After a year of weekly photos, I’m continuing with a monthly photo and update of Henry for the time being. It’s my own way of capturing all my thoughts and memories about this stage of his life.
I only turned around for a second.
And just like that, I had a toddler.
I mean, everyone said it would happen eventually. But, I didn’t really believe them. Just like I didn’t believe when they said that it would go so fast (it did) or that I would barely remember how small he was at one time (I don’t) or that the love would only get bigger and deeper (it has).
I talk about Henry pretty much all the time. I’ve officially become that parent.
And I don’t care, because he is the coolest kid. I just want to pinch myself. And nearly every day, Ryan turns to me and says, “Man, he is so cool, isn’t he?”
And I just nod. Because, yes, he really is so cool.
Here’s something about parenthood that no one specifically told me – that as a parent, I know that my child isn’t perfect. But that doesn’t stop me from seeing every single awesome thing about him. And really hoping that others see it, too. Because I believe that everyone should have the joy of knowing Henry.
For Henry at 14 months, those awesome things include his ready smile, his way of getting the attention of anyone in the room and his vocal projection. (Kid’s got lungs). He loves to dance and laugh and talk. He still loves his dad’s guitar. And he is still obsessed with his tractors.
He is clumsy as heck, but rarely ever cries when he falls. He just picks himself up, flashes a shy smile, and keeps going. The boy has stuff to see, people to meet and things to do. And I love that small mistakes truly don’t get him down. I hope he keeps that same will and determination when he gets older.
He’s also so outgoing. He loves working a crowd. Walking down the grocery aisle, he caught the eye of a Aldi’s worker stocking shelves. She smiled and spoke a few words and he grinned his cheesiest grin right back. After his acknowledgement of her, he quickly scanned the aisle for his next target – an elderly woman. He simply stared her down and babbled until he captured her attention. She was captivated, too. After this, he moved on to the next person.
I sort of feel like he’s already a mini politician.
But with his charming personality also comes a little temper. The boy had his first insane tempter tantrum this month. And boy, it was a doozie.
He also began biting this month, much to our dismay. Thank goodness it hasn’t caused serious damage, and the parents at daycare have been beyond understanding (many of whom went through the same thing with their kids). He is an equal opportunity biter, and we’ve been trying to teach him that biting is never okay. But that’s been hard, too. Because if he bites at daycare, by the time we come home, there’s no way to connect the dots for him.
Seriously – we have no idea what we’re doing with this parenting thing. We’re just trying to be consistent. And do our best.
Back to fun things during the month – the Fourth of July doo-dah parade, lots of time with both sets of grandma and grandpa and a few outdoor concerts, which he adores. We’ve also hit lots of parks and a pool and a splash park.
Henry is also obsessed with grandpa’s tractor and dad’s Gator. Once he gets in the seat, it’s pretty impossible to move him.
He is still talking a lot – although there are very few “real” words yet. He’ll say dada, momma, done, up, that … But, he’s also starting to point a lot, which helps him get his message across. The boy’s got opinions.
He is also taking a sippy cup without having an epic meltdown. Sometimes. Which is much better than last month, so I’ll take it. Maybe there’s hope that he won’t be taking a bottle at his high school graduation?
It’s really true that it goes so fast. And I may not remember or be able to capture every moment. But I know that we love this boy. More and more each day.
Likes:
Running.
Grapes.
Spaghetti.
Tractors.
Bubble mower.
Playing with older kids.
Dancing.
Bathtime.
Playing with the hose.
Balls.
Playing with containers and lids.
Dislikes:
Being tired.
Shopping carts.
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