Lessons from Henry

I continually try to teach Henry new things...as it turns out, we are both learning quite a bit!

I took a box of strawberries out of the refrigerator yesterday. I picked out a strawberry and handed it to Henry. He refused to take it. Instead, he pointed to the sink... so I walked over to the sink and washed off the strawberry. He smiled, then took it from my hand and ate it.

When given the choice of a cookie or banana, Henry goes for the banana 3 out of 4 times.

In the car, Henry will start babbling and pointing to my seat belt until I strap myself in.

He always wants to wear his hat on a sunny day.

Henry will often turn off the lights before he leaves a room.

He waves good-bye to everyone when we leave the store or a restaurant.

stickers

Ever since Henry was offered a sticker at his first check-up, he's resisted them. They just really seem to bother him. Yesterday at the store this smiley face was offered to him...he shook his head no. I put the sticker on myself, and he continued to shake his head no. He didn't realize I had placed it on his helmet until it was bath time and the helmet was off. When he saw the sticker he shook his head no and wouldn't relax until it was out of sight. Later that night he saw these photos on the computer and, again, became irritated and kept shaking his head. Here is a picture of him with some sticky notes a few months ago...same reaction.



I can hear him laugh in this one.


off to dig


Today at the store he started making the sounds of different animals (cow, dog, duck and kitten). I've been working on this with him, and today it all came together.

Memorial Day

We all headed down to the beach today to spend time with Henry's new friend, Joey, and his parents. They are really good together...very fun to observe! They both smile when they first see each other, and they have the same taste in hats and sippy cups!

"he can see your expression"

I was walking with Henry through the shopping mall. We were having fun, looking through the different shops and eating some ice cream. As hard as I tried, I couldn't help from getting upset at the expressions that people were giving Henry. As they walked by, they stared with a puzzling and not very friendly look on their faces. I so much wanted to stop and say "you realize he can see your expression, don't you?" I imagine what he must think as to why he gets these strange looks or if he even notices it at all. He got this look from about 3 out of every 4 people. There were a few smiles, but mostly stares. I decided to smile at each person when they had this look on their face...a few smiled back, but many of them didn't. I can't imagine that anyone could look at Henry, see those big eyes and his adorable face and not melt.

Since he's been wearing his helmet, I've had mix of questions about it. Some have asked "what's wrong with him?", "does he have a head injury?", "why did he have brain surgery?", "he wears it so he won't hit his head when he falls, right?", and a few "why does he wear a helmet?". I don't mind when people ask me that last question because they are usually sincere and interested in hearing about how the helmet works. Some people share stories about someone else they know whose child wore a helmet.

It's clear that Henry is not our biological child. I've had a few people ask me about him and his story. I haven't had any negative looks or comments about this which is wonderful. I've had a few "where did you get him?", as if he were an item for sale at a store. But, even so, this was asked with a smile and with no harm intended.

I guess all of this has helped me become more aware of my own expression when I look at others with a unique circumstance. Smiling makes a difference.

teething or testing?

Henry has been a bit of a challenge this past week. He is not quite as compliant as he once was. He cries and fusses when it's time to get into the highchair, he has started trying to get out of the shopping cart, and he has been crying longer than usual after we put him into his crib at night. I've had to say, "if you do it again, I'm going to have to take it away", which thankfully works right now. There is some major drooling going on so that's what makes me think it's the pain of teething. Perhaps he's beginning his "terrible two" phase earlier than expected.
He still loves to cuddle and give great big hugs and kisses.

Another earthquake

This one hit today at about 3:50. It sounded like a big truck was driving by and the entire china cabinet shook. That's enough for me....

Henry loves water, especially on a hot day!

EARTHQUAKE

Henry experienced his first earthquake tonight. It was a 4.7 that hit at about 8:40 tonight lasting about 15 seconds. It's bazaar to run though the house while the ground is shaking, all the while wondering when or if it would stop. I have to say that I am still a bit wound up from this. I was on the couch watching TV and Mark was in our guest room/office. It took a few seconds before I realized what was happening...this earthquake wasn't a rolling one, it was more of a jolt. When the TV started shaking I realized what was going on and that we needed to get out.

I yelled for Mark, and he was already running into Henry's bedroom to get him. I grabbed a blanket, and we all went outside. Henry woke up by the time we got out to the driveway and was probably wondering what we were up to. We kept him up for another 15 min or so, expecting an aftershock. There were two, but we didn't feel either of them. It doesn't sound like there weren't any injuries in the area so far.

