7 months

Hi all! I know I just posted recently but in the few short weeks since then, a LOT has changed. Finn's sleep still hasn't improved but I am coming to terms with that and to be honest, he's never been the best sleeper. I blame the NICU making us try and put him on a schedule. And I guess my genes, insomnia runs on my side, atleast, lucky him!

Anyway, the REAL crazy stuff that I wanted to update on is the fact that Finn is standing. Yeah. At 6 1/2 months. Starting on October 24, to be exact. And it didn't take long for him to be totally confident in doing so. As of now, we are taking bets on when we think he will start walking. I'm thinking Christmas?

After he started standing, he figured out how to actually crawl, none of this Lieutenant Dan scooting business anymore, full-fledged crawling. And it's so cute, he has very pronounced arm movements, like way too much than necessary-so cute! But oh man. Now he's on the move like crazy. He was falling down left and right at the beginning and that wasn't fun. He's able to sit or catch himself much better now.

After he figured out crawling, he figured out how to sit. He started out with both hands out and one leg straight out-so funny! All of these new discoveries make bathtime more fun!

And finally, he stopped eating food. That was frustrating. Like just straight up refusing to eat anything I would put near his mouth. Except puffs. He LOVES his puffs!

On Halloween morning, I called my mom and grandma to see if they could offer any suggestions for why he started being so anti-food but they were both busy. My inquiry had to be put on hold. While I was waiting, I went back over to Finn in his high chair (nibbling his puffs) and just felt around his gums. "Oh my gosh. Finn! You have a TOOTH!" -actual words from my mouth. "This is so exciting!" -another direct quote from yours truly. No wonder he has been irritable/not sleeping/not eating! While this was definitely exciting, it was also like, oh great... but exciting nonetheless. Happy 1st Halloween!

So yeah, all of that happened in a week. Talk about growth spurt. Man.

As of yesterday, he started eating food again. Yay! He especially enjoys picking foods up and feeding himself-as best he can. So that means, bananas, Cheerios, avocado, peas, etc. So fun and so messy! So while things are looking up, relatively speaking, I'm hoping he starts sleeping better. It's been an exhausting stretch for sure.

He also is much more vocal, which is super cute, and loves playing hide-and-seek! We rearranged the living room to be more baby friendly which is working out pretty well. He still manages to find exactly what he is not supposed to have (his favorites: TV remotes and our vinyl collection). Speaking of which, as I type this, he is pulling on the computer cord and getting angry that I won't let him have it...little stinker!

So, all in all, things are going well. We are looking forward to our trip to San Diego for Thanksgiving. I'm really interested to see how he does on the flight!

Six Months!

Holy moley. Finn is awesome, guys. He is such a great baby and brings so much joy to our family!

These last 6 months have been crazy. It's been fun, stressful, awesome, frustrating, full of laughs, full or tears, a time of transition for sure. We had Ali (my sister) here throughout the summer and that was great. She was a big help and it was fun for her to have a  few months with us and Finn! That will be something I think she remembers and will cherish for a long time, as will we.

Finn continues to grow and gain more and more personality everyday. He is such a happy boy and can really turn your day around with one smile. He is so big, too, which is awesome. He's scooting around and is so close to crawling (I feel like I have been saying that for weeks now!) and he sits up when you plop him down on the floor. He loves chasing Katara as best he can-that will be fun once he really gets moving. He's been eating some solid foods, which he loves, especially peas and sweet potatoes (good boy!) and is just starting on some puff cereal. I gave him some bigger pieces yesterday which he proceeded to choke on-that was scary, but it was all good. Those CPR and First Aid classes have not gone to waste. He loves music and when he gets fussy in the car, all he needs is a little music and he quiets right down-so awesome. No teeth yet, I'm ok with that! He loves baths and could stay in there forever, even when it's cold! His bouncer has become a favorite toy of his-sometimes he bounces furiously for longs stretches of time and sometimes, we like to call it "going to work", he puts his "working binky" in his mouth and seems very serious as he plays with the toys around him-so funny! He loves when he gets to see Brett in the morning and loves when the three of us can be together.

