Belly laughs.

I have been working on some new things lately. Including one that makes mama and papa laugh and laugh and laugh... yep, that's right folks I have been laughing up a storm lately and tonight I got some good belly laughs in while mama taped me and papa playing around. It is a lot of fun being a baby!

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

happy. twenty. eleven.

© 2010-11 Heather Gray, all rights reserved

Aunt Jammies.

The jammie tradition started with four silly cousins at Old Navy... then at Christmas "Aunt Jammie" was born!

2005

Christmas 2006

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2010

For my first Christmas "Aunt Jammie" also brought me PJs. Did you check out my reindeer butt? 

He heee. Mama still wears her "Aunt Jammie" jammies. My favorite are the zebra print ones. I like to stare at the stripes when I am snuggling with Mama. I don't think my reindeer ones will fit next year but, I know "Aunt Jammie" will bring me some new ones.

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

Finn's first Christmas.

Christmas Day was a lot of fun. We started by opening gifts at home. I received a lot of awesome toys and clothes from some sweet friends and family. I still think I must have been a really good baby because Santa really likes me.

Auntie Christine and Uncle AJ sent me a really cute ornament. I am excited to put it on our tree next year. They are coming to visit us in a few weeks... Mama, Papa and I are really really really excited.

Auntie Darden came over to Great Gimma, Aunt Bev and Uncle Jeff's house for Christmas brunch. It was a lot of fun having her with us. She is really awesome and one of Mama's dearest friends. Aunt Jammie also brought Darden matching PJs so she put them on. After brunch, I took a nap while Mama, Papa and Darden played a game they invented called "Battle Jacks." I am not sure about the rules, because they seemed to evolve as they went along and by the time I woke up it was a completely different game. They had a lot of fun laughing as they played. Maybe next year I can play too... or at least the baby version. :)

Have you met Zoe? She is the "baby" at the Hartzlers. She likes to snuggle with me and loves to follow me around. Mama says that she is watching out for me because whenever I cry, she runs around to tell us that something is wrong.

By the end of the night, I was really tired from our two day Christmas celebration. I slept through a lot of it, but what I was awake for was absolutely amazing. I have a fun family full of love, wiggles and giggles, just like me. 

As always...

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

Baby's 1st Christmas.

Today Mama took some photos of our favorite Christmas ornaments. This top one is my favorite because it is from my Grandma and Grandpa. They sent me this from California. Mama had a feeling it was an ornament so we opened it early and she was right. They even put my picture in the frame. We found a special place for it on our Christmas tree.

This vintage looking Santa ornament is one of Mama's favorites.

I like this snowman one because they are snuggling and I think snuggling is the best.

We have a collection of bird ornaments that Papa carefully placed around the tree. He likes them.

When I am bigger, Mama said that we will make some ornaments together. She also told me that next Christmas when I am a 14 months old, we will have to place the ornaments a little higher since I will want to grab and play with them. Maybe we could put some of my stuffed animals on the lower branches?

Merry Christmas Eve!

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn


© 2010 Heather Gray, all rights reserved

Cookies and Milk for Santa

Crazy Domestic

Mama and I are going to make these cookies today. How fun! I am too little to enjoy them but she says that Papa and her will enjoy a few extra ones for me. :)

We are off to the store for marshmallows, colorful icing and some extra milk because warm homemade cookies need plenty of ice cold milk and papa will most likely want a couple of glasses with these special cookies. The recipe calls for Better Crocker sugar cookie mix and icing, but we are going to make these from scratch because Mama says they will taste much better. 

So far the holidays are very exciting. My first Christmas is already amazing and it isn't even the 25th yet. I hope Santa likes these cookies.

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.

Recently, I figured out that I can get my hands in my mouth. I think I can get my whole hand in there, it hasn't happened yet but that isn't stopping me from trying. Sometimes I wake myself up to find myself chewing on my little fingers. Mama keeps looking in my mouth to check out the teething situation and so far I am all gums, but there are a few spots that are starting to feel more jagged. I have been quite fussy lately unless I am chewing on my fingers, so Mama stopped swaddling me for day time naps so I can chew away which makes me much happier.

Can you believe how quickly I am growing? Mama can't... she says I kept surprising her, something I will continue to do for the rest of my life I am sure.

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

Who are you yawning at.

I have noticed a trend developing... and I am not sure how I feel about it. Papa and Mama like to copy my noises and faces. Are they mocking me? Hmmmm, perhaps. Mama says she does it to relate to me and to let me know that she is listening. Some times it freaks me out and I just stare at them, and other times I ignore it. I think they just want to be cool like me. I am inventing all kinds of awesome noises and faces lately which make my parents laugh. It is fun learning to communicate. My little coo-s and cries are evolving which is exciting. I have also started to copy the faces Mama and Papa make for me. It is a fun time in the Gray house. 

