Playtime

Henry boycotted bananas for the past few months.  He loved them for about 6 months after he started eating solids, but around his birthday, he started to refuse to eat them.  Recently though, he has reacquainted himself with his fondness for bananas.  HOWEVER, you mustn't cut it up in pieces.  He will only enjoy a banana if it is kept whole and he can bite chunks off as he likes. I tend to only peel the first half of the peel off at first, otherwise he squishes the banana between his fingers (thanks Grandma O for the tip).  As he munches away, I peel (and cut away) more of the peel until he typically finishes the entire banana or at least close to it.  He's becoming so independent....already!

Henry has learned how to throw things really well.  He loves to play with balls of all sizes, but the ones he can grasp with one hand are particularly fun because they can be hurled much further.

 Peek-a-boo...I see you!

Daddy bought Henry a new slide for outside this past weekend and then made a fort out of the box.  Awesome!!!  Henry sometimes gets so excited shaking the fort from side to side that he ends up toppling over. 

Henry's fascination with wooden spoons continues.  Truth be told, he actually likes spoons of all sizes, but the wooden ones are his favorite.  The new challenge is to teach him not to use them as weapons against Mama and Daddy or poor Soph.

Henry could be in for a BIG surprise if he figures out how this hose attachment works.  Hehehehehe.  He frequently strolls over to our neighbor's garage where they keep a few squirt bottles and has learned how to squirt himself in the face, which he finds oh so amusing.   

Henry is all smiles as he plays outside with his new lawn mower, which is just his size.

Two other updates for the week: Henry learned how to clap his hands.  He spreads his fingers wide and claps only his palms together.  He has also learned how to pick his nose, which he finds HILARIOUS!!!

Friday Thanks

In my continued quest to find inner peace and happiness, I am trying out a new exercise, to reflect routinely on what I am thankful for.  Hopefully this will help me focus on the awesome parts of my life and not so much on the less than awesome parts of my life.

5 things I'm grateful for this week:

1. My heart health. One of the managers at work died of a massive heart attack yesterday.  A sobering reminder that tomorrow, or even the next hour, isn't guaranteed.

2. Sunny spring days, especially when they fall on the weekend.

3. Girlfriends.  Every woman needs at least one good girlfriend in her life.  One she can share her secrets and heartfelt emotions with.  Tomorrow I have plans to visit one my dearest girlfriends, Jen.  She is one of those women in my life that I lean on, seek guidance from, and I just plain enjoy her company. 

4. Farmers markets.  I plan to take Henry on our first of many trips to the farmers market tomorrow morning.  I simply love markets, and a market dedicated to local food couldn't be more up my alley. I am grateful that I live in a vibrant farming community (even though I live in the City) because so many people don't have the access to fresh produce.  The opportunity to feed my family fresh, whole foods, is very near and dear to my heart.

5. Sleep.  Although I don't always get to bed as early as I would like, I am grateful Henry sleeps though the night and provides me an opportunity to sleep. 

Manzanita - Fun at the Park

This past weekend, Henry and I went to the beach.  My friend Britney was staying just north of Manzanita (about 20 minutes from our beach house) this weekend and she invited us over for a play date. She was itching to get the kiddos out of the house so she suggested we go to the city park in Manzanita, which is super cool because it is covered in sand rather than wood chips.  Who knew (other than Britney of course) that this park existed. Thanks for taking us there Britney!  Henry really enjoyed the swings.

Henry also enjoyed the big plastic tube.  The fun thing about this big plastic tube is that we put the babies inside and then the big kids (including kids we had never met) came up to play peek-a-boo with the babies.  I am always amazed at the social graces of children.  Imagine a world where grown-ups were so willing to make nice. 

Henry's checkin' Sienna out. He isn't so sure what Sienna thinks is so funny.  It was cute watching these two stand by the side of the slide while the big kids came barreling down. 

Henry wasn't so sure about the sand at first (this was his first experience going barefoot in the sand), but after about 15 minutes, he decided it wasn't too bad.  Man does the sand travel though, I continue to find sand in every corner of my car and diaper bag. : )  Oh well, not that big of a price to pay for an afternoon of fun.

By way of other updates:

Henry has a new frustrated expression.  I call it "squish face." When he gets frustrated, usually after Mama or Daddy says "no," he will furrow his brow and scrunch up his nose while flinging his arms back and forth and complaining "eeeeehhhhh eeeehhhhhh!!!"  I know I shouldn't respond, but is it so funny. I can't help but chuckle sometimes. 

Henry learned how to wave bye-bye a few months ago, but he didn't always do it.  Now he almost always waves bye-bye if you say "bye bye."  Most mornings when I leave for work he will smile to me and wave bye-bye.  It totally melts my heart.

