Finn is 7 Months Old!

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Our little guy is 7 months old! He’s actually 7.5 months old, now, for those counting. I’m a little late in posting his monthly photo. I took it the day before we left for our trip, but I just haven’t had a chance to put this post together. Nevertheless, it’s here! (And let’s be honest: that, in and of itself, is a miracle. There’s. Never. Enough. Time.)

I feel like these posts are getting a bit redundant, but it’s all true: He’s changing, constantly. He’s more fun each month. He is learning new things all of the time. His personality develops more, week by week.

Finn’s 7th month brought with it a lot of excitement. He’s gone swimming several times, now. We’ve had several playground adventures, weather permitting. He’s nearly steady when sitting up, and he spends a lot of time on the floor, surrounded by a menagerie of baby toys. Oh, did I mention that he’s finally taken a real interest in toys?!

He’s completely outgrown the MamaRoo, sadly, which we realized after we heard the mechanical seat creaking and cracking under his weight. He’s also outgrown most of his clothes, and 6-12 month pants are generally 1-2” short on the poor guy.

He’s tolerating tummy time for much longer stretches, as he’s able to support his weight, pushing up with his arms. He scoots backwards, rolls over, and lurches in pre-crawling motions.

We’ve made the transition to regular meals of solids–and not just bites here and there. Dinnertime has become a longer–and significantly more messy–process, but our dude is a champion eater. There’s a chance we’ve created a bit of a food-obsessed monster, actually, as he seems to think that any food within sight–whether it is being eaten by one of us or by a stranger–is fair game.

His sleep seems to have regulated even more, and we no longer grow anxious around bedtime, wondering whether or not we’ll have to go back in to calm him. He falls asleep easily and without much fight. That is, with the help of a little stuffed kitty cat that has become his bedtime companion.

He’s more observant, more affectionate, and more engaged than ever before. He seems to understand hugs and kisses, remains a bit clingy with his mommas, and can charm just about anyone who is near him.

I could end this by reminding you that we love him endlessly, but you already know that, by now.

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Let’s Blow This Taco Stand

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That’s something Sona says a lot, and it always makes me laugh. I’ve never heard anyone else say it. But, regardless, I agree: let’s get out of here!

We have our first real (i.e. not a visit to see loved ones) family vacation coming up next week, and we could not possibly be more ready. We’re heading to the Caribbean for 8 days, staying in St. Thomas the first night and in Virgin Gorda for the rest of the time.

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Sona and I haven’t really taken a significant trip together since our babymoon back in January of 2015. (There was a little trip to NOLA, but Sona was attending a work conference. So, I’m going to say that doesn’t count.)

The years leading up to Finn, we were fortunate enough to travel quite a bit–often going on several different trips each year. We knew that Finn’s arrival would put a damper on our dreams of being nomads, but we also knew that we wanted to do our best to bring him along on our adventures.

Last year, Sona’s maternity leave ate up all of our her time off. This year, we’re hoping to make up for that a bit.

Since the Caribbean is our favorite place on the planet–a place where we have a lot of great memories and a place where we hope to live, one day–we figured it would be an appropriate first trip for all of us. My parents are coming along with us. We travel with them a good bit, and I think we’ll be more comfortable taking Finn on his first international trip if we have the help.

There is a lot to be excited about. I can hardly wait for Finn to play in the sand for the first time. (He’ll probably eat his fair share of sand, too.) We’ve already taken him swimming at a local pool, and we know he loves the water. So, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be crazy happy about having all-day access to swimming pools and beaches. And I’m already sentimental about his being in the ocean for the first time. He comes from a long line of ocean-lovers, and I hope he got that gene. I can already visualize the Finn Meets The Ocean video montage that will result. (You know I’m not kidding, right?)

We’re also really looking forward to having some quality family time. I get a lot of time with Finn, as my work schedule is blissfully flexible. But Sona works five days a week and, since weeknights can be a bit fraught, she often feels like her quality time with Finn is limited to our weekends. And, of course, those fly by.

We haven’t had this much uninterrupted time together, as a trio, since her maternity leave, and we are all ready for it.

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But there are some things that are a little stressful, too. Let’s be honest: traveling with a baby complicates things. I don’t think it is as complicated as people think, and I don’t think it should be a disincentive, but there is just… more to think about.

