Then there is the moment that you try real food for the first time.   For Henry, this defining moment took place last week.  (Ignore the laughter please, I can assure you that no babies were harmed during the making of this video.)

Needless to say, it didn’t go so well.

I’m guessing it won’t be one of those defining moments after all.

Poor baby.

Any suggestions on how to make next time a little better?

Several hours later, I was getting ready to put him down for his second nap and I grabbed the same pacifier out of his crib.  I stuck it in his mouth as we sat in the rocking chair but it quickly fell on the floor.  As I bent down to pick it up, I noticed that it was basically in two pieces, with the top part of the pacifier holding on by a thread.  My heart stopped as I realized just how easily the piece could have broken off and become lodged in Henry’s throat.  What’s even scarier is that we most likely wouldn’t have even realized it.

The first thing I did was pray and thank Heavenly Father for protecting our son.  I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer and I do believe that our little boy had been kept from harm.  The second thing I did was take a good look at the pacifier and try to determine if Henry had chewed through it with his four new teeth, or if our dog Oscar had previously gotten hold of it and I somehow had not noticed.  The third thing I did was tell the CPA what had happened so that he could understand why I suddenly didn’t want to let Henry out of my sight.  And the fourth thing was to officially swear “no more pacifiers” from this day forward.  We had planned on taking them away around six months anyway, so now seems as good a time as any.

It was a catastrophe averted and everyone is fine, but I’m having a hard time shaking this awful feeling.  The horrible “what if” question keeps running through my mind as I realize what a close call it could have been.  Such a small thing, too.  A pacifier – most moms use them all the time without incident.  Granted, most moms don’t have a Cockapoo that loves to chew on things, but still.  (I’m not a 100% convinced it was Oscar’s fault but I can’t prove that Henry chewed through it either.  Better to be safe than sorry.)

If nothing else, this incident has reminded me yet again how fragile these little babies are, even if they seem to be getting bigger by the minute.  It’s shown me yet again how much I love our little boy and what a responsibility it is to be his parent.  And it’s reaffirmed once more how thankful I am for my belief in a Father in Heaven who watches over us and protects us.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on our little guy one more time…

Have you ever had any “close calls”as a parent?  How do you get past the fear and stop worrying so much?

It’s been six months since you were born.  Hard to believe, but it’s true.  During that time, you have become such a part of our lives that it’s strange to think you haven’t always been here with us.   Every morning we look forward to you waking up so that we can see your bright smile.  You almost always wake up smiling, it’s so sweet to see.

Once awake, you seem to remember just how hungry you are and you start to fuss.  It’s not a full-out cry at this point, but I know the sound well.  I also know that if we don’t feed you in five minutes or less, that fussing will turn to crying so we usually get something in your tummy right away.  In the past two weeks you started eating cereal as part of this morning routine.

I won’t lie to you – you make a mess.  But it’s a cute mess.  And it cracks me up too, your constant battle to grab the spoon from me.  You haven’t figured out yet that it’s a fight you can’t, or shouldn’t, win, but you try anyway.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur.  You go visit your little friend Braddock, the son of your babysitter, while I work for a few hours every morning.  I miss you, but I know it’s good for you, and soon enough you are back in my arms.  The afternoon hours pass quickly and we play games or read books or you swing in your swing while I make dinner.

And before we know it, Daddy is home and wants his turn with you.  I willingly share you because I am glad that you and Daddy seem to have a special bond already.

Speaking of special, you are such a happy baby.  I want to say that for the record with the hopes that you will remain happy, especially as you grow older (teenage years come to mind) and face challenges and such.  You are friendly to everyone, especially your sweet cousin with whom you spent a lot of time recently.  I look forward to seeing the friendship between you two in the upcoming years.

