One to Go!

Oh, where have the last 11 months gone?  I am so thankful that I was careful to take a picture of Henry on each of his "month" birthdays so I can hopefully go back and figure it out.

There have been so many changes this past month.  More dance moves. Lots of standing on his own--dozens of times a day and for increasing amounts of time. An ever increasing appetite and rarely a food he doesn't devour. Kisses and hugs to not only people, but also every stuffed animal he encounters (or pictures of babies). "So Big" and "Peek-a-Boo" are daily activities around here.  He also started clapping days after turning 11 months!  And best of all?  The habit of SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT has returned!

Turns out Henry was probably freezing to death every night and waking up to let us know about it.  When his mom FINALLY figured out the correlation between fleece footed pajamas and sleeping through the night, things have been smooth sailing.  Duh. Duh. Duh.  Now, if only I can go back to sleeping all night....

I love that Henry's personality is starting to really make an appearance.  He says "dada" with gusto, especially when Jason returns from a long day at work.  He also says "mama" (mostly when he is tired and whiny).  Other than those, he still says "ball" quite a bit and I believe he has added "more" at mealtime.  He has also become more insistent on getting into his sister's things--particularly the things she happens to be playing with at the time.  This has caused the beginning of some sibling spats.  Amelia is starting to show less patience with her brother.  What was once funny is no longer.  But fortunately, most of the time they are still giggling at each other's antics and getting into mischief together. 

Henry has found himself up the stairs and into my room (without my knowing) a few times too many for my liking.  I will go into the kitchen for what cannot be more than 45 seconds only to return to the playroom and be unable to locate Henry.  I will hear a happy squeal and the sound of extremely fast crawling up above coming from the master bedroom.  We have to be VERY careful about making sure the gate is up.  I have been setting the gate about three stairs up so that he can still get some practice in going up and down the stairs without too much of a risk of falling.

Henry thoroughly enjoyed his first Thanksgiving.  He not only ate two huge Thanksgiving meals that day, but ate leftovers for nearly a week afterward.  Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, broccoli cheese casserole, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie (both traditional and no-bake varieties), he loved it ALL!  He is not unlike a human garbage disposal.

Henry really enjoys watching the cars go by our house and the highlight of the day is when the trash truck comes around.  He even makes the vrooom, vroooom sounds when he moves his cars around. Actually, he is pretty keen on anything at all with wheels--so much so that I started to get a little concerned that maybe it was a borderline obsession and brought it up to my Parents As Teachers Educator. Turns out, it's normal!

 

And so, the one year birthday party date has been set and the planning is in full swing.  Thank goodness that I have so much on my plate between Christmas and his first birthday that I don't have too much time to be sad that my "baby" is almost one already!

Double Digits!

Well, here we are 10 months down the road and I'm STILL playing the same song.  Yep, I cannot believe how fast time is flying by.  In fact, I have been working feverishly on developing Henry's first birthday party theme, decorations, and invitations.  I thought I better get cracking on it before the holiday hysteria sets in...

So the changes between 9 and 10 months are startling! 

• Henry went from ZERO teeth at 9 months to FIVE teeth at 10 months (and one on the way to be broken through at any given moment). 

• Henry went from NO words at 9 months to a couple words at 10 months.  He definitely says "dada" specifically for Jason and he also is now saying, "ball". 

•  Henry is waving!

•  Henry is dancing!

He is continuing to crawl, pull up, and cruise with increasing proficiency.  He doesn't seem too close to the walking stage, although he stands alone without holding on to anything daily for very short amounts of time.  And on the day before Halloween, he stood up by himself without pulling up on anything!

Henry enjoyed a trip to the Magic House, the apple orchard and a pumpkin patch this month.  He also got his first taste of trick-or-treating.  His most exciting adventure was probably the trip to Wisconsin, though!

And this boy can still EAT!  My goodness, the food we go through over here!  He still screams between every bite if he is really hungry and I'm not piling it in fast enough.  He will also scream if (God forbid) I need to get up from my chair to get more food or grab a napkin.  I have no idea of his statistics this month because I didn't even attempt to get them.  