As for Brett and I, September was a tough month financially and adjustment-wise. I started a new job, Brett has the same job but teaching different subjects and still traveling between schools, Finn has a new babysitter, we were still playing tennis, Brett started coaching cross country again, I started going back to choir...phew, just saying all of that that gives me anxiety. Glad that October has somewhat settled down. I'm coaching basketball now and subbing once in a while, but Brett just finished XC and we are a little more used to our schedules. Unfortunately, almost as soon as Finn turned 6 months, his sleep habits during the night have changed. He was sleeping from about 8-4:45 but all of a sudden he was waking up 2-3 times again! We tried a couple things-letting him cry it out or just going in and rubbing his back to put him back to sleep and it worked a couple of times but we stopped the night he got up at 3:30, we put him back to sleep, got up at 4, put him back to sleep, got up at 4:30 so I just fed him. Since then, he has slowly been getting back on track. His days are pretty regular, wake up around 6-7, nap around 8 or 9-10 or 11, then a nap around 2-4 and a quick nap from about 5:30-6 then bed at 7:30-8. I just figure he's kind of figured everything out on his own so I'll just let him call the shots. I'm definitely tired but it's nothing like at the beginning when I was pumping around the clock and I was up for an hour every time he got up to eat. So, as long as it's nothing like that again, I'm good :)

Even though the last month or so was a bit of a struggle, it has been a good growing period for us to be thankful for what we have. I think my job has been helping me learn a lot about myself and I get to do what I love just about everyday-sing and be with kids! Coaching basketball has also been a lot of fun and the girls are really enjoying playing. Brett's 27th (!!!) birthday is on Tuesday so we are looking forward to celebrating that next week as well as heading to San Diego for Thanksgiving and then Jackson for Christmas! A lot to look forward to for sure! Oh yeah, and Gonzaga basketball starts up in a few weeks and I can't wait! Hope this finds you all well and enjoy the upcoming holiday season!

 

Three months!

Ok so the bun is definite well out of the over at this point so my blog title doesn't really fit anymore but I wanted to post a little update!

So today marks Finn's third month and things are going very well. Granted it hasn't all been easy, but adjusting to being parents has actually been less of a struggle than we thought. We have been taking him out since 8 days and he is quite the well adjusted fellow. He's been on a few road trips (Kalispell and Salt Lake) and overall he did pretty well! He went to the majority of Brett's tennis matches and then to several of mine and he loves going for walks!

He is also growing like crazy-wearing pretty much all 6 month clothing and above 90th percentile in head size, weight, and length! Sometimes we have to remind ourselves he's still technically an infant even though he doesn't look like it at all. He's still a very content, happy boy and is just starting to learn how to reach for mom. He's trying to roll over but not quite there yet and still despises tummy time though we did get in a good session yesterday. 

Lots of smiles-his face just lights up when you talk to him. He's a big fan of music and likes watching tv if something particularly colorful is on! He also really enjoys baths and getting his diaper changed haha. He has been "talking" to us a lot as well as starting to laugh which is so so cute! He likes to stand up if you are holding him. He has also had three nights in a row, now, of 6+ hours of straight sleep! Hooray!

As many of you reading this probably know, Finn really struggled with breast feeding so I have been pretty much exclusively pumping and giving him bottles. I had tried literally everything and just decided that's what I'd do. I would try from time to time to nurse but he was just not having it, even with the shield. Oh well, at least he was still getting the good stuff! Well the other day I decided I'd try again and really be patient with him. Turns out it was a lot easier than I expected and he's been nursing ever since! Who woulda thunk?! I'll still pump as well for babysitting purposes but this is just so exciting. And Finn's happy about it too! He frequently stops for a second, smiles at me, and goes back to eating-a truly special experience.

Finn really has enriched our lives more than we ever though possible. He is such a blessing and we are thankful for him every day! We are heading to Jackson next weekend to have him baptized and are really looking forward to that :)