Happy 11 months Finley!

finley,
how is it that we are here again on the 14th of the month and i am just in awe that time is passing so fast. i have been so focused on christmas and our january birthdays that i totally let it slip up on me that today, you are 11 months old! 11 months ago today, you were 12 hours old, everyone had left the hospital and it was the two of us. you were so tiny and so warm and cuddly. the nurse came in and suggested i let her take you to the nursery so i could get some sleep, but little did she know, that wasn't ever going to happen. i was supposed to put you in your bassinet to sleep, but i carefully put pillows all around you to keep you safe because i wanted you to sleep there, cuddled up next to me. and there you have been for the last 11 months. your daddy jokes that we are soul mates with some hidden language that only the two of us understand.

 

what are you doing now? you are still nursing three to four times a day and at bedtime. you have had a rough last month with a really bad cold so that has disrupted your sleep quite a bit. we have been spending lots of early morning hours together. still eating so good, with just the two teeth. i keep thinking that anyday, i am going to see another one pop up, but so far, nothing. you are crawling, like lightning everywhere! i can't keep you off the stairs. we just brought out the baby gates today. you are cruising and grab onto anything to get you where you want to be. i see you contemplating your first step, but you are still a little timid. don't rush it baby!

 

you loved watching us decorate the tree and will sit and stare at the lights. i think you are going to have so much fun opening gifts at christmas and just taking it all in. we went to see santa and you cried except when i held you. then you grabbed his hair and laughed! your favorite word is ball. you point to anything that is round and say ball with the sweetest southern twang. it makes your mamaw proud! you say heidi, mama, "ite" for light, book and nana for banana.

 

we are 30 days away from your birthday and what a celebration it will be. finley, you complete our family and i am so blessed to be your mommy. this "almost" year has been amazing and i can't imagine life without you in it. you have an amazingly sweet personality and everyone who is around you just can't get enough of you. your smile lights up the darkest of rooms and your laugh is the most amazing sound. i love you baby!
mama

 

Happy Thanksgiving

this year, a few things i'm thankful for...

5 1/2 years of marriage to my sweetheart. as the days pass by with life's stresses and the world's pressures, i'm so thankful to be on this journey with my best friend.

1 healthy, happy baby and 2 healthy, happy toddlers. i still have to pinch myself that we have three children! i can barely blink and they are growing so fast. i am trying to just soak up every possible second that i get to kiss their sweet little faces. i don't want to wish away any of these crazy baby days. i love reading stories, splashing at bathtime, tickling and giggling with them, slobbery kisses, heads on my shoulder, their excitement when i walk in the door, playing peek-a-boo, the endless, "mommy, can you please help me?" etc, etc, etc. i am thankful for the best job in the world, being preslee, mason and finley's mommy.

laughter, our house is full of it. to some, an afternoon in our house might sound like that tickle me elmo doll who just can't stop, but to me, it's the sweetest sound in the world.

mercies that are new every morning. God gives us grace for today, and for that i'm so thankful.

family... i'm so thankful for my family and hate being so far away from them. i know the miles make me even more grateful for them.

friends past and present. we have some truly wonderful friends. i'm so thankful for you.

the first cup of really strong coffee in the morning, diet coke, and chocolate.

what are you thankful for today?

Visit with Mamaw and Papaw

also in october, drew went to germany for a week for work and my parents came to visit and help with the girls. we had such a great time. they got to go to school with preslee and mason, to finley's my gym class and trick or treating with us. can't wait for their next visit!

Sorry they are late (Halloween pics)

for some reason, i just skipped right over the halloween pictures and forgot to post anything about that weekend. the girls had such a busy time this year. only babies and 4 halloween parties, they are quite the social butterflies. here are some pictures of our sweet little girls.

Happy 10 months Finley!

finley:

today you are 10 months old! WOW, where has the last month gone? it seems you have "grown up" so much in just the last 30 days.

you have completely stopped eating baby food. you eat whatever we are eating for dinner, including pizza, you love it! if i am eating something, you grunt, point and reach for me to hand you a bite. it's so cute to see you trying to express what you want. you are still nursing like a champ, but have cut down to only about 4 times a day including bedtime. i hope you aren't getting ready to start weaning yourself because you still have no interest in a bottle. i have gotten you to drink some from a sippy cup, but only water, nothing else. you, my sweet little girl, know exactly what you want.

