1/30/2013- Henry is 14 MONTHS! All about Henry

Where to even begin with the new updates??! I will try to make this detailed as I haven't made a detailed one since he turned 12 months. Henry is at such a fun age, and just when I think he's done "the cutest thing ever" he does another "cutest thing ever" :).

Henry is wearing 18-24 month clothing...he has a really long torso and super short legs so pants are always  long on him. Size 4 diapers, although I think we will be switching to 5's soon. Size 6 shoes (big feet!). His eyes are still greenish/brownish/goldish and long eyelashes. I just gave him a haircut the other day and completely botched it, but was able to fix it up a little for him. His hair grows out SO fast (i am jealous) that it already looks back to normal thank goodness. He has his top 4 front teeth and top 4 bottom teeth, and all four first molars in! Those really bothered him coming in...but as soon as they broke through sleeping got a lot better.

Henry has been sleeping great from about 8pm-anytime between 7 and 8am wakeup. He started sleeping much better once Kyle started putting him down and wasn't being nursed to sleep.  We start bedtime around 7:30 and by 8 he is reaching for the rocking chair saying "nigh nigh". :) He is also down to his one nap a day, as long as he's had a normal night of sleep, and goes down around 11:30 and wakes up around 1:00-2:00pm. Some days he still does take a morning and afternoon nap.

Words Henry says the most ...night night, mama, dada (and knows...for example when i pick him up from daycare and he sees me he says mama! or when kyle comes home from work DADA!:)) ball, buh-bye (which he says everytime a door closes, someone leaves or we leave somewhere), cheese, shoes, uh-oh, no, yes (and knows how to nod his head yes), silly, dog, duck, sock, duck, happo (hippo), please (papapease), thank you (tankyew), help (elp...which sounds like up sometimes and he knows that this means if he needs something to say it), up, down, poop, and he knows lots of animal sounds and can point to probably 20 different types of animals if you ask "where's the lion, where's the cow, where's the duck, where's the giraffe, etc".

Animals are by far his favorite thing right now and he is in love with the movie Lion King. He brings us the dvd case and says "papapapeaseee" and claps and dances when we go to put it in. We've read on a lot of sites that it is good for them to want to watch the same movie or read the same book over and over because repeating an experience over and over creates stronger connections and that's how toddlers learn- through constant repetition. Would you believe me if I said he knows the scary parts of the Lion King (Scar) and sad parts (mufasa falling....we always fast forward that part though)....because he does! He knows when they are coming too. At the end of every scene change he also yells "UH OH!" LOL! We laugh everytime. Maybe he will be a director one day! He LOVES the musical scenes in any movie and just music in general and is always up for a dance party. He has some pretty cool moves and always looks like he is raising the roof.

He loves going outside and we all have pretty bad spring fever right now! The weather has been just horrible and way too cold to even take him for a walk. The few nice days we have had though we spend the day outside, pushing his cart, going for walks and looking for dogs. He loves being outside and I literally can hardly wait for this summer!

What else...he has been kind of a picky eater lately. I'd say his favorite is tomato sauce and noodles, grapes, blueberries, yogurt and anything we are eating.:). He sucks down the fruit/vegi pouches like they are smoothies. I tried making a strawberry/spinach/yogurt smoothie the other night for him but the consistency was weird and I don't blame him for not liking it, although I loved it. He loves water and we have no plans to (until much older) give him juice or anything flavored since he drinks water so well. Milk is still a struggle, and he gags. He does better with soy milk or almond milk, but still isn't a huge fan...so I mix it in yogurt, oatmeal, pasta, or give him cereal with milk. He loves holding his own spoon and dipping it in whatever he is eating and feeding himself.

I think Henry is most happy when another baby or kids are around, or having the house full of family and friends. He is very social and loves the attention. We have dinner club with friends every month, and Sandy and Tim have a 2 year old and 6 month old and Henry is so sweet with both of them. He obsesses over baby Luke a little and wants to be by him and give lots of touches and kisses, and gets mad if you take Luke away and likes to follow the 2 year old Sam around and terrorize the house together:). The new daycare is going GREAT! He sleeps so good there....he sleeps on a cot (i still don't get how he just stays there and doesn't get up and walk around!) and gets 2-3 hours of a long afternoon nap there when he is there a full day. At his old daycare, he would get maybe 30 minutes a day. Yuck. They are awesome...I think since it is not for profit and the ratio of kids/teachers is so great that the kids get so much attention and they have the time to help each kid individually. They are always doing so many fun activities and crafts and everyday I pick him up he is dirty and messy and paint in his hair and I love it because I know he was having some fun.

