..food update..

dear finn,

as you get older we are able to give you more and more foods...all different types, and it is such a fun adventure. each time we try a new food we get so excited...anticipating whether or not we think you'll like it. i must say you are a pretty good eater. i have heard horror stories about babies refusing to eat their solid food, and that would just be no fun! anyway, i thought i would write an update of the foods you have been eating lately.

you still love 'the originals.' sweet potatoes, apples, pears and yams have been your favorites from the get-go. and you are still not a fan of peas. i made tons of peas a couple weeks ago, hoping that maybe you'd like homemade ones better...nope, you still won't eat them. little stinker. ;)

one day we were eating sunday dinner at grandma cindy's house, so we tried feeding you a little of the dinner we were eating. we cut up the roast and corn real good, and waited until the mashed potatoes and gravy weren't too hot. well, you didn't like ANY of it. haha you made the funniest faces, and we sure got a kick out of watching you just sit there with the food in your mouth, wondering what to do with it. my guess is that you didn't like the texture. so far the food you have been eating is mainly pureed...you probably just didn't know what the heck was in your mouth.

one night dad wanted to go to denny's for dinner...yes, you read right - denny's...so we ordered you a side of oatmeal. i was really anxious for you to try this, because it is something dr. reese told me to start feeding you when we went in for your 6 month appointment. anyway, i kind of chopped it up real good, hoping it would make it easier for you to eat, but you didn't like it at all! again, i think it may have been the texture.

i may have mentioned this before, but when we went to vegas we fed you yogurt - plain and strawberry flavored - for the first time, and you loooove it. i now give it to you at least a few times a week, and you gobble it right up. also in vegas, we gave you some cheerios for the first time. you were not a fan of those. you didn't really know what to do with it...it was funny to watch. and of all the 'gross' faces you have ever made, the cheerio one may have been the funniest!

i have given you some 'meat dinners' the past few days...just store-bought, organic meals in jars...and surprisingly you have been a fan! you like the sweet potato and chicken dinner, as well as the turkey vegetable medley dinner. also from the jars we have given you apple/pear/oatmeal breakfast, which you loved, and peaches/raspberries/banana, which you loved too. dad said that last kind tasted like a smoothie. :)

when we stopped for lunch at in-and-out burger in st. george with grandpa jimbob, we gave you a french fry, but you didn't know what to do with it. and sometimes we are naughty and give you little droplets of rootbeer and pepsi...you make funny faces but then look at us with big eyes, as if asking for more. ;) we need to put the kabosh on that though, because soda is bad for you.

ayway mr. finn, i am loving our adventures with food. in the next few months we'll be able to start feeding you the food that we eat, which will be exciting and interesting, and i think it will make meal time even better.

love,
mom

..happy halloween!!..

dear finn,

today you celebrated your first halloween!! actually, it feels like we've been celebrating since friday, but today was the actual day. you are a bit too young to go trick-or-treating for candy...i know by next year you'll probably LOVE it. halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays, so i hope that the fear you displayed over dad's costume the other night isn't a foreshadow of what's to come as you get older. ;)

we went up to park city to visit grandma cindy at work today...she has seen you in your costume before but i wanted her to be able to show you off to the ladies she works with. you kept making cute noises at them and we pretended that you were roaring like a lion! it was cute. then later in the day grandma cindy came down to our house to give you a present. isn't she the greatest? i am so happy and grateful that you have such a wonderful grandma. i know you two will cherish the relationship you have in the years to come.

after opening her gift we went to lunch/dinner at the pizza factory. we gave you a goldfish (snack), which you didn't enjoy. it made you gag, and then throw up. :( then after eating we went to the phippens so we could take pictures of you and little lockester in your costumes. you two are so adorable and i know you will look back on these and love them (and if you don't like them, i know your wives will).

then grandma cindy babysat you while dad and i went to a haunted house. just about 5 more years and you'll be able to tag along...you wouldn't have enjoyed it this year. ;)

you are the CUTEST little lion ever and i hope you had a happy halloween!

love,

mom

..nighmare on 1935th street..

dear finn,

last night we hosted a halloween party with our friends. it was the first year we have gotten together with the gang for a halloween bash, and our motivation in doing it this year was so we could get some cute pictures of you and your friends in your halloween costumes. you guys all looked so cute dressed up, and i wish i could say you enjoyed yourself, however that would be a lie. i am afraid you may not be a fan of halloween. haha not this year anyway!

i love throwing parties, so i got the house all cleaned and ready to go. then, right before the party started dad changed into his costume and we put you and your brothers in your costumes. you all looked so cute and i was so excited to get a cute family picture.

