Pretty In Pink

Becoming A Foodie

This week Mila tried sweet potatoes for the first time...

She wasn't exactly a fan in the beginning...
But she started to get the hang of it...
She'll be moving on to sushi in no time ;)

The Happiest Cubs Fan In Town

5 Month Montage

Mila turned 5 months this week. As you can see from the collage, she spent her day smiling, cuddling, rocking out in her first music class, and hanging with Mommy and Daddy on the patio of a Mexican restaurant.

Playing With Toys

Everyday Mila Quinn becomes more aware of the things around her. We've set these stacking cups in front of her a few times, but she showed little interest until today. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring...soon she'll be beating us at chess!

Bjorn Free

Mila has a whole new perspective on life in the baby carrier Daddy got for her over the weekend. This will make walking Harry so much easier!

Spitting Image?

Although there are times we can see a little Kelly in MQ, there is no denying her strong resemblance to Joel. In this collage there are 2 baby pictures of Joel and 3 of Mila...do you see the similarity? Click on the collage for a closer look.

Mila's Furry Big Brother

A lot of people ask how Harry has adjusted to becoming a big brother--he was our first baby after all!

He pretty much ignores Mila and she is just beginning to pay attention to him. The poor little guy has definitely seen a decrease in his walks, and when we go around the block with her stroller he is a bit skiddish since his paw has been run over a time or two, oops! Sometimes we find him hiding in the dark in our back bathroom when her cries become particularly loud.

We haven't really encouraged them to bond yet, but Harry is such a sweet and gentle little guy we're confident that they will eventually be best buddies...as soon as she stops yanking his fur in her death grip whenever we show her how to "pet" him! Come to think of it, maybe he deserves a pig ear from Smoke Daddy :)

Hi Five

While Joel is busy working, Kelly often sends him a photograph or two of MQ so he can feel close to her during a long and trying day away. After Mila fell asleep for the night, Kelly emailed him the above picture (perhaps as a gentle reminder that he was very late for dinner) with a familiar question, "Don't you just love this little patty?"

His quick melt-mommy's-heart response: "Yes, I love it more than just about anything in the world. Someday it could be hitting home runs for the Cubbies or signing presidential executive orders."

We can't fault a husband or a daddy for working long and hard for his family as long as he continues to give us such tremendous support and love.

Mila and Mommy sure adore you, Daddy!

Urban Baby

The Vander Vliet family hit the Wicker Park street fest on Sunday where we jammed to live music, shopped at the artist stands, hung out with lots of great friends, and showed off our sweet baby girl.