I have an excuse.....

I'll admit it, I'm terrible with this blog thing lately. It's not that Henry has stopped doing hilarious things or stopped developing, it's his mom's fault. That's me. Apparently this fall, I've bitten off a lot more than I could chew and I mean that. I really mean that. The good news is, I'm almost completely done with school and I will finally have a college degree! The bad news is, it's been the hardest quarter yet and to throw in my job, remodeling the condo and being a mom, well I'm tired and overwhelmed on occasion. So enough excuses, on to the updates! Henry is doing great!
He's constantly talking, although understanding him is still a challenge, except when food is involved, he gets his message across pretty clearly there. He's running, climbing, dancing and falling. Pretty good toddler stuff going on. And he cracks me up. It is so funny to watch him trying to entertain us. He knows when he is funny and does things just to get a laugh which is pretty awesome. Last month we had another bought of tooth growing. I think he popped up four of them in two weeks! Ouch! But we're close to the end on the teething thing, I mean this little guy has a full mouth.
Along with toddlerhood, he is full on into the testing us phase. It's so easy to get frustrated with a toddler because they are just always testing and pushing limits but it's also just amazing to see them developing, learning and experimenting. I mean sure, it is irritating to have him dump his plate of food on top of the cat as she walks by, but its funny too. That's the trick now is trying not to let him pick up on the fact that half the stuff he is doing is just as hilarious as it is unacceptable. I know I will have plenty of time to work on balancing that out cause we are definitely just at the beginning.
The best part is that he is still a cuddler! He loves to nuzzle and be close. He's great at miming notes when we are singing. We practice a little call and response stuff and I'm pretty sure this kid will be able to carry a tune. Anyway, it's just great. Overwhelming and crazy like parenthood is for everyone, I'm guessing, but just great. I will do better at the blog updates, especially with the holidays coming up. Love to everyone!

So long baby mullet!

I've been a very bad blogger. Henry, John and I are still around, I just haven't been able to put enough thoughts together to make sense let alone compile a decent blog update. But I will try to be better. I mean, Henry is changing constantly, he's a tough kid to keep up with! I feel like recently we entered this whole new level of toddler hood. He's been walking around for a bit, but all of a sudden the walk turned into a run. The baby babbling turned into honest attempts at communication and well, he has realized several new ways to get his opinion across (and that is putting it very nicely) I heard all of this would happen and boy did it.

Since it's clear Henry is no longer a baby, I thought it was only fair to him, to finally give in and cut his beautiful baby mullet. I always thought I would let his hair grow into a cute little surfer do, yet while the back grew and grew, the front did not. Henry was sporting a full on mullet and I knew it was time to take care of business. I called up my mother, because I knew that it would be a traumatizing experience......for me. A baby just stops looking like a baby with a new haircut and that idea took some getting used to. Although I considered doing it myself, I figured the first time around I would pay a professional. This way I could not get angry with myself for destroying my sweet little man's silky locks. We did the whole deal, he sat in a little car with a steering wheel, had his very own television blaring baby einstein and even had an assistant stylist blowing bubbles for his amusement. He was not amused. Not at all. I think it all went wrong when he looked up from his new car and saw a woman in the mirror quickly approaching him from behind with a shiny pair of scissors and a cloak that was swiftly wrapped around his little neck. It was downhill from there. Luckily, the lady was a seasoned veteran and seemed indifferent to Henry's lack of appreciation for her stylish handiwork. At least it was memorable. Now Henry is sporting a new do and the scary stylist is cutting other children's hair and offering them balloons and gifts from the store treasure chest. There was one thought that struck me as I held my trembling son, how the heck are we going to deal with the dentist??? Oh well, there's a little time for me to prepare for that day.

Baby Emmett is Here!!!

Emmett James Hoggarth has arrived and we couldn't be happier! Jinnie went into some early labor Saturday morning and by the time I got out of work at 4pm things were getting serious. I showed up at Jinnie and Mark's apartment right when the midwife arrived and 2 hours later Emmett showed up too! Jinnie did amazing and we were so happy that she had a quick and safe labor and delivery. If any of you saw Jinnie towards the end of her pregnancy you would not be surprised to find out that Emmett was 9 pounds 10 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. We knew that the tall Eichorst genes and Hoggarth genes had never met before so anything could happen and it turns out to be a winning combination. Emmett is just beautiful and we can't wait to get to know him better. Congratulations Jinnie and Mark and welcome Emmett.