You’re growing so fast.  So fast that it amazes me yet at the same time, I can hardly wait for the next phases too: the crawling (we fully expect this in the next two months), the talking, and yes, even the walking.  You’re already rolling over like a champ and you have three teeth in place with a fourth on its way.  You are super strong – you spend hours on your stomach with your hands and legs in the air in your classic “Superman” pose.  You are getting better at holding things too – just today you fed yourself by holding your bottle for the first time.

With all of this growing, you’re starting to look less like a newborn and more like a baby/toddler.  You seem to be changing before our very eyes.

But change like this is good, right?  Especially when we get to witness it first hand.  So Happy Six Month Birthday Henry… Six months ago you came into this world and changed our lives forever.  We are so glad you’re here.

All our love,

Momma & Daddy

I have mixed feelings though, because there is one part of me that is so very excited to be away from home.  We had a luxurious day yesterday filled with all the things that you would do on vacation – good food, relaxation time in the room, a little reading on the huge front porch.  But all the while, even while watching the classic “While You Were Sleeping” on the flat panel TV over the fireplace last night, I had this nagging feeling in my heart.  I was missing something and that something was our little boy.

For the first time ever, we left him with someone while we went away.  Oh he’s in good hands all right, as my sister and her husband are watching him along with their little boy Drew.  I’m not worried about that part.  But for the first time, we missed tucking him in at night (and the subsequent screams of denial as he fights sleep for a good 15 minutes).  We missed seeing him wake up and flash us his huge grin as he does after every nap.  We missed feeding him his bottle that he now can hold with his chubby little hands.  We missed all of that yesterday and it feels quite strange.

Which is why, even after enjoying every single minute of this brief getaway, I am looking forward to being home this afternoon.  I’m looking forward to seeing my little guy and making sure that he hasn’t forgotten me.  I fully plan on hugging him and smothering him with kisses as soon as we walk in the door, whether he wants me to or not.  In only a few short hours, I’ll look into those big beautiful eyes and tell him that I missed him so.

There are definitely no mixed feelings about that.

No?  Here, let me refresh your memory.

This is what he looked like the last time I saw him almost three months ago.

Big difference, isn’t it?  I’ve missed him so much.

And I’ve missed his parents too.

They’ve only been gone for the summer, but it’s just not been the same without them nearby.  So you can probably imagine my delight when my sister called a few weeks ago to say that they would be visiting.  They’re staying in our living room on a mattress on the floor while Drew sleeps in the playpen, but at least they’re here.  I’ve missed them so.

But most importantly, the boys can get reacquainted.

As you can see, they’ve missed each other too.

Even Oscar’s happy to have them together again.

It’s going to be a great week!

Yes, they’re exactly what they look like – TEETH.

We should have known they were coming since we’ve seen a lot of drool lately (notice the chin and the wet shirt).

There’s also been a lot of gnawing of the hands, feet, and pretty much anything else that will fit into his mouth.

Even still, we didn’t think he’d get two at one time  - you’ve got to feel for the little guy.

I would imagine that it’s quite painful.  That’s probably why he did a fair amount of crying and giving me blank stares like this.  It’s sad because he’s normally quite cheerful and happy but he just wasn’t himself.

Good thing Daddy was there to help comfort him.

I know it’s a rite of passage and that everyone has to go through it, but it’s been a while since I’ve experienced it myself (try 38+ years), and I could sure use some advice.

How do you help a little one who’s teething?

Unfortunately, real life got in the way and our well-made plans changed.  Gone were our dinners out on the town and in their place were low-key dinners at home parked in front of the TV.  At first it was because we wanted to enjoy our new home and rather than sit in our unfinished dining room, it was easier to relax on the couch in front of a good show.  But pretty soon, we did it mainly out of habit.

Before we knew it, having casual meals in front of the TV was the norm.  Now that’s not to say that we didn’t talk, because we did.  And we have enjoyed our dinner time routine over the past few years because it’s worked for us.

