Happy Birthday Henry!

Today we celebrated Henry turning ONE! Our little Henry has been such a blessing in this otherwise difficult year. He has a smile that can make anyone melt and a giggle that is so infectious it can brighten any day.
Today's celebration was not the Monster themed party in the park I was originally planning on. I did not spend the past week staying up late crafting on decorations and details that would quickly be forgotten by everyone else at the party and certainly not mean a thing to Henry. We did not have mounds of food to feed dozens and dozens of people. Today's celebration was perfect though. I loaded the kids into the van and we headed up to the hospital to see Josh. We had a few family members and friends ready to party. Josh's sweet nurse, Tiffany, and his respiratory therapist, Janet, ordered a few pizzas for everyone after Josh mentioned he was craving a slice of pizza. Henry had his own smash cake and devoured it while sitting on a hospital blanket on the floor. Everyone ate some delicious cookie cake and we even had a giant birthday balloon in the room. The room was full of love and laughter, exactly the way a first birthday party should be.
Here are a few pictures from today.

*At 12 months Henry is walking all over the place and is really picking up speed.
*Henry loves spaghetti, strawberries, blueberries, hot dogs, black beans, and cheese. He hates bananas and oatmeal.
*Henry loves his paci and likes to carry an extra one in his hand.
*Henry has little interest in watching TV, which isn't a bad thing, but it sure would make getting a shower or fixing breakfast a little easier some days.
*Henry loves playing with his musical instruments and toys that make the most noise.
*Henry has started drinking whole milk earlier his week, but doesn't seem to care much for it.
*He still nurses about 4 times a day and doesn't seem interested in giving it up any time soon.
*Henry is not sleeping through the night and each night is so different with his wake up times.
*Henry loves when I lay on the floor and he climbs all over me and kisses my face.
*He says mama and dada, but does it on his own timing and sometimes just when babbling.
*Henry will wave hi and bye and it is the cutest thing ever, but again, when he feels like it.

Henry will have his one year check up this week. I will have to reschedule his appointment I set three months ago since it is right after Josh will be out of surgery and I want to be at the hospital for that. Once his appointment is finished, I will share his height and weight at one year.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our village and loved Henry and our family over the past year and in the years to come.

Henry 11 Months Old

This post is a week late and I don't have my usual monthly pictures of Henry to go along with it, but our little Henry is already 11 months old and amazing as ever. Poor Henry has been completely thrown off with Josh being admitted to the hospital in critical condition three weeks ago today. I'm not going to post about everything going on with him here since there has been a daily journal both on facebook and on a Caring Bridge page. Even though Henry is young and thankfully will not remember this difficult time, he is the one who has really been rocked by it. The first 10.5 months of his life we have spent almost all day, every day together. We were hardly ever apart. When Josh was admitted to the hospital there was some forced weaning from breast feeding during the day. He now had to get used to spending long hours with various people so I could spend as much time as possible by Josh's side at the hospital. That first week was rough for him, the second was slightly better and this past week Henry seems to love the extra attention from others.

At 11 months old:

Henry has 8 teeth.
Naps are all over the place since he is with someone different daily.
Most nights sleeps from 8pm - 6:30am with at least one wake up over night.
Took his first steps last week on April 28th.
Loves to feed himself finger foods, loves peas, hot dogs, pasta, apples, pears, green beans, hates bananas.
Climbs the stairs and tries to get into tight spaces.
Enjoys digging through cabinets and closing doors behind him.
Wears 12 month clothes most of the time, but some 9 month and 18 month fit depending on the brand and fit. So strange!
Henry is always on the move and hates the feeling of grass on his fingers and toes, he still loves being outside though.
He gets the biggest belly laugh watching the girls play the Wii with sword fighting or Just Dance.
Henry has the most contagious smile. Those dimples!

I know there is so much more to write about Henry at 11 months old, but my brain is fried and I have been living in a constant state of exhaustion. We love our little guy more than life itself. He completes our family and has been the absolute highlight of our year.

Henry 10 Months

Our little man turned 10 months old on Monday! I find it crazy that I have already picked out a date for his first birthday party and decided on a theme. How is it possible that we are now less than two months from my baby turning one. Will someone please quickly figure out a way to freeze time, the days are going too quickly.

 

At 10 months:

 

Finally sleeping through the night most nights!

Loves trying new foods, but spits some out, including bananas.

As of today, he has 8 teeth, four on top, four on bottom.

Crawls and cruises while holding onto things.

Laughs when he dumps boxes of toys on the floor.

Loves swinging.

Still nurses every 3-4 hours and starting to stretch them out further.