Baby Steps

It is officially Baby Hoggarth countdown time in the Chicago suburbs. I've been preparing Henry for the arrival of a new baby by rocking his little rag doll and teaching him how to give the baby kisses. We are so excited to have a new baby around. Lily and Nyle are also making a trip down in early August which means we are having a cousin extravaganza that will be like no other. So while the waiting ensues, we are keeping busy getting plenty done. John and I have been deciding what projects need to be completed in our condo and home projects may not be our forte, but it's necessary if we are ever going to upgrade to a place with at least one extra room and a backyard. For a long time, we were lucky enough to have an empty unit above us so the quiet factor was not an issue, but a few months after Henry was born, someone finally moved in and although she is a tiny petite woman who keeps to herself, I have no doubt that she has steel implants in her heels that cause every movement that she makes to echo through our place. Between her stomping and her desire to only vacuum after 8pm is enough to constantly remind us that we are looking to move to bigger and better places. Anyway, that's where we are at right now. To tile or not to tile that is the question.
Besides exciting home improvement things, Henry is getting dangerously close to....walking! He takes a step here and there but hasn't gone all out just yet, and to tell you the truth I am just fine with that. A few more moments left before I am on the move non stop, I will take them! Henry's been changing every day it seems. Mimicking all sorts of sounds and movements we make. And in other exciting news he slept for 9 hours straight 2 weeks ago....for one night....yup that was it....but it was sweet.....Well I am going to get some work done while he finishes his nap up. I hope every one is enjoying their summer so far and Baby Hoggarth updates will be on their way when I get them.

Year one is done

Last weekend was Henry's birthday and now he is officially in the single digits. His fabulous Tia (aka Carrie) was so generous in offering up her lovely home in LaGrange as party central for Henry's big day and I'd say the shin dig went off without a hitch. John grilled two turkeys and we had an awesome meal which Henry thoroughly enjoyed. He's been going through that phase where he's a little suspicious of people he doesn't recognize, so I was worried seeing so many people he didn't remember at once would freak him out, but he got over his initial insecurities and seemed to have a great time. Henry received so many presents, he is one lucky little guy. Besides cool toys we also restocked on clothes which is pretty important when you grow as fast as Hank does. I'm still getting used to the thought that Henry is no longer an infant. On my birthday every year at some point my parents say, "It was a good day the day you were born". I figured they were just being sappy and saying how they were happy I came into the world, but now as a mom, that statement means so much more to me. The last week, I couldn't help but continuously reflect over the past year and it always brought me back to that day I met Henry for the first time. I remember everything that went on that day, the people I saw, the breeze in the air, the feeling that the time had finally come to meet my son. I know that no matter how much time will pass, I will always look back on the day Henry was born and remember how great of a day it really was.
So we started off his next year of life with the arrival of his second eyetooth. Well, did I say arrival, I suppose the problem is that it hasn't decided on whether it is ready to completely arrive yet, instead it is hanging in the rafters of Henry's gums, tormenting him and reminding me what sleep deprivation is. Darn you eyetooth!!! Hopefully this next phase of teething will be over soon but I am not holding my breath. Besides that, we went for Henry's check up. He has grown almost 3 inches and to my surprise he has not put on anymore weight since our last visit. I knew the crawling would catch up with him eventually and it did, so little by little I am saying farewell gorgeous baby rolls, I will miss you XOXO

Sleep wonderful sleep

We are on the brink of a new year for Henry. I just can't believe that my little man is almost a year old. There I said it, the one sentence that every mom in the world says about their child. Oh yeah, and "Time goes so fast doesn't it?" Well it does! I'd be lying if I didn't admit to getting a little choked up almost everynight as I sit and read to Henry. He's just gotten so big, so much more independent so much more awesome (I know real eloquent) but he is awesome. He is jetting around the house and after the cats like nobody's business. He is problem solving and by that I don't mean math problems, more along the line of "Hey I want to sit on the ground and eat that toy, but it is up on the couch, how do I make this work for me" Kind of stuff.
So besides those sorts of advancements, I would like to proudly announce that I slept 6 hours straight the other night and that is officially considered sleeping through the night! We've had our ups and downs with sleeping in this house but it looks like Henry has turned a corner and is much more accepting of his crib, his sleep and most importantly mine and John's sleep. I know as a parent sleep will never ever be the same as it was, at least not for a very long time, but I am so happy with where we are now. I actually woke up the other day, before Henry, and thought...I think I got enough sleep last night. And that is something!
We are in the midst of preparing for Henry's first birthday party, which his Tia,aka Carrie, has offered to host at her lovely casa de La grange. Anyone out there who is interested in a bbq at the Biskups, let me know. We're partying on the 22nd of May so if you're free let me know.
I'm in the middle of the spring quarter with school and can't wait for it to be over because my brain is a little on the fried side of things these days. Work has been nuts but it looks like I might be transferring to a new dept which is exciting. There is an opening in floral which as many of you know is my specialty so I'm looking forward to seeing a different side of the business. Well Henry is done with his kiwi and would like to be entertained so I'd better be getting to it.

