We are ROLLIN'!!!

Charlotte rolled over today! YEAH! She doesn't like it, and she only did it about 3 times, but whateva playa she DID IT!!!LOL She can get up on her hip easily, we help her figure out how to get on her belly and then she will roll back over. She HATES being on her belly, I am talking full on red faced screaming. So she is learning how to get back over pretty quick! She was a little slow with smiling. I thought for a while I had a grumpy baby, but those days are long gone and now she smiles and laughs freely! I am sure that she will get to rolling over down soon enough.

We had a pretty quiet weekend, nothing too exciting. We got a quote to get the roof replaced. I think we are going to go ahead with that. I really don't like having to fork over that kind of money for something that isn't even fun! LOL Ohh and BTW for those you who get phone calls from the roofing replacement company please forward any and all complaints to Mr. Henry. I asked him not to, but we got an additional $250 off. Hey, isn't that what family is for??? ;-0

Moving right along...we made it to Church this morning. Yeah I am so glad that we are getting more regular about that again. Lily and Charlotte were the hit of the Nursery. Lily goes anyway, but this was the first time for Charlotte. They both did great. The ladies LOVE that there is a baby. Charlotte just eats that right up! As we were leaving coffee hour Lily was saying her normal good-byes to everything in eye sight..i.e. "Bye table", "bye light", "bye baby". Ohh and she isn't happy until we repeat what she has said, I think that she likes to know that we understand her. Today Chris tells her to say good-bye to church. she says "bye (little pause)ursch", then follows that with "bye ends" (friends). Chris wanted to hand her the keys to the car!! She also is all about singing. Her favorite right now is Happy Birthday. We have had days recently that I have sang Happy Birthday to everything/everybody she can think of. But now when we get the part where you say the name of the person I pause and she says it. Today she started singing it. It is beyond cute to hear her sing Daddy or Mommy. My FAVORITE is rdette (Charlotte).

Have a great Monday!!

Can you tell me how to get..

How to get to Sesame Street? Cuz THAT is where we are going on vacation this year! YEAH! There is a place in PA called Sesame Place. Kind of like a Disney World for public television. We wanted to do something this year, but our options are limited because of how old the girls are. We wanted to go some where that would a blast for Lily. Charlotte will be 8.5 months so she will be along for the ride for the most part. We went ahead and booked it today. We are going the last weekend in June right before our anniversary. Lily is very excited to go see where Elmo, Grover, Cookie, and Ernie live. Elmo is a very close second to her Dora. She LOVES when we pull up the website because Elmo talks! She drops whatever she is doing and RUNS to the computer. It seems nice and not that far from here (about 2 hours), and not that expensive for what is included. We got a 2 day pass, and both days we signed up to have a meal with characters! The first day we have breakfast with Elmo and friends, and the next day we will have dinner with Big Bird. We are really excited!

*************************************************************************************

There isn't any easy ways to change gears like this. But I think it is very important share a little about this child and her family.

I wanted to ask everyone to pray for a VERY special little girl that passed away early this morning. One of my blogger buddies (another adoptive Mommy) posted about her and her family a few weeks ago. Since then I checked in on her and her family daily. Maddie was a barely 5 years old. She was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (Cancer) when she was two.

This is her website.

http://www.caringbridge.org/tn/madelyn/

Please keep her family in good thought, and hug and kiss your babies a little tighter tonight. I know that I did.

We called up the doctor....

Not too much going on this week. I think that Chris and I just trying to get through it. Thankfully it looks like we did! Thank you to everyone who offered a kind word over last weekend and the days following. It meant a lot to us.

The girls are doing great, getting bigger by the day. We are all right now enjoying a little down time. I do have another installment of as the Henry's turn though.

