We're walking... we're walking... NOT!

Oh, Henry!

Yes, we find ourselves saying that phrase all too often these days. And lately, it is usually preceded by Henry's refusal to just let go and take a step.

As mentioned in a previous post (yeah, the one where we were all too excited that Henry was finally crawling), we thought FOR SURE this little boy of ours would be walking by 12 months. He took steps back at 9 month old. I swear!! Oh, well. Here we are. 14 months and 4 steps later, Henry is still crawling around - if you can even call it that.

We can't really complain. He is still easy enough to keep an eye on and things are still relatively out of reach. The house still looks like my own (for now). However, I just knew he would be walking for our family vacation to the beach this summer, but now, not so sure. Maybe it wouldn't be such a problem to have a crawler in the sand, if our little crawler didn't drag a leg around with him everywhere he went. The poor little guy always manages to irritate that baby soft skin by dragging it through the grass, the mulch, the gravel driveway... I can only imagine what hot, sticky sand is going to do.

What do we do!?

He cruises! Yes, he cruises, gets to an edge, plops onto his bottom and crawls to the next object to pull up on.

He holds our fingers! Yes, he walks around holding hands all day long! Try to let go? Yeah right! Watch the temper tantrum start.

Walking holding one hand, not both? NO WAY! Let the water works begin.

Oh, Henry. What are we gonna do with you?

It's a party, Pinterest or not!

I didn't think the day would ever come and yet, here it came and went, much too quickly. Henry celebrated his first birthday!

What a beautiful day! Seriously, no more perfect day could have been requested and everything went off without a hitch. Sunny, 70 degrees, BBQ cooked to perfection, no flies irritating our food or drinks and a Happy Henry to top it all off.

Leading up to the big day we were very indecisive on how we should approach. Do we invite just family? Or do we invite friends and their children? If we invite friends with kids, do we need to then invite friends without children as well, since they all love Henry equally? And then, where would it end? Family... Neighbors... Old friends... New friends... Needless to say, we opted for immediate family only. Now the even bigger question, what will the theme be??

I am not very big on "themes". If you recall, Henry's room is just a peaceful mix of tan, minty-sage and sky blue... no bears, no monkeys, no balloons. So, when planning this, I threw all characters and locomotives aside and opted again, to stick with colors. This time we went with Red & Carolina Blue, with some yellows, greens and oranges mixed in.

Now, what will this party look like and what should we serve? Most of you are aware of the newest Internet phenomenon, Pinterest. If you aren't, it is an amazing idea website full of the craftiest of crafts and the yummiest of yums, but it also has a dark side. Because of Pinterest we are all now expected to hand make the most spectacular parties, from food to decor, to drinks and favors. I have seen some amazing ideas and don't get me wrong, I have "pinned" them all, but when the time came to create my own pinnable day, I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Stop. Breath. Remember you are NOT Martha Stewart (and you're not expected to be).

And without being Martha Stewart; without making the perfect pom poms; without having the perfectly staged BBQ Bar... The party was a success and I have a feeling Henry didn't notice the difference.

The Birthday Boy!!

Party Favors

The Dessert Table

It's Your Special Day!

The Cake

Drink Station

Radio Flyer!

 

Too sweet not to share

It's Present Time!

Whatever works for you, Bug!

Back in January, we visited the doctor for Henry's 9 month check up. Just days prior to the visit, Henry took his first 2 unassisted steps and we were so proud. So sure that he was going to be an early walker just like his father and cousin, Josiah. How wrong we were.

While the doctor was impressed that he took steps (though I am pretty sure she thought I was living in some dreamland as Henry sat motionless with no attempt to stand or take steps, let alone move an inch), she made it quite clear that we needed to work on getting Henry to crawl or at least sitting up on his own. I felt regret. I felt defeated. Why had I not forced my son, against all his will, to lay crying on his belly? Certainly if I had, he would be crawling, right?

Everyone tried to reassure me, "he will do things at his own pace", " you will miss the days of not running after him, enjoy it"... I know, I know. But all the other kids are doing it!!?? And the days stretched on... and then a month... and then it was March...

And there he sat.

And then... it happened... he put those little hands firm on the floor in front of him and slid himself forward. No, he didn't move to his knees. That would be too normal. That would require having to move back to a sitting position. Why stop sitting when you can get to where you want to be while in the position you want to be in when you get there? So, there goes our son, creative as always, scooting around the house, cleaning the floors with his bottom with each move forward.

I'll Have What He's Having

5 months ago Henry began eating “solid” foods. I put “solid” in quotations because there is nothing solid about them. All of the water, formula and/or stock you add to them make for one runny mess on that sweet baby face.

Even before there was a pregnancy to speak of, I had planned to make my precious new life his/her own homemade meals. I now know if you plan to do all of these wonderful, magical things for your baby, don’t go shouting them from the rooftops. There WILL be something you will give in to --- almost immediately. Like TV! However, I am happy to say, I have been able to provide my baby boy with about 85% homemade and mostly organic foods.

I would like to think that all of this work (which really isn’t too much) is for the sole benefit of Henry’s health. But let’s face it, I quit my job. Money is tight.

Besides health and money, I have found that the other amazing reason to make your baby’s food is the variety they receive. Man, this kid eats good! The colors of the food are bright, the runny foods aren't nearly as runny as those in jars and new flavors are abundant. One of the yummiest dishes made (before those razor teeth popped through) was the roasted red pepper and goat cheese puree. Whip some of this stuff up and serve it to your guests with crackers. I’m not kidding; it’s that good!

