That was then...

Over the weekend i took a few pictures of Henry lounging on the couch. They were fairly unremarkable until i realized he was in the same outfit and position as a picture that was taken when he was 3 weeks old. I think each basically sums up his disposition at the different points in his life-- you can see why 19 weeks is a lot more fun!

I implemented my plan today to run up to Henry's daycare, spend a little time with him and run back home. It was a great break from my day and a lot more fun than going to the gym. I ran up there and spent about 20 minutes playing with Henry. Not only was it nice to see Henry, but it was also a good chance to see Brenda in action.

She was doing a cool math lesson involving this little scale. Each child got a card with a number on it. Then Brenda went around the circle and asked each child what number they had. When they told her, she gave them a corresponding plastic number with a hook on it. The physical size of each number increased as the numbers got larger. Then she would ask the group if they thought Elijah (4) or Ella (2) had the bigger number. The kids gave their answers and then they put each plastic number on the little scale to find out which was bigger/heavier. It was really cool! Henry and i watched the other kids for awhile and then played on a fun playmat she had.

This evening Henry seemed like he's a bit closer to really rolling over purposefully. He's been rolling from back to side or stomach for weeks now because that's how he prefers to sleep. He hadn't been doing it much during waking hours however and had only once rolled from stomach to back-- accidentally. Tonight he was laying on his quilt and just rolling back and forth-- not quite all the way over but from back to side, almost to stomach, and back. It's so fun to see what new thing he's working on each day.

4 Months, 12 Days

Henry had his first ride on the swing today at our local park. It's not like he was pumping on his own, but he seemed to enjoy the breeze in his hair. No pictures, because we were there just briefly until JT got home from work. Then Henry got to enjoy one of his new favorite activities-- climbing on Dad.

Brenda said he continued to talk up a storm today. For storytime, Brenda had Henry on her lap and as she started to read the story aloud, Henry started to talk so loudly that no one else could hear the "real" story. He was happy as a clam once he got home and enjoyed his quiet evening routine and then off to bed.

I sent a little more milk today and she said he gobbled it right up. I'm have to see how much more i can send a day so that he gets his fill!

19 Weeks

We had a lovely cap to our weekend today. Henry only took a 30 minute nap this morning, so i was expecting a day of brief ones, but instead he surprised us with two 1.5 hour naps, including one at a friends' house. This was a major accomplishment, as it allows me to be a bit more mobile again on the weekends. He was happy and chipper all day-- working on most of his "tricks." He talked up a storm, stood up, played with his toys, etc.

He enjoyed sitting in his booster seat as we got dinner ready. He was experimenting with his spoon and learned that dropping things is a lot of fun!

4 Months, 10 Days

We enjoyed a nice quiet day at home today. Henry took three champion naps and had a good time playing with JT while awake. I was able to sneak out and get a haircut which felt great (i hadn't been since 3 weeks before he was born, so i was very overdue!)

Henry continued his strange vocalizations and we worked a little more on sitting. He prefers standing to sitting but i've been trying to get him to "monkey sit" where he leans forwards and catches himself with his hands. Here's an action shot (a little dark) of the inevitable tumble-- but he seems to be more curious about the whole process than anything.

Just a little detail. For weeks now he's been turning circles in his crib while sleeping. He's also taken to always sleeping with one or two legs sticking out between the crib slats. I'd love to get a picture but thus far have been to am afraid of waking him up.

Back to School!

Well Henry isn't in school really, so he isn't going back to school yet, but that was the theme for the party at his daycare today. When i went to pick him up he had a few balloons tied to his carseat and was happily watching them bob around.

Now that the dust has settled on our first big challenges-- stomach issues and sleep, i've been able to turn my attention to Henry's skin. I had noticed for awhile that much of his skin is rough, but i couldn't see anything different about it. I had been putting lotion on it every night after the bath but it wasn't getting any better. I started thinking it might be excema since JT has it too and it is partially genetic. I'm going to call the pediatrician because now it's worse and all red in rough patches-- poor guy. Supposedly it's really itchy but i can't tell that's the case yet with Henry.

