Happy Holidays

just uploaded some new photos to Henry's website

Click here to get to the website

still around...

I really am trying to post more but the days just fly by and I rarely stay up much later than Henry. So, that means almost no time to post a blog entry. I have been posting pictures to Henry's website so check that out---Henry's website.

Henry and I have been getting all our holiday shopping done and he has been a trooper. It has gotten a little bit harder to shop with Henry because he wants to walk around on his own. Also, he has been running which makes things exciting when I have my purse on my shoulder and things in my hands. Most people don't really think Henry is too cute when they are trying to shop and he is running in front of them and I am chasing him. Henry's vocabulary is just amazing. He is starting to talk in fragmented sentences. Today he said "Mommy car fast whee" Opps.maybe I should slow down when I drive (hee hee). He also keeps telling me there is an owl in the house. I'm not sure what that is all about but he seems to see it and he hoots at it.

Holidays with a toddler

Henry is really enjoying the holidays thus far. He liked getting his picture taken with Santa although I had to sit with Henry on my lap. He really liked Santa when Santa gave him this light- up plastic toy which I would NEVER buy for him. It stays in the car and only comes out if Henry is getting fussy. Henry is also enjoying the Christmas tree. He is really enjoying pulling the ornaments off and shaking the branches. David may come home one day to find the Christmas tree in the front yard. I've moved most ornaments up out of his reach but he always seems to find one I missed. He knows he isn't suppose to do it b/c he runs to the tree and rips them off every time I turn my head. Little booger!!! If things couldn't get more exciting, it is snowing today. There is already an inch and we should get another by the end of the night. Henry and I went out in it around 11am and I pulled him around in his sled until my hands were in pain. I am also proud to say that Henry loves holiday music. We pretty much listen to it all day and there are a few songs that get him dancing. We will keep the gifts low key in order not to get Henry too worked up but I am afraid all the other stuff like the music and holiday events is just something I love too much. This weekend I have a huge list of events which include Christmas trains, Santa, and a tree lighting at the Ellipse. FUN!!!!

Dancing Shoes

We celebrated David's b-day last Monday. Henry got David some slipper's that are similar to his slippers...I mean "dancing shoes". Henry will only put on his slippers if you call them dancing shoes. He also will dance and has 4 original moves--"the daddy dance", "the spin", "the turn" and the "low daddy dance". He also has "intense" which isn't really a dance move but this thing he has done since he was about 4 or 5 months old. He clenches his hands in a fist and strains his neck and teeth and then his head starts to shake. I really don't know how to describe it but it is hysterical ...and a bit disturbing. We call out "intense" during his dance routine so it is sort of one of his dance moves.

Last week Henry got all dressed up to go to a neighbor's baptism. As you can see from the photo's, he really enjoyed his tie and sports coat. The picture with Henry walking around with a cell phone planted to his ear was not staged. He does this all the time.

Click here for photo's from last week

Happy Hallo

Henry really enjoyed the Halloween season. I didn't get him to say Happy Halloween but did manage to get to 'Happy Hallo'. He had already mastered 'happy' earlier in the month when I had him tell me Happy Birthday. Over the weekend we met up with my cousin Scott and his family. They were visiting DC from Pittsburgh. Henry loved all the attention. Scott and Teri's boys, Lane (11) and Kyle (9), kept him laughing and entertained. After going to the National Zoo with them, Henry and I met up with his Dad and went to a neighborhood Halloween party and parade. I thought Henry would get a kick out of all the kids dressed up but it didn't phase him. Maybe with all the animal costumes he just thought we were at yet another zoo. ( :



On Monday night we met up with my cousin and family for dinner in downtown DC at the ESPN Zone. We don't eat out with Henry very often because he is so squirmy but I have to say it wasn't all that bad. He was squirmy but he managed to eat quite a bit. The extra folks around to enetertain him really helped though. After dinner we walked around the game and arcade area. Henry loved this place. He sat on every ride--and that is a lot--this place is big! We drug Henry out kicking and screaming (seriuosly, it was UGLY!) around 9:30pm. He was NOT ready for the fun to end. The next morning we had Henry's playgroup and some neighborhood mom's and toddlers over for a Halloween Party. Henry just loves having kids over and the more the merrier. He plops in any free adults lap with a book and runs around with a grin plastered on his face.



On Halloween day I gave Henry a choice of costumes, skeleton or dinosaur. No suprise, he picked dinosaur which he has really loved. I actually had bought him a turtle costume to wear but Henry's Aunt Mernie sent him the dinosaur and his Aunt Catherine sent him a skeleton costume that were both so cute and would NOT fit next year. So, everyone will have to wait till next year to see the turtle costume. Henry got into the trick or treating. During the day, I told him all about the process and we practiced. I would have Henry knock on the door and I would try to get him to say Trick or Treat but he would just laugh at me. When we went out Trick or Treating Henry did great and wasn't scared when going to the houses. Actually he was a little too comfortable. After gettiong the candy for his bag he would walk right in people's houses. It was pretty funny. As you can tell from the halloween pictures below, Henry took a break and played on his slide and car which are in the backyard. It was so dark you could barely see but he loved it. We let him have a couple bites of chocolate (a kit kat and a peanut butter cup). He really liked them but didn't ask for more so I can say he didn't love it.

Click here for pic's from Halloween

Halloween playgroup pictures

Halloween Parade

Sad News

It's been awhile since I posted a blog because I have been a little (well, a lot) down. Sadly, we lost Geiger on Sunday, October 14th. The week before he had stopped eating so after a couple days of trying everything to get him to eat I took him to a special vet hospital with a reco0mmendation from our wonderful vet. After two days at the hospital he was still unable to keep food down and was continuing to do very poorly. After hearing back from the ultrasound and the tests we made the decision to put Geiger to sleep because we knew he was near his last days. If he had only had diabetes or only had pancreatitus it might have been a different decision but having the two diseases was taking a serious toll on him and he would NEVER come close to having a good quality of life. Also, the fact that he was not keeping his food down made the Doctors believe there was probably something else contributing to the throwing up (possibly a serious GI problem or low grade cancer). Below are some Kodak albums I have taken in the past couple weeks including some pictures I took of Geiger at the Southpaws Vet hospital.

