Henry vs. the cat

After trying for several weeks to capture a picture of Henry and the cat in the same frame, this is the closest I got. Yes, that is Haley running from Henry.




Henry is chasing a cat toy in this particular scenario. When it rolled into the back corner underneath our oven cabinet, he was not deterred. He crouched low and shimmied right under the cabinet. When the cat toy then rolled out from under the cabinet, Henry, slowly and with absolute focus, turned about, snaked out from the cabinet and resumed the chase. You can see from the look on his face that he is actually quite pleased with himself. So, is Henry chasing a cat toy because he wants to be like the cat, or is he chasing the cat's toy so he can irritate the cat? We will never know. I prefer to think that Henry loves the cat, but at this stage in their relationship, the feelings are not fully reciprocated. Although the cat is not openly hostile towards Henry, he is somewhat unsettled by the sight of a 21 lb creature with seemingly little physical control or grace barreling towards him on his hands and knees while screeching like a howler monkey.

The Weary Traveler.

This was Henry upon arrival at the Orlando airport after our trip. Overall, he is an excellent traveler - certainly better than me.

Since the airport is ideal for people-watching, Henry had a great time. He also could show off his somewhat disconcertingly advanced social skills. For example, on both flights, when the flight attendants were stopped next to our seats while serving beverages, Henry leaned over and tugged on their skirts (literally!) to get their attention. They would look down, and there was Henry beaming up at them. Of course, this maneuver earned him lots of attention. The first time he did this, he had such a successful outcome that he tried it again on our next flight, and sure enough, Henry's skirt tugging rouse has a 100% success rate.

On our return flight to FL, not 15 minutes into the flight, mind you, Henry somehow charmed himself onto the lap of the kind woman sitting next to us. She must have held him for at least half of the flight. Occasionally, he would crawl back to me, but soon enough, he would be reaching for the nice lady and I was all but forgotten. He stayed awake during the entire return flight until the Captain said, "Flight attendants, Please prepare the cabin for final landing." Henry heard, "Henry, this is the Captain speaking. This would be a good time to fall soundly asleep since we are landing in 3 minutes. You should remain asleep until your parents get the luggage. I suggest you awaken from your nap, refreshed and full of energy, the moment you are strapped into the car."

Summer Vacation. Part 3: My parents' house

Was Henry's favorite part of the visit to my parents' house the fancy rocking horse? No.

Did Henry appreciate the two fawns who have made his grandparents' backyard their home? Not really.

What was Henry's favorite part of the visit? Well, take a look...

The doorstop.

After the family reunion at Mike's old stomping grounds, we turned in our first rental car so that we could immediately check out a different rental car for a one way drive from WI to Edwardsville. The drive was about 6 hours, and Henry did great. He slept for the first half of the drive and was surprisingly calm for the second half of the drive. I sat in the backseat with Henry for about an hour to help keep him entertained. We played the game that is probably a time-honored classic, but a new one for us: I would enthusiastically hand Henry a small toy; whereby, he would eagerly snap it up, smile sweetly, lock eyes with me, and calmly pitch the toy on the floor.

Once we arrived at my parents' house, Henry honed in on the door stop as if he had been planning for this moment his whole life. Apparently, a spring door stop is the coolest toy that any kid can ever possibly hope to encounter.

As usual, Henry charmed the grandparents with his hamming it up for the camera routine, his lip smacking schtick, and his whole "I'm a baby - give me whatever I want because I'm cute" con (Henry quickly learned that grandparents are easy marks).

Summer Vacation. Part 2: Mike's parents' house

Henry and his Uncle Tim. Because the weather was so mild, Henry was able to wear long sleeves and long pants for the first time since he was about 4 months old.

(Yes, this really is an actual puppy. Not a toy. They are just that cute.)

Every summer, we look forward to our visit with Mike's family in the beautiful rolling hills of Southern Wisconsin. This summer, Henry enjoyed meeting and spending time with his cousins, and aunt and uncles, his Grandma and Grandpa, and, of course, puppies!!!

Henry loves dogs of all ages and sizes. This puppy is only 8 weeks old, and he and Henry became instant friends. Henry also became instant friends with Sophie, the Great Dane, Fred, the rat terrier, Maggie, the Scottish terrier, Lucy, the West Highland Terrier, and Jake, the Collie mix.

The weather in Wisconsin was cool and light, almost autumnal. During our visit, we were able to celebrate cousin Isaac's 10th birthday and meet new cousin William.

It was a rare treat to see the three brothers - Pat, Mike, and Tim - together at the same time. Seeing Henry brought back a lot of memories of baby Mike for the family. Apparently, Henry is a mini-Mike with regards to physical traits and personality (i.e., a lot of ENERGY).

During our visit, Mike was able to enjoy his favorites like brats, chicken wings, and Pat's Huli huli chicken (a family favorite from their time in Hawaii).

Summer Vacation. Part I: Madison

Mike and Henry with the Wisconsin State Capitol in the background.


Henry sneezing at the Memorial Union Terrace

We returned from our annual summer pilgrimage to the homeland last weekend. It has been busy, busy, busy this past week while we catch up with work, the laundry, the yard, the house, etc. It seems like I hardly have a moment to even transfer photos from our trip. Since the trip was nearly two weeks long and we saw so many people and places, I will just have to hit the highlights and I am breaking up the trip into the three main components: Madison, Mike's parents' house and my parents' house.

We began our journey in Madison, obviously a place that is very near and dear to our hearts. We were there for fewer than 24 hours, but we packed in as much as we could with an infant while we were there.

The highlights for Mike and myself:
A visit to McArdle
Catching up with good friends
A lovely afternoon break at the Memorial Terrace
New Glarus Spotted Cow and Leinenkugel's Original (Mike)
Fried cheese curds at the Blue Moon! (me)
Watching Henry play on the grass at the Capitol

The highlights for Henry:
Slamming the dresser drawers shut repeatedly in the hotel room
First taste of locally made Babcock ice cream