Baby Fair and other ninth month events...

September 28, 2011

Well the 9th month sure has been an interesting one.  Finlay is now on the move any chance he gets which means we are getting a lot more use out of our pack and play (aka baby jail) so we can make a snack, make some tea or use the bathroom.  As you will soon see in the videos below Finlay's new favorite activity is to try and stand up using whatever means available to him. He will just stand on the couch holding on to the back for as long as you we will sit there with him.  He loves to practice by doing squats and sitting down and then starting all over again.

  

This past weekend was the Vancouver Island Baby Fair. It is pretty well a large baby trade show stocked with the newest clothes, toys, food supplies, maternity wear and just about anything else you can imagine may have to do with babies.  There were even baby races.  We watched a few of them and decided that, had we been there on time to sign Fin up for the races, he would have kicked some serious baby butt.  We even thought about going back on Sunday for the second day of races to enter Fin. But we decided that Fin was still pretty new at crawling and there was no need for any extra pressure.  We picked up some great new clothes for Finlay at the baby fair as well as getting as many discounts for a friend of ours who is newly pregnant but was unable to make it to the fair. 

Walking around and seeing all the excited newly pregnant couples certainly added a little dose of nostalgia to the event and we reminisced about the past 18 months.  It has flown by too quickly in some respects and feels like a lifetime ago in others.  It is also a year since we moved into our new apartment.  We remember sitting at the kitchen table in late September of last year in a house full of boxes looking at the bare walls thinking about how we could make this empty apartment feel like home.  Well, after a year including nine of the craziest and most exciting months of our lives, we are certainly feeling at home.  We talk about how we miss living in Sooke when the fall weather descends and the leaves begin to turn but we really have fallen in love with our little home with our little family.  

Well that brings us to our first video of this blog entry.  The first video is of Lyndze and Fin at lunch.  Finlay loves to feed himself whenever possible.  However, once he has the spoon in his hand he is often reluctant to let it go so Lyndze has developed a fun game to get it back. 

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

The second video is of Fin playing his new favorite game.  He loves to use his piano to play but it has also become one of his favorite tools to practice standing up.  You will notice some very cute pants that we just got for Fin at the baby fair.  They are called "monkey pants"and they come in lots of cute patterns. We liked these ones the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB3vacVt38g

Finlay Signs Fan

September 22, 2011

Just a quick entry with a couple pictures and a video from lunch today.  I know, I know, there was an entry yesterday!  But Finlay is just doing so many fantastic things that I had to document it/brag.

Fin had some shredded carrot, greens, hummous and flatbread for lunch (same as me but mine was in wrap form.  He just loves feeding himself!

Feeding himself means lots of food on him, me, the highchair, the floor, the buffet, wall etc...  But he loves it!  

In the video, you can see Fin watching me make the sign for "fan," then he plays in his food and looks up at the fan and does his baby-version of the sign.  

VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogSs1QFwFhg

Finlay on the Move!

September 21, 2011

Well, after two months of pushing himself backwards and sideways, Finlay finally propelled himself forward!

As we have mentioned before, Tyler and I are in no hurry for the baby to crawl or walk, but we were really excited and relieved for Fin.  He was getting pretty frustrated as he constantly found himself wedged under furniture.  Also, he would really want something and stretch and reach for it and then, unintentionally, push himself backwards and further away from said item...   It was heartbreaking!

But today he just got it and it changed everything.

I couldn't turn my back for a second or he was into something he should be.  I spent the day trailing him and rearranging shelves and making mental notes about baby-proofing.  But the most interesting thing was that he spent most of his time making his way to me, climbing up to standing, wrapping his arms around my neck and kissing me.  He just wanted to hug and kiss and talk and cuddle all day.  It was so sweet but man am I exhausted.  I couldn't fill up my water glass or answer the phone without Finlay losing it.

