Bah Bah White Sheep...

Every night before and after your bath (and might I also mention sporadically during the day) you love to snuggle up in the sheepskin that is in the master bathroom. Is it the Kiwi blood in you? In fact, yesterday Daddy was vacuuming and hung the "Bah bah" (as you refer to it) over the shower and when you walked in to the bathroom you were clearly disturbed. 'This is not how things are supposed to be' was what the look on your face was telling me! Once it was in it's usual place you dove right in, rolled around, petted it, smiled at it, and invited your doggie (as you call her "Mandy") to join you on the rug.

It's a wonderful sight to see each night and although I try capturing it on video and photos it never does justice to how adorable the moment is in person.

How Sweet it is to be Loved by You....

So, I always tell your father that you are bored of me. What I mean by that is that we spend so much time together and I am not as exciting to you as I once was. So, when we play you are always off to something else, away from me. Or when we sit together and I hold your hand or rub your hair you say "no-no" over and over. You want your space from me, and that's OK.

But...every night when your Daddy comes home you get super excited to see him and you smile and reach for his hugs...but soon after, all you want is "Mama-Mama." Dad keeps trying to play with you in your playroom while I either go to the office or work in the kitchen, and you come running after me, arms wide open, waiting for me to scoop you up. It's pretty hard to resist.

Today for example, Dad was not working so he spent most of the day with you while I ran errands. Each time I came home your head would turn my way, you would exclaim "mama" and give me the sweetest smile you have to offer. You would blow me kisses from your highchair as I unloaded groceries, you would sign 'Love' as I walked past you back to the garage to get bags from the car, or you would wait at the laundry room door squeaking out your cutest "Mama-Mama" as I finished hanging some shelves.

I cannot express how incredible that makes me feel. Or how you nuzzled your head on my shoulder and snuggled tonight as I danced with you before putting you to bed in your crib. Oh, how sweet it is to be loved by you.

Smarty Pants

Sometimes you are so smart, it blows my mind. Other times you are such a little kook, it makes me giggle. The picture shows your goofy side, but let's focus on your brains for a moment. We all know you love your books, but the other night you pulled out your coloring book from the bookshelf and showed it to Daddy. You kept grunting something to him so he showed you the pictures in the book. You were trying to tell him something, but he didn't understand...so you picked yourself up, grabbed your coloring book, and walked out the room. He followed you out to the kitchen, where you stood pointing upwards at the counter and grunting like a little mad woman. You were clearly asking for something. Sure enough, way up high above your eye level was a box of crayons you had seen the day before (guilty- I did not clean the kitchen counter!). Wow, did you really put two and two together! Daddy was amazed. I nodded my head when he told me the story- I know you are capable of so much. :)

But then the next day, perhaps you felt the need to prove something to me....so again, you pulled out your coloring book from the bookshelf. You kept saying "whoooo, whooo" which is your sound for an owl. So I tried to pull out a book with a picture of an owl. You kept shoving the coloring book at me so I opened the book and started flipping through the pages. You kept 'whooo-ing' and sure enough, the one colored in page in the entire book had a little bitty owl that you and daddy colored in blue. It was the only thing you colored! Amazing. Your memory grows leaps and bounds each day.

I cannot say the same for myself...to be quite honest, I have no idea where those crayons are now! :)

The Baby in the Library Goes Bumpity-Bump...

Well, another bump on the head for you today my dear. You poor thing, you just keep falling! I think you get really excited and want to get to places faster than your little legs can get you there and you end up toppling over!

We've had a number of forehead bumps on the tile floors or side bumps on the sofas or chairs, and of course, how can I forget the millions of bruises to your legs and knees since the day you started to crawl. But today's bump is noteworthy. Why? Because it scared me. It was just so fast. One minute we were walking down the aisles full of books, and suddenly the window caught your eye. You beelined for it and fell straight forward into the wooden window sill. Ouch you poor thing, you cried of course but were calmed by some water and cheesy crackers...so I knew you were OK. But within minutes I got you in your car seat and a goose egg the size of a quarter was instantly blue and protruding from between your eyes, just above your nose! Ayayaya baby!

