Silly Boy

Today was one of those days that you dream about when you are pregnant and imagining what life with a baby will be like. We tickled and giggled and went on a walk and played at the park. Henry squealed as I pushed him in the swing and I watched in wonder as a strong breeze blew right into his face and he held out his hands and smiled as he discovered this new sensation. Henry hungrily ate what I made for dinner and splashed happily in the bath right before bed.
After I put him in bed and joined Ronnie on the couch, I could hear him playing in his crib. I turned on the video monitor to see him clapping his hands and blowing raspberries on his fist. After a few minutes of waiting it out to see if he would drift off to sleep, I went up to his room to remind him it was bedtime. As soon as I picked him up he leaned in and blew a raspberry on my cheek and giggled when I began to laugh. He is just like his Dad. His day wouldn't be complete without making sure he made me laugh one more time. He then leaned in, grab my face with his hands, and planted a big, open-mouthed, absolutely perfect baby kiss on my lips.
As if he needed to win me over any more.
We rocked for a few more minutes and he nursed so sleep. I stole a few more snuggles before putting him back into his crib and wishing for the one millionth time that time would Just. Slow. Down.

It's about time for some pics, right?

I'll make this update quick but make it heavy on the pics. Time seems to be playing tricks on me and just when I think time can't go any quicker, it does. Henry is still just an absolute delight and such a happy, content boy. He sits and reaches for toys but is not so interested in crawling (FINE BY ME!). He will roll around and find toys to play with if one of us isn't right in front of his face, but he is happy to do just about anything.
Henry is a champ at eating anything we give him, well, except peas. Not a fan. He loves chicken, avocados, greek yogurt, peaches, pears, rice, and the list could go on and on. And when i say he loves those foods, I mean the real ones, not baby foods. He loves eating the same things as us and is great at it.
Breastfeeding is still going well and I love my time to reconnect with him and get some of the snuggles he no longer is interested in giving. Henry does love to give kisses and is especially fond of other little kids. He gets excited and squeals when he spots other children.
Henry has two little teeth beginning to pop through and has hardly complained a bit about them. I had no clue he was teething until I saw them one morning while feeding him. It honestly scares me what an angle he is. I am in for it one of these days! He is sleeping better and better and doesn't like to go to bed much later than 7 (jackpot!) He still wakes up to nurse 1-2 times a night but I honestly don't mind being able to know he is ok a few times a night.
The Big Guy recently had his well baby check up. I can't believe how much I look forward to these and that I count down the days. It isn't so much about getting to hear hit "stats" but being able to see our doctor and get his stamp of approval every couple of months. This last checkup he pointed out all the great social skills Henry is displaying and then proceeded to roll across the room superman style on his chair and play with Henry. Definitely worth the hour drive! I am sure there are great Pediatricians here in Utah County, but as you can tell we are quite attached to the one we have. Want to hear his stats anyway? Weight and head- 68%ile and height-80%ile. It makes me feel a little less crazy when I think "This kid must be growing more than usual! He is literally sucking all my energy!" when we see his stats. 18 lbs. 14oz and 28 inches long of perfection!
OK, Picture time!

6 months

***Started this post forever ago and never finished but I'll put it up anyway***

I know that I totally missed month 5 but it was a little nuts around here and I fill you on what has been happening around here.
Ronnie got a new job. Yes, again. We loved loved loved Oakley, but then out of nowhere a school Ronnie worked for came and offered him a job and it was just too good to pass it up. It turned out to be perfect timing for so many reasons. The Oakley School was up for sale and the buyer fell through, management changes caused some rocking of the boat, and almost every single director of the school "happened to find a great opportunity elsewhere". All of that happened literally days after we decided to take the job in Spanish Fork. We felt so incredibly blessed to be going somewhere a little more stable, closer to family, and to switch Ronnie's 40 minute commute with a 4 mile one. He rarely works on Fridays and he really enjoys the boys he is working with. They are all on the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum which makes what Ronnie does everyday that much more special to me.
We accepted the new job at Maple Lake Academy in June and Ronnie started July 1st. I worked on packing up our place in Salt Lake (I miss that beautiful city every.single.day.) and we planned the move for when my whole Fam Damily was here for a family reunion. We have relied on friends to move us several times so we thought it would be nice to give all my siblings a chance to haul all our crap around. They were an army of worker bees and I am so grateful for siblings and in-laws and nieces and nephews and parents who are willing to do SO VERY MUCH for us. Baby Sister perks.

Now for Henry updates and pics

My oh my how fast this kid is growing! After being with so much family and rarely being set on the floor, I was pretty sure he forgot how to roll over, but as soon as we were alone, he realized he could roll both directions and seemed to be fond on rolling into corners and practically under the couch.

Henry loves to sit and observe others and is smiley and friendly with them once he has given them a good stare down. He gives Ronnie a big smile and coo when he comes home. The smile Henry gives me when I go to get him out of his crib after he naps is my favorite smile of all. He tends to be quite around people he is not familiar with while he observes and studies them, but at home he loves to practice using his voice and creating a variety of noises. My favorite is his "Bah bah bah"that usually ends with a high pitched squeal.

It seems like Henry just started to suddenly sit very well on his own. Ronnie is continually amazed at watching Henry's motor skills develop because he can remember vividly what it was like to gain trunk control and the balanced to be able to sit up on his own.

With introducing solids there is so much conflicting research and it seems every doctor suggests something different, so we read up on Baby Led Weaning (suggested to us from my good friend Aly) and I really liked the principles behind it. I am not a fundamentalist in anything we do so we kind of pick and choose what we like and what works good for Henry and go with it. I waited until Henry showed me he was developmentally ready and excited to try solids, and we dove right in. We most give him whatever we are eating, just a little more soft or steamed. He is quickly getting great at munching and getting things into his mouth.