Kim

I See You!

We have a video monitor for Henry, and I absolutely love it.  Not only can I hear him (like a traditional monitor), but I can also see him.  This brings much comfort to me and saves me from a lot of trips into his room just to check on him.  I also love watching and listening to him play in his crib in the mornings when he wakes up.  He's very good at rolling and pushing up on his hands now.  He has this fish aquarium soother thing (that's the official name, I promise) on the side of his crib as well.  It lights up and plays music and shows fish moving across it like...well...like an aquarium.  Henry loves this and has figured out how to turn it on himself by kicking the button with his foot.  So some mornings I look in and his aquarium is on and he laying there mesmerized by it. 

I tried to capture a few of these images by taking a picture of his monitor.  They're not the clearest, but here's what I usually see around 6:45am each morning.  (Remember, I always put him down on his back...and at the complete other end of his crib...)

Getting in my morning push-ups.  (Also, please note that he has found his paci and put it in his mouth.)

Playing with the toy that is hanging from the side of his crib.  You can see the aquarium soother there on the left.
Henry has started sleeping on his side now that he is better at rolling over.  I always suspected he'd be a side sleeper because that is how he likes to be held when falling asleep.  Sure enough he is.  Isn't it the sweetest thing?
Both Matt & I sleep on our sides.  Guess he gets it honestly!
And because who wants a post with just black-and-white infrared camera photos?
Why are you upside-down, dad?


First time riding like a big boy in the shopping cart at the grocery store.  It wore him out,  but he did really well. 
Kim

Old Friends

Matt is lucky to have several friends here in town with whom he grew up.  Ironically enough, in the last year, pretty much all of those guys have had sons.  Henry already has some best friends in the making!  One of Matt's oldest friends has a little guy who is just 3 months older than Henry (he was born in October).  Matt and Carl have known each other since they were in diapers.  It's pretty neat to see Henry and Tripp together now.

Kim

Sitting Up

Henry's really getting the hang of sitting up.  He's still a little wobbly, but for the most part he can do it now.  I love how he has perfect posture. What a sweet boy!


A little Saturday mornings sitting practice...still in my PJs.

I think I'm pretty good at this, mom!

First time in a big boy high chair at a restaurant.  I know I am going to quickly miss the days when he laid happily in his carrier beside the table!
Oh, and did you notice the common denominator in all 3 of the pictures?  That pacifier is never far away.  The other morning I went in his room to wake him up and he was asleep on his side with one pacifier in his mouth and he was clutching another pacifier in his hand.  Guess he just wanted to be prepared! 
Kim

Life Skills

Let me start off with two pictures that absolutely crack me up...for completely different reasons...

I think Henry could sit and watch Fisher all day long.  He thinks she is fascinating and completely hilarious.  It is so funny to watch him with her.


Matt was trying to accomplish some things the other evening and decided to put Henry in the carrier just to see how it worked.  Henry loved it!  Mostly, I couldn't stop laughing because of how they looked together.  Two peas in a pod!
Alright, now that we've all had a little laugh...

Summer is quickly flying by. I do not know how it is already August 9.  Labor Day, the official end to summer, is fast approaching and fall is just around the corner.  It has been hot here...and rainy.  I don't remember a summer in recent history that has been this rainy.  That has definitely been cutting into our pool time.  I don't think we went but once the whole month of July.  I am hoping to squeeze in some time before summer's over and the pool closes for the season. 

The sleep situation has improved some, but he's still waking up more than usual in the night.  I've started letting him "cry it out" now, because I'm pretty sure it has become a habit and is no longer a tummy issue (at least most of the time.)  I can stand to hear him cry for about 5 minutes before I absolutely feel compelled to go in there and comfort him.  Luckily, most of the times he wakes up, he does soothe himself within 5 minutes (hence the reason I am thinking this is now a new habit and not a pain issue).  We're working on it.  And it's not impossible to deal with...so we're making it. 

Henry's perfected one very important life skill these past two weeks - he can successfully put his paci in his mouth all by himself!  I remember wishing for this day to come.  It helps so much with the self-soothing, both during the day and at night.  I clip his paci to him during the day, and he can pull the ribbon until he finds the pacifier.  Then he grabs it and after a few minutes of wiggling it around to get it right, he pops it in his mouth!  I'd say he's successful about 90% of the time now.  It is precious - and so valuable to me!

