Ready, Steady, Go!

Dear Henry,

In the last three weeks you have started to be your own boy. You are much less just FEED ME! CHANGE ME! HOLD ME! and much more let's play and I'm gonna get around this place.

Mommy has left the room to make you a bottle and in the two minutes I'm in the kitchen you have made it your mission to roll, squinch, curl and thrust your way across the living room and skooch your little legs and torso under the orange chairs. At Crappaw and Grandma P's the other day you got everything but your big cantaloupe head under their couch. Earlier this week while I was putting away laundry in your closet and you did the same maneuvers to get next to Mama to hold onto my foot. When you grew bored with my foot you tried to get under your bed only to find the frame would block your safe passage so you kicked and kicked until you gave up and fell asleep for a little bit.

I attribute this early strength to your trips to the gym. No silly you aren't lifting weights and doing squat thrusts but rather you have been toning your leg strength in the baby gym Grandma LaJean bought you when you were just a couple of weeks old. You're a real thinking man. Case in point... I put you on your back under the dangling ball and you don't accidentally kick at it. Oh no! You methodically raise your legs up steadying the ball with your feet, then you put one foot down and kick it super hard with the other, and immediately you calmly get your feet up and begin the steadying process again. You don't kick it until it is steady. I love that! It makes Mama and Papa think you may be the next Pele! or a future drummer with all of that foot control. Either way you twist, turn, roll, move on your tummy, grab and go after what you want. It is so much fun seeing you discover things in your world.


Love you strongman,
Mama

Lint in the Armpits, Goo in the Neck Roll

Dear Henry,

Mommy is back on track now. Engagement photos I took for the daughter of one of Papa's co-workers are completed. Yeah! I will now spend my "free" time getting down all of the new details of your life from the last couple of weeks and shut down blog entries that begin, "I know I'm getting really behind but...." With about 300 photos I have a lot to say about your keen quickly developing awareness of your body, Mama and Papa, and the world.

So I will start with bath time.

In general Mommy has been giving you a washing in the basement sink, sprayin' your little body and using a washcloth. It is quick and efficient and you seem to enjoy it a bit. As I wash your hair you reach your go go gadget legs out as far as you can to flip your feet around in the streaming water. You've also started to twist, drag the towel into the sink with you, and knock over every shampoo and lotion bottle on the counter with your sweeping arms.

To give you a little variety a few weekends ago Mama and Papa gave you a bath in the kitchen with warm water filled up in the little tub you borrowed from cousin Johnny. (And believe me, every time Johnny visits he reminds you of it... a couple of weeks ago he told Grandma P that someone has been sneakin' into his house at night and stealing his toys and giving them to Henry.) Papa washed you in your tub and you SPLASHED like a fish in a bucket of water.

It was a happy family moment. I know I've posted lots of bath photos before but you keep getting bigger so it gives a good perspective of that growth...and what baby isn't cute in a bath tub? After bath time is a good photo opportunity as well because your hair looks like a little baby monkey and it melts my heart.

Keepin' ya clean and loved,
Mommy