To sleep, perchance to dream...

Last night something amazing happened.

We are working on putting Finn down in his crib while he is still awake and letting him fall asleep in the crib (rather than having to be rocked to sleep). For a week and a half, we have done this several times a day and, instead of falling asleep, he has cried for what seems like an eternity. It is sooooo sad. And yes, I am the meanest mother in the whole world.

But yesterday evening, it happened. We put him down (awake) and he quietly fell asleep and slept until his next feeding. And then... he did it again!! Combined with his great schedule at night (I actually get 6-8 hours of sleep, albeit not all at once) we might just survive. Praise God for sleeping babies!

Although to be honest, I am also working on praising God when things are not going well. You know... "the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, (but either way) blessed be the name of the Lord." It's tougher when circumstances are unpleasant, but it's definitely a good practice. So, the baby sleepeth, the baby crieth, and God is good either way. But, oh, it's nice when Finn sleeps!

Susu reads again

My mom, who is a first grade teacher, hitched a ride with some friends over the weekend and came to see us. We had a good time! She brought Finn a new book: Horton Hatches the Egg. Here are some pictures of her reading it to him. And those are our dogs, Fred and Ginger, running around in the background.

"They grow up so fast..."

When my great grandmother, Mawmaw Townsend, was here (Finn's great-great grandma) we were talking about babies and she looked across the table at her 76 year old son (my grandpa) and said,
"They grow up so fast..."
It was so funny and so sweet at the same time.

Finn is now a month old. Here are a couple of pictures of him at birth and a couple of him now at one month. I think Mawmaw is right!

The economy

Our response to the current economic situation is that J has decided to read Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" to Finnegan. As you can see from the picture, they are having a good time.

Get your shots. Save a life.

This is my Public Service Announcement, folks. You need to call your doctor TODAY and schedule your tetanus/pertussis booster shot. Go ahead. Go call NOW. I'll be here when you get back.

Why?
Pertussis (whooping cough) can be fatal to children under 6 months of age. Adults are the carriers. Adults can carry pertussis and have no symptoms. Children being vaccinated do not reach full immunity until they are 18 months old, because they have to have a series of shots. In other words, you could transmit a potentially fatal case of whooping cough to an infant and never even feel sick.

The pertussis booster for adults is new. I had a tetanus shot two years ago (because I am Superklutz) and the pertussis booster was not included at that time, so I have to go in for another shot. My appointment is next Wednesday. If you are going to be around an infant— like Finn, for example— you need to get the shot, and you need to get it sooner rather than later. It's as simple as that.

Get your flu shot while you are there. If not for you - do it for the sake of any baby you will be around over the next few months. Do it for Finn!

For more info on the pertussis booster for adults, check out www.doitforyourbaby.com

OK, that's all of the scary stuff for now. More cute pictures coming up later.

Our little man

Some cute shots of our little man... Note his stylish Hawaiian shirt (disregard the silly but convenient baby gown in the other shots). He has so many cute clothes! Luckily, he spits up on them enough that we have to change his outfit several times a day, so we will be sure to wear them all before he outgrows them (which won't be long). Gram bought him some cute things while she was here but we were smart and bought bigger sizes so he could wear them later.

Finn is quite a dapper little guy. He has a driving cap, penny loafers, and a madras plaid blazer, among other cute things. They are a scooch big yet but I promise a picture in those sometime soon.

Finn's first bath

Finn's belly button took a while to heal so we have been giving him sponge baths. But last night he got his first real bath. I should say, for anyone who doesn't know, that wet, squirmy babies are slippery! But we managed to hang on long enough to get him mostly clean. I thought Finn would like taking a bath but, as you can see from the pictures... not so much.

First Date

On Thursday night, J's mom offered to keep Finn and let us go out to dinner. We got out while the getting was good! We went to Toulouse (yes, the same restaurant where we ate the night before Finn was born). It was really nice to get out, but of course we missed our boy! We were walking down Knox Street and looking in the shop windows and I just wanted to tell people, "Do you SEE us just walking down the street? Just the two of us? It is SO WEIRD!" I did not do that, but it did occur to me. I think it's good for us to get out. But I was ready to see him when we got home.

