Birthday Wishes

8:39am. August 1st, 2010.
One full year since our little miracle entered our lives. One full year since we celebrated an event that we truly felt might not ever be ours.

It is almost hard to believe she is here. That she has been with us already for 365 days. Especially since she had lived in our hearts and thoughts for so long before that. We are blessed for sure.

With celebrations of birthdays come the crafting of birthday wishes. Finnley isn't quite old enough to understand what it is to make a wish. Or what it is to yet hope for anything. So, this year, I will do the wishing for her...because everyone deserves some wishes and hopes and dreams.

My birthday wishes for Finnley:

to never go a day without realizing that she is loved

to never feel she is not good enough

to never know what it is to be hated

to fall in love

to gently break hearts if she has to do the breaking

to quickly recover if her heart is the one that is broken

to give with all that she has and is

to not be afraid to receive as well

to be affectionate

to know she is beautiful in every possible way

to not be afraid to laugh at herself

to appreciate the simple things

to work to figure out the complicated things

to get up when she falls

to learn from her mistakes and to proceed with grace

to take chances despite the risk of failure

to never feel she must compromise her beliefs to achieve something

to be whatever she aspires to be in life, regardless of how many times that may change

to find comfort in her parents' home always

to outlive her parents by years upon years upon years

to never stop knowing how much she was wanted

to never stop believing she is a miracle in her parents' eyes

to just be happy

Happy 1st Birthday, Finnley Piper Ritter.
My Peanut. My Love. My Silly Heart. My Princess. My Sweet Baby Girl.
May all of mommy's wishes for you on this day come true, and may all of your future wishes for yourself be delivered to you in time as well.

Another one for the bag o' tricks!

HOW BIG IS BABY FINNLEY????


BABY FINNLEY IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO BIG!!!!


(note: gotta love the chip attached to the tip of her nose, too. ha! such style!)

Leaving, on a Jet Plane...

Ok, well...not actually on jet plane. More like in a Subaru Outback. But, leaving nonetheless. The family, dog included, are all piling into the car tomorrow morning and heading out of town. We will first stop in the Columbus area to celebrate birthday tidings with the in laws. After that, we load back up and head out to Chicago. We will be there for a good number of days, and we will ring in the beginning of Finnley's second year on Sunday, August 1st...surrounded by family and friends.

Wish us luck on the road trip. Nothing screams awesome more than traveling cross-country with an almost toddler and a dog while the country experiences record heat and humidity. Ahhhh!

During our "absence", please enjoy these photos of Finnley taken today...one short week before she officially turns ONE!

Our baby. Our miracle. Our peanut. Our love.

Finnley as the Rah-Rah Girl

Finnley loves to dance. Dance like the sweet little white girl that she is. She particularly loves to dance to a few special and specific Lady Gaga lyrics (with a minor adjustment made to the ending). So, like any good mommy...I sing them. All. Day. Long. And, like the funny baby that she is, Finnley proudly shows her move every time.

A future in dancing for her? Maybe. A future in singing for me? Probably not.

Untied and Updating

Raising a child is not easy. Day to day life is sweet but challenging. Now, add in surgery to an oft used and quite necessary body part...and that day to day stuff is down right impossible. Thanks to the help of my mom and dad (aka Grandma and Grandpa), and to my wonderful husband...we have all managed to survive. Mostly unscathed. I think.

I am now finally to the point where I can type using both hands, and I guess that means that I should be putting an update out there. So, here I am. All untied and updating all of you.

Go, Me!!