Click here for pictures

Cows, Chickens, and Ponies, Oh My!

This weekend Henry (and David and I) had a lot of fun. It was sort of a 3 day weekend for David. He did do some work throughout the weekend but he got to do it from home. On Saturday we went to the 15th Annual Falls Church Farm Day. This was held at the Cherry Hill Park where Henry and I go often (it is also where we had the Playgroup picnic the previous weekend). At the farm day Henry got to see lots of animals and go for a pony ride. At first, he was hesitant to get on the pony but as soon as the pony started walking Henry was squealing with delight. Henry also liked the big horses. When I would pet the side of the horses head the horse would twitch. This really freaked me out but Henry thought it was hysterical. Henry fell asleep on the way home and took a really long nap. After he woke up he watched the UNC football game with his Dad. UNC beat Miami (yeah!). After the game we decided to go to Toys R' Us b/c I was looking at getting Henry this refrigerator magnet set that someone in playgroup has at their house. Well, we ended up buying a small Thomas the Tank Engine set. Henry has been really into Thomas for a couple months. I take him to toy stores and Barnes and Nobles bookstores that have the train tables. He loves playing with them. A couple weeks ago an A.C. Moore flyer came in the mail and they were advertising Thomas trains for sale. I gave Henry the ad and he carried it around and looked at it constantly. As soon as David went into the Thomas aisle on Saturday I was pretty sure we were going to have to get a train set. Henry has really enjoyed it. Saturday was a pretty exciting day for him and I could barely get him to eat dinner or take a bath on Saturday night (I am speaking of Henry not David although David was pretty excited about the UNC win). Henry pretty much had a melt down by the time it was bedtime. I think it only took me about 5 minutes to get him to sleep though. He was wiped out. So, instead of resting on Sunday we headed out to an outlet mall in Leesburg. David had to return a suit jacket he had bought and I wanted to get Henry some new shoes at the Stride Rite outlet. We made the suit exchange and walked around looking at coffee makers until Henry woke up from his nap. I took Henry into the Stride Rite outlet. BIG MISTAKE! The place was a zoo. I will spend the extra money and go to the regular store where someone waits on you. After the shopping we headed to the Leesburg Animal Park. This was the place that had brought the animals to the petting zoo for Farm Day. I had picked up thier flyer the day before and saw it was just a couple miles from the Leesburg Outlet Mall. Henry got to see even more animals and loved every bit of it. He also got to go down a big (and very fast) slide twice (once with Daddy and once with mommy). It was a great weekend although very hot. We are looking forward to some cooler weather.

Click here for Kodak Photo album of weekend pictures

BBQ with the Playgroup folks

This weekend we met up with our playgroup for a BBQ at a local park. It was really neat to get the whole group together (all the kids, moms and dads). It was a beautiful evening with temps in the low 70's (fall is in the air!). The kids and adults had a lot of fun.

Pictures from BBQ

This week Henry started nodding "no" but by Saturday he started saying "no" with the nod. A whole new toddler stage (fun fun!)

Henry's new buddy

I realized the other day that I always write about things we do and less about Henry and his development and personality. First, Henry's vocabulary has taken off during the last month. He repeats nearly everything I say. I love hearing him say "baby" and on occasion I can get him to say "alligator" which is really cute. Sometimes when you ask him to say alligator he makes this menacing growl (he's been doing that since he was about 10 months old).

Henry is still quite social. He loves waving ,so any time we leave a place he waves bye bye to everyone and everything. He waved to an older woman in the store today and she was so happy she asked if she could hug Henry. He really brings a lot of joy to everyone he meets.

Henry is very creative and has quite the imagination already. He likes playing with his kitchen and pretend cooking and eating and feeding me and feeding some of his stuffed animals. His favorite "friend" is a bear that was given to him by his Great Auntie Jo. His name is Bernie bear. We let Henry take him to the park on Sunday and he now goes to the park every time we leave the house in the stroller. Bernie bear is a very thirsty and hungry little bear. Nearly every time I have a drink or food Bernie is having a sip or bite (courtesy of Henry). Henry also cooks up soup on his stove and serves it to Bernie. Bernie also burbs after eating (courtesy of mommy). Henry thinks this is pretty darn funny ---I probably shouldn't encourage that type of humor ( :

So, consider yourself officially introduced to Henry's new friend. I think blog visitors will be hearing and seeing more of ole' Bernie.

Pictures from Sunday, Sept. 25th

Gala's and playtime at the Museum

We have had a busy few days. On Thursday David's mom, Pat, flew in from NC. She came in to visit but most importantly, to babysit on Thursday night while David and I attended a black tie event to celebrate 25th anniversary of the law firm where he is working. It was a fun night at the event. It was held at the National Potrait Gallery in DC. We arrived around 7pm and enjoyed cocktails followed by dinner and a dessert buffet. The next day Pat, Henry and I headed into DC to go to the National Building Museum. We met some mom and toddler's from my playgroup at the tot room at the museum. I had been to the museum a few times but never noticed the great playroom for kids aged 2-6. I was pleased to discover it because it will be a great place to go on cold or rainy days during the fall and winter. Today we chilled out and went to the the Falls Church Farmer's Market for some veggies. David is now starting up the grill and we plan on having a big dinner. I plan on going to bed when Henry does tonight because it has been a crazy and busy few days.

Click here for pictures from the black tie event

Click here for misc pictures from Sept 19th-22nd

Weekend Shopping Rodeo

I didn't think I would have the time to write a blog entry for the weekend but I missed Henry's sleep window tonight and he is now running around in circles in the family room. Any minute he will have a melt down and hang on to my legs whining. Until then, I thought I would write a quick blog and post some pic's from the weekend.

The weekend was mostly spent shopping. David's law firm is celebrating its 25th Anniversary by having a black tie event. I started the weekend on Friday night by going to Georgetown with my friend Heather. We went to a vintage clothing shop before going to dinner and I found a few dresses but nothing perfect. I put them on hold and planned on coming back the next day to try them on for David. On the way to the store on Saturday, David, Henry and I stopped at a few stores in Georgetown but really only saw a bunch of J-Lo looking dresses. We walked by BCBG and David said "What about that store?". We went in even though I didn't think they made formal wear. Well, within 5 minutes I had a dress that I LOVED! I couldn't believe I had found a dress so quickly and one that I really love. I was on cloud nine. I really thought we would be shopping all around DC the whole weekend and possibly next weekend too. We bought a tux for David today so now we only have a few accessories to buy before the event on September 20th.

