Mother Allen Helps!

We were going to fix a dress for a little baby girl and then make a diaper bag. However, it just didn't work out that way. I was uninspired by the diaper bag and the dress is for an older child, and so, I started cutting and getting ready to make "Grocery Dog" for Phin.
I could not have done it without Grandmother Allen.
As a matter of fact, I will probably never try such a project again. It was quite advanced.

Into the evening, Dan popped up some popcorn (THANK YOU Grandpa and Gma Routier) and he was nice enough to share with everyone (except Phin!!!)

Dan stayed out of the way while we pinned and stitched.

Doesn't it look like Grandmother Allen is sneezing popcorn! What a HOOT!

And this is grocery dog - not quite finished. WE have an appointment set to finish it up. Then, Phin can sit in the cart at the grocery store and I won't have to stress out over the germs as we shop!

Jump up, jump up and get down!

Daddy took this flip of Phin jumping around while I was out of the house grocery shopping.

A week!

So, I have missed a whole week of updating which - sucks.
Things have just been very busy. Phin and I have been trying to get on a good schedule with the gym. My gym has two different buildings. The one close to where I live doesn't have classes I like, and the other building is far away. I think we have finally found a 9am schedule so we can really make the schedule work for Phin too.

I have also been working on a "magic blanket" for Phin's little friend who was born two days ago. Phin's new friend is a girl named Mayah. My spare time has been taken with the magic blanket and little baby hats for the hospital.

Last, we had a friend going to Malowie for a missions trip - and her sister in law came back to Missouri (from California) for a couple weeks before she leaves for the African Congo for two years at a University Teacher. We wanted to have a proper "going away" party for her and then I can start planning her "We're glad you're back" party for two years from now.





Phin is still rolling over to his back (still no belly roll on purpose) and jumping in his sit/stand toy. He is noticing the world around him - which is awesome to see - but nothing jaw dropping new. I do have a video of him jumping around to upload and some pictures of the going away party.

We also got some GREAT presents from Grandpa Routier in the mail. I NEED to photograph some of them to post. Phin got some SUPER CUTE clothes and a funny puppy. I will work on the uploading of video and pictures soon.

Hopefully, things will calm down a little in the next few days - but we will be sitting a dog for the next week - so we'll just have to see how it works out. Keep checking in - things will be added soon!

Thank you for your continued interest in baby Phin!

Thank you Uncle!

Today, I tried on teh shirt that Uncle Thomas got me from the Olympics - and it FIT!!!
So, I smooshed Phin into his olympic outfit for the last time (it's too small now) and we went to the gym as matchy-matchy! (Don't tell Daddy!)
Thank you Uncle Thomas for the dudds! My shirt will get a lot more wear!~


(note, the jeans Phin is wearing are 12 month jeans - and - they are not BIG on him!)
(note, this is after attending TWO classes - so don't be hatin' on me!)

Growth Spurt Positive!

I thought that maybe all of the sleep was a growth spurt. It turns out - I was right.
The first time we put Phin into this standing toy, only his toes touched. That was just days before New Years Eve.

I put him in it today and, well see for yourself.
He also seems to be enjoying rocking himself around (back and fourth)

It started yesterday.

Not only did Phin start showing he's tired by yelling at the top of his lungs (he used to simply rub his eyes) but he also started putting his arms out - toward me to signal that he wants to be held.
The yelling kinda hurts my ears and makes me second think his schedule. It makes me wonder if maybe he's hungry. However, in a day and a half - I think I now believe that he's simply tired.
The arm thing warms my heart but also makes me a little sad. The little arms tell me that he wants me - but it also tells me that he wants ME. I am with this baby all of the time - except when I am in classes at the gym. He's not yet freaked out that turned into a meltdown when I have left him but those little arms tell me that the time is soon coming where such will exactly be the case. When that happens, I will have to stop visiting him between classes to make sure he's okay because it will simply upset him.

I guess the point is that his little brain is aware enough that he is starting to know what he wants. For good or bad, he's having preferences. NOT to sleep and TO be held by his mama. This is a great thing, but just a little too soon for my preference.

Yes, this is motherhood.

Phin Burrito

This is a swaddle on steroids!

