Eighth Month

On Christmas Eve, Henry turned 9 months old.  He's quickly growing out of the baby stage and looks more like a little boy to me now. 

No crawling or standing yet, but that's okay with Mama and Daddy as it's super easy to keep an eye on someone who just sits and plays contently on the floor with his toys. Speaking of toys, it looks like a Toys R Us store in our living room. Henry has so much to bang on, chew on and cuddle with. He loves to play with all of his toys, but his squeaky giraffe Sophie is probably his favorite.

He still has quite an appetite, eats 4 bottles, 3 pureed meals and a snack each day. He's currently teething so he loves to put anything and everything in his mouth. We have given him Puffs snacks a few times, but he isn't so sure about them yet. Who could blame him though; they taste like Styrofoam.

Henry knows his name now and every once in a while he will answer to Hank as well. We call him by both names so it's good that he will answer to both.

He is definitely like his Mama, when he's tired or hungry, you will definitely hear about it. He also gets fussy when he needs a clean diaper.  He's a drooling machine and still spits up all the time so he is always sporting a bib. Funny side note, his Nana and Papa got t-shirt paint and painted a tie on white bibs for him. It's too cute!

Henry is still very sensitive to other kids getting in his bubble. For some reason, he bawls and screams whenever we put other babies next to him. I'm not sure why he does that, but it makes us laugh every time. I am looking forward to end of that stage though. Oh and he doesn't care for strangers much, found absolutely no amusement in Santa Claus and doesn't like sudden loud, startling noises.

Who is this Santa character?!

We went to the pediatrician on the 23rd for his 9 month well visit. No shots this time, but they did prick his finger for a CBC test. He screamed like a banshee when the nurse swabbed his finger with alcohol, but the actual prick itself wasn't too bad. He quit crying once we gave him Sophie (the giraffe).

Oh and his best friend in the entire world, Eileen. He loves her and thinks she's incredibly funny. He just laughs and laughs when she walks by or when she gives kisses.  He sometimes grabs her face or pulls her ears (we're teaching him how to be gentle) and she just eats that up! She loves attention even if it's not always nice attention.

Milestones:

• learned how to pull the pull chains on the fan, grabs them each time we leave the bedroom
• chatters and uses different pitches and volumes
• officially done with the swing. He used it almost daily for several months but the last few attempts only produced a major fit. I sure will miss that thing!
• totally mastered the walker - knows how to steer, back up and get into trouble by touching things that he's not supposed to :)
• wearing some 6-9 month clothes, but mostly 9-12 month now. Size 3 shoes. Size 3 diapers, size 4 night time diapers

Stats (as of 12/23):

• weight: 20 lbs. 9.5 ounces (53%)
• height: 27 1/2 inches (25%)
• head circumference: 46cm (73%)

Couch Potato Time is Mama's favorite!

All sprawled out!

I love bath time!

Turkey

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  I literally didn't take a single picture on Henry's first Thanksgiving. Shame on me!  I'm hoping to get some pictures from some of the aunts and uncles.

Took make up for it, we had a little impromptu photo shoot this morning that I wanted to share.

Yeah, I know, I am adorable.

If Mama is gonna do what she wants to do, I'm gonna do what I wanna do.

Bottom lip always makes Mama laugh.

Ham!  And look at those THIGHS!!

My Nana bought this for me before I was even born. It's bigger than my cousin Miranda and she's four!

So funny!

Bored with this guy. Next!

Creepy Monkey Boy is trying to tell me something....

Who is this fella?

He sure is nommy!

And hilarious. He has me in stitches!

Love my Sock Monkey! He was made with love by my great Aunt Jennie.

Seventh Month

I know I've said it before, but I cannot believe Henry is already 8 months old. It's crazy how fast time has flown by. We love him more and more each day and we've had lots of fun getting to know him. His personality has really come out over the last couple of months. He has a short fuse when he wants something, I have no idea where he gets that. Ha!  When he's happy, the whole world knows it as he smiles from ear to ear. He also has the best laugh, my most favorite laugh!  But oh boy, when he's fed up, you will hear about that too. A couple of weeks ago, he learned that if you arch your back and scream really loud while gritting your teeth (gums in his case) you will definitely get some kind of attention. Most of the time, he's just testing to see what kind of reaction he gets and then smiles really big. Such a faker! 

