My Little Sweet Tater

I have made a few homecooked meals in my day. People have asked for second helpings, but no one has ever cried for more...until I made sweet potato puree for sweet Henry. He LOVES it! No butter, brown sugar, pecans or marshmallow topping, but he still loved it! He sure knows how to flatter his Mama. It has to be the easiest meal I have ever prepared, and at just 10 cents a serving, I am certainly saving money over buying the jarred stuff. Like a good Southern boy, he finished the entire bowl, and only a quarter of it ended up on his face, hair, and Bumbo seat. Not bad!

Henry is 6 months old!

Likes: Slapping everything with my right hand (I'm slap happy), wearing footie pajamas to bed, sitting up by myself (for about 30 seconds before I face plant the ground), being mesmerized by the white tag on my toys, eating Mama's homemade veggie purees, loving on my sock monkey, Willy Wayne, from my "Aunt" Carly and "Uncle" Adam, curling up and sleeping on my side, and smacking my lips.

Dislikes: Eating rice cereal, teething, and getting frustrated that I can't crawl yet (I can get up on all fours though!).

Growth: I weigh 19 lbs., 2 oz., and I am 28 1/2 inches tall. This puts me in the 76th percentile for weight and the 97th percentile for height. The doctor said my height to weight ratio is 33%, so clearly I'm long and lean!

Three Years

Three years ago today, I put on a dress, walked down an aisle, made a vow before God, kissed my husband, ate a 5 course dinner, cut the cake, and danced the night away with my family and friends. Tonight's activities look a little different, but I'm just as excited for a pajama-adorned dinner of pizza and cupcakes (enjoyed on our fine china, naturally) with my husband and my little love who looks just like him. Although, Henry isn't wearing pj's for the occasion...he's representing where this all started: Mackinac Island! (Thanks to "Aunt" Niki and "Uncle" Joe!)

Happy Anniversary Daddy Mak!

Rice Cereal: It's what's NOT for dinner.

Henry had his first taste of solid food last weekend. He was pretty excited that morning, but as you can tell by the photos, he became less and less thrilled with each taste. We started out with rice cereal. Henry must have a complex palate because he didn't like it at all. I don't blame him though. The smell alone was unappetizing. Since he's still figuring out that a spoon is not just a chew toy, most of it ended up on him rather than in him, but it was still fun. Well, fun for us to watch and laugh since we weren't the ones being force fed gross rice cereal. Looks like I am going to be busy in the kitchen this week whipping up some veggie purees for my little foodie. Does anyone know if Eric Ripert makes a cookbook for babies?

Fun at the Fair

The North Georgia State Fair is a pretty big deal around these here parts, and for good reason: I'll fight through fair crowds for a funnel cake. You might think that there isn't much for a 5 month old to enjoy at a fair, but Henry was quite entertained by the variety of flashing lights and well-coiffed mullets. He was a little ticked off, however, when he found out he couldn't have any of Dad's kettle corn.

Drooly McDroolerson

Henry has had a drooling issue, but he drools even more now that he has learned how to blow "raspberries." I think he enjoys it so much because he's a boy, and boys love spit and anything that sounds like a fart. It's cute since he's a baby, but I won't be encouraging this behavior once he understands what I'm saying.

Brunch and Wrasslin' with the Boys

I am fortunate to have a wonderful group of "Mama" friends from church. We met while pregnant and had our babies within weeks of each other. We get together about once a week for lunch or walks in the park. Until recently the babies didn't realize there were other babies around. But at a recent brunch "playdate," the boys finally recognized each other and the grabbing, scratching, kicking, and wrasslin' began. Boys will be boys!