Finn good, Jim sick, Mom okay

Thank goodness for email. I've been able to get regular updates on Finn due to the wonderful invention of email/internet. Unfortunately, the internet was down for most of yesterday, so I felt very out of touch, but I knew he was fine as we didn't receive a phone call.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Kristine looked amazing and the ceremony was right on the beach. Everybody had a wonderful time. Pictures to come once we get home.

Messages/updates about Finn from DeAnn:

Friday 9/25 AM: Finn still a bit of a cough but eating well and happy. AND-don't get a puppy would be my advise until he is much older--VERY BUSY watching bodily functions between the 2 of them! (DeAnn and Les just got a new puppy a week before we left!) Finn pooped huge on his own-heard it over the monitor :) and pooped again-celebrate some more!!! God he is sweet and so good-stingy with the giggles though. (he is even for us...yeah for poop!)

Friday 9/25 PM: Finn is eating before bed and LOOKING LEFT at Uncle Les who he loves-we got a couple of giggles. He is fast asleep-a good day. We stuck to the schedule-no rocking to sleep and all!!! We did tummmy time; lots of looking left and the Bumbo chair. He is getting plenty of kisses from me for all of you. I am going to have a hard time giving him over. This beats working anyday!!

Saturday 9/26 PM: Finn's right eye looked a wee bit crusty on outer edge this am with some mucous-so we went up to your house and brought in the mail and I started eye drops again (I was afraid of that happening!). I bought more prune juice as we are runnning low. Still a rare, intermittent cough but otherwise Finn is great. I don't want to give him up as we have a great routine down.

Sunday 9/27 Afternoon: Finn is VERY happy today-looking left alot--eye looking better-coughed a bit last night but listened to chest with stethescope and all is clear-sound more like throat/sinus cough (esp with eye thing). Temp 98.4. (I gotta love that DeAnn is a nurse!) No poop for 2 days so tried a bit of Karo dark syrup--HUGE poop after that and life is good. Enjoy yourself-Finnegan is!!! (I'm trying!) Finn looks bigger each day just like Pepper (new puppy).

Sunday 9/27 PM Message from Finn: hey mom and dad --the vikes won BIG and I LOVE BRETT FAVRE--LOVE, FINN

No kidding Finn seems so much bigger. DeAnn has also been sending the occassional picture. This one is from last night and he looks HUGE! Have you been giving him Wheaties or something?!?!

I can't wait to hold him and give him kisses...but I'm also enjoying myself and spending lots of time on the beach. Today we are going to go downtown and do some shopping. Jim is really sick. We think he might have slight bronchitis or something. Hoping to get something for him at the pharmacy downtown today. He slept all day (literally) on Friday, got up just for the wedding and dinner on Saturday and was able to spend some time out on the beach yesterday. Poor guy. I'm very thankful my family is here to keep me company!

Safe and sound

We made it! After about 6 1/2 hours in the air, we are in Aruba. Jim and I had problems with our reservation, so we decided it was best to just stay at the Manchebo were everybody else is. The best decision we've made in a long time. This is where we stayed for our honeymoon, so we are loving it (everybody else likes it too...was a little worried in case others didn't like it as much as Jim and I do).

We had cocktails at the bar at the resort last night. Two for ones...uh, oh! We had a late breakfast today and spent the rest of the day on the beach and in the ocean. Wonderful! Later we are all going on a sunset cruise for the "rehearsal dinner" and then out for pizza later. Should be a fun night. Going to take a nap now. It is hard work sitting the this beautiful weather!

Hope all is well with everybody. Got an update on Finn...of course he hasn't pooped since we left. Little bugger. Luckily, he is in the best hands possible to take care of him and any issues that come up. Thanks, DeAnn!

Leaving Finn

On our way to Aruba. Plane leaves at 7:10am and we get in at 2:30pm (I think). It was so hard putting Finn to bed last night. I just wanted to hold him all night. This time apart is going to be much harder on mom and than on Finn for sure. I bet he is going to look huge and seem really old when we get back.

I will probably not post all week. I'm sure I'll have a million things to write about when we get back, though, on Friday, Oct 2.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Gredzens! The ceremony was very cool at the court house in a court room. Now, off to paradise.

Finn's sleeping schedule

We also talked to Finn's doctor about his sleeping schedule at his appointment yesterday. Both Jim and I have been concerned with (please, don't kill me other moms out there) how much he sleeps. He has been sleeping through the night for a long time...that wasn't a concern (a blessing for sure!). But lately he has been taking what we thought were excessively long naps. Some days he will take a four hour plus nap plus two other short ones during the day, especially if he sleeps on his tummy. She said she wasn't concerned about it and I really feel like he NEEDS that much sleep. When he doesn't get it (if we have plans or something gets in the way of his nap), he is CRABBY. So, worry not, I guess.

He is super happy in the morning...I wonder if he really is Jim's child?!?! On a typical day, Finn wakes up around 7am and plays happily in his crib until 9 or some times later. He may snooze on and off, but I can usually hear him chattering away and playing with his toys. I was recently asked if I felt guilty for not playing with him while he was so happy. The question caught me off guard and then I started questioning myself. Am I a bad mom for not even thinking to be guilty? Should I get him up the first second I hear him? Am I a bad mom for staying in bed a little longer because he is playing so contently? But when I thought about it, if I were to go in there while he is playing (which I have done before), he sees me, gets really happy for a second...and then wants to eat RIGHT NOW and starts whining. So I change him, feed him and put him back to bed anyway. So, no, I don't feel guilty for letting him have some happy "Finn time." I don't know if it is usual or not, but Finn needs time to himself most days. If he gets crabby and I put him on the floor, he is happy. But I understand...there are days when I just want "Stacy time" too!

The other weird thing about his schedule is he still gets the crabbies between 6 and 8 most nights (no, thankfully not colic!). He usually needs to take a nap in the evening albeit a short one usually (sometimes only 20 minutes). Sometimes he takes a nap, wakes up and goes to bed less than an hour later. But if you miss that early evening nap, watch out! I think it is kind of funny. They definitely set their own schedule and have their own unique set of needs.

On a sad note, we had to say good bye to Lyla and Meytal yesterday. The moving truck comes on Thursday and Jim and I also leave for Aruba on Thursday. I hope your move goes smoothly, you arrive safely, your house hunting goes quickly and you find happiness in Indiana! You will be missed.

Mommy lied

I lied to Finn and I think I broke his heart. I told Finn there wouldn't be any shots at this doctor appointment and there was! He had to get the flu shot. Poor guy. I guess I won't say anything next time. At least mommy got it, too, so she could empathize with his pain (against his will, daddy has to get it too...hopefully he can stop at Target or something and get it easy enough). Finn did okay for the actual shot, but lost it afterwards. It didn't help that he was MAJOR tired and probably just wanted to go to sleep!

His doctor appointment went really well. He weighs 14 lbs 5 oz and is 24 1/2 inches long! That still puts him under the 3rd percentile for his actual age, but his curve went WAY up. If he had gained an ounce a day since his last weight check, he would have been just under 14 lbs. His weight for length percentile is 50th...so that means he weighs what he should for how long he is. I like that stat better because looking at him now, he looks chunky and it is hard to grasp that his percentile is still so low. She didn't give us his percentile for his adjusted age, but I looked online and I think it is right above the 10th percentile...which is also an increase from his last weight check. She was happy with everything she saw and said he is doing great!

BUT since we are in flu/RSV season, she is concerned about him coming into her office since he is so susceptible to illness/infection. She is going to talk to the home health nurses to see if they can come for monthly visits so that Finn doesn't have to go in unless absolutely necessary. They will also administer his Synergist, which is the RSV vaccine. Finn's doctor is waiting to hear more about the H1N1 vaccine, but she believes Finn will be on the "short" list to get it, meaning regardless of how many they make, he will get the shot (Jim and I would also be on the priority list to get it, but not as critical as Finn). Finn's doctor will keep us updated and the home nurse would administer that as well. Basically, we have to go back into lock down mode, which sucks...but obviously we will do whatever it takes to avoid the hospital and serious illness this winter. No more trips to Target. No gatherings of more than a few people. Obsessive hand washing. Avoiding anybody with even a small cold. Is it April yet?

Once we get back from Aruba, we can start solids! I have mixed feelings about this for two reasons. 1. it is so easy to just throw a bottle together and give it to him. 2. Jim is a FREAK about not making a mess that it will be like I'm dealing with two children (because guess what...it WILL be messy!). We start with the cereal for two weeks and if he tolerates it, move on to veggies. I am a little excited to do it...we'll see how it goes! He is getting to be such a big boy. What's next? Getting his driver's license?

Oh and Finn rolled from his back to his tummy for the first time yesterday! I guess that is what was next! I had him on the bed in the spare room playing while I was checking my email. He was grunting and making noise, but that is usual. Then I looked over my shoulder and he was rolling over. I ran downstairs to grab the camera, but of course, he got tired out and rolled back onto his back to rest before I came back. Darn you little magician! He rolled all the way over except his arm was in the way. I still count it! Good job buddy!

