happy, happy, 1st birthday!

monkey,

it is hard to believe that one year ago today, during a crazy snowstorm, with seconds to spare, you entered the world. i remember this day vividly, and while i thought i was prepared, i certainly was not prepared for your grand entrance! you came so quickly i don't even remember the last kick i felt, which is so bittersweet because it meant that i now had to share you with the rest of the world...

admittedly, i had no idea just how much things would change. it took a while to adjust, the first few months were a daze, but what was the most unexpected was the unfaltering love from your siblings. i knew they were excited to meet you, i just never expected them to put your needs in front of their own so graciously. i joked, but now realize just how amazing it was that they love you to death!

you entered the world in a mere ten minutes, and you haven't stopped growing and changing since. maybe it is the two older ones that you're constantly trying to keep up with or maybe you're just determined to stake your claim, and be heard-a hard thing to do when you're the smallest of the smalls. either way, you've reminded me to embrace and savor every little moment, whether it be fleeting or mainstay, because of you i have learned to live a little bit more in the moment. sure there are many more days where a shower doesn't happen until the end of the day, breakfast happens when it should be lunch, and toys are strewn throughout the room, but we have all survived.

we are so lucky you are in our lives. despite some bumps (read: an er visit at 6 weeks, multiple ear infections, an introduction to the nebulizer), you are the happiest, most easy going, loving boy. you love to snuggle, give hugs and kisses to everything and everyone(psst...we'll talk about being more selective later;) and can hold your own with your crazy older brother and sister. i have cherished this first year and cannot wait for this next one, and all the years to come...

i love you with all of my heart, to the moon and back...

love,
mama

ps-i know you'll sleep through the night some day, right?!

hard to believe he was once this little...

pictures:)

 

where is finny...

where is finny, here he is! this is a current favorite song. it calms him down almost immediately. that said, finn rarely needs to be calmed down. he is quite possibly the happiest, easy going, lovable baby. i guess it comes with the territory of being the third child because i think his motto should be "i'm just along for the ride!" he spends a good part of his day in the car picking up his siblings, going to the store, at gym day care or hockey practice. keeping his routine has been a challenge and there are some days where a cat nap must suffice, but all in all his is as well-rounded as it gets!

where to being in regards to his milestones. it's true what they say about the third child or subsequent children, they really "do" things so much quicker! he refused table foods at 7 months, mastered the sippy by then as well, crawled at about 7.5 months, pulled up about a week after learning to crawl, signed "more" at 8 months, clapped at 8 months, can walk with a push walked since christmas, his newest feat is pointing when asked where the light is or his head or his favorite the fan(taking after his brother;). in between months 9 & 10 he got his 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th tooth! he really needs to slow down, doesn't he know that his mama has the hardest time with her little ones getting bigger!

on another note, let's circle back to food...he loves it! he does really well with a lot of different textures. banana is a breakfast staple, hummus is a must for lunch and dinner is usually some variation of what the rest of us are eating. i couldn't believe it when he ate beets at dinner the other night!

of course there are some negatives, he has had 5 or 6 ear infections since october(i lost count, oops). we've already seen an ENT in regards to tubes. every part of me wants him to miraculously stop getting the infections so we don't have to go this route, but i'm a realist and understand that it may be for the greater good. it is so horrible seeing him in pain, and to think of all the antibiotics he has had over the course of his ten months, i just pray that he is getting it all out now. that being said it makes bringing up the fact that he does not sleep through the night seem trivial. he has not had the chance to get into a good rhythm and i'm really tired because of it!

pictures!

slow down little fella...

finn has had a lot of firsts during the month of august. he took his first plane ride. he experienced the beach, which he loved and had no qualms eating the sand! found out just how awesome the jumperoo is. plus, he officially rolls over both ways, pretty much sits up unassisted, tried solid food (sweet potatoes, peaches, squash, bananas & peas) & began rocking on all fours this past week! now if only his first teeth would finally breakthrough since those seem to be the most painful first:(

let's circle back to the solids, i wouldn't say he is the most enthusiastic eater. as of yet, nothing seems to have him over the moon excited, unless he sees your glass of water or you eating bread. yup, finn loves bread! this was a total accident as i had a piece in my hand while holding him and he literally pulled my hand into his mouth. once he tasted it, he cried when i took it away! i tend to be cautious and follow the "wait 4-5 days when introducing a new food" mentality, but finn apparently doesn't follow this school of thought! i guess i have to speed things up for him since he seems to be quite fast in the rest of his development. didn't he get the memo that mama doesn't like you to grow up!?

and while not perfect, his sleep & schedule is world's better. just in time for his brother and sister's schedule to interfere! they do say the third child learns to go with the flow, and i would tend to agree(he's chilling right next to me as i type!). he really is a good baby. he is always smiling and giggling. it has been so fun to watch him grow and change. we are all so in love with him:)

i have a lot of pictures, i just need to get them uploaded. perhaps during the next nap...

my little finn, finn...

or finnsters or finny...yup, the nick names keep on coming! it'll be interesting to see which one sticks. with daley, she had quite a lot, but doodles seems to have stuck and with jack, probably because he is the first and didn't have an older sibling who came up with anything, he seems to be mostly jack, but "jackie" to daley! i love how they come up with their own names for each other. as long as they're appropriate of course!

where shall we begin...finn is rolling over! he started this past saturday (july 27). of course, the one time i leave him, he does it! i mean seriously, i rarely go anywhere without him...little bugger!?

we have tried a little cereal, but he has only had it twice. he's recently having some tummy issues(read: constipation), so i've backed off on the solids in hopes that we can get things regulated. poor kid...he seems to have the brunt of the stomach issues in this house. actually i didn't really have intentions of starting solids this early, but sleep deprivation got the  best of me and i became desperate!! as i knew would be the case, the cereal did not miraculously solve our sleepless issues, but it was worth a try and finn certainly seems to enjoy it!

here are some pictures of my super happy little guy. he really is quite content and smiley:)

first time in the jumper-he loves it!!

4 months, baptism, happy baby

i feel as though poor finn really has gotten the shaft in so many ways. he gets shuttled from one place, then the next, sleeps on the fly, eats on the fly and then shuttled back again! i realize he is the third, and by birthright is going to have to learn to go with the flow, but my "type a self" has such a hard time with his lack of schedule. every time he falls asleep in the car, or the bjorn or while i'm holding him while the kids swim i feel so guilty. jack and daley always had their schedule and routine, and i feel strongly that finn deserves the same, but i just don't know how to get us all on the same page!?

on another note, he is such a happy little guy. unless he's hungry or has gas, he's pretty even-keeled. of course we are recently beginning to teeth and we all know all bets are off when it comes to teething!

finn was also baptized on june 22nd. it was a nice day spent with close family and friends. finn has two amazing godparents whom we are lucky to call our dear friends. everything went smoothly and we can rest assured that finn won't go up in flames anytime soon;)

finally, i cannot believe he is four months old. it just goes by way too quickly. i keep looking at him thinking he's still this small little six pounder i brought home, but in all honesty he's this chubby, smiley, bubble blowing little guy. *sigh* if only he was no longer sleeping like a newborn;)

pool time!

god parents, ken & erin

and of course this one just for good measure!