the biggest bathtub Finn has EVER SEEN

So now that it's finally warming up and we're getting outside for walks later in the day, Andrew was able to come with us to the beach this week ... to put it mildly, Finn was amused. He was totally transfixed by the water, and if the shark warnings subside I'll be cool with Andrew taking him in for a swim this weekend. Maybe. That's a big maybe.

let's make a deal

"How about if I start taking a morning nap, but ONLY if I get to flop on your lap,
which means that you can never ever leave? Ok, then! It's a plan!"

Grandma reads to Finn and Massi

MASSI

The other day Katy and Massi came over for breakfast and story time. It's very sweet how Massi (who will be 2 in April) interacts with Finn. It will be so much fun next year when Finn is a little bit older. Massi's baby brother arrives in June! He doesn't really understand that yet, nor do we get the impression that he wants to.

seis meses, as we say here in south fla.

"Can you believe that I am six months old today??
I KNOW! It has gone by so quickly!!"

A Visit to Naples

Finn sharing a laugh with his Great-Great Uncle Leo...

... and a sweet moment with Great-Great Aunt Pat

On Friday we drove across Alligator Alley with Grandma and Grandpa Barber to visit Pat and Leo in Naples. It was lovely for Finn to meet even more of his Florida relatives (as well as take in all of that wonderful scenery along I-75!) Today the weather is more Miami-like so we're planning on a nice, long walk. Across the street from our building a huge boat show is being assembled so maybe we'll go pick out which 100' yacht to buy in our next life!

a nice long walk on the boardwalk

This photo belies the fact that Finn is not sleeping today whatsoever. It's 7:50 PM and he's still awake after taking zero naps today. He really must be teething this time. Really!

miami is a-ok

Let's see, so far, what have we done? Taken lots of walks and looked at the birds and the ocean, and seen Katy and Dario and Massimo (Finn's cousin) a few times. It's fun! I had to post this photo because I really enjoyed his chunky legs in these shorts. Speaking of which, it's currently rather chilly here ... seriously. I'm not just saying that. It's too cold for shorts and all of the locals are complaining; last night was in the high-30s but the building we're staying in didn't turn on the heat since the cold snap is only supposed to last a couple of days. BURR. Thankfully today was the coldest day of the week and by Sunday it should be back to normal. Here's hopin'!

helping Dad work

Sunday afternoon on the balcony.

first flight

We made it to Miami on friday and apologies for the short and sporadic posts but we are having some technology and napping issues - otherwise the trip has been great so fsr... here is a shot of Finn at the Philly airport, underwhelmed. we did see cousin Emily there, which was a fantastic coincidence!

(btw he was great on both planes.)

the Duke baby

Big game tonight. Duke vs. Wake Forest. Finn is doing his part to help cheer the Blue Devils to victory, and that includes eating all of his sweet potatoes.

We had planned to drive to Waverly today but a little snowstorm curtailed our plans so we're leaving tomorrow instead. From there we fly to Miami on Friday morning, so I'll be posting all sorts of warm-weather items in the next few weeks. I am SO EXCITED to see what Finn thinks of the swimming pool.

Aunt Judy reminded me that today would have been Grandpa Wagoner's 100th birthday, so I was telling Finn some stories about him -- there are so many! One of my favorites: Katy and I were eating dinner at G&G's with the family and we were both on a no-meat kick, only eating plates full of mashed potatoes and corn. This was before Atkins, at some point in high school when I'm sure we were needlessly concerned with our weight. Grandpa took one look at what we were eating and asked, "Do you know what we feed cows to fatten 'em up?" The man knew how to get a girl to eat a steak. Finn thought that was funny, too.

Grandma and Grandpa visit the Finn Man

Hey lady, don't even think about taking me out of Grandma's lap.

For the past couple of months, Andrew has been growing a beard that Finn really enjoys grabbing with his increasingly nimble hands. The first thing he does when Andrew picks him up is bury his little hands in the beard and PULL (which must be pretty fun, for a five and a half-month-old). Anyway, when A's dad was here a few days ago, the first thing Finn did was grab at Grandpa Barber's face as if to say, "where's the beard?" He's never done that with anyone else so we could only surmise that his dad and grandpa look enough alike (duh) that it would only make sense for them to both have beards!

