Time for an update on hen hen...

I can't believe it has been October since I have last blogged on here.  wow.  This fall has really gone by fast!!  I wanted to take a few moments to write down a few things about sweet Henry because he is turning into such a big boy, and I don't want to forget this precious age (16 months).  We just love him to bits!!

Size- 18 mo clothes and starting to look so long...can't believe how long he looks when he stretches out in the tub to "swim"

Henry's Favorites- He is still absolutely obsessed with choo choos, but he is also starting to love trucks and cars more too.  I love the way he says "choo choo"...melts my heart every time.  He says "tank you" the same way he says choo choo too.  His favorite animal right now is probably an elephant, dog or cat, but he loves to say all of the animal sounds.  His favorite book is any train book but especially "the little train" that we ended up buying from the public library because he destroyed it/loved on it so much. 

Favorite words/phrases- We definitely have a talker!  Henry loves to communicate, and he is getting to the point now where he is almost adding a word daily.  I was writing down his first words through 15 months, but there is no way that I can keep up a list now.  I really believe the reason he has started talking early is baby signs.  I'm a huge fan of starting baby signs around 6 to 8 months of age.  I've seen so many moms afraid of teaching signs to their babies because they think that it will keep their baby from talking but all of the research shows (or at least the studies I've seen) that it actually helps babies/toddlers to talk early.
His favorite phrase by far right now is "fix it."  He absolutely loves to bring me or Shaun something that is "broken" to "fix it."  He actually put three words together for the first time this past weekend when Shaun was working with tools in the garage..."Dada fix it!"  Thankfully, the door from the house to the garage was open so I got to hear it too.  Other favorite phrases are "all done" and "all aboard" (this one melts my heart every time too).  I'm trying to get as many of these first words on video because obviously writing doesn't even begin to do it justice. He is starting to have fun with opposite words too like open/close, up/down.  He loves saying "shirt" right now and just recently said "mama's shirt"...although sometimes that "r" goes missing so it sounds pretty funny :).

Henry is such a boy!  He absolutely adores making sounds and mimicking and thinks certain sounds are especially funny.  Especially....poots :).  I can thank his dada for teaching him this one.  I will never forget recently when I was sitting with Henry in a rocking chair, and he pooted.  He looked up at me with the biggest proud eyes and said "poot" and then laughed his head off.  THEN...he proceeded to hike up one leg and do it again.  I was laughing so hard...it was too funny.  I guess since I grew up with three brothers that bathroom humor doesn't bother me too much.  Now Henry even says the past tense "pooted"...oh boy!  I'm in for it!

Other fun firsts this month-
Turning around in a circle for dancing
Stomping
Using a fork (just starting this one...)
First time to see santa!
Loving Christmas this year (amazing to watch Christmas through his eyes)
Saying "no" to questions that we ask him sometimes now...oh boy starting the twos early?

I need to upload the pics from my camera but until now how about a cell phone pic of a pic?

Here is Henry sitting on Santa's lap!  He actually liked Santa and was talking to him.  I was so surprised!

 
And for those of you who don't read prayingforalittleone...Henry is a big brother!  Baby Sirmon is due July 25, 2011!!!  Praising God for this precious miracle!!  I will be blogging over here about my pregnancy so look for a post coming soon! 
 
         

What made you want to be a doula? Part One.

A common question that I'm getting right now as more of my friends are hearing that I'm training to become a doula (along with "what is a doula?"..dona.org has great info on that but I will address in another post) is "what made you want to be a doula?"  I really feel like in order to answer this question that I need to start back to why I desired a natural childbirth with Henry and what I've learned about my body since labor/delivery/breastfeeding.  So this is just part one :).

