Do Trick or Treaters come any cuter?

Getting ready for Halloween, originally uploaded by hjw3001.

Me thinks the answer is 'no', but - yes - I am biased...

Here I am with a semi-monthly update on our favorite baby boy!  Lots of developments, so I'l start a list.

Motor Skills

Holy moly, this kid can MOVE!!  He is constantly walking these days.  He is so very busy that, fortunately for us, at the end of the day he is exhausted.  He has been so beautifully happy since he started to walk that he's just a joy to watch.  We've had several evenings in the last few weeks where, between dinner and bed time, Hank just cracks himself up walking in circles around the living room, and falling down over and over and over again.  He laughs the entire time, laughs and walks and falls and laughs until he is just delirious and stumbling around like a drunken sailor.  And of course this cracks up up.  I've got video...  Check the flickr in a couple of days.   The boy is a riot these days.

New Things He's Learned

In addition to all the moving and grooving, Hank has some actual words he says now.  And even cooler, he actually seems to know how to use them properly!  He's like a Real Boy, now!  He's been using 'mama' and 'dada' for quite some time, but in the last week he's started to say 'nononononono' (usually when trying to get out of a diaper change), 'ca!' (when a cat walks by), and 'bah bye!' (when some one is leaving or, very often, when he sees I'm on the phone and about to wrap it up -- as I say 'talk to you later', and hang up, Hank says 'bah bye!').   The 'bah bye' thing has actually been evolving a bit.  He also knows 'hi', but usually says it in conjunction with 'bah bye' -- so it is 'hibahbye!'  He's waving when he says it, but he's still not quite sure which to use for arriving and which to use for leaving.  But hey, it is a great start!  And so, so funny.  'Hibahbye!!'

He's also gotten the idea of peek-a-boo down pat, and he's applied it in other contexts.  Several times in the last few days I've caught him playing hide and seek with me.  He'll see me coming and hide, and then wait for me to find him.  It is adorable!  We LOVE to play this game.  

From the 'Things I Never Thought I'd Say' Department

In the last week I've found myself saying 'is that cantaloup in my shoe?' (we eat at the coffee table, and our shoes are often under the coffee table during meals, and Hank has been eating -- and dropping -- a LOT of cantaloup), and 'get your foot out of my pants!' (uttered while I was sitting on the floor and Hank tried to use my butt as a step to climb on to the couch).

Awesome Daddy Time for Hank

I can't remember if I posted anything about having surgery, but I had my surgery and it went really well.  As a side-effect Henry has gotten to spend a lot more time doing Hank-stuff because I've been restricted from lifting Hank.  So daycare drop-offs and pick-ups, getting him up in the morning, getting him to bed at night, handling any mid-night wake ups (thankfully there haven't been many - Hank's too tired from all his walking!) have all become Henry's responsibility.  They've grown such a lovely bond in the last few weeks -- when I realized that Hank was reaching for Henry the other day I actually felt a little sad and wistful!  But I've quickly banished that thought, because I am so happy to see my two best guys totally adoring each other.  It is just lovely.  

Too Much Time On My Hands

Mommy needs a drink!!!!

well, maybe not if she's still on codeine (see below!)

So, if I thought I had too much time on my hands last time I posted to the blog, I had no idea. NOW I've really got too much time on my hands because I've been laid off from my job! Not enough clients to keep me on board. It has been about a week, so the initial shock and ego-bruise has worn off, but wow did that experience take the wind out of my sails. I don't want to write too much about the experience, but suffice it to say in the end this will have been a blessing rather than a curse. I was hoping to ride my last job through a second pregnancy, and I'm sad to be forced to give up the flexibility I had at that firm, but it has been clear to me for quite a long time that I had reached the end of my road there and it is time to move on. I'm always going to be glad that I stayed there for as long as I did because I think I finally found a practice area that interests me for the long term. But like I said I'm not going to write much more about that -- I'm just going to get organized to move on and find something to do that I can truly sink my teeth into and fully enjoy. (a side note -- it has only been a week since I lost my job, but one thing I've already gleaned from the experience is that I do want to have a fulfilling career outside the home -- this probably seems obvious to some, but it hasn't been obvious to me since Hank was born. I've been pretty confused, actually, about my professional role versus my personal role and this experience has helped me gain some clarity).



Big Sur

We took Hank on his first trip to Big Sur two weekends ago -- it was so fun to explore with him! We took him all over the coast -- down south to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (where Henry asked me to marry him lo those many years ago), north to Andrew Molera State Beach (where we hiked a couple of miles through coastal forest and chapparel to a windswept beach), to drinks and dinner at Nepenthe (where Hank handled the fine dining experience like a pro!), to lounging on the lawn at the Big Sur River Inn (where Hank waded in a river for the first time and devoured an entire banana without any help from either one of us). It was truly a lovely trip.



Surgery

In other news, I had surgery last week to remove my gallbladder. I've been pretty sore, but I'm recovering smoothly. Today I feel like I felt worse than the day before, but tonight I'm feeling pretty good again. I can't do a whole lot for Hank yet and I won't be able to lift him for a few more weeks, but we are doing really well even with the changes in our routines. Henry has been a total champ, as have been my parents, and my moms' group friends have been an incredible support -- they've been bringing meals and will be helping out with Hank. We are truly blessed in the friends and family department.



Walking!!!

Hank is walking! We've seen him go up to five steps before falling, and he's turned into a total pro at walking with assistance -- up until today we would walk behind him while holding both his hands above his head, but tonight he refused all but one finger's worth of assistance. We cannot believe it -- he's like a Real Boy now.



With each day that passes now I look at him and the teeny baby he once was seems further and further away, and I can't believe that there was a time that he wasn't even part of our lives. He's such a full-fledged little kid now -- with opinions and desires and undying curiosity. Everyday he's learning something new and testing his limits and boundaries in new ways. Obviously we encourage all of this heartilly, but I admit a little part of me misses those cuddly baby days when he would sleep for hours on my chest. But I wouldn't trade the Hank of Today with anything, because I know that tomorrow he'll be different yet again.



Ahhhhh, baby love.