Hey hey! I hope all my USA friends had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend with friends and family. I am writing this blog as we drive to see family about an hour and a half away (on July 3rd). Girlfriend is conked out in her car seat at the moment, just hoping she stays that way for a bit!
So weeks 7 & 8 were really good weeks overall! We had some breakthroughs with Quinn, which I’ll get into now.
First one- on June 18th Quinn took a bottle for the first time!! This was a big deal because I was a bit nervous she’d refuse a bottle up until I returned to work, but nope- she did great! We try to offer a bottle once a day to keep her used to it.
That day I did my first run on the treadmill since I delivered her. It felt AMAZING! I have a long way until I’m running marathons again, but I’m happy to do any running at this point.
June 19th was Father’s Day. It was bittersweet- missing my Dad and knowing how absolutely incredible he would be as a grandpa, but then also it was awesome to celebrate DJ’s first Father’s Day ❤️. We went over my father-in-law’s around noon for a yummy lunch & to celebrate the amazing Dad he is too! We then returned home, DJ opened gifts, and we had a chill evening of watching Yellowstone.
June 20th DJ and I took Moose to Beach Bow Wow. Our girl was a little fussy that day, so I stayed with her in the car until she calmed down. Then I put her in the stroller and walked her around the park until the guys were ready to go.
That was another wonderfully chill day just caring for our children- one furrier than the other.
Side note (the pic below made me think of this)- anyone else watch TV/movies at home with subtitles?
Moose sits on this pouf like it’s a chair, and it cracks me up.
June 21st was a pretty relaxing day too! Something I’ve been really grateful for this summer is the electric fence. Moose has been loving just going out and exploring/sunbathing in the yard.
Whenever I am playing with Quinn, Moose wants in on the fun.
Quinn is fascinated by her big brother!
We’ve been so impressed with her head control. This day also marked the third time she rolled over since three weeks old. She rolled a fourth when Gigi was here later in the week! She is one strong girl!
June 22nd we had CoreLife! Oh now I’m craving some juicy steak again 😋.
June 23rd I started the day with Kite Hill Almond Yogurt, cashews, collagen powder, peanut butter, berries and honey.
That morning we had an ultrasound for Quinn to rule out tethered cord, thankfully all was good!! Quinn handled it so well too. Gigi came with us which helped so much.
She played with Quinn while I zipped around emptying diaper pales, vacuumed, unloaded the dishwasher, etc. It’s amazing how much you can get done with a couple free hands in a short amount of time!
We had Piada for lunch. Safe to say I’m obsessed with that place.
Gigi also took this candid- I love she captured this because much of our day usually looks like this!
Mr. Moose developed a little cough that week, and we feared it was kennel cough. Gigi graciously took him to the vet while I stayed with Quinn. What would we do without her?! Sure enough, he did have kennel cough, which meant 14 days no daycare for him- and a rambunctious Moose for me!
June 24th we started the day with a walk. I had my usual for lunch with a sandwich. I’ve also been on a kick of watermelon after walks lately. So refreshing. It’s funny because I usually eat an early lunch around 10/1030 with how hungry I’ve been. Who am I kidding I have another lunch at noon too. I’m definitely hungrier breastfeeding than when I was pregnant!
Lately Moose has become more protective of Quinn. It’s so sweet.
That evening, I made air fryer salmon- wow, so easy & goood!!
June 25th my good friend, Melissa, and her boyfriend, Michael, stopped by to meet Quinn. It was so much fun chatting with them, having lunch from Piada and introducing them to her. It’s pretty special because Melissa and I have been friends since we were in diapers ourselves!
Week 7 was extra special because we got our first social smiles from Quinn. She made us work for them though 😅. I’ll never forget the moment when she gave me that first smile back. Best. Thing. Ever. Ok I guess there are a lot of “bests” with her 🥰.
One of her favorite toys lately is this butterfly Rachel got her. The opposite side is all black and white contrast. It rattles/crinkles/squeaks, and she just loves it! I use it a lot when she gets fussy on car rides, and it tends to be a pretty good distraction most of the time ;).
A HUGE breakthrough from week 8 is Quinn now loves a pacifier! It was a lot of persistence and trying daily to get her to take one, and finally she accepted it. We now can’t go anywhere without it!! It is a game changer! We tried multiple different kinds, and this is the one that stuck.

Random, but her absolute favorite position post feeds is up on the shoulder. It makes sense with her reflux. DJ sometimes will do this little helicopter tour with her around the house, and she loves that too, ha!
This pic above is now my phone background 🥰.
My coworkers got this sweet outfit for her that she sported on Thursday June 30th 🥕.
Since Quinn loves being in the carrier so much, DJ got one too this week! She just loves being all snuggled up in it.
To help expend a little extra energy, we hired a dog walker a couple times to get Moose an extra walk a few days through his kennel cough quarantine. The walker sent the sweetest photos and Moose seemed to love exploring the new trails!!
