Happy Birthday Papa

Nick's birthday seemed to get off to a rough start with Henry waking up a little before midnight sick as a dog. Still, this morning things seemed to be pretty perfect around here. Happy birthday my husband. I love you.

I took this picture this morning right before I walked out the door for work. I took it with my phone, so I know it is dark, but I just love it. My boys.

Socks

I was going to actually write a post today about real things...like with words and everything, but this day is totally getting away from me. Henry wants to be held, and who am I to argue. So, I am going to totally cop out and give you another video. I KNOW. I AM SO LAME. TERRIBLE BLOGGER. But...well, this video is really stinking cute. Like maybe my favorite video yet. and...well...it would be cruel to just keep it to myself. So, without further ado, here is Henry Playing Socks.

Socks from Sarah on Vimeo.

He Will Be Going Pro Any Day Now

We have a busy day planned which includes vacation planning, going out to lunch, watching the Cats play (GO UK!!), hanging out with my best friend who is FINALLY home (we missed you so much Charing!!!) and going to meet the Easter Bunny...which will most likely be horrifying for Henry, but oh well. At least the picture should be entertaining! (Clearly I am the mother of the year)

Anyway, just thought I would post a quick video of Henry and Nick playing catch for the first time. Clearly my son has mad ball skills and will be recruited to go pro any day. I mean, with that throwing arm, and the fact that he can now crawl and stand up, clearly he is ready for the big league.

Throwing The Ball Around from Sarah on Vimeo.
Also, notice how he throws that ball with his left hand. That's my boy!

Dinner Fail

So you know when you are having people over for dinner, and you bake some brownies because, 1. You want your house to smell like brownie heaven 2. You want people to think you are the kind of person bakes and 3. Brownies sound freaking delicious. Well, that was me yesterday. But, the people coming over were just my sisters and brother-in-law, so I didn't feel the need to do some amazing brownie presentation on a cake plate. The act of making the brownies from scratch (Duncan Hines in the box...but with peanut butter chips!) was surely enough to impress... So when they were done I just pulled them out of the oven and tossed them on the stove. Seems innocent enough, right?

Well, you also know when you have company and you are slaving over an very difficult meal (okay... It was just chili cheese dogs. But come on, who doesn't like chili cheese dogs? And I grated my own cheese...so that shows effort!) and you get a little distracted taking about politics (watching Jeopardy) and debating the effects of climate change( showing the pictures of your precious baby on the computer) and you lose focus of what may be on the stove. So, say, you dump chili in a pan and then for some ungodly reason turn it to HIGH, then promptly walk out the kitchen and forget it entirely. Several minutes pass and the chili should be making a ridiculous boiling mess all over the stove, except it isn't. It isn't getting hot at all because you turned the wrong burner on HIGH. The one sitting under the glass pan of brownies.

Do you all know what happens next? Do you? A BOMB will go off in your kitchen. A grenade of glass shards. And you will be all like "what the holy hell?!?" and will run into the kitchen in your socks to find glass EVERYWHERE and brownies ON FIRE. Oh yes, there was FIRE. And SMOKE and GLASS. The chili had glass in it and the hot dogs had glass in it, so everything in the general stove area was ruined ... It really was an all around unfortunate event.

So...try to avoid this by not being an idiot and turning on the wrong burner. It is a real mess. Plus, once you get it all cleaned up, you will have to make new brownies and chili cheese dogs that are glass free to 1. Cover the on-fire-brownie smell with new fresh brownies and 2. Feed the house full of people who are patiently awaiting a meal. (and I was not letting the cheese I grated and onion I chopped go to waste!) and 3. allow you to eat brownies which you have been craving all day. Although the next "scratch" brownies wont have the peanut butter chips. Which is a real shame.

Dare Devil

This weekend we were out in the back yard enjoying the amazing weather and I managed to snap this picture. Henry loves every second of it. Of course he does. No wonder he loves Nick best!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Henry says: Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody! I LOVE this holiday! It's all about wearing green and all around merry making. How do you beat that??

Mama says: Hmmmm....the bib is adorable, but not really practical. I mean, you only get one days use out of it...and I don't really think to holiday is about "merry making" silly boy. It's about...about...oh nevermind.

Henry says: Mama, you are taking ALL the fun out of this.

Henry says: Hey, don't most people party and dance on St. Patrick's Day? I am all about some dancing! Check out my moves.

Mama says: Bed Time! What are you still doing awake anyway? This is NOT a late night holiday.

Henry says: Mama, you are so lame. Aren't you going to drink some green beer or something?

Henry says: Can I at least have some peas for dinner? It's green and I am all about the luck of the Irish.

Mama says: Oh my goodness you are so stinking adorable! I lovelovelovelove you! kisskisskiss

Henry: Mama...the peas...I'm hungry...and STOP. KISSING. ME!

Mama: What? You said you love the Irish. KissKissKissKissKiss I think the Irish love to kiss!

