Bath Time

July 31, 2011

Finlay seems to need a bath so much more than he used to!  With all of the food and the creeping around the floor (and grass in the park) he gets a lot more dirty.  Also, bathes are terrific for relaxation in the evening.

Finlay really loves to splash!  After his bath, there is water everywhere!

 Here is Finlay in our kitchen sink enjoying the warm suds at the end of the day.

 This is his expression when he is first plunked into the tub - not quite sure what to make of it!

 He splashed himself in the face!

 "Whoa!"

 He tries to eat the face cloth, so we have to be swift in our face-washing.

 Gotta get the sweet potato outta your nose!

"Did I get it?"

Sparkling clean!

Video of Bath Time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q43cRqqX4_E

A Meal in Pictures

July 20, 2011

"T" is for Teething and Terrible

July 19, 2011

Finlay was not a happy camper this past weekend.  He encountered some intense teething.  In June, when he got his first two teeth, he had some fitful sleeps and some general crankiness, a "lava poo" (as Nans dubbed it) and, ta-da, teeth!  It was not quite as easy this time around.  We have never seen Finlay cry so hard and for so long.  The poor little guy was inconsolable.  Tyler and I felt so bad for him.  I almost started to cry right along with him as he did back-bends and frothed and had tears streaming down his face!  He looked at me with these "help me!" eyes and it was so sad because there was little I could do... or was there!

Everyday, Fin will play and we will put on some music.  His favourite song, at this point, is "Share" by Renee & Jeremy.  Any time we play it for him he bops his had and wiggles and smiles.  So, after crying for some time, and with Tyler and I unsure of what to do, we put on "Share" and before in intro drum beat met the opening line he was smiling, still hyperventilating, but bright eyed and grinning.  We danced and sang to his favourite songs.  We gave him some homeopathics, rubbed some vanilla extract on his gums, and then cuddled in bed and soon he was in a deep sleep.

On Monday, Finlay had the "lava poo" - I've never talked about poo on here before, but I can't help it in this case.  So we expected to see teeth this morning.  There are some tough gums but still no teeth.  But we are back to a calm, happy, napping/sleeping well Finlay.  Thanks Renee & Jeremy!

Between his favourite music and the rocker, oh, and his "Boogee" toy, I'm not sure how we would have got through it.  Tyler and I are so tired.  The house is a disaster.  We had to eat out a couple times because we had no energy to cook or do dishes...  But I know neither of us felt as bad as Fin.

But Finlay found a lot of things to chew on!  In particular, my necklace and his "Sophie" (a giraffe).

This is his sad little face.  

The first teeth.  The fuzz at the bottom right is his hand.  

A "this feels good" look.

But with the tough stuff comes more growth and more adorable videos!

Finlay loves his Jolly Jumper!  He knows the sign for "jump" and he starts kicking his legs in the air before I even hook him up.  Very different from the 3 month old in the original jumping video.

Finlay Jumping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_RU_rSm5VU

Finlay has really started to move.  One day he hated being on his tummy and the next day he realized that he could move on his front.  The following day he was pulling and pushing himself along the floor!  Now he is pushing up onto his knees and looking at where he wants to go and going there.  We really need to get baby-proofing because crawling isn't that far away.

Finlay on the Move:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCW5BgklR5M

Finlay at Seven Months Old

July 14, 2011

This is going by way too fast.  Both Tyler and I keep shaking our heads in disbelief.  It seems like yesterday Finlay was this tiny baby wearing a black kitten hat!

Finlay has definitely learned a lot of the last month.  He can move things from one hand to the other.  He understands that a mirror shows a reflection and where to look for the person in the mirror.  He understands that when we go into another room that we still exist - this means separation anxiety when I leave and a lot of excitement and reaching for me when I return.  This is really sweet but also exhausting.  Tyler feels a little rejected...

Also, we have made lots of progress with the sign language.  Finlay is babbling with his hands (moving them but not making any signs).  He recognized a bunch of signs when we do them including; eat, more, milk, book, cat, water, jump (for Jolly Jumper), and music.  We are working on fan, bath and toy (sometimes he seems to recognize these).  Also, we have introduced mummy, daddy, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, play, diaper, dance, dog, hurt, chiropractor, cracker, cookie, happy and a few more.  We just keep using signs and every few days or so he seems to understand another.  He is very interested in what our hands are doing!

