6 months on February 17, 2010

Finley was 6 months old on February 17, 2012 and he is just filling our hearts with so much love!  I can't believe how fast he has grown and how much he has changed.  He is happy for most of the day, but he still has his fussy "bewitching hour," and unfortunately it is right when Beau gets home from work.  I hope it passes quickly.  Finley is rolling like crazy, he is trying so very hard to move/crawl.  He has not figured out how to use his hands and legs at the same time, but he sort of pulls himself to get where he wants.  Crawling is not far away!

Finley is also trying to sit up, but has not mastered that yet either, as you can see from the pictures.  As far as eating goes, Finley is not the best eater yet.  He is never really interested in drinking a bottle....past the first ounce and he does not eat the "correct" amount of baby food he is supposed to be eating at this age per his pediatrician.  Even though he is not a big eater, he has the sweetest cheeks to love on!  He also loves his brother like no other!  I cannot explain how Finley lights up when Henry comes in the room or plays with him.  I have a great video I will post later. Oh, he got his 2 bottom teeth around Valentines Day....so he was a little older than Henry was when he got his first tooth.

When I took Finley for his 6 month checkup and shots, his stats were:

Weight: 15 pounds 12 ounces and is 15%

Height: 26 1/2 inches 45%

Head Circumference: 17 inches 30%

There are not the best pictures.....

Baby Food

I decided I was going to try my culinary skills on making almost all of Finley's baby food. I did not nurse him at all, and with all of the processed and preservative filled foods out there, I thought he deserved something healthier and also something better for his body.  I have tasted store bought baby food.  Some is alright, but nothing is ever as good as the real deal.  I cannot take credit for knowing how to do this (I found a lot of information on this website: Wholesome Homemade Baby Food , and some of my food is still not Finley's favorite, but I am happy I did it and really have enjoyed preparing the food for him.  It is relatively simple, just takes some time.  Here is the play by play for anyone interested in doing this themselves (I definitely recommend it)!
Set out all of your fruits and veggies....then start peeling.  I peel everything....especially those included in the "dirty dozen."  After peeling, you cut up everything into small cubes. Now, there are 3 ways to cook your food.  You can roast in the oven, steam on the stove, or boil/steam.  Fruits work best being boiled or steamed.  Some don't even need much added water.  I roasted the potatoes below and will probably not do that again.  Instead I would boil them like you do for mashed potatoes.

Green beans: snap off the ends, wash and steam.

Once they are cooked, take them out.....

Put them in your food processor (I also added potatoes to these green beans).  If they don't mix well, add some of the water from the pot you boiled them in.  It has lots of good nutrients.  Puree it for a few minutes and add water as needed to get the desired consistency.

 

When you get it to the thickness you like, put it into ice cube trays and freeze for a few hours.

Last, put it in a freezer safe bag to keep from getting freezer burned.  When I am ready to use it, I take a few cubes out of the freezer and microwave for 35-45 seconds or until room temperature.  It is not the prettiest thing in the world, but it works for us! 

This video was taken about a month after the crawling video.  Finley is on the move early just like his brother was!  I am going to have my hands full....er in no time!

Rolling over....in DECEMBER!!!

Since I am trying to catch my blog up, I am trying to keep straight the pictures from my camera, the pictures and videos from my phone and also the video from my flip.  Well, this was on my phone and I had to post it!  The Thursday before Christmas, Finley rolled over for the first time.  He had been trying and trying without any success.  WELL, I actually caught it on video a few days later.  You can see him struggle to turn and he is very happy when he gets to his back!  Right now (February 28, 2012) he is trying so hard to crawl.  I will post a video of that soon!

"Line down, line down, line across"

 Even though my background is in education and I should be working with Henry daily on letters, numbers, rhyming, singing and more, I don't do as much as I should.  However, I casually taught him how to write an H and I found him writing them all over the sand in the backyard.  He says, "line down, line down, line across." We are still working on the "e."

The beach in the winter

Have you ever been to the beach in the winter? Yes, we have, but not with children.  It is a whole different ballpark!  Beau's parents could not use their allotted time at the beach this January, so they sweetly gave it to us.  I used to LOVE going to the beach in the winter because you were forced to relax, read, sleep, etc.  WELL, the beach with sweet babies in the winter is all but relaxing because they do not relax yet.  Thank goodness my parents came down for a few days to help and try to relax as well.  Please know I am not complaining in the least bit.  We had a great time, it was just an eye opener!  Thanks Jan and Bill for giving us your condo!  

Right before we went, we invested in a double jogging stroller....the Bob.  It is awesome!  They boys don't look thrilled, but it was really cold and windy.  

I did get a great shot of all of my boys together. 

Then mom and Finley....

Henry became camera shy for about 10 minutes that day. 

 

I love the next few pictures on the beach.  The first one is Beau and Henry running together down the deserted beach.  Pretty cute!

Then Dad and Mom with our silly guy.....

I mean....talk about cheesing up for the camera!

I am an aunt!!

On January 15, 2012, Brent and Jess had their baby...sweet Kate Austen. She weighed 8 pounds and was 20 inches long.  Jess did fantastic and Kate Austen is absolutely perfect!!!  We are so excited about the latest arrival in our family!