Sunday in the Park with Henry

One Sunday in early December, Mark and I took Henry to a local park to swing.  We have a great set of trails in our neighborhood, so we took a trail to the park. 

Henry napped on the way to the playground but woke up in time to swing.  We all had a great time!

Bundled up in an assortment of clothing items!  We just needed gloves, which Henry received for Christmas.

Yeah?  You talkin' to me?!

Whheeee!!!!

And finally some evidence that Mama was there.

Playtime with Daddy!

Every little boy needs a daddy to be rough and tumble with.  Luckily for Henry, he's got a great one!

Exhibit A: Henry and Daddy play the face grab (and taste) game. 

Hey, that nose looks pretty tasty!

Exhibit B: Henry uses Daddy as a launching pad to practice pushing up to a standing position.

Hi, Mom!

Looks like Henry may have enjoyed this game more than Daddy.

Exhibit C: Watching the world from a new vantage point: Atop Daddy's shoulders.

Looking at himself in the mirror.

I have a feeling the daddy-son games will get even rougher and tumblier in the years to come!

The Sweetest Sound

Tonight, Henry gave his first, from the belly, chuckle.  He has been laughing for a couple of months, but those laughs were more short staccato-like sounds.  This laugh was different and more like a giggle you hear from a two or three year old.  I had ordered Henry an outfit online and it came wrapped in plastic.  As I was unwrapping it, making a bunch of noise, I heard Henry.  At first I thought he was crying (because it was close to dinnertime!) but when I looked at him he was wearing the biggest grin and was just laughing away.  So, of course I kept crinkling the plastic wrap to elicit more belly laughs.  I nearly died from an overdose of joy.  And then I called Mark, who was still at work, so he could hear Henry's first real big-kid laugh.

Because there are no photos or video to go along with the story, here are some lots of recent photos of our boy.

Headed out for a walk in my winter suit!

Reading already.  Told you he is precocious.

I love my jumperoo!  Thanks Chris and Caroline! (and baby Grayson!)

Five Months!

Henry turned five months old on November 26th!

Here's what he's been up to in the past month:

• On November 12th, Henry weighed 16 pounds, 2 ounces (no change from his 4 month appointment), was 26.25 inches long and had a head circumference of 16.75 inches.  On November 21st, he was up to 16 pounds, 6 ounces. 
• Henry has become much more adept at reaching for and grabbing items.  He can pick up smaller objects and direct them right to his mouth.
• He also now is able to put his feet in his mouth, and he enjoys this new activity especially during bathtime and during diaper changes.
• He has a little toy keyboard that he likes to play with, and Mark downloaded a baby "app" on his phone that plays different musical instrument sounds when the baby presses the instrument's picture.  I swore I would never be one of those parents who lets their baby play with an adult phone, but here we are!
• Henry is practicing his sounds, and he has said what sounds like an early version of "hi" a few times.  He also likes chatting to himself at night after we put him down to sleep.
• Henry can sit well in his bumbo-type chair, and he will occupy himself while we eat if we put toys on the tray of the chair.
• He would much rather stand (with assistance) than sit, and when you have him in a sitting position on your lap or a chair, he will use his legs to push himself up to a standing position.  His legs are very strong, as many people who know him can attest!
• Our favorite game to play with Henry is the "kissing game" (sounds so PG-13!), where Henry stands on his changing table, being held by Mark, and I stand about two feet away.  Then, I open my arms for a hug and tell Henry I want to give him a big ol' kiss.  He grins like a wild man as soon as I do this, and Mark brings him to me for the kiss.  Henry smiles the whole time, but as he gets close to me, he turns his head to the side, in anticipation of me kissing his cheek.  It's so, so cute, and all three of us love it.
• Henry celebrated his first major holiday, Thanksgiving, during his fifth month.  Mark's family visited and we hosted.  It was a nice holiday and Henry wore the longall shown in the first two pictures above, which my mom gifted him for the occasion.
• Unfortunately, he also got his first cold right before Thanksgiving, so he wasn't his usual cheery self around family. Luckily he never got too sick, but he did wheeze some through his nose.  He is pretty much back to normal now, although he's still a little congested.  The pediatrician told me it's common for babies to be congested basically all winter.  I'm hoping that's not the case, but it doesn't phase him, as long as we don't try to put saline drops in his nose or suction the mucus out! 

Henry, we love you so much and love watching you grow!

A couple extra pictures that were too cute not to share:

A Fish Called Henry

Henry loves taking baths.  It's probably his favorite activity, save for eating.  And what's not to love?  He gets to relax in his baby sling while Mark pours water on him and I wash him head to toe.  Here is photograph evidence of Henry's bathtime adventures, plus some post-bath photos of him donning his alligator and frog bath towels.

What?!  You don't suck on your feet while bathing?

Henry's motto: Why settle for a thumb when a toe is available?

Snuggles with Daddy.

Captain Henry

Aargh!!  Surrrrender all yer milk and no one gets hurt!

We Call It Precocious

Some might call Henry's reading about the dreidel song ironic, as he's doing so while wearing Santa and reindeer pjs.

But given that his mom celebrates Christmas and his dad celebrates Chanukah, and so he will celebrate both, we call him precocious.

Strike a Pose!

A couple of weekends ago, my mom was in town.  We headed over to my grandmother's for the afternoon, to celebrate her birthday and to visit with family.  My uncle, who is a wonderful photographer, agreed to take some shots of Henry, my mom and me.  He got some great ones!

This may be my all-time favorite photo of the two of us.

We encountered a little spit-up problem, but it didn't stop us!

Joy!

Henry and my great-aunt Nina.