He loves to play in the bathtub now too. He's graduated from the baby bath tub and now gets to play in his  inflatable duck bathtub with his toys. 

Although Henry is very curious about the world around him, he hasn't started crawling yet.  One would think we would be ready for this stage, but after seeing other babies his age getting into anything and everything, Mike and I are completely fine that he's content with things just at arm's reach.  He will be crawling, pulling up and walking before we know it so we're just enjoying the "lazy" stage. He loves his soft toys for cuddling and his hard plastic toys for banging on the floor and any innocent bystanders. 

Speaking of innocent bystanders, he LOVES Eileen. For months he would watch her from a distance and smile if she came near, but now he squeals and reaches out for her. It's funny to watch him cringe and put his hands over his face to protect himself from her slobbery kisses. She loves her little skin brother and is super protective with him when new people come over. We've nicknamed her Mama Bear because she's so great with him.

Henry still has a great appetite. We've tried all kinds of fruits and veggies and even pureed chicken. Doesn't that sound yummy?! :)   He still takes 4 bottles a day and eats homemade baby food 3 times a day.  Sweet potatoes are still his favorite, but he also loves blueberry yogurt which is the only store bought food that he eats. 

During the fifth and sixth months, Henry was almost over his pacifier, not wanting it much at all.  We of course were ready to see it go, but during the 7th month, Henry developed Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease and wanted his pacifier almost all day everyday. I guess it was comforting. We're working on getting rid of it for good now.  The goal has always been to have it gone before his first birthday and so far, it's looking like an easy goal. We shall see.


Milestones:
finally learned how to roll from his back to his belly on October 24th
Second round of flu shot and didn't cry hardly at all. I think Mama was more upset than Henry was. :)


Weight on 11/18: 20 pounds

Halloween 2010

Halloween had 3 parts for us this year. For the person who has never really cared about Halloween before, this year was a lot of fun.

It started last Saturday, the 23rd, when we went to James and Jenn's house for their annual Halloween block party. We didn't take Henry trick-or-treating, but we did dress him up. He's the cutest puppy I've ever seen!

Friday, the 29th, we had our annual company-wide Trick or Treating, costume and decorating contest.  Henry did so good with all of the strangers and funky decor. He was such a trooper and waited until we got in the car before he crashed for the afternoon.

Sunday, the 31st, we went to our church's Trunk or Treat festivities.  My sister's two oldest girls were there and I think they had a great time. As everyone was getting all sugared up, Henry crashed out in the stroller. The weather was perfect for being outside, lucky kid!

Sixth Month

Henry has tons of personality. He usually has a smile on his face unless he's hungry, tired or has a dirty britches. He did start a semi-bad habit of being bashful, but I've read that it's just a stage that hopefully he will grow out of soon. The good news, he isn't really all that clingy and can handle hanging out, playing with his toys for extended periods of time.

His Texas Rangers beat the Yankees to win the ALCS!

The day after he turned 6 months, he had another ear infection. This is the 2nd one in 3 months. Poor guy. We just feel awful for him and we're hoping it's the last one for a very long time.

 

At his 6 month appointment (held on 10/11, just over 6.5 months), Henry had to get a few vaccines and the first dose of his flu shot. That was a hard night for all of us, nearly pushed me over the edge seeing him that upset. He was definitely sporting his Farmer Pride as he was a deep shade of maroon while he was being held down. Poor guy was a trooper though, stopped crying once the nurse was finished and no fever afterwards.

 

During the 6th month, Henry tried a few new foods including apples, peaches and carrots. He loves all 3 of these and Mama can still get away with sneaking green beans into the sweet potatoes. He also loves Gerber baby yogurt, especially the strawberry banana flavor.  He never really liked oatmeal so we mix a little bit of rice cereal with his fruits at least once a day. He usually drinks between 24 and 32 ounces a day.

