Over the weekend, we finally celebrated Henry's birthday. He had only turned one in April - we were just a mere six months late in celebrating. Because Aunt Carolyn's wedding was on his birthday, and the sorrow from Suzanne's recent tragic death was still fresh, we just didn't feel up to celebrating. Once April passed, I really didn't know when would be the appropriate time for a belated birthday party, if at all. When Mom said she wanted to have a Halloween party, I realized that coincided with him turning a year and a half, so - voila - it was decided we would have a Halloween themed birthday party for him. Unfortunately, I was running around like a mad woman the whole day, so I didn't get any pictures taken myself, and only have a handful that my cousin, Kiley, was nice enough to take. Oh well. At least I don't have the guilt of no first birthday party looming over my head anymore.
Henry has been the busiest little boy I've ever known, as well as the most adventurous. He is not afraid to get dirty. Animals do not scare him. Heights and climbing don't phase him one bit. Getting hurt is no big deal. He is still afraid of the vacuum cleaner, lawn mower, and pretty much anything else that makes really loud noises, though, which is funny because he's pretty darn loud himself.
One of my favorite things about Henry is his wonderful appetite. After having a chronic picky eater on my hands for the past three years - really, I have two if you count Stephen - it's an absolute joy to have a child who will EAT! While Asher's list of what he'll eat continues to dwindle, Henry's grows. One of his favorite foods is peas - he can't get enough of them - and he'll try things like Brussels Sprouts, meatloaf, and V8 without throwing a fit. If he doesn't like it, he'll spit it out, but no screaming, no tantrums, and no pleading from us to get him to try something. Words cannot describe the relief we feel - for the most part, we don't have to make special foods for him at dinnertime and if we go someplace else to eat, chances are very good he will go with the flow and eat whatever we give him.
Henry's personality is really starting to blossom, too. His sense of humor is budding. He gives kisses and loves reading books together. He is rough and tough, but takes time for snuggling a few times a day. He likes to have his feet tickled and rubs our hands on his face when he's tired. He shares his big brother's love of trains and cars. Dancing to Yo Gabba Gabba and singing along to Thomas songs are a couple of his favorite pastimes.
It's the beginning of the end of babyhood for Mr. Pickles. His speech is becoming less foreign to us - we can now hear him say "cat," "dog," "car," "truck," "train," etc., as well as "Mom," "Dad," and "Ash." He is following instruction better and better; in fact, before I took the pictures directly above and below, I asked him to sit by the tree and stand by the wall - much to my surprise, he did! So, he definitely is understanding us better, too - which obviously makes life a teensy bit easier.
I catch myself often thinking back to two years ago when Asher was Henry's age. It completely amazes me how much Asher changed between 18 months and two years. I know Henry is going to sprout just as quickly over the next six months and will be a "big" boy before I know it. I intend to relish the last few days of his baby-ness as much as I can!
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