Lions and tigers and bears....

Oh My! Actually, no bears, they were on vacation.

Henry actually looks a little scared in this picture! This weekend we took a family trip to the local zoo. And actually, there were no bears, they were on vacation. But we had a blast at our first trip checking out the zoo. It is the perfect size to see all the animals and not too big to outlast his attention span. Henry's favorite exhibit was the flamingos. Slow moving, and really brightly colored! We watched them for quite awhile.

Checking out the fish pond with mom

The small petting zoo - the Contact Corral! Henry really laughed when he was touching the goat. He also drooled all over the goat's hoof, which apparently was not well received by the goat, who promptly stood up and left, which scared Henry a little.

This weekend, the butterfly exhibit also opened, so we saw that as well. Henry really loved watching the butterflies fly around. He thought it was fun to reach for them and the flowers too, even though there were signs everywhere saying not to touch the butterflies. Someone ought to teach that kid to read.

As soon as we came into the exhibit, a butterfly landed right on my forehead, which was pretty funny, and stayed there for quite awhile. Henry didn't really notice it there, nor did he notice the one on Gabe's head either. Of course, all I wanted was for one to land on Henry to see his reaction (and for the photo too!) but alas, none did.

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Backyard Fun!

This Memorial Day weekend began with a family day of fun in the backyard! Henry's pool made a debut in the backyard; we filled it in the morning to let the sun heat the water, and took Henry in after his afternoon nap. He liked splashing around, chewing on the toys, and crawling. The water was still pretty chilly and we have a little video of him and his bottom lip is quivering. Today was a warm day, just not the hot summer sun that the water need to truly heat up. I think he was in for maybe 10 minutes, if that.



Earlier this week, Gabe brought home our new backyard sculpture. Gabe's old design professor contacted him with a jungle gym that his kids had outgrown and asked if we would like to inherit it. Of course we would! Gabe was skeptical about Henry's ability to enjoy it this summer. Henry's knowing mother reassured him though :). Henry likes to pull up on the various windows, go down the slides, and crawl through the tunnel.

Hurray for grass! Henry has been crawling around in the grass lately. Previously, we had always taken him into the yard with a blanket, but he would crawl straight to the grass. Trying to corral a very mobile crawler on one very small blanket proved difficult, so we opted to forgo the blanket all together. Henry loves to pull at the grass - he doesn't try to eat it quite as much any more. He'll wind up with a handful of grass and then crawl to pull up some more in another place. Gabe thinks it's wonderful - no need to mow the lawn - just set Henry out there and let him go to town!

In addition, we kept ourselves pretty busy today with chores around the house. This weekend is paramount for garage sales around here, so we checked out the rummage sale at the church two blocks away. I found a really nice bike for $15, and now we only need a bike trailer to go on some family bike rides. I'm looking forward to taking Henry for a bike ride by the river for something to do during the week, too. Gabe also was hard at work mowing the lawn, washing and vacumming out the cars, and cooking some delicious dinner.
We're planning some more fun family adventures this weekend, so we're pretty excited.

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New things to discover

Henry loves to pull up in his pack and play and look out the window especially when the wind is blowing the leaves


Our Easter present to Henry was perhaps the biggest Easter basket he will ever get - a baby pool and some water toys. It really hasn't been warm enough to fill with water yet, but Henry seems to be enjoying it just the same.


Please M0m? I finished all my lunch. Hmmm, Gabe is going to have to move the candy in his office to a higher shelf for a little while it seems.


We've been enjoying the nice summer weather - finally! I love taking Henry outside for a walk everyday, and not just at the mall. We sit outside and wait for Daddy to come home on his bike at lunch and the end of the day. Since Henry has so much more patience when he is outside, we read books on the porch. I can even cut his nails when he's not squirming so much - especially if someone is mowing the lawn! The baby geese and baby ducklings, a sure sign of spring, are all hatched and happily swimming around with their mamas; we watched them today at river. Someday, Henry will be able to feed the ducks and I can't wait. We would now, except if I handed Henry some bread he would just eat it himself. Although he is good at sharing food with mommy. Peas, not puffs. He's pretty proud of himself when he does too, but then can't understand why I take the spoon when he shares. "I'll share with you Mommy, but only things I don't like, and don't think about really taking something away from me!"

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Visit to the doctor

Henry's 9 month check up was today. Besides being hard to believe that he is 9 months, he is healthy and happy and thriving, and we couldn't ask for more. Weighing in at 18 pounds and measuring 30 inches, we have a long and lean boy on our hands (9th %ile and 92%ile respectively). Although the weight isn't necessarily exact; Henry was pretty squirmy on the scale. The doctor's appointment went well, but we had an extremely traumatic experience at the blood lab. I'll leave out most of the details, but suffice it to say Gabe and I were very upset. Poor Henry's finger was poked but the nurse couldn't get the blood in the vial and his arm had to be poked too. We feel the nurse wasn't very experienced with infants - she spilled blood on my pants as I was holding him, and Gabe and Henry's hands were covered in blood. Needless to say, Henry was a pretty vocal patient. Unfortunately, since they couldn't get a good sample, we have to go back. We will NOT be going to the same lab and will NOT be having the same nurse. To make Henry feel better, we took a long walk on campus this afternoon.

