Finnegan: 15 Months

Finny buddy!! Your eighth tooth broke through and you are back to being your normal, happy guy.  The clingy, fussy baby that was here last month is no more and we are loving you more and more each day.  Your 15th month brought lots of firsts, especially in the walking and talking department.  You talk A LOT.  We have no idea what you are saying, but you have made your voice heard in the past few weeks and it cracks me up.  Our days are spent with you pointing and "yelling" at me and me trying to figure out what the heck you are trying to say.  It cracks me up! You also took your first steps last week and Dad and I couldn't be more excited! I have no doubt that the 16th month update will be talking about how you are running around and we spend our days chasing you. We have had so much fun this month and I can't wait to see you grow even more.

Eating:  I've come to terms with the fact that you are a picky eater.  It makes me so sad because I think you would love fruits and vegetables, but you refuse most of them. I'm hoping daycare helps with that, but until then, we will just have to keep trying.  You love sweet potatoes, Mexican food, and edamame.  Oh and bananas and graham crackers.  I'm pretty sure if you could live on bananas, graham crackers and milk, you would.  Breakfast is your best meal by far and you usually eat more than I do.  You love your morning carbs. 

Sleeping: Can we skip this section? Unfortunately, nothing has really improved in the sleep department.  He will sleep through the night periodically.  Maybe once a week?  Other than that, he's still waking up at least once and the majority of the time I have to go in and calm him down.  Luckily, he is a good napper and on the days following a rough night, I snag a nap, too.  I'm hoping that daycare will exhaust him and he will start sleeping better starting Monday, but I don't hold my breath. He's still taking two naps, but it's ready to switch to one which is good because that's all they do at daycare.  

Don't worry all you mommy shamers, we fixed his head! The button popped out when his head fell back and we were quick to fix it.  I couldn't resist snapping a picture before we did though!

Noises: As I said before, Finn is quite the talker.  I have no idea what he is saying, but he does and he's saying it out loud. I love it! It cracks me up! He is also really good at communicating nonverbally.  He will wave his hands for all done, shake his cup when it's empty and point to his foot when his sock or shoe has fallen off.  I love seeing what he is thinking and I am so excited for him to start saying things I understand!

Xander was over one day and they were sitting next to each other, so Xander's mom whipped out her camera and we cracked up because Finn and Xander started posing! Finn leaned in here but then Xander put his hand on Finn's knee.  We have forced them to be best friends, but it looks like our plan is kind of working!

Milestones: Finn is walking!! He's got a step count of about 25 at this point, so he's basically ready to run the Boston Marathon! ha!  That is by far the biggest milestone.  He has also learned how to climb up onto things, such as the lawn chairs we have or Pokey the rocking horse!  He also finally mastered how to turn his walker and that makes my life a million times easier.

Likes and Dislikes: Finn has two favorite things and their names are Anchor and Beacon.  But seriously, he loves them.  He thinks it's HILARIOUS when they take anything out of his hand.  I was crying from laughing so hard the other day because he gave them a stick, thought it was hilarious and then kept trying to give them sticks.  By the time he was done, there were twenty sticks in front of them and they just looked him like "Dude, we're good." It was hilarious.  Other than the dogs, he loves to be outside and explore our yard.  He has finally gotten over his fear of grass and will spend all day outside getting dirty if I allow it.  He loves the slide, his swing, and playing with rocks.  He also loves the trash truck! It's a highlight every Wednesday.  The trash usually comes around lunch time so I just wheel his high chair over to our bay window and we both watch in amazement. 

Nicknames: Finn, Finny, Buddy Bear, Finny Bear, my little sweet potato (due to the amount of sweet potatoes consumed and how sweet he is!)

Clothing Size:  18 month for everything! I think the onesies and the tshirts are a little small, but the pants fit perfectly.

Diaper Size: 4 still.

Height: Probably 31ish inches since his pants seem to fit a little bit better.

Weight: A lot.  hahahaha.  I don't actually know but he's heavy!

Travel: None! We have been homebodies this month and stayed in Bremerton.

Teeth: Eight! That last one on the bottom finally broke through!

I went upstairs for literally two minutes and I come back to an entire welcoming crew.  Can't a girl get two minutes alone? The answer is apparently no. 

Probably yelling and trying to get me to do something.  The usual.

Finn was really enjoying England's success in the World Cup

 Providing moral support for Dad as he stained the deck!