After Henry's shopping and nap time today, Henry and I went to my friend Heather's house for an afternoon party. Heather and her family are moving to Seattle in a couple weeks We are really going to miss both Heather and Johanna who have been out bestest friends here in VA. At the party today I had given Henry a cracker with hummus and he grabbed it and got hummus all in his hands and then wiped it all over my shirt. I am so used to having food and gunk on me it really didn't phase me. I just slowly grabbed a napkin and half way attempted to wipe it off. When we got home from the party David thought someone had thrown up on me. That sums up how I look everyday. Hopefully, I will get to the black tie gala without food on my dress or in my hair.

Click here for pictures from Georgetown and DC

Pretty in Pink

A few weeks ago Henry and I were in Babies R' Us and I saw this pink fake fur coat and of course, had to try it on Henry. Henry was smiling and petting the coat--it was hysterical. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera or cell phone with me to document the funniest and cutest thing ever. Well, today I happened to have my camera with me when we went to Babies R' Us to pick up some diapers. There was one coat left so I had to try it on one last time. Henry wasn't as thrilled this time but still pretty cute.

Click here for pictures from today and yesterday at Falls Church Community Center and the Falls Church park

Labor Day Weekend

We drove up to New Jersey to visit my brother Matt, my sister-in-law Jessica and my niece, Melanie. We also got to see my mom since she flew up from Florida. Henry really enjoyed the time with his 4-year old cousin and his "Nanny", who kept him laughing the whole weekend. We all did a lot of laughing, eating and playing. David snagged my mom's computer and got to chill out playing some video games. It was really nice to see David totally relaxed. Matt and Jessica didn't have a grill so on Sunday night Matt and David ran up to the store and got a grill and all the fixins'. They picked up this little grill for 9 bucks and I have to say it was one of the best grilled meals I had ever had. David and Matt cooked portabella mushrooms, zucchini and salmon and it was all perfect. The night before we had some AMAZING pizza. NY and NJ is where it's at for some good Italian food. David wasn't the only one that spent time in front of the computer. My mom had bought Melanie a webkinz stuffed animal and I set up the Webkinz account online and got hooked feeding and making money for Corey (Melanie's webkinz). Henry was in heaven with all of Melanie's toys. He really enjoyed her train set and her Little Mermaid kitchen. Now that we are back I am trying to get back into our routine which today included lots of walks to work off the pizza, ice cream and all the other yummy snacks we ate all weekend.

Shout out to Nanny for being over a week not smoking! You go Mama!!!

Note about the pictures: David took a wrong turn on the way back from NJ and we ended up driving through DC. I was getting a little stir crazy in the car so I just started shooting pic's of buildings. I got a couple good ones of the Capitol...

Click here for pictures from the weekend

Pictures from the day

Henry and I checked out a new park near our house and had a lot of fun. We have had a couple cool days which has been wonderful. It has also rained which is even better because things have been very dry. Also, we had some exciting news yesterday---David was offered a position at a law firm he interviewed for a couple weeks ago. He starts tomorrow so he is coming home at a normal time tonight since he finished up on a project. I can't wait to see Henry's face when David walks through the door tonight.

Pictures from the day

Tuesday Playgroup

We hosted playgroup at our house today and it was a full house. All but one toddler showed up so we took the opportunity to get a group photo. Click here for photos from today

A quick week in review

As I write this post, Henry is finishing up his dinner (chomping on corn on the cob again) and David is crashed on the sofa. David and I have had VERY little sleep this week and are totally drained. David actually got no sleep last night--not even a wink. I actually had a good night because I think I clocked 4 hours if you add it all up. This week I tried to do less running around with Henry and have more down time in an effort to see if that helps him calm down and stay asleep through the night. I haven't seen progress yet but I can't complain too much b/c we have been seeing some progress...although slow. Tomorrow afternoon David and I have a babysitter coming to the house so we can go see Harry Potter. We both are looking forward to going to the movies ...just hope we don't fall asleep through the movie.

Below is a video of Henry "helping" me vacuum.

Click here for video

A Rooom of One's Own

We spent the weekend planning, shopping and putting together Henry's bedroom. His crib had been in our room but we moved the desk out of the second bedroom and created a beautiful little room for Henry. Henry slept in his room for most of the night last night ( :

Below is a video of Henry eating corn on the cob for the first time. He really enjoyed it!!!

Henry scarfing on some corn

Pictures of Henry's room

Video of Henry saying Apple

Rockin' out to Rocknoceros

Today Henry and I (along with our good friends Heather and Johanna) went to see a band called Rocknoceros out at the Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts. Wolftrap is a National Park that is dedicated to the Performing Arts. It is a beautiful area with multiple venues. The Rocknoceros show was located in the Children's Theatre in the Woods. They aren't kidding! It is really deep in the woods. It is a beautiful walk to the location and a very comfortable place to see live music.

Click here for pictures from the show

Hostess with the Mostess

Yesterday we hosted our Tuesday playgroup at our house. This was the first time it was at our house and I was curious to see how Henry would react to toddlers in his house playing with his toys. Henry behaved wonderfully and I was very proud of him. He even shared his vacuum (in exchange for a baby doll stroller)!

Click here for pictures

Weekend in New Bern

On Friday morning we headed down to New Bern, NC for a visit to see David's family (and a much needed few days off work for David). It was great seeing the New Bern gang and we all had a lot of fun. On Saturday morning we went down to the New Bern Farmer's Market and then strolled around downtown. On Saturday night we went to see David's good friend Jon Johndrow play a show with one of his bands. I forgot the name of the band, but you can check out The Hanging Chads (one of Jon's bands). This was a rare event to be out after dark with Henry and he behaved wonderfully. He had a couple Cranberry cocktails and danced to the music. As soon as we got up on Sunday we headed to the beach (enjoying a Bojangles biscuit on the ride down--yum!). Henry loved the water which surprised me because when we were down at the Gulf in Florida he was a little nervous near the water. The beach was wonderful and before heading home we scarfed down some Sprimp burgers (the eating motto for the weekend was "When in Rome"). Later on Sunday afternoon Jon and Marcia Johndrow took us out on the Trent River on their boat. This was Henry's first time and he really liked it. I really enjoyed the quarry Jon took us to. I don't usually enjoy swimming in the river but this secluded spot was wonderful and I really enjoyed it --except when I lost my floaty and was nearly drowning while trying to keep Henry afloat (hee hee).