This is the 2nd somewhat large earthquake I've experienced...not fun. The last time there was an earthquake of this magnitude was 15 years ago. I guess I'll be reviewing our earthquake kits tomorrow, God willing.

17

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Henry is 17 months old today...it's just hard to believe how quickly this time is going by. He seems to be growing up so fast and is changing daily right before our eyes. His love for us seems to be very strong, but his expectation that things go his way from time to time is strong, too!





Two days ago he said his first "i" (hi) in the sweetest voice I've ever heard. Other words that we now recognize right away are: milk, uh-oh, water, down, dog, book, ball and balloon. He makes the "vroom vroom" sound when he sees a picture of a car and is beginning to associate a cow's picture with "moo" and a duck's with "quack". When he looks at his abc picture book, which by the way has become one of his top 2 favorite books that must be in his crib at night this week, and sees the pizza he says, "mmmmm". He has only seen one real pizza and only had a small taste...apparently it made an impact. His other favorite book is Elmo's Valentine. When we read this I pause after "Elmo loves..." and Henry giggles, points to himself and waits for me to say "you". Then he laughs.

Henry has become interested in Thomas the Train shows...talk about a focused child. One of the trains on the show is called Henry...maybe he likes that! We know for sure that he doesn't like it when the eyeballs on the trains roll in circles... sometimes it scares him, yet he wants to watch the rest of the show anyhow. He also likes to watch the Baby Einstein Van Gogh shape and color video while he sits in his chair and has his snack. When the dogs come near him to get some of his food he tells them "down" and "eh" (a noise we use). In the park yesterday, some squirrels were coming very close to us and Henry tried to command it to go away.

Henry is still dancing up a storm when he hears music he likes. He's trying to snap his fingers and sings to himself and with me when we're driving in the car. He's brave in the pool and likes to venture out beyond where he can stand, as long as I'm there to hold on to. He has also jumped (actually leaned) in from the edge of the pool into my arms. Going underwater doesn't seem to bother him for more than a few seconds after the water stops running down his face. Henry is changing his routine throughout the day. He's beginning to move into one nap vs. two usually late morning through early afternoon. There are still those days where he won't fall asleep at all.

We're fairly busy during the week. We try to swim twice, go to music class once, and have a play date once. Last week he played with 4 new friends. It's so much fun to watch him interact and share. I would say that he shares fairly easily, especially food, unless someone comes up to him and just tries to grab what he is holding. In this case, he holds on tight and pulls back on the object in a determined way. I'm glad that he doesn't give in and let it go.

Henry now likes to eat goldfish crackers, the occasional sugar cookie, yogurt, garlic mashed potatoes, spaghetti, raisin bran without raisins, and toast with blueberry jam. Our bedtime routine now includes reading for about 20 minutes and then reading some more after he is put in the crib. I put a mesh bumper in the crib to help prevent more leg incidents. I highly recommend it for all cribs because it fits tightly and it's breathable so I won't worry that he'll fall asleep with his face toward it.

He sure continues to light up our world.
We love you, Henry!

just a little bragging...

Henry is really beginning to enjoy his music class. We may have a future musician on our hands...seriously! According to the teacher, he has quite a sense of rhythm. When he plays the drum, he strikes the drum up to 16 times keeping a steady beat. Apparently the average for someone is age is closer to 4 or 5. And today, when the teacher brought out and played the violin, Henry took hold of the bow the proper way and moved it across the strings with even strokes when it was his turn. He continues to amaze us!

On another note....we lost our little fish today. Henry hasn't noticed, and I doubt he will. He wasn't very attached.

Mother's Day

Once there were two women who never truly knew each other.
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.
Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love. The second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality. The other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent. The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions. The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile. The other dried your tears.
One sought for you a home that she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me, through your tears,
the age-old question unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of Love.

~ Author Unknown

Our first (and hopefully last) 911 call

Before I give you all the details, I wanted to say that Henry's music class is going very well. Henry has really connected with a little boy named Joey, who is 15 months old. They are very cute together. Yesterday we met him and his mom at the park along with friends Donna and Justin, who is 19 months. The boys had a blast. The cutest part was when we broke out the snacks. Joey insisted on feeding the goldfish crackers to Henry..wish I had the camera.

