Finally, some nice weather...!

Hello all,

I have been uploading pictures here and there to the new flickr site but thought I would post a few recent ones I thought were particularly good. We are happy up here in Portland, Maine that the sun is finally out and the temperature is warmer! It was a long haul...but we made it! Now that the weather has improved Henry and I have been spending lots of time outdoors at various playgrounds because we have no yard of our own (hopefully that will change in the near future!). We are lucky because there is a fabulous playground about a mile from our house which is overlooking the water. It is quite picturesque. So we've been taking advantage....enjoy pictures of Henry climbing around! Henry is quite adventurous when it comes to climbing and maneuvering around the playground. Although he is not walking, he sure can get around....he loves to climb up and down the stairs, go down the slide, ride the bouncing horse and swing. We met his buddy Eli there this morning and the two of them had a great time exploring. I am so glad we've reached the age where we can start the playground thing--it's so nice!

In addition to the physical developments that Henry is making, his speech is also rapidly changing. He now can say lots of words including "this" when he wants to give you something. He can also wave and say "hi." He enjoys clapping and signing for "milk" "all done" and "more" ("milk" being his favorite!) His favorite activity above all else is reading. He LOVES any kind of book, especially ones that have flaps and texture. He enjoys being read to, flipping pages and looking at books on his own. We will continue to encourage this as we know how important early literacy is.

This summer things will change a bit for us as I will be going back to a more regular work schedule and therefore Henry will be in childcare every day for half a day. I think he will transition fine as he is such a social kiddo. His music teacher calls him the "social butterfly" of our music class. He goes around to all the moms and other babies and greets each and every one of them, climbs into their laps and wants to snuggle. It is really funny for me to sit back and see my little baby be so eager to interact with other people.... I am so proud.