Ah, I should have known better than to tempt Finn’s maw with the camera right before dinner! (Rest assured, the inevitable ensues.)
Too bad I didn’t manage to capture the little guy saying “dinner.” He’s really getting quite good at it, along with saying things like “milk,” “cracker,” “noodle,” and more.
We’re here in Las Vegas with Finny to meet up with some far-flung friends. There’s a big tradeshow this week that John is attending, as is his friend Adolfo-from-Argentina. Adolfo’s wife Romina, and cute-as-can-be son Bruno are here, so we decided to come as a threesome as well. We last saw Adolfo and Romina when Finn was only a few months old, and Romina was pregnant with Bruno. We’re all so excited to see each other again, and to see how our boys are growing up.
We arrived Monday afternoon and will stay through this afternoon. Bruno’s already a strapping 7-month old! Romina and I stick out like sore thumbs amongst the overly tanned, processed, and botoxed females in Vegas. We’ve got our diaper bags, strollers, and little containers of kid snacks :-). We’re looking forward to sharing photos of our poolside adventure and more as soon as Adolfo can upload them.
Margot has recently joined Las Madres, a group that sets up little activities for the small fry & their folks. She & Finn have been going to various functions, and on Saturday the three of us headed to a backyard kiddie-pool swim session. Finn & a new lady-friend enjoyed administering doses of fresh citrus to the water (nope, oranges don’t float), and like the other parents we took some photos
(HTML) to share.
Finno is exploring language like mad. He’s recently learned to say “Toot toot!” when hearing a train in the distance; he beeps along with trucks backing up; and he offers a commanding impression of Harley Davidsons rumbling by.
Now he’s trying to move into three-syllabled territory. Current projects:
Every day–literally every single day–Finn gets more and more interactive, and of course that means more and more fun. (Geez, sorry if I start laying it on too thick. We just find this little dude so amazing.) Tonight we enjoyed some (literally) laid-back clowning with Mom, captured in this little gallery (HTML).
Apropos of nothing, here’s a shot of our water-loving lad at swim class a few weeks ago–the moment captured by a pro photographer under the surface:
We’re really looking forward to the opening of the neighborhood pool. Until then, we’re doing our best to encourage much bathtub kicking & splashing, and Dad & the Squirty Fish team up to hose down Finn’s little mug (much to his delight).
Hey, everyone–happy Easter!
Margot, the Finn-man, and & I journeyed south to Carmel on Sunday and had a ball with our friends the Whitsons (parents of Bryan Hughes), Bryan and his wife Alex & their wee son Miles, plus Bryan’s grandmother & Alex’s mom. Being so far away from most of our own families, it’s really special for us to feel so welcomed, and we couldn’t have had a nicer time.
Finno was an excellent traveller, and with the exception of a 1-hour screech-a-thon (i.e. what should have been his afternoon nap), he was his usual charming self throughout the proceedings (including Monday morning, as we stayed overnight). Highlights included:
The “Papa-razzi” (aka Dads with Cams) were out in force, so here’s a gallery (HTML) of the goings-on. Young Miles is well represented, making me think back to just how tiny Finn was at Easter last year. Bryan has been busy constructing a deck with his dad, but I look forward to seeing and sharing his photos from the day soon.
As Margot is in Seattle right now, maybe Finn and I can christen the bubble-blowing kit from his Easter basket this afternoon.
Ah, you probably thought that this blog was the definitive source of Finn-related info online, right? So did I, until Margot turned up the illuminating Finnegan Facts site. Did you know, for instance, that:
What a busy little man he is. 🙂 The legal gene may have skipped a generation, but Finny seems determined to restore the family tradition. (I think his cheeks will go really well with the powdered wig.)
During the Liggetts’ recent visit, Grandpa L. put his height to great use and helped paint the new baby’s room–a huge help to us. Now Margot has spent some time getting the room tuned up with some zooty space imagery, and Finn really digs playing in there (especially asking for “buh-buh” (bubbles)). Here’s a little gallery (HTML).
We had quite the full weekend with the Finn-man. Activities included everything from picnicking & burying feet in sand at Our New Favorite Park, to having pals Anja, Mira, and Bruce over for dinner, to going for a long & challenging walk around the Stanford radio telescopes (complete with second picnic!).
During dinner yesterday this little guy decided that he really, really likes ice cream, and he decided that our “sharing” approach should go like this: “One bite for me, and then one bite for Dad me, followed by one bite for me, and then one bite for me…” And you know, I’ve gotta say that kid is surprisingly strong when he wants something!
