Finley's Love for Quincy

Finley LOVES Quincy. Actually I think that may be an understatement. I am not sure what's more then love. Obsess? I don't think she's obsessed with Quincy but perhaps she is obsessed with everything cuddly about Quincy and Luci. Luci is probably the most tolerant of all our pets but because Quincy is old, slow and can't jump safety gates, he usually gets stuck with all of the Finley lovin'.

This past Saturday was no exception....

Neither Finley nor Quincy are allowed on the coffee tables. The cats do it occasionally, Iggy can't jump that high and Finley has never done it - at least to my knowledge. But there they both were.
Quincy is trying to escape and is meowing and hissing but none of this bothers Finley. To my surprise, Quincy has never bit her and can't scratch because he has no front claws but he has smacked her a few times but even that didn't phase her. I had to go over there and take Finley off the table so that Quincy could escape!

Later that evening, we were outside watching Daddy put in the edging along the raspberry bush and Quincy was relaxing in the shade by the stone because it was nice and cool. Finley notices him and wants to hug him...
And hugging him....
This was Finley looking at me as both Greg and I were telling her to leave Quincy alone...
She clearly didn't listen to us....
So Greg went to try to get her away from Quincy. He didn't try very hard because he said it looked so cute...
And I admit, it kinda did but Quincy was so not impressed with any of this...
And soon he was able to escape....but most likely not for long.

Finley's Quirky Sleeping Arrangements

Finley has taken a real liking to her big girl bed. She loves the freedom that it allows her and we love that she will sit and entertain herself in the morning with her books before waking us up. For the most part she sleeps really well in it and has even begun napping in it which is fabulous news.

However, that being said, we have found her in a few unusal places....

This was taken last night. She emptied out her pajama drawer and crawled in with her teddy bear to sleep. You can also see that she brought her tooth brush with her. What you can't see is the pink croc sandal that was on her other foot....She is just too cute sometimes!

This was taken a few weeks ago. I apologize for the quality of the photo but it was taken in the dark with my blackberry which does not have that great of a camera. This was pretty cute as well. She did this again last week but with only one teddy bear.

I am not entirely sure that she is aware of what she is doing when she ends up in the closet or her dresser drawer. I often wonder if it is intentional or not. Greg sleep walks so it wouldn't be surprising if she did the same. Part of me would like to install a "nanny-cam" so I can watch what she is doing!

Regardless of the random sleeping spots, I am very happy she is adjusting well to her new bed. I have friends who have not been as lucky as I have been with their child's sleeping arrangements - ever - so I really have little to complain about.

What Is A Little Girl

“What Is A Little Girl!”

She's a bundle of sweetness,

brightness & fun

The beauty of springtime,

the warmth of the sun

She's Innocence covered with mud,

sand, & soot

She's Motherhood dragging

a doll by the foot...

She's a composite picture of

giggles & tears

Of tantrums, excitement,

amusement & fears

A bundle of mischief

and often a tease

A creature of moods

not easy to please...

Who'll capture your heart

with her pixie-like grin

Or chatter and beg till your

patience wears thin

But obedient, naughty,

mischievous or coy

She's Mom's little Darling &

Dad's Pride & Joy.

Thank Goodness For Grandma Toot

Back in November when they announced the U2 concert in Edmonton, I was so excited. I LOVE U2 and have wanted to see them forever. Then I found out the date of the concert and what day of the week it landed on. It was June 23rd which was a Wednesday. This sucked. What was I to do with Finley? My typical babysitters in Calgary are Greg's dad & step mom or my aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, they all work during the week and there was NO way that I was leaving Finley over night. Yes I know, I should really let her sleep over somewhere but I just can't do it. Anyways, my mo volunteered to take the week off of work and would come to Edmonton and stay at my Uncle Brian and Aunty Debbie's place that way I wouldn't have to leave Finley overnight.

However, the U2 concert was postponed indefinitely the day we returned from San Francisco. I was very disappointed. My mom decided to come to Calgary for 3 days and then we'd all go to Edmonton (Sherwood Park) to visit with my aunt and uncle and then she'd drive back with them. We were all looking forward to "Grandma Toot's" arrival - especially Finley because we all know how Grandma's spoil their grandchildren. But after Finley was diagnosed with Impetigo on her first night here, Greg and I were more then grateful.

Impetigo is a highly contagious bacterial skin infection that is very common among pre school childen. Older children/adults are also susceptible if they play rugby, football and wrestling. It usually occurs when an existing cut, scratch, insect bite or rash becomes infected. It can be spread from one area of skin to another by touching or scratching and is very contagious from person to person.

