Hem Hem Update

Posted on September 6, 2017 by playinghousewi

**From October 15, 2017**

**I wrote this two weeks ago and have added a few tidbits today**

Weight: Haven’t weighed the boy since his 12 month check up

Height: Hem Hem is SO BIG!

Health Updates: Because I KNOW you’ve all been dying to know, Henry’s poo has been SUPER smashy and nasty and explosive for the past few weeks. I attribute such disgustingness to the fact that the boy LOVES FRUIT. He can take down a full orange and a full banana… consecutively. He’s a tank.

**Update, poor Hem got his FIRST ever diaper rash last week, which will not go away. This weekend, he had a fever for 3ish days, which has since gone away. And other than that, has just been a little crankier than normal. He’s also been crossing his pinky under his middle finger a lot. Definitely on the left side… not sure if it’s on both. Oy. All these things just stress a momma out.

Sleep: The big boy is a great sleeper! The other day, he took a 3 hour nap followed by a 2 hour nap. He’s just great! I nurse the boy, snuggle and smooch the crap out of him, put him in his bed and voila. Nap time.

His sleep schedule is as follows:

Wake up: Anywhere between 530 and 8… typically stays in bed until at least 645 or 7 (plays, chats, etc)

AM Nap: Anywhere between 830-930 (sleeps apx 2-3 hours)

PM Nap: Anywhere between 1:30-2:30 (sleeps apx 1-2 hours)

Bedtime: 630/7

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes): Henry still wears 12m and 18m clothing and size five diapers. I’m not sure what size shoe he wears, as I have him in these awesome (and cheap) moccasins. As a side note, he loves shoes. And accessories. He will be losing his shit over god knows what, but if I tell him it’s time to put shoes on, he’ll nicely lift each foot (mid-cry) to let me put his shoes on.

Diet: Frank the tank loves to eat… although he does not love vegetables. He will locate them and remove them from his mouth with disgust. However, he does allow spinach in his eggs, loves avocado, and can take down more than his fair share of beans. I am still nursing the little munchkin 2-3 times per day (at nap/bed time).

His favorite foods are:

AVOCADO
Panera chicken noodle soup
Cheese
FRUIT (blueberries, blackberries, bananas or strawberries are probably #1)
Meat… such a protein lover.
Beans

Teeth: Henry has so many teeth… I don’t even know… at least 10, but I think more! Maybe 11 or 12?

Baby Gear Love: Henry loves his ybike, his camper, BOOKS – loves books, and “his” doctor kit (aka C’s doctor kit). Oh! And balls. And puzzles. He just loves to play.

Milestones/Firsts: I’m going to preface this with a request… don’t roll your eyes too much, but I think Hem is a legit early talker (or I have no concept of when children start speaking). He has so many words all of a sudden.

Words:

Hi/Bye – these were his first real words (besides ma, da, etc)
Mama
Dada
Nana
Papa
Shoes
Cheese
“Im excited” – I swear… he said it on multiple days. I even asked him if that’s what he said and he smiled, laughed and nodded yes
No
Charlie
“Side” for outside
This/that
“woof” (what the dog says)
lights
I’m sure there are more, but I can’t think of them.
Vroom
Brush teeth (it doesn’t sound perfect, but he says something garbled for “brush” and then teeeeef)
Eye
He can point out his nose, eyes and mouth
He boops his nose when someone says “boop”
Charlie (although I haven’t heard him say this recently)
Ball
Please
Thank you (again, garbled… but still legit)
He signs water, more, milk

It should be mentioned that Hem has THE CUTEST hi/bye wave. He says hi and bye with his squeaky voice and waves like the queen… while rocking the best smile ever. He gives HUGE smoochies and back taps. He’s the sweetest little love I ever did see.

He can turn lights on and off. He pushes his toys, chairs, stools, etc all over the place. Can climb stairs and step stools like a boss. He closes doors. He pulls himself up on everything and walks around holding onto furniture, a hand, legs, etc. He plays catch. He blows kisses. He plays peek a boo and does the hand movements for songs. He’s a buddy to the nth degree.

