Pros and Cons

We're off to the Isle of Man tomorrow for a long stay (over two weeks!).  This has its pros and cons.  On the good side, we get to be in the Isle of Man for over two weeks!  Yay!  On the down side, I'm not taking my computer... so I won't be blogging/facebooking/messaging over Christmas.  Boo.  So don't expect any blog posts while we are away, but DO expect a load of exciting stories and pictures when we get back (the 2nd of January I think...).  And DO expect that this one will be epically long to make up for it.

And on that note I thought I would update everyone about what Finn's up to, but in a similar way.  Everything has its pros and cons - for every cloud there is a silver lining.  But equally, for every silver lining there is a cloud...

Firstly, it's Christmas!  And Finn got a couple Christmas gifts (though not many... he's only 10 weeks old!  It's not like he even notices!).  The first one came early, because we realised we really needed it.  Finn has officially outgrown his moses basket.  Sad, but true.  To the point that it is now gone - I put it back on Freecycle and passed it along to another pregnant lady.  For a while we used the pram part of his stroller (it comes off) but he flails his arms too much and it would wake him up.  So instead he was just sleeping on his cot mattress on the floor (a shame we never got any pictures of that - it looked so bizarre to have him sleeping on the floor!).  But then his/our Christmas gift from my parents arrived!  And he now has his very own "big boy" cot/crib (uk/us translation, hereby to only be referred to as a 'cot').  It's beautiful and I love it.  But it has its pros and cons.  But first, here he is! A proper baby in a proper cot!...

The cot.
Pros: I don't have to bend down to the floor anymore as it's nice and high up.  We don't have to worry about it being drafty as it's in a nice protected place.  It's very cute.
Cons: I have to acknowledge that he's not my tiny baby anymore. It takes up a big chunk of space (though added some under-cot storage we didn't previously have!).  It didn't solve the flailing arm problem...

Next up, the thing we lovingly refer to as "the green thing."  You can see it in the cot above.  Up close it looks like this:

yeah, yeah, this one is blue.  ours is green.

It's a "soothie" given to us by my sister when we were in America when I was complaining about Finn's constant desire to suck, and preference for fingers.  It doesn't have a back to it so you start out with your finger in there and he thinks he's sucking on that and eventually you can take your finger out and he doesn't notice.  It. Is. Genius.... mostly.
The Green Thing.
Pros: Finn loves it.  It calms him right down and helps him go to sleep.  I love it.  I'm not stuck there with my finger in his mouth (or any other parts of me that I prefer he didn't relentlessly suck on until he falls asleep).  It goes everywhere with us.
Cons: If I forget that it should go everywhere with us, and we end up somewhere without it, Finn gets a bit upset.  He now refuses my finger because he much prefers the green thing.  (oddly though, it doesn't work when James holds him.  If James has him, it still has to be his finger and if James tries the green thing Finn won't take it... strange).  I'm beginning to worry that I rely on it too much because it's just too easy!  And when Finn is tired and grumpy, I tend to take the easy way out!!  But the other problem is that he's starting to be a bit too old for it, and we should be moving on to a dummy/pacifier one that's more 'orthodontically shaped' to his mouth...  and we've tried.  Finn just chews on them and spits them out then complains until I give him back the green thing... siiiigh.


Now, speaking of falling asleep.  I mentioned that the cot hasn't stopped the flailing arms problem.  Basically, Finn is a very active baby.  He loves to kick and move about all the time. 
Active Baby
Pros: ummm... he seems to enjoy it?  It's really funny to watch him?  Sometimes he can entertain himself for ages if you take his socks off and give him various textured surfaces to kick (yes!  That is a pro!  Anything that keeps him entertained!)
Cons: he wakes himself up with his flailing.  When he wakes himself up at night, or when he's trying to fall asleep during the day, he can't relax unless you physically hold his arms down at his sides.  Immediately you see him start to drift off.  But you have to stay there until he's 'out' or the cycle starts all over again.  This is a big downside.  We tried swaddling him, but it didn't really work out - mainly because when he woke up to nurse, he really wanted his arms out.  For some reason he's in the habit of holding on to my clothes while he nurses.  It's pretty cute to be honest...

Luckily, James has discovered a solution.  It's sort of a 'half-swaddle.'  When we put Finn down to sleep, we lay him on top of a blanket.  When he wakes himself up with flailing arms, all we have to do is tuck the blanket around his arms and under his back so he can't move them, shush him briefly, and then he will go back to sleep happily and stay that way!  (Good work James!)

