For posterity, I want to list Henry's current vocabulary at a few days shy of 15 months:
Mama
Dada
Shoe
No
Yes
Dog
Duck
Bath Time
Four
Five
Baba for any and all drinks
Wawa for water
Door
Banana
Hi
Ball
Hello
Bye Bye
Hi Dad
He also sings the first part of "Row Your Boat." When we read Polar Bear Polar Bear What Do You Hear? he repeats the animal noises but won't do them on command.
He also now knows his head, nose, feet, mouth. He can also follow two step commands such as "Get your slippers, they are in the kitchen." His receptive language is excellent, I feel like he understands almost everything we say now.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Who Stole My Baby, Part II
Henry attended the 3rd Birthday party today for Dylan, who is the son of our friends, Chuck and Natalie. It was held at this fun place in CT where there was a water table room, a big climbing structure/indoor playroom, an art room, a dancing room with bubbles and a big gym area with tunnels to crawl through and balls to throw etc.
Henry jumped into all of the activities with gusto and wasn't nervous around the bigger kids at all. He was running around like he too was three years old. My favorite part was at the end when all of the kids filed into the room where the pizza and cake were being served. The pizza was already set out on the little kid sized tables and each of the kids just grabbed a seat. Henry made some sort of involuntary growling sound when he saw the pizza and sat down with all of the kids. I guess we can add pizza to the list of things that he recognizes and likes! He ate almost an entire slice, washed down with this little paper cup of apple juice and chased all of that with a slice of birthday cake. I couldn't believe what a little boy he looked like sitting at that table.
He was a little kooky on the way home, giggling and squirming in his car seat. I guess I can attribute it to the hefty dose of sugar he just ingested. He has such a great time, and it was so fun seeing him enjoy himself.
Henry jumped into all of the activities with gusto and wasn't nervous around the bigger kids at all. He was running around like he too was three years old. My favorite part was at the end when all of the kids filed into the room where the pizza and cake were being served. The pizza was already set out on the little kid sized tables and each of the kids just grabbed a seat. Henry made some sort of involuntary growling sound when he saw the pizza and sat down with all of the kids. I guess we can add pizza to the list of things that he recognizes and likes! He ate almost an entire slice, washed down with this little paper cup of apple juice and chased all of that with a slice of birthday cake. I couldn't believe what a little boy he looked like sitting at that table.
He was a little kooky on the way home, giggling and squirming in his car seat. I guess I can attribute it to the hefty dose of sugar he just ingested. He has such a great time, and it was so fun seeing him enjoy himself.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Don't you wish he was your neighbor?
One of the kids (11 years old) that lives in our building posted the most adorable, hand-written sign on the bulletin board in our basement. It was written in pencil and detailed services he was willing to provide. The services were "anything," his rates "it depends," his weekday hours were after school and on the weekends "it depends." No job is too small.
I love industrious kids and I have been trying to think of something he could do for me. Adam works late and we often have plans on the weekend so there are lots of little things that always need to be done. Adam has been away all week on a business trip and I have been watching our Christmas tree dry up like the Sahara Desert. Although I took down the ornaments, there really was no way I was going to get it out of the stand, stuff it in the elevator, ride five flights to the basement and drag it out to the courtyard with Henry on my back. Also add in the unpleasantness of sweeping up the pine needles from the apartment, hallway and elevator. I think I finally had my project for Andrew!
I called this afternoon and cleared the project with his mom. She sent him right up after school and he set to work. He dragged it to the basement with lightning speed, vacuumed, and was crawling around on his hands and knees sweeping pine needles. All while Henry followed him around like a puppy and tried to shove cheddar goldfish in his mouth. He played with Henry, carried him around the apartment and chattered a mile a minute while doing his work. He told me that he didn't care if it took him all night, he wanted a satisfied customer. Apparently I am the first person to call him, so I tried to give him tips on getting more business.
After all of his hard work, I asked him how much he was going to charge for the job. He thought a minute and then told me TWO DOLLARS. I told him that was too little and that he should re-think his pricing structure. He then raised it to four dollars and told me that was his final quote. I gave him ten dollars and he about had a heart attack. I told him it was a bonus to help him get his business started and not to waste it on video games. He looked at me very sincerely and told me that he was going to save it.
How sweet is that? At those rates I don't plan on ever lifting a finger again!
