finn's ridiculous annual injury

After an accidental puppy bite in his ear, last year's summer sled/bike/gravel incident and last night's shenanigans, I'm certain Finn will likely entertain us each year with some bizarre injury.  Here's the scoop:

There were nine children in my basement, seven of whom were female.  I was carrying a laundry basket upstairs when the most shrill, intolerable screaming began underfoot.  As I flew down the stairs, I was literally terrified about what I would see when we met at the basement door.

What I encountered was louder screams and the most blood this parent has ever seen.

It was pouring down the back of Finn's head and down his back.  It was all over my shirt, shorts and in the nooks and crannies of my watch.  I grabbed towel after towel to clean it up so I could actually see the injury, which was endlessly evasive.  After cleaning it like crazy, the bleeding abruptly stopped and I got the story while we iced the lump on his head.

Finn was climbing an old punching bag that was propped next to a refrigerator.  There were two 5-pound hand weights on the fridge.  When he jostled the punching bag, he rattled the fridge and the weights fell off onto his head.  (What?)  All nine children are sticking by this story.

Of course, my brother, his wife and my nieces were on their way over for a night of swimming.  Finn was distraught that he'd miss the event.  Since the bleeding stopped, I asked him to wash off in a bath and we'd see if it started back up.  It didn't, so I acted like the seasoned mom of three that I am, and I let him go to the pool.

But when he hit the chlorinated water, that thing freshened up and started bleeding again.  A lot.  A vicious fight ensued, but Finn lost and Mike took him to urgent care.

In the end it turned out to be a deep puncture wound (from a hand weight?) that did not need stitches.  It was good that they went though; we needed their help getting it clean.  Mike called to tell me what happened and we all decided to meet at Oberweis for a treat.

When I got there, I was shocked to see blood pouring down the back of Finn's head again.  "They left it like that?" I asked.  "I thought they had it all cleaned up!"

"They did," Mike grimaced.  "I ran into (our friends) Brent and Johanna and when I went to shake Brent's hand, I accidentally punched Finn in the back of the head with my fist!  Don't tell him!"

Seriously, this first week off of summer sports could not be any more relaxing!

the village matters so much

Finn's baseball season ended last night and it's bittersweet.  While I know we're all ready for some free summer evenings around here, it's been so much fun watching him learn the game and get better along with his young teammates from the sidelines.  We lucked out with super supportive coaches and families, all there to ensure that our kids were challenged, confident and learning all season long.  We've experienced the same community, kid-valued spirit on Logan's swim team and it's made me realize how important it is to have a "village" like this behind our kids. 

Not only are they learning skills, having fun and spending time doing things they love, they're also feeling part of a bigger group of their peers and other families who cheer and support them right along with their own family.  They join that group in support of other kids.  Their enthusiasm builds and the group's numbers grow, until we are all cheering everyone on together, inspiring so many good vibes, that I can't even describe it with words.  The "village" behind our kids matters so much.

So as baseball winds down, I'm already looking forward to the fun and camaraderie of next year.  Of all the great times, plays and laughs, my favorite moment has to be this one:

Our team was at bat Monday night and Finn was supposed to be in the hole.  He had run off to relieve himself in the prairie grass behind the field since there were no bathrooms on site.  We knew he was up and we were calling and calling to him, as his spot moved from the hole, to the deck.  Just as the little guy before him got a hit, he appeared in front of me, with two freshly picked cone flower blooms and a shy smile.  Then he ran off to hit the ball.

On Monday, more than any other day, I needed this.  I didn't know it, but Finn did.

keep on holding tight

This time of year, as I wrote about last year (and the year before) is all wonderful and summery, but with an undercurrent of dread.  For the last several years, I've let the kids fly on their own to go visit Grandmom and Granddad in North Carolina before our annual summer vacation.  Even though summer is off and running and we're enjoying it to its fullest extent, occasionally my mind goes to the fact that in a few short weeks, I'll be putting a subset of my kids on a plane.  That will fly in the sky.  Without me on it.

