Finley's First Birthday

Finley was one on August 17, 2012.  He is such a sweet boy and loves to be on the go like his brother does.  The day he turned one was the same day we had my brother's rehearsal for his wedding.  We were all in Asheville for the wedding so we had a birthday breakfast for Finley and he had a birthday cupcake!  He LOVED his cupcake!  Unlike Henry, Finley will devour ice cream, cake, cookies, etc.  

Finley is a fun little person to have around.  He is not always the happiest (I am sure because he wants someone to hold him), but he is getting better about playing around the house with his brother.  He loves to be outside and hardly ever cries when we are outside playing.  Finley loves, loves his brother and if Henry was a little calmer, he and Finley would get along great.  Henry things he and Fin are the same size and wants to play with him like he would a best friend.  Finley still does not understand what is happening.  Needless to say, Finley loves to watch Henry, push toys and chairs around, go through my cabinets and pull everything out, pull out the wipes from the wipe holder, put everything in his mouth and chew, and he loves to eat.  For breakfast he usually eats bananas and either a nutrigrain bar or a pancake or waffle.  He has not been very interested in eggs, but loves to eat peanut butter on anything.  For lunch he eats goldfish, fruit, turkey, cheese, pb&j, noodles....that sort of stuff.  For dinner (his favorite meal) he eats everything!!!!!  I would say his favorites are (in order of favorites) peas, corn, noodles with meat sauce, chicken, bread, watermelon, beans, quesadillas (we eat mexican a lot), mac and cheese and pizza.  He will devour his dinner almost every night.
As far as interacting goes, Finley has 4 words right now, uh oh, thank you, please and dada.  He does not consistently say anything else, but speaks baby language all day long, so I know he can talk!  

We are still working on the milk issue.  I started soy milk, but I think it is giving him a stomachache....this is so frustrating.  Oh, and Finley started school last week.  He is going MWF and has the same teachers Henry had.  Finley is adjusting, but still crying at drop off.  I know as time passes, he will be fine, but I still feel awful!  

Beau took Finley to the doctor last week for his year check up.  Here are his stats:

Weight: 21.5 pounds 30%

Height: 29.5 inches 40%

Head Circumference: 18.25 inches 50%

I was not planning on having a big birthday celebration for Finley like I did for Henry, but at the last minute I decided to do a family birthday for him.  Here are his cake pictures!  He loved his cake...unlike his brother who cried the whole time!

Beach Trip 2012

June came so quickly this year and we were back at the beach with the family and had a fantastic time!  Henry LOVED the beach, the pool and the hot tub!  Finley was still unsure about what was going on.  I got a few cute pictures of my boys and their cousin Kate Austen, but it was extremely difficult to get them all looking good in one picture.  Finley was trying to walk the whole time we were there and when he hit his 10 month mark, he was finally walking.  However, walking on the sand at the beach is not an easy task for a small child.  Instead he just ate sand.  Fun stuff......

This is what Henry did all week in the ocean.  He was not interested in getting in much more than running through the waves.

Sweet Kate Austen hung out in the shaded stroller because she was not supposed to wear sunscreen yet.  SO SWEET!!!

When a boy has to go, he has to go.....no shame, right?

Vera Grace and Artem were huge helps with the boys!!!  They are fantastic cousins!

Here is our beach photo shoot.....

Finley is 10 months

Finley was 10 months old on June 17, 2012.  He started taking a few steps while we were at the beach, but has really taken off since then.  He is constantly on the move and is loving watching his big brother run around!  He is eating "people" food now instead of the nasty baby food and he is loving it!  At 10 months, he had a great appetite and pretty much ate everything (including the leaves outside and some squirrel or mouse poop).  I caught the poop in his mouth and ripped it out, then called poison control and asked if I should induce vomiting (because what if it was bat poop?????).  They said that was not protocol anymore and not to worry, he should be fine.  Low and behold he was :)!  Other than the walking, he is not doing much talking, just a lot of baby talk and he wants me to hold him nonstop.  I hope that phase is a quick one!

Fun on the redneck waterslide

This post basically speaks for itself....I bought this $30 slide at Target because our one from last year had a hole.  At first, I was worried that the boys may get bored in the pool until I put it under the slide.  They loved it!!!!  I think they went down the slide at least 200 times each.  It was definitely worth the money and effort! 

Finley and Madeline are too small to get into the pool with the big boys, so Finley ate sand out of the sandbox and Madeline watched from her bouncey seat.

My Poor Baby at 9 months

Finley was 9 months old on May 17, 2012 and during that week he was also diagnosed with hand, foot, mouth.  It is some kind of virus that leaves blisters on their hands, feet, around their mouth and ulcers in their mouth and throat.  It took a few miserable days of him not eating much, drooling everywhere and then getting little bumps around his mouth for me to figure out what was wrong.  I of course took him in to the doctor and was able to look down his throat.  I could not believe what i was seeing!  There were about 15 ulcers in his mouth.  No wonder he would not eat or swallow and was completely irritable!  It was awful!  Probably one of the worst illnesses my kids have had (besides the stomach bug).  I took these picture the day he was diagnosed and even though he was in pain, we went outside to play.....and he was happy.....always happy outside!

Here is Finley's 9 month photo shoot.  As of 9 months, Finley is on the go, pulling up, cruising along furniture and very frustrated that he can't move like his big brother.  We are starting regular food and he seems to take it better than babyfood, which is wonderful!  We are both ready for him to start walking because I know that will make him happier.  He is finally sleeping through the night consistently and I am finally taking him to the gym.  He does not like to leave my side, but it is necessary for my sanity!  Henry is loving having a little brother to play with (sometimes he loves him too much) and we have finally figured out a good routine for the family!

Here is Fin with his all time favorite book.... Pat the Bunny. If you do not have this book for your child, go out and get it today!