I love industrious kids and I have been trying to think of something he could do for me. Adam works late and we often have plans on the weekend so there are lots of little things that always need to be done. Adam has been away all week on a business trip and I have been watching our Christmas tree dry up like the Sahara Desert. Although I took down the ornaments, there really was no way I was going to get it out of the stand, stuff it in the elevator, ride five flights to the basement and drag it out to the courtyard with Henry on my back. Also add in the unpleasantness of sweeping up the pine needles from the apartment, hallway and elevator. I think I finally had my project for Andrew!
I called this afternoon and cleared the project with his mom. She sent him right up after school and he set to work. He dragged it to the basement with lightning speed, vacuumed, and was crawling around on his hands and knees sweeping pine needles. All while Henry followed him around like a puppy and tried to shove cheddar goldfish in his mouth. He played with Henry, carried him around the apartment and chattered a mile a minute while doing his work. He told me that he didn't care if it took him all night, he wanted a satisfied customer. Apparently I am the first person to call him, so I tried to give him tips on getting more business.
After all of his hard work, I asked him how much he was going to charge for the job. He thought a minute and then told me TWO DOLLARS. I told him that was too little and that he should re-think his pricing structure. He then raised it to four dollars and told me that was his final quote. I gave him ten dollars and he about had a heart attack. I told him it was a bonus to help him get his business started and not to waste it on video games. He looked at me very sincerely and told me that he was going to save it.
How sweet is that? At those rates I don't plan on ever lifting a finger again!
Please send checks to Henry's "Grape Fund"
Before Henry, we did not do much grocery shopping. We ate breakfast and lunch at work, and ordered dinner or went out most nights. We are not big snackers, so we didn't keep much food in the house.
Now that I am home and we have Henry, we are forced to shop like normal people. Frankly I am horrified at the cost of certain products. Henry drinks whole milk now and he is supposed to get 16 oz per day. We buy him organic, antibiotic free milk since it is such a large part of his diet. We don't want him glowing in the dark one day or mooing like a cow on steroids from all of the junk that cows are shot up with. A half gallon in our store is $4.99! We could shop around a bit and save a little money, but not much. Conceivably we could go through a carton every two days. Luckily he doesn't like it that much so it is more like every three days.
More shocking is the price of grapes. Henry adores grapes. I had to move the fruit bowl out of his sight while he is eating otherwise that is all he wants. The boy can seriously put down a half a pound of grapes in one day. I fill his little bowl and he is constantly campaigning for more. He walks into the kitchen and holds his bowl up and points at the grapes. Now that they are out of season, they are $4.99 per pound at our local market. I almost killed Adam once when he paid $5.99 a pound! Even the storekeeper stopped him to make sure he knew how much they were. Once he heard they were "for the baby" he understood!
So, in lieu of gifts toward his college fund, Henry would appreciate donations to support his grape eating obsession before his mother cuts him off.
Now that I am home and we have Henry, we are forced to shop like normal people. Frankly I am horrified at the cost of certain products. Henry drinks whole milk now and he is supposed to get 16 oz per day. We buy him organic, antibiotic free milk since it is such a large part of his diet. We don't want him glowing in the dark one day or mooing like a cow on steroids from all of the junk that cows are shot up with. A half gallon in our store is $4.99! We could shop around a bit and save a little money, but not much. Conceivably we could go through a carton every two days. Luckily he doesn't like it that much so it is more like every three days.
More shocking is the price of grapes. Henry adores grapes. I had to move the fruit bowl out of his sight while he is eating otherwise that is all he wants. The boy can seriously put down a half a pound of grapes in one day. I fill his little bowl and he is constantly campaigning for more. He walks into the kitchen and holds his bowl up and points at the grapes. Now that they are out of season, they are $4.99 per pound at our local market. I almost killed Adam once when he paid $5.99 a pound! Even the storekeeper stopped him to make sure he knew how much they were. Once he heard they were "for the baby" he understood!
So, in lieu of gifts toward his college fund, Henry would appreciate donations to support his grape eating obsession before his mother cuts him off.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Sweet as sugar
Henry is an unbelievably sweet little boy. Who knows if it is the age or his real personality, but it is great to watch. For example:
*There are very few toys that he won't share with his friends. I know kids this age don't understanding "sharing" as a concept, but if another baby wants something he readily hands it over. The one exception is a baby stroller, he will knock people over to get at one of those!
* We went to visit his cousins Madeleine, Kate and Charley this week. He would try to hug the girls and made sure not to leave Charley (4 1/2 months) out of the action. He would go over to his bouncy seat and "talk" to him, squeeze his feet, lean down by his face etc. He was even letting him play with his cell phone this morning. He would say a few things and then lay it in Charley's lap. He would give Charley a minute and then take it back. He did this over and over and I was amazed watching it.
