Grammy Comes to Town

On Wednesday night, my mom arrived for a nice, long stay! Finley was fast asleep when she arrived, but then he had two days with her while I was at school. Grammy day care was a treat for both of them (and me!). On Friday, she brought Finley to meet the kids in my preschool class and read them a classic story, Corduroy. The kids loved seeing the not-so-baby Finley and finding out that I have a mom, too!! How crazy! My favorite comment was from one little girl who saw me walk with with Finley and asked, "Is that your little brother?" Hm--is that a compliment implying that I'm too young-looking to have a son? Well, I'm going to take it that way!

On Saturday, Dan went to practice and my mom and I took Finley out to lunch. His out-of-nowhere food pickiness is quite disappointing, but I was sure some homemade mac 'n cheese would be a hit. Nope. The kid may have to survive on strawberries, cantaloupe, and mango for now. Lunch was still fun and it was so nice to have a grown up to chat with! After three days with us, my mom was a Finley expert: knowing all his favorite toys, how to make him laugh/smile, how to keep him flat on the changing table, strapping him in/out of the car seat and stroller, etc. Those well-tested baby-instincts were kicking into gear!

Finley loves to crawl around looking for us these days and my mom got in on the fun. Peekaboo, Grammy!

My mom kindly took care of Finley Saturday night so Dan and I could attend yet another wedding. Some friends were tying the knot just fifteen minutes away and it was great to be able to get ready and leave without any Finley concerns. My mom took him through all his evening routines and got him to sleep safe and sound--we didn't see him until 6am the next morning!

Sunday was her last day here and we had fun going to both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in search of new toddler finger foods for Finley. Basically, we've figured out that Finley no longer wants to be fed, but prefers to feed himself. His breakfast yogurt seems to be the one exception to this rule, thankfully, since yogurt dumped on a high chair tray would spell disaster! We found some good fresh and frozen options and when we got home, Finley got to try his very first chicken nugget. Out of habit, I cut it into pieces and when he looked at it and brushed it aside, I realized he doesn't want little "baby" pieces anymore. Oops. Good thing I'd made two nuggets and I was able to cut the other one into strips. I handed him one and he LOVED tearing off the bite-sized pieces himself. Cool!

We played for a while and then Finley's Grammy gave him a big hug since she would be gone when he woke up from his nap. I got him down and helped my mom pack up her car, it was sad to say goodbye since we won't see her for another month :( But it was a GREAT to have her and a much-needed boost for me since I was running on fumes! She was terrific with Finley, cooked for us, cleaned up, brought fun presents, and most importantly, reminded me that being a mom is hard and it's okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes. You just have to keep going and remember that you're doing your best! Thanks, mom! We love you!