Big Swedes

This morning was Henry's 4 month check up and he is growing up to show off his father's Swedish stock (albeit his eyes are getting browner by the day). He is 15 lbs, 13 oz and 26 1/2 inches long. That is 75 percentile for weight and 90th for height! The doctor even thinks that he will begin teething soon as his gums appear to be red and a bit swollen. (So that's why he keeps chewing his hands!)

Here is Henry is his Christening gown. I put it on him and Sloan said, "It's a dress." I said, "What did you think the word gown meant?" But it is very sweet as it is the one that both Marshall and Sloan were baptized in along with many of their cousins. The slip has about 10 sets of initials embroidered on it of its previous wearers. Certainly the most recent wearer is the most handsome.

More Girls for Henry

A big shout out to my good friend and brand new mommy, Jackie Bizzell. She gave birth yesterday, despite an epidural that didn't work, to a beautiful girl, Natalie Marie. With the same name as his cousin, Henry now has two Natalies to love and torment him.

LL Cool H (Ladies Love Cool Henry)

Labor Day? Not for Henry. Sloan and I went out to the Pusey Country Club (aka my sister's house) to hang out for the day with her three youngest, Joshua (6), Jonathan (4), and Isabel (12 months). We lolled about the pool, watched cartoons, and Henry even slept with his first girl. We may have to move to West Virginia, however, as it was his cousin, Isabel. I have spoken before of their love for one another. But is really is sweet. He fell asleep in her crib first and then we she dozed off, we put her in. They are the ones that decided to hold hands.

Summertime and the living is easy...

We took our first official family vacation last week. Along the way, we saw family and took bunches of pictures.

First we went to Greensboro and ate dinner with Gigi and Papa and the Johnson cousins. Henry's cousin Caroline told us all about how she was heading off to Kindergarten and his cousin Natalie, aged 3, informed us at dinner that if you get seconds, you will throw up. Actually it went something like this....Natalie: Where's Gigi? Aunt Elizabeth: Getting seconds. Natalie: That's too much food. If you eat too much, you throw up. (Mind you, we were at the Country Club buffet, so my mother was actually just getting her main course after having finished her salad. It also should be noted that despite seconds being had by many, no one vomited.)

Friday morning, we woke up at the crack of dawn and headed to Davidson, NC to visit Grandma and Grandpa Phillips, along with Great-Grandma Violet. We were excited to get to see her as it has been a year since we went out West with her. She turned 99 this past summer. Upon going to the hospital to get pictures of her heart taken recently, she told the radiologist--"It may be difficult for you as I gave my heart to Chet Whittaker over 70 years ago."

Friday night we spent the night with Uncle Marshall (Sloan's big brother, as in Henry "Marshall") and Aunt Holly and the Phillips cousins, Violet (6), Bo (4), and Gigi (11 months). Bo didn't feel like having anything to do with Henry, even when I told him he wouldn't have to wash his hands. Violet and Gigi (whose thighs are adorably huge) gave him lots of cuddles and kisses. Bo did, however, hand down loads of cute smocked outfits. (Thanks Holly!)

From Charlotte, we headed down to my parents' condo at Litchfield by the Sea. We lolled about, floated along in the lazy river, rode around in the golf cart (which Henry adored!), and even rode waves in the ocean. He slept late in his pack n play, and even took naps in the sand. He was wonderful as we went out to dinner for our third anniversary. Henry began giggling this week and continues to carry on his reign of cutest boy baby on the planet! Mommy has also learned to feed him on the go. Many a trucker along 95 got to watch me climb from the front seat into the back to shove a bottle in Henry's mouth. We are so blessed to have such an easy going baby.

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin, Rawhide

August 21, 2007. 5:45 pm
HENRY ROLLS OVER FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!


He is now rolling over from back to front. I think most babies roll over tummy to back first, but apparently no one told Henry this. He loves to roll over to see himself better in the mirror while playing in his gym. The only problem with this is that Henry is not a fan of "tummy time," yet he keeps finding himself on his tummy. I tried explaining that this would happen every time he rolled from his back to his front, but he doesn't listen. Since this time, he has also started sleeping curled up on his side. It is very sweet to watch.

Watermelon Festival and Matthew McConaughey

My good friend Carol Chalk was in town this weekend and we got to do some crafting. I showed her how to make French memo boards and she showed me how to make those fleece knot blankets.

We also took Henry to his first Richmond Watermelon Festival in Carytown. We discovered that pushing a stroller actually makes things easier as people get out of the way for you. Henry was a little angel even at lunch, probably because Auntie Carol cuddled him and let him watch the ceiling fan.

In addition to ceiling fans, he also loves taking baths. We spray the wand and he just laughs and coos. You would think that the water in his face would make him unhappy, but he just loves it. He also enjoys watching television. He was fussing a bit this morning and so I put him in his Bumbo seat while I made him a bottle and turned on the TV. It was the movie Sahara and immediately he calmed down and smiled. I tried changing the channel so I could watch something else and he whimpered. So, like his father, the boy loves the movie Sahara. Which is good as it seems like it is always on TV.

Spoiled by an Angel

I am overwhelmed by what a good baby Henry is. He is sick and he still is smiley. He rarely cries, mainly just a few yelps to let me know I need to hurry up with that bottle. He doesn't even cry when I cut his fingernails (although he does squirm like a fish out of water.) He slept through the night last night and Sloan fed him his morning bottle, so I was able to sleep to around 8am. You know you are old when sleeping until 8 counts as "sleeping in."