Now sleep is a completely different story since last month.  I guess with the addition of almost 6 teeth, sleep is bound to suffer.  He is up now every night either one or two times.  This has been going on for the last 2 weeks or so and I'm ready to have my good sleeper back.  I am thinking Daylight Savings Time might be a little to blame for this.  Especially since Henry is ready for bed every night around 5:30 now!  Luckily when he wakes, he nurses and then goes right back to bed.

Henry finally graduated to a new car seat as well this month, which was long overdue!  Maybe I should actually say "new" because it is really Amelia's old one. 

And yes, Amelia still dresses Henry up every chance she gets.  I turn around for one second and....

Nevertheless, life at 10 months is great!

9 Months and counting!

While it is fresh in my mind, I will start with Henry's 9 month stats:

Height:  30 1/4 inches (96th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs, 11 oz. (79th percentile)
HC: 98th percentile

Its hard to believe that (hopefully) Henry's next doctor's appointment will be his one year check-up.  The doctor said he looks great and he was all smiles and giggly for her.  He only had to get a single shot today (flu shot!).  I was shocked because Amelia cried with hers and Henry didn't cry a bit.  He didn't even whimper!

His sleeping is still good for the most part.  I told the doctor that most nights he sleeps 12 hours and then takes 2, 2 hour naps for a total of 16 hours of sleep each day.  She was surprised given that most kids his age are only sleeping 12-13 hours, but reassured me that he just needs a little extra right now.  She also advised that I enjoy it, since the days of that much sleep are probably numbered.

Henry is crawling on his hands and knees 100 % of the time now and is remarkably quick.  He is still pulling up, climbing on everything, and cruising quite a bit.  Twice this week, he has let go of the couch and stood by himself for a few seconds. Amelia's room and the dog's water bowl are his most desired destinations currently.

It feels like we've been extra busy with Amelia on cycle break, but luckily he is pretty go-with-the-flow.  Until last weekend, that is.  We had a SUPER busy weekend and Henry was crabby from Sunday evening on.  He continued his fussiness on Monday and I could not even put him down on Tuesday without him full out screaming. That afternoon, I took him in to see the doctor fearing an ear infection.  At the least, I thought it might be teeth (he still has NONE!).  Turns out, the doctor is pretty sure it was all behavioral.  Yikes!  Hopefully that isn't a glimpse into my future.  She mentioned his bottom gums are pretty swollen, but he was completely healthy otherwise.  She asked if he stopped fussing when I picked him up. When I answered "yes", she politely pointed out that most pain doesn't go away just because our mothers are holding us.  Hmmm....not sure why I didn't think of that BEFORE forking over my $20 co-pay.  The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that he was still exhausted from our dinner out, football game, breakfast out, parade, late night Oktoberfest, visit to GG and Papa's, church, and zoo weekend.  Wouldn't you be? Things have been much smoother after we took it easy on Wednesday and he rested all day.

It seems like Henry, too, is going to have Jason's metabolism.  A typical breakfast for Henry is a medium bowl of oatmeal, 1-2 pancakes, and half a banana.  Lunch might be a grilled cheese sandwich (the WHOLE thing), 1/2 jar of green beans, and a handful of crackers.  Dinner is usually whatever we are eating--in a good sized portion!  He does not miss meals.  Ever. And he still nurses multiple times a day.  But yet, he is loosing ground on the percentile chart.  If only I were so lucky.....

And his best friend is still his sister.  There is nothing more exciting to him than crawling into her room (especially when its time to wake her from her nap), pulling up on her bed, and squealing with delight at catching a glimpse of her.  Sometimes he will pull on her shirt (or her hair) if she is within reach.  He definitely has sounds that are reserved only for his interactions with her.  Thankfully, she is also pretty amused by it--most of the time.

According to Henry, the low points of the day are definitely getting dressed and diaper changes.   The high point (besides waking up Amelia) is still bath time!

Nine Months!

Eight is Great!

Wow! Two-thirds of the year through year 1!

Month 8 has been very, very busy. It started in Texas (then Oklahoma, then Missouri). We spent much of it working on our summer list and enjoying those final days of summer.

Sorry for the repeats in pictures, I have an alarmingly small amount of pictures from the last month of Henry. Ooops!

I did manage to get some unofficial measurements, though. Taken on his exact 8th month.

Weight: about 23 lbs. (I got a new non-digital scale though which made this much more difficult and less accurate probably.