 Oh Finny! I never quite understood the line in Where the Wild Things Are that says "we'll eat you up we love you so!" until you came along, but it's true.  I love you so much.  Sometimes it's like I can't hold you close enough I love you so much. You're joy is contagious and I love being around you. Sometimes I look at you and see my little baby, but sometimes I look at you and see a big kid.  It makes me catch my breath because you are growing up so quickly. I am going to miss you so much when you go to daycare this month, but I know how much fun you will have and how good it will be for both of us.  I love you sweet boy.  Love, Mom

Finnegan: 13 Months

I kind of thought I would stop doing these month updates when Finn turned one, but I like them and I still feel like he changes so much each month that I'm going to keep doing them.  Maybe I'll stop when he turns two?  Who knows!

Anyways, month 13 was a fun one!! Finn took swimming lessons, we traveled to Portland and most importantly, we slept through the night consistently!!!  He's become much more opinionated and points and says "uh" to anything he wants.  He loves his blue car and will ride in it for what seems like forever.  He's standing for a few seconds at a time and we are working on eventually walking.  Let's hope it comes soon!!

Eating:  Not much has changed here.  He's a great eater when he likes what is in front of him. He is completely weaned off of breast feeding (freedom!!!) and loves whole milk so much that we should probably just get a cow.   He's showing a lot of interest in using a spoon, so we practice with that with oatmeal.  It usually just results in a huge mess, but every once and a while, some oatmeal makes it into his mouth. 

What are you looking at?

Sleeping: We are all sleeping through the night and we are all happier for it. Our wake up times vary between 5:30 (and lots of moaning) to 6:30, but we are all thankful to be sleeping through the night. 

Noises: So many noises, so little understanding. There is lots of "ah" and "dah" when he is pointing to things, but no sounds that sound like words. 

Milestones: The biggest milestone this month is definitely standing.  He's not doing it for very long, but it's happening and it's only a matter of time before it's more intentional and for a longer duration.  He is also drinking out of a glass when I hold it up for him, which is maybe his favorite thing.  This usually results in all of my water disappearing before I get to drink any, but it's fun to watch!  As I mentioned before, he's trying to use silverware with minimal success, but he understands what he's supposed to do, so that's a step in the right direction. 

Likes and Dislikes: His favorite thing this month was his blue car.  Y'all we created a monster.  It's in our garage and every time we go to get in our real car, he sees it and wants to go for a ride. If we bring it inside, it's what he puts things in and is never far away from it.  He also loves to dance and LOVES music.  He will bop back and forth whenever he hears "music," which can be defined as music from Alexa, Mom singing or the smoke alarm going off.  He loves it all!  He also loves to "help" in the kitchen.  I've let him hold a spoon while mixing and it's his favorite thing. Finn's biggest dislike this month was swim lessons. He tolerated them for the first few weeks, but once he was put under water, they were quickly added to the dislike list. He has also become more opinionated and more determined, which has led to more meltdowns, mainly because I refuse to let him hold things like knives or touch things like the hot oven.  So I guess I'm on the dislike list sometimes, but I know I make the likes list the majority of the time. You win some, you lose some. 

Nicknames: Finn, Finny, Buddy, Bud, Buddy Bear, Finny Bear

Clothing Size: Onesies are definitely 18 months (his belly fills them out!), but pants are still 12 months.  I put 18 month shorts on him today and they were sagging, but I refuse to buy any 12 month shorts because I know they won't fit him by the end of the summer.  

Diaper Size: Four

Height: 30 inches (he had a growth spurt!)

Weight: 20 lbs 8.75 oz 

Travel: Portland for Mother's Day

Teeth: Still seven

Finn continues to amaze me as he discovers the world around him.  We are so grateful for this little guy and his enthusiasm for life.  Love you, bud!

Finnegan: Eleven Months

Finn's eleventh month was a big one for travel!  He traveled to Virginia to hang out with Nana, Grandpa and his uncles and he continues to impress everyone with his airplane travel skills. HWe are in the middle of driving across country to our new home in Washington, so Finn has been checking off states as we travel.  He said goodbye to his friends and teachers at daycare, which made me even more sad than he was.  As far as travel goes, he has far exceed our (very low) expectations of riding in the car and traveling in general. 