 

well...i don't know exactly what happened, or when it happened, but you all the sudden started crying and wouldn't stop for about 2 hours! no joke kiddo, you cried...nay, screamed...on and off for a good two hours. it was so sad! my best guess is that you were scared of dad in his gorilla costume. he was covered from head to toe, and i guess it is a pretty scary lookin' costume...probably very scary for a little baby like you. when the clark's arrived dad made krew cry too, which is why i think it was the costume. however, krew stopped crying after a while...you kept going all night! i was wearing a headband that had leopard ears on it, and kristin walker was wearing a witch hat headband...all night you would just look at our faces, then up at our headbands, then back at our faces, then you'd burst out in tears again. it was so sad. :(

i think you must have just been too overwhelmed by everything going on. you had been a bit fussy before the party started, and you didn't get a very good afternoon nap because we were running errands. also, the lights were dimmed (to set a better mood for halloween), so i think it was a combination of all these things that made you so upset. as dr. reese mentioned at your 6 month appointment, you are advanced in your recognition of strangers...and things were definitely a bit 'stranger' last night than they have been for you ever before. miss madi was totally fine all night, but i think it is because she hasn't hit the stranger danger phase yet. you and krew are right there, so i am almost positive that is what put you guys on edge a bit. it will be interesting to see what everyone thinks of santa claus this christmas. :)

other than the fact that you cried for a good portion of the night, the party was a lot of fun. it is always fun when we get together with our friends. we had chili in pumpkin breadbowls for dinner, and cupcakes, cookies, caramel apples and brownies for dessert. you and mr. krew are getting so stinkin' big. krew was crawling all over the place and pulling himself up on things. you are just a couple weeks behind him little man! in fact, you have made some serious progress on the crawling front, and you showed off your skills for your friends last night. their moms were quite impressed. :)

i hope that you like halloween in the years to come, because it is definitely one of the best holidays. i am sorry if we scared you mister finn...we didn't mean to. i truly believe that as you get older you will realize how much fun it is to dress up and get loads of candy for free...and then, maybe then, you will realize what an awesome holiday it is. :)

love you!

love,
mom

..way to go, uncle zac..

dear finn,

last night we went to a banquet at hidden valley country club, to support uncle zac for being named the uga player of the year! this was the third year in a row that uncle zac has won this award, which is a uga record. he is such an incredible golfer, and has already achieved so much in his golf career, and he is only 21 years old! it is always fun to hear people brag about the people you love, and this was no exception. most people are fascinated by zac and his ability to play golf, and let's be honest, they should be. even though he is smaller than most, he doesn't let that stop him from being great. he is a great example of working hard to achieve your goals, and i can't wait to see where is golf career takes him in the years to come!

hopefully next year on the last wednesday of october we will be back at hidden valley, supporting uncle zac for being named the uga golfer of the year for the fourth year in a row. :) i wouldn't be surprised if we are.

love,
mom

..gardner village, take 2..

dear finn,

remember our trip to gardner village a few weeks ago that didn't turn out so well because someone (you!) wouldn't smile for a single picture?!? well, i will not be defeated, so this morning we went back to try again. it was freeeeezing cold though...your cute little lips were quivering, it was so sad, yet so adorable, all at the same time...so we didn't stay for long. but we got a few gems, so i feel satisfied. :)

aren't you just adorable?!

love,
mom

..viva las vegas..

