Are you ready for some football! - Week 14

Henry and his girlfriend Sarah





The family



Week 14 was pretty quiet around the Bogart household, with the exception of Sunday. Reggie was able to score free tickets to the Chiefs/Cardinals game through his work. So, with the weather being in the upper 60s, we thought it made for a perfect opportunity to strap on the Baby Bjorn and take our little guy to his first professional football game! He didn't mind it at all, and even slept during part of the game. Due to Reggie's fear of the noise, whenever the Chiefs were on defense, Henry was using dad's hands as noise mufflers on his ears. Overall, it was a great day for the family!

These girls didn't stand a chance!

After the game, Laura wanted to get some pics of us next to the field. While we were down there, Henry pointed out two Chiefs cheerleaders that he wanted to get a picture with. They were gracious enough to hold him while Laura snapped the shots. As you can see in the picture, little Henry decided to "perv" up the shot by staring at the woman's chest! We actually took two shots - in the other one he is staring at the red head's chest. Is that called 'being a playa'? It is either that, or Henry was secretly filming one of those "Got Milk?" commercials. :)

We also happened to run into our friends the Howes and their baby Noah, and the Knoblauchs and their son Dolan. You have seen them in appearances previously on this blog. Their boys will be in the same daycare room with Henry in January. They are 4 months older than Henry, which apparently translates to wanting to pull each other's hair, because that seemed to be their source of entertainment!



The Knoblauchs, the Howes, and the Bogarts





Look at my "doll"

Finally, I wanted to share a couple of interesting comments from the game. First, we were approached by four separate groups asking if I had 'Carlos' with us? It took us a minute to think back to the Hangover! Second, as a woman in our row was leaving the game, she said to Laura, "Oh, it is a real baby. I thought it was a doll." Laura didn't even know what to say, other than, "yep, it is a real baby." Seriously, who would strap a Bjorn to their chest with a babydoll and go to a Chiefs game (Dave Sifford not included)? So strange!

Developmentally, Henry is starting to improve on his hand-eye coordination. He is now pulling at toys that are hanging off his playmat. He continues to be extremely verbal at times. Seems odd that hearing that little boy squeaking and coo would melt your heart, but it does! He is really turning on the water works, and by that I mean drooling all over every single thing he gets around. You would think that we were entering him in some sort of baby wet t-shirt contest daily based upon how his shirts always look! He is taking to his crib really well, and is getting better about not screaming bloody murder when we first put him in there. Finally, and this is a big step, he is starting to want to roll over. We have noticed on a few occasions where he will roll onto his left side. Just a little more and we'll be all the way there!

Henry's "gym" - where all the progress is made. He listens to the Rocky soundtrack for tummy time!

Laura also wanted to point out that Henry can now wear baby jeans as opposed to just sweatpants. I don't know if that is technically a developmental accomplishment or a fashion accomplishment (and I think Laura is prouder of the latter :) ). I will let the public decide that one.

Big boy pants!

A wild Week 13 in the Bogart household

Henry and Hues

Heidi and Henry sharing a glass!

Week 13 brought with it lots of excitement, joy, and accomplisment. On Thursday, our great friend Heidi and her boyfriend Matt came and visited us for the first time since Henry was born. We all stayed up until 1am on Thurs. night talking, drinking, and catching up. Henry just slept in Heidi's arms for most of that time. He had slept a lot during Thursday, so we tried to prepare Heidi and Matt for one of those nights where the baby cries a lot. Instead, Henry gave us 7 HOURS of sleep. So, either he did that out of respect for Heidi, or else she drugged our baby. We did notice a half empty bottly of Nyquil in her purse later in the weekend :)  

Heidi and Matt left on Friday for Columbia so she could show him the sites of the most prestigious institution you will ever see. However, before that, they all went to Oklahoma Joe's for the best gas station BBQ you will ever find. Unfortunately for all in attendance, Henry was not very cooperative. Laura, Jenni Payne, and April had to take turns walking and bouncing him around the dining area to minimize his wailing. Once back in the car, he immediately went to sleep for 3hrs.

The family - He's starting off right!!!