 

you are crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything. you are a climber, just like your sisters. yesterday, i found you on top of the coffee table. now, how did you get up there? you are cruising all around the room holding onto everything. you have taken a step or two, but nothing consistent yet. i know it's coming and i am scared. your daddy taught you how to climb the stairs so i have spent the latter part of the week, pulling you away from those too.

 

everybody that is around comments on what a sweet baby you are. you have the most amazing smile. you squint your eyes and wrinkle up that little nose. it's so so cute! and you laugh all the time. you love your big sisters. they have a way of making you laugh at the silliest things.

 

your communication skills have really started to explode. you have five definite words – dada, mama, hi, bye and book. you try to say anything we ask you to. you can sign eat and all done. you point to things that capture your attention, and can show me where the butterflies are in your room. you point to your nose and my nose and clap your hands at everything. you wave bye-bye and hi. music makes you so happy. you love to dance!

you have started to figure out what certain objects are for and how to imitate using them. if i hand you your shoes, you try to put them on your feet. you will bring a comb or bow up to your hair. i showed you how to use a toy spoon and bowl to “feed” a baby doll, and now you do the same. hand you a phone, and you just “chat” away.

it is bittersweet watching you grow up so fast. i love that you are still so tiny and can snuggle in my arms. i love how you rub my face when i am nursing you or lay your head on my shoulder when you get tired. i love how you yell, mama in the morning when you are ready to get up. but at the same time, i just want to hold onto these days that you are little for just awhile longer. i have started planning your first birthday party and realize that i only have 2 more months of pages in your scrapbook before your first year will be over. it won't be long before you will be telling me how you can do it all yourself and waving bye to me as you walk into your first day of preschool. not ready for that finney! slow down!

 

happy 10 months my sweetie, i love you so much!

momma

Happy 9 months Finley!

my sweet finney: here we are again and another month has passed. i can't believe that you have already been here 9 months, 270 days. we have less than 100 days until you will be one. wow! that is really hard to say.
you, my sweetie, have had a busy, busy month. where do i begin? just days after your 8 month birthday, you started to crawl, kind of commando style. but just last week, you are up on all fours, crawling everywhere. and as if that wasn't enough, you are pulling up to stand on anything and everything. and as if you couldn't show off anymore, you have taken a step or two. marissa and i were practicing with you today and you would reach right out and take a step between us. it's really amazing to watch your tiny little body try to take those first steps.
you are waving and saying hi and bye. i hear "mama" all the time and just yesterday you made your daddy's year when you said, "dada." he has been waiting for that and it was such a sweet sound. now we can say to you, "where's mama or dada" and you will point to us.
we went to dutch wonderland this last month with your sisters and you were an angel. you slept most of the trip, but woke up long enough to look around and enjoy your first ice cream cone. mamaw, papaw and your great grandma came to visit this month for your baptism. they couldn't get enough of you and had such a great time visiting. i was so afraid you would cry when they walked you down the aisle at church, but you didn't. you were a trooper and stayed the whole service. so many people came to celebrate with us and thank God for you! on monday, we went to pennsylvania and picked apples. you loved that! preslee and mason would pick them and bring you one and you would just squeal! you loved the pumpkins at valley view farms and i can't wait to dress you up for halloween. as always, you and your sisters will be the cutest ones at the party!
as i nursed you and rocked you to sleep tonight, it dawned on me that we are getting closer to your first birthday; you are really growing up right before my eyes. the middle of the night feedings where it is just the two of us are going to come to an end as you stop nursing and start sleeping all night long. as much as i can't imagine an entire nights sleep, i will miss that. gone are the days when you just wanted me to hold you all day. now, you are on a mission from the moment you wake up and you never stop moving. but there is still one constant, you are the happiest little baby i have ever seen. your smile is amazing and i can't even count how many times you flash it to everyone in a 24 hour period. slow down finley, mommy needs time to catch up to you! i just want to memorize every single moment we have before i have to call you a toddler! happy 9 months baby! i love you!
Mama

UPDATE: finley had her 9 month appt today (10/16). she weighed 15 pounds 4 oz (3%) and is 26 1/4 inches tall (10%) dr yeh was amazed that she is already cruising and taking a few steps!

Picking apples

this year, we wanted to do something different with the girls besides the standard pumpkin patch. so, drew took the day off work yesterday and we drove to shrewsbury, pa to brown's orchard and market and picked apples. the girls loved it! they just ran squealing down the rows of trees picking apples and "throwing" them into our box. we picked a whole peck of apples and had to stop them because i think they would have picked more. afterwards we went to the market for lunch and apple cider. it was a great new tradition to celebrate the fall and something we will do every year!