Socializing

Today was a big day, we showed Henry off in public. We took him to breakfast with Robin and Bob. Kate went to school with Robin at Penn, and she was in town for a visit. We've been dying to show Henry off and thought this was a good opportunity to start.



We had breakfast at Tohono Chul Park. They have a patio where we were able to sit at an outdoor table that was about as secluded as we could hope for. I think Henry really enjoyed doing something new. He behaved himself very well. At first he was fairly quiet as he looked at all the new things and people around him. Later he warmed up and played pony boy and did some talking. He had some breakfast along with us, prunes and oatmeal. When he fussed, I took him to walk around a little humming bird garden they have there, which was very beautiful. Henry was able to see butterflies and humming birds and bees. He really enjoyed sitting in the high chair, even if he seemed terribly small in it.

Robin and Bob were very complimentary. They commented on how mature he was and how he seemed like a little person. We certainly feel he has been through a lot for his age and so has a certain amount of life experience behind him. They said how cute he was and all the things that parents want to hear. It was very nice to hear. He has turned out to be so much more than we had a right to expect back when he was in the nicu.

It was a bit of a new experience for Kate and me as well. We've only taken him to doctors offices and his grandparents house so we didn't exactly know how things would go. Little questions came up like, do we bring a stroller or carry him in his car seat? In the end, it worked out wonderfully.



Now we are pondering his next social event. We've been so good about not exposing him to illness unnecessarily. If we jump the gun and start showing him off to everyone and he gets sick, we won't forgive ourselves. So I think we will continue to be very cautious while still trying to expose him to different things. My dad is coming to visit, which will be a new thing for Henry. I'm hoping we will be able to take him to visit my aunts and uncles down in Green Valley while my father is here. We might do some more open air attractions like the Desert Museum or the Zoo. Then hopefully by his birthday, April 30th, RSV season will be over and we can have a little party for him.

After breakfast we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's house for a little while. Grandpa came over in the late afternoon to spend some more time with Henry and help out while I had to work. Henry has been missing his evening walks because he has been taking naps at that time. He did so again today. It is warm enough now that we can take him out in the morning, which we'll probably start doing.

He had a very low intake today, under 500mls of milk. His gums really seemed to be driving him crazy this evening. He wasn't really fussy about it but he kept biting everything, drooling, and pushing up with his fingers on his upper gum. We ended up giving him a little tylenol with the hope it would ease his frustration and let him sleep better.

Here are some pictures from yesterday of Henry driving Grandma's truck.