Flight of the Henry Bee

A long overdue post...with a fun video from our musician in the making. Henry loves music, as you can see below. More photos and updates to come.

More monkeying around

First of all, can you believe I've posted multiple times this week?! I'm making up for my weeks of absence earlier this spring/winter.

Really, I couldn't resist posting some of these photos. This morning Henry invited his stuffed animals to breakfast. He first tried throwing them into the seat of his high chair before breakfast. Then when I lifted him into the seat, he kept whining and pointing at his animals until I placed them in the high chair with him. I think he intended to feed them some breakfast, too, because it looked at first like he was attempting to find their mouths and open them. He then opted just to feed himself and repeatedly cuddle and point to their eyes (or "iz," as Henry says). Henry's other cuddle buddy, Yellow Doggie, also got some quality time in the high chair.

"This is awesome. I get my breakfast and my monkey!"
"Just don't go stealing my waffle. Deal?"
"Iz!" (eyes)
"Ahhh. Me and my animals."

I'll never...

Chalk up another one to the list of "Things I'll never do as a parent," but then went ahead and did anyway...
The photo above shows Henry wearing his handy child safety/restraint system. Otherwise known as, a leash. Otherwise known as, the monkey on his back. Whatever you choose to call it, it works. For a kid who is always on the go and can move faster every day, finding a way to keep him safely within arms reach is a challenge, but also a top priority for me. I never thought I'd have my child on a "leash," but it's cute and effective, and if it keeps him safe then I'm okay with it.

Yesterday we took a quick road trip to the Providence Children's Museum with our friends Kristina and Griffin. Visiting this museum was a great idea. Going on a rainy day during spring vacation week: not so great an idea. Somehow we didn't manage to put two and two together, until we arrived there and saw the swarms of parents and children heading toward the entrance. Regardless of the crowds, I think the boys still had a fun time. There are many activities at the museum geared toward children sharing Henry's age and interests. His favorite activities involved balls and wheels. Shocking, right? An enclosed area with Tonka trucks and soft, fake rocks was Henry's nirvana. He also enjoyed the water area, where children donning raincoat-like smocks can splash and play with balls in shallow troughs of water. We look forward to exploring more on a day when the museum is less crowded!

It appears that spring has finally sprung here in New England! The mild weather has meant lots more outdoor activity time for me and Henry. Spending time in the fresh air brings much excitement and fun to our lives, as well as some new challenges for me in keeping the ever-curious Henry safe and happy. Our little buddy continues to find the most dangerous or undesirable areas of our property to be the most intriguing. The garage and driveway are his current favorite areas. But, you may say to yourself, you have a fence, so it's okay. Right? Theoretically, yes. Until Henry sets his mind on getting out of the fence and puts all of his 25 pounds into the effort of prying open the fence gate and squeezing through the small gap between the gate and the fence. You've got to give him credit for trying. Last week when Henry wandered into the garage he became fascinated with the recycling bin full of bottles (and sharp-edged cans). Rather than play in the dirty garage, I piled some bottles into his sled and we played the same in-and-out sorting game in the backyard. Moving items from one spot to another has become one of Henry's favored activities. This includes, but is not limited to: emptying and cleaning up the tupperware cabinet, using his sorting bucket of shapes, and placing his dinner in and out of the pocket on his bib. That last one was pretty funny.
Henry's other favorite activities include exploring all of the flowers and greenery around our yard, looking for birds, and playing with his wheeled toys. He also enjoys pushing the stroller around the backyard. See how happy he is with the jogging stroller here?
Alas, that happiness was short lived. Last week I found myself absolutely perplexed on two occasions when Henry abruptly stopped his happy tour around the yard and began throwing a tantrum directed toward his stroller. I thought he might want to go for a ride, so I sat him in the stroller. Definitely not the answer, as indicated by arching of the back and screaming. Okay, I thought to myself, maybe he wants to play with the straps. Another negative. Then I figured maybe was stuck and needed help pushing. Ohhh, nooo sir-ee that was definitely not it either. A day later, when we hit upon the same sequence of frustrated events, I finally figured it out. Henry wanted the stroller turned on it's side so that he could spin the wheels. Now why didn't I figure that out sooner?
Frustration has continued to be a common theme in our household, as we've hit upon a communication impasse. You can only get so far with "ball," "bird," "eyes," "duck," and "vrrooomm" (car or truck) in your vocabulary. Basically if you're not at the zoo or on the highway you're in trouble. The process of language acquistion has been and no doubt will continue to be a mixed bag. It can be a source of great frustration for Henry if we don't guess his desires correctly. However, it is in many respects a delight to see Henry trying to communicate and let us know his needs. I often find it easy to forget just how much Henry understands, given his limited output. But when I narrate certain parts of his day, he clearly knows exactly what I'm saying. For example, if I tell him it's time to eat lunch, he'll walk to his high chair and raise his arms up for me to lift him into the seat. Such neat little developments.