Climbs and "wrestles" with Lillian, Claire and Daddy.

Gives kisses, waves hi and bye, signs for more.

Loves being outside and going for walks, but does not like the grass in his toes and fingers.

Smiles and squeals when he sees Lillian and Claire get off the bus after school.

 



 

We sure love Henry!

9 Months Old

I am terrible at keeping up with this blog. I rarely have the computer on at home and when I do, I don't have enough time to sit down and type. Henry is 9 months old, actually already 9.5 months with my delay in updating, but whatever. He is still my favorite little man and without a doubt can brighten any room with that smile of his. He gets excited when he hears the ringtone I have set for Josh on my phone, knowing it is daddy. When the garage door opens and knows daddy is home to play. He hears the breaks of the school bus and crawls to the door to see the girls get off the bus. It is amazing to me how aware he has become of those little sounds that let him know his favorite people are home.

At 9 months:
Height: 29" - 93%
Weight: 21lb 9.5oz - 67%

*crawling all over the place.
*pulls to stand and walks while holding onto something.
*introducing more finger foods while weaning off pureed.
*nurses every 3-4 hours, for roughly 10 to 15 minutes.
*finally sleeping more consistently though the night, wakes around 5am to nurse and then sleeps for a few more hours.
*says "mama" but it is mostly when upset or angry, so I don't think it is really directed towards me, mostly just a sound to make.
*loves opening cabinet doors and pushing though bedroom doors, if it is supposed to be off limits, he smiles while doing it.

 

 

I will attempt to get a family update on life happenings posted soon, but with next being spring break for the girls, I can't make any promises. 

8 Months Old

Our little big guy is 8 months old today! He is so full of spunk and love. Henry adores his big sisters and squeals with excitement when he sees the bus pull up to the front of the house after school. He smiles when Josh calls and he hears the set ring tone I have for his daddy.

 

 

At 8 months old:

 

-5 teeth, one on the top, four on the bottom and working on another top tooth

-sits up on his own from a laying down position

-loves to feed himself beginner finger foods

-enjoys pureed fruits more than veggies

-nurses every 3-4 hours during the day

-rolls and scoots to move around

-crawls backwards, but not forward movement yet

-pulls up to knees and occasionally to feet

-still practicing taking a bottle of breast milk so mama can have more than a few hours away

-usually takes two naps a day, morning and afternoon

-sleep is still unpredictable at night, but getting better.

-wears 9 month and sometimes 12 month clothes

 

 

Henry puts everything he can in his mouth and is always on the move, as seen in the pictures I tried taking this morning. The 8 month sticker lasted only seconds on the pillow before he tore it and put it in his mouth. He didn't want to sit still or show his adorable grin to me while taking pictures. 

 

Numbers at 6

Last week Thursday we took Lillian and Claire for their 6 year check up.

Lillian:
Height - 43 3/4" 21%
Weight - 39.5lbs 17%

Claire:
Height - 44. 1/4" 30%
Weight - 41.5lbs 29%

They are still peanuts and still perfect.

Henry 7 Months Old

Our little man is 7 months old now and amazing as ever. I had the 7 months sticker on the pillow, like I have had ever other month, but as soon as I put him in the chair to take his picture he ripped the sticker off of the pillow and tried to eat it. At 7 months, Henry puts everything he can in his mouth and is very curious about the world around him. He had little interest in sitting still so I could take a few pictures, so all I have are these few not so great ones, but it is better than nothing for a monthly picture.

 

 

At 7 months old:

 

Sleep is still inconsistent at night

He has 4 teeth, all on the bottom

Nurses about every 3 hours during the day

Loves pureed fruits and tolerates some veggies (who would want vegetables after trying sweet fruits?)

Starting some finger foods, gets excited when he sees the big yellow box of Cheerios.

Has been introduced to a sippy cup, but has no idea yet how to work it properly

Sits for longer periods of time without assistance

Rolls all over the floor to get what he wants

Gets on hands and knees and rocks

Wiggles himself backwards and rotates, but no forward movement

Loves to snuggle (I love it too)

Giggles while bouncing in the jumper

He is always taking his socks off and puts them in his mouth

Everything goes in his mouth

Reaches out to be held

Wears 9 month clothes



 

Henry is such a happy little guy. He has the best smile and giggle (I think I have said that the past few months). He, without a doubt, was the highlight of our 2014.

Highlights at 6 Years Old

I was going to wait until after Lillian and Claire's 6 year well visits to the doctor to post, but since it isn't for another week, I decided that was too long to wait. I wanted all of their 6 year measurements included in the post to make it complete, but guess I'll have to type up something next week with those.

