Finny Babe: 6-7 Months

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Finn turned seven months on April 18th… these past couple months have flown by. I felt the same way with Eva, but around six months is my favorite baby age! They are sitting up, but not crawling yet (at least not my babies), sleeping better, super chubby, and absolutely adorable. Any minute now Finn is going to start crawling and life is going to get so much harder. But I do have to say, it’s pretty exciting to see him try harder and harder each day to scoot around. He scoots backwards, rolls all over the place and just today started inching forward a bit. He mostly just doest planks, but every now and then, he scoots up a bit. Oh and now that he’s moving, Eva thinks it’s acceptable to try and ride him like a pony. Sorry, kid. He puts up with a lot. I always try and tell her not to do things or not to be so rough but then I find him smiling SO big and laughing at it. He really loves Eva so much.

Finn also is a daddy’s boy! I mean, he’s definitely a mama’s boy too, but when his dad comes home, he wants to be held by him and will go to him over me. It’s making TJ’s day recently!

Last time I posted I said we had started sleep training, well the doctor said I could take out his night feedings so I first started with the 11 pm one (only took one night of crying!) and then miraculously he started sleeping until at least 6 am each morning! If he wakes up before 8 am, I nurse him then put him back down for a couple of hours. Since sleep training him, he also sleeps in his crib for his naps, and they’re long naps! I never thought I’d see the day back when he was a newborn. You know, in the moment, those times seem so horrible and never-ending and somehow he is now 7 months and sleeping like a champ! When my kids sleep, I’m a happy camper!

Finn eats anything and everything! We started off with table foods, then switched to baby foods for a bit for the convenience factor but he was eating like five of those a day (what the heck?? Eva at five a week at that age!) so we have now put him back on table food. I just pull out my food processor and chop up whatever we’re eating. He ate tilapia this week… I can’t get over how different he is from Eva when it comes to food. So nuts. She always has been such a picky and small eater, and he’s the complete opposite.

Hmm… what else… he loves playing with toys, will throw a fit if Eva takes something away from him that he wants, LOVES baths and the pool, likes being sung to, and still enjoys being worn in my ergo and moby. He loves the attention of strangers and can turn tears into a smile instantly, same goes the other way. No teeth yet, sitting up great on his own, and still nursing although he begs me for bottles. He’s about 20 pounds now, is as chubby as ever, and most of all, has the key to my heart!

Love you, little Finnegan!

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5 Months

Finny Babe: 5 Months

Finn turned 5 months old on February 18th. It’s unbelievable to think that he’s almost half a year old! These five months, as I’ve said multiple times before, have flown by but also felt like the longest months ever.

When Finn finally got over all his colds and coughs, we decided it was time to sleep train him. With Eva, I was able to let her cry it out and it worked amazingly fast and ever since she’s been a wonderful sleeper. So, I’m 100% for that method. BUT it turns out I’m a complete softy for this sweet baby so at first, I had planned to just close the door and let him cry to sleep but I couldn’t do it. I don’t believe it’s going to hurt him or make him psychological problems or anything, I just wanted to grab him and snuggle. But one day he wanted to nurse like seven times or so through the night and so I realized something had to be done. I had a friend who said to try the method where you go in every three minutes, then five, the ten, etc, until they finally go to sleep. I tried that with Eva and I felt like it made it worse going in to check on them but not picking them up (she didn’t take a binky though, Finn does). But I figured I’d give it a shot this time around too. It actually has helped a lot. I think it’s more for me so I know he’s doing okay, make sure he’s swaddled up tight with his binky, I try to shush him and soothe him and if it doesn’t work, then I leave and come back in a couple minutes. Each time I’ve done this, he falls asleep within 30 minutes and finally is starting to learn how to go back to sleep by himself. He’s doing pretty good overall, and now that we’ve established this pattern and put enough work into it, I’m not going back. And thankfully it’s also helped with naps. He sleeps in his crib for most of his naps unless we have to take Eva to school, and will sleep swaddled in there for at least an hour. Oh, the joy of sleep. It’s amazing how it makes life SO much better. I’m not a constant hot mess any more and life is finally feeling back to normal!

Moving on, that sleep stuff is boring to read about, I know, but I like to have it written down so with the next baby I can remember what helped/didn’t help! Finn at five months has now started rolling around. I’ll put him on his play mat and he’ll end up across the room somehow. He also can scoot out of his swing, so I’ve got to buckle him. He loves his jumper and his exersaucer, and loves playing with some toys. He’s got a couple rattles and a car that is easy for him to hold. He sucks on them and shakes them up and down pretty vigorously. He also LOVES his Sophie the Giraffe. What is it with those expensive giraffes that babies loves so much? It must be the texture because he gnaws on it constantly. He’s still a big binky sucker, which I love because he rarely whines or cries, especially compared to Eva.

