Going off-line...

I realize that I haven't updated the blog for a while. We have done some fun things (i.e. went to the zoo, had a job interview, played at the park) and I promise I will post a ton of pics and stories soon. But first, we are unplugging for the rest of the week and heading off to the coast to hang out with Kevin, Leah and Tuesday (friends from Seattle). I'm sure we will have a ton of pics and stories to share when we get back on Sunday night! Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend! We look forward to sharing stories of our adventures and hearing about yours!

Random Question of the Day

Do you ever have days where weird and random questions pop into your head? Well, I do and here is one.

While nursing Finley, I noticed she has dirt under her nails. Seriously? She is 4 weeks old...how does that happen? Is it all dead skin from all of her involuntary scratching? Has Maya been carrying her out to the backyard to dig in the dirt while we aren't looking?

There...I asked it...that is my RQOTD.

Four Weeks

28 days...and a few more because this post is late...

I can't even remember what life was like before Fin dropped into our life. Here are a few pics of her first few weeks along with some little Finley Factoids!

Finley inside...full of kicks, wiggles and hiccups.
Finley outside...not as kicky or wiggly but more hiccuppy and snurffely!



First hour of life. Finley came out purple. Not lavender, not lilac, purple. Purple like Grimace from McDonalds. Purple like irises. Purple like like the smallest arc in a child's rainbow. I have never thought of colors as scary but on July 19th I was terrified by purple. I can still vividly remember her feet, an unnatural color. You can still see some remnants of purple in her hands.



Maya and Finley--my two girls. Already I can see them as best friends and worst enemies...simultaneously. There are similarities--lips, toes and wide eyed wonder. There are differences--coloring, fingers and sleeping habits. I can tell that the pair are going to be quite the team. I also have a newfound respect for younger siblings--god, the knocks that they take at such an early age. As I have written before...LOVES her sister hard!



Finally at home! She was a big baby...why do the newborn clothes still hang on her? Finley loves laying on her changing table staring alternately at the dream catcher or the "sleeping girl" picture. Speaking of changing tables...Finley loves to poop and pee, what baby doesn't. The difference is Finley likes to poop and pee when her diaper isn't on! Not a tiny amount...HUGE gushes and oozes of poop and pee! Such a cute little bug with such a evil little talent!



Shades of purple gave way to orange (for a day) and finally to a lovely shade of newborn pink! She has her stork bite (Voldermort mark) between her eyes just like Maya. She is only now (at 4 weeks) starting to cry at a full volume. She used to just make weird Beevis (or Butthead) type grunts when she was upset. Even her wailing in the carseat is more a blue flame whispery swearing rather than a fireworks screaming of obscenities like Maya used to do.



Finley has a brown/black belly button (at least for a few more days). She was still oozy a few days after the cord fell off so she had to have her belly button cauterized. It's slowly flaking away and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Look at the pudge starting to collect on her thighs and her cheeks! She is a fabulous nurser as long as mom keeps her caloric intake up to keep up with her need! (And let me tell you...that can be a challenge.)



A sly little smile with a drowsy eye! She is the baby sister. She is our daughter. She is Finley. I'm not exactly sure who she is yet and everyday I look forward to figuring her out a little bit more.



Fingers and toes. Like Maya, Finley has really long toes. At the ultrasound appointments for both of the girls the ultrasound tech said, "Wow, your baby has really long toes." And seriously...the tech wasn't lying. Finley's big toenails are ingrown. I have no idea how we are going to deal with them...I guess we will take that one step at a time. The other interesting thing is that Fin's pinkies (yes, both of them) are crooked.




Here is to our first month with Fin!

Lots to catch up on...

Well, it's been a while since we have updated the blog. That could be because we are MELTING in extraordinary heat. Thankfully it seems to be cooling off and we even have some rain in the forecast!

We had a few tricks to beat the heat...

Maya ate popsicles at the local watering hole.


While Finley was alert but sweating in her carseat.


We even went to the fair...at 11am it was 92 degrees...yes, it was hot! But we had a wonderful time. Maya was a BIG girl and rode rides all by herself. It really freaked me out because she looked so grown up!

Here she is riding the motorbikes...


Driving the dumptrucks...




Flying the airplanes...


After naps we went to John & Elaine's hotel and enjoyed their swimming pool.

Here is Maya eyeing up the big "grils" (that is not a typo...that's how Maya says girls). And notice how she is standing...the Wesely blood runs strong!



Maya was brave and jumped off the edge all by herself into dad's arms.



And Finley slept on my lap in an attempt to stay cool!



It's been a fun couple of days. We've stayed busy but had a ton of fun doing so. The big news is we have booked tickets to come to MN for a week in September. We will be able to fit in a quick jaunt up to Fargo/Moorhead to see Mel, Britt and Odin as well as show Danny the old college stomping grounds. Then we will head down to Owatonna for the week to see the fam! We are really excited to see everyone!

A Story out of MN!

