A Trip Down Tammany Lane

A little update

2011-08-16T16:04:00.001-05:00

I think it's time for a little blog update. It's crazy how fast time goes by. In our last blog, Quinn was just starting to walk, now he is a running, talking, energetic little boy. We are so blessed by him daily. He is quite the talker and repeats almost everything he hears which makes me think of the song "Oh be careful little ears what you hear." (Sooo true!) He can sing the entire alphabet, count to ten and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". A few words he has learned from Daddy, "GO CARDINALS!!" and "Booyah!!" The best part is when he says "I love you". It seems anything he hears, he can instantly repeat.

I (Martha) decided to take a little time off of work, which has been a little hard, but has allowed us to plan a few trips on the weekend. We were able to go to Grant's Farm in St. Louis, and The Children's Museum while visiting friends in Indianapolis.

I have been able to get my house clean again now that I have extra time! :) I also have been doing a little crafting. I made a shower curtain for the master bathroom. (It's a stand up shower and I was never able to find a pattern I liked.) Today, I started working on the baby's room. It's interesting that I had Quinn's room finished almost 3 months before he was born, and now I'm just starting on Piper's room 6 weeks before she is due. Yikes!! I better get going.


Quinn feeding the goats at Grant's Farm.

Tammany family visiting Dora and Diego's world at the Children's Museum

Quinn splashing away in the water exhibit of the museum

Quinn's newest fascination: trains!

Driving some heavy machinery at the museum.

Lunchtime nap after a fun morning at the Children's Museum

By Popular Demand

2011-01-13T15:32:00.000-06:00

This is for all of those who do not have Facebook access. Quinn is becoming quite the walker. He took his first steps on his own on December 17th.

Walkie Talkie

2010-12-28T19:45:00.000-06:00

Here we are about to start a new year, and I notice I haven't blogged in a few months. Here is a quick update on our lives. We just returned on Sunday from an amazing Christmas vacation to Phoenix. It was great to see all of my family again, and meet our new niece Reese. I also took advantage of the opportunity to break out my shorts and t-shirts as temperatures were above 70 degrees everyday we were there. This is usually the time of the year when I ask myself what I am still doing in the Midwest. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone in Arizona, but we hope to make a return trip in the near future.
Quinn continues to make every day a lot of fun, and we do not take for granted what a blessing he is in our lives. He is getting very brave and can take 4-5 steps on his own now. It seems like every time you turn your head he will try to walk across the room on his own. It will be really fun to watch him learn to walk on his own full-time. He is also fairly vocal and says "star" and "dog" pretty clearly. I have no idea where he picked up the word "star", but he does continue to love our dog Malcolm. It's hard to believe that we will soon be planning his 1st birthday party! Here are some pics from our trip.

The Tammany Family in their Christmas gear

Quinn and Reese checking out the presents

Quinn playing on the playground

Growth Spurt

2010-09-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

It has been a little while since I've posted, but life just seems to be extremely busy these day. Quinn is hitting a really fun age where it seems he is doing something new everyday. A few weeks ago, his two front bottom teeth came in. He really wasn't fussy, so it was a bit of a surprise to feel them in there one day. This past week, Quinn and Martha came to visit me a couple of times for lunch at work. Quinn must have felt the need to impress some people because he began waving to everyone he met and also showed off his clapping. He had never really done either of those activities before, so it was really funny to see him all of a sudden be able to do everything in front of an audience. I have no idea how he learned to wave, because we never do that with him. He is also trying to interact more through his speech. At times, he will try to repeat words that we say, like dog or star.

Everyone asks if he has started crawling yet, but I don't think he feels the need to crawl. He is an expert at turning 360 degrees on his stomach and rolling to wherever he wants to go. He loves to walk when you hold his hands, so he may be one that walks before he crawls. He loves Malcolm and we have to watch him because he grabs the dog whenever he can. Malcolm does not appreciate that, but has been good about not trying to bite Quinn. Still, Malcolm stays very close to Quinn quite often, so he must not mind getting grabbed and pinched too much. We feel very blessed to have our son and are having a blast watching him change and grow into a little man.

Addicted to Coupons

2010-08-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

I know Justin is usually the blogger in the family, but I decided to share my latest addiction. I have heard several people talk about how they can get things for free or next to nothing. I didn't really think much about it until I discovered how easy it is. Thanks to Justin's mom, Lois, for bringing me some coupons when she came for a visit, and the website Clipping it with Carrie. Here is a collection of what I have purchased or gotten for free, so far.

