It's been less than two months since I posted last - how can so much have happened in that time?! I just reread my January 18th post and the things I wrote about seem almost arcane. This must be what people mean when they say "the first year goes by too fast."
On Monday, Henri turned nine months old. He had his well-baby check-up and measured 20 pounds, 6.3 ounces (50 percentile) and 28.8" (70 percentile) - in the words of Dr. Unger, he is "lanky." Doc is very pleased with how well Henri is doing and says to keep up the good work.
And I'm finally starting to feel like I *am* doing good work. As of this week, Henri has undergone a remarkable sleeping change. Last night was the best night's sleep I've had since before the little guy was born! He fell asleep at a little after 11:00 pm and snoozed until 6:00 am! At that point, he woke, nursed, required a diaper change and promptly fell back to sleep until 10:00 am! I'm sure my blissful sigh can be heard 'round the world. We have a humidifier and a wardrobe change to thank for this miracle. Nathan suggested a humidifier a couple of months ago but I didn't really see any evidence to indicate that one would do any good. It wasn't until Henri came down with a cough and an eye infection - and both were in part cured by hanging out in a steamy bathroom - that I started to clue in. With the cold we have had this winter, our heat has been on a lot and it has made for some very dry air in our house. The humidifier has taken the edge off and doubles as a kind of white noise machine. Perfection!
The second part of the change was a little harder to figure at the time, but now, looking back, I'm kicking myself for not seeing it sooner. Turns out Henri is done with footed sleepers. He just can't stand them anymore (this after I scoured the whole of the Carter's outlet store for the only two 100% cotton ones in his size, of course). On Saturday night, during a particularly noisy and angry night waking, I noticed that, as I tried to rock him and comfort him, he was doing more than just restlessly tossing - he was arching his back away from me and kicking violently. I felt like I'd been hit over the head with a 2x4 labeled "DUH! Earth to Mom!" I could almost hear the words roaring through my sleep-deprived brain: "take off the damned sleeper!" I promptly undid the thing and tossed it to the floor. After some skin-to-skin contact and a round of Grandma Shaw's magic hippie sleeping oils, Nathan took the Bear for a diaper change and I asked him to dress him in a pair of lightweight flannel bottoms and a short-sleeved onesie. And no socks. It was like night and day. The rest of that night was peaceful. Sunday night was peaceful, with only one waking. Monday night was closer to what had become "normal" - wakings every three hourse - but without the frustration and discomfort. And then last night, the magic night. Aaaaahhhhhh!
Let's see what else is new? Ah yes - Henri has one tooth ("Old Chomper") and is a crawling machine! That's right, mobility has come. One day he was stationary on hands and knees, the next he managed to piece together a kind of shuffle-drag - and after that there has been no looking back. He's got an engine on him for sure. He's also pulling himself up to standing like a pro - on the coffee table, on the entertainment unit, the couch, in his crib...you name it, he uses it to become Standing Bear. It means I cannot leave him alone for more than a nanosecond, but honestly I really don't mind. Boo-hoo for me, I have to spend hours at a time playing with my adorable son. Waaaaahhhhh! It's tough sometimes to not be able to get much done - but that's what nap time is for! I've also learned that I can maybe cash in on a couple 20 minute sessions per day of "high chair time" - where I plop Lil H in his chair with a mountain of toys (that, one by one and with much deliberation, end up on the floor) and get some frantic chores done. It's become a pretty comfortable routine around here.
That's the first time I've said that in months. Here's hoping it continues!
My little cowboy! First time sitting on a pony - Calvin at Triple Rise. Henri loved it. He leaned forward and grabbed two little handfuls of mane like he was saying "let's get a move on folks!"
First snow! He wasn't too sure about it at first, but he had to admit that it was neat to be able to completely fall over backward and not hurt his little noggin.
Trying Grandpa Hank's hat on for size in early January. How can you resist that face??