We are very quickly sliding toward Finnley's first birthday, so it is only right for me to give a window into who that little munchkin is these days and what she is up to in general. So, here goes...all about Ms. Finn:

she now weighs approximately 18.6 pounds. still a string bean. still a peanut. still working on being a supermodel.

can stick out her tongue in imitation of others doing the same

totally off of the bottle since 10 months of age

totally off of formula and onto organic whole milk since just before 11 months of age

bypassed the sippy cup and went straight to straw cups (might have had something to do with her being able to suck but not being able to tip a cup) (or...as I like to think...might just be due to her genius status)

stands all the time. cruises like a pro. pushes anything with or without wheels around the room. not walking on her own...but you see that the ability is sooo there. soon enough!

can clap on command or by imitation

has started to really love her books and make connections through them

thanks to Baby Elmo's "So Big" book...Finnley is now able to do "so big". and, she does it all. the. TIME!

is in love with Baby Elmo due to aforementioned book

loves to play the game "Where's Finnley? Oh, there's Finnley" (our version of peek-a-boo) . she now uses objects to cover her own face, including (but not limited to) bowls, a red scarf, and her hands. her favorite? her hands. she will play this game 100 times during meals. seriously. 100.

she could enter a crawling competition and win. she is just that fast. it is a thing to behold, I assure you. head down and zooming across the room. luckily she picks up her head to see from time to time.

very good at giving (albeit open-mouthed) kisses to pretty much all inanimate objects. will kiss mommy and daddy on request from time to time, but is more likely to "slap" our faces instead. and then smile. silly-heart!

can say a million or two things, not with knowledge of saying an actual word...but she says "stuff", you know. This stuff includes: da-da, ma-ma, ba, ba-bwah, at, sssss, it, sssss, thhh, ssss. did I mention she loves to say sssssssss?

hissing is part of her "vocabulary". she does this when excited. she also raises one hand in the air at the same time.

she understands a lot of words. some of them: milk, mommy, daddy, batman, fan, dragonfly (in context to her room), light switch (in context to her room), hi, nappy-time, night-night-time, no-no (sort of), Finnley. who knows what else that mini-brain of hers is comprehending!

she loves to see baby Finnley in pictures or in the mirror

enjoys visiting her dragonfly decal on her closet door, as well as butterfly, flower, and baby Finnley on the picture frame above her dresser. she even waves to them sometimes. always makes her smile.

oh yeah, she waves.

she finds joy in toys but also in most everyday objects. mostly things with which she shouldn't play.

toilet paper is still fun. to unroll. to eat. to tear up. fun.

she eats ANYTHING. maybe she doesn't eat a ton, but there is nothing she really won't eat. she has had steak, peanut butter toast, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and ham, grilled corn on the cob, rigatoni bolognese, every fruit we can find, all sorts of vegetables, cucumbers, salad...you name it. good little eater!

possesses eight chompers with which to eat all of that yummy food. more coming soon, I am sure.

she uses the dog as a means to stand. his legs as a tunnel to go through. his body as something to be crawled over and back again as many times as possible. she pets him. pats him. smacks him in the face. feeds him everything off her tray. they are buddies.

she climbs stairs like a master. she will still go down them head first if allowed.

she throws herself head first off of the couch. constantly. we juts provide a soft landing by holding her up by her pants.

it is fun to now try to feed mommy and daddy whatever is on her high chair tray. sometimes she shows the dog a bite, too...and then takes it back and eats it herself. tease!

she is still obsessed with the Pennsylvania lottery drawing which takes place at 6:59pm each evening. also obsessed with all of the mega-million and powerball lottery commercials. newly in love with the WaWa hoagie fest commercials.

she is the smartest, cutest, funniest, most stubbornly brilliant, dare-devilish baby known to man. no bias there at all. I swear.

not a cuddle-bug still. she gives love, though. in her own ways.

she has a delicious little giggle. dare you not to smile when you hear it!

she is ours. she is almost a year old. she is still the best gift we could have ever been given. not easy. but worth it.

Hope you enjoy this little view into the life of our little babe, as she is at just a smidge under one year of age. Up next? Toddlerhood. Time will only tell when that phase will begin. That next stage should prove to be even more interesting than the last.

Bring it! We might be able to handle it. We might even be able to handle it well.

