Henry Meets the Atlantic

Tonight we went to dinner on the beach with some of the best people we have met while living in this city. We ate amazing fish tacos to the sound of the Atlantic ocean and the smell of sunscreen and saltwater. After our meal we all headed to the beach as the sun was setting and talked while Henry ate sand for the first time and the other kids ran wild across the sand. The first time we took Henry to the ocean he slept the entire walk. This time he was all over the place, screeching at the seagulls and kicking at the waves. It really is amazing how much changes in such a small amount of time.

It's been stressful here these past few days, but watching Henry scoop the sand up in his hands over and over and beg to be placed back into the ocean with the biggest grin on his little face made me realize that the stress of being a new parent is nothing compared to moments like these. The pure joy on your baby's face as his mind is open to a whole new part of life makes the hard times just disappear.

Sick Boy

Henry has never been this sick before. He's usually not a cuddly baby but last night and all of today he wants nothing but to rest his sweaty little head in the crevice of my neck. Instead of trying to get into everything and communicate with everyone, he just lies around the house watching everything in a half asleep/too sick to care mode. All night he cooed and moaned in his sleep, almost like he was saying "Mama, I feel so bad right now". It breaks my heart so much, I started crying the first time he looked at me with his watery sick eyes.

I know we are so lucky that this is the first full blown cold H has gotten since birth (and he's already six months old) but wow, I can't wait for this all to pass. It's so hard knowing that your baby is completely uncomfortable and there is nothing that you, the person he trusts the most, can do to make him feel all better.

Feeling Better

Today was a much, much better day. I think one of the most awesome things about being a mom is that no matter how stressed or mad you are, all it takes is one good cuddle session and a huge toothless baby grin to make it all better again. It's absolutely impossible to hold onto any bad feelings when it comes to your baby. Why can't we be like this towards adults, seriously?

Henry had his six month check up and had to get some shots so he was a little fussy from that whole ordeal, but other than that things are back to normal. He slept seven hours straight last night (woot! woot!) and even took an hour long nap after his appointment. He does seem to be coming down with his first nasty cold, so maybe that has something to do with why he was refusing sleep?

Thank you all so much for the words of encouragement and support you left me on my last post. It gives me such peace of mind, knowing that so many of you have experienced the same stress as me and that any time I need to talk about it I have some of the most awesome internet buddies to turn to for advice. You guys are the best.

Here's a video of Henry laughing the hardest he's ever laughed. Ever! See, things are looking up!

Who needs Yo Gabba Gabba! when you have Yo Mama Mama?!

the one where i'm really, really stressed.

This is how Henry and I slept last night.

And by "Henry and I slept" I mean, just Henry slept (and only for about three hours total). I don't know what was keeping him up but every time I would finish feeding him, I wouldn't even make it out the door before he would wake up full on screaming. I must have fed him about six times in three hours because it was the only thing that would calm him. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty stressed/frustrated/pissed off last night. I even told Garrison, "I'm sick of being a mom right now" and switched the baby monitor off because his crying was getting on my nerves. Of course, I didn't really mean it and after I had gotten over myself I slipped back into his room. I scooped him up and plopped him down on the futon with a pile of blankets and pillows from the closet. He sighed, grabbed a handful of my hair and smiled at me, and then fell asleep. (heart mellllting)

I thought today would be better but Henry is skipping his day naps and to add to the stress he fell off of the bed at work. I ran into the room and found him lying on the floor shaking and holding his little arm all weird. My heart nearly exploded and I started bawling and frantically rocking him back and forth. I'm just not feeling the whole "mom" thing today guys (I am aware of how awful that sounds). Sometimes I wish I could just take a break and have a day to myself. Unfortunately I hardly ever get even a full hour and after a while it all catches up with me. I feel burned-out. Boo-hoo, waaaa, waaaa, waaaaa. I know.

Day, you can end now. You've been no good.

wake me up before you go, go (swimming)

I know I just posted pool pictures but sharing another one is totally appropriate because seriously? He is in this thing all. the. time. Nothing beats a long work day like an afternoon dip, Pandora-d Wham!, and pasta salad with ice cold beer on the porch.

Isn't summer the greatest?!

Home is Whenever I'm with you.

Guess what?
G's back from Chicago, ya'll!

Henry and I dropped him off at the airport last Wednesday and couldn't wait to go and pick him up today. Even with a new baby, it gets eerily quiet around here when my boy is gone. I also sleep much less because I'm so used to having him right next to me. While he was away, Hen and I settled into a pretty good routine but I am definitely excited for things to return to the way they were.

I'm really jealous that G got to go out with our old friends and visit places from our past. To make me feel better, he brought back presents for everyone. Presents always make people feel better, right? He found the cutest little Chicago onesie for Henry and Modest Mouse and Man Man records for me. We don't have any record shops here, so this was a pretty huge deal.

Henry spent the car ride home flirting with his dad and shooting him some of the biggest smiles I have seen all week. Although he is still too young to realize that G is gone, every time he comes back he can barely control his excited little self.

