Royalty

In honor of all the festivities surrounding the royal wedding tomorrow, I thought I would share some pictures of His Royal Highness....

HRH was so happy during bath time yesterday, I couldn't help but capture his excitement. These pictures make me smile every time I look at them. Precious little man! And while this little guy might be a commoner in the eyes of the Brits, he sure is a Prince to us.

And you better bet your bottom dollar that I will be tuning into the Royal Wedding tomorrow...for a better part of the day! I am pretty excited!

Sleepy Head

To say Ethan's sleeping habit have been on the fritz lately would be an understatement. This poor little guy is having a rough go at it these days. It all started a couple of weeks ago when we had our first major thunderstorm of the season. Ethan was terrified of the noise and was up for quite a few hours screaming. I hate to admit his, but we finally resorted to letting him sleep with us. We did it out of desperation because at that point, we all needed some sleep. From then on, any little sound, was thunder in his mind.

Whether it was the noise from a freight train, a plane, a car, garbage cans, this guy was petrified. The sounds would cause him to wake up, completely frightened, and come downstairs to our room screaming; sometimes shrieking. This would happen 10-15 times a night, causing us much frustration.

We decided to start a rewards system, basically bribing him to stay in bed or at least upstairs. If he had 15 good sleeps (ie: not coming downstairs) he would get a monster truck like Papa's (it is actually a remote control truck that is actually Matt's). The first night didn't go so well, hence the pictures above. He got so frustrated that he couldn't come downstairs so he just fell asleep at the top. It was kind of humorous actually, but oh so cute! I just love how perfect his feet were pressed up against the molding.

Anyway, it took about 5 more days of up and down, but I think we are well on our way to that monster truck. At the time, it seemed as though the restless nights were lasting forever and never going to end, but we seem to have gotten over the hump. Only 12 more stickers to go!!!

Jenny

As many of you know, our beloved nanny, Jennifer, said good-bye to us 2 weeks ago. It was a sad day in the Hunt household, especially for Ethan. Jennifer has been with us since we moved to Glen Ellyn and has been beyond wonderful to all of us. She was a trooper, going through quite a few changes as our families grew...first adding Ellie to the mix and then Henry. I know her days were crazy, but fun filled.

Jennifer and her husband, Matt, moved to Arizona for bigger and better things. Matt got a job at a university there with some great opportunities and they decided what a better time than now to pack up and head southwest for a new adventure and better weather!!

Jennifer, Ethan, Ellie, and Henry had a blast on her last day with the Rice's nanny, Katelynn (who happens to be Jennifer's best friend), and the Rice boys, Jack and Brooks. The had lunch at 2Toots and headed to the park for a final hoorah...

Jennifer and all the kiddos

Best Buds!

Ellie Belle

Enjoying a cupcake after lunch...grilled cheese and french fries...always!

Henry and Brooks

ETHAN!

Here we go! Weeeeeeeee!

Swingin'

Rolly Slide

HENRY!

Cousins...having so much fun!

Jennifer and Henry

Jenny and Ethan

As you can see in the picture above, Ethan and Jennifer adore each other. We get a kick out of the fact that he calls her Jenny, a name she hates. I think Ethan and Katelynn might be the only people she will let call her Jenny. We have no idea where he picked Jenny up, but it is pretty cute and we get a kick out of it every time he says it. While I am pretty sure Ellie and Henry don't really have any idea that Jennifer is gone, I know that Ethan misses her a ton. He always says he is taking his airplane to visit Jenny, Matt, Mia and Lola! Awwww...someday!

Jennifer was absolutely one of the best things that happened to us when we moved. You see, she is amazing and someone that is irreplaceable. She has been a life saver in many instances and such a positive influence on the kids; she will surely be missed! We wish her and Matt (and Mia and Lola) the best of luck in their new endeavor, but we will welcome her back with open arms if she ever finds her way back to the Midwest.

Ethan Cottontail

The Easter Bunny arrived at our house a little early this year!!!

Ethan made these bunny ears at PDO yesterday and I thought they were too cute not to take a picture of. You do have to use your imagination a little bit, but fun nonetheless! Ethan seems to be really excited about Easter and the bunny this year, which should make brunch at the CLCC all that more fun!! It is going to be crazy with 15 or so of us this year, but it is always a blast and so delicious!

One Half Year

I was being scolded for my lack of posts lately...this kicked my booty into gear...a lot in the works...hoping to do a post daily...check back early often!

On to our baby boy's six month photo shoot...only a month late...
Our sweet boy is six months old! A couple of months ago, I thought this day would never come, and now I can't believe it is here! Oh Henry, where do I begin?!?! I can't say that he is the happiest baby on the block because this little guy can be feisty, but when he is in a good mood, you sure do know it! He is all smiles and is face will light up a room. He is either full of contagious laughter and smiles or a crank pot. We are battling a few (read 3) teeth and have already had the 2nd tooth on the bottom pop through. I think this has contributed a lot to his fussiness and lack of naps.
Henry continues to be extremely curious. So much so that he has a hard time sleeping. He wants to be a part of the action, especially during the day. The poor guy just can't get on a good schedule and every day it is up in the air as to whether we will get decent naps from him.

We continue to put him to bed around 6:30 and anticipate a wake up between 3 and 5. He is still doing a quick feed and then back down until 8! I have been told by our doctor that he needs to eliminate this middle of the night feeding by 9 months. Should be a fun couple of nights when we try and let that go. Henry loves to be talked to, especially by this brother. He just lights up and gets so excited when Ethan is around him. Kicking his legs and moving his arms in excitement I know Henry would do anything to keep up with Ethan, if only he was a little bigger and stronger. He also loves to be held and cuddle; such a sweet little guy. His face just brightens when he sees just about anyone!

He has also proven to be such a talker and quite a screamer. Screaming with excitement, that is! He seems to be the most talkative when he is getting ready to go to bed for the night and when he wakes up for his little snack around 4. Hearing his sweet voice, even at 4 in the morning, is something I look forward to each day.

Speaking of little, Henry is still quite a peanut according to the growth chart and curve. He is weighing in at 14 lbs. 15 ounces and is 26 inches long, putting him in the 8th and 25th percentiles, respectively. The doctor is not concerned though as he is moving up his curve nicely. Henry is so close to sitting up, which I am thrilled about. I know this will help with his contentment and curiosity. He loves to sit in the boppy (yes, he still needs a little support and a little padding when he falls) and play with all sorts of toys. Of course, he loves all of Ethan's cars, trucks, and trains, but he also loves anything he can put into his mouth. His favorite toy seems to be anything Sophie related. He thinks she is pretty entertaining and tastes o so good!

Yes, he still has his crazy hair and we love it! It is quite a bit blonder than Ethan's, almost white, like his daddy's was when he was a baby! His eyes, also like Matt's and bright blue. I am hoping these stay, unlike Ethan's that changed around the time he turned 2.
He is rolling both ways and loves being on his tummy now that he can move. And by move, I mean scooting all over the place. He is very determined and can reach and find almost anything you put in front of him.

We also got the ok from the doctor to give Henry pretty much any table food we think he can "chew." We have made our way through most of the baby food in stage 1 and 2 so we are looking forward to exploring more adventurous foods in the next couple of weeks. Henry loves to eat so I know he is going to really enjoy trying lots of new things! He still continues to take bottles or nurse 4 times a day and gets lots of delicious food twice a day.

We are absolutely smitten over this little man. He makes me smile a little bigger each day and brings so much joy to an already wonderful life. We can't imagine our life without a little more chaos and a lot more love. We can't wait to see what the next 6 months bring. I know they will be filled with many more precious moments with HRH!!!