Finnley eating Solid Food

Merry Merry

SnowDog 2009

Batman and Daddy playing snow-frisbee in a local field...Batman LOVED every second of it!!!

LET IT SNOW...

let it snow....let it snow!

Totals are in! We received somewhere between 20 and 22 inches of snow. What??? It is unbelievable. The Philly area hasn't had a storm like this in 100 years. And, this is a record snowfall for the month of December. We love it! Well, I love it. Matt is out shoveling and trying to un-bury us...so he might not love it as I do. And the dog? Well, he loves it...mostly. The only thing he doesn't love is that the snow is so high that it causes pooping problems. He can't squat because the snow is already touching his behind. Poor boy! Daddy is going to clear him an area in the yard to take care of business. Nice daddy!


The one highlight for my lovely? He was able to borrow from one of his dealers a pickup truck with a plow on the front. That helped to keep the driveway clear! And the neighbor's driveway clear. And the old lady down the street's driveway clear. And...well, you get the idea.

Some pictures are included to help you understand what we were in for here...enjoy!




For ALL of the snow photos, click on the following links: Snowstorm December 09 and Snowdog 09

Reading

Reading magazines used to be one of my favorite things to do on a wintry day...or on a not so wintry day. I just liked to relax on the couch with one, just like I like to relax with a latte' on a regular basis.

Reading magazines has certainly become much more interesting since Finnley's arrival. I no longer have the "free time" to lounge like I used to, and even if I do find a free minute to peruse a new periodical...well, you can see how it all works out for me.

Finnley has become a real fan of magazines, though...even at her young age!

Newsworthy

What is newsworthy in our lives these days? Well, not a ton...but enough! Finnley has started to giggle more often when NOT being tickled. This is huge. She giggles when you play a clapping game with her, and when you fly her up in the air, and when you eat her feet...lots of things. You never know when you might get her going. She has also started eating solid foods! Not a lot at a time...but it is a start. So far we have tried rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Her favorite so far? Sweet potatoes...must be daddy's daughter! Lord knows mommy HATES those things! Blah! But, the baby version sort of smells like pumpkin pie...so I don't mind serving them up so much. We have gotten rid of the incline wedge and Guardian Sleeper in Finn's crib. She now sleeps bundled up in her Sleep Sack, and that is it. And? Each night she manages to somehow spin herself in a half circle so she winds up facing the opposite direction in the morning...how? Not sure. She has her secrets, I guess. Lastly, Peanut is practicing sitting up like a big girl...all by herself! She has the "tripod" down. Mommy sits close by to catch her when she weebles, wobbles, and then falls down...but she can last up to a minute or longer sometimes! Such a strong wee one! I am sure that there will be a lot more to update in the near future...and forever as we watch her grow and develop. Each new step is such fun and is such a joy!

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

but my babe is soooo delightful!

Four Months and counting...

Finnley hit the big four month mark on December 1st! We just had her four month checkup at the ped's office yesterday, and all went well. Finnley weighed in at a whopping (work with us here) 11 lbs and 13 oz. She is steadily gaining at least a pound a month, and that is all good in the medical world. She meets the 10th percentile for weight for her age. She also came in at 24 and 1/4 inches long! Wow! That puts her in the 50th percentile for length for her age. So, still long and lean...tiny but mighty! We will take it!

Our little Peanut is meeting all of her developmental milestones, and that makes the doc and her parents quite happy. Dr. Sarah mentioned that Finnley is VERY strong...great head control, great ability to lift her head and chest off the floor, great job at bearing all of her body weight when she is "standing", etc. We were impressed already, but it was nice for her doctor to be impressed, too. You know, an unbiased opinion.

I need to mention that the worst part of the checkups are the vaccinations...no one likes to see their baby shot or to see them cry. So sad! But, Finnley was a trouper and quit crying right after her fourth and final shot when mommy picked her up and held her. Good girl!

New things:
we get to start solid foods!!!
we did this yesterday. at least three or four "bites" made it in. yay!
Finnley loves her exersaucer. Loves it!
Finnley loves her Kickin' Coaster bouncy seat thingy
we got our first non-tickle related laugh / giggle...awesome!

I am sure that I am forgetting something...but my mind is mush at the moment. Just had to take a "break" to bathe the Peanut after another "reflux moment". That is so NOT NEW! We went almost three full days without an incident...and now Peanut has gotten sick 6 times in 5 days. Oh, joy! One day we will be talking about how the reflux suddenly went away...and we very much look forward to that day!

Speaking of looking forward to things...very much looking forward to spending the First Christmas with our little babe. She won't "get it" this year, but it will still be quite special for us. She adores the lights on the Christmas tree, and that is enough for me!

Giving Thanks and What-not

It has been awhile, huh? I have been slacking! I would have loved to have posted over the Thanksgiving holiday, however, I was at my parent's house in the way far out suburbs of Chicago...and they have dial-up. Dial-up! It is like dying a slow painful death just trying to even get to a website, then like doing it all over again once you actually get a site to open up. So...a delay. But, I am here now.

So much to be thankful for this year. The obvious? My family. My beautiful, wonderful, funny, crazy, miraculous family. That including my precious baby girl who was five years in the making. That including my strong and silly husband. That including my perfect big-little cooky dog. Love. Love them all. Love them all so so much. Ahhhhh....

What is new? Finnley was baptized over the holiday. We were honored and blessed to be able to have her baptized in the church where Matt and I were married by the pastor who married us. It was special. Our dear friends Karen and Dave were able to attend the event and serve as Finnley's God parents. We couldn't be luckier to have them be Finn's other set of "parents". She is a loved little girl. It was also great to be able to have a lot of family and other friends in attendance. Thanks to all who helped us celebrate that special day.

