Friday, December 21, 2007
Ooops! Faceplant.
Henry had his first bloody incident today. We were walking on the sidewalk near the grocery store and I was letting him burn some fuel before I put him in the carriage. He has not perfected walking in his winter coat and fell, bashing his nose onto the pavement. He proved that he is my son by the fact that he did not drop his cookie that the bakery lady gave him when he fell.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
My Little Attention Junkie
Up to this point, Henry was satisfied to have my undivided attention, but he didn't care much for adoration from the rest of the world. As he is getting older and more sure of himself, he is branching out more.
He is always performing little tricks to get Adam to look at him. If we aren't paying enough attention to him (according to Henry, not us) he will run off and do something forbidden. I will find him in the living room with one finger on the computer and a big smile on his face, just waiting for me to come in and scold him. Or, he will have his pacifier poised over the open garbage can or something equally mischievous.
More amusing than this however is his desire to get the outside world to notice him. He started with my friend Jill a few weeks back. She is the mom of his little friend Kaden and we see her a lot. She is very fun and animated and Henry is drawn to her. The last time Kaden came over to play, Henry would keep bringing her books to read to him. At first I was feeling a little hurt I must admit because I would be sitting right there. I was thinking, "Does he prefer her to read to him because she makes better animal noises?", or something equally paranoid and crazy. Then I noticed it was only when her son was sitting in her lap. As soon as he plopped down, Henry would make a bee-line over to her, hopping up and down for her attention.
On Tuesday, he set his sight on Shawn, Miles's mom. She is very sweet and was playing some sort of hide and seek game with him. While I was feeding him in the kitchen later, he kept doing all of this crazy yelling from his booster seat. I couldn't figure out what he was going on about and then I realized that he could see her and was trying to get her attention in the other room! He was not satisfied unless she looked up and acknowledged him.
Today I was getting the car from the garage. The guys that work there are all very nice and talk with Henry while I am waiting. Henry plays coy, but usually will crack a few smiles for him. The car came and I got him all strapped in, but he was doing his little shouting routine in the back. I had to roll down the window and ask the attendant to open the door to say goodbye to Henry so that he would simmer down.
We also had the super over this afternoon to do some painting. I could not keep Henry away from him, he kept finding reasons to run down the hall and perform his little tricks.
Now that he has a little taste of the limelight I don't think there is anything stopping him! I think I have a little ham on my hands.
He is always performing little tricks to get Adam to look at him. If we aren't paying enough attention to him (according to Henry, not us) he will run off and do something forbidden. I will find him in the living room with one finger on the computer and a big smile on his face, just waiting for me to come in and scold him. Or, he will have his pacifier poised over the open garbage can or something equally mischievous.
More amusing than this however is his desire to get the outside world to notice him. He started with my friend Jill a few weeks back. She is the mom of his little friend Kaden and we see her a lot. She is very fun and animated and Henry is drawn to her. The last time Kaden came over to play, Henry would keep bringing her books to read to him. At first I was feeling a little hurt I must admit because I would be sitting right there. I was thinking, "Does he prefer her to read to him because she makes better animal noises?", or something equally paranoid and crazy. Then I noticed it was only when her son was sitting in her lap. As soon as he plopped down, Henry would make a bee-line over to her, hopping up and down for her attention.
On Tuesday, he set his sight on Shawn, Miles's mom. She is very sweet and was playing some sort of hide and seek game with him. While I was feeding him in the kitchen later, he kept doing all of this crazy yelling from his booster seat. I couldn't figure out what he was going on about and then I realized that he could see her and was trying to get her attention in the other room! He was not satisfied unless she looked up and acknowledged him.
Today I was getting the car from the garage. The guys that work there are all very nice and talk with Henry while I am waiting. Henry plays coy, but usually will crack a few smiles for him. The car came and I got him all strapped in, but he was doing his little shouting routine in the back. I had to roll down the window and ask the attendant to open the door to say goodbye to Henry so that he would simmer down.
We also had the super over this afternoon to do some painting. I could not keep Henry away from him, he kept finding reasons to run down the hall and perform his little tricks.
Now that he has a little taste of the limelight I don't think there is anything stopping him! I think I have a little ham on my hands.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Hooray! He found his head!
