And to top it off

Well folks, I was reluctant to write about this on the blog because it was just one of those things that becomes more real when you write about it and I guess I just wasn't ready for it to be real. But all is well, so I will go ahead and share it.

Henry had to have a head CT last Monday at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. His pediatrician had some concerns because his fontanel has not closed yet and he has always had such a large head. There are a few serious conditions that these symptoms could be related to, but we (especially Wade) felt very confident that Henry's head was just as it should be and there was no cause for alarm. Never-the-less we went ahead with the scan and I will not go into much detail on that but I'll just say that Henry had to be sedated and Mama and Papa were not in good shape after that experience. Henry did well, he wobbled around like a tiny drunk man for the rest of the day and he has a little bruise on his hand, but other than that he is his just fine.

His scan came back with good news. The plates of his head have fused at different rates, the front two closing before the others, but our doctor tells us that this is nothing to be concerned about. We will watch him over the next year at his normal appointments, make sure that his fontanel closes before he is three and everything should be fine. His brain looks great and his little bump on his forehead from several barely-can-walk-but-want-to-run bonks did not show up on the scan, so it is just scar tissue and will slowly disappear.

Our doctor also told me that the nurses were really taken with Henry. The nurse that called her with his results went on about how smart and sweet he was. He really did charm those nurses...

So, our diagnosis- We have a healthy little boy that is up for an adventure, knows when to lay on the charm and is much tougher than his parents....oh..and has a big head :)

Henry helping with his room

Coffee time

Henry was making "coffee" this afternoon at Gigi's house. He loves to help Papa make coffee at our house. He pushes the button on the coffee grinder. Then he wants to smell the coffee grinds. Says "Mmmmm". Then he helps Papa pour in the water. Then he pushes the button and everyone has to be quiet until he hears the filter start to click.

Well, at Gigi's the coffee making is a little more free form, especially since it is imaginary. Gigi has a little kitchen for Henry out on the porch and it has a kids size pretend coffee pot and filter holder.

Henry took the pot, held it under the sink and said "Shooooo" as the "water" filled the pot. Then he went over to the coffee machine, pretended to pour the water in, put the pot under the filter, and pushed the button and said "Shh, Mama. Listen." We stood and waited for a minute and then he started making the sound of the filter..."tut tut tut". "YAY!" he said, "Coffee ready."

Then (this is my favorite part) before he could get the coffee the plastic phone rang "wingwing wingwing" he said. He picked it up- "Hello. Dis Enry. Just made coffee Branpa Benya. We're here. Bye."

Three more discoveries

1) Henry is one tough cookie.

2) I love that kid so much that it actually hurts sometimes.

3) I was wrong. He can count to twelve.

Up and coming....

Every day I discover something new, this is what I discovered today.
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He really can count. In the bath he started counting his animals-"One, Do, Tree, Four, Five, Tix, Teven, Eight, Nine, Four." Okay, so he gets stuck after 9 and his fall back is 4, but still, pretty impressive for a child that is not yet two.
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Bapa is hilarious. This is nothing new, but now he laughs and laughs and in between breaths he sighs "Bapa. Oh, Bapa."
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He introduces himself to almost everyone we see. At the store tonight he told everyone in line "I Henry" and pointed to his chest with both hands.
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His tactics for getting Mama back into his bedroom at night are getting dirtier and dirtier. Now he not only says "Where are you Mama?" But he also says "I love you Mama." "Please Mama, please." And he has discovered the one that always works "Poopy diapy."
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He is really into sharing. Today we were eating sunflower seeds and he would not eat his until everyone had some. "Branpa seeds? Gigi seeds? Mama seeds?" Other examples of his generosity--he offers bites of his food, old-already chewed pieces of gum and, this evening he somehow got a hold of his diaper rash ointment, squirted on his fingers, ran over to me, said "Mama's bottom?" and before I could turn around....wiped it all over my jeans.

Shower/water fountain

I am pretty sure this is not how you are supposed to use the bathtime shower.

