Fall Daze

I love fall. I mean, I LOVE fall! love, Love, LOVE! Leaves, fires, cool days, ciders, latte's, crisp skies....ahh!

Today we ventured out to Johnson's Farm to take full advantage of one of our first true fall days. We took in a hayride to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. We picked pumpkins and gourds. We rode back and went to the farm market where we perused so many goodies, and we also bought so many goodies. Brownies, apple cider doughnuts, fudge, candy corn, and an apple pie all made their way into our hands.


It is days like this that I enjoy more than any other. The days where Finnley gets to experience things outside, all fresh and new in her eyes. She was giddy as she trudged along the path in the pumpkin patch, seemingly all on her own out there. She was in giggle-heaven as her daddy hid behind rows of corn and then popped out to surprise her. She is a little adventurer, and it never ceases to amaze me. Her wonder is my awe.


What a beautiful way to end the week.

Mad Skills - Mastering the Stairs

Bear Down, Chicago Bears!

Upon moving to South Jersey a little over two years ago, we made the conscious decision to go with Comcast cable instead of DirecTV satellite TV. We had ALWAYS had DirecTV up until that point in time. And, it was good. It wasn't perfect, but nothing is. It was also expensive. VERY EXPENSIVE! It was our fault that it was expensive, though, because we ordered every sports package known to man so that we could watch all of our college and professional football games no matter what!

Well, with Comcast we can still watch MOST games without issue. College games that is (of course, I think we are paying for a snazzy package for that). But, professional games are owned by DirecTV. (Game-hogging-bastards!) So, without DirecTV...I live most Sundays without being able to watch my beloved Bears. I can stream the audio of the games through my computer, of course, but it really just isn't the same. So, I suffer. In silence. (ok, not in silence...but it is hard to suffer in silence, people!)

But, today is one of those rare and beautiful days. One of those magical days where the Bears were actually selected to play on Monday night. And, Monday nights are all about national broadcasting. And, this Monday night...I am all about my BEARS!

And, so is Finnley. She is (unbeknownst to her) the biggest new Bears fan on the scene. And the cutest one, too.

So, on this Monday.....Finnley and I say....

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS!!!!!!!!!

Men are from Mars...

And, on Mars they don't like decorative paper towel holders (just like they don't like decorative tissue holders).

Who knew?

Captured Moments of Awesomeness

The fourth annual reunion of the fertility warriors is over, but the memories will live on forever. There is no way to sum up what our friendships have ever meant, or what they have evolved into over time. We have a special bond. There is no question about it. And, our time together is never anything short of amazing. I can see gathering for these brief respites for years and years and years. I truly hope they "never" end. I am blessed to know such an interesting, unique, and fantastically terrific group of women. The pictures can tell the rest of the story...

Lon-guy-land

A destination, not just a funny word! The fourth annual REUNION of my fertility buddies is taking place this weekend in Greenport, NY (Long Island). A fun time had with friends brought together by perseverance of painful experiences and tough-traveled journeys. A weekend full of laughs, food, wine, food, talking, food, shopping, food...did I mention the FOOD???

And, for Finnley this means a daddy-daughter (and dog) weekend full of potentially interesting outfits and more interesting food introductions.

Back again next week...

Charlotte's Web is a LIE!

I killed Charlotte. Phew, there...I said it. I didn't actually know it at the time as I was heavily and sadistically dousing her with Home Defense insect killer and then watching her move, fall, twitch, curl up, and eventually die. Nope. That particular knowledge came later.

After a relaxing and lovely outing to the Treehouse Cafe for some mommy and kiddo time (and a decaf, non-fat gingerbread and marshmallow latte'), I brought Finnley home for a good old turkey hot dog, goldfish, and grape lunch. As I stepped out of my car, I couldn't help but notice a HUGE wheel and spoke shaped web within a way-too-close foot of me. And, in the center of that very web was a nasty, hairy, surely-human-face-devouring devil of a creature.

I kept Finnley strapped safely in her car seat, because I am her guardian and protector after all. I could not put her in harms way. So, I quickly sprang into action grabbing the insect killing spray that Matt handily keeps right near the entrance to the screened in porch. I pumped up that bad boy spray, aimed, and started shooting. No prisoners here. No sir. I dominated. I killed the nasty beast. Victory was mine! My child was safe. I was proud.

