Grammy and Grampy Visit

Grammy and Grampy came to visit when Quinn was just two weeks old. Although she slept most of the time, Quinn loved getting to meet her Grammy and Grampy for the first time. While they were here, we had fun walking around downtown Cayucos, going to Morro Bay's farmer's market and taking a few scenic drives.

Here's Quinn at two and a half weeks feeling very content in his arms. He may think he's helpless because he doesn't have any milk, but he's not. Quinn just loves to look at him and smiles the second he talks to her.



Emerson is regularly being told, "Hug her body, not her head." But, for some reason he prefers to squeeze her head. She's already one tough girly. He just loves her so much, sometimes (like 3-4 times a day) he can't restrain himself and has to squeeze. Sometimes I hear him whispering, "I love you Quinn!"

Getting acquainted with Quinn

These pictures were taken on Thanksgiving, nearly four weeks ago by Aunt Jenny. I love them!

Now Quinn is almost six weeks old and I feel like I'm really getting to know her. She's a content, peaceful little girl who loves to get her zzzzzz's. Already she's got her little routines. She nurses, falls asleep, wakes up to nurse a bit more, then has a few minutes of unease before she sacks out for about three hours. Repeat. She does this until Sean gets home at around 5pm. Around that time, she wants a little more "me" time and wants to nurse constantly. She's pretty flexible, nursing regardless of the evening task; bathing Emerson, brushing teeth or reading bedtime stories. She already seems to be very easy going.

Just in the last few nights, Quinn is starting to sleep for longer stretches. Last night she slept for 6 hours straight! Maybe the bags under my eyes will be my Christmas gift.

Introducing Quinn Katherine Waistell

Quinn Katherine was born November 13th at 4:55 pm at French Hospital in San Luis Obispo. Jamie's strength was again on display having labored for 15 hours (five of it pretty serious) and then giving birth to this 9lb 15oz bundle (exactly Emerson's birth weight). They say second deliveries go easier for the mom; who ever "they" are were wrong in this instance. The last hour and a half were comprised of intense contractions with Jamie "recovering" with intense vomiting. She was at her limit declaring that it was time for an epidural (I'm paraphrasing). The nurse started an IV line to begin the process... but that is as far as it got because baby Quinn decided an epidural wouldn't be necessary and made her debut within a couple of minutes.

So thoughtful for only 12 hours old.

About 10 minutes old with the bruises to illustrate the tough journey

Newly home with big brother

Emerson was so sweet with his new sister. Gaga (Jamie's mom/nurse) was getting ready to give Quinn her first shot with Emerson exclaiming "DON'T YOU SHOT HER!!". He was instumental in her first bath and still cannot keep his hands off her.

I'm a lucky guy.

Many more posts/photos to come in the coming months...

Emerson's 3rd Birthday

We celebrated Emerson's 3rd birthday with a little fireman party on November 11th. About 10 of his friends came over to help chase balloons through the house, play with the new firehouse and take a whack at the fire truck pinada. Emerson was so excited that his friends were there. He's talked about it so often, reminiscing about all the details.




My mom (Ga Ga) and I had fun making Emerson a fire truck cake. Before the party, he kept asking, "Mommy, do I get to eat as much cake as I want on my birthday?" It turned out to be pretty rich and he only wanted a slice, but he loved the idea of no limits.



Just before we sliced the cake, Emerson was eager to dig in. I already love the age of three!

Back in California

Well we made it back to California. After about 10 days in the car, it certainly feels good to be free and moving around. Being nearly 37 weeks, I was very ready to not be sitting anymore. There were a few times that I wondered if we would be having a Utah born baby, or a Nevada baby. Alas, we will get to have another baby here in California.

Emerson has enjoyed being back as well. Not only was he so excited to see Gaga and Gonka (yiddish?/toddler?), but also excited to see many of his old toys. He's been walking around the house saying, "Hey, I remember this boat! Mommy, you remember this boat?" He's also loved being able to roam the yard again after being a bit more contained in our fence-less yard in Miles City.

Time is such a strange thing. We've measured it in 13-week intervals since June and now it's in one week intervals until the baby arrives. To just be....right now...and not counting the days/weeks/months until an event. That is my goal.

