The End of an Era

It's official, the pregnancy is over. I went for my 6 week check-up with Grace this week. Now I most likely won't ever see her again, because I'm guessing Baby #2 probably won't be born in HK. It's a bit sad, actually. I really enjoyed being pregnant (nausea aside), and I will admit it was an adjustment to lose my baby bump in a matter of minutes. But, life is certainly more exciting and rewarding with Finley on the outside. We love to cuddle with him!

This week has been super busy, because I've been trying to work on report cards while also mothering an infant going through his 6 week growth spurt. That means more eating, more fussiness, and less sleep. A more exciting milestone has been that Finley is smiling now in response to our smiles! Oddly, his early morning feeding is a great time to get him to smile. Why he is so chipper around 6am I do not know.

Just a few photos this week. This first one is Finley's toes sticking out of his blanket. Here's what happens: We cover Finley up. Something startles Finley. His feet shoot out, toes spread. His toes go through the holes in the blanket. It's pretty funny.

Our baby is "pretty fly for a white guy."

This is what I love.

Just for Fun

Since Finley was born, the camera has never been put away. We (okay, mostly me) are constantly taking photos, just for fun.

Here is Finley thinking really hard about sleep


And this one is just plain funny


His big, beautiful eyes, which are getting much clearer as the jaundice goes away


Holding Mommy's finger (not easy to be in the photo and take it!)


Peaceful little hands


Snoozing on Mom at our friends' house


Waking up in Mommy's hands


Year of the tiger baby!


Holding his head up with Daddy

1 month old!

Finley is over one month old! He has been having major growth spurts over the past couple of weeks. At his one month check up, he was 10.8 lb and 22.5 in! I guess he's getting plenty to eat! Finley is becoming increasingly more alert, and we're enjoying his awake time, especially if he's not fussy! He loves to look at our faces, out the window, and up at lights.

Here is Finley reading with Dad one night.

There must have been a shocking twist in the plot.

And this is where the story got a little scary! (Is this not the most hilarious picture you've ever seen?)

Finley loves to hold his head up when I burp him. He does a great job holding it up, but I still have to keep my hand there as a precaution.

Getting pretty ambitious with his head here.

We've started trying to introduce Finley to the pacifier. The books I've read and midwives I've talked to say you need to introduce the pacifier and bottle at this age if you're going to, or else the baby may very well completely reject it. We bought orthodontic pacifiers, which are supposed to be better for breastfed babies.

So far, not a lot of success. This is usually what happens.

Once in a while, we can get him to keep it in for a minute or so. Isn't the bumblebee cute? Nate thinks he looks like a "real baby" with a pacifier in his mouth.

4 Weeks Old

Can you believe Finley is 4 weeks old? We'll be going on Thursday for his 1 month check-up, but as of last Friday he was 10 lbs and 56 cm long! He's in the 75th percentile for his weight, length, and head circumference, which means he is very well proportioned. I actually was a little surprised, because his head seems pretty large to me, but apparently it is the correct size for how long he is. It's also encouraging that his weight is correct for his length, because that means he is getting the correct amount of food. Seems to me like he eats all the time! The constant eating is making sleep quite evasive for me, but my mom promises it will get better and he won't always eat this frequently. He eats as frequently as every 1.5 or 2 hours sometimes, which means he eats for around 45 minutes or so, then I get 45 minutes or so before he's eating again. Best case scenario, he might go 3.5 hours, which means I could get as much as 2.5 hours of sleep!

What's new for Finley's hobbies? Well, he's recently started spitting up sometimes, and he loves to pass gas. Nate and I can't help but laugh when something so loud comes out of someone so small. Finley is also doing much better focusing with his eyes these days. He loves to look out the windows, and he can now track objects with his eyes.

And now, to catch you up on photos...

This was Finley's (and Jessica & Brett's) first trip to Shek O Beach.

Finley enjoys playing on his new floor gym from my parents! Jessica and Brett brought this and other wonderful gifts with them. It was like Christmas in May.

One thing we had to do last week was go apply for Finley's passport. We had to take the photo ourselves, and there are many rules. You have to be able to see both ears, eyes open, no weird faces/crying/yawning/etc., white background without wrinkles, light enough but not too bright, etc. It took me, Jessica, and Brett to get the photo below, as newborns are not particularly cooperative with the camera. Then Nate took it to the photo store and got it cropped and printed.

Just another of Finley's hilarious (and totally cute) faces.

Love this photo. It's Finley in the blanket my mom made for him. Such a wonderful and special gift that Finley can keep forever.

Repulse Bay Temple

Jessica and Brett are here this week! They are the first family to meet Finley. They've been so helpful cooking, holding Finley, and even changing a few diapers!

On Monday, we went for a doctor visit for Finley's jaundice (it's improving), and then walked to the Repulse Bay temple. It was Finley's first time in his Baby Bjorn, and he loved it!

A Walk in the Park

Finley and I love weekends, because that means Daddy's home! This weekend the weather was beautiful, so we took Finley for a stroll in Tai Tam Country Park (conveniently located about a minute from our apartment). Finley loves the stroller and slept the whole time. We took a few photos while we were there, but unfortunately only two of us can be in the photos at a time. We'll be sure to have Jessica and Brett take a few family photos while they're here.

Finley has started smiling a lot as he is falling asleep. Here are a few photos as evidence. They are definitely my new favorite photos. I can't wait until he can smile at us!