Being with Papa….

Hillary's Graduation

Henry and I drove to Indiana so we could be with family and attend my sister Hillary's graduation from Taylor University, my former alma mater.  It was great to be back and memories flooded back of my time there…where life was simple and where I had some of the greatest years of my life.

I was so proud of Hillary - she made her Taylor experience her own and treaded her own path.  Instead of teaching and playing tennis (like Holly and I), she decided to follow her passion in writing and is hoping to find her dream job in D.C. in the months to come.

 It was a long day for Henry…wasn't in the mood for pictures after the ceremony...

Love you Hil…so glad you are going to be so close in a few weeks!  :)

Henry is 11 Months!

So, Henry was VERY uncooperative while taking these pictures.  He didn't want to sit still and was all over the place.  I apologize in advance for the blurriness...  :)

Now we are starting to get antsy...

 And even upset...until I tempted him with the camera case.  Do you know how INTERESTING a camera case is?  :)

 That's better...(and yes, he did walk towards me to get it...)

Things Henry is doing at 11 Months:

• Henry is walking...and getting more confident by the day.  It started with him walking a few steps a couple of weeks ago and now we're seeing him walking from different places around the room on his own.  Last night he went from one room to another.  Oh boy...we are in for it!  I'll post some video soon!  We got a walker for him and I think that gave him the confidence he needed.
• We are seeing him attempt words, although still don't know if they are purposeful or not.  "Doggy" is probably the most clear, and we think he might be saying "Daddy" as well.  He'll say "mama" but still don't know that it's ME his referring to.  :)
• Henry's sleeping most nights from 7:30pm- around 5:00am.  He'll nurse and go back to sleep until around 7.  It's been wonderful!  :)
• He's eating more and more and prefers to feed himself.  He LOVES beans, peas, corn, sweet potatoes, sqush, applesauce, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, bananas, pears, rice cakes, bread, along with others.  He usually makes quite a mess at mealtimes, but is eating more and more. 
• His favorite toys are some plastic golf clubs, given to him by grandpa and grandma Von Tobel....much to his father's delight.  He is learning to hit the ball on the proper end and will carry them around with him around the house.
• We've been taking walks outside with his walker most days.  He's a very curious observer and the "walks" are usually pretty slow.  He wants to stop and look at every leaf, berry, noise, dirt,  mulch, etc. 
• He loves his daddy and like I said on the previous post, he has a lot of separation anxiety when Peter leaves for work in the morning.  They are best buddies and will play all evening until Henry goes to bed. 

Sad Eater...

So Henry loves his daddy.  And he's usually eating his breakfast when Peter leaves for work in the morning.  We've had some rough goodbyes the last couple of weeks and it breaks ALL of our hearts to see Henry so sad...especially daddy.

 

This is also happening increasingly more when dropping him off at our church nursery.  Which is why it kills Peter every week when we have to drop him off.  :(

Mother's Day...

Henry Peter...you have brought me so much joy in the last 11 months.  I can't believe that I am your "mama" and I get to hang out with you every day.  You make me laugh on a daily basis with your funny faces and silly noises.  My favorite time of day is when I peek in your room in the morning, before you notice I'm watching you.  I love seeing you lost in your own world and then seeing the smile on your face when you realize I'm standing there, watching you.   You are such a happy little boy and are patient with me.  You understand that I'm a new mommy and am learning just as much as you are.  Thank you for teaching me and stretching me to be better everyday. 

I'm still amazed at how much the Lord gave us when He gave us you.  We thank Jesus for you everyday and are praying for your little heart...that you would grow to love Jesus and love others.  Which makes us want to love Jesus even more so that you'll see Him in us. 

So thank you, Henry Peter, for loving me and being patient with me as we journey through this together.  I know I won't always be perfect OR make you happy, but I promise to do the best I can, with the Lord's help.


Love you buddy.  :)

On the move...

This video was taken last month, but it gives you an idea of how mobile Henry's been in the last month.   :)

Some Pictures These Days...

Because it seems that Henry is always at my feet (literally) and I don't have the time to blog like I used to, I'm just going to post a few pictures from the last couple of weeks...