dear finn,

last weekend we went down to sin city...aka las vegas...for grandpa jeff's wedding. he has been a bachelor for 27 years. no one in his family ever thought the day would come that he would decide to wed again, but sure enough, it did! he has been dating wendy...now grandma wendy...for about five or six years, and as grandpa jeff likes to say, he decided to make an honest woman out of her. :)

now, most people who get married in vegas do it last minute. it is the place to go for shotgun weddings, because there are little chapels all.over.the.place. seriously, on every street corner there are wedding chapels. well, this wedding has been planned for over a year now...so definitely not last minute. but grandpa jeff and grandma wendy loooooove vegas...they go there like once a month, i swear...so they decided it would be the perfect place to commit their lives to one another. :)

we headed down on friday morning. i was a bit nervous to see how you'd do in the car, because you didn't love the car ride up to jackson hole a couple months ago. but you only cried for about 20 minutes of the entire 6 1/2 hour drive, which was amazing! we stopped a few times to take potty breaks, change your diapey's and so mom and dad could eat.

we made an extra special stop in st. george to visit grandpa jimbob! he just started a new job down there, managing a golf course, so we were so excited to be able to see him. i think it has been like 3 months since the last time we saw him. the second he saw you he got a big ol' grin on his face and said, "he looks just like me!" haha he thought you were so stinkin' cute. he was amazed at how much you've grown, too. we showed him how you can almost crawl, and he thought that was so neat. he also loved how you talked a lot...he thought your little noises were too cute. he made sure we are giving you balls and not dolls to play with, because he doesn't want you to grow up to be a little fruitcake. ;) haha just kidding. our visit with him was short, but sweet, and we were all so happy we got to see him.

we finally made it to vegas around 5:30 friday night. the hotel we were staing at, 'the silverton,' had a really neat aquarium...so after we got settled into our room we took you to look at all the fishies. you were mesmerized by all that blue water and the strange creatures floating around inside. it was fun to watch. then we strolled around the big hunting store located inside the hotel. dad loved looking at the four-wheelers, boats and all the out-door toys. we came across this cute hat that we knew grandpa jeff would like to see you wearing. we didn't buy it for you, but we thought a picture would suffice.......

after walking through the store we went to see grandpa jeff, wendy and dayna. wendy's daughter, dayna, was staying at the same hotel as us, so they were there checking in on her. we haven't seen any of them for about two months, and just like grandpa jimbob, they were all so surprised at how much you've changed and how big you are! all three of them love to hold you, even if you do drool all over their hands, phones and jewelry. we visited with them for a while, then you started getting fussy so we took you up to our room to get you ready for bed.

the next day you were up bright and early...6 a.m. well, i am a little embarassed to admit this, but i had no clue there was a time difference! i thought it was the same time there as it is in utah. so for the whole trip i could not figure out why you were waking up so early and getting so fussy around 6:30 at night! it was so unusual to me. but i just went with it and fed you when it seemed like you needed it. haha it wasn't until we were back in utah, driving home that dad said something about the time difference, and it totally started to make sense why you're clock was an hour off. :) go figure!

anyway, after eating and getting ready saturday morning, you and i went to breakfast together...dad was still sleeping. we went to ihop, and guess what i fed you for the first time? strawberry yogurt! you loved it! it is so fun that you are able to eat food that we eat, and makes eating out more convenient, because there are things we can order for you! after breakfast i wanted to get my nails done. dad was supposed to watch you while i did this, but he was too tired so i brought you with me and you were amazing, as usual. you just sat in your carseat and eventually fell asleep. i was able to get a pedicure and a manicure, which was so nice!

we went back to the hotel to wake dad up, then after he got ready you two went to run some last minute wedding errands with grandpa jeff while i went shopping. i was a good girl and didn't buy anything. :) when you guys were done we just hung out in the hotel and went to target to get some stuff. i had been wanting to give you some cheerios to see if you'd like them or even know how to eat them. i don't really think you understood what they were, and you made the world's funniest face when i gave you your first ever cheerio. you did not like it at all! must be the texture or something. anyway, we then got ready for the wedding, and hurried off to the little church of the west for the wedding.

