12.7.08 - Holy Molars, tune ups, and we have heat!
To think! This will be our last blog entry for 2008. I am not sure about all of you, but I have constantly been asking myself where the year has gone. It is amazing. When you don't have kids, the time passes quickly or slowly, but other than the new grey hairs you are seeing show up or the crows-feet starting to show what a happy life you have lead so far, there is nothing tangible to show that a whole year has passed. As soon as you have a little one, your year is counted in months and you go from having a little blobby (although very cute) baby, to a toddler who is running around the house and deciding he really does have a mind of his own. Plus, you still end up with those grey hairs (multiplying faster than before)!
Finn is all over the place and has been really fun. We are up to 12 teeth now, with all 4 molars appearing in the last month. Finn's personality is really starting to develop even more and he really does have a good sense of humor (I am sure he got that from the McCully side, since I am hilarious!). Lately, cheering has become a fun thing to do for the wee lad, and he will cheer at anything from Finn doing something great to Mum stubbing her toe and crying on the floor. He has gotten into full on running, which is starting to get a little better...sometimes his body gets moving faster than his feet and he face plants. He has mastered the baby sign for 'more' but uses it whenever he wants food (we just figured that out the other day). Maybe I should start using it outside of meal times also! He continues to swim weekly and has been enjoying his new class more these days. We are also getting a glimpse into our future...everytime the word 'no' is said, massvie waterworks ensue along with some fabulous ear-piercing screams. Awesome. We are hoping this is a stage. On a cute note, Finn has decided ears are very comforting to hold onto while sucking a thumb and he will hold his ear, unless he is in Mum or Dad's arms, and then he hold's their ears. We are hoping he will not have cauliflower ear by the time he is 3!
As for Mick and I...he is finally home from traveling for a while, which will be nice for all of us. The 'Lady of the Garage', aka his Subaru, is gutted for her winter cleaning and inspection. All in all, Mick had a very good year on the track, clocking some 2000+ miles. He was pleased with it and is looking forward to his first track day in February.
We had a great Thanksgiving in Eugene and enjoyed spending time with our family. I mentioned before that Sean and Belinda were home this year, and it has been nice seeing Finn bond with them. I think both Sean and Finn slept really heavy during the weekend...they seemed to wear each other out with all of the play time. Outside of that the only other really big thing that happened was NW Natural turned off our gas and told us our furnace had to be replaced (it was 47 years old). They picked the best possible week to do this too (Mick was in Taiwan)! 3 weeks later, we have a new furnace, water heater, and most importantly, we beat the cold weather and have been inspected and approved by the City of Portland.
This next month will bring all sorts of fun with Xmas and our annual Whistler trip. Should be great!
Until next month, we wish you all the very Happiest Holidays!
11.7.08 - Toddlers, Taiwan, and T-day!
Hi everyone! We hope you all are doing well. We thought we would do a quick update on us since the last you heard from us was bad news. Things are going well and we are all doing much better. Thanks again to those who sent their sentiments about Maya. We really appreciate it!
Finn has started to earn his keep around here. The 'take it out/put it back game' has paid off in dividends lately and we have masked his new 'chores' in this game. For instance, laundry. The kid loves to do laundry, so why not have him take the laundry out of the washer and put it in the dryer! Fun game! He also likes to help unload the dishwasher (we try to keep the knives away from him) and he is a master of helping fold laundry (or unfold it...it seems to take twice as long now). We will be renting him out if you need some help around your house too! Just let us know (only kidding because that would break the child labor laws or something like that...plus he is only 14 months old). He really does like to help and at night is really good about helping pick up his toys before waving 'bye-bye' to daddy and snuggling in for a good night sleep. He is 'reading' his books out loud now to anyone that will listen (the dogs prove to be a really good audience). He is learning to do sommersaults too, but still needs a little help to get that little body over his big head. Halloween was fun and he started to actually notice that people were in costume...he spent a lot of time staring that night, trying to figure out just what was going on. He was a little spider. You can see pictures in the gallery if you are interested. Finn has moved up a level at swimming. Apparently he was 'skilled' enough and turned 1, so they booted him. He isn't so sure he likes the new class. I think it is all of our off-key singing he is missing. Not sure. We will try again this week and if it continues to not go so well, I am going to see if we can move back (I want it to be fun and not a traumatic experience). His favorite thing to do is jump off the side into the water. We could spend the whole half hour doing just that (at least he could!).
Mick finished up his 'year end' at work and to celebrate they are shipping him off to Taiwan for a week! As soon as he gets back he celebrates again with a trip to Cali. We should see him around Xmas...or so I am told! He has some customer visits in Taiwan to do next week, and was hoping to get to spend some time in a co-worker's race car there, but his co-worker will be state-side. Those are the brakes (ha, get it? Brakes? Ummm, ok, moving on)!
As for me, same old, same old. I will be heading to Eugene with Finn and Belinda this weekend for some good old Duck football, hopefully some good La Perla Pizza, Prince Puecklers Ice Cream, and Louie's Village Potstickers. I am told there might be a massage I had a certificate for too (I think I got it about 2 years ago...thank goodness the business is still there!). Sounds like the perfect weekend. Oh, and we get to see my parents, which will be nice. I think we will also get to spend some time with our friends the Deveneys too! We are very excited!
That is pretty much all that is new with us right now. We are getting ready for all of the holidays that are coming up and looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in Eugene with the whole family. Sean is going to be home this year, which will be the first year all of us will be together for Thanksgiving in about 5 years (I may be wrong with my math there, and I am sure Sean will correct me if I am). I understand the Houghtons will celebrate with us too, so it will be a great family event.
We wish all of you a very Happy Turkey Day (if you celebrate!) and we will do an update again in a month! Take care!
10.21.2008 - Farewell Sweet Maya...
It was with a very heavy heart that we said good by to our sweet girl, Maya Grace McCully-Posner. She lost her battle with bone cancer today at 1p. She is now in puppy heaven, where she can do all of the things we never allowed her to do, like sleep on the sofa, and there are plenty of squirrels to chase and lots of tastey treats to eat.
She was born Jan 3-ish 2001 and Sarah adopted her from the pound in Eugene around 5 May 2001 (with the help of her mom and brother...they constantly remind me of that!). We brought her to Portland and she got used to our lifestyle as quick as she could. She tempted death by eating 1/4 lb of See's Rocky Road candy (if the chocolate didn't kill her, my mom was threatening her life since the candy was a mother's day gift and her favorite!). Once we finished up the puppy-phase, she was really the best dog one could ask for (and even her puppy-phase wasn't that bad outside of the chewing and digging).
We will be planning 2 memorial events for her 'final placement'...so let us know if you would like to join us. 2 things she loved to do. One will be a coastal kayaking trip (so the fellas can play in the surf) and one will be a hike on Mt. Hood. We will let the interested folks know when we plan to go (just contact us).
