Sweet 16

Henry is 16 months today and oh how sweet it is! He continues to be one vibrant little boy. To keep up the trend of the past few months I have recapped some of the "new" skills he has developed in the past month.

- He is pretty much running in those size 8 shoes! Yes, he is a BIG boy! Still sitting at right around 30 lbs. Growing taller but leaning out.
- Consistently impressing us with his athletic ability whether it's kicking around the soccer ball, placing the baseball on the t-ball stand and taking a big swing (and connecting!), showing off his slam dunk, walking backwards or in circles and climbing up couches. He has even started to catch the ball from time to time. Can't wait to take him 1:1 one day...mama has to keep her skills fresh so she can take home the win, no freebies around this house! ;o)
- He has perfected his signature dance move by clasping his hands together and moving them up and down while dropping like it's hot. Not sure where he learned these moves but it sure is funny to watch.
- Had his first make out session with the lucky and beautiful lady Ms. Westyn. Ash and I about fell over laughing. So cute to see them standing there nose to nose giving kisses. He truly is such a lover. He plays so great with other kids regardless of age and is constantly showering his loved ones with kisses and hugs.
- Grandpa took him on his first fork lift ride. He loves machinery and I have a feeling will be running some of the family trucks before we know it.
- When we are getting close to Daddy's work he starts saying "dada," very cute that he is starting to remember landmarks.
- New words:
"I see" when he wants to "see" something you have.
"Wee" when he is really enjoying something like the swings at the park
"Mine" was hoping this word would not come but it has and it does mean it's his!
"Pickup" this lasted about a day and we haven't heard it again since but I think he is referring to a pickup truck as we have book with this in it and he points to car/trucks when saying it. Who knows though?
- He now takes his toy trucks and moves them around on the ground making "vroom" noises like big kids do. Really funny to watch him realize how to play with his cars vs. eating them. He still is obsessed with trucks, trains and airplanes. All boy!
- He has 12 teeth (yes we made it through the first year molars! but, those eye teeth seem to be about to sprout up any day now). All these teeth seem to be helping us in the finger food department as he is doing great with getting away from pureed food and is starting to attempt to use a spoon/fork on his own (not very successful just yet but he is trying his hardest). Not to mention he has developed a love for ice cream.
- His favorite thing to do is play in the dirt/mud. We can't wait to see his excitement once his very own sandbox is built in our yard. Coming soon!
- He is sleeping anywhere from 10 -12 hours at night and still gives us at least one long nap (2 -3 hours). Mama actually feels rested and often wakes up before the little monkey.

At the end of each day we do our bedtime routine and dad reads him a few books and mommy gets the last few minutes with lights out and prayers. Every night he seems to look at me and say "thanks mom for such a wonderful day, I love you" and snuggles with me for a few minutes. I cannot express the feeling I get each night when he just shares this moment with me. Simply amazing, too amazing for words. It truly makes life worth living to the fullest and always striving to be our best selves for each other. Mommy and daddy love you monkey and we just know you are going to be the best big brother!

Smiling from ear to ear....

That's right today has been a great day! We just reached our first major milestone with baby #2! No matter what we have a viable pregnancy. Obviously we don't want to deliver anytime soon but if things were to take a turn as of right now the survival rate in the hospital is about 80%. Our little one checked out today in the 81st percentile in growth, sitting at 2 lbs and 4 oz. Which ironically is exactly right where Henry was at this point. I also have gained the exact amount of weight as last time as well (even though I feel much much larger). Everything is growing just as it should and we could not be happier to finally reach this major milestone. I thought I would be counting down the days until I got to this point (roughly 26 weeks - on Monday) but honestly Henry has kept me so busy that time has flown by. It's really nice to have such a wonderful distraction! ;o) Below is a beautiful profile of our little angel at 25 weeks 1 day.

Moving forward is going to be a bit crazy. I go in for another ultrasound/doc appointment in 3 weeks (same routine we have been doing). But, then 3 weeks after that (32 weeks), I start weekly fetal heart rate monitor appointments/ultrasounds as needed/doc check-ups. That means a good couple hours every week with a machine strapped to me for 30 minutes. The reason behind this is due to the hemorrhage and the massive amount of blood I lost. Once I get to 32 weeks that's when complications can really kick in and we need to stay on top of the little one to ensure the best possible entrance to the world. Good news, doc doesn't want me to progress past 39 weeks so if my body hasn't kicked into labor before then I will be induced (assuming the game plan doesn't change between now and then). I had Henry at 38 1/2 weeks and typically 2nd pregnancies are much faster so if things go as we hope my body will kick into delivery on it's own sometime mid-August. To finally start talking delivery with the doc really was a reality check. We are going to have another baby! I am so excited and scared for 2 under 2! Life is just going to be one crazy ride from here on out, but I love every minute of it and wouldn't change a thing. Until next time, keep a praying for Baby Carp #2!

"O" Cookies

I am always on the hunt for new tasty snacks/meals for Henry that are also healthy and easy for him to eat at his age. I came across these "O" Cookies and it was a hit! He loved them. We love them and they are actually somewhat healthy for a snack cookie. Here is the recipe below but also check out the website Weelicious for other great recipes including this one.

"O" Cookies:

1/2 cup Nut Butter (Almond, Peanut or Sunflower) **I prefer Almond Butter
1/2 cup Rice Syrup (can be tricky to find but I found some Organic Brown Rice Syrup in the natural food section)
4 cups of O's cereal (you can use Cheerios, Trader Joe's Toasted O's or any other O's you prefer)

1. Combine the nut butter and rice syrup in a sauce pan over low/medium heat until becomes smooth and warmed.
2. Place the cereal in a bowl
3. Pour the warm nut butter/rice syrup mixture into the bowl with the cereal and stir to combine.
4. Shape into cookies (You can use a tablespoon to portion out or and ice cream scooper). Place on an ungreased pan and pat down into bars, As the O's mixture cools it will harden.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Note: This makes a lot of cookies. If you want to reduce the entire recipe by half you will still get a lot of cookies, especially if you make smaller size portions with a tablespoon vs. an ice cream scoop.

Mother's Day 2010

Today could not have been any better. Breakfast with my boys made by my wonderful husband and a fun day playing in the sunshine with my parents and incredible son. I have said it before but I will say it again; I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family. So much love and laughs you cannot feel anything but love for life. Truly lucky we are! I took a ton of pictures today but here are some of my favorites!

Nothing like starting the afternoon off with some silly time with nauna!
First time in shorts (this is prior to my first knee scraps!)
Hanging at nauna's & bapa's porch in my new chair! Mommy was soooo excited about this present from nauna!Fun times at the park: Nauna, Bapa & Henry:
Bath time!
6 Months Belly Shot