Good morning, all! How are you doing? I am determined to catch these posts up to real time here soon. Jumping right in! I’ve been trying to get creative with Quinn’s breakfasts since she’s not a big fan of oatmeal lately which used to be our go-to. I tried out some egg muffins- easy to make and easy to sneak some spinach in.

Her appetite was off that week- I don’t think she was feeling 100% and definitely teething :(. Given all this, it was hard to tell if she actually liked them.

We went on a walk that afternoon and touched the tree bark and leaves. She solely wanted to be held that day, so the outward facing carrier came to the rescue! She also got a big smile every time I did a little “zoooooom” burst with her.

^ Don’t mind the toothpaste on the strap 😆.

When we returned home we finished opening gifts. Here’s her sipping her own play mini Keurig set. How cute is this?

I’ve found lately she gets so much joy just exercising independence and mirroring the simple things I do around the house. She tries to use the broom and dust pan, mop, loads (and unloads) dishes and likes to stir the long wooden spoon with me when I cook. I try to involve her as much as possible in these seemingly mundane tasks, but she oozes pride as she she gets to try them.

A dairy update! We used the cornbread leftover from the party as the first step of the milk introduction as “baked” in dairy. I think we may be in the clear as I write this as she has been tolerating everything very well! Just a few more weeks of her trial, and then we’ll know if we’re really good to go after some testing.

I think I’m actually not tolerating the trial as well as Quinn. It’s funny, I have wanted to eat dairy again for so long and have taken full advantage the last few weeks, but my stomach is definitely off. I think I may continue to eat mostly dairy free in the day to day, but indulge in pizza, real ice cream and real cheese in smaller doses. Cause lemme tell ya, to state the obvious, real pizza is SO worth it!!!

May 9th we received the sweetest edible arrangement from Grammy and Grampy. They sent this to Quinn since she didn’t seem to love her cake, but the girl loves fruit! ❤️❤️❤️

^ Just a very special side note- the order number was majority of digits of my dad’s phone number in order. I know it could just be coincidence, but it felt like a little happy birthday nod from him to his granddaughter too ❤️. I know he would have been obsessed with his grandkids and an incredible Grandpa!

The rest of the week between work was just giving my girl lots of TLC since she wasn’t feeling great. I worked on Thank You notes as time allowed.

May 13th, we went to Bow Wow Beach to let Moose run around with the other pups. Quinn seemed absolutely gleeful watching the dogs play. There weren’t many pups there that day since it was a little more mild outside, but we can’t wait to go back on a weekend when the temps are high! Then this place will be poppin’.

Another weekend, another family walk 🙂.

May 14th was my second Mother’s Day. I couldn’t believe we were already rounding on second holidays. We started the day with a dance party in the kitchen (I’ll spare you my dance moves ;)) and then had breakfast. I treasure those moments.

We met up with Gigi, Gordie, Renee, Chris and our nephew, Ender, at Burntwood Tavern for their yummy Mother’s Day Lunch buffet!

^Anyone else’s buffet plates look like this? The plate is never big enough haha. I know some people can’t stand their food overlapping like this.

Quinnie really enjoyed the food too!

We are so blessed with the best moms- they are our role models, particularly for me as I navigate motherhood. Not sure what I’d do without them. Being able to celebrate Gigi in person this year was so fun. I LOVE that we live near them.

We also FaceTimed my mom that afternoon too ❤️.

I was craving an au lait that day, so we went through the Nervous Dog drive through after brunch.

Sweet gift from daycare 🥹.

And guesssssss what DJ surprised me with for Mother’s Day?!? A NESPRESSO! This was way above and beyond- but I’m certainly grateful! I’m tempted to make a comment about how this mom runs on caffeine, but that sounds way too much like something you’d find on a cheugy hand towel. I may be the poster child of basic and cheugy, but at least I know it?! 😄. That towel would be cute though….

Her walking really took off that week! It’s wild that as I write this only a month later, she’s pretty much running 😯.

We went on a walk in the afternoon then stopped by Sissy and Poppy’s in the afternoon ❤️.

With the weather getting nicer, I’ll pull Quinn up to an open window in our kitchen for some meals. She seems to enjoy the view! I ideally would like to eat all our meals together, but her eating time is often when I can start food prep for her next meal and cleanup the kitchen a bit. I’m trying to aim for at least one meal together a day for now!