Breastfeeding

I don't talk about breastfeeding anymore. I hardly think of it. It is a natural thing for us now. The only time it became an issue recently was when the doctor asked me if I would wean Henry so he could change my medications for my endometriosis. My immediate reaction was NO. I am not ready! I LOVE nursing Henry. It is not something I am ready to give up. Then last week my blogging friend April started talking about breastfeeding. She has one year old twins and her road to breastfeeding was much more difficult than mine due to her boys being born extremely early and them being in the NICU. She is a proud breastfeeding mother of twins, and honestly she is amazing to me. She is fighting Facebook on if a picture of a breastfeeding mother nursing her child is sexually offensive material. In one of her last posts she challenged other breastfeeding moms to talk about the fact that they nurse their babies. To discuss what it means to them. So here I am.

Of all the things that I have done with Henry since he was born, breastfeeding him is one of the things I am most proud of. I feel like I always need to pepper these kinds of posts with "I know breastfeeding isn't for everyone" or "It is FINE to use formula" and I truly believe those things. Don't take this post to be bashing the use of bottles or formula. I never want to make bottle feeding mothers feel bad about their want or need to use formula. I know breastfeeding isn't always best for everyone, and every mother needs to choose what works best to keep their baby happy and healthy. But for me, breastfeeding was very important. It was something I wanted for myself and for my baby. I think a large part of me wanted to feel successful at something that was suppose to be natural for my body after all of our struggles with infertility. I wanted it to work. I needed it to work. So when it didn't come easy for us, and the option of dig my heals in and fight or give up and use formula was offered, I dug in. And now, ten months later, it was the very best decision for our family.

I have a clear memory of having Henry in the ER when he was six weeks old. The pediatrician walked in and I was nursing him. He said that I was giving Henry the very best medication available. He told me that breastfeeding was the soul reason Henry was not being admitted to the hospital. That by nursing my baby I was helping to keep him healthy. I was making him better. That was so huge to us. I had heard that breast milk was best for babies, but here it was, an actual example of breastfeeding being the best choice for him. From then on Henry has had very few illnesses. He is a very healthy happy ten month old, and I give some of the credit for that to the fact that he is breastfed.

I am not a shy breastfeeder. I will nurse in public and honestly don't give it much thought. I try to be discrete. If I know I will be nursing I try to chose the seat the most out of the line of sight of the general public. I don't flaunt it. But I don't run to a bathroom stall to hide as I feed Henry. I used to try to cover him with a blanket, but then I realize it was uncomfortable for him. He was hot, he was distracted, he wasn't eating well. Off came the blanket. I am a discrete nurser, but I am not a closet nurser. I do what is best for Henry, and that it to feed him when it is time, no matter where we are. Not to cover him and distract him, but just to feed him as quickly and privately as possible.

A nursing mother gives a lot of themselves into the job of nursing. I don't think many people who haven't done it really realize that. I am tied to Henry at all times. This past Saturday I went out to lunch with some of my family and I left Henry home with Nick. It was as if a clock was started when I walked out the door. He needed me home in a few hours. And my body needed him to nurse in the same amount of time. Henry never sleeps away from the house. Nick and I don't take nights off of parenting. By breastfeeding I made a commitment to him that he comes first every single day for his first year. Every four hours we will be together or we will have a plan. It takes planning. It take commitment. It takes the desire to continue doing it. It doesn't seem hard for us because it is so important to us.

I love breastfeeding Henry and he loves nursing. I can honestly say that as his first year winds down and I start to think of weaning him, it makes my heart sad. This is our time and we can't get it back. Soon he will be running around playing and the fact that I breastfed him will be a thing of the past. But I will always remember. I will remember how it kept him out of the hospital. I will remember how it made us closer. I will remember how it taught me patients and how it taught me to slow down, how it taught me that his needs are greater than my own. It has been so good for him, but it has been even better for me. The time, the planning, the commitment, it is all worth it. It may not be for everyone, but I am so glad it was for us.

Ten Months

Dear Henry,

You are now ten months old, and I just cannot believe how fast time is moving. Ten months sounds so big. And it doesn't just sound big, but it is big. You have started playing so many games with us. You play peak-a-boo by covering your eyes with your hands now. You clap your hands when we play patty-cake. You bob your head whenever one of your toys plays music. You are just seeming so much older lately. It's amazing to watch.

You have started eating real food this month, and you love it. I think your favorite was when I gave you little bites of a grilled cheese. Oh man, that was the best. You also love lots of fruits and veggies that we chop up for you. It is so neat to watch as you pick up little bites and put them in your mouth all by yourself. This new development has made you much more aware of when we are eating, and you commonly open your mouth to tell us, "Hey you all! I wanna try THAT!" Just another sign of how much you are growing up!

You are officially on the move this month. You have started crawling, and you are getting faster everyday. Yesterday you crawled from the family room to the dining room in no time at all. You love to walk all around the house with us holding your hands to keep you steady. It is one of your favorite things, and you are getting really good at it. Mama and Papa are going to have to keep a close eye on you to keep you out of trouble!

