Two Week Recap

This past week and a half has been so full - amazingly so - that I've barely had time to breathe, much less do more than a few quick comments on blogs.  It already feels like Finn's MRI was a month ago, not just 7 days ago.  This is just a bunch of random things all squashed together in one post.  Don't look for any cohesive theme or transitional sentences.  They aren't here!

Last weekend we used a conference as the perfect excuse to escape to the beach for a few days.  Finn, Nanny M and I drove down on Friday night after work.  This was the first long car ride Finn has done...and Nanny M ended up riding in the back seat for most of it.  Even then, Finn wanted to hold my hand while I was driving.  He has become very attached the past few weeks.  It's wonderful to feel so loved but also exhausting!

Saturday morning I sat through a bunch of lectures, then met Nanny M and Finn out on the beach after lunch.  I sat in a beach chair wearing my conference clothes (my pants were pajama bottoms, but I'm pretty sure no one noticed and I was SO comfy!) for almost an hour before taking Finn up for his nap and leaving Nanny M to enjoy herself on the beach.  Up in the hotel room I let a naked Finn run around after his bath, which then led to him peeing on a wall for the first time.  They grow up so fast.

Both nights he slept horribly.  Waking up, tossing and turning and just fussing a little, not actually crying.  Saturday night when I got up to try to rock him back to sleep, Nanny M sat up and said she'd take him.

It was so amazing.

My child was fussy and awake, and someone else took him so I could sleep.  This must be what married women experience when their children are fussy.

Sunday we stayed after the conference was over to spend time at the pool, then loaded up the car a little past Finn's naptime, so he slept more than half the way home.  Which means that Nanny M got to sit in the front seat for more than half the trip!

My parents have been here since Wednesday.  Because Finn is so attached to me these days, they haven't really been able to help me with him as much as I'd like, but it is nice to have a second set of hands when getting things out of the car, or fixing him a meal.  It was great being able to leave on Saturday morning for a massage and not have to pay someone to watch him.  It was even nicer being able to stay gone longer so I could visit SingleMomBB and meet little Ella! I got to hold her for a little bit - and ended up staying much longer than I'd planned because she is such a sweet and cuddly little girl! I could have sat there and stared at her precious little face all day.

After leaving so Ella could get her bath, I headed home to find Finn waiting at the door for me.  We packed up and headed out to a local center that rehabs hawks, eagles and other raptors.  Unfortunately we missed the show where they let some of the birds out to fly, but I did get the chance to have this ridiculous picture taken:

Finn seems to learn something new every day.  He can now understand simple requests, as well as two step requests - sometimes really surprising me with how much he understands.  His favorite word is "no" (of course), and he uses it even when he doesn't mean it, just because he likes the sound of it.  He knocks on door when they're closed, he insists on feeding the cats their dry food, can high five, knuckle bump and is currently obsessed with his belly button.

Of all the things he's learned lately, the worst was tonight.  I made a huge mistake.  I taught him how to fake burp.  He burped while in the tub and when I asked him if he'd burped, he giggled.  So then I fake burped and said, "Excuse me!" in an attempt to teach him manners.  He thought it was funny, so I did it again.  And again. And again.  And then he tried to fake burp and made the funniest sounds ever. We were both crying from laughing, but I know it's going to come back to haunt me one day!