Henry's first bite...

Well, we have officially given Henry his first "real" food: rice cereal mixed with breast milk. Yeah - it's not flashy, but it definitely signifies a big milestone in his life. It was funny as hell. It's fascinating to see him tackle new things every day - the fact that he had never really had to wrap his lips around a spoon and actually swallow something without sucking was amazing to comprehend. It took him a split second to grasp the goodness to which he had been introduced, and then he was off to the races (grabbing at the bowl and smiling with the food in his mouth, etc.). It's going to be a little while, we think, before he starts to inhale the stuff (opposed to blowing 80% of the food out) but when he starts to put two and two together he should enjoy it all the more.

In other news, the little guy is almost 5 months old (8/24/09). He's still able to stand up under his own strength, which is nice for his leg muscle development, and Shelly/Grandma G. have him on a pretty intense "tummy-time" core workout regemine. Crawling should only be a 2 - 3 months away (I think). Just enough time to have him crawling towards the turkey at Thanksgiving.

Shelly and I are both doing great, although it's been a bit of a challenge to strike the right balance between work, family and school. Somethings gotta give. Sorry, UW...I've never been one to bust my ass for an extra tenth of a grade point, especially at the cost of hanging with the fam.

Grandma Weaver is heading this way the first of September - we're all thrilled & can't wait to have her hangin' with Hank. We're sure she's going to be floored when she sees how big he's gotten since his birth. It's one thing to see a sack of flour, but another to pick it up and hold it with your arm cocked for 30 minutes. Get ready for a workout Julia!

That's about it for now. Enjoy the pics & video (for those who don't have Facebook).

Love,

Shelly, Dave and Henry

Cousins come to visit; Milestones

Rigatoni is almost 4 months old now. Where the hell has the time gone? The little guy is already able to roll himself over (and has even rolled himself back once) and continues to chat up a storm. We think it's only a matter of days before he starts to get his first tooth coming in - he's chomping on just about anything hard (including his fist). Something tells me that Shelly isn't going to be so thrilled when they do ('cause she's still feeding Hank "the old fashioned way"). Ouch.

We had two of my cousins come into town for a quick overnight (Meg Griffiths from Queens, NY, and Jessica Griffiths from Cali) and had a blast catching up with them. Jess got to see Hanks first official barrel roll, while Meg introduced him to NY's "high fashion" (see photo below). He was definitely lovin' the scene and the chemistry with his cousins was profound.

All is good on the sleeping front. I think. Let's be honest - I sleep like a log while Shelly is on late-night baby patrol. I know, I know - I'm supposed to share in all the midnight madness. But until my 33 year old man boobs start kicking out the moo-moo juice, I'm going to saw logs. I'll change diapers whenever it's needed - but I learned the other night that it's a good idea to be wearing my glasses when I do so I don't go smearing things that are supposed to be wiped. Seriously, though, he's been a great little sleeper - napping regularly and able to sleep through loud noises (reasonable loud noises...if you blew an airhorn in his face I'm sure he'd wake up).

Enjoy the photos!

Dave, Shelly and Hank!

New York is in the house!


Sleepin' in style


He's got his mama's eyes...


Our little "Ankle Biter"


Two of the best cousins in the world!


Sunset from the golf course behind our house


So I say to Rigatoni: hey - if you can fit your whole fist in your mouth, I'll pay for up to six years of college. Damn!


In black & white, he kind of looks like a little prisoner in his shirt, doesn't he?

July 4th in Portland

Shelly and I took Hank on another trip over the 4th of July weekend...this time to see his new godparents Tom & Leslie Grob, and their 2 year old son Finn. Had a blast together - hit up the Portland farmers market, danced to the JB's "Breakin' Bread" and indulged in a little vino. Wish I could share some funny stories, but Hank was as a steady as a pulse. He took a very fond liking to Tom and Leslie, and enjoyed his playtime with Finn too.