What else is new? Our friends Jen and Troy came out from Philly to go to the Bears vs. Eagles game in Chicago with us. What a blast! So happy that they could join us and that they could also be a part of Finn's special weekend.



What else is new? Well, in the world of Finn:
she is rolling over. sometimes. seven times to be exact.
she sits up with assistance. holds that head up strong and proud.
she really does a great baby pushup during tummy time.
she has started to grab objects and pull them to her mouth / play with them.
she has giggled. not often. not consistently. but, it is the cutest damn thing!
she scoots. on her back. pushing with her feet. sometimes in a circle.
she loves to be naked.
she loves to have her diaper changed. see above.
she is still tiny, yet mighty (11.4 pounds)
she rolls from her back onto her side...and sits there. she likes her side.
she sleeps through the night. every night. GOOD GIRL!
she still has reflux. she still hates to puke. we still hate it, too. poor baby.

We are so looking forward to this Christmas. This first Christmas with our baby girl. It will be a grand time, to be certain. She and her "brother" Batman can't wait to show off their special holiday photo, too. Oh, the fun those two have!

Hope you all had a grand Thanksgiving and are enjoying your time leading up to Christmas / whatever holiday that you might celebrate. Come back for more photos throughout the holiday season....there are sure to be plenty!

Happy Birthday to our First Baby!

Happy Birthday, Batman. You are six years old today, on this Friday the 13th of November, 2009. You were our first baby, and we love you dearly. You have grown in our hearts every year that you have been with us. You have brought us such joy and so many laughs. Here is to you, buddy! You are tops!

Love - Mommy and Daddy!

Mostly Pictures

Sorry for not having a ton to say, but I am sick. Blah. Sick. Blah. Temperature for three days and counting. Sinus issues. Coughing stuff up. Headache. Tired. You know. Blah.

Matt and I just enjoyed a fabulous getaway to NYC for the weekend. We were there Saturday and Saturday night. My sister in law Kim was kind enough to come out and spend that time with Finnley. Both really enjoyed it, I believe! NYC was a lot of fun. Well, outside of me winding up sick on Sunday morning. Matt and I walked around all day on Saturday and then went out for a great dinner on Saturday night. Loved just spending couple time together.

Finnley is growing and thriving. She has rolled over THREE whole times now. That happened over the course of two days, and I haven't seen her do it since. She is messing with mommy! She will get there, though. She is also sucking her thumb like it is going out of style. And...she is starting to more consistently sleep through the night. The night before last she slept for 8 hours. Last night? She slept for 10.5 hours straight. Are you kidding me??? I think she knows mommy is sick and is trying to do me a solid. I will take it! Peanut is getting closer to 11 pounds now, but the reflux still rears its ugly head just about every day. We have tried removing the rice cereal from her formula (due to gassiness)...but that did nothing for her. She still puked and still had gas...and she ate less. So, back to adding rice cereal! One day the reflux nightmare will be over. And one day I won't be sick. One day...

Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Halloween!

We are having a fangtastic time on this boo-tiful day! Well, it is raining right now...but it is going to be 73 degrees. Not all bad. No trick-or-treating for us. Peanut is still too little. But, we thought we would at least get into the "spirit" of things anyway!

Photo Montage...because I am just THAT cute!

Twelve Weeks

So, I am twelve weeks. Still tiny. Still mighty. I smile all the time these days. I love when my mom says "puh-dunk-a-dunk". I love when people slap there tongues around and make fools of themselves for me. I have slept through the night TWICE! I am pretty awesome.

Evolultion of a Smile

It starts with daddy. Add a rattle. Shake it. Make it pretend to explode like a bomb on the lips. Shake it some more. Make funny noises with your tongue. Shake it again. And, voila'! Smiles! Doesn't get much sweeter than this!

And so she grows...

A little over two months old now and our Peanut is starting to "fill out". She is actually getting some pudge to her cherub cheeks. I love it! She is starting to smile, although we are still waiting for it to happen more frequently...because that smile could melt an iceberg! She is cooing and squeaking like a mouse.

And?
And?
And?

She is starting to push her chest up off the floor and lift her head up! Oh my! What a big strong girl! Mommy couldn't be more proud.

And?
And?
And?

Mommy is also feeling so much better. And, I REALLY love being Finnley's mommy. It isn't always easy, but it is definitely worth it. I can't wait to see what each new day brings as far as her development is concerned. She is more awake and responsive all the time. Pretty cool to have the privilege of witnessing all that she accopmlishes along the way to becoming a big girl.

Two Months Old!

Two months old already. Hard to believe! Time goes by slowly, but it also seems to fly. Crazy!

Finnley is doing really well. She is now 9lbs 2 oz and is 22 inches long. She is in the 10th percentile for weight, but the 25th to 50th percentile for length. Long and lean. Nothing wrong with that.

Developmentally she is right on track. She is just starting to responsively smile, which is awesome. Cutest thing ever! She is great with her head and neck strength, and her legs are so powerful!

Reflux is still in our lives, but it isn't the end of the world. Finn spits up a full bottle up to once or twice a day, but every once in awhile we skip a day or two...wow! One day it will be gone for good, and we will all be celebrating!

She doesn't go back to the pediatrician again until 4 months. Sheesh! At that point we will talk about starting to introduce some "solid" foods. Can't wait for that! Messy but fun! Batman will be thrilled!

The pics are of our little "Rocker Chick" this morning. What a peanut!