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!