Old Pro

This is for the last three days where I was sitting on my knees for a ridiculous amount of time... trying to catch this very thing. Now, as soon as he's on his belly, he's rolled over again!




...and as of tonight, he weighs 19lbs 4oz.

F - U - D - G - E!

You remember "Christmas story" and the specific part where Ralphie says "fudge" (he actually drops the f*bomb) but in the movie (click here to see what I am talking about)
how it happened in slow motion...
It's like when you know you are falling and it's happening in slow motion and all you can do is go with the fall and hope you don't hurt yourself...

Yesterday, Phin rolled over for the very first time. It was slow motion like that - but let me tell you, I was as surprised as he was. He's been teasing me for a number of days with the idea of rolling over. He rolled over and surprise was on both of our faces. I then grabbed the video camera while calling his daddy on the phone, but he wouldn't do an encore presentation.

We tried again today after the gym - but he's being shy about it. So, instead I am sharing this video of his laughing self.

I hope you enjoy!

GOT IT!!!

And please, take an extra moment to notice his awesome CONAN O'BRIEN hair! We work really hard around here to make that happen! ;)

Phin ALMOST rolls

I am having a lot of trouble getting the site to upload the video - so until I can get it to accept the video, here a a couple of pictures from last night.
Since our first date (we figure around 6.5 years ago) that included food was Indian food, I decided to whip up some tikka masala. The veggies were still steaming during the picture taking process - so they are missing.

Daddy decided to get Phin's high chair (Thank you Auntie!) and give it a whirl on the day Phin turned 5 months. He did a really good job with the high chair. I lit some candles (for the unmentioned cake fiasco) and Phin enjoyed smelling almond and staring at the tiny lights while we ate.

Excellence!

(Oh, and Phin HAD been wearing his choo choo top that he got from Uncle Dave and Nicki, but there was a LEAKAGE problem, so we changed before dinner...) They fit perfectly and look SUPER CUTE! Thanks Uncle and Auntie!!!

FIVE

The best day of my life was not:
- The day in high school that I moved from being so heavy I had to shop only in specialty stores for clothing to being small enough to shop at any store.
- The day I passed my test and became a “black belt” in a marital art.
- The day I graduated from the University as a McNair Scholar with a number of honors and scholarships under my belt.
- My wedding day

- The day it was confirmed that I was going to have a baby.

The best day of my life is actually today. I wish I were able to share with you the huge smile that is on my face and in my heart. Do you know what makes today so special? Today (January 7, 2009) marks the day that I have been married to my awesome husband for five years and it is also the day my baby turns five months old. I know this is “Phin’s blog” and this post will come around to be all about him, but today we are going to take the long way around. Today is not the day to be in a hurry!

Our dating was great.
In the first year of our marriage,
I went to my first professional sports game

and bought a house.
2005 - Dan graduated from the University.

2006 brought the beginning of Dan’s Military career, our first camp and canoe trip and Maggie.

2007, the second camp and canoe trip, continued work on the house
and the start of Phin (Petite Minute)



2008, Dan’s change from enlisted to officer, the third annual camp and canoe trip being postponed in lieu of the birth of Phin.

Now, the beginning of 2009 with my eyes wide open and excitement in my heart that things have gone so very well thus far.
I mean, of all of the people who get married, what are the odds that I would get such a loving and understanding husband? How is it possible that we have been this blessed in just five years (over six including dating)? We pretend to fight,
but our biggest disagreements that come to mind are things like: Dan picking up some shredded cheese at the market for me and getting the name brand (instead of generic or store brand) – what makes us so important that we need NAME BRAND???

Such a wonder of a lifetime and now, this little boy. This baby was planned and wanted. I named him “petite minute” from the beginning and I believe that such a name was very wise and telling on my part. My pregnancy was just a petite minute and his life thus far has been a petite minute (though he’s in no way petite!) The thing that I know today is that this little boy, who has his daddy’s lips and his mama’s eyes has brought such a joy and (an indescribable something) to the LIFE in our home.

I know that Dan and I have been happy throughout our whole marriage – but it has now taken on such a sweeter fragrance! I pop out of bed each morning to see that sweet smiling face and sometimes (actually quite often) I hold him and rock him in my arms long after he’s fast asleep. Between you and me, Phin’s daddy has told me he does the same thing. These moments and days are so fleeting and we understand such. So today, we will hold him more than necessary. Today I will keep every smile I can steal from him.