Canyonlands National Park

Sean and Emerson in Canyonlands National Park.


Canyonland National Park was one of the last places we visited. It was a bit more severe than Arches N.P., but equally amazing. Here's Emerson on one of his many search and rescue missions. We're not sure where he gets his material, but he's pretty into his "job" when he's rescuing.

Overall, our stay in Moab was peaceful and spectacular. Our little tent trailer became our home for the week and served us well. Every morning Emerson woke up around 5:30, turned on the heater and crawled into bed with us, usually holding one of his squishy toys. We spent lots of time climbing grippy rocks and playing in the red dirt. Thank God for campground showers.

Our trip back to California

Leaving Miles City was a bit of an adventure (winter storm warnings aplenty). This was taken on the freeway between our house (hmm, where is that?) and Billings, MT. It was a slow ride, but fun to see everything covered in a layer of snow.It was snowing the morning we left Miles City... we started our trek back west with a drive across Montana with .



We had to change our travel plans the day before we left Miles City. When the forecast called for up to 5 feet of snow in Cooke City we decided we'd go further west to Gardiner, Montana with the hopes of skirting around some of the icy conditions. We ended up driving right into it. We stayed in Gardiner with the hope of driving through Yellowstone. Even stayed an extra day in Gardiner but ended being very restricted due to the weather. Beautiful and amazing none-the-less.
View from the front of our Super 8 in Gardiner.

Gardiner high school football field.

North Entrance/Exit with Teddy Roosevelt monument/arch

This was the first time I heard Emerson say, "I'm cold." It was 20 degrees so I think it was justified. And in case we were not sure it was cold, he had watering eyes from the cold with a tear frozen in mid-trickle down his cheek.


A brisk (5 degrees) Yellowstone morning just south of Mammoth hot springs.


Waistell's moving castle


Gibbon Falls near west Yellowstone entrance.


Bannock Mtn. range south of Pocatello, ID. Next stop, land of 10,000 Temples aka Salt Lake City, UT



Finally made it to Moab, UT. Very cool town teeming with outdoorsy people doing outdoorsy things. My kind of place so far... Six day/night stay at the local KOA to take in the sites and hopefully have a little fat tire fun.


Emerson and Jamie up ahead at Negro Bill Canyon trail.


Emerson on the same hike. He went from T-Rex mode (biased yes but I still say an impressive impersonation) to "search and rescue man", saving??? I don't know where he gets this stuff but he can hold character remarkably well and for oh so long.








The three gossips


Delicate Arch:



Too much hiking excitement...

Saying Goodbye to Miles City Friends

We head back to California in just a few hours. I can't believe we've been here, in Miles City, for 3 months. When we got here I had concerns about being lonely. Like most things I worry about, it never occurred. Being lonely was never an issue here in Miles City.

The saddest part is leaving our new, close friends. Saying goodbye to Shellie and Leslie was the hardest for me. Emerson and I have hung out with them at least a few times a week since the first week we got here. Without Shellie, I'm sure I would have had a lot less adult interaction and a lot more homesick feelings. It's weird to meet someone and instantly feel comfortable. From the beginning, being friends with Shellie has felt like we've been friends forever. I will certainly miss her. Meeting her has made me less concerned about traveling and feeling lonely. Now, I feel like wherever we go, I'll make friends. Today I'm more concerned about the leaving part.




Saying goodbye to Rob was tough for Sean, even though he may not admit it. They have this easy relationship that makes them seem like brothers. Because of Rob and his wife Jenille, we've seen a lot of sights and laughed until we (okay just me) almost (okay really) peed our pants. Somehow the combination just guarantees an easy, fun, memorable time. I don't doubt that we will see Rob, Jenille and their adorable Ashtyn again. Hopefully they'll come out to California after the baby is born.

Weekend in Red Lodge, MT

This was a creek just across the street from the house we stayed in. On the shore of this sight, was a giant pile of bear poop. We kept expecting to see one, but instead saw tons of deer and wild turkeys.


Whew-eee! Am I feeling pregnant! Just under 7 weeks to go. I'm wondering how my stomach is going to stretch even more. But if it could hold Emerson's giant 9.15 lb. body, it could hold this girlie as well.

