Finn is 6 months old!

I can't believe my little guy is half of a year old already! Doesn't seem real.

And do babies really crawl and sit up on their own at 6 months old?! That can't be normal.  ;) haha (Kidding, I just can't accept it).

At 6 months, Finn is:
- Growing out of 6 month clothes (length wise)
- Size 3 diapers
- Sleeps through the night
- Crawling
- Started some rice cereal, veggies and fruits and does pretty good with them
- So happy and content all the time…but is kinda "over" sitting and watching…now he wants to be in the midst of the action at all times

I love you so much Finn. You bring so much joy, love and life to our little (bigger now) family. Can't imagine life without you.

Hi Mom!

Some recent kiddo "isms" for the record…

"Hi Mom!"
Marlee sooo doesn't have a poker face.  If she does something she knows she isn't allowed to do, but I don't notice…she will come to me and say "Hi Mom!" out of the blue in a really sweet voice.  It's like she is testing me to see if I respond without catching her for what she just did.  Dead giveaway.

The need to cry.
Sometimes Parks will be in a mood.  When he is whining and cries for no real reason, I will ask him if he needs to cry.  He will say yes so I say "OK, well we don't want to listen to it, so please go in the other room and do your crying in there."  He will walk (silently) to the other room and cry…and then stop and come back to us.  Awesome.
*I feel like I might have already blogged about this but can't remember and am too lazy to look back and find out.

Hippopomanus
Yes, that is spelled correctly per Marlee's annunciation.  Also, large pigs qualify as hippopomanuses.

More to come...

Fall Weekend

I had one whole weekend with my family and it was fabulous.

On Saturday morning, we went to Uncle Bob's Pumpkin Patch in Newnan.  It was OK, but $18 per adult and when compared to "Denver Downs" ($12) that we attended a few weeks ago with our friends, The Thompsons, it was a little puny.

The hay ride was nice, and we got to feed some horses and see a bunch of corn stalks.

They had a small petting zoo area, and the kids loved this part!

Anyway, the kids had a good time, and we got to hang with Erin, Taylor and Jack.  I don't know when Jack turned into a TODDLER, but babyjack is G.O.N.E.

After Uncle Bob's, we went to Mikey's fav lunch spot, Grazing Here, and had a burger and some sweeties.  Good stuff!

That evening, everyone in the fan took shifts so we all got a nap.

Sunday we relaxed, rearranged furniture in our living room (one of my favorite pastimes) and enjoyed each other.  I love my family.  :)

Finn is 5 months old!

My brand new little baby boy is 5 months old already.  Insanity.

He is the sweetest, most content little guy ever.  Of course he has his moments, but he really is such a good baby with a great temperament.

At 5 months, Finn is:
- 15 pounds, 13 ounces (37%)
- 27.25 inches (94%)
- 43 cm (66%)
- Size 6-9 months clothes
- Size 2 diapers
- Sleeps from about 9:30pm - 7:30am
- GETS UP ON HIS HANDS AND KNEES AND ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Loves his activity center and jumper that we hang in the door frame
- Laughs at Marlee constantly (she gets nose to nose with him and talks to him and he loves it)
- Sleeps on his back half the time and tummy the other half
- Hasn't had rice cereal yet, but will probably try some in the next couple of weeks

He is such a sweetheart and I love him so so much.

Labor talk

So, I said I was going to blog this conversation...it's a funny memory for me so I don't want to forget.  As I was going into labor (but still in denial) I started texting Kim for her vast knowledge on...well...EVERYTHING.

Me:  What's the "rule of thumb" on how far apart contractions should be before you call the doc?

Kim:  Lol are yours getting closer?  I called at 8-10 and she said call again if they got closer or more intense.  So around 5 I called and they said to come in.

Me:  I had 5 in a row (pretty intense) that were all 6 mins apart...but then they stopped for 20 mins.  Now I've had a couple more.  Who knows...I'm waiting to have some consistency before I call.

Kim:  Well mine became inconsistent on the way to the hospital but once I got there are they checked me I was dilated enough to stay.  Any other signs?

Me:  Just cramps and contractions.  Now it's been 15 mins with nothing again.  Ugh, I just hate now knowing.

Kim:  Where's Mikey?  I say if you have another round of close contractions, call and they'll probably ask you to come in.

Me:  Ok, good idea.  I am at my parents house right now and Mikey just went home to shower and then he is coming over here.  We were planning to grill out tonight...not sure that's gonna happen now. :)

Kim:  Shower yet?  :)

Me:  No...I was thinking about it...and shaving my legs.  ha

Kim:  I say eat something before you go.  Especially after what Claire said.

