Crawling

Did it on his Pawpaw's birthday. Happy Birthday Pawpaw!!!!

Finley Meets Santa

I took today off from work and brought Finn to see Santa at Megan's story time. He didn't cry when he sat on Santa's lap and seemed to have fun during story time. He really enjoys looking at the other kids and babies. Let's see if he does as well next year!

Hud

How You Can Tell That You Haven't Gotten Enough Rest

Please notice in this first picture the side table next to our chair. On this table you will see several objects including our cordless phone.

What you see in this next picture is my attempt to put the cordless phone back in the charger, when Megan said dinner was ready. Yes you are right...that is the baby monitor. I didn't notice it till we came back into the living room after dinner.

Enjoy.

Hud

Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen...

Goodness we are way behind on updating the blog. I will be surprised if anyone is still checking it. We have a good deal to update so here goes...

As I type today Finn is experiencing his first snow. It is coming down pretty good, sticking to roofs and a little on the ground. The roads are still pretty clear so not a big deal to get around. We went to grab lunch today and had him all bundled up in a teddy bear jump suit. He is cute as always but when we were getting him ready to go he was a little pissed and looked like a ticked off Ewok.

Finn is close to crawling as those who have seen him lately can attest to. He employs the stretch and pull method while combining rolling to get where he wants to go. I am guessing that in the next week or two he will begin actual crawling...just in time to get to the Christmas decorations. Gram and Granddad are going to have to watch out when we come up for Christmas since they will have a very mobile grandson to contend with.

We all traveled to North Carolina to visit my family for Thanksgiving. The days building up to the trip were filled with some trepidation for the drive down. Our last big trip, Canada, was not a pleasant drive. We left in the morning and had a really nice drive down. Finn was a little out of his elements at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house and had trouble sleeping at night. I don't know if this was the cause for the not so pleasant trip back to Virginia or not, but the boy was not happy. In the end we survived and overall had a nice time with my family. It was a good to see all of them and to let them see how much Finn had grown since our last visit.

Thanksgiving 09

Since returning home Finley has had an up and down sleep schedule. He did well the first few nights back but now wants to wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning play a little while then go back to sleep. Last night after Megan tried unsuccessfully to get him to go back to sleep for over an hour I reluctantly got up and checked on him in his room. I turned on his night light that has a rotating underwater scene. While staring at the swimming fish he took his pacifier out and ran it over the slats in the crib. I pictured the old jailhouse movies with the prisoner running the tin cup over the cell bars singing a little song (hence the blog title).

Let's hope the sleep schedule works itself out, so that Mom and Dad can get a little rest and not kill each other. If not and I suddenly disappear please check for turned over dirt in the back yard.

Will try to post sooner next time.

Hud

More to come soon..

but for now enjoy Finley's 6 month pictures.

The password is finleylemons

Way Overdue...

Wow, we are way behind in posting any news about Finn. Sorry about that. Things have been hectic some days and when its not we both are just worn out. But since it has been awhile we have plenty of things to update you on.

1. Finley is now rolling over at will from his stomach or back. From his back he can go either direction. From his stomach he only goes to his right. Sooner or later he will figure out he can go both ways. He is also on the verge of understanding that he can roll places to get to things. As soon as he masters that we are in trouble. I plan on installing one of those electric fences around the living room. If he rolls out he gets a little shock. That should keep him pinned up for a couple of weeks.

2. Finn is also trying to sleep through the night. For about 4 or 5 days in a row he slept from around 7 and 8 at night till 5 -6 in the morning. Currently he is waking up around 3 or 4 and sleeping till 7 which Megan doesn't mind either.

3. We are working on sitting up. After we put him in a sitting position, Finn can usually sit there for up to 20 or 30 seconds before we have to "re-balance" him.

4. Rice cereal is good to eat. After he kept making eating motions while Megan and I had dinner and watching our food intently we decided to begin him on solids. We currently are working on 1 serving a day and will slowly build up. There are some nice pictures of him eating. He makes a great "grumpy old man" face when we give him a spoonful. Not that he seems to mind because he keeps reaching for more.

5. Not as big as the others but fun for me is that Finn likes to play the "bub bub bub" game. At least that is what I call it. For those who have been around when Finley is crying I sometimes would pop my finger repeatedly over his mouth to break up the cries. This was to relieve us with humor more than anything. Well now he either likes the sound or the bopping finger on his mouth, because you can begin to bop him and he will start to make the sounds himself. Wow that was a really long explanation of something I should just put up a video for. Coming soon.

Anyway that catches everyone up on some things. Take a look at the pictures. He is changing fast.

Hud

Aug - Oct

Back to Reality

Now that we've been back from vacation for more than a week, its finally time to update the blog. We've been trying to get back into a routine after being away for two weeks. Finley was spoiled on vacation, being passed from person to person and rarely put down. Coming home and having only mommy has been tough, it took a few days for him to realize it wasn't the end of the world to be put in his swing or bouncy seat.

