cute

Its Amaymay!

amanda — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:10:06 +0200

I've been meaning to write down these words for such a long time. I'm forced to keep repeating them in my mind so that I don't forget them, but its time to free up some mental resources and put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard, you know what i mean)! Dear Finley There are so many everyday things that I love about you at this age that I don't want to forget. When we were in Grahamstown the other weekend, Dylan passed you the placemat and asked you if you still liked woven things. Your dad and I had completely forgot how much you were fascinated by anything woven when you were a baby. Maybe you were 6 months old or so, (possibly older) and you used to scratch at whatever woven thing you were holding, exploring with your fingers and be captivated in that moment. So that event prompted me to make a list of the things I don't want to forget about the you that you are now. When you sleep on your back, you lie with your hands under your head, elbows sticking out. Just like your great-grandpa Jimmy Ping (so says nana H). I like the idea of being able to see your heritage and ancestry not only by the way you look but by the things you do. I love watching you dip things. Whether its a rusk into my cup of tea or a piece of bread into a bowl of soup. its the sweetest thing - the way your little tongue licks whatever you've just dipped. I love how busy you seem to be. Off on your own mission, enjoying spending time alone, well with baba or george for company. I like how you sometimes go into your room and fetch a book and sit on your bed paging through it. It makes me smile to know that you love reading and that you see your room as part of your space, a haven, a place to retreat to. I love all your new words that you are starting to say. Like the other day your dad taught you how to say Its Amazing! and when you say Amaymay! you say it with the same expression as he does. I love that you still spend time sleeping in our bed. We both love waking up with you in the middle and in those early morning moments we look at you in amazement, this growing boy lying peacefully between us. We still ooh and aah over your cuteness, how you now roll over and cuddle us, taking turns at throwing an arm over your dad or nuzzling your head onto my pillow. I love how you name all the veggies in our vegetable garden and water them as part of your being-outside-rituals, all by yourself without any prompting. I love that you have a sense of responsibility about looking after these plants, that you are gentle with them, and delicately pluck the basil leaves while I am getting ready to make pesto. I love how shopping at Fruit&Veg City excites you in the same way it does me. I love how you exclaim at the size of the butternuts or rip at the packaging of the broccoli, like it is a sweet, delicious treat. I love how interested you are in cooking and baking and being with me in the kitchen. You love to see what's in the pot and love sprinkling in various herbs and spices. I'm forced to curb your enthusiasm otherwise we would have the total contents of the spice rack in every meal. I love that despite your willfulness you let me guide you about which flavours compliment each other and which don't. Most of all, I love watching you become the person you are. You can be strong and fierce when you need to but also so kind and empathetic. Your sense of humour has blossomed in the last 6 months. You make us laugh until we cry and we feel so blessed that you are sharing this life with us. Finley, You are Amaymay!

Finley got the vocab

amanda — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:42:06 +0200

Its always difficult to explain when people ask if Finley is talking, because he is, its just that we seem to be the only ones who understand what he is saying. It reminds me of when he started to crawl or walk or even when he cut his first tooth. Before becoming a parent, the concept of such milestones (well to me anyway), was one day they couldn't do it and then the next day they could, more or less. But the reality is that the process is a lot longer, which is obvious if you think about it I guess. But living with someone who is developing so quickly and learning so many new things everyday, you forget how quickly it goes by. And then one day you'll look back and realise that a couple weeks ago his arms were out-stretched in front of him for balance as he walked and now his arms are down by his side like a regular walking person. Communicating with Finley is also more than just understanding his pronunciation. Its the fine art of putting his mood, facial expression, body language and a combination of grunts, squawks and squabbles into the equation to try and figure it out. Sometimes he gets so frustrated when I just don't get it. You can see him trying to dumb it down for me as he repeats his question with eyebrows raised and upturned palms, but all I'm hearing is "ush na ba dee?". However, we've been amazed at just how much he understands what WE are saying. I'll absentmindedly ask him to get something that I know is in another room just so I can fix him some lunch in the kitchen without him under my feet. And he'll totter off out of sight and re-appear moments later with said object (like dad's old drivers license or his water bottle that's outside next to his sandpit), beaming with delight. Fin probably says about a dozen words but you need to spend a lot of time with him before being able to pick them out. Even then, its not obvious. I sometimes have to translate to Brad since one word can mean half a dozen different things depending on the time of day, intonation, circumstance, etc. Here is a list of current vocab: mama - me dada - Brad baba - all babies/children/grownups, his doll nuhna - Granny Heather, please open this nahna - Granny Hester, Grandad tittit - titty/wanting to breastfeed bahbul - bubbles, Bubbles (Heather's jack russell), all dogs mungp - monkey, Monkey Puzzle book booh - book bow - boat ar - car, tractors, pretty much anything that has wheels tschuz - cheese, juice, trees mahngmo - mango deh - date There are new sounds everyday and I'm sure he's saying a lot of other words, we just need to figure out what they are!

