Harry Benjamin Holden-Brown

Harry Likes to Mimick

2007-10-16T14:20:00.001-05:00

Harry and Sarah Closeup
Originally uploaded by brownorama

So a big change with Harry in the last week has been his sudden interest in doing things that the adults around him do. So some of the things that he has started copying include putting his finger up to his mouth and saying shush. Or putting his fingers up to his nose and "blowing." The other night we had kebabs and they come with bread and a yogurt dipping sauce. We gave Harry some of the bread but when he saw us dipping ours, he wanted to dip his as well. Of course, he ended up with white fingers and with a white ring around his mouth. We thought it was hilarious. Harry just looked at us with a "what?" look on his face. When I went over to a friends house for a play date the other day - a place we have been many times now - Harry was obsessed with playing with the toy kitchen they had - putting the food in and out of the frying pan and turning on the "water." He also would not leave the toy vacuum cleaner alone. These are all tendencies that I wonder whether I should be directing towards good use. :-)

Finally, on more of a general development front, Harry kicked a ball yesterday. For the first time it was a very purposeful and repeated action on his part. (As opposed to just something that happened in the course of walking near a ball.) He found it exceedingly exciting and was very pleased with himself when he did it too. :-)

Carousels Rock!

2007-10-12T13:05:00.001-05:00

Yay! Carousels Rock!
Originally uploaded by brownorama

A couple of weekends ago we took Harry for his first rides on a carousel. We went down to Glen Echo Park - an old amusement park that was established at the turn of the 20th century that is now a national park. There they have a carousel that was built in 1921 that is still operating. The rides cost all of a dollar per person, the carousel animals are jauntily painted and the organ music is cheerfully loud. I wasn't sure how Harry would react to it all. It can be overwhelming and his recent sense of fear of things made me a little hesitant. So I anxiously waited with him in line as everyone came off and the next group were allowed on. We found our "horse" and got on and then the lady came and rang the bell and started the carousel. As it started to move round and round, I discovered two glorious things. First, Harry loved it! He spent a good part of the time giggling and yelling with glee and waving at his Daddy as we wizzed by. Second, I remembered how much I loved carousels and memories of the many,many times I went on them came flooding back to me. (My carousel of choice was the one down on the National Mall.) It was fun to have this experience with Harry and to have him enjoy it as much as I did. We went on it twice and then headed to the playground that was next to the carousel. Harry was entertained for a bit. But he was drawn back to the carousel - pointing and gesturing urgently to me - like a moth to a flame. It is satisfying to know that his Mummy's genes have been passed down so clearly.

What's new with us....Harry turns 16 months, is walking with ease, and is generally just a doll

2007-10-10T13:30:00.001-05:00

Harry Close-up
Originally uploaded by brownorama

On the one hand, we have been going through a period of relative calm on the major physical developments front. Harry is now walking with confidence. Our little one no longer crawls after falling down, but rather stands back up - one's view of the world is much more interesting standing up. The little changes still come on a daily basis. As reported by the development books, he is in a push-me pull-me phase - in any given moment, Harry wants to run in the opposite direction at the same time as clinging to my leg. There are definite challenges given this contradiction. Not only is he walking with confidence, he is insisting on doing so on his own a good part of the time. Independence is the name of the game. But he is also scared when the door bell rings and Timber barks - so he rushes over for reassurance. As a mother it is hard to strike the balance between letting him do his own thing and providing the "protection" he desires. But we are working on it daily and I am sure we will find an equilibrium eventually. (Just in time for the next phase of development to hit. :-) )

Music class is something he is relishing these days. He spends most of his time walking around the room "singing" in a loud voice and then rushing back to me when the next "instrument" (i.e. shaker, sticks, scarves) is handed out, laughing with glee. He is particularly excited when the teacher rolls a ball over to him. What is also gratifying, is how the other mothers seem to appreciate his joie de vivre.

The teeth continue to come on in. The arrival of the molars was accompanied by a profuse amount of drool. It seemed, for a while there, that he would never have a dry chin and chest again. But it seems that they are in. So he now has a total of 12 teeth - including 4 molars. Teeth brushing takes on more significance when there is actually something in there to brush. :-) Of course, the push-me pull-me phase also makes that particular task challenging. But we always say that he has to be prepared if he sees our friend Tom - father of his friend Carter and budding dentist. Not sure if Harry is convinced, however.