Click here for pictures from the weekend

Keeping me in line

If I am too slow when Henry wants me to tell him the names of things in his books he lets me know he is not happy. I recorded the video below to share. I know I shouldn't think it is funny (and I shouldn't provoke him b/c he looks like he is about to blow a fuse). I am sorry the video is turned sideways.

Click here for video (make sure to have your volume turned all the way up if you want to hear it like I hear it coming from Henry)

Messy Sunday

It was a cloudy, stormy day in Arlington yesterday so we spent all our time in the house. it seemed like I cleaned up one mess after another the whole day. It started with David making quiche then followed by the usual morning toy clean-up when Henry went down for a nap. Later we did some finger painting and then I trashed the kitchen cooking a big dinner (it was wonderful having dinner with David though!). While I was cooking dinner I had turned on something for Henry to watch on TV to give me 10 minutes without him crawling up my leg. He was giggling and enjoying his show, or so I thought. When I finally looked over he had taken the smoothie I made him and figured out that he could shake the smoothie out of the cup. It was all over the couch and the carpet. When I looked at him I had to laugh because he was having so much fun and looked so proud. Luckily, the couch cover comes right off and i just finished washing and drying it and the stain is gone.

Click here for pictures of Henry finger painting

Visit to Reston, VA

The past two days I have spent a good deal of time in Reston, VA. Reston is about 12 miles from Arlington and yesterday morning Henry and I set off for Reston in the morning in order to meet up with our playgroup at the Vernon J. Walker Nature Center in Reston. I had some very bad directions and even with the help of calling my mom and having her look online, I was unable to find the place. The week before a realtor had told David and me to check out Reston b/c the real estate prices were better than Falls Church and Arlington (that isn't saying much b/c almost every place in the country has more affordable prices than Falls Church and Arlington) so, being lost gave me the opportunity to see the town. When I was driving around Reston I did come across an area called Lake Anne historic district. I didn't actually find the place b/c like all of Reston everything is hard to find. When I got home I went online and learned that Lake Anne Historic District is the first development in Reston and was created in the mid-60's. The premise was very European. The developers created a town center and then mixed housing that was connected by walking trails. I couldn't find the historic district b/c it isn't a traditional American version of the town center where you drive into the town. I needed to park and walk. On Friday afternoon after Henry had his nap, we went up to "Little Vietnam". That is what I call the Eden Shopping Center that is a 1/4 mile from our house. It is a shopping center that is nearly entirely Vietnamese businesses. I really needed some caffeine and was craving a bubble tea. If you haven't had bubble tea you are missing out. The "bubbles" in the drink are tapioca balls. It is like drinking a drink and having gummy bears too. It sounds weird but it is really good. I had the Thai tea with bubbles (yum!). After we got home from Little Vietnam we played in our yard for an hour and then headed to the park to wait for David to get off work. We went up to the subway station to meet him and I am really glad we did because as soon as David got off the train it started to rain and then a big storm blew through. We waited about 15 minutes before we walked home. On Saturday morning, David, Henry and I went to the Lake Anne area because i had seen that they have a Farmer's Market from 8am-Noon on Saturdays. We walked around the town square and some of the residential parts of the community. There is a super cool townhouse for sale right now but I don't really see us living in Reston. It seems great for a retired person though. They do have a Trader Joe's though, our prereqiusite for any place ( :

Click here for pictures from Friday, July 27th

Click here for pictures from Saturday, July 28th

More Music...and another vacuum cleaner

Henry and I went to Stacey's Coffee Shop again today but this time to see Mr. Skip. Henry had a good time as you can see from the pictures below. We had some free time before the show so I stopped into my favorite thrift shop. I spotted a Dirt Devil vacuum that is made for kids. I picked it up to look at it (mistake!) and Henry went nuts. It is in great shape and was only a $1.91. Henry held on to it the entire time in the store. I plan on keeping it with my "real" vacuum and letting him use it when I am vacuuming. We will see how that will work ( ;

Click here for pictures

Music at Stacey's Coffee shop

This morning Henry and I went to a local coffee shop to hear some music. A local musician who goes by the moniker Miss Maddy performed for a packed house. Henry really enjoyed it. We plan on going to the same coffee shop tomorrow to see Mr. Skip.

Testing 1...2...3

I am still learning how to post video and learning the posting options for pictures. Below are pictures from a visit to a park in Fairfax, VA on Sunday and the video (hopefully it will work) is from our trip to a park on Saturday

Pictures


Video

Typical Tuesday

Today we went to our Tuesday morning playgroup where Henry had lots of fun. It was a full house with 8 toddlers including Henry. This was the first time at Anne Marie and Ben's house so Henry spent the first 30 minutes trying to check out all the toys. He gets so excited seeing all the new stuff and showing me. After his lunch and nap we went to The Nature Conservancy to pick up our weekly farm share (great week with lots of tomatoes, cuc's, carrots and onions). We then headed to a park which has a very large play area which is all in sand. They also have a large cement area with lost of toddler sized tricycles and cars. Henry had a good time and didn't want to go. ( :

Click here for pictures from the park

Parks, Planes and Museums

Yesterday David, Henry and I went to a park near the National Airport. The park is on the Potomoc so even though it was a sunny, hot day the breeze off the water made it feel a bit cooler. The planes take off not far from the park so they are really low (and really loud) when they go over the park. It did scare Henry a bit. After hanging out at the park we were going to head to Old Town Alexandria to walk around and get some ice cream but of course, leaving the park we could only make a right turn that had us going towards DC so we headed into the city and went to the National Gallery of Art sculpture garden where we stuck our feet in the fountain. After that we had some gelato at the Natural History Museum and then walked through the Dinosaur exhibit. It was a fun day and we all feel lucky to live in an area where there is always so much to do.

