Kim

Santa is Fun

Despite being sick, Henry is really enjoying all of his Christmas presents.  He LOVES all of his new toys - so much so that if he's sitting in the chair, drinking his bottle, and he can see his toys on the floor, he gets mad and wants to get down and play with them. 

Trying out my new tricycle.

Henry really likes balls, so that was a prevalent theme in a lot of his gifts!
This thing makes noise when I shake it.
I love my motorcycle too.

These are just a few shots I've taken over the last couple of days.  One of the things we got him was a sports play center - it has a basketball goal, a soccer goal, a tee for both golf and baseball and several other miscellaneous balls that go with it.  He loves sitting down and kicking the ball into the goal and hearing it play music.  He's also figured out how to touch the basketball hoop so that it will make the noise without actually having the throw the ball in.  He continues to love music and a lot of his toys have buttons on them, which he has quickly learned to press.  He also got a couple of the books that have the buttons on them you press as you read.  He thinks these are the best thing ever and cracks himself up as he plays with them.  He certainly got a lot of stuff this Christmas, but he is loving it all. 

Oh, and did I mention that in the midst of all of this Christmas chaos, our little guy became an 11-month-old.  It's really time to start planning his first birthday party now! Eek!
Kim

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Kim

A Cold for Christmas (and an ear infection)

This didn't turn out to be quite the Christmas I had planned.  Don't get me wrong - it was a wonderful Christmas, full of joy and family and gifts and blessings and all things that Christmas should be.  However, it wasn't quite the happy,throwing wrapping paper everywhere, seeing delight in the eyes of the babe, first Christmas that I had imagined.  One thing I am definitely learning about motherhood is that it rarely ever is.

We started our celebrations at the beach with my family for the weekend.  My sister, brother-in-law and nieces were there, along with my aunt and uncle and grandmother.  It was a houseful, but so much fun.  There was the normal chaos that comes from having two 3-and-a-half year-olds and one 11-month-old in the house, but the cousins love each other so much and it was very sweet watching them interact.  Maddie and Audrey were great with Henry.  They wanted to follow him around as he was crawling and were constantly trying to give him new toys to play with.  Henry wasn't phased and played happily along. 
Watching the train go around the Christmas tree with Grandad.

Trying out my new motorcycle with Grammy.

Cousin Chaos - and Fun!

We opened presents (which was a little nuts with the little ones) and enjoyed time together.  Really, it was perfect.  Henry got so many fun toys - if it sings or lights up, we probably own it now.  He played until his heart was content...and then played some more. He didn't really understand the whole "unwrapping" portion of the evening, but he was more than happy to play with his spoils. 

Then Saturday night came...Henry went to bed like normal, but then woke up with a terrible cough.  It was a long night and he did sleep some, but the cough kept him restless, and I knew things were going downhill.  By Sunday, it was clear that Henry was sick.  Poor little guy.  His appetite was gone and he was coughing and sniffly.  By the time we got home Sunday afternoon, his nose was running like a faucet.  It is so sad when he is sick.  Christmas Eve we headed to church and dinner with Matt's family.  Henry did well - we went to the children's service, which was good because it was earlier in the day and there were several other babes there so his noises weren't so noticed.  He happily bounced back and forth among laps and, despite his runny nose and cough, made it through the service really well for an 11-month-old.  The funniest part was during one of the prayers when Henry decided it would be a great time to start blowing raspberries.  We couldn't help but laugh at him "spitting" during the prayers, but luckily I don't think too many other people could hear. 
Hanging out with Dean after church.

We let Henry open his presents early in the evening because I was worried he wouldn't make it until after dinner.  I could tell his energy level was waning and he was really starting to feel crummy.  Again, he was abundantly blessed by all sorts of fun toys and gifts.  He really is a lucky little guy, surrounded by so much love.

We ate dinner and then I went ahead and put Henry down in the Pack 'n Play.  I had brought his PJs in anticipation of doing that and he went straight to sleep in the Richardson's bedroom while the "adults" opened presents. 

Because of his cold, he couldn't sleep well and by Christmas morning we were all a little sleep-deprived and cranky.  He did get up, have breakfast and then Matt and I got to share some sweet time with him as he explored the presents that Santa had left him.  You could tell he was excited and wanted to play with everything, but he just didn't feel well.  He was exhausted but couldn't sleep because of his runny nose and cough.  That is what I mean by it not being quite the Christmas I had imagined.  I kept seeing all these pictures of happy smiling babies on Facebook, celebrating their first Christmases, and that just wasn't us this year.  Now, I know in the grand scheme of things, this really wasn't a big deal at all and there are many more out there who had Christmases that were MUCH worse.  No one likes to see their baby sick though and it was especially pitiful at this time of the year when he was supposed to be filled with delight and joy. 
A little weary of the singing Tigger at first, but now he's a big fan.