And this year is different.  For the first time, it's not a subset, but a full set.  The three most precious little people in my world will look back and wave, board a plane and happily take off into the wild blue yonder.  Fearless and filled with a spirit for adventure, they'll speed away.

I already know this will be the worst two hours of my life and I'm already thanking my lucky stars that it's only two hours.  For someone who likes to hold the reigns, this is the epitome of letting go.  Once they're there, I'll be fine.  I love that they're going.  That they have these memories with their grandparents who live far away.  That they don't even entertain hesitation - they just fly.

Even though he waivered a bit in the begining, I'm sure Finn is ready.  However, I see something in his eyes when we talk about going, the logistics, what it will be like.  He looks at me as if to say, "Will you be okay?"  Even if I've said nothing at all, this little old man of mine knows how I'm feeling.

Last week, while walking around the Naperville Riverwalk, Finn grabbed my hand as usual.  Whenever my grip loosened, he repeated, "Hold on tight.  I like it when you keep on holding tight."  And since then, anytime we're near each other, he grabs my hand and says the same thing.

While watching a movie on Friday night, he took my hand and placed it on his chubby, dirty, boy foot.  He pressed down.  "Hold tight.  I like it when you keep on holding tight."

Either he's going to miss me or he knows I'm going to miss him.  I suppose both are true and he's easing us both through by reminding us to keep on holding tight.  I so love this little dude.

just a little boy

As parents, we need this.  Especially at a time when Finn's games become more competitive with each swing of the bat, and I can see his heart break for a moment if he strikes out or misses a play.  Baseball, swimming, gymnastics, whatever - this is the time to build them up.  "This is a moment a man you can make."  Love it!

At Monday night's game, a little dude on our team rounded second base and was heading toward third.  The ball had escaped the outfielders and a single turned into a big hit.  As he came toward third and the third base coach (also his Daddy) he sweetly asked, "Should I go home Daddy?" 

That's exactly how young these little guys are.  It amazes me that we've seen over-the-top parents at almost every game!

Source:  Facebook, I was unable to locate the origination point. 

this is real baseball guys!

Finn's first baseball game was such a surprise; with good plays, solid efforts by all and decent hits!  Our little man ended the night with two singles, an RBI and one run!  The game even came complete with our first-ever baseball freak-parent on the other team.  This opposing coach challenged our coaches on several plays, constantly going back and forth on his own implementation of MBA rules and enlisting a harsh learning curve whenever possible.  He ranted loudly to the parents and coaches on his own team when he had a grievance, not hiding his frustration at all.  It was kind of shocking, I mean, they're SIX!

As we watched from the sidelines, Mike said, "Now I think I see how little league fights happen, because I'm not even coaching and this guys is making me mad!"

Another fan, close to her due date, said, "This guy better be careful, or he'll have a crazy pregnant woman on his hands!"

Even with all that, the game was great fun, their skills so improved from last year and our New York Yankees took some serious pride in their first win:  12 - 9 over the Arizona Diamond Backs!  Here's the highlight role... could that uniform be any cuter?  I can't even stand it.

The best part was when Finn crossed home plate after working his way around the bases, one at a time, thanks to his teammates' hits.  Look at his face beaming with pride below!  Once he crossed, he threw his arms in the air and said, "Home Run!" and then high-fived us. 

What a great night. We laughed with friends, encouraged our kiddos on with the other parents and listened to the girls cheer for their brothers from behind the dugout.  Later, I came home to a note on Facebook from a friend who was still at her son's game at 11 PM (in the freezing prairie winds) so I know it won't always be short and sweet like this.  We're soaking up every minute while we can.  Congrats to Finn on a great start to the season!

 Finn just after crossing home plate

Can't wait for the next one!

the graduate

The last thing that I have time for is a blog post, but I'm so enamored by the images captured tonight of Finn at his kindergarten graduation that I just had to write.  I have hours of laundry left anyway, before heading to the airport and a much anticipated weekend in Asheville, NC with Mike. 

