I love New York! I am here in New York City visiting my Uncle Scott and I am having the best time. He is letting me use his computer so I can update my blog. Wasn't that nice of him? Today we drove up here in the Kia, I haven't been in that car yet....the Minivan is much nicer. We stopped at Cracker Barrel and I ate biscuits for lunch. Then we got into the city and found Uncle Scott. We went in an elevator up to his apartment and then I crawled all around on his slippery hardwood floors. Then we went to see where he works at Columbia University. There are a lot of stairs there so Daddy and Uncle Scott picked my stroller up and carried me. That was fun and scary at the same time. Then we went to a French restraunt for dinner, they were very nice to me even though I was the only little kid there.

Tommorow we might go on a boat ride and ride the subway...maybe even go to the zoo! Also tommorow I get to see Aunt Stacey, she had to work all night tonight.

I had a fun day today! We woke up early cause the speech teacher came over. I like it when she comes over cause she brings bubbles! Did you know that I love bubbles! Mommy says I am just so smart cause after the teacher blew the bubbles at me I would turn my head so I could watch them pop on the rug behind me. I guess if I wasn't so smart I wouldn't know what happens to bubbles after they leave my line of vision!

Then we got to go visit with Pat Winders and I showed off all my new tricks. She was very impressed! She said I am just doing so great and I am so strong. I love that crinkly, shiny, red paper she gives me so I will do anything to get it! I even creeped on my hands and knees a little...almost traditional crawling!

My favorite part of the day was that it was really windy! I love the feeling of wind blowing in my face, everytime we went outside I got so excited! Mommy says I am a natural born sailor!

I don't know if you all heard about my new trick. It is really funny...everytime Mommy puts my bib on I rip it off and laugh! Mommy doesn't think it is so funny, and Daddy finds it even less amusing. I think Velcro rocks! Well today Mommy put an end to my fun, she is a tricky tricky lady! She got me a new type of bib...no velcro...and I can't get it off myself! Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. These new bibs are cool though, they have a little scoop that catches my food when I drop it.

So I also taught myself another trick and this is the good kind. You know how I like to pull to standing all the time, well it was starting to hurt when I fell down. So today I figured out how to sit down for standing. I just stick out my little butt and bend my knees a little and Tada! I am sitting! Much easier than falling, and I figured that one out all by myself...no help from Mommy! Pat Winders is going to be really impressed when we see her tommorow!

This is a picture of Mommy's doctor, Dr.Zern...did you know she was a top doc?? 

Daddy still wasn't feeling well today so he stayed home from work. That was really nice cause we got to spend some quality Daddy/Quinn time together. He even fed me lunch which was okay, but the problem is that Daddy thinks my cottage cheese is yucky...so he won't feed it to me! I always have to have something else for lunch when Daddy feeds me.

We watched a lot of Star Trek and played with my toys. I am not a big fan of Star Trek, I would much rather watch Gilmore Girls. Until I learn to use that remote I don't have much of a say though. Nothing much else to report for now!

Mommy woke me up really early today because we thought the teacher was gonna come over. It turned out she had to cancel so she could take her son to the doctor...bummer. So we ate breakfast and went back to sleep. This afternoon we went to see Dr. Zern. Everyone in the office thought I was so cute and so good...and it isn't like I was the only baby there! There are always tons of babies in Dr. Zerns office. But everyone there remembers Mommy and me, I guess it is cause we are so special. Mommy says it is cause we are troublemakers! So that was fun, I love getting attention from everyone. Also I got a nice nap in the car on the way home!

When Daddy got home he still wasn't feeling great, I don't know why he even went to work! That is what sick days are for, but Daddy says he doesn't want to waste a sick day on when he isn't feeling well. I don't get it...maybe when I am older.

I felt great today, but Daddy was really sick! He couldn't talk and he didn't even want to play with me! All he felt like doing was laying around and watching football. I hope he feels better tommorow!!

Grandma Donna and Grandpop Bill stopped by and that was cool. They were dressed alike, which I thought was pretty dorky. I hope Mommy and Daddy don't start dressing alike after they have been married that long! I showed them that I could pull to standing cause I did it right in front of them. They were very impressed. That was my day pretty much, I watched the Simpsons with Daddy and then went to sleep.

Tommorow my teacher comes over in the morning. Then me and Mommy are gonna go visit Dr. Zern! I love her, she delivered me so she was the first person I ever saw, plus she saved Mommy's life...horray for Dr. Zern!!!

