Tag Archives: New Baby

1 Whole Year

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Here we go! The big 1 year old Hemy update. And, remember that last post? When I was getting all emotional on my buddy’s first day? Well, the day ended with only one tearful meltdown. It’s just crazy… life with my babies and wonderful husband is so great, but simultaneously so hard. It’s impossible to stay totally positive and on top of things and plain old grateful and not get bogged down by the chaos and shuffling and momming. Then, all of a sudden, you blink and your baby is 1 year old. <Cue tears>

Honestly, this past year has been wonderful and I’m so grateful to have a lifetime to continue getting to know my babies. Henry is just such a little dumpling. He’s wonderful and sweet and squishy and silly and just lovely.

Weight: Henry is a whopping 23 lbs, 6 oz… which I’m pretty sure is just about what he weighed at 10 months. He’s dropped to the 50th percentile for weight.

Height: Hem Hem is a tall little man, measuring in at 2′ 7.5″… aka 31.5″ – that’s 90th percentile, people. Dude be big.

Health Updates: Little man has been pretty darn healthy this year. He recently had a little cold, which was sad… but nothing too crazy. Last week, he seemed to be going through a mental leap. How do I know?

Boy was CRAZY. He legitimately spent a whole day trying to headbutt me and scratch my eyes out. Shit was crazy. He was just fussy and clingy, but simultaneously trying to knock me unconscious. Those were amazing mom days.

But, we came out on top and his leap is very apparent. Since his 3-4 day psycho spree, he’s returned to his normal overly loving, jolly little self AND has a handful of new tricks! I am also still standing, so a win all around.

Sleep: Hem Hem’s sleep has been pretty great; although, the past week or so, the boy has been FIGHTING his second nap. In fact, he’s currently fighting it. He’s sleeping from about 6:30p-6:30a, and napping about 3 hours in the am. Our schedule was crazy this past weekend, but typically he sleeps about an hour or two in the afternoons. And actually, his am nap went from 2-3 hours at the same time he started boycotting nap #2.

He’s quiet for the moment, so we’ll see what happens.

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes): Henry still wears 12m and 18m clothing and size FIVE diapers. As for shoes, boy has big old club feet. They don’t appreciate the stifling nature of shoes.

Diet: Little man continues to love eating. At 11 months, we introduced him to cow’s milk… once. Then again at around 11.5 months (and also almond milk). Now, we alternate between the two (and breastmilk). He loves them all, although I can’t tell if his tummy is going to love cow’s milk.

As for food, the kid can eat. His favorite foods are:

  • Panera chicken noodle soup
  • Eggs
  • Cheese
  • FRUIT (strawberries are probably #1)
  • Meat… such a protein lover.
  • Beans

As for dessert, let’s just say that both of his smash cakes were consumed by his sister.

Teeth: Henry has 8 teeth (4 on top, 4 on bottom). There’s a chance he has molars, but he’s so darn secretive. He won’t show me. If he doesn’t have them, he’s most definitely working on them. Kid is very drooly and constantly shoving things in his mouth.

Baby Gear Love: We found Henry’s Comotomo Teether so all is right with the world. His other favorites: his new TRACTOR (also a fave of C’s), his dump truck, his HAMMER! OMG, the kid loves his hammer. The hammer came with a toy that looks just like this.

Milestones/Firsts: Henry is just such a big boy. He says mama, dada, mo mo mo (MORE!!)…. that might be it. He signs more, waves hi/bye, and as of a couple days ago, claps like a little cutie pie.

As of TODAY, Henry stands up in his crib and as of maybe a week or two, stands up on just about everything else. It’s crazy… since his week of headbutting, his repertoire has expanded exponentially. He’s pulling himself up on everything, clapping, putting his ball into the hole of the truck as it’s supposed to be used, and so on. He’s just such a big boy.

He also does itsy bitsy spider… which is ADORABLE.

And plays with his pup pup.

Likes: Henry LOVES swimming and water in general. He’s a little fish. He also LOVES music. This morning he went from the ukulele to the piano and back 10 times. And he actually strums the guitar… as for the piano, he just bashes the shit out of the keys.

Henry LOVES his doggy. He literally feeds him every time he eats. He’ll give Toby the food right from his own mouth.