Sleep has continued to be great (touch wood!) He is sleeping 12 - 12 and 1/2 hours at night and then an hour and a half in the middle of the day. It makes his mother feel much more sane. Of course, it hasn't helped my sleep at all. I still wake up every 2 hours without fail. A reality that is becoming more and more trying as the days go by.

From what I read, we are going into the most challenging period of the toddler stage and whilst I gird myself for the process, I am also feeling a sense of calm as a mother - the endless process of adaptation to the next thing seems easier and, dare I say, a feeling of confidence has developed. Of course, I could be back tomorrow saying I was wrong and what did I know. But I hope that maybe I am right and I can say that I have achieved a certain degree of serenity. All I need to do now is get a good nights sleep. :-)

The latest on Harry

2007-09-04T12:34:00.001-05:00

Laughing Harry
Originally uploaded by brownorama

There have been so many things that Harry has started doing in the last couple of months....it has been a joy as a parent to see him gaining all of these new skills. Just to catalog a few of them..... (I know there will be some I will forget) He has a whole litany of animals sounds that he makes now and apparently according to the speech experts these sounds are considered words. So now he has sounds for:

- Lion
- Elephant (which he does with a swirl of his hand in front of his face)
- Cat (He started saying the word the other day)
- Dog (He says dog as well)
- Duck (He says duck)
- Car (This is a new one and yesterday we were walking through the parking lot at a Baysocks game and he kept pointing at the cars and saying "Ca", "Ca")
- Snake (Possibly the cutest animal sound he has so far)
- Bird
- Cow
- Monkey
- Horse (which isn't a neigh, but rather the "tic, tic, tic" sound a horse makes as it trots along.)

He has also been pointing at things and saying "what's tha?" Which gets his parents to endlessly describe his surroundings. Then there are the upturned hands with the "I don't know?" sound that he makes. Also, extremely cute. (Do you sense a cute theme here?)

On the walking front, we bought him his first pair of walking shoes. Very cute - there are pictures on Flickr.

He has started using sign language much more regularly. His favorite is "more." When he realized that we understood what he was saying there was much excitement. :-) But he is also using the sign for "milk", "done" and "up". Basically, there has been a explosion on the communications front in the last couple of weeks. He is babbling up a storm and using conversational intonation. You can just tell that he is dying to talk and can't wait until we can understand everything that he is saying.

It is so exciting to see him make these strides - literally and figuratively.

Harry is Walking!!!!

2007-08-26T16:31:00.000-05:00

So after a long hiatus in the walking department, Harry is finally covering some ground with steps. He took his first ones almost 6 weeks ago - as evidenced by how long it has been since I last posted. :-) (Sorry about that, I promise to be better.) But he has not really shown much interest in the process otherwise. You could see that he was perfectly able just not willing to take the leap of faith necessary to go more than a step or two. A sense of caution that those of you who know his parents well, will probably not find all that surprising in our offspring. God forbid that a Holden-Brown take an unconsidered step. :-) But today he did it!!! So exciting!! We are so proud of our little boy! Every day he far exceeds our expectations and our love for him deepens, if that is possible. There have been other developments that I will save for another post because they are cute and deserve their own attention. So I will get to it and motivate to write more. I promise. In the meantime, our little baby continues his march (pun intended this time :-) ) towards becoming an independent being. Whilst it brings tears to his mother's eyes, she couldn't be happier. :-)

Harry Takes His First Steps!!!! Parents, Very Proud!!!!

2007-07-12T15:42:00.001-05:00

Today, July 12th, Harry took his first steps. He has taken 3 sets of them. They are little and not a dramatic display. But a distinct process of moving forward and lifting his feet whilst standing. He has been threatening to walk for a while now - standing firmly and with confidence. But he hadn't made any definitive efforts to ambulate. Today, there was no doubt. Two days ago, he took at step but immediately fell over. Today, it was a series of little ones. A Holden-Brown shuffle, if you will. :-) He didn't seem to care about the huge thing he did today. He looked at me when I squealed with delight, with a: "Mummy, what is the big deal? I am not doing anything special." But his parents are very proud. We have caught one of the small steps he took on video. We will do what we can to upload it soon. (Be patient with the busy parents. :-) )

