The One Where Henry is Eleven Months Old

This month has brought so many changes. Our little Henry Bear is crossing that threshold out of baby-hood. Even though he is still very much a baby, (and a somewhat whiny one at that), he is starting to take his place as the little boy of the family. 

He loves his sisters so much! I've noticed for a while that his cranky part of the day was after his second nap, while his sisters were still napping and it was just me and him. Someone pointed out to me that he is cranky when he misses them. And it's so true! Even when they just go play in their room without him he gets very sad. But put him in the playroom and he his happy as a little jay bird for a long time. It makes me so very happy that they all love each other so much. Although I do have to remind Ellie that she can't force him to lay down in the doll crib (via a head lock) if he doesn't want to pretend to be her baby. 

 

This month he started driving cars on everything. And even driving things that aren't cars. I was kind of excited for this to happen. And he gets really excited about hanging out with guys. He loves me and his sisters plenty. But when Steve is home or a male of any age comes over to our house, Henry is fixated. He could spend hours contentedly sitting with them. And he doesn't sit still very often!

He got his first snow day! We were hit with a regular "snowpocalypse" a few weeks ago that trapped us all indoors for four days. We were going a little crazy. While the snow itself seemed to be too cold for his enjoyment, Henry loved to watch from the window while his sisters played outside. And we were sure to dress him in snowman pajamas so he could enjoy the spirit of the season.

He said "nanana" in direct reference to a banana he wanted to eat. And he loves to eat just about anything. We feed him whatever we're eating, mostly through a "baby-led weaning" approach, although I also feed him with a spoon sometimes when I just don't want to have to give him a bath after dinner. He is very good now at controlling his intake and I can just hand him slices of fruit or veggies and he eats them just fine. 

He's a little ham! He loves to laugh and giggles all day long at the silliest things. He started pretending to talk on the phone (so,so adorable!), and babbles to us non-stop. And he's looking more and more like his dad, which is pretty great, I think.

I love him a lot. And I can't believe he's going to be a whole year old next month!

The One With All the (Retrospective) Apple Picking

I should confess something right now. I'm not very organized. I really wish that I could be. I used to be better. But lately it just seems like my life is moving a million miles an hour and I just grab a camera every once in a while to try and capture the momentum. And then I set the camera down to grab a baby and then the photos get lost in a stream of too many SD cards and upgrading cameras and whatnot. And then something big approaches, like Henry's first birthday, and I try to go back through all the camera cards and files and scour out the photos I took of his first year so I can put them in his first year scrapbook. And along that very frustrating process, I find some other pictures that I've been meaning to share, especially because they were taken with friends, so they are extra fun. And so then I post these very late pictures of apple picking last fall with Melissa and her sweet kids.

And it makes this long, cold, tired-of-being-snowed-in day in February a little brighter.

(Mallory took some, or possibly all, of these pictures. I'm not really sure. I try hard to give credit where credit is due, but August was a long time ago. Melissa gets credit for making the cute kids, though. No arguments there.)

P.S. Daphne has the coolest rainjackets-for-your-shoes ever. I need some of those.

The One With the Waters Family Portraits

So... this happened like last fall sometime. I am not very prompt about publishing portrait sessions to this blog. But alas, I'll fall on that old slogan, "Better late than never." Or something like that.

The One With Stephanie and Ryland's Wedding

Way back before Christmas, our friends Stephanie and Ryland got married! Yay! Steph and I go way back to when Mallory (her maid of honor) introduced us in college. She and Mallory have been friends since preschool and she went to Portland State while Mallory and I went to University of Portland. She's so very lovable that we became fast friends. So when she asked me to be a bridesmaid, I was thrilled! And I also took her "getting ready" pictures. She was such a lovely bride, and it was fun to be a part of her big day! 

And now: fewer words, more pictures...

 

 

She had the cutest flower girls ever, if I do say so myself. 

It was a lovely day and I'm glad I got to be a part!