Well, we're home again.

Our summer in Alaska was a busy one for the whole family. Nick and I were busy with our work and Finn was busy growing out of the little baby stage and into the toddler one. He is 100% boy and is never content unless he is exploring, climbing, getting into mischief (silence is the telltale sign of this one) and learning new skills.

He has mastered crawling and is now practicing his hand at walking. He can stand up from a sitting position on his own and has taken one tentative step on his own if he is moving between objects. Although I have no experience in such things, I would guess he is mere weeks away from walking by himself.

Since our return, he has been mimicking us and animatedly tells us every word he knows when the known object appears. He started saying baby versions of Dada, Mum-ma and Inca while we were up in Alaska and since getting back to our cozy home near Boeing Field, he has learned 'airplane' (it comes out as air-day). Fortunately for him, an airplane flies overhead about every second and he is very quick to let us know. It is the first word he says and the last before he falls asleep. Today he was working on 'chicken'. Poor kid is attempting the hardest multi-syllabic words in the English language, but I suppose it is fitting-- the more of a challenge things are, the more engaged he is.

He is also reaching the stage where he wants to help with everything. I was folding clothes with him the other morning and was missing a sock that I had unknowingly dropped. I held up one half of the pair and asked him to find the other one for me, thinking it was merely a diversion tactic so I could finish the laundry. Shockingly, he crawled purposely away and came back a minute later with the sock I was missing. It goes to show that these little ones are far more observant than we expect.

Besides learning to talk, walk and fetch, Finn has remained an incredibly outgoing, happy baby. He is known to contentedly wander off with the waitress at a restaurant, reach out to smelly fishermen and wave and smile at just about any person in the world. He has recently acquired a little bit of mommy-attachment, but if someone else is doing something more exciting, he will eagerly join the fun.

Overall, Finn is a joy to parent and life is good. We'll keep updating more regularly now that we're home.

Lots of love to all...

Sour!!!