Playful at four months

Henry will be four months old on Friday, and each day he exhibits more and more of his unique personality. He loves to talk, smile, laugh and listen. He has a favorite song, "Barchen" (meaning "little bear" in german) written by his mommy, a favorite buddy, Jaeger, and a favorite food, pears. Henry is also showing more and more interest in playtime; bouncing and drooling in his jumperoo are his favorites. Here are a few pics of him happily at play.

Visit with Ava

Matt's best friend, Curt, his wife Jackie and their daughter Ava were in town this weekend. While Curt and Matt grew up together in McConnelsville, the Kuntz family has settled in Warren, Ohio. We LOVE the Kuntz family, and we are so sad whenever we must say good-bye to them. Ava recently turned one, and she is an absolute doll. She and Jaeger hit it off well - chasing each other and sharing toys. We hope to visit them this fall in order to catch one of Curt's football games (he coaches H.S. football).

Thanks for the sunglasses, Ava.

This is why I'm hot.

"Woo, Woof" = dog in Ava-ese

We are the cutest!

Cuddlin' with my buddy.

Playful baby and lazy pup

As he approaches four months old, Henry has become extremely vocal and playful. He is constantly making noises, and he is starting to interact more with people and toys. Most toys don't stand much of a chance because he wants to put them straight into his mouth. We suspect that he is teething because he is exhibiting many of the signs: constant gumming, endless drooling and increased fussing. Additionally, he might be going through a growth spurt as his nap and feeding schedules are changing. Fortunately his palate is broadening; he enjoys breast milk, formula, mashed bananas, and next week we will try pears.

As for Jaeger, he continues to spend the bulk of his days lounging around the house. We caught him napping next to the back door snuggled underneath the drape. He wasn't amused when we took his picture.

Yo, I gots to bounce.

Tasty.

Leave me alone.

You're humiliating me.

Cuddlin' with Daddy

Most days Ali is in charge of Henry's morning routine. Because Ali is home with Henry during the day and Matt is busy getting to work, Ali takes care of changing, feeding and bathing Henry in the morning. In the evening, Matt likes to spend quality time with his little man, and one of his favorite moments is each night when he puts Henry to bed. Henry and Daddy have their special bedtime routine which includes changing into pajamas, a bottle feeding, a diaper change and finally, rocking in the rocking chair. This particular evening Henry didn't make it past the bottle feeding before falling asleep on Daddy's chest. 

Henry and the Banana Milkshake

At 14lbs, 14oz and 15 weeks old, we decided to introduce Henry to real food. It is recommended that babies don't start solid foods until 4 months old, so we are cheating by a couple of weeks. We started with Banana Milkshake, a combination of mashed bananas and mommy's liquid gold. Henry wasn't sure what to make of the new texture in his mouth, but he didn't seem to mind the taste. We are going to try just a little bit each day - we have a growing boy on our hands! 

Click on the link to see Henry and the Banana Milkshake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbBYWZ4fzuc

Our greatest joy - Laughing Henry

Henry has brought us pure joy, and there is nothing more awesome than when he expresses happiness. At fourteen weeks and counting, Henry is full of smiles and even laughter. We hope that our little guy can bring a smile to your face - check out the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SernY1siKfA

God Bless America & Family

After much deliberation, we decided to stay in Dublin for the holiday (we originally thought we would be celebrating in Baton Rouge - to our 225 peeps, we love and miss you all). 

Matt started the day with 18 holes of golf with men from our church (Matt's group won the scramble - free round of golf, woohoo!). In the afternoon, we went to Ali's parent's house for a cook-out (thanks Mom!). There we met up with Morgan, Lisa and the kids (Jared had to work - bummer!), Sharon's dear friend Susie Quinn, Susie's daughter Jess McAdam & family and a couple of friends. It ended up being a beautiful day - yummy food, energetic kids and lots of chatter. 

That evening we headed to Dublin H.S. and met with Matt's mom and sister for fireworks (Matt's dad is in Canada on a fishing trip). Dublin hosted Rick Springfield, and following the music, we sat back and enjoyed a fabulous fireworks display. What a special day!

Cousins: Henry & Ella

Aunt Mo with Henry

Smilin' at Grandma

Ella & Ali

Playing peek-a-boo (that's Aunt Mo under the blanket)

Hangin' with Auntie Kelley

Giddy-up Uncle Steve!

Big bottle before bed

Night-night

Awake again - watching the fireworks intently

Our first 4th of July as a family

Nap time & Bath time

There is nothing better than taking an afternoon nap while cuddling with Henry. We savor these moments for we know that one day he will be too big to cuddle.

And not sure what this means, but Jaeger decided to give Henry a bath yesterday (see link below). This carried on for five minutes, at least, and Jaeger would have continued except that Henry started to fuss. Needless to say, Henry needed a 'real' bath once Jaeger was finished.

*The video clip is 1min, 45 sec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6_mFYiSDYo