you, my dear, were a hit at the wedding! everyone thought you looked adorable, which is no surprise to us, of course. ;) the wedding ceremony was short but so sweet, and we were so happy we were able to be there for grandpa jeff and grandma wendy on their special day. even though the chapel is kinda small, it was full to the brim with family and friends who came down to support them on their wedding day.

after the ceremony we took some pictures, then headed to a hotel for a little gathering. it was nice to visit with family who we havn't seen in a while. you started getting fussy (since it was your bed time, utah time) so we left a little early to get you to the hotel and ready for bed.

the next day we went to breakfast...fed you some more yogurt, plain this time...packed and checked out of the hotel. we went to see the room that grandpa jeff and grandma wendy stayed in...it was at the new cosmopolitan hotel and very nice. we then walked around that hotel for a while...fancy schmancy, it was...then got in the car and began our drive home. we stopped and went to lunch with grandpa jimbob in st. george, then made the rest of the drive home. we got back around 9 o'clock that night and you hit the sack right after eating your bottle. you did amazing on the car ride home as well...you are a champ!!

i remember over a year ago when grandpa jeff told us him and wendy were getting married on october 22, 2011, i thought to myself, "great! finn will be 6 months old by then." then, naturally, i started thinking about what outfit you would wear, haha. it is so crazy to me that that much time has passed, and here we are...the wedding is already over. time just flies way too fast now that you are here mr, it's insane. but you are just so much fun to have in our family, and i am so happy you are ours forever and ever.

love you forever, like you for always, as long as i'm living my baby you'll be. :)

love,
mom

..footloose..

dear finn,

grandma cindy and i have been wanting to see the movie 'footloose' for a while now (well, since it came out a week ago!) so we have just been waiting for dad to come home early from work one night so that we could leave you with him and go. well, dad has been so busy trying to get all his work done before we leave for vegas this weekend, that he wasn't able to make it home early any of the nights this week. so...grandma and i decided to try taking you to the movie with us!

now, i was quite apprehensive to even attempt this, because the only time dad and i tried taking you to a movie (besides the drive-in's) it didn't turn out so well. remember when we tried going to the hangover 2? you were barely a month...if that...and such a good baby so we were certain you'd do well, but you just wanted to talk and play and long story short, i ended up hanging out with you in dad's truck for an hour or so while dad stayed in the movie theater.

anyway, you are still such an amazing baby, and so laid back and easy going that i thought there might be a chance...if even a small one...that you would be good during the movie. and guess what?? i was totally, 100% RIGHT!!!!! you were a.m.a.z.i.n.g. :) you seriously didn't make one peep the entire time. when the previews started, you stared at that huge screen in awe...you were glued to it for a few minutes! then you started looking around at the lights, probably wondering where the loud noise was coming from. it was so cute! we had to leave at the very beginning and go out to the car to change your diaper because dumb me left the diapers in there. when we got back into the theater you sat on my lap and watched the movie while i bounced you on my knee. then it was time for you to eat so you drank a bottle. then i put you in your carseat and rocked it and you fell right to sleep! you woke up with about 30 minutes of the movie left and just chilled in your carseat...not one peep came out of you. honestly finn, i often worry what your future younger sibling is going to be like...you are such a dream baby that i fear the next one will be a nightmare! haha but seriously dude...BEST baby ever. i know i say this over and over again, but you really are.

thanks finn, for being the best, most lovable, kissable, enjoyable-to-raise, easy going baby in the world. love you to the moon and back, times infinity sqaured and beyond! :)

love,
mom

..iron chef, round II..