Pictures from the day

TGIF!

Yesterday Henry and I started the day by going to a playgroup and then spent lots of time in the front yard and at the park because it was a beautiful day with temps in the 80's and low humidity--wonderful! David works late hours Monday-Thursday so he can leave work around 4:30 so he can play with Henry on Friday night. We met David at the Metro station so we could watch the trains coming into the station and watch trucks and buses. Henry has discovered motorcycles and really gets a kick out of seeing them--and the louder the better. As you can tell from the pictures, Henry really enjoys Friday nights with his Dad.

Pictures from 7/20/2007

Pool and Planes--How fun!

Yesterday Henry and I met some of our playgroup friends at a local pool. Henry spent most of the time walking around the baby wadding pool picking up as many pool toys as he could hold in his arms. The picture is of Henry looking up at the sky at an airplane.

Christmas in July

Henry has acquired quite a few toys in the last two days. After play group yesterday I went to a thrift store that one of the playgroup moms told me about. She gets most of her son's toys at this place and the toys and prices are great. After seeing her latest finds I headed straight to the store and scored. I walked away with a big bag of toys and a couple books ---all for $13. All the things I bought were toys I had seen at playgroup and knew Henry would enjoy. Although I did not find a toy vacuum which he really goes crazy over. 2 of the 3 playgroup houses have the toy vacuum and Henry makes a b-line for the vacuum every time we go and doesn't let go for at least 30 minutes. It has been a joke at playgroup. Today I put Henry in his stroller and did my vacuuming with the real vacuum. Henry goes nuts over it every time he sees it so I decided when I finished vacuuming I would let him look and touch the vacuum. I let him look at it for about 5 minutes and then started to take it back to the utility room. I immediately knew we were in for an ugly scene. As soon as I started to push the vacuum Henry was pushing it with me and trying to remove my hands so he could have it to himself. Then, he started to yell when I was moving the vacuum into the utility room. I had to peel his hands off the vacuum and he then preceded to cry for 30 minutes. When David called later in the afternoon Henry started crying again when he heard me say vacuum. I then decided it was time to get this boy a vacuum so we went up to Target and got him a vacuum of his own. As you can see from the picture, he loves it!

Play group

Since I finished at work (about 6 weeks now) we have been going to play group every Tuesday morning. There are about 8-10 mom's and toddlers that are part of the group and the hosting rotates every week. I haven't had it at our house yet but I am anxious to host to see how Henry reacts to having other toddlers in his house playing with his toys. For the most part, the toddlers just play with the toys and occasionally grab toys from the others. Today though, I noticed more interaction between the kids. Henry was in a little card board box that had been turned into a play house and kept peaking out of the window where another little toddler was standing and smiling at him. I also noticed Henry walking up to other toddlers and observing what they were doing (as opposed to just ripping toys out of hands). Up until today he really didn't even look at the others unless someone started crying.
I have added a couple photo albums to the website. I have finally figured out our new camera and hope to be posting pictures more frequently. Henry is growing like a weed. Just since we have returned from Florida I think he has grown an inch.

Visit to the Queen City

This past weekend we drove down to Charlotte and stayed with the Meek Family. It was a long drive from Arlington to Charlotte (around 7 hours) but we took Corbin's suggestion and took the Mountain route (I-81 to I-77). It was a beautiful drive and Henry did great. We stopped a few times at rest stops which he loved because he got to gawk at big trucks. After arriving at Corbin and Natalie's we got settled and then headed to the art gallery where our friend Miranda was having her opening. Henry stayed with Gwennie and Brandy, Gwennie's nanny. After being in the car all day I know he appreciated staying behind and playing with all Gwennie's cool toys. Many old friends came to Charlotte for the show (click here to see some of Miranda's work) and it was great seeing everyone. David stayed for the after party and I headed back to the Meek home. When I got back to Corbin and Natalie's house Henry didn't show any signs that he missed me. He just started handing me the dog toys he had found and had been throwing around this house. On Saturday we got up early (like we do everyday!) and went to a couple local Farmer's Markets. I really loved the Matthew's Farmers Markets. Corbin had warned us we needed to arrive early because local chefs get there early and buy up certain things. Although there was plenty of vegetables and baked goods, twice I noticed people with big bags of beautiful summer squash. When I went looking for the particular squash I had been eyeing I learned they were sold out. Corbin and Natalie hosted a BBQ at there house on Saturday evening and Henry got to meet the whole gang of friends who had flown in for Miranda's show. Henry really enjoyed the attention during the whole weekend and behaved quite well considering his molars are starting to come in. I joked to Natalie and Corbin that I was going to move in with them because Henry slept so well during his nap and at night. The ride home was pretty smooth too. We started it by inhaling a Bojangles egg biscuit (our 2nd of the weekend). I think that got the trip to a good start. Nothing like a lead brick to start off a long drive. We stopped at rest stops and let Henry enjoy the truck action and read books and played videos in the car (we bought a portable DVD player before the trip). Overall, I am really glad we drove. We were really close to flying because we were worried about Henry being in the car that long but I think as long as we stop every 2 1/2 hours he seems to do just fine. We will be packing up the car in a couple weeks and heading to New Bern, NC so hopefully we will have a similar driving experience. We won't be seeing the Mountain views but the drive is a little shorter --and lots of chances to stop at Bojangles.

Click Here for pictures from the weekend

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Henry is quite the little boy. He is really into trucks and planes. Today we came out of the grocery store and i was starting to put him in the car when he did a 180 and about jumped out of my arms. He started pointing and yelling "gook" (translation: look). It was an 18-wheeler parked next to the building and it really wasn't far away so instead of wrestling him into the car seat, I decided getting a closer look at the truck would be fun. He was crazy over the wheels. He was pointing and yelling "gook" over and over again. When Henry gets really excited he yells "gook" and shakes (all while sort-of holding his breath and turning red, it is quite a sight). He is also really into airplanes. In preparation for our flight to Florida I bought him Richard Scarry's All About Airports book. We talked about airplanes and he saw a few take off when we were at National Airport in DC. Now when I ask him "Where's the Airplane Henry" he points up in the air and at a window. It is really cute. Yesterday after reading his airport book for the 5th time I asked that question and he pointed outside and up and then stopped and was thinking for a minute and then ran to his toy box and pointed to an airplane on his toy box.

