Hank is Four!

My sweet momma's boy is four! 

I don't know where to start Hank Mitchell.

You are an equal combination of sweet and stubborn.

You love to give hugs and kisses, color, and be read to.  You love hot wheels, trucks, any type of ball, and getting dirty.

You have a kind heart and gentle spirit.  You love your sister and had rather spend time with her than anyone else.  You are awfully sad when she ignores you or doesn't want to play your type of games.

You love chocolate of any form-milk, cake, cookies, muffins, doesn't matter.  

Your second major food love is bacon.

Which is probably why you are such a healthy boy! You are 43 inches tall and weigh 42 lbs.  

You make everyone around you laugh and smile.  You are so funny and so smart and so loving. 

Mommy loves you sweet baby boy!

Happy Birthday Hank

Oh, Hank.  I cannot believe my sweet, baby boy is three years old today.  It seems like just yesterday I was holding you in my arms upon your arrival.  I knew you were a special boy the moment I laid eyes upon you.

You were and are still to this day a cuddle bug.  You love to be held, be snuggled, and hold mommy's hand.

You are the sweetest child 90 percent of the time (Rosie would say 99) when things are going your way.  When things aren't going your way you've been know to be quite a handful.

I've been known to make grilled cheese at 8:00 in the morning and pancakes at midnight just to make you happy.

Your favorite thing to do is build.  You build with scrap pieces of wood, you build with blocks, you build with boxes.  You have great imagination and are actually quite handy.

Your favorite TV shows are Team Umizoomi and Paw Patrol.

Your favorite foods are mac and cheese, bacon, and cinnamon rolls.  Sometimes all at the same time.

You love chocolate.

But not nearly as much as you love your blankie.  Its about half the size it started out as, but it still goes most everywhere with us.

You are a sturdy little fella and weigh 36 pounds and are 39 inches tall.

You are Daddy's boy and Momma's world and we thank God for you every day.

And here's a little stroll down memory lane if you're interested..

Hank is 2

Oh, sweet boy..where do I start?

That July day 2 years ago when we met you?

You had the most loving little personality! I swear you didn't cry the first 3 weeks of your life.

We brought you home and although it feels like yesterday it feels like forever ago that you were this tiny.



Your sister was quite curious about you.

 

And you've surely had your ups and downs the past 2 years, but boy is one thing for sure.  You love each other like crazy.  You've started reaching out to hold her hand and its the cutest thing ever.

Speaking of all of the current things you're doing…

Smiling!! You are the happiest, laughing boy.  

You love to play with your trucks and trains.

You love to pretend build things.

You love books and love to be read to more than anything else.  Your favorite book is Hairy Bear.

You absolutely adore your blankie and take it everywhere.

You also love Mickey.  You watch him on TV along with your other favorites Little Einsteins & Octonauts.

You have really started talking lately.  Your current favorite phrase is "right there!" 

You wake up most mornings saying "I love you mommy."

Then you want to "Get Carsy up!"

I think you are a momma's boy but when someone asks you usually reply with a different answer-Usually whoever is holding you!

You love to slide! You love to ride your 3 wheeler! You just love to play with anything outside!

Your favorite food is peanut butter and jelly with pizza being a close second.

You have the sweetest curls and when we ask where your curls are you point to your head and say "right here."

You love to give kisses right on the mouth.

Hank, the world is a better place because you are in it.  You bring sunshine and laughter wherever you are.  Please stay momma's sweet boy forever!

Hank

Oh, Hanky, where do I start?  You are 16 months old big boy!

I often chant "Momma's boy, Momma's boy!" And it's so true. You love your momma. But then again, you love everyone.

Happy doesn't even begin to describe you. You are just the jolliest fella ever. You laugh and cackle and wake up with the biggest grin on your face. Oh, don't get me wrong... You have a temper when things don't go your way but usually we give you your beloved blankie and all is good again.

You love to play outside and just be a boy.  Roll in mulch, run as fast as possible, eat rocks, and push trucks.

 

You play hard and sleep hard.  You currently sleep form 9 til 9 and take a long 2-3 hour nap around 2:00.  The hours you are awake you are never still and always climbing.

You still love to go and clap your little hands when we say "bye bye."  You love to wear shoes and even put your legs and arms up in the air to get dressed.  Its all because you think it means you're going outside.