We will leave you with a few of our favorite memories. We would love to hear your favorite memories if you would like to share them (just send 'em my way and I will put them in the book I am making).
- She summited Mt. St. Helens. - She carried her own pack (nearly 20lbs) on an 8 mile back packing trip into Berley Lakes. She was only 8 months old at the time. By the way, she was a terrible bed hog when it came to sleeping in a tent. - She was one of the few dogs to have been seen at the Mountain Medical Clinic (when Mick ran her over with the snowboard)
- She loved her 'babies' and would carry them around the house. Her favorite was a duck that the Deveney's gave her for Christmas one year. - She was an avid outdoors dog joining us on many snowshoeing and climbing trips. - She climbed Dog Mountain both in dry weather and in snow! - She turned a self-proclaimed 'non-dog person' into a person who has promised me we will always have dogs (Mick ended up loving her more than even he thought he would). - She loved the hairdrier blowing over her, even if she wasn't wet. - She loved anything warm and would sunbathe until she was panting so heavy we thought she would pass out. She would find any bit of sun shining in the house and lay in it too. - She would do what we called her 'butt-tuck run', not only outside, but inside, when she had sudden bursts of energy.
- She loved wide open spaces to run back and forth. She did this a lot on Mt Hood with Mick. - She love to keep our yard squirrel free, and actually managed to catch 3. - She was the best spider hunter in the house. Sometimes we would get up in the morning, and there would be all these dead spiders on the floor to pick up. - She would run ahead during a hike and then go darting behind us, and then go back up and find Mick (when he was in a group). I am pretty sure when we went on hikes, she went 3 times as far as we did. - She loved people and kids, especially her people and her kids (which includes all of you!) - She snored. And loud! She also had lots of dreams where she was chasing lots of things. - She was a great watch dog and kept us all safe for years. - She was a total love and loved us to cuddle her and tuck her in at night.
9.30.2008 - More First's, and did we say things were going to be quiet? Phew!
Hi everyone! This has been a crazy month on so many levels! Lets get into this!
First of all, Maya's tumor is back, which says it is incredibly aggressive. She is really happy (especially now that she is getting steady doses of people food being dropped from a certain highchair) and does not appear to be in any pain (except when I won't give her what I am eating). She was having some bleeding and is back on anti-biotics, and for good measure they have put her on anti-inflamatories as well. Best case they said she may be with us for 2 months, worst case is 2 weeks or so. We started looking into another dog and have found our 'Mini-Maya'. In fact, her name is Mina and we rescued her from one of the shelters. She is incredibly sweet, really mellow, already in love with Finn (but then who isn't, says the proud Mum!), and seems like she is going to be a great fit into our house. Maya should be able to help her adjust to our sometimes crazy/sometimes boring lifestyle. Even Mick says Mina is lovely!
Mick had an amazing trip through China. Got to see parts of the country he never thought he would (due to a typhoon they landed somewhere in the middle of the country and refused to give them their luggage and wanted to shuttle them off to a 2-star hotel). He got to see full riots on airplanes and amazing generosity of a few Chinese-nationals who were so embarrassed by their countrymen on that flight. He has some great stories and some great pictures to post. He did 3 cities (4 if you count his 'typhoon pit stop') during the week, and had lots and lots of meetings. It is good to have him home, and it appears he is really excited to be home, although is not looking forward to us visiting a Chinese restaurant for a little bit...apparently he needs a break.
Finn is growing like crazy and figuring out new things every day. He started walking 'officially' 2 days after he turned 1. We were still in Hawaii at the time, and he took off across the room all on his own. I still find it strange to see these walking shadows out of the corner of my eye around here. You just don't expect him at that level since he has been lower for most of his life. He had his first birthday party too. We kept it super small so we wouldn't totally overwhelm the poor kid. He had his first cupcake (a carrotcake with some wicked-good creamcheese frosting - We love you Saint Cupcake!). He liked the frosting more than anything, but then, who the heck can blame him? The frosting is my favorite part too! He got 2 new favorites that day: a keyboard Mick had in the garage for one of the old computers (Mick cut the cord off of it, and Finn will sit there typing for whole minutes!) and a massive ballon I found. You can see pictures in the gallery from his birthday. There were squeals when I walked in the house with it. He has also learned to barrel-rolling across the floor and is waving and smiling at all women (I may be in trouble with this one...in Hawaii waitresses were totally falling for it, unfortunately it never netted in anything being gratis...we need to work on that!). Finn also had his first haircut this month. Although he doesn't have a lot of hair yet, the hair he did have was getting really long when it wasn't curly and we had so many comments on 'what a beautiful girl he is' while we were in Hawaii, which convinced me it might just be time. Finn also got to go to one of the first Duck games this season. We watched Oregon beat Washington, which always feels good (sorry Huskie fans, but it is true, and we know you feel the same when the tables have been turned). That ended up being a nice weekend in Eugene too.
The trip to Hawaii was great and we really enjoyed our stay. It was a totally different vacation than we have ever had and was a different kind of fun. We were really slowed down by naps and needing to eat regularly (we tend to get caught up in things and miss meals when we are on our own), but we got to see everything through different eyes. There is a lot to go back and do one day, and when he is older, he will really love learning how we like to explore on vacation. He did as well as one can expect a new toddler to do on the plane. He never really pitched huge fits, but really wanted to get up and play a lot. It is boring sitting there for long periods of time (even for us really old toddlers), and we just tried to keep him occupied. We handed out little 'peace-offerings' to passengers sitting near us with earplugs and candy...just in case. Most people appreciated it, others said we should start a business since it was such a good idea, and others rolled their eyes (twice actually...once when we sat down with a baby and again with the 'gifts'...there is just no pleasing some people!).
I am getting ready to turn 34 on Thursday. Not sure I am ready to be that number...I don't feel that old! We are going to have a nice family dinner and come home to our 2 dogs. Crazy to think we will have 2 for a while!
We hope this finds everyone well and we hope the start of your autumn has been as pleasant as ours.
9.6.08 - First flights and a First Birthday!
I just need to be all sentimental for a minute. It was a year ago today, that we went from 2 to 3 (unless you count our sweet Maya), and our lives have been forever changed. The night before Finn arrived my parents came to town, we went out for dinner, and then Mick and I spent the rest of the night, just the 2 of us for the last time. A year later, we have had so many changes, many challenges, and many joys. Amazing!