On Saturday we met back up with them for the MU/K-State football game in Columbia. We were joined by about 13 others, including Laura's parents. The forecast for the day was 52 and cloudy, so we were a little concerned about the cold. Luckily, Baby Gap came through with some sort of space-aged freezer suit for him. Thus, our boy was at a nice, balmy, 85 degrees! As always, he was passed around throughout the pre- and post-tailgate. He did great, and seemed to really enjoy being outside so much. Henry didn't go into the game due to the fear of him getting cold. Laura's mom and Jenni Payne's mom took him to the Kappa Delta sorority house instead to keep him nice and warm. As a side benefit, Henry was able to get the numbers of six KD's. Those girls love Bogart men!

We even took him to Trops on our way out of town (because Momma and Aunt Jen are lushes for slushes). Of course, he got lots of endearing looks from a number of the women in the bar. Overall, I would say that the Bogart trip to Columbia was a rousing success, and we will be doing it again in 2011, just earlier in the year most likely!

Sunday was a huge day in Henry's life, as he was baptized at Visitation, which is a Catholic church by our house. All our parents came up for the big moment. Laura's best friend April was asked to be Henry's Godmother.  His baptismal gown was made from Laura's wedding dress. It was beautifully done by the seamstress. Thanks Kara for the recommendation!

Henry's gown - 2010 

Laura's gown - 2006

He did not like this AT ALL

As a testament that you have very little control over a baby's disposition, we timed everything out Sunday morning so that he would be fed 30 minutes before the baptism and changed right before we walked into the door. He was perfect all the way to the church. Almost immediately after putting on the gown, he 1) needed to be changed, and 2) was fussy for the next hour. Of course, he was essentially wearing a dress, so it is somewhat understandable. Once the baptism was over, and he was out of the church, he was happy as he could be for most of the rest of the day. Oh well, we still got a few good non-crying pics!

Henry and his godmother April

Monday night was also big for Henry, as it was his first night in the crib. Laura knew this day would come, though she didn't want it to. After setting him down in his crib and going to bed, Laura just watched the monitor for 15 minutes before she could go to bed herself (this included moving the crib cam twice in order to get a better view). He did great, waking up only once in the night to eat.

Aunt Jen, mom, dad, and Godmother/Aunt/Pregnant Girl April

"What are you looking at? Yes, I'm wearing a dress. Mom forced me too!"

Developmentally, Henry has been increasingly giving us longer blocks of sleep at night. In the last week or so, he has given us 7hrs. twice! Additionally, he is becoming very verbal. Obviously no words other than "My Dad is the best," but he is babbling all the time now. Unfortunately for him, I think he inherited that from Reggie. Looks like this kid will also be missing lots of episodes of Reading Rainbow and recesses at school. (That's right, the first offense for 'talking' at my grade school was that you missed Reading Rainbow and had to do schoolwork. I think I saw may 20 RR episodes my second grade year! ) Also, his face continues to change from that of a newborn to more of an infant. He's becoming such a big boy!!! We are really excited for the holidays, and for the rest of our extended families to be able to see him! I just hope they are wearing waterproof clothes, because he is drooling a lot now!

Henry and Aunt Jen threw the ol' pigskin around at the tailgate. What an arm!

A light week

Henry and Aunt Allison

The boys - Shaw and Henry

This was a relatively light week for Henry. One highlight was on Tuesday when Laura and Henry went and met up her friend/co-worker Morgan and her new baby boy Shaw at the Roasterrie. Shaw was born the first week of October. It will be great when they both get a little older and can pimp chicks together at the Hallmark nursery! Hey Wingman!

On Saturday, we went to our first baptism class at Visitation, which is a Catholic church near our home. Henry's baptism is on Sunday, Nov. 14, so we are kind of doing the 'express' version of the baptism process :) It was very laid back, and quite a bit different than what we expected.

What a bunch of angry drunks (milk-drunk, that is)!

During the week, Laura and Henry also met up with a number of other Hallmark moms at the Nordies cafe. I'm sure the discussion revolved around what the latest and greatest in Christmas cards were! In my mind, the highlight must have been when all four of the women took their babies into the ladies room to nurse at the same time. Talk about a baby happy hour! As you can see at the right, they got so milk drunk that they couldn't even sit up straight! Also, I found out that the Nordstrom cafe may be the most expensive "cafe" I have ever heard of. But then again, I'm a bit on the frugal side!

