Ninth Month

Henry has changed so much over the past month. He LOVES to stand and he's really good at it as long as he's holding on to something stable. We have to stay nearby though as his balance isn't 100% yet. He really enjoys "walking" when we hold his hands, but don't you dare let go!

 

He did decide, either due to teething or an ear infection, that he will not drink out of a bottle any longer. This broke my heart into a million little pieces as I really enjoyed this time with him. We've made several attempts at the sippy cup, but he hasn't quite figured out how it works yet. We're hoping that he will kick the ear infection and try the sippy cup soon. He is a fantastic eater and especially loves fruit and oatmeal. Among his faves are apples, mango, papaya and cranberry. I'm still making all of his foods, except for yogurt. Judging by his waistline, I'm a good cook. Hee hee! 

Oh and a side story: Henry's very interested in what we're eating, especially when he's sitting in your lap. The other night we were eating BBQ at my parents' house. Well I was tearing up some potato salad when Henry started grabbing at my fork.  I couldn't turn the boy down and wanted to share the greatness that is Ge-Gee's homemade potato salad. You can see how it all played out. Ha ha!

He's a slow learner though as he kept going back for more

Henry is still a champion sleeper, but we have noticed some changes. He doesn't nap as long as he did in the past, usually 2 hour stretches in the afternoons. Sometimes we get lucky and he'll snooze for 3 hours in the afternoons, but we never count on that. He still catnaps in the mornings, which usually last 30 minutes to an hour. He will also sleep just about anywhere if he's tired. If he's still ready to play, forget about it. He will party until HE'S ready to go to sleep.

He loves bath time and it's one of our favorites too. It's so enjoyable to watch him explore how water works and to see him try to save the water from going down the drain. Eileen always hangs out near the tub which makes him really happy.

Although Henry is still very much a Mama's Boy, he's learned that his Daddy is very entertaining. He gets so giddy with excitement when Mike makes faces or funny noises at him. He loves playing Superman where Mike zooms him around the room. They play peek-a-boo and tickle monster which almost always ends up with a case of the hiccups from the uncontrollable laughter. He has the best belly laugh I've ever heard. I wish I could bottle it up and keep it forever.

He loves hanging out in the walker, especially when he can chase an unsuspecting cat or dog. Poor Eileen has been charged at many times. She's pretty fast when she needs to be. :)

 

 

Milestones:

 

• stands with assistance
• army crawls, but only when it's really important (i.e. to get to the cord he's not supposed to play with)
• still teething. He started in the latter part of his 8th month but still no teeth!
• Mimics us when we blow raspberries.
• Learned how to sit up in the bouncy seat and grab nearby toys off the floor
• Grabs the pull chains that hang from the ceiling fan but hasn't quite figured out how to pull them.
• First haircut!
• Wearing 9-12 month clothes and a few 18 month tops and tight fitted pjs. Size 4 shoes. Size 3 diapers, size 4 night time diapers.

Stats:

weight (1/17) 21 lbs. 10 ounces (with clothes on)



Hank's first haircut

As much as I would have liked to stick with the old-fashion rule of not cutting hair until the 1st birthday, I even more so got tired of looking at Raggedy Andy and his gnarly bangs.

We took Hank in for his first haircut today with Lisa Allen. She's done my hair for years so it was perfect taking him to her.

 

She took the time to show him the clippers and the comb so he wouldn't be scared. He did great, not even a tear. I think she did a great job!  We were even able to save a couple of curls for his baby book.

 

He looks so handsome!

2010 in Review

2010 was a great year full of lots of changes. Some were good and others were great!

We rang in the New Year with lots of excitement and hope!

On February 11th, north Texas was hit with a snowstorm of epic proportions. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but we got over a foot of snow which was the most snow fall in a 24hr period for the area in a few decades. It was so pretty as it fell and covered everything outside.

