19 Months

I completely let Henry's 19th month birthday pass without posting. So here's the update. This month has brought even more vocabulary explosions! He is really able to communicate his needs and wants to us and I think this has resulted in MUCH less frustration...on his part and mine. He has really 'calmed' down with the hitting and time-out is at a very minimum. He is so loving and cuddly right now and it makes my heart swell. My favorite thing right now is when I ask Henry "who loves you?" and he replies "my mommy!" I turn into a puddle on the ground. Seriously, who can ask for more than that?!?!
I know i'm gonna jinx this by writing it down, but Hen is sleeping in till 7:00 or 7:30 every morning. And when he does wake up, he sits in his crib and talks and laughs for a while. HEAVEN! This poses a bit of a problem for the days that I work, but I just pack his breakfast and send it with him to Mrs. Brenda's.
There HAS to be some innate TRUCK and TRACTOR gene in boys, b/c I find that most moms of boys report on this. He is obsessed with trucks of all kinds and points them ALL out to me as we drive down the road. He yells, "chunk truck" for dump truck and "BIG truck". So cute! He loves to stand outside when the trash men come with their big tractors and trucks and just stares in amazement.
Sometimes I still can't believe that I was chosen to be the mommy of this perfect little person. I am so thankful for every minute that I get to spend with him and can't imagine my life without him.

Happy 1 1/2 Birthday Henry!

My boy is 18 months old today! So hard to believe he's been mine for a year and a half. He is full of SPUNK and i'm loving watching the world through his eyes. It really is amazing to watch him learn how this "old world turns."

His favorite things right now are:

• the MOON
• the ya-yine (sunshine)
• cool ba (school bus)
• bay ball (baseball)
• pa ball (football)
• shoos (loves to put them on my feet)
• gapes (grapes)
• pizzee (pizza)
• coooookies
• ships (chips)
• boats
• sheese (grilled cheese)
  
• WHOLE MILK (WOO HOO)
• eicle's (bicycles AND motorcycles)
  

No so favorite things:

• TIME OUT
• Being told N.O.

Henry is really starting to put words together and it is so cute! He's say's:

• bye bye car
• bye bye kool ba
• all betta (when you kiss his boo boo's)
• hey Daddy!
• all gone
  

I think there are a few more, but these are my faves!

This is one spirited little boy and I love every ounce of him!

17 Months

Not a whole lot new to report this month. Henry is still a ball of energy and moves at the speed of light most all the time. He eats great 90% of the time and sleeps great most every night. One new thing is that he seems to be transitioning from 2 naps to 1. We're still not there all the way, but working towards that goal. We've seen some huge improvements in our discipline efforts this month. Time out seems to be working and Henry is learning his limits more and more everyday. I am feeling so much better about the direction we're going with that!


This child is full of hugs and kisses when I can wrangle him long enough to give me some! I love every square inch of this little man and just can't get enough of him!


"Who me? I didn't do it!"

Ahhh, a taste of the good stuff!

This boy is definitely mine! He loved his first taste of CHOCOLATE!

16 Months

Oh my my my! If I could plug Henry into an electrical outlet I believe he could "light the world" with his energy. I never dreamed it was possible for something so little to have so much stamina and energy. He is full on running now and still loves to be outside most all the time. So for the most part Henry is....happy and funny and silly and mad and DIRTY and mischievous and happy and mad and DIRTY and into everything!

Along with all of this energy comes a little bit of naughtiness and frustration. Brad and I are open to lots of advice from others before us on how to discipline a headstrong toddler. I'm positive it's normal behavior for his age (tantrums, etc.), but it's just a battle of the wills right now and WE are determined to win.

But, on the flip side, Henry is such a happy child who loves to give big open mouth kisses and squeeze hugs. My favorite time of day is right before bedtime when he crawls up in my lap with his baba and lets me cuddle and love on him. We say his prayers and at the end he goes: "amie" (amen). Melts my heart every time!