 

Henry is still a great sleeper and goes to bed without any issues most nights. A couple of times a week, I can hear him chattering on the baby monitor in the middle of the night, but he always soothes himself back to sleep. I did have to go in once to take away his pacifier because "they" were up talking to each other. :)

Milestones

• when someone sits him down on the floor, he can sit unassisted for about 30-45 minutes and play with his toys
• first road trip
• started to notice Eileen (his fur-sister) and laughs when she comes near
• loves to get into things that are nearby (the diapers on the changing station, Mama's necklace and earrings)
• his spitup isn't as bad as it was in the past
• says "Yum!" when he eats (not that he knows what it means, but it's cute to hear it)
• first trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Stats

10/11 (6.5 months)  weight 18 lbs 9.5 oz (55%), height 26.5 inches (45%), head circumference 45.5 cm (85%)

Fifth Month

I'm a little behind on this one, but better late than never, right?!

 

 

 

Little Henry isn't much of a little guy anymore. He's a chunky, playful, happy kid. Labor Day weekend he found his feet. He loves to grab them during diaper changes and whenever he's sitting in someone's lap. He can't grab them after he eats though as his big gut gets in the way.

 

 

 

Henry LOVES to eat. We made another attempt to start solids and he's doing really great with things that he likes. He isn't much of a fan of greens (peas, green beans, avocado) and makes a huge scene spitting and gagging himself until I give up. He's a smart fella. I did pull one over on him by mixing his favorite, sweet potatoes, with a few spoonfuls of green beans. He really loves that combination. Mama is also going to start making his baby food. It's better for his tastebuds to know what real people food tastes like and we're hoping it makes him a little less picky in the long run.

 

 

Henry took after his Mama, he never stops talking. When he's playing, he's talking. When he's in the car, he's talking. When he's supposed to be asleep in his bed, he's talking. It's hilarious to watch him on the video monitor at night, just jabbering away at his hands or his pacifier. It's very interesting to hear the inflections in his voice. I can already hear the difference between his happy, bored and mad voices. Funny how so much personality can come out of someone so young.

 

 

 

Milestones:

 

• sits up in the baby bathtub, but still needs to be assisted when sitting on the floor
• eats solid food almost daily,
• loves sweet potatoes and applesauce
• bananas and green beans are ok too
• oatmeal and peas are disgusting
• grabbing for and swatting at nearby items
• less dependent on the pacifier, but finding comfort in his fingers

Izzy's first birthday party - Sept 18th

We went to Kid's Kastle to celebrate Izzy's birthday! I just wanted to post a couple of quick pictures from the party today.

Chris and Mike have been best friends for over 20 years. Each of them married about 3 months apart and their kids are 6 months apart. We look forward to making memories with the Vaughn family.

Henry was the life of the party

Cousins

We had family dinner at our house last night and lemme tell ya, having 4 kids in the house sure does make for loads of fun! Henry has 3 cousins, all girls. I think he knows he's outnumbered....

Olivia's face is priceless!!

I never laugh at Henry when he cries. Well, unless he makes that face!

We put them on the floor to play together. They were really interested in each other's feet. Too funny! 

She found his feet!

Olivia: "I like your bib, Henry."

Let's hug it out!

Makes you wonder what goes on their little heads....

Eileen even decided to join in the fun. She was able to sneak a few kisses to Olivia.

Olivia is wishing Eileen brushed her teeth : )

And we can't forget Emma and Miranda. They were being so sweet last night and wanted to hold their baby sister and baby cousin. 



Family Vacation - Fredericksburg 9/11 - 9/13

We took our very first family vacation last weekend. We figured Henry was at a good age to travel so we thought a long weekend to somewhere semi-close would be a fun idea. We picked Fredericksburg, TX and although some of our friends teased that we were going on an “old people” vacation, we were excited about going somewhere new. Mike went as a kid, but he doesn’t remember enough about it so it was kinda new to him too.

We loaded up Saturday around noon and headed for Granny and Granddad’s (Jeff and Ruby). They were gracious enough to let Eileen come stay for a few days. We had a few rough stops along the way, but we finally left the Burleson area around 3:30pm. When we reached Austin, it was just before 6pm. We had dinner at the Oasis on Lake Travis. The scenery was gorgeous, but the rest (wait staff, food, the HEAT!!) was less than impressive.