Aruba in one day! Kristine and Alex's civil ceremony tomorrow afternoon! So much exciting stuff going on.

Coughing and TMJ

Finn is good. His eyes are almost completely healed with just a little gunk every now and then. We will continue the drops for a couple more days. BUT, I don't know if it is the same cold or if he got another bug, but he has been coughing and sneezing and actually kept me up for over an hour last night with checking on him because of coughing. I'm hoping it was just a fluke and no big deal. I can't leave for a week and not know that he is fine!

As for me on the other hand, my jaw slipped last night (I've dealt with TMJ for ten to fifteen years now) and I was in MAJOR pain. I took some ibuprofen and took it easy and it felt better, but my teeth/bite was off. My right side teeth weren't coming together. Well, this morning it felt better until I went to eat my breakfast. Did I eat something hard to chew; you ask? Nope...oatmeal! So I knew I had to try to get in to see somebody today. After a million and a half phone calls, I was able to get into MN Head and Neck Pain Clinic in BURNSVILLE! Hey, they had an opening, so I took it. Kristine kindly came over to watch the boys (she has the week off and was going to pick Austin up anyway). I left the appointment with a prescription for a muscle relaxer, a review lesson on what TMJ is and how to prevent it and a "take it easy and ice it and it will heal." On the bright side, I do feel much better and my teeth seem to be coming together again. I just didn't want to be in pain for the whole Aruba trip and not be able to eat anything!

Finn's weight check/9 month well-child appointment is tomorrow! Hope it is all good news (he doesn't need shots this time, yeah!).

I like it when he cries

Jim is going to kill me, but I have to share anyway. Jim thinks Finn likes me better than him, which is absurd, but he thinks so because when I come in a room, Finn always looks at me and responds to me, regardless of what he is doing or who is by him. First of all, Finn is with me far more than he is with Jim, so of course he is going to respond differently to me, than to Jim. Second, I believe that dads have a very different relationship and role with children than moms do. You can see it even in the difference in how we play with him and comfort him.

Anyway, Finn doesn't really play stranger yet and doesn't mind being left alone in a room, most of the time (our day is coming, I'm sure!). Tonight, Finn was tired and I had gone tanning. When I got back, Jim was playing with him and then left to do something in the kitchen. Finn started fussing until Jim came back. This happened a couple times to which Jim responds, "Is it wrong that I like it when he cries when I leave the room?"

So funny and such a different perspective than me. I'm happy when he DOESN'T cry when I leave a room momentarily! I guess it was an outward sign that Finn knows who his daddy is, loves him and wants to be by him. See, Finn likes us both as much, just differently!

One step back

So apparently the shape of Finn's head is not the only thing we need to focus on. They say two steps forward, one step back, right? We had Finn's regular PT yesterday. And...his torticolis is back, as strong as ever. Was that two steps forward? I don't know, but it feels like a step backwards. While I know, with determination and fortitude, this is something we can fix, it is disheartening and frustrating. We had already addressed this issue and were told it was behind us. When you deal with more than the average amount of things, once you get beyond something, you like it to stay there (like Finn's heart surgery or intestinal infection when he was in the hospital...fix it and move on!). Unfortunately, this kind of set back can happen with torticolis, especially since Finn kept switching his preferred rotation and tilt. I'm thankful we got help for this when Finn was so young because he has a much better chance of not having any long term effects. The older he gets, the less cooperative and the stronger he gets! Argh. One side note: when children are sick, they tend to revert back to what they know and is familiar...MAYBE that is part of it?!?!

Finn is still feeling under the weather. I'm hoping the eye drops worked their magic over night (he has now been on them for 24 hours). They both looked better this morning (crusty, but not gunky). I did notice today that his left eye is "gunky" now, too...but we put drops in both eyes because how can you tell an 8 month old not to touch his eyes! I also noticed that he was coughing and sneezing a little bit and slept more than usual yesterday and so far today...but nothing major. I'm hoping this little illness passes us by with just a blip on the "Finn's health" radar.

Happy New Year to Meytal and Lyla!

Flat head

I forgot to mention Finn's new PT visit yesterday. Finn's Early Intervention teacher came yesterday and brought a physical therapist with her. Even though Finn already goes to PT, I thought it would be a good idea to have another set of eyes take a look at him. It was a good appointment and much more laid back than his other PT appointments (it also helped that it is at our house). She asked what we were already doing and made some suggestions, some of which were new to me and others were reminders. One really good piece of information that came out of the visit is that she said that with proper head placement and propping, there is no reason to think that Finn's head won't be round in the back (instead of somewhat flat on the one side like it is now). I didn't realize we could do anything about it (other than get him fitted for a helmet, which we didn't want to do), so she gave me some tips for working on that. Finn kind of had a meltdown by the end of the appointment, so we cut it short. We also changed the teacher's visits from monthly to every other week since so much can happen and change in a babies life in a month. Overall, a very good appointment.

Oh, and I made butternut squash yesterday. Seriously, so yummy. I'm going to have to go back to the Famer's Market to get another one. The good thing is that I don't think Jim likes it, so it is all for me (and Becky, if she wants some!). And it will make wonderful baby food when Finn is able to eat solids!!!

No more ECFE

Finn and I had a great time at his favorite twins' house yesterday. We were kicked out of our house while the cleaning lady was here, so we asked if we could bug them instead! Finn decided he didn't need to take a nap while we were there, but even considering that, he wasn't too bad. Of course, he pretty much passed out on the way home and slept the rest of the afternoon! He should really learn to just listen to mommy when she says he needs to do something like take a nap. I can't believe how good the twins can roll and push up while on their tummies. I asked J if she could teach Finn. We'll see if the lesson paid off or not!

I actually had a dinner date last night! My girl friend Stacey and I went to Sunsets in Wayzata, which is right on the lake. The weather could not have been more perfect (they have an outside patio area). Thank you for a perfectly lovely evening, Stacey! It was so nice to get out and have adult interaction with no kids. Jim stayed home with Finn, whose teeth started hurting after I left. Poor guy(s). I wish those darn teeth would just come in so he isn't in as much pain!

So yesterday, Finn's eye seemed to have a little extra discharge in it, but I didn't think too much of it because he always has "eye boogers" in his eyes. Well, Jim noticed last night, too and I said if it was still there this morning, I'd call the doctor. Well, his poor little eye was crusted over this morning and there was a spot of "gunk" on the bed sheet. I talked to our doctor's nurse and she said it is probably just an eye virus and the doctor would send over a prescription this afternoon. Hopefully that helps.

Which brings me to my next thought...I think we are going to cancel ECFE for the fall. I'm sure he got whatever this is from there and even if he didn't, there is just no way for me to control the germs. The risk of illness is still too high. I was hoping we'd be able to do it, but even with Jim there with me this week, I was overwhelmed. I'm sad because Finn liked watching all the kids, but he can't be in crowds and what is a crowd if not a group of twelve kids with their parents in a small confined area?!?! We are still going to the Preemie Class, which start while we are in Aruba...of course! Then maybe in the spring, we can try the Incredible Infants again. I'm also sad because I love doing things with Finn and having things planned so we get out of the house. But I have to put his well being ahead of my selfish wants and this is what my instincts are telling me is right. I've suppressed my instincts in the past and regretted it, so I'm listening this time!

Incredible Infants

We (Jim, Finn and I) had our first Incredible Infants ECFE class today. This spring, we all went to the Preemie ECFE class and Finn & I went to the Infant Massage class, but this was our first official ECFE registered (paying!) class. I need to warm up to it. I was used to MAYBE four kids in my other classes and there were TWELVE there today! It was chaos. Finn is the youngest (adjusted) so it is a little hard to see the other kids sitting and moving around and playing when Finn can't do any of it (not to mention, he can't play with the common toys because of risk of illness). Plus with so many people, there was very little time to share or ask questions and the kids were so loud, you couldn't hear the discussion most of the time anyway. Like I said, maybe I just need to go a few more times to get used to the new format. At least Meytal and Lyla were there, so we got to spend time with them! We have the Preemie class later this fall, but have to miss the first two sessions because we are in Aruba. Oh, well.

Oh and Finn took a four and a half hour nap yesterday. What is his deal?!?! It kind of ruined my plans for the day...who plans for that long of a nap? (moms of small children out there...don't hate me, please!) I'm thinking he must be going through a growth spurt or something. He took a really long nap yesterday afternoon and I finally had to wake him up just to give him a bath, feed him and put him back to bed!

Finn is 5 months adjusted today! Hard to believe what a big boy he is getting to be.

Clueless Moms #2

After some further reflecting and contributions from some faithful followers, I've come up with a new Clueless Moms list. Another "10 things I didn’t know before becoming a mommy":

-I didn't realize how helpless you feel when there is something wrong with your baby and there is nothing you can do.