Henry is still a great sleeper and typically goes down at 7:30pm and up at 6:00 or 6:30am. Still naps religiously at 10 and 3.

He eats pretty good. Some meals he would rather be down playing, but others he cleans his plate. I don't stress over this b/c I know he's getting what he needs. He is quite the drinker though. Loves "wa wa" (water) and "doos"(juice) and "mo" (milk).

His vocabulary is expanding by leaps and bounds and he is really copying things we say now. We've really got to be careful :)

July 2007...this time last year
July 2008...look how much he's changed.

This month has been lots of fun and we're really enjoying our summer and I'm really enjoying watching my little boy grow up! Couldn't love him more!

15 Months

Summertime is definitely here and Henry is geared up and ready to go! We've already been to the beach several times and each time he gets a little braver in the water. I really have to stay right by him b/c he is all over the place. Gone are the days of packing a chair and a towel and a cooler of beer and relaxing in the sun for hours. Instead we pack buckets, shovels, juice boxes, sunscreen, towels, snacks, and toys. And there is NO sitting down anymore!

This child has learned to go to the door now and "request" to go outside "side". He is loving the outdoors and all of the exploring that goes along with it.
Henry's still a great eater and loves all the fresh fruit that the summer has to offer. Still not a huge fan of beef, but likes chicken and ham. Broccoli is his fav!

Henry is developing quite the sense of humor. His favorite thing to do is put his hands over his ears and "hide" from us. We're not sure why he thinks he's hiding by covering his ears, but we play along and he thinks it's histerical!

I was trying get a picture of him above, but he was RUNNING. Yes, he is running now and it's wearing me out!
Henry is still on 2 naps a day and i'm glad of that. He goes down at 10:30 for an hour or hour and a 1/2 and again at 3:30 for another hour or so.
He has started going to bed little later in the evening at around 8:00. It's kinda nice b/c we can all eat dinner together which he seems to really enjoy. Generally up at 6:30ish.

He also loves to hide behind furniture and jump out and scream to scare us. Hilarious!
This age is so much fun and we can't wait to see what's next!
Love you little man!

14 Months

HENRY IS...

Happiest:

Outside
Playing with basketballs, footballs, and golfballs
Swinging at the park
Right after dinner
Climbing stairs
Playing peek-a-boo with Daddy
Singing Row Row Row Your Boat
Reading books in Mama's lap
At Mimi and Pops house
Playing with Uncle D
In his baby pool
Chasing Lucy & Buster
Chasing the girls on the street

Unhappiest:

Getting his diaper changed
When we tell him no
When it's time to go inside
When it's time to put his clothes on
When I wipe his nose
When I clean his ears

Sweetest:

When he plants an open mouth kiss on your cheek
When he gets sleepy, he lays his head on my shoulder
When he puts his arms around my neck and squeezes tight

And at the end of our very busy days, this is what I get to stare at.
One very happy, content, and tired little boy! And i'm lucky enough to be his mom!

13 Months

We have a MOBILE TODDLER! Henry is now walking around and getting better and better every day. He still reverts to "the crawl" when he really needs to get somewhere, but I say by the end of the week he'll be upright full time! What a new world he has awaiting him in the upright position. What a new world for me! Much cleaner little paws and knees and toes! Brad and I were talking last night about how proud we are that we've all reached this milestone together. It's a good feeling as a parent to see your child succeed at something he's obviously been working towards for a while.

This month has been a challenging one with the new allergy diagnosis, but we've tackled it head on and are already on such a routine with meals and snacks. It's becoming second nature. Henry hasn't been effected in the least and is really a great eater. He still loves veggies (broccoli, carrots, peas, green beans, butter beans) and gobbles those up first thing. He loves chicken nuggets, french fries, hash browns, turkey hot dogs, ham, crackers of any kind, lorna doone cookies, graham crackers, and soy yogurt. And thank goodness he really likes his soy milk!
The toddler tantrums are here! The boy lets us know when he ain't happy or if we've made him mad. We're doing our best to curb these little fits with firm no's and there have even been a couple time outs. However, I think he's too young to really understand what those mean. He's generally ok after a few minutes or some redirection.
This (above pic) is his newest obsession!

