Mr.Holiday

We made it through Henry's first Christmas and for all the fun and magic that it was, we are exhausted. Christmas eve was spent with the Polaneks/Beaudways/Pupas and much fun was had by all. Henry made out like a bandit and didn't even know it! One of his favorite gifts from that night is definitely his Liberty Renegade Jeep Walker from his Grandma. Now instead of bouncing in one spot in his jumpy chair, he can actually make tracks, slightly frightening for me and his father yet entertaining all the same. It was a late night for us but Henry kept up the Christmas cheer attitude and thoroughly enjoyed his time spent with the family. We even got some great footage of his Great Grandpa making him laugh. The next day we spent at my parents' house and although we missed some of our Christmas regulars we were super happy to have Aunt Sue, Aunt Fran, Uncle Phil, Grandma Eichorst, and Donna all come in for the festivities (oh and Aunt Fran and Uncle Phil's amazingly behaved dog Dakota). Dinner was excellent and even though Henry fought the naps with all of his might, he still managed to keep his pleasant demeanor, at least until we got him back home to our place..... So many people were generous and thinking of him this year that we had to go out yesterday and by a toy box from Ikea just to house Henry's new stuff!
Anyway, I am still paying for his out of wack routine the last several days and the extreme over stimulation that ensued, but the holidays were perfect and Henry enjoyed every second spent celebrating. This week we are lucky enough to have a nice long visit from his cousins Lily and Nyle which will end with us all ringing in the New Year together. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I'll be checking back in soon! Lots of love!!

Henry's advenure to Dipti's Salon and other Holiday Tales

Well it is the end of a long Monday, just a few days away from Henry's very first Christmas and we're getting things done! Today Henry went on a long excursion with some of the finest ladies in the Chicago suburbs to our favorite eyebrow threading lady, Dipti of "Dipti's Salon". Thanks to my good friend Carrie, we were introduced to Dipti and great eyebrow sculpting ensued. This was Henry's second trip to the humble one room "salon" in Skokie or maybe its still considered Chicago there, either way it was a hike but well worth the trip. Why else would you spend over two hours in a car with a 7 month old, in Christmas shopping traffic on a Monday morning than to get the hair ripped off of your face. Henry was great though, in fact, he has improved his attitude in the car big time and I couldn't be happier about it! Since his Aunt Jinnie is on school break, we followed up our trip to Dipti's with a mad dash to the mall to finish up some loose end Christmas shopping, where once again Henry turned on the charm and a positive attitude. Tomorrow the "little guy" turns 7 months. I know unbelievable. Sometimes when I'm rocking him back to sleep in the middle of the night (yeah he's still not quite a sleeping champion yet) I think to myself, he is going to continue growing and becoming his own person and maybe needing me a little less, I mean I'm sure he'll come to me for advice here and there, but I know it won't be in the way he needs me right now and that always chokes me up a bit. As this year is coming to an end, I can't even wrap my head around how much my life and John's life has changed this year. Changed in a way that I never knew it could and for as hard as so many moments of it can be, I couldn't feel happier or more in love. I'll definitely post some Christmas pics after I get them. I know I've been slacking with the smugmug updates but I've been busy doing lots of things even though I couldn't make a list of what I've accomplished at the moment, I just know I feel busy.... Well, just a little update for everyone. I promise I'll get pics up early next week and maybe an exciting video clip or two as well. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all you Henry fans out there, we love you all!

Forget Santa I'm looking for the Sandman.....

So when I first became a mother, I heard that the first six weeks were the hardest and I had that point to look forward to, while enjoying everything in between of course. It was just the sleep deprivation hit in a way that is almost impossible to imagine unless you've experienced it. After six weeks, sure Henry got better here and there. He went from waking up every two hours to three and then progressively got better. A couple times, even giving us a 6 hour run!!! If only I would have known that those times would be few maybe I would have enjoyed them a little more instead of laying in bed wondering if I should go in and check to make sure everything was ok since he was quiet for so long. Anyway, what I'm getting at is Henry, in all his charm, fuzzy headedness, his way of smiling and laughing at his admirers and studly 22 pound self is the best thing that John and I have had happen to us....yet he absolutely stinks at sleeping at night. Today is one of those mornings that I'm teetering on hysterical laughter and tears, I'm not quite sure what will send me one way or another. So far I've heard a list of about 50 different ways to make Henry sleep through the night and nothing as worked although we've tried it all. Well I started this post at 6am and am now finishing it at 5:45pm because my back up has finally arrived (that's John). I'm always interested in hearing new suggestions but I'm sort of guessing that Henry has a game plan of his own. Cheers to being a Mom!