This weekend we enjoyed a fun gathering with the moms/babies/dads we met about a year ago at this time. It's hard to believe how big the kiddos are getting!

Movin' and Groovin'

Now that he's pretty steady on his feet, Henry has been exploring all sorts of new ways to move his body. One of his favorite activities is dancing. Henry adds new moves almost every day. During tonight's dance party he showed Brian his newest dance step--spinning in circles!

If you haven't done so already, you can also check out Brian's blog for some additional videos of Henry. We've been having some technical difficulties on the computer at home, so I've been relying on him to post more videos and pics lately.

Walkin' the walk, talkin' the talk

Wow, has it really been three weeks since I last blogged? I guess I've been busy keeping up with our on-the-go one-year old! Henry has been a walking, talking little character lately. I've found my experiences with him to also be particularly intense lately. Mostly intense in a good way, sometimes intensely challenging. I think this might also be a reason I haven't written lately. In my non-Henry time, I've needed to take a little breather from my buddy and re-energize for my next time with him.

So, the good news or the bad news first?

Bad news: Henry has started throwing temper tantrums and otherwise asserting his will in loud and unpleasant ways. I understand this is a normal developmental milestone, relating to his growing independence and his frustration at being unable to verbalize his wants and needs. That said, it can be a major pain in the a$! And when I say "it can be a major pain"I mean the tantrum, not Henry. If there was ever a time for me to begin using the instructions I've read/given/heard as a family therapist and a mother, it is now. In this spirit: Henry, I love you, but I'm not so crazy about your behavior right now. How about you just quietly tell me what you want instead of screaming and thrashing? Right.

Moving on...

Good news: Henry is SO much fun lately! The boy is funny, he's smart, he's curious, he's a bundle of energy and quite a little character. Not that I'm biased or anything. Each day has brought new developmental skills and revelations in Henry's personality. Some recent Henry fun facts include:

• Henry's pretty funny, and he doesn't mind saying so himself! He's been laughing and giggling more than ever lately--often when cracking himself up. Making faces, playing peek-a-boo, throwing things and chasing after mommy are some favorite reasons for laughing.
• Henry's a speed racer. He's walking quite easily now, occasionally breaking into a near-run. No more crawling for Henry G.
• Henry has a lot to say. If only he had all the words! He's working on it, though. As commonly happens, I think Brian and I are the only ones who understand him. And really, we often aren't sure what he's trying to say. Henry's working his way forward in the alphabet, starting with the letter B. His favorite words are "balloon," "ball," and "bird." He's also starting saying "duck" and "eyes" (we think). Luckily, his handy pointer finger usually clues us in to what "buh" we're supposed to be looking at/going to/getting for Henry.
• Henry's creative. In the past two days he's initiated two new games to play with me, totally out of the blue. His first little game involved pushing on the back of my legs to get me to walk forward. I guess he figures his toys move when he pushes on them, why not try it with mommy? Henry found it pretty hysterical when he was successful in his Go Mommy Go game. Secondly, Henry started a new version of peek-a-boo, where he hides behind me, peers around slyly while I pretend not to find him, and giggles like mad. What a fun little boy he is!
  

Pictures to follow in the next day or two.

Happy Birthday, Henry!

Today is Henry's 1st Birthday! Happy birthday, Henry!