All done! Tomorrow morning we will be on a flight to Kauai (pass the poi, mahalo!). Mom and dad generously gifted us 2 tickets for the flight for our birthday/Xmas gifts for eternity (or something like that...thank you mom and dad...you're the best ever!) and we got our hotel booked. We managed to eek in the trip between another business trip for Mick to China (that just popped up) and his 'End of Year' (ominous, isn't it?!), which means he isn't allowed to travel for fun or be unchanined from his desk for 2 weeks. Luckily he will get in a little snorkling before hand to get him through it all! After the trip, it should be pretty quiet around here. Check back in a week if you want to see any pictures. This will be Finn's first ride on an airplane, and first ocean swimming (I can't wait myself...I love swimming in warm oceans!). We have bribes packed for all of those sitting around us on the flight (just in case Finn decides to be a screamer...he is good in the car and on a boat, but who knows when it comes to air travel!).
Speaking of Finn, he continues to become more of a kid and less of a baby. He really is trying to talk more (dis, dat, dada, mama [finally, ugh], doh [dog], sit down, yes, all done), and is standing independently, but is really cautious when it comes to those first steps. He has managed 3 consecutive steps and then hits the deck. That only happened yeseterday, and this vacation may have just gotten more exciting! Maya seems to be helping his learning too. He pulls himself up to standing using her and then she starts walking slowly so he can hold on to her and walk with her. I am thinking she is hoping once he starts walking he will take her out for 'walkies'. He finds the stairs the most fun place to play in the house and seems to make a break for it when he needs a diaper change. He also figured the telephone out yesterday and called my mom's house. He has taken to turning the computer on and off, even if you are working on something (we are learning to save more frequently). Clever boy! Swimming is going great and he now jumps in from the side of the pool almost every time and when he goes under water he paddles his way up to the surface. Pretty awesome! Who knows, maybe this kid will have his own Olympics one day like Michael Phelps did!
Not much has been going on for Mick and I. He has had a couple of track days and the car is doing well. I have been doing my usual stuff. We got down to Eugene for the long Labor Day weekend and took in the season opener for the Ducks. They beat the Huskies handly, which made us all happy. Finn lasted until half time and a couple of us came home early to put him to bed (it was a night game and past his bed time!). The rest of the weekend was great and we did a nice hike up Mt. Pisgah. The hike down was a different story (I thought it was fun, but we got caught in heavy showers and were soaked by the time we got to the car...luckily it was a short trip back to the house). Maya enjoyed her hike, that was for sure. She is holding up ok, but we are not sure of her prognosis. She is heading into the vet tomorrow to check a new lump that is in the same spot. Hopefully it is just a little scar tissue and not another tumor. I am not ready to lose her, and am struggling with the prospect of it. We have our fingers crossed.
Anyhoo...time to pack. We will give an update in a month and should have exciting stories of our adventure to the Garden Island and stats will be in from Finn's doctor's appointment...ah, the joy of the MMR! We are taking bets on whether he will actually pass the 20lb mark or not (he has been hovering at 18.5lbs for the last 3 months)...I am thinking no, but maybe a nice luau can help with that! Aloha!
8.7.08 - 11 months...our 'little mate' becomes a 'first mate'!
The last month has been busy with lots of changes and exciting times. We have also had some somber news. So, we'll start with that, and end on a happy note!
We had 2 bits of bad news. First, a family friend passed away a week ago which left us all in shock. Our most sincere condolences go out to the Harris/Lee family. We are heartbroken about Gary. Second, we took Maya into the vet and had a big bump removed from her gums. It turned out to be a tumor (sarcoma), and she also lost 3 teeth in the process. They say it is malignent and have given us some options, which we are trying to work out. Right now she seems happy and back to her normal self, which we are really happy to see. It has been a couple of months since she has been so peppy.
Mick has been busy with work. He had another trip to Japan a few weeks ago, however he had enough time to get to the track one day. The car had a rough day, which made him head home early. It ended up being a lucky thing really, since once he got the car fix and put on the dyno, his tire blew. That would have been bad if it had happened on the track.
Finn and I have had a busy couple of weeks too. We just spent the last 2 weeks up on my parents boat sailing/motoring around the San Juan Islands. We had a great time with the 2 of them and we picked Belinda up part way through the trip too, which was great. Finn did really well on the boat and I got to go back to places I hadn't seen in a long time. It had been so long for some of the places, I didn't even recognize them! We also had a slight run in with US Customs coming back in from Canada. Apparently, we forgot Finn's permission slip from Mick saying it was fine for him to leave the country. I didn't realize that was something we needed. Oops! We got home today and it was so nice to see Mick since we missed each other by 1 day (he flew home from his week in Japan the day after we left).
In other Finn news, he has really started picking up new skills. He is starting to wave hello and goodbye more consistantly, and when anyone cheers he starts clapping. He is doing his fake sneezes still whenever anyone around him sneezes, and he has started coughing if anyone coughs. When he was seeing airplanes in the sky, he would point and follow them across the sky and wave goodbye. The rocking of the boat helped Finn with his balance too, and I think it is only a matter of time before his first steps. He is cruising like a champ and starting to let go of things he was using for balance. He is also a total flirt...and is relentless! On our trip he crawled into the center of a group of Japanese Exchange Students and we thought a super-star had walked in. Flashes were going off all around him, even from the guys! You would have thought it was Brad Pitt or something. He is so funny and really tries to get people around him to laugh too.
We want to congratulate our friends Mike and Grace on the arrival of their son, Dylan! We are so happy for you and he looks like such a doll!
That is it from our end. We hope all is well with you and next update will be the 1 year mark! Can you believe it has already been a year since our lives changed so completely? They said it would go fast, but seriously! Amazing!
Hugs and kisses!
7.14.08 - An unpresidented, mid-month update!
We thought we would do a quick update since we have had a couple of firsts (and lately I can't remember where I put my keys, let alone everything that happens in a month...although, these updates are getting pretty long, so you are probably pretty happy about that). A few bullet points:
- Finn has learned to go up the stairs (he was so mad tonight when I went upstairs to make dinner, he tried to follow...much to our surpise since he has shown no interest in the stairs up to this point).
- Finn has learned to 'faux sneeze'. He has been heard to say 'achoo' and then laugh. Most bodily functions are hilarious at this point, especially his own farts.
- Finn just had a quick weigh in at the doctor (he was sick the week before his last appointment and had lost weight and they wanted to check on him). We are proud to say he has gained an entire pound, and is tipping the scales at 18.5 lbs. Could have been all of that steak he wolfed down over the weekend...this is a boy who loves his meat! Good on you, mate!
- Mick had a first in his first fence build (you can see the pictures of our new, beautiful fence in the picture gallery).
- The casting reflex is in full force around our house and Finn is loving 'throwing'. He is also loving putting things in and taking things out and putting things in and taking things out...this goes on all day.
- I had a taste of what the 2's are going to be like. At the vet today, Finn would point and say 'dis?' 'Dis?' 'Dis?' He seems to be especially taken with clocks and one in particular.
