After celebrating the New Year and Finn’s baptism in Arizona, Michael headed to DC for work and I took the boys to SC. We spent a few days apart then over the following weekend, Michael bought a car (ahem, a minivan) in Virginia then drove it from the dealership down to South Carolina. He stayed for a quick weekend visit then flew back to DC for work but left the minivan with the kids and me.

Living the life of luxury in the stylin Sienna!

Side notes on the minivan.
1) I was initially very resistant to getting a minivan because…it’s a minivan but we got a 2015 Toyota Sienna XLE and I absolutely love it. The thing about minivans is that they are literally made for families so having one makes my life easier every day. I highly recommend.
2) We have another car and then the minivan is “the family car” but we all really know that the other car is Michael’s and the minivan is “mine” since I almost never go anywhere without the kids. Anyway, I really had to put my faith in Michael since he bought it without me ever getting to see it but since I bought our house without him…he said he could handle it. And again, we love it!

Back to South Carolina…

Visiting the Columbia Children’s Museum – Edventure.

Colt sledding down the hill.

Chillin.

Thankful to my brother & Suzanne for letting us borrow baby gear to keep Finn cozy & entertained while we stayed with my parents.

He did not turn out to be a thumb sucker but he made us wonder quite a few times.

Colt soaking up some Pasha time.

Park time with Gigi!

PJs.

Biking & strolling.

Bros.

Gigi showing Colt the snow!

When the huge blizzard hit Virginia, we had already closed on our house there but were renting it back to the previous owners so they sent us pictures of the house COVERED in snow.

More cozy cuddles!

Finn with his favorite person on earth.

More park fun.

Finn likes to swing too!

What a happy little guy.

#eyes.

Snuggle fest.

Nanny & little Finn.

Papa & little Colt.

Michael worked out of the DC office for a couple weeks in January then spent the second half of the month back in Brazil. So while we were doing all of the above, Michael was doing all of the below!

Saude.

Polenta frita at Vaca Veia – my fav.

SP Art.

We miss those Parker kiddos! Jack & Michael.

Little Finley Parker.

Parting gift from his coworkers: Corinthians jersey!

With his name on it! Vai Corinthians!

Aperol spritz with Trent.

Parkers + Trent & Michael out at 348.

Walking out of that pretty office building!

End of January and we’re reunited & it feels so good!

Daddy’s back!

So happy to see him.

#Harperboys3 #coltneedsahaircut

Another lovely visit to the Columbia Zoo with my grandparents!

Feeding the giraffes

Finn and Nanny.

And now feeding the llamas.

Colt and gorilla.

Feeding the birds!

So fun!

Colt & bear.

The truest tiger fan!! Papa’s favorite exhibit. 🙂

Gigi & Fincher!

We decided to transition Colt out of the crib and into a big boy bed before we moved. My grandfather had his “youth bed” that he got when he was 5 years old (also used by my mom and brother) and he recently had it refinished for us. It’s a size that is no longer produced (in between a crib mattress which is the current toddler bed size and a twin bed) so we had to custom order a mattress and sheets but my mom had an old trundle bed mattress that basically fit so we went ahead and started with that. Colt loved hearing the stories of the bed and watching the bed get assembled in his room. And best of all, he slept great and never really gave us any trouble with the transition. I think the keys for us were 1) he was old enough to really get it and 2) he was already accustomed to his lighted clock indicating sleep-time vs. awake-time so it made sense for him to “obey” the clock and stay in bed when the clock was blue and get up when the clock turned yellow. (I highly recommend the My Tot Clock but start them on it while they’re still in a crib!)

Getting ready for bed.

All tucked in.

Morning bro time!

**During this time, Finn & I took a trip to Denver to meet up with some girlfriends, Michael took a trip to NY to meet up with friends AND we all took one final trip to Arizona but I’ll do separate posts on those trips next. Oh yeah, and I also attempted potty training while Michael was in Brazil although I’m not sure I’m far enough removed from that trauma to write about it yet  😉 **

Happy Birthday Fincher Oliver! Today you turned 1! 

Finn developments: Sweet angel Finn, you are such a blessing and a dream.

