The boy

Henry is 11 months.

I usually still think he's a baby. But then he starts throwing fits when I shut the door so he can't go outside, or when I take something away from him that he can't eat. And then I realize how much he is growing up and what a strong will he already has!

He is incredibly strong and BIG. Henry can already take down his "big" sister and she ends up on the floor looking at me in disbelief.

He loves "boy" things - pushing around furniture, banging the toys on the table, head-butting people, and toys that make loud noises.

And still, Henry is my sweet little cuddly boy. He gives great kisses, nuzzles in my neck, and giggles hysterically at Adele when she does anything to make him laugh.

Henry is going in that stage of transitioning from two naps to one nap a day, but if I can keep him up long enough, he and Adele will both take a longer nap at the same time. And I have started finally getting him to sleep naps in the same room as her...so nighttime will soon follow.

Henry continues to be so FUNNY. It's hard to describe, but he has a really funny personality. He loves the camera, loves to make people laugh, loves to be chased, loves to be tickled, and loves to play with his sister. One thing he does is imitate any noise that comes out of your mouth. You sneeze, burp, cough, or make any other silly noise, and Henry will try to do the same. Often he will make a growling noise and I will have forgotten that someone nearby has just sneezed or coughed.

And Henry is into EVERYTHING. He is at a stage where it is difficult to keep my eyes off him for more than 5 seconds because he surely will have found something he shouldn't have gotten into. It's unbelievable.

Henry, we love you. Thanks for keeping us on our toes, and for constantly making us laugh.

The Princess

While David was away, we spent over a week up in Iowa visiting my family. I enjoyed the extra help chasing Henry, and Adele enjoyed the extra attention.

Henry's routine was:
to go from pulling the blinds in the kitchen (a BIG no-no)...
to pulling out the dirt in the plants in the next room...
to trying to stick his fingers in the outlets when crossing the hallway...
to pulling at the cords on my mom's computer in her office...
to climbing the stairs...
to "loving" on their dog Sophie by pulling her hair and eyes...
to sticking his fingers in the DVD player
...and then back to the blinds in the kitchen.

He is one busy boy. Someone had to constantly be watching him. I mean constantly.

Don't let his innocent sweet look fool you...

Adele and my mom enjoyed their almost daily occurrence of "morning movie" together. Adele is now a big fan of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Annie, and The Wizard of Oz. Cinderella was her favorite (oddly enough, the old 1965 TV movie version), and she simply insisted that she dance with someone to every song. Even Henry got a turn!

Because this girl loves to dance so much, she started wearing her "dancing skirt" every day, whether or not it actually matched. Then it turned into every night. Over her pajamas. Apparently, if a little girl feels so moved to dance, she needs to be ready with her dancing skirt at all hours.

Finally, Aunt Katie completed her look with the tiara Aunt Rachel wore for her bachelorette party.

Obviously ready for bed!

Here are some other pictures from our time in Iowa:

Adele and James, reunited. These two adore each other.

 Henry taking a turn driving

Snuggle time with Grandpa. Yes, Adele is wearing my socks. 

And another "dancing" skirt. Both over her pajamas.

 Henry loves the game "Where's Henry?"

At Monkey Joes with Aunt Rachel

Henry also enjoyed Monkey Joes

 Hugs from Aunt Katie

Sleep, adventures, and coffee

Sleep: (v.) 

1. To take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness; cease being awake.
2. To be dormant or inactive.

I had to look up this word because I kinda forgot what it means.

David left for Nicaragua 4 weeks ago to continue in his adventures and research studies and the kids and I were left behind. (Adventures: n. period of time where David travels around the country of Nicaragua while counting parrots, avoids poisonous snakes, sleeps in hammocks, explores mangroves, views beautiful volcanoes, dodges bullet ants, and speaks a lot of Spanish.)

I have no idea how single parents survive. Or even if survival is attained, I have no idea how they keep their sanity.

We kept ourselves quite busy. Birthday parties, many trips to the library for storytime and entertainment, get-togethers with friends who were looking out for us (me), and church - where Adele has started "school" (classes, rather than nursery, on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings). At home we had movie nights, entertained friends who came to visit, did countless puzzles, read many books, and played outside with sidewalk chalk when the weather permitted.

After 2 1/2 weeks of that daily busyness, my parents came to visit and I found myself no longer the sole entertainer or meal provider or house cleaner. (Whew.)

Since the discipline and care of the kids has fallen into my hands during this time, I recognize the fact that I need to be caught up on sleep in order to consistently respond to my kids patiently. While I was by myself, I had a hard time turning out all of the lights and falling asleep at night simply because the reality of being "alone" would sink in. (Kids don't provide a feeling of mental safety, even though I enjoy their company.)

Henry was sleeping with me, and though I entertained the idea of allowing Adele sleep with me right away as well, I also knew that it would be important to be consistent with her and keep our routines with her in her own bed as long as possible. She did, however, catch on to the fact that in the middle of the night if she woke up, she could come crawl in bed with me. (I didn't mind being woken up by a kiss on the cheek and my little girl snuggling up to me as she went back to sleep!)

And then there's a night like last night - Henry appears to be teething, so even though he's not very fussy, he was tossing and turning a lot last night. In the middle of the night I was trying to remember the last time I slept for a solid 6 hours of sleep straight without being woken up. I'm sure it was before Henry was born.

And what it REALLY comes down to is balance. I'm still trying to figure out a balance of enjoying the time when both kids are asleep at night AND getting a good night's sleep. Because the logical response to a night like last night (or most nights, when my sleep is interrupted multiple times often by both kids) is to go to bed early tonight.

Instead, I've become even more acquainted with a different word that is just as key to my survival as sleep is:

Coffee (n.) [kaw-fee]: a beverage consisting of a decoction or infusion of the roasted ground or crushed seeds of the two-seeded fruit of certain coffee trees.