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

My first Christmas tree.

Mama, Papa and I decorated our Christmas tree a few weeks ago. We were excited to put it up as soon as Thanksgiving passed since this is my first Christmas. Papa made cranberry-chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast, we dressed up in festive jammies and listened to Christmas music. Mama and Papa told me about Christmas, about our special tree (It was my great-aunt Marilyn and great-uncle Grant's) and told me stories about a few of the ornaments. There are so many wonderful and special ornaments on our tree. There are a bunch of gold ones with my Papa's name on them from when he was little, some homemade ones too. Mama tells me that she is going to collect special ornaments for me while I am growing up to put on my Christmas tree when I have my own family. She likes to think ahead, it makes me feel very special. I am excited to experience old traditions and create new ones with my family.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I am looking forward to dressing up in matching jammies on Christmas Eve (a family tradition), opening presents on Christmas and spending the day with my family.

 Lots of love, wiggles and giggle,

Finn

2 month well baby visit.

Check me out! I am growing like crazy. At my 2 month well baby visit they measured and weighed me again and I am in the 90%ile for my height, cool hu? I think I am going to be tall like my Papa. Dr. Jordan checked me out and said that I am looking good and doing well. He looked in my eyes and ears with a very bright light which made me whine a bit. Then the nurse gave me my 2 month vaccines. I cried for a little bit but was quickly calmed by Papa's warm arms. My next well-baby visit is at 4 months. I am going to work very hard to keep growing and continue to surprise my parents with how big I am. I may even start teething by then! See you in a few months Dr. Jordan. 

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

Good Morning Smiles.

Finn 9 Weeks Old.

I think mornings are my favorite time of day. I love waking up and seeing mama face smiling at me. She smiles at me a lot and likes to sing to me. The last few weeks I have been smiling back and reacting to her singing more and more. She keeps calling me her "little smiles." When I am fussy and not smiling, she likes to sing "Silent Night" to me. She tells me that this is commonly a holiday song but that she has always found it calming and likes to hum it throughout the year. It is one of her favorite songs.

I am recognizing mama and papa's faces really well now and I like to watch Tia and Koa, my furry siblings, run around and play. It is an exciting time, the whole world is opening up before of my eyes. My hand-eye coordination is getting really good and I am starting to try to put things in my mouth. I have discovered my tongue and like to stick it out when I smile which makes mama and papa laugh. This also makes me drool a lot which mama tells me is because my salivary glands are developing. This will come in handy when I get older and begin eating solid food. I have also started to chew on mama's finger and she can feel my little teeth under my gums. Something tells me this next step in my development is going to be a little painful but I am excited to have a big smiley grin like my parents.

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

I am six weeks going on seven weeks, innocent as a rose...

I am six weeks going on seven weeks! I have grown into some new clothes, started smiling like crazy, shared a few giggles with mama, started to coo and make "pterodactyl" noises, and figured out that snuggling is the best.

I think mama and papa are excited that I am starting to respond to their funny songs and dances. They love to hang out with me and make me smile, its awesome. We are a fun little family.

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

1 month well baby visit.

Hello world,

Last week I turned one month old! Amazing isn't it? It seems that all of my little birthday or anniversary celebrations happen at Dr. Jordan's office... 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month and soon I will go back for my 2 months check-up. I heard that normally you get cake for a birthday but so far this hasn't happened for me. I get snuggles, a light flashed in my eye, a cold scale and on this last visit an ouchie shot!

Before I get too far ahead of the story I should start at the beginning. For this visit papa couldn't come, so mama and I went together. This was our first outing alone. She sang to me on the way to our appointment and I fell asleep. While we sat in the waiting room we meet some other kids and their parents. There was a cute little girl who was beginning to walk, I can't wait to be able to do that. So far, I like to kick a lot, just like when I was in mama's belly... but now my kicks are becoming more intentional. I also like to scoot around my crib and on the floor, as well as hold on to mama's hair, shirt and shoulders when she is snuggling with me, and papa's neck when he burps me.

Back to our appointment. When we got into the exam room, a really nice nurse weighed me and it wasn't as bad as I remembered. She was really nice and gentle, and I didn't even cry. She also measured my length and head. She really stretched me out and I straightened my legs as far as I could. Papa keeps joking with me that he doesn't want me to be taller than him, so I am trying to grow as much as I can just to prove him wrong. It turns out that at 1 month I am 22 3/4" which is in the 90%ile! I wonder how tall papa was when he was my age? 

