Not Much to Report

Isn't that an exciting title to this post? I bet you couldn't wait to read it! But sadly, it's true--with the yucky, chilly weather and no play dates set until later today--we don't have much to tell you. But if you're super bored at work, read on!

A few highlights and updates:

1. Finley debuts in denim.

2. Finley shows how flexible his neck is while craning to get in one more picture.

3. Finley can curl his tongue! They say this skill is genetic and since both Dan and I can do it, we shouldn't have expected any less :)

4. While he continues to dislike sitting, he does love to be on his feet and can now lean up on the exersaucer with some dad-support in the background.

5. We took a break from trying rice cereal and oatmeal due to some skin reactions that appeared on Monday morning on Fin's chin, cheeks, and neck. The redness improved since we stopped solids, but we visited the great Dr. Pangburn this morning to see what's up. He told us we can't do any definitive food allergy testing till Finley's at least 12 months, but we can do our own experiment by trying rice again for a week or until a reaction appears and then stopping for a week and then reintroducing...and no exciting veggies or fruits for a while :( He also said Finley appears to have pretty sensitive skin (baby eczema in some folds, ha ha folds) so we should moisturize more and use fancy, grown up Dove soap in the tub. We can also use Aquaphor on those sensitive, dry spots. Man--how did we manage to create such a metro-sexual guy?? So many products, a cleansing routine, geez! Alas, I'm a slave to porcelain baby skin--so we'll do it.

6. Just remembered I didn't post these from a play date last week with my friend Jenny and her new arrival, Quinn. Finley was kind enough to hang out on the floor while I helped Jenny learn how to put Quinn in her Beco carrier.

Success! Minutes later, Quinn was asleep and Jenny was dancing around so relieved to have a quiet baby and both her hands free :) Finley seemed gigantic compared to Quinn, it's hard to imagine he was once that size (and even smaller). In March when Jenny told me what she'd named her daughter, I said "Fin and Quinn--just like from Glee" and she laughed. While the Finn on the Fox show spells it with two n's and doesn't seem to be short for anything--the names do sound pretty great together. Fast forward to when our babies are in high school and voila:

We won't discuss their plot too much for those that haven't seen the show yet, but I'm hoping that our teenagers don't get caught up in the same drama that these two did!

Sitting...sort of

Finley's been working hard on lots of skills lately (talking, sleeping longer, reaching for his feet, eating solids, drooling, etc.) but up until last week, we hadn't really pushed him to practice sitting up. We know that all babies are different and don't always develop milestone skills on the same timeline that all the books say...but we kinda feel like our brilliant baby has been a bit lazy in the sitting department. For months now Finley has LOVED to stand up (while being supported by one of us, of course), but we realized that he never really sits. He'll sit in the bumbo chair and sometimes on our laps, but in general he's not so into it.

Now, we are making a conscious effort to get the little guy to not hate sitting on his rear end. We sit with him between our legs and try to distract him with a book or a toy. He can do it now for maybe 2 minutes before revolting by leaning back and pushing up with his legs or just whining pathetically. We have also tried having him sit on our stomachs while we're lying down and that can work well too. Right now Fin ends up hunching himself over so much, compressing his stomach to the point we think he might barf...so we can only do it hours after he's eaten. Which is a hard timeline since babies eat quite often. Needless to say, we think we're making progress and every once in a while, he can balance himself for a few seconds in the sitting position. I'm sure at our 6 month check up, the doctor will tell me not to worry about it but at least I'll feel like we are working on it :)

Here are some shots from earlier in the week during one sitting session with Dan:

Here are two photos unrelated to sitting, but Finley is wearing the same outfit so they must have happened on the same day! (can't seem to turn off this underlining...arg)

Go Giants!!

It's Hard Being a Baby

Yes, as much as it seems like a cakewalk, it must be hard to be a baby. Grown ups are always making decisions for you, putting you wherever they want, dressing you in their choice of clothing, feeding you whenever they feel like it, etc. The hardest part must be the fact that whenever babies show a remote interest or ability to do something, the grown ups push them to do it over and over again. Baby tricks. Like smiling for the camera, saying bye-bye, but most highly demanded: rolling over.