Growing up, my mother always spoke of her labor and deliveries so positively that she made me see labor and delivery as something to look forward to in the future.  I loved hearing her birth stories growing up (all four of them!) and how she described labor as "Christmas morning" for her.  I've always been proud of my mom for many reasons but lately I've come to an even greater appreciation of how she was willing to be different.  For example, my dad was the second dad to ever be allowed in the delivery room in our small town (because they asked!!) and my mom's labor and delivery nurse asked if she could watch my mom's first latch with breastfeeding because she "never saw that before."  I guess we have come a long way in some aspects of the l&d process since the 1970s :).  My mom's descriptions of her labor and contractions made me realize that this "pain" was different.  Labor "pain" is different than any other pain that we experience in our life because it is pain that actually means that something good is happening.  She explained to me often the importance of relaxing during a contraction as becoming tense made it so much worse.  I kept this advice in mind when I wanted to curl up in a ball with horrible menstrual cramps (thanks to endometriosis).  One of my favorite parts of my mom's first birth story with my brother Ethan is how she tells about how the first l&d nurse that saw her (checked her) told her that she wasn't in labor and how my mom knew that wasn't true.  I love how my mom believed her own body at such a young age when someone older and experienced was telling her differently.  I wish I could say that I had the same strength when it was my turn.  After experiencing a miscarriage and infertility, I felt that my body was broken and was extremely fearful that my body would not know what to do when it came to labor and delivery and breastfeeding.  I can remember answering people's questions about if I planned to breastfeed with "I definitely want to breastfeed if I can" as if my body literally wouldn't produce the milk (which by the way only happens in a very, very small percentage of women).  It would be like me saying that I definitely want to get some ice cream if I don't get struck by lightning on the way.  I will never forget a comment left on my blog by my friend from high school Elizabeth who is training to be a midwife (yay!) when I was in tears (okay sobs!) over another fingertip dilated vaginal check (which I now know was completely unnecessary...please read this article if you are preg) and the possibility of csection/induction.  She gave me the famous quote by Ina May Gaskin..."your body is not a lemon."  Oh how I wish I would have listened to the truth behind that quote.  I wouldn't have had an elective induction at 39 weeks.  I was so terrified of my body not acting correctly or the baby being "too big" that I would "need" a csection that I didn't listen to my gut or my friend.  For years, I dreamed of what labor and delivery would be like...making the phone call to shaun to come home from work because I was in labor...resting and breathing deeply in the arms of my hubby during labor...feeling every contraction and knowing we were one step closer to finally meeting our baby.  I didn't want to be propped up in a bed while everyone came to visit like it was a party completely unaware that a miracle was taking place.  Some women desire that type of labor and delivery and that is their choice (one of the reasons for the high csection rate), but it wasn't for me. 
Even though my birth story with Henry has some regrets, it was still the best day of our lives as we met our sweet Henry.  The time that we spent in labor were some of the most bonding moments in our marriage.  We just needed someone to help us along.  Someone who could have assured me that my body works and that I wouldn't carry Henry around for 11 months and to talk to my doctor about my options.  Someone who could have told me that I was in transition and that ten cm was right around the corner.  Someone who could have make sure that the music playing that was helping me so much would stay on (it kept turning off and shaun didn't have time to fix it in between contractions!) or done something with the alarm that kept going off.  Someone who could have gotten my nurse when I needed to go to the bathroom or to remind me that I needed to go (always hurt worse with a full bladder!).  Someone who could have given my poor hubby a break who rubbed me without time for food or drink for hours and hours (he told me later that this is part of the reason why he didn't try to encourage me to rethink the epi when I asked for it...oh and he had a pulled muscle in his back that hurt so bad the entire day and didn't say a word about it...wow.). 

I want to be that someone for couples in our area who are desiring natural childbirth.  I can't imagine what a joy it is going to be for me to guide my first couple through their labor and delivery and first latch.  And that is just one of the reasons why I want to be a doula :).          

14 Month Update (very late!!)

Before my sweet little boy turns fifteen months (what??!!), I wanted to take a moment to write down a few things that I don't want to forget from 14 months. I know I can write some long updates, but I'm going to try to keep this one as just a little summary :). October is getting away from me so fast (I keep writing this post and saving because I never have time to finish it so now it is like 3 days away from November…wow.). If you aren't a follower, you might want to also check prayingforalittleone as I'm posting a little more over there these days too.


Size: no weight or height update...still wearing 12-18 mo

Baby Signs: No new signs this month because mr. henry is moving on to words! He definitely still uses some of his favorite signs, but I haven't been teaching him any new ones. His favorite signs: keys (he made up the sign for this!! it looks like he is turning the key...so cute!!), airplane, bird, bath, more, please, book.

Words: Henry has really started talking this month, and it has been sooooo much fun. I love to hear his sweet voice....oh it just melts my heart!! I'm going to be annoying and list all of his new words but as I've said before this blog is my baby book so I use it for my record :). And yes, I had to start writing them down this month on a notepad on our kitchen counter.

baby, cheese, hot (one of his favs) choo choo (his favorite word), shoes, bus, truck, yay, ball, poopoo, spoon, book, grape, juice, yuck, chip, night night, go, balloon, gatti, teeth, belly button, keys (calls them da now he was saying keys), hello, three, bread, stuck (another fav), bubbles.