-I didn't know that when babies cry in church, it isn't the fault of the parents and there isn't much they can do about it.

-I didn't know that acid reflux could cause something so little so much discomfort that it is impossible to make him comfortable.

-I didn't truly understand or appreciate how important "me" time is.

-I thought I was some what patient before, but I didn't really know to what extent you'd need the virtue of patience!

-I was surprised at how sleep deprived you really are the first few weeks and didn't know I could still function with so little sleep.

-I didn’t expect the intensity of love that hit me when I first saw my child. I thought I had loved intensely before but it was nothing like that.

-I didn’t realized my baby’s pain feels much worse to me than my own.

-I learned the hard way to buy things a size bigger than you think you need because as soon as you bring it home, they will go through a growth spurt and not fit into it any more.

-I didn't realize there are a million different ways to parent and ONE way is not the best. Instead you parent the best way for your baby.

Sleep over

Momma survived. Finn had a blast. I didn't even call to check up on him...although I wanted to about every twenty minutes! Thank you NeNe for taking such wonderful care of my little boy!

Kristine's bachelorette party was a blast. Awfully tired today, though. Not used to going to bed after 2am! Now...Skol Vikings!

Lots going on

Our family has a big day today. Jim (obviously) has the Gopher football home opener in the brand new stadium tonight. He is like a kid at Christmas. And they don't serve alcohol in the stadium, so I don't have to worry about him getting trashed and getting kicked out or in a fight (not that it has ever happened before!). Then he has our soon-to-be brother-in-law's bachelor party after the game.

Becky, Renae and I are getting my house ready for Kristine's bachelorette party tonight. The festivities start out at my house and then we are heading out to the local Northeast bars. They are in walking distance, so we don't have to worry about anybody driving! Lots to do between now and 6pm!

Finn gets his first over night slumber party away from home without mom or dad! He is going over to NeNe's (Jim's aunt DeAnn) house this afternoon until tomorrow morning (another nice thing about not nursing!). Jim is in charge of picking him up, so morning might be a stretch.

We are all going to need a vacation from the weekend...but everybody should have lots of fun.

Effects of prematurity

I was reading a website about prematurity the other day where they had posted information regarding a study of the effects of prematurity. It said that babies weighing between 500-900 grams (Finn was 880 grams at birth) had a 15% chance to survive to be "normal" (that is, "unimpaired" at 18-22 months). By gestational age: babies born at 25 weeks had about 15% (Finn was 25 weeks and 6 days). And when you combine both of these factors together, the percentage decreases.

At 18 to 22 months of age is much too early to determine some pretty significant outcomes of prematurity, so even these numbers may be overly optimistic. I wasn't sure how I felt about this. Could more things go wrong in the next several months that are related to Finn's birth weight and age? Are there undiscovered hidden physical, developmental or mental problems lurking just down the road? Are we still on the roller coaster ride, maybe just on a plateau, instead of at the end? Or is this reason for celebration? Did, by some miraculous grace of God, Finn fall into that small percentage of babies that start out with the cards stacked so greatly against them, only to survive and thrive as though they were born as a "normal" full term baby? Can I stop worrying about the unknown and just enjoy what we've been given? I don't know. I guess time will tell.

Perhaps on a day like today (9/11) when everything you took for granted was taken away on that morning eight years ago (can it really have been eight years ago already?), it is a time when you reflect on things a little more and hold your loved ones a little closer. This study just made me think and brought up some insecurities and doubts that I've tried hard to hide way deep down. It made me realize that I am thankful for what I have today, regardless of what tomorrow brings. Our baby is healthy, happy and well adjusted...I don't think we can ask for more than that!

Never forget

9/11/01

Define "fine"

I talked to Finn's doctor yesterday. She said as long as he seems to be improving, we just need to watch for the "normal" symptoms and make sure he doesn't get worse. She did say that if we had talked to her on Sunday night instead of the on-call doctor, she would have had us bring him in to get checked out. In a way that made me feel better because both Jim and I were on the verge of bringing him in even though the doctor didn't think it was necessary. Other than being very tired, spitting up (which Finn never does any more) and moaning a lot, he seems to be fine (I guess that list doesn't make it sound like he is very "fine." Maybe "better" is the more appropriate word). I also have him drugged up on Tylenol and Ibuprofen (I didn't know we could give him that, but his doctor recommended it because you can alternate with Tylenol and keep him more comfortable).

Oh, I forgot to mention that we met one of our neighbors the other night! What, you say we've lived here for two years and are just now meeting our neighbors?!?! Yes, I know...shameful. Austin was out riding his Big Wheel and they heard him and came over. They live two houses down, have a 15 month old girl and the mom stays at home! I'm really excited to get to know them (especially since Meytal and Lyla are leaving us!). They've lived there for 6 years and seem to know the neighborhood and neighbors. She stopped by today for a quick chat...I still forgot to get her number and/or email address! I'm better at planning than just stopping by (you know me!). This is a fun new development in our lives.

We have a play date with Meytal and Lyla today...hoping to go to the Nicollet Mall Farmer's Market. Not that I need anything specific; I just love Farmer's Markets. Then in the afternoon we have PT. Hopefully Finn is up to all the activity since he has been extra tired the last few days!

Just come in already!

We think it is his teeth. Finn seemed to be better yesterday. He slept a lot, was lethargic and spit up a lot more than usual during the day. When I put him to bed for the night, he woke up about half and hour later just screaming even though I'd already preemptively given him Tylenol. Jim didn't want to give him any Orajel because he thinks that might have contributed to Finn's vomiting the previous night. There was no consoling him and eventually he cried himself to sleep. Poor guy. Teething (if that is what is wrong) SUCKS!! I am planning on giving Finn's doctor a call today, just to see what she says and if there is anything we can do (and to make sure she also thinks it is his teeth).

We met with his teacher from the Early Intervention program through the Minneapolis School District yesterday morning. It was a very good visit. She hadn't met with Finn since the beginning of June because she was off for the summer. Needless to say, he has changed a lot. She did a lot of playing with him and observing and asked me lots of questions. She said that he is doing every thing a 3-6 month baby would be doing, which is great. She is going to come next week and bring a physical therapist with her. I know Finn is already going to PT, but if I've learned anything so far in my parenting journey, is that a second opinion is ALWAYS a good idea!

Hybernating?

Not sure what was going on yesterday. Finn was really cuddly Sunday night, but I didn't think much of it because we were not at home and maybe he needed a little extra attention. No biggie. Then, he slept in until 10AM Monday morning...not even exaggerating. Hmmm, maybe he needed more sleep because he got woken up when we came home. Not a biggie, but something to notice. Then, he ate and went back to bed for FOUR hours! Seriously, this kid has NOT been taking long naps, so it is very unusual. Maybe it is a biggie. After the two hour mark, either Jim or I were running in there every 10 minutes to check on him.

When he finally woke up, he was very fussy and whining, which is not like him. Something was off. He was clingy all night and constantly making noises that lead us to believe he was uncomfortable in some way. We gave him EVERYTHING we had in the house and nothing really worked. A bath didn't even work...this was the first bath in his entire life during which he cried.

Finally, Jim let him suck/chew on his finger for a LONG time...maybe he is teething? Then I just held him and cuddled with him the rest of the evening. Then he puked...not baby spit up...but actual puke. This phlemmy, mucousy stuff. He seemed better after that, but was clammy to the touch. I brought him upstairs to give him his bedtime bottle and he fell asleep about three minutes later, having eaten less than an ounce. Around 11pm we had a little scare. Jim had fed him around 10:30pm and was checking on him because he was stirring. I went in and he started convulsing and vomitted...and couldn't breath and his temp was 96.3 degrees. I picked him up and he was better...then he did it all again. We got him up and Jim called the on call doctor. They said not to worry, but to keep an eye on him over night. Great...no sleep for watchful parents!

Jim and I finally went to bed around 1am. Finn slept fairly well through the night. I got up once to check on him, but he was fine (keep in mind both doors were open and the monitor was on!). He woke up at 7am. His temp was up to 97.3 (thanks to warm PJs from Auntie Kristine!) and he felt warmer to the touch, but still clammy. He ate and pooped and seemed more like himself. I burped him three time during his feeding, so hopefully that will help with not puking. I'll obviously watch him closely today and call our doctor if anything seems out of sorts or gets worse. He is laying in his crib talking to his toys and Goldie right now, so I guess that is a good sign!

I don't know. Hopefully it was just teething or tummy problems (he didn't poop all day yesterday) or maybe a growth spurt with some growing pains. This is the hardest part of being a parent...not knowing what is wrong and not being able to do anything to make it better.

Gophers and grilling

Happy Labor Day! We are taking it easy today and grilling some brats. Not much else on the agenda. Aren't you supposed to take a break from labor on Labor Day?!?! Wish every day could be like today!

