THE PARK!

Even in spite of yesterday's gross we had fun. Henry loves his newish bike trailer, which is awesome because I was positive he'd hate it more than anything. He's not a fan of feeling confined these days.

I haven't taken him to a playground in over a month and watching him yesterday I was again reminded how fast babies change. I mean, a month guys. That's not even that long and in that sliver of time he goes from barely crawling on the equipment to wanting nothing to do with me and everything to do with the stairs, the dirt, and the other children? Crazy.

Oh and hey. Thank you all so much for your comments and support regarding the BULLY. It's just so hard to determine what to do in a situation regarding a mom and her child. Like, you don't want to tell them how to raise their children but you're also dying just standing there watching something awful happen to a baby. The more I think about it, the more I feel like punching her in the face the better I feel about sticking up for the girl and I do hope that most of my readers are right in that maybe she will change the way she treats her poor daughter.

want to VOTE?

The 40 Year Old Bully

It's been over five hours since the incident at the park and I'm still upset.

We rode bikes to the park today so that Henry could get some fresh air and eat some dirt. Of course all of the baby swings were taken so we waited our turn on a metal bench nearby. We grabbed the next free swing and we were having an awesome time pushing him back and forth, pretending like we're going to eat his feet every time he'd swing to our face, and eating up his giggles and two toothed baby grins.

The lady next to us was pushing a three year old girl and we were making small talk and laughing at our babies in the swings. After a few minutes, the little girl decided that she was done swinging but when her mom went to lift her out she changed her mind and refused to be picked up. Typical three year old, right? So the mom says, "OK. So you don't want to get out? Then SWING SOME MORE!" and started pushing the little girl with serious force. The girl kept swinging higher and higher, until she was crying and shaking with fear yelling, "Sttttopppp! Stttopppp!".

And the lady kept. pushing.

I was thinking to myself, "Omg, is this really happening right now?" And I kept looking at Garrison like, "Is this really horrible or am I getting worked up over nothing?" And then I'd look at the little girl's face and think, "This isn't right. This isn't fair! She wantttts to stop, doesn't the mom see that?"

I'm not a very outspoken person. There have been many times I've seen something horrible happening and not said anything because, hey. It's their life, right? But when it comes to kids in a bad situation? It's hard for me to bite my tongue. I was almost in tears and super shaky and I looked at the lady and said, "Stop! She's terrified! Look at her! Stop, please!" And she said, "But she didn't want to get out, so now she can swing". Was she really justifying her actions? And I asked her to stop again, this time so close to bawling and I think she got a little embarrassed and yanked the swing to a sudden stop.

Garrison sugar coated the suddenly awkward situation with more small talk and helped her get the toddler out of the swing and I just sat there, mad. I hated her. I hated that a forty year old could bully a baby. I hated the fact that anyone can become a parent. I hated that that girl had to go home with her.

Happy Birthday Garrison!

Today Garrison turns 26! This morning Henry and I snuck off to the grocery store while Garrison was still sleeping and brought home fresh fruit, pastries, scratch tickets, and breakfast sausage. So far we're just taking it easy, enjoying this lazy & awesome day.

We love you Garrison! HAPPY HAPPY 26!

Yesterday we took Henry across the river on a little ferry boat and walked around downtown. It's warming up around here and it felt good to finally get out of the house. Henry was probably all like, "Whoa. There's a world out here?"

Then last night we left Henry with a babysitter (thanks Mccorkles!) and went out BABY FREE. So awesome.

We rode bikes downtown and had burgers and beer. There was a little 17 month old running around the bar we went to (wth?) and she kept coming up to us and trying to climb on our laps. She dipped her hand in Garrison's whiskey and ate my napkin too. So I guess our night wasn't totally baby free. Go figure!

We ended the day just like this. SO full and totally happy.

songs we love 11/50 and ok, today can END NOW.

This picture stresses me out. I'm also laughing because it reminds me of that last scene in Requiem for a Dream.

It's totally been one of THOSE days. You know, the kind that starts off so awesome and turns nasty come lunch time? Like, you need 34793984938935 cups of coffee to wake up but at the same time they're making you too jittery to function? And one of those cups woke up your baby from his nap because the microwave is too loud? And the only thing you've had time to eat is an orange because it's impossible to make a sandwich with one hand and a screaming baby on your hip and your hungry so you're crying and the baby is crying louder and it's a freaking mess?? Yeah.

Henry must be getting really sick, it's the only thing I can think of because he isn't usually like this. Blahhhh.

Anyway, this song has been on repeat all day here. I know it's a little dramatic but hey. apparently "drama queen" is today's theme. I can't get enough of this Elton John-esque piano solo and I'm crushing on Ben Fold's voice. LOVE.

Landed by Ben Folds

Henry's Stats

shots suck.