I'm back!

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I posted a blog. Our camera died right around a month ago and I always feel bad posting without pictures to share. We now have a new camera but it has taken a week to get the software downloaded and to get through all the glitches (like the computer freezing everytime I tried to upload to the website---ugg!).

I promise to have pic's posted soon. This weekend we went down (or over?) to Annapolis for a late lunch/early dinner. After eating and strolling around town, we headed to the Sandy Point State Park which is on the Cheaspeake right before the Cheaspeake Bay Bridge. They have a nice little beach and Henry enjoyed playing in the sand. It was a really hot day but being near the water was very nice b/c of the breeze.

Florida kicked our butt!

we all made it back from Florida but Henry and I came down with a little bug. It stinks being sick but it really stinks b/c it was July 2nd yesterday and it was a beautiful 80 degree day in the DC area. Henry and i slept most of the day (boo hoo).

Florida was great. David, Henry and I flew into Orlando on the 29th and spent the night at my mom (Henry's nanny) and my Auntie Jo's (great Auntie Jo to Henry) house. Henry loved Auntie Jo and her dog Joey. He also loved seeing the ducks in the backyard by the lake. Henry thinks it is really funny when someone throws bread to the ducks. On Saturday morning we hopped in the car and headed south to Northport, FL to attend my sister's Graduation party (Congrats Mernie, it was a long road but you did it!!!). Henry met lots of relatives including his Great Grandma McMurray and his Great Uncle Bill who flew down from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The party was a blast. It was held at the local Senior Center which not only included a large room with a disco ball but a small living room and a thrift shop. There was a kitchen table with 4 chairs in the thrift shop and that became a second party for the guests that needed to get away from the karaoke. It was hysterical and typical of a party with my family members. The next morning David, Nanny, Henry and I got up early to go to the beach (see pic's below). It was Henry's first time at the beach. When I took him down to the water he stayed close to me and acted a bit nervous. He really enjoyed playing in the sand and picking up shells and seaweed. We met up with the whole gang for lunch at Sharky's at the Pier. I have been coming to Sharky's since the 80's when I came to Venice to visit my grandparents. It was really awesome to have lunch on the deck with a whole bunch of family. This trip was actually my Grandmother's first time to Florida which was very special. After lunch my brother Matt drove David and my sister in-law, Jessica, to the Tampa airport so they could return to work on Monday (someones' gotta pay for the vacation! hee hee). Henry and I stayed another night in Venice and on Monday headed back to Orlando with my mom. We spent the rest of the week in Orlando at a resort near all the attractions. My Uncle, sister, nephew and Grandma also stayed at the resort. We did a lot but I think our favorite activity was going to Gatorland. I thought Henry would enjoy the train ride at Gatorland but he was not impressed. He prefers the speed of the Metro. He also didn't like the "Splash Park" which I LOVED. It was very hot and I came prepared with my bathing suite under my clothes. Of course, I would have walked through with my clothes which mom and uncle bill did. Henry did like watching me run through the sprinklers but he didn't like going through them. He did like being in the pool at the hotel though. Most of all, Henry enjoyed all the attention.

Here are some pic's from the beach

Go Henry, Go Henry!

Every weekend I plan on chilling out and not running around but that never seems to happen. On Saturday we spent 2 1/2 hours at the DMV b/c I needed to get my VA driver's license. I still had my MA license with my maiden name and with us all flying to FL in a couple weeks I thought it best to get one with my new name (Missy Jo Dixon-yee haw!). The DMV was wild! Henry and David spent the first part of the DMV trip in the car (Henry sleeping and David talking to his mom). When they came in to wait with me Henry got a kick out of this little boy who kept running up to him. It was the first time I have ever seen Henry react positively to someone his same age. It was really cute. Another little kid really liked Henry but a little too much. I didn't witness the first meeting between the two but David told me the 3 year old grabbed Henry in a bear hug and wouldn't let him go. Henry and the boy, still in the bear hug, fell to the floor. I met the overly friendly kid about 20 minutes later when he was kissing Henry's hands and trying to pull Henry off his Dad's lap. After the DMV trip we had planned to do some shopping in Georgetown but we drove home first to change Henry's diaper and wipe him down after he had been attacked by crazy DMV kid. In Georgetown we went to the Patagonia store and walked around a little bit (had to stop into Haazan Daaz for a strawberry milkshake, Henry's favorite drink). We walked along the water and Henry enjoyed seeing boats and some ducks and a guy playing drums on buckets. It was about 4pm and Henry still seemed raring to go so never the type to take a hint that it would probably be a good time to take the boy home, David and I decide to go to the National Mall and go to a museum. After getting in the car, Henry was asleep in 5 minutes so we just drove through DC and went and checked out our old hood. The Eastern Market was recently destroyed by a fire but it was good to see that rebuilding has already started. Henry woke up right before we got home and got his revenge the rest of the night. Around 9pm David and I were lying on the family room floor watching Henry run around the family room not looking a bit tired. Seeing that we still may have an hour or two before bed, we decided to flip through the channels to find a movie to watch (we were too tired to decide on an On Demand movie). The first movie I got to was Breaking 2: Electric Boogaloo. We laughed and started watching it and not 2 minutes later Henry is in front of the TV dancing. Probably not the best choice to calm Henry down but he was digging it and it was hysterical seeing him dancing. I totally forgot that 5 minutes before I had been praying that Henry would calm down and go to sleep.