*He loves to share his food. He is always offering me bites from his food and sips from his drink. Even when he was in the worst throes of his Noro virus and we had to ration his drinking to stop his vomiting he was still offering me his drink. Of course he then shared his virus, but that comes with the territory!
*When he came into our bed the other night he had one pacifier in his hand and one in his mouth. I shut my eyes and he was trying to jam his spare into my mouth. I took it between my lips so not to insult him but then dropped it after a second. He sat up and gently placed it back in my mouth again like we do to him. I almost died from the sweetness!
*There are very few toys that he won't share with his friends. I know kids this age don't understanding "sharing" as a concept, but if another baby wants something he readily hands it over. The one exception is a baby stroller, he will knock people over to get at one of those!
* We went to visit his cousins Madeleine, Kate and Charley this week. He would try to hug the girls and made sure not to leave Charley (4 1/2 months) out of the action. He would go over to his bouncy seat and "talk" to him, squeeze his feet, lean down by his face etc. He was even letting him play with his cell phone this morning. He would say a few things and then lay it in Charley's lap. He would give Charley a minute and then take it back. He did this over and over and I was amazed watching it.
*He loves to share his food. He is always offering me bites from his food and sips from his drink. Even when he was in the worst throes of his Noro virus and we had to ration his drinking to stop his vomiting he was still offering me his drink. Of course he then shared his virus, but that comes with the territory!
*When he came into our bed the other night he had one pacifier in his hand and one in his mouth. I shut my eyes and he was trying to jam his spare into my mouth. I took it between my lips so not to insult him but then dropped it after a second. He sat up and gently placed it back in my mouth again like we do to him. I almost died from the sweetness!
Isn't he helpful?
Despite going to bed easily and sleeping much longer, Henry consistently wakes at 4am every night. I know, I can eliminate this waking by ignoring him for a few nights, but frankly I don't have the energy to listen to him scream at that hour. I just go grab him, his adult sized pillow that he now sleeps with and plop him in our bed. Works like a charm, he smiles and goes right back to sleep.
On Sunday, I went to grab him and he practically squealed with delight when he saw me. Acted like 4am is a perfect time for a social call. Just a I got closer, he reached down and picked up his own pillow. All packed and ready to go!
On Sunday, I went to grab him and he practically squealed with delight when he saw me. Acted like 4am is a perfect time for a social call. Just a I got closer, he reached down and picked up his own pillow. All packed and ready to go!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
City Boy
As I mentioned in my last post, Henry is really starting to pick up on certain routines. He has picked up some funny habits that I think are unique to his city upbringing. For example
*He always wants my keys when we hit the front door of our building. I give them to him and let him out of the stroller. He runs through the lobby and heads straight for the bank of mailboxes. He stops right in front of our box and holds the key in the air waiting to open the lock.
*As soon as we hit the elevator, he holds up his arm to press the button to call the elevator. Once inside, he wants to hit the number for the floor. He then looks up at the numbers to watch what floor we are on, and when we get there wants to push the door open. He also likes to look into the window on the door of the elevator and watch Adam "disappear" in the morning.
*This morning we were doing some laundry. We were headed out to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer. On the way out the apartment I handed Henry a small grocery bag of garbage to hold just to keep him occupied. As soon as I opened the door he ran down the hallway and stopped in front of the garbage chute. I was amazed that he knew what he was holding and where to put it.
* As soon as we hit the basement, he takes off towards the laundry room. He has a little routine. First he helps me load the washers, putting in the clothes and then trying to slam the door on my fingers. Then he pushes the wheeled baskets around. Then he stands in front of the dryers, mesmerized by the swirling clothes.
* I let him run around the hallway sometimes. Despite the fact that all of the doors are black, he always knows which one is ours. Once he was running and fell into our neighbors door. The door popped open and he landed in their foyer! I quickly grabbed him, shut the door and beat a hasty retreat!
*He always wants my keys when we hit the front door of our building. I give them to him and let him out of the stroller. He runs through the lobby and heads straight for the bank of mailboxes. He stops right in front of our box and holds the key in the air waiting to open the lock.
*As soon as we hit the elevator, he holds up his arm to press the button to call the elevator. Once inside, he wants to hit the number for the floor. He then looks up at the numbers to watch what floor we are on, and when we get there wants to push the door open. He also likes to look into the window on the door of the elevator and watch Adam "disappear" in the morning.
