Daddy

Happy 2nd Father's Day Daddy!

Daddy showing Finley the fish he caught.

Finley colouring on Daddy's Father's day card.

We went to visit Daddy at his work in the Emergency department - I don't have a picture of that because it was not appropriate to be snapping pics in the ED! We brought Daddy a travel mug with photos of Finley and Daddy. He liked it.

Afterward we went to Pet Smart to watch the dogs being groomed and then we stopped for a snack and a drink in the back of the truck while a rain shower cooled us off! Ahhh. It was a good day. It would have been a perfect day if Daddy was home with us. We love you daddy! Thank you for taking care of both of your girls.

Date Night

Last week we were at the beach with our good friends the Elston family. Tony Elston is one of Steve's BFF's. They've bickered like an old married couple since they were in kindergarten - I think. Tony's parents, who totaly rock, were also at the beach with us which is fast becoming a yearly vacation. This being our 3rd year in a row. All the men windsurf, surf and kite board, all the women hang together. Sandy called us the "wind widows" at one time!

We haven't seen one another since last spring when Finley was only 5 weeks old and here we are one year later at the beach with our toddler. Pretty crazy! Last year I kept trying to get my sh*t together to make everyone dinner but Fin was on her 5 week growth spurt and was nursing the whole week and I didn't have a clue what was up with her except that we were attached 24/7. This year Finley was playing independently, stalking the dogs and wiggling her way into every one's hearts while I got to make parts of more than one meal! Ohhhhh, what a difference a year makes!!!

Of course I was nervous about having Finley on the vacation as she is noisy and busy and well, she's a toddler with a mind of her own and when you aren't used to having kids around it can be a lot. She is a very good girl, quite entertaining and we all got a kick out of having her with us. This is our new reality and I love the discipline, noise and happiness she brings us. I say discipline as this momma in earlier days would have been staying up way later enjoying a combo of company, frosty beverages and a hot tub. I now crash early and rise to Finley kisses at dawn's first light. Actually none of us were up late! Lots of sun, beach and exercise will knock anyone out.

The Triple S was taking place in Waves at Real Kiteboarding and the opening night party was on the Saturday we were there. Tony's mom Sandy offered to babysit Finley so we could go out for dinner and then to the party at Real. We have never ever gone out at night without Fin since she was born - so this was a welcomed offer. Since Finley has been sleeping so well at night I was actually optimistic about this plan! I settled Fin, which took longer than usual, wouldn't you know it - it was like she knew we were going out! Once she was asleep I put on a little make up and Sandy loaned me some Morrocanoil to tame my ridiculous new-growth hair fro I've been sporting and off we went with an encouraging word from Sandy to have fun and not worry about our girl as she was going to be just fine!

I did check my phone more than a couple of times to make sure Sandy hadn't called...but I did not call her. I knew Fin was in the best hands. We were out from 8 pm until 11 pm...WHOOOOOT WHOOiiii! We had an awesome time! Thanks Sandy - you have know idea how good this was for us. Well, for ME.

Steve & I at the Triple S party - 1st date night out in 14 months.

No worried faces here!

Looking forward to next spring's Elston & Pare' vacation already!

Photo courtesy Bryan Elkus Photography

Dog OBSESSED

Finley is DOG OBSESSED. She gets so excited every time she sees one. She signs dog, and says; dog, puppy, woof, hahh haaaa with her tongue sticking out like she's panting and she gives dog kisses by licking your face. That is SIX words used to describe one thing. That might tell you how into the canine creatures she is.

We are cautious with her approach of dogs she doesn't know. We are trying to teach her to exercise some etiquette...we're trying .... by stopping when she sees strange dogs and asking if we can approach. She's surprisingly gentle with animals for her age and is listening for the most part. She just gets so excited whenever she sees a dog it's insane.

I bought her a book called DOG. She Loves it we read it a few times a day. It is a board book with touch and feel with soft patches of dog fur and it's interactive. By pulling the tabs a dog will shake a head, wag a tail and even lift a leg to pee. That is my favorite! I totally recommend this book!

When she is fussy in the car I tell her to look out the window and look for dogs. It quiets her. Then she shrieks "Mommmmeeeee" and barks when she sees one!

