I have this problem ...

 ... I can never choose just one photo.

I was really worried that Finn wouldn't get to wear his stack of 3 months sleepers.

But since our new little house is in the corner of a forrest and I've been painting 

- with all the windows open -

Out they came and they fit great! 

And with room to grow a bit. 

If only he would just slow down a little.

This sweet sleeper was a gift from the Martins.

Yes, I am supposed to be packing, but I'm tired. Finn has been an angel this week. 

We spent Monday and Tuesday in Kalken packing (although you can hardly tell) 

and then Wednesday and Thursday painting, his room is done!! 

A Whale of a Time

Can you see that string of slobber?? 

And it smeared all over his face!!

This is our life right now ;)

And we couldn't be happier.

This was my attempt at getting a cute pic of his Whale outfit from Cousin Anna ... 

no momma, my hands are more important. 

But haha Finn, momma was ready with the camera when you fell asleep. 

xox

A Wrastle with Elle

More action ... Finn is a busy fellow these days.

 

He loves to wrestle with Elle

.. the sweetest softest Elephant ever ..

was a gift from the Moores.

I'm never quite sure who's winning there is often 

rather a lot of grunts and groans coming from their corner.

Dapper Finn

Our funny little man. So sweet. So dapper in his gifted duds. We received a variety packet of (American) football onesies from momma's cousins, Cindy & Troy. They are the perfect size right now and match just about everything. The very dapper shorts are from our friends, the Eijbersen's .. haha, as in the D&E variety because there are so many of them! 

I couldn't pick just one photo to share so I had to show them all ...

( if you click on the collage you can see a larger version )

And to top it off, a "matching" video.

I even cut the first entire minute where  he just stared at the camera. 

Then fwoop, all of a sudden that little whoop you hear at the beginning of the film.

As you can see, this boy keeps us entertained.

Thank you all for the lovely gifts 

.. we'll keep the photos of Finn enjoying them coming ..

xox

Growth Spurt

weight

4770 grams / 10-1/2 lbs

a gain of 1550 grams / 3 lbs, 6-2/3 oz in 6 weeks

length

57 cm / 22-7/16 in

he has grown 8,4 cm / 3-1/3 in 6 weeks

head circumference

40,5 cm / 16 in

an expansion of 3,5 cm / 1-3/8 in 6 weeks

(Measurements from doctors appointments on 11 June and 25 July 2013)

The amazingly cute outfit was a
gift from my cousins Cindy & Troy Jaeger!

The Significance ... of 3

Finn is three months old today!

3

THREE

I can't help thinking about the significance of this number

Finn was 3 months early

and now he's already 3 months old

my how time flies

we are a family of 3

how we have dreamed of this moment for so long

but most of all ... I think of his three.

he and his brothers are three

Lars, Thor and Finn

three is also how many times he urped while momma was taking photos

and the number of times he's managed to suck his thumb

there are so many more threes in our lives but these came to mind first

three is also supposed to be the number of hours between Finn's feedings ...
haha, he's confused and thinks it should be two
or sometimes just one ...

I will never look at a 3 in quite the same way again

and I leave you with more pictures of Finn 
on the day he turned 3 months old, 
just click here, and scroll to the right

( published 29 May 2013 )

TODAY

Today was Finn's due date.
Today is Finn's due date.  

40 weeks gestation, for most people this means 40 weeks of pregnancy.

But Finn is here. He has been here.

For  nearly 12 weeks ... 

It's hard to imagine what our lives would have been like if he'd come later.
If he had come now.

We know this little man. 

He is a part of us. 

We have been by his side for 96 days.
And almost as many nights.

He is developing the sweetest personality.

He has a cheeky character that make us giggle.

He is wiggly.

And very smiley.

He listens. He loves to listen when we're talking.

And he would sooo like to be able to get his thumb in his mouth.

He watches his mobile and follows it as it slowly turns.

He makes distinct noises for specific things.

"gleh" when he's done eating 

"mah" when he wants to eat

He can "kick" himself into position to tell me he wants to eat .. very useful when I'm watching the clock and he's listening to his belly.

There is so much more .. so much that's it's hard to capture and remember every moment.
But we're doing our best.

He has already grown leaps and bounds.

He has overcome so much.

I am one lucky momma.

Who can't wait to watch this sweet little babe grow into a young man. 

But not too soon. 

First we'll just enjoy the "extra time" we got with him.

Because I'm one lucky momma.

Who is so very much in love with this little man.

