zoo

it started as an ordinary wednesday, the weather was beautiful, daddy was home (!) so we decided to take finn here:

it was his first time.

i couldn't wait to show him this beauty:

finn has a thing for giraffes.

it warm enough for bare feet! finn was so curious about everything and we loved showing him all the animals.

i could have watched the orangutans and monkeys all day. their eyes are so soulful and its hard not to feel like you are looking at a long lost cousin. they just look so smart, so aware and so...bored. i am not what you would call an "animal person" but i have a hard time when it comes to primates. they just belong in the wild. anyway, we moved on...

somehow, ryan coaxed into the reptile house. i resisted but remembered that it is good to do "hard things" and i also remembered that i refuse to impart my "distaste" for snakes onto my boy. it smelled in that reptile house. i didn't like it, but i put on a good front.

i can never resist those overpriced photo booths. ryan and i take pictures in them every time we see them. my goal is to someday have an album full of them. we are well on our way.

and at the zoo, we took our first family photo booth picture with our baby.

this was certainly no ordinary wednesday.

lately...

:: we hung out with these two cats for an entire sunday funday...


:: and this little cat...


:: it was all kinds of awesome.


:: this picture makes me laugh. finn can go from 0 to 60 very quickly.


:: and he is still so cute when he sleeps.


:: finn got his first balloon. first, he was perplexed...


:: then, he got into it...


:: and then he was over it.


:: baby boy got a new/old high chair. thanks oma and papa! it is so retro fabulous and i can't decide what color to paint it.


:: while the menfolk hit up beer fest, amanda and i stayed home with the little boys. i love to play a spy.


:: finn loves his auntie.


:: half of the petricks came to visit!


:: ryan and i had date night with cocoa and our new firepit. cooooozy. muchas gracias mimi and pops :)


:: i love to kiss those lips.


:: glitter sunsets.

our family

when i look at these pictures, from an ordinary afternoon at the park, i get a knot in my throat.

i have to catch my breath and remind myself that this is real. all of it. it really happened.

and after i accept that this isn't all a dream, i close my eyes and tell myself to be grateful that these pictures reflect "right now", because something tells me in thirty years, when i look at that picture of finn with his daddy, i won't be able to suppress that knot in my throat from coming up and stinging my eyes.

it will just be too much for my little heart.

erika's baby shower

oh i love these pictures. that belly, that hair, that shy smile. i love it ALL. and i love this girl. and i love those babies. i still can't believe a baby boy and a baby girl will soon join our club.

so last weekend, we finally got to celebrate erika and these precious babies who are due to arrive in april. it was such a lovely, colorful, fun party... and the baked goods were...just.oh.my.goodness.good.

cecilia won the first two games we played (she said she goes to a lot of baby showers!), so i conned her in to being my partner for the diaper game, where we had to team up to diaper the teddy, while each holding a phone to our ear and a glass of wine in one hand. and we won! i never win anything so i was pretty tickled.

all the little onesies, little diapers, little everything brought me back to finn's first days. and i feel so lucky that i will get to hold and love on these babies soon enough. having my own growing babe has made me so much more appreciative of those early, wrinkly baby days.

i just can't wait.

six months

oh happy day! finn! you are six months old!


* you started babbling just today! it cracks me up and i love when you all of the sudden learn something new and then can't stop practicing. your new favorite sound is "babababababa". and then sometimes you move your mouth as if you were saying "bababbabababa" but no sound comes out. it kills me.

* you are becoming much more independent in your old age. you love playing on the floor and have learned to entertain yourself for extended periods. you know, like ten minutes or so.

* you eat fruits and veggies twice a day. i think sweet potatoes, apples and squash are your favorites. i keep trying to get you into banana and avocado but each time you take a bite, you pretend that you are gagging. so dramatic. :)

* you still love to nurse and lately have been requesting it every two to three hours again. like the old days. awwww. although i love our sessions, you still spit up like crazy if you nurse too often and then i feel bad for you. you started this new thing where you burp, i hear it start to come up and then you get this grossed out look on your face and you swallow it. i think it is so sweet. but i hope you know that you can spit up on me all you want. it really doesn't even phase me anymore, darling.

* you are finally on a little bit of a schedule. naps at ten and two-ish and to bed at night by 7:30. it is nice to have some predictability to our day.

* your favorite thing is still anything that crackles or rips. in desperate situations, i know that i can give you a bag of chips to play with and you will be enthralled for at least five minutes. in fact, you get so excited, you shake, get wide-eyed, and don your super serious face.

* and lastly, the look on your face when you see your daddy is probably the best image i know. tonight, he walked in the door and you started wiggling in my arms with excitement. it was almost too much for both of us.

you are our little treasure, baby boy.

we love you so.

we hope that your valentine's day...

is full of hearts, kisses, cookies and chocolate from beginning...

to end.

xoxo.

a few favorites from the week

lately...

:: baby food making has begun.

:: our neighborhood walks are filled with such pretty things.

:: i didn't have the heart to tell finn the niner's lost. so finn will be wearing this outfit on sunday.

:: uncle trevor stopped by for a quick visit.

:: tough guy

:: we tried to fake finn out with a faux remote. i thought it was a pretty good fake, but no luck, the kid is still obsessed with the real deal.

:: awwwwwww.

:: we have seen a lot of the tantes lately. and we love it.

:: we visited the tower cafe. the best breakfast in all the land.

:: i made chicken stock for the first time. so easy and i don't think i can ever go back to store bought.

:: we discovered luigis. mmmmmmmmm.

:: kill me. just kill me.

:: i am slowly venturing back into running. it hurts so good.

:: i got crafty one night. valentine's day crafty.

:: is it just me or does winter feature the most beautiful sunsets? each night they have been uh-mazing. and each so unique.

:: beanie baby. remember those?

:: i love spying on finn as he sleeps. and i am still obsessed with his hands.

:: this week, finn took the longest nap of his life...two and half hours. i didn't know what to do. so then i did everything. ususally i have to pick: shower, laundry, clean, or do some work. this time i got to do it all. it was a little bit of wonderful.

:: and lastly, i am happy to report that finn continues to steal my heart. every.single.day.