Henry: (almost) 16 months

It feels weird to even type that out- almost 16 months. Slow down time, will ya? Recently I went through this phase where I was so depressed that our little boy was growing up so quickly. I looked through old photos and videos endlessly, trying to remember what it felt like to have his tiny body curled on my chest, what it sounded like as he made those little sleep noises while drifting off to sleep, what it looked like to see tiny baby Henry and his Dad snuggled up on the couch. That nostalgic feeling lasted a day or two, but then it gave way to this overall feeling of happiness that he is indeed growing up, and how wonderful that really is, of course. I think all Moms deal with this, and I've probably dedicated one too many posts to discussing it again and again (and again!), but for good reason- for me it's emotionally one of the hardest things about being a parent. There's this reluctance to let go of the previous stage but at the same time there's the biggest excitement and fascination with the present and future...and I'm sure so many Moms can relate to that.

So now almost 16-month old Henry is walking and talking and is ALL over the place. Seriously. This boy does not leave anything unturned, unopened, unexplored. Which is pretty awesome but of course pretty exhausting for me too, as the main chaser. I can't complain though because I really really love how inquisitive he is, and I'll chase that boy all day if it means he gets to keep figuring things out and learning. He speaks constantly, even though we can't always make out what he is saying. Right now he can say ball, mama, da (short for dada, I guess), up, fan, and some other things he repeats but I have no idea what the meaning is. Henry also says "what's that?" all the time and Hank and I are positive "that's cool" is a regular phrase too...although "das coo" is more what it sounds like. He's the biggest love bug and is always smiling- he's really goofy and silly most of the time. He does lots of funny things- one notable thing is he will grab his blanket and lay down if we say "Henry, time for night-night." It kills me every time. He gives so many hugs and kisses, and he seems to understand most everything we say to him. In short, it's SO much fun and this age is just the best. He's a ham, a wild man, and a cuddle monster all rolled into one.

At the same time, we have one stubborn and headstrong guy on our hands. Tantrums have definitely started. He can go from happy baby to pissed off baby within two seconds, so I've been trying to work with him on that. The main source of his frustration are usually one of two things: if I take something away from him or if I don't allow him into a place he wants to go (like the pantry).  His meltdowns aren't very frequent, but when they happen I try not to react to his outburst, but still let him know I'm there for him. It's tough. I feel like he gets obsessed with things- a water bottle, or a noise maker at music class this morning- and needs to have it. If I take it away he won't calm down until he finds it again, or finds something else to distract himself. Another thing he's been doing lately is "testing" me.  He'll go up to the television, put his hand on it (not allowed), then look back at me for a reaction. I say no, he moves on, but he'll go do something else he knows he isn't allowed to do, like open our bedroom door.  He'll walk around the house doing this. Sometimes it's SO hard not to laugh because he has this huge goofy smile on his face, but I try and remain serious, as tough as it is!

Overall though, we have a very sweet, loving little 15 (almost 16) month old. I love this little guy more every day, and it's only getting more fun as he becomes more and more communicative.  He says a few words now, and I am so excited for the day he says full sentences. I can't even imagine him saying "Mom! I'm hungry! Where's the food?" but I know it will be here before we know it.

Henry's 15 month stats from last month: 23 lbs, 5 oz and 31.5 inches tall. Awesome. I love you Henry!

Henry: Month by Month

Henry is 15 months old today and I realized last night I never shared all of his monthly photos! It's so neat to see them side-by-side, and then look at him now. He's such a big boy! Henry has his 15-month check-up tomorrow afternoon, so I'll be sharing more about that post-appointment. I should also add that recently Hank and I have been talking about a possible baby #2. Ah! And although we aren't quite there yet, it's been fun imagining Henry as a big brother. I feel like I'm so used to having a boy that if we ended up having a girl it would be such a change. We've had our girl name picked out for the past 7 years and imagining a little lady is so fun, but at the same time, I'd love to have another boy. Either way we'll be happy of course, and it's kind of nice to not have a preference. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here since we are just starting to talk about it, but it's just so exciting that I had to share!

