7 Months



Other than having the cold currently circulating through the family, Fintan is doing well.  The next doctor visit isn't until nine months, so we don't have an "official" height or weight.  But, we think he weighs around 21 pounds, which means he is about to outgrow his infant car seat.  That could make shopping more interesting, since he mostly just sleeps now.  However, that would also free up a lot of room in the cart which would make me happy.  Also, he now does the army crawl to get around instead of rolling.  He can get up on all fours, but isn't coordinated enough yet to take it from there.  He also wants to walk around a lot lately.  And sometimes it really seems like he says mom/mama and hi.  We are really enjoying watching him develop and grow!

Christmas Picture Outtakes

Bitter Beer Face!

Fintan was making this face a lot for a few days, but I haven't seen it so much lately.  Now he sucks in his top lip.

Obsessed

Cian loves any kind of vacuum.  I would have gotten him a vacuum for Christmas if he'd become this obsessed sooner.  Since that is one of my least favorite chores, it could work out nicely for me.  :)  Here he is supervising the Roomba.

Half a Year

Well, Fintan has been six months long enough for him to turn seven months, so it's time for another post.  At his six month well check he was 18 lbs 7 oz (50-75%) and 26 1/4 inches (25-50%), and his head was 44 1/2 cm (50-75%).  He also had a few routine shots and a flu shot.  That evening, after being cranky all afternoon, he threw up and passed out.  I couldn't wake him up so I called 911.  I ended up taking him to the ER myself.  The ER doctor and pediatric hospitalist both thought he probably just fell asleep.  His pediatrician's diagnosis was a febrile (fever) seizure.  It was all very strange, but he is fine now.  He is pretty good at sitting up and playing with a toy for a bit, but still randomly falls over.  He loves watching his brother run around and you can tell he wants to join in so badly.  He also took his first plane ride at six months, to his endocrine appointment in Seattle.  It was actually cheaper to do that than to get a hotel room, and much quicker.  I was so nervous about it but he did really well.  I can only hope to be so lucky when we have to do it again in a couple months.

Two and a Half

I haven't posted much about Cian lately, so I thought I'd mention a few things he's been up to.  We recently converted his crib to the toddler bed.  So far it's going better than expected (knock on wood), he has been getting up earlier but I don't know if it is because of his new bed or because he has a cold and isn't sleeping as well.  He is getting bossier and starting to fib, I'm assuming that is just part of his development!  For example, he likes to tell us "Go dat way" when we are driving somewhere or out for a walk.  His vocabulary is improving all the time and he is using longer sentences.  We truly have to watch what we say now!  Also, he sometimes asks for cartoons, but that distraction doesn't last long.  He loves YouTube videos though, and will spend a small chunk of time watching those.  And, we thought he was getting into everything before, but now nothing is safe unless it's on top of the fridge or behind a locked door that he does not have the key to.  Finally, he is turning out to be a great big brother!  He sometimes does get a little jealous, but overall he is very sweet to Fintan.

Five Months

As you might have guessed, Fintan is five months old.  No doctor's appointment this month so no stats.  He has mastered rolling over both ways, and now has to be rescued sometimes when he rolls into furniture or the wall.  He eats rice cereal and some fruits and veggies.  He also laughs more, and he is starting to babble (dadadada).  I thought he would end up with brown eyes, but so far they are still blue so maybe they are going to stay that way.  He is already growing up so fast!

Sleeping



For a while now, Cian has insisted on sleeping with pretty much every stuffed animal he owns.  I don't know if that means he is starting to get scared at night, or if it's just fun to do.  We recently moved Fintan into his crib, so they now share a room.  I had hoped to have a little more time before converting C's crib to a toddler bed, but he is now climbing/falling in and out of it so we will be making the switch very soon.

Four Months

Fintan turned four months old a while ago.  He had his four month well check, and these were his stats:  weight 15 lbs 12 oz (69%), height 25 in (56%), and head 43 cm (71%).  He rolled over for the first time shortly after his four month birthday, and is now a pro at rolling from back to front.  I have seen him roll over from front to back a couple times, but he has not mastered it yet.  Overall he seems to be doing pretty well.  Again, I could not get a good picture of him smiling.  This kiddo is not a camera lover so far, but he still looks pretty cute!