He's also doing great at holding his bottle by himself.  Again, this is a life skill that is especially helpful to the mama!  He can sit in his highchair and drink (most) his bottle all by himself.  He struggles a little when he gets to the end and has to tip it up higher, but we're working on that.  It is so cute to see him sitting there clutching the bottle.  The high chair has been a great purchase for so many reasons.  He loves to feel a part of things and will just sit there and play while I am getting things done in the kitchen.  It is such an improvement!

I know these little tasks are all signs of his increasing independence.  Don't get me wrong, he's not ready to trot off to school just yet or anything, but it is amazing to watch as he slowly develops into his own autonomous little person.  I am thankful that he still loves to cuddle and I treasure those sweet times we have together. I know they won't last forever.  It is nice for him to be able to do some things for himself, though - and I just love watching him learn and discover new things!

He's still trying hard to sit up.  He's almost got it, and will prop himself up with his hands for a few seconds, but you have to pay attention or he'll get tired and tip over onto his noggin.  It doesn't really hurt him, but it does make him mad when this happens (I guess it'd hurt if he was on a hard floor, but we always play on blankets or the carpet). 

Preschool starts back after Labor Day.  Although we've been extremely blessed with how his childcare has worked out this summer, I am really looking forward to having him back at the church with me.  It just feels right to have him there right down the hall.  His teachers are going to be amazed at how much he's grown over these past two months.  I think he'll still be the "baby" in his class, but he's come a long way since  he was just 3 months old when he started.

I know I am completely biased, but he really is the cutest thing in the world, and watching him is so fun.  I feel like crawling is one of our next big milestones.  I am admittedly a little scared for this.  A whole new world is about to open up for him (and us!).  Eek!
Kim

Sleep, Come Back!

Henry has been a great sleeper for us since he was about 6 weeks old.  He gets his last bottle between 9:30pm and 10pm and then will usually sleep until 7am or so.  I know that I absolutely cannot complain about his sleeping habits.  I have friends with much older children who still hardly sleep through the night.  I am very thankful that Henry likes his sleep as much as we do.

However, last week he got his 6 month shots and they really threw him out of whack again.  This happened the first time he got his shots at 2 months.  He did well with them at 4 months, but looking back, I think it was because they were out of one of the vaccinations and we had to go back the next week to get it.  This spaced them out a little bit for him, and therefore I think his little body was better able to handle them.  When I say that the shots "threw him out of whack" I mean that you could just tell he didn't feel well.  He had more dirty diapers than usual, took longer naps and was just generally restless. 

Friday night he woke up every two hours crying...which is so unlike him.  I think he had gas and his tummy was hurting because as soon as I picked him up, he'd let out a little toot and then calm down.  Every two hours is too often for any kind of good sleep and needless to say, we took a long nap Saturday afternoon.  Saturday night he did a little better, but still woke up several times doing the same thing.  This definitely made me appreciate his normal sleeping habits.  I cannot imagine what we'd do if he did this every night.  I can handle a lot, but especially as I get older, I have found that I need sleep - at least six hours, preferably more, but I can manage with six.  One of the hardest parts of having a newborn was definitely the lack of sleep.

Anyways, this made for a very tiring weekend.  Sunday night he did a little better and then Monday night he was back to normal. However, he woke up at 5am again this morning.  Poor little guy.  He's still doing great with eating solid food, but I am sure that is not helping.  However, it is only happening at night, so I don't know.  I am really hoping it is a result of the shots and that his little system will get itself worked out.  I am also hoping that this is not going to become a new habit.  Waking up once at 5am is certainly better than waking up multiple times throughout the night, but ...whew, mama is sleepy!

Regardless, he is still such a joy and we love him so much.  I'll leave you with a few of my favorite photos from the past few days...
All dressed up for church and all smiles!

Trying out the front of my stroller.  I look so tiny!

So one of my "old ladies" at church gave Henry this bear blanket thin,g and he absolutely LOVES it.  It is so soft and snuggly and he will cuddle in and nap on it.  It's the sweetest thing.
Kim

Best Friends

Henry LOVES Fisher these days.  I think he thinks she is his own personal entertainment.  He will just sit and watch her and laugh and laugh and laugh.  It is the cutest thing.  She doesn't even have to be doing anything.  He still thinks she's hilarious. 
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