Saturday, August 20, 2011

Nine-month Update


Silas had his nine-month check up this week. He's 29.25" tall (84th percentile) and 20 lbs. 10 oz. (55th percentile).

He's still never had any solid food, which raises eyebrows, believe me. I guess with Henry's history of food intolerances I'm hesitant to push things with Silas. Since he's obviously thriving on my breastmilk (and he's not crying or grabbing for our food), I'm waiting until the time seems right.


Just yesterday he started crawling with a forward motion, spurred on by his desire to mess with the external hard drive sitting on the floor.


He's been crying when my husband takes him from me, or when I walk through the room he's sitting in. He'll still go to strangers, but only if he's not hungry or tired, and not as willingly as before.

He also cries when we take something away from him, like a piece of grass he's decided to shove in his mouth. (Hey, I thought he'd just play with it.) Henry didn't start throwing a fit about that until about ten months. Just sayin'.


He's interested in everything, which I know I should be happy about since it means he's smart and healthy and developing normally, but damn it's annoying when I'm trying to hold him with one arm and, say, drink a cup of coffee with the other.

Still, he's such a sweet little bundle to carry around.

That boy is pure joy.

Trains!

Or rather, Tracks!


Today, while Daddy was playing a gig at Irish Fest, Henry and I kicked it old school by building some track.

The line branching off from the shed on the left side of the photo is Henry's track and the one on the right is mine. See how they connect in the middle?

Awww...

And here is Silas, destroying our track just a few hours later.


That's just how babies roll.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

So Close, and Yet So Far


Silas still isn't crawling, but he's definitely got the strength to do so. It's just a matter of coordinating the limbs.


He can easily get up onto his hands and knees.


On your mark, get set...


Make that funny face where you scrunch up your nose and breath through it rapidly!


Okay.


Now what?

Happy Birthday, Henry


Henry is six years old today. Last night at bedtime I told him the story of his birth for the first time. When I finished he wanted more: "There must be some sweet stories from when I was one or two."

So I thought of more and became wistful, thinking of my sweet little baby, toddler, preschooler, SIX-YEAR OLD.

When at last he was asleep, stretched out the length of the twin bed, I looked at how long he is and how his face is starting to reveal hints of his teenage self.

The days are long, but the years are short, indeed.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Henry Quotes (July 2011 Edition)

HENRY: I'm going to do something I've been thinking about doing for a long time: make a model of a penis. In three dimensions.

My stepdaughter was telling us about the rides she went on at the waterpark yesterday: The Plunge, The Sting Ray, etc. She said that for one she kept her arms folded in and it dropped her ten stories, but she couldn't remember what it was called. From the other room Henry piped up, "The 'Kill Yourself'?"

HENRY: Who keeps not putting clean underwear in my drawer?

I set Silas down so I could eat my breakfast. He started fussing and I said, "Do you want me to have soggy granola? Is that what you want?" and Henry said, "No, he wants ATTENTION."

HENRY (while out on a walk): Why is that sprinkler on if there's no one around to run through it?

Henry told me that he wanted to keep his birthday party small this year, because "last year there were too many people and it was too hard to keep under control."

Nova DVD: The Great Pyramid of Cholula is the largest pyramid ever constructed.
HENRY: Ha ha, very funny. That's not true.
(FYI, the one at Cholula is the largest by volume; the Great Pyramid of Giza is the tallest, which is what Henry was thinking. So he's contrary, but with reason.)

ME: Aw, did Venus come to keep you company?
HENRY: Yeah, and I can't even THINK with all this purring!

HENRY: Play a game with me. ("Play a game" means pretend something.)
ME: No thanks.
HENRY: You have to! Okay, I'll give you three options. If you don't pick anything, I'll choose for you.

I got out of the van at Outpost & Henry said, "I'll unbuckle myself. You unbuckle the baby -- otherwise known as Silas."