Henry Update

Can't believe how much the little guy has changed just in the two weeks since my last blog on him after his 4 month check up! Last week I started him on rice cereal and it took a few days for him to get use to it but by the end of the week he was getting the hang of it. I typically try to feed him around our dinner time.. he even sits up like a boy in his bumbo style seat. Its a messy process but he is still learning! This week I moved him onto something a bit tastier and introduced him to sweet potatoes... and they were a hit! Henry reached another milestone just today... he got his first tooth! I noticed it will I was getting him dressed this morning and there it was.. a little white bud on the bottom. P better watch out now, ha! I think the tooth next to it will be budding soon.. I can see it another the gum line. Also last weekend I got Henry a new ride (stroller). Its a Maxi Cosi Perle.. and so far we love it! It was time for me to quit lugging around him in his car seat if I don't have to; and with the heat mixed with the unbreathable material of his car seat Henry can get rather sweaty riding around in it. I found this stroller at Babies R Us.. it was on sale and then I had a 20% off coupon so I scored it for a good deal. Its nice and plush with a padded seat and 5 point harness... multiple position reclining seat and an adjustable leg rest... the canopy has a peek a boo window and an attachable rain/snow shield that zips onto the canopy... it also has a few pockets inside the stroller for keeping toys and pacis at bay. We've already used it a few times and it has a smooth, light weight feel about it while pushing... and it folds compact style like an umbrella stroller. All in all, we are pleased with it.. Henry enjoys being able to see what's going on around him.. and its been a great alternative to the Graco Snap n Go stroller. It won't be much longer and I'll have to be looking at new car seats...

Henry's 4 Months Old

Henry Clay turned 4 months old on Saturday. I can't believe my little guy is already a third of the way into his first year!! He is such a sweetheart and I fall more in love with him everyday. He truly is a mama's boy but he also loves his sister... he just laughs and smiles when P talks to him. He is such a good baby and I've been so blessed to have a healthy little boy. I am amazed at where he is developmentally... I had forgotten about all little milestones from when P was little. He babbles and talks... I wake up in the morning to hear him on the monitor talking away in his crib. He is beginning to laugh when he gets all tickled. He is drooling like a fool, ha! Something is always in his mouth being chewed on even if its just a finger. I am waiting for a tooth but nothing yet.. just lots of drool and bubbles for now. Over the weekend, he learned to roll over from his back to his tummy; and about a week or so ago he learned to roll from his tummy to his back. He has yet to make a complete revolution but I'm sure it wont be long till he figures that out as well. Henry loves to play on the floor and can scoot in just about any direction... where i place him on the rug is not usually the same spot he is located at ten minutes later. We had his four month well baby check up and he is doing fantastic! Henry is a perfectly, well growing boy. He weighs in at 16.4 pounds and is 26 inches long... 90% for both his weight and heights... perfectly proportionate. He had to get two shots today as well as a drink the rotaq rota virus immunization... and he was a little trooper. He cried a little but has been doing fine since. He was a bit drowsy this afternoon and is taking a much needed nap. I am so amazed at how big he is getting and how fast he grows! And we got the go ahead to start on rice cereal .. after a week or so of that we can move onto fruits and vegetables... cannot wait to see how Henry reacts to that! I think I might also be washing up some 6-9 month outfits this week.. now I know why some of his clothes are getting too small :)

Grocery Cart Challenge

I saw this on a sweet friend's blog.. and thought it was a good idea.. and I followed her link to the blog and fell in love! While yes currently I am not cooking very much during the week and anything I do fix is far from gourmet as its only for P and I... but eventually hubby will be back home (yay!!) and the Lean Cuisine Meals, scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and bagel bites will not suffice for him... or the fact that by the time he returns next year I will also have Henry to add to the dinner table (wow! time really does fly by!) and so I will have a family of four to start grocery shopping for and cooking multiple weekly meals for... and if there is one thing I dislike its paying way too much at the grocery store. Don't get me wrong I love to eat and I prefer good food, however I am not a fan of dropping loads of money on something that either I can't wear or my children can't wear or a lovely vacation that we can enjoy, ha! And also I do not enjoy slaving in a kitchen for more than 30 minutes for a meal that my family will devour in less than the time it took for me to make. So this website has loads of good recipes that also won't break the bank.. so its giving me lots of good ideas to stow away till next year or i might even go out on the whim and try out my culinary skills on P and if nothing else Pete might enjoy the table scraps :)

Pictures of the Kids!

I am being completely biased but these two kids are just so darn cute!!

R&R

Well it came and went... r&r finally got here and after 15 glorious days it was over... just like that.. its like having to quit cold turkey... Brandon comes home and we get fifteen uninterrupted days then he has to leave and that's it until homecoming. It was everything and nothing like I imagined... he was suppose to get to Atlanta on the 11th and well that day came and went and he was still stuck in Kuwait... communication was very limited and the flight kept being push back so neither us knew when he would truly arrive... then 3 days later on a very late Thursday night he calls me from Atlanta airport to let me know he got there safely but was going to have to sit around and wait awhile until his flight for Nashville. He informed me that he was going to get a rental car and drive in... so at 5 am on Friday morning he was finally home! I was so ecstatic but also a bit bummed there was no perfect outfit planned and no gregarious welcoming at the airport but at this point I was just so thankful he had made it and was home.. at least for awhile :) I'm not sure who was the happiest to see him that day... P was most excited when she came downstairs to our room to see her daddy in the bed... I like to think Henry was excited too and of course Pete!

We started off R&R with tackling some projects around the house... Brandon worked hard around the yard for a couple of days getting it into summer shape... we even ordered a new storm door for the front.. he did a great job.. and the house was looking fab!! Brandon was able to take Peighton to school a few days which I know just melted her.. and he even got to see her at one of her ballet classes. Needless to say whatever anyone had to do while he was home... we all went and did it together... we were an inseparable family of four! Brandon and I were able to enjoy a weekend in Savannah without the kiddos. It was a much needed vacation and quality time for both of us. Mimi and Papa kept both Peighton and Henry... and I think they enjoyed the bonding time, ha! We spent a few days in South Carolina... catching up with great friends and visiting family :) We returned home to spend a few more days together just as a family before Brandon's departure. We even managed to squeeze in a trip down to Nashville to the wonderful Mall at Greenhills and a scrumptious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. The day finally came and Brandon had an early flight out... it was a quiet ride home from the airport that day.

And to think its already been over a week since he left... its been a long week and it still doesn't feel right him not being here.. we are readjusting back to the way it was before r&r. It's one of those catch 22 situations... r&r is a great experience but the ending of it leaves you with a realization that this it until he returns home for good. On the flip side I can finally say we are almost there.. not quite the home stretch.. but we are almost over the hump and i can see the finish line in the distant future... and I know we will get there.. we will make it.. and I cannot wait for that day to come!!