Today I felt much better, but Mommy and Daddy were both sick! We didn't go out or really do much because they weren't feeling up to it. I played with my toys and pulled to stand on almost everything I could wrap my hands around! I am getting really really good at that. I also got myself into sitting more times than I could count today. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, cause I can't count....but it was a bunch of times! I cannot wait to go see Pat Winders next week so I can show her all my new tricks.

I used my new tooth to eat cheese curls and that made it a little easier. It is still not all the way out and I won't let anyone look at it. In case you are wondering why I didn't get to go to Grandma Jan's house today like I usually do, it is because she is in Ohio visiting Great Grandma Hattie. I wanted to go spend the night with Grandma Donna instead, but she is in Virginia visiting a cave! Oh well!!! Usually they fight over me, but I am totally Grandmaless this weekend!

Guess what I did today?? I grew a tooth!!!! Can you believe it? There is this sharp white thing poking out of the middle of my top gums. Mommy got very excited when she saw it this morning, she started hugging me and crying and then clapping. She said soon I will get to eat steak for dinner just like Daddy!

My teacher came over this morning, but not to play with me. She wanted to talk to Mommy about my services and stuff. So I just crawled around and played. They were ignoring me so I decided to show off and I got myself into a sitting position all by myself! I have been trying to do that for a while, but this is the first time it actually worked. Miss Dorothy was very impressed, she cheered for me!

After she left Grandma Donna and Grandpop Bill stopped by for a quick visit. It was great to see them, but it was my naptime so I was a little sleepy. I let them look at my tooth though, they were also very excited about it.

After my nap I went to see Dr. Crawford so he could check my croup. We went to his fancy Columbia office this time. It was just like the Catonsville office, but it had fish!!! I really liked watching those cool fishies swimming around. He said I looked pretty good for a croupy kid. He looked at my new tooth and said it looked great! I weighed 21 lbs 4 oz. I get to go back and see him in another month for my 18 month checkup.

Those steroids the doctors gave me must have really made me stronger! I have been pulling to stand all over the place today! See the picture Daddy caught of me below. I had an okay day. I slept a lot and played a little. Mommy cancelled my PT and we just hung out as a family. They put a humidifier in my room so I hung out there a lot. I only coughed a little today and didn't have any gasping so that is good. I have an appointment to see Dr. Crawford tommorow afternoon, so he can check me out good. Mommy thinks I am feeling good enough for my teacher to come over tommorow, so that should be fun. I almost clapped my hands tonight, but I changed my mind. I just don't think I am ready for that yet!

Mommy had to cancel my appointment with Pat Winders for tommorow cause they don't let sick kids into Kennedy Krieger (kinda wierd for a hospital). Luckily we get to go see her next week instead, and at my favorite place! Her office that we almost never go to has tons of windows and is really cool! I can't wait!

Quinn really standing in his crib!

We just got home from the Emergency Room, it has been quite a night! I am okay, apparently I didn't just have a normal cold, I had Croup!!! This afternoon I started to make some gaspy sounds along with more coughing. Mommy was worried about me, she canceled my OT so I could have the day off. When Daddy got home it got much worse so Mommy called Grandma Jan (she is the closest expert mommy). Grandma came over and told Mommy she should call the doctor. Mommy held the phone up to me while I was gasping and the doctor said "Mom, get that baby to the hospital right away!" So we went to the hospital and the nurse was like "Sounds croupy to me". The doctor came in and said "Yup". The gave me a breathing treatment and Mommy held a tube in front of my face and smokey stuff came out of it. That wasn't too bad, but then they looked in my ears and said "Clean em' out"....boy did that suck! They squirted tons of water in my ears to get all the wax out and I screamed the whole time.

The doctor came to check on me and said I needed another treatment and I had to wear a mask this time. I really didn't like that mask! I screamed and cryed the whole time, but when it was over I felt much better. I layed on my belly on the hospital bed and went to sleep. They made us wait 2 whole more hours before the would let us go home, but I slept the whole time. It was not a fun night and I am so glad it is over! The good news is that since we didn't get home till after midnight, Daddy gets to call in sick and stay home with me tommorow!

The doctor said lots of kids get Croup and it is not a big deal. He said I should get better in a few days and that if I start gasping again I have to go back to the hospital. Lets hope that doesn't happen again!!!!

This morning when I woke up all that stuff that was in my nose last night was running down my face! It was gross and cool at the same time! I had to get up early even though I didn't feel good because the speech teacher was coming over. Mommy said I was a real trooper cause I was good even though I felt bad. The ST tested me by holding up a bowl and a spoon and telling me to get the bowl. I did, then she tested me over and over...get the spoon, get the bowl....I got it right every time. Mommy was really suprised cause she never taught me those things and I don't even come in contact with bowls that often! I don't know why she is suprised, I am one smart little guy!