As I have commented before, Henry generally doesn't notice the finer details in life. He is opposed to sitting for puzzles and frankly doesn't give a crap where his nose is. I tried not to worry as his little friends would page through books on their own and point to all of their body parts. Or, play with a shape sorter without hurling the pieces across the room.
However, I am happy to report that he has made huge strides the past two weeks. He now loves books and brings them to me to read to him. They are still the action packed kind where there is shouting involved, but it is a start. He learned how to open the front door knob at his great grandparents' house and race down the driveway so I guess his fine motor skills are there! He can now use a spoon and fork completely on his own, and drink from a regular cup with just a little assistance. He can also put the lid on a coffee cup, so who the heck needs the shape sorter!
He finally claps on cue when we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and tries to say "Row" when singing "Row your Boat." But, the most exciting thing that filled me with pride was when I told him to put his pacifer on his head and he did it! He then put it on his foot when requested to as well. He capped it off during a rousing version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" by touching his head at exactly the right moment!
I think he MAY be gifted.
However, I am happy to report that he has made huge strides the past two weeks. He now loves books and brings them to me to read to him. They are still the action packed kind where there is shouting involved, but it is a start. He learned how to open the front door knob at his great grandparents' house and race down the driveway so I guess his fine motor skills are there! He can now use a spoon and fork completely on his own, and drink from a regular cup with just a little assistance. He can also put the lid on a coffee cup, so who the heck needs the shape sorter!
He finally claps on cue when we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and tries to say "Row" when singing "Row your Boat." But, the most exciting thing that filled me with pride was when I told him to put his pacifer on his head and he did it! He then put it on his foot when requested to as well. He capped it off during a rousing version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" by touching his head at exactly the right moment!
I think he MAY be gifted.
Finally, our bad parenting pays off!
We just got back from Florida tonight. Adam had a work trip to Orlando, so Henry and I tagged along. We also extended the trip and drove down to Boca Raton to visit with Adam's Grandparents.
The verdict is in, Henry is a phenomenal traveler. His routine was completely out of whack, I am embarrassed to admit that he went to bed at 11pm last night! He slept better than expected in the portable cribs, loved playing in the hotel rooms, ate like a champ from the breakfast buffet, charmed the pants off of all of the relatives, and was an angel in the car and on both flights.
He was so flexible and good natured. I think our lack of discipline and routine at home has finally paid off, the poor boy didn't notice anything different!
The verdict is in, Henry is a phenomenal traveler. His routine was completely out of whack, I am embarrassed to admit that he went to bed at 11pm last night! He slept better than expected in the portable cribs, loved playing in the hotel rooms, ate like a champ from the breakfast buffet, charmed the pants off of all of the relatives, and was an angel in the car and on both flights.
He was so flexible and good natured. I think our lack of discipline and routine at home has finally paid off, the poor boy didn't notice anything different!
Hey...Who is in charge here?
I have heard lots of parenting advice since having Henry. Although most of it makes sense, I find some of it hard to practice when we are out of the house. One of the big ones is that you have to ignore tantrums. While technically I agree with this, I find it hard to do when we are in a restaurant. I know how much it always annoyed me to be sitting next to a bratty kid in a restaurant.
In the case of restaurant behavior, I think you have three options. 1) Leave 2) Give in 3) Break out a can of whoop-ass. That third one really isn't an option, I just like saying it!
Henry has become obsessed with soda, to the point that I am considering not drinking it anymore. He calls all drinks "BaBa," but now that he has worked pointing and gesturing into his repetoire, it is getting harder to pretend that I don't know what he is talking about. He clearly understands that there is a difference between water or milk and soda. I feel like we have tried all the tricks in the book to distract him: Giving him a real cup, giving him a straw, doing the bait and switch..
While we were in Florida, Henry was doing his little BaBa routine, trying to get soda. Adam decided to trick him and take the straw from the soda and put it in his milk carton. Henry gave him such a look of condesension as he took the straw out and pointed it at the soda. This kid is officially reaching the level where he is smarter than both of us.
Of course I am not going to give him soda. I don't even really like to give him juice which we have been forced to do recently to avoid a public melt down. Any suggestions other than me giving up my beloved Diet Coke?
