Ten Months!

I just can't believe it! My baby is ten months old! It's so hard to believe (or accept!) that my little man is so nearly approaching his first birthday. It's hard not to be in love with him as he is now - he's handsome, charming, and full of joy at life's simplest pleasures - like, say, an empty soda bottle! But while I am trying to enjoy him today, I can't help but long for him to be little(r) again. To have one more whiff of brand-new baby smell; to see his first smile; to have silent conversations as we stared at one another; to take a nap with him; to relish a time when he'd fall asleep in my arms... these are just some of my favorite memories from the past ten months.

Here, finally, are some pictures. These are his official ten month pictures, but I have several others I'd like to share. I'll try to spread them out over a few posts - maybe that will encourage me to write more often! Also, I went back and added video of him crawling in this post - be sure to check it out!!

Milestone: Crawling!

Milestone Alert! I'm behind, as is usual these days, but I wanted to make the official announcement: Henry is crawling! I don't think I even know an exact date - the transition from an almost-crawl to a real crawl was not obvious, and I think he didn't have it down consistently for several days, until about the middle or end of last week. Even now, his crawl isn't a graceful one; his Daddy calls it a half-crawl, half-bear-crawl. More or less, he moves his right knee, but uses his left foot instead of his knee. It's a crippled-looking crawl, but it seems to be working for him. He can already get around faster than I can believe. The days of disgruntled frustration are over - you can tell he is happy as a clam to motor around the room as he pleases.

Check out this video - and please, ignore my commentary... I wish I would remember how goofy I sound when I'm recording and just keep my mouth shut! It has a little crawling, a little waving, and a little "no" in it! **** Technical difficulties - please check back soon for video!****

The run-around...

The past couple of days have been busy. Henry and I have been out more than we've been home it seems, but I do kind of like being out and about. It breaks up our routine a little, but he's at a good age and seems to be resilient enough to handle it well.

I had a dog as a kid who loved a ride in the car. She wanted to be in your lap, and would be snout-to-the-glass until you rolled down the window so she could let her ears flap in the wind. Bliss. Henry is no exception (minus the snout and ears). I really think he enjoys rides in the car. Like most babies, he does sleep in the car, though not immediately. He will spend the first thirty minutes of the trip looking left and right out the windows. Our newest vehicle sits up a little higher than our previous car, and I think he really likes the view. He's generally a really observant baby.

More Chompers!

Sometime in the last 24 hours, Henry's top right central incisor came through. It looks like its neighbor to the left is also just days away from making its debut. This makes a total of three teeth that have officially come in (with the fourth on its way.) It's been interesting waiting for these top teeth. We've been expecting them since early March when the pediatrician noticed they were close. Unlike the bottom central incisors, which broke through in January at nearly exactly the same time, you could really see these top teeth coming. As time got closer, the gums thinned, revealing the large teeth just beneath the surface. I had noticed this before the pediatrician confirmed, and I couldn't believe those were actually his teeth - they were so big!

I'm almost scared to mention it, because it would be my luck that as soon as I say it, he'll never sleep again, but for the past week or so, we've really been sleeping well around here, at least at night. Two nights ago, though, we had a rough one - he woke near 3am and we were up and down with him until around 6am. Then, last night, good again - I'm wondering if the bad night had anything to do with this new tooth. It at least helps me make sense of a random bad night when I'd just begun to have hope that I might someday enjoy uninterrupted sleep again on a regular basis. ;)

Milestone: Waving Bye-Bye (or Hello!)

Milestone Alert! Yesterday, for the first time, Henry waved to us. This is the first really meaningful gesture he's used to communicate with us, other than smiles and putting out his arms to be picked up. We were having lunch after church yesterday at Grammy and PawPaw's house. After he did it the first time, we all broke out in cheer - a reaction I think he liked. He repeated, and so did the applause... I pointed out that we ought to wave back instead - clapping and cooing isn't a normal response to a wave. ;)

This is a skill I've been modeling and teaching for the longest time it seems, but developmentally he just wasn't ready yet. Or, is it possible that he's understood all this time and has just not responded? Who knows! We didn't get pictures of it yet, but I'll post when we do.

I should also take this opportunity to apologize for my absence. I really hope to get back in the blogging habit this week, maybe now that life isn't feeling so hectic. I spent the last week or so preparing for a yard sale, and it managed to take up most of the free time I would have otherwise spent online. Be assured, you haven't missed much. He is still working really hard on crawling, but just isn't there yet. He might crawl a step or two, but I don't think it counts. When it's official, you'll all be the first to know!