We figure Finley got Impetigo from her swimming lessons. She had a slight diaper rash and she had recently skinned her knee. Most likely, someone from the pool had Impetigo and she contacted it via her rash or skinned knee. She is on viral anti-biotics and a anti-bacterial wash. Plus all of her towels and clothes and sheets need to be washed daily in hot water to kill the bacteria. Because of this, Finley was unable to go to daycare and because Grandma Toot was visiting, Greg and I didn't need to take time off of work to watch her. Thankfully, you are only contagious for 48 hours after you start taking the anti-biotics so she was able to go to daycare today.


Finley and Grandma Toot playing outside. They played golf, ball, played with her car and did her most favorite activity - swinging!

One night, we met Aunty Leslie, Uncle Doug & Cameron for supper at Bolsa. Aftewards, Grandma Toot treated us to ice cream at Marble Slab. Grandma Toot couldn't eat all of hers so guess who got it? Yup, Finley. This was a rare treat for Finley as I almost never let her eat ice cream - especially strawberry. Usually she gets a few licks from Greg and I. Finley definitely is very lucky to get so spoiled by her Grandma!

This was Grandma Toot's ast day in Calgary. Later that day, we all drove out to Edmonton. You will notice the tape on Finley's mouth. My mom put it on as a joke because Finley literally never stays quiet. However, Finley loved it and even managed to drink her sippy cup through it. She kept in for quite awhile....silly girl!

Wednesday afternoon Greg, myself, my mom and Finley all headed down the highway to Sherwood Park to visit with Uncle Brian and Aunty Debbie. They had just moved into a new condo and we were all excited to see it. When we got there, they had gotten Finley a super cute Adidas outfit and they had found a very old Kenworth teddy bear that she immediately loved. She gets spoiled everywhere she goes! She even got to have her very own bowl of chocolate ice cream from Uncle Brian - she was very happy!

The next day, Greg and I headed out to West Edmonton Mall, E-Children and South Edmonton Common for some shopping so we left Finley with Grandma Toot so they could hang out together before we headed back to Calgary later that day. We all got some new stuff - even a fabulously cool new blanket for baby #2.

Finley must've had a great time in Edmonton because she slept all the way to Red Deer and probably would've slept longer had we not stopped for dinner. She was out like a light as soon as we got home!

All in all, it was a fabulous week for all - especially Finley. Despite her Impetigo, she loved spending time with Grandma Toot and we are so grateful to have had her here to watch Finley unitl she became non-contagious. Finley is already looking forward to Toot's return visit once baby #2 is born!

PS. Finley can say Toot Toot now but still doesn't realize the significance of it. Why does she go by Toot you ask? Well that's for another blog....

Thanks again Grandma Toot!!

Happy Daddy's Day!!

Today marked Finley's 2nd Daddy's Day with her daddy and her last as an only child. The day started out great as Finley slept in until 830am and then we got busy getting Daddy's breakfast ready. Anybody who knows me knows that I am not what you would call a gourmet cook so we depended on Safeway to provide us with the majority of our breakfast!

Finley wearing her special Father's Day T-Shirt...gotta love the awful bed head!
The breakfast we provided for Daddy. This was Finley going crazy with fruit salad. She is definitely a fruity girl!
Greg getting ready for breakfast
After breakfast, we went outside and daddy expanded our garden to plant our zucchini's and Finley played golf in the backyard. But soon it was time to get ready for the Rider/Stamps game. It was looking like it was going to be a very nice afternoon!

Sitting happily on her daddy's lap watching the Riders run onto the field
Our family hearts Andy Fantuz! Our next cat will be named in his honor
Finley giving her best gangsta look. I love this photo. She was still sitting on her daddy's lap. That is Frunkl Jack in the hat beside her
And She's out! A busy morning and the warm afternoon sun caused Finley to fall asleep shortly after the second quarter started. She slept right through until the second half. Love that she has the ability to sleep anywhere, anytime....just like her daddy!
Reading the roster sheet for the Riders and Stamps. A bunch of new faces for her to remember! Really hoping that Durant does not get hurt this season...we could be in serious trouble...
Finley drinking a refreshing glass of milk. It was incredibly hot outside with the sun over top of us for most of the game. I definitely thought it was hot enough to melt your popsicle...so happy that the regular season Rider game is at 7pm - it will be very appreciated considering I will be like 35 weeks or something! Sadly, the Riders lost this game and we seem to have alot of work to do before the season starts!
We capped off Father's Day with dinner at a brand new restaurant that just opened like last week that is attached to the Chinook Mall beside the theater called CHOP. The staff were very friendly, the appetizers were so good and the meals were amazingly good! It's a huge restaurant complete with an elevator but the way they have it sectioned, you feel like you are in a small intimate restaurant. The decor is pretty cool too and they have some pretty phenomenal light fixtures that I would LOVE to have in my house! Finley and I brought clothes to change into for the restaurant but apparently Greg did not! It was a great meal to cap off a great day!