Montessori Children's Garden just plain does it right.  What a special experience they gave our kids tonight, in perfect weather, sitting in their kid-sized chairs on the lawn.  Each of the twelve graduates were talked about in detail, with their teachers telling all the guests what makes each one of them so special.  Then, the kids got a chance to speak as well, telling us all their favorites about school at MCG.  I cannot express how much I love this school and the amazing staff members who grace its halls.

Finn and his "A" last name were up first and Miss Teresa talked about how his excitement for school has grown so much over the last two years and how creative he is.  Then she ended, with Finn's permission, with a story about his most recent Mother's Day letter to me.  Really, let's allow the letter to speak for itself.

As you might have guessed, Finn's "ferret" comparison was a killer and we all laughed out loud.  Never in my life would I have thought my son would find me similar to a rodent that requires de-skunking, but hey, I'll wear it with pride because I'm sure he means it in the nicest possible six-year-old way.  After graduation, a few moms that I didn't know even asked, "Are you the Ferret Mom?" 

"Yes, yes I am," I proudly replied.  What a hoot this kid is!

So here are some pictures of our little graduate, who was blessed enough to have a crowd there in his honor to cheer him on, and to whom, I know, only great things will come! Love you like crazy little dude!

Check out last year's Mother's Day Letter - he's growing up!!

and our baby turns SIX!

There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful that Mike and I took that leap of faith and decided on baby number three.  Finn delivers bursts of joy every single day and even more humor.  He is cuddly and cute and all boy, hates to cry but will share endless details of his most recent injury, and still carries Whoa Whoa around in his more quiet moments.  He's into any sport that you want to play, would rather be engaged in an activity over television when he can, but loves a good Sponge Bob episode, too.

Finn asks "Do you think..." and "Why does..." questions all day long.  Last Friday, he had a half day and we ran birthday party related errands all afternoon.  He asked me questions from 12:30 to 4:15, when his kid-party began.  I called Mike at one point to say that I really didn't think I could take much more.  Here's a sample:

"Do you think a spaceship made that mark in the sky?"

"Can people go inside that water tower?"

"Why don't birds get electrocuted when they site on electrical wires?"

"Do you know why I think the black angry bird is the coolest?"

"Isn't Squidward funny when he does that?"

"Do you know why this t-shirt has an "A" on it?"

"Why can't we kneel in the communion the whole time?"

"Do you want to go check on your flowers at the end of the porch?"

And my favorite, "How does this work?"

Finn is more interested in the garden and landscape that his sisters.  He weeded the whole vegetable patch on Sunday with Mike and then helped me plant all the veggies.  When I say that he 'helped', I actually mean it.  His work ethic comes directly from his Daddy - they will both help until they can't help anymore.  They are the two best men I know.

Finn is a great reader and now reads to us at night almost 100% of the time.  He's figured out that reading anything is possible, and he proved it last week with Dr. Seuss' Fox in Sox.  I can barely get through that book, but he did it perfectly!  He is math-minded though and requests or makes up his own math questions throughout each day for fun.

"Mom, do you know what 200 + 300 is? Do you know what 12 - 6 is?  Do you know what 8 +7 is?"

He loves to cook and expands his tight line-up of favorite foods daily.  He will always say "I'm sorry" when it counts, even if it's hours after his offense.  And he says "thank you" when it counts, too.  I just love him for that.  And at night, even if he's toasty and warm inside his covers, he'll pop out once more to jump into my arms for another goodnight hug.  For now, holding him is a breeze, but I can't imagine how soon he'll grow too big for me to handle a legs-around-the-waist squeeze.  So I won't imagine it.

Instead, I'll wish my strong, sweet, smart, sensitive, loving, laid back, generous, funny boy a Happy 6th Birthday.  Finn, anything you want is possible.  Everything you wish for will come true.

May you always have a life of love, laughs, health and joy.

