July/August -- 8 months old!

Summer is drawing to a close and the cool, crisp weather today almost felt a little bit like Autumn. All the kids are back in school, the days are a little shorter, and the Atlanta summer heat is starting to give way to more pleasant temperatures (hello, 80 degrees, goodbye 90s!!). It's a welcome change, for sure.

I can hardly believe it, but Finn turned 8 months old yesterday! I took a bunch of pictures of him today, and I just can't believe how much he has changed in the past two months. I told Dan just yesterday that he looks more like a toddler than a baby now! Everyone said it would go by so fast, but this is ridiculous. He'll be leaving for college before we know it. :) The past couple months have been chock full of fun, adventures, and milestones for Finn.


First and foremost, he's crawling! Check out the video below. It's so awesome and fun to see him scooting around on the floor. He's into everything now...which means Dan and I need to baby-proof stat!! A couple weeks ago, Finn moved into the Level II class at his school, so he's now around a bunch of kids who are a little older and mostly walking. We think this prompted him to get his rear in gear and start crawling!



In other news -- we are definitely teething. He's already go two sweet little teeth that came in on the bottom. They are pretty cute! And, as far as we can tell, there are more coming. He's a drooling machine. He leaves his wet drooly mark on just about everything he comes in contact with. And, speaking of leaving a mark, all three of us -- Dan, Finn, and me -- have recently been sporting the distinctive red scratch marks that can only come from a baby's razor sharp finger nails. Why is it that something so small and cute can be so sinister?!?! And how come trimming them doesn't really make a difference?!? I've had more than a couple embarrassing days at the office, with those unmistakable red marks on my nose, cheeks, and chin!


As far as other events and activities, we've been spending as much time as possible at the pool this summer...Finn loves the water! He'll be a good swimmer, just like his Dadda. We've seen lots of family recently too. Hugh and Brooks' wedding party in July was a blast and we got to spend time with all the family. Two weekends ago, the three of us traveled to NYC and got to stay the weekend with the Schlumbergers in their beautiful new home. We had lots of fun playing with Carter and Hudson! This weekend, Hugh was in town and we had a big family dinner at Mom and Dad's...Finn got to spend lots of QT with Megan, Kate, and Samantha. They even "babysat" him this morning so Aunt Mares could sleep in. Woohoo!

Overall, it's been a great summer and our sweet Finn is just getting bigger and bigger every day. It's amazing and wonderful to see him grow! More soon...

THE END! ;-)

June Fun!

So, it's already July and I have a lot of catching up to do! June just came and went in an instant, it seems. But, even though the month went by fast, it was chock full of fun and big milestones for Finn. We had lots of important social events to attend -- birthday parties for friend Quint, and cousin Samantha. Oh yes, and of course the biggest social event of the month was Uncle Hugh's and Aunt Brooks's wedding weekend in Amelia Island. Talk about FUN! A weekend of non-stop celebration with our families, which led to late late nights and, consequently, long long days working off the effects of the partying. Finn had some late night fun as well...he's a party animal, just like his uncle Hugh Bob.


The most exciting thing about June was that Finn turned a half-year old!! It's so hard to believe that he's six months old now...it seems like only yesterday that he was just a wee little fella sleeping peacefully in his bouncy seat. (ok, he was never what anyone in their right mind would describe as "wee", but it makes for a good story). And now he's a big roly poly bruiser bursting with personality and curiousity. He's sitting up on his own now and rolling over and kicking and swatting and grabbing and it just seems like he never stops moving...unless, he's eating or sleeping, both of which he does VERY well...and frequently, I might add.

As shown in the videos "Adventures in Food 1 & 2", Finn has taken well to the art of spoon-feeding and is starting to dabble with the art of the sippy-cup. The food thing is really just an exercise in making sure that there is enough food -- any type of food, be it fruit or veggie -- on the spoon and heading in the direction of Finn's mouth at a speed deemed acceptable by him, which is somewhere in the range of a spoonful every 2-3 seconds until belly is full. It is a sight to behold indeed.



By the way, at the 6-month check-up he weighed in at 21 lbs and 28 inches tall...putting him in the 95th percentile for weight and height. Again.

Another fun new Finn trick is his endless babbling which has produced sounds like "ba-ba-ba" and "ma-ma-ma" (my personal favorite) and just this week he's added "da-da-da" to his vocabulary which is, of course, Dan's favorite. Hmmm, wonder what will be the Chunk's first "real" word?!?


Oh, and before I forget, we also celebrated Dan's first Father's Day this month! It was great. Finn and I had a whole day full of fun planned out for Dan, which included homemade blueberry pancakes for breakfast, lots of fun gifts, a trip to the pool, and ice-cream! Finn surprised Dadda with a very special art project that he made at school (see picture). And Dan has promised that he will wear it to his next board meeting...you don't think it's too flashy do you? ;-)

We've just returned from our big trip to Gulf Shores for the 4th of July weekend and it was a real treat to be with family on the beautiful Gulf coast for 5 days. Plus, we got to spend lots and lots of time with the boy playing on the beach, which was super fun. Pictures from the trip coming soon!

Giggle fest

Weekend in Cashiers, NC

Adventures in Food - part 1

Yay for May!

Another month just flew by and in two days Finn will be 5 months old! It is amazing how much bigger and stronger and funnier and bigger and sillier -- did I mention bigger? -- he's grown this month. Our little Chunk has just suddenly become a roly poly little fellow and we are loving every minute of it. There are all kinds of new tricks in his repertoire -- rolling over, sitting up, standing (with some help), and how could I forget his favorite new trick, eating cereal! We never doubted for a second that the boy would love solid food. And so he does. Licks his spoon clean every time.