I have uploaded a video of Finlay on the move.  He was coming toward me but then something else caught his attention.  He went to the bookshelf and took an Alice Munro book off of the shelf.  He looked really pleased with himself.  I guess we have the same taste in literature!

VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZ1nlkD-Xk

Fall is here!

September 19, 2011

Our favourite season is Fall.  The cool and fresh air, the changing plants and trees, migrating birds, warm sweaters and new jeans, and a sense of anticipation.  Sometimes we anticipate the beginning of school, or the end of a busy season at camp, upcoming holidays, harvest and winter.  The way the city feels after the tourists leave is much like the feeling after a sleep-over or a party; there is something missing but you're happy to get back to normal.  But Tyler and I will always associate this season with a very special feeling of anticipating the arrival of a Chick (AKA, Finlay).

It seems as though we live in a constant state of excitement, expectancy and wonder.  It's hard to believe that, at this time last year, Finlay was "Chick" and we were getting anxious to move into our apartment and get nesting.

Today, although it is Monday for the rest of the world, Tyler has his second day off and it feels like Sunday to us.  We went to the park in the morning, did some tidying around the house, made bread, ate soup, played in the afternoon sun on Fin's play-mat in the apartment, and just relaxed.

These days, Finlay is very excited about standing.  He wants to hold onto something, be it our fingers, the coffee table, a log in the woods, my hair or Tyler's beard and stand and take baby steps, or shuffles, anywhere he can get.  He may be fussing one moment, sitting on his play-mat, but as soon as he is standing and holding himself up with my shoulder, he is giggling and squealing with delight.

This is not to say he isn't working on crawling.  There is progress, slow and erratic, with a baby on all fours and rocking back and forth, slapping his hands on the floor, even going into downward-dog...  We are hoping he'll crawl before he walks but we aren't in any rush for either.

Well, here are a few of the latest pictures and a video of Fall moments with Finlay.

Just a short video of Finlay standing and cooing:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRKyZSIVPlQ

Just workin' out...

Looking cute, er... I mean tough in his jean jacket.

Okay, cute, he's pretty cute...

Asha loves nap-time too.  She hangs out on the play-mat in the sun.

New shirt from Nans and Gramps.

"Thanks for the souvenir!  It's my colour."

Nine Months In, Nine Months Out

September 13, 2011

Finlay is nine months old tomorrow.

It's hard to believe.  Tyler and I keep saying, "I wish we could freeze him at this stage, I love this stage!"  But we have said that at every stage.  We seem to be embarking on a journey to a whole new plane.  He is, what I call, "a big baby."

One of our "Renee & Jeremy" lullabies has a chorus that says it all:
"It's a big world baby and you're little for a little while."

Lately, I have found myself exploring the older posts in the blog, back to the beginning, and pausing and remembering and getting pretty nostalgic.  The pregnancy seems almost foreign, like it happened to someone else.  It's hard to believe that Finlay and I were together for nine months before he was born and now nine months since he was born.  The latter nine have flown by and the last month has been the most busy and filled with change.

Finlay has tripled in size since his birth.  He was born 9 pounds, 4 ounces but he quickly lost weight, as newborns do, and was somewhere around 8 pounds, 8 ounces.  He's now 24 pounds!  The amount of growing that has occurred over the last year and a half is nothing short of amazing, unbelievable, incredible, and beautiful.

Over the last month, Finlay has gone from rarely on his tummy to rolling, going from sitting to his tummy, and from there creeping around in circles, and pushing up on his knees and rocking.  I've even seen him go into downward dog a couple of times!  He is also obsessed with standing (supported).  He likes to hold onto the coffee table, chairs, anything that is the right height.  On Monday, Tyler put Finlay into his crib and starting to put away some clothes.  I was busy too and neither of us were looking at him and then all of the sudden we looked up to see a giggling, smiling and proudly standing baby, holding himself up with the railing, and very impressed he did it all by himself!

