Tummy time is a lot more fun when *everyone* is on their respective tummy! Chitchatting is easier and more engaging, and Finn’s drool hits the blankie instead of mom’s shirt or Finn’s onesie. Here’s a little gallery (HTML) of photos from this weekend. Finn was perfecting his rolling and yodeling techniques simultaneously. When he tired of that, we opted for a little standing and sitting up on mom’s knees.
We’ve been enjoying the nice weather in the backyard with a little help from blankets made by Grandma Nack & Aunt Laura–the latter of which, shown here, features the Fighting Irish on one side and the Colorado Buffs on the other. Today Finn shows off his voracious chomping tendencies; hangs out with Dad; and goes “flying” on Mom’s knees in this gallery of more backyard fun (HTML).
One perk of having tagged Finnegan as our “Squirrel” is the availability of tons of great squirrel-themed gear. This week the small guy donned a great new onesie featuring a little tree-dwelling dude playing the skins. Check it out! (I take it as a good omen that he managed to get through the day without a single change of clothes. Many days he’s despoiled his duds even before his morning nap.)
We’ve also scored some super-jazzy Rock Squirrel memo pads, soon to be pressed into service as the Captain’s Log in which we record Finn’s eating/sleeping schedule.
A: Being cute! Here are a few photos from this week.
I’ve been trying to come up with a specific topic for this week’s entry, but nothing has come to me. So the update for this week is that Finn continues to enjoy more tummy time of his own choosing, has a nice soft head of hair coming in, and loves to stand (assisted, of course) looking very proud of himself when doing so. He’s also continuing to experiment with sounds. This week he’s been working on his “mmmmm’s” and “bbbbbb’s” while rolling around chewing on things.
His daily schedule has really firmed up now, too, with a couple of 90-minute to two-hour naps (one in the morning, one after lunch), at least one stroller ride per day, and a bedtime around 7 or 7:30 P.M. He’s becoming much more aware of everything around him, and is fascinated by all sights and sounds–so much so that he tends to forget he’s nursing, so I have to turn the radio off so he’ll stay focused! [I can’t imagine where he gets it. 😉 –J.]
With all the nice weather we’ve been having, we thought it was high time to introduce the Finnster to grass & What Lies Beyond the Gazebo. With the help of a nice blanket made by his Grandma Nack, the three of us cooled out in the backyard. Here you can check out the gallery (HTML)–featuring a little squirrel-fishing!
Young Mr. Finn had a great time in Leadville with his grandparents (a.k.a. “GPs,” a.k.a. “Jeeps”). My mom brought In Grandma’s Arms, a book the two of them read together several times & that Margot’s mom read to Charlie. Here you can see a gallery (HTML) of some of the good times.
Margot, Finnegan, and I had a terrific time this week in Leadville and Boulder, CO, and Finn proved himself a wonderful traveler. We’re glad to be back at sea level, breathing the thicker (albeit smoky) air and getting the small guy back into his familiar crib.
Among the highlights of the trip, we got to introduce Finn to his cousins Patrick (“The big guy”) and Charlie (“The ‘getting bigger/no longer the baby’ guy”). Here you can check out a gallery (HTML) of the three of them in action–but be warned, you may want to don protective eyewear before glimpsing such cuteness ;-).
Greetings from Leadville, CO! We arrived with Finn and Grandma Nack yesterday evening, after a fairly long day of air and car travel. Finn was a total hero: the takeoff and landing did not bother him one bit, and he only squawked a little bit in the car on the way up to Leadville as his ears adjusted to the high altitude. Leadville is at 10,200′ so we are taking it reeeeeally easy. The thin air makes for a low-energy, slightly headachey, and very dehydrated first couple of days, so Finn has been napping like a champion today in between meals :-).
We’re staying with Margot’s folks, who take up residence in the cool mountain air each summer. Margot’s sister Laura and her two boys are here, meeting their cousin Finn for the first time. The grandparents are thrilled to get some more quality time with Finn, especially now that he’s smiling and cooing a lot. They can’t get enough!
Given the (relatively) giant melon little kids have to cart around on top of their necks, they need plenty of exercise, and baby docs all seem to recommend plenty of “tummy time.” This weekend we got the squirrel going with some extra TT–all while perched on his dad’s tummy. Good time (and happily, no spit-ups!) ensued. 🙂 Here are some pix.
New Dad John is having a fine Father’s day weekend with our little man. I surprised him yesterday with a new, more rugged stroller, since he really enjoys taking Finn on long stroller rides through our neighborhood. With all the uneven sidewalks, curbs, and tree roots, our little green stroller was not able to manage too well. Now with our bright orange “BOB”, complete with real tires and shock absorbers, both Dad and Finn should have a smoother, more enjoyable time.
