Where is the time going???

Henry wasn't really in the mood for his 3 month picture today. I couldn't get him to smile. Heck, I can barely get him to bend! He is always very stiff! I don't know what the hand it about??? Power to the People!

I couldn't resist putting him into James' camping chair.

Again, this is about the best shot I could get from these two that day. Henry is stiff as a board, and James insisted on bringing "Salty" the train with him.

Henry wearing James' "Easter bonnet" (hey I don't have any girls so this is the best I can get!!)

Mother's Day family pic. This one actually turned out pretty good! James is wearing his Easter outfit again. Some say he looks a bit like a used car salesman. I would agree.

4 generations all together. From left we have Aunt Maureen, GG Shirley, Me, Henry, my mom, and James.

Chubby cheeks!

Aunt Maureen bought James Kermie at Build a Bear. It's the same size as Henry!

Easter morning...James found his Easter basket while Henry watches him play.

The Easter Baby

This is James at the same age. He doesn't look as stiff, but he does look stunned. Maybe it's because we dressed him like a pumpkin.

This has been a very busy month! I went back to work this week which went just as well as I had expected it to. It's amazing how much more relaxed I am about all the things that stressed me out to no end with James. It felt good to be at work again with my coworkers and seeing the kids at school also brought a big smile to my face. My substitute planned a little welcome back to work party for me with donuts, pretty flowers and a balloon. I came back at the perfect time of year too...everyone is just relaxed and riding out the last 2 weeks of school.

Henry turned 3 months old this week as well. He continues to be a pretty easy baby, but definitely is starting to teethe these days. It started with drool, and now we have gnawing on fingers, waking up more frequently from naps and even at night. He has been back to waking up twice a night now for over a week. I'm so tired, but it's nothing I can't handle. We have been giving him some Infant Tylenol and that definitely helps. He seems too little to already be teething, but I remember James starting around this age as well, and he had two teeth by the time he was five months old. Other updates on Henry:
- Smiles all the time and has even started laughing a little
- Smiles most when he hears his big brother
- Can reach out and grab objects above him
- Rolls from tummy to back
- Can stand on his legs for extended time (JUST like James at that age)
- Takes several small naps a day and one long late afternoon nap
- Takes a cat nap every day from 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. (which is precisely when we sit down for dinner so that makes life sooooo easy!)
- Goes to bed between 7:30-8:00 and will usually sleep until 5 a.m. (but with teething he has been waking around 3:00 a.m.), but will sleep until 7:30 a.m.

Updates on Mr. James:
James seems remarkably grown up to us nowadays. He is such a sweet, smart and calm little guy. He has totally adjusted to having Henry around now. Every now and then he'll go over and tickle Henry or bring him toys. Generally, he is too busy for Henry playing with trains. Wednesdays are a really fun day for James. First we go to "preschool" at the Magic House, followed by a visit to the Kirkwood Farmer's Market for some watermelon, then the local library (we borrow 7 books a week and two videos), and end with the local train station where we occasionally watch a freight car rumble by. He still loves books and has really enjoyed the variety we can choose from at the library. Unfortunately, James is starting to outgrow his naps. I don't remember the last time he napped for me. He will nap at the sitter's house, however. The good thing is that he will play for 2 hours in his pack n' play. This "quiet time" helps me get things done or take a minute to lay down, but by the evening he's pretty much toast, but in a way it's kinda nice to have him down by 7:30 rather than 8:30. Since I'm going to bed around 9:00 I at least get a little down time without the kids.

2 Month Check-Up

Where have the last two months gone? Oh, I know...into about 600 diapers, 392 feedings, 280 hours of lost sleep for mom, 25 baths, all for one tiny little creature! Lucky for him he is super cute otherwise I'd have to ship him. Ha ha ha! Henry had a clean bill of health at his 2 month check up this week. Here's the stats:
- 11 pounds, 8 ounces (4 more pounds since birth) 50th percentile
- 23.75 inches (3.75 inches since birth) 65th percentile
- Sleeps about 5 hours on average at night with several small naps throughout the day
- Now is sleeping in his crib at night
- We are attempting to end the swinging nap (this is a challenge!)
- Smiles frequently and coos
- Can raise head and look all around when on his tummy for about 10 minute stretches
- Likes to kick his legs while lying on his back
- Favorite thing to look (besides mom) is a collage of baby announcements above the changing table

So sleep is still of course the issue for me these days. We had one night where Henry slept 7 straight hours, but unfortunately, that was an isolated experience. I continue to be very sleep deprived and haven't felt at all energetic this week. Hopefully we can get this sleep thing worked out better in the next 4 weeks before I return to work. I looked at my blog post from James at this age and he was sleeping 9 hours through the night. Not sure what that was all about. James has always been a very good sleeper. He rarely wakes at night and usually sleeps about 11 hours straight and still takes a 2 hour (nap or "rest") during the day. My pediatrician said that if your first is a good sleeper, then your second should be too. Keeping my fingers crossed that she's right!