OH-and I have to add that when Henry doesn't want something or something is making him mad/upset he throws his arms by his side and grunts. LOL!!!!!! It is soooo hard not to laugh and I always have to leave the room so he doesn't see me CRACKING UP! When we tell him No, he does whatever he is doing more and gives you a look. You can tell he's really learning his boundaries and testing some things. We haven't witnessed any pushing or roughness yet...but I am sure that is right around the corner.

playing golf aka throwing golf balls all over sports authority

loves to push his shopping cart

playing basketball with the kettering bball team before their game;) how luck is henry that his daddy is the varisty football coach and coaches baseball? he already loves sports so much

looking at the ducks in bass pro...he always squats down to see them

Until the next monthly update! <3

Weekend

Kyle and I stayed downtown Friday night after pricelining a CHEAP 5 star hotel and going to the Wings game. It was great and Kyle and I haven't been out on a date in like 4 or 5 months!! We prefer to stay in with Henry...but know how important it is to have those nights out and alone. We are super excited for our 2 day get away in February. I have 9 days off, and 2 will be in Vegas with Kyle. Thanks Dad for the skymiles!!! :-D

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

"uh ohhh".....

best helper.

I snagged up this piece at Homegoods on Sunday. Less than $30.00....I put it on the wall when you walk downstairs that is what you see, between the kitchen and living room. I LOVE it. I need to get some different decor to put up on top though...

Okay...this monterey chicken is the newest addition to our weekly rotation. First...it was SOOOOOOO easy, second....mouth watering. All it is is pound out and grill your chicken breasts until cooked through. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Top with bbq sauce, cheese (I used colby jack), can of rotel tomatoes (spread over all of them), bacon and green onions (Kyle added some more cheese on top too...to "lock it all in")....bake for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. DONE! I think we ate it in the matter of 5 minutes. I serviced it with rice and a side of roasted vegetables. Henry of course loved it too.

This is the number one most requested meal from Kyle. My cajun chicken pasta. It is the perfect comfort food and I've personalized it and made it more health concious. One box of whole wheat penne (we have tons of leftovers), and then for the sauce I use low fat cream cheese, skim milk, parmesan cheese...keep whisking until thick.  Add in a bunch of cajun seasoning (we like it spicy...especially Kyle). I add in grilled chicken (that I've seasoned with cajun seasoning as well), and any vegis I have on hand that need to be used up. We used peas, carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms and onions, with lots of garlic. I serve this solo since it has a little of everything in it...the carb, protein and vegis.

Henry enjoying some peas, carrots, tomato sauce (he was dunking everything in the tomato sauce...hilarious). My mom watched him Friday night and called him a ketchup king. He loves tomatoes! I love watching him feed himself with a spoon. So big!

We took Henry to Java Jungle on Sunday. It is a jungle themed indoor play area/with a coffee and food area. I wasn't all too impressed...but of course the toddler and kids love it. It goes up to age 10 I believe. They even have a section just for birth-3 year olds so they don't get trampled on. Henry was okay with that for a while, but really wanted to be in on the action with the bigger kids. He really is fearless. He ran around for a few good hours and we had so much fun. He kept pointing at all the animals and naming them. He is such a sweet boy with all the kids, as usual, and was obsessed with a little girl there. He kept running in circles and laughing and if she wasn't watching him he would fuss a little. LOL! Kyle called his running in circles his "sexy dance." Oh for crying out loud! For only $3.00 for Henry....we will go again.

                                                             HAPPY SNOW DAY!!!!!! :)

Mommyhood

As my baby is turning 14 months in a few days...and just growing leaps and bounds by the day, by the hour, by the Minute...it makes me sooo emotional (ohhh my poor husband!!). He is beginning to show little strides of independence and it just....makes me want to cry. I know the bigger picture of parenthood is raising your babies to one day push them gently out of the nest and watch them fly off to make their own life... and making plans to make them their favorite meals to fill their tummies when they come home and pamper them as best you can on their next visit. (ok...I know that is looking WAY into the future- but that is the ultimate goal, right?) The number one best thing that I've experience as a mom so far has been the absolute adoration on Henry's face, that faith that mama knows best and has the answers to everything, the total trust that mama will take care and make him feel safe, secure and comfortable.