We have balls throughout the house, in the car, in my purse, in the diaper bag and will be purchasing one for Mimi and Pops house. I knew boys liked balls, but I didn't realize the love affair began this early. He calls tomatos, avacados, and anything else that is round a "baaaa". HILARIOUS! Brad, of course, loves this and I secretly do too! This month his verbal skills have improved drastically. He talks all the time now! Most of the time we don't understand him, but are getting really good at figuring it out. He loves to point to your nose and say "no" and to your eye and say (with this little yankee accent) "eye". He repeats much of what we ask him to and is really starting to understand some of what we say.
This boy is very curious and is still into everything. He has now figured out how to open drawers and turn on the bathtub. SCARY! I'll be purchasing drawer locks and hopefully they make something for the tub.

He is still a great sleeper. Goes down and 7:30 and up usually at 6:30 or 6:45. 2 naps at 10:00 or 10:30 and 3:00 or 3:30.

We are looking foward to what the next month has in store for us!

I love you my little sweet potato more than I could have ever imagined!!!

12 Month Checkup

We went to the pediatrician on Wednesday for Henry's 12 Month Checkup and got a whole lot more information than we bargained for. We got the results back from his allergy blood test and he is allergic to MILK, EGGS, and BEEF. I've had my freak out moment, but now am ready to tackle this head on. Been doing lots of research and we have an appt with a pediatric allergist in 2 weeks. Hopefully he'll be able to do more tests and give me more direction on lifestyle and eating changes.



Now on to the positive! Henry's Stats:

• Weight: 24 lbs 8.5oz (75%)
  
• Height: 30.5 inches (75%)
  

He is right on target with everything and had a great checkup otherwise! Still not walking, but showing more interest everyday.

11 Months

Henry is 11 months old today! I cannot believe we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday in just one month. He continues to amaze Brad and me with all of the things he learns and grasps every day. He has such a BIG personality and is becoming such a little flirt. He loves to 'talk and flirt' with the ladies at the restuarants we've been to.

His communication has grown so much this month. He says: dadoo (doggy), ruff ruff, daddy, mooo (for cow), uh-oh, tish(fish), mama (only when he's sad and wants something).

He is really cruising the furniture now and has attempted to take a few steps toward Brad, but gets scared quickly and sits down. He loves to walk behind his dump truck and cars.


He has become so "lovey" this month. He will go to his stuffed animals and put his head down on them and look for our reaction: "Owwwww!" He also hugs us constantly and this, of course, takes my breath away! Sometimes I get overwhelmed with how much I love this little person.
He is INTO EVERYTHING! And I mean EVERYTHING! As you can see above, he can now reach much higher now, so things that were safe before are no longer! We have our baby gates up and have to keep doors closed to keep him out of things. He's so curious!

He loves for me to read to him and has one book that he particularly loves. My First Words. I will point to cows, doggy's, fish, baby etc. and he tries to make the sound. We're working on body parts next (nose, eyes, mouth, etc.)

This (my keys) is one of Henry's favorite things to play with! I love this pic of him above....such a little beefcake!
Speaking of BEEFCAKE, Henry is really starting to be OK with solid foods now. This makes me very happy! He pretty much eats whatever we are eating with some exceptions. Still loves bananas and whole wheat waffles for breakfast!
I can't wait to see what this month has in store for us, sweet pea! I love you more every minute!