A week later, we got to celebrate the upcoming arrival of who was then known as Baby Holland. We didn't know the gender of our baby yet, but I was just sure we were going to be blessed with a baby girl sometime around April 1st.


 

Imagine my surprise when our SON was born March 24th. Absolutely the happiest day of my life! It's a shame that I don't remember a good chunk of it due to the adrenaline high, IV drugs and surgery. The first few weeks that followed were a little hazy as Henry was colicky and I was recovering from the c-section. We had an amazing support system of family and friends and we all pulled through just fine.

In April, the 23rd to be exact, my third niece, Olivia was born. She seemed so tiny to me then but now she's growing like a weed!  It seems like our extended family is more complete since she got here. 

Earlier that day while we were waiting on her arrival, I got a great call asking if I was still interested in a job position that I had interviewed for back in February. I was thrilled at the new opportunity and told my new boss that I would be returning to work on May 5th.

Oh May 5th was a very hard day for this Mama. I didn't want to leave my baby behind and return to the working world. The day was a little easier due to the fact that I was getting to start a new adventure and the fact that Henry was going to be with his new nanny, Deb. She's like a surrogate grandmother to him and little did we know at that time, we would soon love her as family. Deb has been such a blessing in our lives and Henry absolutely adores her. Deb also keeps her granddaughter, Isabella, so Henry always has a playmate. Deb made going back to work a little easier on me as she sends text messages and pictures of the kids throughout the day.

June, July and August were a typical busy summer with lots of visits to see friends and family. During this time, Henry started sleeping through the night and gradually started getting better with his colic and acid reflux. He had his first (double!!) ear infection mid-June which was probably harder on Mama and Daddy than it was him. The following week, I developed shingles which only added to my anxiety. June wasn't all terrible though as Henry laughed for the very first time on our anniversary, June 30th and we were both there to witness it. Talk about a great sound to hear! To this day, his laugh still gets me.



July 11th was a very special day for me. I was saved and gained the salvation of Jesus Christ!  I've grown up in church, attended a Baptist university and had tons of head knowledge, but never really had the heart knowledge. It was a very happy day that I will always remember. I was then baptised August 15th as a public profession of faith. It had to be faith guiding me as I got dunked in front of a packed Sanctuary. :)

September rolled around and we decided to change things up a bit and take a small road trip to Fredericksburg. The trip wasn't an all out blast as Henry screamed the majority of the car ride there and back but we did get to see some pretty scenery along the way. Oh and the best thing of the month, my aunt and uncle moved to Texas from the Denver area! So, so great to have them here with our family and I love hanging out with them.

October was another busy month as Mike had his semi-annual TLC golf tournament, we had Faith in Action the following weekend and then we stayed busy with Halloween activities with the Holland family, my office and our church. Henry dressed up as a puppy and was the cutest puppy I've ever seen. He handled the craziness pretty well and only spit up on his costume a few times.

November was a blur for a few reasons. We started off the month with a respiratory infection. The next thing we knew, Henry had Hand Foot and Mouth Disease and had to be quarantined from children under the age of 10 for 7-10 days. All this was right before Thanksgiving, but thankfully he was healed before the family visits started. We spent Thanksgiving lunch with my side of the family and went to Celina to spend the afternoon with Mike's side of the family. We had a great time getting to see everyone.



 

December, always the most crazy month, was just that. It was crazy!  On the 1st, Mike called me at work and asked that I take him to the ER due to severe pain that he was experiencing. A couple of hours later, we learned that he had a kidney stone. Ouch! Fortunately he was able to pass it without issues so he avoided surgery. The rest of the month was busy, busy. We had something going on almost every night the entire month. We survived though and got to see almost all of our friends and family.  Henry made out like a bandit at Christmas! Mike and I got a few things for the house as well as money for a new entertainment center. I look forward to Christmas in the future when Henry understands the real reason we're celebrating, the birth of Jesus Christ.

2010 was a great year full of many firsts, many laughs, and the best addition to our family. We look forward to see what 2011 brings!