Pecked by Ducks

We had some new neighbors over for dinner tonight. Our au pair had met them at the playground last week and our kids hit it off. So after date night on Wednesday - we had gotten home a little early and didn’t want to go inside because the kids might still be awake and then we would have to finish putting them to bed - so we walked up the street and introduced ourselves. They seem really nice and it is always nice to have neighbors with kids of similar ages. So we invited them over for my simple Chicken Parm (which we will get around to later).

Quinn was playing Wow Wow Wubbzy on Nick Jr. when they arrived. When their little girl walked in, Quinn turned around, gave her a big smile and said “Look who’s here! I know you! I think I have seen you somewhere before!” He had this silly sideways grin on his face and I realized he was joking with her. Then, in typical Quinn style he got up to show her the play room and we let the wild rumpus start.

Meanwhile I was standing there at the kitchen counter a bit dumbstruck. Quinn had totally just made his first joke. Spontaneously, out of the blue but deliberately. I mean, he’s tried knock, knock jokes and he even sometimes gets them right, or says something that cracks us up, but without trying. But this was different, this was subtle humor. This was on purpose and flowed naturally. A little peek at his maybe grown-up Quinn personality.

I know he is starting kindergarten in September, and that he is getting too big to carry around, and all those other things pointing to his getting to be a big boy-ness, but for some reason, that little moment, that little playful joke brought it home in a way that hit differently than before. The momentousness of him growing up, or something like that.

Then, after everyone had left and gone home, it was time for bath, stories and bed. The boys were nakey and running around upstairs when all of a sudden, Quinn came running into to my office, skidded to a halt and said, “Mom, look!” I turned around and saw this.

You are going to have to bear with me because I am feeling a bit misty at the moment, but this is so typical Quinn. He loves accessories. I never know what it will be or when it will strike. It could be gloves, glasses, a hat, a backpack, black fingernail polish. It’s always something and it is always a surprise. Usually, whatever it is he insists on wearing it all day, regardless of the seasonal appropriateness of the item, and he generally insists on wearing it to sleep.

So, since I am feeling all nostalgic, I though I would take you on a little visual tour of Quinn’s accessories.

I am thinking that this is where it started.

Well, to be perfectly honest, this is probably where it started.

Um, yes, here too

He really had no chance with us doing this to him…

Uncle TA’s hat. This was his first foray on his own. I am sure it was to thunderous applause, which may be why it became his “thing”.

Quinn’s first “cool dudes”. He has always called his shades cool dudes. It is possible this is our fault because we always exclaimed “cool dude” whenever we saw him in them.

This was the first time he decided to wear something all day and then sleep in it. (This was spring time.)

Next morning, still in jammies (and hat) eating breakfast.

94° out with winter boots. Convinced him not to sleep in them because it would get his bed dirty. Compromised on a pair of daddy’s black dress socks (which came up to his diaper) and then put the boots back on first thing next morning.

This was the beginning of a 2 week stretch, where he wore glasses pretty much 24/7.

He was very upset when I needed these back.

Lunch break, glasses on head.

Backpack day. This was the only time he actually decided not to sleep in it on his own. Apparently not very comfortable.

Okay, now you are saying, wait a minute she’s just throwing in super cute pictures of her kid. Granted, I am totally not above such tactics, but this is actually a photo from sometime during the 6 days he wore this hat straight. (Yes even to sleep.) It would fall off in bed while he was sleeping, and he would wake up and demand that I find it in the covers for him and put it back on.

Ya, it was totally not raining that day.

Work goggles.

So this was his Halloween costume, which in and of itself not significant, except that it was made out of fleece and Quinn decided that the top was going to be his coat that season.

Oh, yep, here we go. Playing baseball outside with his “coat” on. Padded tummy and all.

Mommy’s butterfly wings + big boy underpants = good day.

This isn’t a great photo, and it is season appropriate, however it does show Quinn’s fleece fire gloves which he wore, yes, even to sleep for quite a while. (Although I don’t remember how long. It was an on and off kind of thing because I made him let me wash them a lot.)

Quinn’s first swim goggles. He actually only wore them when getting ready to go to the pool, on the way to the pool, in the pool, and on the way home from the pool. Then he was happy to put them in the pool bag with all of the other pool gear. He hasn’t really had any accessories to sleep with lately, although he did get a black The Clash t-shirt from his favorite neighbors for his birthday and we had to have the clothes need to be washed conversation. I can’t wait to see where we go from here.