Got the fever...

Finn will be a one year old in 13 days. Oy. I can't believe it. The year has seriously FLOWN by. He went from being a cute, squished face chunk who couldn't move or lift his head to a tall, lanky crawling machine who now tentatively walks and says "mama" and "dada." I see my friends having their second babies, and with Finn growing so much and becoming a little boy as opposed to a little baby, I find myself coming down with the fever...the baby fever. Luke and I knew, (as long as we could afford to, of course), that we wanted our kids about two years apart; close enough in age so they could be potentially close, close enough in age so that Luke and I were ancient when we were done having kids, and close enough but not too close as to overwhelm us, (too many babies!!!!) Luke and I will be TTC in November, and I can't wait. Finn needs someone to play with besides his boring, old mama! And I love being a mama. I still feel like Luke and I have lots of love to still give, (though it is hard to imagine loving another baby as much as we love Captain Finn.) Anyhow, I was thinking about baby Dietrich or baby Charlotte today, and just needed to "put it on paper", so to speak. Happy Tuesday, all! :)

Can it be true????!!!!

As I sit here typing, Finn is at this moment, sound asleep in his CRIB. I never thought this day would come. When he came home from the hospital, I was terrified of SIDS; terrified that putting him in his crib would instantly steal his breathe and I would lose my little love. So, he slept on me. I could feel his chest rise, hear his little sighs, feel the air coming out of his nose onto my skin. It was my security blanket. Then, as he got older, and started to sleep in bed with Luke and I, that became what he was used to. Every time I even attempted to put him in the air, he would scream and throw his head back and reach for me. It broke my heart, and I couldn't do it. Luke tried the Cry-It-Out technique. It broke his heart; he couldn't bear to hear his son scream and cry. So, back to our bed Finn went.

Then, Luke and I started talking about getting pregnant again. We want our children to be as close to each other as possible, and be done having kids at a fairly early age, (if all goes our way, I will be done at 32.) But, our dilemma was this: we have a  queen bed. When I was pregnant with Finn, Luke was terrified he would hit my belly while he was sleeping. So, he took to sleep as far off in his corner as possible. Later on, he had no choice but to sleep on the edge of the bed, (did you guys SEE my belly????!!!!) We couldn't imagine Luke, me, Finn and baby #2, (still in womb), all in our bed. None of us would sleep, and we all need to: Luke has to sleep in order to function at his high stress job; I have to sleep in order to function and be happy mommy to my up and coming toddler; Finn needs sleep to grow; and little Sesame Numero Dos needs sleep to turn into a cute baby as opposed to an alien-like creature, (I keed, I keed.) Anyhow, it became very apparent that Finn needed to sleep in his own bed, and not with mama and daddy.

When we bought our house, our favorite room was the Master Bedroom. People, I don't kid when I say that our bedroom is HUGE. I personally would have used this space for other parts of the house, but it is nice to have tons of space in our room. Anyhow, we put Finn's crib in far corner of the bedroom so I could feel better about him sleeping away from me, (I have separation anxiety BAD), but also so he could see us. Well, apparently he still was not close enough to us. So my brilliant husband had the brilliant idea to smash the crib right next to my side of the bed so that he could see me up close, hold my hand if he needed to and even give kisses through the crib posts, (he loves giving mama and daddy kisses.)

We tried it out for the first time last night. I was FLOORED. He played around a bit, smiled thru the posts, promptly laid down, rolled around a bit to get comfortable and fell asleep...just like that. Not only that, but he only woke up a few times and it was just to give a little whiny sound, hold my hand to make sure I hadn't left him and he went right back to sleep. He slept until 6:30, then stood up and reached for me. I confess: he did go back to sleep in my arms for about an hour, but I needed to snuggle as much as he did. Luke and I gave each other high fives before Luke was off to work, (looking much more rested, I must say.) I probably slept less than I normally do, but only because I was putting my hand on Finn's back/tummy every couple hours...you know, just to make absolutely sure my little man was safe and sound. I thought it was too good to be true, but at nap time, (about an hour ago), I put him in with his favorite blankie, (just laying on his legs), and he rolled around a bit, smiled at me and went to sleep! I'm not sure what it is, but whatever it is, I don't want it to stop.

Basically, this entire blog has been about Finn's crib. But, I feel such a weight off my shoulders. It was one thing I have been struggling to find answers to, basically since Finn was born. I also feel relieved because now, when I am a round, pregnant blimp again, I don't have to worry about whether any of us will sleep that night. Now, it will just be back to puking, heartburn, headaches, hormone jumps and dives and stretching muscles. Wait- why do I wan to get pregnant again? Oh, because of the kicks, rolls, bonding time and cute prego belly that eventually becomes another gorgeous baby that is pieces of the love of my life and I. And, Finn will be a big brother!!!

Awwwwwwwww......feeling proud and happy today. Have a great weekend, all! Love you! :)

Putting thoughts into writing! :)

Why is it that housework never ends? Is it because I live with two boys? Or is it because Luke, Finn and I actually have to, I don't know...live? Whatever it is, I wish the floor would stay clean, the dishes would stay in the cupboards, the bed would made, the clothes would stay washed, folded and hung up and the toys would stay in the basket. Well, to be honest, I don't mind cleaning that much. I guess it's the stereotypical thing to whine about, isn't it? If I had to whine about something, it would be living too far away from my family. Other than that, life is pretty darn amazing. I saw on a friends' blog, (she has a little one a day older than Finn), a few days ago that had an entry that was just about her. I really liked that idea, since we mamas/wives sometimes feel a little lost in the chaos. I am now going to steal her idea, (but giving her credit for thinking it up, of course! :))

All about Liz

1. I miss Oregon a lot. I miss the 4 distinct seasons, the familiarity of the town and, of course, the people I left behind.

