All About "Blankie"

January 28, 2012


Finlay is going through something.  He seems to be pretty prone to tantrums and moans about a lot of stuff.  He knows what he wants and just can't seem to tell us what it is that he needs.  It's heartbreaking and frustrating and funny (in a way).  When he loses it, he will drop to the floor on his front, all sprawled out, screaming into the floor.  It's kinda cute.

But, most of the time, it is easy to pick up the pieces and help him move on.  If he is hurt, he loves the wind-chimes around the house to distract him/magically cure all boo-boos.  If we ask him if he needs a drink or food and he screams louder it is usually part of the problem, so a drink and a snack will help him calm down.  But best of all, he loves his "Blankie."  If he is generally grumpy or sad (he has been teething pretty hard all month) then Blankie is the cure-all for little Fin.  We try and limit Blankie-time to naps and bed, but on occasion he will need it and crawl to his room and pull it off of the crib.

Kyla and the kids at daycare know how much Finlay loves his Blankie.  One of the other kids tried it out (Finlay made the blue blanket look so appealing) and Finlay was pretty upset!  He only shares his Blankie with those he trusts and feels really close with, like Tyler and I.  I caught him on video (see below) doing just that.

Finlay and his Blankie

Mama and her scarf with Finlay and his Blankie.

Blankie even makes his 4 new molars and 4 coming eye teeth feel better!

"Ah, Blankie...  I love you!"

Video of Finlay and his "Blankie"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoCHgoyi3Pw

You Make Bath Time So Much Fun!

January 25, 2012


Being back at work, and with Finlay being in daycare, our mornings are hectic, our days are busy and spent apart, and our evenings we take really slowly just to absorb every minute with each other.

I pick Fin up from Kyla's and we drive the 5KMs home in downtown rush-hour singing and talking in the rear-view mirror.  He really enjoys looking out the window these days.  When we get home, we have a snack on our mat, play with toys, dance, listen to music, make and eat dinner, and have a bath.

We love bath time.  At the end of dinner, Finlay begins to point in the direction of the bathroom and carefully places his remaining food in Tyler's hand (we have asked him to do this instead of throwing it all over the place).  He squeals as he watches the tub fill.  He tosses his toys into the tub.  He talks and points at the tub and then at his belly (his sign for wanting something).

And then he is in.

So happy splashing and playing with his toys.

A little weirded-out by the presence of a camera.

Tyler has a game where he tosses the foam toys, which are supposed to stick to the shower wall, at the shower wall to see if he can get them to stick.  Sometimes they stick, mostly they don't, but sometimes they bounce off of the wall and stick to Fin's back.  Here is a picture of that accomplishment.  Fin doesn't notice but in the picture he looks rather concerned.

Finlay likes to collect all of the toys and stick them to the wall.  Here he is, in action, sticking the sting-ray-shaped foamy to the wall. 

He stuck it to the whale!

He moved it over but, in the process, knocked down the shark!  SHARK!!

Anyway, as you can see, this is very amusing... to him... and to us...  maybe to you?  If you've got this far you must find it at least a little interesting...  and cute!  I mean, just look at that bum!

Snow Day!

January 18, 2012

I love snow.  I love the white blanket that envelopes the city and even though it's really cold you feel a sense of warmth. When I lived in Kingston, every winter morning I would awake to cars struggling as their cold metal engines were being defridgulated (defibrillated) back to life.  I would hear the scraping of ice, the crunching of boots, and the barking of dogs.  This morning I heard nothing.  It was so quiet when we crept into the living room and beheld a winter wonderland.  I love the silence of a snowy morning in Victoria.  Maybe a car drives through the fresh layer and makes that distinct crunching noise but other than that it was silent.

The city basically shut down.  There was no daycare, no school, no way I could push the stroller through the snow to the park.  I worked from home and Finlay played inside.  He really wanted to go outside.  He was begging me during a phone interview I was on and as soon as I hung up I bundled him up, put on my LJs, and out we went.  It was short-lived...

