Finn gets so excited with all the action Ollie and his elephant provide that he loses a little bit of his lunch. Not to be thwarted the fun continues with Finn unabashed by the emesis.
We think they are on their way to being best of friends. Just this morning Ollie chose a spot 6 inches from Finn to take a morning nap. :)
This week, Finn met his Colorado cousin Rylie for the first time. Brian’s sister Jennie and her husband Chad spent Thanksgiving weekend here in Washington, bringing with them our adorable (and unfortunately a little sick) niece. It was great seeing them – the visit was too short as usual.
The first meeting…
Auntie Jennie, you’re so funny!
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday, and Finn wore his Thanksgiving outfit, courtesy of Gigi (his Halloween hat from Lia Halter made a reappearance as well). It was a tad big, but it’s not like he was going anywhere.
Finn seemed to enjoy his first major holiday (Halloween doesn’t count) despite the fact he wasn’t able to enjoy any of Grandma Dub’s delicious fare.
Even Ollie was on his best behavior!
Sunday the Walkers hosted a little open house to allow Jennie to see all her WA friends and extended family, so we were able to snap a family pic!
and another one of just the uncles, aunties & cousins…
We are already looking forward to the coming years, when the kids will no doubt frolic together, entertaining us all.
-cw
Brian was able to take all of Thanksgiving week off of work, which was fun & a errand-running lifesaver. It will be no surprise to any of you moms & dads out there that running errands with even a sleeping infant takes twice as long (and ten times the coordination) as running errands without them.
During one such errand (a long overdue eye appt for mommy), Brian decided to take advantage of a beautiful fall day by taking Finn out for his first walk around Greenlake. Not to be left out (again), Ollie went with!
First, he bundled up our little bundle in a cute little bear pram we got from Cathie Alder (grandma to Mattie Jo of previous post). Brian was convinced that the pram was for girls because of the ears.
Then they were off, completing the 3 mi loop around the lovely lake near our house. I was thrilled to hear that Ollie did quite well on his first shared walk – it gives me hope for future walks once I get the green light from the doctor. True to form, Finn slept most the trip.
-cw
Over the past few years, we’ve traveled to Canon Beach with a big group of friends for a long weekend during the summer. This year we skipped the event, as four of the five couples involved were all pregnant, due within six months of each other!
First came Emily, in late June (our elder statesman) to proud parents Rick & Lori. Next was little Mattie Jo to Matt & Alysia in mid-September. Then our sweet Finn, late October. And the final addition joined the ranks on November 20th – John Michael (“Jack”) Mellon, born to Bob & Abby.
The Mellon’s hosted a little reunion of sorts the day after Jack came home, so Finn & I joined them for a quick pic of the babies and their mommies.
It is hard to believe how much life can change in just one short year! Congratulations to all the new parents!
-cw
This landmark actually happened on November 22nd. but I have been deeply remiss in keeping this blog as updated as I should. Thanksgiving week really threw us off schedule!
It is hard to believe our little baby is over a month old already! Even more depressing is knowing that every day that passes is one day closer to my having to go back to work. We took some fun pictures of Finn on his 1-Month birthday (but no cake – I couldn’t find a recipe made entirely of baby formula). You’ll see he placated us at first, then let us know when picture time was over…
Don’t worry, Finny! Mommy loves you.
-cw
This past weekend was a busy one, with a double-outing on Saturday! We started out the day at University Village in Seattle, doing a little shopping for mom & dad. a friend of Brian’s from work gave us a “friends & family” discount card for Gap & Banana Republic, and it actually caused the words “I could use some new jeans and shirts” to come out of Brian’s mouth. When the man says he needs to shop, you don’t ask any questions, you just go shopping!
Finn slept through most of the shopping excursion, cozy in his car seat stroller, but we found a way to help him multitask just the same…
He did a great job surviving 3+ hours rolling around the outdoor mall on a lovely fall day. We had our own “tailgate party” as well, with Finn’s lunch being served out the back of Brian’s Acura.
That evening we visited our friends the Torgersons in Redmond for some wine, appetizers, delicious brownies compliments of their seven year old daughter Mari and some baby story-swapping.
Sunday was the Seahawk game for Brian and a day of rest for a weary and fussy Cindy & Finn. Unfortunately, the Hawks continued a recent tradition of the Seattle sports’ downward spiral, despite Finn’s obvious support of the home team.
Time to get this boy a Ducks uniform so he can back a winning collegiate franchise at the very least!! :)
-cw
It is pretty hard to believe that Finn has now been in our lives for three weeks. Some days, it feels like we’ve known him forever – others he still seems like a little stranger sleeping in our room. Either way, every day we learn new things about our mini-man!
Today, we experimented with a nap upstairs in his nursery crib (vs. the pack n’ play or infant seat downstairs) in an attempt to move him to his crib for nights. I’d say his two hour stint up there, veggin’ out to lullaby songs inspired by The Cure (an ode to his father) was a resounding success! Maybe tonight is the night we get some sleep with our little Mr. McSnorty Snort in his own room.
In the meantime, it is good to know that he’s not letting getting one week older bother him. He’s just chillin’ out in his Rainforest bouncy…
About a week before our scheduled C-section, our friend Steve Rosen asked if we were planning on having his wife Jodi, an amazing photographer, take photos of Finn’s birth. We reminded him that we were having a C-section, which we didn’t figure would make for good pictures. He responded by sending us a recent photo slideshow that Jodi had compiled for another couple who had had a C-section… and when we both ended up teary-eyed for a couple we didn’t even know, we decided to give it a shot.
