Bon Voyage!

The Forseters are off on a road trip with stops in Northern VA and White Plains, NY (with countless rest stops in between). We'll be back on Wednesday afternoon with lots of pictures and stories to tell! For now, I leave you with these two picts of Finley and his beloved O-Ball (thanks Moira and Ryan!). Finley has a love/hate relationship with this great toy because he loves to hold it with both hands, but eventually he gets frustrated because he can't fit it into his little mouth :) Life's tough little one!

Lunch with Dad

One of Finley and I's most favorite activities these days is driving down to the seaport to have lunch with Dan. When his schedule allows, we steal him from the office for an hour. Yesterday, we had an important appointment in Brookline and then drove over to see Dan for lunch. Sometimes we park and then go pick him up at his office, but today it was easier to meet him at the sandwich shop. It was SUPER windy down by the water, so it felt like I was pushing the stroller uphill instead of just upwind! Finley enjoyed the ride, but was more than ready to get out of the car seat once we got into the restaurant .

Dad scarfed his meatball sub and then grabbed up the little guy.

We ran into one of Dan's coworkers who has a 3 month old and we assured him that the 3 to 4 month change is a wonderful one--Finley became so much more interactive, chatty, and independent the closer we got to 4 months. He smiled and said he couldn't wait for that! Sadly, Dan had to go back to work and Finley and I toyed with the idea of going to the Boston flower show across the street, but decided to head out (mostly since Finley fell soundly asleep and wouldn't be much fun at the show). Plus, I should probably give up such girlish outings now that I'm outnumbered at home!

Mon Amie, Sophie

Finley has a few toys that he seems to like more than others (cowdog being one of them), but I'm curious at which ones he'll stick with for the long haul. You know, the ones we'll dread losing or have to buy back up duplicates of. I know he's too young for much object attachment, but he is a science experiment to some extent :) and I like to "toy" with my little lab rat. Last week, we bought the much-adored, over-priced, rubber giraffe (from France) named Sophie to see if Finley would take to her. Despite the price tag, Sophie stands only about 7 inches tall and appears to be nothing more than a dog squeeze toy. However, babies all over the world (celebrity babies included) have come to love holding and chewing on Sophie. Finley's now at the point where he can hold onto things more easily and is trying to chew everything he can cram into his mouth, so I thought it was time for him to have a Sophie. From what I can tell, he certainly digs her and is finding all sorts of ways to grasp onto her and see what her face and feet taste like. See for yourself!

Will Sophie be a friend for life or just a one week stand, who knows?

Family Fun

We've been quite blessed to have so many family visitors in the month of March and this weekend was no different! My brother, Chris, and his wife, Bronwyn, arrived on Saturday afternoon with my nephew, Owen. They flew into NH from Virginia and made a pit stop to see our Granny before driving down to our place. We haven't seen Owen since he was just about ten days old and now he's 3 months! By strange (really strange) coincidence, Owen and Finley were both due to enter the world on December 6th. However, Finley popped out 3 weeks early and Owen decided to stay in for an extra week--which made them turn out to be one month apart. My brother and I (and spouses, too) are so excited to have boys nearly the same age, cousins and friends for life! Building lego towers, pillow forts, and sandcastles together :)

Owen was zonked out when they arrived and Finley was just up from a nap. We knew we should take advantage of any time when both kids were awake so when it happened, we tried to snap some photos. Both wiggly worms cooperated for some choice shots:

How do you like that? Owen was nice enough to share his blanket and Finley tries to push him off! We took a nice long walk around the neighborhood since it was nearly 70 degrees and quite sunny. The rest of the evening was about bedtimes, feedings, sharing baby trade secrets, and a delicious thai dinner from one of our favorite Arlington spots, Sweet Chilis.

