Henry At 4 Months

Henry turned 4 months old on the same day Emme turned 2 1/2. When they woke up in the morning and I had the diaper assembly line all laid out, I sang happy birthday to both of them at the same time. Their smiles & giggles were so precious -- they both loved it.

Then we took Henry to his 4 month checkup. The doctor laughed because she said Henry has such cute, defined little features yet he's sort of a tub-a-lub. (No, she didn't use those exact words.) He's doing great with his growth and great with his development.  He seems content with breastmilk alone still, so we're not starting solids just yet. His skin sensitivity remains a problem, but we just keep using aquaphor after every bath & as needed, and we wash everything around here like crazy. When he has a flare-up on his face from someone else's laundry detergent we have a steroid cream that calms it right down. So it's under control for now.

Henry 4 month stats:

Weight - 14 lbs 2 oz (45%)
Height - 25.25 inches (70%)
Head - 16.75 inches (50%)

 A few notes about Henry...

• It appears that the nickname Emme has given him -- Boo-boo -- is going to sick. My apologies, little man.
• Henry now sleeps from 8:30 PM til between 6:00 or 7:00 AM, and then goes back down until around 9:00 AM. Then he takes either 3 naps during the day or 2 long ones. This man a sleeper! Child after my own heart.
• We've tickled a few laughs out of Henry lately. His laugh melts my heart! He is the most ticklish boy in the land.
• Henry loves to sit in his bumbo right by the kitchen sink while I do dishes. Who knew it was so fascinating? He also loves to sit on the counter while we eat dinner or cook. This man may yet be social like his sister.
• Henry still adores his swing. Even with the modifications I made to it, it's starting to groan under his weight, ha ha! I think we're going to outgrow the weight limit before we outgrow our love for it. So sad.
• He loves to grab at toys, so we've got a hangy, rattly, noisy toy strapped to every baby appliance in the house.
• Henry can roll front to back and back to front. And he still hates his tummy.
• He found his feet this month. The second I lay him down to change his diaper, those feet go right to his hands. He loves holding onto them, but his big gut gets in the way sometimes so he has to take breaks to breathe. It's hilarious.
• Henry adores going for walks and being outside. Whether we're watering the garden, washing the car or watching Emme kick her ball around the yard, it keeps him enthralled.
• I'm convinced this boy is teething. His shirt is drenched down to his bellybutton with drool everyday, which requires numerous outfit changes because I can't bring myself to put him down to sleep in a cold, wet onesie. I put bibs on him but I don't like to put him down for naps with them on, and he just chews on them and creates more drool, which defeats their purpose!

 

 

 

 

Dolly

Sometimes when we get bored, we put Henry in Emme's doll stroller and push him around the house. It's like he is her doll, which makes her world complete. And he loves it! She needs a little help turning around the corners, (because lets face it, this kid is huge) but she loves it.

Holding Henry

Friends, Take 2

{RAAAWR! MY NAME IS HENRY AND I'M A GIANT!}

Our friends Kelli & Jeremy had their baby two weeks ago! We took them dinner and stopped in for a little visit to meet Jaycee. She is such a doll, and so tiny compared to Henry! I can't believe he was ever that small. (Probably because he was still in my tummy when he was that small, ha ha!)

We had to line the kiddos up on the carpet and take a picture like we did last time. Emme and Cambree are 6 months apart, and Henry and Jaycee are 3 1/2 months apart. And yes, their marriage has already been arranged.

Amy Leaves for Norway

Amy and Stuart gave their farewell talks this last Sunday in sacrament meeting on Mother's Day. They both did such a nice job. Afterwards all of the extended Pace and Langeland families came over to my parents house for food & conversation. It was a wonderful day with family.

Then on Tuesday night all of the siblings & spouses met over at the Stake Center to watch Amy be set apart as a missionary. We all got the chance to go around the table and share our feelings & testimonies. It was a special experience. The kind of experience you love but also hate because it's so emotionally draining! As we walked out of the church I said to my mom, I can't believe we have to do this two more times in the next month!

Amy was supposed to be at the MTC around 1:30 on Wednesday, so we all met at Cafe Rio on Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM for an early lunch and some last hugs & kisses.

 

 

Amy seemed really somber and nervous, but my Grandmother, true to her good form, apparently kept their conversation light and kept making jokes. Love you, Grandmother!

 

 Henry was a happy, happy boy. (Especially when you play patty-cake with his hands.)