- Maya is going to have her first visit to a doggie dentist. She has some pretty swollen gums and they are going to figure out what is wrong with her. Hasn't stopped her from ridding our yard of cat-doo. YUCK!!!
- Finn is tired of us feeding him and has started feeding us. If we don't get there quick enough, the food goes on the floor.
It is amazing how fast they change. Based on how grumpy Finn has been, we are also expecting another tooth to make an appearance any time. Ok, enough for now and we'll update again at 11 months (is it possible that is just around the corner? Holy cow!).
7.7.08 - 10 months old...new teeth, new sounds, big fun and rememberances
It is hard to believe a month has gone by already. Before we know it this summer is going to be past us and we will be on to fall. The last month has been full of activity and we have been having lots of fun!
Mick is done with his 3 consecutive weeks of business travel and will do more of his over-nighters...this week he is off to Vancouver, BC! He has been incredibly busy at work with some new products he is working on. His birthday was spent in Taiwan, where his hotel left a birthday cake in his room for him. He didn't notice it until the next morning, and nearly threw a bunch of cloths on top of it (he got in late that night and didn't bother to turn on the light since he went straight to bed...yeah, I don't get that either). He said the cake was really good (which is a good sign, since he isn't a huge fan of sweets...another thing I don't understand!). While he was in Taiwan he got to visit the worlds tallest building - Taipei 101, which also houses the worlds fastest elevators and a couple of missile launchers. Sounds exciting, no? The day was all about speed as they rode the bullet train into the city too. After that, it was down to business and according to him, the trip went really well.
We have been trying to mix in a little bit of fun too. This last weekend we went up to Seattle and spent the long weekend on my parents boat. The weather wasn't great so we didn't end up going anywhere on the boat, but made up for it with a great day in the city. We went to the Pacific Science Center and played for several hours. The butterfly house was especially interesting for Finn as they were flying all over. I set the highest record on one of the games (for the day at least), so that was my big excitement. After that we headed over to REI to get Finn a new fleece jacket since he has inherited Mick's long arms, and his coat was more of a short sleeve shirt. The fireworks over Elliot Bay for the holiday weren't as exciting as we had all hoped (we were able to see some of the fireworks over Lake Union which were way cooler). Finn slept through all of them. In fact, I think he slept more over the weekend with the gentle lull/sway of the boat, than he ever has (at least since he was really little). It was great and we hope he realizes how nice it is, and will continue at home too.
I just received a note that my host-father Josef (in Switzerland) passed away last week after a long fight with health issues. He was a wonderful man, with a great sense of humor and a huge heart. He was a really hard worker, and built a wonderful life. Mein Beileid zur Zueger-Stocker Familie. Josef war ein wunderbar, werter Mann. Ich hatte großen Respekt für ihn und war dankbar ich ihn kannte. Ich hatte viel Gluck ihr alle zu kennenlernen (während meine Austauschjahre). Das war eins der besten Jahre meines Lebens. Er war sehr großzügig und stellte eine schöne Familie mit seiner Frau her. Ich wünsche Ihnen alles Gute während dieser sehr traurigen Zeiten. Meine Gedanken und Gebete sind mit Ihnen.
Things with me are going fine. I have just confirmed a sailing trip with my parents for later in the month. We are going to be going around the San Juan Islands for a week and a half on their sail boat. We used to do this when I was young and we are going to hit a lot of our favorite spots and some new ones too. Finn is going to come with me, and Mick is so excited that he will be a 'bachelor' for that time. He is going to keep himself busy working and doing car stuff. Should be a great couple of weeks for all of us! Belinda is going to join up with us for part of the trip also, so we will get some good quality time with her before she heads back to Ireland.
Speaking of Finn, things are going well for him too. He is one of the fastest crawlers I know, and he is working on the walking thing. He pulls himself up on things and is starting to let go. You can see him trying to work it all out in his head. He is also babbling a whole lot more than he was, and he is using specific sounds for specific things. When he sees Maya, he will point and say 'doh', and he does a lot of pointing saying 'dah' and 'di' (which I think is 'that' and 'this', but I am sure there are people that would say that is what babies do and it doesn't mean anything). Every now and then, I am sure he has said "I did it!" and "I can do it"...at least it sounded like it! He has become the master of knocking over anything we are attempting to build and recently he learned how to roll the ball across the floor. He is pretty smart (which I am sure all parents say about their kids....I just find it so amazing how you show him something once and it is burned into his brain and he will do it the same way you did). His sense of humor is really coming through now too, and he finds so many things funny. He is up to 5 teeth now (the last one came through this weekend, and we are expecting another one any day). Finn also got to meet his Uncle Sean for the first time this month, and they seemed to like each other well enough. In fact, he didn't have any 'stranger danger' with Sean at all (it could have something to do with the fact that he looks a lot like Mick, or that he is a fellow red-head...no telling!). Finn is still doing great with his swimming lessons too. When you put him underwater, and will kick with his feet and use his arms to get back up to the surface now. Mick said he has even started blowing bubbles in the bath too (I was trying to teach him that last week...so great!). Everyday, something new happens, which we either laugh at, stare in awe, or cheer. It is such a fun time.
That is our update for this month. We hope this finds everyone healthy and happy and we hope to see you all soon. Lots of love and wear your sunscreen!
6.7.08 - 9 months old...bumps, bruises, birthdays and more babies!
It has been a busy month in the 'World of Finn' (which seems to be the world I live in right now). His crawling is now second to none and the poor kids at playgroup are getting bowled over by him if they aren't able to get out of the way. Apparently they are little speed-bumps, but then nearly everything that is in front of him is posing as a speed-bump. He hasn't figured out the 'let's go AROUND' rather than the 'let's go OVER'. He is starting to get much better at balancing, once he pulls himself into a standing position and is now working his way around the table, down the fire place hearth, up the bookshelf, etc. to get to a location that looks more appealing. Or to tear up my magazines...I really need to find some time to read those! This week we had 2 little breakthroughs, numbers 8 & 9 have popped through the gums and are finally working their way into a working position (in other words...his two front teeth on top have surfaced). Lord have mercy...this has been a rough week! I have never heard screams hit octaves of that caliber, especially in the middle of the night. I was crying UNCLE a couple of times. All I can say is that I am very thankful for Infant Motrin...I actually got to sleep for a whole 45 mintues straight!
I have started to get back into climbing, and so far it sucks. It will get fun again as I get stronger, but the first days back always spank me. I lasted a whole 30 minutes the first go and ended up being sore in places I had forgotten I have. I am already noticing the body starting to regain it's prior shape though (mainly through the middle), and feeling good about it. I am hoping muscle memory will eventually kick in and help me out too. With Belinda coming home, I should have a regular climbing partner again, which I can't wait for! Outside of that I have been busy trying to plan a little family vacation for us in September, staying in touch with friends, getting Finn to his activities (and mine), and keeping track of Mick!