We also gave Dad a little brag book, with the help of Aunt Laura’s scrapbooking skills. So now Dad can carry little photos of Finn with him when he travels, and show all his colleagues how cute our boy is.
After a night with John and I alternating duty on Finn’s sporadic wake-up calls, Dad was a little groggy this morning, but happy to see our little guy when it was truly time to wake up. Here are a few shots (HTML).
It’s been too long since I’ve posted pix of our young friend! He’s been a busy boy…
Upon learning of the passing of rock pioneer Bo Diddley, Finn started playing the harmonica (seen here, at left). He also wrote a little song for the occasion, using Bo’s signature riff:
“Bo Diddley’s dead,
Bah DAH duh dah dunh…
Goin’ down in a hole.
Bah DAH duh dah dunh…
Nobody ever gonna see him;
Bah DAH duh dah dunh…
Might get eaten by a mole.
Bah DAH duh dah dunh…”
From there Finnster donned his old-timey prison stripes, with mom set to match in hers, and had some good times on the bed. Naturally all the downward-facing excitement resulted in a huge… well, let’s just say you can see the aftermath in this set, but thankfully not the event itself. You can also see our little guy starting to become aware of these fleshy little “feet” things hanging out somewhere south of his tummy. Without further ado, here are the shots. (HTML)
The three of us had a ball on Saturday visiting with our hilarious friend R. She brought a great little sampling of books (including some by Sandra Boynton, known for her greeting card illustrations) and confessed to having spent a couple of hours in the kids’ section at Borders, enjoying all the great stuff that’s out there. Regarding the ever-popular (and gnawing-resistant) “board books, ” she says, “I’m looking forward to being a major contributor to the Finn Library (hardcopy branch).” Here are some photos. (HTML)
Two weeks ago now (man, time is flying!), Finn, Margot, and I were treated to an early Friday evening dinner with our friends Bruce, Mira, and their little daughter Anja. Looking for cute blog-fodder as always, I hovered around the proceedings with my camera. No word yet on whether Finn will be requesting a second serving of Mira’s bicep. 😉 Here are the pix. (HTML)
Our friend Peter Krogh and his wife Allison recently sent Finn a terrific sheepskin rug that our boy’s been enjoying. The Kroghs say their kids loved having such soft pads of their own, and it’s easy to see why. Peter is a pro photographer, so I tried not to stink up the picture-taking too much on this one. 😉 Here’s the gallery. (HTML)
Finn has been diligently practicing his “tummy time” in order to strengthen his neck muscles and improve his head control. Of course, we think he is the Incredible Hulk in this category and demonstrates superhuman strength–and we have the photographic evidence to prove it!
We also got a few cute shots of Finn and his Aunt Laura during her visit this weekend. She and Finn had some good times on the playmat, reading “Pat the Bunny” together, and chitchatting while mom and dad went to the movies one afternoon. Check it out! (HTML)
Finn’s Aunt Laura is in town for a visit, and we took some time out from domestic administration to go out for frozen yogurt. In Liggett family tradition, this is known as “coning”, which stems from our frequent childhood visits with Mom and Dad to Braum’s, the local dairy in our hometown, where we’d get ice cream cones and sit in the car and people-watch as we licked our cones. Here in San Jose, we don’t have Braum’s, but we have what we fondly refer to as “The Yogurt Hut” just down the street in our neighborhood. It’s a tiny freestanding frozen yogurt shop with plenty of outdoor seating for good people-watching.
Here are some pics from our outing. It was a particularly good day for observation! Aside from Finn being happy and cute as he chatted with his Aunt, we saw dancing boys with their aunts and grandmas, little girls playing a plastic saxophone, and even a southern California plastic surgery victim. (We selected only the cutest subject matter, ourselves :-)).
Er, well, the small guy decided he wasn’t gonna play ball, at least when the camera was around, and now the flowers have departed. Even so, the resulting pair of images are kinda fun, I think. <:-P
Margot and I watch way too much “Iron Chef America“–or rather, we did pre-Finn, when watching TV was actually an option. We get a particular kick out of the ridiculous character of “The Chairman’s Nephew,” played by a totally overwrought martial artist, screaming “Battle… {food item}!!” at the start of every show. It’s all accompanied by frenetic camera zooms, dry ice smoke, and him giving kind of a karate chop towards the ingredient du jour (“Battle… GOAT LIVER!!”).
For some reason (long-term sleep deprivation, or maybe the 100-degree heat here in San Jose), I’m reminded of all this when I look at some recent Finnpix. Therefore I present… “Battle… DOMENDITE!*” (HTML)
* Translation for everyone who isn’t a weirdo who grew up in Galena, IL: big toe. 😉