Besides that the rest of the day really sucked. I felt really sick, I coughed and sneezed a lot. Everytime that I was in my excersaucer and sneezed I would hit my head on one of the toys, not funny! Plus when I tried to talk my voice came out sounding really wierd. I hope I feel better tommorow, I am so over this being sick thing!!!!

When I woke up this morning my nose was all stuffy and I was pretty cranky. No fever this time though. If this is teething those little suckers better make an appearance soon! This is really trying my patience (Mommy's too). So I didn't really feel like eating today, or playing, or anything else. The only thing that made me happy was playing with Portia and watching TV. Mommy gave me some medicine and I took an extra long nap, that helped a bit. Grandma Donna came over for a little while and that was a great distraction. She brought me a present! It is the same school bus toy that my teacher had brought over before. It plays the wheels on the bus song and I love it! I played with it the rest of the night until it was time to go to sleep. I really hope I feel better tommorow, today was a rough day!

I had a fun day today. I got to hang out with Daddy this morning, which I always love doing! We watched the football game but the Ravens lost, it made me want to cry too Daddy! After the game we went out to dinner with Grandma Jan to celebrate Mommy's birthday a little belatedly. We went to Red Lobster and it was lots of fun. Grandpa Don walked me all around and even showed me the lobster tank. I guess he didn't think I was gonna stick my hand in, he was wrong! I just wanted to wave Hi to the lobsters! At dinner Grandma ordered me my own plate of french fries, I ate almost all of them myself! Then for dessert she ordered me some ice cream. It was yummy, I didn't even have to share it with anyone and I was the only person at the table who got dessert!

Oh yeah, Grandma tried to feed my some of her fish.....yucky!

Quinn almost standing in his crib! Daddy found him in this position this morning! 

Today was cool. I went over to Grandma Jan's house and we hung out. I got to play with all my toys over there, but they blocked the VCR, so I couldn't play with that. I ate Spaghetti O's for dinner and they were okay, they would have been better if they had those mini hotdogs in them. I went for 2 walks with Grandpa Don and I really loved that. Grandma got me a book about stinky stuff, it was pretty funny. Tommorow we are going out to dinner with them for Mommy's birthday, fun....fun....fun!

I felt much better today! I was still a little cranky but no fever! Mommy said I scared her cause she thought she heard my coughing this morning, real early. She ran into my room, but I wasn't coughing, I was STANDING! I was standing up in my crib all by myself for the first time and I was laughing cause I thought it was so funny! Mommy said that if I was standing by myself, I must be feeling better. She was right, I do feel better.

Cause I wasn't sick anymore we all went to the mall. It was fun. We bought my Halloween costume at Old Navy. I am gonna be an Astronaunt! Mommy wanted me to be a froggy, but we went with Astronaunt cause there is no hood or hat, I really don't like to have stuff on my head! Maybe next year I will be more cooperative about that. After we got my costume we went to the Outdoors store and watched the fish for a while. I love doing that! Then we went to Don Pablos for dinner. I got to play with straws and eat ice cream. Tommorow I get to spend the day at Grandma Jan's!

I have got to say that my first day back at home from the beach was not the greatest. I just didn't feel well all day. Mommy finally took my temperature and I had a fever! It was 100.9, whatever that means. I took some medicine and went to sleep early. I hope I feel all better tommorow cause Daddy has the day off! I wanna get to play all day with him. This is my first fever and it really sucks. The nurse Mommy called said it was probably nothing and that maybe it means I am teething! Hopefully that is all it is.

My First Beach Vacation.....by Quinn Banta

I just got back from my first beach vacation ever, and it was the best! I had a great time. We went to Ocean City, Maryland and stayed right on the boardwalk.

Our hotel room was huge and it had a room for Mommy and Daddy and one for me. My room had a ceiling fan in it, could I get any luckier??! Half the floor was tiles and I thought that was pretty neat, I liked the sound it made when I slapped it with my hands. The closet in Mommy and Daddy's room had doors made of mirrors. I kept crawling over to them so I could look at myself in the mirror. I am one cute baby! There was a huge bathtub in our room and I got to take a bath in it, but Mommy said I wasn't old enough for bubbles. I also had to take a shower with Daddy a couple of times cause I was so sandy. That was okay because the shower was huge too, and it had 3 shower heads in it! We had a balcony that overlooked the Ocean, I didn't use it much, but Mommy and Daddy would sit out there after I went to sleep.