Mick is heading into week 2 of his business travels (after this week he will be in Taiwan for about 9 days and then home for a time). He could star in his own show "Where in the World is Mick this Week?" He has been really busy with work, but we are enjoying seeing him on the weekends. He has been trying to fit in some track days at PIR, which he is really enjoying and the car is holding up reasonably well (for a car that is tracked at least). He wants me to mention that the last track day he only broke the power stearing pump, brake rotors, 2 tie rods, and needed an oil change. Like I said, for a car that is tracked, things are holding up well. He is no longer oiling the track, which I am sure everyone is thankful for! Mick is getting ready for a birthday next week too (the big 3-7). Not sure he is overly thrilled about it, or the fact that I am bringing it up here! Happy birthday, honey!!!
Finn attended his first Subaru event this month also (pictured above). It was the open-house for the new Perrin Performance location. Finn even got his first autograph (from Mr. Jeff Perrin himself!). Mick's car was on display among several other cars, including the Rockstar Rally Car (it was the same weekend as the Oregon Trail Rally and they were in town).
We did have one hospital visit this month, but it was for happier reasons! Our dear friends Jarrad and Aisha welcomed a little girl into the world (her name is Mikka) and we went to see them. Congrats to them! We have had a month of new friends joining us...congrats to Raegan and DJ (on little Colt) and Heidi and Fred (on little Dominic)! We are so excited that Finn has 3 new friends!
Tomorrow Finn gets to meet his uncle Sean for the first time as he is returning for the summer from Ireland. Belinda is also making her way home and we just got a message she made it safe to Seattle. She will be back in Portland tomorrow night. We can't wait to see the 2 of them!
Until next month! May you have a warm-ish June and a great start to the summer!
Today marks Finn's 8 month anniversary of joining the human race. Apparently he enrolled himself in the school of hard knocks this month too, which I am not sure Mick and I are up for the challenge of that yet.
1 day after Mick made a lovely cover for the 240 volt outlet in the basement (because let's face it, every bonus room needs an outlet with that kind of wattage, don't you think?), Finn decided he had had enough of staying in one place and started his scooting across the floor. About 2 days later he had mastered the hand/knee coordination required for crawling, albeit slow. With in a week, we can hardly keep up with the little bugger, and Maya is getting more exercise than even she wants, trying to keep away from him. It is a really fun time, but it is certainly a test of patience...I am not sure how many times a day I say 'no', but he has figured out all of the things I don't want him in and goes straight for them. I thought this stuff came at 2 years old!!!
The crawling has also posed challenges with the sleeping arrangements. I took advantage of the fact he was immobile and left him to sleep in the guest room on the big bed. He really sleeps well in there, and one day had such a wonderful nap that instead of doing what he normally does (the screams to let us know he is awake), he came and looked for us. Not realizing there is such a thing as gravity, and not realizing he was a ways off the floor, he went over the edge of the bed onto the floor giving me a heart attack and set Mick off into "Captain Organizer" mode (that is the superhero he would be, if he was one). We hopped in the car, to test Mick's true racing skills, ticking off every driver on the road as Mick raced us to the ER. The doctor looked him over, said he was probably fine, but we should do a CT scan to be sure, and it was proclaimed "he does have a brain, and it isn't bleeding!" Hallaluja! Needless to say, his naps are now shorter, but safer as he is required to sleep in his crib.
Having lost a few brain cells with that little adventure, he thought he would try to crawl off the couch...this time I had a hold of his legs so he wouldn't hit the floor. Instead he hit a very sleeping Maya, who was so shocked she accidently nipped him, and then ran to her bed and pouted for the next 4 days. He hardly had a scratch on him, but I was back on the phone with the doctor and the vet, and it was decided we should get Finn his last tetnus shot, and counselling for Maya. It has been a rough couple of weeks for both our 'kids'. Finn is still totally in love with Maya and is still chasing her around the house, with no fear and is all recovered from the bumps and bruises. Maya is now terrified of Finn and hiding under tables or behind Mick and I. When she is feeling brave she will give him kisses or lick food off his hands. She has always been (and continues to be) so gentle with him, careful around him, and felt so bad about the whole situation. Poor girl...maybe she does need counselling! We keep a close eye on the 2 of them, and I know it will not happen again. Finn is her boy and you can see how protective she is with him.
Last weekend was lots of fun with a trip to Eugene to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. We pulled off a big surprise party and it was so great getting to see so many friends I hadn't seen in years (in some cases at least). Dad was completely surprised also, which really made all of the planning and scheming and lying worthwhile. I wasn't sure we were going to be able to pull it off, especially when we bumped into my dad's brother on the way down to the party. He did a great job throwing Dad off though!
Mick and I have been doing really well and not too much is going on with us. Mick has been able to get to the track a few times in the last month, which has been really fun for him. The car is doing well despite 'oiling the track', as Mick puts it.
We are starting to try and get our gardens put together and my mom has been up clearing a section of yard where we are going to put some new raised beds so we can grow even more vegetables. I am even getting some flowers put in to replace all of the kindling our other plants have become. I just need to get the job finished now! Mick is also preparing for some upcoming business trips overseas. They will probably be over his birthday, and maybe his first Father's Day. We will have to do something special before hand.
We hope you all are doing well. Until next month!
4.9.08 - 7 months old...where did the time go?
We thought we would do a monthly update, and lots has been going on.
Mick has fixed the car, after an issue with a bolt going flying and attaching itself to something, where it rubbed against the timing belt. I am not mechanical, when it comes to cars, but I understand this could have been catastrophic. Mick removed the bolt and replaced the timing belt and is at the track, doing laps, very happily I imagine...in the rain. Poor guy!
Finn has been working on his own cruising. He is sitting like a champ now and has really started to master his balance. He is now working on crawling, which it is only a matter of time before he coordinates his hands and legs. He has the arm movements down, but the knees are staying planted and he ends up on his belly. He does the rocking movement and is really working on those muscles. He has also started trying to pull himself up in his crib and on the edge of his exercauser. He gets to his knees on his own, but isn't quite strong enough to get on his feet. He has also started eating some solid foods, which has been fun and messy! We have had a little trouble with some separation anxiety at night time, and those darn teeth are getting closer, but still have not broken through the surface yet. All of this is compounding and not giving us a lot of sleep. With more action, I think the sleeping is going to get easier...at least that is what I am hoping for! You may have seen the pictures already, but we got Finn out for his first days of skiing and he really enjoyed them. It was really great for me too, getting back on the hill for some skiing. It was the first 2 days of the year for me (and probably the only 2 for this year). We went to Willamette Pass, which is an area I hadn't been to in years, and it was so nice to be back. We couldn't have had nicer weather, and I got to ski with my Aunt Nancy and my cousin Jonathan. That was great too. Nancy tried to teach Mick to ski, and had it not been for his hips hurting, he would have been skiing black diamonds in no time! He says he will try again...I am just glad he tried once!