Lillian at 6 years old:

Favorite color is yellow
Wants to be an art teacher when she grows up
Loves anything crafty and fashion related
Enjoys building with Legos, playing with Barbie's, drawing, and pretend play
Favorite books are anything with Fancy Nancy
Favorite movie is Frozen, loves Elsa
Enjoys singing, dancing and acting
Loves mustard on everything, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries, etc.
Favorite subjects in school are math and art


Claire at 6 years old:

Favorite color is pink
Enjoys reading and writing
Favorite books are anything with Fancy Nancy
Loves making Henry giggle
Enjoys drawing and crafting, building with Legos and Barbie
Favorite animal is a giraffe
Favorite food is Mac and Cheese
Complete pack-rat and doesn't want to throw anything away. Ever!
Favorite subject in school is art

They both have grown leaps and bounds with their speech and meet twice a week with their speech therapist at school. They enjoy school, Daisy Girl Scouts, playing with friends, attending church, and adore Henry. They have been cruising through their sight words at school and enjoy reading everything possible. They love playing Wii with Daddy.

Lillian and Claire are growing way too fast for us, but are still the most amazing, kind and loving little girls.

6 Years Old

On Monday Lillian and Claire turned 6 years old. They have been so excited for the birthday for months. Lillian even complained that it has been 100 years since their last birthday and why does everyone else get a birthday before them. Their day finally arrived and my baby girls are now 6 years old!
We made it a fun filled family day for them. The day started with them running out of their room with a door way covered in streamers, the hall was decorated in streams and they also hung all over the living room. The living room had balloons and their gifts were sitting out waiting to be opened. After opening gifts we made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and spent the morning lounging watching cartoons and making birthday cakes while Josh and I took turns getting ready for the day and Henry took a nap. For lunch they requested McDonald's. They asked a few days prior if we could go to the bowling alley so they could play the arcade games, we de decided to take them to Chuck E Cheese for the first time to play games. They loved it! We bought a ton of tokens and spent hours playing games. They especially loved the bumper cars. After all of their hard work winning tickets, they both left with a silly straw, Laffy Taffy and a box of Nerds.
When we arrived home they had a Nerf war with Josh playing with their new crossbows. We had Grandma Pattie, Grandpa Jim and Aunt Maggie over for pizza, cake and more presents.
Every night at dinner we discuss our highs and lows of the day. They both declared the entire day was their high and they didn't have a low. I would call that a birthday success.

Henry is 6 Months Old

Henry turned 6 months old on Sunday. I can't believe he is already halfway through his first year of life! Where has the time gone? He is an amazing little guy and has the most infectious smile. Seriously, this guy flashes that grin and shows his dimples, you can't help but smile right back at him.

 

At 6 months:

 

Nurses every 3-4 hours

Squeals with excitement when he sees food coming his way.

Loves apples and pears, does not like green beans.

Sleep is still all over the place, but most nights will only wake once if at all.

Naps are starting to get longer and fall on a more regular schedule.

Has his first tooth (came in on Sunday as well)

Wants to sleep on his tummy

Reaches out when wanting someone

Grabs at everything!

Loves bath time and his big blue fluffy towel (thanks Warner family!)

He is a bouncing bean in his jumper.

Sits unassisted, but doesn't last more than a minute tops.

Tried to put everything in his mouth and gets angry if something won't fit.

 

Height - 28 3/4 inches

Weight - 18 lb 15oz

 

 

Without a doubt, he is the best!

Kindergarten School Pictures

School pictures. Oh, how I strongly dislike posed and fake smiled school pictures. By the time the girls sit on the stool in front of an ugly back drop, their hair is wild and the photographers have apparently lost their tricks to get the kids to give a real smile. Another reason I strongly dislike school pictures, they make you select your overpriced photo package before the pictures are even taken. We debated whether or not to order photos, but decided to purchase the CD and the class picture. If there was an option for just the class picture we probably would have done that, but with the CD at least we can print photos in the sizes we want at a much better rate than what the photo company charges.  All that being said, here are Lillian and Claire's fall school pictures with their wild hair and fake smiles. We had an option to retake, but let's face it, they would end up looking exactly the same, just with dinner outfits. 

 

Two Princesses and a Dino

Lillian had decided months ago that she wanted to be Elsa for Halloween this year. Claire was unsure for the longest time and then finally decided on a fairy. Well, the fairy quickly changed to an ice princess when she saw all of the sparkly and shiny materials we bought to make Lillian's costume. Then she wanted to be Pinkalicious when I told her she could still have sparkle and pink. We were at the store picking out all of her pink for a Pinkalicious dress when she decided to be a pink princess. Well, the day before Halloween she decided she no longer wanted to wear the pink  dress I had made for her and she wanted to wear her Power Rangers costume again. This is only because the little boy she sits next to at school was going to be the Red Ranger and she thought it would be cool to be Power Rangers together. Not wanting to get into a fight the morning of Halloween before school, we made a deal, she could wear her Power Ranger costume to school, but if she wanted to go trick or treating, she would have to wear her dress I made. Deal.