Likes: Buddy loves balls and OUTSIDE – oh does he love outside. All day he crawls towards the front door at work, points and says “side”. He loves toby and food. He loves mommy and giving smoochies. He loves Grandpa oh so much and gets so so excited to see his Nanny. He loves Charlie, but not her big bear hugs. He LOVES to make trouble in the bathroom: throw things in the tub, open and close the toilet seat, climb up the stool and try to hang from the sink, etc etc. I consequently hate the bathroom.

He loves to play with the doctor kit and his sissy. He loves chugging water. He loves fruit.

Hem is just a lover of life.

Dislikes: Diaper changes. Damn them to hell.

And don’t take the boy’s toy from his hands.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: OH me oh my. I don’t want to forget our pre-nap snuggles. Hem and I smooch and laugh and play and hug. He gives me the sweetest back taps and pulls my cheeks in to give me big kisses. Sometimes while I’m nursing him (in the pitch black room), he’ll randomly lift his arm up and start waving at me or picking my nose. He’s just so so silly. After I nurse him, while we love on each other, he’ll sometimes cuddle up so tight with his head on my shoulder (while back tapping me) or just smash his squishy cheek against mine. It’s literally the best feeling in the world.

Also, the way he lights up when someone new arrives or when he first sees me in the morning. He waves furiously with this HUGE toothy grin while he says “HI HI HI HI HI.” It’s legit the sweetest ever.

Many times, when he’s playing, he will insist on keeping his paw on my leg or around my neck, just to make sure I stay next to him. He’ll randomly look over and notice me, pull himself up using my shoulders and give me a hug. If I’m really lucky, a hug with the back taps.

This boy is just such a happy little lover. In big crowds, he’s a total observer. He laughs whenever other people laugh and in this way like he totally gets it. Giving eye contact and everything.

He loves to drink from regular cups because he’s such a big boy.

If there was only one word to describe Hem, it would be “buddy”… or “lover”… he’s just such a happy little dude.

Whooosh! Another Month Gone & Hemy is 10 Months Old!

Posted on April 12, 2017 by playinghousewi

**I failed my goal below…**

I’m determined to get this damn post up within 1 week of Henry’s 10 month mark (April 2). With that said, what in the what!? How is H-pie already 10 months old? That’s 2 months shy of a year (in case you were struggling with the math). My sleepy and distracted mom-brain can’t handle that. My baby is getting SO OLD and time is flying.

Excuse me while I hyperventilate.

Okay, done.

Onto my big old lovey of a man who made some big changes over the past month. It was a significant developmental month for H.

Weight: Henry is somewhere between 23 and 24 lbs. That puts him at around the 75th percentile. Dang, Henry, you skinny.

Height: Henry is 29.5″… Mommy is 60″. Yup. Henry Morris is a 1/2″ shy of half my height… at 10 months old. While that number seems surprising (as I think C was 30″ at her 2 year check up???), H has moved from the 95th to the 75th percentile for height.

Health Updates: Henry had another little cough/cold and woke up with a big fat puffy eye the other day. OH! And the little stinker was eye goobering everywhere (although didn’t seem to have pink-eye – doc and I agreed) and managed to give his momma a nice solid case of pink eye. I haven’t worn make-up or contacts in a week (feels longer). Pink eye is the devil.

Sleep: Henry continues to be a great sleeper; although, not at the same caliber as his sleepy older sis. He goes to bed around 6:30 and most often wakes up at around 6:30, but sometimes as late as 7:30 or 8. Naps, on the other hand, are not AS great. They’re still good… but not Charlie good.

His schedule these days most commonly looks like this:

630/7: Wake up (we will usually either give him a bottle or I’ll nurse him)

7:30/8: Breakfast (2 egg yolks)

9ish: He typically naps for 1.5-2 hours in the morning (wake up between 10 and 1130ish)

12/1: Nap – This nap is usually 2-3 hours. Probably most often around 2.5 hours. Today; however, it was 1.75 hrs. Not. Enough.

2:30/3:30: Sometime between 2:30 and 3:30pm (most commonly) Henry wakes up.

2:30/3:30-4:30: Henry destroys mommy’s office, pulls cords, generally speaking, he f’s things up.