Dark Kiss Bath & Body Works lotion = FREE ( smells amazing! )
Dial Nutriskin Body Wash = FREE
Colgate Toothpaste $ 0.55
Mini-Wheats = $0.63
Huggies Wipes = $0.83
Tide Detergent = $0.99

Walking in Memphis

2010-07-19T20:14:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we made our first real road trip with Quinn to Memphis. My parents came over from Phoenix for the occasion, as we were attending a Tammany family reunion. Everyone had a great time, and we even squeezed in a little rest and relaxation. The trip was about 6 hours of driving in each direction, and Quinn did very well. It helped that Mom and Grandma were in the back seat to keep him entertained.
As for the reunion, we got to meet many people that we did not know or had not seen in many years. The Tammany family is so spread out, that it is very rare for us to get together with everyone. In the middle of it all, we got together with our friends Jason, Miriah and Norah Denbo, and Jason's parents for lunch at Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana: delimexicana.com. Last, but not least, Quinn got to go swimming for the first time in our hotel's pool. He seemed to enjoy it, and was very relaxed. It must have reminded him of the womb. All in all, it has been a fun few days. This weekend we will be making another road trip to Michigan City, Indiana, for a friend's wedding. Here's to hoping this trip is as successful as the last!

Quinn hates Memphis traffic.

Pool Fun

Lunch with the Denbos

4 Month Check-Up

2010-06-16T18:44:00.000-05:00

Quinn had his four month check-up with his doctor today. He measured 15 lbs 12 ounces (75th percentile and exactly the same as his dad at 4 months) and 26.5 inches (95th percentile). Our little guys seems to be changing every day and can now roll over, put his feet in his mouth and attempts to talk. It is a lot of fun being able to interact with him now, but in my tired moments I do confess to missing the times when you could count on him napping for 3 hours straight. However, he does sleep from about 10 to between 5:30 and 7 most days, so I really can't complain. Plus, Martha is the one who gets up, so I must be trying to express her feelings.
Tonight, we gave Quinn his first taste of cereal. He has probably been ready to try it for awhile, but we decided to wait until his 4 month check-up. He did very well, and seemed to like it. Check out the video and pictures.

Tummy Time!

Church buddies: Quinn, Myles Yenchko, Lincoln Reents, Bode Laughlin

2 Months and Growing

2010-04-15T09:06:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow marks the two month anniversary of our little blessing Quinn. He had his two-month check-up yesterday and got his first round of shots. Unfortunately, I had a work function in St. Louis to attend, so Martha had to endure the appointment alone. Quinn did not appreciate the immunizations and got a little bit of a fever. However, with some children's Tylenol, he was back to himself in no time. Plus, he got some cool Tazmanian Devil bandaids to cover his wounds.

It is amazing how quickly time has passed, and how much Quinn is changing. He is growing like a weed and loves to try to hold his head up. He smiles a lot and still eats well. Yesterday, he tipped the scales at 12 lbs. 6 oz (75th percentile) and measured 24.25 inches long (95th percentile). We have truly been blessed with a great baby!

Almost 1 Month...

2010-03-12T22:52:00.001-06:00

Quinn is coming up on 1 month of life already. Hard to believe. He is a great baby and growing every day. We have his 1 month check-up with the doctor next week, and I am predicting he will weigh over 9 pounds. Martha is an excellent mom and being quite the trooper with breastfeeding. It's allowing me to get my much-needed sleep. We had some newborn pictures taken a couple of weeks ago by friend and photographer extraordinaire Kyle Shultz. You can take a look at a sampling on Kyle's website: www.kyleshultz.com.

Also, here is an awake shot I took of Quinn on my mom's lap when my parents were in town.

Welcome Home Quinn

2010-02-17T21:21:00.000-06:00

Finally, Quinn Andrew Tammany was born February 16th at 10:07 a.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 21 inches long. It was a good, quick labor and Martha and Quinn are doing well. We came home this evening and are now settling in. Here are a few pictures of our new addition.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-20T18:40:00.000-06:00

A lot of time has passed since my last entry, so let me give you a quick rundown of what has been going on in our lives. Towards the end of November, we traveled back to Indy and had a great time staying with our friends Brian and Raendra. On that Saturday, Brian and I headed up to South Bend to see Notre Dame play UConn. The Irish ended up losing, but it was a very entertaining game and was the first time either of us had been to a football game there. While we were at the game, Raendra had a very successful baby shower for Martha. Quite impressive for only a couple of weeks notice. Thank God for good friends! It's hard to believe it has been over a year since we moved to Illinois.