During Finnley's nap time, I chose to go back to the murder scene and investigate the victim. I found and brought the victim into the house so that I could properly identify her with the help of my little buddy, Google. Turns out, this particular spider is known as a BARN SPIDER. Delving a bit deeper, I also discovered that this barn spider was the same species portrayed by CHARLOTTE in Charlotte's Web.


Ummm...forgive me if I fail to see the resemblance, folks. I took pictures. And, as you can see...MY pictures look nothing like the honey-sweet-voiced animated mommy spider in the movie. NOTHING at all!!! And, also forgive me if I can't imagine myself (or a silly little pig) sitting having stimulating, life-changing conversations with the monstrous version of "Charlotte" that I saw in colorful reality.

So, today I learned that Charlotte's Web is a lie. And, I killed that lie. With lots and lots of chemicals. And? It felt good. And my little world is a seemingly safer and more truthful place for it.

What truths have you discovered lately???

Oh what a beautiful morning...

Out and About

Now that Finnley is getting older and getting her feet a bit more steady underneath her, we are able to take her more places. This past weekend we took her to Smith's Play Place and Playground in the Fairmount Park section of Philadelphia. It is an amazing place: a mansion built in the 1800s specifically as a place for children to gather and play. It now also boasts 6 acres of playgrounds, all sectioned off into age-appropriate areas. The best part about this place? It is FREE! FREE! FREE! Don't you just love non-profit organizations?!?

We decided to check the whole place out since it was our first trip to Smith's. So, Finnley got to explore the play rooms in the mansion first...but that came to an abrupt end after she tried to eat the 500 year old gray plastic piece of bologna in the grocery area upstairs. That little moment sent daddy right over the edge and convinced him that the outdoors was the place for our sweet toddler. Well, it would be...right after we completely sanitized her hands. ha!

So, outdoors we went to the tot-lot. And, as you can see, our little independent explorer got to have some fun. We look forward to taking her back over the coming years and letting her enjoy all that Smith's has to offer. But, I do think we will primarily stick to the outdoor playgrounds where at least the rain can sanitize the equipment from time to time (and there is no gray plastic bologna with which to contend)!

One of these things is not like the others...one of these things does not belong...

I have to be careful now. Well, really the collective "we" at this household needs to be careful. VERY careful. Careful when it comes to Finnley and certain common items that can she can find around the house. As of late, our sweet girl has become extremely enamored with keys, jewelry, brushes, books, yogurt snack cups, lotion bottles, tank tops...well, you get the idea.

Once she has her hands on something, you really need to follow her around and keep a close watch on her. If you don't, you never know where these items might wind up...or when you might find them or see them again. For example, I didn't realize that I was missing my leather and silver engraved "Mother" bracelet UNTIL I found it in Finnley's toy bin today. And, even though I DID know that she was wandering around chewing on her yogurt cup that she had stolen from the pantry...I DID NOT realize what she had done with it until I saw her playing with her Little People carriage and blocks. See, the cup was hitching a ride in the carriage. (ummm...duh! of course it was!)


The good news with all of this is that Finnley does "put things away" when she is "done" with them. The bad news is that her place in which to put things away can be totally random. Hopefully we will continue to find all of these items. You just never know with that little one, though. She is very busy and very silly. So, I will just keep doing occasional checks of the toy bin, the book crate, the toy containers in general, the dog's water bowl (apparently a good place to put a home phone and battery-operated toys), and all sorts of other nooks and crannies that a wee one can reach. I might just be pleasantly surprised with what I find!

Toddler at Play

Finnley used to not love playing. She didn't hate it, either. She really just didn't know what to do. I could hand her a toy, and she would be interested in it for a minute or two, but that was it.



Now SHE seeks out her own choice in toys, and she engages in her own play for a long period of time. She loves to unstack the plastic Little People blocks that I put together on her carriage. One stack at a time. Over and over again. She has figured out how to put the colorful balls into the holes of their coordinating Fisher Price toy, and then she pushes the balls through to the other side to make the silly lion sing her a congratulatory song. She pulls out book after book and then sits with them on the floor. She flips the pages and "reads" (using a silly whispery babble that she has created just for her story books).