H continued to work on his voice today, surprising Brenda with the crazy noises he's been making. We met JT for an early dinner after i picked H up from daycare and then home to the bath and bed!

The photo montage is similar to the one a few days ago but i couldn't pick one picture out of the series-- they're better enjoyed together.

4 Months, 8 Days

Brenda said Henry spent the whole day sticking his feet in his mouth. I didn't really catch him doing the same at home-- but when i encouraged it he did oblige me with this shot.

At home he was working on his voice. He's been babbling now for awhile but tonight he was really going all out. He was taking a big deep breath and then letting it out in this loud scratchy sound for seconds at a time. You could see him becoming winded and i actually think he was hurting his throat because at the end he would kind of end in a cry. When that happened, i would stand him up and we'd look at some other toys, but as soon as i laid him back down he'd take off talking again.

I got a baby signing book yesterday because i've been trying to integrate some signs but i find that i forget a lot. This has a whole plan for starting to sign and then increasingly integrating signs into your conversation. I'm all for some sort of plan and just have to sit down and finish reading the book now.

Well, i'm off for a run this evening as i didn't get to the gym today. First time i've really run in a while so hopefully i don't keel over.

4 Months, 7 Days

Sorry, no new pictures today. Tonight instead of noodling around on the computer for hours to bring you lively images, i went to ballet. I'm really trying to get back to my pre-pregnancy fitness level so i also went to the gym at lunch. I've been trying to ease back into running by run/walking. I'm thinking that once our weather stays a bit cooler, i may run up to Henry's daycare-- visit with him a bit and then run back home. I'd be getting a workout and would get to see him in the middle of my day. I need to mention this to Brenda when the forecast looks like it's going to stay cool for a decent amount of time.

In sleep news, Henry took a mondo 3-hour nap at Brenda's this afternoon. He didn't wake up until 4 pm so he was actually able to stay up a tad later this evening--to a whopping 7:15! That gave us at least a few more minutes to enjoy him before it was off to sleep.

4 Months, 6 Days

With a baby, people always try to figure out who the baby looks like. In our case, we can't really put our finger on it. Several people have said that Henry looks like JT from the eyes up-- he definitely has JT's eyebrows. That said, i think he vaguely suggests both of us but doesn't really look like either of us. Then it hit me-- he looks like the baby pictures i had seen of my dad.

My grandmother thought the same thing and sent me a picture of my dad at 3 months old. His stats are a bit more impressive (18 lbs and 26 inches at 3 mos. Vs. Henry's 12.5 lbs and 24 inches), but i think the resemblance is strong.

Henry did wonderfully at Brenda's. He took two 2-hour naps-- which is about as great as we could ask for in baby napland. We played a bit this evening and then into the bath and off to bed. Henry is starting to move around a lot more when he's laying down. He pushes off of his legs and kind of half way rolls to the side but then comes back. I've actually seen him roll both ways but he isn't really interested in doing either when he's awake. If you put him down on his back he immediately rolls to his side to sleep-- but when awake i think he prefers to stay on his back and look around.

4 Months, 5 days

Today Henry threw me a bone-- his naps were excellent. He slept for 1.5 hours this morning, 2 hours this afternoon, and then another 45 minutes this afternoon.

We went downtown to meet JT after work and did a little shopping. We had planned to buy some clothes for JT but little Mr. clotheshorse got some outfits instead. We took the bus there and back with Henry in the front carrier. It wasn't his first bus ride but he's getting more and more observant and interested in people around him. Of course the more we're out and about, the more strange people make comments. Tonight a woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked me how old he was. When i said 4 months she looked a little shocked and disturbed and said "he's so tiny!" I just said "he's our little guy," and turned back around.

This of course doesn't hold a candle to the day he started to lose it while i was in line at the drugstore. Instead of just hurrying the transaction up the cashier asked me how old i was. I thought she was being sympathetic so over the din i said 3 months. Her reply, "wow, my baby NEVER cried like that. She just slept and slept..."

It's not that it takes a perfect day for me to feel this, but i was just bursting with this feeling that having Henry is such a joy and something that i'm so glad i have to look forward to for so many years to come. Many of you know that things were very, very difficult for us at the beginning and it's almost painful how much I love Henry and am happy.

