Well, I am very ecstatic and proud. As you can see from the picture, Henry clearly likes books AND kittens. Finally, we have something in common. I look forward to all the time that we will spend having our mother-son chats about books and kittens. Do you think he is too young for wine? Because then we would really have a lot in common.

Swimming lessons.

Henry participated in his first organized kid activity last Saturday morning - Swimming lessons. He loved it. The class is designed for babies, and the term "lesson" is a misrepresentation. The "class" is more of an opportunity for Henry to enjoy the water at the same time as other babies are learning to enjoy the water. Mostly, the babies splash and kick and squeal. The class ends with a rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus." After the 30 minutes in the pool, Henry slept like a rock for his morning nap.
It is suggested that only one parent accompany the child at a time. I was poolside to take pictures and handle the logistics (as Mike refers to holding the towel). Oh, and Mike wanted me to report that Henry was the best in the class (of course).

Resistance is futile.

Mike thought it was funny that the Hailey wanted control of the remotes. However, I think it is clear from his two glowing orbs piercing through your soul that Hailey wants to control much more than the television.

A less commonly celebrated milestone?

Apparently, in Henry's case and in the case of a few other babies, according to the Internet, the crawling milestone goes hand in hand with the sitting up by himself in the crib milestone. This particular milestone seems to be less appreciated by parents. Why? Because its kinda creepy. A few mothers had asked us if we had encountered the shrouded baby figure sitting up alone in the crib in the middle of the night. Not crying, not complaining, just sitting. In the dark. Alone. With a blanket over its head. Ok, that scenario didn't exactly happen to us (although, it reminds me of that movie with Nicole Kidman. I think it is called "The Others."). Instead of sitting up in the middle of the night, Henry sits up in the morning, sits up after naps, sits up when we are trying to put him to bed...

The other morning Mike entered Henry's room to find Henry upright and smiling - Mike was startled. The same thing happened to me on Saturday when I heard Henry stirring after his nap, there he was sitting up and hanging out (see above picture). Last night, Henry popped up as soon as we set him in the crib for bedtime. He remained upright so we left him that way. We could hear him in his room babbling and moving around, but he was quiet and seemed content so we just left him alone. About 45 minutes later, I checked on him and found him sitting up in his crib but slouched forward - he was asleep in the sitting up position. I arranged him in a comfortable position and he slept through the night without a peep.

Crawling - the movie.

Click here to see a video of Henry's second attempt at crawling. We were lucky enough to have the camera at the ready.

And finally... he crawls.

The baby in daycare who is exactly Henry's age has been crawling for months. And for the past couple of months, every time anyone has asked about Henry's age, the follow-up question is "Is he crawling yet?" After we try a cheerful "Not yet!" The response is inevitably, "Well, that is ok. Every baby develops at their own pace. Each baby is unique." The pediatrician had a somewhat less magnanimous explanation for Henry's lack of crawling, "He's just lazy!" Lately, we cut to the chase. After any inquiry about Henry's age or if someone even so much as glances in Henry's direction at the store, we say, "He is nine and 1/2 months old and he isn't crawling yet. But we know that babies all develop at their own unique pace. That's ok. We love him for who he is. Really, we wouldn't want it any other way. He's his own person. Now mind your own business."

All of this changed last night, though, because last night, Henry crawled. He crawled towards a tower of blocks and summarily knocked it over. The tall, ordered tower of blocks is powerful motivation for Henry. It begs to be toppled. Henry loves to eliminate potential energy, thus Mike's nickname for him, Captain Chaos. I was impressed by Henry's crawling form. I am no crawling expert, but I think he executed his first crawl with stability, effortless style, and confidence. Video evidence of alleged crawling soon to follow.

Spinning in the swing

Click here for a video of Henry spinning in the swing. He loves the bucket swing hanging from the tree in our front yard.