On the topic of being really active, I can show you Finn's second Christmas gift - putting him under the table with hanging toys wasn't quite cutting it, and we gave in and got him a play gym, which I LOVE.  It's very cute.  It's hard to find toys that are colourful yet still simple and attractive - most things are in your face with music and noises and colours that look like a crayon box threw up.  So when I found this subtly colourful play-gym I knew it was just right.  Each toy does make a noise of some kind but they are rattles and chimes and not at all irritating.  I love it and Finn can happily kick about looking at things for ages.... so...
Play Gym
Pros: It's fantastic
Cons: Other than the space issue (and actually it folds up and fits nicely behind the couch when it's not out...) I can't think of anything...
And here's a video of him in it for the first time:




Next topic is the fact that he LOVES to 'talk' and coo.  I think this is my favourite new development because the noises that he makes are so brilliant. but...
'Goo-ing'
Pros: He is so funny and he loves to do it!  His favourite game is to have a goo-conversation...
Cons: He wants to talk to you (and you to talk to him) ALL the TIME.  Even when he's happily under the play gym, he wants you to keep talking with him.  (He's currently facing me in his bouncy chair and we are goo-ing as I type).  It's exhausting, and I must admit - the lack of conversational range can be rather tedious at times... an hour of back and forth goos and gaas gets pretty boring for the grown-ups among us! Here's an example:


But, still, as boring as it is sometimes, it's so fun to watch him learn.  Especially when he tries out a new sound.  This one is from when we were working on aaahhh... a couple times he would get the noise out, but mostly he would just get his mouth in the right shape, and try VERY hard (legs and all) to make the noise but failing.  So funny!



Part of this conversation stuff is the fact that he is very engaged.  Which I mean to say that he loves to look at stuff, talk to you, be entertained etc.  This in and of itself has its pros and cons...
Being engaged by the world
Pros: Obviously it means he is growing into a highly advanced, extremely intelligent, wise-beyond-his-years, super genius baby (obviously)
Cons: he gets bored very easily and wants to see new things.  This is difficult in our tiny flat and 'entertaining him' can be exhausting.  I hate to imagine the people who live next door to us listening through the wall... I've developed a complete song and dance number entitled "did you just poop your pants?!"
The easiest way is to see new things is to go outside and see the world... but shops won't cut it (he will be perfectly happy on a walk and start crying the minute you dare to step inside a store or cafe) and it is COLD outside!
On another pro though - it means he can work up some pretty bizarre facial expressions... I call this one "OH!  The HORROR of it all!"

And speaking of facial expressions, his overall supreme intelligence means I'm starting to notice his ability to manipulate situations in his favour...
If he wants something and I'm not giving it to him straight away he will start shouting at me.  (Usually this is an "I'm bored - entertain me!  Do that poopy pants dance thing again! NOW!"  They are loud sharp cries that have recently added on a GAH noise.  Truly shouting (I can't help but laugh at them).  This doesn't usually work though because I can easily ignore a shout.  So after he's tried that for a while to no avail, he switches to the "sad" face/cry.  I give in instantly every time thinking I've somehow failed as a parent by not giving him what he wants to such an extent that I've made him truly sad (only to get a smile and a giggle as soon as I've given in).  Obviously he's just learning to get his way...
But seriously, I dare ANY of you to try and resist the sad face.
You.
Can't.
Don't believe me?
Here it is:

Told you so!

So I leave everyone with this thought:
Finn wants you to have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
So you better do it... you wouldn't want to make him sad, would you?!
Lots of Love to you all!!!

Just a quick one...

Guess what finally fits Finn!!!
The 'little' top that I made for him before he was born can now officially be incorporated into his repertoire.
Here it is:

And so, in honour of that (and because I didn't really like the other one) we've retaken his two months old picture.  Here they are again, side by side:

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Lastly, here is a series of three pictures that tell a funny story-of-facial-expression.  Enjoy!

2 months old!

Hi all!

So we're back from our wonderful trip to America now!
Finn was a breeze on the flights (he slept all the way through them) but has had a meltdown of jetlag since we've been home - his "long sleep" happening in the middle of the day and nighttimes being a mess of awake/crying/unhappiness.
Each day his time shifts a little bit more back to where it's meant to be, but James and I were truly exhausted.
Enter Gramma Yvonne!  She's come to help us out for a couple days including taking over the enter night shift last night.  I actually got a full stretch of seven hours sleep!  Amazing!
We're so so thankful for her being here.  She's currently got Finn out on a walk.  Which is a) a bit weird to have a quiet house without him but b) the perfect opportunity for a bit of quiet relaxation... but I wanted to update everyone on Finn... so as a compromise I'm going to do lots of pictures and very little writing!
Though, seeing as Finn is the cutest thing ever, I'm sure there won't be many complaints :o)

Firstly, he is now 8 weeks old!!  Two whole months!  Here are some side by side update pictures:

1 Month old

2 Months old

 

Secondly, he had his checkup today (12 lbs 10 oz!)

HA HA!

Lastly, here's what we did in America:
We met lots of new people:

Grampa!

Gramma!

