Ding!

Henry has been showing more of an interest in toileting issues lately. He likes to look in the toilet and see the water; he usually tells us when he has a dirty diaper; and he wants to inspect his poop after we change him.

The other day Henry was in the family room with my husband, a room that's gated because he's normally not allowed in it. He went to the closed gate and said, "Poopy." My husband checked his diaper, but it was clean.

Henry really seemed to be hanging on the gate, however, so my husband opened it and Henry ran into the other room. A few minutes later he came back and said, "Poopy ready."

And now, for your diaper-changing enjoyment...

The Henry-to-English Dictionary

Henry's been talking up a storm. Here are a few gems:

• Home DEEM-poh: Home Depot
• Booey, stah-bee, ras-bee: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
• Ahp-so: Outpost, our natural foods co-op
• Henny Hoe-nie: his name, Henry Holden...it's particularly funny when he mimics my inflection: HEN-ny HOE-nie!
• Bock PAH-tee: block party
• Doan wan to: don't want to
• Top-pee: coffee
• Wa-wa mo-mo: watermelon
• Yi-yay: library
• P'AHgo (soft "g" sound): parking garage -- or translated literally, "parking garage door"
• Ohnee: open
• Poptorn: popcorn
• Bean BEE-tull: green beetle
• Bimpler: sprinkler
• Ace Hah-doe: Ace Hardware
• Fuht bah: fruit bar
• Wa-wa bah-wull: water bottle
• Tuit: carrot
• Suzie: scissors
• Bain-bint: bacon
  
• Boonie: building
  
• Happy Tooey!: Happy Birthday (to you)
  

The World's Longest Eyelashes

Nature Center

On Sunday we went with our neighbors to a nature center about a forty-five minute drive from our house.


Their seven-year old, Jack, had recently gone to day camp there and was eager to show us around.


There were lots of paths for running on.


Jack was especially excited about the island, which he called "the most beautiful place in the world."


Henry wasn't too sure about everything he saw, but I think overall he had a good time.

Eight Things About Me

I've been tagged by Caitlin to post "Eight Things About Me." Here they are.

1. My favorite movie is It's a Wonderful Life.
2. I was carjacked at gunpoint when I was twenty-one.
3. My second toe is longer than my big toe on both feet.
4. I have been to Germany (twice), Amsterdam, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Italy.
5. In 1993 I attended in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
6. I used to play guitar and sing and have written several songs.
7. If I were a boy I would have been named David.
8. I dropped out of Girl Scouts after the first meeting.

I tag Gearhead Mama, bfmomma and Mere Mortal Mama.

My Beautiful Boy

I honestly get overwhelmed sometimes when I think about Henry. I remember when I first found out we were having a boy and I expressed my minor disppointment on one of the message boards I frequent. The response was what I knew intellectually: that after I had my son I wouldn't want things any other way. One woman said that her son was her little buddy, following her everywhere.

I now know this in my heart as well as in my head. And Henry is my buddy. The bond we have is something I've never experienced before, and it's so precious to me. I'm pretty much Henry's world, and I take that responsibility very seriously. But then, he's my world too.

Is the Skin the Window to the Gut?

As I mentioned in a previous post, Henry has some skin issues that continue to stump me.

This is what his face looks like sometimes:



These marks usually come and go within a day, and I think they may be caused by fruit. Yesterday they showed up after Henry ate some dried strawberries, then faded a bit, and then flared up again after we shared a blended raspberry drink at Summerfest. I'm going to cut fruit out of his diet for a week to see if I notice a difference. (Oh, the cries of "Smooey! Smooey!" -- smoothie -- this morning!)

He also gets raised rough patches, mostly on the backs and insides of his thighs. The redness comes and goes, but the patches stay for weeks. Here's a photo I took last night (it's not a great picture, but you get the idea):


These marks are also the same kind that covered his back before we took him (and me) off dairy. I'm pretty careful about our diets, so I'm puzzled as to why he's still getting them. Another food intolerance, maybe?