But your spirits were fine and the medical professionals, internet and otherwise all tell me you are fine. I checked in on you during your nap and you guessed it, you are fine. I guess it's just another part of being a child...and being a mummy. We'll get through it...I'm sure you'll fare better through this one and many others than I will.

Happy Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. All I need to say is Thank You.

Just for being you.

I Spy...

...the moon, owls, sheep... It's amazing how you find little details that I wouldn't have noticed at all if you didn't point them out. You also see pages in books or magazines and manage to find images on them I would have never seen. They always say to look at the world through the eyes of a child. I should try it more often because I would appreciate more and learn more. There's a lot I can learn from you my dear.

Every evening you like to sit in your swing and crane your head back to look at the moon. You point and say "Moo." You know it from your 'Goodnight Moon' book.

You received your Rocking Moose from Mimi yesterday. That too is known as "Moo." It's all about context, because cows also fall under the same name. You came up with a great zinger today: 'Babu' now seems to mean vegetables. I love it.

We went to the Living Desert today. It was incredible. We pulled into the parking lot, and you immediately pulled your Lovie out of your mouth and said "Animals." Wow. Perhaps you can give me directions to places now? :) You had a great time running through the butterfly exhibit, exploring Gecko Gulch and strolling through different animal exhibits.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I couldn't be more thankful for you and everything amazing that you have brought into your father's and my life. Thank you my sweet.

Decoding Finley

My how time flies! Three weeks ago your Mimi was in town for Halloween. She hadn't seen you in 5 months so she was amazed to see how much you had changed from a baby to a little girl. We of course had to teach her all your sign language so she could communicate with you since at the time all you truly consistently said was "Dada, Mama, Nana and Mimi." Well, at least you know who loves you baby :).

Well, three weeks later and here she is again today, visiting with 'Grandaddy' Sam for Thanksgiving, and what a language explosion she's seen! I was amazed too because I had no idea it had only been three weeks since you started with all your new vocabulary! Here's what we have so far:

Up, Apple, Animal, Book, More, Duck, Down, Dog, Bee, Ball, Bug, Bear, Baby, Milk, Purple, Swing, No-no....

Now of course, they don't all come out sounding like that so there's a lot of decoding going on, but it's amazing how in 3 weeks you've starting using your words along with your signs! Your sign language is also exploding and right now your favorite signs are:

Mouse, Orange, Purple, More (that one may never go out of style!), Eat, Milk, Book, Red...

You've become obsessed with Mice for some reason and you take out every book on your shelves that has one, you point to them all, sign "Mouse" and wait for me to turn the pages and discover them all! What a funny little monkey you are.

Oh, speaking of monkey's, you've renamed Marvin "Mambo." I prefer it so that's what we are sticking too. Oh, and please don't grow up too fast...This Mama Monkey can't get enough of her baby.

55 Minutes to Fun

Today we had such a wonderful morning. We went to the Children's Discovery Museum with your friend Abby and her parents Emily & Ryan. You and I usually go to the museum every Sunday but this week they had a "Healthy Family Fair" today so we decided to go a day early!

Well, you love the museum, but like any other thing in your life, it takes you just under an hour to warm up to your environment. That philosophy works fine at park play dates and the museum, because we could stay there for hours and after clinging to my leg (or any of my good friends' legs) you then decide "It's time to start having some fun!" I love it when you suddenly come out of your shell and next thing you know you are running around the playground or exploring toys or pulling out all the books from wherever we are. Attending the 1 hour My Gym sessions on the other hand, were not a lot of fun when considering your 55 minute warm up, so we've opted out of continuing those since you never really had any fun there anyways.