Here are a few pictures before we went trick or treating on Halloween. It was so cold, but we walked a few blocks as it went from light to dark. The girls loved pointing on the houses of the kids on the bus and running into friends from their class and their bus. It is so fun seeing them interact and build relationships with other children. Henry was bundled up under his dinosaur costume and a blanket on top, he was so cozy he ended up falling asleep as we walked.

 

 

It was difficult to get really good pictures of their dresses I made since it was so cold and they were shrugging to keep warm. Henry also had an adorable tale on his costume.

5 Months Old

This post is about a week late, but Henry is now 5 months old. He is growing leaps and bounds and so full of personality. Seriously, this little man cracks us up. Henry will start laughing while we are driving in the car or sitting in his high chair. He is a huge flirt and loves smiling at the ladies. 

At 5 months old:

Nurses every 3 hours
Started rice cereal at breakfast and dinner
Sleep is all over the place, some nights sleeps 7+ hour stretches, other nights will not sleep unless he is being held.
Smiles and giggles often
Rolls from back to belly, but gets angry after being on his belly for more than a few minutes
Loves being outside and will calm him down when upset
Tries to sit up on his own
He drools constantly, but no teeth yet.
Reaches and grabs for items
Everything goes in his mouth
Enjoys bath time
Likes playing in his exasaucer and jumpers

Henry is pretty amazing and gets cuter each day. His hair is growing thicker and growing in a lighter brown than his hair he had at birth.

 

 

Henry had little interest in getting his picture taken and Claire jumped in for snuggles.

Reading and Writing

I am amazed every day when Lillian and Claire step off the school bus and share with me what they are learning at school. They started the year already knowing all of their letters and most of their sounds, but now they are taking it a step further. Now they are mastering their sight words and using "kindergarten" writing to write notes, lists and stories. They come home singing songs with the days of the week and months of the year. Claire loves reading and does an amazing job sounding out the words she isn't sure of. Lillian is our artist and is creating daily. She is always coloring in her coloring books of free drawing some beautiful pictures.
Next week we will attend their first quarter parent teacher conferences and I have no doubt we will hear many positive things.
I have some super cute pictures I wanted to add to this post, but the blogger app is acting up, so those will have to wait.

LOVE

We are so incredibly blessed to have these three amazing kiddos. I love them so much!

 

Henry's Dedication

On September 21, 2014 we had Henry dedicated at church. Here are a few pictures from during the service. The second one is my favorite. Our Pastor just finished making a cross on Henry's forehead and smiled at him, Henry gave the biggest grin in return that the entire congregation was able to see from the stage. He is such a ham! I am thankful Josh's parents were able to join us, my mom and Billy attended and we also had many friends who were able to join us for service. Henry, Lillian and Claire all were fantastic being on stage in front of everyone and very well behaved.

 

Henry is 4 Months

Henry is 4 months old and growing like a weed! Seriously, he is growing so fast it is unreal.

 

Height: 27 inches - 97%

Weight: 17 pounds 5 ounces - 89%

 

He is only about 1 pound less and 1 inch less than what Lillian and Claire measured at 1 year old. He is long and lean, he really doesn't have that much chunk on him.

 

At 4 months:

 

His sleep is inconsistent, some nights he sleeps 7+ hours solid and others he wakes every few hours

He smiles all the time

Huge flirt with the ladies

Giggles more and more, especially when you give raspberries or kiss his neck

Eyes are officially brown

Hair is starting to lighten up

Nurses every 3 hours

Naps are becoming shorter and not as consistent

He loves being outside in the yard or walking to the bus stop with the girls

He has rolled from his back to his belly a few times, but never when anyone is watching

He rolls from his belly to his back

Loves being upright

Takes a pacifier!!!

Takes a bottle for Josh on those rare occasions I am out of the house with pumped breast milk

Wears 6 month clothes, but probably not for much longer

Swaddled for night time, but no longer for day time naps

Starting to take interest to the tv when it is turned on, mostly to cartoons Lillian and Claire watch

Bath time is still hit and miss, some days better than others

Smiles and giggles when we sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" & "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

Enjoys being snuggled in my Ergo carrier (I think we both like this one, I love kissing his head!)

 



 

We love this little guy to bits!