The day we we got to the beach I was so excited! As soon as we got out of the car, I could tell we were someplace special! We went for a long walk on the boardwalk and saw so many neat things. Rides, games, kites, people, seagulls. It was really cool! We went all the way to the end of the boardwalk and had dinner at a fancy seafood restraunt overlooking the bay. I had to sit in a regular highchair like a big boy. I did a really great job sitting in it and Mommy said she was really proud of me! The best part was that we got some yummy ice cream on the way back to the hotel and Mommy gave me most of hers! I was so excited by my day that it was hard to fall asleep, but Mommy said it was important because tommorow would be even more fun!

She was right! The next day we went and played on the beach and that was so much fun! Daddy ran right into the ocean and spent the whole time boogie boarding. Mommy and me hung out on the beach and played. She brought me a bunch of beach toys to play with and the sand was really neat. Mommy said she was extra proud of me cause I knew not to eat the sand. I crawled all around our little area and watched all the kids playing. I also really liked watching the seagulls and would get all excited when they came near me. After that we walked down the boardwalk again and got some really yummy french fries. Mommy brought ketchup to put on hers and Daddy made fun of her. Me and Daddy are real Baltimorons so we ate our fries with just Apple Cider Vinegar on them, Yummy! I can't wait until I get some teeth so I can have crabs and Fishers popcorn too! Beach food rocks!

The next day we went to the pool instead of the beach. That was really fun! The pool was a lot calmer than the ocean so I got to go swimming too. Mommy put me in the floaty thing she got for me and let me float around the pool almost by myself! I loved it, I kicked my legs and splashed the water with my hands. It was officially the kids pool, so there were lots of kids to watch. Plus Daddy had the best time cause there was a waterslide and a lazy river. I did the lazy river, but I am not old enough for the slide yet, maybe next year. I really loved swimming and I can't wait to do it some more. The warm water really relaxed me so I fell asleep right in my floaty! Mommy took me out and we lay on a lounge chair and slept while Daddy played in the pool some more.

The next day we went to the beach again, but this time I wore a swim diaper so I could get wet. I did go wading a little and I really liked it until a big wave came a splashed me in the face. I did not like that one bit! I cried and Mommy made me feel better, we went back and I played with my beach toys for the rest of the time.

The rest of our trip was just a big blur of the Ocean, the Boardwalk, restaurants and fun! I loved every minute of our vacation and can't wait to do it again!!!!

Quinn loved all of his beach toys! 

Quinn didn't even mind getting his feet wet! 

Eating his first Ocean City Thrasher's fry! Yummy!

Playing with his shovel. 

Hanging out at the beach. 

Quinn loved the beach! 

At the beach. 

Quinn really enjoyed his graham crackers when we went out to eat, it was a little messy though. 

Quinn loved his new floaty! 

Swimming in the pool. 

Quinn trying to break into the hotel safe. 

Today was a very busy day. My teacher came over this morning and we had a good time playing. She was very impressed by the cardboard desk Mommy made me and we did most of our playing with me in the chair at my desk. For lunch I ate cottage cheese for the first time. When Mommy put the first spoonful in my mouth it felt so wierd that I put my hand in my mouth and tried to pull the cheese out! But then I realized that it was okay, after examining the stuff on my hand pretty carefully. Plus Mommy really loves me so she got the kind of cottage cheese that comes with pineapple to mix into it! It made a pretty good lunch and was really filling. After lunch Lindalee came over. She said it was okay for now that I get out of sitting how I do, just as long as I don't do it that way till I'm 30! She tried to get me to cruise the sofa, but once again...I wasn't in the mood. I did want to climb on the sofa so she helped me do that. She also said that ballons are the #1 choking hazard for babies. I used to like Lindalee, but if she keeps putting stuff like that into Mommy's head, we aren't gonna be friends much longer!!!

Tommorow we are gonna go "Down the Ocean, Hon!" at least that is what my teacher said Mommy should say. That is apparently what Baltimorons say when they are going to Ocean City. I can't wait to play in the sand, watch the seagulls, eat french fries, and explore our hotel room!!! Fun, fun, fun! I am so excited I could pee my pants! Oh wait, I'm 16 months old, I always pee my pants!

I won't be able to update for a while. But I will be back soon, and I will have pictures!

Well today was lots of fun as usual. I had some difficulty pooping this morning so Mommy made me drink lots of water and eat twice as much bran cereal with breakfast. All I can say about that is, it worked! I went like five times today!! The whole water thing kinda backfired though cause when I got up from my nap I spit up all over Mommy, twice.