Emerson had a fun time checking out the sights and in doors, playing with Ashtyn.



The down town, although very touristy, was quaint and beautiful. The surrounding mountains made me want to come back during the winter months when they're covered with snow.



We spent the weekend in Red Lodge, MT with our friends Rob and Jenille and their daughter Ashtyn. Being with them made me feel sad about leaving next weekend. We've had some really fun times together and it's a bummer that we'll be thousands of miles apart. They're people we could definitely spend more time with. We're trying to convince them to come visit while we're in California. Whatever happens, it's been nice having friends like them and I'm sure we'll keep in touch.

Strawberry Hill Hike - Learning to slow down

Last Sunday we drove about 9 miles east of Miles City to Strawberry Hill. Sean was in the mood to exert some energy and Emerson was in a paleontologist digging kind of mood. Fortunately, I was in a very slow walking mood as well, so Emerson and I strolled, well, mostly stopped to dig, while Sean hiked to the top of Strawberry Hill. Emerson kept picking up sticks and saying, "I found a dinosaur bone! Daddy gonna be so excited when he sees it!"

It can be a little challenging to get Em to move when he's in this kind of mood. I tell him, "C'mon, stop dilly dallying," and he starts cracking up at the words dilly dally. This is usually what I need when I start to get worked up about some trivial matter. It seems like I have to learn this lesson daily; I don't have anywhere to be that is crucial to our survival...relax. And so the lesson continues. Maybe tomorrow I'll learn it, at least for a moment. It has gotten easier and for that I'm relieved. When our trip first started I was wound up pretty tightly, always thinking about what needed to be done. I'm starting to feel less focused on what's next and more interested in right now. It's funny, though, even without a job, I still review my little to-do list in my mind.

Ashtyn and Emerson

We watched Ashtyn on Thursday and experienced a little of what having two kids will feel like. There was a lot of "Mine!" and "No I don't want to share!" going on, mainly from Emerson. Beyond the "Mines," they had a lot of fun together.

I had to take a picture in their Montana t-shirts, which were gifts from a patient of Sean's.

Heading west itinerary

Well we're getting close (three weeks) to heading back to the central coast for
a few months.We've had a great stay in MT and we're looking forward to the
next leg of our journey...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Miles+City,+MT&daddr=44.715514,-110.302734+to:Yellowstone+NP,+WY,+Fishing+Bridge+Campground+to:Smoot,+WY+to:Moab,+UT+to:Las+Vegas,+NV+to:San+Luis+Obispo,+CA&hl=en&geocode=%3B%3BFZX-pwIdd-lr-SHVihnhbiAQ3A%3B%3B%3B%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=5&via=1&sll=40.640505,-113.27843&sspn=17.149871,28.300781&ie=UTF8&z=5
In a nutshell, we'll be through Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP's for a
quicker than optimum visit. Then down to eastern Utah to Moab for a week
of camping. We'll be near Arches and Canyonlands NP's and also Slickrock
trail(a pilgrimage for any Mt biker; http://www.utah.com/bike/trails/slickrock.htm)
and a spectacular disc golf course along the Colorado river. Then we're back
to SLO sometime the week of Oct 20th to secure lodging, for Jamie's midwife
appointments (we're getting closer to Nov 18th!!) and generally get settled and
start work in Morro Bay the 27th.
Hope all who read this are happy and well.
-sw

The Museum of the Rockies Bozeman

Our Super T-Rex, Emerson, was pretty excited to see the life-sized, cast bronze T-Rex at the entrance to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman.


Montana is famous for its dinosaur fossils. Paleontologists have discovered seventy-five different species of dinosaurs in Montana, more than any other state in America. The oldest dinosaur fossils are found in rocks of the Jurassic Period, which are 155 million years old. They include the gigantic Diplodocus, the plated tegosaurus, and the fearsome Allosaurus. http://mathscience.mt.gov/Dinosaurcountry.html


Emerson was in heaven, growling, walking on his "claws" and asking, "How big is Emmy compared to this dinosaur?" Is it a boy prerequisite to love dinosaurs?

Bozeman, MT

We took a 4 1/2 hour drive west to Bozeman, MT last weekend. Western Montana is so much different than where we are here, in eastern Montana. It's a lot more mountainous and green.