We came home and had lunch before I put Henry down for his nap. I thought he'd fall asleep right away, but he talked and talked for a good 45 min. Then he started to cry and of course I thought he was just fussing like he normally does. Then it was quiet. I went in to check on him and saw that he was lying on his stomach with his right leg sticking through the bars on the crib. He started to cry. I went over and tried to gently push it back into the crib, but the leg wouldn't go back in.
Henry started crying harder. I tried a few more times but it just wouldn't go back into the crib. It was starting to swell a little because of my attempts. Then he started trying to turn over onto his back, and I knew if he was successful, his leg would not have rolled along with him. Henry is so strong that I really thought he'd roll over and break his leg. I called Mark at work (which is just up the road) and they tried to track him down. Then I called 911 and just waited, trying to calm Henry and keep him from turning. Mark got here before the paramedics, and with the help of Vaseline, he managed to work the leg through while I held Henry down.
Henry was a little shaken, but it didn't take long before he bounced right back into his happy self. I'm happy that the response from the paramedics took only about five minutes...just in case we need them to come here again.

Do you think I overreacted? I just couldn't think of anything else to do in the moment...

I put the bumper that I made into the crib to see if that helps prevent this from happening again until we get him a bed...I was hoping he'd be able to stay in that crib for much longer. Look how big he is ...




and still only 23 pounds!
We're thinking of putting his crib mattress on the floor, which means he will be wandering in his room while we sleep...yikes. What a day...glad it's over!

Here are just a few shots of his cuteness:




I'm excited about tomorrow...it's (finally) my very first Mother's Day!!!

I was putting away groceries the morning when I said, "Henry, would you please pick up that box and bring it into the kitchen for me?" (The box was not in the kitchen)
He did it! Seriously, he understands SO much!
Our fish is still swimming...

Swimming Lessons

Henry and I started out this morning running our usual errands. Today, however, I finally stopped in at the swimming school that we drive past multiples times each day. I have heard from many people that it is a wonderful place to go. So I got all the information and decided we'd come back in an hour for our first session at 11am. I'll post a picture soon of Henry wearing his swimming suit...he's adorable (of course).

He let me take him right into the water, which is kept at 90 degrees. We floated around, and he seemed to really enjoy the water. Then the class started. There were five other kids/parents. We all got in a circle and sang the wheels on the bus song and row, row, row the boat. Henry let me move his arms and legs a little bit, but he mostly just watched everyone else. After that we floated around a little more and went to the stairs. He liked the fact that he could stand by himself...he even started doing some running in place, which I suppose he connected with kicking in the water somehow. One of the instructors came over, and Henry happily went out into the open water with him. They did some kicking and he even lifted Henry into the air and made is seem like he was jumping in. Henry laughed and really seemed to be happy. After he came back to me, we tried to float out again, but Henry had had enough. He wanted to stay on the stairs, and then he wanted out of the pool. I knew he was getting tired and hungry because he couldn't decided what he wanted and he started crying. We sat in a chair, all wrapped up in a towel and watched the rest of the class, which was just about over. Then he did some exploring around the sides of the pool before we went home. He left happy, waving good-bye to all.
We can go any day of the week, depending on what the weather is like (the pool is outside). Overall, Henry did very well for his first pool experience. I think we'll try to go back again on Thursday.

By the way, our fish is doing quite well!!

You wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it!

Henry LOVES broccoli!!






There is a new addition to our family:

We went to a carnival up at school today. Henry played a few games, won a few prizes including this fish. We're going to see if he makes it through the night before we give him a name.

I cannot stop thinking about Henry. This is partially because he is in his crib, and has been for just about an hour, talking away. But it is mostly because he is such a special little boy. I just love this little guy SO much!

Today we had a great time together. I knew it would be a good day because after breakfast, I picked him up, and he put his head on my shoulder. He stayed like this for a few minutes and of course this made me cry. When I cry he thinks I'm laughing which starts him laughing and then I start laughing, too.

I love the way he reaches out his hand for mine whenever he needs help, the way he smiles when he sees that I've come home, the way he giggles and runs away when I say "I'm gonna catch you.", the way he continually points at things and tries to name them all, the way he hugs my leg, the way he says "water" and "uh oh", the way he hands me his favorite blanket and his books and laughs when I come in to get him after a nap, the way he gets so excited to bring a towel into the bathroom for his daily bath, the way he has become attached to his children's Bible, and the way he wants to always make sure the dogs have a full bowl of food. There are so many more...

When I was reading to him tonight, he got up and left the room. I called him back and explained to him that I was reading to him and that he needed to stay. He looked at me, thought about it, came back and sat down. About a minute later he got up and walked over and stood by the door. I asked him to please come back...he stopped at the door...appeared to be thinking about it, then turned around smiling, came back and gave me a big hug.

He gave me a bunch of hugs and kisses today...such a sweetie!
I don't hear any more talking so I think he's finally asleep.