Moments to Remember

Yesterday it was just Finn and I in the afternoon. The sky was stormy and the rain was pouring down. The tv was off and the only sound besides our chatter was the weather outside. We had both changed into our snuggly clothes and sat down at the dining room table, Finn in her big girl booster seat and me at the table, to share some soup for lunch. We enjoyed our potato leek soup and some cheerios and after we finished since Finn was content in her seat, I grabbed the Russian nesting dolls she'd recently discovered and enjoyed playing with and put them on her tray in front of her. For a good 20 minutes or so we just played and chatted. She pulled the dolls apart and put them back together, stacking and sorting, looking up at me with pride and a smile on her face at her accomplishment.

I loved her looks of deep thought and curiousity as she approached something she'd never done before and figured it out. I loved spending time just the two of us - no rush to be anywhere or get anything done. I loved the quiet of the house and the sound of the rain. I loved teaching my daughter something new and watching her figure things out so quickly. I loved smelling the sweet sent of her baby shampoo as I leaned down to kiss the top of her as I pulled her out of her booster seat. There aren't a lot of moments where I just slow down and do one thing at a time. I want to remember moments like yesterday where I just stopped and enjoyed some time with Finn. And I want her to remember those times too.

Update: SHE'S ONE!

I really need to be better about writing more often! 4 months doesn't seem like a huge deal when you're an adult but for a baby, 4 months includes reaching crazy amounts of milestones and changing a ton!

And so it is with our Finnian! Since I last posted, SHE TURNED ONE! She's crawling like mad and when on her feet, using anything she can to make her way around the room. Last week she made a break for it and walked around the living room with the help of her rolling activity table. She would use it to pull herself up and then cruise around until she ran into a piece of furniture. Then she would move the toy, stand up again and she was off! Jen wasn't home at the time but trust me, there was plenty of video! On her own, she's been brave enough to let go of whatever she's been holding on to in order to stand for a bit. She's taken a couple of wobbly steps but nothing we would consider major attempts to walk on her own.

 No hands Momma!

Another fun discovery is she can cruise around in her Cadillac walker that Poppi and Grammy got her. Until recently it's only been a place for her to sit and play since with carpet in the living room it's hard for her to get around. This weekend, I picked up the bathroom rugs, brought her car in and let her cruise around while I was getting ready. I wish I had a picture of her face when she realized she could move it on her own! At first, she went slowly but once she got the hang of it, nothing in the bathroom was safe...including my toes! She looked like she was at the bumper cars!

 Her first ride in the car when she was a couple months old!

She loves to climb! On her momma's, on the dog bed, on her toys, on her activity center, into her bucket of toys, onto her car seat when it's on the living room floor, on her stuffed dragon...pretty much anything. When Mom was visiting she caught Finn trying to climb into her Cadillac walker! Mom just looked at us, shaking her head and said, "you guys are in trouble!" Yes, yes we are.

We had a fun birthday party for her complete with Team Umi Zoomi cake and lots of people we care about! I don't think she had any idea what the heck was going on but she for sure loved her cupcake and all of the attention. :) We were very lucky that Nana and Grandpa were able to come visit (arriving the day of the party) and share our fun day!

We're looking forward to leaving for our family vacation this weekend in San Diego! We get to spend 10 days with family and friends in the warm sunny weather and we're so excited! A little nervous about Finn's first plane ride and the early morning travel to the airport but I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that everything works out fine. I'm very excited about Finn getting to meet all of her California family and them her. While there we are planning to spend tons of time with family, head to Balboa Park, Sea World, the beach, the Bates Nut Farm pumpkin patch, some of her Momma's favorite restaurants, and visit with friends.

More on the Reed family adventures when we get back from vacation! See you in November!