A must-read

I've done my fair share of reading when it comes to parenting topics. From breastfeeding to sleeping to vaccination to discipline to starting solids...the list goes on and on. Last fall my cousin, Heidi, gave me a few books to borrow. It takes me a loooong time to get through a book but recently I got around to reading BIBLICAL PARENTING by Crystal Lutton. Wow! It is by far the best parenting book I've read. The book teaches that we should parent our children to reflect the way God parents us. When we look at Scripture we see that God parents us on the basis of grace and through that, he provides a perfect parenting model for us. The book is a pretty quick read and extremely worth it! I just ordered my own copy from Amazon so I can finally send Heidi's back. Read this book! And let me know if you want to borrow my copy :)

the beginning of a beautiful adventure



Yes, Henry's daddy has big plans for this truck. Mostly, plans that include a daddy and his boy side by side fishing, camping, and exploring. Just spending time together. With lots of stops for ice cream, I'm sure. Yes, big plans indeed. Plans that Henry's daddy has been dreaming of for a long, long time. Henry doesn't know it yet, but the memories made along the way in this truck will be treasures to him when he's all grown up.

in appreciation

The other day I was talking to my friend Hayley, who is a mother of five, about parenting and she said that whenever she gets stressed out about mothering her five little ones she just watches an episode of 16 and Pregnant and she feels much better about her own day-to-day. True story. The other day I was watching such smut (as my husband likes to call it ;)) and was stunned by one particular scene. In it, the young mom had been on the rocks with the father of the baby throughout the whole episode. When they got home from the hospital she was overwhelmed with joy and appreciation toward this guy for "rearranging the room so the baby's bassinet could fit." She was literally brought to tears because of this one "generous" gesture from the father of the child she had just given birth to. Without him. Alone in the hospital. Not trying to take anything away from that situation, but it stunned me because of all the many MANY things my husband/Henry's daddy does for us on a daily basis. Sliding a dresser over to make room for a bassinet wouldn't even make the list. Man, I'm so thankful for Dameon. He was there every second in the hospital, taking complete care of Henry while I was recovering from surgery. He had never taken care of a newborn before and he handled it with patience and ease. He skipped his band concert on the third day of our stay. And then there was the time he took a whole day off during his busiest season of work last summer to paint two of the nursery walls blue because I decided I really wanted them blue. And how about the night that I couldn't get a fussing Henry to go to sleep and, knowing there wasn't much he could do for a nursing baby at midnight, just came and laid on the floor of the nursery while I rocked Henry in the chair so that I wouldn't feel like I was up all alone. And let's not forget the fact that this guy works his tail off year-round including nights and weekends so that I can stay home full-time with our son. He even picked up extra work this summer so that we can feel a little more comfortable heading into year two of being a single-income family. Sheesh. Moving a dresser? I've got it sooooooo good. And this short list doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. Especially since I didn't mention anything about the pre-Henry days.

With that said, Henry and I are so blessed to have the husband/daddy/leader that we have. WE LOVE YOU, DAMEON!!  Happy (belated) Father's Day.

owies, caving, and funnies

I think it's safe to say that 17 months is my favorite age so far. Without a doubt, every age and stage has been memorable and special but this...this might just be the best. He is saying (or at least attempting to say) pretty much everything, he's becoming less baby and more little boy (sad and happy all rolled into one for Mom and Dad), and has the best personality ever.

Oh, how we love this kid...

 Here are some of his latest funnies:

• He recently learned, completely unprompted, how to walk backward. It's so precious because you can tell he is just so proud of himself.
• He almost never says the word, "Yes." Instead, he says, "sure!" But it comes out more like, "Soooo-uh"  And then I could basically cry tears of cuteness.
• He doesn't forget much. Example: a couple weeks ago I was getting ready to help him go down the slide and I realized I was stepping in a spot by the base of the slide where the dog had just peed. Now every time we go out in the yard, Henry points to that spot and says, "Pee!"
• He loves having company and goes nuts when people come over. Between him and Rufus, it's just crazy hot laps around here when a guest arrives.
• He tends to announce things. Example: Every time he sneezes (which is every time sunlight hits him...like father, like son...) he says, "Cough."
• He currently finds the following things absolutely terrifying: Monkey Joe's, bubble machines, and sprinklers. Funny story about the sprinkler: I sent Dameon to the store to pick one out, thinking this would be great backyard fun. He came home with this crazy hose-like thing with many smaller hoses that branch off of it. When turned on, this thing shoots water in every direction all at once and the water pressure is intense. It was literally spraying water across the entire width of our yard. Plus we made the mistake of turning it on when Henry was somewhat nearby. Game over.