Thanks to Esther, Freddy, Lise & Hanne for the so very cute top
... it is hard to believe he's growing into "real" clothes already!

*****

So how much has he grown?
Well coincidentally yesterday was his first appointment with his children's doctor.



weight
2820 grams / 6 lbs, 3-1/2 oz
a gain of 1515 grams / 3 lbs, 5-1/2 oz since birth

length
47,2 cm / 18.58 in
he has grown 7,7 cm / 3 in since birth



head circumference
35,5 cm / 14 in
an expansion of 8,3 cm / 3-1/4 in since birth

On Thursday, 23 May, Finn will be 12 weeks old.

to the post office

Finn and I went on our first stroller outing to the post office  

where found this beautiful quilt waiting for us.

 

It's from my friend Lisa.
Remember, the postman has come bearing gifts from her before.

The night it arrived, Finn took a short nap propped against my knees.

I love to watch his expressions.

It is the perfect size for our little guy and so snugly soft. 

Thank you Lisa, I can't tell you how much
the gift of your friendship means to me.

 ( published 22 May 2013 )

my little gentle man

Finn received the most adorable outfit 

from our dear friends, Jim & Siggy.

Now anybody can have a tshirt that says 

"mommy loves me" or "daddy's boy"

... but this one fits Finn to a T

Of course this picture shows off the outfit best.

 

 But you're more likely to get a pic of him being

a tad more silly

 

or a lot more cheeky, can you see the mischief in those eyes?

Of course if you knew Jim, you'd say he sprinkled cheeky powder on the outfit ... let's hope we have many more visits to and from Jim and Siggy. There's so much Finn can learn from them.

But of course he's the sweetest when he sleeps

all snuggled up with a bitty blue bear from Onkel Rolf.

 

One of Axel's oldest friends (they met around the age of ten), Onkel Rolf, came spontaneously (from Münich) for Finn's Christening and what a big help he was. There wasn't a task that he didn't tackle. He was momma's secret little weapon as he swept through the entire house tidying here, sweeping up there. There wasn't a corner that he missed. And all the while being the sweetest gentleman there ever was. There's a reason he and papa are still friends. And his momma hopes little Finn's follows very closely in Onkel Rolf's steps.

I nearly forgot to post this picture of Finn with Rolf .. isn't it lovely.
The mutual admiration is already visible.

These photos were all taken on Papa's birthday, the day after Finn's Christening. 

We were too pooped for much but luckily there was lots of cake left over!

Happy Happy Birthday Papa 

from your litte boy and his bitty bear.

Love you tons!

xox

( published 17 May 2013 )

8 weeks

It is hard to fathom that 8 weeks have passed
since this little guy came into our lives.

He has brought us so much joy!

out-takes of this photo shoot can be seen here

Many thanks to Liz and Marlin for the gorgeous gifts that arrived in the post yesterday, blankets, burp rags and little Sophie! Do any of you remember Sophie? I think I had one when I was little ... I'll have to dig through my old toys. If I didn't then my brother did, she looks sooo familiar!

If you've never met a Sophie before, she's 7" tall.

I'm working my way through the many gifts we've received and will share photos as soon as I can ...

next best thing to being here for a party, right? I hope so ...

By the way, we've had a few emails and questions asking if we've "registered." 

No we haven't ... but I tried to explain a little here about what we need, what we have and how you can avoid postage ... if you feel compelled to send or bring something. But honestly, the gift of your friendship is the best we can ask for and we'd much rather you came for a visit and met our little guy. 

So save up your pennies ...

The Postman Came

( originally posted to Jovita's Patchwork Atelier, I am slowly 
copying posts relevant to our Feathered Nest so you 
might see some posts that seem terribly out of sequence )

******************

The postman came yesterday bearing gifts.

Yes, you read that right.

Not one, but two.

Actually, even more than that.

But two packages.

One from Lisa and another from Cathy.

Here's a little background.

To be 100% honest, I can't remember when I actually "met" Lisa. I know we crossed paths a few times, exchanged greetings here and there. But when did we become "friends" ... I don't know. We see each other very little, write even less. But I know she's a friend. I think about her often and feel her thinking about me. It's hard to describe. She's there. She's been there. For a long time.

The story of this little quilt started many many years ago. I whipped the top together during an Amish workshop I was giving in Germany. Then it sat in a pile of tops was hung occasionally. Often forgotten. At a quilt show in March 2008, Lisa saw the top pinned up in my booth and asked if she could quilt it for me. Um ... sure ... wow! No hurry, whenever. On and off I had forgotten it over the years. Until it arrived yesterday.

