The Good Life

My favorite parenting advice I ever received was something I heard only recently.  "Sleep when the baby sleeps.  Eat when the baby eats.  Do housework when the baby does housework."  It was brought to mind today when we met a lovely little grandmother in the produce section of Publix.  She told me, in her adorable, lilting Scottish accent, to ignore the dust in my house and to soak up every minute of your tininess.  For a quick moment I panicked, thinking she had somehow seen our dusty house.  But once reason took over, I nodded politely in agreement.  The truth is, I don't actually need a reminder of this.  I am so completely absorbed in you that I didn't realize our family was in dire need of having their laundry washed until I ran out of jeans, shorts, you name it.  I was one day away from being pants-less.  


The one thing I could stand to be a little better about is taking more pictures.  I'm sure that most people who know me would laugh at that, but I've been slacking.  I've never left the house without my camera so much as I have this week.  You're changing every day, and while "soaking it all up" is fine and good for now, I will forget these uneventful days no matter how much I insist that I will remember.  I get so frustrated with myself when I show up at a playground with you girls and no camera in hand (like I did last week).  Or when you are giving me the cutest smile, looking up from your sling, and the camera is sitting at home.  To quote my current favorite song ("Good Life" by One Republic), "Hopelessly, I'm taking a mental picture of you now."  I am.  It's in there.  Every minute of it.  I remember it all.  Even if I forget someday that I remember it.  I want to be that mom that lugs her camera to Target to capture you raiding the shelves (someday).  That is my goal.  To be the crazy, camera-toting mom.  As if somehow documenting every minute of your babyhood will somehow prevent you from outgrowing these days when we are inseparable.  

The Good Life Personified: Sweet naps outdoors

They're right.  This really is the good life.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Not all of the money in the world.  My life is so complete and full right now.  It doesn't matter that my bank account isn't.  Or that in my imagination my house is perfectly decorated and spotlessly clean.  Or that not every moment of my parenting is perfect.  Or that not every word that comes out of our mouths is lovey-dovey.  There's no doubt in my mind that my girls know I love them with my whole heart.  I don't need anything more in life than the smile (and laughter...what's that about, huh?) you give me when I'm singing my heart out and dancing for you while folding your baby laundry.  The good life, indeed.

Well, hello there, Blue Eyes

 When you're happy like a fool, let it take you over.  (more lyrics)

Some of my very favorite moments in life have been times when I have struggled.  Looking back, those memories are so much sweeter because you take nothing for granted.  All of the good stuff is magnified.  And perhaps the memories are a little over exaggerated and things seem better in retrospect, but there is something so real about finding simple pleasures.  That is why I do these silly little "photo shoots" with you.  I could never afford all of the professional shoots I would want.  And I'd rather be behind the lens.  I may not know what I'm doing with this camera, but I do know what I'm doing with you.  And that's what I see when I look at these pictures.

When everything is out, you gotta take it in.  (last lyrics) 

You take my breath away.  Honestly, you do. 

In other news, you had your 4 month checkup this week.  You are up to 16lbs and 4oz!  That doesn't surprise me, but wow!  Almost double your birthweight!  We put together your highchair this week.  It had been sitting in the garage, looking all lonely in its box.  But now it is crowding our dining room, as it should be.  So far you've only sat in it and played with plastic chain links (you love the sound they make!).  But I've decided that tonight will be the night to try some food.  The family is having shrimp tacos (no, you're not getting a taco.  sorry.), and I'm slipping you some mashed avocado.  How exciting!  I'll be sure to get some pictures of that!

Hey, Finn...you've got a little somethin' right there.

So please tell me-e-e-eee what there is to complain about.  (Okay, so I lied.  Last lyrics from that song.  I promise.  Stopping now before I sing you the whole song.)

