Sunday, May 29, 2011

quirky little fellow

Hendrix has some funny little quirks. 

This is his lounging position of choice right now.  He is super fascinated with his toes, and loves to pull them all the way up to his face.  He manages to hold his feet like this even while he is breastfeeding.  Are babies made of rubber?




He is really into patting surfaces right now. 


When he pats the ground in front of him it means "I wish I could go places"
When he pats his own legs it means "I am so happy!"
When he pats my arm or back while I am holding him it means "You are the best mommy in the whole world, and I love you!"
When he pats his high chair tray or the table it means "Yummy, yummy, I want some more!"
When he pats his blankie it means "I am tired, so tired."

Daddy thinks he is just working on his rhythm so he can be a drummer. ;) 



His eating habits are changing a little bit as he is getting older.  While sweet potatoes are still one of his favorite foods; he would much prefer to eat them in the form of homemade fries than pureed in a bowl with a spoon.   

I am not sure if it is about the texture or if it is about being like his mommy and daddy.  His favorite foods right now are toast, pancakes, muffins, cheese cubes, yogurt melts, bananas, and squash.  He is getting more coordinated with self-feeding, but he still makes a huge mess when he eats.

He loves bathtime.  We have recently had some dilemmas with the timing of his baths however.  He usually is messiest after eating and that is when we want to throw him in the tub; but that is also when he usually has his bowel movements...  After cleaning poop out of the tub twice now, I am ready to let him just walk around with dried food on his face!

He is talking all the time, but we have noticed that he seems to cycle through his sounds.  Right now his favorite one is "ga" and he will just babble that on and on.  Other favorites have been "ma", "da", "ba", and he even says something that sounds a bit like "yeah".  I don't know how you can determine if he really knows what he is saying enough to be his first word, over just having fun making noises.  If I was to be honest though, I think Gabe may have already been his first word.  He loves that kid!


He loves to sit on the floor in the kitchen and play with this little square basket of toys.  He like to dump them out, eat the basket, and scoot all over the room.  



He loves being outside.  If he could live outside entirely I think he would be thrilled.  He also hates wearing shoes.  He always rips at least one off, and then chews on it.  yum.


He seems to know the things that he can't or shouldn't have and wants them insistently.  Keys.  Wallets.  Phones.  I have actually found that the most entertaining toy while shopping and he is sitting in the cart is my grocery list.  I try to bring an extra piece of paper for him though, so I can still read my notes!  We are still trying to teach him that grass and mulch are not for eating.  Maybe by the end of the summer.....

He is starting to get tired of this sitting thing, and when you set him down on the floor he arches his back because he wants you to help him stand and walk around instead.  He is really strong, and does a great job of taking steps with his little feet without much prodding.  His control is really good, he just isn't real interested in being on all fours to crawl.  He has gotten on them a few times, from a sitting position, but then he falls to his tummy and rolls to his back.  






And lastly, he is really good natured about new experiences and alterations in his routine.  Recently we have taken him on bike rides, to the circus, to see Sesame Street Live, and bowling.  He loves taking in all the new sights and sounds around him.  He is so much fun to be around!


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

first family bike ride


I was thrilled to head out for our first family bike ride this evening.  We finally got a bike trailer this weekend, after lots of bargain looking, and I am pleased to announce that Hendrix enjoyed his ride.  :)


It is a good thing that mommy thought to put his jammies on before we left however, as I think that he is out for the night.  All that fresh air should help him sleep well tonight. 


Sweet dreams, baby boy!

Monday, May 23, 2011

elmo


We took Hendrix to see Sesame Street Live: 1-2-3-Imagine yesterday and had a lot of fun!  He looked pretty cute in his Elmo shirt, and once we got there he was so fascinated by all the other children around him.  I think he takes after his parents to enjoy "people watching". 


My mom and sister came with us and they enjoyed his reactions to the show!  In fact, my mom was the one who got the tickets; she won them from a giveaway on the macaroni kid website. 


We were in the first row that was elevated after the floor seats, and I thought we were plenty close!  In fact, I am not sure that Hendrix would have enjoyed being closer. 


The show was high energy and way fun!  Hendrix got very interested in the characters and enjoyed all the singing.  Of course, he got a little bit antsy too (which was expected), and he was really happy when his daddy bought him one of those spinning light toys to help entertain him during the second half. :)


And then of course, towards the end he fell fast asleep. :)  It was dark in there, why wouldn't everyone think it is naptime?!?!