You aren’t walking on your own yet but you are are “cruising” around furniture at record speed and generally prefer to be on your feet whenever possible. You can stand in place on your own for up to 20 or 30 seconds before grabbing back onto something for support of going back to the ground again. You will walk around the house with me if I hold your hands up and support you but even after a few minutes of that you squirm out and opt to crawl or cruise. You did take your first step the a few days ago though – Daddy set you down on the floor in a standing position just out of reach of our bed and you took a step then immediately grabbed onto the bed. We repeated this a few times and you did it again but if we set you too far away (2 steps length) then you’d just drop to a crawl. It was almost like you would only take the step if you didn’t realize you were doing it and thought you could basically just reach out and grab the bed. Anyway, no rush to walk but I don’t think you’re too far from it now. 

We haven’t baby-proofed our stairs and you love to charge up whenever you get bored. Since someone always chases you up the stairs (not old enough to do them unattended) you have learned to associate going up stairs with playing with someone / being chased so now, as soon as you decide to start heading towards the stairs you start giggling a big, loud giggle. This has helped us to always know when you’re on your way up and, as you hope, we always chase after you and only reinforce the fun. To go down you slide on your tummy but after you get down 1 step you stand up on your feet and climb back up again. I think you just get confused so we still have work to do to learn how to go down safely. 

You’re not a huge talker but you do babble a bit. Most of your “words” fall into the “ba” and “da” category, including: Dada, baa (what does the sheep say?), buhbuh (bubbles), du (duck), ba (bath)… you get the idea. That being said you are getting better at imitating other sounds and we’re starting to hear more “ha”s and “la”s from you. Still waiting on that “Mama” sound, Mr. Fincher! 

You can give a good, hard blink on command (so funny), put your hands on your head, clap, wave and you give the wettest open mouth kisses. You can sometimes point to your ears or your nose but definitely not batting 1000 for those. You love to take things off the shelves or out of containers but also like putting things back into them as well. You can stack 1 block on top of another but can knock down a whole tower. 😉 You’re good at following simple instructions, especially ones that we can demonstrate. You like bath time but always make me nervous since you are constantly trying to climb. It’s actually easiest when you take a bath with Colt since he helps keep you entertained without you slipping all over the place. You do NOT like getting your diaper changed and fuss the second I lay you on your back, however when I lay you on your back in your crib for bed you smile and start giggling almost every time. 

You absolutely love music, singing and dancing. You will rock out and bounce around like crazy if there is good music going and you just love to watch other people dance. You giggle and sometimes spin in circles on your tush to try to participate in the fun. 

You love playing with your brother Colt and, bless his heart, you ALWAYS want EXACTLY the toy that he’s playing with. We can get out 100 toys for you and surround you with them, make noises, etc. but whatever Colt picks up, that’s what you want to investigate. And even more-so if he builds something like a block tower or a train track or a lego creation. And man you just love to destroy them all. Colt is not so keen on this so while you guys actually do play really well together, we are still at an age spread that requires a good amount of parental management. I can leave you two to play together on your own for decent chunks of time though, especially in the basement or somewhere with lots of toy options and space. And when we’re playing together, Colt is really good about choosing to do things like play chase with you or set things out for you get (“treasure hunting”) or dancing and singing to you. Speaking of you & Colt – you two crack me up every day. He loves to “go check Finn” when you’re waking up from a nap which always involves him tossing random stuffed animals into your crib and running around your room. At any rate, Colt is a great friend and playmate for you – you really got lucky with that big brother of yours! 

And no offense to Colt or to me but your absolute favorite person on planet Earth is Dada. You are obsessed with him. When he comes home from work you go bananas – you get a huge smile and then almost go into an all-out panic until he picks you up and you’ll cry if he puts you down too soon. Sometimes this is tricky since he often bikes to/from work so he’ll be pouring sweat and you just INSIST that he holds you! The other day Dad came home while you and Colt were eating. He sat down at the table and you just freaked out every time that he started talking to and looking at Colt and me. You wanted his full attention. It’s so funny!! You also give Dad the best “snuggles” where you put your head on his chest and hug him so tightly with both hands. But you have such a stud dad so I don’t blame you one bit. 

Health: Praise God for your continued health and well being – you continue to grow so beautifully. We are due for your 1 year checkup but I think you’re around:

Weight: 22 lbs
Height: 30.5″ tall
Diapers: We’re finishing up our final pack of size 3 then moving up to 4s.
Clothes: 12 months
Teeth: 6! You have the front 4 + one more up & down on the left side.