Harry's Accident

2007-07-12T15:24:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, June 23rd, Harry pulled a cup of hot tea down on himself. It poured down the right-hand side of his face, his right arm and body. It gave him first and second-degree burns and led us to take an ambulance down to the National Children's Medical Center to their Burn Unit. It was the most terrifying experience for me as a mother and one that I hope never to repeat. I have been reluctant to post anything about it up until now. There are so many mixed emotions that go along with the whole experience. On the one hand, there is the relief that he is now healing well and Harry's prognosis looks really great. (At this point his wounds are healed, and we are waiting to see if he will have any skin pigmentation issues - something we will only know in a year.) On the other hand, there is the profound sense of failure I have as a mother to protect my baby in this most basic sense. Yes, accidents happen. But, that is a big part of what I am here for - to stop him from hurting himself with the dangers that he can not predict or anticipate. So in a sense, we are all healing. Harry, who seems oblivious to the whole event at this point, is doing his part in healing his body. We are healing in our role as parents - in getting our confidence back and learning to forgive ourselves.

Harry's First Birthday!

2007-06-18T10:30:00.001-05:00

Blowing out the candle on Harry's First Birthday
Originally uploaded by brownorama

So on June 9th, Harry celebrated his first birthday! Yay Harry! Yay Us! :-) Much excitement for all involved. We held a party at the house and we had about 20 adults and 4 babies come to celebrate. It was a lovely day. The food was good, the company even better and laughter filled the house, which was wonderful. We did a good job planning and making the food this time since it was mostly done by the time everyone arrived, which allowed us to enjoy the party more. (A good thing since there is a certain level of chaos that develops around a party involving babies/children.) The weather was lovely and I think a good time was had by all. Harry carried himself with aplomb. There was always the concern that he would be freaked out by all of the people and cry. But he didn't. In fact, none of the babies cried. They all seemed to have a good time. Everyone was extremely generous and the table where we set out his gifts was full even before everyone arrived. (I promise, thank you notes will be forthcoming this time. :-) ) Harry was very excited - particularly by the tissue paper. :-) So all round it was a great day.

It was interesting to reflect on his birthday from the perspective of a parent and mother. A year ago on that day I was in labor and giving birth to this little person. As I get older, birthdays have lost a bit of their wonder and significance. They start to become a bit like any other day. With the stress on "older" one starts to reflect on the passing of time rather than the wonder of the day. As a mother, however, I realize that Harry's birthday will never just be "another day" to me. Birth was such an incredible experience for us. It was filled with wonder and awe and the amazing moment of being handed this little squirmy thing who had been inside of me. There are few words that are adequate to describe that feeling. It brings tears to my eyes now just thinking about it. Yes, from that moment on our lives were never the same. And yes, there have been sacrifices. But ultimately, Harry brings so many riches into our lives that those "sacrifices" cease to hold any meaning. Every day he is this tangible representation of life with a capital "L" and the importance of living in the moment. Little did I realize just how much my heart expanded on the day he was born - on his birthday - to accept him and to have an ever expanding capacity to love and cherish.

In Memorium - Our Dear Zebby

2007-06-11T15:13:00.001-05:00

Zebby
Originally uploaded by brownorama

Saturday, a week ago we lost our dear pup Zebby. It was a horrible freak accident that we will never forget and it took our sweet, fluffy boy from us. He was such a presence in our lives, something we knew but the depth of which we could not have conceived until he was no longer with us. He was a wonderful, cheerful presence. He was my friend and shadow. He followed us everywhere and he loved us so much. He was my baby boy before I had a baby boy and the one who made me realize that I could be a mother to a boy. He was the one fluff in our house who unconditionally accepted Harry when he arrived and we thought that our son would grow up with Zebby being his dog. Zeb was a little boy's dog. But he was taken from us and we miss him so much. Our only consolation is that he is no longer anxious, will have an endless supply of soccer balls and is being thoroughly spoiled by my grandmother wherever they are together. We love you Zebby. Goodbye dear friend.

Harry is Developing a Sense of Humor

2007-05-31T07:01:00.000-05:00

Whilst I don't always understand it, Harry is developing a unique sense of humor. The things that tickle him are often a little inexplicable but it is cute to see his personality developing in a such a joyful direction. On the one hand this development is simple - you will tickle Harry and he will giggle and smile. But on the other hand there is more going on in there as he finds things funny. Yesterday we were outside waiting for a friend and her son to join us for a walk and I was pulling old rose buds off our roses bushes. Somehow, my act filled Harry with glee and he would let out high pitched chuckle every time I pulled a bud off and the bush jiggled. He also thinks that feeding the dogs is humorous. He will drop a cheerio off one side of his highchair and as the one dog eats it up he laughs. Then he will go to the other side of his highchair and do the same thing for the other dog and laugh again. (It is good to see that he also has a sense of equanimity :-) ) Dan has started doing laughing "exercises" with Harry. The two of them sit and Dan will laugh and Harry will follow his lead. It is very cute seeing my boys laughing away together. Not only is this sense of a humor an exciting personality development but it is also good to see Harry gaining an appreciation for the funny things in life. I hope that this new "skill" will stand him in good stead through the years.

