Jon and I took Henry to Zion for the afternoon over the weekend. We stopped for a bite to eat on the way there. We ordered, sat down, and started eating, trying to keep Henry entertained. He had been super fussy in the car and was not happy with the scenario at the restaurant. Henry doesn't like that there are things that we eat that we cannot share with him. So Jon put Henry on his knee and was bouncing him gently and talking to him. He was having nothing to do with at high chairs at that point. And then Henry started looking around and people-watching and some of the people were watching him right back and smiled at him. That made Henry giggle, which made this lady turn around. She looked at Henry, then Jon and I, then back at Henry and he gave her a great big smile. Then the lady's eyes got all big and she exclaimed, "Oh, he's real!" And upon seeing our confusion, went on to clarify, "I thought he was a doll!"
Because Jon obviously looks like the type to play with life-size baby dolls.
I assured her that Henry is very much real, and went back to eating. But a few minutes later, it must have still been on the woman's mind because she shared, "I think I must have thought he was a doll because of his eyes. So blue."
She kept looking at me, waiting for a response, so I said that he does have great big blue eyes, smiled at her, and went back to my lunch.
Not two minutes later, another couple walks in and this woman starts waving and smiling at Henry and then calls her husband over to look at him. She then starts talking to Henry as if his parents are not there. You know, mostly the usual, "Oh, aren't you so cute?! ... I could just eat you up.... Well, aren't you all smiles?" I honestly don't know how to respond to that. I mean, she was talking to Henry and not me. Was she expecting him to answer? And then as I got up to go to the restroom, she started talking to Henry again and asked him, "Do you think your mom would mind it very much if I took you home with me?"
Since I was walking right past their table, I did answer that one. "I'm pretty sure his mom would NOT like that at all." I said it with a smile, so that was ok, right? What would you do? She was kind of talking about kidnapping, after all.
I blame our odd dining experience on the location. That's what we get for eating in Hurricane.
And for my parent friends out there, do you just get used to being treated like you are invisible or do you insert yourself into the conversation? But even then, what do you say besides thank you? Do you gush stuff like, "Oh, I know, he's just toooooo cute, isn't he? Can you believe those sweet chunky thighs?" Or do you share something more truthful like, "Lady, you don't know the half of it. Do you know how much work it is keeping this baby happy, out of trouble, and entertained?"
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
High chair
So I posed this question to my facebook friends today, but I am also asking any of my friends here who are also moms-- If you have a high chair that you love/loved can you give me some recommendations? And let me know what you love about it. Does it fold up compact? Is it easy to clean? Is it sturdy?
We're already at that phase. I can hardly believe it. While I was trying to put it off as long as possible, I think we really need one yesterday. This kid is a MESSY eater. It is fun to watch him, but the clean up is not so much fun. Especially because he wants to do it all by himself... So, any and all input would be happily received. Thanks!
12/8/12
Update: Okay, so we went with a fold-up Ikea chair with industrial washable fabric. It folds up really compact, and when it is opened up, it comes up right to the table so that Henry can eat right off of the table and there is one less surface to clean. We're pretty happy with it.
We're already at that phase. I can hardly believe it. While I was trying to put it off as long as possible, I think we really need one yesterday. This kid is a MESSY eater. It is fun to watch him, but the clean up is not so much fun. Especially because he wants to do it all by himself... So, any and all input would be happily received. Thanks!
12/8/12
Update: Okay, so we went with a fold-up Ikea chair with industrial washable fabric. It folds up really compact, and when it is opened up, it comes up right to the table so that Henry can eat right off of the table and there is one less surface to clean. We're pretty happy with it.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Six months
Henry will be half a year old on Sunday. I can hardly believe it. I love this kid so much. It is amazing watching him learn and grow. He rolls over like a champ. He sits on his own really well. If he reaches for a toy waaaay out in front of him while sitting up, he basically folds in half, but can still pull himself upright from that position. When he reaches to far to one side, that's another story. He just topples over.
On the topic of crawling: it terrifies me. We are going to have to achieve a whole new level of baby-proofing. I'm still not entirely convinced that he won't skip crawling and go straight to running around the house. He has all of the mechanics of crawling down, but doesn't put them all together. When on our bed he does sort of crawl, with his face planted firmly on the mattress. On carpet he keeps his head up, but then doesn't put his knees under himself, so he just kind of scoots. And if I lay him on a blanket, he pulls any toys out of reach toward himself. Resourceful little guy. And loves to stand. You give him one finger of each hand and he'll stand of ages, and bop up and down, and stomp now and then. I've already been told to prepare for an aching back since it seems like he's going to want to walk and he'll need my assistance. I'm already envisioning hours spent as his shadow, bent over behind him, my hands used as a grip to stabilize his toddling walk.