dear finn,

yesterday we went up to logan for iron chef, round II at the ferrell's house. this time the ingredient was cream cheese and the food was, obviously, delicious! we were in charge of bringing a dessert, so i decided to be festive and make a pumpkin cheesecake. i was a little nervous, because i've only made this two times before, and the first time it was a fiasco. anyway, i followed the recipe exactly (like i always do, let's be honest) and luckily it turned out perfect! it wasn't as pretty as i would have liked because the whipped cream melted as soon as i put it on the cheesecake (i even waited until right before i served it). anyway, i guess all that really matters is the taste....and it must have tasted good because yours truly won! walked away with a cute little pumpkin spatula and a halloween cupcake kit! but the real prize is in being named the iron chef. oh yeah! :)

the fun part for you, i'm sure, was seeing your good friends mr. krew and miss madi. before the clark's showed up we put you and madi on the couch to take pictures. you loved her...you started makin' some moves mr.! haha you reached right for her to give her a hug, it was so cute. :) she didn't seem too interested in you though. i think her dad is already drilling into her head the importance of staying away from boys. ;)

after we started eating, i put you in a little hallway on your blanket, with some toys, so that you could entertain yourself while your dad and i ate. then jen put krew on the blanket next to you so you could play together. i was in another room, but i could see you through the doorway. you, my friendly little man, started talking to krew, but i think you must have startled him because he burst out in tears! haha it was pretty funny, but also a little sad. i guess we will have to make a better effort of having you hang out more often so you don't scare the poor kid when you talk to him. maybe you said something rude?? nah...at least i hope not!

anyway, you my dear, were an angel the whole time. i was a little worried what you'd be like, because we were up there pretty late and it was waaaaay past your bedtime. we are generally very good about keeping you on your schedule, but there are times (like this) where we are forced to keep you up late. and you rose to the occasion, just like you always do! i mean, why am i even surprised?! you just sat on our laps the whole time and didn't make a peep. how did i get so lucky to have such an amazing kid finn? you are the best. :)

love,
mom

..6 month dr. appt..

dear finn,

today, right after taking family pictures, we headed to the doctor's office for your 6 month check-up and immunizations. ahh, always such an unpleasant experience! ;) jk, i actually look forward to going to the doctor, because it is good to see how you are measuring up and to make sure you are on track developmentally. and although the shots are horrible and i hate to see/hear my baby cry, i know they are good for you and will hopefully help you stay healthy and strong in the years to come.

you are right on track, my dear, just like always! your stats are as follows:

weight: 17lbs 3oz (44th percentile)
height: 27 inches (71st percentile)
head circ.: 43 cm (28th percentile)

you are still tall and skinny and your head has shrunk! haha your head has always been huge, and now it's small...weird! the doctor said you are doing great though.

the moment we laid you on the table so that dr. reese could check your heartbeat, get your temp, etc...you made eye contact with him, and your bottom lip began to quiver, then you just started screaming. it was so funny/sad! dr. reese said you are advanced in your recognition of strangers...i guess it takes most babies a little while longer before they start to recognize when they don't know someone. i told dr. reese how you get in the crawling position and that you can scoot backwards clear across a room, and he said that means you are advanced in your motor skills as well. go finn! maybe this means you are going to be fast and very mobile like your dad and uncle zac? do we have a future track star/football player on our hands?? i think we might!

dr. reese also said we can start feeding you cereal, like oatmeal, whole wheat and barley, and that we can start introducing meat into your diet as well. in the next month we'll be able to give you egg products, noodles and pasta, as well as peanut butter, fish and citrus fruits! how exciting that your palette is about to grow!

well, since you were still screaming from when you saw the dr, when the nurse came into give you your shots there was no consoling you. you just screamed and screamed and it was sad for me and nurse bobbie. :( but you calmed down shortly after, i buckled you in the carseat and you fell asleep the moment we got in the car. you are awake right now, just playin' in your jumper and you seem to be fine. but i have the tylenol on hand just in case things get bad later.

we don't go back until you are 9 months old. even though that is three months away, i have a feeling it will go by in the blink of an eye, and we'll be sitting in that waiting room before we know it!

love you finn, and i am so happy you are healthy and doing so great!!

love,
mom

..family pictures..

dear finn,

today we took our second set of family pictures (first ones were your newborn pictures)! as you know, i love taking pictures...being in them as well as being the photographer. needless to say i have been looking forward to today for about a month and a half - ever since i booked the session!

