The Hen

It's been a while since Hen had his very own blog post, and I'd say it's about time. Henry kind of goes through phases of being super sweet and laid back, and then super independent and strong willed with a stronger temper, and then back to super sweet and laid back. Right now - super sweet and laid back. I just want to squeeze him and kiss him all the time. And he pretty much lets me.

Last night was quite a different story. Henry was really mellow, slow and quiet on Sunday, and by Monday afternoon, he was running a fever. He has continued to run a fever all week, and after being up for an hour and a half screaming his lungs out last night, he's on an antibiotic for what looks like a developing ear infection. I have never in my life seen Henry so upset. He literally screamed nonstop, arching his back and pushing away from me with his legs. He didn't want to rock, didn't want to walk, didn't want to go outside, didn't want to eat or drink, didn't want to watch baby einstein, and did not want to play. If I even picked up his sippy cup, he screamed louder and tried to bat it out of my hands. And that is how you know that the Hen is really feeling miserable. He was much better today, though clearly still under the weather. His Daddy comes back tomorrow, and they'll spend the day together getting well and hooking up the washer dryer. I do hope. (Side note, its been 3 weeks since we have washed a single article of clothing. Tonight John Dickson spilled pudding all over his shorts and had to wear some super short shorts to Walmart to pick up a prescription. I guess he was at the right place at least. Next time someone offers to let me use their washer/dryer, I'll try to remember not to turn them down again!)

So the boys had their last day at their old daycare last week. Henry had already moved up from the infant class to the beginner's class, but right before I moved, we found out that his beloved Ms Sandy from the infant class had left the center. I was so upset that we didn't get to tell her goodbye that I got her number and tracked her down. She said that the last week she was there, she rocked Henry everyday. She convinced his new teacher to let him come back over to her class for a little bit each day, and he was thrilled. Adam caught Henry one day just in time to see him going back to Ms Sandy's class, and Adam said he had a HUGE grin on his face. The child practically leapt out of our arms whenever she was around, and he loved to just go lay his head on her. We'll miss her very much. We've been very lucky with daycare teachers who make us feel like our children are the only ones in the room. So far we like the new school a lot, for John Dickson especially. Henry has only been 1 day this week due to him being sick, but I'm sure it wont take long for him to win his new teachers over too.

In true Kelley form, Henry is not yet talking. He is starting to make more sounds, and sometimes I think he does mimic what we say, but no talking yet. He practically overnight started to respond to us nonverbally and really show that he understands us. If you ask if he wants milk, he goes to the fridge and pulls on it. If you ask about taking a bath or brushing his teeth, he heads to the bathroom. Ask him if he wants to go and he heads to the door. He'll sit down for you, come sit in your lap, go get his blanket, and some others. He also has started trying to put his dishes in the dishwasher, but that's really just him putting a full sippy cup of milk in the bottom of the dishwasher. And he has learned how to communicate when he is all done eating. Despite our best efforts to get him to sign "all done," he prefers to just chuck his plate. Awesome.

John Dickson has learned that he can get Henry to do his dirty work for him, knowing Henry won't get in trouble, and so we frequently hear John Dickson saying "take it Henry..." trying to give him something we told John Dickson not to touch. Or he takes him over to a drawer of socks or underwear, opens it up, and cheers Henry on as Henry empties the contents (both of them laughing hysterically, by the way). But maybe my favorite and least favorite at the same time was what happened last week... the movers had taken all of our stuff, so there was nothing the boys could get into. The bathroom door was shut and Adam was vacuuming the house. He turned off the vacuum and heard "Go Henry, go!!" coming from the bathroom (door still shut, but this time with the boys on the other side) and walked in to see Henry slamming his arm in the toilet bowl repeatedly. Literally, John Dickson's dirty work.

If you tell Henry "night night," he tries to kiss you. It's super sweet. He loves to kiss his brother.

Henry has started to nod yes very emphatically. You can really ask him any question and he will nod yes. I think my parents had fun with that this weekend. He also will nod yes if he sees something he wants. I took him to Harris Teeter yesterday (PS this place is CRAWLING with Harris Teeters, but no Publix love... sad day) and as we went down the aisles, he would nod really big and point to what he wanted, which was apparently laundry detergent and tea.

Henry still loves to suck on his fingers, and its always his pointer and middle finger together on his left hand. He picks up food with his thumb and those two fingers glued together, and now when he signs "more," he does his right hand where he puts all of his fingertips together, but his left hand is his pointer and middle fingers. I'm beginning to think he doesn't know those two can separate. It's still quite cute.

Henry has 3 blankies, which is really convenient in the event one is dirty or MIA. Venture outside of those 3 blankies, and he is not a happy camper.

I could type more, but I'm sure its easy to lose interest in a blog post with no pictures, so I'll stop there. Pictures to come soon... hey, we're still unpacking. Legitimate excuse this time!