3 months and 2 days

Amazing, isn't it? I mean, isn't amazing that Finley has surpassed three months already? I feel like it was just days ago that he was born. Just days ago that I held my second baby boy for the first time. Why does time fly so fast? I guess because we are having fun! Today I held a brand new baby. My friend Misty had her baby (it's a GIRL!) on Friday and I finally got to hold her today. It amazes me that my babies were ever that small (and boy were they! Sweet Ellison Kate was born at 9lbs, 21+ inches long...) and yet I looked back and forth from Ellison to Finn and cannot believe how quickly time flies. Today was yet another reminder to embrace today, because they don't stay little long.

Finley is quite the little man. He is a super-chunk and it really tickles me at how vastly different he is compared to his big brother! I don't know what he weighs but I do know he is in some 6-month clothes already. (and I don't mean that he can wear 6month sizes and they are big on him, I mean he is filling them out quite nicely!) The smaller sizes he can still squeeze into are either pre-stretched (length and width!) by Mommy or run big. It's hilarious how chunky he is!!

Some things about Finn at 3 months:

• He is passionate. And by this I mean he screams when he doesn't get what he wants and when he wants it. He adds a cascade of tears and breath-catches to further show his passion. I wouldn't say it is sweet, but I do hope it amounts to something positive in the future.
• Along that line, I have found that at nap time he needs to holler a bit before he conks out. He doesn't do this at bedtime, but most definitely during the day.
• He is sleeping 7-8 hours a night now (most nights). He goes down 10/10:30 and then wakes between 5-6...he even did 9 hours one night. But let's not count our chickens before they hatch...
• He goes to daycare ("school") now. He doesn't love it. I don't either. In fact he has decided he does not want to take a bottle AT ALL while there, and is even now refusing them here. But luckily I have a picture of him taking a bottle...and it was a pleasant experience before he started daycare. I don't know what this all means...and what it will amount to...but I am in the thick of it right now and would much appreciate your prayers.
• Tummy time is improving; he will do about a minute before screaming and will actually push up on his arms and look around.
• He has found his fist, more specifically his right fist, and it is hilarious to watch him watch it, then put it in his mouth.
• He is a smiley little guy (believe it or not! he doesn't scream constantly...) and likes to flirt with me in between sides during nursing sessions. One time he laughed so loud he scared himself and then the bottom lip stuck out. The laugh also woke Josh up (this is saying something!).
• He watches Keagan all the time...I am sure he is thinking, "You just wait, Big Brother! Soon I will be able to play with you!"
• He is still sleeping in a bassinet by our bed. I doubt this will change anytime soon, but those have been famous last words of mine regarding multiple issues in our life right now...so I am not holding myself to anything.
• He is starting to ride better in the car. We went to visit Gama and Poppy this weekend and he slept the whole way there and back (2 hour drive).  

 

First bottle (wish I could say he took them this well now!)

 

Snuggle time. I tried to get snuggles from my big boy, but he is just tooooo busy! 

 Tummy time with baby Einstein. Keagan loves to watch this again...when Finn is "done" with tummy-time, Keagan says MY TURN! and proceeds to finish watching.

Official "3 Month" pictures. I took some (not-so) "professional" pictures of Finn but haven't gone through them yet. I will post them once I get a chance.

 And to be fair: Keagan is 2 years, 4 months, and 7 days old. He is quite the ham. He seriously keeps me laughing all day (even when he makes me want to pull my hair out!). Something about a toddler becoming his own person is so neat. He is so much fun to watch, listen to, and play with. I was taking Finn's 3-month pics this morning and Keagan wanted to see each one. Then he started saying "CHEESE" so I took his picture. Then he wanted to do a photo-shoot...and this is what we got. These pics are all chronological and taken within a 5 minute time span. To say Keagan is a silly goose is a true understatement!!

Behind the Camera

I have a lot of pregnant friends, or friends who have recently had babies. It really is in the water. A good friend of mine, who I met almost two years ago when I first started doing PRN work after Keagan was born, is expecting her third baby any day now! Misty is also a physical therapist and we have timed our pregnancies just right, as I am returning to work on Monday and will be covering her maternity leave! I have really enjoyed getting to know her over the past almost-two years and have recently had the opportunity to get to know her family better since she asked me to take her maternity pictures. I was very flattered by this, and scared-to-death at the same time as she is actually a photographer herself. I have never taken pictures in a "photo-shoot" type setting and really never thought of myself as good enough to do so. But Misty had seen some of my amateur photography skills on my blog and thought that I was up to the challenge. To say I was intimidated is an understatement (I mean, HELLO, she is a photographer!). I really wanted to provide her with good quality pictures to document this exciting time for her and her family. I am glad for the challenge because it was so very much fun. I did some research on pinterest, studied up on other maternity shoots including my own, and talked with her about what she was looking for. Last week she thought she was going to have the baby (gender unknown!) before we got a chance to take the pics, so we scurried to get them done. For my first time playing photographer (other than my own children), I really think they turned out great! I mean, they aren't professional, but it was a great learning experience and forced me to learn to use my photo-editing software as well as taught me to think outside the box with my camera.

Misty is a beautiful momma-to-be. She kept saying that she isn't very photogenic, but I disagree 100%. She is naturally stunning. Something about a pregnant belly is so beautiful, and then add that to the love that she has for her growing family. Simply amazing.

I just learned that today is Misty and Joey's anniversary. So, Happy Anniversary!! Maybe this sweet baby will makes his/her grand appearance TODAY! :) But if not, I hope you enjoy these pictures. I sincerely appreciate you allowing me to photograph such a huge event in the life of your family. I had so much fun taking these pictures and I cannot wait to meet the little peanut that is so Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!