Henry and his Sisstah

When I started this post, it was the most magical part of my day...double nap time.

 

 Nelle was up for just long enough to eat and was sweetly snoozing beside me downstairs.

And Henry decided Kids' Day Out after a three-week hiatus for the holidays was just so fun that he had to talk about it for an hour in his bed before he finally fell asleep.  After both my parents went to check on him.  While I napped.  Bless them.

 

Fast forward another amazing friend bringing us dinner and staying to hold and love on Nelle, Daddy coming home, another feeding, the dog being walked, eating dinner, showers for Ham and I, bedtime stories, hugs and kisses, prayers and tuck-tuck-tuck sleep tights...I'm back to wrap it up.  

 

Oh, and a pre-shower escapee enjoying the Christmas present from Papa and Gram that finally arrived.  And then he peed down it.

I can't help but laugh.  

 

--

 

I was really looking forward to this week...our first step towards our new normal -

Playgroup on Mondays, Story time on Tuesdays and Kids' Day Out on Fridays.

Henry has adjusted to being a big brother so well, but I really wanted to get back into somewhat of a routine where he can get out more and burn off some energy.  Otherwise, he uses me as a step stool while I'm feeding Nelle to climb our coffee table.  Again and again and again.  Which is better than the alternative of throwing things at us to get attention - Frank's dog bone, Bill, cars, blocks, etc.  

(Someone in our house should really read our discipline book.  Whoever has spare time.  

Henry picked it up and gave it to me today so even he knows we've got to bite the bullet.)

 

Mostly, he loves his baby "sisstah" and tries to find her when he wakes up, wants to hold her, and love on her.  Even when I'm trying to photograph Nelle's room.  (We talk a lot about Henry being such a good listener and helper.  I mean, he's 19 months.  It's not going to work 100% of the time.  

I'd say we're at a solid 75% of the time.  And that's pretty good for right now.) 

My sweet, sweet babies.

 

There are definitely trying times that mostly coordinate with Henry being tired and struggling to express himself properly, 

but for the most part, he's taken Nelle's arrival in stride.  

 

We were leaving story time on Tuesday morning, and I ended up having to carry Henry in one arm, and my purse and Nelle in her carseat in the other because Henry wasn't ready to leave Watermark Books, the kids section, his friend Layla, or her snacks.  I really thought I was done carrying 50 pounds of baby around since Nelle was out of my belly and Henry has two capable legs he uses to run with everywhere...except when I need him to.  Obvies.  

 

The woman parked next to me must have been watching this spectacle of a situation for a while because after I got Henry back on track and thanked him for being a good listener, she spoke up and with a knowing smile commented, "I don't know how you do it!"

 

"Ha!  This is our first outing out of the house alone so I'm not sure either."

She smiled and told me she had FIVE, but she just doesn't remember those days.  

And that's the secret.  

It goes by so fast.  We take it day-by-day...sometimes hour-by-hour or even minute-by-minute, and all of a sudden, Daddy's home from work, 

it's next week, it's next month, and once you stop you all at once realize how far you've come, all that you've accomplished and reflect 

with a smile on all the good times and memories made.  And maybe, yes, the bad too.  

First bottle this week!

I promise we're having our fair-share of both these days, but tonight (after a delicious and self-declared much-deserved glass of wine), 

I'm choosing to focus on the good from Henry and our last couple of weeks:

 

Lately, Henry loves reading his big brother books, and it just blows me away how he's made that connection to our new life. 

He's babbling allll day long, and I can't wait for everything to click and for him to really start conversing with us.  

I've caught him twice on our dining room table sneaking food he wasn't supposed to have.  Chocolate chip cookies and chips.

Clearly the picture of health.  Ha.

 This belly!  I could just squeeze it all day long.

A couple of weeks ago, he was really into spinning.  He spun so much that he fell over.  Later I got him to do it again for Andrew.  

He spun and spun and spun, except that time, he managed to maintain his balance.  

 

Unfortunately, the room must have kept spinning because he flung his arms out, 

looked at the floor in terror, looked at us and had to be rescued from the spins.  The funniest thing ever.

 

He grabs my hand and leads me to the fridge 20 times a day asking for oranges.  

 

Sometimes while I'm holding him, he strokes my hair in the sweetest way.  Until I mention it, and then he pulls my hair instead.  You'd think I'd learn.

 

And if we ask him to, he says "yuv you" for love you, and I just beam.

 

Yuv you, too Henry.  Yuv you, Nelle.  Yuv you, Andrew.  

And yuv you, Frankie.