After the nurse left, mama snuggled me in my favorite green blanky and I feel asleep. Dr. Jordan could hardly even get me to open my eyes to look at them with his bright flash light. Then he answered a few of mama's questions and told her that I am doing really well. After Dr. Jordan left the nice nurse came back and gave me my first shot. She warned mama that I would probably cry like she had never heard before and she was right. Mama snuggled me while the nurse gave me the shot and I instantly opened my eyes and a second later screamed like never before. Mama later told me that she could see the pain in my eyes right before I cried and that it broke he heart a little. After I started crying she held me tight and I calmed down as she talked to me. The nurse told me that she was sorry for having to give me the shot but it would keep me safe. She was really nice, so I forgave her. I hope I will see her again. I liked her much more than the nurse before... I peed on her!

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

I voted!

Hi Friends!

Did you vote last week? I did. I went to the polls with my mama and papa. The lines weren't as bad as mama said they would be because there were a lot of early and mail in voters in Colorado this year. When we got to the polls it was a little confusing because we couldn't find any voting signs at the high school telling us where to go. While we were looking for the correct room we ran into our neighbor Emily. Emily is in high school and she is really cool. Sometimes papa helps her with her math homework. He says that he is practicing so that when I am in high school he will be able to help me with my homework. 

Hmmm... I seem to have gotten off track, where was I? Oh that's right the voting polls. Once we found the correct room, mama and papa showed a man their driver's license and checked their name off of a list. The gentleman then asked if I would be voting. Mama told the nice man that she hopes I will when I am older and until then I would come with them to the polls so I can see how important it is to vote. As mama and papa voted, I feel asleep in my comfy car seat because there wasn't much for me to do and I was very sleepy. After they turned in their ballots the nice gentleman gave then stickers declaring "I voted." He also gave me a sticker which mama put on my favorite blue beanie. 

I can't say whether I enjoyed voting or not because I slept through most of it but I did meet some very nice people who where working at the polls. I wonder what we will be voting on next time? I will be older then, maybe I will be able to vote like mama said. Do they have toddler sized voting booths? I hope so.

Lots of love wiggles and giggles,

Finn

My First Halloween

Hi Friends,

My first Halloween started with a surprise from one of our neighbors. In our neighborhood there is a tradition of being "Boo-ed." When some one "Boo-s" you they leave a bag of goodies on your door step, ring the door bell and run! Usually you get a bag of candy with some other treats as well as a picture of a cartoon ghost that you put in your window so the other neighbors know that you have been "Boo-ed." Then you have to "Boo" two other neighbors.

This year we received a bag with some tasty treats for mama and papa and a cute Halloween footed onesie for me! Check out the little pumpkin feet!

For my Halloween costume mama dressed me as a little bear. She bought the costume a few weeks before I was born. She wasn't sure if I would fit into the newborn sized outfit and she was right... I just swam in it but it was very soft, so I didn't mind.

My costume kept me so warm and comfy... which made me sleepy, especially when papa held me.

Auntie Esme came over to help us carve pumpkins, she is comfy too. I fell asleep while she held me. She carved my pumpkin for me since I am still working on my hand-eye coordination and more importantly, I shouldn't play with sharp objects.

After we carved our pumpkins, we visited a few of our neighbors. First we stopped across the street at the Welchs. They have two cute little girls who gave me a lot of candy and also sang a song for me about a turtle who ate soap. I am not sure why the turtle ate the soap but the girls laughed and laughed about it which made me happy. The girls also gave me some cute shoes with puppies on them and a little sleep sack with ducks on it that they had outgrown. I can't wait to wear those puppy shoes.

Next we went to the Craigs' house. They live next door to us and have two older girls. The Craigs also gave me a bunch of candy as well as a baby blanket and a little giraffe. Mama told me that normally you don't get gifts when you trick-or-treat, so I felt very special. We have the best neighbors! They have all been so sweet in welcoming me to the neighborhood.

I can't wait for next Halloween when I can dress up again and visit my wonderful neighbors!

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

3 weeks old.

Hello world,

We have all been a little sleepy around here due to my sad little tummy. I have had a lot of exciting things happen this week that I will post more about after a good nights sleep. Oh, and did I mention that I am 3 weeks old today. Time flies! Mama keeps telling me to stop growing so quickly. She is constantly taking photos of me so that she can document how much I am changing. I will post some recent funny face photos tomorrow. That's all for now. Good night moon.

Lots of love, wiggles and giggles,

Finn

Introducing, Houdini Baby.

Hello friends,

I just woke up from a relaxing nap. Mama came in to feed me and she found me like this. I recently began moving all about my crib in a fit of joy... and sometimes frustration. Despite my parents best efforts to swaddle me between blankets and bolsters, I love to escape their confining sleep set-up. During this particular nap I was a little hot, so I kicked off my socks, wiggled out of my pants, rolled out of my blanket, moved the bolsters and decided that sleeping perpendicular to my normal position was much cooler. Mama started laughing when she saw me like this and decided to take this photo which works well for my blogging. Thanks mama. Now, I must come up with some new tricks. Abracadabra!

Lots of love, wiggle and giggles,

Finn