Do we need to hire a car service so we have a car seat on the way to the airport? Should we get a bevvy of prescriptions filled for Finn, just in case? Will he be okay in the sun? Is he going to poop in the pool? If he does, will we all die from the ickies? Will he sleep well in a new location? And what about the time change? Will Sona get enough chances to pump? Should we really plan to go on that hike with him? Will he meltdown on the airplane (he didn’t, last time)? Do we have enough sunscreen? What toys should we take? Why the %*#! won’t he keep his sunglasses on?

You get the idea.

Ultimately, we want our to have a lot of adventures as a family. We want to travel the world with our kids. And, eventually, we’d like to actually live abroad. So, these questions nag us, but they don’t deter us.

Next week, I’ll do my best to share some photos–and stories–while we are still on the island.

Travel: Nevis & Anguilla

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Since we’re a week away from our first overseas vacation as a family, and since it’s Thursday, I thought I’d post a little “throwback” to our babymoon in the Caribbean. I posted about our first stop, San Juan, a couple months ago. Now, I figure it is about time that I talk about the rest of our trip.

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Our second stop was the very small and unassuming island of Nevis, which piqued our interest when we heard about it’s lush, volcanic landscapes. We’ve been to quite a few Caribbean islands, but they’ve all been mostly flat and arid. So, we wanted to experience something new.

We took a questionable puddle jumper from San Juan–an experience that we’ve grown accustomed to–and made our way to Nisbet Plantation, our home for a few days.

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Nisbet is gorgeous, situated on a wide and green plot of land, lined with palm trees. There’s a view of St. Kitts from the beach, there, and all of the rooms are little Caribbean cottages, which afforded lots of privacy. It was a different kind of stay for us, as we usually go out of our way to avoid big resorts. Yet, since we were only spending a few days in Nevis, we were resolved to relax as much as possible.

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We enjoyed afternoon tea with the property’s resident cat, lounging in hammocks around the property, and being much more low-key than we typically are on vacay.

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Is it possible for a place to be TOO quiet? (Now that we have Finn, we know that the answer is NO. No, too much quiet is NOT a problem.)

After Nevis, we headed to Anguilla, which is where we spent most of our time.

To say we fell in love with Anguilla would be an understatement. It is, to date, our favorite island. The locals are friendly and colorful. There are more breathtakingly beautiful beaches than we could possibly explore in a week. It has some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean. The water is turquoise. The weather is perfect. It’s developed without feeling too touristy. Are you buying your tickets, yet?

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We spent our days exploring private beaches, eating (a lot) of local goodies, napping, and lounging with fruity drinks in hand.

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Sona ate a lot of seafood, despite all of the warnings, and we–mostly–talked about what life would be like a year later.

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I also spent a lot of time, photographing Sona’s barely developed baby bump, much to her chagrin.

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Who knows when Sona and I will get to travel again, just the two of us, but we’re okay with that. Long before we had Finn, we promised one another that we wouldn’t let him slow us down; we promised to take him all around the world.

We’re heading to Virgin Gorda next Friday. It’ll be Finn’s initiation to overseas travel–and to our favorite place on the planet: the Caribbean.

We’ve also promised ourselves that, when Finn is 6 or 7, we’d move to the islands. But that’s another conversation for another day. 😉

365 Day DSLR Challenge: The First 15

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I am 15 days in on my 365 day DSLR photo challenge and, so far, I haven’t missed a day. I know, I know–there’s a whole 350 days to go. Still, I’m appreciating the small miracles.

15 days in, here are some things I’ve realized:

I don’t take nearly enough candid photos of Finn. When I have those “I must grab my camera!” moments, it is generally because something important is happening. Or I’ve put him in a super cute outfit and want to pose him like a doll. Or there’s a first (first time eating, first time swimming, etc.). Over the past 15 days, most of the photos I captured are of quiet, uneventful moments. So, I’m capturing things I most definitely wouldn’t capture, otherwise.
Some days, I don’t get to take a photo until late in the evening. On Thursdays, I hardly get any time at home. So, one day, I had to sneak in and snap a shot of him sleeping in his crib. That’s okay.
I’m taking my camera out and about more than usual. To the park. The pool. Restaurants.
This project is as time consuming as I allow it to be. The first few days, I was taking 30-40 photos eat time, and I was editing at least half of those. HELLO, TIME. Already, I’ve cut down quite a bit, often snapping just 4 or 5 photos and quickly culling out only the best in Photoshop. I keep 2 or 3 photos each day–and not 20.
I don’t have to edit every single day. If I have 5 minutes to post that day’s photo, great! If not, that’s okay, too. I can post it, tomorrow. Instagram can wait.
These photos are PRICELESS. That probably goes without saying, but the truth is this: these are moments we will never get back. Facial expressions and mannerisms he’ll outgrow–and quickly. Even in just 15 photos, I can already see how he’s changed. Looking back on a whole year’s worth of photos, if I make it to that point (I think I can, I think I can), will be worth every second I stopped what I was doing–which probably wasn’t that important, anyway–and focused on REALLY looking at our son.