5/5:30: Dinner

5:30/6:30: Bed – Some nights this is a little later, but lately, Henry has been pretty sleepy and ready to go to bed around 530.

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes): Henry wears 12m and 18m clothing and size FIVE diapers. If Charlie were still in diapers, they’d be in the same size. HOLY COW!

Diet: Mr. Henry face LOVES food and drinking water from his sippy cup. He holds on with both hands and tips it back for a good solid chug. 70% of the time, he then lets the water spill out of his mouth.

As for new foods… oh I don’t know! I feel like it’s been a lot of the same. He seems to enjoy peas? Also, confession, I’m excited to be done breastfeeding… or at least pumping. I’ve made it very clear that I LOATHE pumping, which has not changed. In the past few weeks, I’ve switched from pumping twice a day to only once (slight improvement).

But honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of breastfeeding this time around. I loved it with C, but they’re so different. With Charlotte, she never cuddled… like, ever… EXCEPT when she nursed. She would just curl up like a little love and I adored that time with her.

Henry, on the other hand, is a total cuddler. It’s amazing and wonderful and I just LOVE Henry hugs. They’re amazing. He smashes his face against mine or puts his big noggin on my shoulder. It’s total heaven. HOWEVER, when he nurses, it’s not really like that so much. He gets distracted SO easily, he’s bitten SO many times (so I tend to be on edge), and it’s just not comfortable. Maybe C was a gentle nurser… Henry, not so much.

With all of that said, I’m excited to wean. We’ll see how H feels about that… especially because he literally wants to crawl back inside my uterus on a daily basis.

Teeth: The Henry man has lots of chompers. He’s currently at SEVEN! 4 on the bottom, 3 on top… but that 4th one on top will come through any day. He looks like such a little jack-o-lantern man with those tiny spaced out teeth. Gives me a good chuckle.

ALTHOUGH, Henry has been known to use those chompers for inappropriate chomping. The other day, he leaned in to give big sister a nice smooch on the cheek. They both lingered in the cheek kiss when all of a sudden, Charlotte screamed and started crying. Apparently, Henry couldn’t resist those chubby Charlie cheeks.

He also bites me now and then… on the arm, leg, nipple… good stuff. I pray that this little phase ends quickly and never returns. Ever.

Baby Gear Love: Guys, we lost Henry’s Comotomo Teether that he sleeps with every night. Oops. Thankfully he’s a chill little man and was okay with the replacement random teether I’ve been giving him. As for other toys, he still loves everything dangerous, truly enjoys fucking things up (shredding paper, pulling cords, yanking drawers open, throwing cell phones, etc).

Milestones/Firsts: Mr. Henry is now officially an army crawler. He drags himself around, as if he weighs 1,000 lbs. He has gotten his belly off the ground, but still isn’t crawling normally.

He loves to stand (with assistance) and to pull himself up on mommy. I’m guessing he’ll probably start walking around the time he’s 16… years old… Just in time for my hips and back to totally disintegrate.

Henry has totally mastered the art of feeding himself.

Hmmm…

I’m struggling. I know there’s a lot more, but I can’t remember.

He chitter chatters all day. It’s funny because he legit sounds like he’s talking.

Likes: Henry loves food, trouble, mommy, Toby & knocking things over.

Dislikes: Henry HATES when he doesn’t get what he wants. And he doesn’t appreciate having to sit still.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: Henry totally lights up and bounces and giggles and reaches for me when I enter the room… this usually turns to dramatic, “I need you RIGHT NOW” cries, but still. It’s pretty sweet and funny.

Henry smooches. He loves to kiss and finds it so funny. And oy, he gives such great hugs.

He’s amazing and perfect and I want to give him a big smoochie.

Henry at 3 Months

Posted on September 15, 2016 by playinghousewi

Weight: BIG! Henry hasn’t been weighed since his 2-month check up (at which point he was nearly 14 lbs!!!), but I can pretty much guaranty that he’s a giant. And luckily for me, he loves to be bounced and rocked and patted to sleep. Let’s just say that my arm muscles have been getting quite the workout.