Outside of travel, this guy is constantly on the move and keeps us on our toes.  There is never a dull moment with this guy and we couldn't love him more! His infectious smile melts our heart and his personality makes him my favorite person to spend my days with. Happy eleven months Finny! We love you!

Finn's first race!

It was clearly exhausting. 

Eating: Finn has given up on baby food and is all in on real people foods.  Over the course of our travels, he has implemented an all-carb diet with the occasional banana, but when at home he is a great eater.  He's still not a big fan of raw fruits, mainly due to the texture, with bananas being the exception.  He does still allow applesauce to be spoon fed to him, but he definitely prefers to grab things with his hands and feed himself.  Breast feeding is still going, although he is very easily distracted and not nearly as interested in it as he was.  I thought he might be weaning himself, but he still seems to want to nurse, even if it's only for a few minutes at a time. 

Sleeping: Guys, I don't think Finn is ever going to sleep through the night.  Ever.  Before we left Connecticut, he was waking up once during the night, usually around two.  That's not terrible, but still not great. That being said, I knew going into this month that it was going to be a rough one sleep wise.  He doesn't sleep well when traveling and has been known to wake up every hour when not at home.  He hasn't been that bad, but he still hasn't been great.  Add in illnesses and he's ended up in our bed every. single. night.  The good news is that he has become a solid napper. We can pretty much count on two naps a day.  His better nap is the morning and is usually around an hour and fifteen minutes and usually takes place around nine (when he wakes up around six).  His afternoon nap is usually around one and lasts about an hour, maybe a little bit less. His consistency with napping is a lifesaver and I'm always grateful for the peace and quiet. 

Finn's favorite sleeping position:my arms 

Hey Mom! Thanks for hanging out with me all night every night!

Noises: Finn is quite the talker.  In fact, he never stops talking.  We constantly hear him talking in the back seat of the car and when we are out and about.  We are waiting for his first word, but for now, all we hear is lots of babbling.  He also squeals a TON and has started laughing more which usually makes me laugh, as well.  He's a happy guy and makes it known!

Milestones: Finn is on the move! Well, with a little assistance.  He can walk across the room with his walker, but doesn't always rely on that to help him.  He's been known to push a table, his stroller and a luggage cart (empty) if he wants to get places.  He's still not steady enough to stand by himself or walk, though.  When he's not cruising around, he's waving at everyone and anyone.  In fact, I think he waves when he sees a new person, even if they aren't looking at him. It's the cutest thing and just confirms my belief that he's going to be a huge people person. 

Likes and Dislikes: His biggest dislike right now is food.  He'll eat carbs any time of the day, but otherwise it's hit or miss.  He does not like the little pouches of fruit puree that every other kid seems to be obsessed with and fruit in general is usually a no. My heart aches.  He loves beans and I can sometimes get a cooked vegetable in there if I'm lucky, but he definitely has opinions when it comes to food.  His dislike for the car is pretty much gone.  He discovered that he can see us in his mirror and that helps immensely, as does the infinite amount of toys and snacks that he gets in the car. One thing we discovered he doesn't like is grass.  Well, I just don't think he knows what it is, but he refuses to crawl in the grass and it's pretty funny to watch.  Generally though, he just likes to be on the move. He loves to play on the bed with us and will nose dive into a pillow or three if given the chance.  An

I caught you red handed, Finn! Thanks for taking all of my taco supplies!

Nicknames: Finn, Finny, Buddy Bear, Shaggy (he needs a haircut desperately!), Pooper (for obvious reasons), Bud, Buddy, Dude

Clothing Size: 9-12 months still, but once our stuff arrives in Washington, we'll break out the 12-18 month stuff.  It's time. 

Diaper Size: Four

Weight: 19.5 lbs

Height: 30 inches! A growing boy!

Travel: So much!! We kicked off the month with a trip to Virginia Beach and then began the trek across country.  He went to James Madison University (go Dukes!), Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. 

Hanging out with J Maddy

Taking a walk in Memphis

Helping unload luggage

Hiking in Zion

Oh Finny, 

You make me so happy.  There's no other way to put it.  Your infectious smile and your affection for people brings pure joy to those around you. You are constantly on the move and discovering everything around you, which keeps us busy, but it's so fun to watch you do your thing.  You have shown us how smart you are as you figure out how things work, which never ceases to amaze me.  I can't believe that you are almost one.  As much as I wish I could stop time and just savor these days, I'm so excited to watch you grow and learn. 

We love you big guy.  More than you know.