Harry Stands By Himself!!!! More than Once!!!!

2007-05-23T22:03:00.001-05:00

Harry in Washington Square Park
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

I have had a number of other posts planned (about Mother's Day and Harry's developing sense of humor) but recently things have been a little insane. In the meantime, our little boy has made a developmental leap - he stood by himself yesterday. Whilst he has stood before, this is the first time that he did so confidently and more than once. He also lowered himself to the ground from a standing position. He was inordinately pleased with himself as was his mother. It was also really great because my grandfather - Pa - Harry's great-grandfather, was here to witness it. He is back from South Africa to visit and stopped in DC for a few days before heading to Colorado. It was exciting to be able to share this moment with him. Everyone was very proud and pleased with our babe! :-)

Harry Turns 11 Months and Gets His First Real Cold

2007-05-10T22:32:00.001-05:00

IMG_3285.JPG
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

One of the unfortunate outcomes of our trip to Colorado was that Dan picked up a really bad cold. He then passed this on to Harry, who is now coughing and spluttering in a very sad and pathetic way. Harry has had a cough before but nothing like this. This time there was no mistaking that he was sick, unhappy and very sad. So on his 11 month birthday we had to take him to the doctor. The doctor assured us that it was nothing more than a bad cold. But even so, there is nothing like watching the symptoms being played out in one's child. First, everything is diminutive. So on the one hand it is the cutest thing you have ever seen and on the other the saddest. Really, enough to break one's heart. Second, all of the things that happen with a cold - coughing, sneezing, runny nose - are uncensored. So the unpleasantness of it all is clearly shown on his face. Really enough to break one's heart. Third, one gets to experience the helplessness of a parent when one's child is sick. There is very little that one can do for a baby when they have a cold beyond giving them an analgesic and keeping the nose and airways moist. The cold just has to play itself out. Watching my baby suffer makes me feel a degree of pain that I didn't think was possible. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a child that has a condition that is more serious. All in all it is enough to breaks my heart. I suspect that this is a theme that will recur over and over again through the years - not just in terms of physical ills but emotional ones too. Standing on the sidelines is a difficult thing to do as a parent but sometimes it can't be helped. You can do what you can to "keep the airways moist" and dull the pain. But ultimately your little one has to go through it. A hard lesson when all you want to do is remove the pain altogether.

Harry's First Trip To Colorado

2007-05-10T22:18:00.001-05:00

Our First Morning in Gunnison
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

So we returned from Harry's first trip to Colorado just over a week ago. All told, I think he enjoyed it immensely. He was thoroughly spoiled by the grandparents and loved all of the new sights and people. He obviously loves traveling - except for the sitting in his car seat for long periods of time part - and just soaked up all the newness. It is exciting as a parent to see one's child so stimulated by new things. It inspired me to do my best to inject more of that into his daily life. It is easy to fall back on one's routine, particularly when in search of elusive sleep. But I know that as a mother it is important for both of us to get out of the mundane and experience new things. Fortunately, DC does provide ample opportunity for that right at our door step. I just have to get over some of my hesitations of getting out and about solo with the babe. As far as hurdles go, not a big one and the payoff - the look of excitement on my babe's face - is definitely worth it.

Baby's Latest

2007-05-10T22:12:00.001-05:00

Harry and Mummy After Eating. Yay!
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

So Harry has been up to a number of things in recent weeks. He not only used the sign for "milk" the other day, but he also used the sign for "more." A difficult concept and one that his parents are excited he is using. These changes come at a time when Harry is clearly starting to understand more and more with each passing day. He is making his preferences really clear - when I say and sign milk, he grunts excitedly; when I say "up" he grunts excitedly and puts up his arms etc. etc. This has made life a little easier as we break down the barriers in communication.

Harry loves books and will squeal with delight at some of the pages in his favorite ones. When I read to him, of course, I point out the animals and we look at the pages. For some reason, however, I had never asked him to point out any of the animals. Well, I asked him where the duck was in one of his books yesterday and low and behold he pointed right to it. Clearly, I haven't been giving him enough credit. It was a very exciting moment and so cute to see.

