8 Month Photo Shoot

This photo shoot was an ordeal to pull off.  It was supposed to be Henry's 6 month pictures but then I decided to wait to do the pictures until he was sitting up on his own.  Henry didn't sit for long periods of time by himself at 6 months.  So, once he was sitting, we had a date set but then Henry proceeded to get several cuts and bruises on his face.  He is definitely all boy!! We decided to postpone the shoot until his face was clear.  We set a second date and then that day came and went without a shoot because of rainy weather.  We then set a third date, which we were able to make work.  We headed to the beautiful Duke Gardens for some pictures.  Henry did great but next time we will need to remember to bring a rattle so that we can get Henry to look up for the pics.  Thank you, Jeff Massey. He did a wonderful job!!
Here are some of my favorites:

9 Months

Another month and it just keeps getting better and better.  From what
I hear, I'll keep saying that every month until he turns 2. J/k!
Henry is so much fun right now!! I can't get enough of him.

Size-  At his 9 month appointment, Henry weighed 19 lbs 4 oz, which is
20th percentile. He is 28 1/2 cm tall, which puts him in the 40th
percentile. His head measures 44 cm, which is 25th percentile. He is
wearing 9 and 12 month outfits. Henry is in size 3 diapers.

Development-  Henry has become a very fast crawler!! He can get where
he wants to be in an instant, which means we can't delay in moving to
find him once he disappears from sight. He also started walking with
his push toys. He loves to walk circles around the house. It's pretty
cute watching this little baby walk around.

He pulls up on everything and cruises around the furniture. He is
developing pretty good balance and can stand alone for a few seconds.
Henry discovered the stairs this month and likes to crawl up them. He
has no idea how to get down them.

He has 5 teeth now.

He started saying more sounds like "baba" and "dada". I don't think he
associates "dada" with Lee but of course Lee loves hearing him say it.
I can't wait till he starts saying  "mama".

Personality- Henry is definetly a social butterfly. When we go
somewhere he has to look at and get the attention of everyone around
him. He "talks" to them until they acknowledge him and say hello. He
loves people!! Henry is still very active. He is never content to just
sit and be still. He has to be on the go. Watch out world when he
starts walking.

Eating- Henry is eating solids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He
also has a snack or two a day. He is eating more finger foods. He is
breastfed or has a bottle 4 times per day. We are still working on the
sippy cup.

Sleeping-  Henry's sleep schedule is all over the place. He has been
waking up at all different times. It seems to change daily. Most days
he takes 2 naps that are 1 1/2 hours each.  At night, he is sleeping
about 11- 11 1/2 hours. Bedtime is 7:00-7:30 most nights.

Likes/dislikes- Henry enjoys looking out the front door. Such a people
watcher like his momma!! He loves to clap- such a happy boy!!

He does not like diaper changes and putting on clothes. He gets so mad
when he walks his push toy into a wall and can't move it.

Milestones/Firsts- Henry learned to walk with his push toy and stand
alone for a few minutes. He became a cruiser and learned to climb the
stairs. He started talking or making more sounds. No real words yet.
He went swimming in the pool for the first time.  We started swim
lessons or really just getting acclimated to the pool lessons. He
seems to enjoy the water. Henry sticks his face in the wayer quite
often. Maybe he will be a fish like his momma....Henry has mastered
turning the lights off.  When we leave a room, he turns the lights
off, gets a big smile on his face, and waits for a high five. He is
very proud of his new ability.

Honey Wore Me Out....

We left Henry for the first time with Honey a few weeks ago so Lee and I could go to the beach for a few days by ourselves.  We had a great time and it looks like Henry did too!  Here he is passed out while taking his bottle before bed the night we came home.  He went to bed the earliest he has ever gone to bed that night- 6:45!!  Honey wore our little man out.... Thanks, Honey, for keeping Henry!!

Sweet Cousins

Alison and Samantha came for a visit.  We had so much fun swimming, playing at the park, swinging, and eating at Chic-fil-a.  Thanks for coming to visit!

