Happy 8 Months Finley!

sweet finley,


how is it that i am sitting here at the computer yet again, chronicling your achievements over the last month and marveling at just how fast you are growing?

you are still the happiest little girl that i have ever seen. your megawatt smile with those killer dimples light up a room and melt hearts everywhere we go. i have people stop me in stores to comment on how beautiful you are. you really are such a beautiful, beautiful baby girl.
morning finds you playing with your toes and babbling away. where there used to be tears when you would wake up and find yourself alone in your crib, now i hear talking and laughter. the best sound is when you yell out "mama." it makes me so happy to know that you FINALLY feel safe in your crib and can console yourself when you wake up. you have started pushing down the bumper pad and resting your chin on the edge waiting for me to come get you. i love seeing your sweet smile first thing in the morning! you are still waking up once around 3am to eat, but go right back to sleep until around 7am. i can handle that. i love the moments, just the two of us in the middle of the night while the house is quiet and everyone else is sound asleep.

you are still working on crawling. rocking back and forth and crawling backwards you are a pro at, you just haven't quite gotten the hang of the forward motion yet. i watched you today, with such determination, go from being on your belly to on your side, pushing up to a sitting position. i am really jealous of those ab muscles!


you have decided that baby food is ok. you can now finish a whole jar at one sitting. you have started eating small bits of fruit, pasta, bread and crackers too. but, you still just don't like the idea of milk from a bottle. makes it hard for me to leave you for very long, but that's ok too. i miss you when i am gone for too long.


you are working on waving bye-bye. it's so cute to see you scrunch up your little fingers and copy me when i wave to you. you also got your first two teeth this month. i think you are working on others too, because you are drooling so much and chewing on everything.

this month we started you in your first my gym class. isabella is in your class too. i love watching the two of you playing and "talking" to each other. i know one day, you will be best friends.

in my typical plan ahead style, i have already started planning your first birthday party. boy, is it going to be a celebration! i can hardly wait. your daddy and i are planning the most amazing day for you!

happy 8 months my sweet finney foo! i love you to the moon and back!
love, mama

First Day of School

preslee and mason officially start school this thursday, but had their preview day where they see their classroom and meet their teacher and new friends yesterday. they were so excited. on wednesday night, i told them that they would be going to school on thursday. first thing thursday morning, they were screaming down the stairs that they were ready to get up and it was time to go. it is a two and you program and i will be staying with them, but it was still bittersweet to watch them starting just the beginning of a lifetime of learning. they are both so smart and such a joy to be around. and they were the only two potty trained in their entire class! drew and i are so so proud of them!

Busy girl

september has been a busy month for little miss finley. she has decided that she wants to crawl. she has been rocking on all fours for about three weeks now and crawling backwards, but yesterday, she took a few "steps" forwards. she has two teeth now and squeals mama and dada all day long!

7 Goucher Woods Court

we turned over the keys to our old house this morning. it was like saying goodbye to an old friend. we have already in just two short months started to make our new house a home. our three sweet little girls will create childhood memories of sleepovers and tea parties, drew & i will catch up over countless cups of coffee & enjoy the company of loved ones for years to come. but for now, it feels a little bittersweet. it was after all, where we started our lives together, brought home all three of our babies and shared so many memories with friends and family. thanks, 7 goucher woods court for all the wonderful memories!

Happy Seven Months Finley

finley,
is it really already 7 months? we are well on our way to getting ready to start planning your first birthday party in a few months. how can that be?

7 months ago today, you were only 30 minutes old. i was already in the recovery room and i asked the nurse to not let anyone back yet. i wanted a chance to have my first moments with you, just the two of us. it had been that way for the last nine months and i knew that any second, the beginning of having to share you with everyone else was going to start. yes, your mommy is a little selfish when it comes to her girls, but i am sure you can forgive me of that. i already knew you were perfect, but i remember unwrapping you and looking at every square inch of your sweet little body. how did i get so lucky? first your sisters and now you. you looked up at me and curled your tiny little fingers around my thumb. that's when i knew that we had a special bond and you trusted me to take care of you always.

now, 7 months later, you are the one grabbing my face, my hands, my hair, anything that you can reach.
i have started already to see the independent little girl that you will one day become. being the third child has not caused you to sit back and watch. you are a go-getter. i warn your sisters everyday that once you are on the move, they better watch out. all their toys are fair game. you are still a little roly-poly, moving clear across the room. you have been "scooting" for awhile now, but just this last week, you have started pushing up on all fours and rocking. you can sit, but just choose not to most of the time. you would rather be standing (with my help) or up on all fours looking around. i have a feeling that it won't be long before you are completely mobile.