Writing about Henry and mommyhood will probably be a large part of this blog. Kyle and I love being parents and we definitely make a great team and even eachother out well. I think the first few months are tough on dad's because the baby is attached to mom constantly, but now that Henry is in full blown toddlerworld, watching the dynamic between Kyle and Henry pulls at the heart strings and the bond they have is so sweet. I get so excited thinking about the future...about giving Henry brothers/sisters, endless activities to do, holiday traditions, trips to be taken, memories to be made. Nothing brings us more joy and we've really settled into our roles of mama and dada.

I stumbled upon this picture on pinterest, and thought it was too cute not to share. Ohhh the joys of parenthood! :)

 

 



Valentines wreath and banners

I've been wanting to make these soso cute heart banners and heart wreath since last Valentines day when I saw them on pinterest...but with a 3 month old and going back to work I never got around to it. I am so happy with how it turned out tonight! And the best part- SO easy....I ended up making a mini banner for my mom and mother in law as well. I plan to cut even thinner strips of the leftover paper and make another banner...maybe for my desk at work! I also used pale pinks/oranges/teal/yellow in it...which is very valentines dayish, but also easteryish and springish.

Here is the banner that I made into a circle wreath, added some yarn and hung on the front door.

 

Here is the link that you can find the tutorial on. Girls...it is seriously so easy, fun and cheap. Do it and add some sweet lovin around the house for Valentines day! 

Weekend

Kyle was gone Thursday-Saturday afternoon for a football conference and it left just me and the little. We jam packed the weekend with lots of shopping, good food and good naps. My brother Brandon and his girlfriend Kati were home from college and we got to see them twice which was great....and Henry just loves them. He can totally say Bubba! Speaking of words Henry can say....(which is growing by the day) he learned the meaning of "help" and says it almost perfectly. He picked it up so fast and now instead of the whining "uh uh uh uh" when he needs help or wants something he says in his super sweet little boy voice "help help help!" Watching him learn to speak and learn words every day makes me so proud to be his mom. He also knows please now although doesn't say it quite right...he says "pa, pa, pa" really pronounced when he is begging for food or wants something:). He loves when we ask him to repeat words "say mama, say dog, say duck" etc. As I am typing this Henry is getting in the cubbards and saying "help help help...." so sweetly and quietly so I would help him get some pots out. I mean.... maybe because it's new and the way he is using it all the time, but I just think it is thE cutest thing I've ever heard.

I didn't get around to doing any of the crafts I wanted to do this weekend- but I did do a good cleaning of the house and we all know how much time that takes all while chasing a toddler around! He likes to help me clean and I include him in everything. It is great to have Kyle back home, especially today. I used to HATE Sundays pre-Henry because of dreading the work week starting back up on Mondays. But now....I just love them. We hardly ever schedule any plans on Sunday and always spend the day warm and snuggled up in our home, cooking new meals. It's turned into a pj day and we don't get out of them all day- love it.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend:

 

My first trip to homegoods (I KNOW!) a chevron pillow, wicker basket, bathroom towels for henry's bathroom, a yellow throw

Sunday dinner: red potatoes, chicken breast, fresh green beans...preheat oven @ 350, place ingredients in pan, sprinkle one package of italian seasoning and one stick of butter (a half stick of butter would be enough), cover with alumininum foil and bake for 50 minutes...SO delicious. Henry devoured the green beans. (He surprises me all the time with all the vegis he likes...woo!)

Fruit/vegi pouches are the best invention ever! Here is Henry sucking down two of them on our drive home from Homegoods

Kyle's favorite side dish salad. Cucumber, red onion, tomato, (lots and lots of) feta, pepper and extra virgin olive oil

Henry on the walking movers at Somerset Mall with Grandma. He just loved them and yelled "WOOOOAH...WOAH...WOOOAH" the whole time. He was making everyone laugh:)

Henry on the chair he obsessed over at Pottery Barn Kids. I loved it and almost bought it, however it was white (heck no), $150.00 (umm no!) and it would be way too hot to sit in in the summer months....so I am on the hunt now for a bargain!



