Quinn's first concert

We got to see a wicked-cool outdoor concert on Saturday. The young crowd really got rowdy gettin' down with band. There were a lot of little punks there with hair dyed all the colors of the rainbow. The lead singer even stage dived into the audience and stuck the mic all up in Q's face . Okay, so I (Heather) have exaggerated a little! It's just that since we're parents now, our forms of entertainment are changing. Here's what it was really like...

We did indeed get to see an outdoor concert. It was the Teddy Bear Band. They performed at Sandcastle Child Care's 25th anniversary celebration (Faith used to go there when she was a toddler and mom still keeps in touch with the founders and a volunteer who used to rock the babies). The average age of the audience was somewhere around. 2 1/2. Most of the kids had their hair colored by a temporary dye that was available at one of the activity booths.

Quinn had a blast. When the band first started playing she seemed unsure about liking it or not. But her frown quickly changed to a smile and she started moving her body back and forth rocking on my knee. One of the band members did indeed come into the audience and wanted to talk to the youngest member of the audience - that being Quinn. He asked her a question and of course she can't talk yet, so the band member talked for her.

It's funny to think that events and activities one formerly would have had no interest in could actually become engaging and entertaining when experienced vicariously though one's child. What's next, Raffi concerts? Barney's play world?
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Bonus blog entry:

Factorum opens on Friday. In a coincidence of timing, Grandma Jan wants to watch Quinn Friday night. We had toyed with the idea of going out to a movie, but even if Factorum could be considered a good date movie, it is running exclusively at the Uptown Theater. Thus, it may be more of a hassle than it is worth. Perhaps this is another to add to our list of “wait for the DVD”. If we do decide that a movie is the way to go, then perhaps Talladega Nights will be the preferred choice.

Another month another inch

Quinn turned 4 months old on Monday and had her 4 month well baby exam today. Which meant that it was time for her booster shots. She started with the oral vaccine, which made her a bit grumpy for her shots. The first shot was a little upsetting for her, but the second one was like turning on a switch. She turned a strawberry red so quickly that it reminded us of those 7^th grade science projects where you mix two clear liquids together and they instantly change colors. Apart form that though, the exam went well. Two months ago she was 2 feet tall and now she's 2 feet 2 inches. She's also gained a bit of weight coming in at 17.1 lbs. She's in the 95th percentile for height and weight and is the average size of a 6-month-old! She's moved up to size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothing.

To keep up on clothing that fits, we've taken advantage of our local Goodwill stores. They have quality baby clothes and every Thursday all children's clothing is half off. Several times I (Heather)have left there with a bag full of clothes. It's hard to justify the cost of purchasing a single new outfit for $10 when we can get 10 items for that price at Goodwill. Not only are the deals good but we've sometimes made this a social event shopping with other parents and their kids.

Last week Quinn's great grandma Josephine (Nani) came into town. Quinn found her very entertaining often laughing at her faces and noises. I made dinner at mom's house the last night Nani was in town. Mom was able to use the Noritake china that once belonged to Grandma Elholm (Quinn's great great grandmother) and had been sitting in boxes for several years - come to think of it, last time I remember seeing it was when Faith was born. Thanks to the china cabinet that we bought mom as a housewarming gift, there's finally a place to display the family heirlooms. Having 4 generations of girls all together was a very special event for all of us. With Grandma Elholm's china we had 5 generations of family at the table that night.

Spinnin' da funky Q

This photo was inspired by a David Witt character of a fellow BSU classmate who happens to moonlight as a DJ.

A 24/7 cycle

It's back to work. Heather has been back for the whole month. I however, just returned to work yesterday. So we have finally had a chance to experience our master plan of being 2 working parents with no regular day care. It would seem though that yesterday ought not be used as a measuring stick. Between the trip to the Como carousel, Quinn's afternoon with grandma and great-grandma, and the trip to the ranch to see auntie Faith's horse, it ended up being a bit different than how we had envisioned things. Plus, I still have a bit of sleep to catch up on. Regardless, it would appear that we are capable of pulling it off. We suppose that it will just be a matter of time before we know how much we like the arrangement though.

Guess what, for all the people who come here linked through bike blogs, there is finally some bike related content: I've decided to no longer shop at the "Bicycle Chain" store in Roseville. I went there some time ago for (of all things) a bicycle chain, and learned that an old classmate of mine worked there. So I had decided to make it my new home for first-hand non-specialty bike parts. But now, after having a bad experience with low quality bike parts and an unsatisfactory return policy, I have changed my mind. This is not to say they are a bad store, it's just the realization that the industry is set up in such a way that stores like this can't make it in this marketplace anymore. It's either department stores, warehouses, or specialty retailers. The utilitarian bicycle store just doesn't have much utility anymore.

Also, look for future bike content that includes the custom Quinn-wagon, and my (hopefully) completed Raleigh roadster-type bike.