Auntie Casey

Great Grandma

Great Grandpa

We took baths on the counter:

Cousin Dakota loved helping!!

We took walks in our new cozy bear outfit:

We went to Thanksgiving:

 And we took some family pictures:

We had a FANTASTIC time!!

I guess they're all mish-mashes really...

I haven't blogged in awhile - Sorry!
But the reason has been a good one.  It seems like every week gets a little bit better, and Finn and I are starting to understand each other that little bit more.  So the reason I haven't blogged this week is because I've been getting out and about!  I try to get outside at least once a day, but this week we've also been doing stuff!
Things we've accomplished this week almost without meltdowns (or with manageable ones at least):
Going out to lunch
Hanging out in a coffee shop
Shopping (and trying clothes on!!)
Wandering a museum
Walking to visit James at work
Having a quiet drink in a pub

It's been brilliant!  I do say almost without meltdowns... I will admit to a few crying fits from time to time.  But I never panicked, and sorted things out.  If that meant feeding him in the pub, that's what I did.  If that meant pacing back and forth shushing him on the bus, that's what I did.  We worked it out.
I'm quite pleased with both of us and so happy that I'm starting to find ways to live a not-entirely-baby-centric life.  Now if only we could get the nights sorted out so that I wasn't too exhausted to enjoy it!
Baby steps.

In other exciting news, we're off to America tomorrow!!!
I can't wait!
I wanted to share that excitement with Finn - sort of like the parents that video their kid's reactions when they find out that they're going to Disney World...  I figured he would be equally as thrilled and I was right!!
Here it is:




Now, as awesome as that is, a post would not be a post without pictures... so here they are!  This week I wanted to explore the fact that Finn is definitely one to let us know when he is unhappy.  He has this sort of warning cry that isn't full on - but is enough to say "whatever it is that we're doing right now is NOT what I want to be doing.'
So for every happy picture we have the companion...

But for the most part, He's still a pretty cool little dude...

Mid-Week Mish-Mash 2

So there are good days and there are bad days.

Today is a bad day.

Finn is currently asleep.  This is the first time he has gone to sleep for the past seven hours (minus two 15 minute "naps").  Not all of this time was spent crying, but enough of it was.  A large portion of it was spent walking about outside in the pram.  This made him calm down and he did drift off a couple times... but there's only so much walking I can do.  We walked to James' work so we could eat lunch together.  It went alright for the most part, but he was crying again at the end and I learned a new fact:  Finn likes helicopters!  There was a big protest right near James' work and there were a few helicopters flying very low and very loud.  It was quite dramatic (and a bit funny) to watch as Finn instantly stopped crying and stared at the sky as soon as we stepped outside.  I'm sure it was just the noise, but it's quite funny to think that he's already turning into a traditional machine loving "boy."
Especially seeing as the other things that were calming him down while we were walking around were trucks going past, busy traffic, sirens, and construction.  I tried to take a detour through a quiet park and he woke right up.  Went back to the busy road and he was quiet again.  So is he turning into a boy's boy?  Or is he just a Londoner through and through?  (or does he just like generic noise... seeing as the vacuum cleaner works just as well!).

Anyway, we've had a bit of a bad day but he is finally asleep.  I would love to be asleep myself but the only way I got him to this place was to put him in the sling wrap and walk around (indoors this time, thank goodness) bouncing and singing until he stopped crying long enough to fall asleep.  I then kept walking for a good while and then tentatively lowered myself onto the couch.  Which is where I am now.  I should be using this small window of opportunity to either
a) fix dinner
b) hang up the laundry that finished washing about 7 hours ago (coincidence?)
c) tidy up the flat that is strewn with various attempts at quieting him down
d) walk to the grocery store to get some stuff (did I mention that on our long walk we had to be OUTSIDE or ELSE?  Trust me, I tried and failed three times to go into a shop)

So that is what I should be doing.  But I have just spent the past 7 hours with a grumpy overtired baby who is now sleeping.  So I am
e) sitting on the couch

in an ideal world I would be
e) sitting on the couch with a large glass of wine
but by the cruel hand of fate I can't reach the wine while wearing Finn in this way... I tried... ah well.

While I'm here, I figured I would blog a bit!  Mostly just because I realised it has been nearly a week since I put up any pictures.  Do you know how much he grows in a week?!  So I thought I would get them up straight away.
Here's what has been happening this week:

Tummy Time
We've been working on getting longer periods of (happy) tummy time

 

And he's gone from hating tummy time to sometimes liking it so much he falls asleep!