This past week we spent with our friends at the beach. They own a chihuahua. Surprisingly the chihuahua, named Darko, was not in the least bit afraid of the quick moving and stalking tactics brought on by Finley. Soon they became BFF's. Darko even came to snuggle in her lap and offer her his belly to rub!

Finley & Darko

Dog Kisses

Fintastic

Finley knows her way around a fish.

Moments like this with Finley & her Daddy would be lost if it weren't the iphone!

Summer Bliss

Salvo, North Carolina

Ike 18 months & Finley 14 months

Uncle Tony, Doggie Darko & Finley

MOOOOMMMMEEEEEEEE

Fin said MOMMY well MOOOOMMMMEEEEEEEE! For the first time last Tuesday. I jumped over the moon. She was stuck in the garden between some big potted tomato pants and a shrub. It was about the cutest thing ever and the most amazing word I have ever heard. All day today she has been practicing. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Hilarious. I always call myself Mama. So does Steve. Out she comes with Mommy. She has been saying Dada and Daddy for months, I can' t tell you how exciting it was to hear Mommy and know it was meant for me.

Fin pulling the heads off my variegated hydrangeas.

Finley sneering ... I wonder what she was thinking about?

Finley Mae - The 13th Month

Here is our 13 month old. She's busy, funny, feisty and curious.

She has been running all around and has now mastered the stairs both up and down (yikes!) and has a great grasp of words. This week she began speaking a whole bunch of "B" words which include: book, bird, ball, bath and her all time favorite "bye-bye!" She also says: Hi there, mommy, daddy, ceesus (for Cecil) , meow, woof - woof, horse, up, down, oh there are MORE I'm sure....like "weeeee" is her word for a swing! She also has sound FX for other things. She sees the car key, the car, the vacuum and the coffee grinder and says bruuuum.

She is signing like a mad woman too which is so awesome. She really works hard to tell us things and ask for things using her signs. Of course her two favorite signs are 1) Cookie and 2) MORE closely followed by signing cookie again. Her signs include: potty, dog, cat, bird, fish, play, more, cookie, food, drink, all done, night- night, brush teeth, bath, sit, shoes, socks, and we are working on please and banana. Although I'm finding the please and thank you hard to translate as you cannot assign an object to it like most of the other words so I'll keep using them and she'll catch on. It's amazing to watch her figure language out. I say the words and sign as I speak and sometime 3 weeks later she just uses the sign in proper context and it then becomes habit. I'm just waiting for her to drop the f-bomb.

She is also insane over music. She asks for us to put the radio on and she dances better than I do. I am SO going to be teaching her the ROBOT very very soon!

As for me - I'm absolutely loving her at this age. What age have I not said that at? But seriously, I have a little playmate now. She entertains me and herself. She is helpful and likes to sort laundry and unload the dishwasher and throw things in the garbage can. I have to check the garbage cans around the house. Lately they are filled with her cups, plates, cars and my hair brush and a pair of my false eyelashes in their plastic case. Yeah - nice! Note to self: push things deep onto the counter top as she is reaching and stealing anything within her grasp!

Finley has been sleeping through the night ever since we weaned her. WHICH ROCKS! It gives me an evening to do stuff I can't do during the day, like prep meals (ha-ha Steve is on nights - I make salads), vacuum, read a book, sit with my feet up! When she's awake I am full on watching her. She is really into hiding and climbing. (I'll save that for another post) So I have to have an eyeball on her at all times.

She loves to read books and we have read Clifford's Big Red Easter and Carl the Dog EVERY NIGHT for the last two months (I wish I was kidding). She is dog obsessed. I take her to see the dogs the Humane Society bring to Pet Smart on Adoption day and you would think I gave a random stranger a million dollars - she gets SO excited. Sometimes we stop into watch the dogs being groomed. She loves it! After our visit there today she began telling her dad all about it when she saw him. Her little arms were waving and she was talking jibberish intertwined with the car sound and the dogs sounds. SO cute!

Sometimes I just watch her play independently, she gives her doll a kiss or tells a whole story to her self. In the following photo she is playing with a great big Gerbera Daisy. She's looking back at the dog who is always near by.

Also, she had just gotten into the FOLDED laundry basket and skattered my clean under wear all over the dining room. I had to carefully crop them out of this photo. Cuz, NO-ONE needs to see my gitch.