Smiling in the stroller.  We are standing in the parking lot.  The lot, the sidewalks, the streets, nothing was plowed.  I'm not even sure if Victoria has any.  

He had many layers under his Newt-Suit.  I pushed and pulled and lifted the stroller for one block and then turned around.  

I thought maybe we would play in the parking lot (none of the cars had moved all day) but he made a run (crawl) for the door right away.

Not really interested in the snow.

Here is Fin, on the front stoop, just waiting for me to open the door.

He kept pointing his mittened hands and moaning about the white stuff and the cold wind and wanting to go inside.  He is a real islander; he hates the snow.

Wasn't as much fun as we thought.

See the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxYySbYBkZU&feature=youtu.be

Big Baby

January 14, 2012

It was a year ago that I posted this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxc4hhKqb-k

Finlay smiles a lot more at 13 months old.  It seems like he sleeps a lot more too.  Now that Finlay is in daycare, all Tyler and I want to do when we are home is play with him.  But, it seems like we wake up, get ready, go to work/daycare, come home, play for 30 minutes, and then have dinner and put Fin to bed.  It's a big adjustment for everyone.  I miss him like crazy all day while I am at work.  Then, I miss him when we put him down at night and I kind of want him to wake up and play.

Today, we went for a swim at the Y and before we got home the little man was asleep.  I carried him upstairs and into the apartment and he looked around and then closed his eyes again.  I lay him down on the bed to take off his shoes and vest and hat and he kept on sleeping.  I can't remember the last time we had a successful transfer from the stroller to the crib.  We were planning on giving him lunch.  I got the camera and took a couple of photos of his-cuteness before we put him into the crib.  That was nearly three hours ago.  He must have been tired.  I even showered, napped, had lunch, tidied-up a bit, now I'm writing the blog, this is insane!

Sleeping beauty.

So yeah, daycare is going well, I guess.

Fin didn't cry when Tyler dropped him off on Thursday and he didn't cry when I picked him up that afternoon.  All the other kids give him hugs and say big hellos and see-ya-laters and they get him his drink or a toy or a book.  Kyla, the caregiver, thinks he is the cutest and loves his gentle and thoughtful personality.  He is playing peek-a-boo and dancing and talking up a storm with her now.  It only took a few days for him to adjust.

Finlay seems to enjoy the bike-ride to daycare in the morning.  The first day he and Tyler made the trek he was cooing at the moon (it was full and really big) and just gleeful at every stop-light.  He also gets excited when I put him in the car at pick-up where he used to get upset about it.

But there are other changes - he is more interested in playing independently.  Also, he started really liking playing with cars and he rolls them around like a big kid.  He seems to be picking these things up from daycare.

So we don't quite have a toddler, as he isn't walking, but we are far from a baby...  What we have is a big baby.  And the best big baby at that.

First Bicycle

January 2, 2012

Well the new year has officially begun and there are a lot of changes happening in the Harvey-Grant-Roach home.  Finlay is going to be heading off to day care this week and Lyndze is back to work at the Y. I recently purchased a new bicycle from MEC and Finlay and I will are going to be commuting to daycare on our new bicycle together.  This past weekend we attached a new baby seat to the bike and took Finlay for his first bicycle ride.  There were not tears but he was a little unsure as to what was going on. Finlay loves riding in the grocery carts when we are out shopping so I don't think this will be too much different.  

 We strapped Finlay in and got all the straps adjusted. Lyndze was out there lending a hand for the trial run!

 Finlay at first appeared indifferent to the whole event. I however was very excited.

 There's a little smile!  I knew he'd like it.

And off we go!  

Finlay enjoyed his first ride. We had some giggles and some smiles.  We are going to start commuting together to daycare on Thursday.  Wish us luck!!

