Happy 9 months lil guy!! We missed you!

(Spending his 9 month birthday with Grandma...doesn't get much better!)

It always feels great to be home from vacation in a way, however this time I just couldn't wait to get home. Not because it wasn't an amazing time (because it was absolutely amazing and relaxing) but I missed out little man SO much! It's so hard to leave him behind, he's my life! We left our house Wednesday morning at 2 am (we flew out of New Yorks JFK so that we could have a direct flight both ways) so we said our goodbyes Tuesday night. We made it home safely Sunday night, but didn't get to our house until 10:30/11pm ish. I couldn't resist the urge, so I went up and just rocked Henry for a couple of minutes. He's such a snugglebug and I can never get enough. What made it even harder was that I had to be a work this morning for a class, so I left the house before he wakes up. He's a smart kiddo because just as I was getting ready to head out the door, he started to whine/cry so I had to give him a hug. Thesmile on his face when he saw me just made me melt!

Luckily we got out of class 2 hours early so I rushed home to be with my mom and lil Henry! I swear he got so much longer since I left! I was so afraid that he was going to sprout his first tooth when we were gone, but he didn't! He must have listened to me, I mean I stay home with him all day so that I don't miss anything! I did feel his gums this afternoon and sure enough....it's FINALLY coming through!

If that isn't enough, today marks Henry's 9 month birthday!! How

crazy is that?!?! As far as milestones go;

• he is a speed crawler...seriously fast,
• he is pulling himself up on everything and cruising around while standing,
• he is a nonstop talker and I love it when we giggle together,
• he has the best appetite I've ever seen and will eat anything, and
• he will chase his soccer ball for hours around the house

I'm sure there are many things I've forgotten, but you get the point, I'm one busy momma!!

Back to our trip.

I can't even describe in words how wonderful it was. We hiked the mountain, relaxed on the beach with our cool mint towels and lemongrass water :), we ate at places that were no more than shacks with some of the greatest food I've ever indulged in, we snorkeled in the middle of the ocean, we visited 2 original sugar mills of the island and slept almost 10 hours each night! It was much needed and only healthy for us to get away for a vaca!

(Dinner at Mangos)

(Enjoying a cocktail on the Catamaran before we snorkel)

Back to unpacking and laundry, always the worst part of a vacation!

Easter Weekend...a little late

It's been awhile since I've posted...sorry. We've been quite busy here at the Charlton Household, the little guy is surely keeping me busy! He's such a fast crawler, I can't even turn my back and he's out of site! He's also pulling up on everything, so I have to follow him around everywhere just so he doesn't fall and hurt himself! Our kitchen floor is not a very forgiving floor, being that it's made of stone, so it scares me to death when he's in there!

Also, daddy was home ALL last week which is a very rare occasion, so we soaked up every minute of it! Yes, he was still in his office working from home, but he's usually gone 3-4 days a week, so we really enjoyed spending our evenings together! It was also gorgeous outside, so we enjoyed a cocktail out on the deck each night! Wednesday Henry's boss came to our house for dinner which was a treat! We cooked him dinner and just enjoyed the company.

This past weekend we traveled to Baltimore to attend Mr. Cullen's baptism! He's the son of one of Henry's best friends from elementary school. Let's just say it was a long day and Henry slept SO well last night!

Ok back to my original plan for this post - Easter Weekend!

We are blessed to have both set of parents so close to each other, they literally live a mile away from one another which makes it great for holiday weekends, or any time we go home! We went home Holy Friday afternoon and were able to see my mom and Henry's parents. We typically stay at Henry's parents since my mom and dad are remodeling their house. It's very convenient since Henry's sister has 10 children, his parents have all the necessities for a baby,

making it easy to travel there. We were both exhausted from our week, so I think we were in bed by 9 or 9:30pm Friday night. The little guy was very generous and slept until almost 7:30am, giving us a great nights sleep!

Saturday we lounged around for the morning and just enjoyed our time together. Henry's brother Thomas and wife Asia arrived in the afternoon and my parents came over for a nice dinner. That was pretty much the extent of our evening!!

Sunday was a big day. We went to Easter Mass with the family, including all of Henry's sisters kiddos! We were very fortunate to have amazing weather, which helps by allowing the kids to play outside and us adults to enjoy our time together. It truly was a great Easter, with great family, friends and food!

My parents

Henry enjoying Asia's dog (and yes his pants were falling off ;))

Henry's side of the family

The cousins (Mary's 10 and Henry)

My family

Alison and I (baby Adrianna is Henry's girlfriend!!)