Finn has started eating solid food, as I posted about earlier. He tried and loved avocados and yogurt this week, and still loves bananas and crackers mushed up. He doesn’t love baby food, so for now I’m just mashing up foods and going that route for now.

This baby is just so content and really easy going. He doesn’t mind being in his car seat, which Eva used to hate at this age and would scream her head off whenever we were in the car. He loves being held and doesn’t care if he’s in the baby carrier which faces inwards. He adores his sister and all little kids, for that matter. He finally will take breast milk out of a bottle but still loves nursing. Finny babe is such a sweet heart but is growing up way too fast! He’s wearing 9-12 month clothes, hates for me to change his clothes, but blows out his diaper everyday still so lots of outfit changes still occur.

Click here for his photos from this month.

 

 

 

Finny Babe: 3-4 Months

I’m behind on Finn’s monthly posts, so I’m going to do my best to remember how he was back at three and four months but because changes happen so gradually, it’s a hard task.

Around Christmas time, Finn really started showing his personality. Once he learned to smile, it has been all he does unless he is hungry. That kid obviously loves to eat. But once he’s been fed, he really is such a sweet boy and loves to smile at everyone. In December, he really started getting chunky and changing out of his newborn look. He was quickly growing out of his clothes. It’s like he went from newborn clothes to 6 month clothes overnight.

Both Grandmas in December gave him his first tastes of food. He wasn’t sure of how to eat it but definitely was interested. Around 4 months, he was watching me as we would eat, practically begging me to give him a taste. 3 months he still would rarely take a bottle but 4 months he started figuring it out and would take it almost every time, as long as it was really REALLY warm. Occasionally there would be days when he wouldn’t want to nurse because he didn’t want to work for his food, the bottle had spoiled him. But overall he’s still a great nurser and I’m so grateful this time I’ve had a good experience with it since I gave up nursing Eva at two months.

Finn got his share of colds in his 4th month. It was exhausting. We wanted to teach him how to sleep in his crib, but he was constantly stuffed up, coughing tons, and at one point got a respiratory infections and double ear infection. We thought the sicknesses would never end! We took him to the doctor when he was sick and found out he was a whopping 18 pounds.

New tricks and firsts: First plane ride, sitting up by himself with some assistance, sucking on fingers, grabbing his toes, trying to roll over but not quite there yet.

I have a million photos of him, so instead of moving them onto here, I’m going to keep them at my iCloud gallery. So, if you want to see more adorable photos of Finn, click here.

Bubba Eats Solid Food!

Sidebar: If there’s any boy who should be nicknamed Bubba, it should be Finn. His face just says BUBBA!

Finn has started eating solid food. Usually, I give him some baby cereal for dinner and these two banana cracker things that he practically inhales. I’ve given him some baby food but he hasn’t been too much of a fan, but he will eat a banana that I mash up. Love this sweet boy of mine.

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Sibling Love

Finny Babe adores his sister. When she’s in the room, he can’t keep his eyes off of her. It’s amazing how rough she can be towards him (she loves to tickle his neck but it turns into more of a pinch) and how much he can tolerate. He just keeps his big grin on his face. I love these two kids and how remarkably similar they look.

Finnegan Takes a Bath

Finn is now quite a splasher during bath and as usual, keeps a huge grin on his face from beginning to end!

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The Aftermath of Having a Baby

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Like many women, I’ve had some postpartum anxiety and sadness (I don’t want to say depression because I don’t think it’s ever gotten to that point) since having Finn. Nothing to be too concerned about, but it is something I finally came to terms with in December and am trying to deal with everyday.

Since realizing I’ve got these postpartum issues, I’ve been trying to figure out the triggers. Obviously my emotions and hormones have a lot to do with it, but there are definite things in my life that make it worse/better. Here are some of the things that give me the most anxiety:

  1. Running late
  2. Dirty house
  3. Lack of sleep
  4. Getting everything done in the day
  5. Finn screaming

I feel like figuring out those five biggest things was a really good step because I can now be aware of them (and let TJ know about it) and learn how to relieve the stress that comes with each.

