it's a whole new world...

...finn is on the move!

insta dump

:: finn is very busy these days...


:: crawling (apparently, with his eyes closed)...


:: learning the joy of independent play...


:: finger foods...

:: we found him standing in his crib for the first time! yikes!


:: 1 of 2. sweet, girly, delicate willow jane.

:
:i finally bought some daffodils. they make my day every time i see them!



:: me and my other man love.


:: mama and daddy gave me that old window for my birthday. then they came and hung it and helped me re-decorate this little space. well, mom helped decorate, daddy watched finn. i luuuuuuurve it.


:: finn's new move: he throws his arms up and waits for us to exclaim, "so big!" then he smiles real big.



:: i have learned that a baby who naps gifts his mother with time to do stuff. like make dinner in the morning, then clean up, then shower, then blog. wow.


:: run don't walk. i implore you. i just finished the series and now i am going to watch them all over again.



:: ya ya mary made this beautiful quilt for our boy. it is stunning and features his name and the most beautiful fabrics...



:: i got a gift card from mimi and pops and got to go on a little shopping spree at anthro...!!





:: craziest hail storm i have ever seen.



:: this picture reminds me what a big world it is out there. and i can't believe this boy will one day leave me and run out into it. i kinda wish i could wrap him up in that quilt and sit under that tree together for the rest of our days.

eight months

eight sure is great and boy, you are a different baby this month! it has been our favorite month so far. we have seen more changes than ever before in your little life...it's as if you are doing something new every day - which i always thought was a lie.

you learned to pull yourself up, scoot, and crawl all in two weeks!

we introduced you to finger foods after you showed us your pincer grasp! you have fed yourself blueberries, black beans, pease, cheese, banana chunks, puffs...and you like everything we have put in front of you so far - even yogurt!

you can entertain yourself for quite some time now - it is so fun to watch you play. you concentrate really hard.

we are starting to get glimpses of your personality. i think you are pretty easy going, curious, happy, vocal, determined and tender.

you have a few new tricks. our favorites are "so big!", your lip smack, how you cry "mmmmmmmmmmm" and slap your palms on you high chair tray as you (impatiently)wait for your food, and lastly, when you babble and exclaim "mamamama". of course :)

your hair still gets you a lot of attention from strangers.

you poop more and spit up less.

your favorite thing is to be standing on two feet.

you have graduated to a big boy car seat and you really like your new view.

and you are still, our darling little boy.


and because i couldn't possibly leave this one out...

sooooo big!

funny face

oftentimes finn makes some pretty funny faces. sometimes i am lucky enough to catch them on film.

the bottom right photo is a house favorite: it features finn mid-sneeze.

finn goes on vacation.

all i wanted for my birthday was a little family escape. our first family weekend trip. to the beach.

of course.

it's no secret that i love a good road trip. and it was nothing short of awesome having our little stowaway, finn, in the backseat.

we stopped for some diner food. at fremont diner. oh. my. word. and another stop at lagunitas.

naturally.

and then we arrived.


i used to daydream about bringing my baby to the coast for the first time. i couldn't believe it was really happening! and just as we predicted...he loved it.

mr. kelly got us a room with a view! fancy!

and a heated pool!

finn came prepared with swim attire.

i can't tell you how obsessed with these pictures we are. it is close to dangerous. but i mean, c'mon - don't the glasses just send you over the edge? what is it about a baby in sunglasses? it gets me every time.

finn wasn't so sure about being in a large body of water for the first time. but he slowly came around when daddy started blowing bubbles.

finally, we hit the sand. it was gorgeous and i couldn't believe that it had been almost a year since my last visit.

seaside nursing session. perhaps a bit silly, but it was a pretty special moment for me. just about as spiritual as this girl gets.

and our baby. his first beach picture.

it was kinda windy and neither finn or i are big fans of the wind, so our stay was short...

but pretty memorable.

mr. kelly couldn't leave without finding a few shells to take home. i love his silhouette.

we ended our adventure with sunset at bodega head trail...

and then, pizza and cookies in our hotel room. and we were all asleep by eight thirty.

perfect.