{Sorry, the picture isn't great. Bathrooms don't have the best lighting.}

Grandpa Benda is thristy

I don't know how often Grandpa Benda checks this blog, but I thought I would let him know that his grandson has been talking about him nearly every day for weeks now. This morning he told me that he needed "nother jut box" and when I asked him why he said "Branpa Benya one". I said, "Grandpa Benda isn't here Henry, he is at his house." Henry nodded big nods and said "Branpa Benya way way away. Branpa Benya tursty." I said, "Let's have just one juice box this morning and we can save one for Grandpa Benda." So Henry took a juice box and put it in the door of our refrigerator.

Next time you're up Grandpa Benda, Henry will have a juice box waiting.

Found

We found a stack of Henry's birth announcements last weekend. Never mailed them. Seems a little too late now...

Henry shorts

Henry had some trouble going to sleep last night. After about an hour of up and down and rocking and laying down he told me that he wanted a juice box. I said "You can have a juice box when you wake up in the morning. First go nigh-nigh and then you can have a juice box." At 11:30 I heard him yell.."Mama, I ready. Juice box. I ready Mama." He woke up three more times through the night saying the same thing.
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In the car last week Henry told us- "I hungee." "Eat beetsa."
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He loves zerberts. He will run up to you, lift up his shirt and say "Sirbert?" He also loves butterfly kisses and getting his nose chomped.
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All bugs are called "Piders" and they all must be squished immediately.
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He loves to act like a fish in the bathtub. He lays on his tummy, slides back and forth and makes a kissy face. If you are in the room you will be required to make a kissy face also.

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This morning I went into Henry's room and he reached his arms out and said "Hold you?" "Hold you Mama?" I said "Do you want me to hold you Henry?" "Yes," he said, "hold you."

The Cave

We pull out our extra twin bed matress everyday to give Henry a place to hop, crawl under, climb, dance, spin and practice forward rolls on.

Belly button

Toddlers are all head and tummy.....

Taking donations

We opened a savings account for Henry, a college fund....but we are wondering if we might have to change it to his "eating fund". Lunch today-

2 cheese sandwiches

1 peach

1 serving of green beans

10 grapes

3 servings of baked beans

1 glass of milk

More more more....

Hi Blog friends. We started a flickr page and I have slowly started adding our photos. I put the link right under the Bean's profile (on the right). Click on it whenever you want to see the photos that I have not posted.

*I posted the newest photos first, so the ones at the end of the set are actually from today...it won't usually be like this, first time user error. :)

Drama

Through the baby monitor we hear-
What? Oh no...Ray Ray? Shoot. Mama did it. Papa did it. Mama did it. Ray Ray? Over? Shoot. Oh man.

We are thinking that Ray Ray, Henry's stuffed cat, has probably been chucked out of the bed and we are being falsely accused. Wade went in to investigate......


Okay, he's back with the report. Ray Ray was not thrown out of the bed, but rather Henry tells Wade that Ray Ray is "nigh-nigh" on the other side of the bed. We are not sure what sort of wrongdoings we have been accused of, this is all that Henry would tell Wade-

Ray Ray nigh-nigh. More water please. Henry's bed please. Cover up. Nigh-nigh Papa.

And all is well....

Close...so close....

Henry never keeps his shoes on for long. On the ride home from Gigi's yesterday he took off his shoes and socks, grabbed his left foot, brought it up to his nose and said

"Stinky Nose Mama. STINKY NOSE!"

18 Month Dr. Appointment on Friday

Yes, we are a little behind. The past two months Henry’s “Well Baby Checks” have turned out to be “Sick Baby Checks” and they don’t give sick babies shots, so here we are…21 months and at an 18 month check up.

Stats-
Weight: 28 lbs 8 oz 68th percentile
Height: 34.5 inches 78th percentile
Head circumference: 20 inches 95th percentile

He took his shot like a champ and lucky for us it will be his last one until he goes to school.

He is doing great developmentally. When the doctor came in Henry said “Hello Doctor Bandarse.” Which I think threw her a little, Doctor VanGarsee is not a particularly easy name to say.