Love and Other Stuff

It's been almost a week since I've posted anything on your blog, but it's not that I've forgotten about it.  Not at all.  I think I've been having way too much fun with you this week to even think about taking time out to blog.  I don't know what it is about a four month old baby that is so special, but I'm pretty sure it's the "magic hour."  Like how the light for photography is best an hour after sunrise and before sunset.  Or like the extra hour of Disney theme park time awarded to resort guests.  Four months is magical for sure.  Old enough to play, laugh and be happy to see you walk in the room, yet not old enough to move around, make messes or scream every time you walk out of the room.  I have no complaints about the months before and after this magical time, but I am soaking up every bit of four month old time and attention that you have to offer.  


Last week we celebrated your first Valentines Day.  I'd like to say that it was a sparkly, pink and red special day, but mostly it was a regular day.  We did make red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, all from scratch.  You sat in your Bumbo Seat and watched every step with sincere curiosity.  I did my best to show some restraint and not eat that frosting straight out of the bowl.  You're starting to show a lot of interest in what we put in our mouths, and I will use that as motivation to make sure you see healthy eating habits every chance I get.  But that frosting was delish!  I wish you could have tasted it.  Next year, perhaps.  We also snatched up the balloons your Grammy brought over and snapped some pictures.  I have to laugh at myself for imagining the Pinterest photos of toddlers in wheat fields with balloons in their hands.  You can't even sit on your own, let alone stand or hold the balloons.  And we live in Florida, not Kansas.  There's not a wheat field to be found for hundreds, if not thousands, of miles.  Still, you make my heart skip a beat in these pictures.  

Balloons?  Check.  Wheat field?  We'll work on that one.

I thought we'd start listing what you are currently into, month by month.  Honestly, you're just now truly starting to have an opinion about much of anything, so I think we're right on time with this new little feature.  So without any further ado, I bring you: 

What Finnlee's Digging: 4 Months

• Your Bumbo Seat: That purple little wedge of foam may trap your thighs like vice grips, but it lets you sit up like the big kids.  I love that it takes up very little room and lets you hang with mommy while getting to see all of the action (I need to buy the add-on tray now that you're playing with toys)
• Your Sling: An oldie but a goodie.  We are both still in love with the sling and everything about baby-wearing.  You are so snug and comfy in there that you fall asleep for the boring stuff (grocery shopping) but get a bird's eye view for the fun stuff (picking Sydney up from the bus stop), and I can actually hold you close and use both hands.  Genius.  Plus it's so pretty.
• Your Skip Hop Hug & Hide Owl toy: Our Target clearance score from last week has turned out to be a winner.  You can't take your eyes or hands off of its crinkly wings, wooden ring and fuzzy face.  It's practically as big as you, but I've already learned to throw it in the diaper bag for even a short trip out.

As of this week, you have a few new tricks up your sleeve.  You've started squealing with delight when gurgling just isn't enough.  I always love happy baby squeals and yours are spectacular.  Your sisters come running when they hear it just to ask if it was really you making all of that noise.  You also started laughing at things you think are funny.  I used to have to tickle you to get a giggle, but now I can give you a silly look when we're playing or laugh along with you and you'll laugh a grunty laugh without me even touching you.  Opinions.  Sense of humor.  You're developing quite a few grown up features, Little One.  How can someone seem so big and so small at the same time?  Tomorrow we go to your four month checkup.  I dislike doctor appointments because I hate to see you get shots and stripped down only to be poked and prodded.  But it's good to see how much you've grown since your last appointment.  Plus, you've had an issue or two that makes me wonder if you have the same milk allergy that Kylee had when she was little.  I truly hope not.  Hopefully we get some answers tomorrow.  For now, I need to get you back in your bed.  You've had some difficulty staying asleep tonight, and right now you are quite literally sleeping, sitting up, next to me on the couch.  As cute as it is, I really need to put you in a proper bed.  Sweet dreams, Sweet Pea.