Birthday Boy

So, Henry is now officially a 6 month old....I cannot believe it but it happened. Six months ago John and I came home with this beautiful little baby, hoping that we could make him happy, keep him healthy and teach him how to have great taste in music. Today it honestly feels like he's always been with us. I am truly amazed at how he changes every day (as he's singing himself to sleep right now). I'll admit it, he could be a much much better sleeper at night. He stills feels the need to get up several times and make sure that we're around and willing to snuggle with him and we can't help but oblige. But besides that, he's been perfect. I know, everyone says that about their children, well now I know why.
We're excited that Thanksgiving in this week. There are plenty of the Polaneks/Pupas/Beaudways to catch up with. And we were lucky enough to squeeze in a quick trip last Saturday to visit Great Grandma Eichorst in Williams Bay. I worked a concert last night so I'm teetering on delirious, but I wanted to make sure and get a quick post in to tell the world, my little man is half a year old! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, we are thankful for all of you.

Rocky Top Henry

Well, we survived another 8+ hour car ride with Henry and have sadly left some of our favorite people in one of our favorite travel spots, Knoxville, TN. Now as many of you know, Henry is a well seasoned traveler but I was a little more nervous about this trip because early on, he slept, ate and repeat, but now he gets bored which is a little more to deal with when sitting in the car for close to 10 hours. But, he was great, sure there were a couple melt downs but I can't blame him, I was getting pretty antsy myself. John, Henry and I traveled down to Knoxville with Carrie, Nick and Carrie's uncles Bob and Joe, and Dakota and Fritz. We had a super fun weekend with Dave and Sonja and their roommate Whitney. Their view is a gorgeous overlook of the valley with the Smokey Mountains in the background, it's quite an amazing way to wake up every morning. We took a trip into the mountains and had a little cheese and cracker picnic (well Henry ate some sweet potatoes) and we hiked on a little trail that was baby friendly. The whole trip was so much fun, well the Bears game was not so fun, but the rest of it was great, just like every time we visit TN only this time we had our favorite little man with us, the icing on the cake! Sonja even planned a little craft and we relived our famous "craft nights" by tie dying shirts, boxer shorts and onesies!
We've been keeping busy besides our travels. I am working on my final paper for my Renaissance class this quarter and next week I will be done with school until January, whoot whoot! That means, Henry and I can start planning fun holiday type things. I've never looked forward to Christmas as much as I have this year. I know having Henry is going to make it so much more special for John and I. Now, I will stop putting off writing my paper and get to work. Lots of love to everyone!
Oh and some quick Hank stats, he is rolling over from his tummy to his back but just one direction for now :) He's getting close to his 6 month birthday and is topping the scales at 20 pounds and maybe a little extra. Henry is still working on sitting up without help and he's working those abs like crazy, I think he'll have it pretty soon. No teeth yet, but that hasn't stopped him from trying sweet potatoes and apples, pureed of course!

Blogger Failure

Hi long lost friends, family and admirers of Henry,

I can honestly say that this is the third blog update that I've attempted to write but the first that will actually get posted. The past couple failed to reach a state of completion and then became outdated. Every time I even think the word blog, Henry wakes up crying, maybe he's embarrassed that I've been sharing the intimate details of his life on such a public forum, I don't know, all I know is that being a mom and completing anything is a miracle and I haven't even gone back to work yet!! I'm in for it aren't I?

The fall has been so busy so far. We went to a beautiful wedding in Madison, Wisconsin for our two friends, Kelley and Dean (some beloved Minnesotan friends). Henry came along for the ride as did our nannys/siblings Aunt Jinnie and Uncle Mark. Hank came out to the rehearsal for a brief reintroduction to some friends, but Jinnie and Mark were awesome enough to keep him entertained and nurtured for the day of the wedding and the night! It's a strange thing to be a parent, because there are days where I dream of getting a break, sleeping in and relaxing on my own, and then I get the opportunity and as great as it is to have some "me" time, I miss Henry instantly and can't wait to cuddle with him again. I loved our fun night out with the adults at the wedding, but I have to admit there was a little part of me that felt jealous that Jinnie was snuggling with Henry and I wasn't. What's that about!?! Anyway, we were so lucky to have Jinnie and Mark along for the ride and Henry got some quality time with his aunt and uncle while learning a great deal about the capital of Wisconsin. Thanks Kelley and Dean for making us part of such a beautiful weekend!

