Henry - 5 Months (almost 2 months overdue)

• You can sit up really well, although not unassisted yet.  We put you in your bumbo seat, but you fall over sometimes.  

• You have discovered your feet and you like playing with them more than any toy.

•  You laugh a lot and it's easier to catch your smiles on camera.  

• You love to play with the tv remote and my iphone.  Bad habits to start, I know.

•  You like for us to put our face close to yours so that you can grab it.  You especially like touching your daddy's beard.

• You are still in size 3-6 months clothes and wear a size 2 diaper.  Not sure how much you weigh or your length... we'll find that out in another month.

•  You still sleep pretty well at night, waking only once or twice.  I could probably break you of this by letting you "cry it out", but not sure I could bear it.  I HATE to hear you cry.  Good thing you rarely do.

•  You love books.  I showed you a Dr. Seuss book at Kroger and ended up having to buy it because you cried when I put it back on the shelf.  No doubt I spoil you rotten.

•  The Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship!!!  You were a champ and stayed up to watch the game.  Your daddy and I had always hoped we would be in Lexington to see the Cats win it all and a month before we moved, it happened!  However I always imagined that when it happened I would be out celebrating on the corner of Euclid and Woodland; not heading home to put my baby to bed.  Maybe you are a lucky charm.  

GO CATS!  You were really excited for them to play!

Picture taken right after the Kentucky Wildcats won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

•  We celebrated your first Easter.  You were not very interested in your Easter basket because Papaw had a ceiling fan to look at.  You liked visiting with all your family in Western Kentucky though.  Not sure you were ever put down.

You were more interested in Papaw's ceiling fan than the Easter basket.  The basket was Jason's when he was little.

• Your girlfriend, Evie, came to visit again.  You even let her sleep in your crib.

•  When you sleep, you still put your hands by your ears or on your forehead.  In most of our u/s pics you did this too. 

•  I can't wait to spend more time with you once we move and I have a break off from work.  You are in the best moods in the morning and I love spending that time with you.

We like to call him Dr. Daddy

Henry can now call his daddy - "Dr. Daddy"!  Jason graduated with his Ph.D in Neuroscience on Friday, April 13.  I am so proud of all his hard work the past 5 years.  He is very dedicated to his career in medical research with numerous published papers, awards and now Dr. in front of his name! 

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know that he is making a difference in the world with his research in traumatic brain injury.  He is a great role model for our son and I really hope Henry gets his intelligence.  I'm no dummy... but I'm not a brain scientist either.  

To celebrate his graduation, we had a party at our house with about 40 of our closest friends, family and Jason's colleagues.  I am kicking myself b/c I didn't pick up my camera during the party at all.  FAIL!

I knew it was a good time because when I got up the next morning there was a keg in our front hallway, solo cups strewn across our lawn (and our neighbors), about 15 lawn chairs still sitting out in the driveway (no clue who they belong too) and the garage door still open. Plus there was enough cake left over for breakfast!  :)

Ignore the disaster in the garage... it was packed with boxes for our move.  Normally we can fit my car in there.

Congrats Jason/Dr. Daddy!

A new chapter in our life...

I haven't been blogging lately because we have a lot going on.  Jason graduated with his phd in neuroscience (smarty pants) and got a job in Cincinnati... so we bought a house, I quit my job (hoping to transfer to the Cincinnati office in June), and left the city we met, married and had a baby in and moved to Northern Kentucky.  Whew... I am still tired from it all.

I am so excited about this new chapter in our lives and living close to Jason's family and our friends.  He grew up minutes from our new house.  Henry is lucky to have so many people around him that love him.  Plus, it was nice to have all those people helping us move and fix up our new house.  Not to mention we are now close to an aquarium, zoo, a major league baseball team, a pro-football team and most importantly outlets!!!!  Once I am employed again, I will be hitting them up!  :)

Of course, I couldn't have a post without a pic of my little guy. 

  

Henry - 4 Months (this post is a month late)

• You like to spit and blow bubbles.  We are at the point where you need to be wearing a bib all the time to keep from soaking your shirt.