Henry is still very partial to mommy, but obviously love loves his dadadadada.

He’s also a big fan of his grandparents!

Hem Hem loves to be scared and tossed around. And he LOVES to rip out floor vents and bash them all over the place. Also enjoyable… throwing miscellaneous items down exposed floor vents.

Henry is a big fan of balls and bubbles.

I’m sure I’m missing a million things… hmmm… he loves cords and danger, per usual. OH! We got him a ball pit tunnel, which he LOVES.

Dislikes: Hem does not enjoy being put in bed when he doesn’t want to sleep (hence him currently crying). He does not like being passed to someone else from momma’s arms or seeing momma when he has decided he must be attached to the momma. He does not enjoy his sister hugging him SO tight around the neck and don’t even think about taking his toys from him.

He also LOATHES diaper changes.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: I don’t want to forget any of it! He’s just such a little munch with such a funny little demeanor. He loves to laugh and play. He’s SO curious and inquisitive. He’s so sweet and gives the best hugs and snuggles.

I love his babble and oy. His clap. Something about seeing those two chubby paws slapping together like a seal… I just love it. And he’s so proud. It’s perfection.

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

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**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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Mommy Dates

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I’ve been working an earlier day on Tuesdays so that I can pick up Charlie from school at 3pm. In doing so, I’ve been able to blend my working momma / SAHM status a little more than normal (which is the beauty of taking Henry to work with me every day).

Well, since I’m home at 3, I get to hang with my favorite momma friends & their broods on occasion. It seems that we’ve had a lot of great weather days on Tuesdays. It’s awesome. We take walks with the kids, blow bubbles, play, etc.

Definitely the highlight to my week!

Note that Miss C loves to care for the younger boys and little H is always smiling!!

Big Guy is a Big 9 Months Old

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**From March 14th – was waiting to add photos, but I might as well post it at this point.**

So, I totally missed Henry’s 8 month update. I will be better moving forward.

Weight: Henry doesn’t have his next checkup until 3/29, but I weighed him at the office and he was 23 lbs. Daaaaang, Hemy! You big, man.

Height: He’s just so big. It’ll be interesting to see where he’s at in a few weeks.

Health Updates: Henry had a cold back in January, but otherwise, has managed to avoid illness. In January, he had a spot of blood in his urine (visible in his diaper). It turned out to be nothing.

Sleep: Henry is such a good sleeper! He’s really been improving his napping and is really just lovely. I put him to bed awake most of the time and he just does his thing – plays, snuggles his reindeer, whatever – and goes to sleep.

In terms of his schedule, most commonly, it looks like this:

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

8/9: He typically naps for 2 hours in the morning (wake up between 10 and 1130ish) – some naps are closer to 3+ hours, but on average, it’s about 2 hours.

11/12: Nap

2:30/4: Sometime between 2:30 and 4pm Henry wakes up. Henry could probably use one more quick nap after this; however, he REFUSES. Whine, cry, scream, fuss… that’s what Henry has to say about a third nap. I don’t push it because he’s technically sleeping more than enough between his (2) 1.5+ hour naps and 12+ hours of night sleep. (14-15 is recommended… Henry is over well over 14.)

5/5:30: Dinner

5:30/6: 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: Henry is now eating 3 solid meals a day and has definitely started drinking a bit less milk (remember, he was drinking 9 oz bottles!!), but I’m pretty sure it’s still according to recommendations. As for solids, here’s what he’s tried since Month 6:

  • Brisket (he LOVES brisket)
  • Mango
  • Butternut squash
  • Veggie Shake (super greens, beets, pinapple, banana, berries, etc)
  • Blueberries
  • Black Bean Pasta
  • Edamame Pasta
  • Chicken Pot Pie
  • Chili (he mostly just ate the kidney beans)
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Yogurt
  • Egg Yolks (he has 1-2 egg yolks each morning. MMM!)
  • Grilled Cheese
  • Banana
  • All sorts of chicken (he loves chicken!)
  • Homemade quesadilla
  • All natural sliced turkey
  • Crackers (he loves crackers)
  • Mac & Cheese

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all I can come up with right now…

Long story short, the boy loves to eat.