*This morning we were doing some laundry. We were headed out to switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer. On the way out the apartment I handed Henry a small grocery bag of garbage to hold just to keep him occupied. As soon as I opened the door he ran down the hallway and stopped in front of the garbage chute. I was amazed that he knew what he was holding and where to put it.
* As soon as we hit the basement, he takes off towards the laundry room. He has a little routine. First he helps me load the washers, putting in the clothes and then trying to slam the door on my fingers. Then he pushes the wheeled baskets around. Then he stands in front of the dryers, mesmerized by the swirling clothes.
* I let him run around the hallway sometimes. Despite the fact that all of the doors are black, he always knows which one is ours. Once he was running and fell into our neighbors door. The door popped open and he landed in their foyer! I quickly grabbed him, shut the door and beat a hasty retreat!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Doing my dirty work for me!
Fourteen months is such a fun age. Henry is used to certain things and routines and gives very predictable responses. For example, whenever we say "It's Bath Time!" he runs to the bathroom and waits for us to turn on the water.
When Adam is home, baths are his domain. Sometimes, he might be caught up in something else and want me to do the bath. I tell Henry it's bath time, and he shouts out "DaDa" which of course prods Adam into giving him the bath. Who knows what he is really saying, but it is quite effective so I don't dispel the notion.
Tonight, it was getting late and I wanted Adam to give Henry his bath sooner rather than later to avoid a melt down. He was engrossed in a work project and asked for "10 more minutes" once or twice. Finally, I just went to get the tub water started and get Henry undressed. Henry heard the water and ran toward the bathroom. He reached into the tub, grabbed his little wash rag and ran out of the room. A minute later Adam followed him into the bathroom. Apparently Henry had delivered it to him in a not so subtle hint that bath time was his job!
When Adam is home, baths are his domain. Sometimes, he might be caught up in something else and want me to do the bath. I tell Henry it's bath time, and he shouts out "DaDa" which of course prods Adam into giving him the bath. Who knows what he is really saying, but it is quite effective so I don't dispel the notion.
Tonight, it was getting late and I wanted Adam to give Henry his bath sooner rather than later to avoid a melt down. He was engrossed in a work project and asked for "10 more minutes" once or twice. Finally, I just went to get the tub water started and get Henry undressed. Henry heard the water and ran toward the bathroom. He reached into the tub, grabbed his little wash rag and ran out of the room. A minute later Adam followed him into the bathroom. Apparently Henry had delivered it to him in a not so subtle hint that bath time was his job!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy New Year!
Instead of tossing confetti at midnight, we watch Henry tossing his cookies. Poor baby woke up and was coughing so hard he threw up his dinner. He was burning up so I gave him a little water and some Motrin. He fell back asleep and woke soon after because he had thrown up all over his crib.
We changed him and my pajamas, and in fifteen minutes he had thrown up all over our bed. We basically repeated this process all night long. All told we changed our sheets 5 times, my pajamas 6 times and Henry's pajamas 5 times. I felt terrible because he couldn't even hold down water but was so thirsty. We followed Heather's advice and just gave him small sips every few minutes so that he would stop vomiting. Of course Henry didn't understand this and was literally crying for water. It was really heartbreaking and we spent most of the night pacing the floor with him.
We finally got to bed around 3 am and woke to Henry throwing up again at 7am. The good news is that he is still his normal, playful self and has not stopped tearing up the apartment. The bad news is that we are totally wiped out and sick ourselves and were hoping for a little sleepiness on his part!
We changed him and my pajamas, and in fifteen minutes he had thrown up all over our bed. We basically repeated this process all night long. All told we changed our sheets 5 times, my pajamas 6 times and Henry's pajamas 5 times. I felt terrible because he couldn't even hold down water but was so thirsty. We followed Heather's advice and just gave him small sips every few minutes so that he would stop vomiting. Of course Henry didn't understand this and was literally crying for water. It was really heartbreaking and we spent most of the night pacing the floor with him.
We finally got to bed around 3 am and woke to Henry throwing up again at 7am. The good news is that he is still his normal, playful self and has not stopped tearing up the apartment. The bad news is that we are totally wiped out and sick ourselves and were hoping for a little sleepiness on his part!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Four Hundred and Forty Two Days
When I first came home from the hospital, I didn't think that I would be able to nurse for four more hours, let alone four hundred and thirty eight more days. It was so painful that I would literally clench my toes in anticipatory pain when Henry needed to eat.