18 Weeks

What a wonderful weekend! We went to a BBQ at a friends' house last night and stayed out way too late, but had such a nice time hanging out and eating good food. I brought our portable crib and Henry had an easy time falling asleep in it. When we transferred him to the carseat at 1 am he woke up fully and was smiling and playing in his carseat for the 20 minute drive home. I was on pins and needles but he went to sleep in his crib fairly quickly when we got home and slept until almost 7 this morning.

Today Henry and i went to visit a friend and her 3.5 month old daughter. We had plans to see each other right after Henry was born but then her daughter was born and we've had a million legitimate new-mom excuses that have derailed all additional attempts to get together. We had a nice visit and Henry slept in the carseat on the way out there. We stayed about 2 hours and started to head home when Henry was getting tired again. He promptly put his fingers in his mouth and fell asleep. Unfortunately exactly 30 minutes later, just as i hit traffic, he woke up screaming. He cried really hard off and on for the remaining 20 minutes of the drive. When we got home i tried to feed him and he continued to fuss and arch his back and pull away.

He's done this a bit more lately after having not had this problem for weeks. I'm thinking that he still needs the zantac 3x day, so i'm going back to our original prescription.

I broke out the booster chair we bought for Henry. He's not eating solids anytime soon but he enjoys sitting up and playing with this toys!

New pictures are on the yahoo site!

4 Months 3 Days

I'm posting early today as we're going to a BBQ at some friends this evening and i don't know that i'll have a chance to post when we get home. I wanted to follow up my frustrated post yesterday with some reflective thinking on the subject of Henry's naps.

First of all i know i should be grateful that he sleeps so well at night-- that is a blessing and something to be celebrated. That said somehow it's easier to focus on what isn't working so well, which you are abundantly aware, includes his naps.

It's clear to me that the line about getting your comeuppance when you become a parent is patently true. From all accounts i was an easy baby but not the easiest teenager (although are there really any easy teenagers?) I remember having one power struggle after another over my schedule. I had what i considered a strict curfew (i believe it was 11 pm on weekends) and a lot of homework during the week. I felt that i had a very precious amount of time to be out living life and i wasn't going to waste it doing something menial like sleeping. I would stay up until all hours and then get up at the crack of dawn to work at the bagel bakery. I ran myself ragged and got sick often (i've always had a sissy immune system.)

My father used to point out how poorly i was treating myself and why it was inevitable that i got sick as much as i did. Of course this only made me more upset because the thought that someone else, especially a parent, knew better than i did was just so enraging. At a time when the most important thing was establishing independence, any reminder that you weren't doing what was best was frustrating.

Somehow parenting Henry, now i get it. You want him to do what's best for himself (which includes taking good naps) and it's so hard to watch him fail. In fact, it's painful to watch him do what you know isn't good for him. So, i guess i should get used to it because i assume we'll have many more years of this lesson to hit home.

I should say that waxing philosophical about the issue helps put it in perspective but doesn't make the reality any easier to bare.

4 Months 2 Days

As much as this blog is to keep friends and family updated about Henry, it's also a place for me to record the details of Henry's young life and my experiences raising him. You've no doubt noticed that i spend an inordinate amount of time detailing Henry's sleeping habits. That is because, since he was an itty-bitty thing, sleep has been something he's not particularly good at. Today was not a good sleep day. I'm providing a warning that much of tonight's post would be termed a "rant" on an internet message board.

I know i said the other day that i had had low expectations and Henry had actually slept well and that seemed to be the key. Well, that's a nice idea but i'm just not the kind of person that can expect the worst each day. If Henry has a good day, the next day i expect that he'll have at least a decent string of naps.

Today things started off okay with nary a peep when i put him down and a 45 minute nap-- not great, but good for Henry. The next several naps consisted of sleeping for 12 or wow a whole 15 minutes, and then crying and screaming for the rest of the hour. It just feels like nothing i do or don't do makes his napping any more consistent. When he doesn't sleep he's not particularly fun to be around and is overwhelmingly cranky.

