The Slide @ McGillis is Henry's Fav.

Just before going down the slide.

Isn't he CUTE?!

Up the slide?

Judging from the video, you might think that Henry doesn't actually like the slide. I couldn't catch him on video going down the slide... However, the first time I ever took him to McGillis, which is a private school by our house, he ran up the stairs and straight down the slide. It's really cute to watch. Rest assured, that Henry loves the slide! This video does, however display his timid side.

Gardner Village

You're shocked, I know. Multiple posts in one week, WOW! Joe, Henry & I went to Gardner Village yesterday because they have a petting zoo. It was really fun.

Conference Weekend

Conference weekend is always a lazy one. Joe, Henry & I were all going a little bit stir crazy from sitting around doing nothing all weekend by the time the Sunday afternoon session ended. Despite not really understanding what was going on and why his parents were such awful couch potatoes, I'd say Henry was a pretty good boy. Some cute pictures of the weekend spent mostly inside doing nothing active.

How Henry spent his conference weekend:


1- Watching television from his perch.




2- Trying to stay warm despite the cold weather.




3- Eating some delicious yogurt, which is really messy now that he insists on feeding himself.

4- I admit this was today, Monday, not this weekend, but he has been enjoying his new toy, a rocking Elephant that Frosty gave him.

It's great fun to be a one year old!

I AM A UTAH MAN SIR

We've taken Henry to a couple football games this season. He loves to be outside, which makes the games relatively enjoyable, but more than anything he loves to run around, which makes the games hard. In the past I have taken him to a 1/4 or 1/2 of the game and that seems to work just fine. My tolerance wears out similarly as quickly as Henry's especially this season when the games aren't very exciting.

I have been replaced by a serving of yogurt

Last week I decided to stop nursing Henry. Actually, since mid-June he's only nursed once a day, usually around 5:30 or 6:00am. The routine was typically - Henry cries, either Joe or I would go get him, put him in bed with us and I would nurse him while everyone fell back asleep. In my niavete I thought I was doing this to earn myself a couple extra hours of sleep. But all I really got was a lot less room in which to sleep (since Henry typically laid perpindicular to Joe & I thus taking up most of the space in the bed), less sleep, and a lot of cuddling from a 1 year old.

So, I decided to wean him off this morning ritual. It was the most heartbreaking thing I have had to do as a mother. Henry's protests were relentless. He cried for two days straight. And, while crying he would pull at my shirt trying to expose my breasts so that he could satisfy his craving. The mornings were especially bad, I assume since that is when he was used to nursing. For several days he woke up at 5:30am, refused to go back to sleep and refused to stop crying. So we went on walks to calm him.

The biggest change came through two decisions: Joe & I decided to sleep in the living room on an air mattress so Joe's morning routine wouldn't wake Henry while he was trying to overcome his addiction and I replaced his morning feeding with a serving of yogurt. Sleeping in the living room was a brilliant idea of Joe's because it gave Henry the opportunity to learn to sleep longer without intervention from Joe or I.

Then there's the yogurt... Henry's new comfort object. First thing in the morning Henry wants yogurt. If he gets upset, Henry wants yogurt. If you open the fridge when he's around Henry darts towards the fridge and grabs, yogurt. I am so glad we discovered yogurt.

Now, Henry's day ends at 8:30pm when he goes to bed and begins at 8:00am when he wakes up. No early morning feedings, two happy parents, one happy baby.

#1

I can't believe it's been a whole year already. One year ago, this little guy was a mere 5:15 pounds of lathargy and now it feels like he's so grown up! If you had explained to me how quickly he would grow, how much he would change, one year ago, even six months ago, I may have questioned your knowledge of the development of babies. But here we are with a miniature adult - one with favorites things, with desires, with a strong personality. I couldn't be happier to be a mom!! Parenthood is an exciting adventure and, even as I type this I feel emotional from the love that I feel for Henry and of course for his Dad, Joe.

So, here we are one year later. Some of Henry's most recent milestones include:

• Walking!! He typically takes about 10 steps before he gets nervous and sits down or falls or finds someones hand to hold.

• Speaking!! "Da" means Dad. "Du" means Duck. All toys are "du". He also makes raspberry noises every time he playes with his yellow fire truck.

• Expressing his desires!! Henry now screams like a girl whenever he isn't getting exactly what he wants. Like in Sacrament meeting when he's sitting on someone's lap instead of roaming the halls. Or, at his birthday party when he wants his mom to hold him instead of eat dinner.

• Demonstrating his desire for knowledge (or so I hope)!! Henry's an explorer and a climber. He loves new things. He loves to climb on new things - or old things. Lately, he's been intrigued with his ability to put things together. He loves to put toys inside of oneanother, take them apart and do it all over again.
  

Henry's birthday was a wonderful celebration for Joe, Henry and I. I am grateful that we have such a tremendous amount of support from our families and friends. It is awesome that one little boy can elicit so much love from a crowd of so many. I know the joy that he brings to my life and I sense and hope that he also brings similar feelings to your lives. We can expect great things from a boy who has the support of so many wonderful people. Thank you for being a part of our lives and thank you for helping us to raise our son - HENRY!

Katie's Married!

"Out of My League"
by Stephen Speaks

It's her hair and her eyes today
That just simply take me away
and the feeling that I'm falling further in love
makes me shiver but in a good way
All the times I have sat and stared
as she thoughtfully thumbs through her hair
and she purses her lips, bat her eyes as she plays,
with me sitting there slack-jawed and nothing to say
'cause I love her with all that I am
and my voice shakes along with my hands
'cause she's all that I see
and she's all that I need
and I'm out of my league once again.

For more pictures click on the Katie's Married link above.