  1. Running late: Prepare better and give myself a break! Wake up earlier, take my showers at night when the kids are asleep, plan out meals and activities ahead of time. And when all else fails, tell yourself, “It’s okay! So, you’re ten minutes late…. It’s fine.” One Sunday I was taking both kids to church by myself (TJ was already there early to pass the Sacrament) and we were running late. I found myself yelling, telling Eva to go faster, in tears because of how stressed out I was. Then I told myself, “It’s okay. You’re doing your best. At least you’re going to church. God sees your efforts.” It was such a huge relief. I just need to give myself a break sometimes. And the next week, get my church clothes and bag all ready to go so we are out the door earlier.
  2. Dirty house: Do a little each day and… give myself a break! I used to have one day a week where I did a deep clean. I spent hours working on it but those days are long gone. I can no longer spend four straight hours cleaning the house now that I have a newborn. So, I’ve got to do a little each day. I used to never ever leave dishes in the sink at night but now, if I have so many things to do like tending Finn, reading to Eva, getting my work done for my Dad, sometimes I’ve got to tell myself, “They’re just dishes. I can do them in the morning.” Why does that cause me so much anxiety? Why do I even have to tell myself that? I just need to give myself a break! Happy kids are more important than a clean house. BUT it does need to get done because I cannot live in a dirty house. I’m in no means a clean freak, but I definitely feel stressed when there’s clutter, dirty floors, or laundry to be done. I’m still trying to find a balance with this.
  3. Lack of sleep: Go to bed earlier, eat healthy, take naps. I love watching TV. That’s not a secret. At the end of the night, I just want to lay in bed and watch episode after episode of whatever series I’m currently binge watching. I also have it in my head that anything before midnight is too early to go to sleep. I’m just a night owl! But with a new baby, this is completely ridiculous. Go to bed, Katie! You’re nuts! I’ve also trying to eat healthier and drink more water (Thanks Danica for that resolution idea, instead of saying drink less diet coke, just drink more water!). I’m sure the more I do this, I’ll feel better and more awake each day!
  4. Getting everything done in the day: Make a to-do list. I’ve started making a to-list on my phone and it has been awesome! I write everything down, including just “take Eva to school” so at the end of the day, I can check lots of stuff off and feel like I really got a lot done! And then the things I didn’t get to that day, I can finish up the next. Scheduling my activities and meals ahead of time also has helped with this. I’m trying to waste less time and get things done like a boss! And on the days I’m tired (see number 3), give myself a break (see number 1 and 2).
  5. Finn Screaming: Hmmm…  Yeah this one is still a huge anxiety trigger for me. If I’m trying to get out the door on time, Finn is screaming in his car seat, and Eva is being a crazy four year old, I almost LOSE IT! Like 75% of the time I start to cry. You’d think I’d be used to his crying by now, but I’m not. I just want peace in my life, kids! I find myself shouting, “SERENITY NOW!” (Seinfeld, anyone?) It’s so hard sometimes, it’s worth it, but it’s hard. I think working on numbers 1-4 though should help number five because my life will be more organized and I’ll have more time to tend Finn and be happier when doing so. In the end, just lots of prayer and singing lots of hymns… those are the the two biggest ways to help me deal with this.

There you have it. My five biggest anxiety triggers right now and how I’m trying to deal with them. I haven’t written about my New Year’s Resolutions yet, but a lot of those are centered around these five things so I can be happier everyday and try to relieve stress in my life! Motherhood is a journey (and hormones are a major B), but it’s worth it. I know it is.

I’d love to hear your stories about your postpartum aftermath and how you’ve dealt with it! Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.

Finn: 2 Months

Finn turned two months a week ago. Somehow, it’s simultaneously felt like the fastest, yet longest two months ever. I think that’s because he’s growing like crazy mixed with me not getting any sleep.

Yeah… sleep. Oh, how I miss the days where I had one child and got to sleep through the night. When will happen again? I feel like it will never happen. I’m going to be a grumpy zombie for the rest. of. my. life. I’m seriously counting down to four months when I’m determined to sleep train Finn. Until then, I’m sorry if I’m a grouch to you, late when we make plans, or scare you with my dark eye circles. No sleep has shaken up my world.

Nursing is still going great. I hated nursing Eva, and I gave up around two months. So, I figured this time around would be the same but Finn just seems to latch better and I’m more motivated this time. I finally gave him a bottle this month a couple of times. He’s not always into it, but if he’s desperate, he will go for it.

Finn can roll over from his belly to his back, coos tons when he’s awake, is starting to be aware of his surroundings so he wants to move around and not just lay against my chest all day anymore, smiles constantly, and we think has chuckled once or twice… well, he makes some sort of noise when he’s really happy and it sounds like a giggle. It’s adorable.

We all give him kisses nonstop and whenever I’m out, I just want to hold him up to everyone and be like, “Look at this baby, do you see how cute this baby is?!” He’s a cutie alright, and pretty good one overall!

Finn’s Baby Blessing

We blessed Baby Finn on October 11, 2015. My parents were able to be in town and a lot of TJ’s extended family came over as well. Because it was Stake Conference at church but it was the only Sunday my parents could be in town, we ended up blessing Finn in our home. I was a little disappointed at first, but it turned out so wonderfully and really was a special day. Thanks to everyone who came, we love you all!

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Thanks, Lacey (again!) for these beautiful photos!

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A Glimpse

I showed you all pictures of Finn’s nursery a couple of months ago, but I think it looks so much better with a baby inside of it!

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All photos by Lacey with Lacey Lii Photography

PS-Ignore my empty picture frames… I was waiting to print of these new photos to put inside of them!