Friday July 1st, Quinn had her vaccines first thing in the morning. This picture below is her saying “I did it!”. She just slept most of the day and was only a touch fussy in between naps.
Since she wasn’t feeling 100% after, I just had her nap on me while laying on the couch much of the day. Moose had a ton of pent up energy in the afternoon, so I gave him a card board box to gnaw on. Well, inside said box was a bunch of styrofoam which he proceeded to destroy to pieces. Since Quinn was fussing a bit as Moose created what resembled a winter wonderland on our floor, I was just focused on trying to calm her and figured I’d deal with the mess later. I decided c’est la vie, laughed at the situation and of course, documented it.
That brings us to the end of week 8!
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend ahead 😊.
<3,
Mackenzie
I can’t stand tv’s with subtitles on! I find it too distracting.
I ate at my first Piada last week while visiting The Mall of America and oh wow! I think I had the best wrap of my life there!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Also, I read: “She just slept most of the day, and was only a touch fussy in between naps” as ‘I just slept most of the day, and was only a touch fussy in between naps’ and chuckled.
Totally get that, I know most people probably feel that way!!
Isn’t it SO good?! I can’t wait to have dairy/soy again so I can explore their menu more too.
Haha!! That made me laugh too!
I LOL’d at Moose running around with his styrofoam toy–dogs are so funny! Glad you’ve managed to just laugh about all the funny things right now.
I can’t believe Quinn’s perfect smile! I was wondering why you said “social smile” but I realized babies probably have “gas smiles” and “poop smiles” well before they are able to consciously control their smiles in order to interact with people. Her smile is super cute, and you captured it so well!
I don’t care for subtitles, but I think my hearing is getting worse (or our audio systems are getting worse…I’ll blame it on that), so I find myself using them more frequently. When I do use them, it is amazing to realize how much more quickly my brain processes text it sees (subtitles) versus words it hears (the dialogue).
He’s such a hoot 🤣 he makes some big messes, but keeps us laughing !
Yes exactly! Lots of gas smiles but when she started smiling intentionally and smiling back my heart just exploded!!!
Exactly! I think I remember feeling the same way when I first started using them. Before I was annoyed by them, now I have them on if given the option! I
Quinn is adorable. Mr. Moose Man is a great dog! 🤗 Rick and I watch movies with subtitles frequently. 📺
Thanks, Kathy!! Yess team subtitles!
🙂
100% YES to subtitles.
Started using them for British/Irish shows so I could understand them and then realized it helped for spy/thriller type shows where people tend to talk quietly and then I was hooked…
Love love love seeing all the pics and stories about precious Quinn. GiGi keeps me informed too!! Stay well and happy!!
Yay team subtitles! They are definitely a must when accents are involved!
Aww thanks so much, Jena ☺️
I love all of Quinn’s outfits & these photos!! My gosh she is precious!
She’s so strong & really excelling! How are our baby girls rolling over & growing so fast?! Weren’t we just nearing the end of pregnancy? 😭
Moose is hilarious & so cute! I love that you just documented the craziness. 😆
Which wrap does Dj have? I may need to tie my Moby wrap differently to allow her feet to hang loose but for her to be secure. I need to use it more! Also, what paci did she take? Ans does not seem to like any that we’ve tried: the hospital one, Nuk, & Mam.
I love your updates!
I feel the same way!! It never ceases to amaze me- it’s absolutely incredible to watch them grow!
I use the ergo baby wrap- I’ll send a link for that and the pacifier!!! It really is such trial and error with so many things I have found
Oops here are the links:
https://www.amazon.com/Ergobaby-Carrier-Newborn-Toddler-Pounds/dp/B075S6S6NY
https://www.amazon.com/Ecopacifier-Natural-Pacifier-Rounded-Months/dp/B07F8DC6ZQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?crid=1YM16ET7ZAK8V&keywords=eco+pacifier+natural+rounds&qid=1657721198&sprefix=ecopacifier+natural+roundd%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNlgzUTIwWVBXSEM4JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDM3MzQyRVAxOFZWMUtZMkM5JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyOTUyOTU1VjlVOUdOTDBEVk4md2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
Hahahaha that video of Moose running around! He is one rambunctious pup!
That’s INTERESTING about the pacifier. I thought people were AGAINST the pacifier but you’re saying you WANT her to use a pacifier. I remember when my friend was trying to get her little girl to STOP using one and she decided to try The Super Nanny’s method of telling her we’re going to give all your pacifiers to the fairy and she will give them to the BABIES because pacifiers are for babies. Of course her kid being her kid, she said “There IS NO FAIRY” so that didn’t work.
I had to Google that tethered cord thingie. Did I miss a post? Why did she need to be tested for that? Was she having problems with her legs? I’m glad they were able to rule THAT out. So what do they think the problem (if there is one) is?