We showed you a video of Finley rolling from his tummy to his back a while ago.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Amazing Finley Forseter

He still does that from time to time, but lately he seems to be wiggling to move when he's on his back at the start. We have to really keep an eye on him on the changing table, in the bath tub, and even when we are trying to strap him into the car seat. He can arch his back and push with his legs with surprising power. On Tuesday morning, he seemed more determined to use this new found strength to get somewhere or reach something. He started out doing some tummy time and kept inching forward towards his toy apple and then he flipped over. Much to his dismay, the apple was now out of reach and he spent the next 20 or 25 minutes (seriously!) trying to get it. I just sat next to him and snapped photos of his efforts.

He was SO close to rolling back onto his stomach several times during this time, I was sure he was going to do it. I suspect the camera curse came into play and after this adventure, I promised him I would put it away while he practiced this new baby trick. It was funny how focused he was while trying to roll to get the apple, but that he was still smiling and making lots of happy noises. Once he finally stretched out to get it, oh the joy! Too bad he let it go and it rolled out of reach. Poor guy!

Good work, little man. You'll get there. I think it's time or a nap.

Our Little Bookworm

Since early on, Finley has loved books. I remember when he was like a month old and I was so tired that I just wanted to sit in the rocking chair with him for a while. Like most newborns, that wasn't enough movement for him and he would have preferred to be walked around or bounced. I was too exhausted for that, so I reached to pull a book off his bookshelf. The closet one was The Lorax, a classic! It was a gift from our friend, Mark, that I was excited about...one that I knew Finley would grow to love, though not sure it was a "baby" book. I thought I'd give it a try and to my surprise, he sat through the entire book!! It was one of those new mom moments telling me, "I can do this!" For those that don't know the story, it's a wonderful Dr. Seuss tale of how one person (person-like creature) can make a difference and in this case, save the environment. I used to use it in my classroom every school year, so I could basically tell the story by heart. Maybe someday Finley will, too.

Lately, Finley has continued to love being read to. Some of his favorite books are by Sandra Boyton: Moo, Baa, LaLaLa!, The Belly Button Book and every night before bed, we read The Going to Bed Book. He also loves If I Were a Cow and Owl Babies. I keep pushing The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other favorites of mine, but the boy likes what he likes :)

As you recall, Finley became quite fascinated by The Fuzzy Bee back in March.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Fuzzy Bee

He still loves it, but I wouldn't say he loves to read it as much as he loves to eat it, smoosh it, pull on it, and wear it!

Another favorite is Go, Dog, Go! It's short, simple and a bit smaller than our other board books which makes it even easier for him to hold.

We have piles and piles of board books and picture books, so I am always rediscovering new ones to share with Finley. When he does tummy time and I lay down next to him (on my tummy) and read books to him. I adore how he actually seems to follow along as I read and carefully examine both pictures before I turn the page. His face lights up for certain images or words and it's fun to see what new things he is attracted to. We have a couple books with baby faces in them and Finley certainly loves a few of those babies and smiles right at them (even the one who has a pouty face!). In our book of baby colors, I'm pretty sure the "gray babies" are still his favorite.

Anytime any of you want to come over and read the little guy a book, you're more than welcome! I know he'd love it!

Feeding Time at the Zoo #1

Well, after much thought and procrastination, I decided to try out some rice cereal with Finley yesterday. I sat him in his high chair and let him play for a bit with a spoon (that is too grown up for him, therefore a great toy). For some reason, he was less than enthused to begin this adventure with me....

...alas, I began mixing the not-so-appetizing rice cereal flakes with some warm breastmilk. I followed the instructions on the box but it went from way too thick to basically breastmilk with some floating flakes in it. I figured let's go for it anyway!

I don't think any went in on the first spoonful, most of it sat on his tongue and then came dribbling out.

Second spoonful was much the same. But then...

He revolted! I realized that it was time for him to nurse when I started feeding him, but figured we'd try this first. Wrong. Since this cereal crap is just for experience and not so much for nutrition, plus none of it was really getting into his stomach--I bagged this effort and nursed him. Then, we went back to the table to try it again.

He was much more willing to let it swish around in his mouth this time around (yippee!), but also more interested in shoving his hands in there as well.

We tried like eight or so more spoonfuls of the liquidy goop before we stopped. Some went down his trap, but most when down his chin. All in all, not too bad for our first try!

I was worried about this since Dan was allergic to rice cereal as a baby and apparently he projectile vomited as a result. Plus, rice can be very binding and Finley isn't the most regular guy so I don't want to complicate his digestive tract any further. Thankfully, he seemed to enjoy the experience overall and this next photo will surely motivate me to try again today!

