Happy 6 months Finley!

sweet finley,

it is absolutely unbelievable to me that you are already 6 months old! i remember with preslee and mason that first 6 months going so fast, but with you, it has just flown. i saw a mommy at the mall this weekend with a brand new 6 week old baby. he was all curled up in a little ball in a sling, so warm and soft against her chest. nostalgia swept over me as i remembered those first days with you. i remember you being so small, but not what you felt like in my arms, so tiny and fragile. i hope i am not starting to forget all the sights, smells and sounds of caring for you as a newborn. as i look back and reflect on our wonderful life over the last 6 months, i am so immensely grateful, but i do look forward to what the coming months will bring; more love, laugher and even greater thrills as we get closer to your one year birthday!


there are so many things that i love about you. everyday, i think of just one more thing.

-i love the night feedings when it is just the two of us and how warm and cuddly you are
-i love how you hold my hand while i am feeding you
-i love how you stop crying right when i pick you up
-i really love how you search the room for me when someone else is holding you

-i love the second right before you fall asleep where you smile
-i love how your daddy coming in the door from work makes you light up
-and oh, those beautiful open mouth grins!
you have the most beautiful smile i have ever seen
-i love hearing your giggles as you watch your sisters play or how you just light up with joy when they tickle you
-i love that you love bath time (just like mommy)

-i love the way you aren't quite sure yet how to reach out for me to hold you, but you flap your arms and kick your legs
-i love the way you fall asleep with every single car ride
-i love that you are a talker, you squeal at everything!

-i love watching you at not even 6 months old yet, sitting up, wobbly, but you were up there, looking all around
-i love the way you drag yourself in circles to get what you want off the floor
-i love how no matter how greasy my hair is, how many days it has been since i have showered or maybe not even brushed my teeth that day, you still think i am the coolest and will still give me the sweetest kisses.
happy sweet 6 months beautiful girl!


i love you fin,
mommy

UPDATE: finley had her 6 month pedi appt today. she is healthy as can be and doing everything developmentally right on target. she even sat up on the exam table, little show off! she weighed 13 pounds 5 ozs (10th%) and is 25 1/2 inches long (50th%). her pedi said she is going to be long and lean. say a little prayer for us tonight. tonight will be the first night that she has slept away from me and in her crib all by herself. the pedi insisted that it is time, but i never imagined how hard it would be to hear her cry it out. so far it has been 30 minutes of non stop tears, hers and mine.....

June recap

june was so busy! mom and dad came to visit/help us move, we had a bucknell reunion at our house the weekend after we moved and my sister and nephew gavin spent the weekend of the 4th with us. it has been so quiet as we are starting to get settled in and get everyone adjusted to life in our new house. i promise, i will be better about posting in july!

So cute!

and just because they are so stinking cute, here is the blessing that we sing before meals (courtesy of their cousin Gavin and Mamaw)

"Pie Pie Song"

one of the things that i love most about preslee and mason is that they are 99% of the time, so happy. don't get me wrong, they have melt downs and temper tantrums, but most of the time, they are squealing and singing. here is their rendition of the cuppy cake song from strawberry shortcake. it's on the request list for bedtime EVERY night.

I think I can.....I think I can......

in just a matter of a few days, we have seen finley go from sitting completely assisted to doing the "tripod." here she is......



we are so proud of you sweet girl!

Happy 5 Months Finley!

finley,
happy 5 months sweet girl! how can 5 months have already passed since that freezing january morning that you were born? everytime i look at you, you seem to be getting bigger and bigger. you are growing right before my eyes!

you are still sleeping through the night, but occasionally i feel you reaching out, rooting around for me around 2am. you are thoughtful though, you just eat and we go right back to sleep. (yes, she is still sleeping with us, no comments, please). you are reaching out for everything now, our faces, my hair, toys and the spoon when i am trying to eat. at the advice of your pedi, we started some rice cereal this month to see if that would help with your reflux. we started you on prevacid and it seems to have helped some. you still spit up quite a bit, but are SO much happier than you were a few weeks ago. i can deal with being spit up on as long as you aren't hurting and are happy.

you smile ALL the time. it reminds me so much of preslee when she was your age. she would scan a room, looking for someone to make eye contact with, just so she could smile at them. you are the same way. i sometimes feel you staring at me, waiting for me to look your way so you can flash that amazing toothless grin. you have the most beautiful smile i have ever seen, it lights up your whole face and you have the deepest dimples. if i blow raspberries on your tummy, you will laugh out loud!


you are still rolling over. i put you on the floor in one spot only to come back and find you are gone, rolling across the living room. your sisters yell, "mommy, baby finley is moving." they love you so much. i love how they get so close to you and talk and when you laugh at them or coo, it makes their day.

daddy still has the magic touch for getting you to sleep at night. i think it's the hiney pat and the swaddle combo that does it. but when you are awake, you are still a momma's girl. i love that! i hope we will always have such a special bond, honey.
we are going to be moving into our new house in a few days and i can't wait to decorate your nursery. we have so many beautiful things that are just perfect for you to make you a room all your own! it is going to be a hard month because it is time now for you to start sleeping in your own bed at night and for naps. as much as i know you and i are ready for this change, i am going to miss snuggling with you at night. you are always so warm and cozy!
happy birthday finney foo! i love you,
mommy

Fashionistas

turning two has not only brought lots of fun to our house, but lots of attitude too. preslee and mason now tell me what they want to wear everyday.

preslee is very concerned with getting, "all dressed up" first thing when she wakes up. getting all dressed up includes wearing her "fancy shoes" too. of course it does. who doesn't walk around their house with white patent dress shoes on?

mason is more of a hat and tutu girl. she loves to wear her princess shoes (ballerina slippers) and usually fights for those over regular shoes.

but yesterday, they set trends in the fashion world. after their naps, they decided to forgo pants for leggings. reminds me of flashdance!