Teeth: This boy has so many teefers! He has three on the bottom and one on top… AND his second on the top is almost through. His poor gum is SO SWOLLEN, it hangs further down than its neighboring tooth that’s already out. Hopefully it will break soon.

Yesterday, Henry used all his new, shiny teeth to bite mommy right on the arm. He had been nursing and then took a break, lifted his little head to my arm, CHOMPED down, and quickly looked up at me with a laugh.

Should I be frightened?

Baby Gear Love: Henry’s two lovies that he sleeps with continue to be his reindeer Rodolfo. and the Comotomo Teether. These are his essentials. Other favorite items of Henry’s: danger, cords, glass tables, paper (for shredding, crumpling, and knocking to the floor), my cell phone (his favorite $300 chew toy.. also loves to hear it being thrown to the floor). He also really loves this Giraffe Ball Popper toy, anything Charlie’s holding, and this little spinning toy that’s supposed to promote crawling (or rolling in Henry’s case).

For me, I actually just bought my THIRD ergo baby. Not because I want a collection, but because I’ve had two that I bought or received as a gift with C and returned both because I didn’t use them. Well, with Henry, it’s perfect! I think because he’s such a large man, I need the extra ergonomical support. I bought this Ergo Baby for $25 used on my kidcycle (buy, sell, trade) website. How cute are those whales?

I’ve actually also been using the double stroller again (now that the temps are a little less arctic). I think it’s going to be a huge asset this spring/summer.

Milestones/Firsts: Henry is definitely mobile; however, his only mode of transportation is rolling. He rolls EVERYWHERE. Forward, backwards, 6 rolls in a row. The kid is motivated and skillful. He can roll himself right under the couch. “Oh no! Mommy, Hemy under the couch!” True story.

Henry is also mastering “mama”… this is definitely more consistent in the past couple of days. He also seems to say “more” and “nom nom nom nom” when things are delish.

He waves! That’s pretty cute. He’s probably been doing that for a month now.

He can get food into his own mouth.

He can move himself backwards in the walker.

He can sit up… although he still tends to fall over.

He gives kisses!!!! Oh this is my fave. Wide open mouth kisses. And HUGE hugs.

He can pick up chicks with his sparkle eyes.

He can eat a full apple. (aka he can gnaw on it and maybe eat the equivalent of 1/4 tsp)

He does “TOUGH GUY!!”

He went to his first aquarium (at Discovery World)

He took his first bath with his sissy.

Likes: Henry is a lover of life. He’s so chill and adaptable. He really loves rolling all over the place and getting into trouble. He loves pulling hair and ripping glasses of faces. He loves to snuggle. Oh does that boy know how to smush his face against mine and snuggle. He loves when anybody talks to him. He loves to laugh. He loves eating. He loves to mess with Toby.

Dislikes: Being put down when he wants to play. Being overtired. When someone (usually me) takes a toy from his hand. When I don’t feed him fast enough. The hours of 2:30-4:45.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: Those sparkle eyes. Man do they get me. Henry’s entire face just lights up with love and joy and happiness. When he looks at me so lovingly, I just melt. I want to just keep that in my pocket forever. Mr. Sparkles.

Also, the snuggles. Oh the snuggles. When I put him to bed, 4/5 times, he snuggles in so close to me. He puts his smushy cheeks against mine… not lightly, but like, smashed into my face. And we rock with our faces smashed together and it’s magical. Literal magic. Sometimes, if he’s too tired for smashy face, he just puts his little head on my shoulder until I melt into a puddle on the ground. Essentially, I melt for this loving boy.

Yesterday, Charlie, Henry and I were sitting on the floor. Henry was in my lap, Charlotte across from us. We were opening up this makeup subscription package that I get. The box had a perforated tear away strip to make opening the box easier. Charlie ripped the box open, making a silly noise as it tore across the perf. Henry was in hysterics. Once opened, Charlie began ripping through everything. She was grabbing items, opening tops, squeezing containers too hard, etc. And I was on total mom (and makeup present) defense: “Charlotte, don’t squeeze that!” “Put that top back on” “Please give me that!” All the while, tiny Henry was literally laughing HYSTERICALLY! Nonstop laughter! I have no idea what he thought was so dang funny, but man was he laughing hard! It was pretty silly.