We've had a wonderful few days of celebrations big and small. Today, we had the great treat of a snow day! While I wasn't thrilled with the new 10 inches of snow, I was very excited to have Brian home from work. The three of us enjoyed a quiet day at home, we went for a sled ride down the street, and I cooked a special dinner with Henry's current favorite food, baked sweet potatoes. Yesterday we took Henry to his favorite diner for breakfast. And on Saturday we were joined by friends and family for Henry's first birthday party. It was a joy to see him fulfill his birthday-boy duties; eating his first piece of cake, having fun with his guests, and playing with his new toys. In the picture below, you can see the cake that I made for our birthday boy. The carousel theme was inspired by a gift from my mother. She gave me the pewter, animal-shaped candle holders that circle the inside of Henry's cake, and were used during my own childhood. I can also thank my mother for the gift of creativity that inspired the cake. I fondly remember the fun cakes my mom made for each of our birthdays, among many other projects that reflect her thoughtfulness and creative skills.
Henry's carousel cake was fun to make, an delicious to eat, too!
Before the cake arrived on Henry's tray, he was excited to see it up close. He had watched me assemble the cake the day before, and wanted to get his hands on it right away.
Here we are with the birthday boy.
Henry with his Pops and Nonnie.
And here are a few more cute photos from the past week.

Due Date

One year ago today was Henry's due date. I was a very large lady. Waiting for my very large baby. It seemed as if he would never arrive. Now we're planning his first birthday party!

Happy Henry

On Saturday, we went to a friend's first birthday party. Our momma friend took these wonderful shots of Henry. I couldn't help but download them from her site and post them here. Thanks, Erin!

Rollercoaster

This week has brought to mind the image of a rollercoaster on multiple occasions. Primarily because the treatment and management of Henry's cellulitis has felt like an emotional rollercoaster. He has seemed fine one minute, then he would spike another fever or show some other symptom and my concern would also spike. Up and down, up and down. Thus, three visits to the doctor's office in five business days. I'm very thankful that the doctor and everyone else in the the office was incredibly supportive. At no point did I feel like I was being regarded as paranoid, or overprotective, or any of the other negative labels commonly associated with first-time moms. Instead, the doctor with whom I have primarily dealt repeatedly stressed the fact that I should call if I had even the slightest concern. I valued her concern, but part of me also wonders if her heightened response to Henry's condition might have fueled my own worries. Then again, when you're talking about a condition that is accompanied by terms like "flesh eating virus," "gangrene," "meningitis," and "...can spread easily to the blood, lymph nodes, and brain," well, it seems like the worry is justified. Those terms came from the internet, by the way, not from the doctor. I should know better by now, but the internet, bastion of all you ever want to learn, can be such a seductive tool.

Anyhow...our rollercoaster ride led us all the way to the Pediatic ER this morning. Another fever, another call to the doctor, another waiting room. And here's where that fun rollercoaster analogy really took off. Because, if you think about it, the Peds ER is a lot like Disneyland. Without the fun. How could a sane person make such a statement? First of all, my sanity may be questionable after four (yes, four!) hours in the ER and three visits to the doctor earlier this week. But as I sat, waiting for one thing after another, constantly thinking this is it, finally! only to be further strung along, I thought about the lines at Disneyland. The lines where you wait and wait, and you think you're finally there! You finally made it to the end of the line and the beginning of the ride, only to find...oh, another room with a winding snake of a line. At least that's how I remember the lines at amusement parks like Disney. I had been on this ER ride before, so I remembered that the first time they call you from the waiting area, is not it. The first time you're called, you only have your vitals taken, and are then pushed back into the now even more crowded waiting area. The second call from the waiting area brings you to the real deal. Your own little cell in the ER. That's where the tantalizing thought that we were close to being seen by a doctor began to creep in. That's also where the crankies really began to creep in for Henry. Not unlike rollercoaster-bound kids in a fun park, no doubt. Long story (four hours long) short, Henry cried, Henry napped briefly, Henry played on the bed, Henry cried. We were eventually seen by two nurses, a resident, and another doctor before being told we were free to go...oh wait, just kidding! After seeing the final doctor we needed to wait for the paperwork to be done. This is when I really thought we were going to lose our minds. 30 minutes later, the paperwork was done.

The good news is, Henry's fine. The trip to the ER was mostly precautionary, since facial cellulitis is something to be watched carefully, especially with continued fever. The ER docs concurred that the infection is responding well to the antibiotics, the fever was likely related to an additional viral issue (yes! another illness! way to multitask, Henry!), and to just follow up as needed. I have high hopes that I will not see another doctor for Henry until his one year appointment. In just a few weeks!