• You love to make noises, including fake coughing.

•  You have started to giggle and do it mostly when we put you on your changing table.  It is still your favorite place to be.

•  You still sleep great at night... even with the time change.  On most nights I only have to get up and feed you once.  I actually really like this time with you and don't want it to stop.

Cuddling with your Aunt Yvette (aka. Maymi)

•  You rarely cry.  If you are unhappy you just grunt.

•  You love to watch ESPN in the morning with your dad. 

He fell asleep watching tv.

• We watched A LOT of college basketball this month... Go Cats!!!

•  You grab at your toys and love sitting in your the Jumperoo that Aunt Deanna gave you.  

• You now wear 3-6 months clothes.  We still like to put you in the zipup sleepers because they are comfy and make diaper changes easy.

At Triangle Park in Lexington on St. Patty's Day.  The Cats played that day, so in Lexington there were more people wearing blue than green.

•  At your 4 month checkup you were 25.5" tall (66%), 14 lb/4oz (34%) and 41.5cm head (27%). 

•  Lucie got her whiskers pulled for the first time by you, but she just turned her head.  Good dog!

 You are at the most fun age... even though I have a feeling I will be saying that about every age.  Love you, my lovey!

C-A-T-S... Cats! Cats! Cats!

Cheering on our UK Wildcats tonight in the Sweet Sixteen!

The Hunger Games, Diet Coke and Sunshine

This is what is keeping me going today.  Henry was really grumpy yesterday and then proceeded to wake up at 5am, puke all over me and then refuse to sleep much after that.  I was in much need of a diet coke this morning.  At least the sun is shining!!!

I have been reading The Hunger Games and finished the last book today at lunch.  It didn't take me long to finish the books because they are so good... but also b/c I read them while I pump and that gives me about 45 min a day of reading time.  If you haven't read them yet... you must!  The movie comes out next week and I am psyched!  I just hope the movie does justice to the books... unlike the last YA series I read (aka. Twilight).

Here is a cute pic of my little guy this week.  How can I be mad at this cute face, even if he wakes me up at 5am every morning?

Speaking of the little guy... the reason he may not be sleeping well is b/c he is outgrowing his miracle blanket that we swaddle him in.  The past few mornings I have found him with an arm out.  Stephanie, over at A Blue Eyed Boy Met A Brown Eyed Girl has apparently found a solution that I am dying to try!  It's called a Magic Sleepsuit and she is doing a giveaway, so if you are in the same sitch as me, go check it out!

If you get to heaven before I do...

...punch a hole and pull me through.

This is what my mom would say to me to make light of the situation when she knew she was dying.  Today marks the anniversary of my mom's passing and I can't tell you how much I miss her.  What I wouldn't give to hug her and hear her tell me she loves me.   However, the last few years of her life were difficult and she fought a very hard battle with cancer.  I find peace knowing that she is no longer frail, sad or in pain. 

I have spent many nights holding Henry and thinking about my mom.  Sometimes when he would stare at a spot on the ceiling I would wonder if maybe she was there with us and he could see her.  Silly, I know... but it made me feel good to think she was there with us, watching over him.

While in the hospital, the last week of her life, my mom said something to me that leads me to believe she knew I was pregnant, before I even did.  This is the conversation that took place one morning when Jason and I were staying with her.

Mom:  "Jason, why did you throw up?"
Jason:  "I didn't throw up."
Mom:  "Yes, you did.  I think you're pregnant."
Jason and I start laughing.
Me:  "Mom, Jason's not pregnant."
Mom:  "Well someone is."

A week later my mom passed away and a few days after her funeral I took a pregnancy test that came back positive.

My mom wanted nothing more than for me to have children.  She had given birth to 8 children and raised 4 of my dad's and many of her grandchildren.  Henry would have been her 22nd grandchild.  I wish she would have gotten to meet him.  She would have loved him and no doubt would have been his favorite person. 

I will honor my mom by being a good mom to Henry.  More than anything, that is what would make her proud of the daughter she raised.

 Love and miss you, mom!