And, she LOVES to empty her toy bin one toy at a time. She surrounds herself with her emptied collection and then plays with individual toys that capture her attention.



You can just see her coming more to life every day. Her eyes brightening with new discoveries. Her developing more of a personality. Becoming more of a little person. It is a joy to witness. A messy joy, but a joy nonetheless!

CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE! CAKE!

Don't worry. This is not turning into a food blog. With a toddler to chase around, I really don't have a ton of time to devote to cooking or baking, let alone the time to write about the process. But, I still love to do both when I get the chance.

Today, I simply put aside the time to bake, you know... while Finnley skittered about emptying my baking cupboard and depositing several random yet interesting items in the dog's water bowl for the umpteenth time this week.

My creation? Homemade layered tender white cake with homemade Reese's peanut butter cup buttercream frosting. How can you go wrong???


Just look at the results.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMmmmmm!!!

Reading...

Can it lead to hair growth? More specifically, facial hair growth? It seems to have in Finnley's case...checkout her black goatee! She didn't have it when she went into the bathroom to read, but somehow she ended up this way. Ahhh...the mysteries of toddlerhood!

(click on the picture to enlarge it for a better look!)

Upon taking a closer look...

I would have to say that I think Finnley is on to us.


Uh-oh.

Parents of the Year

I know this award exists in some fashion or another somewhere in this country. I am not sure what the voting process is like or how to get nominated, but if anyone we know catches wind of exactly how to do that...I am sure that we will be put up on that mighty pedestal and given our due soon enough.

No one could overlook us given all that we do for our child. We sacrifice. We comfort. We love. We provide.

We are SO good at being parents that we provide Finnley with HAND MADE toys like Mr. PillamaHead. Who goes the extra distance like that? Just look at that quality craftsmanship! I dare you to find thems peoples that provide better than us. Go ahead and try!

So, what exactly is Mr. PillamaHead you ask? Well, it is the toy and device of distraction lovingly crafted from the dog's once llama-headed friend whose mouth has been stuffed with an old pill bottle that has been carefully filled with old inedible pistachios.

And, why exactly was Mr. PillamaHead brought into this world? Well, because Finnley is HORRIBLE during diaper changes. She needs something to keep her entertained, or she will roll and "run" without a diaper or pants on. And, she won't come back. And, she will laugh the whole way. And, the tubes of Butt Paste just weren't registering anymore on Finnley's entertainment and successful distraction spectrum.

And, she LOVED that once-was-a-dog-toy. And, she LOVED that pill bottle with those noise-making-happily-shaking pills inside. Together...it is perfection. Right?

And, because I am a GOOD MOTHER....I disposed of the highly dangerous narcotics that once resided in that pill bottle. I am just that good! Pat me on the back if you see me and feel the pressing urge to do so. And, go ahead and sign us up for that parents of the year award thingy while you are at it. We deserve it! Seriously.

Yogurt Tuesday

I guess the only proper way to follow Milk Monday is with Yogurt Tuesday. Finnley and Batman couldn't agree more!

Monday Milk

Finnley makes drinking milk look like the cutest thing that ever happened on a Monday.

Moments

Our days are filled with them. Boring ones. Exciting ones. Silly ones. Sad ones. Big ones. Little ones. Wasted ones. Scary ones. Emotional ones. Useless ones. High ones. Low ones. Hysterical ones. Mundane ones.

Moments, moments, moments.

And, I try to embrace them all as the mom of a baby who seems to grow in each and every one of those fleeting and temporary instances. I keep all sorts of them tucked safely inside my pocket so that I might savor each tasty one throughout the days and weeks to come. Finnley is good at creating so many seemingly meaningful snippets in time that my little pockets are well beyond full.

Yesterday after my exercise class when the two of us were just hanging out in the grass chatting with another mom and baby...Finnley decided to play a hugging game with me. A HUGGING GAME! My non-clingy, non-needy, independent little charmer of a lady wanted to HUG ME! Over and over again. That little granule of loveliness was most delicious for me. Sweet sticky indulgent goodness. I still taste it today. Dessert for weeks, if you will.