Mommy

10 Months

Well, Henry, you have officially been in this world as long as you were in my tummy. Hard to believe, isn't it? This month you have blossomed in so many ways. You are now pulling up on anything and everything and sometimes I question your ability to decipher what's a sturdy base and what is not. We'll work on that. You are gaining more and more confidence in yourself as you navigate from couch to couch or couch to table. I'm sure you'll be walking before we know it!

You are really starting to "talk" all the time now. You babble in your own little language and it's so cute to see you trying to communicate with us. I think your official first word is doggy (dawdee). Anytime a dog comes around you point and get excited and say dawdee. You chase Lucy and Buster screaming dawdee dawdee. The other day I would say: doggy and then ruff ruff. And you would go: ughff ughff.
You're all time favorite word right now is Daddy (Datee). You say it all the time and I know you know who your Datee is cause you get so excited when he's around. If he walks out of the house you go to the door and cry until he comes back in. You say mama sometimes too, but Daddy is definitely favored. You've also said "Uh Oh" and "Ho Ho Ho".
You've also shown up that you have a little red hot temper to go along with your red hair. If we take something away (remote, cords, dog bowls) you will get so mad and scream at us. Daddy and I are really trying to just ignore these little outbursts!

We had such a busy month with Christmas, Mountain Trip, trip to Columbia, and New Years and you did so well. You love to be out in the thick of things!

You still seem to be hanging on to baby food and like for us to feed you. You are pretty sensitive to different textures, but we're working on trying new things with you. Bananas are still your FAV! You have one every morning along with your oatmeal or grits. This week I tried a whole weat waffle and you loved it, so we're making some progress. You like cheerios, zwieback toast, crackers of any kind, french fries, bread, nilla wafers, and Gerber Puffs.




Henry, you are ALL BOY already and I love it! You're into EVERYTHING and i'm constantly wiping dirt off your face or from under your fingernails. You pretty much have to have a bath every night, which you love. You like rolling your trucks back and forth across the floor or roll them along with you when you crawl.
Your Dad and I are so lucky that we were chosen to raise you and you have no idea how much joy you bring to our lives.

Henry, I love you more than you'll ever know!

9 Months

I can't believe I am sitting here writing this post about my 9 month old! I remember when Henry was 2 months and we were at a playdate with a little boy, Jesse, who was 9 months then. I thought he was so BIG and that we were SOOO far away from that age. Well, it's here and it's seems just yesterday that Henry was that small. This month has been so much fun in terms of Henry's learning and growing, but also very challenging. We've been thru teething, our first fever, first rash, RSV(virus/wheezing), and lots of oliday travel. I've learned that the hardest thing about being a parent to an infant is that I know you're hurting, but you can't tell me where or what. It's so frustrating, but it's also teaching me to have patience and confidence in myself and my instincts.
Aside from those few days when Hen didn't feel well, we have all had a blast together. His little personality continues to come thru. He is so happy when we're out in the thick of things. He loves the ladies and will willingly give smiles to anyone who gives him attention.
Teeth count now is 8! 4 on top and 4 on bottom. I PRAY we're done with that for a while! His all time favorite food now is BANANAS! He loves them and would eat 5 if I let him. We're on stage 3 Gerber foods now and are working towards more table foods. He loves french fries, sweet potatoes, avocados, and bread. He is babbling constantly and seems to love the high pitched girl scream right now!
I just had to put this pic up cause even though he's clearly upset, he's still so stinking cute!

Again, I seriously cannot believe our little baby is growing so fast. What a ride it's been so far and I can't wait to see what's up next! Life sho' is good!!!

8 Months

ACTIVE! That's the best way to describe this little baby boy! This age is so much fun right now. I wish I could bottle it up! Henry is crawling like a champ and can clear a room in no time flat! There is no more sitting him in one place now and relaxing. In fact, there is no relaxing anymore. We are always on go and the more active we are the happier Henry is. He LOVES to be around people! Especially other children. Little girls aged 2-5 are his FAV! We have been around several this month and they seem to make him belly laugh the most. His laughs are contagious and he's doing it more and more now. He is babbling constantly and mostly says da da da da, but occassionaly ma ma ma ma.