Back to life, Back to reality

Spring seems to have sprung here in the Midwest and I have been busier than ever. John, Henry and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Madeline Island. We were accompanied by a huge group of amazing friends and family. In fact, this was our very first trip where there were several kids which was a new and entertaining experience. Henry had a great time playing with his little friends, Taney and Izzie. And he also was able to hang out with his cousins Lily and Nyle. All the kids were great, but since each one is at a different age it was definitely a reality check as to what was to come. Izzie is a sweet and good little girl, but she is a toddler and she kept her parents on the move the whole time. I saw my future flash before my eyes, whether it was dog food being thrown across the floor or an unsuspecting bidet being crawled into, I know that my time is fast approaching. Henry is crawling around like a madman and his days of toddling are just around the corner. I can only imagine what he may get into.... Anyway, we had a great time and I'm sure that we will be vacationing together again.

Speaking of Henry's accomplishments, he popped out both of his front teeth, one eyetooth and working on another eyetooth along with the bottom ones he already has. It was a tough month with all of those teeth working their way out, but that smile of his is only getting cuter. I can't believe that my little baby man is turning one in just about a month. I've been a little extra emotional these days and every time I hold him in my arms, I can't help but think about the last year and everything we've gone through together. To make matters worse and better, since I am back at work and Henry is almost at the year mark, I am weaning him. I'm surprised at how sad it makes me to think about this phase being over, but the timing just fell into place and we both know it's time. I feel so lucky to have had such a good breastfeeding experience considering the beginning was such a struggle and I am so thankful to have shared that experience with Henry.

Besides all of that I am back in school and trying very hard to just hunker down and get this quarter done with. It's pretty much the busiest I've been in a long time and I'm not positive it will all get done, but I am going to do my best. I have to complete service hours for a class I'm taking (it's a required course for graduation) and I'm also taking another class. With school and work, volunteer time and Hank time, I've about used up every second I've been allotted. Oh well, we're having a good time and getting things done. And just as I say that, the wee man is stirring in the other room.

Henry phase 2

Well it's official, after much tummy time resistance, Henry can now crawl! In fact he instantly went from crawling to feeling more confident about standing so in a matter of 2 days I can now find him standing and holding on to the entertainment center trying to figure out what to do next. Needless to say, childproofing went into full force and I think things are looking pretty good but I know he'll find anything I missed. This week Henry has been very busy because on top of the whole independently moving thing, he's also got another tooth right at the surface. Please pop through tooth please!!! You can only imagine how well my generally terrible sleeper is sleeping with all these new developments. I think yesterday I described it as Horrendous....But as long as he's getting stuff done and giving me a big smile when he wakes up in the morning, I suppose I'll have to deal with continued sleep deprivation for now :)

Speaking of new developments, I got a job! I love the stay at home mom thing and hope to do it again in the future, but for now we definitely needed some more funding so I'm easing back into the adult world with a part time job at Whole Foods. I am really excited about working at Whole Foods because the company appears to embrace the sort of healthy lifestyle that I am trying to live and raise Henry in so I think it's a good place to start. I will also be getting an employee discount and since I've been making Henry's food with all organic produce, the discount will be great! So that's this week in a nut shell. We're exhausted but getting a lot accomplished and Henry's been friendly and smiling most of the way through it all so I can't ask for much more. Oh yeah and the weather has been in the 50's this week!!! Bring on the Spring!

Teething and Sneezing

Well I'm inspired to write an update today because the sun is out and I finally feel like the winter might actually end. Henry is content playing right now so I thought why not! Today, several times in a row, he went from his belly into a crawl position and then into a sit. This is a major advancement for the little guy because he has been avoiding any sort of crawling/belly time completely. I still have a hunch that he might end up skipping the whole crawling thing because he is happiest when he's on his feet. I'd even go so far as to say that he says something very similiar to the word "up" when he's standing but it sounds more like "puh puh puh". Not bad huh?

We went for his 9 month appointment and no shots! You may not believe this but Henry has actually lost weight. He is down to a measley 24 1/2 pounds. I think all that maneuvering around the floor has resulted in some major calorie burning. Besides moving around the floor, Henry has also been on the road again. John, Carrie, Henry and I could not resist the opportunity to celebrate two of our friends, Kelley and Dean's, 30th birthdays last weekend. So we jumped in my car and traveled to the Twin cities for a quick visit. Henry visited with our friends', Chris and Natalie's, little girl Taney who is super cute and smiley. We are all convinced that they will be great playmates in the next couple years and we can't wait! We had a great time but now we're home and some of us are teething, some of us are sneezing and some of us are doing both. John and I ended up with a cold and I'm not quite sure if Henry has it or not but he definitely sneezed about half of his breakfast on me this morning so I wouldn't be surprised.... Besides sneezing he's working on popping out two more teeth which has him (and us) very unhappy at night. Oh well only a few more to go right? Anyway, things are moving along just fine. I am in hot pursuit of a new job that will have me out in the adult world primarily evenings and weekends so wish me luck!

