The Great Exchange.

This year twelve of the cutest babies in internet land got together for their first gift exchange. We had so much fun picking out a fun gift for Josselyn and in return, receiving a pretty awesome package from Mister Logan. This was only the second present Henry's ever opened (ever! poor kid, right?!) and I think he's already getting the hang of it, ripping the wrapping with his teeth and tearing at the tape. He'll be a pro by Christmas.

Logan sent Henry this cuddly big-eyed panda bear and a hand painted glass frog (logan's mom's got talent!) for his nursery. He loved them both so much, he was crawling around with the panda and kept sneaking up to his new frog and patting it's back (it makes a cool sound!) I snapped a few pictures of the frog this morning but my camera died and now I can't upload them. I think you can see it pretty good in the video below.



(And thanks Logan's mom!) You guys are the best! Henry totally waves and blows a kiss to his new buddy at the end of this video. Logan, this is like a huge deal because he rarely even does that for us.





And of course, Funz the cat had to try out the box too!

To see what everyone else got, check out the adorable babies below!

The Pawk is Fwudding!

The weather has been real weird lately. Warm enough to go on jogs one day and too cold to run into the grocery store the next. What gives? We took advantage of the warm(er) temperatures on Sunday to visit the park down the street. It was yesterday that I really realized how grown up Baby Henry is as I watched him explore the gym on his own. SO fun watching him crawl everywhere but also kind of depressing. Guys? He's going to be a year old in just a month. GAH!

I was trying to capture Henry going all crazy over this bridge at the playground but instead got a video of this awesome kid warning us about the rain water that had puddled up over the grass. Um, hilarious. He had a little dog with him too and he kept telling us that his dog "Wicks" and "Isn't that Funny? My dog will wick ya! Hahahahaha". Seriously, this kid ruled pretty hard. The only thing that could have possibly made him any more awesome would have been a big, red koolaid stain on his upper lip.

You guys totally whistle at your kids like they're a puppy too....right? Yowza!

Accordians and Long Johns

Mr. Hatesthecamera

So yesterday I was trying to get a good mama + baby picture of me and Henry. I like taking those occasionally and storing them on my computer because I know someday I'll want to look back and remember what I looked like as a young mom. While these aren't exactly the pictures I had in mind they are a pretty accurate depiction of his personality these days and I think it's pretty funny how much has changed in just a few months.

Unlike those cute-pictures x10000000 early months when he was so in awe of the camera he'd just stare at it and smile, Henry hates sitting for another picture. He doesn't like to be held for longer than two minutes and he's always grabbing my boobs (see pic below) or arching his back and diving for the floor. I try to get him to look at the camera but he's more interested in the stupid cat or the frames on the wall or ripping my hair out, lalala.

OH, HENRY!

thanks to all of your votes so far, we've just moved up two spots! thanks!

CPS

Sometimes it's just easier to let him play with those baby no-nos. Ya know?

votevoteplease

bits of our weekend in pictures.

Garrison's new tattoo. It's a picture of Deception Pass, the bridge where he asked me to marry him.

(for melissa)

will you puh-lease take a moment and vote for us? two clicks is all it takes!

We Made It!

Before I was a mom, I always imagined those early months being the most challenging for me. Something about all the stress of "Am I doing this right?" and night after night of little/no sleep and trying to recover from giving birth and figuring out how to keep your relationships healthy...it was all almost too much for my mind to handle. Looking back on those first months though I'm laughing. HARD. Because while being a brand new mom was crazy and challenging in all of those ways and more, it ain't got crap on being the mom of a seven month old.

Months 7-9 of Henry's life seriously kicked my butt. They were the longest and hardest days of his life. Right after he turned seven months, it's like something inside me (and him) snapped. I suddenly felt like I had no control, patience, or motivation and it sucked. I went from not minding the early morning feedings to actually rolling over, mumbling, "omg. stopppppp..." and switching off the baby monitor. I started fearing that Henry would be three years old before I'd ever feel even slightly rested again. It was during these months that I felt like I was incapable of being someones mother. I was always thinking, "This is never going to end" and then suddenly (as quickly as it began) it did.

Henry turned ten months on the 19th of November and now? Being a mom rules again. Right around his birthday everything got a million times better, easier, and more fun. He's becoming more independent and starting to communicate and even sleeping through the night (mostly). He's picking up new tricks almost every day and passing milestones like whoa. You know, when they are so so little they do something new like every day and then they reach this point where it all slows down and it's like your enthusiasm fades and you have hella time to focus on the things that really stress you out.

I guess I just wanted to let any other moms that might be going through a hard period with baby know that holy crap, it DOES get better! So much better! And randomly too. I swear one day we all woke up and the storm was over, it was the weirdest (and most awesome) thing.

This one sums it up too.

Henry's First Christmas Tree.

Our tree is up! Although since these photos were taken it's been moved from the floor to the table top because you know, it's probably not good for babies to be chewing on Christmas lights or something right?

Dear Henry

Dear Henry,

You are so sick and miserable and pathetic and it breaks my heart to know that you are so uncomfortable. It seems like every other "Dear Henry" here is written to you when you are sick. I guess it's another way for me to wish out loud that I could stop your nose from running and make your little bones feel less achy.

When you are sick, like really really sick, you turn into this cuddly little thing and that I love. For three days straight you are perfectly content resting on my chest and nestling into my neck while I rub your back and tickle your arms. I love taking care of you when you are not feeling good. It's when you are sick that I really feel like someone's mom and it feels so good.

Yesterday after work, we both put on pajamas and watched YoGabbaGabba and Sesame Street with the lights off. You drank your juice and we snacked on SnapPea Crisps and it was wonderful. You are totally into this video the most and we must have repeated it about fifteen times. I remember watching it when I was little and now I'm sharing it with my own baby bear. You may not understand just how good this feels until you have kids of your own someday but let me just say that it's one of the most amazing feelings I have ever known.

Love,
Mom