Harrison- 21 Months

This month, for his "photo shoot", Harrison was in a very cooperative/cheerful mood! So, I have FOUR fabulous pictures (instead of my typical digging for the best of the bunch). YEAH!!! I have to give partial credit to Ashley, his favorite babysitter, for teaching him to "say cheese" for the camera.

February 14th- March 13th: This month, Harrison has been such a pleasant little man. I am not sure what the change is, but it is fantastic! Perhaps we are all just figuring out how to communicate with each other in a more productive way. He has been such a good listener. He has his moments where I quickly remember that we are approaching two, but he is more likely to put his chin to his chest, hide in a corner, and pout with big fish lips than he is to throw a fit. I am trying to capture the pout with my camera, but I hear the voice of Supernanny telling me that I should not take a picture, or he will think it is a good thing. Good thing or not, he is not screaming and it is SO STINKIN' CUTE!!!

Food:
Harry is back to eating like a champ. In fact, he has been happily trying new things. Up until this month, he was not a very convincing carnivore (which is funny to me, because all this child wanted when I was pregnant with him was red meat). Typically, our boy does a very sassy turn of his head and sticks his hand out to push away new food that would expand his food universe (think teenage girl). So, getting him to take a bite of something new is a challenge. He tried tilapia, steak and pork, all three of which he continued to eat. Ground meats, of any kind, are still a little creepy to him. We'll take what we get!

Lodging:
SLEEP!!!! This month, Harrison has slept the best he has since he was born. Now, I can understand why people decide to have more children.

Communication:
Harrison has started to put together more two and three-word phrases. They are getting more easy to understand, and more consistently accurate. It is so fun to watch him pick up on everything that we say, and even the way we say it. Bryan and I find ourselves asking each other, "do I say that?"

Transportation:
The car seat is officially turned around. He is LOVING the new view of his world. Other than that, he is just as active as always, but now we get a running commentary on where he is going and what he is doing.

Entertainment:
We ventured outside, once we finally got a little snow, to play with the sled. After bundling up, I watched him walk outside like Ralphie's little brother on a Christmas Story. He LOVED being pulled around in the sled, which made me sad (for just 13 seconds) that this winter has been so absent of snow. We did attempt to make a snowman, but in true little boy form, he kicked every ball we made, making the creation of an upright snowman near impossible.

Harry has been getting into trains. I received a GIANT bin of Thomas tracks and trains. When I say giant, I mean massive! There were probably 70 trains and there was enough wooden track to cover the living room and dining room (which he and Bryan have done numerous times). We have still been able to get outside a lot, as the winter has been so CRAZY mild! Harry is enjoying all the time to play on his swing set, and the neighbors swing set, plus in the driveway with his cars!




Harrison playing a game of "match up" with the different colored sippies and their toppers.

Checking out the computer with uncle Eric.


Helping uncle Eric fix something in the snow...a rare weather phenomenon this winter in Minnesota.





I got a SNOW DAY (only the second one in 6 years)!!! So, naturally, Harrison and I had to play in the snow...then go out to lunch.


Sleepytime. I put Harry down for the night, and he immediately pushed his glow-worm on.




We had Jeremiah for one evening while Kevin and Erika had a night out. They played hard, got a bath, and went to bed! Harrison had 4 or 5 time outs for trying to take things from Jeremiah. We are working on Harry sharing...especially when he has visitors at our house.


Hamper/basket rides = AWESOME!


More hampers...






Harry's new favorite place to hang out is our room. He pushes his chair up to the edge of the bed, climbs up, and looks out the window, drives cars on the ledge, opens and closes the blinds, reads a bunch of books, or just lays on the pillows. There have been MANY days where he will play on our bed for over half an hour. In two-year-old time that is an ETERNITY!!!

More commentary: "Fan on" (as he is pointing up at the ceiling fan).




Some of the best pictures I have of Harry are while he is taking a bath. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that bathtime is one of his favorite activities.


As he was doing this, he was laughing hysterically yelling "open", "close", "open", etc... Super fun game...apparently.

Harrison at about 7:05pm. I love that he inherited many of Bryan's traits, but one of my favorite is the early to bed trait. I don't love the other end of that (the early to rise trait), but I will take what I get.

Harrison- 20 Months

January 14th- February 13th: The "little handy man" inside Harrison has been growing!!! He is learning to "fix" things and use tools. It is so fun (now that he has plastic tools) to watch him go around the house and figure out what needs fixing, and what tool to fix it with!

Food: Harrison is really going through a picky eating phase. We will find something that he likes and buy it. Then, after about a week, he will completely reject it. Sometimes I wonder if this rejection comes from his annoyance at us constantly feeding him that which he likes (aka- too much of a good thing isn't always good). But, he has to eat!! As I type this his favorites are oranges, broccoli, mac n' cheese, cottage cheese, bread (with butter only), and milk. Ask me next week, and I am sure that the carb-loading, dairy-inhaling presence will still be notable, but I am sure it will happen with different foods.

Lodging: Sleep has not been very good. Harrison had a double ear infection. The only thing that even gave us a clue that he might be sick was the fact that he DID NOT WANT TO SLEEP!!! It wasn't like he was fussy, but he wanted to be up at 1:00am, playing. After almost a week of waking up who knows how many times, we finally decided to bring him in...and what do you know, double ear infection! No signs, no symptoms. Sadly, he got into a pattern of waking up, so we are working on reverting to the old pattern of sleep!