By about 4:30 today i was really about to lose it so JT left work and we walked down to the train to meet him. Then we headed out to a very early dinner at a neighborhood restaurant. It was nice to get out and although Henry wasn't on his best behavior, he did just fine. He did enjoy his bath and dinner and then off to bed. Hopefully the night will go well but i feel very drained and frustrated from the day.

4 Months

It shouldn't come as a surprise that someone who routinely forgets her own anniversary would forget to mark the 4 month birthday of our son; but it was yesterday the 17th! I tried to take some pictures of him with a birthday crown but they're just a little sad so instead you get Henry playing with his stuffed dog.

It's not like he seeks the doggy out but when i put him next to Henry he hugs him and sucks on his ears and talks up a storm to him. I think he's becoming a pal. Henry continued to enjoy the jumper and took a series of short but decent naps. He slept until about 5:30 so he was able to stay up a little later which was nice to have more time in the evening while JT was home.

I've decided that one of the difficult things about having a baby is that they need you to be unpredictable but they will do everything in their power to throw you off. I'm not someone to plan on the worst but in some ways it helps make everything a pleasant surprise.

Jumperoo!

Henry does indeed like his new jumper. I think as he gets the hang of it he'll like it even more. Right now he does a kind of side-to-side jig that makes the contraption bounce up and down. He definitely enjoys standing upright and likes playing with the lights and toys on the front of it.

Naps were very, very short today-- none more than 30 minutes so he was pretty cranky by this evening. We walked down and met JT at the train and he was calm in the stroller and got a short second wind once we were home-- this was nice so that he and JT had a little bit of pleasent time together. Then it was off to the bath and on to bed-- i swear he fell asleep before i even turned and left the room.

At his 4 month appointment the doctor suggested trying to transition him off the zantac he's been taking. I was down to just one dose a day but it seems like Henry's stomach is bothering him again. Today he was pulling his legs up and arching back while eating which he hasn't done in quite awhile. I think we're going to need to go back to the full three doses a day for awhile longer.

3 Months 29 Days

We took a lot of good pictures today so it was hard to choose; but i don't think we've had any bath pictures up here before so i'm going with the one you see now. Henry has come a long way from the screams of bloody murder we used to endure during his bathtime. Somewhere along the way H started to at least tolerate the bath-- albeit with furrowed brow, now he genuinely seems to enjoy it. I'm planning to check into water babies classes for us to go to this winter (indoor pool of course!)

There really wasn't much to report on the sleep front and that is good news. He slept well last night and took three respectable naps today.

I'm not sure if i've mentioned that i've become addicted to buying things for Henry off of craisglist.org. Tonight i drove up North of the city to buy a jumper for him. I think he's going to like it because he absolutely loves standing up, but i could be proven wrong and then we'll just have this monstrosity to contend with. Either way i'll try to get some pictures.

3 months 28 days

Well i hate to admit it, but i think getting up at 6 am is really the best thing for Henry (although not necessarily for me!) This morning we put our new plan into action which consisted of JT getting Henry when he woke up at 6, changing him, and taking him into the bathroom while he showers. We already have a bouncy seat in there that i put him in while i shower so we just moved the routine up a few hours. I think things were going okay until Henry kinda fell over in the chair and JT had to jump out of the shower to right him.

He started crying at that point and i was awake so i fed him and we got on with our morning. I was worried he would have slept less and still not napped, but his first nap was almost 2 hours which helped me let out a sigh of relief.

We went for a walk after work, as today was a really pleasent break to the super-hot summer we've been having. Henry can face forwards in the carrier now and loves to watch all the activity of a city summer evening. He was sporting a new hat which i had to get some pictures of when we came home!

Truly 17 Weeks

I was a little hasty last night, Henry officially turned 17 weeks early this morning when thankfully he was asleep. He did just fine last night but today his naps continued to erode. He would only sleep 10-15 minutes and then cry for 30-45-- not a pleasent way to spend the day a month after we started this whole business.

