Josette's laugh

Josette's sense of humor is coming along nicely. Silly noises get her giggling.

When Animals Attack

We had a bit of a tramatic experience this week and I thought I would blog it to try to get it out of my head.

On Wednesday, Finn and Josette and Lily and I went for an afternoon walk after a day of peach-picking. It was one of those amazing days where everything was going well. We were having a ton of fun. We walked down a private road that we like across the street from us. The neighbors have a bunch of walking trails though the woods so it is a great way to get out and go exploring. The blackberries are ripe right now and Finn loves to pick them as we walk. We let Lily off the leash and we went off the beaten path to explore the woods. Finn was running around and playing with sticks and rocks and a truck that he had brought along. Josette was sleeping in her wrap on my chest and I was seriously drinking in the contentment I felt on the beautiful day. Finn was up a hill about 15 feet from me when he stumbled on a branch. He cried out and I asked him if he was okay. He takes a millions spills a day and always brushes them off so I was surprised that he cried and then he started screaming. My heart dropped and I ran up to him. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. As I approached him, he was covered in what I thought was debris. Then I got right up to him and realized they were yellow jackets! He had obviously disturbed a ground nest. He was just screaming and I panicked. I grabbed his hand and said, "Finn, we have to run." He was amazing. He ran with me out of woods up to the road. I was in a bit of hysterics saying over and over again, "Oh god, we have to get them off of you." I was trying to brush them off, but all the while terrified he was going to go into anaphylatic shock, and also terrified they would start to get Josette. They stung me a few times on my arm and I realized how badly Finn must be hurting as they repeatedly got him. I alternated between having him run home with me and trying stop and swat them off of him. By the time we got to our door, they were all gone. I stripped Finn down and his poor little body was just covered in welts. He was so brave and had already stopped crying. I told him we had to call the doctor and we would call his Dad to come home. I gave him a juice box and he settled down. While we were waiting for the doctor to call back, we read books and Finn was just a trooper. By the time the doctor finally called us back, Sean was home. The doc said we ought to go to the emergency room in case Finn had a delayed reaction due to the number of stings he had.

Sean took Finn to the ER while I stayed home with Josette and worried. Apparently, Finn had a wonderful time at the ER. The nurses oohed and aahed over him and gave him a bear and wiki sticks and coloring books. They gave him a shot of Benadryl and released him when they thought the danger of a delayed reaction was over. When he got home, Finn was very excited to show me his bear and he told me he didn't have bug bites anymore. The next day, he was scratching a bit and I told him we could give him some medicine if he was feeling too itchy and he said, "No, mama, I had a good check up last night and they gave me medicine already." Then, when we were getting ready for our walk, I asked him where he wanted to go, and he suggested the same place where he met up with the wasps. Obviously, he is not too traumatized.

Me, on the other hand...I am a little skittish. I can't get the image out of my head of him covered in wasps and screaming. I hate that he had to experience that. I realize it was a freak accident, but I wish I could have prevented it in some way. I want him to enjoy and explore and love the outdoors, but I want to protect him. The doc at the ER also warned Sean that while he wasn't immediately allergic, the next time he gets stung could lead to an over-reaction now that his immune system has been exposed. It is still a rarity, but that tidbit has not eased my nerves. One thing I am certain of is Finn is by far the bravest little boy.

Head held high

Despite my being incredibly lax with putting Josette on her tummy regularly, she seems to be doing quite well holding her head up high:Even a few smiles with lots of drool:Looking at toys:There is no solo tummy time. Finn gets too excited to play with his baby sister:

Wallis Sands

We have a beautiful state beach, Wallis Sands, that is a great place to enjoy the seaside. We went with our neighbors this week to enjoy the sun after a few days or rain. As always, Finn very much enjoyed the sand and the water. On the drive to the beach he kept telling us how he was going to splash int he big waves!
First up, some digging:
Our neighbor, Megan, and another little boy that Finn befriended, Jackson, helped Finn dig in the sand and build sand castles:Finn had to bring his monster truck to drive up and down the beach:Josette was happy as a clam:Finn and Jackson ran and splashed as the tide was coming in:A sweet woman asked to take a photo of us all:More running and splashing. Notice his hands are full of wet sand:No qualms about being covered in sand:Still a happy baby:Josette's first dip into the Atlantic:

Quite the Pair

Finn gets so excited to hold his little sister. I tried so hard to get them both smiling at the same time.

Reading Together

3 Months

Josette is 3 months old! The end of the "fourth trimester," Josette is no longer in the newborn category. And we have certainly noticed her enjoying longer wakeful periods, becoming more engaged in her surroundings and more active. She is trying to roll from her back to front. She really dislikes tummy time, so we haven't had a lot of practice to roll from front to back. She sleeps best when swaddled, but she is starting to break out of it, so we may have to start getting away from that. She still really dislikes the car and we are anxious for her to get more comfortable during car rides. She is quick to smile and she has a funny little laugh emerging, often at her brother's antics. She can also be quick to fuss. I think I often miss her tired signs. She likes to suck on her hand and fingers, also confusing me with her hungry signs. I guess we are still really getting to know and understand each other.

Blue Bubbles

One of Crayola's new colorful products is colored bubbles. Finn has a bottle of blue bubbles. They make wonderful bubbles, but create quite a mess. One of Finn's favorite games is to have one of us blow bubbles while he runs around and tries to pop them. Tons of blue fun!

Beach Vacay

Last week, we took a mini-vacation to Wells, ME where Sean's folks rented a cottage on the beach. It was a wonderful getaway. Finn loves the ocean!

Running in the sand:Playing in the waves:Playing in the sand:The fun of seaweed:Looking for sea critters:Finn and Liam spent a lot of time driving trucks around on the beach:Making sand castles:Tidepooling:Napping in the sweet ocean air:Lily enjoys tidepooling too:Feet of steel:I really enjoyed boogie boarding too!