So today we spent a perfect afternoon out in the grass in a shady spot filled with beach balls. Abby had a blast kicking balls and rolling on top of them. You preferred sitting in Emily's lap and munching Mighty Bites. But we stayed there about 2 hours which meant you came out of your shell...so a perfect day indeed.

Food Favorites...and not!

So, after all the hard effort and months of steaming, pureeing and mixing your homemade baby food you are now a big enough girl to make decisions about what you want to eat. Oh I certainly did my darnedest to set you down the right path! You are very clear when you like a particular food, as you excitedly sign "More" over and over again and chirp "Mo! Mo!" An example of that type of food would be any type of fruit. Fortunately for me, baked salmon also falls into that category, as does fresh avocado cubes.

Then there are the items there are no way you are going to touch, that you don't even want to try and taste and insist they get off your tray, NOW. Examples of that would be cheese, hard boiled egg, pasta and chicken breast or any red meat. You emphatically shake your head, sign "no" and say "no-no" over and over again. You sure know how to get your point across with limited language skills!

Then there are the fence sitters. Take for example garbanzo beans. You see them on the plate and you point and say "Bee, bee!" and I gather that means you want them! Yay! But after chewing it either for a few seconds or even minutes, it all decides to make a reappearance. How in the world do you manage to store it all in there while eating other food and still pull out beans from your mouth!! Amazing. Same goes with omelette's these days. In a not so ladylike way you stick your fingers in your mouth, pull out the offender and ever so gently put it in my hand. Oh how glamorous motherhood can be!!

If it were up to you...you would snack all day. I want so badly to set you down the right food path (and have even become a household joke in some places with my 'Finley Food Rules' - you know who you are :) but like I said, you are a big girl now, almost one and a half, and have developed your own taste and preferences. I'm happy though that we've avoided most salts and sugars for the most part, and I am even getting more relaxed about that, feeding you homemade banana bread where I only cut the sugar in half, rather than eliminate it completely, as I usually do! Anyhow, cheerios and organic cheese crackers and dried fruit would be your main staple if it were up to you! You could eat these it seems by the handful all day long if I let you.

In the meantime, I can say that you are healthy and happy and as well fed as I could manage at the moment. And that will just have to be good enough for me :)

Toys, Toys & More Toys!

Have I mentioned how obsessed I am with buying you toys? Have I mentioned how all I want is for you to play with beautiful classic wooden toys yet you seem to be so attracted to plastic and buttons and beeps? Today, although it's plastic, I was happy when you discovered the Tupperware cabinet. It's the only one without a safety latch and I've been waiting for you to discover it and attempt to build magnificent towers or loud musical instruments from simple things like Tupperware. Your daddy always says "A jar and a lid...that's all she needs." I love that. Too bad I manage to stuff the entire armoire in the guest bedroom with toys for you that I find on sale and I hoard them there waiting for the perfect moment to give them to you!!

Today though I came across the Cool Mom Picks Holiday Gift Guide. Oh, the shopping I could do!! I was eyeing a wooden rocking horse but turns out your Mimi bought you a wooden rocking Moose to give to you next week when she visits. The Moose is to remind you of your Dad's and my life back in Jackson Hole. One day you will get a chance to get to know it better and visit it more.

Anyhow, for any of you interested in finding interesting, safe and quality toys, here is the link:

Sneaky Stop/Start Swinger

So we finally got your swing installed in the backyard. The 4 or 5 cancelled and rescheduled handyman visits made it all worth it when you first got in it and giggled your way through fifteen minutes of swinging. You call the swing "Gee". I assume because it ends in the letter G. It's interesting to watch your language form. Your favorite new word is "Gagoo". I don't know what it means but you use it all the time when referring to a multitude of things. Perhaps it is your version of a widget. :)

You tend to like your swing sessions split up in 10 minute intervals over the course of the day. It's more fun that way for you. Or you are just trying to manipulate my biceps. Regardless of the start/stop, you've managed a sneaky little trick in the evenings of getting in the swing and watching TV through the window. I see you gaze off and suddenly start dancing to your favorite tune by Hi-5. I can't hear the music but look behind me and lo and behold there is the big screen TV showing off the dancing singing Hi-5ers. You sneaky little swinger.