He is enthusiastically cruising along furniture and will use any vertical surface as a way of balancing - for example, this morning he used the shower door to walk along the edge of the bathroom. Walking is around the corner. A prospect that fills me with a little bit of trepidation. Not because I don't want him to but with that first step he moves from being an infant to a toddler. My little babe is growing up.

This Just In, Hear All About It: Harry Stands on His Own!

2007-04-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

Today was a banner day in the Holden-Brown household. Not only did Harry use his first baby sign today - the sign for milk. (Yay! All the months of signing and patience have paid off!) But he also stood on his own! We were at music class and talking with another mother after class. Harry used my legs to pull himself up and then support himself. As he stood there and I was talking, he took his hands off my legs and he was just standing there. I would have missed it. But I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I squealed. He grinned. And I scooped him up with excitement. It was a special moment. Yay Harry! :-)

Harry's Tricks and Other Thoughts

2007-04-17T22:44:00.001-05:00

Harry - Trying to Eat the Grass
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

As a parent one is exceptionally proud as ones child adds more skills to his repertoire. These become "tricks" you trot out to any observer paying even the scantest interest. :-) Harry has a few that are particularly cute. (I am not sure if I have mentioned these in previous blog postings - if I have, please forgive me. :-) )

When you say "Harry, be Baby Gojira" he growls.
He claps his hands when asked - something that he does enthusiatically now - particularly since he has figured out how to "play ball" with this large yellow plastic ball we got him. (He used to clap when we sang the "when you're happy and you know it, clap your hands" song, but he has since become bored with this activity. He is "beyond" it. :-) )
He kicks his feet on command - something he learnt in swimming class.
He blows bubbles when asked - another skill from swimming class.
When he is sitting and you say - Dance, baby, dance - he bobs around and smiles. Just too cute! :-)
Finally, when you ask him: "Harry, how does a lion go?" He smiles and growls loudly. :-)

Proud parent aside.....It is SO exciting to have such patent examples of how we are starting the process of communicating with our son. His personality is exerting itself all the more and the little person that he becoming is slowly becoming more distinct. He laughs a lot and it is fascinating to see the things that amuse him - for example, popping out from behind a wall or raising my arms above my head and saying "weeeee." It is such a thrill and so wonderful to have the privilege of witnessing it all. There are times when frustrations arise but they pale in comparison to the wonder I feel on a daily basis at the transformative experience of parenthood. Not only has it brought this new, incredible being into my life but it has strengthened and deepened my relationship with Dan and allowed me to discover parts of myself I never knew I had. Life has taken on a clarity that it did not have before. Every day I thank the gods for this privilege and try to remember it in those moments when patience wears thin.

Harry standing up! Very Pleased! :-)

2007-04-15T21:17:00.001-05:00

Harry standing up! Very Pleased! :-)
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

I am sorry that is has been so long since I have posted to the blog. But things have been a little busy of late. That is really status quo, I guess. So I need to get my act together and just post more often. :-) Anyway....the latest.....the last time I posted Harry had sat up in his crib and we immediately lowered the mattress level. This was a good thing since shortly thereafter Harry started standing up! When Dan went away to Law Vegas at the end of March, Harry decided it was time to start standing up and crying in my direction. This may not seem like a big thing. But standing makes the crying that much louder and somehow urgent. So Mummy caved and went and got him each time - of course, the time when this happened got earlier and earlier in the morning and it took Daddy coming back to give us the fortitude to let poor little Harry finally crumple in a heap and go back to sleep. :-) Anyway...we made it through the standing up in the crib phase and he doesn't seem to be doing it as much anymore, which is a relief. :-)

Other developments on the Harry front....the standing up in his crib has been followed by a great increase in his pulling up on any vertical surface in the house he can get a grip on. Of course, this means that there is also a fair amount of falling over and bumping ourselves with the bruises to prove it. Fortunately, he seems to get over things fairly quickly and keeps trying again. I suspect that standing independently will happen any day now.

