Betwean the two of us

I've been absent from blogging for so long that I thought I'd make it up to readers by posting twice in one day! A two-fer! That is, if you want to read about weaning. If not, you might want to scroll down and look at the pics of handsome Henry some more.

Henry and I have recently reached a new milestone in our relationship: weaning. He's been transitioning to formula for more feedings each day, and will soon be completely formula-fed in addition to his solid foods. While I'd originally thought it would be nice to continue nursing him through one year of age, it just seemed like the time for weaning came sooner. I had a lot of reasons for making the decision, and I feel good about it. I'm also glad that I've decided to make the transition gradually. I think it's been easier both physically and emotionally to slowly change what has been a huge component of my life as a mother. Because while it might seem like a simple, potentially liberating change, it's really a lot more complicated than that. Breastfeeding certainly gets easier with time, but it is still essentially a huge investment in resources. A woman's own bodily resources, her emotional presence, her time. Not to mention the whole dairy debacle that spanned several months for me. When I consider the hours spent nursing Henry, every day of every week of every month of his life, it feels like a pretty monumental shift. But here we are, shifting. And I think we're both handling it well. I was a little concerned that Henry would ask to nurse more by signing or tugging at me or communicating this desire in some other non-verbal way, but he hasn't seemed to mind. As for me? Well, it makes me a little sad. I know that I will continue to be close to Henry in many other ways, but there's a closeness and nurturance that I think is unique to the relationship between a nursing mother and her child. I'll miss that.

Acknowledging the sadness and putting it aside, there is a large part of me that feels like hallelujah I am getting my body back to myself! Afterall, I was pregnant for 9+ months and nursing for 10 months. That's kind of long time to be sustaining another human being. And I feel like this may be a brief window of time before starting the cycle again. No need to get excited right now folks, but there will (hopefully) be another member of the little g-unit at some point in the future, and for me that will mean more pregnancy/nursing. I've been happy to do it, it's a joy to have a child and to have nurtured him in that way. But, the time has come to bid that relationship adieu. Now I can go wild. I can drink martinis. I can stop taking vitamins. I can be apart from my child with the knowledge that he won't starve. The opportunities are endless!

And speaking of endless, so are the bottles that you have to clean when you're not exclusively nursing. My goodness, the bottles! Is this what I really want? Yes. Yes, it is. And I feel thankful that I've been able to nurse Henry as long as I wanted to, and to make this decision for and between the two of us.

Happy holidays, indeed

It was a very happy holiday season for the g-unit, our first with Henry. While the little guy wasn't really aware of what was going on, having him in our life brought back some of the magic to the holidays. Henry was entranced with all of the lights festooned in homes and out in public, he watched the snow fall in awe, and squealed with delight at familiar faces and new gifts. You can't really ask for more than that.

The lead up to Christmas was filled with the usual rush to shop, wrap, bake and otherwise prepare; but this year we had the added twist of some weather-related challenges. A nasty ice storm and few feet of snow didn't stop us from getting everything checked off our lists, and then having a great time visiting with family and friends. Highlights included: an early Christmas celebration with my family in Pittsfield, watching my nephew Evan's first Christmas pagent at church, introducing Henry to several of my college friends for the first time, and waking up for Henry's first Christmas morning in our own house.

The weather outside may have been frightful, but Henry's bath in Pittsfield was just delightful.
It's a good thing Henry got all squeaky clean. He had a quick play date with his cute little pal Madison.

Henry's first ride on a trike. This was taken at the church nursery where Henry spent some time after his cousin's big theater debut.

With a roomful of new gifts on Christmas morning, Henry chose to entertain himself by crawling and climbing through this chair. He's a funny one, alright.

Pocketfull of Kryptonite

Or, a pocket full of coins, fuzz, tissues, leaves, and mysterious non entities that would still look tasty to a pincer-grasping nine-month old. I've realized lately that my pockets have become handy receptacles for anything and everything that I manage to spot on the floor before (or as) Henry spies these tasty treats. Because anything on the floor goes in his mouth. And when I say anything, I mean anything. It's frightening, really. Recent acquisitions included a bottle cap, a splinter-like piece of wood, and several maple seeds. We did succeed in retrieving all of these objects before Henry swallowed them. Though, it kind of makes me wonder what he has managed to swallow before we've descended upon him to scoop out the offending little goody.