Book- Favorite book this month is any "choochoo" book...the boy is in LOVE with trains. It is so cute :).

Breastfeeding- Still going strong...not weaning yet because I don't want to, and I can tell Henry doesn’t either. He does seem to be able to tolerate goat's milk so I'm very happy that we have something to wean to now when we decide to someday.

Sleep--no comment. lol just kidding...but seriously sleep and henry just don't belong together in the same sentence :). I'm sure that good long afternoon nap will come someday....(and since this is a late update…he is starting to do a lot better now at almost 15 months).

A couple cute things:

Middle of the night talking—If Henry wakes in the middle of the night and I go in to see him, he immediately stops crying and starts talking. I sometimes wonder if he is telling me about his dreams…”choo choo” or “dada” “book” “mama” are some of his favs ;).

Snap—One day Shaun was snapping to some music, and Henry started trying to snap. He was moving his fingers and not hearing any sound so he started making the sound with his mouth while moving his fingers. He still does it sometimes if we start snapping…so cute :)

Pointing out dada/mama- Henry now loves to point out everybody in pictures around our house especially mama and dada. He especially loves our wedding photos and always says our names with the most excited voice.

Imagining- Henry is just starting imaginary play, and I’m so excited because imaginary play is so fun to me. The first time I ever noticed Henry pretending was when he went over to his music table and pinched like he was picking up some “food” and brought it over to me to “eat.”

I know I say it every month, but this really is such a sweet age. We are so love with our buddy. I can’t believe how big he is now. He really is such a little toddler now :)

No pics this time because I haven't uploaded them on my computer...will just have to put a bunch on the 15 mo update soon :)!

But here is an adorable video of a duet with my favorite two people in this entire world!  Hope you enjoy!  (Shaun is embarassed by his singing voice but I think he sounds great!)...And because it is in hd...half of the video is getting cut off because of the way my blog is formatted...so it might be easier to watch on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg7WC8ApqSs

13 Month Update!

I really have been a bad blogger recently, and I hope to do better this fall!  We've had some computer and internet problems, but my techy hubby seems to have us back up and running so hopefully more posts will come soon.  I miss blogging when I don't get to write!!  I really use it as a way to process my feelings/thoughts, and I think I would still do it even if no one read or commented (although I heart my readers-thank you for putting up with my silly posts!!).  But enough about me and blogging...time to catch up on mr. hen hen.  This month I've witnessed him grow from a baby to a toddler.  It is such a fun age, but a little sad for me as I'm really having a tough time with not having a baby anymore.  I think this is mainly because he is my first, and I'm also scared that it could be years before I have another baby.  As I pack up baby blankets and bibs, I can't help but question whether I'm going to need them at all in the near future.  I didn't really get too upset around his birthday and this past month because he was still a baby to me.  But now he is 13 months, and he is walking all over the place/wearing shoes/drinking from a big sippy/stinking like a boy when he gets hot...he is definitely a toddler.  I'm excited though about this year and this new stage!  I've found that one of things I love most about being a mom is teaching Henry.  As we move into the toddler stage, I can already see many more opportunities for learning together.  There is so much to explore and see!

Size:  22 lbs at 12 mo checkup 31 inches (75th percentile in height and weight)

Walking:  Henry started officially walking on August 26th and has gotten increasingly faster over the past few weeks.  The monkey crawl that everyone loved is fading away, and I expect in the next few weeks that it will be gone.  It is so crazy to see him walking all over the house...practically running already!!  Watch out world...here Henry comes!

Baby Signs:  new signs--banana, book, bath, please and we are working on war eagle :) (go auburn!!).  He has about 18 signs now, and he uses most of them daily along with trying to say the word.  I need to get a baby signs book at the library to learn a few more because I'm not really teaching him any new signs...i've run out of ideas!

Words:  Henry has really surprised us this month with how much he is saying and what he is trying to say.  A lot of the words he says now started as baby signs so I'm glad that we did signs with him. 
Dada, mama, book, bird, frog (not very clear but he says it every time he sees a frog), banana (baboo), bye, hey, juice, baby (baba or babee), boy, apple, ball, diaper, poo poo (ha!), elmo (mo), oh (for uh oh when he falls).   There are several more words that I think he is saying like truck and bus, but he has only said them a few times so we will see if he adds them this month.