And since this is our child and he has this from both sides, he will most certainly be a climber. So pretty soon we'll be anchoring furniture to our walls.
So I am enjoying my last few weeks of having an only somewhat mobile baby. You should see him when he gets into rolling though. If he spots something he wants and doesn't want to scoot to it, he just rolls and rolls and readjusts his trajectory if he needs to, and he gets what he wants.
Oh, and this boy is independent already. If he can reach something, he doesn't want it handed to him. Nope, he wants to pick it up on his own.
The kid is also teething. He has been for nearly a month now. I can feel a few teeth under the surface, but none have broken through yet. And the poor dear is struggling big time with it. We've gotten by with natural pain relief until just barely. Talking to my midwife, who is also big into natural remedies reminded me of what we as adults go through when we have dental pain. And we can understand what we're going through. So last night we used baby Advil and he slept for a good five hour stretch. And can I just say it made a huge difference- for all of us.
Some cute things he does:
When he's sleepy, if I'm carrying him, he'll snuggle his head into my neck and throw an arm over my shoulder. He could sleep for hours like that.
Also when he's sleepy- I'm not sure if does this to announce his sleepiness or to fight it, but he likes to blow raspberries on my arm or shoulder or to the room in general. Either way, I think it is hilarious.
He is obsessed with grass. More specifically, he loves yanking it out of the ground. If you put him on a blanket outside, he will make his way to an edge and will pull fistfuls of grass blades out like it is his personal mission to do so.
He cracks up when the dogs play. He has the cutest laugh when he is being amused by the fur babies. He also tries to touch, pet, and generally grab the dogs. He somehow knows that the cat won't put up with it because he is gentler with her (if she lets him close enough).
Ok, that's enough baby gushing for now.
On the topic of crawling: it terrifies me. We are going to have to achieve a whole new level of baby-proofing. I'm still not entirely convinced that he won't skip crawling and go straight to running around the house. He has all of the mechanics of crawling down, but doesn't put them all together. When on our bed he does sort of crawl, with his face planted firmly on the mattress. On carpet he keeps his head up, but then doesn't put his knees under himself, so he just kind of scoots. And if I lay him on a blanket, he pulls any toys out of reach toward himself. Resourceful little guy. And loves to stand. You give him one finger of each hand and he'll stand of ages, and bop up and down, and stomp now and then. I've already been told to prepare for an aching back since it seems like he's going to want to walk and he'll need my assistance. I'm already envisioning hours spent as his shadow, bent over behind him, my hands used as a grip to stabilize his toddling walk.
And since this is our child and he has this from both sides, he will most certainly be a climber. So pretty soon we'll be anchoring furniture to our walls.
So I am enjoying my last few weeks of having an only somewhat mobile baby. You should see him when he gets into rolling though. If he spots something he wants and doesn't want to scoot to it, he just rolls and rolls and readjusts his trajectory if he needs to, and he gets what he wants.
Oh, and this boy is independent already. If he can reach something, he doesn't want it handed to him. Nope, he wants to pick it up on his own.
The kid is also teething. He has been for nearly a month now. I can feel a few teeth under the surface, but none have broken through yet. And the poor dear is struggling big time with it. We've gotten by with natural pain relief until just barely. Talking to my midwife, who is also big into natural remedies reminded me of what we as adults go through when we have dental pain. And we can understand what we're going through. So last night we used baby Advil and he slept for a good five hour stretch. And can I just say it made a huge difference- for all of us.
Some cute things he does:
When he's sleepy, if I'm carrying him, he'll snuggle his head into my neck and throw an arm over my shoulder. He could sleep for hours like that.
Also when he's sleepy- I'm not sure if does this to announce his sleepiness or to fight it, but he likes to blow raspberries on my arm or shoulder or to the room in general. Either way, I think it is hilarious.
He is obsessed with grass. More specifically, he loves yanking it out of the ground. If you put him on a blanket outside, he will make his way to an edge and will pull fistfuls of grass blades out like it is his personal mission to do so.
He cracks up when the dogs play. He has the cutest laugh when he is being amused by the fur babies. He also tries to touch, pet, and generally grab the dogs. He somehow knows that the cat won't put up with it because he is gentler with her (if she lets him close enough).
Ok, that's enough baby gushing for now.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
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?
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?
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