I needed to drive out to the near-in suburbs this afternoon and when Henry fell asleep on the way home i decided to keep driving. I drove up North up a bit, got some gas, turned around and drove South to where JT used to go to school. H wound up sleeping a good hour and a little more-- he was still crabby this evening but chilled out in the front carrier and went to bed easily.

I talked to the sleep guy and we've decided i have to bite the bullet and start getting up with Henry at 6 to start our day. Our theory is that he winds up sleeping 14.5 hours or so at night which is in the range of what he needs for the whole day-- but then he's not old enough to go all day without any naps. So, starting tomorrow we're getting up at 6 and we'll try to take our first nap around 8 or 8:30 or so.

We'll see. We probably won't have immediate progress, but i'm sure eventually we'll get there.

17 Weeks

New pictures are up on the site-- enjoy, Okay, seriously, why can't Henry nap at home? We had this last weekend too where during the week he did well at Brenda's and then come Saturday he reverts to our first week of sleep training-- it's so frustrating!

He was exhausted by this evening after taking short 20 minute naps all day and went to bed early. Hopefully tonight goes okay as last Saturday night was the start of Henry crying throughout the night.

We didn't wind up going to the funeral today. JT was feeling worse and Henry had a fever most of the day from his shots so i thought it would be best to stick close to home. He was fairly chipper in between crying bouts and we got some pictures with good ole mom!

Enjoy!

Those Mean Doctors!

Henry had his 4 month appointment today and those mean doctors gave him three shots. He cried and has been running a slight temperatue ever since. Brenda said he slept a lot today but cried if he wasn't being held. When we got home tonight he seemed at least mildly happy. We practiced standing a lot (Henry's favorite activity as you can see from the picture taken last night)and he had a great time taking his bath. Then it was time to eat and off to bed. Hopefully he'll sleep well, because the last time he had shots he was up crying unconsolably all night (of course that was 2 days before his stomach surgery so i'm hoping we won't have a repeat.)

Henry is growing-- just in length and not that much in weight. He's now 25 inches long which is 2 inches longer than he was about a month and a half ago. He's 13 and a half pounds which is about a pound heavier. The Doctor said that he was definitely growing so she's not concerned but they will want to weigh him again at his next appointment to make sure he's continuing on a normal growth curve. Considering he was small at birth and then had a surge and then slowed down and had the surgery he's been all over the place so it's hard to tell which percentile curve he should be following. For now he's a pretty long slim baby. I'm going to try to offer him more to eat to see if he takes me up on it.

I found my feet!

Yeah, i'm feeling better! Still stuffy and phlegmy, but better. We all had another good night and Henry had a great day. I sent him to Brenda's with his rattletoe socks on and she said that he loved them and played with his feet all day. We got a few action shots tonight at home before his bath and he definitely seemed to enjoy them. He was worn out from all of that and headed to bed early tonight. I put him down at 6:30 and he fell asleep with just about one peep.

A good friend of our's father passed away suddenly two nights ago so we're heading down to Southern Illinois on Saturday for the funeral. It's about a 2 hour drive down, so we'll get to test Henry in the car for long periods now that he's so much better about sleep. Hopefully he'll be able to fall asleep without too much fuss-- otherwise it's going to be a long day for everyone.

3 Months, 23 Days Old

Sorry to say there's no picture again today. I'm still under the weather and haven't had a chance to take any new ones. Henry is doing just fine-- i'm constantly bathing myself in hand sanitizer in the hopes that he doesn't catch this cold that JT and i both have. Thankfully Henry actually slept last night and dosed with cold medicine, i was able to sleep too. I'm not better really but at least not worse.

I've decided that even though we feel like real parents, when i'm sick i just feel like i want my mom-- instead of having to be a mom. It's hard to feel completely terrible and know that Henry has no ability to cut me some slack and take care of himself.

Henry's been outgrowing several of his 0-3 month sleepers. I can't wait to find out on Friday how much he's grown. Hope to have more stories and pictures tomorrow!

3 Months, 21 Days

Today i'm dragging because Henry didn't do so well in the sleep department last night and i'm coming down with a cold. I didn't sleep very well last night because my throat was starting to be scratchy and I heard Henry at 1:30, 3:30 and then off and on from 5 am to 6:00. Seems like when he has a bad night he really has a bad night-- although it goes with his early personality traits of all or nothing!