SAHM I AM

Yesterday was my last day of work and it feels really good. I still need a week or two to decompress though. I still feel pretty wound up from trying to keep up and then trying to get things wrapped up. I worked about 8 hours on Sunday with 5 of those at the office. Since it was raining, David drove me to the office and on the way he was telling me about a guy who has been attacking women in the area by putting plastic bags over their heads. After that bit of info I asked David if he wouldn't mind hanging out with me at the office since I am always kind of on edge working on the weekend but I was now totally freaked out about the bag man story. So, Henry and David stayed with me the whole time. They played a game where David held out his cell phone headphones and Henry held on as they walked around the office. They also took naps-Henry in his stroller and David on the floor. It is a great memory of my last days of work. Today Henry and I went to a playgroup. I was asked to join a couple weeks ago but with work I really couldn't attend. It is every week and I think Henry really enjoyed it. It will be a good way to teach him to share and how to interact with other toddlers. I also really enjoyed the other moms. It was a great first day as a stay at home mom (SAHM)

Memorial Day

On Memorial Day David went into work and Henry and I went to the Falls Church Memorial day festival and parade. This was Henry's first parade and he really liked the city bus. He was a a bit amused by some goofy-looking mascots (my favorite). I am still not sure who the Mascots were representing. It was just 3 characters walking down the street with no sign. They were showing quite a bit of wear and tear. I am glad Henry appreciates Public Transportation and goofy mascots. I really enjoyed this group of teenagers that marched. They were a Hispanic group that did this cool step/salsa march. They wore these great super ornate costumes that looked amazing in the sun (but were no doubt super hot). 95% of the people marching in the parade were total WASP so it was refreshing to see some diversity and to experience a different type of culture. A group called the "Republicans of Falls Church" were marching (reminded me of 40's Germany) and this woman next to me tells her grand kids "I promise I won't boo". I turned to her and said "OK, I will be good too and not boo". Henry and I watched the parade for about 45 minutes and then walked around the booths. I got us a smoothie but then he wouldn't share so I had to go back and buy one for me. Once we were home he stole my smoothie too. You will see in the below pic's that my smoothie was as big as him

Memorial Day pictures

Jam-packed day

Today I experienced what it could be like having two kids in the house. My friend Heather brought her 3 year old daughter Johanna over to the house around 8am and she stayed with us until we packed up and met Heather at the East Falls Church Metro where we then headed to the National Zoo. The morning with Johanna and Henry was busy but lots of fun (see the pictures). Henry was really hyper and whiny though. Johanna and I enjoyed playing dress-up with some of my vintage dresses and we had a tea party. Johanna was a very good helper and I was so impressed with how well she listened and helped me when we needed to get everything packed to leave the house. Henry had a wonderful day both playing with Johanna and at the zoo. When we first arrived at the zoo, he was a little overwhelmed by all the attention (my team members were all in town and this was our outing). My team surprised me with a farewell gift. They gave me a copy of the Giving Tree and a gift certificate to an Aveda Salon and Spa (ahhh, I will really enjoy a pedicure). I, of course, started crying when my supervisor presented me with the card and book and cried even more when I told everyone how much I have enjoyed working with the team. After all the crying, we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the zoo. Henry loved the Sloth Bear even though he thought it was a dog. I know he thought it was a dog because he was panting like a dog every time the bear came close to us. It was really cute (the panting, not the sloth bear). Henry also loved the Golden Lion Tamarins' and the Meercats. Since Heather and I had the kids (and strollers) we decided to have dinner in the Cleveland Park area to avoid the rush hour on the subway. It was a great decision b/c it was a beautiful night and we found a place with outdoor seating. The kids were still in great moods and had a blast. Once I got Henry home he had a quick bath and he was sound asleep in no time. It was a fun day. Here are pic's from the zoo

David Graduates from GWU Law!

YEAH! Today David graduated from George Washington University Law School. Here are some pic's. Although he still needs to finish his thesis, he has finished his course work for his LLM. It was a long ceremony but Henry was just perfect. David wanted to hold Henry as he crossed the stage but about 10 minutes before David was due to walk, Henry fell into a deep sleep. I actually tried to wake him but he didn't move. The little guy was so tired and deserved a good nap because the ceremony was really long and he had been so good all day. I had several people comment on how well-behaved he had been. Actually, Henry had been good all weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Corbin, Natalie and Gwennie Meek stayed with us for a night. It was great meeting Gwennie for the first time and seeing Corbin and Natalie. I know they are doing a great job because Gwennie is a very happy baby. She is 10 weeks old and is already smiling and laughing. She is a real cutie and Henry got a kick out of having a baby in the house.

My Little Helper

Henry was a great little helper today. I put him to work dusting and he really enjoyed it. Here are some picture's of Henry dusting his toy box and highchair.

Now if I could only get the cats to clean out their litter box!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Things have been hectic taking care of Henry and keeping up with work. Also, I am at a new vet with Geiger and am getting some great care for him but dealing with his diabetes has added to all the other stuff to do. If I wasn't busy enough I now have to follow Geiger around during the day and test his urine. Fun stuff! Yesterday I caught some great pictures of Henry lunching on refried beans and avocados. It was all real funny until I had to clean him. Note to new parents: Messy food should only be served at dinner unless you have the time for a mid-day bath or you don't care that your child has food in his hair and ears all day.

Cheap Toy

As I mentioned in yesterday' s blog, a bathroom tissue roll has been Henry's favorite toy--or rather, his favorite fashion accessory. Here's some pic's from this morning.

What a difference a day makes!

Tuesday was a tough day. Henry woke up crying which almost never happens--he typically wakes up pretty happy. On Monday he went to the Dr. for his 1 year check-up and got 3 vaccine shots and had blood drawn to check for lead and anemia. At the visit we found out he had a mild ear infection. The little guy had a rough night on Monday and woke up feeling pretty lousy. So, Tuesday was rough. I tried keeping up with work emails the best I could but eventually gave up b/c Henry really needed and wanted me. So, today Henry and I both slept in and at 8:30 he gets in my face and is smiling and laughing. The rest of the day was pretty much like that --I had my happy baby back. After we got out of bed, he played by himself while I made breakfast. In the morning we took a walk and he slept the whole time and I got to talk to my good friend Jessica Campbell from Seattle (check out Jessica's spa, Spa Scotta). After the walk he didn't fight me getting in his highchair for lunch and ate well. After lunch he played with a empty bathroom tissue roll for about an hour. He even took it with him when we went to the store. In the car on the way to the store he was pretty quiet. All of a sudden he makes this happy squeal. When I turned around he had this huge grin on his face and had his arm in the air with the tissue roll on his arm. He just got such a kick out of getting that on his arm. I have to get a picture of it. Luckily, in the late afternoon when we went to his follow-up Dr. visit he didn't bring his new favorite toy! Here are some pic's of Henry waiting for the train and pictures at the Dr. office. Also, Gieger has now been two days without getting sick. That is a big deal since he has been getting sick at least once a day for about a month. This Friday I am taking him to a vet that only treats cats. I am looking forward to getting some better care for Gieger and dealing with a Dr. that doesn't just send a patient home and let them figure out insulin dosages by trial and error. Gieger would have died last week if I wasn't home and it was b/c the type and amount of insulin prescribed was wrong. I know this b/c of research I have been doing and from a brief conversation with the office staff of the new vet. Friday will be a challenging day. I have no one to care for Henry so I will have to take Henry to the vet visit with me. Should be fun!

