11 Months, 6 days

I think we might finally be getting back to normal. JT was still home sick but he made it out to the couch and is planning on going back to work tomorrow. Henry had another good day at Brenda's and is more than making up for his light-appetite. For dinner tonight he ate a 6-oz jar of baby lasagne, a 4-oz container of pear puree, 1/4 banana,6 oz. of pasta and red sauce and a handful of veggie puffs. This is good because we need to rebuilt the weight we know he lost while he was sick.

Tonight's picture is of Henry's new favorite bath toy-- his toothbrush. My orthodontist has a two-year old and she told me that what's important now is just to get him used to me getting in his mouth with something, a soft brush, a pieces of gauze, etc. Henry is crazy for this kind of soft plastic and he loves to chew on the bristles. I usually do a quick pass over his upper and lower gums and then he keeps himself entertained with the toothbrush for the rest of the bath.

I have noticed that along with stranger anxiety H has started to develop a sense of fright. We have a soft bath toy that's an octopus. You can use it's undersides like a wash cloth or hold it under the water and squeeze it and water comes out of a spout at the top of it's head. It was in a drawer for a long time and tonight i brought it in to the bath with the rest of Henry's toys. He just watched me make the water spout a few times and then actively looked scared and upset-- beginnings of the bottom lip curling. I let the octopus go in the water and proceeded to wash Henry. A few minutes later the octopus came floating towards Henry and he looked at it like he would climb out of the tub if he could. I picked it up and set it on the rim of the tub and he just kept craning his neck around the fixate on the octopus. He wasn't back to happily enjoying his bath until i hid the octopus behind the shower curtain. Once he dries out i think that toy will have to go back to the bath for awhile.