A certain little someone is already 9-months-old.
He is crawling like a pro--and is fast! It took him about a week to master it, he started with just one little knee inch forward and then he would collapse and resort to rolling around and pushing/pulling himself to get where he wanted--a week later he put all the pieces together and took off--he hasn't stopped since!
The next day, since he decided crawling wasn't a challenge enough, he started pulling himself up on things. That was a little over a week ago--he is now walking along with things and has decided to test his balance several times by letting go with both hands to see how long he can stay standing. I absolutely love to see the look on his face when he does--it's a look of pure thrill, an adventure waiting to be unleashed.
Finley is quite the explorer. Now that he has free reign, he is discovering the world in a whole new way. He is so anxious to get down and explore, as a result I think he believes nap time is his own personal hour to play in his crib. He once put himself to sleep consistently...that has changed. I'm hoping its just a phase. But I can't say that I mind rocking him all the time...I love snuggling my baby boy.
He is 2 days pacifier free. I've been debating taking it away...he only fell asleep with it about 70% of the time anyway and he always plucked it out if he did. It was, more-or-less, me who liked the convenience it provided. I knew waiting to wean would just prove to be more difficult so I decided to slowly stop offering it to him and he hasn't had it at all for 2 days now. He did miss it but it was a fairly painless process...I am thankful! Vienna's weaning process was certainly not that easy and I took hers away at almost exactly the same age.
We are discovering Finley and his personality and are enjoying seeing him grow into himself. I have learned that Finley is his own pace. He is easy going and just seems to really take in what's going on around him. He is happy just to be happy, and I find that the atmosphere of the people around him really affect his mood. He loves watching his sister play and laughs most at her than at anyone...sometimes he just starts laughing at whatever she's doing--she then, of course, makes a game of it to keep him laughing. I love seeing the two of them play together. He loves bath-time...he just books it towards the tub if he hears the water running. He is already attached to his blanket, he loves to snuggle his face in it while he sleeps. His favorite toy is probably the toy-piano in Vienna's room...he always goes for it first and plays with it repeatedly and longer than anything else. He also loves being naked. I mean, more so than any baby I've ever seen. He literally cries everytime I get him dress or try to put a diaper on him--it's like he's begging me to just let him run around nakey. When I do let him roam free he is so incredibly giddy--and putting clothes back on him is like WWIII. Finley is definitely a momma's boy--besides Andy, he's not too fond of anyone else holding him. His smile just lights up the room, any stranger that compliments him comments on his smile--its so contagious. He is loving the discovery of food--his favorites are a squash soup I make for the whole family, liver pate, avocado and applesauce. He drinks from a sippy cup and is learning how to feed himself. Just like everything else, he eats at his own pace--sometimes it's fast, but most of the time he lingers after each bite, chewing and enjoying the flavor.
Our little munchkin is fearless. Vienna was so cautious when it came to things like crawling, standing and walking...she was quick to progress and a fast learner, but she didn't really try anything unless she was pretty sure she could do it. Our Finley? Nope. He just tries it, without much thought. And tries everything! With his wobbly legs and shaky balance he has the look on his face like, "Whoa...This. Is. Awesome!" Then he face-plants, looks at me as if to ask "Am I okay?" When I tell him he is, he stops crying and tries again. Haha...such a boy! :)
