A Weekend Away

George and I had a "weekend getaway" over the holiday weekend. We went to Baltimore for a wedding and left Henry with my parents in Iowa. It was our first separation from Henry, so initially there was some anxiety, but I think overall we did very well. There was no crying and carrying on from any party involved!

Actually, it was probably a much needed break in the routine. Henry continued (if not improved) his regular sleeping schedule, enjoyed a lot of ice cream and cookies (what are grandparents for, right?), and gave up many of his habits for nursing. (Since opportunity knocked, we're taking advantage of a non-traumatic weaning process!)

Apparently, Henry enjoyed roaming the 7 acres of my parents country home with two dogs, two aunties, and two grandparents. Instead of "helping" with the garden, he had a front row seat for watching the tractor plant soybeans next door. (How exciting!) Sounds like a little boy's paradise, no?

It took me a little while to adjust to the fact that I was only responsible for MY own personal belongings on the trip. I repeatedly asked George if I put my wallet in the bag. My brain had a hard time not thinking I was missing something, since I'm usually trying to remember sippy cups, snacks, extra diapers, change of clothes, and a few toy cars. You know, the essentials.

On our trip we enjoyed a few quiet meals. Actually, that should read "we enjoyed eating a hot meal of our choice with adult conversation." We were thankful we weren't those folks entertaining youngsters in the airport crowd, and were happy to become involved in the quiet reading of a good book during flight. It was a wonderful weekend to wrap up George's vacation week! Which was, for the most part, a much needed STAYcation, complete with home & garden projects.

15 months old

and needs another haircut!

Being so brave

Henry was being "helpful" while I was digging out a tree stump. I'd dig out a scoop of dirt, and he'd throw two handfuls back into the hole. Gee, thanks.

He managed to find this narrow strip of dirt that was left and walk this path -- over and over and over. I figured I had to record it if he was going to do it so many times.



Not only was the dirt fun to play on, but it apparently tasted good too!

Henry's words and signs

What has Henry been up to? Saying a lot, and doing lots of signs.

To date he can say: mama, papa, car, star, go-go-go, no, yeah, kitty, turkey, chicky, tractor, diaper, baby, bubble, cuckoo.

Signs he does: more, juice, diaper, shoes, bath, eat, bye-bye, gives kisses, blows kisses, dog, cat, frog, bee, pig, bird, fish, bunny.

As you might be able to tell, Henry really likes animals!

A Mother's Day to Remember

Rita Marie Heying
May 17, 1922 - May 6, 2009

Mother's Day was bittersweet this year. We were blessed to spend it with many family and friends, remembering a very special Mother and Grandmother. Though we would have rather spent the day with her in person, not spirit, there were many wonderful stories told during her wake and funeral.

An excerpt from her obituary lists her interests:
Rita loved cooking for family gatherings, quilting, embroidering, playing cards with family and friends and being involved in farming with her husband. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and Rosary Society in North Washington.

But Grandma was much more than her hobbies and interests. She was a strong and spirited woman, full of life, a good listener (and pretty good at giving advice, too!).

This picture is the quintessential Grandma, her place at the table with her coffee cup, ready to jump up and get any meal or snack for anyone who walked in through her door.

We love you, Grandma. And we'll miss you.

My little "hot" pepper

I call him my little hot pepper because he's been having a fever on and off for three days now. Poor baby. During those hot flashes, he wilts. It is so unlike the Henry that rushes around from toy to toy or follows me through the house or begs to go outside. So far, it is a fever of unknown origin. His nose has been running, causing him to cough but that has been going on for a week already. To add insult to injury, I suspect he's also teething molars again. Ouch.

When he's not resting, as I said, he's a very busy boy. His sign language use has really taken off. He points to birdies and moves his fingers like their beak. He clucks his tongue out the window when there is a squirrel in our backyard, and he's crazy about finding and smelling flowers. Thankfully, the dandelions are in full bloom right now, taking the pressure off of keeping him from smelling and picking the nice flowers. I tried to get a close up of the yellow dandelion fluff on his nose, but it's hard to snap a photo of a quick moving boy.

Yesterday, in the middle of his backyard adventures he stopped for a moment, watching something closely near the ground. When I asked him what he saw, he moved his fingers in the "OK" shape and made the buzzing sound for a bee. Sure enough, there was a bumblebee flitting among the violets and dandelions at his feet. I'm truly amazed by his perceptiveness and am so thankful we have an outlet to facilitate communication at the ripe ol' age of 14 months!

Grillin' & Relaxin'

As they say, "ducks have ducks."

George finished his crummy "Q4 Call" rotation, so we enjoyed a sunny and warm weekend around the house. It was lovely spending some time together outdoors, grilling some good food and relaxing.

This is my favorite time of year. A person can enjoy warm evenings on the patio before the bug invasion begins (though I did not come away unscathed -- current mosquito bite count: eight).

just being a boy

A ball.
Splashing.
Mud.

This was quickly followed by a bath.

Slap happy

Here we go again being all slap happy around bed time! Enjoy the silliness!

Farmer's Market

I've been anticipating the return of the Dane County Farmer's Market to scope out the fresh local produce. This past Saturday did not disappoint. Henry and I had a lovely time circling the square on a crisp and sunny morning. To finish our loop, we split a donut on the lawn of the capitol and I let Henry out of his stroller to burn off a little energy before loading him in the car again.

Here's to a fruitful spring and summer, full of tasty treats!