Here's a pic of the big boy earlier this week.
And here he is being tricked into taking his revolting antibiotic. As per the doctor's suggestion, I mixed it with some frozen grape juice concentrate to mask the flavor. I then pretended to eat it, ignoring the noxious fumes that still issued from the antibiotic. Henry was not fooled for long, but look how happy he is to take his medicine here. You can also see how much better his face looked when this picture was taken on Thursday. It looks even better now, too.

The walking wounded

Just as Henry's transition to the world of crawling was paved with bumps and bruises, so to is his work-in-progress of learning to walk. Yesterday morning the little guy took a tumble and bit his lip on impact with the floor. It was our first bloody incident, and I'm proud to say that I was able to handle it without a major breakdown or fainting spell. I was mildly concerned about how I'd react the first time Henry wound up bleeding, since I have a strong aversion to blood and faint every time I give blood. Thankfully, Henry is healing nicely from this fall. In fact, the minor split to his lip complements the rug burn and small bruise that Henry acquired at Gymboree today. While exiting a slightly raised tunnel, Henry slipped a little and slid out headfirst the rest of the way. Both of these mobility-related accidents are in addition to a third blemish to dear Henry's handsome face. This poor child somehow also acquired a bacterial infection on his face. Last Friday it began as a small, circular mark that I initially questioned as a possible chicken pock (refer to previous post). I called the doctor to ask about the mark, and they reassured me that if it was chicken pox, he would have at least half a dozen more spots by the end of the day.

The end of the day came and went, with no more spots. I considered us lucky. No chicken pox. Fast forward a few days, and we were not feeling quite so lucky. The not-chicken-pox spot, was also not really of spot-like proportions any longer. The spot had grown. A lot. And it had taken on a swollen, tender-looking appearance. On Sunday, we into Henry's bedroom to wake him from his nap for his cousin's birthday party, and in an unusual turn of events, Henry remained asleep. We couldn't reisist taking a picture.
Since this picture was taken, Henry has made two trips to the doctor's office and begun a course of serious antibiotics. The swelling and redness have gone down significantly. This is a huge relief, especially because the doctor last night warned us that if the oral antibiotics didn't work, we'd be bound for the hospital and an IV drip. Today Henry's looking much better, as far as his infection is concerned. Now he just needs to work on healing his walking wounds. (photo below taken prior to incidents, accidents, and infections)

Countdown to 1 year old!

Henry is now a mere one month away from making it to the one-year mark! Holy cow! It's hard to know whether to call him a baby or a toddler. On another blog, I read the author's suggestion for the term "wobbler" as the interim stage between babyhood and toddler. That seems about right to me. Henry is now taking several steps at a time, but I'd hesitate to call him a toddler. Instead, I'd say we're in the thralls of wobblerhood. Wobblerhood is a wonderful time of development so far. Henry is not only learning to walk, but also really soaking up all of what we say and do around him. Some recent developments:

Brushing his teeth and hair. Often with the wrong tool. First, he picked up on using his hairbrush to make a brushing gesture against his head. It was a very sweet, if completely ineffective, attempt at grooming himself. Then, when I gave him his toothbrush the other day, he mimicked me and "brushed" his teeth. Again, pretty ineffective, but totally adorable. I can see why it would get confusing when he went downstairs and saw his hairbrush, another item he uses to "brush, brush." Brush your teeth vs. brush your hair is a fine distinction to this little wobbler. And maybe not that important a distinction, since his food often winds up in his hair anyway.

How does his food wind up in his hair, you may ask? Well, Henry is very interested in feeding himself. Most of his meals are self-fed meals, where he gets small chunks of whatever we're eating. On occasions when Henry's menu includes something requiring a spoon, oh boy are we in trouble. Henry hasn't quite gotten the idea that you can't necessarily grab whatever substance is on the spoon and put it directly into your mouth. Yogurt, for instance, works a lot better on the spoon than in the palm of your hand. Try telling that to Henry. And what gets on Henry's hands goes in Henry's hair. So, tooth brush, hair brush, whatever.

Other 11 month Henry facts...