In other news, Dan and I have had a fun but busy month. I had my first girls weekend away with Paige and Lawson (woot!). Dan, Finn and I road tripped to Tampa for St. Anthony's triathlon (which Dan rocked) and to visit lots of friends and family. Finn loved seeing Uncle Sam, Coach, the Kleins, the Coachmen's and of course Nana and Reece. We got to spend the night with Uncle Hugh and Aunt Brooks...and Murphy and Carson too! Finn was such a trooper -- especially on the 9 hour drive home alone with me! (How many times can you sing Old MacDonald in one hour on the road? Oh, I can tell you.) We also had a great trip to Texas for Steve and Lisa's wedding -- while Finn stayed with Mimi and Boo. Mama and Dadda might have gone a little crazy...but that's another story.

Also this month, I started back at work at Coca-Cola full-time. We are all getting into the groove with the new routine and schedule, but so far so good. Finn has had fun with his babysitters during the past few weeks while Mama and Dadda have gone to work. And he will start going to the infant program at Suzuki School full time next week! We are all looking forward to the adventures he'll have with his new friends at school. And, in the meantime, Mama is so glad to be back on the career track. :)

And how could I forget...this month was my very first Mother's Day! Finn and Dan surprised me with a picnic in Piedmont park and showered me with gifts. Mimi and Boo made a surprise appearance too!

We're looking forward to lots of Summer fun coming up in the next few weeks...especially Hugh and Brooks wedding in June!

Anyone coming to Atlanta soon? We'd love to have you!

Sunshine on my shoulders....

4 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that Finn is 4 months old this week! We are heading to the pediatrician Thursday afternoon for a check up (a weigh in, is more like it!). Our little monkey keeps getting chunkier and chunkier....his cheeks are positively plump and delicious! I think Dan is worried I might actually take a bite of one! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to settle for tons and tons of kisses. It's been a fun few weeks for us -- we spent SpringBreak week in Gulf Shores with the family and all 6 "grands" as my Mom likes to call them. And it really was a grand week, despite the windy weather. Finn loved playing with his cousins and especially loved his first dunk in the pool with them. He was very brave! Dan was so proud of his little boy. Won't be long before he's splashing around in waterbabies class! Meanwhile, Finn and I have been having lots of fun in our Mom and Baby yoga class and our Stroller Bootcamp class. He does an excellent plow pose, if I do say so myself.

In other news, as I transition back to full-time work in May we're very excited to report that Finn will be attending the Suzuki School in their infant program starting May 26th. School already?? -- you might be asking. It's a really neat infant care program that encourages learning and stimulation at all stages of an infant's life. Dan and I really love it and hope he loves it too! Check it out http://suzukischool.com/SL-infant.htm

Conversations with Huckleberry

As if it weren't wacky enough that my husband has conversations with the dog....now my son does too! This was a particularly interesting chat between the two. And, clearly, Huckleberry just had enough of all that chatter. See below....

March Pics

April Foolishness

Can't believe it's April already! (Ok, it's technically still March, but close enough.) Dan and Finn and I spent a good bit of time in Alabama with Mimi and Boo...partly under sad circumstances (Memo's passing) and partly under happy circumstances (seeing Aunt Beth, Uncle Bill, cousin Julie and sweet little Will and Josh). We had some fun times on the beach and getting Life o' Reilly ready for the big upcoming family vacation week!

During the past couple of weeks, Finn has done a fabulous job of continuing to eat his way off the height and weight charts....what a Chunky Monkey! :-) Also, he has a whole host of amazing new tricks, such as rolling over from his belly to his back. WOW! And, even more exciting to watch, he can now fully grasp small objects....oh, you know, things like small plastic rings, miniature stuffed toys, Daddy's fingers, and Mommy's hair (ouch). It's incredible! At this rate, he'll be asking for the car keys in no time. ;-) Pictures to follow soon...

Morning chat

Sometimes the boy and I like to sit and chat about current events and whatnot...usually this occurs very, VERY early in the morning. He was particularly chatty this morning. What an articulate little guy! ;-)

He may disown us as parents someday for this...

...but it's too funny not to share. Finn loves bathtime and swimming around the tub. Dan can't wait to get this kid in the pool!

Chunky Monkey!

We took Finn to for his 2 month check up on Tuesday. Dan was out of town, so Mimi (Finn's grandmother on my side) came for moral support since Finn was going to get his first round of innoculations. We were anticipating some serious howling from him when he got the shots...and, that's exactly what we got! At first he screamed and yelled like mad and then he just cried and cried for a while....it was so sad. Thank goodness for Mimi -- I would have lost it if I were alone! Shots are the just the pits when you're a little fellow. Actually, he's not such a little fellow...weighing in at 14 lbs and 24.25 inches, our little guy is in the 95th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height. What a chunky monkey! From the looks of his double chin, you'd think he ate his entire baptism cake! Oh yeah, we had Finn's baptism two weeks ago at our church -- Our Lady of Lourdes. It was a beautiful service and he was such a good boy throughout the entire mass and baptism. God bless our (not so) little Finn.

Finn photos, January-February

Happy New Year!

2009 is off to a wonderful start! The arrival of Findley on December 22nd was the best Christmas gift we could have ever wished for. He was 8lbs. 10 oz. at birth and is currently weighing in at close to 10 lbs. He's a big boy! As his Boo likes to say -- he's linebacker material. From the size of his hands and feet, he may very well grow up to be as big and strong as his Uncle Hugh. At the very least, this kid's bound to be a swimmer, runner, or cyclist some day. But, until that day comes, we are just loving every minute of our new life as parents. And we love watching our little Finn get bigger and stronger every day. Pictures are coming soon...