6 is the new 10

It's 8:15 am and Henry is still sleeping! After waking up to eat at 5:30, he went back to sleep. And I got up for the day feeling refreshed and full of energy. Somehow in the process of becoming a parent, my need for sleep has decreased and my preferred sleep schedule has shifted such that rising at 6 am feels like 10 am used to feel. Not that I can complain. So far Henry has been sleeping like a champ, and I feel thankful for every good night of sleep. In the almost three hours that I've been up, I have: showered (yes! score one for me! it's the new mom's badge of honor to fit in a shower.), applied makeup and brushed my hair (bonus points for achieving those things after the shower), eaten breakfast (including a still-hot bowl of oatmeal and equally steamy cup of coffee...steam still rising from my coffee as I drink it--unheard of these days!), done some cleaning (cleaning? what's that?), prepped for dinner (so what if it's 7:30 am? why not chop onions and peppers? you take every minute you can get when your life is ruled by an unpredictable baby who might be appearing as mr. cranky pants today. or might not. you never know.), downloaded some pics and video (see below), and am now blogging. Will wonders never cease? Oh yes, I have also crept quietly up the stairs several times to make sure Henry was still breathing (he was), because it seems hard to believe that he's still asleep.

I tried (twice) to post a video of Henry reach for one of his toys, but for some reason it wouldn't process. I'll try again later if I have a chance. It's pretty amazing to watch him focus intently on an object and do his best to make his hand reach for and grasp the object. He loves to lay under his play mat and reach for his toys, and has been showing a preference for reaching with his left hand. He primarily uses his right hand for self-soothing sucking. Sometimes he multitasks and uses both hands--little over achiever in the making.