A few developmental points this week. Henry is really starting to take to a light up toy that is on his bouncy seat. I know that has really helped Laura to be able to get things done (or to at least shower at a normal time!). He was taken to the hospital to be weighed this week, and tipped the scales at 11lbs, 10oz. This is still low on the percentile scale, but he seems to be doing real well with it all.

We love bathtime!

The scariest cow and elephant you will ever meet! (Week 11)

Brother and sister

Young love

This week was a big one for our boy. On Tuesday, Laura and Henry went up to St. Joseph to Ashley Albers' house so that Henry and Kyra could have one final date before Ashely went back to work. As you can see from the picture, Henry is finally starting to catch up a little bit in size with Kyra. He's at least taller than her, which 97% of all women will tell you is a big deal!

Phoebe, Griffin, and Henry

Then on Wednesday, Laura took both kids (that means Bella) out to Lawrence to hang out with our friend Kristen Seager and her kids. Bella kicked it with Max, their dog. Kristen made lunch, Phoebe couldn't get enough of Henry, and the dogs did a lot of tail sniffing. I'm pretty sure a hot lunch topic was how awful each husband's fantasy football team is this year!

Thursday was our 4th wedding anniversary. A little fun fact is that our first date was on the same day, October 28th, as our wedding date. So, it was really our 9th anniversary. It is amazing how every year only gets better! Every day I think about how lucky I have been to find Laura, and how thankful I am for our wonderful little boy. Thanks to Aunt Jen for watching Henry while we went out for dinner!!! I think one of the great things about having family babysit for you is that you can pay them in free ice cream and they are totally cool with that!

Of course, the big event of the week was Halloween! As you can see, Henry was a cow and Bella was an elephant. There are no words to describe the dejection on a dog's face when you put an elephant trunk and ears on them. Seriously, she almost wouldn't move. :) Once it was taken off of her later in the night, she immediately went back to running around normally. Henry seemed to really like his costume, other than the cow head cap. That cap for some reason really bothered him, and he kept getting it quarter-cocked like he was in some gang!

Dolan, Henry, and Lilly

On Saturday, we went to the Lorei's for their annual Halloween party. As always, it was a complete success! Henry did really well, and wasn't too terribly fussy. Then, on Sunday, we went across the street to the Knoblauch's. Their boy, Dolan, was a dinosaur. Their friends Kelli and Steve came over with their newborn girl Lilly, who was a pumpkin. We all sat on their porch and handed out candy to the kids that came through the neighborhood. A funny quirk about the trick or treaters in our neighborhood is that 15% of them don't have costumes, 5% don't have Halloween bags, and 2% are actually the parents of the kids they are bringing around. Seriously, one of the "trick or treaters" I gave candy to was a dad who had a plastic newspaper bag for me to put candy in (his daughter did appropriately have a costume and pumpkin pail). 

Henry, do you see any way for me to get out of this costume?

The streak continues..... (Week 10)

Henry and P.O. (a.k.a. Mary)

Henry's luck continued this week with Mizzou's upset win over Oklahoma! MU is now 7-0 when Henry has been watching (sleeping). He has kept up the same routine each week - he has worn the same onesy (thanks Jan!) slept at least 75% of the game. Also, the aforementioned outfit has yet to make it through the game (again, we love us some Oxyclean!)

On Thursday, Laura took our little man to Deanna Rose, which is part pumpkin patch, part working farm. She met up with her friends Kara and Ashley, and their kids who are little older. While the other kids played with the animals, Henry slept.

Saturday was our first time having a non-family member babysit for us. While we went to a wedding for one of our friends, April and Dave Sifford watched Henry during the reception. As stated last week, their first child is due in mid-April. So this was a good trial run for them. When April reported that Henry didn't even cry once, we had to be certain to make sure she knew that this was not the norm :)

Both Laura's parents and Reggie's mom were in town over the weekend. The Andersons went to the wedding with us, and Reggie's mom and Aunt Allison watched him during the ceremony. So, needless to say, Henry got plenty of love over the weekend!