Anyway, here's the collage. I just used fabric, sheets, or curtains that we had around the house to use for the backdrop, and then also displayed all of these photos at his first birthday party. Our family and friends loved it, and it was a fun tribute to those 12 months that had gone by way too quickly. I think my favorite photo from the bunch would have to be from month 5. Although Henry had always been the sweetest thing, it was right around then when his personality really started to emerge. I love all of them, but that picture is just way too cute.

On a side note, when I do this again for any future kiddos, I will definitely not take them laying down. From 9 months on it was a nightmare to try and get our roly-poly, crawling dude to lay on his back for more than 3 seconds. It was downright impossible and not fun at all. Next time I'm thinking a chair or couch photo would work a lot better.

Henry: 11 months

Oh my word. 11 months. It's so hard to believe that our little guy will be ONE on November 22nd.  This past month has been the most fun yet. His personality is shining through and everyday I fall a little more in love with him.

Henry loves to laugh and smile, and he is a total goof ball. Right now he's very into building things (then knocking them down), the color yellow, reading so many books, Yo Gabba Gabba and Sesame Street, toys where he has to match things (like colors or shapes), standing on his own, and I'd say his current favorite meal is either sweet potatoes with organic cheese or pinto beans and avocado. A boy after my own heart and stomach!



And...BIG NEWS...Henry took his very first steps this past weekend, on Saturday, October 29th to be exact. He was holding onto the side of the couch, then let go, then decided to take three shaky steps all on his own. I squealed and scared him, so he fell and started crying. Silly mama. But it was so awesome to see it happen, and it was equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking thinking that he will be super mobile so soon.

Another neat thing he does now is recognize objects or people by their names. We play the name game, and I'll say "banana" and he can point to it in a book, or go get it across the room. Other things he knows: football, light, fan, baby, teddy bear, water, mama, and dada. He's been pointing up at the fan whenever we say "Henry, where's the fan?" for a couple of months but now he's starting to really understand other words too. He will also "high five" or "double high five" when we prompt him to. The cutest thing ever is when he grabs the football and we say "spike it!" He'll throw it down on the ground. Kills me every time.



This month Henry:

• is so, so chatty and "talks" to everyone and everything, all day long. It almost sounds like he's speaking a foreign language with the inflections and pauses. So neat.
• points at everything
• is very, very curious about how things work
• is still breastfeeding but down to about three times a day, sometimes more or less depending on him
• naps twice a day
• sleeps 12-14 hours through the night
• experienced his first Halloween
• has been an eating machine!
• has very cranky, crying, screamy days when he is teething
• likes to feed himself- trying with a spoon but he definitely hasn't mastered that
• is very cuddly, even more so than usual

Overall it's just so exciting to know that in a few weeks Henry will be a year old. I've been thinking a lot about this past year, and how lucky I feel to be this little boy's mama. I can't even put into words the way he's enriched our lives and everything he taught us. It's amazing. His first birthday party is coming up soon too, so I've been focused on getting ready for that, I think it's going to be a ton of fun.  I really enjoy throwing parties and entertaining, so it's been exciting thinking of how I want to celebrate Henry and this past year. I can't wait!

Happy 11 months Henry, we love you!

Henry: 10 months

This post is LATE! Which means the 11 month post is just around the corner, on the 22nd. In 10 days. Oops. These photos are from weeks ago but I totally forgot to share them here along with the little notes I've been taking along the way.

I also need to say how hard it is to get a decent photo of Henry laying down like this. I thought it was difficult last month, but no, this month is much worse. We probably snapped 200 photos and this was the best of them. Note to self: for our next baby take photos in a chair or other non-laying-down pose.

But back to the update- Hank and I were just talking about how fun this past month has been. Henry is changing so quickly as he approaches his first birthday, and everyday there's something new. New sounds, new movements, new ideas. It's amazing. And this month H. finally cut his first tooth- the front left. He was in a lot of pain, but we've been using the Hyland's teething tablets and I think they're helping a bit.  Henry had also gone through a very non-cuddly phase but now with the teething he is back to wanting to cuddle on the couch, be held, rocked to sleep, etc. Thank goodness!

