3 Months Pictures by A Creative Pear

Well most of you on facebook have probably already seen these photographs but for those who have not.....

One of my many Lambert cousins is also a wonderful photographer. Ashleigh was so sweet and came to take photographs of a 3 month old Henry.  Unfortunately, Henry was tuckered out and only wanted to sleep. So it was pretty hard to get a smile out of him. Even if he was grumpy and tired the whole time, Ashleigh did a wonderful job capturing images of our family.  Here are some of my favorites! Thank you Ashleigh and A Creative Pear Photography!

 Hats off to Ashleigh! The photographs turned out wonderful. Is it too early to schedule an appointment for Henry's 6 months?

A Creative Pear Wedding Photography

Bottle Aversion

please note that in this picture he is drinking apple juice, which to clarify he no longer likes. 

As y'all may or may not know, I am returning to my job in less than a week. So I have been soaking in the beautiful weather and making the most of these last precious days. Don't get me wrong, I am excited to return to work but to be honest, I love Henry and cannot believe we won't be together all the time.

So as I prepare to go back to work, I realize that Henry really should be using a bottle for feedings.  The first month of Henry's existence, we stuck to the rigor of using a bottle at least once a day. But after a month or so, it just start to become so much of an effort and a waste of time.  Pump then feed Henry with a bottle? It is just easier and quicker to do it the way God intended. Plus, nursing allows that special bonding time for me and Henry.

So Henry is back on the bottle after a lot of work. Two weeks before I am supposed to go back to work, Henry is refusing to take a bottle.  It was like we were trying to feed him lemon juice or something horrific.  It has been quite the battle to say the least. We did it all. Tested out different temperatures, different bottles, different locations.

With Gerbers baby essential bottles and in his vibro-chair, Henry has started to take the bottle. He is doing great which is such a relief. I cannot imagine being back at work and knowing that my son was crying all day due to hunger. He does take a bottle now but I know he prefers to nurse. Heck, I prefer it too.

so back to work on Monday.  Thankfully it looks like I am going to be swamped so I have no time to have a pity party. Now I just need to find the office lactation room....

Front Porch Sitting

As I have mentioned before, we are lucky to live in a city with so much of our family. Well mainly my side, but Kyle does have some relatives in SC, so that's not too far away. This past Sunday, Henry got to meet his Great-Grandmother Charlee for the first time. Yes, I realize that I am a slacker granddaughter who is just now introducing her son to her grandmother.  Well things have been a little crazy. On the day Henry and I were checking out of Piedmont, grandma Charlee was checking in due to a fall. So after months of rehab, Grandma Charlee is back at home and walking around with the help of a cane or walker. In addition to introducing Henry to grandma, Henry also got to meet my cousin Courtney and her son Mitchell. When you have a baby around Christmas, you just seem to miss some of the holiday events and therefore missing out on family. We had a nice quiet afternoon with Grandma, JoJo, LaLa (my aunt/namesake), LaLa's daugher Courtney, and Courtney's son Mitchell.  We spent a few hours sitting on the front porch watching Mitchell play. It was so fun to see Mitchell play with the dandelions, blowing the seeds for the first time.  Dandelions are a little hard to find in NYC. So here are a few pictures of our afternoon of grandmothers, mothers, daughter, and now sons.

Henry with his great-grandmother Charlee

Grandma, LaLa, Courtney, Mitchell

Henry(it got a little warm...), me, Grandma, JoJo

Mitchell and the dandelions!!!

Cousins with sons plus Grandma

Mitchell playing with the dandelions. I have happy memories of playing in this front yard and it is nice to see another generation do the same. 

Happy Three Months Henry!

Living at Home

By living at home, I mean living in the same city as the rest of our family. By living in short driving distance to both sets of grandparents and cousins, Henry gets lots of special family time. Which is exactly what we want, we want Henry to have a close relationship to his extended family members.

First, Kyle and I had our first night out. Henry spent the night with the Smith grandparents. Of course, I cried as we drove away. It didn't feel right leaving Henry. Not because he wasn't safe or loved at the Smiths but because he wasn't with us. He is our family and we are not complete without him.  So Henry had a very successful spend the night with DeeDee and Grandpa.  They, of course, loved it, all the quality time with Henry and then they are so sweet to ask when can we babysit next?  So what did we do for our first night out?  Well, we went to the amazing wedding of our friends Lauren and Ross! What an amazing party! It was a beautiful ceremony full of family and tradition. The cocktail hour and following reception was filled with delicious food and lots of dancing. Our one picture of us all dressed up ended up a little blurry but we have great memories and it was nice to see K in a tux.

Second, Henry went on his first hike.  Well sort of. His first hike was in utero. If you don't know, Jojo likes to be active and she is always recruiting various family members to join her in this outdoor activities.  So Henry's "first" hike was when I was eight months pregnant. Jojo was technically hiking with all four of her grandchildren. Yesterdaty on our hike, we were laughing at the funny things all the kids said. Elizabeth complaining about how the walk was too long. Thomas agreeing with her. John William being the trooper, muscling through the hike.  So from the hike in November

Henry's cousins didn't make the hike this time, Elizabeth might be saying a prayer of thanks. But Henry (thankfully) slept through most of the hike.  He made it almost to the top of Little Kennesaw before crying. But it was nothing a little milk couldn't cure.  I think we are going to need to a more serious baby carrier when Henry gets heavier.  Apparently they make ones specifically for hiking.  So Henry had his first real hike. Hard to say if he enjoyed it but Henry did slept cuddle next to his mom for almost the entirety, so how bad can that be? I know Jojo looks forward to more hikes in the future as all of her grand children get older.  

And now we have just returned from a music and singing class with Henry's cousins and Aunt Tina. We are so lucky to be surrounded by loving, supportive family.  

LPS