New photos with Ben

This last Saturday Henry and I went over to my Grandmother Lorene's house. We visited with my two aunts Betty Ann and Barbara Sue--and I let Henry sit in my old high chair and make a mess with mashed potatoes, yogurt, and cheetos. It is disturbing to me to sit and let him make such a mess of the food, but he doesn't want me to feed it to him and I guess it's a good thing if at least half of it gets into his mouth. And it's fairly easy to wash off with a cloth--unless he manages to get some into his hair.
I sat in this high chair when I was a baby--so you can be sure it does not meet current safety standards. It's amazing kids my age made it through childhood with all the unsafe cribs and chairs and toys we had to contend with.
I got the photos we took of Ben and Henry while we were up in Wisconsin last month. I am happy with the Wal Mart photos. They seem as good as the Sears and the Olan Mills photos and they are much cheaper. The boys were also pretty well behaved and we didn't have to wait long.
Waiting past our appointment time is the main issue I have. I took Henry this last week to the doctor. He really wasn't sick--his nose was running and I wanted to find out about what I should be giving him for allergies. I am afraid he will get sick like he was last winter. We had an appointment for 9:30. At 10:15 we still hadn't gotten to see the doctor and I told them I was leaving. I had to get Henry back for lunch at 10:30 and then his nap is at 11. If I got him back too late it would mess up his entire day. I never thought when I made a 9:30 appintment that I wouldn't actually get in at 9:30 and be out by 10:30.
I was sick today--this is my day to work late at the library. But I have to get Henry to the children's center by 9 so I come and then do my own work until 1 which is when my work begins at the library. I'm muddling my way through a dissertation and there is always something for me to do on my own time--not to mention Tuesday is usually my day to run over at the rec center. But I was really tired and sick so I just drove home and slept all day and drove back in time to pick Henry up at 5, pass him off to Tammy to keep tonight, then I pick him up at 10.

I still felt sick when I started work, but I have to get a report written up for a new doctorate one of the departments is hoping to implement. I took a couple of sinus pills and an hour or so later I feel pretty good. I am not used to being sick and I don't usually take medicine, not even tylenol. But I was pretty surprised at how quickly my ears stopped hurting, so I guess I need to hone up on my medical skills and keep myself as healthy as possible so I can take care of Henry.

Just the two of us again

Yesterday my mother went back, so it's just Henry and me. We had a wonderful visit, and my mother didn't get sick as she suspected she might. Hopefully she will be able to move back soon.

Henry had a good evening last night with Tammy, who works with me at the library. She said he was very lovable and friendly.

Today the fire engine was supposed to come to the children's center. Tomorrow is the parent/child breakfast--so I have to get up a little early and get there by 7:30 so I can eat with Henry.

I have been looking over Henry's adoption paperwork--racking my brain for what I remember of Vietnamese and asking friends. Does anybody know if there is a special meaning in Vietnamese for these two phrases:
mẹ đẻ
mẹ ruột

I know that the first means birth mother and the second means something like blood mother. I wonder if there is a colloquial difference that does not exactly translate into English.

Another Birthday

We celebrated my mother's birthday by having portraits taken. I wanted just a group photo of the three of us, but of course the photographer has to take a lot of different shots to try and sell a big package. These are the proofs--they took a long time to get Henry to pose for them, after we had waited almost an hour past our appointment time.

Visit from GrandMama

My mother came up for a visit yesterday, and kept Henry last night while I worked. These photos are taken outside the children's learning center when we picked him up.
She hasn't seen him in a while--she's been gone since last March and we went down there in May. Henry seemed animated and happy to see her.

Another Birthday Party

Henry helps me pick up the mail when we get home. We live in a very rural community--the mailing route is one town, the phone number is another, the school district is another, and the community itself has its own name.

My ancestor Henry McKenzie moved to this small community in 1842 when Texas was a republic. As late as the turn of the last century there was a post office, school, dentist, doctor's office, grocery store, drugstore, a blacksmith's shop, several churches, and the all important cotton gin. It also had a Woodmen of the World hall. The last business was a gas station that shut down in the fifties There is now just one Methodist church in the community and less than 25 people.

Henry on the city park slide in the town where I work, in anticipation of the birthday party.
This past Saturday there was a birthday party for Evan from the Children's Center. The party was held at the city park. Henry really enjoyed the chocolate cupcakes.
He watched from afar as Evan opened his presents. This park is in store for a major overhaul, and the new plan does not include this pavilion. Perhaps we are one of the last parties to be held here.
Henry was reluctant to get on the old fashioned merry-go-round.
Eventually he did feel comfortable enough to get on and he seemed to have a good time with a few of the other children.
Monday while we were driving to the library I noticed Henry--it's obvious he likes the Jeff doll much more than the Anthony doll.

Henry and the Dolls

Here Henry attempts to place the Jackie Robinson "action figure" onto the rocker I got him from Ikea. I didn't prompt him to do this--he decided himself that the doll should take a ride.
I got him a baby doll from the local Fred's store that is going out of business (and everything is 60% off) and it went missing. I finally found it where Henry had placed it in the high chair. I guess he thought it looked hungry.
Henry holds the Jeff Wiggles doll whenever he is in the car. The past few days he has tried to get it to drink milk out of a bottle.

The Wiggles vs. The Imagination Movers

This past Saturday the cable station that Henry watches "The Wiggles" ran several episodes of a show with a new group called "The Imagination Movers". They are a group from New Orleans. Their songs seem more hip-hop, some of it is even rap. But they are aimed at the same age group.

The Wiggles:



You can see Jeff in the front--the Chinese Australian Wiggle. He is the thing that caught my eye and started us watching the show (and going to the concert) in the first place. I bought Henry a Jeff doll and he has to have it whenever he is in the car. This morning he was trying to feed it milk out of his cup. I bought him an Anthony Wiggle doll and he doesn't much care for it.

The Imagination Movers:



I like their songs--they are more upbeat and modern. I also like that they are from New Orleans. They were featured at the White House Easter Egg Roll this past Easter.

Now I am recording both of the shows and letting Henry pick which one he likes to watch--along with "The Backyardigans" which he started watching last week with Ben.

The Backyardigans:



This is a video I found on Youtube that is obviously done with a video camera by somebody, but it gives an idea of what it looks like. I think the animation is very good on this show. They use real dancers to create the animation, which adds to the realism of the look.

To watch and listen you'll have to turn off the music at the bottom of the page. I'd like to hear what shows other toddlers are watching and if these shows are popular.