Where does this go?

You've started to become more and more curious about daily household activities that before went completely unnoticed. I think you always thought your sippy cups always came full with milk in them, but now you understand that milk is kept in the fridge (what you call 'Brrrr' for cold). One day I guess we'll have to explain that milk actually comes from cows (known as 'Mmmooooo'). That one should be interesting.

Today you also let Daddy vacuum the house for the first time without screaming in fear at the vacuum! You've had a fear of it for many months now. I kept you distracted by playing on your swing and watching music on TV.

We unloaded the dishwasher together this morning. I can't say you were much of a helping hand but it's nice to see you curious about things beyond your playroom! You do know how to wipe up milk spills with a rag but you prefer to swirl it around with your fingers instead and rub it in rather than clean it up. That's ok, there's plenty of time to learn how to clean. In fact, if you ask you daddy I am still learning!!

Before I was a Mom

Someone I know shared this today and it all rang so true I wanted to post this here before I forgot.

Before i was a mom i never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before i was a mom - I had never been puked on...pooped on...chewed on...peed on . I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept ALL night . Before i was a mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests; or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin . I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before i was a mom i never held a sleeping baby just because i didn't want to put them down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when i couldn't stop the hurt . I never knew something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that i could love someone so much. I never knew i would love being a mom. Before i was a mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy. Before i was a mom- I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure they were okay. I had never felt the warmth , the joy, the love , the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a mom. I didn't know i was capable of feeling so much - BEFORE I WAS A MOM...

I'll add a few things that I never knew about 'before I was a mom'

I never knew that seeing you wrinkle up your nose and smile would make me giggle so much. I never knew that hearing you say your first real word "baby" would make me long for you to stay a baby forever. I never knew that hearing you sigh as you fall asleep would be the most wonderful sound on the planet. I never knew that hearing you say "Mama" in your sweet voice could make everything else go away. I never knew that feeling you rub my arm with your thumb, as you do when you are nervous, would make me feel so protective of you. I never knew that I could listen to the same lullaby CD over a thousand times and not go mad. I never knew how obsessed I would become over what was in your diaper. I never knew how much I would enjoy shopping for toys. I never knew that I would become master entertainer, puppeteer, dancer, storyteller and more. Well, I'm not a master at any of those, but in your eyes I am, and for that I am ever thankful of your teaching me all these things that I never knew.

Monkey Times 2

Last night your Daddy came home with a special gift for you. He searched high and low for a sheep doll, because you love to see any picture, doll, image of a sheep and yell out "Baah, Baah!" but he could not find one. So, instead he brought home a super duper MONKEY!

You also love Monkey's too (not just because we call you one!) but you wave your hands in the air when you see one (again, doll, picture...) and say "Ooh, Ooh, Ooh!" It's really sweet. You really are quite an animal sound expert (plus we should mention your second real word is "Anmal" for Animal).

As soon as you saw this monkey your eyes lit up and you wanted to feed it your dinner, take a bath with it and walk around the house with it! I should mention that you are incredible at sharing your milk, crackers, dinner, kisses and hugs with all of your dolls. You even insist they sit down in the afternoon with us to read books!!

Anyhow, Monkey has been named Marvin I believe by your Dad last night. I'm not sure about the name, but if you like it, well it works for me!

Welcome to the wide world of Finley Blogging!

Well, I'm obviously behind the eightball and for the past year have been writing small notes to you by hand (can you imagine!) and I think the time has come for me to step into the world of Blogging! All in the name of you dear Finley!

So the goal is to make this page about you, your father,and me, and our happy life of three! Of course, we shouldn't forget Maddie your sweet doggie...but I think she'll understand the title!

So here we go!