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!