In the case of restaurant behavior, I think you have three options. 1) Leave 2) Give in 3) Break out a can of whoop-ass. That third one really isn't an option, I just like saying it!
Henry has become obsessed with soda, to the point that I am considering not drinking it anymore. He calls all drinks "BaBa," but now that he has worked pointing and gesturing into his repetoire, it is getting harder to pretend that I don't know what he is talking about. He clearly understands that there is a difference between water or milk and soda. I feel like we have tried all the tricks in the book to distract him: Giving him a real cup, giving him a straw, doing the bait and switch..
While we were in Florida, Henry was doing his little BaBa routine, trying to get soda. Adam decided to trick him and take the straw from the soda and put it in his milk carton. Henry gave him such a look of condesension as he took the straw out and pointed it at the soda. This kid is officially reaching the level where he is smarter than both of us.
Of course I am not going to give him soda. I don't even really like to give him juice which we have been forced to do recently to avoid a public melt down. Any suggestions other than me giving up my beloved Diet Coke?
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
NoNoNoNoNoNoNo
I was in the store this week getting Henry fitted for his THIRD pair of shoes in three months. He is now a whopping size five! Forget a college fund, I should have started a Stride Rite fund. Damn those shoes are expensive. Anyway, he started screaming his head off as soon as he saw the saleslady, I think he thought she was going to cut his hair, give him a shot or babysit him.
In walks this little girl about 2 1/2 years old with her mom and grandma. She was strapped in her stroller, bundled in her snow suit like an Eskimo. Snow boot shopping was not high on her list of fun things to do. She was whining and crying, and generally being a pill. The mother asked her a question and she whined in response. The mother said "Use your words Katia!" The little girl looks right at her and shouts "NO NO NO!" I was cracking up. The mother looked at me and I said, "Well, you asked her to use her words!"
Anyway, I know this story was not about Henry, but it amused me. It also brings me to Henry's next milestone. He has been shaking his finger at me for a few weeks and saying "Ne Ne Ne" for No. Now he has added shaking his head to the mix. It is so funny, because he thinks he is a comedian when he does it. He smiles his big toothy grin and shakes his head really fast. I know he knows what it means, because he does it to tell me when he doesn't want something I am feeding him. But, he also does it to just be funny. Like when I ask for a sip of his bottle (don't ask why he is drinking a bottle please!) He shakes his little head and then practically throws the bottle at me, he is laughing so hard.
In walks this little girl about 2 1/2 years old with her mom and grandma. She was strapped in her stroller, bundled in her snow suit like an Eskimo. Snow boot shopping was not high on her list of fun things to do. She was whining and crying, and generally being a pill. The mother asked her a question and she whined in response. The mother said "Use your words Katia!" The little girl looks right at her and shouts "NO NO NO!" I was cracking up. The mother looked at me and I said, "Well, you asked her to use her words!"
Anyway, I know this story was not about Henry, but it amused me. It also brings me to Henry's next milestone. He has been shaking his finger at me for a few weeks and saying "Ne Ne Ne" for No. Now he has added shaking his head to the mix. It is so funny, because he thinks he is a comedian when he does it. He smiles his big toothy grin and shakes his head really fast. I know he knows what it means, because he does it to tell me when he doesn't want something I am feeding him. But, he also does it to just be funny. Like when I ask for a sip of his bottle (don't ask why he is drinking a bottle please!) He shakes his little head and then practically throws the bottle at me, he is laughing so hard.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Motherhood, It should be an Olympic Sport
It was 9:30am today and I was already exhausted. Henry woke up at 7:15am which is super duper early for him (lucky, I know!) It seemed as if he had drank a Red Bull during the night. He was speeding from one end of the apartment to the other.
In between chasing him, keeping him out of the bathroom garbage, the kitchen garbage, preventing him from falling into the tub... I was getting our 6 loads of laundry ready to bring to the basement. I got his shoes on and pushed the cart out of the door. Before the elevator came I had to catch him running down the hallway two or three times. I got three loads in, and in between had to catch him from running away in the basement (filled with recycling bins, mouse traps, bikes and lots of other baby friendly things). We waited for the elevator and I chased him some more. I now know the answer to why the elevator stops on floors and no one is there. It is a mother chasing her runaway toddler down the hallway.