____________________________
See how he's grown!
finn turns 5!
finn's four!
on the verge
happy birthday finn!

boys will be boys

Just days away from his 6th birthday, Finn continues to provide constant comic relief for us all.  Last weekend, he had a friend over and they were all playing in the "ditch".  No, it's not really a ditch, but a ravine that runs perpendicular to our street just one house away.  They of course call it a ditch though, to anyone who'll listen, and I'm continually concerned that people think I let my child play in a murky mud puddle alongside a busy road.  However, I digress.

So, Finn and his buddies, two from the street and one from the other side of the neighborhood, were playing in the ditch.  It's like their own little world of forest.  Over the years, the boys have built a fort in there, and to be honest, I've never gone to see it.  They've never borrowed wood or tools, so I'm assuming it's just a natural structure built from whatever they could find in the ravine.  After a day full of ditch-loving fun, it was time to take his buddy home, who lives several blocks away.

As we got in the car, Finn's pal said, "There's pee on my sweatshirt."

"There's what on your sweatshirt?" I asked. "Why?"

"Well, [insert another child's name] peed on it."

"He peed on it?  Like on purpose?"

I receive two blank stares.

"What happened?  Did you two pee in the ditch?"

"No, just he did," answers Finn (the liar.)

Fast forward to our arrival at my friend's house.  I return her son, tell her what happened and to wash the sweatshirt.  Thank God she's a good friend.

Finn gets a lecture about ditch-playing and peeing outdoors on the way home, as he continues to steadfastly deny his involvement.  I am grossed out that my child is playing where people are peeing.

Fast forward a few days and we're at a school function with the friends who own the peed-on sweatshirt.  They inform me that their honest son immediately cracked under the pressure and said all four of the boys peed in the ditch, not just the one.  I can't wait to get Finn home.

And when I do, I learn that the ingenious little tikes have built a fort that actually has a bathroom in it.  And they all use it.  Regularly.

-------

One more of the road.

Last night Finn says, "You know what my friend says?  He says, "Ball-SSSS" and then, "Get it?""  He chuckles.

And I say, "What do you mean?  What does he mean by that?"

And he says, "Why don't YOU know, Mom?"  He appears shocked by my ignorance.

I sit like a deer in headlights and Mike laughs hysterically, making a joke that involves the word "nuts".  Yes, this is helpful.

Boys will be boys.

laudery winnings

Talking about what we'd do with $640 million in lottery winnings was a highlight of our weekend.  I doubt the kids really even knew what the lottery was before the Mega Millions jackpot grew so large that they were hearing about it everywhere.  In an attempt to kill the hour drive to the city on Friday, we talked about what we'd do with a potential windfall.

There was lots of generosity and philanthropy.  Life would get better for everyone we love, for sure.  We would build a huge, luxurious lake house somewhere beautiful and warm and another somewhere mountainous and think seriously about where we wanted to live full-time.   Jobs would be quit and dream jobs would be created.  World travels would commence.  Financial worries would be a thing of the past.

I commented to Mike how funny it was that the kids threw out a few ideas, but didn't have the same intensity that we did in planning out our ideal financial life. It made us feel good that whether things are tight or not, they don't feel financial pressure, or at least not for too long.

Lately though, Riley has been paying more attention to how much things cost.  It's like, when I give them an idea of how expensive things are and try to help grow the roots of sound financial decision-making, she's the only one who actually hears me.  She thinks about it.

At the end of the day on Friday, just before the big drawing, we stopped to buy some tickets.  The girls were excited and even though we assured them that it was just for fun, they wanted to go in with me.  While we waited in the long line, I noticed that Riley's fingers, all of them, were crossed.  They were both a bit giddy, kind of jumping up and down.  I reminded them that the chances were EXTREMELY low that we'd win and Riley blurted out loudly, "But I want to move to Hollywood!"

Everyone in line burst out laughing.

"Listen, even if we win, we're not moving to Hollywood!" I jokingly answered.

"Alright then, North Carolina!!" she responded with her best Groucho Marx eye brow raises.