We decided not to put the two boys in one room to sleep and risk one waking the other, but perhaps we should have done it since neither one had a great night's sleep...Owen had a good excuse, but Finley--come now! Sunday morning was fairly leisurely as we prepped for a family brunch. Dan got the challah sliced for french toast and I cut up lots of fresh fruit. Around 11, my cousin arrived with his wife, 20 month old son, and 6 week old baby. Yes, that made for 6 adults, 1 toddler, and 3 baby boys for brunch. Mixter family name, be proud!! The eldest boy, Ethan, really enjoyed meeting our pet bunny, Peanut (probably too much...). Dylan was asleep for most of the time and Owen and Finley were pretty well behaved and interested in the whole scene. My desire for a baby group shot went out the window pretty early, so my apologies. Dan cooked up some wonderful french toast and we all enjoyed a tasty brunch. Here's my brother with Finley, what a great uncle to hold someone else's baby on the rare occasion he didn't have to hold his own!

Most people would think that challah french toast with maple syrup would be a sweet enough meal that no dessert would be necessary, but not in our house! It was Bronwyn's birthday, so a chocolate cake was in order! Happy Birthday, Bron!

As everyone (babies, I mean) started to lose it, it was time to wrap things up. Ethan and Dylan got ready to drive home for their respective naps and my brother, Bronwyn, and Owen had to make their way north to the NH airport. It was a wonderful day and super fun to have this group together, hopefully it won't be too long before we can do it again. We said our goodbyes and Dan began to tackle the dishes while I played with Fin for a few more minutes before it was naptime.

It was a busy weekend, but between the lovely weather and the terrific visit from my brother and his crew--we couldn't have asked for better! We'll be down to see Owen again in a couple weeks, can't wait to see how much our boys will have changed by then :)

Spring is Here!

It was a sunny, warm Saturday here in Boston and while it may not last--it was wonderful to be outside and soak in the fresh air. Finley had a nice morning nap and we were just finishing up lunch out on our back deck when he woke up. We brought him outside and it took him a while to adjust to the sun, but he enjoyed himself after that!

Then, it was time to run some errands and it took me a while to figure out what to dress Finley in. A winter baby is always bundled up...what does an infant wear when it is close to 70 degrees and breezy? We settled on a a short sleeved top and long pants after much debate. How awesome is this onesie!? A more perfect top I have never seen!

Chatterbox

Well, since Aunt Caitlin (now known as The Baby Whisperer) got him going, Finley has been quite a chatterbox! When we talk to Dan on speakerphone at work, Finley chimes in and he did the same while we wished GG a Happy Birthday on the phone last night. It is SO nice to have someone to talk to during the day...well, sort of :) Up until now Finley has mostly enjoyed talking to another person, but there are some toys that also spark his wee conversation. One of these toys is his dog/cow with a mirror on its tummy. I call it a "CowDog" because of its dual features: cow spots and coloring, but dog ears. Anyways...here's a picture of Finley and his friend.

In the following video I am holding the toy and Finley soon starts chatting. Truth be told I haven't taken this toy out in a while, so they did had a lot to catch up on. It is unclear from my angle whether he's talking to himself in the mirror or to the cowdog's face...but watch, it's adorable either way!

What's New?

Not much, I guess but I just wanted to post a couple of cute picts from this week.

The first is some morning Bumbo chair time with the Winkle (yes, that's the toy's actual name). Apparently, it is not only fun to look at, but also tastes good!

The second is a super happy Finley in his new Rock 'n' Roll bear fleece. Thanks, GG!

A great new tummy time elephant mat!

4 Month Check up

It's hard to believe that Finley is one day shy of his 4 month birthday, where has the time gone? The 4 month milestone meant another trip to the pediatrician for a check up and more, gulp, shots. Finley decided to sleep late today and therefore foiled any attempt at a morning nap before our 10:30 appointment...oh the horror! Thankfully, he took a cat nap in the car and was awake and ready to meet the doctor right on time.

First stop, getting stripped down and plopped on the scale. The diaper came off, the nurse tried to get his weight, and surprise--Finley decided to pee everywhere and I do mean everywhere--on me, himself, and all over the scale. I laughed instead of trying to cover his lower regions with his diaper, oops! I don't think the nurse was pleased as she reluctantly went to get us a towel. She handed it to me and as I scooped up the wet baby, she encouraged me to get that diaper on ASAP. Good call.

