2008 was Great!

Cory and I are stuffed from our traditional New Year's Eve lobster dinner, and I am recovering on the couch with the MacBook in my lap, attempting to upload photos so that I can start 2009 with an empty camera.  The crazy thing is that I exceeded my free Google account storage and am in the process of upgrading right now.  Once the upgrade is processed, I will upload photos along with a video that should satisfy your Henry appetite at least for a while.

 

The lack of adequate storage isn't surprising.  2008 was an amazing year for us, and the massive amounts of photos, emails, blogs, and videos are only representative of the fun, excitement, and sheer joy of this year.  Cory and I both were hit with the funny "feels like just a couple of months ago" feeling as we prepared our 2008 lobster dinner.  It seems like not long ago that Cory was sticking lobsters in the pot while I covered my ears but kept my eyes on my pregnancy crossword puzzle, which, I might add, was completed rather quickly due to my extensive prenatal care knowledge.  Henry was still known as "Totch," and we were mixing yummy mocktails of ginger ale, cranberry, pineapple, and orange juice.  We were just one month away from the arrival of a life-changing cell mass turned little boy.

Henry made 2008 the best year that we ever had and better than we ever imagined a year could be.  We are delighting in being Henry's parents and getting to know this amazing boy who can capture an entire room with his uninhibited smiles and outcries.  Who knew that his first, brief, wide smile would make us grin for hours and his first words would make us talk about them for weeks?  He makes each day an adventure, and each week and month an epic journey worthy of a $20 storage upgrade!

Getting there...

I think that the best one word description for me lately is "behind."  However, I am working hard to change that description and am uploading photos from November and December to Picasa and will do a more detailed blog post soon... hopefully before Christmas.  This blog and the photos are a great joy of mine.  A tough semester, a really active Henry, and the approaching holidays forced me to delay partaking in these indulgences.  It is going to be so nice to delve into the latest photos and to relay our lives to you.  Thanks to our family and friends for wanting to keep up with us!

Breaking news, Breaking news!

I must pause from writing my research paper to let you all know that Henry took his first step today! Henry and I were playing on the living room floor after he and Daddy returned from Christmas shopping. My macbook was sitting on the love seat, so Henry crawled over, pulled up, reached for it, and then realized that he wouldn't be able to reach its intentionally selected placement. So he turned to face me and my beckoning for him to step into my arms. He let go of the couch, stood for a moment, then gave a giant smile and stepped into my arms!

Oh, what a feeling! One small step for Henry, one giant leap for our hearts!

Quick Update

We are busy, busy, busy here at the Hughes house! Henry is now standing for lengthy periods on his own and can even eat Purely-O's while standing and without holding onto something! He also now freely exclaims, "Mama!" whenever he is asked to do so or whenever he does not want to take a nap. He continues to add to his word repertoire, and his latest and most rapidly repeated is, "yeah." We are considering changing our own vocabulary to include more of "yes" as it seems less rude.

The funniest and perhaps the favorite trick of late is his head nodding. Henry gets a real kick out of shaking his head back and forth in the disagreement gesture. He first began doing it while staring at himself in the car mirror on the way home from the beach after Thanksgiving weekend. It was a treat to actually observe his learning and his enjoyment in a new skill. Of course, it's still funny to watch, but it is less funny when it comes after we are forced to say something like, "No spitting, Henry." He just shakes that head and laughs.

You probably noticed that I am failing to upload photos lately. Don't worry. I will upload and blog with a furry once I finish this semester and Henry's sinus infection clears!

He Talks!

Henry actually started his first words already, but I simply have been wrapped up with illnesses, schoolwork, etc... and haven't shared them with everyone yet.

Last week, I thought that Henry was intentionally saying "DaDa," to his Daddy or at least when  looking for his Daddy.  It became crystal clear that he was referring to Daddy when Cory walked into the nursery on Wednesday morning, and upon his entry, Henry said a very clear, "Heeeeeey!" from the crib.  Then, just before I nursed him that same morning, Daddy walked into the room, and Henry said, "DaDa!"  Then, believe it or not, Henry repeated my prompting of, "Hey, Dada!"

What a smart boy we have... his first intentional words and even a first phrase at 9 months!

He also started saying "Bye Bye!"  There was no doubt about his "Bye Bye!" that he exclaimed while waving as I took him from his classroom last Thursday.  Now, though, he shortened the phrase to simply, "Bye," and he says it, along with the waving, quite frequently.  He also shortened ,"Hey, DaDa!" to just, "Hey, Da!"  He is pressed for time and can't manage wasting breath on double syllables when it's not completely necessary, you know.

Henry is a fun chatterer, and I love his growing range of expressions--facial and verbal.  I am, however, anxiously waiting for intentional "Mama."

He Sleeps!

Henry slept all night last night!  He woke in a good mood, which really was nothing new since his mood, save for a rough Sunday night, has been pretty much happy throughout this illness ordeal.  

Dr. Song gave Henry a good report, too, and he remains free of ear or sinus infection and is cleared for travel.  He also managed to put on a few ounces despite his lack of appetite.  We are guessing that he is going to put on several more ounces over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I sure do hope his appetite is back in full swing in time to taste all the yummy food!  

He Eats!

Henry ate some yogurt and Purely-O's this morning, and best of all, he ate lots of applesauce and sweet potato this evening!  We are so happy that he seems to be regaining his appetite.  In fact, we are all getting used to eating again.  

Just to be safe, I scheduled a pediatrician's appointment for tomorrow to make sure Henry doesn't have any issues to worry about before we head out of town.  I have high hopes that he's just fine and will be over his cold in time for his first Thanksgiving!