This month Henry:

got his first tooth
started the get the hang of high-fives
little to no separation anxiety- he'll reach out for strangers to pick him up!
attended his first pep assembly at the high school
went to the pumpkin patch
visited a petting zoo
loves to scream and squeal
is making tons of sounds
loves reading and will "read" to himself - turning pages and making sounds
sleeps 12 straight hours a night
still breastfeeding - 4 feedings a day
loves playing his piano
walks easily lightly holding onto furniture
loves pushing his cars and trucks around the house
adores Madeline
won't wear a hat, but doesn't mind hoods
loves music, especially female vocals
love to "help" Daddy play guitar
is fascinated by the outdoors, especially the moon
can figure out matching toys- will put the "A" in the A slot and so on





It's amazing and equally hard to say that month our little guy turns ONE. It's insane. I'm planning his party right now and I'm really excited to get all of our friends and family together to celebrate the best year of our life. I feel lucky that Henry's birthday is in the fall, because there's already this excitement in the air and this just adds to it, tenfold.

Happy 10 months, little darling. We love you oh-so-much.



p.s. I found this photo on my computer after posting the pumpkin patch pics. How could I have missed it? So cute.

Henry: 9 months

I waited until today to do Henry's 9 month update because we had his belated appointment today, two weeks late!  So technically the little guy is half past his 9 month celebration, and on the 22nd he will hit 10 months.

Henry's stats:

18 lbs., 15 oz
29.5 inches long

This month has been the craziest so far in regards to emerging personality and change.  Henry is truly coming into his own, and it's pretty amazing to watch him take shape into the little boy he's going to be. I can't get enough of our dude and I feel like every single day he does something new. It's seriously astonishing to watch him grow and develop, and I'm always so excited to see what he's going to do next.

Henry is still the best sleeper, and has been sleeping even more- about 12 to 13 hours a night. He goes to sleep at 6pm, and wakes up anywhere between 6am and 7:30.  Most of the time it's right around 6:30am.  He's still taking two naps a day.

As far as food, he eats three solid meals a day and breastfeeds about 4-5 times. He loves all food, and he's eaten everything from beans to rice, to organic cheese and veggies, organic yogurt, tofu, you name it. Henry's also getting the hang of feeding himself with his hands, and everyday he gets a little better.  He practices with the Happy Bellies organic puffs and I think those little treats have helped a lot with his hand eye coordination as far as feeding himself.

He isn't walking on his own yet, but cruises and walks along furniture and in his walker. He will also stand on his own, unsupported, for up to about ten seconds.

This month Henry:

loves music so much and will "sing" along in the car
is all smiles, all the time
would stay in the bath all night if I let him
still sucks his thumb- but only when he's tired
is very ticklish - especially the front of his chest, thighs, and under his arms!
says "mama" all the time
is learning new sounds and testing them out
is fascinated by ceiling fans and lights
is starting point at things
loves to yell and scream
is the fastest crawler ever
wants to be standing all of the time
sits in the front of the shopping cart
loves books and will bring them over to us so we can read them to him- his current favorite is The Very Hungry Caterpillar
blows raspberries and makes noises with his mouth
waves hello and goodbye
still has no teeth but the top two should break through any day!
makes it VERY hard to take these monthly photos laying down- next baby I'm doing them in a chair ;)

It's really just so hard to believe that he will be one year old so soon! I've started planning his party and that it's itself blows my mind everyday. Man oh man. Happy 9 months Henry, we love you so much!

Henry: 8 months

This update is a couple of weeks behind schedule due to being gone, (his monthly birthday is on the 22nd), but better late than never, right? This month has been the most fun as far as his growth and change, and it's like we watch him grow up a little more everyday. With all of this growing comes so many new, fun stages but also less of little baby Henry too. Bittersweet for sure.  As far as actual size, Henry has gotten so much bigger! Right now he's just getting out of 9 month clothing and into 12 month. He's tall and on the slim side, like another Henry I happen to know quite well!  I'm curious to see how long he is at his 9-month check up which is right around the corner.

As far as foods, Henry is a really, really good eater. He's still breastfeeding and going strong. Here's how our day usually goes:

6:45am: wake up, BF
7:30am: breakfast - usually a fruit and oatmeal concoction although this week we'll be venturing into the world of organic yogurt too.
11am: BF upon waking up from his nap
noon: a small lunch or snack - lately it's been a mashed up avocado or other veggie
2pm: BF before his nap.
5pm: BF a upon waking/before dinner
5:15pm (or so): dinner - some sort of pureed veggies
7pm: BF before bed.

