Week of 7/15: Iowa, Here We Come!

Well, our week was a good one with not much happening except gearing up to head out on a big trip to Iowa to see Steven's grandparents and extended family. Our boy is a good traveler! We had a good trip. See below for some pics from the week!

On Wednesday we went to visit Pat, the lady that our small group helps. Henry had been once before, but I forgot to take my camera! Pat loves her some Henry. :)

Henry is having some tummy time here...he rolled over for the first time this week from his tummy to his back. I had read that good stimulation for this age is to put a mirror so they can see themselves. As you can see, he was thoroughly entertained!! He "talked" up a storm...screeching, squealing, and jabbering.Oh, and I spy a dimple!

Pleased with himself for sure!

On Friday, we headed to TN so that we could leave early with Steven's mom on Saturday morning for Iowa. My super, duper friend Abby hosted a get-together with friends that night. It was great to see so many from high school and eat together and hang out. I enjoyed it so much I guess I forgot to take many pictures...at least I got a few! Thanks again, Abs, for hosting!:)

The Gordons dropped by on Friday to say hi and meet Henry...this is the wonderful couple who have the school Steven and I met and attended high school. They are both such special people to us, so it meant so much to be able to show Henry off to them!

We headed out on Saturday morning at 6AM for the long trek to Iowa....doesn't Henry look thrilled??!! He actually traveled very well and we made it in about 10.5 hours.

Meeting Steven's grandparents for the first time...

Checking out Grandma DeWitt...

Hey, I think I like these people.

Yeah, I really do!!

Jimmy, Heather, and the kids made the trek from Lexington and met us in Marshalltown. Here are the cousins saying hello!

Guy cousins!

Grandma DeWitt getting in some Henry holding!

What cute kiddos!

On Sunday, we went to church in Laurel, IA where Steven's mom grew up and where her parents still worship. Much of Grandma DeWitt's family attends the church, so we got to say hello! This is Betty, Grandma's oldest sister. At 89, she still lives out on her farm and is an avid reader. She is so sweet...I love talking to her about what book she is currently enjoying. She was excited to meet the newest addition to our family!

What a good looking crew!

Iowa was having some super hot weather just like in Alabama, but we still managed to get outside a little bit!

Steven's mom recognized the outfit that Henry wore to church on Sunday...it was his as a baby! There is a professional picture of Steven in this blue sailor suit and the back says that he is 5 weeks old. Here, Henry is 5 months old! I guess Steven was stout, because Henry is no lightweight!

Meeting up with the rest of the family for lunch on Sunday...this is cousin Lisa.

Lisa again with Maddie, Kaia, and Henry. We put Henry in his sporty Puma outfit to impress this side of the family since they are all so athletic:)

Sara (who made Henry's beautiful dedication outfit), Dennis, and Diana

Riley and Camden

All the boys (minus Henry, I guess!): Riley, Cayden, Camden, Jack, and Carter

All the girls: Layna, Cammie, Maddie, and Kaia

Here are Grandpa and Grandma DeWitt with all TEN of their great grandchildren!! Pretty impressive!!

Cute Cousins!

Grandpa and Grandma with their four grandchildren: Steven, Heather, Joellen, and Luke

Henry rockin' with his Gram

The boys all got outside for some baseball

Richard (Grandma's brother) and Donna (not pictured) came by to say hello. It is so nice to have so much family in the same town!

Chillin' with my niece!

Joyce (Grandma's younger sister) and Dave (not pictured) also came by to see everyone!

What cute girls...they got warmed up to each other after a bit. It is tough when you only see each other once a year!

The boys....about to head out the next morning 3 hours to the northwest corner of Iowa to see the Hough side of the family.

5 Months Old!

I can't believe our baby is 5 months old! This month has been HUGE in Henry's development. On the day he turned 5 months old, he got his first tooth! He started rolling over last week (both front to back and back to front), and has gotten really good at it! This adds a whole new element to his mobility, and it is fun to see him get to what he wants. This month he has also gotten much more "grabby" and reaches out for things all the time. When we stand him up and hold him, he reaches his arm out to our face and tries to grab hold. He likes my hair and glasses, that's for sure! He loves his toys, and can really entertain himself with them. Henry has been blowing bubbles for a while now, but he has now taken it to a whole new level and is doing it rhythmically and it is so funny! I don't really know how to describe it, so I will try to video it soon. He is also still very vocal, and once he gets going he will jut talk and talk. He is laughing and giggling out loud...his legs are ticklish and he will anticipate me coming in for the "tickle attack" and start laughing early and sometimes he "yells" instead of laughs. Again, I need to get a video:) It is so cute. His arms end up behind him a lot lately...like he is ready to fly! His hands are constantly busy, and even when he is about to fall asleep or is eating, he has at least one hand going...just opening and closing it or scratching the material near him (like on his car seat or crib).