kelly sansom from gallery photography took them. boy, do we love him! not only is he an amazing photographer, he also has the most engaging and warm personality. i knew he would do great with you...the baby who has no interest in smiling for the camera. ;)

kelly was our wedding photographer and took our engagement and bridal photos as well, so naturally dad and i love him and were excited for him to take our pictures today. i remember back when he was doing our wedding photography, thinking how someday he would be taking pictures of us as a family...and here we are making that prediction a reality! dukey drawers was in our engagements and bridals (we didn't have claus yet) and today when kelly asked what we wanted to do i gave him the rundown, then told him we brought the dogs and wanted to get some with them. he laughed and said, "of course you would bring your dogs, you don't take pictures without them, do you?!" haha he was so excited though. we even tried to recreate one of the pictures we took during our engagement session, adding you and claus into the mix, of course. :)

you were a little stinkpot again today and wouldn't take a morning nap. i don't know what the deal is! both yesterday and today you fell asleep while drinking your 11 o'clock bottle, but the second i picked you up to put you in your crib for a nap, you woke right up and would not go back down. so of course i started to panic. forget the fact that the second i pull out my big camera you stop smiling and become disinterested (so who knows what you'd be like with a stranger doing the same thing), i knew that if you didn't get a nap you would not do well during the pictures (thanks to yesterday's experience at gardner village). so i did what i had to do...got ready in a hurry and took you for an hour and twenty minute drive on the freeway! the car is the one fail-safe way to get you to fall asleep. :) you woke up just in time to have a bottle and make it to the studio in time for our session.

we took a few pictures in the studio, then went to main street, bountiful, for the rest. in kelly's words, "you are a hard nut to crack!" haha it was quite the challenge to make you smile today. when it is just you and me i can usually get a few good pictures with you smiling (like the one in the leaves) but if anyone else is around, you tend to get overstimulated and check out...which is exactly what happened today. we were all making some pretty funny sounds just to get you to look at the camera, and when you finally did you wouldn't indulge us with a smile. you stinker! but i bet kelly got some adorable pictures which we will cherish for years to come. :)

the pictures will be ready in one week from today, and i can hardly wait to see them! in the meantime, we need to work on your photogenicality (pretty sure i just made that word up!)! i mean, dad and i both love smiling for the camera, how come you don't?! ;)

love,
mom

..gardner village..

dear finn,

today, chelsey and i took you and lockey down to gardner village to take some pictures with the pumpkins and the witches! every year they deck the place out with tons of pumpkins, cornstalks, and fabulously designed and decorated life-size (rather, larger than life!) witches, and we thought it would be a great place to get some fall pictures. i had your cute halloweenish outfit picked out weeks ago, and was so excited for this little adventure!

well, someone (you, hint hint) decided they didn't need a morning nap so you were not interested in taking pictures! you could barely hold yourself up, let alone look at the camera and smile. i think i only took like 2 pictures, which is a record for me (normally i take way too many!). oh well, i guess we can go back another day and try for some cute pics.

last year right around this time i went to gardner village in search of some halloween decorations, and also just to look around since it is so festive and fun there. well, i remember feeling so depressed because my clothes were starting to get a little too snug and i felt so fat (since you and i were sharin' a belly ;) ). well, all i had to do was think about you, and how one year later i would come back to take pictures of you with the pumpkins like all the other mom's were doing there, and instantly i felt better about my tight clothes. you see...even since before you were born you have found a way to make everything better. :)

i love you so much little dude, and i am thankful you are mine.

love,
mom

..six months old..

dear mr. finnjy-minjy-moo-moo,

happy half birthday!!!!!!!!! you are SIX months old today, can you believe it?! seems like just yesterday you came out of my belly and made me the happiest girl in the world! :) it has been six months full of happiness, laughter and joy, with only a few hiccups along the way....seriously dude, you are the BEST baby in the world, i really don't have anything to complain about.