Happy Father's Day not only to Greg but also to Finley's Grandpa Don, Great Grandpa's John & Emil and my most favorite uncles who were/are like Dad's to me: Uncle Brian, Uncle Doug and Uncle Lloyd! We love you guys!

Finley's Final Swimming Lesson

So tonight marked the final lesson in swimming for Finley. To say she has made improvements over the last 8 lessons would be a vast understatement. In her first lesson, she cried and cried and cried and hated everything. Today, for the most part, she happily attempted everything at least once. She jumped, she floated on her tummy and back, she water slided, she swam away from "sharks" and under "bridges"! Can't wait until we can get her into her next swim class!

Getting ready to jump!

Yay waterslide time! I have a video on facebook of her coming down the slide. Check it out, it's pretty good. She LOVED it!
Practicing her floating!
She looks unhappy in this one but really she was very happy!
Getting ready to go under the bridge or rainbow - whatever it was called. She liked it regardless
Getting ready to find out to see if she passed. She stood still like the perfect little girl she is! She looked quite proud of her accomplishment even though she had no idea what really was going on.
Yay!! Finley passed! I was at Lil Snickers today after work (great 2nd hand baby store in Bridlewood) and they had a vacuum cleaner for 5 bucks. I bought it for Finley and she LOVES it! That was her reward for successfully completing her parents and tots 1. Can't wait for PT2!

A Letter To Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

I am not sure if you read my blog, but I would like to think that you do. Please quit raining, I can't take much more of it. I know this is a great request but even if you made it rain in the middle of the night so that we do get the required moisture, that would be great.

Although I appreciate the beautiful green grass that I have and watching our garden grow, enough is enough. I am starting to get worried that my garden will actually drown. Because of said rain, my grass is growing so fast that we can barely keep up. We have more weeds then usual and I can't use any natural weed killer on them because you need 4 days of sunshine and we haven't had more then 2 days of sunshine in a row for so long that I can't even remember when it happened last.

I am nearing 30 weeks pregnant and no longer have a water proof jacket to wear. I am much too big and my jacket hurts my belly and I can't breath when I do it up. Yes I understand I could leave it undone but my sometimes ocd behaviour does not allow me to wear it undone. It drives me CRAZY! Today, I had to wear a hideous pink fleece that I have kept for some reason because I have nothing else to wear. And let me tell you, fleece is not water proof! Yes, Mother Nature, I have an umbrella but I don't see the point of pulling it out when I don't have that much to walk.

So please Mother Nature, let it end today. Even Farmers are worried that their crop may be damaged because of too much rain and we certainly can't have that. My cats, dog and little girl are dying to go outside and play! Please rain between 11pm and 4am and we will all be happy!

Sincerely,
Becky Florizone

Finley's Latest Obsession...

From the moment Finley was born until about a few months ago, she hated wearing shoes and would do everything in her power to get them off. The only shoes she was able to keep on were her Converse runners - which is why we own 8 pairs of Converse shoes. Once she started walking and running, she was willing to keep her shoes on - for the most part! A few weeks ago when Kristy was visiting, she put the squeaky shoes she bought her on Finley. She LOVED them. She thought they were the greatest thing in the entire world. She would run around the house and stomp her feet just to hear the sound - as annoying as it was, it was also kinda cute. However, her love for her squeaky shoes turned into an obsession of having shoes on - all the time. Last week, she insisted on sleeping with her shoes on for 3 nights in a row. It was kinda cute. So I just had to take some photos of her wearing them while in bed. A benefit to this love of shoes is that she wants them all on the time and has learnt how to put her shoes back on or at least attempts to!

PS If you are wondering about the wall colors in these photos - they are from the nursery. Finley had to sleep in here while we redid the floors in her room and put together her big girl bed.

Another Pre Natal Appt....

