who's hungry?

the leap from milk to cereal is an exciting new adventure, but there is something about starting my little ones on solid foods that is difficult for me. I can't help but want to slow down the clock...keep them tiny for longer. it's as though time fast forwards as soon as that spoon hits their lips. I know it's sounds a little crazy, but it's an oddly emotional moment for this momma. the day was upon us, though, so we embraced it and did it up right. we put on a bib; not an old stained one from his big brother...oh no, we busted out a brand spankin' new one. nothing but the best for little henry bug's big day! he sat looking so smart in the big boy high chair while I warmed up the water and stirred it into a tiny tablespoon of rice cereal.

his little toes were kicking back and forth and his hands were going in circles as I placed the first bite into his mouth. smile.

then the second bite. gag. the rest of the bowl was met with varying funny faces that only our little henry-bug can make. he scrunches up his nose, sniffs, and purses his lips just so. it brings a smile to all of our faces.

miles takes his role as big brother quite seriously and didn't hesitate to help feed henry. he was so gentle and patient with the new little eater. he kept saying "henry is eating cereal!  good job henry bug!!" I love him. 

toward the end, he started to cry when the spoon came close to him, so I took that as a sign that this boy was d-o-n-e. I will welcome back the days of steaming, food processing, and freezing bags upon bags of little cubes of baby food. it's a bit of work, but I secretly love it. and so even though I wish I could keep my baby tiny a little longer, I will embrace this next stage and watch with excitement as he begins to experiment with food.

summer celebrations

can it even be possible that august has snuck up on us? I barely saw it coming. believe you me...I'm not ready to say goodbye to the summer yet. we have lots more to pack into our carefree summer days. july was a busy month and although it seemed like one thing after another, I loved it. it means that we have plenty of people to love and plenty of people who love us. we are blessed. this particular weekend we had much to celebrate. my sister-in-law threw my brother a surprise birthday and graduation bash. he turned 30 in may and is this close to finishing up his PhD work in pharmacology at the university of minnesota. we are definitely proud of him. hats off to jen for managing to pull off a fun and very deserving surprise for marc.

brotherly love

the adorable rogers family

pretty little emma

"nap time"

melissa and beth

party planner extraordinaire, jen, averting a marshmallow disaster

marc was under the impression that we were all getting together to celebrate nykkole's birthday. so we decided that we would need to make sure nykki got her much needed birthday bash the next day. the weather was nothing short of perfect the entire weekend. we were thrilled to be able to sit outside and bask in the cool sunshine amongst our family and friends. nykkole became a teenager on the 26th of july. although we know that she will not experience her teens in any "typical" manner, we are blessed to have her with us. she brings everyone so much joy and spreads an invaluable message her in quiet and innocent way. she certainly is an angel here on earth. miles and henry will be better human beings because of their auntie nykkole and for that, we are thankful. happy birthday little nykker-bocker.

here's a little "henry fix". I know it wasn't his birthday, but I couldn't resist sharing his happy-go-lucky personality.

we wrapped up our weekend of celebrations with an outdoor concert. in spite of the endless piles of goose poo surrounding our blanket, miles danced. he spun in circles and pumped his little arms while his baby brother grinned at him with his whole body. his sparkly blue eyes were dancing too. it felt strange to sit there in the park with our little family of four and not another familiar face. we are usually joined by friends and/or family. so after a busy weekend with all of the people we love, kyle and I ended it on a blanket in the park snuggling and dancing with our babies. it was a perfect "happily-ever-after" moment.

this is only a test...

...I'll be blogging soon...I promise!

six months old

so now that henry is seven months old, I suppose I should post his six month pictures as well as his stats from the doctor appointment. I will admit that I did take these pictures at around 6 1/2 months and had every intention of redoing them [my camera was a little whack-a-doo that day], but alas, that did not happen...my poor second child. so here they are (sans chair picture):

henry bug is a drool machine and has become quite adept at removing hats, sunglasses, and goggles. his coordination is great - he can pass toys from one hand to the other and will bring anything and everything into his mouth, including fingers...you've been warned! he sits up so straight and tall and thinks he's such a little hot-shot. we went to the doctor the day after his half birthday for the obligatory slew of shots and stats update. so without further ado:

weight: 15 lbs 8 oz (20%ile)

height:  28 inches (88%ile)

he is disproportionately tall and thin. so much so that we have to go back for a weight check. henry gained just less than a pound in two months...not enough. we were planning to start cereal at six months, so we will hope that the extra calories do the trick. our doctor says she's not worried. he's meeting and exceeding the necessary developmental milestones and is very content. he sleeps from 7:30pm to 5:30am, eats, and then goes back to sleep until 7:30am (sometimes later). he's napping about 1-2 hours in the morning and afternoon. so, yeah, he doesn't seem to be starving! I will update his new stats in a couple of weeks. 

until then, we will continue to celebrate the half of a year that we have been blessed with our little buggy. his bright smile and round blue eyes are mesmerizing. he is such a beautiful baby boy and we are so thankful to have him in our family. 

happy half birthday little bug