Georgia

So, we are in Georgia. We managed the flight quite well. The scariest part is over. We even saw the edge of Isaac without having Henry cry. I think if we added it up, he cried for less than five minutes of the whole airport and airplane business. He was a champ. He smiled and giggled for a lot of people and he was given a pair of wings for having completed his first flight. And he napped more than I have ever witnessed him nap in one day.
He also got spoiled by all of that lap time and made up all of his missed crying time in the car on the way to see Jenna. He finally fell asleep two minutes from her house. And then woke right up as we parked the car. I can't say he was exactly grumpy, but he didn't want to get back to sleep, either. It was only nine our time when we first tried to get him down. Eventually Jon walked him around the neighborhood. But that didn't do the trick. So we started to run a bath for him when he finally started showing signs of drowsiness. I fed him and he fell right to sleep. Too bad it was two in the morning here before he zonked out.
So we're all kind of out of it and trying to acclimate to the time difference.
So far we have eaten at Zaxby's and we liked that quite a bit. And today after a late start and some serious lounging around, we made it to the Trappist monastery here. The Monastery of the Holy Ghost. It was really neat. The monks have retreats, make jewelry, fudge, and jam. But I think I was most impressed with their bonsai garden. Jon was on the phone talking up caves almost the whole time, so we'll have to go back to feed the ducks and see their chapel. I recently discovered that Henry loves ducks, and I want Jon to witness Henry giggling over the duckies.

Five months

I have a five month old. Or, rather, we have a five month old. It is now a habit: at every month-versary, Jon gives me a smile and a high five. We have made it through another month. We have survived. What's more, we have learned and grown together. So while are still in the trenches, while we are still sleep deprived, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. Our boy is healthy, and that's a big deal. We prayed every day of my pregnancy for our baby to be healthy and strong. He is definitely both of those. His Kung-foo grip is what most inspired my drastic hair cut. I lopped fourteen inches of hair off and donated it. No big deal.
If I had had more foresight, I would have also prayed more fervently for a calm baby who enjoyed sleep. I guess you can't always know what to pray for beforehand. Little did I know that our little guy would rarely nap, would stay up until 11 at night, and then would be ready to party by 6am. Oh, and he sometimes wakes up at 4am full of stories to share, so excited about things that we can't understand which he nevertheless attempts to relate to us in squeals and exaggerated arm gestures.
In those ridiculous hours of the "morning" I try to sing and rock him back to sleep after feeding him, but no, sleep is for suckers, he says. So then Jon will take a turn. It used to be that he would walk Henry around the house, but that has become too boring and routine. So these days, Jon straps Henry on in the Ergo carrier and walks him around the neighborhood for twenty minutes, and then we'll get to sleep again until 6:30 or 7. If I am super lucky, he might take a nap around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, but that is usually on while he is snuggled up with me. If I so much as get up to use the bathroom, he wakes up and is good to go the rest of the day. So while I always planned on taking friends' advice by napping when my baby does, what do you do if he doesn't?
It is not at 4 in the morning, but at 4 in the afternoon when I really wonder what keeps my kid going. At 4am we just go through whatever it takes to get him to sleep. But it is the next afternoon when my lack of uninterrupted sleep hits me, and it is then that I marvel at he does it, how we all get through it.
So, each month that goes by we celebrate this wonderful little person that was entrusted to our care. We constantly celebrate his milestones, his emerging personality, his quirks, and his sweet habits. And every month we also take a moment to acknowledge that this is real work, that we have all been changed and that we are continuing to change, and that we have all made it through another month. Yay us!
So here's to another month with our operatic-singing, nearly-crawling, smiley, loud, energetic, bathtime-loving, curious, and cuddly boy. We love you so much.

Little things

Jon, the sweetie that he is, got me a new (functional) phone for our anniversary.
I've been just the teensiest bit preoccupied being a mom... But hopefully I can start posting more from my phone. Because I mean, who can get enough of this guy?