Henry is 18 Months Old

Today was Henry's 18 month visit to the doctors (his actually date of turning being Sat the 21st was a little overshadowed by Harry Potter....). He weighed in just under 27 lbs and is 34 inches tall. For his age that is 60th percentile for weight and 90th for height and head circum. It's fun to compare his height/weight to Evalyn's checkup a month ago: She is only 2 lbs heavier and 2 inches taller! The only sad part was shots: TWO! One in each arm. Poor guy, for the first one he gave this heart wrenching silent cry that took a minute for him to breathe before the nurse gave him the 2nd shot. Definitely made my eyes water. But he recovered after a bit and was back to his normal self. Whew!


So what does Henry like to do these days? He loves to climb anything and everything: the kitchen drawers, the table, dresser drawers, any elevated surface really, people, the stairs (where he chants his own version of "subé" from Dora), and most recently out of his crib. After a week of very long bedtime routines we resorted to buying a crib tent to contain our little Houdini. So far so good.

His favorite games are Pile on Daddy, Torment the Cat, Peek-a-Boo, Avoid the Carseat Buckle, Throw Toys Down the Basement Stairs Through the Cat Door, Eat Anything That Looks Interesting (dirt, sticks, playdough, rocks, crayons....), Pull His Sister's Hair (especially when she's sad or cranky), Swing on the Hammock, Splash in the Bathroom Sink While Squeezing All the Soap Out, Clear His Tray onto the Floor (the moment he's "all done"), and Remove All the Couch Cushions, just to name a few.



He has a handful of baby signs that he does consistently, with some variations/sounds. Moon, Please, Hot, Stars, Hat, Lights, Ceiling Fan, Doggy, Kitty, Fish, Bird, Cow, Horse, Elephant, and probably a few others I can't think of at the moment. He loves animals, much more than cars or trucks. Maybe that's just because his older sibling is a girl so we haven't acquired a vast collection of vehicles thus far.... ; )

He loves shoes, especially wearing other peoples. He gets a cute little smile when he dresses up as Prince Eric or whoever when Big Sister is dressing up in her Princess outfits. He loves to fill and empty shelves, toy containers, the Tupperware drawer over and over. Fortunately for my sanity he's getting better at putting things back "in" when he's dumped them out. : ) He loves books, usually shorter ones with easy turn pages. His all-time favorite thus far is HUG by Jez Alborough.

He is cutest when getting ready for nap/bedtime and finds his paci, puppies and gives little kisses before dashing up the stairs. He is a little more into the TV than he probably should be at this age, his favorite show being Curious George, hands down. Other shows he'll usually wander away from, but not Curious. He loves it. Especially the music at the beginning.

He's acquired dozens of nicknames, mostly from Evalyn. Here are a few: Henny, Henny Boy, Henge, The Fella, Felly, The Little Fellow, Henry Monster, The Monster, Monkey, The Hoo Hoo, and Hoo Hoo Hah (these last are a derivation of Evalyn's nickname "The Boo" or "Boo Boo Bear").

We love our little fella and all the cuteness and joy he brings to our family. He is a very sweet and easy going boy with a desire to please and discover the world around him.

(A note on the photos: Matt shot these on his Nikon with Kodachrome film.)