Needless to say, we didn't win.  But it took Riley a few days to believe in our loss.  On Sunday morning, she raced out to get the newspaper and compare our numbers with the ones in the paper.  Finally, she got it.  Not this time.  But what enthusiasm!  What confidence that the future holds great things!  They all have that and I love it.  And I have it, too.

After the loss sunk in, Riley sneaked over to my phone and texted Mike at the gym.

"We won the laudery, Mike!" she wrote.

"What's that?  A windfall of dirty laundry?" he responded.  (Um, when it comes to winning, we've got that category covered!)

finn's on fire

The Finnism's have been flying as of late; he cracks me up every day.  He surprises himself, too.  A couple of days ago, while at the mall, he began reading the words on every sign we passed.  With each word, the shock and awe of his own ability grew.  It was hilarious.  "Super Sale!" he'd exclaim.  "As Seen on TV!" he'd yell.  "Panera Bread!"  Logan and I witnessed the whole world opening up to Finn right then and there, when he figured out that he could read absolutely anything. 

_____

He made a pit stop in the Panera bathroom.  Gone are the days of accompanying me into the gals' room - he's on his own in the mens'.  As he ran off toward the bathroom, I yelled, "Just keep your coat on!" 

A few minutes later, he emerged, coat in hand.  "I had to take it off," he explained. 

"It's okay, but where did you put it?" I responded, imagining bathroom floor germs crawling all over it.

"Well," he continued, "I held it like this.  Then I pulled my shirt up like this and my pants down like this," he demonstrated.  In Panera.  Thank goodness the nearby diners appreciated his five year old streak!  There were more than a few chuckles as I struggled to keep him covered and get his pants pulled back up.

_____

Yesterday, when Grandpa stopped by, he asked him about reading.  "Where did you learn to read like that?" he asked.

"At the mall," Finn said matter-of-factly.

_____

And finally, while sitting on my lap the other night, Finn wiggled all around.  I was on the verge of telling him to sit still or find another spot when he said, "Sorry Mom, I had to stretch out.  Sometimes my wiener gets stuck to my leg."

And that's life with Finn.

catching my breath

This weekend was ridiculous.  I hate when our schedules are so packed that you can't even be in the moment with anything because "EVERYTHING" is taking up every ounce of your brain.  We started Friday night with our annual ugly ornament contest in the 'hood - which I'm excited to announce that we won - after participating for many years!  Looking back, even though it was another line item on the calendar, that party was pure relaxation in comparison to what followed.

Saturday morning, we took Riley to the gym at 8 AM.  By 9, Finn, Logan and I were at Finn's pancake breakfast at school.  At 10:30, we picked up Riley from the gym and went to Finn's basketball game, with Grammy and Jim, until 12.  Mike and Finn dropped us off and went to get haircuts - Mike was really starting to look like a cross between Max Hedrum and Conan O'Brien.  After what might be consider lunch, we packed up with our good pals, the Marienthals, and drove out toward DeKalb, to our traditional tree-cutting stomping  grounds.  Two unbearably frigid treks through two different farms resulted in zero tree choices; they were all too small!  We ended up buying from a tree lot at the second farm!  We went home and tried to decorate, but it was so late that we got little done and rushed the kids into bed so that we'd get a good night's sleep before the 5 AM wake-up call for Riley's meet.

 

 

 

 

Sunday at 2:39 AM, Finn arrived to tell us that he'd thrown up all over his bed.  Every hour, for the next several, he vomited more; his little body wondering what the hell is going on.  His ID Reaction, which had been almost healed, flared into craziness and all the spots became dark red and scabbed.  At 5, I woke Riley, did her bun and headed out, without the rest of the fam, to the meet.  I hate sitting there watching alone - it's so stressful!!