Height: 29.5" was the best I could tell


Henry is pulling up on everything in site and becoming more comfortable cruising the couch. If I take my eyes off of him for a minute, he usually sneaks off to climb the stairs. Guess its time to get the baby gate at the bottom of the steps again, since he is usually about 4 steps up before I get to him. He has also gotten a lot better at giving "high fives" and can identify each of us by name. If we say, "Henry, where is Amelia?". He will look at her! His obsession with balls continues and it's obvious he knows that word as well.

And my favorite, he will usually give "smoochers" on demand. Sometimes even if I don't request one, he will just turn around and willingly give one. His favorite thing to say is "Buh". Which he says all day, every day. About half the time he army crawls and the other half of the time, he crawls on his hands and knees. And diaper changes have been SUPER challenging, some may even say impossible!

And although he still has NO teeth, this boy is eating EVERYTHING in site. I have pretty much given up on all baby food except oatmeal. He is perfectly content eating pancakes, waffles, toast, pasta, corn, beans, tofu, grilled cheese, omelets, pizza, cheese, and various fruits and vegetables.

Stranger anxiety has appeared a bit this month, as well. It was strange that just one day he decided he was wary of almost any male. He is usually okay and smiley with the female set, still. One male he is NOT wary of is his father. He crawls as fast as he can to get to him every day when he gets home from work--obviously thankful to have some more testosterone in the house!

8 Months

I had a vision for how I wanted the 8 month picture to go. Since Henry is nearly impossible to keep off of the steps, I thought I could set up the blocks and catch a quick picture of him (mainly his little bottom) as he crawled by.

(luckily, I took this one first because I think it was the best one)

This is KIND of what I wanted, only you can hardly see the blocks. Plus, I found out that keeping an 8 month old safe on the steps, keeping the blocks together, AND snapping a picture is nearly impossible. Not sure what I was thinking.

Lucky Seven

Well, despite my best attempts at slowing things down, here we are at month number seven already. After just reading over the month 6 update, it is easy to see how much things have changed in a month.

At his six month check-up, the dr. gave the go ahead for puffs and cheerios and other chunkier foods. We've done chunks of peaches, avocados, bananas. carrots, whole peas, cherries, biter biscuits, and even pizza crust. He has grown more finicky with his appetite--sometime gobbling down two containers of food in one sitting and sometimes barely getting through a half of one. I think he definitely prefers chunks of food and feeding himself (he would eat Cheerios, puffs, and yogurt melts all day if we let him). He has gotten pretty good at drinking from the sippy cup--as long as the valve is out, of course.


One thing we've learned quickly, however, is how much Henry LOVES his food. The second he hits his high chair, he starts screaming. We try to have everything ready before we snap him in, for the sake of our hearing! If he is really hungry, he will scream in between every bite. Oh, and he usually starts screaming again when he is done, too. Mealtime if very loud around here!

With the exception of the screaming, the little man seems pretty easy going. He PREFERS to be held, but likes to be on the floor moving all around, too. He always moves the quickest when he is headed to the dog bowl.

He loves ALL THINGS WATER and its not only the dog bowl! From the second we enter the bathroom for his bath, he is squealing with delight. As soon as he hits the water, he splashes the ENTIRE bath time. At the pool, he splashes himself, whoever is holding him, and anyone else in a 3 foot radius.

He has begun to pull up on things and has found the stairs, our bathtub, and the fireplace. While we were on vacation, he took his second spill off a bed and would up with a nasty little rug-burned nose. He continues to adore both his dog and his sister.

And although we have yet to spot a single tooth (Jason and I BOTH saw two coming in on the top during our trip, only to check again a few days later and see NOTHING there at all), the boy loves, loves, loves to stick out his tongue!

A LOT!

Si or no?

His favorite place to escape to after exiting his room is right across the hall to Amelia's room. And under her bed is the best. place. ever. Of course, Amelia can't resist getting under there with him!

Henry added two more states to his list this month. I think he is up to 7 now and he hasn't even been to Illinois yet! Other exciting highlights were his first 4th of July, many more trips to the pool, blueberry picking, and the 11 hour drive to TX!

I don't have any measurements from him this month, but it certainly seems like his growing has slowed down a bit---at least I am not switching out clothes every month or so. In fact, the 12 month onesies I put him in at the start of summer are still holding strong.