Henry stat - Though we didn't take Henry in to the Dr. to get measured, Reggie did pull out the yardstick over the weekend. Henry is now at 24 inches! He also has started to like to stand up (with our help of course). He will stick out his legs and hold his own weight for the most part for 10-15 seconds at a time. While he is 'standing' he will also give you a huge smile, as if to say, "hey, look what I can do!!!"

The Anderson family

Pop the Champagne, but none for that girl!



Congrats April and Dave!!!!!



The big news of Week 9 was the announcement by our friends April and Dave that they were expecting a baby in April! Laura and I had been suspicious for a little while. Everytime April was around, for some reason she kept putting Henry under her shirt. Weird, I know. Henry was particularly excited about this, knowing that he will have yet another little friend that will be in the same grade as him. Knowing April and Dave, we are pretty sure that child is already riding a bike in the womb! Ironman 2030, watch out!!!!!

On Sunday, we took Henry to his (and Reggie's) first pumpkin patch. It was a great day to be outside! Unfortunately for cheap-o Reggie, he didn't realize that we could have gotten into the pumpkin patch and taken pics/bought our pumpkin without paying the price of admission. Henry obviously is too little to enjoy all the rides, animals, jump houses, and general country bumpkin-y stuff that they had there. But, man, was that Frito Pie good!!!





We're 2 feet tall!



"Hey, guess what....I just stained your couch"

 Laura's friend Rebecca, and her new baby Lawson, came over during the week for a visit. Lawson is about a week and half younger than Henry, but about a pound and a half heavier (i.e. normal)!  They all had a great lunch and long walk together, and the boys took turns dirtying up their outfits :) As you can see above, they also traded secrets on how to best keep parents up at night.

Henry made a run for the Guiness Book of Records for "Most outfits "blown through" in a day" on Thursday. Laura must be putting some extra fiber in his bottle or something, because he has established his own bar at 5 outfits. I'll say it again, don't worry Billy Mays, the Bogarts will keep OxyClean in business even though you're gone!

Week 9 fun fact - Number of times Henry has peed in Laura's face - 3; number of times Reggie has been peed on - 0. Come on Laura, get that new diaper on there quicker!!!!!!!!!

What a difference a year makes - Week 8

Jenni and Melissa

A few days ago, Laura brought up how much our lives had changed in literally one year. A year ago this week, we were basking in the sun of Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, drinking beers and margaritas, and praying that this wouldn't be the taxi ride in which Laura would throw up on me (her issues with motion sickness & alcohol do not mix well)! :) Fast forward 12 months, and Laura is on a restrictive drinking allowance (due to nursing), and we get enjoyment from just staring at a kid's face, and laughing at how much he passes gas. Funny how life turns so quickly.

Check out those sweet band-aids! I know you're jealous....

Henry's big happening for the week was just on Tuesday, when he had his two-month checkup. As part of that, he had to get his first round of shots. We were afraid that would cause him to be very fussy/angry for the rest of the day, but in reality he cried for maybe 10 seconds and that was it. I am assuming it is due to those infamously strong Bogart genes!

Laura's parents were back in for a visit for a couple of days. They brought with them some canvas' to complete his nursery. Henry was happy to see them! They braved the night and decided to stay with us. Luckily for them, he was really good one of the two nights :)

Henry and August

The Howes with a fussy Henry!

Henry was able to meet two more of his to-be friends that will be in his room at his daycare in January. On Friday,  Phil and Lindsay Howes came over for a couple of hours and brought Noah (born in April). Then on Monday, one of Laura's co-workers, Sarah, came over and brought her son August (born in June). We now personally know four of the infants that will be in Room 5 with Henry, so that certainly gives us some piece of mind. Also, according to Sarah, the "teacher" in the class is probably the best one that the facility has, just don't mind that she has no teeth (seriously)! 

Henry's ability to smile is gaining everyday, which means the next month should get even more fun. He continues to "blow out" his outfits about once/day on average. Unfortunately for Dave Sifford, he had to witness that fisrthand during the MU/Colorado game. (Side note - MU is unbeaten since Henry was born. Someone call Pinkel about an early scholarship!).

The Siffords with Henry watching the game - 5-0 baby!

Henry's official stats as of his Tuesday checkup - 10lbs 3oz, 23 inches long. That puts him at the 25th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for length. He still has three girlfriends. He almost broke it off with Sara Condreay, but reconsidered :)