Merry Christmas Henry!

Dear Henry,

Christmas Eve!! I remember on the night you were born, I thought to myself that 5 months from now, you’d be a big boy sitting on Santa’s lap. And I was right! You had your first Christmas Eve with the Quealy family tonight (the best party of the year) and everybody loved you. Both sets of grandparents were there to see you on Santa’s lap and you didn’t even cry until the very end. Way to go! Besides all the holiday hullabaloo, you did plenty of other stuff this month too:

1. You scooted!! I put you on your mat on your tummy and went to do the dishes. When I turned around, you were three feet off the mat! Unfortunately, as of right now, you can only go backwards. As much as you stick you little butt in the air, you still haven’t quite figured out the mechanics of moving forward. This must be terribly frustrating for you, especially when your mean old parents put a toy or your binkie in front of you and laugh like hell as you move further and further away from your goal. Your frustration is our entertainment. Sorry about that. Probably won’t be the last time.
2. You saw your first snowfall this month. About halfway through December, we had quite a blizzard and you were mesmerized by the brightness of all the snow on the ground. Unfortunately, this has also put an end to our daily walks, so we have had to figure out other ways to keep you and us from going stir crazy. We dance with you to holiday music and turn on the fire (on our TV), which has been fun. You also really like the jumper chair that Nana got you. You like it best when mom jumps with you.
3. We think you finally like us. Understandably, it has taken a bit, because we were not the most competent parents those first few months. We appreciate your recent expressions of encouragement. You smile A LOT. It is pretty great. You smile in the morning, you smile at the mirror, you smile after a nap, and you especially smile when you are naked.
4. You do not, however, smile at strangers any more. You’re a little bit more wary of people who aren’t mom and dad. You do warm up pretty quickly, once you realize we aren’t going anywhere, and it is okay to just hang out with the new people, but we think it might be a few more months before we leave you with a babysitter again.
5. Your cooing is sounding more and more like babble, which is very exciting. Early in the month, you enjoyed making razz sounds but now you have moved on to the Bs. Mom likes to think that you are saying “boob, boob, boob.” You like to talk to us, but sometimes, you’re content with holding a discussion with the ceiling.
6. Oh boy, are you teething!! Drooly McDroolerson is what I like too call you. You are constantly shoving either your or our fingers in your mouth. You particularly like dad’s index finger. We can see a little white nub on your bottom gum. Ouch.