As I mentioned in my last post, our Fionny is officially on the move. Crawling, pulling up, and cruising like nobody's business. Lately he is trying to stand on his own and has even attempted on occasion to take a few teetering steps -- AAAHHH!!! It's all happening so quickly...just as the proverbial "they" said it would!
As a result of Fionn's increased mobility, my role as parent has changed considerably. Once upon a time, I used to carry Fionn from room to room in my arms. Now? I follow him a lot of the time. And I am telling you...he is quick! I have my work cut out for me once he starts walking. This I know.
Also, my little babe who used to need constant entertainment and attention? Well, okay, okay, that's still my Fionny, but he is definitely so much more independent than he used to be. He finds entertainment in the most mundane of places and he simply delights in discovering new things. I love how the playroom where we spend most of our time seems to hold constant allure for him. Every time we enter, he seems to find a new corner to inspect.
I simply love watching him explore his world. Here is a new favorite picture of mine, snapped by Conor's sister Meaghan who was just visiting last week. It shows Fionn's sheer delight at the activity of pressing his face up against the glass door that separates his nursery from our bedroom.
The days of watching TV and spending hours nursing and cuddling my little guy are over. Here is a sampling of a regular 5-minute interval in Fionny's playroom these days:
Crawl, crawl, crawl over to the coffee table. Pull up. Teethe the coffee table to make sure it still tastes the same as yesterday and the day before. It does. Begin to cruise around the coffee table, stopping at various times to make sure that Mommy (me) is still watching. The answer is always "yes." Then cruise, cruise, cruise over to the windowsill. Sit down. Pull up. Sit down. Pull up. Crawl, crawl, crawl toward the cat. Shriek and giggle while trying to pull out tufts of cat's hair.
I think you get the picture. My job, besides being Fionn's captive cheerleader and audience, is to straddle the delicate balance between encouraging Fionn's independence and also trying to keep him from killing himself. Or the cats for that matter. This is no easy task, friends, because our boy is pretty darn fearless.
Hence the title of this post. Try as I might, I cannot seem to prevent my little guy from banging his head against the various pieces of furniture in our home. I promise you, I can be standing right beside him with my hands hovering over his head in that typical "Mom Halo" (you know the one), and still it happens. The other day I thought I had all my bases covered. Pillows lining the glass doors to the media cabinet, thick carpet on the floor below, and the "Mom Halo" in effect. But what does my Fionny do? He starts bouncing excitedly while pulling up on the media cabinet, throwing his head back and forth. The result? He plum knocks his noggin on the edge of the furniture. Argh. Another bruise. We're starting to look like Million Dollar Baby over here.
Here is a pic of Fionny cruising around the laundry basket. Luca was helpful enough to provide some counter-balance weight, so this experience did not result in any injuries.
Other than finding ways to give me a heart attack, Fionn has also had some very special play dates as of late. First, as I mentioned, Fionn just spent a wonderful 5 days with his Auntie Meaghan who visited us in DC last week. It was so wonderful having Meaghan here, and Fionny just soaked up her loving attention. Here is a pic of Meaghan and Fionn at Mt. Vernon last week.
I'll have you know that our Fionn was very well-behaved during our excursion and only got a wee bit cranky when we tried to visit George Washington's grave site following the tour of the mansion. Can't hardly blame him really. What's so fun about a sarcophagus after all?
During Meaghan's visit, we had our very special friend, Uncle Bill Keeler, over for dinner. Fionn was fascinated with Uncle Bill's beard, as evidenced by this picture!
We had a wonderful time with Auntie Meaghan, and Fionn misses her already. We love you, Meaghan!!
Earlier this month, Fionn also had the pleasure of meeting his future wife, Campbell Zalubowski, who was born in late November. Look at him checking her out! Hmm...or maybe that's me he's looking at. Anyway, Fionn could definitely do worse as far as future wife material. Campbell is a total cutie!
Last but not least, Fionn got to have an extra-special sleepover play date with his best bud, William Van Orman, earlier this month in Portsmouth. The timing was perfect for the trip because Conor and I were having all of our windows replaced here at the house. Fionn and I figured it would be a great time to visit our very special friends, the Van Ormans. As you might imagine, it was a blast to watch the little fellas crawl around the house and have fun with one another. Although they mainly played well together, our Fionn took a bit of a shine to William's plump little cheeks, and he got a little rough with sweet William as a result. We've got to work on that. Gentleness is clearly not one of my boy's strong suits. Anyway, here is a pic from the trip of Sarah and myself with our little boys. Note the matching outfits! They were purchased in Vermont during our trip there in October. Also, note Fionny's Red Beard effect. He was dealing with a little eczema at the time, but a little Aquaphor cleared it right up!
And here is what I would look like with twin boys! Ha!
While in Portsmouth, we also got to spend some wonderful time with Amy and her adorable kids, Quinn and Amelia. However, I totally failed to get a picture of Amy and the gang, so you'll just have to use your imagination.
And, finally, I can't end this blog post without paying homage to the big Packers win last Sunday. My husband is beyond thrilled. Here is a pic of Conor and Fionn before The Big Game.
I know it looks like Fionny is drinking beer, but I promise you it's just smoke and mirrors. We're waiting until he's at least 1 year to introduce beer into his diet. Kidding, only kidding.
Until next time, folks...
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