Height: As with his weight, Henry’s height is pretty off the charts, too. I can’t remember what it was at 2 months, but I do remember that he was in the 98th percentile or something similar. I think closer to 75th for weight (he lost a bit of momentum on his weight after having diarrhea for a month straight). Anyway, he’s giant. Will likely be carrying me around by his third birthday.

Health Updates: The poop saga has seemed to have subsided. After a very long month of diaper blow out after outfit changing diaper blow out (sometimes as many as 6 per day), his poo seems to be pretty normal. I am still not eating dairy or soy (and have actually given up wheat/gluten as well) and Henry is taking a daily probiotic. Other than that, the poor little bumpkin currently has a cold/cough that the toddler so graciously brought home for all of us to share.

Sleep: The word sleep makes me cry. But really, it’s not SO bad lately… the problem is that I haven’t slept in nearly 3.5 months and I’m so incredibly sleep deprived that I don’t notice what an improvement we’ve seen in Henry’s sleep this third month.

He’s now waking up twice per night. Always sometime between 10-12 and 3-4 for about 30-60 minutes total. Not bad…

It’s interesting, I was looking back at my blog to see what Charlie was doing at this age because in my memory, she was only waking up once. Well, turns out (according to this blog post), she was actually on the exact same schedule as Henry. Like… waking up at the exact two times. Pretty crazy, huh?

Makes me wonder two things…

Does that mean that Henry will be just as lovely of a sleeper as his sister????? PLEASE. SAY. YES.
I wonder if Henry hadn’t gotten sick with his massive diarrhea (official diagnosis), would he have slept through the night? Really early on, he was sleeping 4-7 hour stretches and got sick right around 5 weeks, which is when Charlie started sleeping through the night (and Henry started waking every 1-2 hours).

Anyway, let’s just say in the sleep department, there is room for improvement.

It should also be mentioned that Henry DEMANDS a good tush potch and rock until he’s fast asleep before being put down (sorry, Henry, but at 4-5 months, you’ll be crying it out like your sis). If you even think about putting him down before he’s ready, his eyes pop open as if to say, “don’t even think about it!!!”

Also, since I’ve been back at work, Henry has become a regular napper. Although, some days, he’s just a total butt. Refuses naps, forces me to potch for hours, etc.

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes): Henry has been in size 3-6 month for awhile, but as of maybe 2-4 weeks ago, he just flat out doesn’t fit in 3 month clothes. As for diapers, he’s a 2.

Diet: Milk, milk, milk. And fingers. He LOVES to shove his fingers or my hands in his mouth. BUT, still no paci. Apparently, Charlie started at 3 months. Fingers crossed.

Baby Gear Love: Henry LOVES his “baby,” which is an adorable reindeer named Rodolfo, from Cuddle + Kind. He also loves all of his Eric Carle toys like these. Otherwise… I don’t know. My favorite item is the Dr. Brown’s bottles because when they’re in use, it means Mark is feeding Henry and I’m getting a break. But really, I don’t know. I feel like this time around, I’m hardly using anything. We haven’t been using the ring sling much, the swing is alright, I stopped using the boppy awhile ago… Whatever, I don’t know.

Milestones/Firsts: This month, Henry started rolling from his tummy to his back. He’s become an expert head holder upper (yes, this is a thing). He giggles! He’s pretty much smiling 85% of his awake time, staring blankly 10% and screaming his face off 5%.

He pulls himself up while holding onto my fingers. Loves trying to sit up. Grabs at all his toys and shoves them in his mouth. He can follow / track toys. He’s pretty much a genius.

Likes: Mommy, Daddy, Charlie (loves Charlie… except when she’s being a jerk), Rodolfo, smiling, reading books with Mommy, being rocked, being tickled, being held.

Dislikes: Being put down when he’s not ready. When Charlie is too rough.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: All of it. He’s totally my little momma’s boy baby love. He hugs me like a koala and I just can’t get enough. We play a game where I kiss and smush his little cheek with my lips/face/nose and he tries to eat my face while smiling. Sounds weird, but it’s the best. He’s just such a sweet pumpkin pie.