Oh, and did I mention that Amelia decided he was going to be the Tin Man for Halloween? His costume came awhile back (Thanks Ebay!) and he is pretty ecstatic about it. I can hardly wait until October 31!

Seven Months

Half Way There

I guess I'll start with the stats this month since that is probably the most impressive information:

Weight: 20 lbs., 10 oz. (91st percentile)
Length: 29.5 inches (> 99th percentile--the X on the computer was not touching the graph!)
H.C.: 86th percentile


The doctor thought Henry looked quite healthy! She checked him all out and was impressed that he already seemed to recognize his name when it is spoken. (I explained that that is because there is someone saying it in his face 12 hours a day). She was hoping for him to be saying "mamamama" and "dadadada" as well, but at the time we was only really saying "babababa". He has since added "mamamama" to the list which is pretty exciting for me!


After stating that at times Henry doesn't seem satisfied after 2 packs of baby food AND nursing, she suggested it may be time to start serving him chunkier food and gave us the go ahead for Cheerios and Puffs.

Other than the doctor appointment, it was a busy sixth month for Mr. Henry! It was parties GALORE around here! I think Henry went to 3 birthday parties this past month, as well as two graduation parties and a party with Jason's co-workers. Luckily he is so go-with-the-flow that he loved every minute.

He also got to meet several extended family members who were in from the East and West coasts.

Henry has definitely been to the pool more in his short life than Amelia was in probably her first three years. He LOVES to sit (or stand) and splash. The wetter he gets the better. And its best if he gets whoever is holding him wet too!

Note: When I say "been to the pool", I actually mean a real pool. At a park. Near our house. Not the blow up pool pictured below. He doesn't seem to enjoy that one quite as much. Maybe its the frigid temperature or, perhaps, its just the close proximity to his sister.


We've had to retire the bumbo and bouncer. We are very near the end of our time with the swing. Henry is always, always on the go. He has mastered a modified army crawl and can easily (and rather quickly!) make it all the way across the room.

Yes, Henry did this on his own. And, yes, I grabbed my camera before helping him out.

On a more sappy note, it is hard to believe that Henry is now closer to his first birthday than to the day he was born. I remember thinking the second half of Amelia's first year FLEW by, but it didn't go half as fast as these last 6 months with Henry. Yes, I'm a broken record I know.....

High Five!

Let's pretend that this post is not two weeks late. Poor second child, I can imagine its only going to get worse from here...

Month 5 brought some more rolls, er, I mean roles for Mr. Henry.

Explorer of the house: he easily makes it off of his play mat now in seconds

High Chair eater: guess I should say "eater" in general. This month we went from only oatmeal and rice cereal to trying squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, prunes, bananas, peaches, and carrots. He has liked them ALL!

Better Sleeper: no more bouncer for this guy (we had to put it away since everytime we put him in it the seat became horizontal) or swaddling. He got "ferberized" after returning from our trip to DC. The trip affected his nighttime sleep and mom had had enough! Now he sleeps on his belly in his crib for all naps and nighttime sleeping.




Playmate: Amelia loves that Henry squeals with delight during nearly all of their interactions. He particularly loved the tent his sister built for him over his play mat!

Bib Wearer: The water works have increased significantly and Henry benefits from having a bib on at all times. Despite having all of the signs of teething, there is not a tooth in sight. I will be going to the store this week to restock our generic Tylenol. Sigh.

Eater of Feet: His new favorite toy luckily is readily available! Aside from the constant drooling, Mr. Man constantly has EVERYTHING in his mouth and his feet are no exception!

We've been out and about with Henry lots this month! Lots of trips to the park and various playdates. He took his first flight and first trip to the zoo. He also decided that the pacifier is for him after all. Luckily he is a go-with-the-flow kind of guy and seems to be pretty happy. His mom and dad are too now that he is sleeping in his own room and goes to sleep by himself with no more rocking, bouncing, or shushing. Now, if only we can get him to keep that darn pacifier in his mouth all night....

In addition, Henry's eyes seem to be changing daily from blue to brown. His unofficial 5 month stats are:

Length: 28"
Weight: 20.5 lbs.

Incidentally, Henry is the same weight now that Amelia was at one year. Its hard to believe that his next month update will be 6 months!