• He lovvveeess dogs. Whether they're on TV, at a friend's house, or walking down the street, Henry greets them with a squeal of delight. I think he's already begun lobbying for a dog of his own.
• Henry also loves monkeys. Usually he only sees them on TV or in the form of stuffed animals. He saw them in a few murals at Trader Joe's this week and started squealing and laughing. It took me a while to figure out that he wasn't excited about pita chips, he was excited about painted monkeys. We can't wait to take Henry to the zoo this spring to see the monkeys in person.
• Henry loves TV. Okay, not really; but the previous two items would seem to indicate that I sit him in front of the TV all day. I do sometimes sit with him on my lap in front of the TV while he takes a bottle, but that's about it for watching. He'll sit still for approximately 10 minutes to watch Curious George, Sesame Street, or occasionally the Animal Planet channel. Otherwise, he's got better things to do.
• Monday through Friday, Henry lives for 5:45 pm. This is the time when Brian arrives home from work. Henry gets very excited when he hears either the car pull in the driveway or the door start to open. He looks at me, and either waits for me to say "daddy's home" or starts saying "da" himself while heading for the door. Then he gives Brian and big grin and hug around the legs. And he melts our hearts.
• The minute I walk into Henry's room in the morning, he starts pointing and saying "eh?" and doesn't stop until he goes to sleep at night. He wants to know the name of everything around him. It's getting much easier to figure out what Henry is pointing toward, as he's begun using his pointer finger more effectively. Up until this week, his "eh?" was accompanied by using his whole hand to gesture. Now he's managing to isolate his pointer finger when he wants to know the name of something.
  
• Henry's a dance machine. He especially likes motown. I especially like his squat and groove move.
  

There are, of course, a million other cute and fascinating facts about Henry that I could include here. If I had time to write them, that is. But I hear the little g-unit upstairs pouding on his crib. That is code for: Mooooommmmmm, I've been up here napping for two hours!! Now get up here and let's play!! I've got things to do and learn!!

A pox on your house

When is winter going to end? Winter, with all that it has wrought and brought this year, has been tough as a stay at home mom of a baby. There is the snow. There is the cold. There is the ice. There is the sickness. Oh, the sickness.

It seems as if Henry's tally of sick vs. healthy days this winter has been skewed to the former. And a recent threat of chicken pox is about to push me over the edge! He was apparently, accidentally exposed to the virus at our baby and toddler story time this week. An unknowing mother brought her pox ridden child to the story hour, and sat him in the circle of our small, closed room. I can practically see the highly contagious spores of varicella virus swirling in the air, making their way to my poor, soon-to-be vaccinated child. You see, the CDC, AAP, and AAFP now all advise vaccinating children against chicken pox for the first time between 12 and 15 months of age. Henry is now 11 months old (more about that later). The child in question at story hour is, I believe, either 14 or 15 months old, which makes me wonder about his vaccination status. Was he vaccinated, and somehow still contracted the disease? Or did his mother opt out, as do an increasing number of parents today?

Which brings me to my soapbox. Upon which I rarely stand. You probably didn't even know I had a soapbox. But I'm in the midst of a 10-20 day incubation period, during which I must wait to find out if Henry has chicken pox. And after the 10-20 day incubation period, I may just have to deal with the chicken pox themselves. Sure, it probably wouldn't be the end of the world if he did contract chicken pox. In most kids his age, it's typically pretty mild. But when there's a vaccine for this, I don't want to have to worry about it. I realize that most parents (especially all the wonderful, caring parents I know) make what they feel to be the best decision for their child. And it is every parent's right to make these decisions, including in regard to vaccinations. In fact, I myself did a fair amount of research and reading into the current hot topic of vaccines. I also considered an alternate vaccination schedule, and weighed out the pros and cons of specific vaccines. In the end, the research I did and the conversation I had with Henry's pediatrician led me to conclude that the current, AAP recommended vaccination schedule was the way to go. Whenh I made this decision, I also bore in mind the public health issues related to vaccination. Because really, it's not just a personal, family decision. It is a matter of public health and responsibility. Diseases that have been nearly erradicated by strict adherence to the vaccine schedules pop up again at alarming rates when often unsubstantiated fears cause parents to refuse physician recommended vaccines. For example, measles has been making a comeback in the UK as a result of lower vaccination rates. The drop-off in vaccination rates was related to an unsubtantiated link between the MMR vaccine and autism. So, I will just say this: do your research; make your best decision for your child; but remember that it's not just a decision about your child, but the health of society as a whole. 'Nuf said.