Not just quilted, but embroidered as well.

Tears, goosebumps, gratitude, love.

oh my

Can you SEE how fine that quilting is? 

Did I mention that the entire quilt measures 11-1/2" squares. 

Those tiny green squares you see above are 1/2"!

Her note said I could remove the embroidery if I didn't like it. 

Are you kidding? 

I LOVE IT. 

I saw it first. The initials. A J A S. Axel looked at it and was a bit puzzled. You see, my middle name is Adria so it all made since until he got to the S ... Goldschmidt? And then it hit and he cried too. The poor man. Sometimes I just want to scoop him up into my heart and hold him there. 

The second package was from Cathy.

A new friend.

I think I met her through my friend Maria first.

Get this.

I live in Belgium, Maria was living in Colombia, Cathy lives in Maryland.

What's the connection?

Yep, you guessed.

Facebook

and Pinterest.

Honestly.

Sometimes I hate social media.

But how can you hate it when it brings people like Cathy into your life?

The second package contained not one

but two of these wonderful little heart blocks!

Honestly Cathy!

They're so sweet.

How did you know?

That I love most things Amish?

That they belong here?

I haven't decided what to make.

But it will be special.

Because you cared.

Because you're my friend.

Cathy also sent this book. 

We're looking forward to spending some quiet times together. 

Reading it together.

Thank you!

The gifts are beautiful. They are wonderful.

But nothing compares to the gifts of your friendship.

Thank you to both of you for your love and kindness.

xox

Sleepers

It's always interesting to see what is "normal" in one country to the next ... grocery selections change, and architecture can be very different (as well as building quality) but it surprises me that what moms want or need for their babies can be so very different.

Well with two on the way I knew I wanted those oh-so-practical drawstring sleep sacks ... and they don't do them here. In fact my friend who had her baby last summer said the nurses thought they were "rather funny" but did (in the end) admit that they made sense.

I for one do not want to be fiddling with snaps and/or zippers in the middle of the night. So I asked mom if she would hit Target for me ... or wherever, but I thought for sure Target would have them. Nope! Nobody uses them anymore ... everything is now designed for the carseat - and life on the go.

So mom went hunting and sewing and sourced 8 for me! I think I'm set and I can hardly wait. A typical hospital stay is 5 days here so I know they will come in handy then. And once we're home they'll be fine in the stroller too. Plus it's summer so we'll be spending lots of time in the garden.

She made the light green one - it's my favorite. In my opinion THAT is the perfect baby neutral. But Aqua and Yellow are right up there on the list too - she did great. Oh, and one has giraffes, Axel will love that ... he always says he can relate to a giraffe (for obvious reasons). His other favorite animal is the moose - hehe, cuz they have a goofy face!

Thanks mom - they're perfect!

Oh, did I mention that they are all laundered and ready to go so all I have to do is drop them into my hospital suitcase ... how practical is that?

Hand Made Lace

Handmade items are always special and this amazing little shoe is no exception. It was a gift from our friend Danielle. She laughed when she gave the package to me saying that normally she gives a pair of socks trimmed with handmade lace but there was "no way" she was going to make us two pair because it's a lot of work so she handed me this instead ...

I'm sure I caught flies! Isn't it amazing??

 

Here are some close-up pictures too ...

Star Light, Star Bright ...

We received the first gift for the nursery this weekend from our special friend, Laura.

Isn't it sweet? It lights up and casts stars and a moon on the ceiling!

Thank you Laura for the starlight lamp!

I know some of you are wondering what are plans for the nursery so I'll try to start putting together a "mood board" to share with you in the next couple of weeks.

Socks & Shoes

I am very behind in sharing some of the gifts we've received for the babies
 ... so there will be a couple of posts coming today.

First, more socks and shoes ...
these twenty little toes will never be lacking for warmth!

Mieke, how did you know that Axel has a soft spot for Giraffes?

Thanks Marleen, you covered our bases ... regardless of whether the
second baby is a boy these will come in very handy!

Many thanks to all of you from all of us!

Spoiled Rotten!

Honestly, I have the feeling these babies will be spoiled before they even arrive ...
we've already received some of the sweetest gifts.

Thank you Maria for the sweet homemade taggie!

I know you have a thing about shoes Fabienne (hehe) .. it will be fun to compare 

how little our guys are knowing that Guillaume wore these just recently.

Thanks Antoinette, I love the colors .. perfect for boys or girls!

Many thanks to all of you from all of us!