Communication: This is the area that has changed most over the past month. Almost everyone has commented on how much more Harry is talking. He has started to make two-word sentences, and gives you commentary on almost everything that is going on in the world around him. He loves to watch Bryan as he leaves for work, saying "Dada, bye-bye" or "Dada Work". As I mentioned in his last monthly letter, he also likes to refer to himself in the third person. He has started to perfect asking for things with the preface "Harrison", like "Harrison coat", or "Harrison candy". As you can imagine, he has tried to use this new found talent to get things that he normally knows that he can't have.

Transportation: We are trying to bring as many toys with wheels as possible inside for Harry to drive around our main level. He has been able to play outside on the driveway with his Cozy Coupe until recently (when we finally received a pathetic amount of snow- not that I am complaining), which has helped with cabin fever, but I think that Harrison misses the warm sunny days as much as we do.

Entertainment: Harrison really wants to help us do what we are doing. He loves to sit on the table, or the island, and help us get things ready for dinner. He tries to help Bryan fix anything that is broken. The "handy man" gene is strong in this one!! He likes to help me do housework, too. He would wash dishes all day if I let him, and by doing dishes I mean dumping water down his front and continually cleaning the same two dishes (hey, he has to start somewhere). He puts his PJ's in the hamper in the morning, and help put his dishes in the sink when he is done. He is becoming such a good little helper :)






I remember this evening vividly. I remember thinking, and perhaps even saying out loud, that "if you are going to throw a fit, and destroy everything, help your dad rip the green beans in half." I know...it looks really cute, and picturesque :)


Harry learned how to turn the radio on on his alarm clock. So, now he tips his books over, uses the basket as a stool and jams out in his room.

Waving "bye-bye" to grandma when she left one day.




We are learning (all of us) the limits with Play Dough. Harry really enjoys it, but for 10-15 minute blubs, and not too often or it will not hold his attention.



What will hold his attention is helping mom bake. More specifically, helping mom make royal icing with some powdered sugar. I saw the mess coming, but sometimes the entertainment is worth the clean up!


My favorite time of day. Blankie- check. Mimi- check. Lambie(manga)- check. Ready to snuggle up, read a few books and go to sleep. I am sure I will look back on his footie pajama days with happy memories...how can you not.





Well...its pretty much official, he is a daddy's boy! He used this screwdriver for over an hour to "fix" things in the house.


Experimenting with markers. Making mom nervous. Putting the caps back on, and putting them away.










Bryan's great-aunt Gail came to visit in February. We had dinner and playtime with the boys at grandma and grandpas house with giant balloons and horse rides!

Harrison helping grandma and grandpa do the dishes.

Playing outside at grandma and grandpas.

Harrison- 19 Month Letter

Dear Harrison-

You are 19.5 months old and you will notice that this post, which was supposed to be your 18 month letter, is running behind. I think it might be because we have one very busy little boy who keeps us on our toes!! You are really a sweet boy, but in the last couple months you have started to make your ideas of how life should go known. You have developed some STRONG opinions about what you want, or don’t and you usually communicate those ideas with a very whiny, obnoxious voice (sorry, there is no way to sugarcoat it). We are trying to teach you to ask nicely for things. It is a slow process, but you are starting to catch on. We know you are just testing your boundaries, and learning your limits, but sometimes your dad and I have to refrain from laughing, because your fits are usually over something so minor…like the bunny crackers in the wrong section of your plate. Though it has been challenging, we are riding the waves with you. You are still such a happy boy when the world is right in your eyes. I think that your current laugh is certainly the most infectious one that you have had. I could spend hours reading you silly books or tickling you just to hear that little boy cackle.

You are learning so much right now. It is so much fun to see things just “click”. You have your routine down. You go into the bathroom and set up your stool to wash your hands before you eat. You go into your bedroom around 7pm and try to pull your lambie through the slats of your crib and get your mimi, in preparation for bedtime. You know when we are driving to “auntie and my-my’s house” and get really excited when I tell you someone is coming to visit, and you wait at the door, or pull up the blinds to look out the window for them.

Over the past couple weeks, you have really started to talk and you try and copy everything we say. You have moved on from repeating things twenty times in a row (thank you), and onto building two-word sentences. It has been interesting to decipher the combinations that you come up with. Most popular right now are “Dadda work” and Mama back” (as in I’ll be right back, when you get nervous about me leaving to do something). You have also started to recognize yourself in photos, and say “Harrison (or actually Hessen)”. I laugh as I type this because you have also started to refer to yourself in the third person, “Harrison happy”, “Harrison Coat”, and “Harrison hungry”. One of my favorite stories comes from your aunt Erika. Apparently you were at the grocery store with Jeremiah, and someone noticed that you boys were adorable (of course), and you proudly pointed to yourself and said, “Harrison.”

You have started to become interested in toys other than cars. Trains have started climbing the list. I suspect this new interest has risen for a few reasons. One- you can hook them together and drive them around (so much better than cars), and two- you enjoy building the track, though you can’t quite drive the train on it without it coming apart just yet. I think you would enjoy a train table to play on, so I have been searching Craigslist, and trying to find space in our little house for your railroad adventures. Luckily, we have not had too many cold days, and VERY few snowy days, as it has truly been a mild winter, by Minnesota standards. You have spent a lot more time outside in the fresh air than we could have ever imagined. Getting out to run around has been a huge blessing, since you have a lot of energy right now. You are a climber…and I am hoping that in the future you learn that we ask you not to climb certain things to keep you from breaking your neck, not to spoil all the fun.

Every day with you is a new adventure! We can’t imagine life without you, and your laugh.

Love,

Mom (and Dad, too)