Also, I was beginning to feel like he was NEVER going to get better (that's a pretty dramatic take on things, I recognize that - but that is how it feels).  Each morning I'd wake him up thinking we'd turn the corner and yet each morning he just seemed worse.  Each night I'd put him to bed thinking he'd sleep better, and yet he didn't. 
Santa was good to him this year.

It was really nice to have Christmas morning with just our little family though - and I look forward to the years to come.  We had breakfast together, enjoyed my new coffee maker (well, Matt and I did), and just relaxed.  By Christmas evening, Henry was running a fever of 100.  I cancelled the playdate we had set up for Wednesday morning and instead we headed to the doctor.

It didn't take the doctor long to declare that not only did he have a nasty cold, but he was also suffering from an ear infection. We picked up our amoxicillan on the way home and I gave him his first dose in the parking lot of the drug store.  I wanted that medicine to start working ASAP! 

It is now Friday and FINALLY, this morning he woke up and I thought, "yes, we are turning the corner!"  He slept all through the night last night, only coughing a few times.  His nose is still ridiculously runny, but his appetite is back and he is much happier. 

I know this is a too-long, too-dramatic play-by-play of our holiday, but in the interest of memory and truthfulness, I had to write it all.  Now that we're on the other side of it and looking toward the New Year, I can definitely tell I was sleep-deprived and a little melodramatic, however it was how I felt!  Like I said, it wasn't the Christmas I had planned or imagined, but when it comes down to it, it really was a wonderful Christmas, full of all the things that Christmas should be.  We continued to be blessed beyond measure, both by our families and our sweet boy, and I do try to remember that all the time, despite how it may seem!
Kim

My Favorite Things

Henry is all over the place these days.  He literally does not want to sit still ever - unless he's eating.  Changing his diaper has become an acrobatic feat.  I've put diapers on him while he's on his tummy, when he's trying to crawl away from me, and even while he's standing.  It's a big production and often includes lots of screaming on his part. 

We spend a lot of time playing in his room.  I put the baby gate at his door (or else he just wants to crawl out of the room toward the stairs) and let him have his freedom - while I'm sitting close by, of course.  He crawls all around and pulls up on the baby gate and taunts Fisher who is trapped on the other side.  She just responds by looking at him and trying to lick his fingers.  His favorite thing to do is tip over his laundry basket and play with all of his dirty clothes.  He pulls them all out, crawls into the basket, crawls out, waves his socks around and just generally entertains himself.  Cracks me up. 
This is fun.

Hmm..what's in here?
His other favorite thing?  Bath time.  This boy still loves his baths.  However, regarding the "never sits still" statement from above - bathtimes can get a little crazy these days.  He is still sitting in his little tub to take a bath.  We tried to big tub once, but the little mover just wanted to crawl and pull up and generally do lots of things that are very dangerous in a bathtub, so back to the confines of the infant tub he went.  He still moves a lot, but he can't get into as much trouble this way.
Trying to capture the splashing action.

He moves so fast, he's a blur.
I know these pictures are pretty terrible, but I am trying to not soak my camera, keep one eye on him in case he gets too excited and loses his balance, and take a picture, all at the same time.  I always look like I've also taken a bath by the time he is finished.  He splashes so hard that I have to refill the water in his little tub.  He loves it though.  If he keeps this up, we'll have a lot of fun at the pool this summer. 

In other news, he's got two more teeth coming in up top.   This will give him a total of 6 teeth.  They are taking their time though.  I can tell it is messing with his eating again...his appetite is still big, but he's more picky.  This happened when his other teeth were coming in too.  I almost wish all of his teeth would just come in at once so he could get it over with.  Poor little guy.  In the grand scheme of things it really isn't much to worry about though. 

Christmas is 4 days away.  I am so excited to celebrate with him this year.  I know he won't really understand, but it will still be fun.  He's so entertaining and he'll love the new toys and commotion.  It's also hard to believe that in just 5 days, our little guy will be 11 months.  Holy moly...I have a 1st birthday party to start planning!!
Kim

Breakfast with Santa

Well, we saw Santa...and it wasn't a disaster.  In fact, the breakfast part of things went great.
If there's food involved, I'm probably happy.
However, we waited a little too long to get in line to see Santa and Henry was one tired little guy by the time we got there.  He didn't scream...he just wasn't happy.

