Milestone Minutiae

This morning, Henry surprised himself (and all of us) by rolling over front-to-back! I don't think he did it on purpose, and he never got his pinned arm free. But rolling for real is coming! Also, while on this trip, Henry seems to have gained control of his arms. They still wave around a lot, but he's been touching my face and grabbing for toys, clearly on purpose.

He's in the backyard, shooting the pedal of a tricycle with a jet of water so it spins.

Henry has completely mastered grabbing his feet. If he's on his back, he's probably holding them, unless they've kicked themselves free. Henry frequently wakes up as David and I are getting ready for bed. He'll usually just lie in bed looking at us, grabbing his feet and wiggling. Last night he was so tired that while holding his feet he became completely still and closed his eyes - asleep! In the morning, I sometimes sneak out of bed with Henry still sleeping. Yesterday David was still showering at the time, so when he came out I asked if Henry was still sleeping (I hadn't heard him on the monitor). "Nope," said David, "He's just sitting on the bed, happy. He smiled at me." When I went to get him he was in the bed smiling, and playing with his toes.

Emmett said to Luke, "Stop asking so many questions! I'm trying to think!"

I have a mole just below my collar bone that the kids generally find and play with while nursing. After weaning, it continues to be a source of comfort to them when we're cuddling in the rocking chair or when they're getting hugs after some problem or other. Emmett gave this up long ago, but Luke is still going strong. He'll even reach out to touch it when I'm changing his diaper.

Some things change so slowly I almost forget to note them. When Luke was a baby, he'd cry if strangers talked to him or even sometimes if they'd just smile. Then he progressed to hiding behind me and giving people the stink eye. Now he'll sometimes engage with friendly strangers, smiling at them if they smile first. He's even answered when people ask him about Henry. Emmett, of course, likes to talk to anyone and everyone about anything and everything. He's always been comfortable engaging with people he doesn't know.

When he brings his hands together, he'll grab his left index finger between the thumb, index, and middle fingers of his right hand. Then he stares intensely, studying his fingers. Usually he'll drag them up to his mouth, taste a little, and then stare some more.

Henry has always been "mouthy." From the earliest days, he'd suck on his fists whenever he managed to get them close to his mouth. Given how nice it was for Luke, I'd been hoping that Henry would suck his thumb, too. Now that he's coordinated enough to bring his hands to his mouth at will, he still doesn't suck his thumb or fingers. He'll licks and suck on his fists, and even put fingers in his mouth, but he doesn't suck on them - it's more like gnawing. He's not particular to either hand or fingers; he'll gnaw on whatever gets there first. In other limb news, Henry has found his feet. He likes to play with his toes when he's on the changing table. He's also adept at bringing his hands together, so he plays with his fingers, too (when he's not eating them).

Henry loves interacting with me and his brothers. He smiles easily, and he'll "talk" with you, cooing back and forth. Luke still has a tendency to put his nose right up to Henry's nose, but sometimes he'll back up a bit and grin at Henry which gets wide grins in return. Emmett has mastered the art of getting coos from Henry. He loves babies in general, trying to get smiles from any babies we meet. It's very sweet. Both boys tend to use a little too much energy, overstimulating Henry. I've been trying to explain that if he looks away they should probably take it down a notch. I think they're absorbing the message, because Henry seems happy with them for longer periods of time.