Walk this way

As a birthday treat, Brian took the day off of work today and spent it with me and Henry. We started the day with a relaxing breakfast out together. Later we went to the open gym time at Gymboree. Brian was able to capture a few of Henry's steps on camera!

Will walk for food

A baby's first steps must be a scary thing. Venturing out on your own, unsteady and unknowing, doing this thing you've only watched the big people do. So what did it take for Henry to gather his courage and take his first wobbly steps? Hunger. This is true to form for our dear little boy with the big appetite. And I have never been so thankful for his appetite in all his ten and a half months. Not because it motivated him to walk, but because we've had a few unsettling days of Henry eating and drinking very little. Naive, new mother that I am, I never thought I would see a day where Henry wasn't interested in food; but now I've seen three days of no interest in eating. Henry's on the heels (I hope!) of a nasty cold, throat, ear infection combo that left him a shadow of his healthy self. This afternoon Henry began to rebound from his sickness, and finally ate some lunch. I'd offered him bananas, thinking they were a bland, inoffensive food for an unhappy little tummy. Did Henry want bananas? No, he wanted my lunch, which was a pungent garlic and spinach pasta dish. So, garlic pasta it was. Later in the afternoon I grabbed a few cheddar flavored rice crackers for a snack while I watched Henry play. Not one to miss a snack, Henry picked right up on the sound of the crinkling bag and came to investigate. Since I had spent the past three days fearing that Henry would starve and whither away to nothingness, I couldn't turn down his pleading glances toward the crackers. Yes, I'm a sucker. I squatted down and gave him one small piece. And then another and another. Eventually he was standing up before me grabbing the pieces faster than I could break them off. Seeing my opportunity, I backed away a few steps, and the hungry babe slowly creeped one foot forward in my direction. He fell on this attempt. But a few minutes later, success! Henry took four tentative little steps toward me (okay, toward the rice crackers that I happened to be holding)! He repeated this feat a few more times before satisfying his hunger and wandering off to climb the stairs. Watch out world, here comes Henry!

Around and around

Henry has never met a set of wheels he didn't like. He loves to overturn his toy buses and cars to spin the wheels. Sometimes he even enjoys rolling them back and forth right-side-up on the wheels. He loves to ride in or on wheeled vehicles. And he loves to listen to and accompany the classic "Wheels on the Bus" song with his own crazy wheeling motion. Let's just say, it looks like the axel's busted on that bus, but Henry enjoys his attempts at the motion. And so do we, of course.

Here Henry is at Noodle Noggin n Bean, looking very much the little boy, and trying his hand at a small riding car.

NNnB was a fun-filled adventure with cousins Liam and Evan. Henry had a great time finding lots of another fave, balls. Among other themed rooms, he spent a little time in what would have been my favorite room as a child (okay, it's still my favorite room there as a grown up, too). As you can see below, this room is mini diner and kitchen, complete with seating, a stocked fridge, grocery carts, and much more. Cousin Evan treated me and Henry to a gourmet meal of asparagus and lemon cookies. Mmmm.
Though it's a little pricey, NNnB does deliver when it comes to providing something for everyone. Even the hallways had toys hanging from the walls.
Our trip to NNnB followed a big "first" for us. While I attended a meeting of a local child development committee, I left Henry with a babysitter who was provided for meeting attendees. Believe it or not, this was the first time I have left Henry with a non-family member. And it only took 10 months to do it! As with pretty much every major change or development so far, I worried much more than necessary. Henry survived. Phew! In fact, Henry did more than survive. From the report of the babysitter, he was happy as a clam. A busy, non-stop clam. I'm pretty sure the woman who watched him needed to go home and take a nap after her time with Henry. She greeted me with "Wow, you have your hands full with that one! He gets into everything!" That's my son.