Cousins!
My Mom sent me a new web camera so that we can Skype and when I tried it out for the first time, Jaimie and her girls were at my parent's house.  Which meant that the two cousins who first met in this way:                                             Have now met in this way (photos from my Dad):

As a side note, how interesting are these two pictures in comparison?!?! In the first one, the two babies are inches away but it seems like miles - in the second, they are miles away but it seems like inches! Crazy. Anyway. Here are some more: 

 

 

Floor Mat Play Gym Thing...
Soooo - we don't have a play gym.  We've been thinking about getting one because he does REALLY love looking at stuff... and laying on the floor... which is exactly what a play gym IS, really.
(wouldn't it be great to be so easily amused?
"What are your hobbies?"
"well, I LOVE looking at stuff... and laying on the floor is pretty cool").
But they are very expensive and, more to the point, take up a lot of space.  So we've been debating it.  In the meantime, we have a baby that loves to look at stuff - and some very clever parents who are very good at improvising (and finding different uses for already useful things like wrap carriers).  So here is our current London-flat version of the play gym - I think it's pretty good!

Winding/Burping
don't know whether I prefer the UK or the US version... both sound funny :)
Anyway, I've been having some boob issues.  I won't go into too many details, but the bare facts are that I have an "oversupply" which makes me prone to "engorgement" and "mastitis" (for those of you not up to scratch with your breastfeeding lingo, that translates into: for some reason I make too much breastmilk which means that my boobs can sometimes fill up to the point that they are ma-hoo-sive and painful and, if I'm not careful, the swelling can turn into an infection).
This means that they are often extremely sore, and putting any pressure on them (can you believe it?  I STILL can't sleep on my stomach!!  So irritating) is out of the question.  This includes burping/winding Finn.  So we have mastered the art of the over-the-arm-pat-down.
When we do this though, Finn always folds his arms up in such a funny way that I had to get a picture of it.  It's like he settles into this "hang on, let me get comfy... ok, go ahead and rub my back now" pose.
Unfortunately the only way I could capture it was to use my phone so it's not a very good picture... but you can see why I think it's so funny!  So funny in fact, that I think it's good enough to end the post on.

(and if you're curious, it's been two hours!  And yes, he is still asleep (with only one interlude in the middle where I had to get up and walk/bounce/sing for a while)  Niiiice!  maybe I should get on with options a, b, c, or d... nah.  I'm sticking with e.  It's been one of those days.  If only I could reach the wine...)

Here he is in all his gorgeous glory:

Love it.

Mid-Week Mish-Mash

There's lots of stuff to discuss, and interesting things to show you - so I thought I would just chuck them all into one Mid-Week Mish-Mash!!  (I could have called it "Passports, Hair, and Grins" but that's not got quite the same ring...)

First things first, Finn now has both of his passports!
Many of you know how much of an ordeal that was, so I will spare most of the details.  But part of the issue was that we needed to get them both very quickly.  Which meant we had to go and have his photos taken when he was only two days old.  These passports are valid until he is five years old - and his picture, up until that point, is from when he is two DAYS old!  crazy.  But I think it's hilarious.  His pictures are awful.  Not only had he just been born, but I unzipped his jacket instead of just taking it off, making him look a bit thugish.  On top of that, we couldn't remember if he needed his eyes open for the US one or not, so to be on the safe side, we pushed until they were.  Thank goodness we had a super kind and patient photo guy!
Anyway, here is the beautiful result (representing Finn for the next FIVE years)

But all the trauma is over, and Finn is completely registered, logged, legal, and 100% a citizen in both America and the United Kingdom...

I'm not too sure which one he's more pleased with...

Next up, the hair debate

Ok, I'm just going to throw this out there - there is a chance that Finn might have red hair...

But that is still undetermined.

It doesn't help that most of the hair on the top of his head has completely fallen out (he's got an old man bald patch!)... and we know that it often changes as they get older... but we're still trying to guess at what colour it is now, and it changes depending on what lighting we're in.  I offer the following exhibits for your consultation:

Exhibit A:  indoors it can seem quite dark

Exhibit B: the hair that's now growing back is very pale

Exhibit C: but in the sunshine it's really red!

So who knows!?  It could be anything! (I'm secretly hoping for ginger, but I think James is equally hoping it's anything but!)

Last but not least: grinning

I say grinning because it's nothing like a beautiful smile yet - it's most definitely a big toothless grin.  And every now and then a bit of a giggle!  They can be triggered by anything really, and I've got some videos to prove it.  Anything from being read poetry to strange silly noises...

Unfortunately, by the time the video camera comes out, the best ones are over - but at least it gives you a glimmer of the loveliness that is a happy Finn.

But first: the evolution of said grin.

First the cheeks fold up and the dimple comes out (that's right, he's got a dimple!)

Next the tongue starts working and the fists come up

Finally, the eyes squint, the gums show and it's impossible not to grin yourself

And as a special treat, here are some grins and giggles in action:

Firstly, the tail end of being read poetry... which Finn was finding strangely funny!

Next up, Finn is amused by a very simple enquiry into his preferences... 




And finally, the old funny noises trick...