Sounds:  I'm not going to be able to remember all of the sounds that he makes because he looooves to make sound effects (such a boy!).  But his favorite new sounds to make are for a lion (roooooar--which he says very loud), and he LOVES owls (whooo whooo)...I don't know why owls but every time we see one in a book...he just wants to stay and look at them and make the sound.  So funny!!

Book- Henry's favorite book this month is "The Noisy Jungle" and "B is for Bear" (if you have a one year old...you have to get this book!!)

Breastfeeding- Still breastfeeding!  I'm going to be sad about stopping, but I'm kinda getting ready at the same time.  This past year of bfeeding has been so sweet.  I'm going to write a post about it soon along with the first year of parenting post.  I'm attempting to wean this month if Henry can tolerate goat's milk.  I mentioned last month that Henry is allergic to cow's milk.  I really would prefer not to give him soy milk so we are trying goat's milk first.  There are two different types of milk proteins.  One is in just cow's milk and the other is in both cow and goat so it is possible that Henry will be allergic to goat's milk as well.  I'm hoping he will be okay with goat's milk although it is expensive!!

Sleeping- Attachment parenting readers might want to stop reading now.
We are sleep training for naps and going down at night.  It got way out of control way longer than it should, and I finally have become strong enough to do what it takes.  Believe me!!  It is not easy.  But my sweet Henry was/is making my days extremely hard/emotional because he fought sleep every time, which ISN'T what is best for him either.  So I've had to start not going back in his room at all.  He actually hasn't cried for that long which I'm grateful for but it still hasn't been easy.  Really not interested in hearing any negative comments about this so just know that your comment will be deleted if it is negative.

 So overall a fun and busy month (and obviously difficult at times too :).  Looking forward to a cool fall with lots of new things for my little buddy like pumpkins, fall leaves, and afternoon naps :). 

Pic uploader is being slow so just a few pics...

Signing "hat" at a bday party

Henry's fav place to be

In deep thought in a museum :)

Loves the splash park...so sad it is abut to end! 

     

  

 

Henry's Birthday Party!

I can't believe how much y'all want to see these pics :)...makes me a happy blogger that y'all care!  Shaun and I have never thrown a party this big before (invited our entire sunday school community) so we really learned a lot in the process, but we had a great time at the party and were very pleased with the turnout for Henry (it meant a lot to us!!).  One of my biggest regrets is the pictures...I tried to take some good ones, but I really didn't have time so I didn't pics of a lot of the cute decorations and especially Henry.  Next time, I will hire a hobby photographer to take pics and video so I can focus on enjoying the party without worrying that I'm missing moments!

The invite! (pics and invite done by the so talented Peepeye Designs--find her on facebook)--scratched my number out

Wreath for front door--my talented friend Claire stayed up making these ducks one night!  thanks c :)

Close-up of ducks on wreath

Favors on the entryway table (duck book and bubbles)...there were ducks floating in water and frames with pics of Henry with ducks when he was a little baby.

Food table...bbq, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, chips and cupcakes

Favorite pics from each month...birth to 12 mo

Blowing out the candle...was just about to start sobbing but then...

Henry touched the hot candle and became terrified of his mean rubber ducky cupcake

No traditional smashing of the cake for this little buddy :)

Holding up our one!

And last but definitely not least...the adorable cupcakes made by my super talented friend Jessica

Family pic (henry wasn't cooperating with pics...too much fun things to watch and do!)

Dear Henry

August 7, 2010

Dear Henry,

On this day a year ago, your dad and I were anxiously awaiting to meet you.  For nine months, you were in my belly and even though we knew we would get to meet you....it almost seemed like a dream.  I can remember a quiet moment in the delivery room right before it was time for you to be born that it finally hit your dad and I that you were going to be here.  It was no longer going to be just the two of us, and we couldn't hold back the happy tears.  I don't know that you will ever understand how much you are loved and how much you were wanted.  Henry, you are the answer to our prayers.  You are our miracle from God.  I will never forget when I saw your face for the first time.  I felt like I knew you immediately.  All of the waiting and tears, it all made sense when I looked into your eyes.  You were so alert and wide awake taking in the new world around you and all of our family and friends at the hospital couldn't believe how you were just looking around checking everything out.  It makes me laugh now looking back at the videos and pictures from your birth day because that is so you.  You are always taking in the world around you.  As a newborn at 2 AM, you would rather look around and talk than sleep.  Now as a one year old, you don't wake at 2 AM anymore (yay!), but you are constantly pointing out to us things that you see and hear.  We love that about you.  You are showing us so many things that we started to not notice before you were here.  Every morning, you want me to open the blinds so that you can look outside while you eat breakfast.  I always say, "wow!  it is a beautiful day," and you make the cutest sigh.  I never realized how many beautiful weather mornings that we actually have until I started saying that to you everyday.  Or how many birds hang out around our house now that you point them out to me.  Or how many people actually wear hats!  You are teaching us to look at the world through your eyes, and it is such a beautiful creation.  But the most beautiful (or handsome) creation of all...is you!  You get your adorable looks from your daddy.  And your dimples from me :).  I love your sweet eyelashes, and your precious smile.  I can't believe how much you have grown in a year.  Last year, you were so tiny and now you are starting to look more like a toddler than a baby.  You are the cutest, most sweetest, precious little boy!  I'm so blessed to be your mom and to get to take care of you.  I love you more than words can express.