Finn "watched" his first Gopher football game on Saturday! He already has team spirit (I think it is in his genes...poor guy):He wore his "Future Gopher" hat and a custom onsie with "Thomas 09" on the back. We got the onsie from our friends Jess and Andy and LOVE it. I only wish it could get bigger as he grows! So cute. Not sure how much Finn likes the Gophers, he fell asleep during the game and didn't wake up until it was over, even though they went into over time. Jim was sure to explain how to yell at the referees, to which Finn started talking to the TV! Uh, oh!

Our little guy turned 8 months old yesterday. Crazy. He is doing really well and on his way to 14 pounds (probably right around 13.5 now). Not sure how long he is, but we'll find out in two weeks at his next doctor visit. I can't believe that in four short months, he will be ONE YEAR OLD already. I know time goes faster the older they are, but seriously...wasn't he just born?!?! We are so grateful and thankful for Finn's health (and the continued support of you, our family and friends, and those we don't even know who follow this blog and prayer for us). We are very lucky and blessed people.

Our friends Laura and Matt had us over last night to grill and watch a movie on their outdoor projector screen. The food was amazing (steak, corn on the cob, veggies, bread and grilled ice cream sundaes!) and it was so much fun watching a movie outside (I've never been to a drive-in, but I'm thinking it would feel somewhat similar). They were the perfect hosts and we had a blast.

Clueless Moms

Before Mister Man was born I thought I had a fairly good idea of what parenthood would be like. I mean, I've been around children my whole life, how different can having your own be?!?! Sadly, I’ve come to realize that I was pretty much clueless. So today, in honor of Clueless Moms everywhere I thought I’d post "10 things I didn’t know before becoming a mommy":

-I did know there were going to be hard days, but what I didn’t know was a good day would be one in which he had at least one poopy diaper but I didn't get pooped on.

-I didn't realize that whether or not he sucked his thumb or took a pacifier didn't matter...as long as he was soothed and pacified.

-I didn't realize that a daily shower is a privilege, not a guarantee.

-I didn't know it is okay to feed a baby whenever they cry and not worry about whether or not they are getting too much or that is hadn't been three hours yet.

-I didn't realize that control is just an illusion, and he tells/shows me how I need to parent.

-I didn’t realize that someone so small would require twice as much laundry as both of his parents combined.

-I didn’t know crib sheets are really hard to change.

-I didn’t know that a baby could make that much noise and move around that much and be sleeping.

-I didn't know that a baby laugh can erase everything else in the world and make it a good day.

-Lastly, I didn’t know that when he smiles at me I could forgive and forget anything and my day is filled with sunshine.

So today I’m asking that you share one, or more, of the things you thought you knew about parenthood but didn’t, or, if you’d like, something you learned since becoming one.

Pay attention to me

Finn did the cutest thing the other day and then again today, which reminded me of it. Remember just the other day when Finn had a blow out and I was cleaning it up? Well, I had him strapped onto his changing table while I was changing the sheets, with my back to him. All of a sudden I heard a loud, distinct "Ahhh" come from Finn. I didn't think anything of it because Finn didn't sound mad, but he kept making the noise. I finally turned around and he was looking at me. He stopped the noise and started smiling when he saw me look at him. He did this two or three times. He was trying to get my attention! So cute. He did it again this afternoon with Pete. He was holding him, but paying attention to something that had just come on TV and Finn wanted Pete's full attention. At least he's found a constructive way to get his point across instead of just crying!

Finn MAY be starting to hold up his arms to be held, too. I noticed he did it for me the other day (but thought it was more reflex than anything) and today, Jim said he did it for him when he was changing his clothes. Who knows, it might be too early, but it is so cute!

I just love seeing all these changes and paying attention to all these "little" things. One of the many joys of being a parent, I guess. Our little boy is growing up. Speaking of, I need to take a naked/diaper picture of Finn... he actually looks chubby! LOVE IT!!!

Oh, and Finn gets to "watch" his first Gopher football game today. Daddy is very excited and had to pick out his outfit last night (he has three outfits and two hats to pick from...a sign of what Finn's life is going to be like...me thinks so!). Go Gophers!!

Officially weaned

It's not a good thing when you can smell it on your way up the stairs. Finn's poop that is. He was taking a nap yesterday afternoon and woke up just crying. There is usually a reason when this happens, so I headed upstairs only to be taken aback by the smell. Then I arrived in his room...yup, poop everywhere! On the one hand, I was by myself and it is difficult to get everything cleaned up, but on the other hand, he hadn't pooped in over a day, so I was happy. I got him cleaned up and changed the crib sheets (as you moms out there know, is not an easy task!)...and right after, Jim walked in the door. Good timing, dad! At least he could take Finn so I could take a trip down to do the laundry.

It is official. Finn is no longer a breastfeeding baby. He stopped about four or five days ago. As you know, this saddens me, but I'm in a much better state of mind about it now than I was in July. Plus, since we are going to Aruba in two and a half weeks, I guess it is good timing. Still, I'm mourning the loss, but I am thankful for being able to nurse at all (many preemies aren't able to figure it out). Because he gradually stopped nursing, I haven't had any pain with my milk stopping. Not sure how long it takes to completely go away, but I feel like there isn't much there, if any. I guess I won't fill out my bikini tops quite as well as I would have if I were still nursing! Oh, well.

Happy holiday weekend to you all. Be safe!

Love of the outdoors

We weighed Finn before his bath last night. According to our bathroom scale, little man weighs 13 lbs 3 ounces! He was an ounce shy of 12 lbs at his last weigh in about two weeks ago, so he is still gaining a little over an ounce a day. You can tell by looking at him that he is gaining weight. His double chin is back and he is getting thunder thighs (if there ever were any doubt, now we know for sure he is a Walsh!!). It is so nice to see him look like a "normal" baby (although he is still under the 10th percentile for weight for his adjusted age). His next doctor visit is September 22.

Daddy had a first yesterday...tanning! Jim had never been tanning before and upon my urging so he doesn't burn so badly in Aruba this time, he went yesterday for the first time. He said it was hot...who knew?! Too funny. He was bright red this morning. The poor guy, he has such a hard time with his fair skin. I'm glad Finn has dark skin...hopefully he won't have problems with sun burns! I've gone twice and my skin is a little pinker today than it was last time. Maybe I'll take the weekend off.

I am so thankful that Finn LOVES being outside and he also LOVES his stroller. If he is crabby at all, I just have to grab a blanket and take him outside and he will lay and talk to the trees for a long time. And we go on long walks and he is happy the whole time. I've continued to tilt the sitting position up, so now he can see a little more (it was flat when he first came home). He will not fall asleep in his stroller most times, but that is okay. His love of the outdoors just tells me how important it will be to get a fence next year so little man can play all he wants outside.

Where are your stomping grounds?

We had a play date with Meytal and Lyla today and have some sad news to share. They are moving to Indiana in two weeks! I knew they were hoping to move there, but didn't think it would happen this soon. Both Finn and I are sad, but happy for them. Good luck with the move! It was a little bright for them! We walked around in my old stomping grounds in downtown Minneapolis today. Can you have more than one "stomping grounds" area? If not, then it isn't my stomping grounds...but I think you can for different stages in your life. Downtown Minneapolis was my stomping ground for my first job out of college. I LOVED working down there. There was so much to do. I'd forgotten about the big Farmer's Market on Nicollet Mall. We might go down tomorrow to check it out.

I finally went tanning! Things always take longer to get around to when you have a child (I meant to do it last week). Finn couldn't go in the room with me, which I didn't know, but they were slow (I was the only person there), so the employee said she would watch him. Normally, I probably wouldn't have agreed, but she seemed very responsible and I was only tanning for 6 minutes (and she just kept him in the carseat the whole time...but I did give her hand sanitizer just in case!). I did a stand up bed for the first time and LOVED it. I'm supposed to go every other day to establish my base tan. I don't want to get super tan or anything, just don't want to get third degree burns in Aruba (the sun is super strong there because it is close to the equator). I'm a little pink today in places the sun doesn't normally shine!

I experienced another first last night...my first live draft for fantasy football. I've been doing fantasy football for years, but we've always done the automatic draft where the computer picks your team for you based on a ranking you set up. The live draft was SO much fun. Becky, Kristine and I all did it from my house, which sucked because the internet would stop working intermittently. I definitely want to do it again next year, but maybe give a little more time for each pick (we only had 2 minutes which goes really fast when have the people are on auto and take one second!). I think I'm happy with my results. I'll do things a little different next year...like actually do some research and print out some lists (oops!). Finn was a really good boy during it and just as we were finishing, filled his pants. Wasn't that nice of him to wait?!?!

FYI: LOVE this weather! I wish it could be like this all year. I LOVE the fall!

Startled

Ever since Finn was small, he startled when he heard a loud noice (this is "normal" and we were happy to see it since there were concerns about his hearing). Anyway, starting about a week ago, he gets, what I only can assume to be, scared when he hears a loud, unexpected noise. And it happens most often when he is tired (probably a low threshold for anything at that point). But when he cries after being startled, it is the saddest cry ever...like his heart his broken. Luckily, it only usually lasts about a minute and he can be consoled (which is good!).