All Tied Up...

still recovering from wrist surgery and can only type with one hand, as the left hand is still immobilized in a partial cast. will return to my writing / posting when I am no longer bound and in pain! thanks for visiting!

Babes in Swimland

A video of a swim outing during the 4th of July holiday weekend...good times!

Look Who's "Talking"

Finnley doing what Finnley does...as only Finnley can!

In the Blink of an Eye

A few months ago, I used to be able to plop Finnley down on the floor and surround her with some toys while I would occupy myself. And, when I say "occupy myself" I mean cleaning, vacuuming, cooking...you name it. Household drudgery, to be exact. But, it was lovely to simply put Finn down and know that she was safe, non-mobile, and fairly happy for a good while.

Those days are gone. Long gone. Kiss them goodbye-gone. Gone, forever, and ever, and ever, amen.

Now Finnley moves. And she is not happy to stay in one place for more than a minute or two. And, she is not happy to stay out of trouble. And, I still need to "occupy" myself with household drudgery at times. Because if I didn't, we would all be swimming in dog hair up to our knees. Or armpits. And, I don't think I am exaggerating.

So, while I am occupied, for however brief of a time that might be, my little inquisitor is seeking out mischief in every corner of our home. What kind of mischief, you ask?

Well, Finnley has managed the following:

daily visits to the dog's water bowl for a splashing good time

sticking face in dog's water bowl to see what that might feel like...and trying to take a drink

dumping all of the treats out of her "non-spill" treat trap

playing "telephone" where it is then left on "talk" for 70 minutes and we have a "low battery" warning

pulling mommy's diaper bag onto the floor about 500 times and playing with the various contents

taking apart the plastic pieces that direct air into the room from the air conditioner vent

climbing the dog, over and over again

pulling all of the toilet paper off of the roll and then proceeding to eat it

removing all of the items from the dog's basket of "stuff"

climbing the stairs and then attempting to come down them head first

getting in the dog's treat bin, feeding the dog treats, and feeding the dog's treats to herself (I removed all 3 of them)

pulling herself up onto a candle holder and then knocking the candle down on herself

taking books out of my book bin one by one...and then playing with them on the floor

removing several folded items from the laundry basket and throwing them all over the hardwood

going through the garbage can in the bathrooms, taking out tissues and examining them

playing with daddy's Ohio State flag

banging on the wood-burning stove, which thankfully is not in use right now

climbing the front of the oven

tipping over in the highchair (ok, this one did happen, but it wasn't her fault...the dog was underneath and knocked it over with her in it...SCARY!)

And, all of this mayhem occurs IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE! No joke! It is all enough to make a mom laugh and / or have a heart attack. Hopefully the laughter will stave off the heart attack...or something like that.

I am a smart woman and mommy, so no one needs to point out that this list will only continue to grow as Finnley does. Walking will add a whole new dimension of trouble to our little world. Hopefully nothing that band-aids, some good "NO-NO's", and a little bit of redirection and guidance can't successfully treat.

Maybe I will just tape open my eyelids, too, and stop blinking...think it will help???

Exercises

this particular one is an exercise in tolerance and love.

Fascination

in the simple form of a cardboard cracker box. life at that pint size seems to ensure that everything will be fascinating. here, here to being pint sized!

Happy Father's Day...

There were many points in time when we never thought we would be celebrating such a day, but how blessed are we now? I am so thankful for having a strong and silly partner on this roller coaster ride of a journey we have been on, and I am so lucky to have such a fantastic father to our sweet baby girl. Finnley and Batman are more than lucky to have the best dad in the world with whom to share their days, their toys, their laughs....their lives.

Happy Father's Day, Matt...we all love you!


And, as always...on days like today we are ever-mindful of our friends who have not yet fulfilled their dreams of being a dad....our heart and thoughts are with you, and we share Finnley with all of you. Enjoy the day!

New

Photos.



And a Video.

Because we are all just that cool!