His sleep, as per usual, is all over the place. He is still sleeping well at night. But his naps are a constantly moving target. He does seem to be going in the direction of longer naps, however, much to the relief of his mummy. :-)

His eating is progressing well. He has tried pineapple, lentils, watermelon, and fish of late. He has started enthusiastically feeding us his cheerios - a mainstay of his diet - and then smiling broadly at us. He has gone off all pureed foods with the exception of YoBaby yogurt. Now before you shun me for giving my baby WAY too much sugar.....yes, I am giving him YoBaby but it is in an effort to get him to take his multivitamin. (A liquid vitamin that yes, smells as gross as you would imagine it would.) Hopefully the two do not cancel each other out. But I am doing what the pediatrician wants me to do. The nice thing is that he does seem to be enjoying the finger foods we feed him. He just likes to be in control - apparently a typical development as he makes his first steps towards independence.

Overall, he is still SUCH a sweetie. :-) He is, as a rule, even sweeter when he is rested. So we pursue the illusive sleep with much enthusiasm. It is definitely a moving target. But one that we try to hit as often as possible given what a wonderful little boy emerges when it is obtained.

This Just In: Harry Found Sitting in his Crib! And Other Harry Developments

2007-03-16T15:08:00.001-05:00

Harry sleeping
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

So the other morning I went in there was Harry sitting up in his crib. The day to lower the crib mattress had arrived. He sits on his won but until now he hadn't figured out or was strong enough to get up from a lying down position to a sitting position by himself. Given that he is also pulling up on everything in sight these days we sadly realized another sign of babyness was fading away. So last night Dan lowered the crib mattress. Singlehandedly making the demands on my back all the more challenging. Putting Harry in to sleep last night was not as bad as I thought it was going to be but it also wasn't as easy as it could be and I see many botched attempts to put him in his crib asleep coming down the line.

In other news, Harry has cut another tooth! Not the one we were expecting. Hence its crreep out of his gums being a little less noticed - it is one of his incisors up top. Not the other front tooth we were expecting. I kept putting my finger in his mouth to delatch him during and nursing and thinking....gee, I feel his tooth way over on the side. Well turns out it was another tooth on the side! Not his front tooth moving over. :-) Anyway....it also explains all of the ear pulling he has been doing.

Harry is also now crawling on all fours for longer periods of time leaving the "commando crawling" for longer stretches when he needs more stamina. Very cute to see him going along on all fours. Keep an eye on Flickr for pictures.

Harry and his Daddy play baby Gojira waiting for the doctor

2007-03-10T23:27:00.001-05:00

Harry and his Daddy play baby Gojira waiting for the doctor
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

So one of the things that I keep forgetting to mention that we have "trained" Harry to do is growl when we ask him. Not sure exactly how this got started but we now have an inordinate amount of fun with it. Dan turned it into a game that they play where Harry is a baby Gojira (a.k.a. Godzilla) and he sets up Harry's blocks to be "houses" and his large lego pieces to be people and then Harry knocks them down like he is Godzilla. All very cute. When we were in the doctor's office this week waiting for Dr Kulp to get to us, I captured my two boys having fun playing Gojira's in the mirror. :-)

The Latest Harry Developments - Harry Turns 9 Months

2007-03-10T22:26:00.001-05:00

Harry and Mummy in the bath
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

Harry turned 9 months yesterday. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of fan fare because his parents have been under the weather. Dan had throat surgery on Thursday, which went well but flattened him considerably. I have been under the weather with a bad cold. As a result, his 9 month birthday passed. But we will make it up to him later. Since he passed that milestone we had to take him to the pediatrician. Dr Kulp was pleased to see him and gave him a clean bill of health much to his parents pleasure. He did wildly well at the appointment, not even crying when he got his shots.

On the food front, Harry has been trying a number of other items on the list. For the most part he doesn't mind them. There haven't been dramatic reactions to anything. But in the interests of recording what he has been up to....he has tried: potatoes, zucchini, guava, and mango. The pediatrician gave us the go ahead to provide him with as many finger foods as we want. So we tried him on steamed potatoes and carrots. He is enjoying finger foods exceedingly.

On other developments....he is still wildly clapping his hands. In the interests of teaching him things useful for swimming class - so we have spent the week encouraging him to blow bubbles, which he now does when asked. Again with much enthusiasm. He is handing things over - like cheerios, which he loves and grunts repeatedly whenever he sees them. (The dogs are also learning the sound of the cheerios box and come running to sit under the high chair and wait for cheerios to be dropped either by me or by Harry.) He is also starting to learn how to kick his feet and splash in the water. What is interesting is that he is clearly understanding us and the beginnings of communication are starting. All very exciting for his parents!

This Just In: Latest Harry Update!

