Lillian Mary, this Wednesday you turned 2 months old Precious One!

Lillian Developments: You are a big, healthy, perfect little girl. As of your appointment Friday morning, here are your stats:

Weight: 12 lbs 2.5 oz (74%)
Height: 23.75″ (95%)
Clothes: 3 months
Diapers: We’re finishing out our stash of Size 1 then will head to Size 2 in a week or so.

You are such a sweet, fun, perfect baby Lillian. You are very engaged with people and the world around you, tracking objects and faces. You are smiling more each day – sometimes almost laughing and kicking your legs when you get excited. 

Not much baby acne. A little cradle cap around your eyebrows but perfect little head. Eyes looking like they’ll stay blue. Your hair is thinning out as you continue to loose some of your baby hair but a bow can make any day a good hair day. 

You are getting so strong on tummy time – really propping yourself up (the doctor was quite impressed!) – but as soon as your neck gets tired you are over it, never wanting to just rest on your tummy.

You have loved bath time from Day 1 and this continues. This month we moved you from the kitchen sink to the actual bath tub and just put you on a big sponge – never got a baby bathtub for you.

Eating: Not much new here. You nurse 6 times/day for 5-10 minutes/side and always have a few really big spit-ups each day. You also like to do your business while you’re feeding – especially the blow outs. So, thanks…

We’ve given you a bottle a couple times this month but we need to be doing it more because you take them OK but it’s definitely not as easy as nursing.

Sleep: Best. Sleeper. Ever. This month you stopped waking up during the nights so we moved you out of our room into your crib in the nursery. We lay you down each night around 10:15 pm. You’re still awake but we get you swaddled up, turn on your sound machine and give you a paci. We walk out of the room and don’t hear a peep from you all night. I am generally waking you up around 7:30 am to feed and start the day so I think you actually want to start going to bed earlier to sleep longer at night. We’re trying to figure out how to adjust the schedule 30 minutes earlier or maybe drop a feed soon? Not sure… 

Schedule: At around 5 weeks you started moving your middle-of-the-night feed to 5:30/6 am and by 6 weeks we had totally moved to a 7:30 am wakeup. I tried just dropping that night feed and keeping our same daytime schedule but you seemed to still want 6 feeds/day so we readjusted the schedule a bit and here is where we are now.

7:30 am Feed 1
10:45 am Feed 2
1:45 pm Feed 3
4:45 pm Feed 4 then short awake time followed by a longer nap.
7:15 pm Feed 5 then basically stay awake for the remainder of your day.
9:15 pm Feed 6 then change diaper, get wrapped up and go to sleep (in crib by 10:15 pm) 

Here is a screenshot from my nursing app (Baby Connect). Looking at it now, I notice that the one night that you were fussy and I fed you during the night (midnight), there is not an evening feed recorded. I know we had been out and about all day that day and been out to dinner that evening but I am pretty sure I DID remember to feed you when we got home, however…kind of suspicious that the one night you demanded to be fed during the night I don’t have her last evening feed recorded… Oops!

Fun from the month:

My first Mother’s Day with 3! A fun night away with you and Dad to Virginia wine country then big brunch with your brothers, Gigi, Pasha and Uncle Brad.

Daily sweetness:Your first Nats game!

Mom: At this point I am feeling good and am basically recovered from the birth. With the boys I hung onto about 5 extra lbs for the 13 months that I nursed but with you I seem to be keeping a little more. I’m trying to be patient with myself and my body as the “return” process just feels a little slower this third time around.

Your dad has been traveling a lot lately too – mostly for work – and this has felt like more of a push for me. We are doing fine but it often feels like there just aren’t any margins. This is true of the logistics of our every day and also just true of my capacity.

But in the midst of all of that there is so much joy and LOVE. Our family is filled with love and I am SO in love with you, Lillian. I pray that as you grow, your life would be marked by love. That you would receive the love of God poured out for you in Christ Jesus and that the Spirit of love would overflow from you to everyone in your path. I LOVE YOU Lil!

