Randomness- warning, this is a long one!

Henry Update:

Yes, as of Monday our little man has been with us for six whole weeks. He seems to be getting enough to eat (notice second chin below) and was up to over 9 pounds at his last visit to the doctor.  He still wants to eat about every 3 hours on average, though I have, twice, gotten five hours out of him at night. Usually it's 2.5-4 though.  He's really starting to stay awake more and be more interactive. Last week I started getting really big smiles. At first I wasn't sure if they were intentional or not, but they are pretty consistent now, so I'm convinced. He's also starting to hold his head up more on his own. I've been reading my devotions to him in the morning and I'm sure he is becoming quite fond of Beth Moore!  I'll spare you any pictures of his bum, but just know that it is still a problem! Grrr!

Look at those cheeks!!

Henry's first trip to the river. He loved it, of course, and had a great time visiting with family. 

At the river with Aunt Su and cousin Addy. Addy and Essie just adore him! They are such good little mommies. 

This is the Bill Conrad Cooking Show.. the production of him making his "famous" paiella. Always delicious. 

Happy Grandparents!! Meme and Papa with their three sweet grandkids!

We're looking forward to a visit from Chad's folks this weekend and in a few weeks we'll make our first road trip to Pensacola to meet some more cousins! 

Henry had is first photo shoot courtesy of of my friend Christy, she's awesome!

Workshop update:

Well, in case anyone is wondering what happened to that ol' workshop that used to consume all of our time and blog posts prior to us having an adorable baby to take pictures of.. 

Chad is loving it and has filled it right up with all his stuff. He really seems to enjoy the space and tinkering with all of his machines.  We can't thank dad enough- he even came in under budget!

Here he is, living the dream. (designing and making things from acrylic)

He's holding some sort of box that he made and hopes to use at work (feel free to ask him about it if that is not a satisfactory explanation for you)

This (namely that black rectangle on the right) is his "laser" that you hear him talking about. 

Nursery Update:

I ordered some blocks from etsy that finally arrived a few weeks ago; I really like the way they turned out. There is still more decorating to be done, but so far the room has been working out well.  I think I heard Henry say "alligator" today. ;)

Finally something to put on that shelf, and I love the drawers from Chad's childhood room that he and his dad refinished for Henry's room.  

The changing table mom and dad nabbed for us from craigslist, finally with some decorations. 

See that big pile in the middle.. those would be all of the diaper rash creams that haven't work on Henry's booty.  I think we've added at least three more since that picture! 

Chad put up shelves in the closet for me. 

    Another shot of the decor mom made that I love!

Feeding Time

Things I've discovered I can do while nursing Henry (might as well make use of those 8 hours of the day, right?):

    -pray

    -read a book

    -file my nails

    -file Henry's nails

    -play with my phone (email, facebook, etc.)

    -stretch the sore muscle in my leg

    -talk to friends on the phone

    -watch TV

    

Things I usually actually do while nursing Henry:

    -stare at him

    -fall asleep

    

 Oh Well, maybe I'll be more productive tomorrow!! 

Fastest Month Ever

I can't believe little Henry has already been with us for over a month! He has truly been such a blessing to our lives. To keep you up to date on all the amazing things that he is doing.. brace yourselves-- sometimes he stays awake for 15-20 minutes at a time, he squeaks and sighs and makes cute little noises when he sleeps, he sometimes seems to look right at our faces and will track some with his eyes (when you catch them open). He does some "smiles" and I quote, because they are the random, accidental ones.. However, a few days ago I got a big full faced smile while he was looking at me and I was convinced he did it on purpose, but I can't get him to repeat it, so maybe not. Either way it was very cute. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but who would have guessed those few little things would be enough to keep his mommy and daddy so entertained!
My main obstacle right now has been a nasty diaper rash that I can't seem to get rid of. And, in spite of what everything says online, I really have been changing his diapers OFTEN. Since non of the creams and ointments seem to be working (desitin, triple paste, butt paste, lotrimin, neosporin, maalox, calmoseptine, to name a few!) I've finally decided to not worry about the mess and just let him air out as much as possible. Actually, it's hasn't been that messy, I probably should have started this much sooner.  Thankfully, he is quite the little trooper because although I can hardly stand to look at his raw little butt cheeks, he doesn't seem too bothered by it.
I'll spare you any more details about the status of poor Henry's bum. How about some photos? (not of the bum)

Daddy sacrificing his scalp to give Henry some shade! 

Hey, that's almost a smile! Does anyone else think his hair is starting to look orange??

Aww.. 

Henry with his buddy, Oliver, at a picnic at the park after church. Not sure what they are looking at, but they are very cute. And, yes, Henry's pants are a little big.