Oh, and if you're at Toulouse, let me recommend the French 75. It's delish.

Gram is here!

Finn's grandma Nancy (J's mom) is here from Nashville and I do not think he has seen the inside of his crib since she arrived! This is Nancy's first grandbaby and she is just loving on him as much as is humanly possible. It is really nice for me because I can grab a little nap or even do a load of laundry!
We have also gotten out and about a little bit and that is a treat for me. Today we went to the Sample House and I smelled all the candles, which is one of my favorite things ever, and Gram held Finn, which is one of her favorite things ever. Since I was on partial bed rest for the last months of pregnancy, I hadn't seen anywhere besides work and home for months. It is nice to be able to go somewhere, even if it does require bringing an exceptional amount of baby equipment. Heck, it is even nice to be able to unload the dishwasher without feeling guilty about being on my feet.
And I am overwhelmed at the attention you get when you are carrying a newborn baby in public. I can't believe all the people who want to see him and ask about him. Who knew? Although it does make me sort of want to yell, "DON'T TOUCH HIM OR BREATHE ON HIM!!" but that's just the crazy lady talking.
Oh and by the way Finn weighed 9lb 12oz at the doctor on Monday. Our goal was birth weight (9.1) so he is fattening up nicely, and his collarbone is all healed (for those who don't know, he broke it on his way into the world, which is apparently common with big babies). We are even sleeping at night (sort of). I think it is going as well as can be expected. In any case, I feel pretty good and Finn is healthy and we are just happy as little clams.
Today is a milestone birthday for Gram (I won't say which birthday) but we will celebrate tonight with lasagna and cake (thanks to dear friends who brought food) and presents and of course much more grandbaby-holding, courtesy of Finn, who is "the best present ever". And a shoutout to my mom, who is also celebrating a birthday today, so here's hoping Amazon.com delivered her gift on time.
Happy birthday to both of Finn's grandmas!

eco baby meets... disposables!

First let me explain that I am all about eco-friendly stuff. I don't buy paper towels. We only use cloth napkins. We have refillable water bottles that we take to work and to the gym to avoid using plastic bottles. We put more in our recycling bin than we do in the trash. We go out of our way to save the earth. Now that you know how self righteously green we are, let me tell you how much I love disposable baby stuff.
I actually considered using cloth diapers at one point. What was I thinking?? Can I tell you how much I love disposable stuff? Not just disposable diapers and wipes. I have disposable changing pad covers. Disposable washcloths? Love 'em! If they made disposable onesies, I'd get those too.
I still use cloth napkins and towels, but disposable baby stuff is the way to go.
Besides, I read somewhere that there is more cat litter in landfills than diapers.

Gianni and Finn

Praise God for the AC

Our air conditioning has been out since Friday night. Not so fun with a little one. I spent an entire summer living in a cabin in Arkansas without air conditioning, so I know that it is possible, but with a sweaty little baby lying on your chest it is pretty miserable. I just sat around sweating, but not in a sexy Ashley-Judd-in-A-Time-To-Kill way. More like a Johnny-Cash's-sharecroppin'-momma-in-Walk-The-Line kind of way. We spent some time out and about at bookstores and over at friends' houses (thank you, Lisa and Lisa!) That was actually a little blessing in disguise, because it forced us to get out of the house and gave me more confidence with taking Finn out and about.
But this morning the guy came and fixed the AC, hallelujah! Is there a sweeter sound than the compressor motor kicking on? Today, I think not.
Also thankful for our home warranty, which has paid for itself over and over. They are a bit of a pain to deal with but have saved us a TON of money. New compressor motor including parts and labor? Only $55. Yessir, I am thankful today.

tiny hands and feet

Here are some sweet pictures of Finn's tiny hands and feet. These are mainly for grandparents' benefit; the rest of you can nod politely.
His hands and feet really aren't that tiny at all but they are as tiny as they will ever be! Finn and I made a card for Jonathan's birthday with his footprints stamped on it and I kept cutting the paper too small for his big ol' feet to fit on it. I guess we should have known that between J's size 13 and my size 11 feet, we weren't going to have a baby with tiny tootsies.