Over the years I have been pretty spotty with the blog. I like to post when I’m able to find the time, not because I actually like blogging that much, but I love being able to look back at things. I like having easy, searchable access to memories, trips and the moments with my kids. I like to record what they’re doing at different milestones but I’m not SUPER committed and often I miss some. BUT, I posted an update on Colt at this age and I want to do one on you too, Finn. 2 years 9 months may seem like a totally random point but it’s actually such a FUN age – I am constantly wanting to capture all that you’re saying and doing so here goes!

Finn developments: Precious Fincher, you are an absolute BLAST. 

How can I put your personality into words? You are a JOY and a challenge and hilarious and a mischief maker and through it all you just have this X factor. Whatever IT is, you have IT. You light up a room and totally know how to play to the crowd. You know you’re funny and can always make me laugh – even when you also make me crazy! 

Although you are generally well behaved, you’re more defiant than Colt ever was and I always wonder how much of that is just your personality, how much of it is your big brother egging you on, how much is just being a second-born…? You’re comfortable in your own skin. It’s like you just don’t care AT ALL what anyone else thinks of you or your decisions. (I’d love to borrow a little bit of that!)  Your dad and I can’t quite figure out what motivates you and your behavior. You don’t seem super motivated by discipline or consequences. You’re not really motivated by treats or rewards. You just seem to be your own person, motivated most by whatever is going on in your own little mind. It makes things fun and interesting and challenging. 

If you’re not responding to us in utter defiance then you will often seem to be OVERJOYED with whatever we have presented to you. “Finn, do you want to go to the park?” “I DO Mama YES I DO THANK YOU so much Mama!” You have GREAT inflection in your voice and eyebrows to match. I wish I could bottle that up. 

You are SUCH a talker. I call you our little narrator – always talking about whatever is going on around us. You talk more and in more detail and color than Colt did at this age but I think part of that is just keeping up with Colt and all of our conversations. Some recent quotations from the past couple days:
“Wait for me, Momma! I am coming! Let’s walk together and hold hands. You don’t want to miss me!”
(After telling you that you should ask me before turning on the hose in the backyard) “No thanks Momma, but thank you for asking.” 
“Daddy, Daddy. I have keh-stion bout dat page. Thas the chimney.” (“Yes. So what’s the question?”) “I don know. I jus said it.” (“But that was a statement.”) “No, thas a CHIMNEY!” 

You speak pretty clearly and often opt not to use contractions (“No I do NOT like that!”). The one sound that you really struggle with is the L sound which makes saying your sister’s name a little funny. Lillian has become “Yih-yian” but of course it’s adorable.

You are confident but also sometimes like to pretend to be shy.
You’re VERY snuggly and always love to cuddle and be close.

You will take my face in your sweet, soft little hands when you talk to me. You sit beside me at our dinner table always try to touch me and rub my back during meals which is sweet but also a little yucky since your are always covered in food. 

You are BEST BUDS with your big brother Colt. You copy EVERYTHING that he does. You love to play with him and do whatever he is doing.

You are still working on learning your ABC’s. Right now you know A-H, M, O, Z and maybe a handful of other ones. I think you definitely COULD learn it all right now but I never work on it with you because…#middlechild. That being said I look back and see that Colt had already mastered the alphabet AND all the letter sounds and we definitely aren’t there yet with you. You can count to 12 and are good at counting objects when they are fewer than 10.

You love to dance and have awesome moves that absolutely crack us up. My favorite is your robot.

You’re actually really good with all music. Although we listen to several different radio stations you have learned tons of the songs and when a song comes on you ask, “Is dis Yights Down Yo?” (“Is this Lights Down Low?”) You also remember song lyrics and are pretty good at singing songs on key on your own.

You have NOT mastered the scooter yet and this is a big bummer. I was hoping that when Lillian arrived you and Colt would both be able to scoot to/from Colt’s preschool but maybe you’ll be there by next fall. For now it seems like the idea of steering just has not connected with you and you basically just head straight off the path, often falling and then you ask to be pushed in the stroller. If we’re on a big trip we’ll use the double stroller but generally I have you walk because I think the activity and exercise is a good thing. Usually Colt smokes us but sometimes he slows down and lets you run beside him as he scoots and you two just laugh together and this is adorable. 