What a fun experience!  Thanks for taking us, Mom.  And thanks for being so darn fun and cute, Hendrix!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Friday, May 20, 2011

playing with the big kids


I took Gabe and Hendrix for the first bike ride of the season, and since they both loved it so much, I am looking forward to making it a regular adventure this summer.  I am so. not. in. shape.  Wow.  The two of them plus the trailer.....I hope that is a lot of weight, because it sure felt like a lot of weight!  :)


It is fun to take them to the park together.  Gabe runs circles around Hendrix, and Hendrix is mostly content to just watch Gabe.  That is entertainment enough I guess.  


While Hendrix absolutely adores being around other children, he isn't sure what to think about being around other babies.   I watched my friends' kids a couple weeks ago for the afternoon and Hendrix really didn't know what to think about Flora.  I think his apprehension might have been because this other baby was getting mommy's attention.  ;)



Have I mentioned before that he LOVES Riley?



These two are sure teaching him how to be a "cool dude".


I am so glad that he gets so many interactions with other kids!


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Hendrix's tree



We planted this new tree last week in our front yard to replace the one that didn't make it through the strong wind storms last fall.  Hendrix is very proud to call this tree his very own, and it will be fun to watch the two grow together ;)


Honestly, I don't think he cares too much about the tree.....but if he can eat any of the grass below it, then he is thrilled.  lol


We have a few other little sprouts of color popping up throughout our yard, and even had our first home-grown spinach salad of the season earlier this week.  


While I don't have much of a green thumb, I am thrilled that our yard is filled with perennials that only require weeding.  That I can handle!

Monday, May 16, 2011

pancakes!


Hendrix had some pancakes for breakfast this weekend.



He is starting to figure out how to pick up pieces of food with the pincer grasp as opposed to his whole hand.    He is still a little clumsy with it, and we still find more food on the floor than I think ever makes it into his mouth, but he likes being a big boy and prefers self-feeding.


He loved the pancakes!  You can't tell because it is in small pieces, but his daddy even made his to be in the shape of mickey mouse!


Just wait baby, they get even better when you can eat them with butter and syrup on top!  yum!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

trying to get mobile

Finally Hendrix is taking an interest in moving to get things that are out of reach.  He has a special interest in these large duplo blocks:


He is good at leaning really far forward while still remaining seated.  He has also discovered that he can use this method to scootch his way around a room...




...and to try to climb under coffee tables.  


He is willing to spend longer periods of time on his tummy, and even tries lunging forward while on it.  He has not attempted getting up his knees yet, but I think crawling is in the near future!




Saturday, May 14, 2011

first garage sale of the season!


Hendrix loved playing with the new bargains I brought home!  


It was fun to have a few solo hours to do something that I love.  

Thanks hubs. ;)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Reiman Garden Fun

Riley had an early out from school one day last week and I told her we could go anywhere she wanted to in town for the afternoon.  She picked Reiman Gardens, which happens to be one of my favorite places too!  Nice taste, Rye.  It was a gorgeous day and I took along my nice camera hoping to catch a few fun shots.

Even though I watch these kiddos full-time, Riley is in school most of the day so I really don't take all three of them very many places.  It was fun to get a small taste of what the whole summer will be like, and I enjoyed watching the kids running, dancing and interacting with each other. 

Wow, it is much trickier to get a great shot when you are trying to capture the attention of three little ones at the same time....

Who are you guys looking at?




We went into the butterfly garden first which was HOT and humid but fun.  Hendrix fell asleep before we got a chance to see the butterflies last time, but this time he remained alert and intrigued the whole time!   Then a kind stranger offered to take a picture of all of us.  I really appreciated the offer but I think I need to learn to politely decline in the future......she had a really hard time figuring out how to take it (even though I told her several times that you have to hold the shutter down until you see the red light, then push it again) and by the time she finally snapped it - the kids were tired of standing there smiling!  Don't we all kind of look like we are grimacing?! oh well.



Gabe, the strong man, is trying to lift up the world's largest gnome!


Another picture taken by a kind stranger....this lady happened to have the exact same camera hanging around her neck that I have, so I felt confident that she could handle it.  Interesting that I am the only one smiling.....


Here are the real smiles!



What a fun day!