But when Henry came along, we realized that we needed to re-evaluate the way that we were doing things.  Eating in front of the TV might be fine sometimes, but it’s not what we want to teach our little guy.  So a couple of weeks ago, we did what we meant to do when we first got married: we had a nice sit-down dinner in our home.  (We used our good plates and cleaned off our dining room table and everything!)

It went so well that we had one the next night, and then the night after that.  And you know what?  It’s been amazing.  I’m kicking myself (and the CPA) for not doing this sooner.  Who knew that simply sitting across from each other and sharing a meal could make such a difference?  I had forgotten how important it was to have that face time together, to be able to ask, really ask, how each other’s day had gone.  To discuss current events and politics and anything else that comes to mind.  To listen to each other without waiting for a commercial break or the end of a program.  To just… talk.

I can honestly say that over the past few weeks, I’ve grown closer to my husband.  I’ve seen him in a new light, you could say.  I mean I’ve always seen him, but now I hear him too.  As an added benefit, I find that I want to cook more (gasp) too.  Instead of fixing things that are quick and easy, I’ve wanted to try new recipes and cook something that is both healthy and tasty.  And better yet, I’ve enjoyed it.

We’re not the only ones who seem to enjoy this change.  Henry now sits in his “big boy chair” right beside us as we eat.  He doesn’t say much of course, he merely watches us do our thing, but I know that he’s learning.  He’s seeing his mom and dad communicate with each other and in a few months he’ll be able to join in the conversations.

Maybe most important of all, we’re teaching him that it’s important to make time for family.  And in the process, we’re strengthening our family too.  Because really, that’s what relationships are all about – spending time together.

And if good food is involved – hey, that’s just a bonus.

Do you have a sit down meal in your home?  Or does something more casual work for you?

Ahhh… but there’s a catch.  What if I were to tell you that you wouldn’t be alone during your working hours?  You would have an adorable, yet somewhat demanding and possibly fussy five month old, sitting by your side.  What would you say then?

That’s the situation in which I find myself and it’s become quite the dilemma.  It all started months ago when we looked at whether I would stay at home or go back to work after the baby arrived.  The decision was all but made for me to just work from home when our company changed offices in November.  Along with the change, almost the entire company began working from the comfort of their own sofas.  Great, problem solved.  I could just work from home, be with Henry, and everyone wins.  Right?

Wrong.

The old adage that it’s never as simple as you think it will be is holding true, once again.  Oh sure, the first few weeks were fine while Henry slept 15 out of 24 hours, waking only to be fed and changed.  But now that he is awake for hours at a time, rolling on the floor, and demanding my undivided attention, things are a bit different.  Worse yet, he will likely be crawling around everywhere within a month.

I find that instead of feeling grateful for the opportunity to have the best of both worlds, that I feel guilty and stressed out.  Stressed because my work quality has decreased and guilty because my attention is divided and both my company and my son suffer for it.

Because of this, I recently decided to try using a babysitter during the four hours that I work.  She comes over with her little boy and they stay upstairs while I do my thing downstairs.  She’s fabulous too – I couldn’t ask for someone more perfect.  But… (there’s always a but) she actually makes more than I do after paying taxes.  And I’m not even paying her that much (poor thing)!  I end up bringing home a total of $119.00 a week to go towards bills, which is a fraction of what I made working part-time with no childcare.  What this means is that even though the income is better than nothing, we will still need to dip into our savings every month in order to make ends meet.  While not ideal (it’s quite nerve-wrecking actually) it is doable and is something that we agreed upon long ago should we feel it was the right thing to do.

But I have to say that I feel really torn.  So much so that I lay in bed last night until after 4:00 am because of all the thoughts running around in my head.  Do I take the plunge and stop working altogether?  That option has its benefits, of course — the benefits being that Henry has all my attention and care, we are able to go to play dates and other activities, and I can do things around the house that I never seem to be able to get to otherwise.  There are cons too — mainly the lack of money and the possible negative effect it could have on my career should I desire to re-enter the work-force down the road.