Henry's Teeth

"Hiding.....Ready!"

This is Henry letting us know that we are currently playing hide-and-seek and that he is in his spot and ready for us to come find him. But the thing about this particular version of hide-and-seek is that there really isn’t much seeking required. He hides in the same spot every time, usually behind his half-open bedroom door. He giggles as he watches us search for him and if it takes too long he pops out, yells “HERE”, gives a hug and then runs back to the same spot yelling "Hiding..Ready”

I can't help it, he makes me laugh

“Gum Mama?” Henry says after putting his nose in my mouth and sniffing.
“Shoot, how did you know?” I ask.
“Humm, smell it.” And he grabs my chin, sticks his hand in my mouth so I open up, brings his nose up and blows twice. “Smell it, Mama. Gum? Gum for Enry?”
“I don’t have any more gum baby, sorry. That was the last piece.”
“Open” he tells me. I open my mouth and he puts his little fingers in there, grabs my gum and sticks it in his mouth. “Mmmm, gum.”
“But Henry, that was Mama’s gum.”
“Tank ku Mama. Enry’s gum.”

Thanks Aunt Suz

My sister Susie found a few pictures of Henry from when she was in town last week. Henry calls her An Ooozie.

A little stubborn

It's Labor Day, a holiday, but Wade had to go in to work for a couple of hours to catch up from last week. So here I am at home and this is what I am dealing with-Today I am calling him the gum-monster because all he wants to do is chew gum. One tiny piece will keep him quiet for about 3 minutes and then he wants more-

"More gum?
More gum.
Mama.
Down there.
Gigi purse.
More gum.
More gum.
Bandpa, more gum?
Down there.
Pees more gum.
PEES.
Banpa? PEES...ggguuummm"

And he is no fool. He knows where it is, how much is left, and who to beg (Gigi and Grandpa are his primary targets). Honestly, I had no idea that less-than-two-year-olds chewed gum but apparently they do. Henry can keep one piece of gum in his mouth for hours. Today he chewed one tiny piece for at least an hour and a half before pulling it out and trying to wipe it on his shirt and then deciding that he actually still wanted to chew it so he stuck what he could back in his mouth and then had to try to deal with the strings of gum attached to his shirt still. It was a near gum catastrophe. No gum in the hair though...yet.

And speaking of hair, Henry got his first hair cut today. Our main goal was to make it so that when he has hat hair he doesn't look like he has a mullet :) His stylist, Mama, was impressed with how still he sat and his willingness to help. He grabbed the scissors or comb whenever they were available. I have a feeling that we will someday be posting photos of Henry after he gives himself a sneak trim. But for now his hair is just a wee-bit shorter, you probably wouldn't even have noticed if I hadn't mention it.

Blog-a-versary

I just realized that You, me and the Bean has been going for over a year now. Our first post was on August 31, 2006. My how things have changed in the past year.

We here at You, me and the Bean want to say thank you to everyone that visits our blog. It has been so much fun for us to share our stories and pictures with you guys. Sorry if you have ever left a comment and not gotten a response, we are not so good on the follow-up but we do love reading your comments, please keep them coming.

Cheers-

Mama, Papa and Bean

Face*

In a red wagon

Henry Art

We had a go at finger painting yesterday. Henry seemed to enjoy it, although I think he liked the squeezing the paint out of the bottle part the best. He doesn't really like being dirty so we had to keep a towel on-hand for occasional wipe-offs...and the floor and wall got a little bit of Henry's artistic touch but other than that it was good clean fun. Gigi and Grandpa already have their first painting. We brought it over to their house this morning. Henry ran on to the porch yelling "Branpa! Henry art!"

Almost two years ago

My Mom made a DVD of all of her videos of Henry's first year. Including just moments after he was born. Wade and I watched it last week. Totally amazing. I forgot how tiny he was, and how yellow....So, I searched though some of my short videos and found this one. I think it has to be just hours after coming home from the Hospital, he is still in his hospital gown.