Clearly, Henry's palate could use some refining. The positive part of this is that Henry's just as likely to happily consume edible items. He continues to be a great eater, and is trying many new foods on a regular basis. And we're not talking baby food here.

Here he is enjoying a swig of Worcestershire sauce that he grabbed from the cabinet.
It's not uncommon for Henry to refuse spoon feeding these days, and to whine insistently while staring at the food on my plate. So, the food on my plate usually makes its way to his tray in little pieces. The other night he tried the tamale pie I'd made for myself and Brian. I hadn't really intended to give Henry any, but he wouldn't settle for his vegetable puree, so he wound up with some chunks of avocado, black beans, ground beef and tomatoes. I can't say I blame him. I'd take the tamale pie over pureed veggies, too. Once he gets the good stuff, Henry's a little chow hound and gobbles the food from my plate faster than I can transfer it to him. It makes me happy to see how he enjoys spicy, full-flavored food. Especially when he gives me a round of applause for the meal. There's nothing better than his cute smiling and clapping from the high chair as he eats.

Henry has also recent discovered how to show his "appreciation" for food by throwing it around. He and I both find his ability to toss the cheerios pretty amusing. That is, until I have to pick up a bowl's worth of cheerios from the floor. Or bananas. Or any other finger food that he manages to throw.


This weekend was packed with holiday activities for us. Including a visit with Santa at our church. Henry checked him out very carefully.Here's Henry getting ready to make his special holiday deliveries.
And oh yes, Henry now has four, count 'em, four teeth! The top two came in last week. He's getting to be such a big boy now!

Nine in, nine out

Henry is now nine months old! And as my sister pointed out, this means that starting now he will have spent more time outside of my body than in it. Wow! Time has moved a lot more quickly with Henry on the outside. Nine months of pregnancy is a looonnng time. You have all that time to wonder about the little person growing inside you. Nine months to want to meet him or her. And in our case, to speculate whether it was a him or her (I almost always thought Henry was a boy). It's hard to imagine that for all those months Henry wasn't "Henry," but instead he was "the baby" or "the little g-unit." All those kicks, all that movement, all the sleepless nights while "the baby" rumbled inside of me; it all makes sense. Because knowing Henry as we do now, he's not the type to have been a quiet little being, content to grow inside of me in slumbering peace. No, not our little boy. He's always on the go. Always moving. Always exploring. He's just the baby that he was inside of me. Those who were there for Henry's birth and the many, many (oh, so many) hours preceding it may remember how active Henry was before making his entrance into the world. When I was hooked up to the monitors, we were able to witness that Henry moved constantly. Really. The only time that he stopped moving was when I was bouncing on my exercise ball. Otherwise, the monitors revealed non-stop movement. Those little markers on the printout seemed to amuse the nurses, who remarked quite frequently about what an incredibly, unusually active little baby we were about to meet. And so it began, nine months ago yesterday.

In these nine months, Henry has grown to be a bright, curious, and fearless little boy. He's long and lean, weighing 21 pounds, 10 ounces, and measuring 29 1/2 inches in length. And he still has a humongous head atop his narrow shoulders. Thank you, Gemborys genes. ;) Henry puts the big brain inside his big head to good use, figuring out how the world around him works. He loves exploring every wheel, button, lever, or other gadget he can get his hands on. And he can sure move quickly to get his hands on these things. His current favorite places to get into are the dishwasher and the refrigerator. Open either one of those, and he'll be at your side faster than you can imagine. Henry also "talks" a lot more lately. We don't think he's using his sounds discriminantly yet, but I would bet he's close. At times it seems like he says "na na" (night night) when he's ready for his nap, but it's one of those things that I might be imagining. Henry's other favorite "words" are "ma ma" "da da" and "ba ba." He's also recently learned how to make a "pah" sound, and a "ffffuh" sound. The "pah" involves a lot of effort, and even more saliva. He kind of spits out the sound. It's adorable. Other fun feats include continued climbing, crawling, cruising, clapping, and waving.

This weekend we went to a local park with a free farm. Of the birds, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, and pony, Henry liked the little horse the best. I think the feeling was mutual. The little pony kept pawing at the fence and nudging Henry's feet with his nose. At first Henry was a little startled by all the attention, but he soon began to enjoy the experience and laughed when the pony reached out to him. I'm sure this will be a place that we will frequent regularly now that Henry finds it interesting to look at animals.

A lesson to all you kids out there: brush your teeth or you'll wind up with llama mouth! And no one wants llama mouth.