Also had to Google social smiling and kennel cough. LOL
The pic that you said is now on your phone is THE CUTEST!!!! Where she’s on her stomach but holding her head up looking at the camera? Love it.
THAT SANDWICH!!!!! I need that sandwich.
He is such a hoot! He keeps us on our toes, that’s for sure 😅 🥰.
That’s hilarious about the fairy 🤣. But yes, it’s actually protective against SIDS and majorly helpful for soothing, thank goodness she has finally taken to it!
So tethered cord- basically if they have a tuft of hair or a sacral dimple, it can possibly indicate a tethered cord (an operable issue with the spinal cord). She only had a tiny bit of hair there, not even a tuft, but to be safe we did the ultrasound. She is so strong, so we didn’t expect anything and thankfully she is all good!
Awww it’s my phone background, I just love it too 🥰
It’s about time for me to make that sandwich again too!
Thanks for reading, Jinjer ☺️
Growing in leaps and bounds and smiling and look at her watching Daddy while she takes her bottle. You are no doubt counting each minute of the day that you can spend with her before returning to work.
She certainly is!! And yes, I’m definitely soaking up every single second 💕
Lots of pictures will be a joy to look at for all of you – Quinn will love seeing all those shots when she’s older. Scanning in all the photos from the family albums and my own has made it easier to step back in time and also use them on my blog.
Absolutely! I have thought about that.
That’s so special that you scanned in the old photos! I bet even just the process of doing that was a walk down memory lane
Yes, I’m so happy I scanned them in Mackenzie and then I only had one WordPress follower and did not interact with other bloggers, only my subscribers (all two of them). So it’s been nice to use these photographs in posts as well as just go look at them as well.
Aw I bet! ☺️ it’s so special walking down memory lane like that
Yes it is!
God Bless!
Hi Amitav!!! Thanks for stopping in, friend! Hope all is well. God Bless you too.
Hello, Marie, thank you! I am doing well. Wish you a great day! Wonderful reading your blogs.
Thanks so much, Amitav! I’m so happy to hear you’re doing well!
Ahh this post warms my heart!! She is absolutely beautiful and I love how moose is becoming protective of her. Growing up with a dog is gonna be so great for her!
It’s so great to have support during the first few months to help out at home. I didn’t unfortunately but I thoroughly enjoyed all the time I got one on one with my son and seeing him do all of his firsts! I swear it’s like I remember all of this with him like it was only yesterday, he grew up too fast 😭
Seriously though, enjoy her to the fullest! Even the hard moments.
I hope you guys had a fun fourth of July weekend. Cannot wait to see more updates from you.
Hope you’re well and have a great rest of your week!
Thank you so much, Rossy ! Yes!! Her and Moose will be best of friends, it’s so cute watching them already together !
I am so grateful for the help!! But yes those moments one on one with her are hard to beat 🥰.
Thank you for saying that and the reminder to even enjoy the hard parts!! I know this will go by in a flash!
Hope you had such a great fourth too!! Thanks for stopping in ☺️
No subtitles for me! Your two beautiful babies had me smiling through the entire post. You are so dang healthy, I couldn’t walk that far let alone run it. Seeing all these adorable pictures and videos makes me wanting another grandbaby!!!!
Awww thank you for such kind words, Diane! I have a ways to go to get back to racing, but being able to even do a couple miles helps me feel more myself :). It’s the little victories!!
Aww I hope you get that grandbaby soon 🥰- how many do you have? One thing is for sure- they can say “my grandma has the BEST recipes!”
Watching with subtitles is an absolute must! I have a hard time with dialog (especially if it gets dramatically quiet) without it!
Such precious pictures! I’m so glad she is doing so well!
Agreed!!!
Aw thanks Katy 🙂
Hello Mackenzie ! I am glad Quinn is ok accepting a bottle . Cute pic of Dad feeding Quinn ! I can imagine how bittersweet Fathers day is for you. I think your Dad is so proud of his Daughter , and making him a Grandpa in Heaven. I try not to watch tv with subtitles ! I am sure having a fence gives great peace of mind for you protecting Moose. Awww such a great big brother he is. Having a newborn, you suddenly realize how much time she needs you, It is good to have help nearby with GiGi. How sweet Moose is taking on the big brother role! It must have been so nice to see your Friend Melissa and her Boyfriend. That is good Quinn likes her Pacifier . It is a lifesaver for parents! I can see why that pic is your screensaver, adorable ! Moose did make quite the mess !! Another great post , have a great weekend, Terri xo.
He’s such a great dad, it’s incredible seeing him in this role!!! Thank you for your incredibly sweet words- mean so much. Gigi has been soo helpful! I don’t know how we went all those weeks without using a paci. Thanks for reading, Terri!! So kind of you to spend time catching up here. Happy fall! 🍁