You have the milkiest, creamiest skin on earth. I just want to pour you in my coffee and drink you up! Your eyes are such a clear, bright beautiful blue, and they are so freakin happy. You are SLOWLY growing some blonde hair but still have a long way to go on that front. Occasionally you’ll get tylenol if you’re teething and you’ve had a cold or two but otherwise nothing to report. 

At birth you were diagnosed with an abdominal hemangioma. Based on a few factors, the doctors told us that it was unlikely that it would resolve itself and instead you would probably need surgery. We recently went in for a final follow up where it was established that God healed you and it’s now a total non-issue! Also, in one of the ultrasounds to investigate your hemangioma it was found that you had some dilation in one of your kidneys and we are thankful to report that this has also resolved on it’s own. Thank you, Lord. 

Feeding: Finn, you are an awesome but kind of funny, slightly aggressive eater. What do I mean by that? Well, for starters, you’re just a great eater. You are not picky and are really good about eating whatever we’re eating whether that’s chicken, pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, chili, pancakes, eggs, turkey, sandwiches, spinach, cereal, etc. You like almost everything but have shown a few preferences / dislikes (no grapes or blueberries for you!). This is a HUGE breath of fresh air / relief since Colt is so picky, however I look back at Colt’s 1 year post and see that I was still “pretty much pureeing” most of his real meals at this point — what?!?! So, who knows the extent to which this influenced things but I do feel like the way we fed Colt made him generally more hesitant to try new flavors, textures, etc. and has generally made him picky. (I think my logic at the time was that since he was already picky, the easiest way to give him good nutrients was to puree it all together but looking back I think it was a little nuts!) Anyway, you have no problem trying new foods and in fact insist on trying whatever we are eating – and 95% of the time you like it! You don’t have a full set of teeth so of course I can’t give you many raw veggies and generally have to cut things into small pieces but otherwise you like being part of the action.

OK, now for the funny and aggressive parts. Funny: also very unlike your brother, you really like to feed yourself and when you’re able to (as in, when I judge that it won’t be too big of a mess and I let you do it) you get SO excited and giggle the entire time with your funny machine-gun laugh. At the same time, this desire to feed yourself often makes you a little aggressive. You will want to hold the bowl or fork or food so badly and you kind of turn into a screamer in the high chair. It’s so strange. You literally never behave this way but as soon as I stick you in your high chair, if you’re not immediately eating or if you’re trying to take control and grab things you just start screaming. And waving your hands around like a mad man, often knocking things out of my hands. And sometimes you get so worked up that you start flinging yourself around. It’s really weird. I do NOT like this but don’t really know what to do about it… It even gets on Colt’s nerves and he’ll be sitting in his seat trying to shush you throughout the meal. Anyway, here’s to hoping we outgrow this little nuance sooner than later… 

You are still nursing and we just dropped from 4x/day to 3x. I am planning on weaning this month and I think you’ll be pretty ambivalent about it. You’re a good nurser but get distracted if there are other things going on. We’ve tested cows milk with you a few times and you like it just fine so I don’t think we’ll have the struggle that we had from your bro when we make the switch.

Sleeping: This is your superpower, Finn! Not because you sleep an abnormal amount but just because you are so easy and SO consistent. I think that since you were about 7 weeks old you have slept through the night (like, 10+ hours) and since then I bet I could count on 1 hand the number of times that I’ve had to get up to comfort you during the nights. You fall asleep for naps and nighttime without any problem and wake up slowly, giving me plenty of notice before you start fussing. Sometimes you’ll roll around and “wake-up” for 30 minutes before really asking to get up. (I appreciate this because I always knew the exact MOMENT that your brother woke up!) Occasionally when we travel you will take some time to adjust either to a time-change or a new environment but you always seem to work it out pretty quickly and adapt. 

Your only sleep issue is that it’s getting harder for you to sleep in public. If I try to drag you in your carseat / stroller for a morning activity out with Colt, then it’s almost guaranteed that you won’t fall asleep until the car ride home. This would be fine if you could go with only 1 nap but you can’t. You still need a second one. So then you’re napping through dinner. So far it’s not a real problem since even if you wake up from your second nap at 6:30 you are still happy to go to bed at 8 and I’m hoping you can move to 1 nap soon (although it’s not looking like it’ll be too soon!).