Blurry pictures suck

I think we need a new camera. I'm bummed because I though the one we have was fine, until it started taking blurry pictures. Oh and of course once my friend Jess told me I need a better one to get good shots of Finn (she is a photographer!). So, the one she recommended and we want ranges between $600 up to over $1000. Yikes! I'm trying so hard to save money, but it seems like there is always "something." Plus, the one we have is almost three years old and in the technology world, that is ancient. I like that it is compact, but I would love better quality pictures (even Jim's mom's camera takes noticeably better pictures than ours). So, we'll see.

Memere and Grandpa came last night and stayed over night. Finn loves this as he never gets put down and all his wants and needs are taken care of before he can even think of them. I'm a little nervous for how spoiled he will be after we get back from Aruba, but I'm sure I'll deal. They watched the boys this morning while I ran an errand and started mowing the lawn, so that was very helpful.

Oh, and my mom came Friday after work and volunteered to watch Finn so Jim and I could go over to our friends' Stacey and Sam for dinner and a bonfire. It was a wonderful evening. I LOVE bonfires and we can't have a fire pit at our house (due to crazy city rules and regulations!). Jim had picked up his old Smurf toys when we were in Ortonville, so he gave them to Dillon to play with. I wonder how long they both would have played with them if it hadn't been bedtime for Dillon?!?! Now Jim wants to bring back his HeMan stuff. Hopefully Dillon will play with the stuff until Finn is old enough so we don't have to store it! And mom watched Finn again Saturday AM so I could go shopping with Kristine and Becky for wedding stuff. We'd probably never seen Finn if both of our moms lived closer!

"Going" and nails

Pooping update (we can't go too long without one): Finn is going very regularly...usually three times a day (sometimes more!). Except for yesterday...maybe he went so much there wasn't anything left?!?! We cut back on the prune juice a little bit, but he loves it so much and makes medicine/vitamin time so much easier. I guess we can switch to apple juice or a combination of both. I know it is kind of weird, but I'm so happy when I get a poopy diaper. Never thought that would be the case! I hope this "going" trend continues.

I think I figured out how to cut Finn's nails. I was concerned about this because I always did it when he was nursing. But since he is only nursing once a day, he isn't nearly as restful while he is nursing. But two nights ago, I cut his nails while Jim fed him. It seemed to work. He wiggles a lot, which makes it harder, but at least my little boy won't have claws. Now I just need to do it before the bedtime bottle so I can have the light on (and I didn't even cut him with the light off...yeah me!).

Oh, and Finn has a baby! Jim let me get a mini baby boy for Finn when we were at Cornfest last weekend. He was hesitant, but finally agreed. I think it is so cute and the baby is so small, Finn can actually "play" with it a little bit. I have a picture of Finn with the baby, but you can't see the baby. I'll try to get a better one.

Right on track

Finn had his weekly physical therapy appointment yesterday with Katie. He was super tired (only napped for about 30 minutes...naughty boy!), but did okay considering. She said that he is pretty much right on track for his adjusted age! Yeah! I was so happy to hear that. There are things we are still working on (like his head tilt and him pushing up on him arms, etc), but I think it is more to keep him on track than anything. Good job, big boy!

Finn is laughing! He has been able to do it for a while, but would only do it for Jim and only a little bit at a time. Don't get me wrong, he gets the biggest smile ever and it looks like he is going to laugh, but he just settles for a huge smile...easier, me thinks?!?! Anyway, this week, he finally laughed for me. The sweetest sound in the world. He likes kisses on his cheeks and neck. Jim had him giggling nonstop for a little bit last night when we were at Target. Hopefully I can get it on camera on of these days, but I'd need another person (can't hold the camera and get him to laugh at the same time!).

Jim got this amazing picture of Finn while he was doing the Tonic Neck Reflex (when a baby's head is turned to one side, the arm on that side stretches out and the opposite arm bends up at the elbow). It is something Finn has done pretty regularly, but we hadn't got it on tape. It is also known as Fencer's Reflex or Position because it looks like the stance a fencer takes. The tonic neck reflex lasts about six to seven months and almost always disappears by the age of one. Just a little fun fact.

We, Jim, Finn, Austin and I, met our friends Meytal, Adam and Lyla at the river last night to watch the River Rats one last time. It was their last performance of the summer. It always amazes me how they can do some of the stuff...okay any of it because I don't know how to ski at all. My favorite is the jumping. I forgot my camera, so I'm at Meytal's mercy to send me her pictures. Austin said he is going to do it next year! Yikes...better not tell his mom that. Thanks for a lovely evening, guys!

Vote for Finn!

Finnegan needs your vote! I just entered Finnegan in the Great American Photo Contest™. I've never done anything like this before, but thought it would be fun (I also sent an email to some of you). The photo with the most votes wins 2,500.00! Please do me a favor and click on this link to vote (http://gapc-vote.com/?p=1736062)! I really appreciate it and so does Finnegan! I'll let you know if he wins.

This is the photo I submitted:photo courtesy of Jessica Hislop http://www.jessicahislop.com

You have to register and fill out a survey to vote...just so you know!

Just another day

Finn had a fun day yesterday. He had a play date with his favorite twins, Lily and Juliette. Here they are all playing on the same play gym:They JUST fit...probably not much longer, though. Becky amazes me as how she handles juggling the needs of two babies at the same time and she doesn't seem to get flustered at all! Maybe that is why God didn't give me twins (thankfully!).

My cousin Erica stayed over night last night and is visiting for the day...maybe her last visit before school starts? Sad. This summer went by too quickly.

I'm going to try to go tanning today (or tomorrow). I need to get a base tan before we go to Aruba. It is so close to the equator that you burn very easily. It is a month away, so I guess I should get on that! More importantly, Jim needs to. He burns no matter what...poor guy. My memories of our honeymoon consist of Jim slathering sunscreen on whenever we went outside! And he still burned!

Probiotics seem to work

I think probiotics might have been the answer for Finn. He has been off Miralax for over a week and he is pooping consistently at least two times a day. He isn't uncomfortable and seems to be able to go easily. He still gets prune juice twice a day, but I don't have a problem with that. He only gets Gripe Water at bedtime, but I don't think he even needs that (for his gas). I barely have to give him Tylenol any more either. I hope it is the probiotics! Thanks for the suggestion, Nicki.

We had to move Finn's carseat straps up a notch. He is getting so big! I can't believe how fast he is growing now...he even has the beginnings of little fat rolls. I think he is chunky, but probably not to other "normal" baby standards. Oh, well...I still love it!

We have kind of a quiet week this week. Finn's bumbo seat arrived yesterday, so I'm looking forward to start putting him in it. What a big boy!

Click, click, click

Here are some pics from our weekend...

This is Finn holding his head up at Auntie Kristine's last night. He is doing it all by himself!
Below is the weird bottle/nipple we have to improve Finn's sucking ability. It creates a vacuum in the long part, which is how it works, I think. You just turn it left or right to make it harder or easier for him to suck.

Below is Finn in the bumbo seat at PT on Friday. He is too small for it so we tried to prop him up in it. Didn't work too well. Hopefully he gets a little bigger so he will fit in the one mommy got for him for at home!

More pictures from this weekend on our picture website...

Busy as a bee

We've had a few very eventful days. We started Friday out with a PT appt. Finn had Katie again, his original physical therapist, so it was good to have her work with him again (it had been a month!). She was AMAZED by his progress and just couldn't get over it. She said it is very normal for babies to prefer one side when they start rolling over so we are just supposed to encourage Finn to roll to his right if he will. She said that she feels his torticollis is almost gone. He needs to develop some strength in his neck before it will be completely gone, but she isn't concerned about it any longer, which makes me so very happy. We also put him in a bumbo chair. I told her I got one on Ebay so she got theirs out to try. He is still too small for it and his head control is a little weak, but she said it won't be long (and we can prop him up it in, if need be). He looked like such a big boy in it, though (pictures to follow). He showed her how he can lift his head up while on his tummy, something he could not do without help at his last appt. We have a couple exercises to work on his arm strength so he is able to push his upper body up when on his tummy, and eventually work on getting him on his knees. I asked her about the fact that he isn't putting any weight on his legs and she said not to worry at this point, but it is something watch.

Jim had Friday off, so after the PT appt, we decided to head to Ortonville for Cornfest. We stopped in St. Cloud at Five Guys...a fabulous burger and fries joint. I thought I was going to burst, but it was SO yummy. Finn was okay for the four hour drive, but it is long for anybody. Once we got to Ortonville, we headed to the festivities and had a funnel cake, rootbeer float and cheese curds. I needed that like a need a hole in the head, but it was all so yummy. Friday night, daddy, DeAnn, Les, Grandpa Ron and I went up to the VFW to have a drink. This was a first for me and it was packed! I tuckered out before everybody else (I must be getting old). Then on Saturday, we went to the belgium waffle breakfast (so yummy...are you catching the theme from the weekend?) and then head back down to the lake to check out the vendors, games and of course the food! We decided to head back to the cities when Finn was ready for bed, which made for a late arrival time, but it was a peaceful car ride (other than Jim's car almost breaking down...seriously, can't he get a break in the car department?!?!).

