Happy New Year 2009!!!

Henry and Jeff spent New Year's Eve day together, while I worked. Jeff put together Henry's Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa...a red wagon! They played outside a good part of the day. Jeff reported happily that Henry was swinging his golf club quite well at times and got in some great hits. They also did a lot of reading. Jeff said that it has been a strange adjustment having Henry go from being very daddy-centric to being mommy-centric. Henry would cry if I passed by and he couldn't come with me. I'm actually not convinced that it's me that he really wants. I'm convinced that he sees me as a conduit to his beloved "pics" and "mic."

We went on a walk with the dogs in the early evening. Henry road in his red wagon, which worked out well. In our neighborhood, especially on our street, the norm is to have dogs off leash. In cold weather, Roger becomes "Off Road Rog" and decides to go deaf and ignore our commands, meaning that we end up calling out his name every few minutes in an attempt to keep him in check. Henry is now helping us in our efforts to call for the dogs. If he can't see them, he shouts "Mar-Dee!" and "Podgie!" (Podge is our nick-name for Roger).

Henry went over to the grandparents' house for dinner, while Jeff and I tried out a new Thai place and saw "Valkyrie" (which exceeded our expectations). When we returned to my parents' house, Jeff was the first to enter the family room. I was 10 steps behind him and heard an "Oh my!" as he entered the room, which was a disaster. Henry had an active evening. He ate a lot too: 2 servings of spaghetti, yogurt, turkey, pea crisps. He learned the word "noodle." Grandma reported that his enunciation was excellent. He was wide awake but ready to come home with us. He saw us, turned to the Grandparents, and said "Bye!"

2008 has been an eventful year. Looking back at our blog entries, it is amazing how far Henry has come. His physical abilities have flourished throughout the year. He has amazed his therapists on many occasions. In spring, we were seeing a PT and OT once a week. Today, he only sees the PT every other week (for monitoring more than anything else) and the OT every three months (which reminds me, we need to make an appointment). He graduated from the NICU developmental follow-up clinic in November. Dr. Thai said that she had absolutely no advice to give; he looked great. Dr. Bianchi, his pediatrician, has said on a couple occasions that if he hadn't read the file, he wouldn't believe that Henry was a preemie and had such a rough start.

Over the last couple months, Henry's verbal abilities have taken off. I assumed (incorrectly) that he'd be a late talker...between being a boy and being a preemie, I figured it was a given. But Henry has surprised me. We stopped diligently tracking words at 15 months adjusted, but I'm guessing that he knows somewhere between 80-90 words. Grandma has taught him the word "Normandy" for when they are looking at pictures of my trip with my mom to France in 2006. Carolyn was teaching him the word "Aunt." Jeff taught him the word "patootie" today (because knowing the word "butt" just isn't enough). He is starting to put objects and verbs together (e.g., "Bye Bye, doggie"). In addition to the seven body parts he knew at 15 months adjusted, we can add at least 5 more to the list. In addition to the six animal sounds he would make if you asked "What sound does the _____ make?" at 15 months adjusted, we can add tiger, bird, snake, goat, and horse to that list. He has more than "caught up" to his adjusted age (16.5 months); he exceeds expectations on many skills.

Henry has learned how to use language to persuade. His "pease, pease, pease, pics" accompanied by sign language and pleading eyes just melts my heart "almost" every time. He is working on his acting skills for when he doesn't get what he wants. His floor flops look a tad staged at the moment, but I suspect that he'll work on them to improve their authenticity in the near future.

Henry's comprehension exceeds his verbal abilities by far. He understands a lot of commands (not that he always or often follows them). He is a bit selective when it comes to commands. He has a knack for walking in the opposite direction that we want him too. Planning to attempt some reverse psychology this year...but I suspect he'll figure it out.

Amidst all of these physical, cognitive, and verbal changes, Henry's core has remained the same. He has remained a very sweet, delightful, and determined boy. We look forward to what 2009 will bring.

Happpy New Year!!!