The only other situation where this is a problem is when we’re traveling. On car trips you do fine – great actually – and if there is an open seat on a plane and we can bring your carseat on then we can block you off enough for you to fall asleep. However, on our last flight (your 22nd!!), there were no extra seats. When we boarded the plane you were already overdue for your nap and then we proceeded to get 4 hours of crying or either your dad or me walking you up and down the aisles. You were SO tired and I was sure that you wouldn’t be able to last through the whole flight but Fincher, you went the distance, crying all the way through the landing. Upon arrival we picked up your car seat and stroller at the gate-check and literally within seconds you were passed out.

You prefer to sleep in your crib in a sleep sack with a couple of blankies, blankets and pacis with your sound machine in the background.

Schedule: With an older brother who likes to be out & about it’s hard to keep to this too religiously, but your “ideal” schedule looks something like this:

7:50 am Wake up, first morning feed with Mom.
8:30 am Breakfast (usually a full banana then some yogurt)
9:45-12:00 pm Nap #1. It still shocks me every day that just 2 hours after waking up from sleeping for 12 hours you’re ready for this big nap!
12:00 pm Wake up and nurse #2 with Mom.
12:30 pm Lunch
3:00-4:45pm Nap #2
5:00 pm Nurse with #3 with Mom.
6:15 pm Dinner
7:50 pm Bedtime! 

Mama’s thoughts: What a tremendous blessing of joy you are to our family. So much has happened in our lives in the past year and you’ve just been such a shining light through all of it.

On the day that you were born, the word God gave me for you was “wisdom” and the verse He gave me was Proverbs 1:7 (The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.). I know it might sound silly to say that I see and pray for wisdom in your life, you, a little baby just now 1 year old. But as God lets me cast a vision for your life, that is the cornerstone. Wisdom, as God defines it. Wisdom as fear of the Lord. Fear as worship, for the Almighty God, the only one who has the power to save us not just in this life but for eternity – the one who, upon seeing our sin, could have cast us out forever but instead ran towards us in compassionate mercy and does so every day again and again through the person of Jesus Christ. I pray that these things be the defining markers of your life, my precious Finn. God is giving me faith and a vision that they will.

Precious Finn, you turned 8 months old yesterday!

Finn developments: We thank the Lord for the way you continue to grow so beautifully. Here are some current stats:

Weight: 19 lbs (52%)
Height: 28″ (64%)
Head size: 17.5″ (50% — Yes, it’s true! For some reason it just looks huge!)
Clothes: 9 months
Diapers: Size 3
Tooth Count: 2 bottom middle teeth came in the week of March 20 and the top middles feel like they’re trying to push through!
Hair: Still trying to figure this one out but it is growing a little… 😉
Eyes: Keeping those baby blues for sure!
Skin: You still get dry patches and dry cheeks but Gold Bond with Aloe lotion has been a life-saver for you. It’s the only thing that works on your skin but clears it up in no time.
Word count: 1 – “Dada” – of course. Just like Colt. 🙂

Precious soul, my little Finn, I have fallen so hard in love for you, baby. You have completely won my heart with your sweet smiles and infectious laugh. You have such a genuine warmth to you. I love getting to spend my days with you and honestly go to bed each night wishing for more time with you.

Somehow you have managed to stay the sweetest, easiest baby on Earth. You have the calmest demeanor and have been so resilient through all of the craziness in our lives. (To add some color to this, this Friday you will take your 20^th flight! And that’s to say nothing of the many road trips all over the place.) But no matter the circumstance, you always adjust so seamlessly. What grace from the Lord!

These days you enjoy sitting up to play or playing on your tummy. You will roll and scoot all around, moving yourself far away from wherever we initially place you, however you have yet to start crawling. I think we still have a month or so before you get to that one. But I’m certainly NOT in a rush for you to be super mobile!

You love toys, music, mirrors, and anything that you can grab or munch on. You like music and love watching people dance – you think I’m such a cool pop star and an awesome singer/dancer. Kind of nice that someone thinks this. 🙂

You just started playing peek-a-boo! I had you on the changing table and you grabbed a cloth and covered your face. When you pulled it off I said, “peek-a-boo” and you giggled and covered yourself up again, then repeated it. We sat there playing it for 10 or 15 minutes – I just couldn’t handle how precious you were and you were absolutely loving it!

