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...