last month, we FINALLY put you in your own crib and after a few rocky nights, you are doing great. i can always tell when you are tired because you rub your face with your little fists or my shoulder if i am holding you. you take two naps a day and sleep at night in your crib. i feed you before i go to bed around 10pm and you will sleep all the way through until around 6am most days and then back down until 8 or 9. you still don't love baby food, can't say that i blame you. you will eat a little and then cry to nurse. you absolutely choose nursing over anything. it's a lot of work, but i love that. especially that last feeding before bedtime. it melts my heart when you reach out and touch my face and then curl your fingers around mine to hold on. i will miss these moments the most when you decide you don't need me for food anymore.

you are still a talker, i think you get that from your mommy and your mamaw. we are starting to hear more distinct sounds that could be the beginning of words. you don't stay mama yet, but i hear "ma" a lot. you know who i am. you also, just today started growling. yes, growling. preslee thinks you are a lion. you love your little toes and i often find you first thing in the morning with them in your mouth. you definitely don't have the beynon, long skinny toes. they are short and chubby like mine.

this month, you went to the beach for the first time. you weren't a big fan of getting in the ocean, but the sound of the waves crashing seemed to lull you right to sleep.
you loved the pool and just squealed when we put you in the float.
you ate watemelon for the first time and devoured it.
everybody couldn't believe how much you had grown and just how beautiful you are. your daddy and i really are so lucky, we have three beautiful little girls!

you are still a mommy's girl. you have started to let others hold you for a few minutes, but are always scanning the room to make sure i am there. don't you worry honey, i am not going anywhere. you still have the sweetest smile i have ever seen. everything, even the wind blowing brings a smile to your face. i don't think i have ever been around a happier baby.
your sisters love when they talk to you and you grin at them (no teeth yet). they get so excited every morning when i bring you downstairs and can't wait to play with you. i know the three of you are going to be best friends.



happy seven months finley! try to slow down a little bit. i just want to hold onto these months forever and you aren't letting me do that. i love you!

mommy
UPDATE: as of today, finley has her first tooth! it's just creeping out above the gums.

Conversations with Two 2 1/2 year olds

you know, girls. i really haven't gotten mad at you up to this point. of course, i've been upset, stressed out and frustrated over your terrible two temper tantrums. and sure, i've wanted to jump off a bridge more than a few times. but, i've always blamed it on your "toddler hormones" flaring up.

you've gotten a get out of jail free card because, even though it feels like you are trying to kill me by throwing yourself on the floor, screaming, crying, whining, and making messes non-stop throughout the day, it's really not you. you are just frustrated by what you aren't able to do. it's not your fault that you don't understand that when you try to climb onto your chair to get the TV remote, you are going to fall. why shouldn't that little chair hold you? but, you are just 2 1/2 years old. you haven't yet grasped the fact that you are not all powerful.

and you also don't understand the purpose of boundaries and limits. i mean, i really can empathize. how are you to understand why you can't do what you want, when you want, and how you want? you were born doing exactly that from day one.

but, okay, girls. you are now 2 1/2 and you can talk. i mean, you are so good at speaking, that you negotiate with daddy and me every day, several times a day - whether it's about eating, sleeping, napping, playing, snacks, tv, bedtime stories, bath time.. the list never ends. i know that you know what you are doing!

so, today, when i told you specifically not to go into my bathroom and get into my make-up and you did anyway, i started getting mad. only because i had already told you three times and three times you went in anyway. but when i saw you painting your toe nails with my lipstick and most of an entire bottle of lotion on your legs, i was in shock as to what i was really watching. who are these babies? why don't they listen?

but today, you were adamantly challenging me. i heard the two of you, when you thought i wasn't listening, discussing how to get into "mommy's room."
i decided to flash you my "you better not touch that or else you are gonna get SSSSOO in trouble!" look.

as i gave you my best "evil eye", a really confused expression came over your face.

"mommy," you began to ask, eyes full of concern, "what happened to your face?! why does it look so bad?"

i couldn't help, but bust out laughing. you really haven't a clue, do you? it didn't matter. your face brightened and broke out in a happy smile. with some forced chuckles, you attempt to fake laughter, just to join me in the moment.

"what so funny, mommy?" you ask, wanting in on the joke.

"oh, nothing, girls. you're just too funny." i smile, as I pick you up and move you safely out of the room and away from my make-up.

gosh, how i love you two!

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.....