I cannot know what the future holds, but I do have dreams for my baby. They are the same dreams every mom has. I have visions of his rolling over for the first time. Then his crawling turning into his first step and then into his first word. I wonder what terribly embarrassing thing he will say to some stranger. You know, the thing that is so embarrassing that I want to blog about it – but SO VERY embarrassing that I can’t bring myself to “put it out there” like that.

There are other things too. This is Phin's room. It's a working room that changes all of the time. You will notice that the bumper is off of his bed - after at around day 9.5 , he scooted himself into the corner of the crib to try to "nurse" the bumper. We removed it so that there was no suffocation hazard in his crib.
We got that rug for his room right before he was born. The rug has a road on it so when he's older, he can run cars on it.


You see his flock of sheep, I got them for him this holiday season. I got them because I can picture in my mind, his playing with them. I can imagine a future of sheep lining the hall and he "herds" them around. I think they may also have a good religious value as he gets older and starts to understand bible stories...


Below his flock of sheep, he has books. There is the patchwork Elmer elephant with Elmer books, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library books, books I have picked for him and then books from Grandmother Allen that belonged to his daddy. We even have a great new book from the Great Grandparents Allen, but it's on our coffee table - instead of on his shelf.

Then there is this laundry hamper. We use it everyday but we got it because we imagined the kinds of fun Phin could have with it as he gets to be a bigger boy.


I guess my point is that I see where our future (if it’s God’s will) may be headed and I look forward to all of those things. But today I am tasting the sweetness of the last five years. I am reveling in all of the awesomeness of today. My day's agenda is to pick up our anniversary cake from the baker, make a nice dinner to place on our new dining room table and enjoy the evening with Dan when he gets home from work. Phin will take turns sitting on his daddy's lap and then mine and Maggie will be pacing the floor, looking for dropped food. The cat will, no doubt, be lurking on a chair while pretending to be invisible and in the background, music will play. We will eat dinner, and will simply continue to -be-.

Phin's swinging out

When I was not standing in front of him, Phin would notice the duck/chicken on his wrist and try to play with it. I tried to capture it on video, but when I was standing in front of him, all of his attention was on a: his hiccups and b: me.
But, it's still cute - so enjoy!

Tuesday

This morning Phin spent some time in his baby jail (pack-n-play) and I saw him trying to do a 1/2 roll. I didn't flip it over but, it looks like he's on his way!




This is just a picture of happy baby in his blue doggie suit.




...and the half smile is special for Grandma Susie! He knows how cute she thinks it is!

Swinging again...

Phin's first swinging experience was a little scary - maybe - for him.
But today, he's swinging like a pro. He even leans forward in the swing with a big cheesy smile on his face!

MOTHER ALLEN HELP!!!!

Here is what I have.
I am stuck on #3.
Call me!

Phin's night

The pediatrician told me I am no longer to wake the baby to feed him. I am to wait until he wakes up and is ready to eat. Seeing he's in the 75% for length and weight and the 90% for his head size, maybe the doctor is on to something. The baby is obviously not starving.
The thing is, I KNEW his schedule before. I could tell you if he was tired, hungry, ready to play or read a book - and now, now I don't know anything! He'll sleep 7 or 8 or even 9 hours at once and obviously when he wakes, he's hungry... but what about the rest of the day? How often should he sleep or how often should he be hungry? Dan and I are still working hard to figure all of this out.... But, this is what "time for bed" Phin looks like.


and, in moments, he's out!


Maggie was just cracking me up - guarding her ball as I put the baby to bed.

Sometimes you just have to wait

For the right moment to present itself.
This is an example. Dan and I had a broken down sofa. I had bought it when he was away for basic training the first time. When we would sit on it, there was a big metal rail that would dig into our legs. I waited around until there was a big sale at a sofa store and we became the proud owners of this sofa a couple of years ago.

Sofas are expensive, but we did get a good deal on this one. We have had it for over two years now and it's been a charm. In my opinion, it still looks new.