 

Henry’s 4 Month Photos

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Henry’s 4 month pictures were taken at a park located on Lake Michigan. We had an absurdly windy day, but sunny and lovely. Poor Henry had a solid blowout poop/pee mid-photoshoot, that wasn’t noticed until we were just about done… so, if he looks pissed, he is! haha Literally.

I loved how these photos turned out. They definitely reminded me of our engagement photos, which are my favorites.

See… aren’t these amazing:

But I digress… (sorry for attempting to steal the show, Henry)!

Henry’s 4 Month Photos

Henry’s Newborn Photos

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Within a week of little Henry’s arrival, we took Henry’s newborn photos. I don’t remember all the details, as I was in a blurry state of exhaustion, but I do remember that it did not go amazingly. My GIANT baby refused to sleep like a newborn. He cried and cried for the first 3/4 of the session and then slept super lightly for the last quarter.

We had planned to schedule another mini session to get a few more photos, but I got lazy and didn’t want to endure the torture. Regardless, his pictures are cute! Not my favorite photo session, but definitely some very sweet shots. As you’ll see, my little ham also tried to steal the show with some 2-year-old shots.

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Half of a Year… and then another month down

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Can I just say that the past 6 months have literally been the fastest of my life? I mean, it feels like I have known Henry my whole life and that he’s been in our world forever, but at the same time, I literally cannot believe that it’s already been half of a year! Mind blowing.

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Even more mindblowing? Another month has passed since I wrote the above statement. Shit, I’m so behind and life is just flying by. Henry is SEVEN months old… practically in college.

Weight: Per his 6-month check up (which occurred at 6 months and 2.5 weeks), he’s 21 lbs and either 5 or 8 ounces! I can’t remember. 95th percentile for our tiny giant!

Height: Big man Henry is 28.25″… WOWZA! I’m 60″… just think about that. 91st percentile for height.

Health Updates: Henry still has constant boogs. I think he keeps them there so I can pick them out. He’s giving like that. Otherwise, he’s been nice and healthy (knock on wood). I’m sure it’s helped that Charlotte hasn’t been in school for over a month now. We’ve been pretty germ-free.

Sleep: Henry continues to be amazing in the sleep department. He had a week or so where he decided he wanted to wake up an hour after he went to sleep. At first, we went in nightly and gave him hugs and smooches and then we realized he was hustling us. Or really that he was just getting into a totally unnecessary routine. We did cry it out and voila! Back to normal. The first night he cried for an hour, then for 15 minutes, and by night 3 it was maybe a couple of minutes.

Henry’s routine is a little different these days. He’s been eating solids at dinnertime with the family. Then, we get him in his jammies/sleep sack and start feeding him his bottle in Charlie’s room while we read two stories. After stories, Mark takes him to his room to finish his bottle and go to bed. He’s typically done with his 8.5-9oz bottle and in bed by 6:30 or 7 at the latest. Typically, he sleeps until around 7/730.

 

In terms of his schedule, most commonly, it looks like this:

7/730: Wake up (we will usually either give him a bottle or I’ll nurse him)

830/9: He typically naps for an hour (sometimes 2 hours if he’s at home)

11/1130: Nap

2:30/3:30: Nap

5:30: Dinner

6:30: Bed

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes): Henry is a tank. He’s pretty solidly in 12-month clothes. 9 fits him most of the time, but 12 month clothes are ideal. Diapers, he’s in a 5… same size as his sister. I do squeeze his tiny butt in size 4’s, but always regret it as I’m cleaning baby shit off of his back and thighs.

Diet: Sir Henry takes down boatloads of milk daily and is also eating 1-2 solid meals a day. I’ve been SO much less calculated with solids for Henry than I was for Charlotte. Here’s what he’s tried so far:

  • sweet potatoes (first food at about 4 months and 1-2 weeks – doesn’t like it)
  • peas
  • apples
  • bread
  • Panera chicken noodle soup (that’s legit, right?)
  • Panera bread (even more legit…)
  • Zucchini
  • Chicken
  • Oatmeal
  • Avocado
  • Black beans
  • Pasta
  • Puffs

That might be all…

Teeth: Henry has two tiny chompers on the bottom and seems to be working on the top. Who knows. Like I’ve said before, he seems to be in a constant state of teething.