Your favorite word is still "Dat!"  You point at something you want and repeat "dat "dat" "DAT!" until you get it.  It works.  Other words you say are mom, dad, hi, bye, uh-oh, Ro(for Rosie), nite-nite, out, Pops, Mad(for Maddox), juice, and milk.  I'm surprised you don't say french fries, or ketchup because I'd have to say that's your favorite.

You weigh 26 lbs and are 32 inches tall.  According to the Doc that puts you in the 75th percentile for weight.  He predicts you're going to be husky.

Hank, you bring joy to our lives we could never have imagined.  Love you baby boy!

Hank is 1!

Baby boy, Hanky-boo, Hanky, Hankers.  Where do I begin?

I cannot believe you are 1 year old today.  I cannot believe its been a whole year since Daddy placed you in my arms and my heart melted with one look at those baby blues.  I kissed that sweet red head and I was smitten. And continue to be every day.

Our love for you has grown so much Hank.  You are the jolliest little fella.  Oh, you have quite the temper when things don't go your way, but you love to laugh.  You squish your little nose up and snicker all the time.

Your big sister, Carsyn can make you laugh harder than anyone else.  You love her so much and are beginning to play along side her.  You love to play peep-eye with her in the car.

You still love bath time and love to splash.  You're also really fond of the swimming pool.  We just got back from the beach and you loved the sand and ocean.

Your hair is a very light strawberry blonde and your eyes are the bluest I've ever seen.

You weigh 22 lbs 9 oz and are 30" tall.  I call that a little chunky, but you are all muscle!! And already stronger than your big sister! She's beginning to lose toy battles.

You are wearing 12 and 18 month clothing.

You are crawling and pulling up and cruising.  You will let go of an object and stand on your own for just a minute before you fall down.

You have such a great appetite! You love sweets and pizza the most.  You've eaten 8 mini pancakes and 3 pieces of pizza in one sitting.

 You are still a thumbsucker, but love your blankie even more.  You have to have it before you go to sleep and love snuggling with it in the car.

We love you sweet prince!! Happy Birthday

Hank is 11 months old

My little wild man is 11 months old, I cannot believe it!

Hank, you  LOVE to eat.  It makes momma's heart so happy...we just don't know when to cut you off. You like anything, pizza, hot dogs, grilled cheese, yogurt, and are finally warming up to mashed potatoes.  You enjoy whole milk and drink like a champ from a sippy.  You recently started drinking from a straw too.  Mom is still nursing you before you go to sleep.

You love the water- the swimming pool, the bathtub..you love to splash, splash, splash.

Yo like to go on trips and tolerate the carseat quite well on short ones.  You also are pretty fond of your stroller.  You like to see new places and new things.  You are very alert.

You love going on wagon rides at Rosie and Pops house.

You are becoming quite the talker.  Your words are:
Hi
Bye
(You wave and smile at everyone you see exclaiming HI! or BYE!)
Mom-ma
Da-da
Bite
Pops
Pa-pa

Your favorite thing in the world in your blankie.  You are becoming attached to it and like to have it nearby to sleep.

You are still a thumbsucker.

You are wearing 12 and 18 month clothing and a size 4 diaper.  Your shoe size is a 4 1/2 Wide...you have a marshmallow foot.

You still army crawl everywhere.  You crawl conventionally for 4 steps and then drop to your belly and take off.  You pull up on things and cruise but no steps yet.

You are an active little guy and rarely sit still.  You still like to be held in momma's arms but only if she's walking around.  Next to momma and daddy and Carsyn your favorite person is probably Rosie.  Your eyes light up when you see her.

Your strawberry blonde locks have been continuing to curl. Your eyes are still the brightest blue I've ever seen.

You take one afternoon nap (around 2 hours) a day and sleep for 12 hours at night.  Bedtime is usually right after bath time around 9:30.

Hanky-boo, you are such a sweetheart and have stolen momma's heart.  We love you so much.

Hank is 10 months old

Little man, you are rapidly approaching your first birthday and to say time is flying by is an understatement.

You now officially have 3 teeth and tooth number 4 is likely making an appearance.

You are pulling up, but no steps yet.

You are wearing a 12 month in clothing and size 3 diaper.

Your favorite foods are mac and cheese baby food, but you are beginning to enjoy little bites of table food like bread and cookies-thatta boy!!

You LOVE your momma and like to be in her arms as much as possible.  My heart swells, but my back throbs.

You also love the bathtub and splash and play for as long as we'll allow.

Your favorite toy would probably be anything you can chew.  Specifically you like Sophie the giraffe, rubber duckies in the bathtub, and little people.