You are so sweet my Henry. This past month you have really developed ways to show us how much you love us. You reach for us constantly. In your crib, from the floor, from someone elses arms. You have now learned to hold your hands up and ask for us, and we almost always give you what you want. You have a deep love for your Papa. You want him to hold you most of all. You are starting to lay your head on our shoulder and it is just the sweetest thing in the world. It melts my heart. You love all of your family so, letting us hug and kiss you until our hearts are content. We are so lucky to have such a sweet little boy to love...and such a sweet little boy that clearly loves us back.

XOXO,

Mama

Eclipse

So I am running out the door to dinner with my girlfriends (yay!!) but thought I would take a quick second to post the new preview for Eclipse that came out today...because it looks awesome...and because I am obviously a 14 year old girl.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE


Seriously, I am so excited about this. Cannot wait for June 30th!

When does the next Harry Potter come out? Man this is going to be a nerdy, young-adult-fiction filled summer! PERFECT!

It's Healthy, Right?

So this story requires two key pieces of information on Henry. Two new developments in his little world that have not really been mentioned here at Bio Girl yet.

1. Henry has recently discovered how to feed himself. Let me tell you, it is thrilling. I don't know why, but it is just so stinking rewarding to watch him pick up a pea, look at it, and then pop it in his mouth! He now eats bananas (which I cut up for him...I am a saint of a mother. Nasty bananas), pasta, peas, carrots, sweet potato puffs and yogurt drops. He is a champion of self feeding and I am pretty sure he will happily eat anything I place on his tray.

2. Henry has started crawling. Not really classic crawling...more like he has invented his own inch worm/army commando crawling style (quite the little inventor already!) but he is crawling none the less.

So, today I wanted to make myself some lunch. I dropped Henry down on his blanket in the middle of the living room and he was happy as a lark. I knew he wouldn't stay on the blanket, but it was at least a good starting point. I made myself some food and came back to see him exploring happily. I sat down to eat and enjoy some of the Oscars (everyone should DVR the Oscars...so much better when you can fast forward). When I was done I was so pleased. Henry had totally self entertained while I ate my lunch. This is so awesome!

It was then time for his lunch, so I plop him down in his high chair. As I am buckling him in, he lets out a cough. And that's when it happened. A PIECE OF DOG FOOD FLEW OUT OF HIS MOUTH. YES IT DID. DOG FOOD. I recoiled a little in horror, then did what any good mother would do. I held his head in a vice grip while I searched the entire area of his mouth for anymore DOG FOOD. There was only small bits left. Most had come out in the cough but...god help me...some had definitely been swallowed.

So...I gave him his own food as fast as possible. Trying to wash away all remaining DOG FOOD residue. He seemed fine with it. Completely at peace with this first of most likely many adventures in eating the disgusting. So...so...there it is. My kid ate dog food. While I watched the Oscars, completely oblivious. The really disturbing part is that he wasn't near the food bowl. So...Ellie had carried the piece of food over to his area. So...he ate dog food that had ALREADY BEEN IN THE DOGS MOUTH. *Shudder*
Henry says, "Chill out Mama. It was just Ellie food! If it's good enough for the L, then it's good enough for me!"
Ellie says, "Yes Mama, What is the big deal? You feed ME that food. Is there something wrong with it?"

On the bright side, these two are getting along better everyday!

Henry says, "See Mama? We Share EVERYTHING!"

Ellie says, "NOM NOM NOM"

It's That Time Again

Well, if you have been reading here at Bio Girl for a really (really) long time, you might remember back when I cut off a ton of hair and sent it in to Locks of Love. Not so much out of the kindness of my heart, but more because I opened my big mouth and said I was and then had to follow through. Turns out it is really easy to donate hair and everyone should do it and not just because they are guilted into it! Anyway, not sure if you all had noticed, but my hair had gotten seriously long. And...well...I was getting a little tired of it. This happens every couple of years. I grow it out, I get sick of it, I chop it off. Do you all see where this is going??

I chopped off eight inches of my hair to donate! (This time it IS out of the goodness of my heart) Oh, and I highlighted the heck my new hair to cover up all that ridiculous gray that I discovered. So much for my natural color!

And just for fun, here's another picture of it...where I look really annoyed. Also, my shirt says "Muggle"...because I am a nerd.

Big Boy

Lately Henry has started seeming...bigger. He has his likes and his dislikes and he is very clear on the difference. He has started cruising and will walk all over the house as long as we are holding his hands. When we carry him around, he sometimes gets aggravated and fights to get down...not that he can really go anywhere on his own, but he wants to TRY. He is strong willed and independent, but at the same time so very loving and sweet. He has started putting his head on our shoulder or his forehead against ours when he wants to say he loves us. He loves being tickled and to laugh. Now, instead of us working to get him interested in these games that tickle him, he will start them on his own. Grabbing our hand or hiding his eyes to start the games that he enjoys so.

He is just...changing. Changing into a tiny little person with opinions and feelings. It is all amazing...amazing and a little heart breaking to watch as my sweet baby grows a little more into a big boy every single day.

Our sweet boy with his Mama

Oh how he loves his Papa. Preferring for Nick to hold him over anybody.

Cruising around the hallway at church

Absolutely adorable