Riley rocked it like never before, raising her personal best by one whole point!  She scored 9.3 on floor (personal best), 9.225 on beam (personal best), 9.150 on bars and 9.125 on vault.  I can't describe the excitement on her face with each flashing score - I was one thrilled mama.  She has worked her butt off for a meet like this!  There was a stinging disappointment later, when she learned that at this particular meet, they don't announce places or scores, they just give everyone the same trophy.  Our non-drama girl sobbed for an hour when we got home, but later, a good friend let us know that she was listed at the meet as placing 3rd All Around out of 56 girls that were not separated out by age.  AMAZING!  She felt better, needless to say. 

 

We rushed home to decorate as this was our only chance before Christmas.  This year, and every year from now on, we've decided to have an "Uncle Griff Tree", in the living room.  Aunt Michelle generously donated her pre-lit one to our efforts.  The kids made ornaments for it and left notes and we hung things on it that remind us of him.  Yesterday was also Griff's birthday.

By 6:30 PM, we met up with Nana and Tony, Grandpa and Irene, Grammy and Jim, Tom, Michelle and Ellie to see Logan's Christmas Choir Concert and it did not disappoint!  She is so adorable and growing up so fast.  I couldn't believe my first little babe was standing up there, tall and proud and singing her heart out, with her requested straightened hair.  How did she grow up so fast?  Finn laid in my lap like an infant though, so at least I'm still needed!!

 

We ended the  night at Potbelly's with Nana and Tony before they headed back north.  What a whirlwind!  Today, with Finn home, I'm trying to catch my breath, make last purchases and get a stronghold on what lies ahead.  It certainly feels like the holidays.  Looking to this weekend:  Finn's school holiday festival, another choir concert, basketball game and meet, another Christmas party, a birthday party and an invite for drinks with friends.  Will I survive?  And when am I supposed to bake cookies?

the molluscum contagiosum support group

Welcome to the inaugural meeting of the molluscum contagiosum support group.  If there's any doubt, I hate this awful nightmare of a virus.  What started out as a few bumps have grown into hundreds on Finn, flaring up his eczema and resulting in a treatment of blistering about forty of the bumps.  The blisters, teetering on the edge of infection, are finally starting to show signs of improvement and healing, after a week off school and round the clock dressing changes.  I THOUGHT we were rounding the bend to health since Finn did make it to school yesterday.  But when I woke him up this morning, I was shocked to see a red, angry, itchy rash all over his entire body.  No school again.

We went to the pediatrician - I needed an advocate to help make sense of the mixed messages we've gotten from the three dermatologists we've seen.  She diagnosed Finn with an "ID Reaction."  Apparently, his immune system is sending out a signal that it's in overdrive trying to fight off the molluscum and heal the forty blisters on his little body.  There's no treatment or idea when it will go away, but it eventually will.  In the meantime, there will be no more treatment on his skin of any kind.  He's on Benadryl to control the itching.  For all the poking and prodding and pain he's had in the last week, this kid is one hell of a trooper.

 

In unrelated news, I knew I heard Jingle Bells in the middle of the night last night.

"pit stain" steelers

Finn now opts to watch football with Mike and I, rather than watch a kid-show with the girls on Sundays.  It must be some genetic specific desire that begins at such an early age, a desire that I don't really have, I just want to hang out with Mike!  It's so cute to see him glean an understanding of the game and learn the teams that he is supposed to hate (Dallas) and love (the Steelers), based on his father's opinions.  Even that gets handed down, I suppose.

On Sunday, when we were all jet-lagged from our 3 AM rising to catch a plane, Finn was beyond exhausted.  He wasn't crabby or anything, just constantly finding hilarious ways to let us know that we had pushed him beyond his five year old limits.  He kept falling down randomly, or running into things, even doing this sort of trance-like dance out of the blue.  But the best thing he did, twice, was to scream out game-related excitement or frustration about the "Pit Stain Steelers."  Even after our chuckles and corrections, he even went so far as to correct his sister:  "That's not the Bears Riley, that's the Pit Stain Steelers!"

Considering that's one of the teams he's supposed to like, I wonder what Pittsburgh would think of their new nickname?

He passed out on the couch at 6:30.

halloween 2011

Some pics of this year's festivities...