Video Dump

We take videos of Henry here and there as we discover new, cute activities. Here are 3 that at the very least capture much of the current excitement in our house.

The greatest toys around the household these days are often sale papers. It also very exciting to put the sale paper in your mouth (somebody believes it has milk in it).



Here is Henry's first exposure to rice cereal. After a few more feedings it seems that squash is his big favorite. (Notice the ubiquitous sale paper on the right of the screen).



After his final bottle of the night, but before we dress and put him to bead, there is a window of 30 minutes where a scantily clad excited boy laughs and giggles wildly. He always heads to bed tired and smiling.

After a week of numerous snow dumps ending in a near 20 inch accumulation we were given a a 20 something degree Sunday with plenty of sun and a clear sky. That is as warm and comfortable as it is going to be for the next 5 months around here so It seemed wise to suit up Henry and take him to the bog behind our home. I believe the loop around the bog is just over a mile, and it is certainly very pretty and quiet. Along with the elementary school that borders our property, the bog was a selling point when we were considering the purchase. The only downside has been that our temperature in the winter is usually 5-10 degrees lower than the rest of the Anchorage due to the cold air settling in the bog (ie. Last night on the news they said Anchorage lows may hit 7 degrees, while a quick glance at our outdoor thermometer showed 0 for us already).

It was 24 degrees and Henry was soon geared up with gloves, a Jughead Jones styled crown hat, and some cowboy boots. The moment he gets in the carrier he becomes an extremely happy boy -- he loves being in motion and having plenty of new world to look at.  I planned on a quarter loop through the bog with a turnaround at the observation deck (I've taken some nice pictures here before as well) because his  tolerance for the cold remains unknown. As soon as we found ourselves underway it became clear that his clothing was keeping him plenty warm as he cooed and happily chirped away. He's an eager, interested little guy.



As we turned back toward home Henry continued happily cooing and I was pleased that he remained comfortable (I feared that he would get extremely fussy and we'd have to quickly scoot back to the house). He's a mellow guy 99% of the time, but when he does eventually hit the wall of his tolerance, it's game on. All seemed perfect until our path on the way home had a large cow and calf moose in the middle of it.

"Uh oh, Hank. Looks like a few Moose in the way."

"Geeeee," Henry announced.

"We're going to need to find a different way back, buddy." I smoothly back pedaled away from the munching cow.

"Froooooooo."

"Got it, Henry. You called that one."






A quick glance down found Henry returning my smile so into a new direction we trudged, stomping into 15 inches of fresh snow, eventually popping out in a different section of  the neighborhood. We worked our way back home via some side streets and ended up with a longer walk than expected. Henry had some rosy red cheeks and a big nap moments after returning home. It was a big day for the little guy.

Deep, deep sadness. That is what the snow brought Henry upon his first exposure. He started by being propped up against the single stair on our deck in the hopes of a quick snapshot. He was happy enough and stable so upon stepping back to snap the shutter it was a great surprise that he slid a few inches to his right and promptly found a clump of snow in his face. At best it could be described as a gentle lurch, but given the shock of snow on his face it became a traumatic, shocking fall. The picture below captures the moment immediately following the tumble. Hopefully he learns to enjoy the snow and we do not end up raising a boy that endlessly inquires about the date we'll be moving to Hawaii.




After a week passed we decided to attempt another exposure to snow. I don't know how long his memory retains isolated experiences, but hopefully it is less than a week. We geared him up, snapped him into a small sled, and tugged him around the snowy field behind our condo. He never came close to crying or fussing, though the look of suspicion is undeniable.  He's willing to learn to love snow, but as parents we remain on notice.

Henry is a very lucky guy when it comes to outfits. Here is his charming Halloween ensemble, with a onesie thanks to Aunt Mary and Uncle Tim. He wore this the previous week for his first campfire in Chugiak as well.



However, we wanted to find some quick costume for the little guy and happily found a bear jacket in the pile of "things that are still a little big." So he was an Alaskan Bear for Halloween, and the cozy, fuzzy suit produced many smiles. Wonderful.



We had the light on our doorstep but it did not help. Here in Anchorage if the first snowfall predates Halloween, as it did this year, we find that the amount of trick or treaters plummets. Night of the Living Dead flickered on the tv while Henry and I giggled away at the tickling that made it through the bear suit. After some time in the rocking chair with a few books poor Hank found himself all tuckered out and soon called it a night. He had a very happy Halloween.