Baby Gear Love: Henry’s best friend (besides Charlie) is his reindeer Rodolfo. Other faves: Comotomo Teether (this thing is cheap and awesome!!), Nuby Teether (Nana got something like this for Henry and he absolutely loves it), Edushape Sensory Balls (When Charlie actually lets him play with his balls from Grandpa, he really enjoys them. Perfect for gnawing and reaching and bouncing around). He also still loves his play mat and his exersaucer. Oh! And his Fisher Price car thing.

Milestones/Firsts: Henry is legit rolling from back to belly and all over the place. He also does assisted standing (and bouncing). He’s working on sitting up by himself, but still calls over pretty consistently.

Crap, I don’t know! All the time blends together, but he’s amazing and wonderful! That’s not new though…

Likes: Henry is still my little guy and I seem to continue as the apple of my little man’s eyes. He also loves the “laughing game” as Charlie calls it. This entails Charlie laughing or being goofy and Henry cracking up. They’re definitely little buddies. It’s perfectly sweet and I love it. My little loves.

Henry loves to eat. He makes little happy food grunts and hungry grunts when he wants more.

Henry LOVES to hug, but equally loves to attempt to rip off faces/hair. He enjoys splashing and rolling around.

Dislikes: Being put down when he wants to play. Being overtired…

Hmmm… I don’t know. He’s so dang happy. He’s a lover of life.

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: Henry is my little man. It absolutely blows my mind how sweet he is. He gets the biggest smiles when he sees his momma. And he gives me the best and biggest hugs. I love just laying around with him and don’t want to forget those moments. When I tickle his little belly, when he grabs onto my face and laughs. All of it.

His relationship with Charlie is also just magical. The way he looks are her… it’s just so sweet. He has sparkle eyes and he gives them to her often. He just waits – with a smile from ear to ear – for her to say something that sends him roaring. Despite the fact that she constantly steals his toys, rolls him over, and bosses him around, he absolutely adores her.

The other day, I was thinking about how crazy the past 7 months have been. I’ve found 2 children to be much more challenging than 1. There’s like 5 times the amount of things to do at all moments and there are so many moments where if you stopped me in my tracks and asked me what I was doing at that exact moment, I’d list 6 things off. BUT, despite it all, it’s all so incredibly fulfilling and magical and perfect and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have so many moments that I want to just bottle up and keep preserved forever… sitting in Charlie’s bed with Mark, Charlie & Henry, reading stories… Charlie explaining the story to Henry and showing him the book, letting him hold it… Sitting at the dinner table, watching both kids laugh hysterically, as Mark and I laugh and love. Everything. It’s just been so incredibly rewarding and perfect. My heart is full.

5 Precious Months

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***here is another post that got lost in my drafts from TWO months ago*

FIVE Months!! Wasn’t I just writing Henry’s 4 month update? How could this be? Time is literally flying by. But, I can honestly say that life with Henry has been absolutely amazing. He’s such a special and loving little man.

Weight: Oh my goodness, he’s gotta be pushing 19-20 lbs now. He’s HUGE! I have legit hip and knee issues lately on my left side (the side I hold him on). Dude ate 17 ounces of milk last night. 17! 8-8.5 at bedtime (6/630pm) and 8-8.5 at 1am. Hungry man.

Height: At 4 months, Henry was 27″ long (97th percentile)! Not sure where he’s at now!

Health Updates: Henry is a healthy dude. Thank goodness.

Sleep: Henry is back to waking

His schedule:

7/8 am: Henry wakes up (typically by making silly noises or you just happen to look at the monitor and he’s awake. Such a good boy.) Usually within 30-40 minutes of waking up, he eats a milk snack.

9/10 am: Henry naps (his morning nap is anywhere from 45 minutes to 3.5 hours). The rest of Henry’s day is dictated by this nap, as he goes down for a nap (most often for about 45 minutes – 1.5 hours) for every 1.5-2 hours of awake time.

430/5: Sometimes Henry will take a little night nap.

6/630: Bedtime for the H pie.

As the day goes on, naps get more difficult; although, his night nap is usually an easier nap and bedtime is a sinch.

