Smiles

I know that there are a lifetime of smiles ahead from this kid and I am certain that they will warm our hearts forever. But I will soon, I am certain, miss the toothless baby grin. There is something so unpracticed about it. It is truly a natural smile. Finn's is slightly crooked and often employs visible tongue. It is just great and in a few short weeks I know it will be gone.

I want my baby back, baby back, baby back

Nine months, already? I didn't realize the baby phase went so quickly!

Of course Finnegan is still a baby, but in recent pictures I can see the little boy he's going to become. And I think he'll be pretty stinking cute. No bias.

But I am pretty thrilled that he's still toothless. His grin just won't be the same when one pops through.

We had his 9-month pictures taken a little early, and it's good thing. Since he's crawling and climbing now, he's also falling. Which results in some lingering bruises. And apparently weight loss. At his pediatrician appointment, he's dropped off his "curve." He was in the 50th percentile for weight and he's dropped to the 25th. The kid is quite an eater, but his foods are still primarily fruits and vegetables (if only we all ate so well!). So we'll be upping the servings of full fat cottage cheese and toast with cream cheese.

The 9-month stats:
Weight: 18 lbs 14 1/2 oz (25th percentile)
Height: 28 3/4 inches (75th percentile)

Bocce

We've been playing the oldest sport known to man on Sunday's lately and last week was our last one this summer as a family. With the pools open and baby swim classes a'coming my lovely bride has opted out of reinvesting for the Summer league. But it was great to get together and play each week and watch how Finnegan interacted with a bunch of (so called) grown ups. He was as ever his chill self.

He was however the screen door on the submarine of Alisha's killer instinct. You can usually rely on her to bring A game or at least A competitive effort, but alas she just couldn't muster such attack with that cute little guy staring at her. She much preferred holding the boy and reading trashy books.

Even when our friends Ty and Sandhya mocked us openly after a cannoli (scoring the maximum 4 points) the brutal competitor I once knew was nowhere to be found. Bummer. Enjoy the pool Alisha, I will defend the family name with a new partner. Don't forget to be generous with the boy's sunblock. Daddy wants to keep with his Sunday bocce until football season calls.

You Gotta Crawl Before You Can Walk

Been a lotta new stuff happening at the Valentine compound. The boy is officially a crawler. As you can see above. He's a bit ungainly at times, but already more graceful than his old man. Anyway, it's a little emotional, but mostly it's just nerve wracking. Nothing is safe. Not even a video camera.

Seems like the little man's got a few things on his mind too. Finn's making an awful lot of chatter. Can't put too many complete thoughts together yet, but he can say one word that seems to aggravate his mama. See bad video with clear audio below.

First Mother's Day

Last year on Mother's Day I was five months pregnant. Spencer got me a lovely sapphire necklace, which was to be the baby's birthstone. But I was still antsy something would go wrong, so the necklace felt like it could be a jinx. So I made him take it back. Of course all went well, and we did have our September sapphire.

So this was my first Mother's Day. I hear many moms that just want to spend the day relaxing, alone. I just wanted to spend it with my boy. It was a beautiful day with brunch and mimosas at home, a few rides on the new baby swing and bocce in the park.


The day before we went to breakfast and the waitress wished me a Happy Mother's Day as we were leaving. I got a little choked up. No one had ever said that to me before. But Finnegan is such as sweet boy. He's taken to giving me big kisses when I get home from work. There really is nothing better!

But of course, he loves his dad too. Spencer puts a smile on his face like no one else can.

I just wish I had that necklace.

Parents' Day Out

For Spencer's birthday a couple of weeks ago, I got him (us) tickets to the Cubs/Cardinals game in Chicago. Northern Indiana boy is a Cubs fan. Southern Indiana girl is a Cardinals fan. We try to get to a rivalry game once a year. Usually in St. Louis because tickets are cheaper. But we made our first trip to Wrigley Field together.

An April game in Chicago was a gamble, but we lucked out and it was a beautiful day.
But it was a big day not only for the NL Central. It was our first night away from Finnegan since he was born. More than seven months. It's been a long time. Which resulted in lots of rounds of beer and the ultimate luxury of sleeping in. Before Finnegan came along, we loved to travel and be social. It was great to have that back, if only for one day.

Too bad the Cubs won.

Spring is here!

While Finnegan and I would take walks to the park when he was a newborn, it's been a long, cold winter, and we haven't had much of a chance to get outside. But all that's changing with spring finally here. Spencer and I joined a bocce league (sort of like shuffleboard with balls) that is near a little park, so Finn had his first experience on a swing.

In the purchase agreement for the new house, we stipulated that the swing set needed to stay. So we now need to get the baby swing set up, and he can enjoy it every day.

Also new for spring is the super orange stroller. With air-filled tires and suspension system, this is one sweet ride.

And while it's fun to see what plants are coming up at the new house, there are a couple of things I really miss from the old house -- namely my bleeding heart and the lilac bush that took 8 years to bloom. But since we're renting it out, at least I can visit them.

Look Ma, No Hands!

Finnegan's newest trick is pulling himself up -- primarily on his toy box. He gets the biggest kick out of standing -- especially when there's a mirror inside so he can see himself -- the kid is quite the narcissist.


And the cowboy motif of the toy box (it was Spencer's when he was a boy) must be rubbing off because he loves to do tricks once he's pulled himself up. Namely leaning waaaaay back...

....or removing a hand or two (which is when he falls).

Finn's First Nice Day on the Circle

Got the boy out and about two weeks back on one of the few nice days we've had in an otherwise dismal spring. We ran some bank errands downtown and used an old gift certificate for some Bodacious BBQ. Finn was especially taken with the cornbread.

Anyway he was enjoying the walk around the circle squealing at everyone who passed and drawing lots of attention from the ladies. Like father, like son.

The next really nice day will see us visiting the Children's museum to check into this so-called free membership folks have been telling us about since we are neighbors to the museum. Should be great. Dad looks forward to the new Star Wars exhibit.

Six months already

Finnegan's 6-month pediatrician's appointment got lost in the shuffle with the move. But I still love taking him to the doctor. Except for the shots. But he's a trouper and only lets out a squeal before settling down. On to the stats:

6 months:
16 lbs 12 oz (45-50th %)
27 inches (75th %)

Though he's keeping up with the long and skinny, he has bizarrely fat and dimply knees.

He also got his 6-month pictures taken. And he's the sweetest thing.

It looks like he's buttoning his shirt cuffs in this picture. We hope to convince him to do the same for his senior pictures in 17 years!

Changes

Big changes in the past month. The biggest is we're in the new house. Everyone seems to be adjusting well. I thought Finnegan might have trouble, but all he needed was thick curtains on his windows. He has a need for a dark room to sleep. But we have lots more room to spread out. Our goal was to have no more than one baby play item in each room, and so far it's worked.

But Finn has developed tremendously in the past month. Not only has he moved from rolling over to sitting up, he LOVES to stand. He can't pull himself up, but give him a couple fingers and he'll find his way to his feet. And he gets the biggest kick out it. He has found his voice and babbles and squeals constantly. I don't know how we lucked out, but we have one happy baby.

One thing hasn't changed. He still has fabulous blue eyes.

Hats

Not sure where my affection for hats comes from. Always have had a lotta hats. Even before I needed to protect my naked scalp from the sun and elements. Perhaps it came from my mother. Sandy doesn't wear a lot of hats, but she certainly does seem to have quite a few around her crib.
And she seems very happy to share them with Finnegan. The boy can wear a hat. For sure.