And now for the caving. There are a few things I've really stuck to my guns on when it comes to parenting decisions. Exclusive breastfeeding, no fruit juice, and cloth diapers just to name a few...them all. Here is an example of something I have completely caved on. First we bought our van and our van has a dvd player. I think my exact statement was: "Let's not even use it, so he'll never know it's there." Then, of course, we had to test it out so we could see how it worked. Then one time he started freaking out when we still had an hour left in the van, so we turned it on. Then I figured, heck I'd get him a Sesame Street dvd in his Easter basket for moments of desperation. And then my excitement about him loving Sesame Street (because he NEEDS to) took over and was fueled by the fact that he is half me and he DOES have an inability to resist that which is the gold standard in children's programming. Thus, I caved. And I took Dameon down with me. Now, every weekday from 9 - 10 you can find Henry in one of his two perches. Sitting in his bag chair or standing by his toy box. Not blinking.

The way I see it...er, the way I justify it to myself...is that I supply his entertainment for the other 13 hours of the day, so one hour "in the zone" can't be that damaging, right?? Please don't judge me.;)

And, last but not least, now that it's summer and shorts weather is in full swing, Henry has decided that walking on concrete is very challenging. Aw, his very first skinned knee. And the same day that I snapped this photo, he skinned the other one even worse! Poor kid. Nevermind that the next day I took him to the shoe store and discovered his 5.5 extra wides were no longer doing the trick. Nope. He's now the proud owner of size 7 extra wides. "When a kid's shoes get too small, you'll know it because he'll have a hard time staying on his feet," said Barry the shoe guy. You don't say.

seventeen

At seventeen weeks pregnant we were moving from our home in Waterloo to our apartment in Winterset. We lived there for six weeks. At seventeen weeks pregnant, I looked one week less pregnant than this. (We were too busy to snap a 17 week photo. And probably couldn't find the box where our camera was packed!)

On December 17, 2010, I went to my final doctor's appointment where I received my final stereroid shot to help your lungs be ready for an early delivery. I would be induced the next day. Grandma Paulette came over to help me finish last-minute preparations for you and for Christmas. After my appointment we went to Target and she insisted on dropping me off at the door. I think everyone else thought I was much bigger than I felt. :) That night Daddy and I finalized our list of things to bring to the hospital and prepared for our last night at home with just the two of us.


At seventeen minutes old, you were relaxing and resting with Daddy. We were taking you in, raving about how cute you were, and anticipating announcing and introducing you to our family.

At seventeen days old, we took you to a restaurant for the first time. Spaghetti Works! You slept through the whole thing in your carseat. Such a little punkin!

At seventeen weeks old, you were noticing lots of things all around you. Especially your hands! We loved to spike up your fluffy brown hair after your bath. People would constantly mistake you for a little girl. (Even now that happens sometimes!)

At seventeen months old, you are learning so much every day and amazing us with how much love and joy you bring to our lives. You are a curious, spunky, talkative, and busy little man. Oh how much fun it is to watch you grow up!

Henry's First Marshmallow

At the Place household, we have a hard time resisting a good old-fashioned campfire. Last year I got Dameon a fire pit for Father's Day. We used it a few times but it was always a headache trying to get the fire going without any kindling. I'd find myself searching our virtually treeless yard for some random twigs and coming up with two or three. We'd have to rely on the big logs to light, which took so long that I'd end up having to go put Henry to bed while Dameon enjoyed dealt with the fire alone. NOW we have lots of kindling at the ready and we're prepared for a campfire any time! Last night the weather was beautiful, so my talented-at-building-fires husband hooked us up!

Here's Henry waiting patiently. And teething.

 Signing "more" at the first sighting of a marshmallow.

CHOMP.

Hmmmm...not bad.

Now for the real thing...

Tasting marshmallow and signing "more" simultaneously. The kid's got talent.

The verdict: marshmallows are good but i'd prefer to explore the yard and eat my graham cracker.

Tulip Time

(Okay, I just uploaded all these pictures and they came up in reverse order. Great.)

Here's a week-old photo recap of our Tulip Time 2012 festivities. But since my photos are in reverse, I guess I'll narrate in reverse. Ready, Go!

Here's my cute grandma in her cute $7 hat that she found downtown. Cute, right? It paired perfectly with her out-of-left-field quips. If you know her, you know what I mean.

We stripped Henry down to his diaper during the parade because it was way hot. Way. If you look closely, you can see his first taste of Dutch Letter in his mouth. He approved.

Henry loved the part of the parade that he was actually awake for. And he loved the night parade even more! His expressions were priceless.

 

This is how he woke up just as a band was marching by. Drums!

Zonked.

And now...wait for it...wait for it...

Yes, we walked in the baby parade. Yes, we were in costume. Yes, we're not dutch but no one cares.



send help.

Isn't he precious?

Oh, the cuteness.

In all seriousness, it was a really fun day and Joyce went to a lot of work to pull together these outfits for us. I was wearing the one that belonged to her mother, so that made it extra special. We even scrubbed streets! Thanks, Rick and Joyce, for hosting us. Looking forward to next year!