what a month it has been! i think this past month has been my absolute favorite so far. i mean, all the months have been great, and it's so true what everyone says - each and every stage is so wonderful - but something about the way things are right now just makes me want to keep you six months old forever! you have become so interactive and responsive, and i don't know how else to put it except to say that you are just so much fun! :)

our days go like so: you wake up between 5-7, i feed you, then you usually fall back to sleep for another hour or more. you have another bottle exactly 3 hours after your first bottle, along with some baby food (lately it has been pears or apples), we play for a while and then you go down for a nap. the length of your naps have become a little unpredictable in the past few weeks. for a while there you were taking 2-2 1/2 hour naps. lately, though, your naps range anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours. when you wake up from your nap you get another bottle. we play for a while, usually run some errands. you take another nap between 1 and 3 (on a good day), and usually that nap lasts at least an hour. wake up, get a bottle, play with your toys. sometimes you take a little catnap in the late afternoon, sometimes you don't. you always eat a bottle at 6:00, then at 8:00 you eat another bottle, along with some sweet potatoes, zucchini or any other vegetable, then we put you in your pj's and it's in your crib you go! i feel like our schedule is predictable in most ways, except for the napping part. this month we'll work on tuning the kinks when it comes to napping, okay? :)

so much has happened this month that i don't even know where to begin, i feel like each and every week you grew and changed so much. you finally found your tongue! you are constantly playing with it in your mouth...twisting and turning it, blowing funny bubbles and making weird sounds using it. it is so cute and we definitely got some great pictures of this tongue action.

you became an expert at sitting up! you started sitting up when you were around 4 1/2 -5 months old, but you were a bit wobbly and couldn't sit very straight for longer than a few seconds. this past month you definitely masterd this skill, however, and anyone who saw you commented on how well you sat up, and assured me that you were very advanced! haha i don't know how advanced you actually are...i think most babies sit up pretty well by 5 1/2 months...but it is nice to be told my baby is ahead of the curve. ;)
this month you started grabbing for your bottles, cups, food, etc... you must know that a cup holds liquid and that you can drink that liquid, because any time you see a cup, or anything that looks like a cup for that matter, your arms instantly reach out for it and you get this look on your face...it's so adorable. along those same lines, you get super excited when it is time to eat! now, you have always loved meal time, and you have always been a bit dramatic about it. from the day you were born, whenever the milk in your bottle was gone, or when i would try and switch sides while nursing, you would get really fussy and impatient, as if saying, "don't take away my food, woman!" ;) haha you don't really cry when the bottle is gone anymore....however when you are hungry, you get really impatient and whine and fuss, but the second you see your bottle you calm right down, your eyes light up, and you reach for your bottle! if i get distracted and don't give it to you right away you usually start screaming, prolly telling me to hurry the heck up! you know what is coming, and it must be heaven to your tastebuds when you first start sucking because you let out a sigh, like "oh, thank you, thank you!" it's really funny and we always get a kick out of it. on a bit of a sad note (for me, anyway) this month we stopped nursing. :( i just wasn't producing the amount you needed, so slowly we stopped. last week (october 5th i believe) was our last day.

one of your biggest developmental milestones this month (really in your whole 6 month life, for that matter!) is that you started scooting on your belly! you can spin in circles and move backwards, but you haven't quite grasped the concept of going forward yet. in the past week you have figured out how to get in the crawling position, and you rock backwards and forwards for a while til you get tired, then you rest on your belly for a little bit, then get back on your hands and knees and rock. it is so dang cute, and i know you are days away from crawling! a few weeks ago grandma cindy saw the way you scoot across the floor and she told me she thought you were ready to crawl. i assured her that baby's don't crawl until seven months at the earliest, and that it would definitely be a while before you started crawling! haha, pretty sure i was wrong on that one! six months is early for crawling, so i think you must just be a little genius baby. ;) who knows though, maybe it will still be another month or more before you actually figure out how to work your hands and knees to make you go forward.