One of your very favorite people in the world is your sweet brother Colt who is AWESOME with you. He is SO good at playing with you, “reading” to you, and generally entertaining you. When you wake up from a nap he loves to be the first one to run into your room and greet you by patting you on the head. If I sit you down on the floor he will run to bring you “a couple toys” and often wants me to put you on a mat or something soft. It’s SO sweet.

Colt also loves talking with you and “helping” you talk. You babble a lot but the only “word” you’re saying is “Dada.” Of course we don’t assume you know what it means but it’s sweet to hear and funny since it was Colt’s first word as well. Still waiting on one to say “Mama” first… 😉

Schedule: What an easy baby you are little one. I think that soon you will push your morning nap a little later and merge naps 2 and 3 but for now this is a typical schedule for you.

8:00 Wake up & nurse #1 with mom then play with Colt.
9:00 Breakfast for you (and Colt).
9:45-11:30 Nap #1
11:45 Wake up & nurse #2 with mom, then play with Colt.
12:30 Lunch for you and your bro.
2:00-3:30 Nap #2. (This is also when Colt does his “quiet time” so this is key for me!)
3:30 Wake up & nurse #3 with mom then play with Colt.
5:45-6:15 Nap #3.
6:15 Dinner time!
7:45 Nurse #4 with mom then get ready for bed.
8:00 Lights out!

Eating: You are an awesome eater! You nurse great with me (although I’m getting a little nervous as you’re teething…) and you take a bottle easily as well. Still all mom – we’ve never tested formula on you yet.

You LOVE eating solids. In the beginning we gave you almost all pre-made purees but over the past month we’ve really shifted towards giving you whatever we’re eating. So far you are MUCH easier than Colt when it comes to eating. You are excited to try anything and have basically liked everything we’ve given you including apple slices, bananas, sliced strawberries & other berries, orange pieces, roasted or boiled broccoli, cauliflower, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, cooked tomatoes, avocado, black beans, white beans, shredded chicken, hamburger, lunch meats & cheeses, pancakes, eggs all ways, pretzels, etc. etc. The only foods you have expressed a dislike for were sour grapes and greek yogurt – both gave you the shivers!

I think that with Colt I pureed things for so long because I found it to be a more efficient means of getting good nutrient into his system but I THINK this contributed to him being more sensitive to different textures and unique flavors and just trying new foods in general. Therefore I am trying to be more consistent about just giving you whatever we are eating, however we are eating it and so far you are into it.

Sleep: Angel baby. You are an incredible sleeper. Ever since you dropped your night feed (back at 7 weeks!) I have never had to wake up and feed you in the night. You have had times where you woke up in search of your paci but as soon as it was returned to you, you were happy and asleep. And by this point you’ve totally let that habit go as well.

After your last feed of the night we change your diaper, zip you up in your sleep sack (with a WubbaNub paci tucked in with you) and lay you down. You silently put yourself to sleep within minutes. You normally sleep on your side but will also sleep on your back and most recently your tummy as well.

You first two naps are easy & clockwork but lately your third nap has been the least predictable which is how I can tell you’re almost ready to give it up. Sometimes you are just asking for it and fall right asleep but other times you aren’t quite tired enough so get upset about being left alone. Normally you do end up falling asleep but sometimes I can tell it’s just not going to happen so I go ahead and grab you.

I am thankful that you’re so flexible as you often have 1 or 2 naps on the go somewhere as well, but since your second nap lines up with Colt’s quiet time, we’re usually able to get that one in the crib which is nice.

Mom: Finn, what a BLESSING it is to be your mom. I truly thank God for you every day. I know it might sound silly since you’re only 8 months old, but I feel like I know you. I feel like I can see aspects of who you are and who you will be as a person. And I see great things. God defines greatness very differently than our culture and this world does so I don’t know if “great things” means President of the United States (or Brazil!?) or if it means working a simple job and loving your family well or if it means serving others in a difficult and low way… I have no idea. Of course. You’re 8 months old! But God has given me faith to have a vision for your life and for your life’s greatness. I can’t wait to see it unfold.