Catching up

So, I've been slacking in blogger world lately and I am going to blame it on my dysfunctional laptop that decided to self destruct last month. I guess I could have gone to the library or my mom's house but it just didn't work out so now I'm back with a refurbished laptop that will do just fine for the time being. Things have been happening around the Polanek household. Henry has a tooth! It's not all the way out just yet, but it is working its way up. It's little and white and perfect. I was surprised at how proud I felt just over one tiny tooth. My life as the mother of an infant flashed before my eyes with the arrival of that tooth. I was happy to see new things develop and sad to see the earliest days of Henry's life already beautiful memories. I know he's still several months from being considered a toddler but considering he is already 27 pounds, producing teeth and trying very hard to crawl/stand/move independently anyway possible, I'd say we are zoning in on toddlerhood. As much as I miss the precious early moments of mommyhood, I am having soooo much fun with Henry right now and his personality is really starting to come out. Henry continues to be very mild mannered and social in lots of different settings which has been great. I just signed him up for his first class at the Library which we start next Thursday. Nothing too advanced, just fingerplays and storytime type stuff. Henry is constantly laughing these days and we never get tired of trying to make him laugh. He thinks John and I are pretty hilarious, especially when John busts out some new dance moves (which he does ALOT). I'll work at getting some on video...the laughs not the dance moves :)

One thing that I've learned Henry does not like is Spinach. This was surprising to me because he has basically eaten everything I've ever put in front of him. And he eats it all fast! I tried some pureed spinach the other day and every time I gave him a spoonful of it, he cried. He ate it, but he cried. I figured out it was only a personal problem with the spinach because I also intermittently gave him spoonfuls of squash and apples with no reaction. Every time I tried the spinach, tears. So in an effort to still work the veggie into his diet, I am trying several masking techniques in which I hope to divert his attention from the spinach by combining it with another delicious, pre approved veggie. We'll see if he falls for it.

Well, I better stop typing here and get some work done before Henry's nap time comes to an abrupt end. I promise to post some pics once I retrieve my camera from my parents' house.

Perspective

We are getting ready for a fun weekend with the Polaneks for Nina and Bill's wedding. It should be a lot of fun and since Henry is already a seasoned wedding attendee, I'm hoping he'll behave himself. I thought I would make a quick update because a lady said something to me yesterday that stuck. Henry was putting on the charm at the grocery store and this woman said "He is so beautiful, you must smile all day long". Now I have been thankful for every second that Henry has been in my and John's lives. He's been a great baby with a great attitude but this is a much tougher job than I ever imagined. Like most or maybe all moms, quite often I feel just exhausted, and I'm not even working another job right now! Anyway, that lady reminded me of something very important that I am going to continue to remind myself on those tough days or rather nights. I have never smiled more in my life than I do now. Everyday, throughout the day I have a reason to smile no matter how the day starts or how it ends, everywhere in between I am smiling at Henry. So thanks random grocery lady for pointing that out, I'm a lucky girl.

Gaga Googoo

So we're safely out of the holiday zone and back to reality, whatever that means these days. Henry decided to wake up at 6am this morning which is a mere hour and a half earlier than usual, grrr. But we're dressed out of bed and I thought I would catch up with everyone while he plays with his new collection of toys. I can officially say that last weekend I reached my limit and achieved the status of burnt out. As some of you may already know, the Eichorst family comes from a long line of Tshirt vendors (well just a couple generations) but when the work arises, we're there. It's usually decent money, fun people watching and sometimes even a chance to spend quality family time. Anyway, this weekend I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Rosemont Theatre selling Lady Gaga merchandise to glitter covered, spandex wearing, stiletto stomping men and women, talk about people watching! Luckily John and I were able to work together on Saturday and Henry was able to spend Friday with his Grandma and Grandpa Eichorst and Saturday with his Grandma Polanek, he's one lucky guy (and so are we!). Needless to say, I worked a few long hard days of work and following my previous sleep deprived schedule, I made it pretty easy for myself to catch a cold and I did. Boo! So now I'm at war with this cold and fighting it with a regimen of zinc and vitamin C, I'll let you know who wins.

In other news, Henry is doing great. He's growing like crazy and trying to do so many new things at once. You can check out the big improvements he's making on his dialect in the video below. No crawling or scooting, but he is spending a lot more time on his belly playing with toys which is something he would previously avoid at all cost. We're going to be laying low the next week or so and then Henry will be going to our cousin Nina's wedding! I see lots of fun ahead for the Polanek family!!