Henry had his one year appointment yesterday. For the first time ever he was actually walking around the doctor office, examining every toy/book, and trying to open all of the cabinets and drawers. Any other day I'd usually care about the bajillion germs he was probably picking up by doing all of these things but yesterday? Meh. He seemed real happy and it was just easier for me to let him do whatever he wanted. And besides, he was going to get SHOTS. Like, a ton of them. And that is NO FUN.

The doctor said Henry is healthy and right on track, everything a mama wants to hear about her baby. We're so fortunate.

Here's his stats:

Weight: 20.6 lbs (17th percentile)
Length: 2 ft 6 inches (or 30 inches. 77th percentile)
Head Circumference: IDK 52nd percentile or something (who cares?)

I felt like I had a lot more questions for his doctor than I usually do. I mean, so much happens when babies turn one... they eat and drink differently, their sleep pattern changes, and car seats get flipped the freak forward! I seriously couldn't wait for this appointment, I felt like these questions had been on my mind forever and while you can find any answer online or in a baby book, I'm way more confident when I hear it from an actual person (wait. yahoo answers isn't always right?)

I thought I'd share with you my questions and the answers that my pediatrician gave me. There's got to be a handful of you that are wondering the same things I was but you're still too far away from your baby's one year visit and you JUST CAN'T WAIT.

(Every baby and every pediatrician are different. If you have any questions regarding your baby's individual needs, call the nurse line and they can help you out.)

When can I turn Henry's car seat forward?: At one year of age OR 20 lbs, whichever comes first. Make sure your current car seat is suitable for your baby's weight because most infant seats won't support over 23 lbs.

Can my baby have honey, peanut butter, shrimp, etc?: If there are no food allergies in your family, then it's perfectly fine to start incorporating these foods into your baby's diet (FYI: Some pediatricians prefer you wait until two years to introduce peanut products).

How much cow's milk should Henry be drinking?: 16-24 oz. daily.

Whole milk or 2%?: Whole.

Is it okay that he still eats mostly pureed foods? We give him finger foods but he'd rather eat mush: It's totally fine for him to still be eating baby food. It's quick and convenient and he's still getting the nutrients suitable for his age. If he's still into it at 15 months, start weaning him off of it.

I still give him baby oatmeal in the morning and Gerber rice with dinner, is this okay?: Yes. Baby cereals are packed full of vitamins and a great way to fill their tummies. Again, start weaning him at 15 months.

How many times a day should he be eating?: Three full meals with small snacks in between. A full meal would be a source of grain (bagel, oatmeal, toast, etc), a fruit or veggie, diluted fruit juice or water, and occasionally a dairy source too (maybe as one of his snacks).

autopilot off.

Does anybody else feel like they're done with winter? I'm homesick and friendsick and aching for change of any sort. So much love surrounds me but my mind is elsewhere.

I haven't felt this way in a long time, it comes and goes. The way this nostalgia bombards my mind is overwhelming but in a strange way I don't mind it. My life is mom autopilot all the time and it's feelings like this that remind me that I'm my own person too.

Poop Check

All evidence points to Baby Henry.

DIY: Thank You Cards

Henry's sending out a handful of these guys as a thank you to everyone who sent him a birthday gift this year. We painted his hands in five different colors of Crayola Tempura paint and stamped them in a row on a large piece of white computer paper. When it was dry I took it down to Kinkos and made a few copies, pasted each hand print on colored paper, and stuck a magnet on the back.

Now grandma and grandpa can have Henry's messy prints all over the stainless steel appliances....just like he's really there!

ps. we love your votes!

Henry's Party

We decided on a nautical theme for Henry's first birthday party. I wanted a theme that would be cheap and easy to pull off. We made this nautical flag banner out of card stock and I'm actually super happy with the way it turned out. AND it's something that can hang in his room now that the party is over.

For some of the cupcakes I made boat toppers out of scrapbook paper and bamboo skewers. We stenciled stars onto the others with blue sprinkles. We also had red velvet cupcakes with with cream cheese frosting and anchors painted on top using black icing.

We served tons of Sweedish Fish and Gummi Lifesavers, Goldfish crackers, and Bagel Bites (Garrison's call and it ended up being the most popular snack. Duh, they're awesome!)

I made this banner (out of the same card stock) last minute and realized we didn't have any place to hang it but the window. I think it would have looked way more awesome against a colorful wall and next time I'd use fishing wire instead of a dark colored string.

It's hard to see in these pictures, but I sewed a little anchor onto his striped onesie. You know, that way people would know he was at the right party and stuff.

Getting ready to eat his first frosted cupcake.

Before the party he swiped one right off the table and crawled away laughing and stuffing it in his face at the same time. He was so proud of his sneak!

friendz

"Omg. I'm like, soooo over this whole party thing"

We even had live entertainment:

Probably wondering why there's no milk coming out of those...

Bunz Olsen hates parties everything.

Someone partied too hard.

THE END. GOODNIGHT.