Also, Finlay said his first word/sign last Sunday.  We were feeding him breakfast and he was looking at the ceiling fan and smiling.  He kept bringing his hand up and waving it beside his head and looking at me.  We know he recognizes the sign for fan but he was actually doing a baby variation of it!  I said fan and repeated the sign and he got excited and did his sign again and looked from me to the fan.  We think he might be trying to repeat the sign for milk back to us too, but this is more patchy right now.  Even though he has been communicating with us through his cries and smiles and other cues, it's super exciting that he is using a word and getting very specific with us.  So smart!

Another very significant change is sleep.  Finlay has gone from sleeping 7 or 8 hours a day (that includes naps) to sleeping 12 to 14 hours a day.  This means that Tyler and I are getting a lot more sleep too.  Everyone is happier and has more energy to work, play and just enjoy each other's company.  It's amazing what more sleep will do for a person.  But I think it will take Tyler and I some time to catch up.

Also, there is the milestone of teeth... and lots of them!  Fin now has three teeth through on the bottom, and two on the top and two more almost through on the top.  We are getting better at identifying when he is teething and what will help him feel better.

In this picture, Finlay has a piece of frozen baguette to sooth his swollen gums.  Yummy!

Feeling better already!

Standing is fun!

"Hey big stander" (as daddy says)

I don't what is up with the shadow in these pictures but I included them because of his expressions.  He really looks like me in some of these pics (me as a baby).

Also, THERE IS A VIDEO:

Finlay pulls up on crib:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8FjztMMyYg

Cathedral Grove

September 8, 2011

On the way back from Tofino we went to Cathedral Grove which is a park with some big trees in it.

Here is Finlay getting a diaper change on the stump of a very large and old tree.

He was flapping in excitement.  He loves being in the woods.

Mid-clap.

The family and a tree.

Cute picture of Finlay and Tyler

We have a few picture of Tyler and I in front of this tree but now we have one with the baby... cool!

Little person, big tree.

Family of Tree-huggers.

Inside a tree.

Gotta love nature - we're a part of it!

Finlay on the Road

September 6, 2011

Finlay went on his first road trip and he did really well!  We drove from Victoria to Tofino with minimal stops, lots of napping and next to no crying!  Tyler or I sat beside him for the trip, so we were there to entertain with songs and stories, toys and tickles, and the occasional game of peak-a-boo.  

Grampa Charlie and his friend Sue accompanied us on the trip and spent some time in Victoria before and after.  

This is a random photo taken the day our guests arrived.  Finlay is helping me sweep!  

Tyler and I are on the computer regularly and Fin thinks it looks like a pretty sweet toy.  Here he is checking daddy's email with him.

On Sunday evening, we had a crab dinner.  Finlay slept through the whole thing and woke up just after we finished our last bites of dessert.  As I always say, Finlay has inherited Tyler's FOMO (or Fear Of Missing Out) and he wouldn't go back to sleep because he knew something interesting was happening outside of our bedroom.  Here he is with Grandpa at the dinning table.

We stopped at Coombs and The Old Country Market on our way to Tofino.  We went through the toy area and they have some marionettes set-up to move and dance.  Finlay just loved these dancing stuffed animals! 

Here he is focused on the dancing elephant.

We all ate lunch in Coombs.  Fin had some baby food and Grandpa helped to clean him up by scooping some of the food off of Fin's face and eating it!  Dad does the same thing! 

Finlay is learning to clap and if you say "yay" in a certain tone he will try and clap with you.  Here is Finlay and Grandpa practicing this new trick.

Fin and I outside the church in Coombs.

Finlay has made some progress with he crawling.  He still isn't fully on the move but there is more of him on his knees and he is certainly building up strength.

Finlay in the car - smiling and getting on fine in his seat.

Finlay on Long Beach.  We had a beautiful sunny day and enjoyed some drinks, snacks and sun on the most gorgeous beach in Canada!

I have some more pictures to put up from the latter part of our trip...to be continued...