My OT came over and I showed her how I can drink really great out of the straw cup she got me. She was very impressed! I wasn't really in the mood to do much else though and was kinda mean to her. I ignored her a little and pushed stuff away when she tried to show it to me. She finally just gave me a book and let me read it by myself, it was a neat book. Tommorow my teacher and my PT are coming over! And on top of that I have to pack for my big beach vacation! I am gonna be a very busy little boy!

Today was fun. The Speech Therapist came over, but we were still asleep cause we didn't know she was coming! So I missed speech...oh well, these things happen. To make up for it Mommy played with me extra today! I sat in my chair at my desk and Mommy tried to teach me how to pet Portia. I get what she is trying to say, but I would rather just pull her hair. Then we played Patty-Cake for a really long time, but I still don't feel like clapping myself.

The big thing that happened is that when Mommy came in my room to get me after my nap, I was sitting in my crib! That is the first time I ever got into sitting all by myself. I was laughing too cause I thought it was pretty funny to be sitting alone in my crib!

Grandma Donna came over tonight and brought me two boxes of clothes from Shawna! There were some pretty cool things in there, like light up snow boots (but it is gonna be a while till I can fit in those). There was also a bunch of bathing suits that will be great for when we go to the beach! I can't wait to go to the beach!

Today was Labor Day so Daddy got to stay home from work! Hooray for Labor!

We went to Trader Joes and bought some cool organic food. The best part was that they had free ballons there! I am just such a lucky kid cause everywhere I go people give me ballons. I loved it, and I played with it the whole car-ride home.

After that we went to Bertuccis for dinner and I ate lots of cheese curls, bread, and a little pizza crust. It was an okay place, but no ballons :( Then we went to Target cause we had to return something.

A couple of updates that I forgot to tell you all about yesterday. Mommy cut off all of her hair! She looks really different, but she is still my Mommy and I love her. It is also all flippy in front so it is even easier for me to grab! Also, Daddy installed a new gate that blocks me from going into the dining room all the time! I guess that is the end of my explorations for a while!

I went to a birthday party today and it was lots of fun! Grandma Jan came over and got me and took me to her friend's baby's two year old birthday party. I got to play outside with a bunch of other little kids. There were tons of balls there, my favorite type of toy. I even got to eat Ice Cream!! It was great.

After that we went back to Grandma's house and I crawled everywhere and explored everything. Grandma can't say no to me, so I even got to play with the VCR again! I set it up to record something...not sure what! Mommy says I am just like my Daddy cause I am obsessed with electronics.

Did I tell you all that I figured out how to get out of sitting? I just lean forward on my hands, pull my legs around, and viola! I'm on my belly! It works for me, but my PT isn't thrilled with it. Give me a break, I'm an original!

We went over to Grandma Donna's house today. It was lots of fun! My sponsor aunt from the Naval Academy was there, her name is Barbara and she is really cool. She had on a Spongebob shirt and everything. We played together and it was really fun. I crawled all over Grandma's house and even got into the kitchen a couple of times. She gave me a wooden spoon and some tupperware to play with. I have lots of real toys there too, but Grandma knows what I really like! I also got to play with an old ballon that they still had from when Cousin Sam was there. I kept grabbing it and squeezing it, and I must be really lucky cause it didn't pop! I even got to have ice cream for dessert, what a perfect day!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today was Mommy's birthday, she is 28 years old, that is really old! To celebrate we all went to the State Fair. It was lots of fun. I saw baby animals, lots of cows, and a swimming pig! It was pretty hot out, so we got to have ice cream and I ate a whole lot. ABC News 2 was giving away free ballons and I got one. I had the best time playing with it after Mommy tied it to my stroller. It was a great day, I gave Mommy a big happy birthday hug as soon as I saw her. I hope that is a good enough present for her....I am kinda broke right now.

Today was pretty good. I watched the Wiggles and it was a pretty cool show. We saw a clip of them on Regis and Kelly this morning and I liked it, so Mommy put the whole show on for me later. Lindalee came over, but I didn't feel like showing her how I can cruise the sofa. I did show her my new favorite thing to do though. I like to stand next to the sofa and bang on the cushions with my hands. Mommy sits with me and we both do it, it is so much fun!

When Daddy came home we all went out to Red Robin to get Mommy's free birthday burger. I wasn't in the mood for fries, so I just ate cheese curls...and quite a few bites of Mommy's free birthday sunday, YUM! Then we went to the bookstore, where I had a nice big poop. Mommy was worried everyone would hear me grunting cause the store was so quiet. Relax Mom, I'm a baby, I can poop wherever I want!