Never a Dull Moment

Henry is so strong. James loves spending time with him. He's going to be such a great big brother!
Captured a few of Henry's little smiles today! He is smiling and cooing all the time now.
Henry is the sweetest, most content little baby in the world. He rarely cries. Sources say that this is exactly how Brian was as a baby. His grandma used to beg him to cry just so she could know what it sounded like.
I see so much of my late grandma Doris in Henry's little mouth.
We had such a blast with Sandy and Bill here. James has been asking where Noni and Papa went for a week now.
Noni and the boys.
I was even able to get out and get a much needed haircut and highlight while the Riches were here.
Henry is already getting big. Poor little James better start beefing up!

Our little man, Henry, will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. I really can't remember what life was like before him. Things are definitely still crazy, but we all seem to be getting the hang of things a little better now. Henry is now sleeping about 5-6 hours through the night, waking just once to eat and then going right back down. He still sleeps a lot. I would say at least 18 hours a day. When he is awake he is a great little eater, burper and just loves being help upright so he can take it all in. He is remarkably strong and is growing so fast. He is wearing 3 month clothing at this point. You can feel the little fat roles hanging over his diaper. James was always so little so this is fun having a chunky baby. I go back to work on May 9--only a little over 4 weeks left of maternity leave. I can't complain much though because I go back with 2 weeks of school remaining and then a whole summer vacation. I made the painful decision to go back to work full time next year. Even though it is full time, I'm very very excited about my new position. I will be working 1/2 time as a reading specialist, and 1/2 time as a reading assistant. Both jobs I have held in the past and both jobs are in my specialty area of reading. I'm so relieved to not be going back to the classroom...too much extra work for me at this point in my life! My job next year will be challenging, but it is much more low key. I don't have grades, parents to deal with, discipline issues, homework, or nearly the amount of planning that a classroom position would require. This is a great job for a working mom. James and Henry will go back next year to the awesome babysitter I am so blessed to have, and two days a week my mom and dad will watch the boys. I'm so lucky! James will go to preschool at St. Lucas on Tuesdays and Thursdays (the days my parents have him) so he will have a very exciting year.

James is extremely smart. His knowledge and memory amaze me. His vocabulary is exploding. Not only does he speak in complete sentences, he is able to use pronouns and proper tenses when speaking. I rarely have to correct him. He still is in love with trains. Every night we read a few books but then he just wants to hear stories of trains taking him and Henry on adventures. We tell him the stories and he lights up. Then we kiss him goodnight and he goes to bed with his favorite trains all tucked in a row under his blankets. Even though I'm bone tired most days, I wouldn't trade this precious time. It is all such an amazing blessing!

Welcome Henry William!

Welcome to the world, Henry! We love you!!!
One month and growing big and strong!
Future Tigers!
Practicing good oral hygiene with dad.
BFF's!
Burrito baby.
The madness has begun.
Loving his "baby bruddah" as James likes to say.
: )
Tummy Time!

Wow! Poor Henry! Not only has he been here with us for a month, but I haven't touched my blog since finding out I was pregnant with him. Needless to say, having two kids is NUTS!!! I am so busy all the time. Finding time for a shower is nearly impossible between diaper changes, snacks, house work, nursing, repeat, repeat, repeat...

All I can say is, thank goodness Mr. Henry is one chill and easy little guy. He was born on February 9. My delivery was once again induced and he came fast! Brian and I had breakfast before being admitted to the hospital, and had lunch that same day after Henry was born at 11:37 a.m. Delivery took a little over 3 hours from start to finish. Of course I was 4 cm dilated when I arrived at the hospital so that helped. He weighed almost 2 more pounds than James (7 pounds, 8 ounces) and has gained almost 2 more pounds in one month. We just had the big boy's one month check up and he weighs just shy of 10 pounds. Not to compare James and Henry all the time, but James only weighed 8 pounds at his one month appointment. He has always been in the very low percentile for weight. Not Henry! He's a little under the 50th percentile. Average isn't so bad!