Now today we ran some errands and are headed over to auntie Kristine's for some burgers. Should be fun. I can't remember when we had so much going on in one weekend. But it was so much fun and Finn had a great time at Memere and Grandpa's house. He didn't even have to think about a want before it was taken care of. He better not get used to that!!

I'll upload pictures from the weekend tomorrow. Off to Kristine's!

Ready or not

Aruba, here we come! I am really excited for Kristine and Alex's upcoming wedding in Aruba. That is where Jim and I had our honeymoon and we'll be there the week before our second anniversary, so it is obviously sentimental for us. I'm looking forward to all the festivities (it is so much easier and fun when it isn't YOUR wedding!). I have to say, while I'm super excited, I'm also a little anxious. This will be the first time I'll be away from Finn for more than a few hours and we will be gone for EIGHT days! I know I will be fine the first few days because of all the excitement surrounding the wedding preparations and celebration. But I don't know what it will be like for the rest of the week after others have gone home and we have lots of quiet relaxing time to think and reflect. I already told Jim that he has to let me cry if I feel the need. I'm hoping it won't be THAT bad, but we'll see! I bet Finn is going to seem HUGE when we get back and I'll probably not want to let him out of my sights for a while. Poor guy (mother smothering!).

I took the picture on the right yesterday because Finn hasn't been in his swing much and I thought it was cute. Here is a comparison to the first time he was in the swing on April 24:









I think it is fun to see how much he has grown. He actually fell asleep in it for a little while yesterday...something he hasn't done in ages.

We are off to Cornfest in Ortonville for the weekend. Should be fun and I know Jim is looking forward to "sharing" it with Finn. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

Finn's first tornado

For those who are wondering or concerned, we survived the tornadoes yesterday. I was in Finn's room (with him) getting the next size of clothes organized (size 3 month...since he is 12 pounds, or almost) and I heard the tornado siren. It was weird because it was just raining and there didn't seem to be bad weather. But, since there is more than just my safety at stake, I picked Finn up and we headed downstairs with auntie Becky. We stayed down there for about half an hour (can I just say how glad I am...for many reasons...that our basement is finished and not a cement floor?!?!). The tornado alarm went off a little while later when I was feeding Finn, but I was listening to the radio and they didn't say anything about Hennepin County, so I figured we were safe. Oh, the joys of MN weather...actually, we can't really complain because we haven't had hardly any severe weather this year so far.

BUT, the bad weather put a major wrench in Jim's travel plans. He was supposed to take the 6pm flight back, but was able to switch to the 2:30 flight instead. However, after that, they shut down the Chicago Midway airport because of the weather, so he ended up getting home at 8pm...which is when he was SUPPOSED to get in! At least he is home. He even made it back in time to give Finn half of his num-nums (prune juice and medicine). Finn definitely missed Jim, as Finn just wanted Pete last night (some guy bonding time?!?!)...thank goodness Pete was here, willing and able to hold him!

I forgot to mention yesterday that I talked to Finn's doctor about his constipation. What is a blog entry without talking about Finn's poop?!?! He has been having lots of problems lately. He won't go for days and then when he does, it is only with "help" and it is pure liquid. He gets really crabby and his tummy gets distended. I was a little surprised at her lack of response, though. I mean, I was the one the suggested it could be from all the extra formula he is getting (it is fortified with iron) and suggested at least getting a multi-vitamin that doesn't have extra iron. She agreed...I mean it isn't much, but it is something. Anyway, I was a little frustrated. I've taken him off the Miralax, since that softens stools and he doesn't have problems in that area, obviously. He has been on probiotics for almost 2 weeks now, so maybe that will start working. Anyway, between getting home from the doctor and now, I think he has pooped at least 6 times without any help from me. So, maybe something came loose and he is better. I started keeping a poop journal, just so I don't have to try to remember the last time he went (and if we do have to go to a specialist, that information will be helpful). Oh, maybe some day I won't have to be so worried about Finn's pooping (or the last thereof!). Every time he goes, I make a big deal about what a good boy he is. Positive reinforcement!

Growing, growing, growing

We had Finn's weight check today. He weighs 11 lbs 15 oz!!! This is a great gain. Two weeks ago he was 11 lbs 1/2 oz...so he gained more than an ounce a day. I guess bottling agrees with him. I can just tell by looking at him that he is growing and filling out. This weigh gain puts him right around the 5th percentile for adjusted age...last time he was under the 3rd, if you remember. So again, great job little man. Because he is gaining so well, he doesn't have to go back in for a weight check for a month...which will also be his 9 month well child check! Can he really almost be 9 months?!?!

I also talked to a lactation consultant today about the bottle we have been using. Finn has improved his sucking strength to where they were hoping he would. So I was wondering how we transition him to a regular bottle and what kind we should use. She said this special nipple works with any standard bottle (because the bottle that came with it doesn't even hold 3 ounces), so I switched the bottle so Finn can get between 4 and 5 ounces a feeding instead (I'm hoping this helps with his evening crabbies, too!). But she said when/if we want to transition to a "regular" bottle, Playtex Vent Air slow flow is the way to go. I had already gotten some of these, but the fast flow and Finn seemed to really like them. It will be nice to have more than one bottle so I'm not constantly washing it (but it is still better than washing the pumping parts all the time!!). It is all in your perspective, I guess.

Overall, a good day!

Nope, no sleep

For the record, Finn did NOT go to sleep this afternoon after rolling onto his back. He played quietly in his crib for AN HOUR before wanting to get up and eat. Unbelievable!

Clean house

I walked into our house this afternoon and it sparkled! We just got a new cleaning lady (thanks, Kristine for referring her!). She is amazing. I feel like we have a new house. I know by tonight, you probably won't be able to tell, but for right now, I LOVE having a super clean house. I wish I were more motivated to clean more often...but I'm not and I've never been one to like cleaning. When Finn starts crawling and is more mobile, we'll have to clean more often or have the cleaning lady come sooner. We'll see. Oh happy day!

To get out of the cleaning lady's way, Finn and I headed to downtown St. Paul to have lunch with Ryan. We stopped at Gander Mountain to see Ryan's new work space (the marketing department is on a different floor now than when I worked there), so we got to see everybody. It was kind of weird, but nice, too. I think enough time has passed for it to not be weird for me (I would have had to quit anyway when all this happened with Finn, I'm sure). We had lunch outside at a place we used to go to all the time, so it was fun to be back on my old stomping grounds. Finn was a super good boy, even though he was tired. He even let me make a quick stop to look for sun dresses for Aruba (no luck!) and only got ticked towards the end when he realized he was hungry. Poor boy. Now he is playing in his crib, having rolled over after I put him on his tummy. I wonder if he will go to sleep that way?!?! He isn't mad, so I'm leaving him alone...for now!

Daddy's home tomorrow night! Yeah. His flight is supposed to get in around 8pm but the nice thing about Southwest is if you get there earlier and there is room, you just take the earlier flight.

3 month already?

Finn is already getting too big for 0-3 month clothes! Okay, that might seem a little weird because he is 7 months old, but if you remember, I just put away most of his newborn size clothes a little over a week ago. I think bottle feeding is agreeing with him (or his weight at least). That is bittersweet...he is obviously gaining weight on bottles, but I just wish I could have provided what he needed instead. Oh, well. Lessons learned for next time. Anyway, so he has only been wearing 0-3 month clothes for two weeks or so. I found the next tub of Austin's clothes, so I guess I'll have to switch clothes out again. I can't wait to see how much he weighs on Wednesday!

His nap "schedule" has changed recently, too. For a really long time, he would wake up, eat, go to sleep, wake up, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat. Now he is awake a lot more between naps and also naps for shorter periods at a time (which I attribute to him rolling over and getting mad that he can't be on his tummy to sleep!). While it was nice having him nap a lot to get stuff done around the house, I am actually having fun with him now. We work on tummy time and he can hold his head up with very limited help for prolonged periods of time...but he still gets mad after a bit. He loves his play gym and will play for a long time, even if he is crabby otherwise. Go figure (but I'll take it!). It also helps for getting out of the house because I always felt guilty going somewhere because Finn needed to sleep. Now I know he can go a couple hours without a nap and be fine. Yeah!

Nursing, naps & nighttime

I made a decision last night, to be implemented starting today. Since Finn is getting so much fortified breast milk via bottle now and since he doesn't think he needs to nap longer than 30 minutes any more, I have decided I'm not going to wake him up to eat any more. When he wasn't gaining weight, I had to wake him every 2.5 hours so he could eat. Now, I'm not nursing during the day and since he isn't sleeping well, I decided it is better for him to sleep than be on such a regimented schedule. I guess we'll find out this week at weigh in if it is a good idea or not. But he looks so much healthier and chubbier than before, so I think we are on the right track.