You love puzzles and as of a few months ago, you’re suddenly really good at them. I think the biggest one I’ve given you to do is 30 pieces but you can do these in your sleep so I know you could do more. You also love reading books, playing chase, building with magna-tiles, throwing rocks into water and playing in your little house in our backyard. 

Health: Praise God for your continued health and growth. You’re about 33 lbs, 37.5 ” tall wearing 3T – 4T clothes and size 6 diapers. 

You have THE MOST BEAUTIFUL blue eyes. They are a super light, crystal clear blue. And beautiful dark lashes you lucky duck. Your hair is still fine, almost baby hair, and very blonde. You have the fairest skin of the whole family – definitely showing your Irish roots. Your dad and I describe your body-type as sturdy. You’re not really chunky, just THICK. 

We have not attempted potty training with you (I’m still recovering from my last trauma of potty training Colt and am in denial that I actually have to do it again) but you do pee on the potty a few times / day. I’m hoping to tackle it sometime this summer when we’ll spend a lot more time outside (and in less clothing!). 

Feeding: You are a good eater and love to eat. Your favorites are blueberries (and all berries), oranges, cereal with milk, oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes, eggs, avocado, hummus, PBJs, cheese, sweet potatoes, broccoli, green beans, pasta, peas, salmon and anything that falls in the “snack” or “treat” category. You eat chicken and turkey every day but you’re a little less enthusiastic about it. You and Colt have very different eating styles. Colt doesn’t want any of his food to touch. He starts with his least favorite food and methodically works his way towards his favorite food (often coming home from preschool with his fruit snacks or pretzels because he ran out of time before he was able to get to his favorite) and when given sufficient time, Colt will not leave anything on his plate. You don’t mind foods mixing, you’ll get your hands (and face!) a little dirty and you eat food at random, grabbing whatever you want in the moment. You can be two bites away from finishing (and earning dessert) but if you decide you’re done, you just stop eating and are totally happy not to get a treat. 

Sleeping: Lots of changes in this category. On Christmas night we moved you from the nursery and the crib into Colt’s room and into a big-boy bed. You actually moved into the bed that Colt had been using which was MY grandfather’s old “youth bed” from when he was 5 years old! It’s in between a toddler bed and a twin and has little rails on the sides. You LOVE being in the same room with Colt and you love your bed but this change was not without some heartburn – at least for Mom and Dad. You and Colt can certainly get after each other during the day but when it’s night time and you’re supposed to be sleeping (or eating dinner or getting ready for bed) then inevitably you two get along GREAT. So great that you Can’t. Stop. Playing. We would have been happy for the two of you to chit chat, maybe play a little and then go to bed but the problem is that you guys only knew how to escalate. You would start out by talking, then you’d go over to Colt’s bed then you’d be getting out books then dumping out bins of toys, turning on the lights and jumping on the beds. Colt was more obedient if we stressed the importance of going to bed quietly but you seemed impossible. We tried lots of different strategies and ultimately we realized that you just weren’t tired at bedtime. I tried shortening your nap but the past few weeks you were protesting taking a nap at all so finally we just pulled the trigger and gave up the nap. This helps at bedtime and we are appreciating the newfound freedom in our schedule of not having the afternoon nap but it has brought it’s own set of struggles through the day. You have been melting down more in the evenings and I feel like you’re tougher throughout the day too so not exactly sure we’ve figured out what to do… This transition time when you’re outgrowing your nap but still kind of need it AND just being 2 and a half is…interesting. 🙂  

Schedule: Your current schedule is:
7:45 Wake up
7:50 Clock turns yellow – get dressed, brush teeth
8:15 Breakfast: fruit and yogurt or cereal (weekend pancakes!)
9:00 Take Colt to preschool then morning activity
— We had been doing a gymnastics class that you loved. Now we have my women’s small group on Wednesdays and we do a music class on Thursdays.
12:00 Lunch: PBJ sandwich or turkey roll ups & cheese. Fruit, etc.
12:40 Go to pick Colt up from preschool.
1:00-5:00 We used to come home after school for your nap but now we’re taking advantage of the freedom for afternoon adventures to the park, nature center, etc.
5:15-6:00 We usually do cartoons before dinner so that I can get a dinner together, feed Lillian and have you and Colt to wind down a bit.
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Bath
7:45 Bedtime routine: PJs, brush teeth, read devotional and another book or poems if we have time then lights out. Dad always does bath and bedtime if he’s home and I use that time to do dishes (and I feed Lillian at 7:30).