The best sound ever

Lee came home from an overnight at the hospital and greeted Henry who was waking up from his morning nap. They were playing together and Henry thought his dad was soooooo funny!  I love it!!

Walking with his Toy

We were in Charlotte a few weeks ago for the weekend.  I brought a push toy with us to Charlotte for Henry to sit and play with (he had not been able to stand and push the toy prior to coming to Charlotte).  I took Henry to my dad's office Friday morning so he could watch Henry while I worked out.  I brought the push toy along.  Friday evening, Henry stood up on his push toy and starting walking!! I was so excited and called my parents in to see.  My dad walks in and says, "Yeah, he was doing that this morning at my office." You never know what this little man is going to do.

Swim Lessons

Henry started swim lesson last week.  He goes twice a week for four weeks.  As a former swim teacher and coach, these aren't really lessons but more like time to get acclamatied to the water.  Henry seems to enjoy the water.  Just like on land, Henry moves his legs like crazy.  I think he will be a kicker like his momma!

8 Months

I feel like I say it every month but each month with Henry keeps getting better and better. He brings us so much joy and is such a blessing to us.

Size-  No official reports this month but I guess he is about 18pounds. He is wearing 6 and 9 month outfits. Henry just moved into size 3 diapers.

Development- Henry is very strong. He is now pulling up on anything and everything. He is never still. He is either crawling, pulling up,standing, or banging his head or legs. He runs into everything and asa result his body is full of scrapes, bruises, and scratches. I am thinking he may need to wear a helmet.  Henry stays on the go!! 

Henry is slowly loosing his baldness. More hair is growing on top and the back of his head.

He has 4 teeth and I believe he is teething now.

Personality- We are loving every minute with Henry. He is so much fun to be around. Henry is very happy and always full of smiles. He is definitely a flirt. He is an explorer, always checking out things.

Eating- Henry is eating solids at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He also has a snack or two a day. He loves eating and is not a pickyeater at all- thankgoodnes! He is breastfed or has a bottle 5 times per day. We are working offering the sippy cup more and more.

Sleeping-  Henry continues to sleep well at naps and overnight. Most days he takes 2 naps that are 1 1/2 hours each.  The third nap is nolonger. He refuses it unless he is in the car in which case he willfall asleep. At night, he is sleeping about 11- 11 1/2 hours. Bedtimeis 7:00-7:30 most nights.

Likes/dislikes- Henry likes opening drawers and taking things out of drawers and off shelves. He creates many small messes around the house. He loves Lawson's bowls. He is enjoying his activity table. It holds his attention span longer than any other toy.

He does not like diaper changes and putting on clothes. Henry must eat as soon as I get him out of the crib in the morning or I will hear lots of screaming.

Milestones/Firsts- Henry got his top two center teeth. He learned to clap and give high fives.

Fun with Lawson Continues....

Poor Lawson! She puts up with a lot from little man.

Peek-a-Boo

Storytime

I take Henry and Lila to storytime at the library once a week. We sit in a big circle and sing songs, listen to stories, and play instruments.  Since Henry is crawling, he likes to crawl around.  Typically, there are other children crawling and walking around.  We started off singing some songs.  All of the other children were sitting with their moms but Henry decided he needed to be closer to Miss Margaret.  So, he began crawling up through the middle of the circle towards Miss Margaret.  He would crawl and stop to listen to her singing and then crawl some more.  He was very focused on her and wouldn't take his eyes off of her.  It was pretty cute to see him sitting in the middle of this big circle all by himself with his eyes on Miss Margaret.  He kept inching himself closer until he ended up sitting right in front of her chair staring up at her.  I wish I had gotten a pic of him staring up at her but I decided I needed to get him before he pulled up on her and disrupted her instruction.  The moms seemed to get a kick out of Henry.

Talking

Henry is starting to talk.  He has started making the "bababa" sound and just recently the "dadada" sound.  He is working toward his first word, which it looks like will be "dada".  I'm hoping I still have time to get him to spit out "mama" first.

He crawls around playing saying "baba".

Here is Henry saying "dada".  He is telling "dada" to get him in the tub now!