As for me, I have been keeping busy trying to keep up with Finn. I am heading to Eugene for a friend's baby shower this weekend, and we have family coming into town the first weekend of May. I am looking forward to seeing my cousins and giving them the chance to meet Finn. Belinda also visited last week and got to meet Finn for the first time, which was fun for both of them I think! I had a nice time visiting with her too...I love having my sister in town! I am really looking forward to her moving back to Portland this summer!
That is the news for this month. We'll be in touch, and hope these April shower bring plenty of May flowers for all! Much love!
3.18.08 - Check up stats and shots
Here are the promised stats for Finn's check up today:
Everything looks good and his ultrasound came back clear (although they were double checking some measurements, but we are not worried). He had 2 shots, which he took like a champ. Only cried for a minute, and doesn't seem any whinier than he has all day (and he has been whiney!). Hopefully the teeth will come in soon and put us all out of our misery! The doctor says they are on the way!
3.13.08 - Pat's Visit, Sitting up, not sleeping, and a trip to the Zoo!
Finn has hit a few milestones recently, so we thought we would get you up to date!
We'll start with Mick and the car. It is broken. Again. He wants me to say it should be an easy fix. Every time he says that, something else goes. It has to do with that jinx factor! He did manage to get a couple of good track days in and scare the pants off an off-duty police officer. Apparently the cop wasn't used to the acceleration/braking that happens when rounding a track. Mick seemed to enjoy that!
Moving on...Nanny Pat landed on 5 March and Finn got to spend lots of quality time with her. I think they both really enjoyed each other. Nanny was trying to figure a way out to pack him up and take him home with her. She was also able to bear witness to his first attempt at solid foods. He tried with gusto to eat, however I am fairly certain more of it went down his front rathen than down his throat. This was so much fun we didn't want you to miss it and it can also be seen in the movie gallery.
Our 10 days together were great and we will miss her. Maya especially, since Pat was super nice to her, taking her for walks every morning. Maya loves her walkies! We were so happy she got to spend so much time with Finn too. We did lots of activities with her...the big one being Finn's first trip to the zoo. He was fairly unimpressed with anything that didn't swim. As soon as he saw the polar bears, he was pretty excited. Same thing happened with the sea lions. Everything else...nothing. We all had a great day!
Finn and I graduated from our New Mom's Group last week. He did me proud by sitting up, all by himself the day before, so we were REALLY ready to take our graduation pictures with the 'cap.' Several of the new moms asked how it happened and when (I guess they were ready for their little 2.5 month olds to start doing that too). Since then, he has been sitting like a champ, and really working on his balance. We are so proud!
We also had a little trip to the doctor this week. Finn has decided he doesn't want to sleep alone and has been pulling at his ears...a lot. Seeing how both of these things are out of character for him, we gave the doctor a call and she said to bring him round just to confirm that he doesn't have an ear infection. She took a look at his upper gums and it seems those teeth are working their way on down. Those gums were swollen! Poor little fella has been down-right miserable today, and slightly less so all week. When you get used to the babies sleeping through the night and then they don't, it is hard.
Mick and I also celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary with a quick kiss and a "Happy Anniversary". It was magical. We did have a really nice dinner out with Pat while she was here to celebrate her birthday, so we did get out. Finn seemed to like Mortons enough and was invited back by the head maitre de since he was so well behaved.
The next few weeks will be packed with more fun. On the 21st we are heading to Eugene to take Finn skiing for the first time at Willamette Pass. Poppy (my dad) and Gramma (my mom) will be with us. The following week, Belle is coming home from Ireland and will finally get to meet her little nefew. Should be great and we are looking forward to seeing everyone!
Finn goes in for his 6 month check up and hip ultrasound next week (the doctor wants to make sure he didn't inherit Mick's hips, and if he did, we can do something about it now so he won't suffer later). He will also get some shots. Does the fun ever stop?! If you are interested in his stats, check back next week...we will update the blog.
Until then, have a most happy St. Patricks Day, and be sure to check out all of the new pictures and videos in the gallery's!
Love to all!
2.25.08 - Teeth and Toes!
The last few weeks have been busy ones and we are getting ready for more of the same!
About 3 weeks ago, just after Finn started his skootching, he found his toes. He has been grabbing them and pulling them into his mouth constantly, which he finds really funny. He thinks it is pretty fun to pull his socks off too. He loves barefeet, which he comes by honestly! He also just had a tooth pop through the surface last Saturday, so we have had a couple weeks of 'not at all himself Finn' which we are looking forward to out growing. His sleep schedule has changed too, which has been a little hard on me, but it is getting better. Looking in there today, I am seeing the second tooth on it's way up too, which would explain 'more of the same' fussiness we have been experiencing over the past couple of weeks. Even though he has been fussier than what we are used to, he is still full of giggles (especially when he toots...that aparently is one of the funniest things ever...he is all boy!), and has recently found his voice. We are waiting for him to find his slighlty quieter voice, because he is bang on when it comes to his loud, screaming voice. He likes to use it in especially small enclosed spaces, and when it is time to be quiet. We are waiting until he is 6 months to give him solid foods, but have let him get an early start on learning to love his veggies. Carrot sticks out of the fridge are becoming a favorite during meal times (I think that cold feels good on his gums and he seems to like the flavor).
He has also become more bold by stealing toys from other kids at new mom's group. I am hoping this is not a trend, but learned that he loves the 'Skwish' toy! He wasn't a bully, he just threw his arm over there and his fingers got hooked and the next thing we knew it was covered in his ever abundant drool! He has also taught Mick and I 'fetch' (which on some days is the only exercise I get). He is learning it is pretty fun to drop stuff off his high chair, out of his bouncy seat, off of his exercauser, etc and watch us pick it up. Maya on the other hand is not at all impressed by these new baby tricks he is playing. He has started to notice her and the other night was reaching for her while he was sitting on Mick's lap. This could be the first sign of trouble for our dear little pup! She on the other hand is learning to keep her distance. I think she likes to get back at him by shaking right next to him while he is napping, waking him from a dead sleep and making him cry. Then she looks at me like, "Hey, the baby is crying. Aren't you going to do something about it? It is too noisy!" I am wondering if this is what having a second kid is like.
Swimming is going great for Finn also, and we have some new video up of his swimming lesson last week. Our instructor helped with the video, and you can see him go underwater. We will also be posting new pictures that I took 2 weeks ago. I bought some black material as a drape and started playing. They turned out pretty good, so stay tuned for those!