Mom, who is this?
 
 
Ok, I've had enough.
 Lesson learned.  Next year, we'll see Santa first and then eat. I'm definitely glad we tried though!
Kim

1st Christmas Parade

Henry gives us a great reason to do all things "Christmas-y" this season that we wouldn't normally do, so last Saturday we headed downtown to catch a little of our city's Christmas parade.  We were only there about 45 minutes, but the weather was nice and there was a good crowd.  It was exactly what you'd expect from a city parade - lots of marching bands, some beauty queens riding in pretty cars, random floats sponsored by local businesses, and dance groups sashaying to "Jingle Bell Rock."  Overall, we enjoyed it well enough.  Our biggest complaint was that the trains that run through downtown kept stopping the parade!  In the short time we were there we had to wait for 3 trains to go by. This made the procession very slow.  A lot of the older kids around us actually got bored in between the floats/acts because they were so spaced out.  Luckily, Henry was just as enthralled by all of the people around as he was by the parade itself, so he was fine.

Henry started off in his stroller...
...but quickly ended up here.
...and here!
Yay parade floats!
Like I said, we only stayed for a little while.  It was lunchtime when we left so we headed to Haymount Grill.  This was the first time I've ever ordered off of the children's menu for Henry and it seems silly to do so since he's only 10 months old, but you know that boy of ours ate his entire grilled cheese and apple sauce without a moment's hesitation!  Not to mention all of the puffs that were also consumed.
I am a big boy now, mom.  I need big boy food!
It feels so grown up to order off of the kids menu for him.  He loved it.  He's still eating like crazy, but we've made no progress with the sippy cup.  He will drink whole milk out of his bottle though.  I don't think he loves it, but basically, if it is in his bottle, he'll drink it.  I give him 4 ounces of whole milk after his breakfast instead of formula.  Technically, he's now down to only 3 bottles of formula a day now.  We've got to get to the hang of the sippy cup though.  I keep giving it to him in the hopes that one day it clicks. He's going to figure it out eventually, right?   

This weekend we're going to Breakfast with Santa.  I am excited, but am preparing for the worst.  I know Henry's going to be terrified of Santa, and breakfast falls right during his normal morning nap.  Could be the perfect storm, actually.  We have to try though.  It's his first Christmas.  Maybe he'll surprise us?  Say a little prayer.  Lol. 
Kim

Eating Machine

Our little guy has been eating us out of house and home this week.  I think his new-found mobility has him burning calories at a phenomenal rate.  He seriously can't seem to get enough to eat. This week, he's typically eating:

Breakfast - blueberry waffle dipped in whole-milk, clementine, handful of Cherrios and a 5oz bottle
Mid-morning snack - Cheerios/Puffs
Mid-morning snack 2 - 6oz bottle
Lunch - diced chicken, clementine ('tis the season, and he LOVES them), pasta
Dinner - tortilla with guacamole or some meat, mixed veggies, usually some other fruit, 5 or 6oz bottle
Bedtime - 6oz bottle

And he does not eat tiny portions - he eats a whole waffle, a whole clementine, a whole tortilla, etc.  Seriously, I have no idea where he puts it all.  Our little 20lb guy can eat! Actually, he's always been an eater, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but still.  He has me working overtime to figure out what to feed him.  As I mentioned, he doesn't want to be fed anymore - he wants to do it all himself - so this is cutting down on some of our options, like applesauce.  Applesauce was one of our staples before.  Now I am constantly on the lookout for more finger-friendly ideas.  His other loves include banana muffins, black beans, strawberries and other fruit, veggie burgers and turkey.
Trying to get a picture in front of the tree, but Fisher kept photo-bombing us!

With all of this eating, we've actually dropped another bottle this week, which is good, since the goal is to mostly be off of them by his first birthday, however, Henry still refuses his sippy cup, so we're working on that.  I just keep reminding myself how much he changes from week-to-week.  Who knows, next week I could be writing that he loves his sippy cup and will only drink from it!  (Not holding my breath though.)

Speaking of weekly changes...I mentioned last week that you probably wouldn't see Henry crawling from room to room if you stopped by our house.  Well, now you probably will!  Our little guy is definitely on the move.  He still crawls a few steps and then sits down (almost like he's taking a break), and then crawls again, but if he has his eye on something or a specific goal in mind, he can get someplace fast. He definitely keeps us on our toes these days!
Crawling all over the place.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)