Cereal - NUM!

In our quest to get Finley to sleep through the night, Cam and I tried a few different strategies yesterday. First, every time Finley looked tired, I would lay her down in her crib with her binky and blanky to see if she would fall asleep. The only thing that was good for was helping to get her tired out because she never fell asleep. In fact, she only took one 45 minute nap all day and that was when she feel asleep eating. When Dad got home from work, we went to a really great park that we'd never explored before. We loaded Finley up in the "Jeep" (that's our running stroller) and took to the back trails. It was one of the most gorgeous nights of the summer and a cute little boy on his bike offered to take our picture by the lily pads. Finley dozed off for maybe 10 minutes of the whole trek. On our way home from the park, we went to the grocery story and picked up some rice cereal. I gave our exhausted Finley a bath and then Cam gave the cereal a shot. It was a hit! She ate it all and then still nursed. I was sure she would sleep through the night since she was thoroughly exhausted and had a very full belly, but a couple of hours later, she was fussing again.

She woke up about 4 times in the night and ate 2 of those times! I guess we'll just keep trying...

Weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's

Finley and I spent the last 3 days in Waseca and we were lucky enough to share our time with cousin Sadie. We had a blast! On Saturday night, we had a slumber party on the living room floor. When Sadie and I put Finley to sleep, she said, "Oh. Look at that cute little bug". On Monday, we had a "Girls' Day Out" shopping trip. Besides a whole bunch of new outfits, including her first jean skirt, Finley got a new exersaucer. She loves that she can see the world the way we do now. Finley also took her very first ride on the swing at the park. She loved that, too. Unfortunately, I left my camera at Gram and Gramps'. This morning, before we left, Sadie decided to use Finley as her doll when she played house. She strapped her in her dolly stroller, put her new purse over her shoulder, and took a pretend trip to Target to get some groceries. Finley was glad to go with. When we got home today, Finn spent about 15 minutes laughing and laughing at me as I sang "Shoo Fly" while she bounced in her exersaucer. I think that's going to be a big hit in the Bernhardt-Peterson home :)

Boogie Woogie Baby

Here's another addition to Finley's artistic repertoire of onesies. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this piece of work, it is "Boogie Woogie Nights" by Piet Mondrian. Not only are Finley's art onesies cute, they are also educational. I'm sure Finley's art teacher Uncle Luke would be proud - we can't wait for him to visit now that he's back in the states! Finn really is a Boogie Woogie Baby. The other night, Cam would hold her around the waste and she would walk over to me a few feet away. As she got closer, her smile would get bigger and bigger and she just looked more and more pleased with herself. When she finally reached her destination (my arms), she would giggle with glee. If she could talk, she would have said, "Again!!" Toys are also much more exciting to her, especially since she can finally pick things up and manipulate them a little. And, she is also loving to read books. She will sit in my lap and look at the pictures forever! She doesn't even try to put it in her mouth like she does with everything else. She's just so darn smart - but I'm not biased or anything - and neither are any of you who are reading this blog, I'm sure ;)

Hippie Baby!

Here's our exceptionally adorable daughter in her authentic hippie onesie straight from the Haight in San Francisco. Thanks, Paige and Natalie!

4 Month Old Finley

Today, Finley is 4 months old and she had her second set of shots :( This time, mom handled it a little better, but it was still tough. I closed my eyes through the whole thing. But, wow, Finn is growing so big! She is now 13 lbs 14 oz., almost big enough for the next size of diapers, and she is 26 inches long!! Dr. Noll said she is around the 50th percentile for weight and the 97th percentile for height, so she's going to be a tall and lean athlete, we're guessing (hence the adorable athletic wear, courtesy of Sadie.) She's also so happy. She smiles at everyone. All the fancy ladies at Panera today were in love with her. Of course, this was not a shock to me... The one complaint Cam and I have is her inability to sleep in her crib through the night. We've reached a milestone in that she will finally fall asleep by herself if we lay her down with her blanky and binky, but that only lasts for a couple of hours. Then, she's up and won't sleep anywhere but with us in the big bed. Dr. Noll said we can start letting her cry in the night when she wakes up since we know her needs are being met, but I already know this is going to be a BIG challenge for her parents!

A Day in the Sun

Here's what Finley and I did today. I bought a little pool for her yesterday, so we slathered on the sunblock and spent the day in the backyard. It has been really hot lately, so she seemed to like the cool water breaks, although you couldn't tell it by the look on her face here! Oh, and a major development occurred today - she has learned how to keep the binky in her mouth! Yippee! She actually fell asleep in my lap today sucking on it. She has been a much happier baby as a result...at least until I have to take it away in a couple of years ;)

Cousins/Sisters

Here are the two bff's, just hanging out. Sadie looks more like my child than Finley! Sadie still thinks the world of her sister/cousin. She always says, "I need to hug and kiss my sister," in the middle of doing something else. Then, she runs over and tries to pick her up. I can't wait until Finley is old enough for Sadie to boss her around :)

Ready for Summer!

We had a first weekend of summer vacation shopping spree yesterday. Here's a sampling. Have you ever seen anything cuter than a baby in a bikini and flip-flops?

A Star is Born!

Again, a girl after her mommy's heart. This cute onesie is a gift from the other middle school art teacher in my district. There are a couple more art related onesies to come.

Well, today was the last day of school for kids, so I just have one day left and then I get to stay home with my baby for two and a half months. Just like 8 weeks ago, I shed some tears today - but this time it was for Cam, who has to leave Finley. I can vividly remember how sad it was to go back to work and I know Cam is going to be just as sad. He has been and is the best Daddy and I know Finley is going to miss him next week. We couldn't ask for any more.

Today, Finley seemed like a new person. She sat on my lap and talked to me for a good 20 minutes today. Then, she told Cam and I a million stories as we snuggled on the bed. Her voice is so beautiful. It's got this cute, throaty quality to it, but it's not as deep as Cam's and my voice. It brings tears to our eyes. I can't believe that a year ago, she wasn't even a thought in our minds. What did we do before her?

RIGHTEOUS BABY

She's a girl after her mommy's heart, thanks to the cool onesie from Auntie Hannah! It looks like she's yelling at a concert :) This gets me excited for our trip to San Francisco in July to go see Ani!! It is too bad we can't bring our little fan along.

Baby's Got a New Pair of Shoes!

Here's our happy baby! My college roommate, who just happens to share Finn's birthday, sent her her first pair of shoes (if you don't count the "shoes" Great Grandma and Grandpa Laven gave her right after she was born). They look awfully cute with her preppy little Gap jumper. Good thing she sent those, too, because at the rate of Finley's development, she'll probably be walking next week ;) Also, Grandma Belva gave Finley the awesome play mat. The snake that wraps around the whole thing really helps contain our now very mobile baby.