My mom, Jonathan, Teresa, Tyler and Porter went to the fair last night. I received this recap this morning along with some great pics! I thought I would share...the story made me laugh and reminisce about being home! :)

Here is my mom's re-telling of the story!

The kids and I were at the SCFF last night. Can't miss the 1st night of the SCFF. It was quite a night. First they left without me because I was on the phone and Jon called back and said I'll come get you. So then we were so busy blabbing that we didn't really registered where we parked. Off to the fair we went. Porter rode every ride there was. Even made one loop on the ferris wheel - oooops that was a huge mistake. Poor child. Porter got ran over by some crazy psychotic kid 10 times his size. He came running thru slamming Porter to the ground. Another trauma for the child. It was about 10:00 and everyone was tired and we started walking to the car, and walking, and walking. Then Jonathan said don't you remember, that's what Mom's are supposed to do. I told him you were driving I thought you were paying attention. Well Jonathan took off running to where he thought the car was and Teresa, Porter and I came walking. When we turned the corner Teresa goes - oh no. Here Jonathan is trying to get in the car which was locked, key in the ignition and no spare key. He wanted to know why I locked the car and I told him I would have no idea how to lock your car. So Jonathan ran home, got the truck and a hanger and came back to rescue us. What an evening. I don't think I've ever had that much excitement at the fair. Needless to say Porter fell asleep on the way home (less than 6 blocks).

Jonathan, if you read this...it really reminded me of a fair fiasco we had together the last time I was home for fair! :)

Here are 2 pics of Jonathan and Porter that made me smile. Ah, the personality! And seriously, can my brother be old enough to have a child that big?

Like father, like son!

nope

the woo woo kinetic sculpture didn't help at all...
what i needed was some rock!

this turned my monday around -
i can only hope that it will help you in whatever way you need too

simple things

ugh
i was sure feeling down as i left the co-op this morning
mondays are always hard
after spending the weekend all together...
Maya is not prone to being dropped off.
plus i was on my own for drop off this morning
i had gotten pretty used to having Jen and Finley around too...

i just felt deflated
plus i could see in my shadow that i had crazy new baby bed head.

i think taking 2 hours to put Maya to bed last night,
worrying about her making all the adjustments, big sister, new class etc
and the fact that at one point last night when i went in to quell her cries
she said, "daddy, you were broken on the sidewalk and it scared me..."
(a nightmare i am not entirely comfortable with...)
are all working together to put me in funk...

i got the blues...

but...

there are little blessings all around;
when i got to work,
i was walking from my car to the office
and in among the rocks of the landscaping outside the office
was a cache of marvelous shimmering jewels.

tiny spiderwebs had captured the mornings dew
and kept it around long enough to catch the suns rays
putting on little spectacle
that i admired as i passed on my way to the office door.

It was one of those nice reminders the universe provides
that i should count my blessings...

Then i went into the office,
and within a half hour of being there,
had spilled coffee on my shirt
and stabbed myself in the hand with a pencil...

maybe this will help...

Snoozing...

It is really important to have your volume up for this video!




She doesn't typically sound like that but she has the typical newborn congestion coupled with a cold! Poor bug...but it allows for good entertainment! :)

All's Well...

Finley had her 2 week well baby check up today. She is 9 pounds 12 ounces which is a gain of 1 pound 4 ounces in 13 days. She is up to 21 3/4 inches! Dr. Curtin declared her perfect and told us to come back in 2 months!

Our family is doing well. We are figuring out how to get out of the house in the morning without losing our minds (for the most part). We've had a couple of nights where the girls wake up on alternating hours which means Danny and I get very little sleep. Most of this is due to the lovely summer cold that has taken over our house! Coughing, sneezing, snot...we are a beautiful group!

On a more personal/business note...most of you know that I have been stressing about a full year GTF position in order to maintain our health insurance, tuition waiver, etc. I don't want to jinx anything...and I won't write about it until it's finalized...but there is definitely a wonderful option on the horizon. If you have spare good thoughts to put into the universe I would appreciate any extras in the next couple of weeks.

The Weekend

The good news is that we survived another weekend with 2 kids! The bad news is Maya brought a cold home from school and now all of us have a cold. Maya was so snotty and leaky that we didn't even go to Bounce on Saturday morning for fear of people staring at us all disgusted! We did however make it to Mad Duck and then home for naps.

Today we had another adventure at the park with the Wiants. It was fabulous!

Here are some fun pics of Maya...she is quite photogenic these days!

There is something about this picture that makes Maya look like a yoga instructor.


Swinging really high is more exciting with your eyes closed.


Giving me a look from way up high on the slide with Auntie Kate hair! :)


Glamour-puss!


And one of Finley for good measure! She is keeping an eye on Danny in case he tries to put her back in the bath!

A Finley First

Tonight was Finley's first bath. I know...it has been 2 weeks since she was born and had her bath in the hospital...but she didn't smell that bad! :) It was definitely a family event! Enjoy.