Hooray for Fake Holidays

Today is April 19th. Doesn't ring a bell? Well, it's the 3rd Monday of April. Nothing? It's Patriots' Day here in Massachusetts which is a civic holiday to commemorate the Battles of Lexington and Concord (just a few miles away from us). This holiday is also observed in Maine (once a part of MA) and oddly, Wisconsin. Thank you Wikipedia :) Whatever the reason, it was nice to have Dan home for an extra day!

I got to stay in bed this morning when it was time to get up, which is nice though I cannot seem to sleep through any sounds Finley makes (talking, screaming, hiccuping, coughing, whining, laughing, etc.) so I just get to stay under the covers and hang out while the boys played in the living room. Dan went to coach and then Finley went down for a nap. We shortened his nap a bit so we could get to Arlington center in time to meet our friend Davey and little CJ for lunch. CJ turned one back in January and just keeps getting cuter each time we see her!

We got to fire questions away at savvy veteran dad, Davey, while we ate and Finley pleasantly sat in his car seat stuck in an upside down high chair (sweet trick, actually). Two attempts to get Finley to look at the camera...

Not sure why he looks so serious in the 2nd picture, at least he was looking in the right direction...But after we were finished eating, Finley wanted to get out and Dan entertained him while we continued to chat with Davey and smile at CJ as she smeared cheese all over herself, the table and who knows where else!

Good thing our little guy is still satisfied eating plastic toys that can easily be rinsed off! We had a nice visit with Davey and CJ and then we all retreated to get to our respective homes in time for a nap (hopefully).

5 Months and Counting!

Today Finley turns 5 months old! The 16th of every month is now a special day for our family, eventually when we count Fin's age by years and not months perhaps the importance of each 16th day will fade...but for now, we celebrate!

Finley got to sit in his totally awesome, rainforest themed high chair this morning for the first time. We're not ready to feed him anything in it (though he's ready we think), but we thought he should adjust to hanging out there for a little while. This chair was a Hanukkah gift from my parents and while it is HUGE and screams BABY in our small dining room, I've wanted this high chair since I nannied a 9 month old for the summer years ago. Baby Eliza loved sitting and eating in her rainforest chair, but she mostly loved playing with (and being happily distracted) by the toy that snaps in and out of the tray. Someday, I thought, my kiddo will sit in a chair like this...well, mommy, today is your day! Wait, whose monthly birthday is it?

Finley ended his big day with a bath and some naked time. He's pretty adorable wrapped up in his towel so his time isn't officially naked I guess, oh well.

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Finley Strikes Back

One of the lines from Star Wars that Dan says often is "Laugh it up, Fuzzball." (Han Solo speaking sarcastically to Chewie in The Empire Strikes Back). Tonight it actually was relevant.

Here is our little fuzzball (check out the recent hair growth) laughing it up.

Turn up the volume!

April Party Animal #2

The second party Finley got to attend was for his cousin's baptism. We went to the church on Sunday morning and then back to my brother's house for a laid back celebration before we had to go to the airport. It was disappointing that Fin's cousin, Owen, decided NOT to wear a christening gown after all but he did look snazzy in his white suit. I guess Finley will have to find something else to rag on his cousin for! Finley will narrate this post as well, he's much more succinct that I am.

I had a great night's sleep, but was surprised to be plopped into this girlie colored Bumbo seat during breakfast. Good thing my Grammy was there to entertain me.

I agreed to get dressed up for church, but refused to let my mom put socks on me. My dad sided with me and I got to feel the cool concrete under my toes!

My Granddad had to wait in line to hold me (yes, I'm that cute), but when it was finally his turn--we had a blast!

I told him some stories and showed him how strong my legs are by kicking him repeatedly in the chest, it's amazing what I can get away with!

I kept an eye on my mom who was nearby.

I smiled at her so she wouldn't be jealous of all the fun I was having with my Granddad.

My dad took this photo and I think it's pretty exciting to see myself up so high, though I did get some serious hiccups right after!

My mom is still trying to track down the big family picture we took, but since I wasn't looking at the camera for it anyway, I thought we should post this entry now. Hope you liked it :)

Here is the photo!

And one of my Aunt Caitlin, my mommy, and my Uncle Chris.

I'm lucky to have to such a great family!!