Easter Bunny

We made a trip to the Easter Bunny today! What a great day it was, 80 degrees and sunny so I didn't have to feel like a bad mom having Henry in his Easter outfit (shortalls/overalls).

sorry for the bad quality, it's a picture of the picture

(He was a little tired and more interested in the fan,that was keeping the bunny cool, to smile)

A few pics from this week:

Saturday Morning Football

The Easter Bunny came a week early and delivered a new toy!

Making Henry's food for the week!

Mama's lil fighter

Henry's father was a boxer growing up, he even boxed for the Golden Gloves! He was in the trials for the 1952 Olympics, however he crushed his arm while trying to help his brother out of the ocean. Whenever we go home now, he gives lil Henry boxing lessons, and the lil guy always has a great time.

Last night we had a boxing match, and he definitely won. Enjoy the video!

Teething and/or Cold

Henry woke up yesterday with a runny nose :( He isn't coughing and he's fine otherwise so I'm not sure if it's a cold or him teething?? These teeth have to be coming in soon. Last week when we were at the Hematologist, she asked how many teeth he had and I said zero! She guesses that he'll wake up one of the mornings with like 4 teeth...we'll see! Last week he was also pulling on his left ear (another teething sign) so I had her check it out and no ear infection!! This poor little boy, I feel so badly for him He is chewing on EVERYTHING in sight!!

Other news to note: We are now using our bath seat and he's loving it!!! Funny story: The other night I'm giving him his bath and his new seat is a little slippery (there's a bar in between the legs so that they can't slide through) and he slides so that his not-so-soon-to-be manly parts hit the bar. I usually just boost him back up and he continues with his splashing! Well this time he decided that he needs to go to the bathroom and the stream when straight up in the air and almost got me...oh the joys of having a boy!!

Today I had him walking around with me holding onto his hands. We walked by the couch where my phone and the remote were (2 things that he is obsessed with!) and grabbed onto the couch and stood up alone. I was only able to get a photo with my phone (so excuse the quality) just because our coffee table is behind the couch and I was too scared that he would fall and hit his head.

Yesterday it reached 84 degrees so we were outside ALL day!! We went on 2 jogs and had a picnic out front! I guess the fresh air got to Henry because he crashed!!

Last weekend we decided to do an early dinner and not get a sitter and just take the little guy along...he did great!! He loves people watching! He's so good when we're out and about!

I'm counting down the days until Easter!! I gave up cheese and all sweets!! I'm not a huge sweets person, but when I give it up I always want it more! I also can't wait to put Henry's Easter outfit on...it's super cute!! Stay tuned for photos!

Great News!

Henry had his hematology appointment on Monday and we got great news: Henry's platelets are again normal!! Next appointment is in 3 months and if that's normal, we are in the clear and no longer have to get his blood checked frequently! With his clothes on, he weighed a whopping 17.5 lbs and is approaching 27 inches in length!! His hematologist couldn't believe he's already crawling around the house and he even waved bye to her...that was a first!! She even tried it again to make sure and yes, he waved back!! He was a trooper for his appointment and didn't even cry when they took his blood!

Another first, we are on a guest pass at our gym just to try it out and they have a childcare center while you workout! Under 12 months of age, you're allotted 1 1/2 hours of included childcare!! So I've never left him with 'random' people, we've only left him with a babysitter that we interviewed prior. (side note: this is where my job gets in the way of everyday life, I see the worse case scenarios which then makes it harder to deal with leaving him with someone else) Anyway, Saturday we left him there for like 40 minutes while we worked out. Today I did a class with one of my neighbors, and he was down there for over an hour and obviously was fine! Me on the other hand can barely walk from that workout!

It amazes me how quickly he's growing up...and also makes me sad!! It's so fun to see learn everything, but in another way I wish he could stay little forever!

It's been pretty nice out lately, so we've been doing picnics outdoors and Henry loves it!! Henry's recent love is balls...soccer, basketball, football, baseball...it doesn't matter! We can roll the ball back and forth forever it seems!

We were on a roll with cute photos, until I turned away for a minute, looked back and somehow this little guy got my gatorade top off and he had purple all down the front on him...and he was licking his lips :)

Being a mommy is awesome...I wouldn't trade it in for anything!

Future Swimmer???

We took Henry for his first swim last night...and he absolutely LOVED it!!! We got there and thought we forgot the camera, however Henry had his iPhone so he captured a couple videos!! Henry swam for 40 minutes non-stop...he's a natural with all his kicking!! Let's just say, he slept VERY well last night!

When I was changing his clothes to leave, I found the camera in one of the pockets of the bag...just too late!! There will be plenty more opportunities for better pics!

We are deciding between two gyms close to our house and once we decide we're enrolling Henry into swimming lessons!!!