Our latest challenge is teeth brushing.  Okay, it's actually been an on-going challenge for the last several months, but it has reached a whole new level of tantrum throwing and wrestling.  I've tried singing songs, making a game out of it, using different toothbrushes and toothpaste, letting him brush my teeth while I brush his, letting him watch himself in the mirror, letting him stand rather than sit or lay down, etc.  Nothing works.  Henry HATES brushing his teeth.  On a positive note though, last night went pretty well, I held him on my hip in front of the bathroom mirror.  Used a bunch of toothpaste and ran the toothbrush under water MANY times (he likes to suck the water off the brush).  He actually voluntarily opened his mouth (I usually have to prie his mouth open) to let me brush...for a LITTLE while.  Then I finished with a cold wet wash cloth.  A baby book I was reading recently suggested trying to wipe/wash a baby's teeth rather than brush them if they are particularly freaked out about teeth brushing.  No crying, so I will call it a victory. Hopefully someday he will grow out of his resistance to oral hygiene.







15 Months Old

Henry's Aunt Sarah gave him this train for his 1st birthday, but it wasn't until recently that it became one of his favorite toys.  He likes to push it across all of our furniture, coffee table, recliner, couch, bookshelf, kitchen chair, you name it.  I find it entertaining to watch him discover how things work, especially things that move with wheels. 

Henry LOVES water.  His very favorite source of water is Sophie's water bowl, which is off limits and usually behind a closed laundry room door (but every once and awhile when the door is left open he makes a break for it and SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH - water EVERYWHERE).  This weekend he discovered that the hose outside also is a source of water.  Very, very enticing for Henry. If only he could figure out how to turn on the tap.

A couple of weeks ago, Mama and Daddy took Henry to the Astor School (where Grandma Sherry teaches) carnival.  He had tons of fun watching all the big kids run around.  He also really liked touching all the door nobs and heater vents in the wall at the school.

This picture touches my heart.  In just a few years he'll be walking the halls of a similar elementary school to his kindergarten class room.  Why do they grow up so fast!?!



Mama's helper.  Henry helped me wash the car on Sunday.  He couldn't figure out what he liked more, the soap suds in the bucket or the hose attachment that sprayed water.  Eventually the hose attachment went into the soap suds, all the better to play with both at the same time.  By the end of the car washing adventure, Henry was wet from head to toe and had soap suds up to his arm pits and slathered in his hair.  He thought washing the car was awesome...if only he could learn how to actually do some of the washing. 

Henry turned 15 months on Monday.  We visited Dr. E on Tuesday.  Dr. E indicated Henry appears very healthy and physically on track.  Keep up the good work Mama.  : )  He did indicate that Henry may be SLIGHTLY delayed on speech.  Most 15 month old babes can say 3 to 6 recognizable words, while Henry can only say 2 ("Mama" and "Dada").  He said not to worry in the least.  We will talk about it again in a few months at his 18 month check up.  On the positive communication front, Henry is now following simple instructions like "put your toothbrush on the counter," "bring me a book," "get in your chair if you are hungry" etc.  It is amazing to witness his cognitive development.  I was instructed to wean Henry off the bottle.  Step one this week is to move from warm milk to cold milk.  There is a bit of resistance on Henry's part, but he seems to be adjusting.  Perhaps next week I will transition one bottle to a sippy cup and then go to two then to three.  Perhaps by the beginning of June we will be done with bottles.  Although Dr. E didn't ban binkies at this appointment, I anticipate it is coming soon.  We are trying to limit Henry's addiction to the binkie to nap/nighttime only.  It is hard sometimes though not to give in when his teeth are bothering him.  Dr. E said he saw a few more molars on the way.  His exact words to me were, "Oh, he's getting a few molars...oh, and he already has a few on this side....good luck with that."  Thanks, mister!  Henry received two shots at this appointment.  He was such a trooper.  He cried when he got poked, but then calmed down shortly after I picked him up.  About 45 seconds later, he let out a frustrated scream, just to be sure I knew he was mad that I let Nurse Cassie poke him, but then he was fine.  All in all, I left the appointment a proud Mama. 

15 Month Stats:

Height: 32 1/4 inches (80th percentile)
Weight: 27 lbs 4 oz (80th percentile)
Head: 19 1/4 inches (90th percentile)

Quotable Sunday - Mother's Day

A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty. (anonymous)

For the Love of Reading

Henry loves to read books.  He now will bring you book after book after book to read to him.  If he likes a book in particular, he will get excited and hand you the book again after you have finished reading it to him so that you can read it again (yes, I have read a book literally 12 times in a row, took a 5 minute break, and then read it 5 more times...repeat).  If you don't begin reading it again, he voices his objection.  Amazing how he is already training me.  I love that he has developed my love for books though, so I'll continue reading to him until he stops asking (and then I'll still read to him).  Pictured above are two of his current favorite books, Colors and Have You Ever Tickled a Tiger?, which are both full of bright colorful pictures.  

A blog post about Henry just wouldn't be complete without a big smiley picture.  His smile still makes my heart melt.  Probably always will.

Henry much prefers being outside over being inside.  He recently discovered the windows.  He particularly likes it if you raise the blinds and open the window to let the fresh air from outside hit his face.  If there is a breeze, he'll take a deep breath in and then grin.

