Ready for Christmas

Despite our rapidly approaching departure from New England, we had lots of fun getting ready for the holidays. The weekend after Thanksgiving, we found a little (4-5') fir at the local tree lot. Because we didn't really want to unpack and then quickly re-pack ornaments, we went simple with tree decorations. Caden became expert at making snowflakes out of paper, and soon the tree was covered in white lights and Caden's snowflakes. This year, for the first time, Caden set up his Christmas train by himself! We celebrated a family Christmas last Sunday, with cinnamon rolls, eggs, and presents to open. And tomorrow, we fly west for two more Christmas celebrations!

Piano tipping

As we prepare for the upcoming move, one of the items on our checklist was to make sure that our piano was ready for the journey. The base was sagging, and it clearly needed to be assessed and re-attached. The piano repair guy came over and tipped the piano on its back to repair the base. Here, you can see Finn and Mama checking out the piano, tipped on its back in our living room.

Under the hood:

A visit from Auntie Sally

Auntie Sally flew out to Boston for a conference this weekend and spent the day with Caden and Finn on Sunday. Highlights included a trip to the aquarium (for Sally, Mama, and Caden) in the morning and time with all of us at home - including bath time - in the afternoon.

And later in the evening, Finn was being super-cozy and talkative with his mama. You might need to turn up the volume to hear his little voice.

Gobble, Gobble

We celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year, enjoying our last holiday in our Swampscott house. We have so much to be thankful for this year, especially our healthy, happy boys! Dada continued the tradition of roasting two Cornish game hens, one each for Caden and Dada. Other traditional treats included the standards: stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce (including a jar from the local farmers' market made with berries from Plymouth!), and, after a chilly walk, pumpkin pie.

Finley has become much more talkative recently, including having "conversations" with us where he repeats sounds. His favorite is "ah, goo", as shown below.

Bath time smiles

This morning, Finn was being so cute in his bath that we had to grab the camera.

Brothers

Caden has been looking forward to being a big brother for years, and his love and care for his baby brother have been remarkable. Caden watches carefully as Mama and Dada take care of Finn and tries our techniques - and some of his own - to calm his brother when Finn is fussy. Caden is becoming a great helper, playing with and reading to little Finn. We are so lucky to have two wonderful boys!

Playing and growing

Finn is becoming more and more interactive, giving us lots of smiles and cute noises while he plays with his toys. Nana and Boopa correctly suggested that a helium balloon tied to Finn's foot would provide some serious cuteness. And we finally took Finn to the doctor for the first time in almost two months. Our healthy, growing baby now weighs 12 pounds and 1 ounce.

Fun with toys

Helium balloon

A little bee for Halloween

Finn was nicknamed "Little Bee" in the months leading up to his birth - Caden's first response on hearing that he had a new baby brother was "Little Bee is here?!" - so it was appropriate that Finn dress as a bee for his first Halloween. Auntie Sally flew out from Denver to spend Halloween and the adjacent weekend with us, and she joined in on the bug theme: Sally was a lightning bug, Caden a digger wasp, Mama a butterfly, and Dada a grub. Finn spent the evening charming the visiting trick-or-treaters with his cuteness, while Dada, Mama, and Sally escorted Caden and his friends around the neighborhood.

Two teeth in one night

Tonight, as Caden headed toward bed, he noted that one of his wiggly front teeth was bleeding. About 10 minutes later, having settled into bed, he exclaimed, "I lost a tooth!" Much hurrying, rinsing, and swabbing ensued. Once that excitement was over, Caden headed back to bed, excitedly awaiting the tooth fairy. A few minutes later, he exclaimed "I lost another tooth!" After more excitement, Facetime visits to show off his Jack-o'-Lantern smile, and a hunt for the 2nd tooth - lost in the bed, but recovered by Mama - Caden finally went back bed. Hopefully, he and the rest of his teeth will stay put until morning :).

 

Smiles!

Some smiles to brighten your day :)

Apple picking

On Sunday, we all headed over to Russell Orchards in Ipswich, our favorite fall stop for apple picking, pumpkins, and, of course, cider doughnuts. It was Finn's longest outing yet, and he stayed awake until the car ride home, checking out everything. It brought back memories of earlier visits - see earlier posts here and here - and was the perfect way to spend a fall afternoon.

Pumpkin patch:

Getting to the apples involved a hayride:

Apple picking: 

Finley kicking

Welcome Finley!

Today marks an important transition for this blog. For over seven years, starting in July of 2006, it featured pictures of and updates about Caden. Today, we welcome Caden's baby brother, Finley, who was born on July 10th, 2013. Thus, the re-titled "Caden and Finn's Blog" will include both of our wonderful boys:

 July 10, 2013

Finn arrived six weeks early and had to spend 45 days in the hospital - born in Beverly, Massachusetts, transferred to Boston Children's for a week, then back at Beverly Hospital until August 24th - before he could come home.

Finn spent a week in Boston being treated for respiratory distress syndrome.

He improved quickly and started growing. The four pictures above are from July 19-25, once Finn was back in Beverly.

Caden got to visit and hold Finn in the hospital.

But being home was even better!

Finley is growing into a smiley, playful baby. He loves being outside, listening to music, and being cozy.