We are undone.

I don't know if we've mentioned it or not, but we really, really, love this baby. I never expected to be so oogly-googly over some little tiny person and his bodily functions. Today he threw up directly down my (rather ample at the moment) cleavage and honestly my main concern was that he was OK. Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially smitten with this little boy. I can spend an hour just looking at him and getting all choked up about how sweet he is and how he will never be this tiny again. Did you ever expect to hear me say that? (those of you who know me really, really well... you expected it.)
Jonathan, too, is head-over-heels. Finn has a fussy time at night and Jonathan just rocks him the entire time. Any man who will rock a screaming baby for two hours - and coo at him the entire time - is a man I am proud to be married to. Jonathan has been above and beyond for the entire pregnancy, birth and baby experience. He is a gem and no, you can't have him, he's mine.

Sorry I haven't posted any photos over the last 2 days; I have had a problem with my leg and had a little outpatient surgery yesterday to remove some blood clots. It was actually kind of cool to watch. The doctor just poked a few little holes in my leg with an exact-o knife (ok, probably a scalpel, but it looked like an exact-o knife) and he pressed really hard on my leg and squoozed out 5 big clots the size of blackberries. Aren't you glad I described them for you? I knew you would be. It WAS kind of cool, though, and my leg felt so much better after that I could have hugged the doctor. I didn't, though. I'm saving that for the follow-up visit.
I am learning that it is tricky to do things like "outpatient surgery" when you have a little one. Jonathan came with me for this one but I'll be on my own at doctor appointments from now on. So far I have received two pieces of advice: 1. take the stroller and 2. park near a ramp or elevator. I have practiced unfolding the stroller at home so that I will not break down in tears of frustration in the parking lot. I am amazed at all the mothering skills I lack, such as stroller unfolding or closing a ziploc bag with one hand. I am practicing, though. Those of you who have already acquired these skills have my undying respect.
All our love, and more pictures later.
**Don't forget Jonathan's birthday is tomorrow!

Finn's quilt

Just wanted to show you some more photos of the quilt Nanny Louise (Finn's great-grandma on Sara's maternal side) made for him. It is just gorgeous! and also eco-friendly with bamboo batting. You can see Nanny Louise holding Finn in our 5 generation post.

I look like my daddy!

Just in case anyone is wondering who Finn looks like, check out these photos. Could he look any MORE like Jonathan? I don't think so.

Finn's cousins

Finn has two cousins, Gage and Alex. They came to visit on Labor Day with Uncle David (Sara's brother) and Aunt Lisa. Alex is 3 years old and Gage is 3 months and they drove all the way here and back in one day. We really appreciated seeing them, since they spent more time in the car then they were able to spend here! Here are some pictures of Grandma Susu with her boys, of David and Finn, and of Gage and Finn together. Plus a bonus shot of Alex, because it was cute!

Sara's first diaper

OK, I have to tell you all about my first diaper, which I changed the first day we were home from the hospital. Not that I love discussing bodily functions, but this is important because it was my FIRST diaper. EVER. Yes, I have managed to go 32 years without ever changing a diaper. You too can accomplish this easily by doing the following whenever you are asked to change a diaper: 1. Frowning and 2. Repeating the phrase, "I don't do diapers."
But now that I am a mommy and am totally head over heels for that little precious bundle, I thought I'd better get started. I watched the nurses, Jonathan, and Mom change his teensy little diapers in the hospital. They were all just barely dirty and, if not cute, were not totally gross. So I thought, suuuure, I can do this.
So our first day home I opened that diaper up and y'all, it was the Mount Vesuvius of diapers. Overflowing that tiny newborn size nappie. There was sooo much of it. It smelled horrible. And it was STILL SHOOTING OUT. All over everything. I was frantically grabbing wipe after wipe and then, of course.... you know what is coming, right?... he peed all over me. I thought Jonathan was going to bust a gut laughing.
But I managed, and now if I'm not a pro at the changing table, at least I have joined the amateur circuit.
Thankfully, there are no photos of that momentous occasion. You're welcome.

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