And now, the photos:

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Hello, Wonder Week 26

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For the most part, we’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to the various much-feared baby phases. We’ve managed to make it through sleep regressions, moody periods, and lifestyle transitions fairly unscathed. We’ll read about he horrors of the 4-month sleep regression or of week 23 or whatever–and we’ll grow anxious as they approach–but we’ll usually get through them with little more than a blip in Finn’s behavior. He’s a good baby, and we’ve been lucky.

Yet, Wonder Week 26, which is a relationship-focused developmental phase, has definitely made itself known in our household, and Finn is pretty much checking off the list of expected behaviors:

Increase crankiness? Check!

Stranger anxiety? Check!

Not wanting to be left alone for a single second? Check!

Watching our every move, ensuring that we don’t leave his sight? Check!

Sleep changes? Check!

During this developmental phase, babies become aware of distance for the first time. If they see you walk away, they know they can’t come after you; they know you are beyond their reach. If you leave the room, they recognize that they are alone. If a stranger comes near, they become cautious.

Our baby who never understood the concept of stranger danger–and who would go to absolutely anybody–has now cried at the sight of his babysitter, his pediatrician, and his Mimi–all people he generally loves. Luckily, he still loves us. And he loves his nanny. THANKGOODNESS.

He’s grown increasingly clingy, too. This is cute, of course, as we want him to want us (we’re needy mommas like that), but it is also a little annoying. He no longer will play in his room for long periods of time without our direct supervision. He HATES his play mat, as being flat on his back means he can’t easily monitor our every move. And he’s constantly turning his head, even in the car seat, to make sure that we haven’t left his side.

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His sleep has suffered just a bit, too. Though, because he is really the best sleeping baby I know, I feel guilty even complaining about it. We always put him down for naps awake, and he used to fall asleep with relatively little fussing. Sometimes, he wouldn’t fuss at all. For the past couple weeks, though, he has been fighting naps pretty badly. There are times when he goes right to sleep, but there are also lots of times when he screams for a good 5-10 minutes, and we have to go in to soothe him. He eventually falls asleep, but I hate to see him get so upset.

Oddly enough, his bedtime routine has improved. Whereas he used to fight bedtime, he now goes in his crib awake, and he usually falls asleep relatively quickly and without much drama. He’s also still sleeping solid 10-11 hour stretches. So, that’s a miracle.

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Right now, he’s in his jumpy, whining a bit because: 1. He’s hungry. 2. He’s getting a little tired. 3. I’m more than 3 feet away, and that’s just not acceptable.

The good news is that that, after this phase, there should be TONS of developmental leaps: language connections, assisted standing, throwing, feeding, etc.

So, never fear, there is light at the end of this clingy tunnel. That is, if he ever lets us leave him long enough to find it.

It’s Our Insemination-versary!

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One year ago today, we walked into our doctor’s office, thinking the timing was totally off, and we made Finn. You can read all about the process, here.

It was our second attempt and our second donor. The first donor we chose ran out of “stock” before we had a chance to buy more. And THANK GOODNESS he did. I like to believe that everything works out exactly the way it is meant to. That is, I like to believe that we were always supposed to have Finn–not any other baby by any other donor.

So, thank you, first dude, for not giving a larger–err, donation.

November 18th was the day we made our son. It was also the last day–probably of our entire lives–that we didn’t fret about him, worry about his well-being.

I look at this photo, now, and think about all of the things I’d tell these two soon-to-be-mommies. In a lot of ways, we were SO clueless.

But mostly, I would just tell them that they are doing the right thing. That the timing, as it turned out, was perfect. And that they couldn’t–not in a million years–imagine the love that was about to bloom.

Finn Is 3 Months!

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You guys: Finn is 3 months old! That means that he is no longer a newborn. A piece of my heart just died a little.

Our baby is getting SO big! He’s finally starting to outgrow his 0-3 months clothes, and we’ve just started packing up a box of stuff that no longer fits. (Insert sad face.)

He has become a very good sleeper, and he often sleeps 10 hour stretches at night. He still hates bedtime, though. So, we let him fall alseep in bed while breastfeeding, and then we transfer him to his crib. That habit will have to end, soon.