He still eats and sleeps like a champ-no complaints there! When he sleeps, Henry puts his hands behind his head and his legs are drawn up like a little frog. So cute, especially in footie PJs! We also think he gets more hair each day, and even trimmed the nape of his neck last week! I know there's so much more, but it all happens so quickly that it is difficult to grasp and remember it all. I guess that is why I do the blog weekly! We love you, sweet baby boy, and love watching you grow. Daddy and I think you are so much fun!

He has some bubbles going here, but they're hard to see!

Henry is dwarfing Bunky now!

Beautiful baby blues!

Looking so big in the chair!

This picture shows how active Henry is...his arms and legs are constantly moving, hence the blur!

This is a classic Henry face:)

Always grabbing at his feet these days...sometimes he gets them and even gets them in his mouth!

Busy little boy!

P.S.

I forgot something big that happened last week! Henry started sleeping completely swaddle-free! To most, this would be no big deal, but we had tried it a few weeks prior and it had not gone so well. We started last Sunday and went cold turkey. He did great! Other than waking up a little earlier than he had been (ie-7ish rather than 8ish), there have been no problems. And the BEST part...we now get to dress him in PJs!! When swaddled, we just put him in a onsie so he didn't get hot, but now we have been introduced to the world of PJs with footies and snaps and zippers and cute prints....love it! And the other fun thing is that we get to watch him in all of his funny sleep positions. Our favorite is hands behind the head...looking totally relaxed....I will snap a picture of that soon! It is pretty cute.

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Week of 7/8

 People keep asking me if I am ready for school to start. NO people! Who is ever really ready to go back to school? I have loved the lazy summer days we've had, and being able to spend all this extra time with Henry has been wonderful. I am trying to enjoy every moment of it.
On Monday baby Hank had his 4 month check up. I am happy to report that he is healthy and growing! He weighed 15.4lbs (50%) and was 26.5in long (95%). On Wednesday we headed to TN to visit my parents. I think they were having Henry withdrawal after being with him so much a few weeks ago! Then over the weekend we had house guests-our friends the Zorios who moved back to TN came for a visit! We had a great time with them and got to have a play date for the kids and cookout so everyone could see them and meet their new addition-baby Carter!
Enjoy some pics below of our week!

Ok, this one is actually from last week, but I just had to include it. Our wonderful neighbor Robin watched Henry for a few hours so Steven and I could go out on a date. Like I said, she is our WONDERFUL neighbor. Anyway, her son Bennett has the exact same outfit as Henry, so she dressed them alike and took their picture with her phone!

Playing is getting to be more and more fun! Henry is moving and turning all the time. Here I started him out straight, and he rotated himself sideways. He is always reaching for toys and grabbing things. We have noticed this week he has gotten much more intentional with this and is looking at our faces and grabbing them. He was sitting with us at the dinner table and staring at a plate, then he just grabbed it and got it! Oh, boy. We are in for it!

My mom, Henry, and Emma on our visit to TN.

Mom is getting her Henry fix!

My dad is known for burying his nose in the newspaper. Looks like Henry is following in his footsteps....

Well, at least they'll look up for a minute! Like Papa, like grandson:)

My mom and dad with their four grand kids.

Henry is checking out his goofy cousin.

George caught a lizard and put it on Buddy to see what he'd do. Buddy didn't even act like he noticed-it was so funny! Buddy cruised all over the porch, and this lizard got a ride.

Henry LOVED the swing...it lulled him right to sleep. No fussing necessary!

On Thursday night our friends the Zorios came to visit from TN. We organized a play date so some of the kiddos could get together on Friday. These are just SOME of the kids from our Sunday school class!

Our new favorite game with Henry...although it is difficult to capture with a camera...is to raise him up in the air and lower him down over and over very quickly. He just grins, squeals, and smiles. So sweet!

This is also new this week...he has been showing us some serious tongue!

On Friday Henry and I accompanied Steven to the driving range. Henry was entertained the whole time, and I didn't mind sitting back and relaxing in these nice Adirondack chairs! Steven is crossing his fingers that Henry will be a future golfer, so we gotta expose the kid early!

Ever since Henry was born, people have said he looks like Steven, but just recently I have gotten a few comments that he looks somewhat like me. I hadn't really seen it before, but when I look at this picture I actually saw it a little.

We headed on a neighborhood walk on Saturday with 3 boys and a dog in tow!

Carter and Henry are less than 7 weeks apart. Both are such sweet babies! We didn't hear a peep out of Carter the whole time! Jessica and I were lamenting that we can't live closer together so the boys could grow up side by side. I think they'd be best buddies!Oh, well. Who says long distance relationships can't work? I have a feeling we will stay in contact with these guys!

Daddies chillin' with their baby boys! We were prepping for a small group cookout we had at our place on Saturday night. I am sad to say I forgot to take any pictures, but we had a great time!

This is Sunday after our company left and we had all gotten a nap. Looks like he is in a daze here! :) What a handsome boy.