Hopefully he'll sleep decently tonight and i'll get to bed early.

I received my new work computer today and was busy getting it all set-up this afternoon. I looked at the computer clock and was surprised that it was already 5 pm. I took a gulp of water and headed out to get Henry. I was surprised at how little traffic there was. When i got to Brenda's, she was holding Henry and was just getting ready to change him. Usually she has him ready to go in his carseat but i didn't think that much of it. He was fussy and just about ready for a nap. I wasn't planning on putting him down for a nap at 5 though, and just planned to put him down a little early for bed.

We got home and i was confused when the clock said 4:20. I checked a few other clocks and realized that the computer they sent for work was set to EST and that i had gone to pick Henry up an hour early. I called Brenda to apologize for just showing up unannounced and told her that i'm make sure to check the right clock when i dropped him off tomorrow.

Sorry guys, no picture tonight. Henry was a little cranky and went to bed early and i mentioned that i'm feeling under the weather. Don't hold it against me if i don't post tomorrow-- although of course i'll try!

16 Weeks

Today at 3:07 am, Henry turned 16 weeks old. He won't officially be 4 months until the 17th but he continues to seem "older" and is allowing us to enjoy more of a routine.

We went to a friends' house this afternoon and played with her kids (a 2 year old and an 8 week old). It was fun to watch Henry being interested in the other baby and responding to the 2 year old. We took both the babies out for walks and talked about what fun it would be to have them together next Summer when they're both toddling around.

The downside was that Henry didn't sleep a wink in baby H's crib. Henry cried and fussed for about 30 minutes, so i got him and put him in the carrier and he slept while we took a walk. I absolutely don't plan to make a habit of that, but it's nice to have made enough progress to feel like each nap doesn't hold our family's sleep fate in its hands.

One story i forgot to post about last night. While we were on the El ride from the White Sox ballpark to dinner on the northside, we turned my cellphone off because it wasn't getting service. When we got to dinner and turned it back on it said i had a message. I immediately got worried and when i played it back it was just static. At this point i started to truly panic/worry. I broke out in a sweat and in my head was thinking something must of happened along the lines of Henry not taking his bottle, but subconciously i was thinking worse. I checked my missed calls log and it said the last call was from our house. Sweat was rolling down my face at this point.

I called our babysitter and she said she hadn't called and that all was totally fine. Henry was a little cranky the first hour but fine for his bath and bottle and was sleeping away at that point. After that i was totally able to relax-- lesson to me, call home to check in for peace of mind before you have a panic attack!

3 Months 19 Days

I'm not sure what her secret is, but i'm going to have to ask Brenda how she gets Henry to sleep so well at daycare; hopefully the secret doesn't involve sleeping pills! Today Henry did take 3 naps, but each one was less than an hour and they just got shorter and shorter all day. By the time he woke up at 3 from a 20 minute nap i knew it was going to be a long afternoon.

We had a babysitter coming at 5 pm so that we could head to a baseball game with a friend. The babysitter arrived and had to entertain cranky Henry for an hour before the bath and bed routine. She said he was very happy and content after his bottle and fell asleep quickly.

Unfortunately for us, the Sox actually sold out! They never, ever sell out so we always just head down there and buy tickets. They offered us $28 standing room tickets but we decided to leave the offer be. So although we had already purchased a bag of peanuts, we trekked back North into the city to go to a favorite place for dinner that we hadn't been in awhile. It was a nice outing and felt good to get out a little. We got home in time for me to feed Henry at 10 and now it's off to bed-- here's hoping for a sound sleeping night!

3 Months 18 Days

Today was a nice uneventful day. Henry had another fun day at daycare. When i picked him up Brenda told me that during circle time when the other kids were singing a song with hand motions and clapping he was just laughing and laughing along with them.

I read up on baby signing a little last night and found out that a good time to start it is 4-6 months. Obviously Henry won't be signing back to us anytime soon, but if you introduce the signs along with the words for things it might be as early as 7 months when he can sign back to us. Obviously being able to understand what he wants that early in his life would be wonderful.