Mama’s Thoughts: 

Oh, Fincher! My little rascal. My buddy. My love. You are a bright, shining light in my life. Every day with you is a tremendous blessing – you bring loads of joy and laughter and FUN. Although this age is sometimes a challenge, I truly don’t want to miss a moment.

Your dad and I were talking about you the other night – how we see something so special in you, Finn. We see a spark that is unique and wonderful. We can already tell you have such an incredible spirit and so many gifts to offer this world. But there is still so much to discover about you. What will captivate you, Little One? What will excite you and get you out of bed each day? Surely this changes with the seasons and the seasons of life, but what will be the thread that runs through it all? We look at you in wonder and, as your parents, we are praying and dreaming that God would capture your attention and affection and that He would use you for His kingdom and His glory.

You are fun right now – so freakin fun –  but I always say that you are going to be an absolute BLAST to parent over the years. You keep us on our toes for sure, but the JOY you bring is unmatched. I love who you are today and am SO excited to watch and see what God has in store for you and who you are going to become.

Thank you, Lord, for putting me on this awesome journey with this awesome boy. I love you, Little Finn.  

Lillian Mary, you turned 1 month old last night Little Love! 

Lillian Developments: As of your appointment this morning, here are your stats:

Weight: 9 lbs 10.5 oz (60%)
Height: 22.5″ (96%)
Clothes: 0-3 months
Diapers: We’re finishing out our stash of Newborn diapers then moving to Size 1 this week. 

Lillian it is such a (heart-wrenching) joy to watch you grow and develop each day. You are spending more defined time awake and asleep and we love staring into your big beautiful eyes while you’re awake. They are still a deep, dark blue – almost a navy or charcoal blue. I am so eager to know if they will stay this color or change! 

You have a little baby acne and slight flaky-baby-face but it isn’t too bad.

Your eyelashes and eyebrows have grown in a lot the past couple weeks and it seems like your hair is getting a little longer too, although you are rubbing off a little in the back where you sleep. You head is still a perfect little shape though! 

You sometimes like tummy-time but it depends on the moment. 

Eating: You’re a great eater. You nurse for 5-10 minutes / side and typically have a few good spit-ups each day. I love the sweet little noises you make while eating. You are easy and nurse anywhere from in bed with me to the playground to the church pews to the parking lot… such is life! 

You’re still 100% mama’s milk but we’ve given you a bottle a few times just to expose you to it and make sure we have the option. The goal is to give you a bottle around once/week. I am still not pumping (I hate it!!) but using these guys as milk catchers I have frozen over 250 oz already. 

Sleep: Praise the Lord for a great sleeper! You nap well in your carseat and do some short naps in your bunny seat but you sleep the best swaddled up in your bassinet or our little Moses basket (OR in someone’s arms!). 

You are pretty reliant on having a pacifier to fall asleep (especially if you’re not being held) but you are getting better at keeping it in so getting you to sleep at night or fall back asleep after your night feed is getting faster. In the beginning I was up about 1.5 hours with you for the night feed but you’ve gotten easier and lately you’ve been closer to 45 minutes start-to-finish. I’ll take it! 

Schedule: We are on a similar schedule as we were 2 weeks ago but, little by little, you are pushing your middle-of-the-night feed later and I am really hopeful that in the next month it will merge with your morning feed so we will be done waking up in the night! For now we are pretty regular:

7:30 am Morning Feed 1
11:30 am Feed 2
3:30 pm Feed 3
7:15 / 7:30 pm Feed 4
9:30pm Feed 5 then change diaper, get wrapped and go to sleep (asleep by 10:30pm)
4:30am Night Feed 6 (on demand)

Here is a screenshot from my nursing app (Baby Connect).