In other Henry news, we had a great time returning to another session of the Baby and Toddler story time. Henry was at his most charming, energetic, and friendly self. His attention span for the stories was on the short side, but that was fine since the "story time" is also comprised of songs, parachute play, and free play time. Henry showed off his new skills by clapping at the end of each story and song. He bopped up and down on his knees during the reprisal of the "Chicken Dance" song (Why the chicken dance at story time? I don't know. It was a little weird, frankly.). He smiled, waved, and babbled to the other kids. It was lovely. Until the parachute. I'm not sure what it is, but my dear son does not like the parachute. Not one bit. We needed to take a short time out while the other kiddos had fun waving the parachute around, hiding under it, and bouncing balls on top of it. All in all, though, it was one of the most fun times I've had with Henry. I'm looking forward to six more weeks of stories, songs, and play with the little guy at this fun opportunity.

Top Ten

In honor of Henry's ten-month "birthday" yesterday and the New Year tendency to reflect and make lists, here is a list of my top ten Henry moments/memories/themes (in no particular order):

1) The first time Henry cooed back at me. Henry was sitting on my lap one day when he began to make little sounds back in response to my own. It was a remarkable moment, recognizing that he was able to communicate in this new (non-crying) way.

2) The first time Henry crawled to Brian after work. Henry became very excited when he saw Brian walk into the room at the end of the day, and crawled over to say hello. Now most days he's waiting eagerly for Brian. I see the connection between Henry and his dad in many ways, but this memory signifies it in a very special way.

3) Sitting in the early spring sunshine with Henry napping on me. Most mornings in the month or two after Henry was born, I would spend a few hours with Henry in the rocking chair in our sunroom. At that time of day and year, the sun would warmly filter through and remind me that summer was on the way. Henry was most content napping on me in those days, so I would sit with him curled against me, drinking my morning coffee and reading a book. I miss those cozy little moments.

4) Tiramisu. It is a little weird, but yes, tiramisu. I had tiramisu every night for dessert when I was in the hospital recovering from the c-section. I'll always associate tiramisu with being taken care of in the hospital, getting to know Henry, and having lots of visits from family. It's all a little hazy due to the combined effect of hormones/pain killers, but the tiramisu and the Henry, I remember.

5) Watching Henry reach for toys on his play mat. He had such focus and intensity as he tried to bat at his toys. Sometimes the effort just wasn't enough to get his wobbly little arm up to the toy, and he would start all over again, reaching, reaching, reaching. Henry's been a determined little boy from the start.

6) Henry's crazy happy face. You know it if you've seen it. And you've seen it in photos here. The wide-open mouth, now with top two teeth showing. Usually this face is accompanied by a breathless sort of "ha ha ha" sound. It makes me laugh every time.

7) Henry's increasingly social nature, and his ability to recognize friends and family. I love watching Henry see a person or even photo of someone he knows. His face lights up, he reaches his arms out, and he recently began doing a cute squeal of happiness when he sees a familiar person. This is especially true for children. Henry loves seeing little kids, including children he doesn't know. When we're around other kids, Henry will smile, reach out, and start babbling at them.

8) The first time Henry pulled up to standing, using me for support. For some reason, this milestone really hit home as far as my continuing awareness of and acceptance for Henry's individuality. He's a little person who can stand on his own two feet.

9) Introducing Henry to new people. I'm a proud mom. I love showing him off. Always have, always will.

10) Taking Henry out in the jogging stroller. Running while pushing Henry in the stroller made me feel like my old self again, with the added bonus of having Henry with me. We got sidelined with my injury, but I'm sure we'll be out there again in the spring. Me and my buddy getting some exercise together.

Bonus item: The first time Henry slept through the night. I remember feeling like a new person. Today, it feels like a distant memory. We're in an ugly sleep phase right now. Very ugly. Like, Henry--and by extension, mommy--was up most of the night between 10 pm and 2 am last night. He was doing what can best be described as shouting. No, not crying or screaming, but shouting. Like his cute babbling, except with the volume turned up to a not-so-cute level. I believe there was also some excited jumping up and down from the sound of the squeaky crib mattress.The good news is, usually these disrupted phases of sleep precede or accompany Henry's big developmental milestones. Since he looks like he's getting very close to walking, I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll see his first steps soon! He also seems very intent in making sentence-like sounds and gesturing while vocalizing, so I think he's working on putting together the mechanics of recognizable speech. That will sure be exciting!

Happy ten months, Henry!

Happy New Year!