For over five years, I have wanted a head and foot board for our bed (the one I brought into our marriage). We have looked here and there - but they are VERY expensive. You see, my heart was set on a sleigh bed in cherry wood (that would match the rest of the existing furniture in the room.) Often a bed like that goes into the thousands of dollars. While they are beautiful, we are just not going to be spending that kind of money on ANY piece of furniture.

We have in the last year been talking about our upcoming need for a family dining table. You see, studies show that families that eat together (at a dining table) as a family have lower rates of obesity than those who eat - say, in front of a TV or not together. Phin will start to experiment with solids when he's six months old and so, it'll be time for us to sit together.

I saw a commercial for a furniture store that sells discontinued, factory over runs etc. I have seen the commercial for about two years now. They are only open on the weekends and I thought I wanted to check them out - but I didn't know how to get to the store. This weekend Dan and I decided to go see what all of the fuss is about. We were happy to see that there wasn't some *guy* chasing us around trying to do a hard sell as we looked at the showroom (which was nothing more than a huge "room" (warehouse).

As a bargain shopper and someone who is very sure of her sense of style, I was quite pleased with what I found! Dan and I got a bed AND a kitchen table (for four as that is all the more room we have for a table in our house) for less than what we paid for our sofa two years ago! Even more, our furniture was brand new in the box!

Now, sleeping in has a whole new level of extravagance for me. I wake up and feel like I am in a hotel. I come to bed and feel like a queen (except for the 55lb boxer stealing my place in the bed!)


As for the kitchen table, it looks great in our dining area. I still need to sew up the table cloth and seat covers (you can see the material on the side of the table), but Dan and I still had our first dinner together at the table tonight. I haven't got "the fancy" down yet, but the important part, (Phin) was there taking turns sitting on mama's and daddy's lap.



Turns out, the cat is super happy to have yet another place to hide and catch a nap. That settles it, the whole family is HAPPY!

Heart-Saver

People like to poke fun at me because I like "systems." Dan has said that the problem isn't that I am systematic - but more so that there are so many steps and details involved for everything - even feeding the dog or taking apart the cloth diapers for washing....

This is maybe another example of how I am funny. Today, I became a heartsaver! I learned CPR - not because I need it for my job or to do volunteer work. I became a heartsaver because if something were to happen where I came upon Phin and he (or another child) wasn't breathing - I want to know the directions to help the breathing/heartbeat get started again. I was supposed to learn the first aid portion too but we couldn't get the dummies - and so, I will have to go back another time to learn things like how to stop bleeding.

Just know this... if you are choking, use the Universal Choking Symbol and I will give you a "J thrust" like I'm an old Pro!!!

:)

My little boy is super sweet and such a good boy. We have a song we sing. It goes "How are you? How are you? How are you today?" "I'm real good. I'm a good boy mama. I'm a good boy today." He's not too good with his lines yet. His beat if off and the words kinda slur together but in time, he'll get it.

When we aren't singing, one thing he's doing is SLEEPING. Now, I will be the first one to tell you that I can not diagram a "growth spurt" for you. However, I do know that Phin has been sleeping A LOT lately and I fear he maybe getting ready to shoot up again. I mean, he's been wearing his 9 months pants for all of December and I think half of November. I am afraid he's ready to move on to the 12 month stuff... which is too bad as the 9 month pants are so very cute!



This is just another couple pictures of something that we do every day - but never gets shared with others. As you can imagine, babies get their diapers changed multiple times each day. Phin has started grabbing and holding things. During a diaper change, there are some things a mama doesn't want her little boy grabbing or holding... so we have "DIAPER DOG!" There are actually two diaper dogs - they came with some clothes we bought on a discount rack at JC Penny's. The diaper dogs stay on the changing table and Phin plays with diaper dog while his diaper is being changed. Yes, Mama is full of "systems." :)

HapPHIN New Year!

We had the traditional NYE party with the commune. All of the usual suspects were there and this year, it was hosted at our house. I wish I would have kept my camera around my neck because there were some really cute things that happened. An example would be the two little girls (around 8 years old) singing "rock a bye baby" while pushing Phin's swinging chair with Phin in it.

Everyone left before the actual stroke of midnight as there were many little sleepy eyes around the room.

I am afraid that I don't have any pictures - but I have asked the one photog at the gathering to send me what he may have. If I get them, I'll pass them on to Phin's fans.