The day after we got back from Sunriver, we left for Disneyland! We weren't home much in September. Jonathan had a work conference at the Disneyland Hotel, I had a free flight saved up, and with Quinn under age two, we decided it was too good of a deal to pass up. Plus, it was a nice way to make a special memory with Quinn before she becomes a big sister. Jonathan got her a Minnie Mouse toy a year ago when he had a work trip in Florida and she loves "Mousie". She had recently started to become acquainted with some of the other classic characters too, so she was pretty excited. For weeks she was talking about going on a plane in the sky and who she was going to see. 

Jonathan and I laughed so hard so many times on this trip. She was thrilled about riding on a bus, a plane, a taxi, a train (at Disneyland), and rides. Fortunately, we had an empty seat next to us on both plane rides so she didn't have to sit on our lap. Last time she flew at 7 months, she was a lot less mobile. She would talk to everyone around us and usually brought up her birthday party. She memorized a bunch of landmarks around our hotel and Downtown Disney and knew the way to our room within a day. It was so entertaining to watch her try to make sense of this new place.

Our first full day, Jonathan had to work a lot more, so Quinn and I hung around the pool and Downtown Disney.
The second day, Jonathan only had one major event that mostly overlapped with Quinn's nap so he didn't miss out on much. We started the day with breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. Quinn was going nuts seeing all the characters for the first time. She'd shout their name when she saw them and her eyes would get huge. She wasn't a huge fan of Pluto and she doesn't really understand the princesses yet, but she was pretty amped about these characters.

Once we got into the park, she was talking nonstop and pointing to everything. She was most anticipating riding on a train, kind of funny for Disneyland, but it was actually really relaxing and nice not having to rush around or spend 45 minutes in line for the more popular rides. We went in Sleeping Beauty's castle, the tea cups, It's a Small World, Disneyland Railroad, and then spent the rest of the time before nap in Toon Town. After nap, we went on the Winnie the Pooh ride, ate some dinner, went on the Jungle Cruise, watched the parade, and then returned to Toon Town until the park closed. Quinn adored playing in Minnie's house, especially sending "emo", a.k.a. email. We saw a lot of the characters in Toon Town also. Quinn didn't want to stand by any of them by herself, but with one of us holding her she'd touch their faces or give them high fives. It was fun to see her face in complete awe during the parade and full excitement discovering new things. 

The next morning, we let her choose a toy at the gift shop and she chose a sweet little Winnie the Pooh. We hung around Downtown Disney a little longer and then our friends, the Berrys, picked us up. We knew them when we lived in the bay area and they just recently moved near Anaheim. We stayed overnight at their house and got to spend some time catching up. Quinn loved playing with Noah.

We got back yesterday and Quinn requested to sleep in her yellow bed. We've been telling her no binkies in the big girl bed and she understands. Last night she actually slept through the night in the bed with no binkie and I'm happy to report she's napping there right now. Such a big kid! We just love our delightful little sweetie and are amazed at the person she is becoming. I can't believe she'll be two in just a couple days!

We went to Sunriver for four days with my parents, sister, and her husband. It was such a nice getaway. It's crazy to think about how different next year's trip will be with two new babies. We hiked, played outdoors, ate good food, and relaxed. A particularly special moment was Dennis playing worship songs on the guitar and all of us singing along. Even Quinn tried to join in. I just love these people!

Oh, this almost-two-year-old is amazing me. She can count to eleven. She can identify 20 letters of the alphabet and say (at least) one word that starts with each letter. She helps me remember my grocery list and can recite events that will happen in the future in order (like if I tell her our plans for the day). When a meal is ready, she runs around the house telling people (and toys) that whatever food we're going to eat is ready. She slept with a travel mug for a couple days straight. She wants me to explain every street sign and then she'll tell me what they say when we pass them again. My favorite is "slippery when wet". She says, "it wet, you fall". We have inside jokes that she makes up. Like I said "T is for taco" once and she about died laughing. She'll still bring it up saying, "T taco" and then do a muffled chuckle. Or the latest one is she'll call an owl a hoo-hoo and then look up at me like she's being a rascal, so of course I make a big deal about what a silly idea that is and she laughs and laughs. She also does weight lifting (with toilet paper tube weights), push-ups, squats, and sit-ups. I guess my prenatal workout video is making an impression on her. She still loves books and tries to read to herself frequently. And the power struggles have begun. Oh power struggles. Lord, help me.

One of my most recent sewing projects was making a mei tai baby carrier. I found a really simple tutorial and had to give it a try. I am a big time Ergo carrier enthusiast. Quinn only rode in her stroller a handful of times in her first year of life. We always had her in the Ergo because she loved it and we loved it. We still wear her on our backs too. But when she was a tiny newborn and California was still hot, she would get so sweaty in the infant insert. So I decided that with this next baby being born a few months before summer, it would be nice to have a more lightweight carrier for the many trips to the park in the heat. I found a great twill fabric online and went to work. It probably would have only taken about five hours straight if I had that sort of time, but instead it took many 30 minute increments during naptime. 

The mini mama had to have one too with the leftover fabric. I found another simple tutorial for a toddler mei tai and it took no time at all. Both of these would make a great gift if you know a mama or sibling-to-be.

Also, I just finished the first three rows of my baby's big girl bed quilt. If I take a really long time to finish it, will she stop growing up so fast?

I've been a bit absent from this blog. It's probably because I've been sleeping a lot. And painting. And sewing. Yep, I'm pregnant. Due around March 20th. I found out on my birthday which was a pretty special treat. To add to the excitement, my sister is due a week before me and my sister-in-law is due about two weeks after me. Crazy!

It's been fun to double nest this time around. When I was pregnant with Quinn, we couldn't get to Oregon before she was born and we didn't know how long we'd be in our one bedroom apartment in California. I painted a dresser for her and had a lot of fun washing and organizing her tiny baby clothes, but that was pretty much as far as I could go. Jonathan flew to Portland for a job interview when she was one week old and we moved when she was six weeks old. She slept in a laundry room while we lived at a friend's house for a month and then a room of her own while we rented a friend's duplex for a month. When we bought our house, I pretty much left her room as is except for making her curtains out of a fabric I have adored forever. 

So before we find out the baby's gender, I'm nesting for Quinn. I just finished painting her new room a very light gray. She will be using my childhood metal bed frame and we spray painted it yellow (her favorite color). Next up is curtains and a new ceiling light. I've started working on a quilt for her using the fabric from her old curtains as a starting point because I just can't help but think of her when I see it. It's so cheery, girly, and playful. Plus, the new baby will need signature curtains of their own. 

Aside from all the nesting, we've been pretty busy. We've had some visitors, some playdates, some birthday parties, cake club, and other fun. Hopefully I'll get back in my groove of writing because Quinn is changing so much every day!