It's been another two weeks since I posted, and according to other blogs I've read, I think we're in the same pattern as everyone else, not doing too much, just trying to stay warm! I really can't believe January is almost over, and it actually hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to find stuff to do. We have lots and lots of play dates, since going to other people's houses or having people over is much easier than bundling up to run errands. Since we haven't been doing much, I haven't taken a lot of pictures. I did, however, finally figure out how to post a picture collage (thanks, Heidi!), so here is one made mostly of funny Quinn faces. The two normal pictures are of our visit to South Bend and are Q with Aunt Amy and Q with his second-cousin Ethan.

Oh, and for a word update, at last count we are over 25 words. He learns at least one new word a day. My current favorites are Cheerio (chEEoh!), yucky (ah-kee), and baby, which he says every time he sees a picture of baby, including one of himself (so he sees lots of them all over the house). He loves to talk and read books, and it is so precious because when we're in the car, I hand him books to look through, and he "reads" them to me by calling out anything he sees that he knows the word for. AND, he has taken a couple unsupported steps every day, so I think we're getting close to walking! Whether it's cold outside or not, life is warm and exciting inside our household. : )

I also really liked these morning shots for some reason. I love the lighting and how it captures the fuzziness of Quinn's hair.

Happy One Year, Blog!

After checking my friend Christina's blog, I was reminded that I have been keeping this blog for a year now! Just like Christina (who is the Andrews family link on our list), I have to say I'm really proud of myself for that! This blog has become so much more than I expected. I started thinking it would be a fun way to keep mostly just our family members up to date with us. Now, so many more people than I would ever have thought would be interested in us check this blog frequently. That makes us feel so loved, and it really motivates me to keep this updated. So, all of you who read this, thank you for keeping up with our little family and sharing our joy! Keeping checking back with us!!

16 and counting . . .

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I last blogged. In that time, Andy has recovered from a herniated disk in his back (yes, it was as bad as that sounds) but other than that (!), life has been quite normal day to day. It is a typical January (though happily the weather has been atypically warm) in that the days seems so ordinary compared to the magic of Christmas time in December. Not that I'm complaining! It's nice to be back in a normal routine again.
So, what does the title of this posting refer to? That would be the number of words Quinn says now!! At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging about my child, I just had to share with all you faithful blog readers that I have a total Chatty McChatterson on my hands! And it makes me SOOO happy!! Why? Well, first of all, who do you think he got the talking gene from? : ) And secondly, it beats that stereotype everyone says that boys are slow to develop verbally. Not my little guy! Here are the words he says, and I only count them as a "conquered" word if he says it consistently, mostly clearly, and many times: hi, daddy, mama, doggy, kitty, sock, duck, tree, cheese, ball, banana(ba-ba), apple, stinky, poppa, balloon(loo), and uh-oh. Every day this past week he added a new word. I can tell that he wants to know the word for everything, and he picks it up so fast. I love when he talks in "sentences" by stringing together random words, like "Daddy doggy kitty!". I can tell he just wants to join into conversations. It's been sooooo much fun!
Other than that, Quinn is just all over the house doing everything he can. I had to laugh reading our friends the Essenburgs' blog because their little one-year-old sounds just like Quinn, leaving random things in random places. I can never find the remotes because Q is obsessed with them and carries them all over the place. I guess I can't beat all the male stereotypes! : )

I love this picture of my two little guys watching for Daddy to come home one evening.

Quinn and his cousin Fiona love to play together, especially now that the six-week age difference doesn't mean much any more in size or development. I can't wait to see them walking and talking to each other soon!

This is a total Mommy picture, but I just love a "diaper and socks" baby before bedtime. Check out those thighs!

Jersey Boys

As has become an annual thing, our very good friend Dustin came down to visit. For various reasons, all the guys were wearing different jerseys, so we snapped these pics.

One of Andy and Quinn's favorite things is the classic baby throw and catch. I love these action shots.

Welcome back!

My favorite face of Quinn's, the OH!! face, is back. It's been gone for about 2 months, and I greatly welcome its return. It mostly comes when he plays with the busy ball popper, but I think it will be back in full force soon.

And welcome back Will (and Nan!)!! We missed you.

Here are a few more pics from Christmas.

Quinn admiring one of Papa Bruce's beautiful trees

With the Klawitters: Adalyn and Austin above, Kamryn below

Christmas morning with my side of the family. It seems that every year we add more members. What a great tradition!