A Tale of Two Park Dates.

I remember the day I took this picture. It was late March of last year, and I was shocked by the size of my belly. I also remember that it was a gorgeous day, so Gus took me on a date to the park. We walked (well, he walked, I waddled) through the park, we laid on a blanket in the warm sun, and we snacked on popsicles from the semi-creepy ice cream man (aren't they always?). It was a fabulous day.

We did the same thing this year, except I had two dates (well, three, since Uncle Chris showed up later on), and the waddling has been swapped for chasing. I even shared my popsicle this year, but Henry didn't like how cold it was so Cheerios were his snack of choice. And I have to say, this year was even better than the last.

Henry is 11 months old!

Likes: Climbing inside the dishwasher, refrigerator, and freezer whenever one is opened, standing up "no-hands" for about 2 seconds before I fall on my bottom, dancing to music, playing with my friends at gym daycare (and flirting with the employees), eating lots of green beans, edamame, hummus, blueberries, clementines, and Greek yogurt, using the dining room chairs as walkers to get around the house, drinking whole milk from my sippy cup, kissing my Elmo book and the baby on the diaper box, and playing hide and go seek with Mama and Dada.

Dislikes: Eating meat, having my diaper changed (I'm a buckin' bronco on the changing table these days), and having the precious TV remote taken away from me.

Growth: I weigh 22 lbs., 9 oz., and I am 32 and 1/8 inches tall. This puts me in the 60th percentile for weight and STILL off the charts for height. It's no wonder I love me some stringbeans...I'm just like one!

Bonkers for Birthday Balloons

A few of Henry's friends have had their first birthday party, where we discovered Henry's love of balloons. I have started planning Henry's first birthday party, and I know one thing for certain: there will be plenty of balloons for my boy.

Copycat Cousins

Henry's cousin, Ella, is 8 months older than him. When she was about Henry's age, she was visiting her Grandma who had a bad cold. Grandma would cough or clear her throat a lot and, well, monkey-see, monkey-do. Ella's new "laugh" basically sounded like a whooping cough. We found it hilarious and encouraged lots of "laughing."

So last week I had a pretty bad cold. Henry heard lots of coughing and, well, you know where this is going.

Gus for Us!

The guy we know around here as "Dada" is the newest Assistant Treasurer to the Cobb County GOP! Our household has been busy on the campaign trail, and it certainly paid off. We figured if Henry could help get Governor Deal elected, he could do the same for his own Pops. With the help of a custom made t-shirt and campaign manager (Elmo) by his side, Henry helped put his Dad into office! Congratulations Gus! We're so proud of you!

I've been working on the railroad.

Rainy days spent inside call for new toys. We don't head to the store though. I just pick something out from the Christmas toy stash and, voila, it's Christmas in March! Henry loves his toy train and recently figured out how to ride it. That wasn't thrilling enough, however, so he tried standing up on the seat and popping a wheelie. There's a good chance Henry is getting a helmet for his birthday. Thanks to Aunt Cathy and Uncle Joe for the toy train and Target for the conductor overalls.