Turkey Day

On this, Henry's first Thanksgiving day, I find myself too tired to eloquently list the many things for which I am thankful. I'm hoping that by this weekend I will have recovered from the Thanksgiving coma, and perhaps be able to write something more detailed. Suffice it to say, there are many things for which I am grateful. Most of all our wonderful family and friends. For those who weren't at the table with us today, I hope that these photos tide you over a bit until you get to see him next.

Here he is enjoying some delicious roasted turkey and squash. Mmmm...


And speaking of Mmmmm, here's Henry's new "mum's the word," "mmmm" face. Teething-induced, we think.

This final photo is from last weekend, when we attended a wedding in Maine. The hotel had an indoor heated pool, so Henry and I took a little dip.

Me and my shadow

What do you do when you're a stay-at-home mom, it's freezing cold out and you've already gone to the store, played with all your baby's toys, played with non-toys, eaten, napped, and repeated? Take silly photos. (I'm afraid to see what happens when we're snowed in)
Earlier in the afternoon, Henry and I went for a chilly walk. Despite the dubious expression on his face, Henry did actually enjoy the walk. As evidenced by his very sweet singing to himself along the way. He's become quite the little vocalist, especially at bedtime.
Last weekend we hosted a fun fall gathering at our place. Our guests included six babies and eleven adults. Now that's a full house! As I've written before, I was fortunate enough to meet a great group of mommas when Henry was just a few weeks old. We continue to see one another regularly, and this was a get together with the dads, too. Taking a picture of all the little ones grows increasingly difficult!
Henry continues to be a good helper around the house. I think he's a little confused about folding laundry though. His method recently included climbing right in the basket.
Henry has also figured out how to open cabinets. Thus the major need for child-safety fasteners on the cabinet doors. Of course, Henry needed to check out just how these fasteners work as his dad installed them.
Finally, he just gets more and more cute every day.

How time flies

Where does the time go? It seemed like just yesterday that Henry was teeny tiny, and now he's eight months old. Our little buddy continues to fly though milestones and developmental markers like a whiz kid. Some events have been incontrovertible, others may be subject to the partiality of me as reporter and mom.

Definite developments:
1) Tooth count=2
2) Lots of new word-like sounds, mama, dada, baba, etc
3) Climbing the stairs
4) Walking while holding onto his Radio Flyer wagon

5) Clapping (see below)

6) More new foods, more self-feeding, more using the sippy cup
7) Starting the "dropping game." You know, the one where the kid drops his toy from his high chair the moment you pick it up and put it back on the tray. Good times!
8) Using the cell phone. Really. About two minutes after I took the photo below Henry somehow managed to dial Brian's number. I have no idea how he did this, considering Brian's number is not on speed-dial. This means Henry would've needed to access the phone book feature and press call after selecting Brian's number. Strange, but true.


And then there are the maybe-I'm-just-imagining-this, I-am-his-momma-after all Developments:
1) Giving kisses. Okay, so this is every new mother's dream come true, so it could be possible that I'm imagining it. But my mom swears he did it, too! And she's a fair judge, right? Regardless, I've had a few moments of Henry's open-mouthed slobbery little love on my cheek that sure seemed like his approximation of a kiss. I look forward to more drool love.
2) Signing. I swear he did the sign for milk the other day when I said aloud "Okay, it's time to put the milk away now." (Yes, I narrate my entire day for the child.) I've also seen him staring at his hands as he moves his fingers in the sign for milk, but he hasn't done it in context yet.

In other time-flies news, the g-unit enjoyed a trip to my alma mater for Homecoming this weekend. It's hard to believe that I graduated seven years ago. Even harder to believe: on this return-trip there were three babies in tow within our group of friends! Talk about surreal. Naturally, taking a picture with the three babies and their parents looking at the camera was pretty much impossible. But I couldn't resist posting one since the three babes in their Williams sweatshirts were just too adorable.

Boo!

Henry with his peeps. This was among the best photos of the party. Let's just say the poor kiddos were less than thrilled to be in their costumes. But they were so cute!

Taking some photos outside in our yard.

Getting ready to trick or treat with Henry's cousins, Evan (the knight) and Liam (also a dragon).