Along with that, I decided that I'm not going to set my alarm at night to wake him up to eat either. He gets a bottle right before bed and if he is hungry, he can wake me up. I was waking him up at 3:30 to eat more to keep my milk supply strong than anything, so now I will just go with what he tells me. Yeah for longer than 4 hours of sleep at one time again!!!

On to the nursing, Finn is basically just nursing at the over night feeding. While I am very sad that he weaned so quickly (or is weaning so quickly), there are benefits to it too. Because I don't even try to nurse him during the day any more, there isn't frustration for either of us. And if I do try to nurse him (if I'm full or something), I really don't "care" if he eats or not...so no pressure. I already miss that cuddle time with him, but it is easier just knowing that he needs a bottle, so I plan accordingly. I still pump before I go to bed each night, but that is more for my comfort than anything. I have a feeling all will be done in the next week, if even that. Good bye good friend.

Bed time has slowly been moving earlier and earlier. When Finn first came home, bed time was 11 or 12! Then it was earlier until it was regularly between 9 and 9:30. Well, as of the last week or so, he is usually ready for bed by 8pm. Honestly, I didn't mind the late bed time because I'd rather stay up with him than get up early in the morning, but after his 6:30 or 7 am feeding, he goes right back to sleep. I guess I can't complain about that! Night time is still Finn's toughest and crabbiest time of the day, but it is "normal" crying and not colic any more, so we are SO thankful for that.

Jim is traveling today through Wednesday. Yuck. I hate that he has had to travel so much lately. I didn't mind nearly as much when it was "just me" to take care of and I probably mind less than I will in the future when Becky and Austin aren't here any more. It is what it is. But it just makes the days so long when there isn't a break or another parent to pass baby off to once in a while. Oh, well. Wednesday will be here before we know it, I'm sure.

I caught him

Finn's rolling over yesterday was NOT a fluke. He has done it pretty much every time he's been in the crib since. I guess once you figure something out, you just know how to do it. I tried to get it on camera yesterday, but was unsuccessful (he knew I was in the room). But today, this is what I got:


Sorry it is a little dark, but his light was obviously off in his room, since he was supposed to be napping! This minute of taping is after about five minutes of trying. He is persistent (or stubborn!) if nothing else. The bad thing about this new development is that Finn won't sleep! He rolls over and won't fall asleep on his back. It has been a little frustrating, but my joy at seeing him roll over completely unassisted today made up for any frustration. Now if he can master rolling back onto his tummy, naps will probably be a little longer!

Finn, Austin and I joined our friends Amanda, Taylor and Gavin at the Splash Pad today. While all the kids loved it, I was surprised they didn't want to play longer. I think part of it was the massive crowd of kids and people (the other part was they wanted a snack!). I guess that is what happens when you go to a free attraction on a really nice and hot day. But our kids got to play together and I think everybody had fun. Austin wants Gavin (just Gavin, keep in mind!) to come over and play. He is so funny some times.

Watch Finn play

A short video of Finn playing with his play gym (battery ran out otherwise it would probably be a little longer):

I also uploaded a couple other videos, so take a look on our video website (link on the left).

Rolly polly

Finn rolled over today! Okay, I didn't see it, but I put him on his tummy for his nap and when I went in to get him afterwards, this is how I found him:What a big boy! I only wish I could have seen him do it. He has been SO close for a really long time, but just gets frustrated (and his darn head is so heavy!). Oh, and I laid him with his feet to the end of the bed...he never wakes up where I put him any more. Notice how he is staring at Goldie? He LOVES Goldie. So cute (and makes dad so proud!).

His head continues to get more stable and his neck stronger. PT was canceled today because the therapist was ill. I was going to try to reschedule, but I figured I can work with him this week and just go to our appointment next week. We are having poop (or the lack thereof) and also teething issues today. Poor guy. I just gave him some Tylenol, so hopefully that will help.

Friends and frustration

Our day started out well. Finn finally got to see his favorite twins again, Lily and Juliette. We had scheduled some play dates but then both girls had to go and get sick and rather be in the hospital than see Finn! But seriously, it was great to catch up with Becky (who is AMAZING...I complain with only one to take care of and she handles two with such grace) and to make sure the girls were okay with my very own eyes. They are little cuddlers, so I also loved that as Finn is quickly out growing that stage (boo, hoo).

The problem I had today was Finn wouldn't latch on all day (except the two feedings in the morning). I was very frustrated as there was no reason for him not to latch on and he was obviously hungry. By the dinner feeding, I was in tears and by the time bed time came around, I didn't even try to nurse, as I knew it would just end up in a pit of frustration. Maybe we are closer to weaning than I thought, but I was hoping to spread it out over a few weeks at least. Who knows. It will be easier in a way when we are completely bottling, but just for selfish reasons, I'm not quite ready. Tomorrow is a new day.

Jim was supposed to be back this evening from a one day trip to NY, but of course, his flight was delayed so much that he missed his connecting flight in Milwaukee, so he was rerouted to Atlanta (the worst airport in the country, in my opinion) and now is expected to arrive sometime around 2am.

Basilica, finally

I finally got to see inside the Basilica! Finn and I had a play date with Meytal and Lyla today and they live in that area. We were walking around and I realized it was about two blocks away and asked if she minded if we walked over there. Well, it was open, so we went in to look around. What a beautiful place. Meytal said the only place she has ever seen something like it was in the movies! I wish I would have brought my camera (I left it charging at home instead...darn it). I can't believe I've lived here for so long and never been to the Basilica...well, I guess now I have. I'd LOVE to go to mass there some time...but I have a feeling parking would be terrible. Finn got a little crabby when we were there and I think it was because it was a little dark and he thought he had to take a nap! Too funny.

Baby is sleeping and I think mommy needs a nap, too. Laundry first. Boo.

Blast off

I think it is safe to say that Finn exploded last night...literally. He hadn't gone poop in over two days, which is a REALLY long time for him. He usually goes at least twice a day. I haven't talked about poop in a while, so you should be expecting some poop talk. So, we gave him a bath, hoping it would relax him enough to go. After his bath, we decided to give him a suppository because we were getting worried (even though he wasn't exceptionally crabby or didn't seem to be in pain). Well, Jim gave it to him and had to fight to get it to stay in (TMI, I know!). All of a sudden, poop projectiled out of Finn and onto everything! He continued to poop for at least the next several minutes. It was all over...the wall, the changing table, the changing pad, the teddy bears, the carpet, the rug, Finn's baseball hats, Jim, me, Finn...everything.Can you see all the poop on the wall? Sorry, had to share! When he was finished going, Jim brought him straight into the bathroom for another bath and I got to clean up all the poop. I've said it before and I'll say it again...oh the joys of parenthood. At least he went and he was so happy afterwards! Poor boy.

We had a great Saturday. Aunt Kelsie, Memere and DeAnn came over for a little visit. Then our friends Stacey, Sam, Dillon and Connie came over for dinner (well, they brought the dinner!). Connie grew up in Louisiana and is an amazing cook. She made homemade gumbo for us since neither Jim nor I had had it before. OH MY GOSH! It was amazing. I might even like it more than jambalaya (another Cajun dish), which I didn't think was possible. The evening progressed to a great game of Trivial Pursuit (which the girls won by a land slide!) and lots of drinks and fun in the hot tub. We didn't go to bed until 5 or 6am...which is WAY too late for me. I'm too old for that. But it was a much needed fun night for me and I really had a great time. Maybe just a little less alcohol and more sleep next time! Needless to say, yesterday was a very quiet, sleepy day (neither Finn nor I got our of our PJs all day!). Oh, and Connie promised Bananas Foster next time (a dish invented in Louisiana with rum that you set on fire!), which I've never had but love the idea of them. Can't wait!!

Happy 30th birthday, Amanda! See you Friday at the Splash Pad (hopefully the temp is a little warmer than last time!).

Crackin' up

For the last several days, I thought Finn was starting to laugh, but it was fleeting and only happened a couple times. Well, Finn for sure laughed for Jim yesterday morning (I'm sure it was because Finn was so happy daddy was home!). I hope we can get it on video, but it is very hard to catch. He is such a little peanut and such a joy!

Funny thing about nursing. Now that I've decided it's okay to slowly start weaning and the pressure if off...Finn is eating well (not great, but much better than he was). I'm still in the same mind set about weaning, but he has eaten at every feeding so far the last couple of days (albeit not a lot every time)! Little bugger. Just goes to show you who is really in charge (and that "somebody" puts a little too much pressure on herself sometimes)!

Oh and apparently Finn doesn't like thunder! Who knew?!?! I got up at 3:30am to feed Finn this morning only to find both my boys asleep in the chair in Finn's room! Jim said Finn kept waking up from all the noise (probably the lightening, too). Poor boys. I guess we'll have to remember to keep the radio on during thunderstorms in the future.

