I'm just going to say it...

Henry fell asleep without his bi tonight... surprisingly. 

And sleep did not come without peril.  Basically, after he demanded his bi to a point of near hysteria, I was able to calm him down by singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" over and over while rubbing his back.  (You should try singing that song 20 times in a row. It's hard not to get confused and wonder if you are starting the song over or if you're in the middle of it.  Henry caught me getting off track a few times and whimpered, "That's not how it goes.") Then, when he was almost asleep, I stepped away and said, "You need to try to sleep without your bi, and if it doesn't work, I will check on you.  But I cannot give you your bi unless you are very, very quiet.  OK?"  He very pitifully replied, "Yes, m'am."  Then, he fell asleep.

I shouldn't have said it...

Yep.  Henry woke up crying for his bi last night, and we eventually gave it to him.  I thought he would slip into sleep without it tonight, but he starting crying for it about 10 minutes after he was down for the night, so I gave it to him.  Sure, we're not really doing anything to enforce life without a pacifier, but Henry only used a pacifier for bedtime and naps at home for the last year and a half, so we're not too worried about it.  We'll get there one day in the near future.  Surely.

Dare I say it?

Do I verbalize it?  What if it's too early to know for sure?  Will I jinx it?  Oh, well.  Here goes...

Henry willingly went to sleep without his bi tonight!

Thank you, Anna, for sharing your big kid bed with Henry over the weekend.  No, she didn't manage to actually stay in it with him, but I think that the sheer anticipation of bunking in the same room with his cousins, along with total exhaustion, led to a pacifier free slumber for Friday and Saturday night.

Last night, Henry requested his bi, and we obliged.  Tonight, though, when Henry asked for it, I negotiated an agreement: He would try to sleep without it, and if he didn't fall asleep, I would bring it to him.  Amazingly, he agreed to the odd setup.  Even more amazingly, it worked, and he didn't make a peep!  Woo Hoo!

New 'Do

It's a summer short haircut, people!

Shaggy?  No.

Cute?  Yes!

Henry's liking his short cut, and I think that his eyes are happy to not have bangs in front of them.

I just wish that I knew how to make sure that the camera actually captures his striking blue eyes now that they're totally exposed.

10 Things We Love About You as Daddy

1) Taking your Daddy job seriously but managing to make us laugh.  A lot.  Every day. 
2) Luxurious hair you passed along to your son
3) Your patience with us both in the midst of tantrums
4) Excellent fashion sense throughout the week--ensuring Henry is well dressed for school
5) Being in the moment when it's time to play with the train track
6) Mad cooking skills and adequate kitchen cleaning skills
7) Never a doubt that you love us intensely
8) Your love of our birthdays
9) Noticing and teaching the little things like running your finger across the toothbrush
10) Loving Henry's Father's Day gift to you--a Knicks shirt for himself and chocolate dipped pretzels you shared with both of us

We love you, Daddy!

It's a bird! It's a plane!

It's Super Underwear Man!

 

Splashtastic!

Today's temperature was a stagnant 90 something that felt like a stagnant 100 something, so we were happy to indulge in an invitation to Discovery Island Water Park in Simpsonville.  We didn't take any pictures, but Henry, Daddy, and I joined our friend Darion and his beautiful daughter Alexis for a day full of different splashing mechanisms and a crowded but lazy river.  My eyes are still burning from the chlorine,  but here's the main thing... Henry went down a HUGE water slide with Daddy today.  He actually liked it!  However, his comments centered around the inner-tube's audacity to land in the pool, causing the water to splash him.  "It got me wet and made me so, so sad.  That wasn't nice!"  He almost agreed to go back down again, but funnel cakes were calling.  Next time!

Cousins!

Henry was beyond excited about yesterday's time with Evan, Anna, and Ryleigh!  As soon as their feet hit our floors, he began dancing, singing, and being all around loud and ecstatic.   Lately, Henry belts out the ABC song when the elation become irrepressible and needs an immediate outlet.  After several rounds, we convinced him to switch to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  You can tell, though, that Ryleigh was over the spaz singing, no matter what the song might be.

