Finsgiving

Daddy says he is busy with only a three-day Thanksgiving work week, but Momma says he’s just a big Turkey. So, I’m going to jump in and say a few words (because I only know a few words).

At daycare they said that Thanksgiving is the day when we remember everything we are thankful for. I know I’ve only been around a year or so, but I can think of plenty of things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Elmo and Mickey and Pooh. I am thankful for my binky, even though I only get it at sleep time. I am thankful for juice and cheese and yogurt. I am thankful for all my toys and all my shoes. 

Yes, I am thankful for my shoes. I think Momma thinks that’s good and Daddy thinks that’s bad.

I am thankful that I can help my Momma with her cooking, even though I am just eating lots of goldfish crackers with a big stirring spoon. So, I am thankful for goldfish crackers and stirring spoons.

I am thankful that when I wake up in the morning my Momma or Daddy is there, smiling, waiting to give me a big hug. I am thankful for the little kisses they give me on my neck and for the little tickles they give me on my tummy. I am thankful for the clothes they put on me and the food on our table. I am thankful for Momma and Daddy.

And since Momma and Daddy are my parents, I guess I would have to say I am most thankful for my family. I am thankful for Grandma and Grandpa and Nana and Mama and Bompa! I am thankful for all my aunties and uncles and cousins. Because without my family there would be no Momma or Daddy or Finley! And that would be bad. Because no Finley means no shoes.

Did I mention I’m thankful for shoes?

Finley the Fantastic

A few blogs ago I wrote about how I was sort of “training” Finley to be my roller coaster partner. Heather is not a big 

fan of rides like that and I want to make sure I have a companion whenever we go to amusement parks. And to help Finley become more accustomed to roller coasters and the like, I have safely been introducing her to some of the finer elements of thrill rides.

Over the course of time, she has become a big fan of swings and slides and her little bike trailer. Now it turns out that there is a bit of a side-effect to all of this “training.” It seems I’ve created a bit of a thrill-seeking monster.

It’s no surprise Finley likes to go higher and higher when I push her on the swing. She’d rather go down the big, winding slide than the little, flat, straight ones. And one of her favorite things to do after I change her diaper on her changing table is to jump into my arms. But now, she’s testing her abilities – mostly her balance – by turning our living room into one part gymnasium and one part circus tent.

The need to climb things, we’ve known about for quite some time. I was a bit of a monkey in my day, and I’m sure she gets her climbing gene from me. But it’s what she does when she gets up that takes her from monkey to daredevil.

We have a pretty good-sized couch. It’s a sectional, really, that makes the shape of an “L.” The long part is where the cushions sit and the stubbier part is more of an area to stretch out and lie. That stubbier area is now her personal trampoline. She thinks it’s pretty funny to hop up and down and then crash down on her backside. Of course, it gives mom heart palpitations, so we’re trying our best to curb her bouncing… On the couch, anyway.

So, when she’s denied her trampoline she likes to climb up onto the back of the couch and perch between the big cushions. She’ll even bring a book with her, sometimes, and enjoy a read.

But her big trick is to climb up on the arm of the couch and from a sitting position, and slowly stand up as if it were her own little balance beam. It’s one of those moments where, as a parent, you don’t want your kid climbing on the arm of the couch, but it’s so funny and cute to see her little trick. So you scold the kid while trying to keep a straight face.

The second part of her trick is the dismount. She’ll leap from the arm to the cushions on the couch. It’s much softer than if she tried to leap to the floor below! Again, she thinks it’s pretty funny – which it sort of is – but we have to keep her away, when we can.

So, since the couch is becoming more and more off limits, she reverts to her backup apparatus… the laundry basket. By day this laundry basket is where many of her toys are kept, but by night – when all of the toys are dumped out – it turns into a stage/balancing platform.

It certainly isn’t as high or as daring of a feat as the couch arm, but you wouldn’t know it by the way she approaches each stunt with her own little brand of drama. She always has to make sure you are watching and even the slightest wobble or misstep illicit a semi-surprised “ohhh” from her lips. And when she reaches the end of the feat, she holds her arms high above to signal the proverbial “ta-da!” It really is quite a show.

Luckily, in all of the incarnations of the act I have been able to witness there has only been one fall. Of course, when you are only two and a half feet tall and less than a foot off the ground, you don’t have far to go, but you can still bump your head. But that’s the risk of performing without a net. And like the trooper she is, she got back up and finished her routine.