 

 

 

 

When Amy finishes her mission, my parents will still be in Spain servings theirs. A while back she had mentioned to Michelle and I that she would like us to come pick her up from her mission in Norway. So when I gave Amy her last hug before she left, she told me she loved me and she would see me in Norway. I guess I'd better start saving my pennies!

Love you, Ames! You're going to be a fantastic missionary. We will miss you but we are so proud of you!

The Zoo With Amy

We went to the zoo with Amy before she left on her mission for a little extra bonding time with the kiddos. She hadn't been there since she was little, so it was fun to go with her again. We had a fun time talking and walking. We're going to miss you, aunt Amy!

Emme At 2 Years 5 Months

Or is it 29 months? Whichever you prefer.

This girl's personality is so full of life and spunk. Every day she says things that shock & amaze me. Her brain is like a steel trap and she remembers things you say to her, so you have to be careful with promises!

She also LOVES playing with friends - she's quite the social little thing. When we have playdates planned, I can't tell her about them until about two hours beforehand, because if I tell her too soon it's ALL she can talk about. ("When my friends coming? Is it time yet?") Sunday is her favorite day of the week because it means she gets to go to nursery and play with her friends.

She also makes friends easily - whether we're at the library, the grocery store, the playground - wherever. The other day we were at Kid2Kid and she was in the play area all by herself. Another mom came in and lifted her son into the area so she could do some shopping. Emme smiled and said hi to the boy, and then turned and called to me across the room, "MOM! THIS BOY MY BEST FRIEND!" It made everyone laugh, it was so cute.

A few more things about Emme:

• She still hasn't figured out she can get out of her bed and leave her room if she wanted to. Yay!
• She LOVES doing "crafts" with mom. Stamps, crayons, paint, foam stickers, craft kits from Oriental trading, etc.
• She's getting better at letting me do her hair - less tears these days. Some days we get an actual style in it!
• She's obsessed with stacking things and making "towers" like in Tangled. Blocks, books, measuring cups, picture frames (yikes!), etc.
• Emme's doing better at eating. I only cook one thing for dinner and she has to take at least one bite. Most of the time after one bite she actually likes it and will eat some more, with our coaxing.
• Emme continues to love reading books. She'll even pick them up and read them to herself these days. She's got Go Dog Go and Ten Fingers Ten Toes memorized, as well as our Baby Colors book, and a few others.
• Emme loves to play the game Memory. We'll play it on the counter while we eat lunch together. It always surprises me how well she remembers where things are!
• Emme continues to be a very verbal child. She speaks in long, complicated sentences. She can express herself really well. She also understands so much that Chris and I are already resorting to spelling things we don't want her to hear when she's around! She also hears the lyrics to songs on the radio and asks me questions about it, which always surprises me!
• Emme loves her little brother to pieces. She can never get enough hugs & kisses, and she wants him around all the time. The other day Henry was asleep so we left him home with dad while Emme and I went to the grocery store. I thought she would enjoy a little one-on-one time with mom, since she doesn't get it all that often. Instead, she cried the entire way to the grocery store because she wanted Henry to come with us because she missed him. How cute is that?
• Emme is compassionate, loving and caring. She is quick to say thank you and quick to say she's sorry. She understands what is about to happen to Grandma & Grandpa Pace and Amy and Stu, and it makes her sad. I didn't think she would understand until after they'd all gone. The other day in the car she started to cry. When I asked her what was wrong, she said, "I don't want Grandma to go." I thought maybe she was talking about Grandma leaving her house to run an errand or something. "Where don't you want Grandma to go?" I asked. "I don't want Grandma to go to Spain!"

 

A few more cute conversations:

While I was getting ready to do P90X one morning. The day before I had told her I was exercising to get in shape.
Emme: Mom, you exercise?
Mom: Yup.
Emme: You get a new shape, mom?
Mom: Yup. (chuckling)
Emme thinks for a minute, then turns her head to the side and asks...
Emme: A diamond?

While I was about to change Emme's diaper one day, she kept telling me she needed to go on the potty, even though she'd clearly already done the deed in her diaper. So I asked her which one she needed to go.
Emme: I need to go on the potty.
Mom: Which one, do you need to go pee pee or poop?
Emme thinks for a minute.
Mom: Which one do you need to go? Number one or number two?
Emme thinks for a minute.
Emme: Number twelve!


We love you to pieces, Emme! We're so glad you're in our family!