His appetite is huge, and he still eats every 2-3 hours. He mostly just breastfeeds at night, now, when Sona gets home from work. The rest of the day, he’s really good at taking bottles.

He smiles and laughs constantly, especially when his mommies talk to him. He really loves to be talked to, and he makes all kinds of adorable squeaks, trying to talk back.

He’s chilled out a ton, and now he’s good at playing independently for a bit or sitting in his MamaRoo while we do work around the house.

If the TV is on, he turns his head to watch it (teenager). He still hates his car seat and screams most of the time he’s in it. He’s tasted a few things–because Momma can’t help herself. He’s obsessed with his hands, and he’s very close to sucking his thumb. He has very strong legs, a good grip, and he drools incessantly.

We love him so much, and he gets more fun–and more interactive–all of the time!

Welcome to the World, Finn!

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Last Friday, the day before Finn’s due date, we decided, “THIS is the weekend!” Sona didn’t want to have to go back to work on Monday, over-due and over-swollen, and our impatience had hit its limits. We were ready for our baby boy!

So, we did what any sane person would do: we tried every superstitions old wives’ tale that we found online, hoping that one of them would lead to labor.

I made the famous Scalini’s Family Restaurant labor-inducing eggplant parmesan (which did lead to immediate abdominal and back pain), we ate papaya, we ate spicy food, we went on several long walks. Let’s just say: we were READY.

Sunday afternoon, we ended up at the hospital, and Monday, after a very long 24 hours of labor (don’t worry, that story is coming!), the love of our lives made his appearance.

On August 10, 2015, at 2:48 PM, our son was born, weighing in at 7.14 lbs and measuring 22” long. He’s perfect, and he’s OURS. And we couldn’t possibly love him more.

Finn’s Grey, Gold, and Aqua Nursery!

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I’ve joked with friends and family that, while Sona was busying growing Finn, I was busy growing his nursery. The truth is, I started planning the nursery in my head the day we found out we were pregnant.

I’m a little (re: a lot) design obsessed, anyway. But, for the past several months, I really felt like doing the nursery was the best way I could contribute to getting our lives ready for our little one. So, I dove in headfirst and spent nights awake in bed, thinking about color stories, layouts, and decorative accents. What can I say? I can commit to a project like a crazy person.

So, here it is: the nest. I’ll do some detailed breakdowns of different projects in the room later on, but here’s the whole shebang.

animal photos from The Animal Print Shop; crib from Babyletto; quilt handmade by a friend; pillows, bedding, and aqua book rack from Land of Nod; striped rug from Crate & Barrel; sheepskin rug from Amazon; chevron hamper from Etsy

bookshelf from Land of Nod (it was a floor sample that we painted); rhino from Almacen Marabi; constellation print from Minted

credenza is a vintage find; shelves and lamp from Land of Nod; blue burger photo from Etsy

blue framed cat from Almacen Marabi; surfer and goldfish art from Minted; star blanket from Etsy; stuffed sloth from Etsy; rocking chair from Pottery Barn Baby; gold pouf from Amazon

rhino from Etsy; gorilla from Almacen Marabi

Hello, World

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So, here I am, starting a blog a week before our first baby is due. Maybe that’s because, you know, ushering a new life into the world just didn’t seem like enough of a challenge.

Really, though, I’m here for a few reasons:

1. I’m an OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Documenter). Since I can remember, I’ve liked to catalog everything about my life through photos, various online platforms (shout-out LiveJournal, circa early 2000s!), and creative writing. And, since I’m about to embark on what will undoubtedly be one of the most integral experiences of our lives, mommyhood, I thought that starting a blog would be a great way of documenting–and, more importantly, remembering–this time.

2. I need the creative outlet. I’m a poet and a photographer and a writer and a design nut, but really, I don’t have enough time in my life for any of those things. (I need to work on making the time, which is another reason this blog is here.) For the next several months, I’ll be fully immersed in mommying a newborn. Because I’d like to come out the other end with some shred of my sanity still intact, here I am.

3. Parents, friends, and family, most of whom live far away (insert sad face).

I don’t really know what this blog will be–or what shape it will take in the months that come. If I’m being realistic, I’d probably admit that I’ll likely be waist-deep in diapers and unable to look at my laptop, let alone compose anything coherent. But, I’m naive. So, for now, here’s the plan: I’ll post whenever I have time. I’ll share what I love, and that will probably lead to posts about our home, our eats, our travels, our wanderlust, and–mostly–our soon-to-be son.

Whatever happens, this will be another adventure–and you know how much I love those!