Love,

Mommy

One Year Update

Our baby is one!!  I was so emotional leading up to the day and a little on the day of his birthday but today I'm just excited about the new adventures to look forward to this year.  He is still my baby and will always be so I'm not ready to refer to him as a toddler yet...maybe I'll go with pre-toddler.

Stats:  

No update on height and weight yet...we go tomorrow to his one year appt which I almost cried when his nurse called me to remind me of his appointment.

Size 4 diapers

12 to 18 mo clothes

Walking?-- not yet!!  But boy is he close.  He took five steps for Shaun today so I know it will probably be any day/week from now.

Baby Signs- This is where I've seen a huge leap of development this month.  Henry is really wanting to communicate to us everything that he sees, and I love it.  I can't explain the joy it brings me to see him do a sign for the first time!  And signing is really helping us know what he wants when he is getting frustrated instead of guessing.  His signs so far are:  eat (he LOVES to use this sign when he is hungry and mama LOVES that she can get him to a high chair stat without having to figure out why he is upset), milk (new today!), more, all done (which is followed by him trying to push the tray away), listen (cups his hand around his ear--new this week), bird, bye bye also waves for hey, fan, hat (this is precious because he will point out when someone is wearing a hat...he even did the sign when he saw little girls with bows in their hair), flower, ball, fish, plane, one.

Words- I can tell Henry is staring to try to say a lot more words by mimicking us.  But right now he just has a few:  dada, mama (still rarely says it), baby, duck, bird, bye.

Sounds- Oh how I love the sounds this little guy makes.  He is such a boy.  I'm amazed by the "quality" of his sounds already :).  Makes sounds for:  truck, sheep (baaaa), cow (moooooo), helicopter, airplane, dog.

Favorite books- Henry got a lot of new books this past month for his birthday, and he is in love with them all.  His favorite book ever though is still his baby book.  He says "ba" (for baby) when I pick it up, and he can anticipate what is coming next in the book because we have read it so much.

Breastfeeding- We made it to our goal!!  I'm not really in a hurry to wean, but we probably will soon.  I'm torn because I enjoy breastfeeding and Henry does as well, but he is getting to the stage where he is more aggressive and distracted which can be difficult at times.  But then there are the feedings where he is being so calm and sweet that just make me want to go longer.  Also, Henry is reacting to whole milk with a rash and diarrhea so we will have to see what his ped says about other alternatives tomorrow.  I'm concerned about lack of fat content in rice or almond milk and soy is NOT an option for us because of recent studies showing boys drinking soy milk/formula had a much higher level of estrogen in their blood (we will pass on that one...).

Sleep- Sleep is so much better this month!  Sleeping about 11 hours at night...yippee!  He is also taking a GREAT morning nap.  But...there is always a but when henry and sleep are in the same sentence ;)....he is fighting his afternoon nap.  Looks like we are headed to one nap a day.  Needing advice on this:  I'm wanting to just quit the morning nap cold turkey instead of trying to inch it back little by little.  When would be an approx good time to start the nap for a beginner?  11ish?  Am I crazy for doing it this way?  How did you take your toddlers/babies to one nap?

  

I have a lot more to posts to post including a letter to henry on his first birthday, birthday party post, and a look back at our first year of parenting.  But now for the pics...having a hard time picking just a few because I love so many from this month!

Dressing up like a lil' cow for chickfila day

Family trip to the natural science museum

Checking out the bear at the museum

Went to an extra fun splash park...he loved it

so cute in a hat!

