Here I are!

Kim

Here I are!

One of my favorite "toddler sayings" from Henry lately is: "Here I are!"  I know it is not grammatically correct, but it is super cute when he says it.  He likes to throw a blanket over his head and we play the, "Where's Henry?" game.  Then he uncovers his head and shouts, "Here I are!"  That boy just loves to play.  From the time he gets up to the time he takes a nap/goes to sleep, he is BUSY.  The only time he slows down is if Curious George is on TV, but even then he usually runs around and occasionally stops to watch when it grabs his attention.

Playing at the park with dad.

His imagination is exploding.  I walked in his room this morning and he had lined his three paci's up on a shoe box and he proudly told me that he had created a caterpillar.  Then he proceeded to take one of the paci's and put it in his mouth and he said, "I ate part of the caterpillar, Mommy!"  Ew.  But cute.  And all boy.  He loves to play outside and insists on putting his shoes on to go out with Matt each night when he goes out to water the garden.  Mostly he just runs around the yard and picks up things.  He'll throw and kick a ball around occasionally, but I think he just likes the freedom to move and run mostly.  Bubbles are always a huge hit with him and he really likes sidewalk chalk right now too.  He is a collector and always seems to be interested in gathering things and putting them in a bucket.  I think he's going to love the beach this year just because of the abundance of seashells to gather!

He still is a great eater, but is all two-year-old and it depends on his mood whether or not he eats a lot.  He loves chicken and pretty much any fruit and vegetable.  Occasionally, he'll eat red meat, but he seems to only eat it for Matt, not for me.  He eats a lot of beans and rice and still loves mac & cheese.  He will eat cherry tomatoes and cucumbers like they are candy.  Oh, and he is currently obsessed with pickles.  Every day when he wakes up from his nap, he asks for a pickle.  Actually, he asks for one for breakfast too, but I tell him that pickles are only for snack, not breakfast.  All of a sudden he is great with a spoon and pretty good with a fork, and he still drinks a ton of milk.  That is his drink of choice and he goes through almost a whole gallon a week, just by himself.

He's happiest playing with other little kids and I think he learns the best by watching and copying them.  His memory continues to be crazy, and he loves singing songs and spinning around in circles.  Also, as I mentioned he's all two-year-old and is really loving testing his boundaries lately.  He thinks that going to time out is fun and will actually ask to go to time out, so that is making things a little difficult.

He has started to get a little more possessive around James lately.  Whatever toy James has, Henry immediately "needs" it.  That is to be expected though and I know this won't be the last of that.  He still loves his little brother though and expects him to be with us wherever we go.  If someone jokes that they are going to take James with them, Henry gets upset and says, "That's my baby!" so I know the love is there :)  I think he's just too busy for the most part to be bothered by him.  The time is coming though.  Each day, James is more and more mobile and I know it won't be long before they are both running around the house having a big time.

Wearing dad's shoes.

We're not potty training yet, but we talk about it a lot and just ordered a little potty for him.  Everything I have read/heard says not to pressure him until he's ready, but he actually asked to sit on the big potty last night and he's started telling me when he's pee-peed, so I am guessing our time is coming.  He definitely feeds off of my mood (if I act stressed or scared, he gets more stressed or scared), so I am trying to take a relaxed approach and not make it a big deal.  Infamous last words, right?  It will be a good day though when I get him out of diapers and James off of formula!  Our checkbook will appreciate that.  

Henry is still a great napper and although he fights me about taking a nap, once he lays down, he will usually sleep for 2.5-3 hours.  His bedtime is around 7pm-ish and he wakes up around 6:30am each day.  He's always been a good sleeper and I really can't complain.  James is finally starting to get the hang of the bedtime idea and goes down around 7pm too.  It's nice for Matt and me to have our evenings back.

He's not quite 2.5 yet, but people assume all the time that he is at least 3.  There's no doubt that he is bright, and he is definitely a charmer, but he's still my little guy and I treasure the times I get to cuddle with him on the couch. He still sleeps in a sleep sack and in the mornings when I go in there he is usually still wearing it, waddling around his room.  He knows how to take it off by himself, but he usually doesn't.  I love it.  He just looks so sweet and sleepy like that.

Henry begged to ride in this cart at the grocery store.   James was a little tipsy, but he held his own.

I didn't intend for this to be an ode to Henry, but I don't think I've written a thorough update on just him in a while, so it was easy to do.  He is a treasure.  James is a treasure.  We are very blessed by them both!