On the way back up he was playing with my keys. He dropped them right as the door opened and they were thisclose to falling down the elevator shaft. I almost had a heart attack. Once we got back up, I fed him breakfast, emptied the dishwasher with his assistance , dodged him grabbing knives, glass bowls and the like and put the laundry in the dryer. He ran around some more and I had to chase him to wipe his snotty nose a hundred times (he is getting two molars).
We went back to the basement for a third time to get the dried laundry, and I put him down for a nap. I took a quick shower and then had to clean the apartment for our playgroup that was starting at 11am...The Decathalon? Please. Let's see Bruce Jenner chase Henry around for a few hours!
In between chasing him, keeping him out of the bathroom garbage, the kitchen garbage, preventing him from falling into the tub... I was getting our 6 loads of laundry ready to bring to the basement. I got his shoes on and pushed the cart out of the door. Before the elevator came I had to catch him running down the hallway two or three times. I got three loads in, and in between had to catch him from running away in the basement (filled with recycling bins, mouse traps, bikes and lots of other baby friendly things). We waited for the elevator and I chased him some more. I now know the answer to why the elevator stops on floors and no one is there. It is a mother chasing her runaway toddler down the hallway.
On the way back up he was playing with my keys. He dropped them right as the door opened and they were thisclose to falling down the elevator shaft. I almost had a heart attack. Once we got back up, I fed him breakfast, emptied the dishwasher with his assistance , dodged him grabbing knives, glass bowls and the like and put the laundry in the dryer. He ran around some more and I had to chase him to wipe his snotty nose a hundred times (he is getting two molars).
We went back to the basement for a third time to get the dried laundry, and I put him down for a nap. I took a quick shower and then had to clean the apartment for our playgroup that was starting at 11am...The Decathalon? Please. Let's see Bruce Jenner chase Henry around for a few hours!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
The Host with the Most (plus a little extra)
My friend that lives in the building next door asked us if we could watch her daughter for an hour this morning. Holly is a few months older than Henry, and just as pretty as her mom.
As soon as her mom left, Henry pounced. She looked little nervous to be here at first, and Henry came to the rescue. First he gave her "Do" to play with, and then he laid his prized guitar gently in her lap to play with. Later on, I was offering her the sippy cup her mother had left. Henry tried to force feed her with his cup of milk. According to Henry, the lady prefers milk.
He also chattered incessantly and followed her everywhere. If she sat down, he was bent over at the waist looking right into her face. He tried to hug her more times than I could count and even tried to lay a few smooches on her. I had to draw the line when he tried to pull her shirt over her head.
What can I say, he is very hospitable!
As soon as her mom left, Henry pounced. She looked little nervous to be here at first, and Henry came to the rescue. First he gave her "Do" to play with, and then he laid his prized guitar gently in her lap to play with. Later on, I was offering her the sippy cup her mother had left. Henry tried to force feed her with his cup of milk. According to Henry, the lady prefers milk.
He also chattered incessantly and followed her everywhere. If she sat down, he was bent over at the waist looking right into her face. He tried to hug her more times than I could count and even tried to lay a few smooches on her. I had to draw the line when he tried to pull her shirt over her head.
What can I say, he is very hospitable!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Funny Boy
Henry has perfected his use of the raspberry. His comedic timing has really improved as of late. Recent examples of his use:
- On Thanksgiving, his cousin Jordan said "So Henry, give me a low five..." Henry responded with a perfectly timed one, followed by a fit of giggling
- Today he was making kissing noises at his new stuffed "Do" (Dog). I said "Henry, can you give Mommy a kiss too?" The statement was followed by a raspberry. Five times.
- Tonight I took him out to dinner. Every time one of the waiters passed him and smiled Henry greeted him with a nice Bronx cheer
As always, Henry is full of mischief. Today, after he tried to lock me out of the bathroom I caught him trying to wrench the lock off of our toilet lid. When I went to use the bathroom this evening I discovered why. Somehow he managed to throw his pacifier into the water, despite the lid being pinned down.
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