I love bananas and walmart

Eating lunch out with his friend Micah

Holding up our "one" for one year old before his family bday party in AL

Stopped to visit and eat great seafood on the coast with Nana on the way home

Happy!

Still can't get enough of him one year later...

and neither can daddy :)--he is asleep in this photo :)

Last year :)

  

Emotional.

How is my baby turning one on Saturday??!!  I just can't believe it.  Hoping to have a one year post (I can't even hardly type the words without crying) up by Saturday so stay tuned...

Party Planning and Other Random thoughts...

Party planning for Henry's first birthday is officially underway!  I'm now staring at way too many rubber duckies and ribbon and decor in my office.  I really wasn't going to go overboard with the first birthday, but I guess I can't help myself.  I'm so emotional/sentimental about making it to this milestone.  My baby is growing up.  It is so fun and sweet and sad all at the same time!  Can't wait to share pics of the bday party (which I just realized is only TEN days away!!).

I'm about to ovulate.  Got a positive opk yesterday, and Shaun and I got together this morning.  Still holding out hope for a "surprise" pregnancy but planning on going back to the RE in the near future.

Just accomplished observing a 12 hr lamaze childbirth education class for my doula training.  Yes you read that right...I'm going to be a doula!  For those of you who don't know, a doula is a trained labor support person who stays with the mom from (at least) active labor through the first latch with breastfeeding.  This really deserves its own post, but I'm very excited about becoming a doula!

Henry just woke up from his morning nap so I have to go, but he is changing so much right now and acting more and more like a little pre-toddler.  He loves to push the garage door button to open it for his daddy in the morning, and he gave Shaun the most precious are-you-proud-of-me look this morning when he pushed it!!  It was sooooo cute :).



 

11 Month Update

This is my last month update before Henry turns one...how is that possible??!!  I have been a very bad blogger this month as I just realized that my last post was Henry's 10 month update.  We have been super busy this past month with lots of fun summer activities, all three of us getting sick for a week (boo!), and getting to travel to Bham to spend time with our nephews and to welcome their little brother into the world.  I know it took 11 months lol, but I really feel like Shaun and I have completely transitioned to parenthood and marriage with baby. Shaun is an incredible daddy (as he has always been from day one!), and I can tell that he is loving the stage that Henry is in now.  He takes Henry on Saturday mornings for a little daddy/son time, and Shaun comes back talking about how much fun they had.  It is so cute ;).

Now for the always ridiculously long update!

Stats:
Weight-  Still hanging on to the 20 lb range...he eats like a cow, but he isn't gaining much
Height--??
Size 4 diapers
12 to 18 mo clothes

Milestones:

Standing alone/getting to standing without holding on to anything--He just started doing this in the last week/few days!  Henry has been pretty cautious to let go even though he can definitely do it!  This makes me think that he might be a little bit of a late walker, which I'm completely okay with since he is doing great with his other milestones.

Baby Signs--Henry added "bath" this month, but he will only do it when he sees a baby in a bath tub in one of the books we are reading.  He has made the sign for "more" several times now, but he doesn't do it consistently.  He is also pointing out birds and trying to make a sign but not really making the sign yet.  "Fan" and "All Done" are still his two favorite signs, and he also likes to wave bye bye a lot if the mood strikes him.  Dada took him to Lowe's and showed him the fans, and Shaun reported back that he LOVED it.

Words- Dada is still his favorite word, but he is added a few more!  He won't say mama that much right now if at all, but I'm sure he will start saying it again soon.  He is saying "duck" a lot more, and he has said "bye bye" and "baby" (but he doesn't say those on a regular basis).

Animal sounds- Henry is really interested in listening to sounds this month so we have started teaching him a lot more animal sounds.  He gets so excited when he hears the birds outside!  The only sounds he can make so far is moooo for cow and baba for sheep.  He rarely will make the sheep sound, but he will make the mooo sound if we make it first.

Acting like a big boy- He is starting to help a little with getting dressed by pushing out his arms.  Henry likes to push the garage door button to close it with one finger.  Starting to point to objects to let us know that he saw it.  Turning off lights.  And understanding so much of what we say!

Favorite books- Henry is still in love with books!  I think his favorite this month would definitely be any books with animals.  I can tell he really enjoys when I make the sounds or tickle the dog's belly.

Breastfeeding- Still going well although I'm starting to feel like I will be ready to wean in a month.  I know it will be sad, but it will also be good to have more freedom.  But I will be really happy to make it to our goal!