Vacation was great, two weeks at the cottage was the longest Hud had ever spent, and the longest I'd been since I was in school. Lots of family, my mom and dad, Nathan and his girlfriend Carly. Two of my aunts came up to meet Finley and my great aunt and cousins extended their stay to overlap with us. He was definitely the center of attention, and didn't complain about it one bit. He loved riding in the boats and watching Henry and my parents' dogs play. Finn put his feet in the water and got to feel the sand on his toes, but the water was too cold for him to swim this year, just wait until next year, he's going to love it!

Traveling was not as great as the vacation, Finley does not like his car seat and makes it known. The trip took about 16 hours each way. On the way there, the car was packed so full that we couldn't get into the back with him, so he would cry, fall asleep and wake up crying. We made lots of stops, but after the first 6 hours he didn't want to get back into the car after eating. We hoped that by leaving in the middle of the night he would sleep a good portion of the trip, but it didn't last nearly long enough. The ride home was slightly better, although even longer. We arranged the car so there was just enough room for one of us to sit in the back with Finn, which worked until about halfway through the trip when he started his usual evening fussiness. Then once it got too dark to play with toys he went back to crying until he fell asleep and waking up crying again.

When we got back from Canada Finley graduated to his crib. While we were gone he slept in his PacknPlay, and the gradual increase in size from his cradle worked well. No complaints from him, it took me a little longer. I did not sleep well the first few nights he was out of our room, I woke frequently, worried he was up and needed something. There was no reason to worry, we have a monitor and with the doors open I can hear him without the monitor.

Finn seems to be in the middle of a growth spurt as well, he's been getting up more in the middle of the night and having trouble getting back down. Next week is Finley's 4 month appointment and we'll go to the allergist the next day to get his shots and see if he is allergic to the shots, or if the rash was just a fluke, coinciding with his 2 month shots.

We've been interviewing day care providers to get ready for me going back to work in two weeks. I'm still not ready, but am lucky to be going back only part-time for the next two months.

Megan

3 Months

Wow. We have been behind a little on posting to the blog. To make up for it I will give you a verbal of what has been going on, some pictures, and even a video.

Well, Finn is 3-months old today. It is a little hard to believe it has been 3 months already. Of course, the last couple of nights it has felt a wee bit longer. Finley seems to be going through a growth/development spurt. He was only getting up once during the night to be changed and fed but now he has started getting up twice again. Last night he went back to once so lets hope that is over.

Finley is smiling a lot and talking. Baby talk at least. Fun noises most of the time and some make us laugh really hard. He is a ball to be around when he is happy. And he is quite the morning person, he wakes up smiling and talking in his cradle.

Mom and Dad had their first date night this past Saturday. It was great. We saw the Hangover and went to dinner. We did really well. We only called home once and that was to make sure we could stay out longer than we planned. Almost like we were teenagers asking permission to stay out later than curfew.

Things are good around here. We will be on vacation for the next couple of weeks so we will bring back pictures and stories of Finn's first trip to Canada.

The pictures are a mix. Some of just Finley and some of my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces when they came to visit.

The video is a mix of the of snippets from the last 3 months.

Later,

Hud

June and July Photos

Much better!

Finley visited the allergist yesterday and discovered it was not a food allergy that caused his rash and hives. He will go back to the allergist in 2 weeks for an oral Tylenol challenge to see if that was the cause. If that's not it, he'll go back a couple weeks after that to be tested for allergies to the vaccines. We're very happy to be breastfeeding again, and have learned a few things over these few days.

1. Finley will eat just about anything. He took to the formula like he'd been drinking it his whole life.

2. Finley is getting plenty of food nursing. We have a freezer full of milk to prove it, despite Finn's occasional protests that he is starving.

3. Because we have a freezer full of milk Hud and I are looking forward to going out occasionally without the boy.

4. It's not the end of he world if Finley gets a bottle of formula once in a while, ok, everyone else knew this but mommy had trouble accepting it until now.

We're very happy he is on the mend, and was such a trooper through it all. He was happy and smiley the whole time. Ok, not for the heel stick, but the rest of the time.

Megan

Out Out Damn Spot(s)

So the rash/hives came back. We took Finley to the Dr. yesterday and she believes he is possibly allergic to something Megan is eating or is having a reaction to a virus he may have been fighting off. She wants us to see an allergist but of course with the holiday weekend none were open. We went and had blood drawn and are looking to get an appointment with the allergist on Monday.

Until then we are formula feeding the boy while Mom pumps. He seems to be feeling fine and is motoring right along. We are washing more bottles and trying to get use to bottle feeding regiment. It is all worth it if we can figure out what is causing the rash/hives.

