Bier schmeckt gut!

On Memorial weekend, we decided Henry was old enough to go to an authentic Austrian beer hall (Cafe Steinhof) to sample some spaetzle, wurst and good old fashioned beer. Ok, so he didn't try the beer but he sampled some spaetzle and didn't like them much. Bryan tried to teach him some German words and a good time was had by all. We have had lovely sunny weather of late and have been really enjoying the park and gardens. Henry loves to stand up and walk with our help. He still shows no interest in crawling! He definitely has a cheeky sense of humour and enjoys joking around at dinner and playtime. We have been going to the weekly "Babies and Books" classes at the local library where we learn new rhymes, songs and games to play. Henry has his own library card and we regularly check out books. He especially enjoys flap books and picture books with photos of other babies. Our builders are here right now fixing up his little room and we can't wait for it to be finished!

We have had terrific weather in the last few weeks and Henry has had a lot of fun enjoying the great outdoors. The Botanical Gardens are beautiful at the moment with bluebells, peonies and lilacs all in bloom. We can't believe it was this time last year when we were preparing for Henry's arrival! Henry is going to be crawling soon we can tell. He can pull up his legs and moves around on his blanket a lot- shuffling backwards and sideways. He also loves to roll around on the bed after his bath and has quite a strong kick when we try to change him! He is beginning to wave at objects and people, can clap well and points at animals in his books. His favourite thing to do is to stand up on the sofa and listen to music and walk with mummy or daddy's help.

Trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Henry and I took the train to Lancaster last week to visit Sarah, Trey, Jack & Sophie. We had a brilliant time with all the family! Henry went to the Amish market with us, ate Swedish pancakes, went to his first Cinco de Mayo party and enjoyed playing with his big cousins. The weather was lovely so we went for some long walks with their dog Hobbes in the County Park too. Thanks to the Rathmells for making this trip so special!

Cold Spring Hike

Last week we took the train from Grand Central and went up to Cold Spring on the Hudson river for a day hike. Bryan and I have always loved hiking there and we were so excited to test out our new baby hiking carrier with Henry! He took to it really well and enjoyed the views from riding up high. We were hiking for about 5 hours, with a few stops for nappy changes, nursing and photos along the way. We were all very happy to be out of the city for the day and didn't come across too many other people on the trails which was great. We finished off the day by eating ice cream on the sidewalk in the sun, and even Henry joined in. We shall return again soon!

Henry and friends

This week our mum's group met at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens for a picnic. Here is a line up of Henry (orange stroller) with Stella, Alice and Soren. We all live on the same block in Brooklyn and are part of a babysitting coop together. They have all known each other since they were just a few weeks old last summer and look how grown up they are now!

Henry could spend all day standing up! He loves to hold on to the back of the sofa and listen to music or the radio. He doesn't move or "cruise" along like some of his other little friends do, but is very firm on his feet. When I hold his hands up he makes a few steps and is getting better at this every day. There are still no signs of crawling but perhaps Henry will skip that phase altogether and start walking instead!

Henry's vocabulary is expanding every day. He says "mama" and "dada" all the time, although never directly to either of us! "Mama" seems to indicate he is hungry or wants a change of scene. He also says guh, kuh, raba, bah, baba, piff, pfzzz, jaja. Interesting language indeed!

Trip to Charlotte

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We travelled to North Carolina at the end of March for Chris's birthday- her friends were planning a surprise birthday party for her so we used that as an excuse to fly down and to catch up with all the Harmons in Charlotte. The weather was warm and we enjoyed breakfasts out on Jane and Larry's new deck, walks on the trails and lots of playtime with Phillip and Victoria. Henry was delighted to see his big cousins again!