We walked back into the exam room and I got his diaper on so that the nurse could safely measure his length. She wrote everything down and said the doctor would be in soon.

Finley's stats at 2 months vs 4 months:

Weight was 12.11 lbs and now 15.9 lbs

Height was 23 in. and now 25.75 in.

His weight gain slowed up a bit but he's really lengthened out, the doctor told me. He's around the 65th percentile for weight and near the 80th for length. Sounds good to the doctor and sounds good to me!!

Finley was a good sport getting poked and prodded and I accepted all the doctor's nice compliments about what a great baby we have. Finley wouldn't smile at the doc, but flashed me a big one whenever he caught my eye. The doctor said this is often the case since Finley knows me well, but he (the doctor) is a stranger for the most part. Mommy recognition, sweet!

Soon it was time for the shots, so the doctor said to get him dressed on top and wait for the nurse. Finley clearly had no idea what was coming...

Writing this, I realized that he was wearing the same onesie for his 2 month check up! I sure know how to get good use of a piece of clothing, eh? He took the shots like a champ--though despite have chunkier thighs this time around, he seemed to scream louder! Good thing he stopped as soon as I was allowed to pick him up :) What a good patient, see you in 2 months!

Aunt Caitlin, the Baby Whisperer

What could make a rainy (I mean, really rainy) weekend at home with a tiny baby extra fun? A visit from Aunt Caitlin!! My little sis took the Bolt Bus up from NYC to spend the weekend with us. We dressed Finley in his cute polar bear fleece outfit that Caitlin gave him for the holidays and went to pick her up at South Station. Fin had taken a great morning nap, so we were hoping he would be able to stretch himself for an afternoon out. We headed over to one of my favorite restaurants in the South End, Picco. I couldn't wait to order the fanciest grill cheese that I haven't had since before getting pregnant (many soft cheeses are no-nos). Finley was happily awake and looking around from his car seat for most of the meal, but decided he was hungry just as our food arrived...little bugger. All in all, he did great and it was so nice to see him just enjoy looking around and hanging out.

Caitlin hadn't seen Finley since mid-January, so he was much more interactive and fun to play with. She got right down on the floor with him when we got home. Also, there was a great gift from a school friend of mine waiting at the front door--isn't this elephant activity mat terrific?

Finley loves being on his back when he can kick his legs. Caitlin really got him excited and he was kicking up a storm! He was also very smiley with her, too bad he often clams up sometimes when the camera comes out! Still cute though :)

I demonstrated the Super Baby and Caitlin took some great action photos.

Caitlin took him up onto the couch and got him to be very chatty with her. It's probably the most "talkative" the little kid has been, phew--I was getting worried! She was certainly The Baby Whisperer! It was awesome to watch him talk back to her and mimic her mouth shapes:) He did let me get in on the action, too, so I wouldn't feel left out. When he was done talking, he wanted to hang out with his caterpillar for a while.

Caitlin wore the little guy out with all the playing and chatting, so he easily fell asleep around 7:30. He slept great and was ready for more playing on Sunday morning. Exersaucer, bumbo, tummy time, etc. and then it was time for his morning nap. When his nap was over, Caitlin was eager to see the little dude so I dressed him in some cute fleece overalls and let her take him. He helped her select a sandwich for lunch and then they played some more before we attempted to give him a chance for an afternoon nap...Caitlin was sad to see him go down, but she knew it was in everyone's best interest!

As I type this Sunday night, I still can't believe how many cooing sounds Caitlin brought out of Finley! He's been doing some for the past couple weeks, but never too many at once or on demand. Let's hope he continues to show off his new linguistic skills when he realizes that Auntie Caitlin isn't around! Or else, we'll have to get Skype :)

Super Baby Video

Here's Super Baby Finley in action :) Whenever we do this, he gives us lots of smiles and even a few laughs (and some drool, too), hopefully you can tell from the video!