Getting Ready

December 29, 2011

It's the end of the calendar year and it's the end of my year of maternity leave.  It was an amazing year and a fast one too.  I'm going back to work next week and Finlay is going to daycare!  I'm excited to make his little lunches and pack them in his new lunch bag with his re-usable containers.  I have lots of ideas of food to get him through the day (he's a big eater!).  I'm also excited about his Newt-suit and his entire rain-proof get-up.  He (and I, rain pants, boots, jacket and mitts) got all suited up today and went to the park to test it out.  It was great because he got to play without the worry of getting wet, cold, muddy or uncomfortable.

Every time I get Finlay ready to go outside, even if it is just shoes and a vest, he usually looks like this.  He makes faces and moans about it, and generally turns into a bit of a grump, and he gets floppy (which makes it more challenging to get anything on him).

As soon as we got to the park he was excited.  I took him out of the stroller and he crawled right to the stairs that lead up to a slide.  He doesn't go down the slide without me, but he loves to crawl up there and see the view of the playground.  He was standing up there today and just talking about what he could see and pointing at everything.

Here he is just standing and talking about the kids and the swings and the crows.

A trip to the park isn't complete without a snack!  

YUM!

I think he digs his new suit, hat, and booties.  He refused to where the mittens because then he couldn't touch stuff.  He's going to have to much fun with Kyla and the other kids at daycare!

A Very Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas everyone!  Finlay had a tough time falling asleep last night, even after his bedtime story of "The Night Before Christmas," and I think it was because of a man and a red suit.  I know Tyler and I were eager to see what Santa would bring for us!

We had a lovely morning and afternoon.  A lot of new traditions for our new family.  Last night, we had a dinner of appetizers and watched a movie.  This morning there were cinnamon buns and what is left of my Christmas baking (peanut-butter balls, ginger cookies, macaroons) and lots of coffee.  We opened our stockings first and then opened the rest of the gifts under the tree.

This afternoon, we met up with about 30 other people, local families, and went for a walk at Thetis Lake.  The weather was windy and rainy, but the people were warm and welcoming.  We planned on going last year but Finlay was born a little later than we anticipated and so we weren't really up for it.  It is a tradition we would really like to continue!

Now we are home, eating more yummy food and playing with all of our new toys.  Dinner tonight is West Coast Turkey (Dungeness Crab), some mashed Russets, and baked brussel sprouts.  We also have some Saturna Island champagne to enjoy.

Our first family Christmas on our own has been successful (so far).  Reflecting on our day, we feel really rich.  We have families who love us (and are probably enjoying Christmas dinners as I write this) and we miss everyone so much and so enjoyed our g-chats with everyone today.  We still feel very much connected despite the distance.  We feel rich because we got lots of great presents and have enjoyed so many wonderful dishes over the holiday.  We feeling like we hit the jack-pot because we have a beautiful and kind little monster in our midst and Finlay, Tyler, and I are all so in love with each other.  It's all pretty special.

So, we tried to capture some things on camera today but mostly we just enjoyed everything and decidedly stored our mental pictures.  Here's what we've got:

The tree with the stockings and a pig from Santa.

Kind of blurry but this is Finlay's pig and his beautiful stocking (made by Aunt Lindsay and Grand Moo-ma.

Finlay went right for the pig.  He was very excited about the piggy's face and when it rolled when he touched it he looked at my with excitement. 

Fin and his piggy!

He went to his room to check out his newest toy from Grand-Mooma.  He closed his bedroom door, turned on the toy somehow, and immediatly started pressing buttons and dancing!  We have a video but it is incredibly blurred, and Tyler sounds very tired, so I'll have to get a different one soon!

Here is Finlay, digging into his stocking, and chewing on his new toothbrush that Santa brought him.  He really likes brushing his teeth - just like daddy!

Also, we caught Fin on camera playing his new favourite game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTl3RYcBlw8&feature=youtu.be

Hope everyone out there had a very Merry Christmas!  We miss and love you all and have thought about you a lot today!  Good luck with shopping tomorrow :)