Time to go snuggle up in a bed that suddenly doesn't feel so big.

LOVE.

New Food # 10: Candy Land.

we love votes!

DIY Nursery Art

When designing Henry's nursery, we really didn't have a ton of money to spend (um, hello. we still don't). I wanted to fill his walls with colorful pictures but do you even know how expensive those can get? Before he was born I got really into making these framed prints. Easy, cheap, and fun? Yes, please.

Start looking for cute pictures that catch your eye and/or match the theme of your nursery. Pull out old storybooks from your past, search the thrift stores, and visit the library. With so many amazing childrens artists, the possibilities are endless! Images with less busywork happening around them work best because a) they are easier to cut out/paste and b) they stand out against your background color.

I chose this cute little marching bear because I love the colors, they match Henry's room so perfectly. Scan and print your image (for better quality or larger prints go to a copy store).

If you want to add text to your picture there are many awesome font programs available for little or no cost (I use Picnik). Play around with colors, placement, and size until you find something that works well with your image. You could also pick up some letter stickers from your local craft store!

Cut and paste your prints onto a background of a different color. I suggest using a thicker paper like cardstock and you can find a rainbow of these in the scrapbooking section of any craft store. I use cheap glue sticks which seem to do a pretty good job, but you might want to use a scrapbooking glue stick so that your image doesn't bubble or peel up over time.

Your paper will look something like this (almost done!) Now all you have to do is frame it! Frames can be pretty pricey so I buy most of mine from thrift stores. I love that you can always find vintage wooden frames for under five dollars.

Of course, these look cute unframed too. Because this was a smaller image I ended up displaying it on Henry's knick knack shelf.



Have fun!

MILK

I'm loving how freaking spastic Henry gets when he knows his food is coming. Anytime he's laying horizontal across my lap he starts bobbing his head up and down with his mouth open as wide as he can get it, like he thinks I might miss and stick my boob in his nose or something. Just look at the determination in that boy's eyes! Dinner time = serious time.
This kid loves. to. eat.

vote for us! just a click, please!

TerraCycle Winner!

Henry ate picked out the TerraCycle winner today! Apparently I sound like the girl from Secret Life of the American Teenager and I am really good at boob shots.

Congratulations!

Pool Party in the USA

On Saturday we headed to Target and picked up a five dollar pool for the bear. Seriously the best five bucks I have spent in a long time...he spent about forty minutes floating his duck and watching the cars whizz by from the porch. It's a perfect way to enjoy this summer sun without feeling like you're going to pass out.

* henry has too many pretty ladies to name. tried listing all of you but i was running out of room!

Half Birthday = Success

But then again, how do you really screw up a half birthday?

ps. blogger is being stupid (what else is new) and not letting me open the comment window. thank you all so much for your recent messages, i promise i'll reply as soon as i can! also, if you have a second do ya think you could vote for us? thanks!

Happy Three Year Anniversary!

Dear G,

A little over three years ago we were busy falling in love over loud music and summer days on your roof. We were climbing over fences to explore old football stadiums and fishing by the river with bottles of Andre. We were holding newborn kittens in my closet and learning to take care of a little girl who needed us. It all feels like yesterday, where has the time gone?

The first time we kissed was on your little couch under your bed, you had just gotten done playing a Rocky Votolato song...do you remember? When your band started practicing in my basement I felt so proud that a boy as awesome as you would find an excuse to see me more often. Did you know that I totally knew you had purposely "forgotten" your keys at your apartment, that time we were walking home from a show?

I have always been completely intrigued by your uniqueness and love for your family. Three years later and this hasn't changed. Now I watch you with our baby and seriously wonder how I got so lucky. I love that every new thing we do, we do together.

Happy three year anniversary, I love you so much.

Allie

Happy Six Months Henry!

Dear Henry,
Here's a special video full of some of our favorite Henry moments. Someday when you are older I hope you watch this and see just how funny and cute you were at such a young age! We love you more than anything and can't wait for the years to come. Sometimes I look at you and get overwhelmed by the thought that you are mine forever. How did we get so lucky? Happy birthday Henry Bear!
Love,
Mom and Dad

Thrifted Treasures and Love Letters

The thrift stores where we live aren't the greatest, but every so often I luck out and find a few things that make me incredibly happy. I found these things this weekend and really couldn't be more in love:

A vintage story book full of 1940s-60s Golden Book bests. Just look at these beautiful illustrations! G and I both agreed that almost any drawing from this book would make the best tattoos. Look how proud a lamb looks when he's doing something constructive...who would have known?

Henry's very first musical instrument- a kid sized glockenspiel! In perfect condition, just missing one of the wooden mallets (but isn't that what chopsticks are for?)

See? Henry sized!



On Thursday I received a letter from my favorite pen pal Paige. It was really nice to open the mailbox and find something other than hospital bills from Henry's birth (are we seriously still getting those?!) I love the way she decorated this envelope.



Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!