Sleep-  Sleep training continues after a little setback from traveling and getting sick!  Henry is improving with going down for his naps and nighttime sleep so I'm happy!  I've really finally realized that Henry is a sensitive baby, and he can NOT go down to sleep if he is overtired.  I'm basically having to stay home with him until after his afternoon nap to make sure that he doesn't get overstimulated.  I have finally accepted that this is just how he needs it for now.  I'm still making an exception for one or two times a week so that we can have some social time with friends.

This is such a sweet age.  I think I might say that every month, but it is so true!!

Now for some pics!

Playing with cousins in bham!

My fake "cheese" grin...love it!

Hanging out like a big boy with his cousins waiting for John Paul to arrive!

In love with the dog in Old Navy

He ended up pushing his stroller around by himself by the end of the night!!

Love this picture!  Henry on daddy's shoulders watching the hot air balloons takeoff

 

10 Month Update...my busy little bee

Oh how I love this age!  It is so fun to watch Henry explore the world around him.  He is busy, busy, busy!  I apologize in advance for how long this post is going to be...there are so many things I want to write down for my own memory so you might want to grab a cold beverage before trying to read this in one sitting!

Stats:

Weight- still in the 20 lb range

Height-??  probably won't have another measurement until his 12 month dr visit

Size 4 diapers

Size 12 to 18 mo clothes--loving summer clothes!!  (p.s. any recommendations for his first real walking shoes?)

Milestones:

Crusing!- Henry has become the master cruiser.  He can cruise down our couch and any furniture in record time.  It has been a new challenge for me to find places for things now that he can get into EVERYTHING!!

Speed Crawler- Henry is still continuing to crawl incredibly fast without letting his knees touch the ground.  Everyone laughs when they see him crawl because it is a pretty funny sight.  It is always fun to see what animal they are going to compare him to...

Baby Signs- This month Henry added "all done" and "fan" to his small but fun baby sign vocab.  He gets so excited when he does the sign for all done, and I respond, "all done??"  And he gets very happy when I ask him if he is all done...he almost always immediately responds with the sign.  I think he is getting close to doing the sign for bird and bath so it will be fun to see if he does those this month.  One little cute baby sign story is that we were out in the parking lot of wa.lmart the other day and a helicopter flew by.  Henry was making the sign for fan, and it didn't even click with me until I told Shaun later that he thought it was a flying fan lol.  He also made a sound that sounded like a helicopter and when I told Shaun that we saw a helicopter..he made the sound again!!

Words- no new words this month...:(...just mama and dada and a lot of cute baby talk.  Except for maybe yum and baby, but I can't say for sure as I've only thought I've heard him say both several times.

Mimicking- Henry is really getting into the stage where he loves to mimic any sound that we make or facial expression.  It is so funny to me when he does this!  The other day we were reading a book with animals, and I made the sound that horses make, and he made it back!  so cute!!

Diaper Changes/Getting Dressed- Henry HATES it.  He rolls over...screams...tries to crawl away...it is actually pretty funny.  I'm starting to use the safety straps on the changing pad cover so that I can actually get the boy changed!!  I have the coolest, neatest household items like remotes for him to play with and he still is not having it at all.

Dance with me Henry--(y'all do know that is a song right??  I need to learn all of the lyrics!!) Henry has started to dance and bounce his little booty when he hears music.  I've been waiting for this day for so long because I absolutely adore baby booty dancing :).  He has also started to sing with us sometimes.  I have a song that I made up that he loves called "my hen hen henry," and he will try to hum the same rhythm with me at the hen hen henry part. 

Peekaboo- It took me forever to figure out that Henry was trying to play peekaboo with us.  He kept leaning his head over to one side in his high chair, and I just thought he was doing it to be silly.  I finally figured out one day that he was "hiding."  I always play peek a boo with him by hiding under his tray so that was what he was trying to do :).

Outside- Henry goes nuts if I ask him if he wants to go bye byes or go outside.  He loves it!!  He just oozes with delight when I open the garage door.  Even just a simple trip to the mailbox is pure heaven for him.

Favorite toys-  Anything and everything he can get into!  And a vtec helicopter and tool box shape sorter.

Favorite books- Can't even pick one!  His favs are touch and feel books!  His Aunt Vicki just gave us a ton of his cousin Samuel's baby books (thanks vicki!!), and he is having the best time with his new books.  He makes me read to him before every nap and after every feeding!!  I absolutely adore this time because it is the only time during the day that he will actually lay on me and be still.  He also figured out how to turn the page of the books this month so it has been fun to let him turn the page.