Your favorite thing to do is crawl...you still army crawl everywhere at lightning fast speed! You pull up and climb and find ways to get into things you shouldn't! You keep mommy on her toes.

You're still so fond of your big sister and give her your biggest smiles.

You are a good sleeper but now wake me sometime between 4 and 7 for a quick nursing session.  You fall back asleep until around 9:30.

You take a nap some mornings for 45 minutes or so and a long afternoon nap for 2 hours.

You love to take stroller rides.

Hanky-boo, we love you to the moon and back!!

Hank is 9 months old!

Baby boy, you are a whopping 9 months old!  Time is flying and I sometimes feel you're not my little baby anymore.

Your hair is getting longer and turning darker.  I'm not sure you if you'll be a little redhead or not.  You have one little curl in the back and its the sweetest thing ever.  You look just like your aunt Melissa's baby pictures!

You're still pretty chunky and weigh right at 20 lbs.  You are wearing mostly 12 month clothing and some 9 months.

Since I got behind on your 8 month post I figure I"ll combine the 2.

At 8 months you were babbling da-da and bu-bu-bu but right at 8.5 months you started saying ma-ma.  I love it. You say ma-ma all day long.

Of course that means you are quite dependant on momma.  Her arms are aching some days, but its awfully nice to feel needed too :)

At 8 months you were almost crawling and as of 9 months  you are starting to get the hang of it.  You are into everything!  You always army crawled, rolled, and scooted any where you wanted to go and now you are getting up on all fours and making a little progress before tumbling.

Yo do not like being still.  Taking your picture this month was SO hard.

We have been frequenting the park and as of right now its your favorite place in the world.  You enjoy swinging, but are content to sit in your stroller and suck your toes and watch the world go by.

Still only two bottom teeth have made an appearance.  I thought you were getting your top ones months ago and they still haven't poked through.  You are chewing on EVERYTHING and sometimes when you seem miserable for no reason I think its your teeth.

You still really like to eat.  You nurse 3-4 times a day in addition to eating baby food.  We've tried some table food and its not your thing.  You love your oatmeal cereal for a late breakfast.  Your favorite dinner is mac and cheese!

You sleep from 9:30 to 9:30 and rarely wake in between. You usually take a 45 minute nap around 11 or 12 and a 2 hour nap around 2 or 3.

You have really been enjoying bath time and love to splash all of the water out of the tub.  You also LOVE to be sang to whether its itsy bitsy spider or get your shine on.

Hank, mommy and daddy love you so much! Its so much fun seeing the world through your little eyes as you continue to grow.

Hank is 7 months old

Hank, my baby boy, you are a big 7 months old!!

What are you up to? Besides killing me with those baby blues??

Eating! You love to eat and so far the only thing you snub is peas. Ick.  Your current favorite is still mangoes.

Sleeping! You are a pretty good sleeper.  You usually sleep from 9:30 til 9:00 and take a nap from 2:30 til 4:30.

Teething!  These past 4 days you have been a bit of a monster.  You want to be held a lot and haven't been sleeping well.  We'll blame it on three teeth which have completely poked through!

Growing! You don't seem to be the tank we once thought you were.  You weigh 17 lbs 14 oz and are 27" long.  This puts you in the 50ish percentile.  You currently wear 9 month and 12 month clothing.

Sitting up! Yay!! You've finally mastered sitting up for small amounts of time unassisted.

Playing! You have such an interest in toys now.  You love to have things in your hand and love things that make noise.

Mommy loving!  No lie-you're a momma's boy...for now.  Doesn't mean your face doesn't light up when daddy walks in the room though.

Babbling! No words yet.. just lots of ba-ba...maybe a ma-ma or da-da once. You do love to squeal hiiiiiii though.

You are loved by so many Hanky-boo..thanks for making our family complete!!

Hank is 6 months old

Baby boy, I cannot believe 1/2 of your first year is gone.  Everyday you become less and less of a baby.  Sad.

You are almost sitting up unattended!

You still have no teeth, but slobber, slobber, slobber all over everything.  You love to chew on your blanket, and Sophie, and basically anything you get your hands on.

You are still momma's big boy.  You are currently wearing 9 month clothing.

You laugh, laugh, laugh all day long and are seriously the happiest little fella.

Your favorite activity right now is sitting in your excersaucer.

You got your first taste of real food on January 1.  You were not so excited over pears, but mangoes, oh, they're your love language.  You kick your little feet and open your mouth for more.