I walked around smelling like cabbage from a home remedy to soothe the engorgement and had cuts and blisters in a place that in my wildest imagination I never thought possible. I would call my sister at night in tears because I wanted to nurse but every fiber of my being was begging me to stop. I am sad to say I hated it that much.
She of course gave me permission to throw in the towel, telling me "I was not a bad mother if I didn't nurse my baby, I was just a bad mother if I didn't feed him something!" Leave it to me to phrase my question in such a dramatic fashion and leave it to my sister to bring me back to earth.
Just as I was getting ready to send Adam to the store to buy some formula, I read a tip from someone in my October '06 Babies group online that I thought may solve my problem. Luckily it did, and I will be forever grateful to this person in cyberspace. Adam urged me to pump until my wounds could heal and take a break from our son who I had nicknamed "Chopper."
I set an original goal of sticking it out for three months. Three months came and went and I shot for six months. Six months came and went and I thought that nursing had become too easy and too convenient for me to stop there. Not to mention how much money we were saving and more importantly that it allowed me to scarf down five hundred extra calories a day in sweets.
My new goal was nine months and I really, really thought I would stop there. Two things happened by nine months. Henry became very aware of his surroundings and became much more vocal of his desire to nurse and also his dislike of formula that I tried to give him. My competitive nature also kicked in. I realized I was thisclose to hitting the ultimate goal of one year and I decided to go for it.
I have been trying to slowly wean Henry since he turned a year, and suffice it to say he was not a willing participant in the weaning process. I am sure the knowledge of this will mortify him some day! I just decided to bite the bullet and make December 31st, 2007 our absolute end date.
Despite the rough start, it has been a wonderful experience. Not only did it allow me to drop some weight, it has also been an extraordinary way to bond with Henry. It forced me to slow down every day and have a little cuddle with my baby. I loved taking him to the doctor to see how much weight he had gained, knowing that every ounce was due to nursing.
I am so grateful that my body cooperated so long, I know of many people who were not so lucky. I am grateful to Adam for being so supportive, even though it meant I would have a bond with Henry that he would not be able to share.
It is very bittersweet to stop. I am glad to gain some freedom and my body back, but I will certainly miss that time with Henry. It also shows me that he is not a little baby anymore, but is growing more into a little boy every day.
On to new adventures!
I walked around smelling like cabbage from a home remedy to soothe the engorgement and had cuts and blisters in a place that in my wildest imagination I never thought possible. I would call my sister at night in tears because I wanted to nurse but every fiber of my being was begging me to stop. I am sad to say I hated it that much.
She of course gave me permission to throw in the towel, telling me "I was not a bad mother if I didn't nurse my baby, I was just a bad mother if I didn't feed him something!" Leave it to me to phrase my question in such a dramatic fashion and leave it to my sister to bring me back to earth.
Just as I was getting ready to send Adam to the store to buy some formula, I read a tip from someone in my October '06 Babies group online that I thought may solve my problem. Luckily it did, and I will be forever grateful to this person in cyberspace. Adam urged me to pump until my wounds could heal and take a break from our son who I had nicknamed "Chopper."
I set an original goal of sticking it out for three months. Three months came and went and I shot for six months. Six months came and went and I thought that nursing had become too easy and too convenient for me to stop there. Not to mention how much money we were saving and more importantly that it allowed me to scarf down five hundred extra calories a day in sweets.
My new goal was nine months and I really, really thought I would stop there. Two things happened by nine months. Henry became very aware of his surroundings and became much more vocal of his desire to nurse and also his dislike of formula that I tried to give him. My competitive nature also kicked in. I realized I was thisclose to hitting the ultimate goal of one year and I decided to go for it.
I have been trying to slowly wean Henry since he turned a year, and suffice it to say he was not a willing participant in the weaning process. I am sure the knowledge of this will mortify him some day! I just decided to bite the bullet and make December 31st, 2007 our absolute end date.
Despite the rough start, it has been a wonderful experience. Not only did it allow me to drop some weight, it has also been an extraordinary way to bond with Henry. It forced me to slow down every day and have a little cuddle with my baby. I loved taking him to the doctor to see how much weight he had gained, knowing that every ounce was due to nursing.
I am so grateful that my body cooperated so long, I know of many people who were not so lucky. I am grateful to Adam for being so supportive, even though it meant I would have a bond with Henry that he would not be able to share.
It is very bittersweet to stop. I am glad to gain some freedom and my body back, but I will certainly miss that time with Henry. It also shows me that he is not a little baby anymore, but is growing more into a little boy every day.
On to new adventures!
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