Henry also has a sippy cup of water available to him and will drink whenever he's thirsty. We only do water and he's been doing the sippy cup thing since he was about 6.5 months old. He really got the hang out it around 7 months and knows how to hold it, tilt it, etc.  He never really used a bottle, so now if I have to be gone during a regular feeding he'll just drink my milk from the sippy. We use the Nuk Orthodontic Sippy and love them. I also make all of Henry's food, but while on vacation I couldn't do much outside of mashing up avocados and bananas, so to mix it up he also enjoyed some of the Earth's Best jarred food and a couple other types of organic baby food in pouches.

It's crazy what a difference a month makes- you can even see it in the 7 month to this month's photos. 8 months is the most fun yet (told you I'd say that everytime!).  But really, everyday is something new. A new sound, a new "trick," something else to make Hank and I just die from cuteness overload, laughter, or both.

This month Henry:

will wave hello and goodbye
says "mama" (his first word!)
still doesn't have any teeth
tries to stand with no hands - doesn't quite have the balance down yet
bounces and dances to music
laughs a lot
all smiles, all day
loves to be carried on my hip all the time
knows what "up" means and will raise his arms when he wants to be picked up
lots of squealing and funny noises
lots of babbling and "talking"
good at playing independently
loves Madeline so much
sleeps through the night every night

This upcoming weekend I'm leaving to go to California for a friend's bachelorette party and I'm a little nervous about being away from Henry for two nights, but I know Hank will do just fine.  I am so, so excited for some true "me" time though but I can't imagine how it is going to feel not seeing Henry everyday. My heart already hurts a little but I'm also really excited! I'm sure some of you mamas know what I mean. I've been pumping like crazy, getting Hank prepped on what to do, and I feel ready. So come Friday, this mama is getting on a plane and heading off to a fabulous girl's weekend in Manhattan Beach. Wish us luck!

So, happy 8 months sweet Henry. We love you so much. We're already halfway to 9, and I can't wait to see what it has in store for us.

p.s. note to self: for our next baby, take monthly photos SITTING UP. Even if I have to prop the baby up, it will much easier than trying to keep a rambunctious 8 month old on his back. Talk about baby-wrangling- I should film one of our photoshoots, I'm sure you'd get a laugh!

Henry: 7 months

7 months is so much fun! I love this age, and it's definitely my favorite month yet. Spoiler alert: I think I'm going to end up saying that every month! This past month though has been awesome. Henry's personality is shining through, and just like I thought, he's a funny, sweet, very independent little dude. And getting funnier and sweeter by the day.

This month went transitioned into solids, and started off with rice cereal (hated it), then oatmeal (also hated it), and a week later decided to start vegetables. Our friend Robyn got us the Baby Bullet as a gift and I LOVE it. I've been making batches of homemade baby food and it's just so easy to use. I'll blog more specifically about it sometime soon, but it's really a great tool. So far Henry has tried sweet potatoes (his first food), avocados, and yesterday he tried peas. We've been feeding him once at day around 4pm. Here's a little video from his first pea experience- don't mind my commentary!







Henry has also been moving and grooving like crazy. He has pulling up on anything he can get his hands on, and prefers to be standing. He's even starting to try and take steps while holding onto his crib. It's really weird to see him over by his toy basket, pulling himself up to pick out a toy to play with. I keep thinking back to just a few short months ago, when he was a non-mobile baby, and it's insane to think about what a difference those weeks have made. It's neat though, and I'm excited for him to start being able to get where he wants to go.

This month Henry:

is eating and loving solids
is still breastfeeding
takes 2 naps a day
can pull up on anything
loves to stand
laughs when you squeeze his thighs
loves swimming and being in the water
is starting to get very attached to mama
makes lots of babbling sounds
doesn't have any teeth yet
is wearing 9-12 month clothing
doesn't like to wear shoes or socks
loves being in one of our slings
really enjoys going on walks and jogs in the BOB jogger
lights up with Daddy get homes from work
is fascinated by remote controls, cell phone, and plastic cups
drinks water and breastmilk out of a sippy cup

As far as sleeping goes, he's been wanting to go to bed earlier, and likes to start his bedtime process around 6:30pm. That seems SO early to me, but it's naturally when he gets tired and no matter what we are doing or where we are, he'll curl up against me and start sucking his thumb. The thumb is ALWAYS an indicator of nap time, and during the day I can totally gauge when he needs a nap and when he will actually go down for a nap based on when that thumb gets popped into his mouth. It's almost like clockwork. For the past week Henry has been waking up in the middle of the night wanting to eat around 1am. He eats for about 5-10 minutes then goes back to sleep. I can't tell if it's because he's actually hungry or if he just wants to be comforted, but either way it's okay with me.

