Henry's 1st Birthday Photos

Henry turned ONE on June 1st.
His golden birthday.

We hired a wonderful photographer to come take photos of Henry and the family for his birthday. I wanted to make sure I had some truly great photographs to remember the occasion, and I was thrilled with the results.

Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Happy man

My birthday boy!

Our Family

The Kirk-Hunt Family

Henry's First Haircut

Henry got his first haircut yesterday. He did so well - just played in the seat and looked around. What a handsome little man. 

Only 6 days until he turns 1.

My little baby is growing up

My baby is almost one. ONE.

I've breastfed Henry since the day he was born. He's always been a pretty good little eater and my plan all along has been to wean him around his first birthday. Over the weekend, I dropped his afternoon feeding and began giving him a sippy cup of milk/breastmilk. He did great! 

I had been thinking about which feeding to drop next (he has about 5-6) and then, yesterday, he refused to nurse. I thought it was just a one time thing, but feeding after feeding yesterday, he rejected breastfeeding. I thought for sure he would at least nurse before bed, but no dice. And then he slept through the night without a peep and this morning, still no nursing! I don't know yet if it's because he's teething, sick, or just self-weaning. But from what I can tell, it looks like weaning. 

Either way, I've been looking forward to this day for months and yet here I am feeling so emotional about it. I foolishly thought that I'd be the one choosing when Henry and I ended breastfeeding and yet here I am once again being reminded that some things are just out of my control. My baby is growing up, developing into a real person with likes and dislikes and opinions and I can't force him to be what I want. I'm pretty sure I will be learning this lesson over and over for the rest of my life. Or at least until my children are well in to adulthood. 

I'm feeling all sad and angsty over this huge change in our relationship. I'm trying to look on the bright side and be thankful that I got to nurse him for the last 11 months and 19 days.

 Two week old Henry in a milk coma

And once I stop feeling sad, I will have lots to celebrate... Jon can get up with Henry at night! I can drink as much coffee as I want! I can wear a real bra again! I won't need to pump at work! I can drink when I want! My boobs will go back to a more reasonable size! I can leave the baby with someone else for more than 3 hours at a time! Basically, weaning = freedom. Also emotional turmoil and sadness, but then the sweet sweet freedom. I'm looking forward to that part. 

K 

Easter 2013

Henry's first Easter Basket

Henry with Grandma and Grandpa Kirk

9 Months

Henry turned 9 months old on the 1st of March. It's hard to believe he's getting so close to his first birthday.

He has changed so much in the last month! He's starting to scoot around (army crawling) and clapping all the time. He loves to stand up and is starting to walk along the edge of furniture. He still hasn't figured out how to pull himself up though, so he whines for help until we lift him up. He has six teeth (four top, two bottom), and his hair is starting to fill in. The bald patch on the back of his head is completely gone. He's eating a lot of different baby foods, and we've started grinding up our food and offering it to him. He had taco meat and lentils last night. Henry is still the happiest baby I've ever known. He laughs and smiles all the time. He loves to be tickled, and LOVES his daddy. He's sleeping really well, and is just generally an easy kiddo. Jon and I know how lucky we've been.

Henry is still breastfeeding, although his nursing sessions are getting shorter and shorter. He's nursing pretty regularly throughout the day, but I have a feeling he's going to be weaning himself sooner rather than later. He used to nurse anywhere from 10-20 minutes per side, and now he's down to 2-5 minutes a side on a good day. I'm trying not to cry about it and just enjoy however much time I have left to breastfeed him.

I still have plenty of baby weight left to lose (about 10 lbs), but I'm just trying to take it slow and enjoy the time I have with Henry. I know we'll be plenty active this summer and once I stop breastfeeding, I'll be able to restrict my calories a bit more to help lose the last few pounds. I can comfortably wear jeans again, so I'm happy enough for now.

Jon and I are taking a nice long vacation in June to visit with both sides of the family - Seaside with Jon's side and Sisters with mine. I can't wait for the beautiful weather and free babysitting :)

I'm sure I'll be back soon enough with new updates. Henry is growing so much every day and I am so blessed to be his mama.

K

Clapping

Henry learned how to clap this week. It's so damn cute, melts my heart!

iPhone Photo Dump

Hair

Henry had a full head of hair when he was born. When he was about 3 months old, his hair began to thin and fall out, growing back as baby fuzz. However, a few of the original hairs stuck around - resulting in the worlds biggest baby combover.


I've been tempted to cut it for months, but Jon was resistant.

Today, I gave in and trimmed Henry's hair. I think it looks pretty good. No more baby combover!

Working Mama

I always thought I would be a working mom. Staying at home sounded boring, monotonous, unfulfilling. I didn't go to college and then graduate school just to spend my days sitting around the house with a baby.

And then I had a baby. And I tried to be on maternity leave. And I realized I have a serious problem: I am obsessed with work.

I want to be a rockstar at work, 100% of the time, and if I'm not kicking ass and taking names, I feel like I'm failing at my job. And I just can't do both... I can't rock at my job and rock at being a mom.

On days I'm at home with Henry, I obsessively check my email, work during his naps, and worry that I'm missing out on something Important. When I'm at work, I'm frustrated knowing Henry is being cared for by a stranger. He's missing out on being loved by his parents, he's getting bottles instead of breastfeeding, and he's not napping. Poor guy comes home exhausted and ends up asleep for the night by 5:30. Which means I'm rushing out of the office trying to make sure I get to see him before bed.

By no means is it an ideal situation. But I also realize how privileged I am. I only work 20 hours a week. We can afford for me to work 20 hours a week. I have a wonderful boss and supportive office. I love the work I am doing. And yet, I still feel as though something has to give. I don't want to spend the next 18 years doing the awkward work/stay home finding balance dance. I want to be there for Henry now and as he continues to grow and change and need me.

I am so lucky that I can choose between advancing in my career and being home with my child, but I hate feeling like I have to make a choice. I want to do both - but I know myself. I know that I can't just toe the line and live in both worlds. I want to be all in or all out, and I'm leaning towards being all out. I want to pour my energy into my family, and I want to figure out how to do it well, without the pull and strain of my work.

If only there were easy answers to the hard questions in life.

Teething

Henry is so close to getting his first tooth.

The tooth is sticking out already - just not all the way. It's on the bottom right side of his mouth, and so cute and tiny.

While all of the other milestones he has hit feel significant, teeth make me a little sad. Once the teeth are in, there's no going back and he's that much closer to growing up!