New Photo albums on Henry's website

I have finally added some new photo albums to Henry's website. The new albums include Easter (thank you Aunt Hailey for the wonderful Easter basket), Bath time and Time to Eat. also, I took some pic's of Henry opening his birthday presents from the Meek Family (thank you Corbin, Natalie and Gwennie for the UNC t-shirt and the musical stacker).

TGIF

I am ready for the weekend, although I will be spending most of my time working. Now that I don't have any childcare, I basically just check emails throughout the day and tackle tougher stuff when Henry is napping. Over the weekend I catch up and work on projects. I am excited for David to see and spend time with Henry this weekend b/c Henry's walking has really improved since last weekend. With David working 70 hours in a week he doesn't really see Henry during the week unless Henry wakes up before 7am. Henry woke up this morning at 6:45am so they got to hang out for a little bit. Henry was all over David and cried when David left. I know they will have lots of fun this weekend---and so will I (I really need some alone time).
Gieger had another hypoglycemic episode today but I caught it before it was serious. It was scary but I just gave him some corn syrup (rubbed on the gums) and some food once he could lift his head and within about 15 minutes he was back to normal.

It's Official--Mama is staying home

It is now official. I just sent an email to my team telling them I have turned in my resignation letter. Even though I am thrilled that I am able to stay home with Henry, I am really sad about leaving TNC. It has been a wonderful place to work and has been a positive part of my life--I missed it so much when I left before. I also have a special feeling for my current position since I was the first person to hold that position and I was instrumental in developing it. Of course, It has been wondeful to hear both from my supervisor and the head of my department say that the door is always open if it is three months or five years. I feel like I am leaving on top and if I had waited a couple more months I would have been a wreck. Looking for childcare and trying to talk myself into being okay with working has been emotionally draining. I don't want to even imagine what I would have been like if I had continued working. Ultimately, it would have been work and Henry. I have this crazy work ethic that I can't shake even when I have a toddler climbing up my leg for attention. I hate hearing myself begging him to be quiet so I can finish an email. Soon he will have me 100% and a lot less stressed out.

Keeping an eye on Gieger

Today Geiger went into hypoglycemic shock and had a seizure. It was pretty scary but I was able to get him stable with honey and got him to the vet in 5 minutes. He stayed at the vet during the afternoon and they kept a close eye on him. When I picked him up at 5pm he was back to his old self. It was all very scary and sad seeing him in that state. Henry and I had been on the floor only a couple feet from him. Henry was taking a nap in my arms (yes, bad habit) and out of the corner of my eye I saw Gieger twitch. I jumped up, put Henry is his pack-n-play and ran to Geiger. Henry cried at first b/c I startled him but once he saw me with Gieger he just kept repeating "geiger" over and over again. Geiger looked horrible. It reminded me of Tigger passing away. He was twitching and he looked like he was in terrible pain. I started giving him honey and then called the vet. When I called the vet I was still fairly calm until she told me to come right in. I just thought, OMG, how am I going to get Geiger and Henry in the car. I remember saying to her "I've got a baby" and she siad "don't worry, I will help you when you get here". After I had my little freak out moment I just went into overdirve and everything fell into place. I was at the vets in less than 5 and the only one crying was Geiger (which was a great sign!). At the vet the receptionist took Henry until I could get Geiger settled. Henry didn't even mind. She was showing him the dogs getting groomed and Henry just seemed totally content with this stranger. This isn't the first time Henry has come through during a crisis...he sure is a special little guy. So, tomorrow I will be giving Geiger a little less insulin and monitor him for any drops in his blood sugar. I hope it never happens again but if it does I know what to do.

What a week!

On Tuesday we found out Geiger has feline diabetes. By Thursday, I had learned to give him insulin injections and started administering those. On Wednesday, I turned in my resignation letter at work and fired the nanny. It was only a coincidence that those things happened on the same day. The previous week I had told my supervisor that I would be resigning my position. I had agonized for a couple months on every work and childcare scenario. I had even started working 80% time (28 hours a week) a couple months ago. When it comes down to it though, even 28 hours is too much and I know I will never actually work 28 hours. I want Henry to have a mom who isn't stressed out and totally beat at the end of the day. It has been especially hard now that David is working long hours so I think my decision is not only good for Henry but for David and me. I am really looking forward to being with Henry and raising him. One day a couple weeks ago when Henry was having a very fussy day, I thought, what am I thinking giving up work!!! I am giving up having a nanny and a housekeeper (I thought this and laughed b/c I would give up everything to be with my little guy). So, we had quite a week. O, yeah! We also got a new car and it's our first NEW car too. AND, on Saturday David gave Henry his first haircut. He looks like a little boy! It is very cute!

Ha! We have a blog

We now have a blog!!! Like I needed one more thing to update! I am already behind in updating Henry's memory book, his journal and a calendar. O-yeah, I also need to add Henry's b-day pictures to his website. Now that David will be working only 70 hours a week maybe I will have a little more time for all this updating.

Actually, most of our "free time" for the next couple months is going to be spent looking for a house. On Easter we speint our time driving around neighborhoods. We had been seeing houses posted online in Rockville, MD and liked what we saw. We drove over and really liked the neighborhoods around the Rockville Metro. So, we are going to be getting an agent and concentrating on that area. It is a little further out from DC then where we are now (13 miles as opposed to 6 miles). We really liked the close proximity to the subway and the revitilization of the Downtown. The Downtown has a very urban feel and the neighborhoods felt very quaint. Also, only a couple miles driving distance is a very big Whole Foods and other shopping. More to come...