All in all, he’s a great sleeper (and baby).

Clothes/Diapers (Sizes): Henry is still in 3-6 month clothing. He might be able to swing 9 month, but we haven’t switched him or even started using any 9 month stuff yet. As for diapers, he’s moved up to a size 3 as of a few weeks ago. Dude’s big.

Diet: Still a milk monster. While we were away, Henry was drinking about 34 ounces of milk per day. Some days, I feel like it’s gotta be more than that. But who knows? At his bedtime feed, the tap runs dry (aka I run out of milk before H is satisfied) and we supplement with a bottle of pumped breastmilk (I pump before bed and first thing in the morning). SO, sometimes he legit drinks everything I have to offer, plus 5-7 ounces of pumped milk.

Henry also enjoys shoving hands/arms/shoulders/necks/shirts/knuckles/etc in his mouth. You can always tell who was just holding Henry, because their shirt is SOAKED.

Paci… still a no go. He likes it for a second, then just gnaws on it until it falls out of his mouth.

As a side-note, I’ve been a little unsure about feeding Henry pumped milk via a bottle versus feeding him directly from the source. I feel like he can eat more when he’s nursing from a bottle (he falls asleep at the boob, sometimes I run out of milk, etc). I’m thinking that a combination of our trip and my 3-night a week workouts (which are now over) screwed up my milk supply. I still seem to have more than enough milk in a 24-hour period, but the problem seems to be that I don’t always have enough at any given time.

Teeth: I feel like Henry has been teething since he was born. In the past few weeks, it feels like he’s gotten closer to his gums actually showing signs of teething and he definitely sucks his whole face into that little mouth, but still no teeth… thank god. Let’s just say he’s a bit of a chomper.

Baby Gear Love: Still loving a lot of the same items. Henry also loves his Little Giraffe lovey blanket. Oh! And his swaddle. We’d be lost without his swaddles. I think the best ones are either the Ergo Baby or the SwaddleMe. The Ergo is nice for nighttime because he can get his arms out, which allows him to self-soothe throughout the night. The SwaddleMe is nice for naps because it keeps him very nicely contained.

Henry also LOVES his play mat. I don’t remember Charlie loving it as much, but MAN does he get into it! And he can play with it for awhile! He loves swatting the little hanging guys and squeals the whole time.

Also, have I mentioned the NogginStik? That’s our fancy shmance rattle, which I actually really love. I bought it on Amazon and had to return the first one I got because it was broken, but since receiving one that actually works, it’s awesome. Perfect size and weight for Henry to hold onto. Lights up and changes colors when he hits it. Makes a rattle noise. Has a mirror on the bottom. All in all, super entertaining.

Milestones/Firsts: Supposedly, Henry rolled from his back to his belly while we were in Nashville, but really, does it actually count if I didn’t see it? No. The answer is no.

His head strength is getting SO good and he’s really discovering his voice, which gets SO high sometimes.

He is still the most smiley, happiest little dude I’ve ever met.

 He’s improving his ability to fall asleep on his own! The other day, I had him sitting in the stroller awake. When I looked back, he was asleep. All on his own. No movement or anything.

Henry gives hugs. He holds onto me like a koala and just gives the best, happy little hugs.

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.

Charlie lays with Henry and gives him such hugs and snuggles. Oy. It’s the cutest.

Dislikes: Being put down when he’s not ready. And being overtired. Ugh. That’s the worst. Picture the happiest baby on earth screaming his tiny head off…

Things I Don’t Want to Forget: Just everything. I love my little bumpkins. He has such an incredible personality and is just such a happy love. Even when he’s crying, I can still get him to laugh. He’s just a love.

Also, it’s been so special watching his relationship with Charlie develop. She’s gotten to be so good with him. Every day when we get home from work (Henry and I), Charlie RUNS to the door with a huge squeal and screams, “HENRY!” as she gives him a big hug. The other day, she had set up a blanket on the floor in anticipation of his arrival.

When she wakes up, the first thing she does is ask about Henry.

And Henry… he just adores her. He’s fascinated by her silliness. He loves watching her jump. He loves being on the receiving end of her hugs and kisses. It’s all very sweet.

Melts my little heart.