Fall Fun

Things have been busy in the G house lately. Brian and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary last week with a special dinner out at Bocado Tapas Bar in Worcester, and it was deliciously wonderful. Leisurely dining at a trendy restaurant, sans Henry, and voila---we felt almost like our formerly single, Boston-residing selves! I also enjoyed another local restaurant for my Mommies Night Out last week. Add a night out to my Book Club on Sunday and it seems like I've hardly been home. The nights out were definitely welcome, and needed, but by tonight I felt very happy to have dinner with my guys and put Henry to bed myself as per our usual routine.

In other good news, Henry has been helping out a lot more around the house. In fact, pretty soon I'm sure I won't have to do any chores myself. Just look at his initiative.

Doing the laundry...

Loading the dishwasher...
And re-organizing the bookshelf...
Henry's not an all-work-and-no-play kind of a guy, though. He also enjoyed a trip to Tougas Farm this weekend for some pumpkin picking and goat petting.



And finally, we are just dying to dress Henry up for Halloween. In the meantime, here he is in a cute little shirt his Nonnie gave him. Stay tuned for pics of the cutest little dragon on the block later this week.

"You look like you need a hand"

Thus spoke the kind and perceptive woman who held the door open for me this afternoon. Did I? What was it that clued her in? The hysterically screaming child in my stroller? The coffee splashing up and out of the cup onto my stroller (note: coffee was not spilled onto said screaming child. the two incidents were unrelated. or at least the causality didn't work in that direction.)? The coffee stains all over the front of my pants? The fact that I had maneuvered through one door into the incredibly small vestibule of the town hall, but had no foreseeable way to maneuver through the second door without retracing my path back through the first door (who designs these things? clearly, no one who's ever navigated a stroller. or worse yet, a wheelchair.)? I started to tell this woman that it was okay, I didn't need help, but given the facts listed above, it was clear that yes, I needed a hand.

Accepting a helping hand has always been something of a challenge for me. It's also something of a goal for me these days. If there's one thing that makes you realize there are times when you need a little help, it's having a baby. And so, I'm working on it. And Brian and I are working on it. Or at least we're trying to remind ourselves to work on it. Because it's becoming more and more clear that accepting, or (gasp!) asking for, a little more help might make our quality of life as parents a lot better. And happy parents=happy child. This weekend Henry spent a bit of time with his Nanna and Grampa, while Brian and I had some alone time. Alone, apart time. Alone, together time is also a goal these days. I think the last time Brian went to the coin store was surely before Henry was born. And I'm not sure of the last time I had a few hours alone in the house. The time flew by, and I confess, I did housework. But it was quiet, and the housework sure goes a lot faster when you're not simultaneously caring for a mobile, adventurous little baby. Small things? Sure, but they make a big difference. I think leaving Henry with other caregivers is probably a good thing for him as well. As he's entering the separation anxiety phase, I can see the importance of getting him used to being apart from me and Brian. At this point, we could nearly count on two hands the waking hours that I've spent away from Henry. Yikes! But, it feels like a dilemma sometimes when it's possible I could sneak out. On the weekends, I love spending time with my two favorite guys. Sure, I could leave Henry with Brian. But then I'd miss out on spending time with Brian. How does one balance these needs? I guess it's something that might become more clear with time. Maybe? Luckily, I do have a mommies night out planned with some friends next week. And Brian and I have some excellent sitters lined up for a night out for our wedding anniversary (thanks Nonnie and Pops!). Oh, and book club is coming up soon. So good stuff is on the horizon. Meanwhile, the rest of you readers out there, watch out, because I'm going to keep trying hard to accept and solicit some help--who wants to babysit Henry first?!

If you weren't already enticed to have some quality time with Henry, here are some new pics to further seal the deal. Note Henry's new favorite smile, the mouth-wide-open, I-can-hardly-contain-myself grin. It's pretty cute.





And here's a video of Henry coming in close to say hello to all of his fans. Or to eat my camera. Whatever.

Will you be my friend?

Henry's now at an age where he actually notices and interacts with other children. As I've noted previously, he especially adores his two cousins, but he's also quite enamored with other little faces, and loves watching any young children. A trip to the grocery store becomes that much more fun when he spots other parents toting tots. And during some crankiness at a restaurant this weekend he became downright cheery when an 11 month-old little girl sat in a high chair at the adjacent booth. I wish she could've been there for the duration of our whole meal--it would have been much more pleasant! I chatted a bit with this little girl's mom while the babies babbled at one another, and couldn't help but wonder: is it appropriate to pick-up parent pals? What sort of line would you use, something like: "Hey baby, who's your daddy?" I didn't wind up asking for this momma's number, but they seemed like a lovely couple with a cute baby, and I always think it would be nice to have more potential play dates. Maybe we'll run into one another again on the playground some day.