School has been nuts! When I registered for classes, I figured there would be plenty of time, like when Henry naps, I'll read and when he goes to sleep around 8pm I'll work on homework. Well it just so happens that when he naps the first thing I focus on is eating, then picking up the mess of a house I have followed by sitting calmly in a chair for a few moments and then the minute I pick up a book....waaaa. And after we've gotten Henry to sleep for the night, I've realized that although it is only 8pm, I am exhausted and studying is much much lower than sleep on my priority list, so that's made school a challenge. I'm now only taking one class this fall and an now more than half way done which is the good news. I've had to lighten the load of courses so I won't finish in the Spring like I had originally planned but I think I can still finish up everything by the end of the year so here's to hoping, and working hard.
John's been busy busy busy at work, covering all sorts of different shifts so we've been having a tough time planning exciting family outings, but we still fit in a walk in the woods or a trip to Target when we can and Henry seems like a pretty happy baby so I think we are at least doing a few things right.
In less happy news, Henry is coming down with his very first cold, the proof....a t-shirt (mine) full of more baby snot than I ever knew could be produced by one small little man. I'll let you all know if we make it through it, right now I'm predicting at least one very long night. I'll do my best to keep up better on my updates and I'll be posting pics soon, once I find that darn camera cable! Lots of love from the Polaneks!
P.S Henry has been dabbling with a little rice cereal these days. Last doctor visit he weighed in at almost 19 pounds and over 25 inches long!

Here come the teeth.....

Happy Autumn to everybody! School is officially underway and I'm still learning that with a baby, everything has to be done differently. Grandma Polanek has been nice enough to spend a couple hours here and there to give me a homework break so I can escape to Starbucks to try and "concentrate". It's still a work in progress and I have about 8 more weeks to have it figured out by but I will definitely reconsider how I do my school scheduling for next quarter. I'm diligently looking for a job which is at the top of my "need to do list" but at the very bottom of my "want to do list". Anyway, I guess it's reality and I've been so lucky to be able to stay home for as long as I did. I mean, Henry is 4 months today!
He's been an amazing baby and now those laughs and smiles are coming so much easier which is worth every painful second that he's been keeping us up at night these days. There's no doubt that he is now aware that something is beginning to work its way up through his gums and I already know that those baby teeth are going to be cute, but they will be my enemies until they break through. The drool is pouring and he wants everything in his mouth. So we got him a couple teething items to chomp on and I'll keep you updated on the progress.
If the weather cooperates we will be going to Henry's first apple orchard which should make way for many great pictures, as if we don't have every second of his life documented already:) I posted some new pics on his SmugMug site so check it out, there are some good ones!

The end of summer....

It's labor day and I suppose I have to concede to the changing seasons. Don't get me wrong, I love the fall. I love love love the fall. But no season can quite live up to the summer I had this year with Henry. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a stay at home mom all summer long and although it was not easy, in any sense of the word, there is no better way to spend my time than with my family and that's what we did. School starts this week, I finally have to go out and look for a new job and everything will change once again. I'm ready for the challenges that are coming my way, but nothing will ever be as great as spending the summer learning how to be a mom and practicing those techniques on Henry, lucky guy.
So along with the end of summer came our annual festival of ribs which we co host with the Biskup ladies at their home in LaGrange. This year was our 5th Ribfest and Henry's first and boy did we out do ourselves this time. The guest list tallied to over 40 people, 80 lbs of ribs and even a commemorative t shirt! Henry was Mr. Popularity that day. There were Grandmas, Aunts, close friends and even little kids who all wanted to get a good snuggle in with the little guy. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love Henry and I tell him that every day. There's so much more ahead I know, but saying goodbye to this summer is definitely bittersweet. The infant days are officially gone, I suppose they have been for a little while now. Henry is "talking" all of the time. His cooing abilities are awesome. He's been rolling around a little bit, but I still think its on accident. We'll put up some videos soon, he is especially happy stretching out his legs in his "exersaucer". I hope everyone else is enjoying their holiday weekend. The fall is usually my most favorite time of year and I'm hoping that Henry is ready for his first pumpkin patch and a little apple picking so we'll see what adventures we can get into next.