Boston Babies' Museum

Okay, it's really called the Boston Children's Museum...but today, it was all about the babies. After Finley and his friends Henry and Aliza all took terrific, lengthy morning naps in their respective cribs, we met up at the toddler room at the Children's Museum. The room is set up for children 3 and under and it is awesome! A huge train table, a tree house, a water table area, a pretend car and a house, and padded, foam covered corner for crawlers. Finley is obviously too young to take advantage of such a landscape, but his eyes enjoyed the entire panoramic view.

He pleasantly sat and just watched all the kids playing for quite a while. Henry and Aliza were checking out all the different play spaces, but we just sat and stared...longer than I thought Finley was capable of doing! We did check out a big round mat where Finley lounged for a while and made a new, feline friend.

He wanted to sit up after all that relaxing and then made some other new friends.

Our last stop was the socks only (good thing Finley wore socks) crawlers play space with Henry and Aliza. Finley had something to eat, checked himself out in the mirror, and completed the afternoon with some tummy time.

It was brave of us to venture out to such a "big kid" spot, but it was well worth it. Finley got to play and see lots of other friendly faces and, maybe more importantly, I got some much needed grown-up chatting time with Aliza and Henry's moms.

I can't wait to go back!

The Fuzzy Bee

As the weeks go by, we keep discovering new books and toys that we were given when Finley was born. As a very organized person, I tried to put things "where they go" but baby stuff tends to go everywhere so I sometimes find things were I don't expect. Tonight before bed, I found The Fuzzy Bee book and decided to see if Finley would want to read it, hold it, or eat it. See for yourself, he did all three!

After all the soft book fun, it was definitely time for bed :)

Baby Work Out World

Finley's settling into a nice sleeping pattern and routinely gets up between 7 and 8. Then, he can stand to be awake for about 60-90 minutes before it is back to bed for his morning nap. This time slot is probably my most favorite of the whole day. Finley is alert, interactive, smiley, and even tempered. He can be very independent if need be, though I am usually up in his face for most of this time since I love it so much. At our last mommy and me class (for now!), our teacher referred to entertaining babies this age much like circuit training in a gym or weight loss class. Instead of a treadmill, ab crunches, and weight machines--we've got an exersaucer, a bumbo, and the floor. Here are some shots of our "training" the past few mornings.

Station #1: Bumbo

Hm..how do I get this cow into my mouth?

Aha! Took me a few days, but I did it!

Station #2: Tummy Time

Like my tummy time quilt? My great aunt Sudie made it just for me!

Mommy lets me wear just a diaper in the morning lately, it's so freeing!

Station #3: Exersaucer

What are you looking at?

Station #4: Guitar Mat

I love this cushy mat, but not as much as I love my mommy!

Now...we can rotate through all these stations and maybe throw in some Super Baby time (I lay on my back with my legs tucked in and Fin flies on my shins). Super Baby time is great and gets me lots of smiles. The only trouble is the large risk of drool dripping down onto me, but it's worth it. I wish I had a picture of this, but I haven't figured out a way to snap one yet!

After all of this and a feeding, it's nap time! Who wouldn't need to snooze after all that?

Baby Buddies

Sunday night, Sangwha and Josh came over for dinner. Well, actually--they came over to make dinner :) Who could ask for better friends than that? We are baby buddies with these guys since Eliot is only 1 month older than Finley. Eliot is a cutie who is an active crystal ball of what's coming down the pipe for Finley--she grabbed her feet last night while on her back and Dan thought it was so adorable...no pressure Fin!

We put the little ones on the floor for some dual tummy time. They were somewhat interested in one another, but more in themselves...here they are nearly forehead to forehead looking in a mirror off to the side just out of the camera shot!

Eventually, they did bonk heads and it was time to pick them up. Later, Eliot found a familiar toy in our toy box and Finley wasn't so sure about whether or not he wanted to share it.

He was a good sport though and didn't try to fight her for it :) What a gentleman!