I see her miniscule synapses firing on a regular basis now, and all sorts of realizations are starting to come together for my sweet little one. These "ah-hah" moments linger with me, too. I can now ask Finnley if she is ready for "nappy time" or for "night night time", and she will respond by making a noise and heading for the stairs. Then she will proceed to take HERSELF up the entire set of stairs and then head directly to her room. All by the mini-person of a self that she is. Because she GETS IT. And, she is ready to sleep. And, you need to go to your room to do that, of course. Amazing!

To think that this is only the start of my baby's second year. Only. the. START! I am not sure my heart and head are capable of handling and processing the immeasurable amount of "moments" that we are yet to share or that I am yet to witness. I am so proud and honored to be a spectator to the undoubtedly intriguing life of Finn.

Being a mom is pretty cool. Being HER mom is especially cool.

Odd Man Out

Not that that is any different than the norm for me. And, not that I really care. It just is what it is.

I follow a lot of blogs. I love parenting blogs, especially, because now that I am a parent...it is good to see how other people deal with life and go about raising their children. There is a lot of humor in parenthood. There are a lot of mistakes to be made. There are a lot of differences, and yet a lot of commonalities. Parents like to make constant comparisons, and they like to pick and choose those things that provide bragging material regarding their own wee one. I get most of it. I enjoy most of it. I relate. I do.

Lately, the blogs that I read, though, have been discussing how sad these particular parents feel about the transition from infancy to toddlerhood. I read all about how their babies are not babies anymore. How the next thing you know their child won't be romping about in diapers and giggling at nonsense and needing their parents for EVERYTHING, but rather will be out on their own and earning their college degrees. How their babies' worlds just won't revolve simply around them anymore.

As I said, I get it. I do. From their perspectives.

But me? I do not frown upon this transition at all. NOT. AT. ALL. I celebrate it. Openly. Loudly. Proudly. Daily. Hourly. Every single second. All of it!

I am actually thrilled that Finnley is now knocking on the door to toddlerdom. The look of wonder in her eyes grows bigger as her understanding of her world around her does. She is toddling. Walking. Babbling. Making gestures that we actually comprehend. She is a mini person now. Not a blob. Not a thing to just lug around in a carrier and plop next to you as you eat in a restaurant. We have an interactive little explorer, and I do not miss a bit what she "was" before.

Every parenting circumstance is varied. Our experience with infancy was varied by the fact that Finnley suffered from severe reflux. She was uncomfortable a lot. She vomited multiple times daily. Full size bath towels were our burp cloths. Going out was a scary thing that took grand amounts of thought and preparation. Perhaps THIS has something to do with me not missing the newborn days or the months of infancy. In addition, Finnley has never been a cuddly clingy baby. She has never preferred being rocked to sleep in her mother's arms to being put in her crib to self-soothe. So, where some parents might just now be adjusting to a baby who needs them less...I have been well-adjusted to that scenario the whole time. Don't get me wrong...Finnley needs me. She needs her daddy. But, she isn't needy. She has always been an independent little daredevil princess.

The doctor says this type of personality is a sign of intelligence. I will take her word for it. It helps me feel better in the moments where my daughter rejects my comforting hold and my soothing rubs. And, I take more joy in watching what a little firecracker she is as she engages in independent play.

I do not wish away these days. I have not wished away any of them (well, maybe some of the puking days). But, I LOOK FORWARD to each new phase with Finnley. I do not look back with regret that I won't have my "baby" anymore. I don't long for what yesterday held. Instead, I have such hope for each future phase. I cannot wait until Finnley can better communicate with us. Until Finnley can know what we are saying. Until Finnley can run and not just toddle. Until...ahhhh...until SOOO MUCH!

Maybe every parent has an "age" that they will love the most and will want to freeze that particular point in time and not move forward? I don't think I have experienced that age just yet, so I just wait for each new day and see what it brings. I love watching every moment that Finnley grows into the future her. She is brilliant and funny and beautiful and mobile and a big ball of mischief. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings...and the next day...and the next week, and month, and year, and years after that.

I think my favorite "age" is the age that Finnley is today and each current "today" hereafter.

Finnley on Walkabout

New skills. So exciting!

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!)