I mentioned to Brenda that i had looked into this and showed her the signs for "milk" and "sleep," two of the most important aspects of Henry's life. Brenda said that when her daughter was little she was really into signing and Brenda had books and flashcards and a whole bunch of other materials and that she would start incorporating it into circle time with all the kids. Now i just have to remember to use the signs too!

3 Months 17 Days

Well i spoke too soon. Last night i heard Henry off and on from about 3 am until i went and got him at 6. He was still super-happy when he finally woke up around 8, so i don't think he cried too much. Unfortunately i didn't sleep particularly well either, so i was stumbling a bit through work today.

It's been so hot here lately that after Henry gets home from Brenda's i've been taking his clothes off until bath time. It's fun to look at all the rolls of baby fat he's accumulating. We have his 4-month appointment next Friday and will get to find out how much he weighs.

This Saturday we're going to attempt leaving Henry with a babysitter again. Hopefully we're getting JT's firm's White Sox tickets. If not we're just going to go and sit in the cheap seats. It's an evening game so hopefully most of the time Henry will be asleep. The last time we tried to leave Henry with a babysitter he wouldn't take a bottle and i had to come home early. Now that he's been taking one three times a day at daycare it shouldn't be such a big deal (keeping my fingers crossed!)

3 Months 16 Days

I didn't want to say anything for fear of jinxing it, but for the past several nights, Henry has slept from 7 pm until i feed him at 10 and then straight through until 6 am. Eventually we're going to try to get him to sleep until 7 am, but right now i think things are about as good as anyone could want with a 3.5 month old.

When i was dropping H off at Ms. Brenda's today, i asked if he was still crying very long when he takes his naps. She looked shocked and explained that no, he just coos and plays with his hands and falls asleep. I got to see something similar tonight when i put him down for bed. He was fussing a bit in my arms but when i put him down he quieted right down and sucked his fingers until he fell asleep-- i really love these hands of his!

When i picked him up this afternoon Brenda told me that he had taken three good naps and just cooed and smiled all day long. When i got there he was sitting in his carseat in the middle of all the older kids who were practicing buttoning buttons and tieing ties, zipping zippers, etc. He was looking all around and smiling and they were talking to him just like he was one of the big kids. I'm going to have to start bringing my camera to pick him up!

3 Months 15 Days

Another good day with Henry. He took two long naps at daycare and was all smiles and giggles this evening. He went to bed easily but we'll see how the night goes.

Something i'm glad we've been able to continue even while sleep training is our morning feeding ritual. Most days Henry wakes up at 6 am and i go get him from his crib. This is when JT gets up, so i bring Henry to bed and he eats and we both fall back asleep. I get up a little after 7 but sometimes Henry continues to sleep while i shower and eat breakfast. It's such a lovely start to the day.

Henry rolled over for the first time today. He was on his stomach on his playmat and looking far off to the right and that big ole' head just carried him on over to his back. He seems to be moving around more in his crib too. I'm going in to take the bumpers off the crib before i feed him. A baby on the message board for babies born in April just died of SIDS and besides feeling very sad, i'm feeling more paranoid about Henry while he's sleeping.

Calm before the storm...

Everyone tells you that just as soon as you get things under control with kids everything changes. I can't tell you how many parents drilled that into me starting when they first found out i was pregnant. I'm sure it's completely accurate advice but now i've gotten completely freaked out that because things are starting to, dare i say, feel like they've settled into a routine, life is about to shake up again. Maybe we'll get even just a little longer to enjoy things like they are.

I took today to size up where we are with Henry and it's a fun place to be. H seems to love Ms. Brenda and being with the other kids at daycare. I'm happy to be back at work and enjoying having some structure to my day. Henry is all happy and smiles after work and goes to bed pretty promptly at 7 pm. We still haven't quite gotten to the sleeping all night point but otherwise things are looking good. I've even resumed some of my evening activities-- including my ballet class.

Lately when Henry is eating in the evening he'll look up at me and flash a big smile and then turn his head coyly into my arm. He's turning into quite a charmer and working on cooing and talking all the time now.