We are so grateful to Jodi for sharing her gift with us, and for her 
A few things to watch for:
As Israel Kamakawiwo Ole sings so beautifully in his version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” at the end of the slideshow, dreams really do come true.
So grab some Kleenex, turn up the volume on your computer and click HERE to watch the debut of Finn Michael into our lives.
(by the way, you’ll need to install some software to view the show – it is all perfectly safe, so just keep clicking “yes” and “allow.” All you Mac users are unfortunately out of luck – better go find a friend with a PC!)
If you live in the Seattle or Portland area, think of Jodi the next time you’ve got the need for family pictures, birth pics or any other special occasion. Her site is www.jodirosen.com, and as you’ll see from these pictures, she is outrageously talented.
Brian has been doing such a wonderful job of updating our blog these past few weeks, I almost feel like a guest-blogger! But now that we’ve mastered feeding, Finn is finally sleeping in his bassinet (instead of our bed) and we’ve discovered the bouncy seat, I actually have a few minutes to play with some posts.
This past week was a big one – Finn’s first bath, which he loved once he realized the water would be WARM (vs. the chilly and terrifying sponge baths he’d received up until this point). As with many of his “firsts” he had quite an audience – in addition to mom & dad, he had Grandma & Grandpa Dub AND Gigi (Grandma Ryan).
Last night, Finn’s umbilical cord fell off, marking his first real “developmental” stride. (I like to think that when he smiles in his sleep he’s thinking of his lovely mother, but all the books tell me it’s just gas).
We are so blessed to have so many friends and family who have reached out over the past few weeks with congratulatory thoughts, gifts and advice. Thank you all so much for your support and love!
We long ago thought Finn could be a Halloween baby since his original due date was October 28th but the scheduled c-section brought him a week early. Doesn’t mean he can’t costume party with the rest of us though.
Finn’s party pose. Obviously rocking to house music at an all night costume rave. Replete with festive swaddle and pumpkin took, courtesy of Ryan family friend Lia Halter. It's a little bit big this year, but should fit perfectly enough to be completely embarrassing by next!
Finn after an all night par-tay. Mom had to pick him up as he was under no condition to get himself around. Some silly prankster sewed a giant pumpkin on his bum. Silly kids these days.
Ah what a week it was! Finn has been his own entity on this planet now for 6+ days and continues to confuse, entertain, sleep deprive, sleep on, poop on, drool on…and melt the hearts of his parents. We love the guy and yeah we are tired and befuddled at his antics at times but cannot believe he is a wee little us. We are sure he must be getting a complex as we just sit there and stare all the time. Amazing how entertaining a sleeping baby is to two new parents.
More glamour shots of the last couple of days…
Finn’s shirt actually says “So Cute it’s Scary” with a little ghost on it. We think so. He wore this in his first day out as he had 2 Dr. appointments.
I have a more “serious” version of this shot but this is better because the looks on both Cindy and Finn’s faces pretty much sum up what they have experienced our first week together. :)
Ollie has been nearby all the time. Here he chooses a nap spot particular close to the action.
Where is Mr. Kitty you may ask? Well as I have been entering this she just coughed up a hairball but I figure a picture is not necessary. Google it if you need a visual (not recommended).
Brian goes back to work Wednesday (tomorrow) and that is just about horrible. But such is life…we have mouths to feed and family vacations that need funding. Kauai in January here we come!
ttfn
OK we have been home now about 27 hours and feel like old pros! Yeah right but we managed to get some sleep and feed the little bugger Finn a whole lot. Cindy has done a great job preparing us for this onslaught of poop, noise, and use of the 38 new pieces of furniture in our house (you know I love you Cindy).
It has been quite amazing weaving Finn into our lives. We still have some work to do in order to get him eating correctly but it is fun that I get to feed him too. This is typical of early newborns so we are just rolling with it enjoying the ride while keeping him fed.
Ollie is curious about the whole thing, he appears to like Finn though as he tries to lick him whenever he gets the chance. He has stolen Finn’s toys, watched curiously as he eats, watched him sleep and chirp as in the pack-n-play behind the sofa, came to alert when he cries at 3:30am. All these things are great in that he is just showing he has no idea what the heck is going on but really wants to figure it out. Ollie even got a bath today so he must know life can’t be too off-kilter.
Grandma and Grandpa Dub came over tonight and shared something interesting…a newborn picture of Brian. Cindy and I KNEW this guy looked familiar to us when the Dr. first showed him to us. It was uncanny, hard to explain the feeling, but we may know why. Can you pick Finn from Brian from these two newborn pictures?
Anyway, this post is just an excuse to post more pictures…here are a few more from our first 24 hours at home.
Due to popular request here are some more pictures from the hospital on Finn’s birthday.
Dr. Walker scrubbing in
Tired after the move (AKA snoozing with mom)
Sleepy Cin and a typical Finn
Finn and his Dad
Gigi and Papa
Grandma and Grandpa Dub
(Finn’s got something to SAY!)
Mom meet your son Finn!
Finn passing his tests
The All-star of the day with some ointment in his eyes.
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