Ooops!

Well, the length on Finnley's jeans is perfect! Apparently the waist is still a bit big on this pair, though...because they fell off while she was standing and playing at her new music table. Didn't bother her at all...she never skipped a bit! You go, girl!

Guilty Displeasures

I knew since that day that I fell in love with my wonderful and perfectly goofy husband that I wanted to have a child or children with him. I wanted to expand our love. I deeply desired to procreate and shower our baby-us with our lifetime wealth of knowledge and our chests of explosive love. That wish and desire only grew as our inability to effectively reproduce did, too. And, on it went for years. And years. And, well...you get the idea.

And, now that I am blessed to be a mother mom (I don't think I will ever be a "mother"), I finally get to experience all that I knew I was and thought I was missing out on. I joined the secret mommy club. We did it! We have a baby-us...and she is wonderful and beautiful...and all things entirely awesome.

But, there is another side to all of this. One that isn't as apparent to the world outside a parent's doors because who wants to share what isn't so appealing all of the time?

However, who am I to ever keep my mouth shut? Or my words sealed inside of my head? So, I share. And, that being, in all of that time of our desperately wanting and heartbreakingly not realizing, I never thought to delve into the true and sometimes un-pretty reality that is parenthood. Like the fact that I might never go to the bathroom alone again. Or that sometimes my baby-us has to go to the dentist with me. Or that reading a book is now for other people. Or that if I choose to shower at a time other than when Peanut is sleeping, that it might be an excruciating exercise in the most brutal kind of patience. One where an infant clings to your naked and wet legs and then repeats a similar sort of behavior and then also cries the ENTIRE time you try to get ready.

It is moments like this when I get frustrated with mommydom. It is also moments like this that I feel guilty because THIS is exactly what I wanted for 5 plus years....and now that I have it, and so many others still don't...it makes me feel like a bad person for even thinking of complaining. But, I have to allow myself the guilty displeasures along with all the greatness that being a mommy is...because that is what real life is all about. The good. The bad. The ugly.

And, the being able to express yourself no matter the current good, bad, or ugly circumstance.

And, so I shall. And does it mean that I am a bad mom? Or that I love my Peanut any less? Not a bit. Thank you very much! It just means that I am still me. And life is still life. Messy. Beautiful. Not perfect, but wonderful.

Now time to go get the Nut...nap time (read: me time) is now over!

In the Kitchen

At this young age, Finnley does what she can to help mommy out in the kitchen. As you can see, though...that isn't a whole lot. I know one thing that she did add to the cookies for daddy...lots of LOVE! What else can you really ask for???

Driving Mr. Price

Mr. Fisher Price, to be exact. Finnley does love him and loves to drive him around the house. Watch out, world...it won't be long before she is able to get around all on her own. And not by crawling. True upward mobility!

H2Whoa

Finnley's first baby pool experience took place on the last day of May, Memorial Day 2010. She loved it!



Well, she seemed to mostly like it. The dog hated it, though...he was tortured by her floaty toys brazenly teasing him from the surface of the chilly water. Nasty squirty toys! The nerve! He stole a couple of them on a few occasions (you know, to teach them a lesson), but daddy always made him give them back. Poor Batman!



Not a bad way to send out the month. Now, on to see what newness and milestones June will send our way!

Mobility is Cool!

I was putting away laundry upstairs this morning. And, the true reason I decided to do this is because Finnley wanted to climb the stairs. A.G.A.I.N. So, if I had to follow her up there, I might as well make myself useful once I got there. Laundry it was.

And, when I was halfway done putting away said laundry, Finnley decided to climb the laundry basket. Being that the basket was still half full, it didn't tip over when she went to stand up. And, once she was standing, Finnley quickly discovered that the basket moved pretty fluidly on the hardwood floors. And, because the basket was half full...it moved pretty much in a circle. Over. and. Over. again.

