin City, KS and rode on the Midland Historic Railroad. Quentin was very interested in watching the engine hook up to the passenger car and also enjoyed watching the scenery, but the best part was playing peekaboo with Grandma.

Quentin with Mommy and Grandpa waiting to board the train.

Daddy and Quentin watching the scenery.

Laughing at Grandma.

General Update (with bonus cute picture)

It seems that for every advancement Quentin makes, we lose ground somewhere else. In addition to working hard on standing, Quentin has finally come around to solid foods and actually eats full servings of applesauce, sweet potatoes, and, most recently, mixed vegetables (the ambiguous green stuff that is all over his face in one of the earlier posts). At the same time, his sleeping habits, which had been improving, have regressed to where we were about a month ago (not terrible, but he wakes up too often and it is difficult to get him back to sleep). He still goes to sleep fairly easily around 8:00, but he usually wakes up sometime between 11:00 and 12:00 (usually shortly after I fall asleep). He seemed to have broken that habit a few weeks ago, but apparently the improvement was only temporary. Tonight he decided to wake up even earlier (around 9:45) and is actually sitting in my lap now as I write this (10:30) because I couldn't get him back to sleep. So much for actually getting anything done tonight, but, on the bright side, at least he isn't waking me up (yet).

Taking a Stand

Quentin has embarked on his newest project: learning to stand unsupported. He started it in earnest last Saturday and practices daily. He often manages to stand for several seconds before falling.

Household Perils

There are so many things to watch out for around the house! You could grab on to a laundry basket and accidentally topple it over on top of you. Or, some mischievous spirit (AKA Dad) might hit you over the head with a frying pan (then again, that could be fun...)

Furry Friends

Quentin has recently become very interested in the cats. He usually smiles whenever he spots one, then crawls in the general direction of the cat in question. As you can see, Spike has a tendency to put himself in harm's way. (Spike was rescued in both instances--we really don't just let Quentin abuse the cats without intervening.) Sufi is usually a little bit more careful. Hedda is the smartest of the three. There's a reason you don't see her in any of these pictures!

Hippo

Quentin has started dragging toys along with him as he crawls. One of his current favorites is a purple hippo pull toy (compliments of The Blue Dandelion, Lawrence, KS--one of the perks of being the New Years Baby).

Hangin' Around

Now that Quentin can sit up on his own (he really only mastered it within the last month, around the same time he learned to crawl and pull up to a stand), he can use the baby swings at the playground. His reaction has varied from indifference to extreme amusement. Here he is looking quite satisfied with himself.

Messy Eater

Quentin started on cereal when he was about 4 1/2 months old, and then on pureed fruits and vegetables when he was 6 months, but he never really took to being fed. He started on finger foods about a months ago, and enjoys feeding himself cheerios and small pieces of bread or toast and the occasional green bean. Since he always grabs the spoon when I try to feed him baby food, I figured I would let him try to feed himself this time (this was a couple of weeks ago). Quite a mess, but he ate at least as much as he got on his face, which is more than he usually takes! We had a breakthrough with applesauce yesterday, so perhaps there's still hope.

Ready for Bed

Quentin still doesn't sleep through the night very often, but he's gotten a lot better in the last week or so. He seems to do a lot better dressed warmly with the temperature in his room a bit cooler. Since we've started having cooler temperatures at night, he usually only wakes up once, and sleeps much longer at a stretch than he used to. Here's a picture of him dressed for bed (but not quite ready for sleep).

Background

Stats:

Name: Quentin Matthew Candelaria, aka “the squid,” “the critter,” “Q,” and various other aliases
DOB: January 1, 2006
Weight and height at birth: 5 pounds, 13 ounces, 19 inches long
Weight and height at last doctor visit: 17 pounds, 3 ounces (August 1, 2006)
Number of teeth: 0
Astrological signs: Capricorn, Rooster (Chinese Zodiac)

The Squid