2007-03-04T22:53:00.001-05:00

Post-swim-class visit to Great Beginnings
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

So Harry has been making a number of small but important developments over the last few of days. First, the big one, he is clapping his hands! Big change - lots of coordination and dexterity required for that one. He is SO pleased with himself when he does it to. It is just too cute to watch. Plus, he does it on cue! Very important when singing the "When Your Happy and You Know It" song. But also the fact that he understands what we are saying is exciting too. The barriers to communication are slowly but surely coming down. Second, he is starting to put things in other things. This may seem like a strange thing to observe. But to the mother who spends her day reconstructing the things her baby has just deconstructed, this is a wonderful light at the end of the tunnel. :-) He has a toy where there are these balls that you can take out and put into what looks like a baby bong - and no, I am not exaggerating there. :-) Anyway....the bong part is not important. What is important is that Harry now happily not only takes the balls out but he also likes to put them back inside. He gets great pleasure from doing so. Third, he raises his hands above his head - this is partly due to the prompting of his parents to "raise his hands in the air, and wave them like you just don't care" :-) but is particularly useful when you are say, trying to take a onesie off or get him dressed for swim class. Fourth, he went under the water in swim class. Didn't seem to mind. He did swallow some water this week, which he wasn't happy about. But at the same time, it did not make him cry. So we were pleased about that. Not much does make him cry other than being tired or hungry. He is a sweet, resilient little guy, who brings his parents such pleasure. I still can't believe how much my hearts swells with love when I think about him. I worry about him being safe. I worry about him being happy. I worry about him feeling loved. But when he smiles at us and giggles, I am reassured that he feels those things and I have a wonderful moment of calm as a mother - something that seems to be ever fleeting these days. :-)

Contraband Pictures of Harry Swimming

2007-02-24T23:43:00.001-05:00

Harry and Sarah check out the other babies
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

Today Harry had his second swimming lesson. We decided that we would not follow the rules and refrain from taking pictures until the last class for a number of reasons. One, Harry LOVES swimming and we just had to share. Two, Dan will not be in town for Harry's last class. Three, we have recorded practically every other event in Harry's life so why should this be any different. Four, it seems like a pretty silly rule. :-) So here is Harry and me in the pool today. We went under water for the first time!!!! We did it twice. The first time he didn't seem to really notice. The second time he spluttered a bit but otherwise seemed unphased by it. Once again he had a grand old time. Splashing and playing in the water - didn't seem to notice that he was learning the whole time. It was really cute.

Harry Update: He says "Ma-Ma"

2007-02-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

So last night Harry said "Ma" but today he said "Ma-Ma" and sent his mother's heart to the moon and back again. My little babe! :-)

Harry says "Ma!" And Eats Finger Food!

2007-02-24T00:23:00.001-05:00

Harry trying finger foods (cheese) for the first time
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

I notice that a lot of the posts I make to the blog have exclamation points after them.....but I guess that is just the nature of motherhood. Everything your child does seems worthy of an exclamation point. :-) Anyway....on to the news! :-) Yesterday (Feb 22nd) Harry said "Ma." Now he didn't say Ma-Ma. (We can work on that. :-) ) However, he did say a clearly discernible "ma." So we are on our way! Yay! Can't tell you how excited it made me. The "ma" sound is much harder than "ba" or "da" since it involves a lot more lip action and actual vocalization and no, I know it wasn't "context appropriate." (In other words, he wasn't looking at me and saying "ma" and referring to me. He was just saying it.) But the fact that he said it means that it will eventually be context appropriate! Can't tell you how much I needed a ray of hope yesterday. It was a tough day. Harry has been struggling with constipation AND teething of late and it is a double whammy that makes him grisly, touchy and difficult. It also means he doesn't sleep much. Oh yay! :-) So his "ma" vocalization was cause for MUCH excitement. :-) I love him so much and it always makes me feel so awful when we have difficult days like that. One has this view of motherhood that somehow one has failed if one has days where one doesn't get along. But I guess it is natural that even babies have good days and bad days. So I know I shouldn't take it personally and as a reflection on me. But at the same time, it is difficult not to when one's "job" is to make sure one's baby is healthy and more importantly happy.