Henry's been working on his social skills with the buddies he's known since being just a few weeks old. It would be an understatement to say that these skills could use a little refining. Here's what Henry knows about being a good friend:

1) Friends share common interests. We're working on the sharing part. In Henry's world this means: "Oh, you like that toy? I like it too. I want it now! Can I have it now? No, you want it too? Sorry, buddy, but it's mine!" And then Henry swipes another toy out of his friend's grasp.

2) Friends lean on one another during good times and bad. Henry's meaning: "Hey, you look sturdy. Maybe I can stand up using you to push off of. I mean, you're just sitting there and all, make yourself useful." Henry's poor friends aren't quite as sturdy as he might think. Then again, neither are many of the things he tries to use for standing leverage.

3) A good friend let's you know when you're having a bad hair day. Henry's technique for this is pretty straightforward. Approach your friend like you just want to say hi. Then reach out, grab some locks, and hang on for dear life.

Henry's friends are pretty patient little fellas. Or maybe just less mobile. Play dates continue to become more and more interesting, and fun, as the kids get bigger. It's already hard to believe that they can at least engage in some parallel play when they're around one another. As it happens, play dates are now for actual playing--not just for the still important mommy socializing time!

Embracing his spiky hair to the fullest during a little post-lunch photo session. Henry's styling product of choice today: applesauce.
"Come on Mom, let me help cook! I've even got a whisk that's just my size."

Sleepless in Shrewsbury

The g-unit appears to have stumbled upon the perfect storm of sleeplessness. Teething + cough and cold + new developmental skills = no sleep for anyone. This is the most tired I've felt since the first days and weeks after Henry was born. The poor kid has been a mess with feeling yucky, though he seems to be feeling a little better today and did manage a few consecutive hours of sleep last night. Now we just need to get Henry's daddy feeling better too.

Sleep or no sleep, we did manage to have a fun-filled weekend. Our excursions started on Friday, when Henry and I had a park playdate with our friends.

Four swings, and four little kiddos (Henry's furthest to the left):
On Saturday we went apple picking with friends:
And on Sunday Henry got all dressed up to go to a party. Henry wore his preppy onesie that matches Brian's many striped button-downs. Like father, like son.

Seven months

Here we are, marking another month's passage. During this month, Henry has continued his explosion of development. Every day it seems like he's able to put more and more together cognitively. His physical development also continues to expand rapidly. Some of the things that have amazed me recently include...

Henry's recognition of every day sights and sounds, and their causes/effects. This morning, when there was a commercial for T-Mobile on the radio, he perked up and looked at me expectantly. I have a cell phone with the T-Mobile ring. When he heard the ring on the commercial, he thought it was my phone. Or so it seemed, anyhow. The most touching recognition, however, has to be when Henry hears Brian's keys in the door at the end of the day. He clearly knows that when the door opens, he'll see his daddy. And he gets very, very excited about this. Henry's recognition also includes familiar faces. He especially loves his cousins, Evan and Liam, and reacts to seeing them with a lot of excitement as well.

Henry's developing awareness of the relationship between cause and effect continues to impress me in other ways, too. A few days ago when he was in his exersaucer, he made a very cute discovery. There is a mirror on the exersaucer that was pointed toward the window. Light coming through the window was reflected from the mirror onto the floor in front of Henry. To Henry's delight, he realized that when he jumped and jiggled in the exersaucer he could make the light on the floor move. He had a great time continuing this little game of jumping, watching the light move, smiling, pausing and then repeating it.

As far as physical changes in the past month or so, Henry's continuing to grow bigger and stronger every day. I'm not sure of his height or weight measurements, but when carrying him around he sure feels bigger. And he's moving, moving, moving all day long. As I've written before, Henry now crawls with ease and pulls himself up to standing very frequently. In the past few days he's also begun to show an interest in climbing. He can make it up a few stairs by himself (with parental spotting, of course), and has attempted to climb over his standing block in the playroom a few times. This has happened when Henry peeked over the other side of the block (really a big plastic container we used for clothes) and saw something he wanted. Rather than cruise around to the other side, he's taken the most direct route and proceeded to climb onto the top of the block. We do our best to stop him from plunging headfirst off the other end. So far, so good. Henry's fine motor skills are also developing nicely. We've begun giving him cereal puffs to work on his pincer grasp. He's got a ways to go before he really gets the hang of it, but at least he gets the idea, and he usually finds some technique to get the puffs into his mouth.

