working together at Trader Joe's...

santa, baby....

Poor Henry! Too sad to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. But Luke was a champ--just walked right up and told Santa he would like some dinosaurs and a ramp for cars and told him Merry Christmas!

15 month check-up...

I apologize for my lack of recent postings. We have been out of town over thanksgiving and then when we returned, Sam's father has been ill and we have been in and out of town to Nashville as well.

So to return, I wanted to update you on Mr Henry's latest checkup results. He is right on track developmentally with his walking and starting to run, esp after brother. He is similar to his brother, in that he does not have a lot to say yet, but he can say a few words, such as Mama, Dada, here, ball, eat, and something I am pretty sure is brother, but sounds more like "brud-da"!! He is also getting to the great age where he is starting to assert his independence, which we have seen a bit, especially when eating something he is not particularly fond of. Also, Henry has really become interested in puzzles and having books read to him (who does that remind you of?) Here are his stats:

Length 32 in--85% percentile
Weight 23lb 7.5 oz--35% percentile

So still very tall and skinny. He is about 3/4 inch and 1 full pound behind Luke at this age. Only 2 shots this trip, so not too traumatic, but between the 2 regular flu shots and the 2 H1N1 flu shots (thankfully not for sick visits--we have been pretty healthy this winter), he knows the pediatrician's office and starts to cry as soon as we step in and especially when he sees the nurse! She is the bad guy!

I promise I will update the blog with the Thanksgiving pictures very soon! Thanks for your patience!

i love books!!!

Henry has really gotten into books lately. He loves sitting in laps and reading, but he also will climb into Luke's chair and look at them himself too!

the mean black cat...

I think Henry was less than impressed with trick or treat-ing as he did not actually get anything out of it! But he was a good sport and wore his costume and toddled along with us.

Hooray!!!!

at amicalola park...

This Sunday we headed up to the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi River--Amicalola Falls in the north Georgia mountains. It was chilly, especially in the mountains, but nothing like a brisk hike up a mountain to get your blood pumping! We only hiked part of the way up--the pre-trail and the 175+ steps were enough for me, carrying 25 extra lbs!

So cold, Mother...

Walking down hill with brother and mommy...

Everybody at the Falls!

Check that out, brother...

The best part....lunch!!

changing is the hardest part....

Around 11 am, I had left him happily playing with his blocks in the playroom and went to my room for a few minutes and when I came back, I found Henry passed out asleep on the floor!! Transistioning from two naps a day to one is hard!! So what to do: do I leave him or wake him?? Well, first take a picture, then post it on the Internet for all to see.....;)

my first bubble bath...

We ran out of bubble bath a while ago and I kept forgetting to buy more. Well, Luke saw some Curious George bubble bath today and well, we all know how Luke feels about CG! So since Henry had never taken a bubble bath, Luke generously volunteered to show him how it is done...

Here he was saying, "See, Henry. These are bubbles and they are fun!"

Hmmm, still not sure.

Wow! These are fun!

Smiles for everyone!!

our first professional photo...

just swinging around...

who is the little brother here?

Henry was pushing his wagon around the cul-de-sac and Luke felt like hitching a ride!!

(The reason he was telling him to stop was Henry was head for a driveway that goes into a steep dropoff and Luke was trying to warn Henry to stop.)

sand!!

Henry just loves the sand box table. I am sure the texture is so new and unusual to him. Best of all, he finally stopped eating it!

one yr check-up...

Henry had his one yr check-up yesterday morning (before all of brother's excitement!) and he is great! He is close to walking and is talking a little bit, only a few words, but that is on track developmentally. They also checked his iron levels, which were normal, and gave him two immunizations--ouch! Here are his stats:

21 lb 6.5 ounces--25% percentile
31 inches--85% percentile
Head circumference 46.5 cm--80% percentile

So he is exactly as tall as Luke was at one year, but is 13.5 ounces lighter. Very tall and skinny!

Happy Birthday, Henry!....

Happy birthday! I know it is trite and everyone says it, but it really seems like yesterday that I gave birth to this sweet boy. He had a good day--it was a gloomy rainy day but we played all day and laughed a lot, just the 3 of us. This evening after dinner and Daddy came home, we had some birthday cake!

Henry's special friend and his cake--my amateur efforts at a giraffe face!

Hmmm, what could this be?

A little taste....

Oh yeah...Cake is awesome.

Chocolate smiles for everyone!

This video was of his favorite pastime with the cake! And in answer to questions from numerous people, I have no idea what he kept looking at outside and yes, Luke did get more cake! Henry did eat some, but not much. Like Luke on his first birthday, he was not so interested in eating the cake itself. Much more fun to slap the snout until it was literally almost flat!

entertainment when you are one.....

He had to pull them all out one by one....

Then try to figure out how to get them back in...

beach pictures...

Kisses!

This is the best attempt that we could make when trying to get a family picture--at least we are all looking at the camera! And that is saying something.

2 little boys see surf and run....

After breakfast on the balcony overlooking the ocean, we hit the pool and the beach. Both of the boys liked the sand, but Henry was much more unsure about the waves. He definitely did not like being carried out into the ocean, but sitting on my lap while the waves rolled by us was...okay. He did not light up until we came to the pool. Then he was jumping in and wanting to go under and kicking right away. I mean, this kid loves the pool! Maybe we can find a Mommy and me swim class one morning while big brother is at school...

Breakfast overlooking the waves...

Time for two buckets and shovels...

Look at my hair! Really this was about as excited as he got about the waves

Contemplating life...

He actually let Daddy put him down and was ok sitting next to Daddy....

pushing my wagon...

Henry has been walking with his push wagon for a couple of weeks now and here is a short video of him doing it. I'll try to get a better one. If you remember, Luke would push this cart forever, back and forth, with one of us on either end of the room turning him around and sending him back the other way. Henry is cruising with ease and walking holding onto fingers, but is not quite ready yet to venture into the world of walking. If he is true to his brother's form (which he has been so far with teething and talking, etc) then it will be another month or so before he takes off....

lunch at daddy's office...

We meet Daddy at his office to have a picnic and a walk around the park area. Henry had a great time looking at the fountain and watching brother run around and playing in the grass.

Daddy works there!

Lunch!

Daddy, you are too silly!!

my first ball game...

This weekend we took H to his first Braves game and he seemed to have a really good time. There was a lot of traffic and people there and we had to wait quite a while to do much of anything, but both boys were very patient. While we brought snacks and drinks for us all, we ate dinner at the park after the game to let traffic clear out... And we know Henry loves cheese pizza, just like his big brother! I never would have thought it but he tried one bite and was grabbing for it off the plate. I am not sure who ate more of it.....

brush, brush, brush all day long...

Since Henry is sporting not only 8 new teeth, but his one year molars are on their way, he is proud to be brushing his teeth morning and night, just like everyone else. He never liked a bottle, only preferring a sippy cup for water or milk, like big brother's. He is very aware of his surroundings and what everyone else is doing and of course, follows around Luke to see what he is going to get into next!

9 month check-up....sort of

Henry had his 9 month check-up...well, really it is 10.5 months, but close enough. He was not due for any shots or anything until 12 months, so we waited a bit to do both of their check-ups together. He is doing well, developmentally and socially. A little stranger anxiety, but very normal at his age.

His stats are as follows: 20lbs 6.5oz--25% percentile and 30.25 in--75% percentile. He is down in weight a bit, percentage-wise, but he eats like crazy and he may have just had a big growth spurt and stretched up and thinned out. We'll see at his 12 month appt in 6 weeks! Maybe he is Daddy's little basketball player--tall and thin!