Finnley didn't mind one bit. She just loved being able to walk behind something. She is ready to walk. Soo, soooo, soooooo READY! Scary, isn't it???

Just Because I'm Cute

A photo for that reason and that reason alone!

While Mom's Away...

"Away" meaning in the kitchen prepping tomorrow's bottles for Finnley. But, while mom is just that much "away"...Finn will certainly play. She had been entertaining herself in the bathroom after bath time by playing with the magazine rack. I guess that got old quickly, because by the time I came back to check on her...this is what I found:






















And, what has mommy learned from all of this? Finnley can find / make trouble VERY quickly. And, Finnley loves herself some toilet paper! Who can blame her. It is sort of fun!

Peanut, The Supercrazy!

A little video offering a view into the day in the life of Ms. Finnley Piper, aka...Peanut, The Supercrazy! This is full day broken down into 3+ minutes of video, but you get the idea of what our little super"hero" is like. A silly silly girl who certainly entertains herself...and her mommy!

Video...how creative a title is that???

Here is the video that I noncommittally promised during yesterday's post. Wow...look at me being productive and delivering the goods that I only sort of said that I might deliver! I am so proud of me!

Enjoy!

Hodge-Podge

That is what you get when we had a busy weekend and my husband then leaves me for the better part of a week. And, given those circumstances I now really don't have many free minutes, and when I do...those free minutes are spent exercising a needy dog, washing bottles, doing laundry, reading the paper, prepping bottles, going to the bathroom by myself, prepping meals, and several other necessary things.

So, the blog suffers. Just as it should. Better than ignoring the needy dog or not tending to the baby, right? See what a good mommy I am??

In the interim, you will see the following pictures from our weekend at the Radnor Hunt steeplechase races in PA on Saturday / pictures of Finnley being Finnley / and possibly a video or two to follow in the next couple of days. Enjoy what there is to enjoy.

Hey, the pictures of Finnley are the real reason you all come here anyway...I know the truth...

Ms. Fancy-Schmancy Pants

Still fancy...just taken to a new level. You see, it seems daily we are adding new skills around here. I have repeated clapping and waving games with Finnley for a couple of months now. I guess "my" hard work is finally paying off. Finn can now wave, albeit mostly randomly. And, once started, she always stops to turn her hand to her face and wave so she can stare at her awesome ability. She can also clap. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP! This happens at appropriate times (like when we are saying "yay, Finnley" or when she is listening to music), but it also happens sort of out of the blue. For example, she loves to clap while sitting in her high chair. For, I don't know...whatever reason. She just likes to, ok? What do I care...at least she can now do these fun things. Way to go, baby!

Ms. Fancy Pants

Finnley learned awhile ago how to crawl. And then she learned how to pull herself up into a stand using just about anything around her. And then she learned how to climb the few stairs to the landing of our dual staircase. And then....she learned to climb the FULL SET OF STAIRS. The ones that are narrow and go all the way up. To the upstairs! G-U-L-P!

That is why God (or Babies 'R Us people) made baby safety gates. Thank heavens for that!

Mother's Day

All moms should have cake for dinner on Mother's Day. Seriously. And they should share said cake with their child. Cake for dinner is delicious. Not necessarily nutritious, per se...but calories don't count on "holidays". Or, something like that.