Here are a few photos (HTML) from the goings-on.
This morning we bid adieu to the GPs L as they headed back to Oklahoma. Before doing so, though, we squeezed in plenty of good times. Finno rampaged around and got himself willingly ensnared, flipped, and tossed by Grandpa, much to everyone’s delight.
We also found time for some quieter book-reading, walks, and more. Margot’s folks even brought out “Karen,” the baby doll from her childhood. (Finn is fascinated with trying to make the eyes shut–something he then tries on the rest of us!) Check out the latest gallery (HTML) to see the goings-on.
Daddy with the cam, Mama with the *SLAM*! Little Finn gets bounced around the couch (much to his evident delight) together with his wee wingman Leo. 🙂
A couple of weeks ago (wow, time is starting to fly), our friends Bryan, Alex, and new little guy Miles joined Margot, me, and our Cheekmaster General at Alice’s Restaurant up in the nearby Santa Cruz mountains. Both dads had fun piloting the families up the endlessly twisting roads, and surprisingly the car seats remained refreshingly puke-free! 🙂 Finny enjoyed some high-speed “drive bys” from a couple of fetching doggies, after which he got down and did his best pawing dog impression. Here’s a little gallery (HTML) of the goings-on.
Q. What’s a pretty tremendous way to start the day?
A. Feeling, for the first time, “El Segundo” kick!
Thanks to Finn’s baby monitor noisily trying to intercept moon transmissions or solar flares or something, Margot and I found ourselves awake before 5am today. Turns out we weren’t the only ones awake: “The Little Bitty Guy is really partying down there,” reported Margot. And sure enough, our friend met dad’s hand with a few solid jolts! Way to go, lad. We’re looking forward to meeting you. 🙂
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! I’m late in getting a blog post up for the occasion, but I wanted to get a chance to document Finny wearin’ a bit of the green. Margot and I talked about finding him a little derby to wear, or at least grabbing a good stick outside to make into a small guy’s shillelagh, but the stars didn’t quite align on that front.
No matter, though: we snapped a few pix (HTML) of Finn sporting his new Irish-themed bib from Grandma Nack, accompanied by green-eyed Dad. He’s sure come a long way since last St. Pat’s, eh?
Oh, the Finnster can run, but he cannot escape Mom’s ever-lovin’ clutches! 😀
Honestly we think our little guy is a very easy baby, all things considered, but when I saw this license plate holder at work, I had to laugh. Here’s a larger image.
You know, normally I wouldn’t call a bag full of Pea Pea “fun,” but I’m happy to be surprised. 🙂
A couple of days ago I got an unexpected treat from my colleague Chris Cox: he’d been at an art show in San Francisco, and he recognized the super-cute characters made by Conduct Happiness. He’d seen their work on my Adobe blog, and it turns out these guys got a lot traffic from my mention. To return the favor, they loaded up Chris with some great loot, including some stickers and a big stuffed pea-man we’ve dubbed “Mr. Pea Pea,” all earmarked for the Finnster. Thanks, guys!
Long story short, here’s our little guy learning to party with pea pea (plus a balloon). 😉
After two days of partying and coming to grips with the fact that our boy is indeed 12 months old, I took Finn to the pediatrician today for his 1-year check-up and vaccinations.
The stats: 26 lbs. 7 oz., almost triple his birth weight! 31.5 inches tall, a gain of 10.5 over his length at birth. Head circumference of 40 cm., which doesn’t mean a lot to me other than that his head is growing right on track with the rest of him.
The fun stuff: Our doc is amazed at how early Finn started walking, and she was also quite shocked and pleased at his cognitive milestones. We were in the jungle-themed exam room, and Finny was “roooar”ing at the lion and “ooh ooh ooh”ing at the monkey decals on the walls. When I told the doc that he could follow simple instructions (Can Finny put Penguin in the wagon?), recognized a lot of words, and could even say a few, she was really excited. She thinks he’s ahead of the curve on the verbal stuff (I can’t say we’re too surprised, given the constant chatter and vocabulary showmanship between John and me). We sure are proud of our super-tot. I keep hoping that I’ll hear “Mama!” someday soon!
Here are a few more b’day photos (HTML)
Margot and I are so happy to say that one Finnegan Liggett Nack, a.k.a. the Finnster, the Finnfather, Birdman General, Lord of the Delmas Manor & all around terrific kid, is officially one year old! Thanks to everyone who joined us for his b-day shindig yesterday. Without further ado, here are some photos (HTML).