Breastfeeding-  Breastfeeding is going really well, and I don't feel like quiting any time soon.  The biting thing was only for a day or two until he figured out he was hurting mommy.  The only thing that is different this month is that he has a strong preference on when to switch sides.  Feeling a little conflicted because I know some people start to think it is strange after 12 months and also wondering (and this really is a post that needs to be by itself but I don't have time right now so I will mention...) if I need to quit to give us more time to get pregnant on our own.  Doctors seem to not count breastfeeding months as "fertile" (and I use that term lightly around here) months, and I would like to give it some time before I have to start that process again.  Feeling like my clock is ticking....weird feeling to have at 26.

Self-feeding- Henry is about 90% feeding himself now.  I will feed him yogurt or oatmeal but other than that...he feeds himself.  I was really not sure about this stage but now that we are in it...I love it!  Henry is still at the stage where he loves everything which makes me job a lot easier!  For those of you who have a little one around the same age, here is what we are eating these days (just a typical day...this does vary!). (Just a few Cheerios are always at the beginning of every meal while mom gets things ready!) 

Breakfast- Banana (about 3/4), Strawberries (2 to 3) and Wheat Oatmeal mixed with whole milk

Lunch- Turkey, 1 sandwich sliced cheddar cheese, whole wheat bread, green veggie, fruit (blueberries etc)

Afternoon snack- fruit and cheerios or cheese or yogurt

Dinner- Meat of what we are having for dinner, green veggie, fruit, wheat bread

Nighttime sleep/naps--yikes.  I don't even know if I can talk about this right now.  Henry is sooo cute (if I say so myself), soooo sweet, sooo funny, such a great eater and crawler....but he is NOT a good sleeper.  Never has been from about night two from the hospital.  We are in the middle of sleep training because I had a moment where I realized that the night waking wasn't working for him, and it wasn't working for me.  In fact, I realized that he cries so much every night to get me to come to his room that by sleep training him...I was actually saving him from crying in the future.  Night one- was off and on crying for a hour (I didn't go in at all...just set a timer and checked on him via video monitor because I knew I would pick him up if I went in there and just make him madder or give in!!).  Night two- two little whimpers at 4 am and 5 am...up for good at 5:30 am (not so bad for the second night!!).  And now he sleeps until five and then the poor booger will not go back to sleep.  5 AM is sooooo early!  It is still dark.  So I've decided that I will go get him at 6 AM but not before 6.  I'm thinking that within a week or two of doing this that he will hopefully sleep past 5 AM.  Morning nap is actually pretty good right now, but he wants to go down early because he is so tired from getting up at 5.  A big shout out to my friend Alison for helping me via email with the sleep training!!  She encouraged me to keep him up closer to his normal nap time, and he took a nice 2 hr nap, and we were on schedule the rest of the day!!

One note that I do want to make about all of this is that I've never seen Henry so happy.  He is already reaping the rewards of having uninterrupted nighttime sleep, and it makes me feel good as a parent that I did what was right for  him.  If you are reading this and thinking that you could never do that...well that was me too.  But I had to do what was best for Henry and for me and although it was hard (like many decisions we have to make as parents)..I'm so happy I did it.  I did have Henry's doctor check his ears and to do a complete look over on him to clear us for sleep training.  He was completely on board and said we better do it now, or we were going to have trouble on our hands when he is a toddler.

Mommy update- The sleep deprivation has been tough, but I'm loving this summer with Henry.  We are having the best time together, and I'm just soaking up these golden baby days as I know they are going way too fast.  

Now for some pics if you have made it this far!!  I'm going to start with a few cell phone pics sorry for the low quality.

I love this picture!!

Shaun built this upholstered cover for our fireplace so that Henry can have a safe play area!!

And yes he is wearing Christmas pjs in june :)

Cheerio/Food problem from post below...solved!  I just shake the rug out every couple of days, and it has a rubber back so it washes great!  For some reason...it looks so much better when the cheerios are on a rug lol.

Matching!  Right before we hit the beach!

He LOVED the beach.

Family pic!

In an effort to be real on this blog...here is a pic from the weekend we will never forget...Henry's first ear infection.  If he wasn't sleeping in his carseat (the only place he would sleep), he was screaming.

Clap, Clap, Clap

Also have some post on www.prayingforalittleone.blogspot.com...give me some comment love over there because I'm feeling a little down about lack of comments.  Wondering if anyone is still reading?!