For Megan

As Megan's husband, I get to be a guest writer on the blog every now and then. So today for Mother's Day I thought I would write a post for my wife.
I am proud of my wife. From the day I met her I could tell she had a sense of adventure, a positive spirit, and the will to never give up. What I didn't realize is that this all would be put to the test early as we discovered that the only path to motherhood for Megan would be trying various types of fertility treatments. Five years worth. Five years of poking, prodding, shots, injections, pills, tests, and me becoming intimate with a cup. Yep, fertility treatments have about as much romance as a Rocky movie. Or that TV show Ice Road Truckers.
Through all of this we had some initial positive tests, that sadly resulted in loss. We even got a couple of heartbeats along the way. Followed soon after by silence. Bone-crushing, heart-shattering silence. And disappointment. And emptiness. Megan? Well, she never gave up. Even when we were asked how long we would keep trying, we responded with an "I don't know" because we didn't know. We only knew we would keep trying, just one more time. Megan never gives up. Even when she should. Like when I am beating her in Monopoly.
And then we had success! Little Finnley arrived (early) last August 1st after Megan endured another test. Yep, Megan spent the 4th of July weekend in the hospital. She was released only to return days later where she spent 4 weeks until Finnley arrived. Talk about a test of strength. But through it all Megan did her best to keep a smile on her face. And that's just one reason I love her. Through continuous challenges she keeps a smile on her face and maintains a positive spirit.
We are blessed to have Finnley and we are thankful for the support of friends and family! I am blessed to have a wife that is willing to be at home to raise our daughter, giving her time and attention unselfishly to Finnley. And our dog Batman. I love my wife for all that she is and all that she does. I love Finnley for simply being. And I love my dog.
It's fun to reflect on our journey during this first Mother's Day for Megan. But we also raise a cheerful glass in honor of our friends who know the struggle of fertility treatments, but have yet to realize the joy. We admire your strength and courage. We think of you daily. And we share Finnley with all of you.

Transitions

Every time you figure out a "routine" of sorts, you are then instructed to change it. You finally get comfortable feeding your Peanut pureed everything, and now you have to make up how to transition to finger foods and table foods. It makes you feel like a new mom all over again...not knowing exactly what you are doing or how you should be doing it.


But, doing it you do.

And, doing it we are.

We are transitioning to finger foods. Experimenting with them, really.


Experimenting appears cute in pictures. In real life it is tedious and MESSY! But, still awfully cute. I mean, just look at Peanut...how could you not love the move to finger foods when you see a face like that looking back???

SICK

Sick. Sick. Sick.

Stinking sore throat. Monster in throat trying to kill me. Swear it to be true. Seriously.

Why is it that every time I take Finnley for a "well-child visit" I come home a sick-adult? Must stop this trend.

MUST!

Finnley Seeks Out More Fun!

This baby knows how to find fun. For cheap. Or for free. Mostly for free. Gotta love her!

Here are her latest high jinks. Enjoy!

READ!!!

To your baby. To your kids. To the little ones who just want to turn the pages. To the fussy ones who just want to eat the boards. It really doesn't matter. All that matters is that you READ!

My pediatrician even reiterated this very point to me yesterday. He said that the children who are simply EXPOSED to books and reading tend to be much earlier and better readers overall!

So, all it takes is a little exposure. A little time. A little reading.

We can all do that much, can't we???

**Click here to leave a comment and have a book donated to a child in need!**

9 Month Update - Pediatrician's Appointment

Today was Finnley's big nine month well-child visit at the pediatrician's office. All went extremely well. Finnley now weighs in at a whopping 16 lbs. and 10 oz. That puts her in the 10th percentile for weight, still. She measured in at 28 inches long. That puts her in the 50th to 75th percentile for length, still. Her Peanut head measures in the 50th to 75th percentile, too. The pediatrician said that she looks great and is tracking well for her development overall.

Food wise we are to continue with the solid baby food and with mushed up big people food. However, we are now to give food before drink. No more bottle first thing in the morning...the food comes first now. We will see how that goes! I am also to keep trying to introduce the sippy cup, which she should be fully transitioned to by 15 months...no more bottles after that! We also get to introduce milk between 10 and 12 months. My little baby is becoming a big girl. Oh no! Hopefully all of that goes well...wish us luck!

To end the appointment Finnley had to get a shot and then have her finger pricked. She was crying before she even got her shot! Poor Peanut! She hated all of that, but luckily she survived with a big hug from mommy. Now she is napping because the well-child visit wore her out completely.

Next up...12 month appointment in August!

Nine Months Old!