May 15th I made these lentil cakes . I used regular mushrooms instead of crimini though.

I hung up her adorable dresses to dry from her birthday and had an emotional moment seeing how big they are compared to her little newborn clothes!

My little helper 🙂.

After unloading the dishes on May 16th, we went to downtown Cuyahoga Falls to enjoy the glorious morning.

I stopped by Asterik coffee again for an oat milk au lait 😋.

The art installation below features Kayaks. How unique is that?!

We changed into some cooler clothes as the weather warmed and then headed to Krieger to grab some groceries in the afternoon. Love this store!!

May 17th we started the day at Nervous Dog.

Then we came back and played in the nursery. All those new toys and she just wanted to play with these pens- hah!

She’s really into putting things in containers and taking them out right now. It’s fascinating to watch as she creates little “tasks” for herself.

While DJ was watching her while I got ready for bed, he took this video- one of my favorites!

He was just putting things on his head and shaking them off, and she thought it was the funniest thing in the world 😄.

For weeks, I had been craving sesame flavor for some reason. Such a random, specific craving! While at Krieger, I grabbed this Scallion and Ginger cooking sauce and have been using it in our dishes- it’s great, and definitely satisfied that craving! That evening I made a shrimp and rice dish and used this as the marinade.

May 19th Quinn woke up early with me before work. I always pray she’ll stay asleep while I get ready since she has such a long day at daycare, but if she does wake up I get her ready for the day. This day was yellow day at daycare, so I put her in one of her new yellow dresses 🥰 💛.

After work, I put together a small graduation basket for my sister-in-law. I can’t believe she’s going to college 🥺.

She and my other younger sister-in-law were so little when DJ and I started dating, so see them growing so fast puts things in perspective big time. Anyway, I wanted to share this just because it was fun and easy to put together- I was able to find everything at CVS too! I included some snacks, command strips, a hydration pack, lotion, face mask, pens, a journal, nail polish & poo-pourri (a last minute grab at the check out 😆).

For lunch on May 20th, I made Quinnie a lunch of sardines, beef crumbles, kiwi and green beans.

While she ate lunch, I made some zucchini fritters to have on hand. Making anything in fritter/patty form tends to be a hit lately.

That evening we went to The Farm (Gigi and Grandpa’s place) where Quinn ran around in the green grass I think for the first time? The weather was finally starting to turn! She beamed ear to ear as she frolicked around.

It’s so true that one of the greatest joys of parenting is experiencing the world through your kid’s eyes. Quinn definitely has made me appreciate the beauty in our every day.

That evening Amy was in town which is always a blast! While the whole fam was around the dinner table we experimented with ChatGPT. It was mind blowing… 🤯. (If you don’t know, ChatGPT is a type of AI that can write for you/create stories/etc.). I think it’s simultaneously amazing and TERRIFYING.

Anyway, we enjoyed some delicious eats followed by a homemade angel cake by our Aunt Jean! Yum!! 😋

On the way home, we played the song Bingo, and Quinn caught on to the clapping with the letters! So fun!

May 21st I started the day with an easy, go-to breakfast of Quinn’s. Beans are one of her favorite foods and usually a sure thing she’ll eat. That morning, I made her a plate of hard boiled egg with beans and raspberries.

And I started my day with a delicious Nespresso after finally getting it set up! 😋

I use the Odacio pod. Once the foamy deliciousness is brewed, I add a little bit of oat creamer with honey drizzled on top. Mmmm!

That afternoon, we had my sister-in-law’s graduation party. For the party, she had a Swenson’s food truck rented, which is a BIG deal around here! Us Ohioans LOVE our Swenson’s!!

It was such a fun time. Quinn had a blast running around the park. Here’s a sweet pic of her and her Uncle Chris!

When we got home I panicked because Quinn’s cheeks were so red, and I thought she had a bad sunburn. We weren’t outside super long, so I didn’t put sunscreen on her, but I was feeling terrible seeing her beet red face. I lathered her in aloe and breast milk (a cure all in my mind haha) hoping to mitigate the burn. Well, we gave her some time indoors and the redness totally went away. Turns out she was just a bit toasty, not burned, and I spiraled over nothing 😄😬.

Welll this is plenty long I’d say!! Slowly but surely we’re catching back up!

Questions for you:

– Thoughts on ChatGPT/artificial intelligence?

– How do you take your coffee?

<3,

Mackenzie