What a sweetie he is! He has smiled and cooed a little. He eats every three hours round the clock, sleeps, poops, and then just chills out when he is awake. The only times he has cried has been when he is super hungry or cold from getting out of the bath. I guess it's good that he is easy, because James is definitely entering his "terrible twos!" Lately his favorite word is "NO" and he is doing things that I never dreamed my angel baby would do. For example, writing with chalk all over the wall when I'm not looking, throwing himself to the ground in a fit of rage, hitting baby Henry, throwing food, throwing toys! However, he is still sweet even though this transition has been a bit on the hard side for him. He is starting to warm up to Henry. In fact, every morning he wakes up wanting to see him. I've caught him holding his hand and laughing with/at him. It's pretty cool to see them together and imagine how fun their life is going to be growing up so close in age. So, without further ado...here's some pics of my precious BOYS!

The Party is O-ver

It seems earlier than ever this year, but school is officially back in session. We had such a fantastic summer! I was able to be with James every day for over 2 months and Brian had 5 straight weeks too. We were busy! James learned how to swim! He took 6 weeks of ISR (Infant Swim Resource) lessons and can now swim underwater with his eyes open to a ladder, hand or any other target. When he needs air, he has learned to float up on his back to relax and regain energy, and when he's ready he can turn back over and continue to swim! It is absolutely amazing! There were some tears along the way, but now James is a confident yet cautious swimmer. He will no enter a pool unless "invited" by an adult.

We had a fun trip to Houghton Lake, Michigan for the fourth of July with the Rich family at their beautiful lake house. James had his first real experience with big fireworks. See the picture below for his reaction. Let's just say he is not a fan! We spent tons of time with friends and family up there and lots of relaxation was had by all!

James had a great second birthday with all his friends and family by his side. His cake was Cars themed. He saw the movie Cars 2 with Nonie and Papa Rich and Aunt Sarah. He loved it! During the movie he jumped up and said, "OH NO!" loudly when the cars crashed. He sat and watched the whole movie! He takes after Brian and I...we love movies too!

What else???? Well, I can officially announce now that I am pregnant! That's right, baby Rich number 2 is on the way! I'm 14 weeks pregnant and due February 16th. James is going to need to become a big boy fast! Unfortunately, he has no interest whatsoever in potty training so the diapers remain! We are starting to get furniture together for his "big boy" room. I'm thinking a Zoo theme would be fun! We will be finding out the gender in a month or so! I can't wait! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a girl, but I have a feeling it's another boy due to the fact that my pregnancy is almost identical to how James' was. We'll see! I feel great and have tons more energy than I did earlier this summer. No morning sickness or weird cravings. My belly certainly isn't taking it's time to pop out! I guess that's the way it goes once your stomach muscles are pretty much gone! Ha ha!

Here's some pics of James:


Cars themed birthday cake! James loves Mater, the tow truck.
James dug right into his cake this year. He was on a major sugar high!
First Cardinals game thanks to DJ Reyburn. It's good to know a major league umpire! James loves his friend, "D".
Driving the boat at Houghton Lake with Noni Rich.
This is James' reaction to the first big fire work of the night. He cried for the next few minutes.
James with his good friend Macy Leitz at the Leitz Family Cottage.
This was Brian's life vest when he was a baby.
And this was Brian's rocking horse too. Noni Rich saves everything! James also slept in the crib that belonged to Brian and ate at the original wooden high chair. They don't make them like they used to!
James with Audrey Menees! She is too cute!
On our trip home from Michigan we stopped in Indianapolis to see the Everheart Family at their gorgeous new home. James had fun with Adrie in the wagon and in their pool.

Summer Time and the Livin's Easy

James playing the harmonica at Sam A. Baker State Park. He was actually pretty good!
I want "YOU!!!" Having a good time in the kiddie pool.

James loved our close family friend, Kim Doi!
Hunter S. Thompson a.k.a. James
With a little imagination, anything can become a bridge or a highway.
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day to you, Papa!
Helping daddy assemble the train table, a.k.a. "the babysitter." James will literally play with it for hours.
Memorial Day weekend at GG Shirley's pool.
2 little bears sitting on chairs.
Clowning around!