2. I don't have many friends here in CA. That being said, I do have a couple that I adore and that really are amazing people. But, I do miss my old friends, back in the simpler days: high school, then college, then summers where we would go out and just talk about life and all it has to offer. Good times!

3. I am in such a different place than ALL of my old friends. We all are doing great, but we all are doing such different things.

4. I used to be a disorganized money spender who was always flying by the seat of my pants. Being married, having a baby and being a one income family with a mortgage has turned me into this super organized, super anal and incredibly efficient housekeeper/financial organizer. Since I am in charge of our finances, I keep track of every cent that goes out. And, it has helped our financial situation immensely. It's a grest source of pride for me now.

5. Though I am still lacking in the self confidence area, it has been much improved by my amazing husband, Luke. He really has been my rock in so many situations.

6. Though pregnancy was not fun for me, (besides feeling Finn move, I could have done without most everything else), and labor SUCKED!, I am ready for #2. I want Finn to have a playmate, and Luke and I are ready to give love to another one of our babies that is waiting for us in the pre-existence. We decided that when we felt like our family was complete, we would be done with having kids. We don't feel complete yet.

7. I need to lose a lot of weight. I typed how much, but erased it. I guess I'm just too self conscious!

8. I am proud to be 6'3''. There were definitely stages of my life where I hated it, (people aka men can be pretty cruel), but I have learned to embrace it. In fact, there are advantages I have that shorter people don't. :)

9. I am still a corny, romantic sap who believes in happily ever after. But, watching romantic movies doesn't do anything for me anymore. Maybe because my happily ever after happily came true! :)

10. I am a very passive pushover and I always want to please everyone. I am slowly learning that, though  that is impossible, I am the type to try until I find a way to make EVERYONE happy.

11. I have always been a worry wart, but Finn has made me a bit of a psycho. Now that he is a proficient crawler and a tentative walker, he bumps some part of his body, (usually his head), almost daily. And, almost daily, I have to talk myself down from thinking every little bump and scratch isn't life threatening. Sometimes, logic wins. Most of the time, it doesn't.

That is all! Well, obviously that is not all of ME, but since Finn is napping, I am thinking some laundry, bed making, and painting seems in order. Have an amazing week everyone, and I love you all! :)

Lots to do!!!!

Finn is napping, so in between laundry, sweeping and other basic household duties, I have decided to post an entry in this blog of mine. It's Sept. 9th. Finn will be 11 months old tomorrow. We have so much to do to prepare not only for his sure-to-be-epic first birthday, but for this coming "winter" as well. I put the season in quotes because a Red Bluff winter include a high of 65, a low of 40 and lots and lots of rain. Not the below freezing, icy, snowy winters that I am used to.

Anyhow, since I have become a wife, mother and now new homeowner, I have become an OCD, uber-organized psycho who must have everything clean and in its' place. We still need to finish spackling, sanding, texturizing, etching and painting over the little holes the previous owners left behind; we still need to weed eat, level and seed our completely unfinished backyard. We need to shampoo and clean the front room's carpet, (it looked fabulous until we started walking on it. Then, stains from the previous owners popped up. Now, it looks gnarly.) Oh, yeah. And then, there is the ever apparent eye sore known as our bent up garage door. All in good time. Or, otherwise...all in the month before Finn's birthday! :)

I feel so blessed, and so grateful that Heavenly Father gave me this life. I know statements like that can come off as bragging, or self righteous. But, I must say it when I feel it. And today...I feel it! :) Have a good weekend everyone, and I love you all! :)

Captain Finn!

My little man is growing up and hitting a lot of milestones all at once! When it rains, it pours! Here is a list of all my little man is up to these days!

1. He is standing all by himself. Not holding on to the tables, the couches, nothing! The first time he did it, I screamed "Good job!" and it scared him so bad, he fell. :)

2. He has taken two steps on two different occassions. Once again...I got so excited, it freaked him out and he fell. Whoops. I guess subtlety is the answer here.

3. He whistles. I thought he wouldn't be old enough to know he was doing it, until I did it back to him. Now, he shapes those full lips, and whistles just so I will do it back. It's one of his favorite things to do.

4. He kisses. Open mouthed and very slobbery-like, but if you hold him, pucker up and say, "kiss!" He will lean forward and put a big, sloppy, wet one right on your kisser. Thus far, he will only kiss me, Luke, and my mom. If you ever want one, though, just ask and I'm sure the little flirt will oblige. :)

5. He knows when he is about to do something wrong. If he is going for something he shouldn't, and I say "Finnegan Leo Mitchell..." in that "mom" voice, you better believe I will get a side smile and then a speed crawler towards the above said off limits object. If he gets a scolding, he growls but listens. I have only ever had to tell him once...maybe twice. ;)

6. He is TALL and LANKY. I swear his face looks like a mirror image of Luke, (besides the eyes; those are from me!), but his frame is sure to be a Stuevens frame. I am thinking a Mitchell face with a Stuevens physique.

7. Though he is still sleeping with Luke and I, we have at least graduated to him sleeping OFF of me. Now, he sprawls out on his tummy between Luke and I and sleeps the night away...he still wakes up at least twice though. His favorite place to nap is on the floor on one of his two favorite blankets.

8. He is good natured and so laidback. When playing with other babies, he shares, loves and doesn't complain when I am holding another baby. It's a blessing and will be nice to know when #2 comes along, I won't have to worry about a jealous Finn. At least, let's hope so!

That is all for now! Happy Labor Day Weekend to all! Love you all! :)