A weekend of firsts

Thought we'd take a moment to update you all on what Henry's been up to lately.

Since there isn't much time left this summer, we thought it'd be fun to take Hank out to Remlinger Farms - a "u-pick the fruit" kind of place with rides and stuff for kids - so he could experience a plethora of unique things.

While we were there, Henry rode his first pony (which he wasn't sure what to make of...he was more excited when we realized there was another pony behind him), rode his first train (a miniature steam engine) and rode on his first amusement park-ish ride (a pumpkin that spins around an axis and elevates as high as 10 feet off the ground). While he loved every minute of it, he was quite exhausted from all the stimulus.

We then headed back to the home-front, where we introduced him to a new sprinkler and some water balloons. He liked the balloons a lot but was rather timid with the sprinkler. Not quite a fan of getting wet yet, but we think some swimming lessons down the road may change that.

On the downside, he was so exhausted from the day that he didn't want to sleep. He cried for 3.5 hours...Shelly and I were beside ourselves and couldn't help but wonder if this little guy is going to be handful when he gets older.

We're excited to see what the next few weekends has in store...we're going to be trying to introduce him to knew stuff more frequently from now on. He's beginning to pick up quite a few words, and continues to demonstrate a curiosity that demands new explorations. If only he'd eat better...out of bologna, banana, jell-o, chicken nuggets, watermelon, crackers, cheese, and fruit mashup, he only wanted the nuggets and crackers (which he calls 'ookees'). He drank some of the mashup, but eventually started to spit it out and rub it on his belly.

All the best -

Dave, Shelly & Hank

Update on the King of the House

Well, the house of bellies is making a come back. Henry is now 15 months. He has been growing and changing daily. He now says "car", "this", "bus". He loves being outside running around and is usually on the go. One of his teachers recently said that his personality reminded her of a dictator because he stands on the chairs, talking and pointing at things. Dave and I are taking this as a compliment. He has 6 teeth and is cutting 6 more right now. He loves to read and will sit on your lap while you read him a story. Henry is learning to blow kisses, wave bye and hug.

Here is a little trip down memory lane to catch you up on what we (mostly Henry) has been up to. These photos cover August '09 to July '10. Enjoy!

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