Little guy not so little

Finn was such a good boy at PT yesterday! Maybe he is starting to get over his fussy stage. I hope so. He was even tired and hungry at the appointment and did a great job. I talked with the PT lady and she said that even for his adjusted age, Finn is still delayed on his head control. I was thinking that same thing, so at least I'm on the same page as they are. She said it is closer to a 2 month old than a 3.5 month old. Not to worry, though, because he is making a lot of progress, which I obviously love to see. With limited help getting him into the position, he was holding his head up while on his tummy! That was huge for me to see because he hadn't done that before. She gave me a couple new exercises (I'll know the whole book by the time we're done!) to work on head control. I'm excited to do these because holding his head up is a huge milestone that will be fun to get to.

In honor of Finn's 7 month birthday, here is a little comparison on his size for some perspective:
Left is from 3/30 and right is from 8/5. I guess Finn IS getting bigger! I packed away all of his preemie and most of his newborn clothes last night. It was hard to look at all those clothes and know he will never wear them again. Maybe baby #2?

Happy 2 year Anniversary! For our house, not our marriage! We bought our house exactly two years ago today. My, how different your life can be in two short years...

7-Eleven

Just kidding, I don't think we have any 7-Eleven convenient stores around here. Anyway, Finn is SEVEN months old today. Time really does fly by. I'm not feeling nearly as emotional about him being another month older as I was for the first six. Maybe that is a sign my baby is getting big :( But am kind of freaked out that he will be one year old in only five months! Crazy.

Finn weighed 11 pounds 1/2 ounce yesterday at the doctor appointment. I was hoping for 11 lbs 4 oz, but the doctor said now that he is older, we can't expect him to continue to gain an ounce a day and she said she was really happy with that number. The numbers keep him under the 3% for his chronological age (they don't chart lower than 3%) and around the 5% for adjusted. His growth curve remains fairly constant, so that is what we are supposed to focus on rather than the numbers. Just as a comparison, a "normal" 7 month old at the 50 percentile weighs 18.5 pounds! I wonder if Finn will make that weight by the time he is 1?!?! Maybe. Probably not!

I also talked to the doctor about nursing/weaning. She said it was fine to do it slowly and since my supply isn't huge to begin with, she said it might not take too long. We'll see. And we are supposed to keep Finn on the 24 calorie formula for now. She laughed when I asked if we have to worry about him eating too many calories! Duh, Stacy...I think we're a ways away from that worry!

My cousin Erica (11) and soon-to-be niece Grace (9.5) spent Monday through Wednesday with me this week. It was so nice having extra (and VERY willing) hands to hold Finn. Plus, it helped me not to notice that Jim was traveling this week (Mom, don't get mad I didn't tell you, I figured I would be fine this time!). He gets home tonight after going to New York, Boston and Chicago in three days! Poor guy. Hopefully he got some pizza in Chicago. That makes it all better (for Jim anyway!).

Oh, I forgot to mention that Finn had a bit of an accident while he was eating when we were visiting the lactation consultant. He not only pooped out of his diaper, it was up his back, all over the Boppy pillow, caked on his onsie, on his arm and on his head! Seriously, gross. Luckily the nice lady helped me clean everything up (and I'm so glad I had an extra outfit in the bag!). Oh, the wonderful joys of parenthood! You gotta love it (and I do!).

We have a PT appointment today, so I'm hoping he is just as good of a boy today as he was last week! Fingers are crossed (I seem to be crossing my fingers a lot lately).

To wean or not to wean

Finn and I met with the lactation consultant at North Memorial again yesterday. It was a good visit. Finn was his normal fussy eater self, so she gave me a few more tips. For the most part, we talked about continuing nursing and the options available if I wanted to start weaning. So that made me feel good. She said she was there to support whatever decision I made and didn't make me feel like I HAD to keep nursing if it wasn't what I thought was best for Finn and me. So, we have a doctor appointment today and I am going to talk to Finn's doctor a little bit more about it. I like to have all the information available before making a decision.

It still makes me sad to think about not nursing any longer, but it isn't like once I decide, I have to stop immediately. So I think I'll have a better handle on the situation after tomorrow. On the good side, I can now talk about stopping without bursting into tears, so I take that as a good sign. I must be grieving this loss, which is good so I can eventually move on. I am so thankful that Finn is healthy and able to eat well (overall). Things could be so much harder.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the lactation consultant put Finn on a special bottle at our visit last week. Finn's suck was too weak, which was part of his problem. Simply by turning the bottle in Finn's mouth, it adjusted the pressure needed to get milk out. It is ingenious but weird looking. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it. So last week we started out on the fastest flow and Finn was even struggling with that. By yesterday, he was consistently eating from the medium flow and even allowed me to move it a little closer to slow. The lactation consultant was VERY impressed with his improvement after only a week. She said improving his suck strength will help his physical development as well as making him able to eat solids better down the road! I'm happy with that, even if it is a struggle to get Finn to eat with this bottle. Most things worth doing aren't easy.

We have a weight check today, so my fingers and toes and anything else possible are crossed for a good number!

Splish splash part 2

Okay, my problem earlier...the file was too large! How am I supposed to know to read the fine print when uploading a video?!?! Anyway, here is the aforementioned bath video. Enjoy!

(I'm so happy I figured it out...after waiting since 10am this morning for the other one to load. Duh!)

Splish splashin' away

*I tried uploading this earlier, but I can't get the video to load on the blog. It just says it is uploading for hours, but never does. Darn it. So I'll keep trying, but here is my post and you can check out the bath video on our picture website*

I finally figured out how to upload video to our picture website (hopefully I can figure out how to upload to this blog, too!)! Okay, Erica helped me, but nonetheless, we figured it out. Keep in mind it only took me almost seven months, but whose counting? And the only help I needed from Jim was how to plug the camera into the computer (to my credit, you have to plug it in THREE places...come on people!). Here is the latest video of Finn taking a bath in the "big boy" way (without the infant hammock): http://picasaweb.google.com/JimandStacyT/Videos#5365928504515917858

The lactation consultant suggested doing it this way so he is more submerged in the water which allows him to relax a little more (since evenings continue to be Finn's "crabby" time). He LOVES it. This is actually the second time he's bathed this way. The first time, I was rolling on the floor laughing because he was kicking so hard everything including me was soaked. He eventually kicked so much he scared himself and we had to get out of the tub. What a goof ball. I'm so thankful that he likes bath time (as evidenced in this video!). Enjoy!

I'll be trying to upload older videos to the picture website as I have time. We'll see how that goes (I don't want to forget how, though!).

To heir is Finn

Jim and I made our official and legal "last will and testament" yesterday. It is something we've been meaning to do for several months now (well, since we got married, actually), but just never got around to it. We decided we needed to do it before we leave the country for my sister's wedding in Aruba at the end of September (probably a good idea!). So, it is done. We did it online and now just have to wait for the official papers to be sent to us (probably later this week). It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. One thing checked off our list.

Finn got a new toy:He doesn't have a lot of play time when he is laying down, so I got him a play gym. I've been wanting one for a while, so I picked it up last night when I was on a Target run (it also has a raised end, so we can use it for tummy time, too!). They have way fancier (and expensive) ones, but he LOVES it. He was crabby (because he was tired and wouldn't nap long enough!) last night and Jim put him under it and he just talked and looked at it and was happy. He even reached out and moved the toys a few times! Yay, I guess it is a keeper.

I think the "where's mommy" syndrome last week might have been due to Finn being so tired as he was fine this weekend. Lately he has been taking short cat naps and is tired all the time. Not sure how to convince him that he needs to sleep longer. I keep telling him that I know what is best, but he doesn't seem to care! Ha, ha. Hopefully we have a few month reprieve before he starts playing stranger to others.

Where's mommy?

New development: Finn now has the need to keep me (or at least "somebody") in his eye sight at all times! While in a way, this is endearing, in another much bigger way, this is very annoying! I mean, when it is just the two of us and we're going to the grocery store (we took our first trip out alone yesterday...I figured Lunds couldn't be too bad), I can't be in the back seat with him and he can't face forward. Argh. I was pumping before we left and he was two feet from me, but the toy in his bouncy seat obstructed his view of me and you would have thought his leg fell off or something. I'm really hoping it was because he was tired and not a new phase. He has done well today. Auntie NaeNae and Nick watched him for a while and he was fine. I guess we'll see! Maybe he needs more daddy time in the evenings (I know mommy could use a break)!

He also has started watching us eat. We were told this is a sign that babies are getting ready to eat solids. Since most babies start solids at 4 months and Finn is 3 1/2 months adjusted, it might be right around the corner. Probably a good question to ask at his weight check this week. I don't know if I'm ready for solids for him, though! Ha, ha.

Oh and I think daddy must have the magical touch. He was able to get Finn to latch on to the dreaded left side during two feedings today! He's hired. Too bad the job doesn't pay well enough for him to do it full time!