Like father, like son

brad — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:04:15 +0200

The boy like the summer

brad — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:10:47 +0200

Yesterday Amanda and Fin visited Auntie Leela, with Auntie Kiran, and the boy did his usual cute tricks. Mandy said there was a five minute period between when they arrived (and Fin was dressed in a cute button up top), and when he was drenched with water from the newly emptied bird bath, and subsequently naked. We now have a boy in our lives. He hits things with sticks, he loves playing with mud and sand, and expresses sheer delight when he makes a mess. Yesterday morning it was lovely and warm, so we busted out the inflatable pool. While I was filling it Fin sat next to it, splashing the growing puddle of water on to himself (shrieking with laughter as he wet his clothes). If I splashed him with the hose he would burst out laughing. He has become so playful lately, and he spent the weekend laughing so much, playing silly games, and generally being gas. Highlights included playing peek-a-boo with the bedside lamp (who thought a lamp could hide behind a book your dad was holding?), and attacking Mandy for ages, with big slobbery kisses while laughing till he coughed.

Finley in the compulsory baby wearing oversized sunglasses photo

brad — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 08:18:53 +0200

I did muck around with the colours, some of me says it looks a bit weird, some of me not. After some amount of peer pressure, I have decided to come clean and publish an overly saturated recropped version of the image, where Taryn is visible.

A glut of Finley: Durban trip, September 2007

brad — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:23:51 +0200

I present to you a glut of photos of Finley from our trip to Durban in September, 2007. Chronologically (roughly): Finley yawning at us in Bailey Road, Durban.

Finley eating grass in front of a wall of Jasmin flowers, on the Freeman's farm near Melmouth.

Amanda and Finley enjoying a day at the beach near "Pebble Beach" cottage, South Coast, KwaZulu-Natal.

Finley sits on Amanda's lap, bemused after playing with his cousin Maya, "Pebble Beach" cottage, South Coast, KwaZulu-Natal.

Bathing Fin while he plays with his new lego blocks (courtesy of HBelle), "Pebble Beach" cottage, South Coast, KwaZulu-Natal.

Babbling

amanda — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:33:56 +0200

We woke up this morning to a very talkative little boy lying between us. He had so many things to say, not so much the monosyllabic words that all the baby books say he should be saying (like ma ma da da ba ba), but more complex sounds running off into long sentences resisting the urge to pause for a breath. Sounds something like "leehlelodhli dlali dhludla" and "heydhla hlalo deelehli". So so cute. Will try and upload some sound clips soon so you can all hear for yourselves.

The cute child

brad — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:29:00 +0200

It needs to be said that Finley gets cuter by the day. I know all parents probably say this (maybe they don't), but flip hey, the kid is cute. He has started to laugh at just about anything we, or anyone else does that seems remotely entertaining. Monique visited us last night, and had Mandy in tears she was laughing so much at Fin laughing at Mon. He laughs at how our shadow (when I am carrying him at night) looks as we walk out the room. He laughs if you jiggle your arms. Today he decided that the front part of his baby chair no longer needed to be attached to the chair, so he pushed it off, and laughed at our reactions. Truly amazing to see him figure these things out, and pick up new skills on a daily basis. They say you can never take enough photos, and you can never film enough, and you can never write down enough. I think that is why people have many kids (one of the reasons).