From New Videos

No one's spirits were more than temporarily dampered, and we got right down to silly business:

This one's way too beautiful to make an ugly face:

David convinced Henry to do some swimming, and it's not pictured, but Henry eventually let go of us and used just the pool noodle for brief periods of time.  

Those pool noodles were very popular and very helpful, actually.

We all worked up an appetite, and Henry was kind enough to serve everyone their favorite snack food--by hand.  Thank you, Grandjane, for leaving the Cheez-Its behind for us!

We ended the evening at Grandjane and Grandjoe's house for dinner and delicious homemade cherry ice cream on the back deck. 

The kids ran and ran, and even though Henry considers himself to be as fast as Dash from The Incredibles, he fell behind in some of the later laps and prompted Anna to ask, "Henry, why are you too slow?"

Grandjane's back gardens offered lots of opportunity for exploring, and they looked so cute!

The kids and adults were all worn out as we were all up way past our bedtime.  Grandjane gently closed out the evening with a bedtime story that lulled the kids (and Grandjoe) to at least agreeing to part ways. 

It's never enough time, but we are so thankful for this full day together.  And speaking of never enough, here's one more since she's so cute... Ryleigh! 

Pool Postscript

Sunday evening was free for us to take Henry to the pool, and thanks to a hot week, it was of a tolerable temperature and full of Henry's neighborhood friends.  The result?  Lots of splashing and tons of Henry tosses from Mama to Daddy and Daddy to Mama.  The result of the splashes and tosses?  A pool-loving Henry.  Here we come, summer!

Stomping Grounds

Our trip home from Surfside included a stop in Kingstree at "Daddy's old house" where Henry got to run around and check out the really cool sidewalks, or "tracks."

His foot got caught in a vine, and I love this one:

Henry loves to sit in our car and pretend to drive, so there was no resisting this opportunity:

When will Granddad let Henry drive it for real, I wonder?

Henry wasn't interested in trying out the old swing, but Daddy briefly contemplated it:

Henry just kept running around the tracks, and Daddy recalled that he did enjoy riding his bike on the sidewalks when he was a kid.  Next drop by--we're breaking out the tricycle--no matter the owner. 

32

I'm thirty-two now, and I love it!  Thanks to everyone who made the day so special and to Cory who made my favorite--sour cream pound cake--during our weekend at Surfside.  I feel like I get to have my cake and eat it, too!

Surfside? More like Sandside!

A long Memorial Day weekend gave us a chance to spend time with family at Surfside, which also means time on the beach.  Cory and I knew that Henry took some time to "warm up" to swimming last summer, but we blamed it on our neighborhood's chilly pool that, truth be told, caused us our own pause before entering.  But, since we spent a recent Saturday swimming in a friend's heated pool, we thought Henry might be ready to splash in the ocean.

We thought wrong, and Henry wasn't ready to splash in the salty water.  He did, however, give it a try and break out a few smiles after a couple of walks in the shallow waves.  Eventually, I would say that he gained an appreciation for the ocean, but it didn't come close to his strong affection for the sand in which he played for about six hours.

Obliging Uncle Joel and Daddy covered Henry over and over with the grainy stuff that found its way into the car, house, and bed. 

Henry also broke out his silly walk for the family.  We love this walk, and I really hope to catch it on video before it finds its way among the other funny things he "used to do."

Pool time was in order for Sunday, and Henry eventually loosened his death grip on me and let Nana swim him around.  And, in the last bit of water play time, he relaxed enough to get some gracefully aided laps around the pool.

We didn't have enough time to make it back down to the beach on Monday but did manage to eat some delicious hot dogs and burgers.  Thanks, Hughes family, for a wonderful weekend.  We love you and miss you!