After a quick dinner, we loaded back into the car and proceeded on the roughest part of our trip. Henry generally only spends, at most, half an hour a day in his car seat. He was road weary by this point and there was very little we could do to keep him calm and happy. By the time we reached Fredericksburg, it was just after 9pm and all 3 of us were done! We setup Henry’s pack and play and after a little playtime, he was fast asleep. Mama was right behind him.

We all had a good night’s rest and we even got to sleep in until 9am. Pretty awesome! Henry and Mama lounged around while Daddy went to the store and to fill up the car. Around 11, we headed out to Lyndon B. Johnson National Park for a self guided tour. It’s the ranch where LBJ grew up and where we resided after his Presidency. He also passed away on the ranch and is buried there as well. There were about 2 dozen deer just off the road and wow, that was so cool to see! It was neat getting to see some of the original buildings and even a plane that LBJ flew in while he was in office.  Henry wasn't too amused but was able to get a nice nap while riding in Mama's lap.

Later in the afternoon, we went downtown to the little shops and fought the crowds. Fredericksburg is definitely a tourist town but we still enjoyed it. Henry rode along in the stroller and took a good nap. We visited a little café and had a late lunch. The food there was awesome. Mike really enjoyed their brisket and I had a delicious turkey sandwich on sourdough. We will definitely eat there again on our next trip.




After a little more shopping, it was time for a nap at the hotel. Henry and I slept for about an hour and then we ate dinner and played before the Cowboys game started. It was a good game to watch, just not if you were a Dallas fan. Oh that game aggravated me to no end. Anyway, they lost and I decided that although that wasn’t a good way to end the day, I headed to bed.



Monday morning, Mike and I were a little anxious about getting back in the car with Henry again for fear that it would become Cry Fest 2010. He did good the first leg of the trip though. We stopped in Taylor, Texas for Louie Mueller BBQ. Mike loved it, me, not so much. The building doesn’t have air conditioning and the food wasn’t all that great. I’m glad Mike enjoyed it though, that’s all that counts. We finally got back on the road around 12:30. Henry fussed off and on the rest of the trip, but we managed to get a little bit of peace and quiet before we made it home. We stopped by and picked up Eileen from her little vacation. I know she had a great time but she was super tired. Nothing better than a lazy Boxer, that’s for sure.




We had a nice vacation and it was great to see things we’ve never seen before. I really enjoyed the company of my two guys and we definitely made some nice memories. We look forward to going back someday when Henry’s a little older.

Fourth Month

The past month has been a lot of fun! Henry is usually a very happy baby, smiling and “talking” when he’s excited. He loves to watch television, especially baseball and football.

We tried cereal but that was an epic fail. He wasn’t too keen on the taste and who could blame him; that stuff is nasty! He loved the flavor of applesauce, but we decided to wait another month or so to try spoon foods again. We were able to switch him from Nutramigen to Gentlease and have also cut back on the cereal that we add so that he’s not getting as many empty calories.

free Wal-Mart plug

Henry sleeps like a champ most nights. He usually goes to bed by 8:30pm and sleeps until at least 7am each morning. Most Saturdays, Mama gets lucky and sleeps until after 8am. He gets up around 8:15 or 8:30 for church on Sundays. He usually catnaps in the mornings and takes a good 3 hour nap in the afternoons. This is also really nice on the weekends!

Love those chunky thighs!

  

A couple of weeks ago, Henry started to be really shy around new faces or people he doesn’t see every day. This usually only lasts a few minutes and then he starts smiling.

He loves going to the nursery at church and getting to see all the sweet ladies that love on him. He enjoys morning walks with “Biba” (Deb, his wonderful sitter) and Izzy. Deb said that he just babbles away and then eventually nods off to sleep. He loves to go for rides in his stroller, but usually lets you know it’s time to go when you stop moving. He’s the same way in the car; gets really mad at red lights.

Sitting up like a big boy!

We took him to the community pool at Nana and Papa’s and he had a pretty good time sitting in Mama’s lap, playing with the water.

He’s also started to notice Eileen, so I figure it’s only a matter of time before they start playing together. We’re really excited about that and I’m sure Eileen is too! : )

Eileen has a tough, tough life!

Milestones

• “Talks” 
• Occasionally, holding bottle on his own
• Grabbing for toys, putting them in his mouth
• Scoots backwards on tummy
• Laughs all the time!