Lauren's First Halloween

Our little Minnie Mouse.

Her 'costume' was one of the first things to hang in her closet.

We had the matching Mickey version hanging as well to make sure there was an equal opportunity for Baby McQuinn to represent one of Disney's greatest characters.

Originally we had planned to attend a Boo at the Zoo event, but with the evening weather cooler than expected we spent our Halloween at home, snuggling our Minnie, and her pumpkin counterparts. 

A pretty perfect first Halloween. 

…and the winner is...

He won by a landslide.

I saw it coming.
Freestyle is not my forte.

Usually this is an extremely competitive event between the two of us
and I would have been pretty bummed about my loss.
Especially since a W would have tied up the score.

Currently:
Matt: 5 Wins
Sarah: 3 Wins

But I can't help but feel like a winner this year.

I think this little lady has something to do with that.


Happy Halloween!

four weeks

Our precious dolly…

… is starting to coo and take in the world around her. I love this.
… likes soothing sounds from her Sleep Sheep and the MamaRoo.  On the MamaRoo, I've been playing the ocean sound. Lauren seems to like it. I take this as a sign that she will like Cartagena.
… is beginning to show her temper. She wants what she wants when she wants it.  I wonder where she gets that from???
…likes to be on the move. In the car, on walks, shopping, whatever the activity, as long as we're moving she's content.
… is really growing… which I have mixed feelings about.
… is excited to see her Dad this weekend!

8th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest

We did it.
The tradition continues.
We were slightly concerned we wouldn't get it done,
but we didn't want to be those people…
{who have a baby and forget their past lives}

We saved it for the last minute…
the night before Matt flew back to Cartagena.
Their was minimal preparation*, so we decided to go freestyle this year.

*we didn't even clean our own pumpkins… Thanks to Mom & Dad for their help.

If you would like to participate, please leave your vote for Pumpkin A or Pumpkin B in the comment section.

May the best pumpkin win.

Bella & Lauren

Obviously, Bella was our baby before Lauren came along.
She's a little spoiled and has us convinced she is not just a dog.
So, we were slightly concerned how she would handle playing second to Little Lady Lauren.

I did some research into preparing your dog for a baby.
I introduced baby gear so she could investigate, played videos of babies crying, and attempted to not let her sit on my lap all the time as that would be baby McQuinn's spot.
The last one didn't go so well.
Bella is nothing if not persistent.
And of course, we had my parents bring home a blanket from the hospital so Bella and the other girls could be introduced to Lauren's scent.



When we came home from the hospital, Bella was uncharacteristically calm. Her greeting was not her typical boxer shake. She really didn't show a lot of interest in Lauren at the beginning. I think she was probably busy attempting to soak up her daily attention quota elsewhere as Matt and I were both a little busy.



Interestingly enough, after Matt left, Bella became interested in Lauren. She greets her each morning, which involves smelling her head, and checks on her periodically throughout the day.  She has displayed no signs of jealousy or acting out.  She is extremely gentle with her and seems to know they are destined to be best friends.
{as if she has a choice…}



I was slightly concerned about Bella feeling forgotten once Lauren arrived.
I can confidently say she is not.
She is still very spoiled.



Perfect example:
When I wake in the middle of the night for Lauren's feedings, Bella takes my spot in the bed.
When I finally return to the bed, she doesn't always like to move and give me my spot back.

And I don't make her.



Our two girls,
loved in different ways,
but each one has a special place in our hearts
and our family.

three weeks

Little Lady Lauren…

… had her three week well visit and is a healthy baby girl. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz and measured 21.25 inches. Our little babe is growing.
… enjoys herself some tummy time.
… has an amazing little smile. It makes my cup runneth over. Of course, it's not shown on purpose yet.
… is officially out of any newborn sized clothing. It pulled at my heart a bit to fold them up and set them aside.

two weeks

At two weeks...

... Lauren is exhibiting some strong neck muscles. She is working on holding the head up.
... our baby girl likes to be warm.  This is the key to sleeping.
... she does a wonderful job out and about. We are hoping this is a sign of things to come as she has quite the traveling itinerary ahead of her.
... when out and about Lauren likes to be cuddled up in the wrap. Mom likes it too! {much better than attempting to walk around with the carrier. Mama hasn't mastered moving gracefully with the carrier}
... her eyes get a little bit bigger and stay open a little bit longer every day!

catch up session: Lauren's first two weeks

Matt left Sunday evening on the red-eye.
It was a hard day.
For both of us.
It was a lot easier to speak about the next few months hypothetically when planning for Lauren's birth and our return to Colombia.
It was an entirely different feeling to actually do it.
But we did.
Matt checks Lauren out every morning on the baby monitor, I send lots of pictures through the day, and we FaceTime every night, and count each day as another day closer to being reunited as a family of three.
Thank goodness for technology.

On a lighter note,
here are some pictures of Lauren's adventurous first two weeks as a McQuinn...



Grandpa & Grandma McQuinn visited from Iowa. They met Lauren at the hospital and spent a week with us in Tennessee getting to know our little lady. We are looking forward to seeing them again at Christmas in Iowa.


Matt, my brother Tyler and both of Lauren's grandfathers attended the Tennessee vs. Georgia game. 
Lauren had appropriate game day attire thanks to Aunt Alysa.




My Uncle Dan from Texas was also in town for the game, so I had the pleasure of introducing him to Lauren.

On Sunday, Matt, my brother and father all had tickets to the Chiefs vs. Titans game in Nashville.
Lauren also had the appropriate apparel for this event.


We've also been enjoying walks and shopping trips with Lauren, bonding time with Bella, and a newborn photo session, as well as a few of our own.





Our most favorite thing the past two weeks...
...hands down...
...staring, loving, and getting to know our baby girl.
We are constantly in awe of her every move, facial expression, and feature.


Lauren has brought a new level of love and happiness to our little family.



She's a perfect fit.

a birth story

hospital from Sarah on Vimeo.

one week

We are cherishing all these special moments as we get to know our girl a little more each day.

After one week together we've learned Lauren likes movement.
She likes to be rocked & swayed.
Which means we love our MamaRoo.
She loves a bath, as long as the water is warm.
She enjoys walks.
Her goal, after being swaddled is to get her arms out.
She likes those arms out so she can put her fingers in her mouth, which is how we came to learn Lauren likes her pacifier.
Our little lady has a flare for the dramatic, but is incredibly calm and content most of the time.
The perfect mix of her mom & dad.
She is amazing.

I know I mentioned it before, but we are so in love with her.


I knew it was going to be good,
but I didn't know it would be this good.

She's here...

and we are SO IN LOVE!