Finley's First Christmas

Well, Finley's first Christmas has come and gone - although we still have a couple to go! For 3 full days, Finley celebrated with family, first at Great Grandma B.'s, then with mom's family in Waseca, then at Grandma Julie's, and she never once took a good nap. She slept horribly all weekend long and now, she has yet to wake up at 10 am. Home sweet home, I guess. She definitely didn't want to miss any of the action, though. She got lots of fun stuff: bath toys, clothes, a toy guitar, books, blocks, a drum, frog slippers, crayons and a drawing pad, among much, much more! I'm sure when she wakes up, she'll have lots of fun playing with everything.

10 months

Finley is really growing up fast! She is getting another tooth on the top, so now she has 6. She's walking full force now and initiates games like peek-a-boo. Her favorite song is "Animal Fair" - it always makes her giggle and tap whatever she happens to be next to. Her favorite book right now seems to be Sandra Boynton's "Snuggle Puppy"- although she really likes all of Boynton's books. She says "Da da" when Cam comes into the room and she reaches for or points at him when she sees him. She says "Ma ma Moooommmm", but not really when she sees me. She always gets excited when she hears the door open or close and points at either Dale or Dad when they come up to the top of the stairs. Dale is pretty sure she says "Dale" when she sees him. They are pretty fond of one another. She is easily entertained by simple things like straws, empty plastic babyfood containers, bottle liners, and empty pop or water bottles. She still doesn't sleep through the night. Mom and Dad have really gotten better at ignoring her by now, although last night she had a little party in her room at about 2am. She's getting more hair, but everyone who sees her still thinks she's a boy - even when she is decked head to toe in pink. She's really looking forward to her first Christmas!

I'm Number One!

Finley's new obsession is pointing, as is demonstrated in the picture here. Before snapping this picture, Finley was crouching in the corner and I'm sure you can all guess what we found in her pants after her "alone time". It's the first time I've noticed her needing "privacy". You can also see in the picture her brand new Chuck Taylor's. They are quite possibly the cutest things ever and Finley has been playing with them since we took them out of the box. I guess she's a girl after her shoe-loving mother's heart. Also, the reason behind Finley's latest crankiness was discovered this morning when feeding her her breakfast applesauce - a new tooth on the bottom. It's a relief to find out it's not that ear infection I thought it might be...at least I hope not!

Finley: Future American Idol!

Here's Finners getting ready to go to Sadie's birthday party. Not only does she look hot to trot, but she also made me cry on the way home from school today because she did the cutest, most precious thing ever - she sang with me! She has long been singing with Grandma Julie, but usually when they are hanging out in the living room and Julie is looking right at her. Today, I was listening to one of my new faves, Ingrid Michaelson, who I used to play in Finley's crib back when she wouldn't fall asleep by herself. I was singing along at the top of my lungs, of course, and I heard this sweet little sound coming from the back seat. I turned down the music and Finners was singing along from the back. I kept singing without the music, and so did Finners. I kept going with tears running down my cheeks because I didn't want her to stop. She is so precious.

I also love the picture from Sadie's birthday party. She hung in there with the "big kids", climbing every single stair - numerous times, walking from Grandma to Grandpa to mom to dad, eating ice cream with Grandpa, playing with Sadie's new vanity, and helping Sadie with her presents. I swear I have a picture of myself and my big cousins that looks just like that.

And, I also have to make record of the fact that Finley took her first trip to the art museum on Saturday. Grandma and Grandpa Bernhardt and Grandma Julie accompanied Finley, mom, dad, Auntie Megan and Cousin Sadie to the Macy's Christmas display and then to the Walker to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit. Of course, Finley was "talking" the whole time, while everyone else silently stood in awe and wonder of the gorgeous paintings. What fun we had. It might have been the "best day we ever had" (wink, wink).

Happy Birthday, Grandma Julie! We love you!

An Old Pro

She did it! She is walking full force now. I went to pick her up from daycare today and she was in the corner playing house like she always is so I started packing her bag. I heard the ladies getting all excited so I looked up and Finners was standing in the middle of the room looking at me all smiley. She kept coming at me and walked all the way across the room. She did it numerous times at home tonight, too. It's so funny how she goes from not doing something at all to doing it like she's done it forever! She's growing up so fast :(

Ta Da!