On the development front, Hank is giggling more now...to the point that it's starting to sound like a laugh. His expressions are becoming more pronounced, and his ability to roll around (almost over) is keeping us on the edge of our seat. He's also sitting upright in his Bumbo chair, and is able to grab just about anything in a 5-inch radius of him.

Enjoy the pics!

Cheers -

Dave


Some playtime with Rigatoni


Our little duckling...


Mit seine Gotte Leslie und Götti Tom


The view from my side of the bed...


Please don't feed the animal...

Update on Henry

Henry is officially 3 months old, and he's developing quite the cheerful demeanor. New facial expressions and activities mean that Shelly and I are almost constantly manning the digital camera these days. That means our updates on the little guy will become more frequent...

Giggles, cooing and smiles are now frequent...as is his sucking his thumb. He's sleeping longer, able to stand on his own weight (stability still provided by his folks) and reach/grab stuff now (watch your glasses...). Not sure that he's changed his feelings for my beard - we're pretty sure that he's in favor of Shelly's smooth face over my scruffy neck. He also received the first "strawberry' on the back of his head when I tried to change him in the trunk of our car and kick himself across the floor, sliding over pine needles and sand. Yeah...not happy.

Anyway, check out these photos / videos for now...hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Also hope that everyone is well!

Shelly, Dave & Hank



Before / After the wine



Our little Rigatoni with his mama


3 generations of Griffiths men...


In the tasting room...

Update on Hank

As of tomorrow afternoon, Hank will be a month old already. Everyone tells you that your kid is going to grow up quicker than you could ever imagine, and they're absolutely right. He's already bigger, making more noise, and showing signs that he's capable of having a decent attention span. His face doesn't look like a lizard anymore, either (he had dry skin, which I guess is normal in later-term babies) which is nice.

Work and school have kept me away, which is a little hard from time to time, but knowing that he's in the very loving/capable hands of Shelly is reassuring. She's got the patience of a saint, I tell you. It can't be easy to change diapers all day, sooth a crying baby that can't communicate and feed him from her body parts for 30 minutes at a stretch. What a lady!

We got a new car yesterday, which will come in handy when Shelly is travelling around the city (she used to drive a manual-transmission Mercury "Mistake"). It's a Honda Fit - the perfect size for the two of them to have some fun.

I hear the pitter-patter of feet, which means Hank is awake and Shelly is in "mama-mode", so I'm going to head up to see if I can pitch in. Best to all - will try to post more pics later.

Cheers!

Dave, Shelly & Henry

Mutha Thumb-Sucka!

Henry has learned to suck on his thumb, but I think is a little perplexed as to why it doesn't produce food for him. Pretty cool to see him make the little transitions from day to day.

His first doctors visit is also under his belt, and he managed to get in and out of the office without that scary rectal thermometer. His health is looking good, and he's even put on about a half pound of weight (which gets him back to 8.5lbs). Shelly's "mams" are in full-production mode, too, which means we'll start nursing him without the supplement. I'm guessing that his daily payloads are going to start turning colors yet again.

His skin is still a little flaky because he was late, but I guess it's normal. He does kinda look a bit scaley, though, which is funny. When he cries and his face gets red he kinda looks like godzilla.

Soap Baby

Today was my first day at work, and my first day away from Hank. It was kind of a bummer, but made it all the more special to see him when I got home.

His head smells awesome...for anyone who hasn't smelled a baby's head (yeah, I know - that sounds weird), it's the most refreshing, "innocent" scent on earth. I'm thinking about taking him into the shower with me tomorrow and using him like a bar of soap.

Blood Sausage, Stone-ground Mustard and Burritos

Henry got his little pee-pee snipped the other day, and I've gotta tell you, the thing was lookin' pretty gnarly up until about an hour ago. We removed the gauze from his "member" only to find that there was a minor skin infection and some bleeding. Not knowing what to do, we took him to Children's ER and, as it turns out, everything is normal. Just part of the process, I guess. Henry was also fortunate enough to have his first encounter with the anal thermometer. Prior to tonight, his temp was checked via armpit. I wish everyone could have seen the look on his little face when that thing got inserted...his arms and legs instantly stretched out in shock and his little sleepy eyes shot open to the size of dinner plates. What a rough day for our little Rigatoni.

