Papa and Mimi and Zia . . . oh my!

Papa, Mimi, and Zia traveled from Michigan to visit last week. We took Henry to the park for the first time, and he had so much fun that he pooped his pants and required a diaper change in the trunk. We also enjoyed a lot of time at home so they could take turns holding him, feeding him veggies, and rocking him to sleep. Henry loved all the attention and kept looking around for them at home after they left. He looked pretty bummed when he realized it was just going to be me fawning all over him!

Henry is 7 months old!

Likes: Eating vegetable purees, getting to where I want to go by scooting/rolling/doing the worm, rubbing my head and tugging my hair, gnawing on anything I can get my hands on (no more of Dad's pinkie for me), sitting in my highchair, shaking my rattles like a skilled maracas player, listening to Mama sing my favorite song (Skinnamarink), sucking my left thumb or my right fingers when I'm tired, and being held on Mama's hip or Dada's chest.

Dislikes: Eating fruit purees, wearing socks or shoes (like a good Southern boy, I prefer to be barefoot), riding in the car when no one is in the back seat with me, and drinking water from a sippy cup (Where is the milk?!).

Growth: I weigh 20 lbs. 2 oz., and I am 29 inches tall. This puts me in the 70th percentile for weight and the 97th percentile for height. Clearly Mama's veggie purees are doing something! Since I prefer broccoli and zucchini to bananas and apples, you can call me the Jolly Green Giant.

My Yoga Partner

Henry has been on all fours and rocking back and forth for some time now. Crawling may be right around the corner. In the meantime, however, he is training to become a yoga master. He mastered the downward dog position with ease. Now he is trying to develop his own positions, such as the one legged downward dog. Just for kicks (and an added level of difficulty), he performs his positions while blowing raspberries and covering himself in drool. The best part? Yoga does not require the purchase and installation of baby gates. Crawling, you can wait.

"Those" Moms

Hi, my name is Mama Mak, and I am one of "those" Moms. You know the kind. They so desperately want to get their baby to say "Mama," even before their baby has any idea what it means. But baby knows what it sounds like because Mama repeats it to him 729 times a day. Some (me) even go through this exercise with an audio recorder in hand, because sometimes a Mama needs proof. Well, I am one of those Mamas, and I have no shame. Why? Because my sweet, little boy just said "Mama." And I have proof.

Chompers and Spoons

I spotted Henry's first tooth coming in a couple weeks ago. Just as it broke the skin, the one next to it popped up. Lucky for us, his sleeping and eating habits haven't changed. We have had to endure just a bit more fussing though. When Henry does start whining and wanting to pull his hair out from the teething pain, I turn to his favorite form of relief: a cold, metal spoon. Forget fancy teething rings and toys. My boy loves a good ole' ice cold spoon. It turns his frown upside down!