Dear Finley James

My sweet, sweet girl.
I haven’t written very many public letters on the blog lately because I just haven’t been able to truly articulate all that you mean to me. I feel like words fail in comparison to who are. You are what we call in our family the “gateway baby”. A baby so sweet, so happy, so easy that you make us want to have a million more like you. How are you 7 months old already? I have loved this baby stage so much. You are making a liar out of me. I’ve written previous blog posts about how I wasn’t a baby stage kind of person. Well you my dear Finley, I could eat you up with a spoon. This new perspective you gain from having another kid is about as wonderful as having another kid. I know how fast it all goes now, how each and every tough stage is just that… a stage. So I hold you a few minutes longer, the laundry gets put on hold for a day or two more, and I just enjoy you. I breath in your sweet baby smell and I try my hardest to just be with you. This baby stage passes all too quickly.

You and me are quite the team. That’s how I like to see it anyway. One superhero, attached at the hip kind of team. You sure do love your Mama. I am not going to complain though. As we get ready to send your big sister to preschool this year, I know it won’t last forever. Besides, I do very much enjoy that you seem to love me most over everyone else. However you did just start saying “Dada”. I won’t hold it agains’t you though. He is a pretty swell guy. I can see why you want to get his attention. He sure does light up when he hears you say his name. You have just the sweetest little voice. You smile with your whole face. Almost everyone that meets you calls you “bright eyes”. I think it’s a pretty fitting nickname.

Just so you know, you are quite the stubborn little girl. I like the spunk you have. We went away for a few days and you refused to take a bottle for 5 days. 5 days! I thought for sure you would crack. Your Meme had to give you your milk from a big girl cup. You drank it like a champ but boy, oh boy you would not give in for your Meme. I don’t blame you though. We worked so hard on nursing. Just you and me. Tears, late nights and lots of persistency. Here we are 7 months in and neither one of us are ready to be done. You held on for me to come back. I have gotten to a place where I really love that time together. It was slow coming but I couldn’t be more proud of us.

p.s. You seem to really love crossing your little feet together when you sit up. It’s about the cutest thing ever.
p.p.s. 7 months later and we are still obsessed with Little Hip Squeaks headbands! A Finley staple.