just this past week you started doing patty cake by your self!!! grandma cindy was the one who realized you were doing it. i think she was playing patty cake with you, then she told you to clap your hands by yourself and you did!! she excitedly told me and the whole rest of the day i caught you clapping your hands. one more thing that just melts my heart...i can't believe how cute it is! :)

you have always enjoyed bath time, but this past month you have really taking a liking to it. bath time has become easier for me too, now that you can sit up by yourself. before it was a little stressful because i would have to prop you up with one hand and lather you down with the other. but now that you can sit up, both my hands are free to scrub-a-dub-dub you and wash you down with water. i love how you just sit in your tub, put both arms out to the side and hold onto the edges and relax. i really think you could sit there for hours, as long as the water stayed warm. one of these days we'll have to try just putting you in the big tub without your little tub inside...along with some bubble bath and tub toys! wouldn't that be fun?! :)

you have become much more giggly this month, which i absolutely love!! you love to play a game which is like a mix between peek-a-boo and hide-n-seek. i look at you to get your attention, then i jump down and hide behind something, then poke my head out so you can see me. usually you look around the room for a few seconds until you spot me, then you get this big grin on your face and get really excited....i run or crawl up to you while saying, "i'm gonna get my boy, i'm gonna get my boy..." then you usually start to squeal or laugh as i grab you and give you kisses! it is tons of fun and just totally melts my heart whenever i hear you laugh. the other day you laughed for grandma while she was playing peek-a-boo with you. she was watching you while i was getting my hair done, and she excitedly called me and said, "listen to finn....he is laughing for me!" i think it was the first time you had ever laughed for her, and she was beyond thrilled. also, when i am changing your dipey i like to give you raspberries on your belly and make funny noises, and you get a kick outta that. needless to say, the fact that you are laughing much more has made me, your dad and your grandma some happy campers.

you still like to talk a lot, and usually you are really, really loud. whenever ou squeal or scream people will say, "oh he is just finding his voice, how cute!" but they are wrong. you found your voice looooong ago! i think you must just really like the sound of it! haha at times i think you even might be a singer when you grow up, because you scream (happy scream) in long stretches and it almost sounds like singing. :) i think your favorite time to talk is when it is really quiet...probably because you can hear yourself better.

you sort of went back to your good sleep habits, but you are still quite unpredictable. some days you sleep until 7:30, other days you're up at 4:50. i still haven't figured out what it is, although i am almost certain that when you wake up at 5:00 it's not due to hunger, but more so because you want to come cuddle with mom and dad. and i am a sucker for cuddling with my sweet boy, so most of the time i give in and bring you to bed with us. you calm right down and usually go back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00, at which point i wake up and feed you. i really, reallllllllly wish we could get you back on your 8:00-7:00 schedule. maybe i should just thank my lucky stars that you sleep as well as you do?

we moved you into 6-12 month clothing this month. it's funny, because when you moved out of 0-3 month clothes i was so soooooo sad. i guess it was just sad to see that my little baby was growing up so fast. and don't get me wrong, i still get sad to see how fast you grow, but i wasn't that sad to say goodbye to your 3-6 month clothes. your 6-12 month wardrobe is adorable, and i love dressing you every day! i have a bunch of outfits saved for special occassions....outfits that i bought before you were even born, knowing exactly when i would have you wear it. it is so weird to see you and some of these outfits and realize that i bought them over a year ago! boy, how time flies. ;)

little man, i didn't think this was possible, but you get cuter and cuter by the day. honestly, it just astounds me how much love i can possess for something that i've only known for 6 months. but like i've said before, i know that i've known you for much longer than the 6 months you have been on this earth. i have known you forever, and am so happy to finally have you down here with me. each day is an adventure, and so far it has been wonderful. i feel like each day i figure you out a little bit more, which is great. not to say that each day doesn't come with its own challenges, because we face those too, but there isn't another little boy on the planet that i'd rather face them with. this past week dad had to go out of town for work, so it was just you, me and the pups. it was the first time we have ever been home alone and we sure missed dad like crazy, but we survived. hopefully he won't have to go out of town like that very much, because we'd much rather have him here. i am so thankful to you for making being home alone bearable, and much less difficult than it could have been. once again, goes to show what an amazing baby you are. i know people think i say that because that is just what mom's say about their kids, but seriously finn...you are an amazing baby. and i sure love you!

happy six months kiddo...crazy to think that in six more you'll be a year! :)

love you dude.

love,
mom