Indian Summer

This was the first time I tried sitting Henry in the grass without a blanket. He really wasn't too sure of what to make of the cold grass between his toes, as you can see by his expression. It became much more fun when he realized that he could pull up the grass and then try to eat it. Soph thought it was awesome to have a friend outside to play with. She kept trying to bring him toys for him to toss so she could go fetch. She didn't really understand why he wouldn't throw the ball when she dropped it within inches of his hand. Poor girl.

Henry is sitting so well independently now, even without something to hold or brace himself with. He likes to keep Daddy's recliner warm while he is away at work. It makes funny sounds when he slaps it with his hand, so he slaps, slaps, slaps away.

Henry thought sitting in Mommy's chair outside was the coolest thing ever. Henry LOVES being outside. The fresh air does wonders on his mood. We are experiencing a great Indian Summer here in PDX this year, so this afternoon we took advantage of the weather and sat outside, played with Soph and took a walk around the neighborhood.

As for other Henry updates...the boy loves to eat...he couldn't possibly get that from me, could he? As we all know, I love to eat! Henry tried mango and a new variety of squash tonight (there are so many great varieties in season right now, I love this time of year). Mama also served another one of his favorites, roasted cauliflower. I hope his affinity to try new things persists as he gets older.

Henry still can't crawl, but he is getting pretty good at scooting backwards and in 360s. Sometimes he gets a little frustrated because he seems to think by scooting backward he will actually move forward, usually trying to get closer to me, but he ends up further away.

Grandma O has been playing basketball with him in recent days. A few weeks ago, Ryan took out Henry's first basketball hoop that Grandma Sherry got him last Christmas before he was even born (thank you Grandma Sherry), but he cried anytime it got close to him. Strangest thing ever. So, we parked it in the corner of our living room for a few weeks. Grandma O took it out again this week and viola, Henry thought it was great fun. It is only about 18" tall and has lights and music that go off every time you make a basket. I think this is the beginning of a long love affair with the game.

Henry's very favorite toy is Mommy's hair. He pulls it EVERY chance he gets. He also really likes to pinch my neck skin or the soft part of my underarms. That boy has some grip strength, let me tell you!

As for mom, I'm doing pretty well. I still struggle from time to time with feeling overwhelmed with managing my personal life and professional life. I find myself ridiculously jealous of my stay at home mommy friends, but thankfully I enjoy what I do professionally, I just wish I had more waking hours with Henry (but don't all moms). I also dream of the day I have some hired help to complete the endless chore list. All in all though, I live an incredibly blessed life, and I try to remind myself of that every day. My little man brings me more joy than I can put into words and I hope to be able to provide every opportunity his heart desires to pursue, which unfortunately usually means $$$$, thus the necessary evil of work. I also hope that by growing up with a working mom it shows him that he really can have the best of both worlds, a loving family and a satisfying career. Balance is the challlenge that I hope to acheive everyday, but I can't say I'm always successful at acheiving it. I'll keep trying though.

First Crabbing Trip

Henry and Mama went on their first crabbing trip this weekend with Daddy, Grandma O and Grandpa Jim. Daddy did all the work pulling the pots and Grandma O helped sort the crabs (you can only keep the big boy crabs). We ended up with 39 crabs on this outing. Grandpa Jim drove the boat. Henry and Mama just enjoyed the ride. It was a little chilly and rainy, but Henry loves to be outside regardless. Luckily the boat has a canopy and Mama brought a blanket, otherwise Mama would have froze.

Henry didn't mind his life jacket (thank goodness). The neck support functioned as a nice pillow for a short morning nap in Mama's arms.

Grandma O is making funny faces while holding up various crabs. Henry thought she was funny. He was such a good sport. We were out on the water for about 4 hours and he was pretty content for the entire trip. I'm sure this is just the first of MANY boat trips. I know Daddy is counting down the days until he can hold a fishing pole on his own.

Yoga Baby

Yoga baby! Look at this great plank pose. This is Henry's new move. He can't quite figure out why this won't help him move forward, but keeps trying.

In Henry's continuing quest to figure out how to get from point A to point B, he has learned how to scoot moving backward. He often starts out on the rug and then pushes himself backward onto the hardwood floors (as you can see he is about half on the rug half on the hardwood in this picture) and then he can belly scoot around by pushing with his arms. He thinks it is ingenius on his part. He even lifts his feet so he can scoot better. I suppose the legs are just extra baggage at this point.

Henry is sitting up really well now. Amazing what just a month of practice does. In case you're curious, he is staring at his puppy (6 year old Sophie) in this picture. This week he has "discovered" her. They are becoming friends now. Until this week, they were both indifferent to the other's existence. Henry will now pet, pinch, pet, pinch, pet, pinch Soph when she gets in arm's reach of Henry. She doesn't seem to mind all the pinching. She basks in the new found attention. I'm sure she will super oober love him once he starts dropping food on the floor.

We love firefighters...one in particular

Remembering those who have fallen on this 10th anniversary of 9/11 and thanking those who serve us today. We love you Daddy!!!

Teeth...Solids...Sleep Training

He cut his first tooth on Monday (lower front right). His second bottom tooth is just about popped through as well, perhaps tomorrow we will see it. He sits up pretty well independently, especially if he has a toy in front of him to hold or bang. But, he usually ends up toppling over eventually. That big head of his often does not make a soft landing. He's pretty resilient though. He also recently started saying "mum ma" and smiling at me. If I say "mama" back to him he grins even bigger. I love watching him grow and develop.

Henry is super grabby now. After dinner recently I was clearing the plates from the table and turned around to see a mountain of napkins piled all around Henry and a fist full headed straight for his mouth. That is the inevitable location for all things that Henry can grab, his mouth. He apparently bent way over in his Bumbo (which we usually sit on the table while we eat dinner) and grabbed all the napkins from the napkin holder and threw them over his head. He was so proud of himself. He also really enjoys when Mama wears her hair in pigtails because then he can hold onto them like reigns.

Favorite foods of the week: spinach/pear puree and nectarine/cucumber puree. I really haven't found a food that he totally rejects. Some he likes better than others, but nothing that he completely rejects. As you can see from the picture above, he even likes onions! We tried oatmeal with some raspberries this morning. I think he liked the flavor but wasn't too sure about the texture of the oatmeal. It is always amusing to see the expression on his face when he tries a new food.

Henry wants to crawl so badly. He can get into the position to crawl now, but then flops on his belly when he tries to put all the pieces together. The funniest is when he gets into a bear crawl stance, up on his toes with straight legs. He is a champion roller though. One way or another he will get from point A to point B.

The newest challenge is sleep training. Two weeks ago we had to sadly retire the Woombie (a swaddle). This resulted in Henry waking up every couple of hours, just like when he was a newborn. I was so spoiled with a good night sleeper. For a few days after retiring the Woombie I would nurse him every time he would get up, thinking that perhaps it was just a growth spurt. When the night wakings didn't go away after a few days, I decided I needed to start sleep training again. The first night I decided not to feed him in the middle of the night was the worse. I think Henry and I only got a few interrupted hours of sleep. Over the next several nights, it got progressively better. By the middle of this week, he was back to sleeping through the night. Last night he was up a couple of times, but only for about 15 minutes and was able to put himself back to sleep. I think some of the trouble is that he is cutting his first couple of teeth. Hopefully he will get back to sleeping better. Everyone is better off when we all get a good night's sleep.

All in all, Henry is growing up to be quite a little boy. I can't wait until he starts walking and talking so we can go on more adventures. My favorite part of this journey is watching him discover the world for the first time. It reminds me to stop and appreciate life in the moment as well. I love my little man.