 

 

Well....we are ending the weekend with making brownies with chocolate frosting (my favorite) and then putting Henry down and catching up on some shows with Kyle. I need to add in too....that Henry knows when he wants to go to sleep now. He says ni-night. And if you ask him if you want to go ni-night he nods yes, we always ask around nap time or night time so his answer is always yes:)....and after we bring him upstairs he walks right over to the rocker in his room and pats it and says ni-night since that is where I rock him before bed. Now isn't THAT the cutest thing ever????? I hope I remember these little details forever. 



photoshoot mishap

So....I just have to share. I got an email for a free $20.00 gift from Shutterfly (WOOHOO!) and decided to order some Valentines cards to give family and friends from Henry. I covered him in smooches with the brightest red lipstick I could find, and he thought it was just hysterical...I am sure it was. The sight of me with fugly red lipstick all over my lips (face) chasing him around trying to make perfect kiss marks makes me laugh to myself as well. Kyle sat across the room the entire time with a weird look on his face and said "I will have nothing to do with this." HA! Well....the photo I got turned out SO adorable and I made a really cute card....but when it came to bath time to wash off the kissy marks, well, that didn't really go as planned....

Henry does not look too pleased to have smooches stuck all over him! I let him soak and soak and the ones on his face finally came off...but the others weren't so lucky.  He will be wearing long shirted turtle necks for a few days I think! Whoops. I wish I could share the sweet as sugar picture I took of him, but you will have to wait until Valentine's Day!!! :)

My first post! Well....my sister in law Annie recently created a blog, and just like her I get caught up hours on end reading other blogs and thought I would start one myself. I have a husband, a son, a career, a house, a dog, a funny side, a serious side, a sassy side, a crafty side and an emotional side- so needless to say I will definitely have lots to talk about! I am a wife to Kyle, a dedicated and devoted husband, father, teacher and football and baseball coach. I met him when I was 19 and we have been inseperable since. I am the mommy to Henry, a sweet and sensitive little boy with the attitude and personality of a firecracker! He was born on 11-30-11. Between the two of these boys...the washer is always full, dishwasher is always running and my heart is nonstop exploding with love and laughter.

I will make my first post on an update on HENRY! (my 13.5 month old son) I blogged his entire first year of life, and haven't since he turned one. Henry is in 18-24 month clothes, size 6-7 shoes. We still cannot tell what color his eyes are going to be....somedays they are green as can be, and others a light brown with gold streaks. His hair is frickin G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. I am pretty sure women pay top end $$ for the hair color he has. It is blonde with blonde highlights, thick and full and straight and just beautiful. He is talking more and more and Kyle and I are constantly amazed day to day how he does something new. Just a few days ago he started saying "ni-night" and start crawling up the stairs if he wants to take a nap or go to sleep. How CUTE is that? Just tonight he slammed the door in Kyle's face when I was in the bathroom with him and yelled "BUH-BYE!" and of course he started cracking up after and did it about 50 more times because we laughed.:). He can point out several animals now, and can imitate what a lion and dinosaur say "rooooar" and a cow says "mmmoo." He gives the best hugs and puts his forehead to your lips to give a kiss. *heartmelting just thinking about it* He knows what "put your arms up means" when we put him in his highchair and throws his arms up when we say touchdown (he has been doing that for a few months now...but I still love it). He LOVES to be silly and make people laugh. When we say "lets go outside" he walks straight to the front door and starts pounding on it. He really loves playing outside and going for walks (aka us chasing him down the sidewalk) and we can't wait for summer. Kyle talks all the time about how he can't wait for his time off with him this summer and that he plans to get a summer zoo pass (awww) and their adventures they will go on. I am so thankful for Kyle's time off in the summer to enjoy with Henry since he is a devoted coach during the school year. I really cherish the winter months too since it is between football and baseball season. HOWEVER- we LOVE football and baseball season and can't wait for them to start back up! Henry went to almost all of Kyle's games last year, and didn't go to the end of the seasons only because of the cold weather.

Here is part of an email I got from his teacher at school that I received today: "He gets so excited when we sing our morning song, and today he clapped his hands the whole time we sang! He has started to go to the gate when he is hungry but knows he has to wash his hands first. As soon as I say, "Let's wash your hands" he knows right where to go!"

How stinkin cute?!? After Kyle and I read it we both said "ahh we need to start making him wash his hands!" LOL. Everyday I pick him up they are doing such fun things....dying snow with different colors, playing with bubbles machines, etc. He just started this new school this past week and adjusted like a pro! Didn't even phase him and I think all the new toys, activities and friends excite him. Maybe that's why he adjusted so well...after being home with us for Christmas break, he was missing his friends and school activities!

Well- both the boys are already in bed and I am about to whip up a little night time snack and put in a chick flick. Man....I have been just dying to just pig out and watch a chick flick lately. I will post about new updates, outings, crafts, recipes, thoughts throughout the week and here on out. Have a great week!