Also, over the past couple of weeks I have been broadening my resume. I have tried my hand at becoming a handyman while replacing our well pressure tank and installing a water softener. I really felt like I channeled by inner Bob Vila (which is code for turning a 1 hour job into 8 hours or so). My good friend, and Illinois State Trooper, Jeff let me try my hand at police work when I spent a Saturday riding along with him on patrol. I learned a lot of things I think I can use to avoid speeding tickets or domestic disturbances at trailer parks. Likewise, I was able to show Jeff than you can, in fact, measure the speed of a flying bird with his LIDAR. You're welcome, my friend.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Quinn over the coming weeks and that inevitable life change. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Extreme Room Makeover

2009-11-07T08:27:00.001-06:00

Well, it's not really extreme, but we did do a little more work on Quinn's room. It was a difficult balancing act between being too plain, and having it look like Mr. Bubble threw up on the wall. We used vinyl decals from dalidecals.com . They were pretty easy to apply and we were pleased with how they look. Check out the pics.

What's in a name?

2009-10-25T20:41:00.000-05:00

This year seems to be flying by and preparation for Baby Tammany is in full swing. We have barely started a baby registry, and I must admit that I'm a little overwhelmed with the choice of baby items. Neither of us have much of a clue on what items are necessities and what we can do without. Please feel free to offer advice on your "must-have" baby supplies.
Along with registering, we have been trying to decide on a name for our son. Tonight, I entered our first names into a baby name generator and it told us our perfect baby name was Tavares. We have decided to shun the name generator and choose a name that we have liked for awhile. I really wanted a somewhat uncommon name, and possible something Irish, since I have bit of an Irish heritage. With that in mind, we have decided on Quinn, which means: counsel, wise, intelligent, or 5th. All of you other expectant parents can enter your names in the generator and see if you get something better than Tavares.

Find More Baby Names

Sedona, Arizona

2009-10-13T22:36:00.000-05:00

This post is overdue, but I wasn't sure how to make a slideshow. Anyway, these are a few pictures from our vacation to Arizona in September. We went with my parents and sister to Sedona, Arizona. It has some of the most amazing rock formations you will ever see, along with a lot of strange people. If you need some fresh crystals, worship rocks or are just in need of a vortex experience, book your trip to Sedona today.

Welcome to my Crib

2009-10-13T22:13:00.000-05:00

My parents recently purchased us a crib for our new addition. (Thanks again!) I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly we were able to assemble it and, at the same time, it is very sturdy. My faithful assistant Malcolm was nice enough to be in the photo for some size orientation. Martha would like everyone to know that the baby's room is not yet decorated to her desires, so expect more pictures to come.
Speaking of "the baby", we have not yet chosen a name. We have a few we are considering, but nothing is jumping out at us so far. However, if we share a name with you that we are considering, please pretend that it is a great name even if you don't actually like it. A little positive reinforcement goes a long way it coming to such a big decision.

Congratulations You're Having a.....

2009-09-29T09:31:00.001-05:00

The final votes are in. According to the poll, 9 people thought we were having a boy, 3 a girl and 1 thought twins. This morning we found out we are having....(drumroll, please).......a BOY!!!! We are very excited, and Martha was even more excited to find out that she is further along than we thought. Her due date was bumped up to Feb 9th, rather than the 18th. Here are the first shots of our son.

Countdown to Sonogram

2009-09-26T23:07:00.000-05:00

Tuesday the 29th is the big day for when we find out if we are having a boy or girl. I guess I always just assumed that most parents wanted to know what they are having. However, it is interesting how many people are trying to convince us not to find out ahead of time. In my opinion, that just adds more stress to an already stressful time. If you like surprises that much, you should tell the doctor not to give you an estimate on your due date. Now that would be fun. Speaking of fun....place your vote on what you think we are having. The true results will be posted in a few days!

Vacation In Arizona

2009-09-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

Martha and I spent a relaxing week in Phoenix, Arizona visiting my family. It was long overdue, as it had been almost 2 years since I had seen my parents. We had a lot of good family time with a day trip to Sedona, shopping and spending time with our fast-growing niece and nephew. We also ate a lot, like any good vacation, so the kids weren't the only ones growing. Martha and our sister-in-law Amy were both working on their baby bumps, with Martha finally starting to show. We had a great time, but as usual, wished my family lived closer.

Martha, Amy and Grant

Lauren and Justin

Must Love Dogs

2009-08-30T19:35:00.000-05:00

Be careful about petting strange dogs. This guy followed Malcolm and I home from our walk and decided to camp out on our front porch. He even barked at people going by the front of our house. I'm glad our house gives off the "make yourself at home" vibe.

This was the best shot from yesterday's photo shoot with Malcolm.

So this is blogging...

2009-08-29T13:47:00.000-05:00

Today, I finally decided to take the plunge and attempt to blog. Probably for many of you reading this post, I have been virtually stalking you by reading your posts on a frequent basis. I am now returning the favor. I have my doubts that my life is exciting enough to post very often, but judging by many blogs I read, doing an entry every week is not a prerequisite.
This week, Martha and I invested in a new digital camera. Malcolm and I may do a photo shoot today to get some pictures on the blog, if I can pull him away from staring out the window and barking at joggers. Saturdays are so rough...