So I ask for your help once again, my trusty internet friends: Do I continue to work from home or do I give up working altogether?

What would you do?

I found mine at the tender age of 35, a mere three years ago.  I still remember how devastated I was.  I believe tears were also involved.  Even though it was just a random grey hair, there’s something about seeing proof of the fact that you’re aging instead of merely thinking it will happen “some day.”

As awful as that experience was, it was nothing, I mean nothing, in comparison to how I felt the day that I realized I was going bald.  Yes, bald.  As in receding hairline, tufts of hair growing out of my ears, bald.

Okay, maybe it’s not that bad.  But still…

I made that discovery last week and it was due to this picture (admittedly it looks worse in this picture than real life because my hair looks so very dark here.  At least I hope it doesn’t look this bad in real life.):

Remember that picture?  I used it in a post about our recent trip.  See that little spot up near the top, right above my eye?  That’s the one.  Bald I tell you.  Now compare it to the picture below (taken back in 2007) and you’ll see what I mean.  No spot.

I should have known this would happen.  I’ve been losing hair by the fistfuls over the past two months.  I’ve got hair everywhere – it’s in the sink, it’s on the floor, it’s in my baby’s hands as he pulls away from my neck, it’s everywhere.  It supposedly has something to do with the hormonal change my body has gone through since having the baby, blah, blah, blah.  Again, reading about it happening and then seeing it actually take place are two very different things.

So I did the same thing that I did when I noticed my first grey hair – I Googled.  Imagine my relief when I saw several posts about how normal hair loss is after a pregnancy and how it will eventually grow back.  I even read about one woman who suddenly had a bald spot right above her temple (just like me!).  Needless to say, I came away from my Google search feeling much better than when I went in.  I realize now that all is not lost and there is hope and best of all, it will grow back.

Until it does, I guess I’m just going to have one heck of a comb-over.

But looking on the bright side – at least my comb-over’s not grey!

Anyone else had this happen?  Anyone?  Please?

To look at him, you would think that he was much older.

In fact, I often get looks of shock and awe when I tell passersby that he’s only five months old.  ”You’re kidding me!”  they declare.  ”There’s no way he’s only five months!  He’s so BIG!”

I’m never quite sure how to respond to that so I usually just blame it on the CPA.  But I think I might start carrying around a copy of his birth certificate so that I can whip it out and show it to people before they even ask.  It will save a lot of time that way.

I don’t blame them for their comments though.  He is rather large for his age as evidenced by the fact that he’s currently wearing nine to twelve month clothing quite comfortably.

I guess that’s why people are probably surprised to see Henry still doing the ‘ole head bobbing thing.  You know what I’m talking about – the head weaving movement that little tykes make as they attempt to strengthen their not-quite-developed neck muscles.  Henry’s much better now then he was just a few weeks ago, in fact he has very good neck control for his age, but people still expect more because of his size.

They’re probably surprised, too, that he isn’t crawling on the floor by now.  I tell them that I’m not rushing anything and that he’s very evolved (at least in my mind) for being only five months old.  In fact, in my mind he’s practically perfect.  I often ask the CPA, “Did you just see that?  Did you see how Henry rolled from his front to his back ALL BY HIMSELF?”  The CPA usually humors me and says “Yes, honey, it’s amazing!” knowing full well that Henry’s been doing that same thing for the past two weeks.

This is just one of the many wonders we’ve been able to witness as he’s grown.  But in spite of all of his achievements and his progress in these short five months, I know that he is still just a baby at heart.

I know because he laughs very easily at most any unusual sound or funny face.  He even smiles at us after he first wakes up which is such a treat, especially if a dirty diaper greets us from the other end.

I also know because like any small child, he loves to play with his toys while at the same time, he often spends long minutes doing nothing but staring at his hands.

So yes, he still has a long way to go and is still very much a baby, but he’s a big baby.  In fact, I sometimes forget that he’s only five months old.

It’s a good thing I carry around that birth certificate to remind me.