Henry's favorite source of indoor entertainment these days are cars, trucks, trains, and basically anything with wheels.  These little cars are just the right size for his hands.  Daddy taught him how to make "vroom" sounds and now most times he plays with cars, he makes those sounds.  So cute!

By way of other updates, he got his 9th tooth a couple of weeks ago.  Rounding out four front top teeth, four front bottom teeth and one molar.  Today, tooth number 10 finally popped through the gums, another molar that has been giving Henry the fits for at least 3 weeks.  He developed a bump, in his mouth where the molar is now about 6 weeks ago.  I wondered if he was getting another tooth, but then nothing came, so I figured it wasn't going to happen.  But then, about a week ago I could see the top of the bump changing color (to white), so I knew a tooth was indeed going to arrive soon.  Thank goodness because cutting molars are no fun!  Although, I do have to admit, Henry's a trooper.  He's really not that fussy for someone who has been uncomfortable.  There was only a couple nights that his sleep has been disrupted and he really isn't that drooly, so I don't have much to complain about regarding teething.

Henry has become increasingly picky about veggies.  He usually will only eat cooked veggies the night they are roasted or grilled (no leftovers).  He'll only eat cucumbers and carrots at Grandma O's, not at home.  He doesn't like plain avocados anymore, but LOVES guacamole (I made some this weekend from scratch...really just a mushed up avocado salad...so no guilt here serving it to Little Man).  The crazy thing is that the guacamole has lots of lime, raw onion, fresh cilantro and a fair amount of cayenne pepper.  All strong flavors and a bit spicy, but I guess I already knew my son likes bold flavors, just like his Mama and Papa.

We continue to attend swim classes on Saturday mornings.  Henry REALLY enjoys the water, however, he really DOES NOT like to be held still.  He wants to MOVE.  He wants to climb OUT of the pool, just so he can jump (or should I say flop) back into the pool.  The drains on the side the pool are super entertaining.  Splashing is awesome!  All the meanwhile I get stared at by the instructor for not participating in circle songs.  If only she knew how disruptive Henry would be if I forced Henry to participate in circle time the entire 30 minute class.  At some point I know I will need to encourage participation and obedience, but for now, I relish in Henry's joy of simply being in the water with Mama. 

Now that Henry is walking really well, he's like a wrecking ball.  His poor forehead looks like a war zone.  He took a MAJOR digger on Sunday when we were playing outside.  He doesn't yet grasp the idea that he has to look down to survey the changes in ground elevation.  He toppled over and his forehead hit the edge of the sidewalk and left a large silver dollar sized PURPLE bruise.  I felt bad for him, more because he seemed so frustrated and defeated, rather than physically hurt.  Three minutes later (after a requisite cuddle and kiss from Mama) he was back to running around and getting into stuff.  I figured he wasn't damaged for life.  But, gosh I do wish I could bubble wrap him sometimes.

Roasted Cauliflower

Who would have guessed cauliflower would become one of my favorite veggies .  This really is yummy, and Little Man thinks so too.  And it is SOOOOO simple, it is hard for me to even call it a recipe.

1 head cauliflower
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper
nutmeg
Parmesan cheese

Cut cauliflower up into florets.  Place cauliflower in glass baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with a few pinches of kosher salt, pepper and a light dusting of nutmeg.  Mix to coat.  Cover with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degrees oven.  Uncover, bake for another 30 minutes until the cauliflower is golden brown on the edges.  Serve warm with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.  Delicious!

P.S. For full disclosure, the Hubbie is not completely in love with his recipe like I am, but I highly recommed giving it a whirl and being your own judge.

Fantasyland

How does one accept the fact they can't live in Fantasyland?

Everyone's Fantasyland is a little different.  Mine is reminiscent of a stereotypical 50's era home, where I can practice the domestic arts to my heart's content.  Where my primary job is to manage the homestead rather than fund the homestead.  A place where the sights and sounds of my son are just a few feet away, almost all the time.  Where I have the time and space to grow most of my own food.  Where I can give more time to my community.  Where the social norm is for mom to stay home to raise her children, no matter how educated or accomplished she is.

My Reality consists of not only managing the homestead but also significantly contributing to the funding of the homestead.  Part of me (my brain) feels blessed, honored, proud to be able to do that.  Another part of me (my heart) feels pained to spend so much time at the office and not as much time (as I would like) at home.  I am lucky because I get to work a fairly traditional 40 hour work week (rather than 50-60 hours) on a flexible schedule, but that's still 40+ hours not at home.  Life is about trade-offs and sacrifices though.  Working outside the home affords me an extraordinary lifestyle.  I wholeheartedly acknowledge that.  The challenge is that it doesn't feed my heart.

Many people (working moms in particular) have told me time and time again that it gets easier as time goes on (to accept being a working mom).  Although I have fallen into a fairly comfortable routine now, I still feel extremely conflicted about working.  I still feel anxiety, resentment, regret, guilt and irritation about the fact I am a working mom.  That is my Reality though.  When will these emotions stop???  Perhaps never.  Perhaps that's okay.