Here's Finley's latest trick - no hands! She's an old pro at standing by herself now. Last night, Mommy and Finners stayed with Auntie Megan, Phil and Sadie so we didn't have to drive home in the snowstorm. She showed off for them all by taking several steps. I've seen her take 5 all by herself now. She's becoming quite the little explorer, too - getting into the recycling, pulling on cords, pushing her little car all over the house, and, of course, she loved the Christmas tree and presents at Auntie Megan's.

Christmas Mischief

As Mommy has been wrapping presents and hanging Christmas lights, Finley has been doing her part, too! She is so funny when I get the camera out. She closes her eyes like it's painful to look at the flash before it even goes off (which is what is happening in the picture where she's eating the magazine!). I have to trick her by pushing the button halfway so the flash lights up but doesn't blink until she opens her eyes again. Then, I let it rip and capture that gorgeous smile. She even waved for me - a trick she learned at daycare. She's finally back on her normal schedule after her week of being spoiled at Grandma and Grandpa's...just in time for Grandma and Grandpa Bernhardt to come home from Mexico to spoil her some more and get her off track again! We can't wait to show them how she can take steps all by herself! She's still not completely confident in her walking abilities, but she gets better every day and I know it's coming soon...I'm sure we'll really be in for it, then!

9 Months

We missed Finley's 9 month birthday while we were in Mexico, so here are a couple of pictures to commemorate her at this lovely age. In the first picture, she is playing with the maraca we brought back from Mexico for her. She LOVES it! In the second picture, she is waiting for mom to get ready for church. Could she be any cuter in all her winter gear?!

Viva Mexico!

OK, so I know this is Finley's blog, but I'm guessing the people who care to check about Finley's life are probably also interested in hearing about Cam's and my vacation to Aculpoco. We had a wonderful time with my parents and sister, Megan, and her boyfriend, Phil (aka Felipe). Every day was spent poolside, which also happened to be oceanside. We took naps, read books, played football on the beach, had water competitions, played water volleyball, practiced the Dirty Dancing lift, collected shells, watched the dolphins surf the waves, drank numerous Coronas, daiquiris, margaritas, and Dirty Bananas, and made friends with our server, Pilar. The boys rented boogie boards a couple of times, although neither Felipe or Cam were all that lucky at catching any waves. The guys also golfed twice, so on one of those occasions, we girls got massages and relaxed in the spa. We went to town two nights and ate in beautiful restaurants overlooking the hills of the city. Since we kept ourselves so busy during the day, we all managed to end up in bed asleep before midnight every night! Although we had tons of fun, both Cam and I were very ready and excited to see our little Finners when we got back. She seemed so much bigger when we saw her and she stands all by herself now with no wobbles for extended periods of time. She dances without holding onto her favorite Leapfrog Music Maker, and Sandra and Cam both claim to have seen her take a couple of steps! She must have had lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa and the rest of the family because she has been treating us to a little bit of an adjustment period - which means we can tell she was VERY spoiled for the week we were gone :) Despite her extra need for attention, I'm proud to say I still managed to decorate the house for Christmas today! I am my mother's daughter :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Bernhardt family celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of weeks early since we'll really be spending it in Mexico!! Ay Ay Ay! It was AWESOME to be able to eat that big old turkey (that Finley helped Grandma win at Bingo the night before), stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, brocolli, and two kinds of cranberries when it wasn't really even time yet. And, now, none of us have to feel guilty eating enchiladas and having margaritas on the actual day of Thanksgiving - as if any of us really would ;) We are, of course, going to miss our little Finners while we're away, though. She has taken some big steps in the last week - literally! She spent a long time pushing the little car around the basement at Grandma and Grandpa's all by herself. Neither Cam nor I will be surprised if we come back from Aculpoco and find her walking without any help. She's also showing a real interest in big people food and can get VERY messy from her teething biscuits AND from her cousin/sister, Sadie, feeding her. All the more reason to take a nice bath in the kitchen sink!