Well, she turned nine months old yesterday, but I never got around to posting it! At nine months Peanut is crawling everywhere!!! She also pulls herself into a stand on everything. She has had her first bump and bruise from her experiences in this department. She still doesn't leave the dog alone. And the dog is still the only thing that will make her spontaneously break out into fits of giggles. Lasting, huge fits of giggles.


She says "ba, la, da, and thhhh". She also squeals and screams in delight simply to hear herself make noise. She has five teeth, and number 6 is working on making its appearance in the not so distant future. She is eating her solids still, including some "real people food" like mushed up cauliflower. She also still hates eating anything green that comes squished up out of a jar. Can't say that I blame her! Finn is still long and lean and has pudgy feet...the only pudgy thing on her body! She is a joy and every day brings something new to delight us or her. Love that girl!

Just Sayin'

Ok, so I understand that my baby is still little. And she also doesn't have a full head of silky flowing butt-length hair yet. Or really that much hair at all. Or earrings. Or bubble gum pink nail polish adorning her short cut nails. And, given those things, I also understand that it can sometimes be hard for strangers to recognize that my Peanut is indeed a little Princess...truly a blossoming little girl.

But, other times, it really shouldn't be that hard to tell. It should be blatantly obvious, in fact.

Such as the other day when I took Finnley out shopping with me. And, she was dressed in a hot pink sweatshirt. And had on light pink shoes. And had on a white stretchy hat that included a huge cream colored flower protruding right from the front. And she had on pink socks. And donned a white onesie with hot pink flowers all over it.

And, the lady who walked us to the dressing room asked how old "HE" was. And then said, "Oh, "it" is a "he", isn't "it"?" IT? HE??? Seriously??? In that outfit??? That outfit that couldn't have gotten more pink if an all pink-puking fairy princess came up and vomited right on Finnley's head.

And, I, in all of my 36 years on this planet, have never encountered a mother or father who has dressed their son head to toe in pink and flowers. NEVER. NOT. EVEN. ONCE! Not even for Halloween! Because that is just wrong. All sorts of crazy wrong. The kind of wrong that leads a boy to years of unhappiness followed by years of therapy.

So, in conclusion...some people are either blind or simply stupid. Or perhaps even both. But, this woman led me a very clear path to the dressing room while looking at and pointing things out along the way. So...she wasn't blind. And that folks leaves, well, simply stupid.

Just sayin'...

Finnley Crawling

Finnley has been mobile for well over a month now. However, she has always been fond of the belly drag or a variation on the army crawl. Just in the past week, she really has "mastered" the "big girl crawl". She picks that belly up and uses one arm and one leg at a time to move forward. Perfection!!! She is also still pulling herself up into a stand on EVERYTHING...so I am very busy being a vigilant mommy and safeguarding against too big of a fall. Crazy times at the NJ Ritter household!

Fun on a Budget!

Well, we aren't even really on a harsh budget...but why buy toys when we know that Finnley prefers the "little things in life" to play with? Keeping with that theme, I gave Ms. Finn a sheet of bubble wrap to investigate this afternoon. To say she loved it would be an understatement for sure. It was fascinating for at least ten minutes, and in the world of a wee one...that is practically a lifetime! I am so thrilled that my babe is overly enthralled with all the things that seem to pop up in the small space around her. Life is sure to be more fun that way!

Awe and Wonder

Every day is an adventure. At least that is true for Finnley right now. She can hardly stand to sleep given that if she did rest her eyes, she might miss a minute of practicing her new found skills. Or she might miss an opportunity to learn or try something new. She is not going to allow that to happen. Not if she can help it!



I embrace every moment spent experiencing the newness that Finnley finds each and every day in her slowly expanding world. It is a special gift that a parent is given, the gift that allows them to live an altered version of life again through their growing child.


We are beyond blessed for that gift and for everything else that Finnley will continue to give to us over a lifetime of awe and wonder.