It's not all glitz and glamor, baby.

Being a parent is fun, exciting, and very rewarding. We never anticipated just how much we would love our son, but at the same time, we never anticipated the following, either:

• Being afraid to fall asleep because it's SO hard to wake up every two hours
  
• Listening to his every breath just to be sure everything is OK
• Wiping pee off the nursery wall
• Grabbing a poop smeared bottom in a desperate attempt to keep him from rolling off the dresser
• Taking 20 minutes to get ready for a 10 minute stroller ride
• Squirting breastmilk in his eye to prevent pinkeye
• Pumping 3-4 times a day
• Checking poop color and consistency
• Serving as a human-sized Kleenex
• Spending two hours rocking Henry to sleep for a thirty-minute nap
• Watching our human baby pick up bad habits from our dog
• Witnessing our son's total disregard for the laws of gravity as he attempts to escape by lunging off the bed
• Sitting in the kids area at Furman football games where we can't see half of the field
• Picking up daycare germs for ourselves!
• Unsalted veggies
• Getting "Old McDonald" stuck in your head and catching yourself singing it alone
• Having bruised ribs and a pock-marked neck from Henry's rib digs and neck pinches during both snuggles and restless hours
• Getting a Henry-inflicted nosebleed at his 9 month photo shoot

Of course, it's all worth it, and any less than perfect parts of parenting just pale in comparison to the overall good. Henry did a great job breaking us in.

Baby Steps!

Our little boy is walking now!  We had a blast this late afternoon serving as start lines, cheering sections, and finish lines for Henry's short jaunts between his Leap Frog table to Mama then to Daddy and back to Mama, and then, later, between Daddy and Mama with a brief stop at Penny.  He already did a turn around, too!  Henry sure knows how to mark an age milestone with a developmental milestone! 

Our video files are too large to upload right now, so I am trialing some converting software.  Please disregard the watermark!

Henry's Literary Repertoire

Most of you know that Henry loves books. Even in his fussiest, most difficult teething hour, he can still manage a soft,"book," when he catches glimpse of his book pile during the mommy or daddy sway by the glider. So, just for fun, here is a list of some of Henry's top picks:

Rhyme-A-Round

Goodnight Moon

I Love You, Stinky Face

Moo, Baa, La La La!

10 Little Sock Monkeys

Corduroy Big Book

Dr. Seuss's ABC

But Not the Hippopotamus

Ten Little Little Ladybugs

What's Up, Duck?

Henry's Repetoire

Henry turns one this Saturday! I cannot believe how quickly his first year passed, but even more so, I sometimes cannot believe that my little boy is that same tiny little baby who came home with us from the hospital. He made us beam from the start, but, oh how he makes us laugh now! He is especially entertaining since he regularly adds little words to his vocabulary.

I decided to start a week of celebrating Henry, and to kick it off, here's a list of his intentional word wealth.

In order of appearance:

Heeeeeeeey!
Da Da
Bye!
Ma Ma
Yeah
Uh Oh
Book
More
Ee i ee i (Old McDonald had a farm... )
Bowl
Ball
Block
Daddy
Penny (more like "Wlenny")
Bird
Thank you
Moon
Monkey
Dog
Moo
Light
Thereamoo (Here a moo, there a moo... )

It's fun to see what words he can learn, and it is especially neat to have him suddenly say a new word without our prompting. Interestingly, Grandjane seems to be the best interpreter. He must be so grateful to have someone who understands.

Full Measure of Happiness

The first black President of the United States (with a Muslim-Swahili name) was just inaugurated, and it suddenly feels very real that this country can, indeed, be a land of opportunity for everyone--that anyone can reach their "full measure of happiness."  I am filled with emotions but mostly find myself grateful for this day and for what it means to my son who knows very little unhappiness, save for some teething that sometimes wakes him at night.  I pray that today marks a road to repair for this country--his home where he will grow into adulthood and keep that amazing smile.

Daddy and I will talk to him about this day and tell him how it made us feel--how it made our friends and the whole world feel.  We will tell him about how we snuggled with him in our bed and watched as Barack Obama, son of an immigrant from Africa and product of a mixed-race marriage, made his acceptance speech, emphasizing hope, unity, and responsibility, on Election night.  We will tell him that he has a responsibility to love and accept everyone as we encounter God in each of his creatures.  It is our dream that we will work to be better people and that, in doing so, our son will be  one of "the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things."  

I love my God, my family, my world, and my country.  It is a GREAT day, even if the snow skipped Greenville!  

Get in the box, Henry!

My classes started back this week, and I find myself in a familiar place--struggling to keep up with classes, work, and family.  This time, though, it's a little different.  Not only am I getting home just as classes start, but I am chasing a VERY active Henry while waiting for Daddy to come home.  Henry crawls all over the place and is into everything--Penny's box included!  He thinks it's hilarious to get in there then squeal to get me to reach in and grab him.  I must admit that I only lock the door to keep him out after a couple of grabs. 

Actually, I'm wondering if I should lock the door while he is in the box.  He might not mind, and I could pay attention to class.  (See below guardian ad litem post.)

It's fun to stay at the Y.W.C.A.

Today was Henry's first day at his new, full time daycare program at the Greenville YWCA. Henry sported his new outfit from his Grandma Hughes, and he looked sharp as he plunged into the stacks of books, offering to read to me, the teacher, and even little Liam who lay quietly on his Boppy.

Henry is in a class with three other children, and I think that he is going to love it there. Josh and Caleb may be interested to know that two of his classmates are twin girls. They are also 11 months old, but Henry is the oldest by just a few days.

It was difficult to leave him, but it looked like he was about to enjoy some delicious yogurt snack and then plunge back into the books. Daddy and I went to pick him up this afternoon, and he was still busy reading and playing with other toys. He was exhausted but seemed quite content. So far, so good!