Currently you wake around 10 and go down for the night around 10.  Ever since getting over your little sick spell after Christmas you have become my champion sleeper.  You take a 30-45 minute catnap around 12 every day and a 2 hour nap around 2:30.

You love to jabber and made your first ma-ma and da-da sounds this week.  When you get really frustrated you make bu-bu-bu sounds and blow bubbles.

You are such a joy, Hansford Mitchell and everyone who comes around you is instantly smitten!

Hank is 5 months old!

You are still quite the thumb sucker.

You like to sleep on your belly.

You love to suck your toes.

You love sitting up with your legs crossed.

You love your sissy, Carsyn.

You are enthralled by the lights on a Christmas tree.

You weigh 15 lbs 13 oz and are 25 1/2" tall.

You are still a horrible, rotten, no good napper.  Unfortunately you are not a wonderful sleeper either.  As of late you have been getting momma up once or twice at night.

You love oatmeal.  You squeal, kick, and giggle at the taste.

You love to roll. Roll, roll, roll!

You like to sleep in.  Normal getting up time is around 9:30.

You laugh a lot.  All the time.  Its so completely charming.

We LOVE you so much Hanky-boo!!

Hank is 4 months old

Hank is four months old.  Hold me.  For real.  And on top of all that people swear he looks 6 months.  Thoughts on that?

Hanky-boo (as your sister so affectionately named you), you are quite the little gentleman full of personality.  You laugh, you cry, and most recently, you talk.  Yep, you coo so frequently its just like you have something to say.  The other night it sounded just like you said ma-ma.

You are still my great little sleeper and horrible little napper.  You usually wake between 7:30 and 9:00 and go to sleep around 10:00.  You sleep 9-10 hours in your crib and its quite fantastic.  The hours in between-mercy.  Some days you hardly nap at all. Some days you will nap an hour or 2.  The secret to a happy Hank?? The thumb! Oh how you love it!!

Usually your happiest time of day is in the mornings.  You'll take a 30 minute to an hour nap or just sit in your swing or chair and watch big sister play until 12 or 1. After mommy feeds you then, you become mr grumpy.  I think you're tired and just refuse to sleep.  Some days I can cuddle you to sleep for 2 hours and some days not at all.  After 5 or so you seem to relax a little after you eat again.  You will lay on your play mat or sit in your swing.  Sometimes you take another 30 minute nap on the way home from Rosies or in Daddy's lap when he gets home from work.  You eat again around 8:30 or 9 and immediately go in your crib.  Most nights you go straight to sleep.

Looks like you are a pretty big fella and I'm guessing you weigh 15 or 16 lbs.  We'll see at the Dr in a few weeks. You are currently wearing size 9 month clothing though some 6 month still fit.

Your favorite thing to do is watch big sister.  We have found when she's in the room you're happier.  You love TV also.  You LOVE chewing on your hands and everyone says you're likely getting a tooth!

Chew, chew, chew. Drool, drool, drool.

Hank, you are momma's cuddle buddy and daddy's football watching pal.  We love you so very much!

Hank is 3 months old

Baby boy, you are 3 months old today!!  I cannot believe how time is flown.  It just seems that snuggly baby phase lasted no time.

 You have become Mr. Alert.  You are enjoying your play mats and tummy time a whole lot more.  You are grabbing things with your little hands and love chewing on them.

And....its official.  You're a thumb sucker.  Forget the paci, you are ALL about the thumb.  It may be hard to break later, but its so cute and just calms you right down.  You are now sleeping in your sleep sack so you can get to your thumb easily.

Speaking of sleep-mister, you are a CHAMP.  You usually go to sleep around 10 and sleep til 8 or 9 the next morning.  I hate letting you sit up so late, but I love being able to sleep in.  Nap time is a different story.  Some days, well most days really, you hardly nap for over an hour.

You are still mommas big boy! You wear size 3-6 month and a size 2 diaper.  Gigantic by no means, but still a good size boy.  You eat every 4 hours and go all night without a snack. Judging from your bottles you take 6 ozs.  You will take a bottle from anyone who offers- you are such a chill little man.

Your eyes light up when big sister is around! You laugh and follow her around with your eyes.  You'll even turn your head to find her in a room.  And she loves you so much.

Oh, sorry but big sister really wants to be part of your hippo picture....

I want hippo!!!!

Excuse me Hank..

Ahh, much better!

Wait! Still not situated..

Fine, mom. I'll pull his hat up..

All Better!!

Thank you baby boy for giving us such joy and making our family complete (and tolerating your diva sister and her antics)!