Four Months

Happy Four Month Birthday, little Finn!  Four months is a big deal to me.  This is when all sorts of cool milestones really start happening.  It's also a little sad because it means the end of the newborn phase, for good.  Knowing you are the last little in our home makes me way more sentimental than what is healthy.  A big part of me isn't ready to say goodbye to these early days.  But there's also a part of me who is excited to see what you'll do next.  Every day you change more and more.  And this morning, when you woke up, I swear you visibly grew overnight.  


We had plenty of fun playing around with Scrabble letters and taking some silly pictures today.  I never realized that our fancy-schmancy collector's edition Scrabble game didn't have the traditional plain wood letters until I drug the box down from the closet today with those classic tiles in mind.  Bummer.  Oh well.  We snapped away anyway.  

I look good for 4 months!

Baby, you don't look a day over 3 months 29 days.

I really need to learn how to properly post these pictures.  And I should be editing until Picnik closes (sad face about Picnik...I used to love google and I'm not loving them since they announced the shutdown of my favorite, go-to photo editing site).  

This weekend I managed to totally screw up your schedule.  We spent Saturday packing up a lifetime of belongings at your Grandma's house for an eventual garage sale.  Then, Sunday, we went to a baby shower for a friend who I've known since 3rd grade.  She's expecting her first baby this spring- a little girl for you to be friends with.  So exciting!!  I wish I'd thought to bring my camera.  You looked so cute in her arms with her little baby bump propping you up.  We have another friend expecting a baby this year, and this will be a shower I'll be planning for sure!  I love when it's raining babies!!  

Last month Sydney and I started a Memory Jar for 2012.  It's an empty jar that we fill with scraps of paper that we've written memories we'd like to keep for the year.  On New Year's Eve, we'll open the jar and read the papers.  It should be good for a few laughs.  I'll leave you with the one I wrote down today.  Sydney got a stuffed coyote at Build-A-Bear this weekend.  Today, after school, she squeezed it and said (with tears in her eyes, and I quote), "I just wish to the world that everyone would hug their dogs tighter."  My animal activist in the making.

Dreary, Damp & Dismal

The skies outside are grey.  It's just a solid span of clouds for as far as the eye can see.  It's not even a peaceful, wintry grey because when you step outside you realize how damp and humid it is.  All of this grey-ness is leaving me feeling very unmotivated and sadly uninspired.  I don't know if the weather is echoing my mood or if my mood is responding to the weather.  I'm going to blame this one on Mother Nature, though.  I haven't even taken many pictures because the cold light isn't so flattering, and the moments of sunshine are so brief I'd lose the light before I had adjusted the camera settings.  And you can just forget indoor photos because it's just way too dark.  Which is a shame because you have a new "toy"...


Daddy bought you a "Jenny Jump Up", which is just a girly version of the good old "Johnny Jump Up" I had as a baby.  It's basically just a seat dangling from a spring that you mount to a doorway.  But you love it.  I think you feel free in it.  For once you can stand "unassisted" and bounce and sway on your own.  You're so tiny that the seat comes up to your shoulders, and all I can see are two pudgy legs poking through the bottom and your round, smiling cheeks above.  Clearly this is a toy you can grow into.  


Unfortunately, it appears that you've inherited your mommy's sweaty hands and feet.  Your little piggies are so moist that I think it'll make bouncing in your new jumper difficult on the tile.  Of all of the traits I could have passed along, why this one?  The one that earned me nicknames like "Clammy" in school and dashed all hopes that I could ever be a gymnast because I could never grip the parallel bars (Well, that and maybe the fact that I'm pitifully clumsy may have hindered me also...and the fact that I never took a gymnastics class.  That was working against me too, I suppose.)  Poor kid.  I'm truly sorry.

