Animals, pumpkins, and a corn maze Oh my

So this past weekend, we brought Quinn to a farm just down the street.

Of course it was all done up in fall decor.

Just a little view of what it's like to take a picture with two wiggly kids.

Love the hair Quinn. Mommy still needs to get you a hair cut.

Quinn got to experience his first corn maze. OK, he didn't really care about it. But I thought it was pretty cool.

They also had animals. Always popular with kids.

Daddy's home

Sorry this took so long. Our blog wasn't letting us load pictures. So, I am very happy to say that Dan is home safe and sound. We were a little nervous about what Quinn would think of Dan after being gone so long. Well, Daddy got an instant smile. When Dan picked him up for the first time Quinn was a little unsure for about 2 minutes. But Dan quickly won him over with goofiness and that was that.

They walked through the front door and just sat together for a while.

Quinn showed Dan his ball.

And then Quinn crawled all over Dan for a while.

Quinn pinned him down and told him everything we had done over the past two and a half months.

"And then she sang me the itsy bitsy spider and danced and spun me around. It was great."

It's so nice to have him home again. Yay!!!! Lets hope he gets to stay home for a little while before having to go back out somewhere else. OK, I guess that's all for now. Take care everyone.

We're back

So the surgeries for both Quinn and my cousins baby Sam are over. They both went very well. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers. Sam just came out of his, so I will hear more about that later. But things sound like they went well. Quinn's went very well. The scan they did of his heart showed that the pressures in his ventricles have gone down since the stents. So that's positive. The cardiologist also mentioned that it looks like the arteries out of the heart look to be about the same size which is great because they were unable to place a stent in his left artery the last time he had his surgery. It looks like it has just widened on it own. The doctor has to see the actual data results but his initial opinion is that we can wait on Quinn's next round of surgeries until he is at least 18mths. That is much better than the possible 12 to 18 month time frame they initially predicted.

So here's our little man relaxing with Auntie and a magazine before his operation.

Playing a little.

Dressed and ready to go.

Hanging with grandma.

And Mommy.

Immediately post surgery.

Just a couple of hours after. He was smiling and playing. Surgery! What Surgery? I guess today was harder on me. I'm still a little shell shocked. It just brings so much back to see him like that. When they called me back to the recovery room they told me just to follow the screaming and I would find him. I didn't even recognize his cries. I haven't heard him cry like that in months. And to see the needle and IV's again!!! Lets just say his veins haven't improved much. Ah well, this is him right now. So I guess all's well that ends well.

On my way home

I'm spending the day in Dubai with a flight out this evening to the US. What a fascinating culture. The last country they rode elephants, and here it's camels. As soon as you get into the airport, you see all the shopping plazas and restaurants, but there's also nice cloth tents with pillows and rugs inside. I guess some people prefer that to lounge chairs. I'm so tempted to buy sheik robes but when the hell would I ever wear them right? Although, when you see what I bought you honey, you might ask me the same question. Anyway, I have a few pictures, and at your request I'll try and get them on here. One possible issue is that there's free drinks at all times in business class travel, and they are letting me mix my own. So I'm trying to ignore that I may be half in the bag.

The place would make a decent tourist destination with all the thousands of years of history still visible and intact. But all the fighting. I got a little insight into some of the political agendas behind the battles. Every war has them. And it's best I just keep my comments off of here. I do wonder if the value of human life is something that is learned, or unlearned as we grow. Are some people just born evil bastards or what.

Every time I got nervous about what I was doing I always thought about my family and how important it is that I be smart. Then I'd look over and see these guys working. I know they have kids and they are trying to provide for them. But if they ever refused or were reluctant to do something because it was unsafe, they were fired that day. They made roughly ten US dollars a day regardless of the workload. Yes the cost of living is lower than the US, but for them, prices are going up by the day and wages are not.

They also had no equipment and needed to borrow not only our tools, but our strength as well. Thank god for Rickety and his raw determination. Of course, he did hurt his back and had to walk even more bent over for a week.

I tried to imagine how these guys felt having to guard a couple of clowns like us 24:7. At night they would have to rove around the compound. And late at night we were usually having the local whiskey brew and laughing to lighten our spirits, but I always felt bad when I'd look at them. Anyway, no video this time because I haven't taken the time to upload one. I'll see you tommorow honey. If Quinn isn't looking like he wants to make a drive to Providence two days in a row, especially after having another medical procedure, just have Marsh or someone come and grab me.

Happy Anniversary Honey

I can't believe it's been seven years. Well, we owe ourselves one missed anniversary. Picture it. A nice candle lit dinner.

Cheerios of course. Complements of our son.

Quinn on the piano providing some atmosphere.

And a little cuddle time after.

No in all seriousness. I want you to know that your sacrifices are not going unnoticed. We appreciate how hard you are working to provide for us. And I treasure all the time I've gotten to spend with Quinn. I will try to make up to you all the time you've missed with him. We love you and we miss you. You are thought about all the time. I promise lots of fun and good times when you come home. See you soon, I hope!!!!

Another request

So I have another request for everyone. Please also keep my cousins baby Sam in your thoughts on the 12th. He is also going into surgery. I don't have all the facts yet, so I will relay what I think I know. The babies soft spots either have fused or have started to fuse to early so they are going to fix this. The surgery may also involve pushing his forehead back a little as well. My cousin and her husband are feeling very positive about everything. They are going to a really wonderful hospital and they have the specialist who perfected the procedure so it sounds like they are in good hands.

The hair is getting a little long. He's never still, who do you go to to get baby hair cut?

In other news we finally got around to working waving hi. He still thinks it's an odd thing. But it's really cute.

Dancing Baby

So, please keep your thoughts with us on the 12th. Quinn's G-tube scare has not closed. Just as a refresher, that was the tube that went from the outside of his abdomen into his stomach which was removed on Jan. 2. So, on Friday the doctor is going to surgically remove the scare, check the site, and then sew it back up and hope it heals this time. Of course this is nothing compared to what he's used to, however Quinn will still go under anesthesia. So course mommy is nervous.





I just love this picture. He does this a lot. He sits with his ankles crossed and sometimes while he's sitting he picks up his foot and plays with it.

Yesterday we started a music together class. Quinn loves it. He crawls to the teacher, he shakes all the instruments, and watches everyone dance around. It's mainly to help increase the amount of consonant sounds he's making. However, I think it's had another effect. Today for the first time I caught him dancing. Forgive the music. It's the CD from the music together class. They want us to listen at home too.

Halloween is coming

This is the first year in a long time that I am getting really excited about holidays. I already have Halloween candy. This is just crazy for me. Everyone who knows me knows I am not a pre-planner. I did wait until Oct. first to let Quinn wear Halloween cloths though.

Exhibit A. Exhibit B will be in the next post.

What are we chewing on?

Why a Halloween lawn ornament of course.



So this is Quinn's new toy. But guess who likes it better then Quinn.

Heehe, Marshall.