first words and sleep for mommy and daddy!

Henry's sleep habits were really getting out of control. He's never been a great sleeper, but for the past week and a half he was up every 45-60 minutes and would wake up the instant he touched the crib. We had to do something!! So, after a lot of research, discussion, and many sleepless nights we decided to Ferberize that boy. It went so much better than we ever dreamed. After only three nights he is falling asleep on his own with only a little bit of crying and staying asleep for long stretches of time (7 hours last night). Today he put himself to sleep for a nap with no crying. I know there will still be bad nights and other set backs when teething or illness come along, but we are happy right now.

Last night he said his first words! I wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't said it twice. After dinner he said "all done". For the past 3 months I've been trying to teach him the sign for all done after meals. So I say it about 4 times and do the sign then I say it and make him do the sign. I've never gotten any type of response from him until last night. I said "all done" and he looked up at me and said "aahh done". I said "Did you just say 'all done'?" and again he said "aahh done". He can't do the sign, but he said it two times and again (although not as clearly) this morning. Other babies say mama, dada, ball... but not my kid!

We also had a great trip to Cleveland last weekend. We celebrated Omi's 89th birthday. Henry had so much fun with his grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and doggies! He went swimming with B and Quinnie, too. We'll be traveling back there in October and we're looking forward to visiting again!

8 months old

Henry turned 8 months on Wednesday. It was very challenging to take his monthly elephant picture this time because he doesn't like to sit still! That morning we met Grandma in Michigan because she and Grandpa babysat him for 5 days while Mark and I went to California for a baby free vacation. We sure missed Henry but it was wonderful to catch up on sleep and have a break from changing diapers and cleaning up spit up. Now the family is back together and we are back to chasing Henry around! He is crawling very quickly, standing for longer periods of time, and is learning to feed himself finger foods. He likes to try to use the spoon, too.

So many new things

Henry is officially a mobile baby! He took his first crawling "steps" on July 24 and hasn't slowed down since. He enjoys chasing Gracie around the condo, chasing balls, throwing balls, climbing on furniture, and finding anything and everything that is NOT a toy, and putting it in his mouth. He is such a busy boy, you would really think he'd sleep better at night! Not only is he crawling, but he is also standing up. He can go from hands and feet to just feet in a matter of seconds. Of course, he is lacking in the balance department so his upright adventures do not last long. Recently he has discovered pulling up on furniture--this is a much more sturdy and stable way to stand! Today Henry waved bye bye for the first time. It was adorable and only took 2 weeks to learn :) Henry will be 8 months on Wednesday and is about 18 lbs now. Where has the time gone?

7 months old

Henry turned 7 months on Sunday. He is now 16 lbs. 8 oz. Every day he is changing--it's so hard to keep up with him. He is now an expert sitter and very rarely falls over. He is in the precrawling phase. He can get on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. He also reaches forward and stretches out his little body. Even though he can't technically crawl yet, he is constantly on the move! He crawls all over me and rolls back and forth. It won't be long before he is on the move. Time to baby proof the condo!

Henry's sleeping patterns are becoming more consistent. He takes 3 naps during the day, but it is still a challenge to get him in the crib. He has good days and bad, regarding naps. We can always count on him taking a good nap in his stoller though. At night he still wakes up a few times, which is exhausting for us. Sometimes he surprises us and only gets up once. Those are fabulous nights.

He is still enjoying trying new foods every few days. A new recent favorite is yogurt.

Michigan

We just spent a week and a half in Michigan. It was so much fun--Henry met many more relatives including his cousins, Sean and Josh from Colorado. Henry had a blast with all of his family and friends.

We even went to Bass Lake with Mark's family for 4th of July weekend. Henry went for his first canoe ride. Gracie had a great time swimming in the lake. We all enjoyed the beautiful, sunny weather! Even though Henry has been known to be a light sleeper, he slept through all the fire works. That made me VERY happy!

Father's Day!

What a wonderful day!

6 months

Henry is now over 6 months old. He's getting so big and strong! He's 27 inches long and 15 lbs 13 oz.

He's sitting so well now and has recently learned how to throw things. Henry thinks it's so funny when he throws things. He also loves to make people laugh. His giggle is infectous!

Right now Stu and Tutu are visiting and Henry had a great time showing them around the Lincoln Park Zoo today. Tomorrow is Father's Day--Mark's first!