Inevitably Keely

In a matter of days, Finnegan will be three months old. That is so crazy for me to even imagine. In some ways it feels like he has been a part of our family for years, like his place is with me and Daniel and his sister. Like there was always this place carved out for him with us and he is exactly where he is supposed to be. And sometimes I look at him and how much he has grown and how interactive he has become and I ask him how this is even possible because we just brought him home! He is supposed to be little and delicate, but he isn't. He is my big, strong, three month old with a killer smile, flirty eyes, quick temper and lively personality. Things weren't easy at first. For the first few weeks that Finnegan was home, I cried every single day. I cried when Zoe cried and when Finnegan cried. I cried when I was away from Zoe. I cried when I needed a break. I cried because of television shows and movies. I cried because we had ants in the house. I cried because I was exhausted...

She was our first kid. We brought her into our tiny little apartment five years ago this week. Back then we thought getting a puppy would add even more joy to our lives - we were right. Turns out, Bailey was our test run with having someone depend on us as a couple, working together. There were some hiccups: accidents in the house, CD's were eaten, books shredded, her face puffed up after being stung by a bee, etc. But she was the ingredient that helped us grow from a couple to a family as soon as we took her home. Now we live in a house with a big backyard for her to share with her pug brother, Max. She's now one of four... with two younger human siblings. But Bailey will always be our little, neurotic, "Stinkbutt". At five years old - her birthday was January 3rd - she's still very much a puppy in that troublemaker way.... and a very important member of our family. Happy Anniversary, Bailey!

This is the bridesmaid dress that I will be wearing a week from this Saturday in my hometown, Palm Springs. Well, Palm Desert, actually... but no one ever knows where I'm talking about unless I say "Palm Springs". Daniel likes to make fun of me when I just say "the Desert". He says it sounds so ominous. "I grew up in the Desert." Like I lived off the land on my own and rode a camel or something. Anyway. That was a tangent. So, I had to give my measurements for this lovely dress when I was nine months pregnant because of the timing. THIS: just happens to be my ginormous "baby belly" the day* I placed the order. Can I just say how ridiculous that was? Why does it have to take so long to have a dress made anyway? And how lame is it to have to give super big numbers that you know are going to change days after you give birth?! When I told the lady I was having a baby 13 days from when we talked and that my measurements were going to shrink consi...

"Hey, Mama!" Hi, Finnegan! "Look at me lifting my head like a big boy!" I know! You are such a big, strong boy! "Pretty darn impressive, no?" VERY! You impressive me every DARN day, Finnegan! "I can haz milk now?" Sure. Let me just get a couple more so I can show you off to Nana, Grammy, Baba, Grandpa Rick, and your MANY other adoring fans. "Do you know how long I've been waiting?" Not long at all, actually. Finn, you are a very well fed boy. Have you SEEN your cheeks?! "Feed me now, woman!" Now, now, son. There's no need to get cranky. You just ate an hour ago! "The service here sucks." Well, the patron sucks too! Badumbum! "Seriously, this is the last one. Rrrright?" Yes. For now. I love you, baby.

Zoe at eight months/Finn at almost three months - sleeping in Target shopping carts 1. Look how precious they were/are! 2. That cart cover was one of our best baby purchases, ever. 3. I must be boring to shop with.

But definitely auburn.

Last Tuesday was Finnegan's first full day away from the house and me. Daniel and I carefully got him ready and loaded him up in his car seat. I loaded a bag with 20 diapers, 4 burp cloths, 3 changes of clothes and five bottles of my milk for his nine hour stay at Cheryl's*. And as we were securing him in his seat, I might have cried... just a little bit. And then I went back to sleep for a while because Zoe is still my little sleepyhead who will sleep til 10am if I let her. I took a shower and got ready - meaning, I actually put some lipstick on. I got her up at nine. We had breakfast together and watched some PBS Kids. And then we got ready for the park because we were lucky enough to have a lovely, sunny day instead of this grey weather we've had since yesterday. Zoe squealed with delight when I pulled into the parking lot of the park. The park is only two blocks from our house and I feel a little guilty for not just pushing her stroller, but I had big plans for our girl...