Me:  Agreed!

Kim:  Eat, shower, and try to relax.  How bad are the cramps? Like a normal cramp x 10?

Me:  Hmmm, yeah, atleast x10.  I have to stop doing anything else and just focus on breathing for the 10-15 seconds, then the pain fades away.

Kim:  How long are your contractions lasting?  10-15 sec?

Me:  The bad part lasts about 10-15 seconds and the whole thing is over after about 30-45 seconds

Kim:  Hmm...ok if they all last 30+ and get closer to 5-7 mins then I'd say it's serious.  Even if they become inconsistent like disappearing for 10-20 mins at a time I say to be safe call and go in.  Especially if they want you hooked up to an IV.  You could go really fast and if you're already at 4cm it's not out of the question that you could get to 10 in a couple of hours or less.  Also to help move him down, when you're contracting try to sit kind of Indian style and rock side to side and back and forth.

Me:  Ok, I just called the office and they are paging the on-call doc.  He should call me back soon.  Just had 3 in a row that were 4 mins apart.  I'm afraid to get in the shower now.  Haha.  I'm gonna sit on a yoga ball and rock like you said now.

Kim:  NO!  Get in the shower, seriously!  Even if you just wash your hair and pull back you can blow dry your bangs and still feel clean/decent.

Me:  Ok, going now.

Kim:  Then rock!

Me:  Actually, waiting for doc to call then I will go.  :)

Kim:  Ok or get your mom to answer while you jump in and jump out.  Keep me updated tonight!  I'll be your text messaging doula.  ;)

Me (actually, Mikey):  It's Mikey we are going to hospital in a minute.

Kim:  Good!

Me (actually, Mikey):  Heading to hospital

Kim:  I guess they admitted her?

Me (actually, Mike):  baby here


*I love how Mikey's texts are so detailed and informative.   ;)

Seaside

Mikey's sister, Erin, and her husband, Taylor, invited us to go down to Seaside, FL last week.  Taylor's parents (Tony & Lynn) and his brother and sister-in-law, Gahrett and Winn, all came...along with our sweet nephew, Jack and his cousin, Lyla.  Everyone was so much fun and got along wonderfully...they welcomed our whole crazy crew in like part of the family.

To be honest, I was TERRIFIED about making the 5+ hour trip down with two toddlers and a 2-month old...but it truly went WAY better than expected.  The kids were so good considering the time they spent in the car seat...and Mikey was pretty well behaved too.  ;)

Seaside is GORGEOUS.  Every nook and cranny of that town is beautifully constructed and laid out so cool.  It's a fabulous place for families...everything is walking distance, most people bike or walk to dinner, shop, beach, etc.  Not much car traffic, and it feels very safe.

The water was crystal clear and the sand was soft and white and oh so nice between my toes.

As silly as this sounds, one of the best parts for me (probably because of the relaxation it provided) was the fact that everybody had little kids...so trips up and down from the beach for naps and snacks and shade was no big deal.  Everyone kinda did whatever they needed to for the kiddos, and we enjoyed the time together without any pressure to spend too many hours in the sun.  Parks and Marlee had a blast and Finn was a little angel, being so adaptable to whatever we were doing.

Huge THANK YOU to the Wards for allowing us to join your trip...we had a blast!!

Finn is 2 months

My sweet little guy is 2 months old already.  What?!?!

He is such a joy and I am shocked every.single.day at how perfectly his personality fits into our family.  He is so good and so flexible and so easy going.  Having two toddlers would be MUCH more difficult if he were high maintenance, but he is so content in almost every situation.  He will nap in his bed, in a swing, in the car, on the beach, in a stroller, in my arms.  When he is awake, he is totally content watching Parks and Marlee play.

For the past couple of weeks he has been SMILING!!!  It just warms my heart seeing that sweet face light up and his coos are the greatest sound ever!

At 2 months, here's some FFFs:
- 12 pounds exactly at his 2 month checkup
- size 1 diapers
- size 3 month clothes
- eyes are turning blue and hair still looks strawberry blonde
- is getting so strong...he holds his head up for a long time and look around.  he also pushes off with his feet when he is on his tummy and can push himself across the floor.  i also figured out that if i prop him up on the arm of the sofa, he can stand!  :)
- is nursing really well and also takes a bottle well (I try to give him a bottle once every few days)
- slept 7.5 hours straight to celebrate his 2 month birthday and has been doing about 6.5-7 hours consistently
- is the sweetest most huggable kissable little guy ever  :)

I LOVE YOU, Finn-Man!