Hanging with the big kids

We've been very busy the past couple weeks and we had so much fun hanging out with Henry's older cousins, Lily and Nyle. They came to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Eichorst for a week and we were lucky enough to get in on some of the action. Most importantly (in my opinion) Henry took his first trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in order to tour the new Harry Potter Exhibit. John, Lily, Henry and I had a great time, even though several workers kept referring to Henry as a Mandrake and thought we were trying to swipe him from the exhibit (Harry Potter reference for those who that confused). Lily was sorted by the sorting hat into Ravenclaw and although Henry was a little too small for the sorting hat just yet, the young lady there claimed she could tell he was a Hufflepuff so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

We also took a fun trip to the Brookfield Zoo to see the dinosaur exhibit and Hank spent a lot of time looking around, but was unphased by the enormity of the giant lizards, he's a pretty tough kid. Not only did we hit up the zoo a couple times, a park and an icecream shop, but Henry also had his first trip to the sprinkler park with our friends Amy and Izzy. I walked him through a sprinkler a couple of times and although he was not quite giggling with glee, he was not totally opposed to it so we will make future attempts. The whole week with Henry's cousins was a great time and we'll miss them sooooo much until we get to see them again for Christmas.

I also had a brief look into my future when selling merchandise at The Wiggles concerts last Saturday and Sunday. Apparently these Aussie guys used to be a punk rock band called the cockroaches but realized that there was not much money in their future and so they decided to take out all of the swear words and sing about fruits, dancing, monkeys and other kid friendly things. The music wasn't terrible and I decided to get an album to see if this is something Henry might want to work into his music rotation so I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. I'm not too sure if I'm ready to imagine myself at one of these shows surrounded by over stimulated munchkins waving light wands just yet, I'm sort of hoping he wants to go to see Pearl Jam or something but I'll still give The Wiggles a shot for Hank's sake.
Anyway that is a less than brief update of what we've been up to so far in the month of August. I saw a few leaves on the ground and got excited thinking about pumpkin patches and apple picking......

Henry meets the Polaneks!

Hello everyone, well it looks as though summer has finally hit the midwest. Since it's sort of nasty outside Henry and I are hanging out in the comfort of our air conditioned condo today so I thought it would be a good time to update you on what he's been up to. This weekend Henry got his first chance to meet the Polanek clan in full at Sigrid and Rich's house in Elmwood Park. We had a great time and although I believe that Henry has some of my genes somewhere in his tiny body, the Polish gene so far has dominated his genetic makeup. He is obviously a Polanek and proud of it!
Besides the family party Henry has been keeping himself busy by growing....a lot! He is well over 14 pounds now and eating like a champ. He's plumping up like a proper growing boy and I can't quite imagine how I'm going to tote this guy around in another few months and many pounds later. Besides the hard task of growing, he is continuing to become more aware everyday and luckily spends quite a bit of time smiling, at us and his toys :) I see big things in this little guy's immediate future such as bumbo chair sitting, advanced stages of tummy time and longer stints of sleep at night (well I added that last part for my own sake, I know there's no guarantee that it is in our future....but a mom can hope....)

He's a wanderer

We're back from Texas and so ends the extensive travels of Henry the youngest mover and shaker around. We've been from the top of the U.S to the bottom and although we're tired I'm slightly worried that Henry is going to be bored sitting around Willowbrook with me when he's been surrounded constantly the past few weeks by all the awesome people in our lives. We'll see how he reacts to settling down to suburban life. We had a lovely trip to Minnesota to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our friend's Chris and Natalie's first child. For those of you who don't know the story, I basically met Chris in line outside of a Pearl Jam show over ten years ago. I traveled the country with him and a few other friends to see Pearl Jam and now (ten years later) we're all grown up and starting families together, crazy! So Hank got his first introductions to our fab Minnesotan friends and a little more than 24 hours later we were back in Illinois.

Next we were off to Texas for Henry's first wedding . Cousin Allison and new cousin Rob's wedding was such a great time and Allie was a stunning bride! The plane ride went smoothly both there and back, I was hoping we would not be the people supplying our plane with the screaming child and we succeeded...this time. I also learned from several different family members that it might be to my benefit to wrap Henry's bum in a cloth diaper or G diaper rather than a disposable and boy was I glad I did so I would like to pass that info on to anyone else reading this who might not have heard. That advice saved us both from an embarrassing arrival in Houston, phew. Although it was a quick visit we spent some quality time with the Eichorst clan which we wanted to make sure Henry had a chance to do. Henry learned some new dance moves from Aunt Del and took part in his first Eichorst Family photo ...photo to follow :) It's been a hectic month, but having the chance to introduce Henry to so many great people has been worth it all. Thank you everyone who has given Henry such a warm welcome. We had a great month and will now begin our down time with a much needed nap and a large large pile of laundry....

