2 Months

Well, hello there. How are you? My name is Haddon and I am 2 months old.
I weigh 11 pounds 1 ounce and am 23 and 1/2 inches long.
This is my dog. My dad won't let me have a real one. ;)
I like this dog ok. See how my hand is around his back? Truth is, my mom put it there. I'm still getting used to him.

Oh, actually, this dog is pretty soft. I am going to pet him.

This is fun!

Oh wait, I change my mind. I actually want to get away from this thing.


Ok, dog, you sit there, I'll sit here, cross my arms and mind my own business. Deal.

Heather's Cupcake Shower

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of hosting my sister-in-law Heather's baby shower. She is due to have a girl the first week of August. It's been super fun being able to share the experience of pregnancy & I can't wait to meet her little girl! She is the first baby to make me an Auntie, so I'm excited for her arrival.

Ok, so the theme of the shower was "Heather's Little Cupcake." I found this cute invitation on Evite & thought it would be perfect. I went with the colors yellow & pink . (Heather's nursery is a woodland theme, with oranges, brown, & green, and her mom threw her a shower of that theme already, so I felt she needed something girly.)

Heather, Haddon & I

When Kate was here visiting, she found a sweet cupcake garland online. It was easy to make; you just string cupcake liners of different colors & doilies together. It looked cute hanging from the mantle. I also dolled up the mantle with some pretty girl baby things.

And then there was the food: cupcakes, obviously. I made the mini-cupcakes on the left, Tammy, our mother-in-law, made the chocolate & pink ones, Betsy made lemon-raspberry ones that were oh-so-good, & Laura made the cake pops! Cute, huh??

For a more healthy option...

Full mantle shot
There was a great turn out!

Haddon was swinging away in the corner 'til Tamaw arrived!

Yay for Heather's Little Cupcake!

A Friendly Visit

A couple of weeks ago, we had a very special visitor! My darling friend Kate. She and I have been BFFs (apart from our sisters, of course :) ) for 16 years! Woah. If you do the math, since we were 9. Her sweet husband Eric got her ticket to come see Haddon and I was thrilled. She has 2 boys, Henry, 3, & Gray, 1, at home and I love them! I am so excited to introduce Haddon to his little buddies in just a couple of days!




While Kate was here, Haddon took plenty of naps in above position. Well, not quite always in that exact position, but on Kate's lap. She was a great help to me & I felt very spoiled. It was fun to talk babies but also to have someone who gets my random references and will play Speed Scrabble with me. Even though I lost every time. With Haddon's feeding schedule being every 3 hours, we made efficient use of the in-between time & went to the pool twice! Kate was still adjusting to her weekend without children when we got out of the car at the pool and she exclaimed, "I forgot pool toys!" On Sunday night, Ben, Kate & I went out for Mexican (thanks, Sarah!), walked around the lake there, and ended up at the Wine Vault. After confirming that nursing mothers can partake in small doses, we had a nice evening complete with wine. Pictures like the one below happen when we hang out.

Thanks for coming, Kate!!

One Month? It's True.

It is unreal to me that one whole month has already gone by! Apologies to those who have been checking this blog for updates. I guess I've just been busy living life. And I think it's more fun to read blogs than to write them. Just bein' honest.


I don't have the self-discipline or memory to take a picture of Haddon weekly, but I can do monthly! So this is our first monthly photo. I'm planning to have that doggie present each time to reference Haddon's size. Sound familiar, Kate?

This shot is just prior to me figuring out that button indent on the pillow is a good head prop for newborns. Haddon often has arms & feet in that position. It reminds me of motorcyclists. Not that that's what I'm hoping my son will turn out to be. Not that there's anything wrong with that! (anyone?)





And here's the chosen final product. I think he looks so old here! Maybe it's the wide eyes, maybe it's the polo shirt. But that's our little pumpkin!

I promise to do better at blogging. I have the birth story under drafts; it just needs some finishing up. Hang in there & you might get some videos someday too!

spring break!

Spring Break 11 starts today! I am thrilled to not be working this week. Words cannot express. However, I realized that this spring break is quite different than years past. This year, my plans include a long to-do list that involves cleaning every corner of my house. Tasks such as throwing away leftovers (we're really bad about that. i always cook too much and no matter how many servings of ravioli we can muster the energy to eat, there's always more. alas.), lining the drawers in the baby's dresser, and organizing guest room closets. Am I nesting? Perhaps.

So this post serves to remind myself that I am a fun person at heart. And that even though there is no exotic vacation this year, transitions into new stages of life bring great JOY. Maybe I'll start planning next year's trip. 11-month-olds make good travel buddies, right?


Spring Break '08: San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Focus on the fun, not the extra $400 we each had to pay because we missed our flights home.




Spring Break '07: Arizona
Trips to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Sonic. Lots of pool time, ice cream, & Grey's Anatomy Season One.

Who's with me for next year??

enthusiastic aunt?

or creeper?


you choose.

Baby Shower Numero Uno

A few weeks ago, I flew up to Wheaton to be blessed with 2 showers for... you guessed it, Baby Fink! Or, He Who Shall Not Be Named (yet).
The above picture includes my darling shower planners, Auntie Bonnie, my mom, Kelly, & Whitney. They did a fabulous job! Whit graciously hosted all 28 female family members at her house. We squeezed in there perfectly! Decorations included the cute "baby Fink" banner, the diaper cake below, nest & egg cupcakes, & of course, lots of blue!



The shower game was a hilarious "old wives tale" sheet. For example, "If you have colder feet than usual, you're having a ____" Guests were to insert either "boy" or "girl." However, if you're Auntie Bonnie, you would have fun shouting things like, "nervous breakdown!" instead. Whit did a great job managing the crazies during the game. Also, you can see everyone lined up around the room. I told you there were a lot of my wonderful aunts and cousins there.

Then came the presents. My goodness, I was so blessed! It was very humbling to receive all such loving and generous gifts. As I sorted through the 80+ pictures my cousin took for me, I laughed not only at my own expressions, but WHIT takes the cake. Out of respect and love for her, I will not post the series I had in mind, but know that she is most expressive while watching baby gifts being opened.

The lamb pictured above was a gift from my grandma. When squeezed, it plays a recording of a small child reciting The Lord's Prayer. If you'd like to hear it, give me a call. Then you can decide if it's really cute or actually kind of creepy. In the picture, I think we're listening to Grandma explain the lamb.

My cousins Sarah and Hannah, slaving away in the kitchen. They also happened to be my photographers, so I have a lot of pictures of the two of them now. :)



All in all, a WONDERFUL time with family!!

*second shower post coming soon!