Notes: We have had a wonderful first month with you. When you were two weeks old (right after my last blog post), we celebrated Easter as a family of 5. It was special that your first church service was Easter Sunday. Our celebrations were very simple – just church, an egg-hunt in the backyard and brunch with Gigi and Pasha – but very sweet time together as family celebrating the Risen Christ. 

After two glorious weeks of paternity leave, Dad had to return to work. He said that he wasn’t ready to go back and I know that the rest of the family wasn’t either but it was funny how quickly and naturally everything felt normal again. You came right along for all of our everyday routines: drop-off and pick-up from Colt’s preschool. Trips to the park. Play dates with friends. Dinners in or out. You’ve just fit right in. 

Your brothers have been VERY sweet with you – always talking to you in sweet voices, rubbing you very gently, making sure that people wash or sanitize their hands before holding you, giving you soft kisses… – but more of the time they’re just busy doing their own thing or playing with each other. Your arrival seems to be a positive in their worlds but also kind of a non-event (sorry!). 

You’re a lucky little girl to have such sweet, fun big brothers. 

During Dad’s first week back at work Nana Harper came to visit! She was here Wednesday night – Sunday morning and we had such fun with her. She did a lot of playing with your brothers but also loved snuggling you. She couldn’t get over your beautiful dark hair. 

Then last weekend she was in town again for some meetings and spend another couple days with us. She watched Colt and Finn one afternoon while Dad and I took you with us for a little day-date. It was a beautiful day so we strolled to Clarendon, sat outside, had white wine and oysters and just fully enjoyed ourselves. 

We’ve taken you to church the past 3 weeks and you’ve hardly made a peep. Since you eat at 11:30 am (and the past couple weeks we’ve gone to the 11 am service) I’ve just fed you right in the sanctuary during the sermon. We sit towards the back and try not to be distracting but you’re just so easy!

This past Sunday Dad took off for a week-long work trip to Brazil (he’ll get back Saturday morning) and that was hard for all of us. He was not ready to leave you for that long and I cried for a solid 5 minutes after his car pulled away. You are so easy and your brothers are good too but the logistics of it alone – even when everything is running perfectly smoothly – is exhausting. Thankfully my mom came Monday evening and will be here to help us throughout the week.

Mom: In some ways, my adjustment with you has been the easiest. My physical recovery has been easier, less painful, faster. Nursing was second nature. I feel like I know what I’m doing with you and am not stressed out, reading books or worrying. I’m already a stay-at-home mom and have an existing structure and routine that you have melded into (versus a baby completely altering what daily life looks like). Colt and Finn have each other and are such great friends that they continue on in their normal as well. I’m certainly tired – doing everything I was doing before but now with less sleep and one more person to care for (who I literally sustain with my own body), and the days are demanding, but none of that stuff has felt like a huge adjustment.

And yet, something about your arrival has really hit me hard. You have such a special place in my heart. I was holding you yesterday and was just in tears with the joy and the heartbreak of it all. It’s almost too much for me to handle.

The JOY and the BLESSING of YOU, sweet one, just as you are. Of your precious little body and head and eyes. Of your perfect, funny sounds and amazing baby smells. Of all that we can see and know of you today and of all the mystery that we have yet to discover.

And the HEARTBREAK of experiencing that joy within the relentless passage of time. Of course there is so much joy in that as well but for me, there is something different about it with you. Watching you grow hurts a little more. Seeing days tick by on the calendar constantly reminds me that I can’t freeze time and keep everything just as it is. I feel it in my chest and it feels heavy for some reason.

Maybe I’m just getting older or maybe it’s still the hormones but it reminds me that, ultimately we were not created for this world where we are so bound by time and an eventual end. No – we were created for timelessness and life eternal. And that, Little One, is my prayer for you. That God would excite your heart by His HIGHER offer of life through Him. That you would see that there are limits on what this world can provide but through Christ there is MORE. I pray that you would be captivated by the beauty of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit and the worthiness of our Father.

I love you Lillian!