Henry is crawling all around now on his hands, and still pulling up on everything. He pushes a laundry basket like a walking toy - it is more stable for him at this early stage since it doesn't have wheels. He is babbling like crazy, and can't hardly move without making some kind of vocalization. In his food repetoire, he recently has added ground turkey, ground beef, cut up blueberries, peas as a finger food, and the traditional favorites. There hasn't been a food that Henry has rejected yet, but it definitely takes him awhile to get used to a new taste. He's learning to master the two-handed sippy cup - with a few dribbles down the chin still!

Henry would like to add: "wuh-wuh-ba-da".

*Today, we went back to have blood drawn -and a much more positive experience. Over in under a minute, with minimal crying, no blood spilled, some nice nurses and a sticker at the end. Brave boy, Henry.

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Like Father, Like Son

Make no mistake about it, Henry is his father's son. Gabe or Henry? You decide.

what cuties

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MamMamMam

I'm so happy I have someone to call me Mama! ...or Mommy or Mom or Mother... :)





Henry (with some help from daddy), you have made this a wonderful first Mother's Day for me. Last year, we read Mama Do You Love Me? and Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too? to you in my tummy, and went to a ND baseball game where sitting on the bleachers was slightly uncomfortable. This year, I love holding you in my arms reading those same stories and watching the game with you sitting on my lap is so much more cuddly! You are the best baby a mother could ever ask for and I am so lucky that you are my son. Love you Henry!

Henry got me the funniest and perhaps the most appropriate card for Mother's Day. Linus: Mom, I always get a lump in my throat on Mother's Day. .... I think it's those peas you made me eat when I was little!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms! :)

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Conquering the world

One Staircase at a Time!

Henry made it back on the plane alright. He was awake the whole time, which was a bit of a challenge to entertain. Luckily, he made some plane friends - a man sitting six or seven rows back played peek-a-boo and the two ladies behind our seats were very friendly and Henry offered them tons of smiles. All in all, he did very well for being in a confined place for such a long time.

When we got back, warm weather welcomed us which was a nice surprise. Gabe surprised us when we arrived at home with Henry's wagon (a Christmas present) put together, so we tried it out in the back yard today. He doesn't quite have his balance yet, so we stuck the bumbo in the wagon, which worked perfectly.

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My new favorite pictures

It doesn't get better than this.


Beethoven's 5th anyone?



Hmm, what can I get into now?


Isn't it naptime yet mom?

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Fun in the Sun

Opening a belated Easter Basket in Florida

Our boy is pulling up on everything!



The coffee table, the couch, the sliding glass doors....


Fun new pool toy!


Henry has been having a blast in the warm Florida weather. We've enjoyed taking a walk everyday and going in the pool everyday. He starts smiling now as soon as his toes get wet. This boy definitely loves being outside; from day one, we would take him outside and instantly he would calm down. Now, when I open the door to come back in, he starts to cry because he loves it outside. We've been reading books on the porch, watching the fish jump in the lake, and looking at cars and plants. It has been beautiful every day that we've been here - in the low 80s, blue skys, and a nice breeze. Can't beat that! Unfortunatley, I took a peek at the weather when we return home - dreary and 60s. Yuck. Poor Gabe - I go through sun withdrawl the day I get back and can be whinier than Henry. I'll have to keep that in check I guess, and pray for some warm weather to hit Indiana soon.

In true Henry fashion, he learned some new skills to show off to the grandparents. If there is something a foot off the ground, guaranteed that he'll be trying to pull up on it now! He's so proud of himself - looks over at me and just beams. It's so fun to watch his determination at getting his feet under him and struggle to a stand. He's so exicted to have discovered a new level of the world. Crawling is now more effective on his hands than forearms, and he even balances on his hands and pushes up on his feet in gorilla fashion on hard surfaces. After struggling on his side for almost two months, he figured out how to get his butt down and push up from a crawl to a sit, which makes playing with toys much easier.

We also spent time with the great grandparents, went out to dinner, went shopping and had a family get-together with his cousins and great aunts and uncles. Henry loved having his little cousins swim with him. read to him in the bath, help rinse the water out of his hair, and read a bedtime story to him. He even got a sweet little good night kiss from his cousin who is three. So cute.

Henry did so well on the plane coming down - he slept for an hour and then was awake and interactive with other people on the plane for the second half of the trip. I can only hope that his return trip is as good. So far, flying with him by myself has been trouble-free - I hope that doesn't jinx me though!

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