Finally, to (coincidentally) mark his 7-month birthday tomorrow, Henry will be transitioning to a big boy car seat. Exciting! It's hard to believe now that Henry ever looked tiny in his first car seat. But he did. All 10 pounds and 4 ounces of him.

Here's another cute pic of the adventures in finger foods. You can see the sheer excitement on Henry's face at the scattering of star-shaped puffs on his tray. And in his hair.
And now, up, up...
And busted in the act!

Little star

"Why are you laughing, Mom? And by the way, have you seen my last puff?"

Feeling festive, and serious, at the "Spirit of Shrewsbury" parade on Sunday.



Discovering a new use for the swing.

Teething tyke

We've entered a new phase with our little one--teething! Perhaps Henry's been teething for a while now--the copious amounts of drool and incessant chewing would seem to indicate this--but it's only now that we have some proof. A sharp little protrusion on his lower gums. It's difficult to actually see the tooth at this point, but my rather intimate relationship with his gums allowed me to be the second to know. Henry knew first, of course. He gave us some hints by fussing and crying somewhat inexplicably. Plus, Henry often chews on my fingers, and I felt a little something poking up yesterday when he bit down. That would explain some of the increased night-waking as well, I think. Since this weekend the sleeping has been settling back to normal. Henry's pretty much been going down at his usual 7:30 and waking up sometime between 4 and 6 for a brief feeding and then back down until around 7. I'm relieved that it appears we're making our way back to quality nighttime sleep. And daytime sleep...let me tell you, that has taken a wonderful turn for the better. The past week, Henry's been taking longer and longer naps, and going down for them without a fight. Yesterday I even had time to: read a book (Anna Karenina! smart, huh?); make a pie (apple. it only came out so-so); prepare lots of home made baby food (yams, broccoli, pears, and peas. a veritable garden extravaganza); clean up all of my kitchen messes; and even take a nap myself (which felt quite delicious). I could get used to this napping routine. Especially considering the torment that previously constituted Henry's napping. Until this week, naps had been inconsistent, brief, and often required my presence (co-napping). Keep up the good work, Henry!

I think Henry was feeling camera shy today. Maybe a little uncertain about allowing me to capture a glimpse at his shiny new speck of a tooth.

His little duck often bears the brunt of Henry's teething angst.

Here he is, apparently surprised to find me standing there with a camera all of a sudden. Naturally, he was chewing on his gate.

Back to basics

Keep your fingers crossed for us, dear readers. We may be embarking upon re-Ferberization.
Already? Yes, already. Henry was a little off in the sleep department the past few nights, and last night we undeniably broke the rules in our responses to him. In fact, we broke the rules in a way we haven't done in about five and a half months. We brought him in bed with us. This is almost as surprising as our decision to Ferberize in the first place. But, our desperate measures appear to have succeeded in helping Henry's aunt and uncle, our first sleep over guests, sleep relatively well. Either that or they lied to us and they were up all night like we were. Jess and Tim, if you did lie, thanks; I'd rather believe that you slept well. Regardless, Henry's experienced a little sleep regression, but tonight it's back to tough love. No co-sleeping for the g-unit this evening. I think we'll all be happier that way.

Jess and Tim needed their sleep before their big walk today. And when I say big, I mean big. Marathon big. They walked the full route of the Boston Marathon as part of the Jimmy Fund Boston Marathon walk. And they weren't alone. They were joined by my brother and his girlfriend, as well as countless others who took part in the event. Having run two marathons myself, I absolutely can't imagine the pain involved in walking 26.2 miles. However, they did a fabulous job and I hope they're resting comfortably now. Brian, Henry, my parents and I joined the intrepid four, three miles from the finish. It was a lovely day for the walk. Henry was a trooper during his first trip to the big city. He rode the subway for the first time, people-watched during the walk, and was otherwise happy all day. After the walk he showed off his new skills to his Nonnie and Pops (my parents). Henry was so sad to see them go, he kept looking for them after they left our house. Even his dinner of fruity chicken puree could not deter Henry from looking longingly at the back door.

Here we are before a donut and coffee run Saturday morning. Mmmmm.
At the trail head after a scenic stroll with Aunt Jess and Uncle Tim.
With Nonnie and Pops before our walk.