At the Zoo

We turned Fintan's most recent appointment at Seattle Children's into a mini-vacation and visited the Woodland Park Zoo.  F slept pretty much the whole time, but Cian had fun seeing animals that were only toys or pictures to him before.  It seemed like a lot of the animals were not out for viewing, so I don't know if we went at the wrong time of day or what.  The highlights were the elephants and giraffes.  Oddly enough, Cian also really liked the snake (a python, I think?).  We didn't take a ton of pictures, and none of Cian by himself, but here is one of the better ones.

Silly Cian!

Tattoos courtesy of Grandpa.

Finally enjoying his little pool.  We took swimming lessons this summer, but I don't have any pictures.

I think he did this to himself by licking barbecue sauce off his plate.

3 Months

So, I had a hard time getting a good three month picture too.  It's impossible to get F to smile when I'm behind the camera.  Maybe I'll get lucky with the upcoming four month pictures...  Not much new to report this month.  There is no three month doctor's appointment so I don't have updated stats.  He is not rolling over yet, but seems to be getting close. He really likes it when you hold him in a standing position.  He also seems to have a pretty short fuse, so we could be in for some fun temper tantrums!

Two Months

Now that Fintan is well on his way to three months, it seemed appropriate to finally do a two month post. 

This is the only picture I could get where he wasn't crying.  Cian's two month pictures were the same way.  But there are also some differences I have noticed between them at this age.  Fintan coos/chats a lot more than Cian did, and so far spits up much less.  At his well check, Fintan was 12 lbs 9 oz and 22 inches long, so he weighed more but was the same height as Cian at two months.   

Since it's been hard to get a good picture of him, here is another one taken not too long ago that turned out pretty well.

Happy 4th!

One Month Already?

Fintan has reached the one month mark.  At his one month well check, he weighed 9 lbs 9 oz and was 20.5 inches long.  Here are some pictures:

A sleeping one month picture. 

And the brotherly love begins!

A picture later in the day with his eyes actually open.

Congenital Hypothyroidism

I have a new appreciation for the newborn screening tests done by the state.  Without them, we wouldn't have known until it was too late that Fintan has congenital hypothyroidism.  Untreated, it affects physical as well as mental development.  Apparently, that is what the Hunchback of Notre Dame had, except in the Disney movie he was smarter than he would have actually been.  (At least that is what I've been told, I've never seen it.)

Thankfully, since it was caught early, Fintan will likely develop normally.  After a couple of day trips to Seattle Children's Hospital, we learned that his thyroid appears to be physically normal and in the right location, so that is promising.  However, he does have to take medication every day until he is at least 2-3 years old.  At that time they will determine whether he needs to continue taking it, probably for the rest of his life.

While it wasn't fun to learn that Fintan is not completely healthy, it could have been so much worse.  We're thankful it wasn't.

Two!

It's hard to believe that Cian is two years old.  In the above picture, he is putting Elmo night-night in Fintan's car seat.  I told him to smile and that is what I got, pretty good for a fake one.  He is handling the new baby's presence pretty well, so that is a relief.  Some of his current likes are playing with electronics, playing the piano, getting the dogs to chase him when he has food, screaming out of frustration/anger, wearing his gecko t-shirt, and trying to do everything on his own.  Some current dislikes are having his teeth brushed, having to come inside from the garage or the backyard, and having his diaper changed.

Cian is learning new words all the time, and knows most of his letters and some colors and numbers.  He recently figured out how to work the child proof latches on our cabinets, so that's been fun.  We've also discovered he has an interesting taste in food, he seems to enjoy strong flavors.  One of the more gruesome combinations I have witnessed him eating is green olives dipped in ketchup.

Happy Birthday to our little boy!  We are excited for the changes the next year will bring.

New Addition

Fintan Makaio was born April 25 at 10:24 pm.  He was 7 lbs 5 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.  More pictures to be posted soon (at least that is my intention)!  I like this one because it looks like he is smiling.

It's a...

Boy!  We are excited for Cian to have a little brother to be buddies with.  I have been meaning to post this for a while, but was waiting until I had a chance to look at the CD of ultrasound pictures so I could pick out a good one.  Unfortunately, all that was on there were the ones that she printed, which I didn't plan on posting.  But I'll be able to put actual pictures on here very soon!

Jail

No, this is not his time out spot.  Occasionally I find him hanging out in the dog crates.  Crazy kid.