Cute but sweaty little piggies

It also appears you come from a long line of rule-breakers.  I thought I was bad getting you out of bed to snuggle the other night.  Last night you fell asleep early, so when you woke up for a midnight snack at around 11:00, your dad thought it was playtime.  He went into full-blown tickling and nonsense talk mode.  My first instinct was to remind him that we are supposed to be teaching you that bedtime is quiet time and that a routine is important.  But I bit my tongue, and I'm glad I did.  Sometimes I forget that you girls are his kids too.  Meaning that he should have as much say in how we raise you as me.  Not to mention that time like that is precious.  We have no guarantee that we have tomorrow to play.  He was happy, you were happy.  Win/win.  Again, who makes these rules?  Why do I get the feeling I'm raising yet another "Daddy's Girl"?  You girls love your daddy.  Luckily, so do I.

We miss you, sunshine!

It's a Jungle Out There

It's 11PM and I'm curled up with you on the couch, breathing in the scent of your fuzzy hair and listening to the rhythm of your nursing.  You were sleeping so well that I probably shouldn't have picked you up when you started to stir.  It goes against all of those "mommy rules."  I should just let you put yourself back to sleep.  But then I wouldn't have your chubby hand pressed against my belly right now or be able to see the way your eyes twitch behind your sleepy eyelids.  And who makes up these rules anyway?


Today was a day of going from one zoo to another.  The first was a literal zoo.  Your first trip, in fact, but it won't be your last.  We are fortunate to live (very) close to the Naples Zoo (or "Jungle Larry's", as it was called when I was a kid).  The first Saturday of every month is a free admission day for county residents, and we believe whole-heartedly in taking advantage of that.  So I can promise you  many more Saturday mornings spent at the zoo.  As expected, you seemed rather unimpressed by your surroundings.  That may have even more to do with the fact that I kept the sunshade in front of your face most of the time than the fact that you're only 3 1/2 months old.  It's a tricky thing, trying to keep your precious skin safe from this Florida sun.  

I think I need to get you a bigger sun hat.

We had lunch overlooking Monkey Island, where we met a little girl who is about to have a little sister of her own in May.  She was very enamored with you.  She got a little "big sister practice" in by tickling your tiny toes with her cheeto-stained fingers.  Hey, that's what wet-wipes are for.  And it's not like you can get those toes anywhere near your mouth yet.  Sydney had an extra special time at the zoo.  She got to ride a camel and feed a giraffe.  Not bad.  Not bad at all.  My animal-lovin' girl was in heaven.

Sydney's first camel ride

Hungry giraffe

The latter of the two zoos I mentioned was not an actual "zoo", per se, but the grocery store on Super Bowl weekend.  Remind me never to go to Publix the day before the big game again.  What a madhouse!  You'd think it was almost Thanksgiving or something!  Couple that with the fact that every five steps I take someone is stopping me to tell me how precious you look sleeping in your sling and it takes me an eternity to shop.  Don't get me wrong, I find it touching and even flattering that so many people take the time to pay a compliment to you or pass on some bit of wisdom (and they're right, you do look precious in your sling).  It's just that sometimes I have ice cream melting...ya know?  

Yeah, I guess I don't blame them.  You are pretty darn cute.

So tomorrow the Giants will be playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl and, being from New York, your daddy is pumped about it.  Luckily, you seem to be really into all of the color and movement that happens on the screen when football is on.  I'm not so sure you'll feel the same way about daddy yelling at the tv though.  We may need an exit strategy.  


I have a feeling that our beautiful days are numbered, and that it will soon be too hot to even sit near a window, let alone go outside.  I suddenly am thinking of all of the places I wanted to take you while the weather is nice.  All of the nature trails I wanted to walk on.  The little antique and second-hand district downtown I wanted to browse through.  That neighborhood with the shade trees that I've been meaning to grab a coffee and stroll through.  And the early morning beach walk I've been promising you since the day you were born.  So, put on your walking shoes, baby...mommy should have buns of steal by the time summer comes.

Spending every moment we can outside...

...chillin' on the sidewalk in the Bumbo seat.  Because that is how we roll.