Do you celebrate.....

Your 1/2 Birthday???

Ok, so maybe I don't celebrate, but I definitly acknowledge on October 22nd that my b-day is 6 months away. I will mention it to Tradd and the conversation will go something like this..

"Tradd, guess what? Today is my 1/2 birthday."
"Oh, so?"

Point being, I know it is not a big deal, but it is not just an average day that goes by on my calender without an extra little thought and smile.

So, today is Finn's 1/2 birthday. I am still amazed that he is 6 months already. But I am celebrating with him today. PLUS since his real birthday is a week before Christmas, I think some years we will actually end up having a pool party on his 1/2 birthday with all his friends since the convience of his b-day is not the best.

Happy 6 months Finn!

A Month of First's

1. Tried rice cereal for the first time...

2. Went swimming in the baby pool for the 1st time...



3. Went on our first road trip (13 hours to Ohio and 13 hours back, Finn was quite the trooper!)...


4. Met some of Mama's family and friends for the 1st time...



6. Chilling in his very own pair of boxers for the 1st time...


6. And this morning for the first time, surprised mama and woke up being rolled over on his belly!




Oh, how a child is constantly evolving...and oh, how we are loving every minute of it!

Fabulous 4th!

As most of you know, the first few months with Finn had been quite difficult. He was extremely fussy, needed constant motion, and hardly slept!! But praise God, we have turned a corner!!! We have had a fabulous 4th month and it has been so wonderful to have a baby so content and happy with life. He is now napping great and just continues to melt my heart with his smiles and joy that he now has. Thanks to all those peeps who have been praying for us during this difficult time! We are still working on sleeping through the night, so hopefully that will come soon! :) Here are some pics from the fun events over the past month.

(Finn wearing Tradd's outfit from when he was a baby
on Easter Sunday)

(Finn celebrating mama's b-day)

(Finn was baptized this past Sunday with cousin Joseph)

Beach day

Today was the day that Finn experienced the feeling of sand between his toes for the very first time! Yes, it was his first time at the beach. As most of you know, Tradd and I spend most of our summer weekends hanging out at the beach, so we were thrilled when we heard it was going to be 80 degrees today! Tradd took the day off and we couldn't wait to see if our little one would be a beach lover as well.

So off to Walmart we went and we joined the family canopy club! I can't believe we now own one of these. So all you beach bums that chill with us on the weekend, see what you get to look forward to sit next to :)







We were pleasantly surprised at how well Finn behaved! He loved it so much! We are so relieved to know that our boy will hopefully love the beach as much as we do! In fact, he wanted to share some coo's of excitement and smiles with everyone....

My Pooka

It's amazing what kind of things you say and that come out of your mouth when you are talking to a baby all day. Tradd has to sometimes remind me at night to switch from the baby talk to normal adult conversation! Here are the nicknames that somehow have just rolled off my tongue...

Pooka Bear, pooks, Boo Boo, Turkey, Love Bug, poopsies, oh the list goes on..

One of my favorite things is to give my little pooka bear a bath! Mainly because he loves it so much and I love how he smells afterwards. I do have a keen sense of smell. My nose is super sensitive so I am a huge fan of things that smell good. Finn has an array of bathtime lotions but my ultimate favorite is Noodle and Boo!! I can't get enough of it!

(Finn has officially outgrown the infant bath hammock, as you can tell his feet are hanging over!)

Some other pics from the month...

( monkeying around with cousin Joseph)

Notice Finn's right hand on Joseph's shoulder and Joseph's

left hand on Finn's knees. They love each other sooooo much!

(Finn's first time in the Bumbo!)


(BF Andrea down from Charlotte to meet Finn for the first time)

P.U. in the Pew

This past Sunday (2/28/10) we took Finn to church for the second time. We sat in the very back with much anticipation that we would have to remove him quickly from the service if he started crying or fussing (which is one of Finn's favorite hobbies currently). Never, though, did we think we would have to remove him because of explosive gas!! Finn started ripping some loud, long, and juicy farts during the middle of the sermon. And it seemed to always be when the pastor was pausing between sentences. Needless to say, we were dying laughing and quite embarrassed. The row in front of us and behind us were laughing as well. After the third round of explosions I turned to Tradd and said, "What should we do? Should we take him out?" Tradd, Paige (Tradd's sister), and I truly had the giggles and couldn't stop laughing. Oh, it is the worst when you have the giggles and what you started laughing about isn't really that funny anymore but you just can't stop. As you can imagine, we really didn't have the chance to enjoy the sermon but it was good to feel normal again and be back in the environment of friends and fellowship. Sorry on Finn's behalf to all those who we disrupted from listening at church!

Finn @ 7 weeks old

Enjoying Finn's heart melting smiles

The newest "Ernest A. Rodenberg's" photo

Finn @ 10 weeks old

Bruce, Kathy, and Finn for Kathy's Birthday

Finn's first snow!

Last night Finn got to see his first snow! Who would have thought it would have been here in Charleston, SC! I seriously was expecting to introduce Finn to snow for the first time when we went home to Ohio. Tradd and Finn made there first snowman together!



On a sad note two of my sweet besties, Corrine and Jenny, were suppose to fly down from Ohio this weekend to meet Finn for the first time. They planned this weekend months ago! As we all know it hasn't snowed in Charleston since 1989 and of course it has to snow the one weekend they choose to come. Unfortunatley, their flights got cancelled! I am so bummed, but I am sure they didn't want to leave snow to come see more snow :)