Fourth of July Festivities

Well, it's official, Henry has experienced his first road trip to the Great Northwoods and I think I can honestly say it was a success! John and I left at one in the morning since we have been without much of a routine these days anyway and Henry was great. We laughed, we cried and we sang along with my awesome compilation cds. It was pretty much the perfect way to start out Henry's sixth week of life. The other part of the trip that made it so excellent was that Henry was surrounded by so many people who just wanted to hold him and snuggle with him which he loves (not to mention, allowed John and I to get a few extra naps in, woohoo). Henry got to meet his cousins, Lily and Nyle and although Nyle claims to not be a big fan of babies (primarily because he is too busy being a fan of worms and mud), I did catch him tickling Henry's toes at one point so I think that he might still come around. Lily was a baby holding pro and did plenty of practicing this weekend with her new cousin. We always have such a great time eating, playing games and just relaxing on Madeline Island, that we can't help but go through Island withdrawl when we're back home and this trip was no different. Well no different besides that fact that it was our little family's first family vacation together and it seems like we have a pretty good thing going here. I posted some other vacation pictures on Hank's smug mug site too and I was also able to catch a few of him smiling so check it out! Stay tuned for the much anticipated "Henry's first plane ride" entry that is quickly approaching....

Henry gets the Tour and other fun in babyland

So Henry got some quality time with Grandma Jeanne and the "Grand" aunts ( I think that's what we're supposed to call them right?). Aunt Bea and Uncle Jerry made the trek from Mountain Home, Arkansas to the greater Chicagoland area last weekend and Aunt Chris came in for a visit as well and so it was only right that we partook in what is often referred to as "The Tour". This was my first time along with Henry's, John's and Aunt Chris'. We all piled into the mini van with Grandpa at the wheel and made the voyage down memory lane, also known as Des Plaines. Now for those who are not familiar, a "Tour" basically consists of native Forest Park-ians driving through town, pointing out old haunts, where different people lived (who don't live there anymore), gelato or some other type of frozen dessert and driving several circles around Grandma and Grandpa Pfaff's old home on Marengo. Now this was my first tour, not to mention a day tour therefore I know that it was slightly unorthodox in comparison to traditional tours. Usually the sisters and willing and unwilling participants travel undetected through the streets of forest park well after the sun has set, but due to time constraints and what not Henry's first tour happened during the day. All in all, the trip was a success! I think that Henry, although not a Forest Park native, may be able to develop an appreciation for the town that so many Pfaff's hold dear to their hearts and with much practice and gelato, he may even one day be entrusted to carry on the legacy of the tour by teaching future family members why this town is much more than the home of the Lemonhead.
Besides the great Pfaff fun, Henry also spent a little quality time with Aunt Sonja and Uncle Dave while they visited from K-town. Thanks for the great visits everyone, I think Henry is starting to realize how many great people there are for him to get to know. He's a cuddler and he's enjoying all of his options! P.S Thanks for introducing him to Grandma Pfaff's Lulu song Aunt Bea, there truly is some magic in that song.

"It's going to get easier"

Hello Everyone,
I've had the pleasure of following my cousin Gillian's new experiences as a mom and watching her daughter grow via her blog and so I thought, "Steal the idea, why yes I will!" So here it is, a blog dedicated to the new kid, and in my opinion,the cutest new baby on the block, Henry Robert Polanek. I hope to update this site regularly and keep everyone who's interested up to date on Henry's progress towards greatness. We'll see how I do, because as a new mom I'm realizing how hard it is to get those "To Do" lists done. For example it recently took me a week and a half to go to the post office and purchase stamps, I know pathetic. The good news is everyone keeps telling me that it gets easier, I don't know what exactly is going to get easier or when exactly it's going to happen, but I can't imagine EVERYONE is lying to me so I'm holding out for whatever comes my way. Just a reminder to anyone who hasn't heard, Henry's got his own smug mug website that we try to update regularly with the new photos and you can check that out at:

http://hpolanek.smugmug.com/

So we'll give this blog a shot and see how it goes! I'll be posting soon....