People always comment on his hair, or lack there of. But, it is coming in slowly and in most lighting it looks reddish. In the above photo you can see he has a mini mohawk. Rock Star BABY!!!
This has been a big month of traveling and meeting new people. Henry met his new cousin Conner, visited his great grandparents and aunts and uncles in Lexington, and went the mountains in Brevard. He travels pretty well and we're looking foward to lots of it during the holidays.
The TEETH COUNT now is: 7 and he has tolerated it pretty well considering. He has 4 on top and 3 on bottom.

Eating is still one of his favorite pass times. Every food is his favorite food! I hope his 'non-pickiness' (for lack of a better word) continues into toddlerhood. Brad and I are not picky eaters at all, so hopefully he'll take after us. Henry's Dad is his FAVORITE person right now! Brad can make him laugh and smile more than anyone else and the look H gives him when he comes home at night can melt your heart! I can tell these two will be thick as theives!

We love you more than you can imagine Henry and are enjoying every single minute chasing you around!

7 months

Go, go, go....that's the motto of this month! Henry is non-stop these days and so interested in EVERYTHING! He is no longer interested in most of his "younger" toys. He loves his Jack-in-the-Box, spinny top, BALL, tupperware, living room curtains, lamp cords, DVD cases, Busters hairballs, and anything else he can possibly pick up off the floor and get into his mouth. This presents quite the challenge for me to keep the floors spotless....which is a bit hard with 2 dogs.

Henry is babbling non-stop now. Just yesterday he started with ba ba ba and a few times he's said ma ma ma ma. This, of course, makes my heart flutter! I love that he's trying so hard to communicate with us. He loves to play peek-a-boo and grins real big when we pop out from behind somewhere. We're working on waving bye bye and I swear he's done it once or twice.

He is doing the "traditional" crawling now, but if he really wants to get somewhere fast he reverts to the "commando crawl". He is also trying to stand up and will get up on his feet and balance with his hands. I think he'll be starting to pull up this month. He's also perfected going from stomach to sitting.

Henry is still a great eater and loves most anything we give him. Crackers are a must have when we go to restuarants these days. He's still a vegetarian, but I think we'll be giving meats another try soon. He is doing great with naps now...one in the morning around 9ish and another in the afternoon around 2ish. He definitely naps better at Ms. Brenda's than here and I have no idea why! He goes to bed at around 6:30 or 7:00 and usually sleeps until 6:00 or 6:30.

We are so blessed to have such a happy go lucky baby and are enjoying this fun stage SO MUCH!

6 Months

"Look at me...I'm a 1/2 year old!"
"Gimme That!"
I've got "TEETH!!!"
Cool Baby....Going for a stroll with Mom and Dad

It is so hard to believe that Henry is 6 months old today. I know it sounds so cliche', but it really does seem like yesterday when we were coming home from the hospital. Everything was so new and scary and exciting. The three of us were just trying to figure it all out. Not that we're pros now, but we're in such a good place and have learned SOOO much in the last 6 months.

This past month has been a very busy one for Henry. He went away from home for his babysitter, Ms. Brenda, and it's working out great so far. He learned to sit without any problem. Got some toofeys! Is rocking on all fours and will crawl any day now. Naps now once in the morning and once in the afternoon....with one at lunch occasionally. It seems like every week he tries out a new sound. Last week it was "BaBaBaBa". This week it's a gurgling sound and a very loud growling like scream. So funny! He was sick for the first time and Brad and I figured out first hand that as a parent you would give ANYTHING to take it away from your child and give it to you. Your heart really does ache when you see your child in pain!

I can't imagine anymore what my life was like pre-Henry! Everyday is a new adventure and we are so thankful for all that we've been given! This little man is truly the coolest kid on the planet and we couldn't be happier!