OUT OUT DAMN SPOT(S)! :-)

We will keep you guys updated.

Hud

Getting Sick For The First Time

Finley went to the Dr. yesterday and was told that he is doing well. We are gaining weight but will probably just be a peanut for awhile.

His motor skills and other development are looking great. The Dr. was impressed that he can roll himself from his stomach onto his back.

Finley also got his 2 month shots. He came home and we gave him some children's Tylenol. He got a fever last night and ended up with a rash today. Megan took him back to the Dr. and she thinks he may be allergic to Tylenol. He is doing better now and the rash is already calming down.

Needless to say last night he was very tired, and fell asleep on my shoulder.

Finn is also smiling a lot. It makes up for the times when he is screaming his head off :-)

Hud

Tummy Time

It's my turn to post on the latest thing the boy is doing. Monday afternoon Finley enjoyed some tummy time and consistently rolled from his stomach onto his back. When Daddy came home, of course, he would not show off this new skill. Eventually he turned from his stomach onto his side, but never fully onto his back. He is stretching those neck muscles more and more, and has pretty good control over his head.

Finley has decided he only likes to sleep at night, which is nice, but makes for long days and evenings. He sleeps for about 4-5 hours at night, the last few nights he has woken up at about 4:30, no matter what time he's gone to bed. He usually eats and goes back to sleep for 2 hours or so. This seems like no where near enough sleep for a baby. It's not for lack of trying, but he rarely sleeps more than 30 minutes at a time during the day, usually after eating. I used to be able to put him in his car seat and run errands and he would sleep the whole time we were gone, but now he is awake and alert or crying the whole time.

Finley is making noises and smiling all the time. He's even trying to laugh. I can't wait until he really laughs.

Megan

Finn Meets Uncle Nathan

A couple of  weekends ago Finley got a visit from Uncle Nathan.  Right before Nathan's visit Megan was going through some pictures she had and found one of Nathan as a baby.  Finley and Nathan look a lot a like.  I have posted in an album (click on the one image below) so you can compare.  Now we will just have to see if he gets Uncle Nathan's hair. :-)

Finley went to the Dr. yesterday.  He has a small white cyst in the back of his mouth.  The Dr. said it was nothing to worry about and should go away on its own.

Finley is doing well and gaining weight.  He went through a rough growth spurt last weekend.  He wasn't happy and there were several times I thought he will be an only child.  But we all managed to get through it and things are going well know.  We will try to update a little more often with some additional pictures.

Uncle Nathan's Visit

Update from Latest Dr Appointment

Finley went for his one month checkup this Tuesday and his Dr said he looks good and is doing well.  He was just shy of 7lbs.  Dr. said that we should bring him back in a month and hopes that he will have gained another pound by then.

Monday night and Tuesday nights were long for us.  Finley did not want to sleep leaving the both of us very tired.  Last night was just the opposite.  I woke up at 6:00 and was about to jump out of bed because something had to be very wrong.  But nothing was.  The little guy was sleeping away.  Megan had gotten up twice during the night but he slept for a 4 hour stretch and then a 2 1/2 hour stretch.  Good for us, lets hope he keeps that schedule for awhile.

All is well.  Here are a couple of the latest pictures.  His "boxer"  series, fetal position in the swing, and lounging.

Hud

Finley Goes Hollywood

So here is our first attempt at posting some video of Finley.  Hope you like it.

Hud

So here is our first post on the blog.  Hopefully this is an easy way for family and friends to keep up with what is going on in our life.  With the new edition to the family it has been a crazy couple of weeks.

Finley Charles Lemons was born on April 30 at 6lbs 11oz and has become the center of our lives.  Everyone tells you that once you have a kid your whole schedule revolves around them, but you never quite get it until it happens.  Who knew that taking care of the kid would be this hard.  Both Megan and I aren't completely naive and knew that when we decided to have a kid that raising him or her would be challenging, but we were never ready for what it really takes.  I have so much more appreciation for what our parents went through raising us now, and that is only after three weeks!  That doesn't even count what is coming up...walking...talking...puberty...crazy teenager...even crazier college kid...this is ridiculous! Nothing and I mean nothing prepares you for this.  

This is not to say that all of this is bad.  By far the opposite.  I can't get over the fact that I can spend 20 minutes just staring at him without saying a thing and thinking how amazing he is.  I dance around in the room with him in my arms singing songs that I make up (this is mainly because I don't know that many children's songs, which is something I will have to work on).  Finley is going to be a great person, I can just feel it.  I just hope that I don't do anything along the way to mess that up.   Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Megan and I will both post here and put up the latest pictures for everyone.  Our plan is to give updates on the family and vent some here when needed.  Hopefully you all will like and every once in a while we will be able to provide you with a smile, a laugh, or even a hell yeah!

Hud