These days Henry can eat most soft table foods --- ahhh, finally! --- which makes dinner time a breeze. Well, a breeze assuming we make a dinner soft enough for him to eat (tonight it is burgers and veggies). Fish is a meal that took a sabbatical during my pregnancy (the thought of it made me turn green), but has since made a smashing return now that Henry can join us in the meal. Good for him and Great for Matt and I --- I need those omegas back in my life! Recently Henry enjoyed thai grilled salmon with us at the table. MMMMMMM! I think a curry dish is up next!

Here’s to hoping Henry continues to enjoy all the different spices, textures and tastes the world of food has to offer!

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Puree (source: Cooking for Baby)

• red bell pepper, 1 large
• pasteurized fresh goat cheese, 1.5 oz

Preheat broiler. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place whole pepper on pan & roast, turning every 3 minutes until evenly charred/blackened on all sides.

Remove from oven, put pepper in a covered container and let sit until cool. The steam in the container will help to loosen the skin. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skin from the pepper. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise, remove seeds and stem, and cut in half again lengthwise. Puree in food processor until smooth (no additional liquid will be needed).

Spoon goat cheese into food processor and process with pepper puree until blended and creamy.

Grilled Salmon with Chili-Lime Sauce (source: Quick & Easy Thai)

Fish:

• 1.5 lbs salmon
• 3 tbs coarsely chopped garlic
• 3 tbs coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbs vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients, excluding fish, in food processor. Grind into a smooth paste. Scrape cilantro-garlic paste into a medium bowl, add fish, and toss to coat. Set aside 20-30 minutes or refrigerated up to 1 day.

Sauce:

• 1/4 c fish sauce
• 3 tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp finely chopped hot green chilies
• 1 tsp finely chopped cilantro

Note: I did mostly soy sauce instead of fish sauce (not a huge fan) with a wave of fish sauce mixed in. I also substituted garlic chili paste for the garlic and chilies. Worked great! ALSO, and important, this was not added to Henry’s fish fillet!!!

Combine fish sauce and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add chilies and cilantro. Set aside until serving time.

Prepare fish on a very hot grill or oven at 425. Cook until browned and done to your liking. Serve with sauce on the side.

Funny Meeting You Here

Well hello again, blog world! It sure has been awhile.

My goal when creating this blog was to create a site where family and friends could follow all that is the World of the Wards from near and far. From expecting announcement to all the milestones to follow. I - Have - Failed.

Let me try to redeem myself. I cannot promise weekly updates or even monthly, but I can promise I won't just disappear for 6 months at a time without at least a warning or farewell.

So, what's new with us? SO MUCH! The last time we caught up, Henry was leaving "spit-up" (if you can call them that) puddles all over the house; those days are a foggy memory of the past. Instead of not keeping anything down,we are trying to keep up with his appetite! But let me not get ahead of myself.

In the past 6 months...

- I went back to work (luckily, from my "home office")

- I left my work (Yeah! Full Time Mommy!)

- We took our first trip to the ER (105 temperatures are scary at 11PM)

- Henry went from rolling to his back, to sitting up, to rolling to his tummy, to scooting across the floor and now, already taking steps unassisted. (will he ever crawl though?)

- Matt took a trip away for 6 nights! (we survived, but sure were happy to have "dada" back)

- Henry has 2 bottom teeth (and has the bite to prove it)

- Lots, lots more, but that covers the big stuff

I'm so happy to see you all again and will update soon with more topic specific posts. Just wanted to stop in, say 'Hell0', and hope you will forgive me for my disappearing act.

Without further ado... here's Henry!

Another Wardrobe Change!?

It's official... We have a projectile spitter-upper on our hands!!

Everyday I am surrounded by burp cloths, receiving blankets and bibs, but still, I find myself in no less than 2 outfits a day and that is just me. When Matt gets home he must immediately change into casual clothes, and they don't even last long once the boy is in his arms.

For every photo shoot (which happens all too often), there is at least one of these photos included:



Not only are we changing our clothes more often then preferred, but Mr. Henry is worse than Mariah Carey on Cribs! Don't get me wrong, I do love dressing him up in all of his adorable outfits, but enough is enough!

I guess it could be worse, at least the wardrobe changes aren't from blowouts out the back! ... yet...

Is that ESP?

My last blog post was about how our lives were about to change, but when posting the entry I had no clue how eminent that change would be. However, there must be something to this whole "mother's intuition" notion, as that night (April 7th), I felt I had to get that last entry posted before I went to bed.


That possible "last dinner" at Bottom's Up with Matt, was in fact our last dinner just the 2 of us. At 3:45 the next morning I awoke to a sensation of liquid in the bed and I knew I wasn't just peeing myself. Game On! Time to get to the hospital!

Let's just leave it at labor is no fun, we can leave out the gory details, but the end result is worth every agonizing moment. And thank you Dr. Hirata and nurse Liz for making one of the hardest things I've ever done, such a wonderful memory.



Arriving just over 2 weeks early, at a mere 5 lbs. 8 oz., Henry joined our little family on April 8th at 3:59PM. We spent 2 amazing days, just the 3 of us, in the hospital getting to know the new man in our life. Now, over 2 months later (and 3 pounds heavier), we cannot remember what life was like before we saw this smile!