In other news, Harry also had his first try of finger foods! Given the constipation we decided to start with cheese - namely Monterrey Jack cheese. I cut it up and since we were at our friend's Kevin's house, we held it out in our hand and offered it to him. At first he didn't get that he was supposed to put it in his mouth. So he picked it up in his fingers, squished it - great pincer grasp developing there, by the way - and promptly dropped it on the floor. (I tried to keep track of the cheese but I hope that poor Kevin doesn't have little bits of Jack cheese on his floor today. Sorry Kevin! :-) ) But then we put it in his mouth and the light bulb went off. He didn't eat a lot of it. However, he did put some in his mouth and mash it around. It was very cute to see. We will attempt to capture it on video because it is cute to see - one of those really adult looking things that is a constant reminder of how our baby is slowly growing up.

An Update on Harry! He turned 8 months!

2007-02-20T23:46:00.001-05:00

Cake for Harry's 8 month birthday!
Originally uploaded by brownorama.

So Harry turned 8 months about 10 days ago AND he is now crawling! He started a couple of weeks ago - and yes, I do feel guilty about not posting something sooner. Trying to keep up on all the ways to record progress can be tough at times - photos, blog, email etc - mixed in with the need to maintain personal hygiene etc. Anyway....here we are. So he is crawling. He started just before my mum left at the end of January. Now he is moving across a room in the blink of an eye. So baby proofing is now in our midst. I am not sure what philosophy we are going to adopt. Probably, like everything else, something in the middle - we won't go all out but we will do something. We will see. :-) Harry is also making his way through the solid foods - not without some hiccups along the way. (Who knew that a baby's bowl movements could be the source of such interest, concern, anxiety, and study.) At this point he has done the cereals - rice, oatmeal and barley. We started him on bananas (which he liked) as his first fruit/veggie. We then moved on to:
- Peas (Wasn't sure about at first but then liked)
- Sweet Potatoes (LOVED instantaneously - can't get it in fast enough)
- Carrots (Likes, not crazy about though)
- Avocado (Hates with a burning passion that causes much arm waving and angry grunting. Would be a horrible sight in an adult, in an 8 month old, it is probably the cutest thing you have ever witnessed. One has to suppress the urge to try giving it to him again just to see the reaction. :-) )
- Apples (Likes a lot)
- Pears (Likes a lot)
- Plums (Would eat but not with much enthusiasm. Upon trying them myself, which I have done with all of his food since I think it is important that I know what the things he eats taste like, I can't really blame him)
- Prunes (Likes but only when mixed in with other things. Given his recent "issues" it is a good thing that prunes remain on the like list since he needs to be on a maintenance diet of prune juice these days.)
- Winter Squash (Likes - but what is winter squash any way?)
- Raspberries (Really likes)
We are now at the end of the options we can try using jarred food. So Mummy will have to swing into baby food making action. I think we are going to try him on potatoes next and see how it goes. Hopefully no arm swinging and grunting is in our future. But then again.....

In terms of other developments.....he is saying Da-Dee, which of course, makes Dan's heart swell with pride. He politely watches us when we prompt him to say "Ma-Ma" and then either says Ba-Ba or Da-Da. Oh well. Mummy will just have to wait. He has also got the pincer grasp down pat now - the process of pinching the index finger and thumb together - a "wonderful" skill when applied to the soft flesh of his mother's underarm. :-) He is just on the verge of cutting a top tooth! We can't wait for it to finally break through since he has been trying his parent's patience the last couple of days. He puts everything in sight in his mouth and just is generally not a very happy camper. But we understand his discomfort so we give him a break. :-)

We went to his first swimming lesson this past weekend. He had SO much fun. As did his parents. Unlike our experience at Gymboree where the parents left something to be desired and it felt rushed and competitive, swimming was just a joy. Harry kicked and laughed and smiled his way through it. Taking the big pool in stride and having a high old time. We were told we couldn't take pictures until the last class but the experience was so positive that I think we will tempt the wrath of the instructor and take pictures next week. We have to document and share this great experience.

His sleeping is a bit of a mixed bag. Most nights he sleeps 9 hours straight. Sometimes he wakes up. But most of the time he just sleeps through. Napping is still not great. There are days where he takes two long naps. And then there are days where getting him to sleep a half hour is a struggle. Not sure what the pattern is - believe me we have tried everything to figure it out but the answer remains illusive. Oh well. He has to keep his parents on their toes.

The thing that constantly amazes me is how much he changes from day to day - often growing in the night and suddenly taking on a new skill. I can't believe that his first year is going by so fast. It is distressing on the one hand because I don't want it to be done. But on the other, each day brings new challenges and joys and I can't wait to experience those with him. Being a mother is a journey that I never imagined could be so incredible, my love for Harry so deep and I know that those feelings will only grow with each passing day. So bring it on! :-)