On one hand, I’m glad she is brave enough at 20 months to try some things that test her will and her balance. But on the other hand, I hope she doesn’t take her bravado too far and wind up hurting herself. In the end, I’ll be glad if she takes the basic feeling of doing something exciting and can put it into her everyday life. As long as she enjoys what she does and can pick herself up and dust herself off when she tumbles, then she’ll be alright. And I’ll be more than glad to hang out along side for the ride… if she’ll have me.

Colour My World

We’re very happy that Finley is a big fan of books. I hesitate to say she is a big fan of reading, because she technically doesn’t read. 

She THINKS she’s reading. She babbles and points at pictures and truly thinks there’s a story going on. And, to her, there probably is. I just like the fact that she understands the concept of reading. It should make things a little easier when she actually starts learning to read.

Of course, she isn’t just into reading by herself. She still likes to ramble over, book in hand, and force herself into my lap. And lately, I’ve been noticing that as I start reading to her, she watches my face, carefully. She’s watching my expressions and how my mouth works as I read. I guess she thinks it’s my way of babbling and pointing to the pictures.

Her fascination with books doesn’t end at reading. Her newest thing has been the discovery of coloring books. She’s had coloring books for quite some time, but I’m guessing that she’s been introduced to the fine art of art at daycare. At any rate, we can’t go an evening at home without her and her little voice coming up to us and saying “color!”

But coloring at our house isn’t just a handful of crayons and a few books. Heather was smart enough to find a big plastic sheet to lay down which serves two purposes; it keeps the mess to a minimum and it’s kind of an invisible fence that keeps crayons away from being used on things like walls and furniture. Finley knows she can only color in the designated area. Well, at least that’s what we’re trying to teach her, anyway.

Rules aside, it’s fun to watch her go to work on the coloring mat. She likes to turn the pages and talk to herself about what she sees on the page and then assail the image with broad strokes of blurring crayon. And she does this while laying on her tummy, in classic kid coloring mode. I’m not sure if she learned this at daycare or if it’s an automatic kid-kind of thing.

She also does something, I think is very interesting. As much as she likes to flop on her belly and color all by herself, she’s very big on making sure you join her. She wants you to color with her. She likes to watch what you do, almost to the point where you can’t see what you’re coloring because her nose is all the way down on the page, checking out your coloring stroke. She’s very interested in how things get done and she thinks it’s pretty fun, too.

And because she’s new at this – and most things, really – she’s not very good at staying between the lines. In fact, I’m not sure she knows what lines are, anyway. But that’s okay. I really don’t care if she stays between the lines, anyway. She’ll have plenty of time for that when she grows up.

Right now, it’s more about having fun than creating art, anyway. In her mind – and in ours - just covering the pages in color is art. She may not have the sense of the pallet of Monet’ or the flair of Dali… But for my money, I’d hang a Finley on my wall – instead of one of those hacks – any day. And I know there are a few grandparents out there who would agree with me.

This Blog has been approved by Finley Ella Dickey

Recently, I have been seeing and hearing many political ads on television and on the radio. 

Many of those ads talk about how one candidate has lied or does not have the credentials. They talk about promises made and not kept. They talk about where one candidate stands on the issues as opposed to the other candidate.

Well, I’m here to tell you, you should just go ahead and vote for me. That’s right. Vote for Finley. I’ll even tell you where I stand on the issues: 

1. Afghanistan: I admit I will sometimes stand on my Dad’s afghan, but only after I’ve hidden under it and played peek-a-boo.
2. Economy: I have a piggy bank with lots of money from Christmas and my birthday. I’ll let you borrow some if it will help.
3. Education: Read my lips… NO NEW NAPS! More recess, less nap time at school.
4. Energy: I have lots of gas to pass along, if anyone needs it.
5. Environment: I would stop the production of certain oils… especially Baby Oils and Castor Oil. YUCK!
6. Health Care: I don’t like shots.
7. Housing: I like houses. They are a good place for my toys.
8. Iran: I did and I fell down. Not a big fan.
9. Russia: Mom said I was Russian and needed to slow down. Then I fell.
10. Taxes: I think my Grandpa was born there. It's near Oklahoma, right?

People also want to know where I stand on the war. All I know is that if I hit someone at daycare, I get in trouble. And if I share with someone at daycare, everyone is happy. So I guess it’s better to try and share with someone than it is to hit them.

As far as all of that other stuff… Sure, I have been known to be a mudslinger. If I eat mud, Mommy gets mad, so I like to throw it instead. But remember this… I’ve never lied. I don’t even know what that is. I can barely speak.

But let’s get down to the heart of the election. Some of the candidates have more experience than I do. That may be true. But when it comes down to it, I am way cuter than all of them. 

Vote Cute. Vote Finley.

Now get out there and vote.