Mick had his first track day yesterday and while everything in the morning went well, it seems his turbo blew in the early afternoon, cutting his day short. He got out on Saturday for the opening of Portland Internation Raceway, which celebrated the new surfacing and the the expansion they did to the track over the summer. Hopefully he will be able to get the car fixed for next weekend's track day. We also got to spend an evening with Mick's friend from the UK, Alex. He told us tales of his travels here (he is not one you want to travel with because he always runs into trouble from luggage coming out smelling of fish thanks to Alaska Airlines, being in Sri Lanka during the tsunami, and always having some sort of horrible travel delays). It does make seeing him especially exciting! On top of tales of travel this time, we also got to hear about his wedding and his new wife Polly, who we are excited to meet one day.
Life for me has been more of the same. We are all getting ready for the arrival of Mick's mom, who will be here fro 10 days starting on 5 March. This will be the first time Finn gets to meet 'Nanny Pat.' I am sure we will all have lots of fun. After that, Aunt Belle will be home visiting from Ireland and Finn will get to meet her for the first time too. I have started playing more in the kitchen with recipes now that Finn will tolerate being left to his own devises in his high chair for longer periods of time. That has been fun, and lead to Mick saying: "Why haven't we had this before?! It is awesome!" I like that!
That is pretty much the news from our end for now. We hope everyone is well and we'll talk to you soon!
2.7.08 - 5 months old!
Today Finn hit the big 5 months. OK, it might not be that big, but for us, we look at this fellow thinking, "is this really our baby? He is so big!" Everyday we are noticing new things he is doing and it is so much fun!
He has adopted the new nicknames "Inchworm" or "Skoochy". He has become slightly mobile (something I could definitely wait for!). While laying on his back he puts his bum up in the air and then pushes with his feet, using his head and shoulders as a bit of a sled. He isn't fast, thank heavens, but he is really getting the hang of it and has found himself stuck in the corner of his crib once or twice. He doesn't like that. As he works his way across the floor, I can see a look of confusion and concern coming from Maya too. He thinks it makes more of an impact bouncing his bottom up and down when he is crying too. I am not falling for it, and actually think it is a funny (I don't let him know that though...cause and effect!). He is also really getting good at holding on to his toys and chewing on them, creating more drool than I have ever been witness to. Some days I think the 40 day flood may have actually come from a 5 month old! Pretty much everything we own now has a nice shiny, slimmy coat. Especially in the back of the car where he loves to 'raz' with his tongue, making all sorts of wonderful sound effects and getting drool in a nice even spray pattern all over the back of the seat. No sign of teeth, although it is only a matter of time. Another thing I don't mind waiting for...trust me, I am not encouraging the teeth coming in. He is doing better sleeping in his room now and we are getting more nights with fewer wake ups as he has adjusted. We started him on a night time routine which is successful more nights than not. Luckily he is a pretty quick study!
As for me, I have kept busy with activities for both Finn and I. I have 2 days a week where I get together with other new moms. One day a week is playgroup and the other is my New Mom's Group. I only get to be in that group for another month (the play group will go on until we decide not to do it anymore). At 6 months they 'graduate' the babies out of the New Mom's Group to make room for the new babies being born and the REALLY new moms. Nobody ever wants to leave, but it is a fact of life. Once that happens, I am going to replace that activity with trips to the library. On Thursday mornings at the Hillsdale library they have a program called 'Book Babies'. It is a story time for kids under 1. It will also give us a chance to get new books to read. Should be really fun. Outside of those things and his swimming lessons, I still try to get together with friends at least once a week, so I feel like I am getting some good adult interaction. However my vocabulary is probably suffering and I can confirm my brain is...due to the fact that I may have fried our main terabyte disk drive yesterday when our power went out for an hour. Mick is running a repair and hopefully we will be able to salvage our data. The drive was nearly full so I have been just sick about it. Especially since it had all of our pictures on it. We now know how to turn the 'beeps' off on the power back up boxes...poor Finn hardly had nap time yesterday and I can only walk for so long in the rain before Finn, Maya, and I are all soaked and miserable.
Mick totally jinxed himself with me putting the note below about the oil leak being fixed, because the next day pretty much all of the new oil he had just put in the car was coating the driveway and the garage. He repaired that problem, got the car down to the shop to tune it, and the fuel pump went out. If it isn't one thing, it is another. At least this is a hobby he loves...right, Mick?! That baby is keeping him up, more than Finn, as he is trying to solve the mysteries of why things aren't working. He isn't one that can leave things undone! He has also made a huge sacrafice in letting the Nike gym go, but for Christmas I gave him a cycletrainer for the workouts at home and he has been making good use of it. He says it helps his hips feel better, and he is catching up on his movies while he rides. I think he is into hour 45 of the extended version of Lord of the Rings. Seriously, was the 3.5 hours per movie not long enough?
That is pretty much everything from our end. Congratulations to my cousin Sheri and her husband Ryan, who welcomed a baby girl to the world on Tuesday! So exciting!
We hope you all have a wonderful Valentines day! Hugs and kisses!
1.23.08 - New Developments!
We have had a couple of big-ish things happen in the last couple of days!
Yesterday was a big one for Finn. We took our maiden-voyage in the new carseat. I was in total shock when there was no screaming, in fact he fell asleep in it during our drive! Then at playgroup I like to put him on his tummy because he has all of the other kids to look at, and he will tolerate it longer since he is preoccupied. He held his head up for a while, and then laid it down. The next thing I know, he is trying to pull his knees up under his body. This may not sound like something that huge, but this is the start of him getting ready for crawling. The other moms at the group were amazed! (Finn is one of the older kids in the group and they hadn't seen this with their kids yet.) That was pretty fun. Then, last night he slept in his crib (and in his room)! This also might not seem that big a deal, but it was for us. I think it was harder on me than on him (in fact I don't think it phased him at all!). He had completely outgrown the basinetts (he is as long as they are), and I think he actually slept better since he had more room to move and not bang into things. I didn't sleep very well, but expect it will get easier with every night. It is crazy when you have one of these little ones and how silly, and protective you get! Poor Mick must think I am totally insane!
Finn has also been playing in his exersaucer (thanks Reb!), and even though his first time in it was slightly questionable, he is showing lots of interest in being able to stand and playing with the toys on the tray. He is really curious about the different things he can pull on and turn and spin. It is fun seeing him upright and hopefully will help that bald spot on the back of his head fill in a little bit! :) He is also showing signs of being a gymnast or is building muscles up for rock climbing by grabing hold of the toys that hang above him on his play mat and doing pullups. If that velcro ever gives out, we are in trouble!
Mick has received the new snowboard, replacing the new one that broke and took it up for a ride. It was 13 degrees in the parking lot when they arrived (even for the mountains in Oregon, that is really cold...this artic weather is really keeping us cool!), but they had a blue-bird day, and he said the riding was great. The new board is, in his words, "awesome" and he seemed to feel pretty good after a day on it. That is definitely a good sign. He has still promised to learn to ski this year, and I have every intention of holding him to it!