Random Picks to Tide You Over

I just had to show off my little Finner's cute cuffed jeans and motorcycle boots. She already outgrew her 9 month jeans so I had to get her some new 12 monthers. The motorcyle boots are from a shopping trip with Grandma Brenda and Great-Grandma Joyce to the outlet mall. We really haven't had a whole lot of action here, which is why we haven't blogged anything in awhile. We got a "new" used piano on Tuesday night, so now Finley is having a great time pulling herself up on it to tickle the ivories. It's not in the best shape, but it is fun to have it here. Finners LOVES music. Last weekend, Grandma Julie came and sang with Finley. Whenever Julie sang, Finley did, too - which really means she sang "Ahhhhhhhh" as long as Julie was singing. Tonight, I played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on the piano and Finley bopped up and down and pointed like she was doing a disco. This is something she picked up at daycare. She also has learned how to wave hello and goodbye. She learns so many things at daycare. I really think it's so good for her to be with all those other kids - even if she does get the snottiest nose in the world and rubs it all over me and the furniture! And the teachers at daycare said she has a new boyfriend, Logan. Is that surprising, considering how beautiful she is?

TRICK-OR-TREAT!

Finley's first Halloween has come and (almost) gone. She got a couple pieces of candy at Ryan and Terri's house and then froze her little udders off when we tried to walk around Sadie's townhome complex, so Cam cut it short and brought her to his Aunt Sandra's. She was the most adorable little cow, though. Sadie was Princess "Diarrhea" (Diaries) and as we walked out the door to go trick-or-treating, she said, "Aren't I so pretty?" She was. She is. The first house we went to, she was so adorable. She was so excited she couldn't even bring herself to ring the doorbell. Now, I need to get ready for bed so I can handle the kids with the candy hangovers, tomorrow! Happy Halloween!

Big Smiles

Finners got her top two teeth on Thursday, which explains her howls of pain in the night and mine when she nurses! :o She's getting to be such a big girl. This morning, she had her first big girl temper tantrum, too! I was trying to get both of us ready for church (Cam was in WI this weekend so it was just us girls) and I took away the battery she was playing with. That ticked her off from the start, but it was when I put her in the exersaucer so I could get my coffee that she really lost it. I picked her up, but had to put her down on the floor by my feet so I wouldn't burn her. She made her face as red as she could and just HOWLED! I didn't think I'd get her to calm down in time for church, but the sun shining in the window on this beautiful fall day was enough to get her back to her old happy self - as you can see from these lovely pictures.

More Fall Fun for Finley

These pictures wouldn't fit on the last blog and, despite the fact that this is Finley's blog, I couldn't resist throwing in the one of me doing a handstand on the "beam" at the park. Looks like the ol' girls still has it in her, eh? But back to Finley, look at her adorable fuzzy hair!

Lots of Fall Fun for Finley!

We have been having a busy time as of late, since I had conferences followed by 3 days off of school for MEA. While I was busy dealing with the always enjoyable parents ;) Finley was busy climbing the stairs at Auntie Megan's while Grandma Brenda watched her! After conferences, I enjoyed my much needed vacation and Finners and I played all day long. Here's Finley in the adorable green onesie from Auntie Al in Austin, TX. She's enjoying it as much as I did, I think! While I was at home with Finley, I noticed that she was touching her ear a lot and was a bit fussier than her normal, perfectly pleasant daytime self. I took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with her first ear infection. She's been taking her medicine like a champ and I think she's almost back to 100% now. As a last hurrah before heading back to school on Monday, the family took a trip to Waseca to stay with Grandma and Grandpa. Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, Auntie Megan and Phil, and Cousin Sadie also came to stay and we had some Autumnal fun at the park. Finley also played the piano for the first time! She's so gifted.

Ouch! My ear hurts!

Finners and I just got back from the dr.'s office and it was confirmed that she has an ear infection. She had a couple of bad nights where it was obvious she was in pain and she spent a lot of yesterday touching her right ear. She also wouldn't let me put her down for anything and constantly wanted to nurse, which the doctor said is typical when a baby is sick. Nonetheless, she still looks adorable modeling her matching green jammies with her cousin and enjoying some vegetable beef medley with Grandma Julie!

Arrivederci, Zia Hannah

Bet you all didn't know I knew Italian, did you?!