We had planned on having Finn present for the shaving occasion so that he could witness for himself what lies beneath the beard, but Andrew had to shave tonight for a meeting in the morning, so it will be interesting to see Finn's reaction to a cleanly-shaven Daddy tomorrow at 5:30 AM. Since it's pretty safe to assume that's what time he'll wake up...

17 lbs of sugar

From the looks of this photograph, you might think that Finn is trying to roll over ... well, we'll let you continue to believe that. As his pediatrician says, one day it will happen. I'm not worried, because he started to give me kisses yesterday and that's a lot more fun!

We are having a nice week (BEST EVER ACTUALLY, except for his shot visit yesterday) and enjoying a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Barber. Maybe he'll roll over for them. In the meantime, we're also getting ready for our trip to Miami next week and looking forward to introduce Finn to all of his aunts and uncles and cousins. We'll be down there for a few weeks so Bernie Madoff, if you are reading this, please don't mail us any packages of diamonds and fancy watches until March! Thanks!

not that we're biased

I think Finn knows how handsome he looks in his away-game jersey. Don't you?

(Thanks to Karen for this one, and to Pam for the same onesie in the next size!! xo!)

finn and quinn meet again, and act coy

Today we braved the cold to visit our friends Robin and Quinn. It was so nice to get outside. The babies are now getting to the point where they are acknowledging each others' presence, if not exactly interacting yet. I took this photo after Finn grabbed Quinn's pig and started drooling on it.

(Thanks, Quinn, for being such a good sport.)

storytime

It's darn cold out there so we spent today inside just listening to construction noise and reading and napping. The only bad thing about spending today indoors is that tomorrow and Friday are supposed to be worse, so at some point we're going to have to get out. (Or are we?)

Anyway, here is a link to some pics of Finn reading his favorite dinosaur book. Reading, drooling on it, whatever you think. You may note that he's also very much enjoying his new pillow, which is in the shape of an unidentified primate, also named Finn. Below is also a video of him making some adorable noises -- we have a hard time catching his noises on film -- it's like he KNOWS.

For those of you who were wondering (and thanks) I'm now on Day 9 of my antibiotics and the cough is almost gone. Thankfully, I didn't pass this cold onto Andrew or Finn, so our household is almost back to normal!

rice cereal yum!

This is a little video of one of the first times Finn ate rice cereal. Be warned -- this video is VERY DRAMATIC. And by very dramatic, I mean it's mostly of my hand, and of Finn looking mildly satisfied by the introduction of cereal to his diet. His fingernails now grow at twice the regular pace. He could be a baby hand model.

On another amusing front, some of you may have heard how Finn really hates it when I don't pay 100% attention to him while nursing. If I'm on the phone, he gives me looks and tries to bat the phone away. Even reading is no longer safe. Just this morning, he grabbed the Atlantic out of my hand while I was reading it and tried to throw it on the floor. So if it's taking me a little longer to get back to you than usual, I apologize that it's not as easy to chat as it used to be ...

On the UPSIDE, Finn slept almost 14 hours last night and then took both a morning and afternoon nap. Yesss.

super excited for basketball season

Finn has a favorite team, and he doesn't even know it yet. The other day I could have sworn I heard him say "Go Duke!" But it might have been "More rice cereal, please!"

hey! look what I have!

The first thing Finn does when we put him on his back (on the changing table, floor, wherever), he grabs his feet and doesn't let go. As you can see, he finds this endlessly amusing. As do we!

I think that the top photo is my new favorite.

jumparooooo!

This is my first attempt at iMovie! Apologies that I have a lot to figure out, but in the meantime, Finn's expressions in this little video are cutie cute.

We're thinking that he'll be rolling over by the end of this week - he's certainly trying. Also, still working on cutting those teeth. Also, eating lots of rice cereal. LOTS going on in the world of Finn. He has taken two naps per day lately thanks too all of this rice cereal-eating and jumparoo-jumping. It's like a routine is maybe settling in at 5 months, just like you all told me would happen...

another funny hat

Nana bought this hat for Finn. It is size 18-24 months and we're hoping that it will last him the rest of this winter. He loves, it can't you tell?? hee.