Nike took me to a 'retirement' lunch on Tuesday and it was really nice to spend time with my team. With all of the changes I have seen in Finn this week (and our swimming lessons went so well today), it has reaffirmed to me that this is really the right decision. I will still get out and visit all of the friends on campus, so that has made it easier to leave them.
Last weekend we had some friends over for a little cocktail party, which was really nice. It was great to see so many folks, and a few of them who hadn't met Finn had the chance. He had a couple of little meltdowns (over-stimulation, hunger, and tired), but did really well and was mostly smiley for the evening. He did much better than we thought he would.
PS - Mick wanted me to make a special note that he is really excited that he has managed to fix the oil leak in the car. Hip, hip, hooray!
1.11.08 - Firsts, Lasts, and some things in between!
We have some big news this week, so we thought we would do a blog update.
Finn had a 'first' this week with his first swimming lesson! He took to the water like a fish, which we kind of figured would happen based on how much he LOVES bath time. The second the water hits his head, he is in heaven. They don't normally dunk the babies faces in the water on the first time, but the other mom in the class was fine with it too, and he got his first taste of going under. He did great! Our instructor Jonathon was really good with the kids too. The pool is great and it is salt-water, so I can get in the pool with him (I have bad skin reactions to chlorine). We will go weekly to swim class and he will get better and better.
I had a 'last' this week. Today is my last day with Nike. I put in my resignation earlier this week. While this decision was hard for me to make since I had been with Nike for 8 years, it is the right one for our family. Mick has been really supportive and encouraging throughout my decision making and I am so thankful I have this opportunity. We are only planning to have one kid (we are never saying never...but that is the direction we are heading). We both think it is best if I am home to raise him, plus I don't want to miss out on all of his development. I will be cleaning my cube out next Friday and saying good bye in person to everyone. I will be back out for visits and maybe one day I can go back out and work there again. We'll see! I have had a wonderful, and supportive responsive from everyone I have told so far, which has been quite overwhelming. I am very lucky to have worked with such great people.
As for our in-betweens, we have just had our 4 mo check up and the stats are in. Finn is weighing in at 16lbs (which is the 75%-tile) and is 26 inches long (80%-tile). Eventhough weight-wise he is still fine, length-wise he has outgrown his baby car seat, so it looks like we get to go shopping this weekend. He also got a couple of shots today, which has put him in a right foul mood (can't really blame him, but he was so happy this morning). Hopefully it will improve soon. We went and saw a new pediatrician and I really like her a lot. She is based at the Sellwood Medical Clinic and it is so much better than OHSU/Doernbecker. They really take time for you there and actually have answers. My other favorite thing is that you get to see the doctor you schedule with (which doesn't happen on the hill with the kids doctors). She answered all of our questions and confirmed Finn is both cute and good natured!
The little guy is needing some attention, so I need to run. More updates soon! Take care!
Happy New Year 2008!
Happy New Year everyone! We hope your holidays were merry, bright, safe, and packed with fun and love. We have had a wonderful month full of changes, so let's get you all caught up!
When last we wrote, Mick had 2 good friends from Europe come for short visits. His friend Alex came at the end of Novemeber and let us know that he was getting married in 3 weeks (congrats Polly & Alex!!!) and Nev came to see us (he was doing business in Vancouver, BC and made the side trip down to see Mick and meet Finn). It was great to see them both and we look forward to seeing them again soon.
After weeks of looking for a new snowboard, Mick found one only to have it 'break' during his 3rd day on it. He ended up with massive cracks up and down the base. He loved it up to that point though. He is going to have to look for a new board to ride now and Backcountry.com has great customer service and is taking the broken board back. Mick has gotten quite a few days in up at the mountain, spending 'quality time' with the boys. Our neighbor Dave has done a few days with him, and he has gone out with Dad and our friend Jarrad. For those of you not in the Pacific Northwest, our ski season this year has been completely amazing and Mick has been taking advantage of it. His hips are holding up pretty well too, so that has been good.
Maya has spent most of the month in Eugene at the 'Puppy Spa' (aka Grandma's house). Finn and I drove her down in the middle of the month and spent a few days there visiting friends and family. We also went to the Rotary Holiday Lunch and Finn got to see his first Santa. With it being Eugene, it was a Hippie Santa with Birkenstocks, but he was a very jolly man and Finn seemed to like him enough...we were on the cusp of a total meltdown since it was nap time.
Xmas itself was great too. We got to hear from lots of friends through their Xmas cards, and we even had a few cards from people we hadn't heard from in years. It was great! We kept our Xmas celebration fairly small. My parents came into town for Xmas dinner at my aunt Jan's house the weekend before Xmas. We had our biggest turn out yet (31 people!). It was wonderful being able to see that much of the family at one time. With the family being as big as it is, it is hard for all of us to get together, but this year nearly everyone made it, and Mick pretty much remembered everyone's name. Xmas at our house was just the 5 of us (Mick, Finn, Sarah, Diane, & George). We opened our gifts on Xmas Eve so Dad and Mick could head up to the mountain for a day of skiing. When they got home, we made a prime rib, yorkshire puddings, and veg for dinner (I should actually say, Mick made these things for us). It was really, really good. Very english dinner ...although they always eat Turkey on Xmas.
Mom and dad headed to the boat on the 26th and we met up with them the following Saturday so we could caravan to Whistler on the Sunday. We wanted to break the trip up a bit for Finn since it was his first really long trip in the car. He did great and got his first stamp in his passport. While we were in Whistler, we got to spend quality time with our good friends Jarrad & Aisha (plus one). Finn also visited 2 liquor stores in one day. We were joking that some people would call that a problem, but we call it a start. Mick was so proud! Finn also got to taste his first snow and we taught him the white stuff is safe, the yellow/brown stuff isn't! We did some good brisk walks and really enjoyed our time away.
We are now home and getting ready for a busy week. Finn starts his swimming lessons on Wednesday and goes in for his 4 month old visit on Friday. I am estimating he will be tipping the scales at close to 20 pounds...no joke. Our little beefcake isn't so little anymore, and is getting to be more fun every day. He has added to his repretoir of 'baby tricks' recently. He now spins himself around in circles on the floor while laying on his back so he can see the TV or find a toy...which he has also started reaching for. Everything is going straight in his mouth now too. He is really tracking things a lot better and is really watching everything around him. Even my dad (who wouldn't notice if I shaved my head) was noticing changes in him, so that was pretty exciting. We are starting to get him used to sleeping in his room and he is currently taking his 3rd nap in his new crib. He seems to be ok with it. Next week he will start sleeping in there at night too.
That is pretty much it for this month. We will let you know how his appointment goes and let you know any additional big changes. We have posted lots of pictures in the gallery so you can see our faces. Take care!