We went to the park to try out the baby swing.  There seems to be some playground politics that we have yet to understand.  I don't think we upset anyone but it took a long time to get an empty swing and I watched some interesting interactions while waiting.  Have to learn some of that!  Here is a video of that first swing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C91k7Luc6Go

He seems to enjoy it but he was distracted by the water sprinkler and the kids playing.  We'll try again soon!

Finlay in his stroller enjoying a teething cookie.

Finlay has been to many cafes.  Here he is in Tre Fantastico (centre), just down the street from our place, sitting with his dad (right) who is enjoying an americano (left).

Finlay on the swing.

He was smiling and giggling!

"This is the best day of my life - Day 207!"

Yes, as of today, Finlay is:

7 months old

OR 30 weeks old

OR 212 days old

OR just over 5,000 hours old

OR about 305 thousand minutes old

OR 18.3 million seconds old and counting...

And always a source of joy and love!

(http://www.mathcats.com/explore/age/calculator.html)

Sailing!

July 10, 2011

Today, the Kennedy family was kind enough to take our little family sailing!  Tyler and I learned a little about the boat and how to help a Skipper, we also learned some things about sailing with a baby (like rigging up a bed and to try wearing the life-jacket at home first...), and Finlay met some wonderful people and was the centre of attention on the ocean (which is different than on land).

The weather was beautiful!  The sky was so big and had lots of interesting clouds.  It was warm (for the North Pacific) and not too windy (and sometimes not windy enough!).

Our Skipper, Hilary.  She did an excellent job of sailing the boat!

Tyler inside the cabin.  Bruce, Hilary's dad, made a sweet rig for Finlay's bassinet and you can see that to the right of Tyler (there is a blue, yellow and white quilt draped over Fin as he was sleeping).  I think Tyler was thinking he would like to crawl under the quilt and nap too.

And here is an awake Fin and Tyler.  He enjoyed showing Sophie the Giraffe the ocean. 

Smiling babe wearing a hat.  He also had loads of sunscreen on.  A red-headed mum comes in handy!

Hilary and Finlay exchanging serious looks.

We stopped at a nice spot for lunch.  The Skipper entertained Finlay with funny looks and sounds.

 

Lynn, Hilary's mom, had some baby games up her sleeve.  There were giggles, smiles, and some serious Finlay looks, of course.

Tyler steered the boat for a little while.  He was responsible for the wind dying...

Finlay and I read his "Tacky" book.  Bruce, Lynn and Hilary were impressed with his intensity while being read a book.

He seems to consistently look at the left page first and the right page after.  He is starting to try and help turn pages as well!

Can't read just one book to Finlay.  Bruce read him his favourite Dr. Seuss, "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb."

Finlay had two naps on board.  The rocking of the boat was good for that!  Here he is in his bassinet after his last nap.  He is looking at me saying "get me up please!"

Finlay in his car seat on the dock at the end of the day.

It was a very nice first day sailing for Finlay.  We were all pretty tired at the end of the day!  But it was a satisfied tired as had spent the day with good friends, good food, outside and enjoying life as a family. 

Can't wait until the next time!

  

A New Perspective

July 7, 2011

Before we went to Ontario, we picked out a high-chair online but just didn't get around to ordering it.  Of course, when there was word of a possible strike within the Canada Post, I made the order quickly.  Not quick enough!  The high-chair was stuck in at the boarder for weeks but now it is here!  It was worth the wait.  I was so excited that I tried to build it as soon at it arrived so that Finlay could have dinner in it.  But, he wanted to play so the chair had to wait.  As with most things, it was built after Finlay went down for the night. It was easy enough to put together and the finished product is so beautiful!  The chair is functional art for the house!  Thanks to Nans & Gramps for helping out with this one!

Here is Finlay at breakfast the next morning.  He had a rice "rusk" (cracker) and some water while we ate.  He loved it!  As our friend Aaron pointed out, it must be a whole new perspective from the chair.  A new height and a new way to interact with us when we are at the table.

The kitchen table is such a special place where lots of memories are made.  This chair turns into a toddler and kid chair and even an everybody chair!

What a big baby!  He is getting so strong and curious and smart and....  It's crazy how every little thing he does blows my mind!

Here is a video of Finlay playing with his toy "Boogie" from his Auntie Car.  Notice that he is moving things from one hand to the other!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipb3QWgH3lc

That's all for now.  Gotta get ready for a busy weekend of sailing and camping!