Memphis

We missed what will hopefully be our last snowfall of the winter while visiting cousin Mae, aunt Kathryn and uncle Dan in Memphis this past weekend. It felt and looked much more like spring down south, and we took advantage of our ability to be outdoors with walks along the Mississippi River, outings to the zoo and farmers market, as well as a neighborhood art crawl.

We had so much fun watching Mae and Henry interact, copy and observe one another. Despite the fact that Mae is 4 months younger, she is quickly catching up to Henry in the gross motor department. It might be a race to see who will walk first!

Henry also became acquainted with Mae's dog Deep on this trip. He was initially terrified of the large greyhound (and the feeling was somewhat mutual), but by our last day Henry was willing to be within touching distance of the dog if there was a safe exit strategy or person very close by to save him.

Haircut day

14 months

Henry is getting his 4th molar (his 12th tooth overall) and is drooling nonstop. He is eating more and more finger foods and improving his sippy cup skills, but we have not yet cut him off completely from a bottle. He isn't walking independently, but crawls all over and is getting more and more curious about everything around him. He tries to open every cabinet and pulls everything within reach off of shelves. He is so busy that it has also become much more difficult to change his diaper. He often manages to flip over and tries to crawl away.

Henry has unfortunately had fluid behind both of his middle ears for more than 3 months, which could potentially lead to scarring and hearing loss, so he was seen by an Ear, Nose and Throat Dr. today. His hearing test was thankfully normal, so we can defer getting tubes in his ears for another 8-12 weeks. We have our fingers crossed that with spring the incessant colds will at least decrease in frequency and the fluid may drain on its own.

Swim class

We have had a long 11 weeks of swim classes. Henry cried the majority of the classes, but slowly became more tolerant of the torture week after week. For the final 2 classes dad took over swimming with Henry (because mom couldn't handle it anymore!) I'm trying not to take it personally, but Henry had a blast today... not a single tear! I'm glad we listened to all of the other supportive parents and the teacher of the class that told us to "stick with it" because it was really fun to see Henry having such a great time.

Reading with dad

Remembering Aunt Jane

We are mourning the loss of our beloved Aunt Jane. She was a loving and generous soul whom we greatly miss. We were blessed with many visits with Aunt Jane over the past few years. Her home was always our stop on our travels between Minnesota and Michigan. Henry's first night away from home was spent at Aunt Jane's (a fact that she was very proud of!)

The gathering of family brought together Tenli, Mae and Henry for a baby summit. Henry did a good job of sharing (then stealing back) his toys from his cousins.

February update - 13 months

Henry continues growing up and changing so quickly! He is now crawling on all fours all over the house and tries to get into everything. He will walk with assistance, but not independently. When seated, Henry will cross his legs at the ankles, which I think is very fancy. He continues to struggle with endless daycare colds and ear infections, and is now getting his first molar! Our swim classes have unfortunately not been as much of a hit as we thought that they would be. For the first few classes Henry cried almost the entire time. Thankfully, each weekly session has been less and less traumatic for Henry (and me). We are all going stir crazy indoors with this long winter and the 75 inches of snow we have received to date, and can't wait for spring!