Just in case you've been wondering, things on the diaper front have also been interesting lately...we've transitioned from "tar poo" to "brownie-batter poo" to "stone-ground mustard poo." Who knew the human body was capable of such things?

All of the adventure aside, he's sleeping really, really well (3 - 4 hours usually at a time), and he love's Shelly's "chesticles" (as she calls them). Posting some more pictures for everyone...hopefully they offer up a little more detail on what he looks like. By the way...please note the masterful burrito-wrap (fabric complements of my sister-in-law, Heather).

Cheers - Dave, Shelly and Henry

Hank has been pretty quiet so far today - likely a result of all the hoo-ha from the last 36 hours.  He's been feeding, though, and has proven his latching technique to be pretty solid...a good sign of things to come.  

Shelly continues to progress well - she's been making semi-frequent trips to the bathroom, and apart from a little wooziness from time to time, is healing great.

This is a pretty wild ride...I'd like to believe that I had prepared myself for the chaos and randomness of everything, but there's no way I was.  Everything you guys (my friends) have said is spot-on...there is no planning for this, and there is no way to describe the sensory experience of transitioning into fatherhood.  As new parents, we're lovin' every second of this.

Cheers!

Dave

Birthday

William Henry Griffiths (aka "Hank", aka "Rigatoni") was born at 3:57pm via c-section at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, WA.  Sadly, the hospital didn't offer an all-you-can-eat meatball buffet for the father.  

Weighing in at 8lbs. 8.4oz, and 21.5" in length, Henry looked a lot like a grease-missile (minus the "launch" due to the c-section).

Shelly is doing really well...especially considering that she was in labor for about 24 hours and had abdominal surgery.  She was able to get up and walk a little bit already, but is still required to hold to a clear liquid diet.  Throughout the process, she looked absolutely resilient, radiant and as beautiful as ever.

Henry's already gotten in a couple of feedings and is asleep at the moment.  I got my first exposure to his first poo not long ago...it looked like someone had poured tar down his diaper.  The last time I saw something like that was after my 4 day Guinness bender in Ireland.  The boy and I already have something in common...

On a closing note, I popped a bottle of Paul Barra 2000 vintage Brut Champagne "Special Club" and it was insanely delicious.  If you're into Champagne and don't want to pay the insane prices for a well-known Grand Cru, write that name down.  

Pictures of Rigatoni to come soon!

Cheers -

Dave

Trial Run

Shelly's mom and sister (complete with 1.5 yr. old nephew & 3 month old niece) came into town for a baby shower, and we've received our first glimpse at how much baby proofing we need to do. Our little nephew, Ben-jammin "the bean" hasn't stopped reaching for CDs, DVDs, Q-Tips, door handles, etc. since he first set foot in our home. Wow. We've clearly got A LOT of work to do in order to get the house ready for our little one.

Got Shelly and her family a pedicure today - so her toes look pretty in the stirrups. She's lookin' DYNO-MITE!

Baby is still groovin' and movin' like a rock star. Pictures coming soon.

Twins?

Yes, I have a belly. Why else do you think I'd call the site "House of Bellies?" But did you know that I could push it out as far as this? Looks like we're expecting two, eh? I couldn't go around having my wife feel like she's the only round one now, could I?

Our kid is going to be a tank.

Update

This will be my 2nd entry...and the first of many to come. We're quickly approaching "critical mass" now with less than 50 days to go 'till the big b-day. Shelly's belly continues to get bigger as "the thing" puts on something like 1/2 pound per week. My belly continues to get bigger as I eat more and more quarter pounders with cheese.

Baby is kicking more and more every day...but because the kicks/punches are "soft", I'm beginning to think it's going to be a little lady. Can't wait to find out for sure...Shelly and I are both really excited.

True to my habits, I haven't done a thing with the baby's room yet. No crib, no carseat, nothing. Ahhh...procrastination.