Well, Auntie Hannah is off to Washington D.C. for a new job and, while we'll miss her, we'll never complain about a good Italian send-off at Buca's. This was right after I took a book to the eye via Sadie's awesome throwing arm. Since Phil took up teaching her how to throw a football, she thought it would be a good idea to toss me a book to read to her. I wasn't paying attention and it sliced my eye and left a small hemmorhage. It wasn't fun and I lost some vision in my right eye temporarily, but it's all good now. Although, I was also struck down with the nastiest case of stomach flu I've had in years the next day. Cam suffered through it and so did Sadie, but Finners was lucky enough to avoid it. I think it's due to the fact that she's still nursing. While I was sick, Cam had to bring Finley to daycare all by himself. The girls there can't get over how funny they thought it was when he walked in and stood completely dumbfounded and said, "Ummm. I've never done this before." They wisked Finley, her bottles, and the diaper bag away, and laughed as he walked out the door without even kissing Finners goodbye. I think they just like to talk about how cute Finley's dad is! Last week, I had conferences so I spent MANY long hours at school. Since Cam had to go to Trimont to help Grandpa Tim farm, he took Finners with him and left me to have some quality time to myself. I got lots of shopping done and slept until noon both days, and while it was wonderful to do whatever I wanted whenver I wanted, I COULD NOT WAIT to see my babies when they returned.

This is Funny!

OK, so seriously SECONDS after I wrote that last blog, Finley let out a wail! You will never again hear me talk of her sleeping habits, for fear that she may never sleep again ;)

Willabee Wallabee Finners

Here's Finley after I picked her and Sadie up from daycare on Monday. I've been getting them both when Megan has away volleyball games (she's coaching - ha!). It's so fun to pick them both up since Sadie is such a big help. She gives her kisses and sings her songs the whole way back to Megan's and Finley laughs and shrieks at all of Sadie's antics. My favorite song of Sadie's is the "Willabee Wallaby" song. She sings it using everyone she loves' names and it makes both Finners and me smile :) Finley is getting very good at getting around. She stands almost by herself - just using one hand to hold my shirt or some other loose item. On Tuesday, Auntie Hannah had to pull her down from the stairs at Megan's after she climbed them all by herself. AND, she has successfully slept through the night Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights. Now that I have written this down, though, I'm sure the charm will be broken...but here's to hoping!

Rubber Duckie, You're the One!

You make bathtime, lots of fun. Rubber Duckie I'm awfully fond of you! Here's Finley at bathtime with Grandma Brenda. She's using Sadie's oh-so-handy bath chair, which makes playing with her bath toys much easier. She still loves her bath as much as when she was a brand new baby, which makes the nighttime ritual all the more pleasant.

Finley was able to show off for 2 Grandma's, a Grandpa, and an Auntie this weekend. Grandma and Hannah came to play while Grandpa and Dad went to the Gopher game Saturday night, and Grandma Julie came to visit on her way through from Duluth. After Finley's brief illness, she was successful at passing it along to her two loving parents, so the company and help was much appreciated. Finners is getting so adept at pulling herself up on furniture, people, whatever is in the way, you would never guess she's only just 7 months old. Her favorite way to wow the crowds is to let go of whatever she's holding onto and balance. She seems to forget she can't walk - which is how they learn, the g-parents tell us. She also loves to use an overturned laundry basket as a "walker". She's so talented. She's also growing linguistically. Every 3 days or so, she adds a new sound, it seems. She started with "da da da" a few days before her 7 month birthday, and has since added "goo", "ga", and "ba". Sadly, there have been no signs of "ma". She also loves to play games, now. Grandma played "I'm gonna get you" with her and she crawled to me so fast it was like her diaper was on fire! I've also seen her play it with cousin Sadie, which is so adorable.

Poor, Sick Finley

Here's poor Finners, at her best (ha ha). She had her first sick day on Thursday. After a week of getting notes from day care that said, "She wasn't quite herself today," she finally broke down with a fever and the runniest nose I've ever seen. She was running a slight fever, and I was a bit fed up with my students at school anyway, so we decided to take Thursday off and see if some rest would help her. She spent a lot of the day dripping snot all over me and the furniture, so we snuggled her up for story time early and hoped a good night's rest would help make Friday a better day. Unfortunately, she spent the ENTIRE night crying and it didn't matter what we did, so, after only 3 hours of sleep, I called in sick again today. She only took one short nap all day today, so here's to hoping she'll sleep through the night tonight! Isn't that a recurring theme throughout these blogs...?