So my pre-natal appt went really well today. I had been feeling crappy all day and the heartburn was killing me so I was not looking forward to spending my afternoon in a crowded office. Thankfully, I got into a room about 6 minutes after my scheduled appointment and was out in no time. The baby's heartbeat was what it should be, the baby is sideways inside of me which was the same way Finley was until about 36 weeks. The position of the baby isn't that important since I am having a c-section anyway. My blood work showed that my iron was low which isn't surprising since I've had low iron my entire life and have been on and off supplements for years. She also told me to take Zantac for my heartburn so hopefully that will make a difference since this heartburn is killing me! I know have to go for pre natal visits every 2 weeks since I am approaching the end of this pregnancy! Wednesday I go to Dr Donnelly's office. She is the surgeon that will be delivering this baby. She did Finley as well so I am excited to see her again. Hopefully I will find out when the csection will be scheduled!

The worst part of the visit was the traffic coming home. It took me an hour to get to my house and it should only take 20 minutes. It was insane!!!

Anyways, just thought I would give you an update on Baby #2. Will post more on Wednesday after the visit with the surgeon!

Finley's First NIght In Her Big Girl Bed!!!

Last night was Finley's first night in her "big girl" bed. Greg had put it together earlier in the week but we wanted to wait until the weekend to put her in it - just in case it didn't work out so well!

Here is Finley sitting on her bed, getting a field for everything....
Picking out a book to read before bed...
This was the mess that occurred from when we put her to bed until she finally fell asleep. She cried at first when we shut the door but it didn't last too long. We could hear her playing and talking for awhile and we were convinced that she was just gonna end up falling asleep on the floor somewhere
But we were wrong, she eventually made her way to her bed, book in hand, and fell asleep.

She ended up sleeping pretty well in her bed. I heard her cry in the middle of the night for like 2 minutes and then she fell back asleep. This wasn't unusual for her to do this as it sometimes happened while she was in her crib. She slept until about 730am and was happily playing with her teddy bears and books when Greg went in and got her. We were happy that she slept so well in her big girl bed but did wonder how nap time was gonna pan out.....
Needless to say, napping never actually happened this afternoon. Instead she absolutely destroyed what little was actually in her room
The white laundry basket had Finley's dirty clothes in it. The upside down blue basket had all her clean clothes that I had folded and left in her room last night because I was too tired to put them away. They were now scattered all over her floor.
More destruction. I am just happy that we just replaced the flooring in her room so her dresser, shoes, some toys, hair stuff and other stuff that is normally in her room was still in the soon to be baby#2's room. Also very happy that Greg remembered to close her closet doors and that she hasn't figured out how to open them yet. I can't imagine what her room would've looked like then! ***UPDATE*** Greg just told me she did figure out how to open her closet and that is where he found on of her massive teddy bears. Keep your fingers crossed she doesn't start taking her clothes off her hangers - that will not be good!
This is the book shelf that contained 2 pink baskets and all her hard books - you know those books that cannot be ripped or destroyed easily. We kept those in the new baby's room so that they escaped the wrath that can be Finley!
This is Finley laying in bed on her 2nd night in the bed. She handled this much better then last night and fell asleep rather quickly. She looks SO tiny in that bed. Hopefully nap time tomorrow will go much better!

We have done some changes and some renovations to her room. Everything is done with exception of moving back in her dresser, hanging her shelves and putting stuff out of reach. Once we finish all of that, I will post some photos of the transformation of her room. It's gone from empty room to nursery to toddler room. It's been interesting to say the least!

Fun In The Sun

This past Sunday, Finley and I took advantage of the first nice day in FOREVER by playing outside while Daddy worked on replacing the floor in Finley's room. It was a beautiful morning and Finley had a blast playing outside. Her biggest problem was trying to fit herself, her huge Princess ball and her pail into her car. It did not go so well and she was beyond furious. Eventually she tipped herself over and started screaming at her inability to put what she wanted with the car. It was then we went inside to have lunch and have her calm down.

I made a collage of our morning outside. This was my first attempt and I used Piknik or something like that. I don't particularly like it so think I will try picasa next time. Does anybody know if iPhoto for Mac's have a collage feature? I don't think so, but thought I would ask!

At Least It's A Hat...

I love the hat that Finley is wearing in the photo's below and even more happier that she is even willing to wear a hat, but I can't help but notice that it is a rain hat. It's a super cool Paul Frank hat that we bought last summer in Seattle. The other day we were moving all of Finley's stuff into baby #2's room so that we could replace the flooring in her room and she saw it and immediately had to have it on. When we went out to play outside on Sunday I told her she needed to put a hat on. So this is the hat she chose. Really, I am just happy she's starting to wear a hat!