And speaking of eating, last week while at my parents', I left Henry for the evening to go to a show. He doesn't take a bottle anymore and hasn't for months, and our doctor advised me against using one this late in the game. So, we used a Born Free sippy cup my Mom got him. I pumped the night before, and my Mom filled the cup with a bottle's worth of breast milk, gave it to him before he went to bed in place of our usual feeding, and he drank the whole thing while sitting in her lap. He went right to bed and slept through the night. I was SO relieved, because I have three different weekends over the next couple of months that I'm going to be leaving him with Hank, and I was so, so nervous. It makes me happy to know that this worked well.

So, happy 7 months to our darling little man. He's the best thing in our life and it's only gets more and more fun everyday. I can't wait to see what this month has in store for us!  And if these photos are any indication, you can bet it's going to be a good time!

Henry: 6 months

Okay so THIS is my favorite age so far. Henry is turning into the biggest ham, the sweetest boy, and every single day his personality emerges a little more. It's just such a joy to wake up to him every morning- to go into his room and see him sitting up, waiting for us to pick him up. He raises his arms when we say "up?" and then give us the sweetest smile. I don't know if my heart could get any bigger. 

He's still exclusively breastfeeding and we haven't introduced anything else yet.  He doesn't use a bottle so it's been all me this entire time, with the exception of about four times. I think we are going to start with rice cereal next week, and go from there. We're definitely taking it slow though, and I'm still planning on breastfeeding until he's at least one.

Henry's reached a lot of milestones this month with the biggest being crawling!  I spoke about it in a previous post- he's been moving for quite some time now, but it's only been in the past couple of weeks he's gotten the crawling down pretty well. Now if I take my eyes off of him for a second he's across the room, it's pretty wild!

As far as sleeping, we went through a few nights last week that were a little difficult but now things are back to him sleeping from 7pm until about 7am.  Sometimes he'll wake up at 5am, and when he does that we'll usually go for an early morning walk and he'll fall back asleep. Henry's taking two naps a day- one anywhere between 9 and 10am and another around 2pm.  Sometimes he'll take three, but lately it's just been the two. And most recently he's been taking 2-3 hour naps at a time.

This month Henry:

has begun to crawl
can fully sit up on his own
can move from sitting to laying down to sitting again easily
can pull himself up to knees and almost to standing
will wake up, pull himself up in his crib and start chewing on the rail
can pick up multiple objects and move them from hand to hand
is "talking" a lot
loves to watch Madeline run and play
can't get enough of "The Isty Bitsy Spider"
rides in his stroller without the carseat
will put his arms up when we say "up"
is still sucking his thumb
self soothes himself back to sleep
is fascinated by clapping hands
loves when his papa tosses him up in the air
is very into "reading" and books
loves his rubber blocks and stacking rings
sleeps either on his side or on his stomach, with his butt in the air
loves to laugh and smile

Henry's 6 months check up is on June 2nd, so I'll share his height and weight changes next week. Right now he's wearing 9 month clothing, but his 9 month pjs are getting a little short on him so I'm thinking he's grown quite a bit!  This may sound silly, but I'm excited for him to get into 12 month sizing- boy clothes are so much cuter from that point on. And speaking of clothes, Henry's Grandma Cheryl got him the cutest outfit for Hawaii and the lake- boardshorts, a tee, and little surfer sandals. Next weekend Henry will be starting swim class at the Y too, and I'm really excited about getting in the water with him and getting him used to it. Hank pretty much grew up on the water every summer and I know once Henry gets a bit older it will be the same.

So, happy six months Henry! I can't believe our little guy is already half a year old. Everyday we fall more in love, and I can't wait to see what the next six months hold.