Apparently our girls are beginning their careers as WW wrestlers! On Wednesday night we were all on the floor in the living room just hanging out. Lily was dancing, she lost her balance (see where this is going?? :-) and fell chest first onto Charlotte. Charlotte starts screaming, Lily is yelling "Boo Boo's", Mommy and Daddy play one-on-one defense, and pick-up which ever child is closer. Very soon everyone settled back down and no one looked worse for the wear. Sigh... nothing could be THAT simple right? Right...

Later in the evening Lily and Chris went to get Lily her bath, and I was getting Charlotte her bottle. I looked down at her little face and right around her left eye and side of nose there is a slight (were are talking tiny, Chris had to turn on a huge light to really see it) bruise, and swelling. I freaked! Just a few days before I had read a story on a message board about a baby that was hit in the face with a book and stopped breathing because the book broke his nose. Gotta LOVE the Internet! In my mind all I can see is this story unfolding in front of me. We called up the doctor and the doctor said (LOL)to watch her overnight and if anything changed to call her back. By this time Charlotte was taking her bottle with no problems. Besides nothing holds this child back from her food! We thought everything was fine. Sigh.... Why is NOTHING ever easy???

Chris and Charlotte go into bed around 9pm, I stayed up to calm down from what was suppose to be our "peaceful" evening! LOL Around 10pm I hear Chris moving around in the bedroom, then I hear "oh God oh no" I FLY, I mean literally took off in flight to the bedroom. We met in the hallway. Chris is holding her like he was holding radioactive material. She had vomited her entire bottle. It looked like Linda Blair had been sleeping in the bassinet. It was all over. Chris went to work on cleaning all that up and I started peeling off her sleeper. (Didn't I just talk about how I love being a Mom? I was channeling that during this LOL). The poor baby's big blue eyes were as about as open as she could get them, and I knew that she wasn't done. She continued to erupt I think 2 more times until she settled. So then came this big question... Is this because Lily fell on her or is it just a tummy ache? We debated for a little while and we decided it would be safer for her and I to camp out in the living so that I could keep a hand on her all night. Thankfully our bassinet is one that is convertible. So we are able to remove it from the base and it becomes a Moses basket. We put that on the floor in front of the couch in a way that I can touch and see her. Thankfully all was ok. She slept until 230am and got back up again. I gave her some pedi-light. That didn't go well. I do have to say though that I carry the color of orange pedi-light well. Her and I slept together until Chris was up getting ready for work. Finally around 6am she took a whole bottle. Just as she and I start to fall asleep Lily woke up for the day :-)

Some days it just don't come easy!!!

Godspeed little man...

Think of me, think of me fondly,
when we've said goodbye.
Remember me once in a while -
please promise me you'll try.
When you find that, once again,
you long to take your heart back
and be free -
if you ever find a moment,
spare a thought for me
We never said
our love was evergreen,
or as unchanging
as the sea -
but if
you can still remember
stop and think
of me . . .
Think of all the things
we've shared and seen -
don't think about the things
which might have been . . .
Think of me, think of me waking,
silent and resigned.
Imagine me, trying too hard
to put you from my mind.
Recall those days
look back on all those times,
think of the things
we'll never do -
there will never be a day, when
I won't think of you . .
We never said, our love
was evergreen, or as unchanging
as the sea - but please
promise me, that sometimes
you will think of me

"Think of me," Phantom of the Opera











RAINBOW BRIDGE PEOM
[ AUTHOR UNKNOWN ]

JUST THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN IS A PLACE CALLED RAINBOW BRIDGE. WHEN AN ANIMAL DIES THAT HAS BEEN ESPECIALLY CLOSE TO SOMEONE HERE, THAT PET GOES TO RAINBOW BRIDGE. THERE ARE MEADOWS AND HILLS FOR ALL OF OUR SPECIAL FRIENDS SO THEY CAN RUN AND PLAY TOGETHER. THERE IS PLENTY OF FOOD AND WATER AND SUNSHINE, AND OUR FRIENDS ARE WARM AND COMFORTABLE.

ALL THE ANIMALS WHO HAD BEEN ILL AND OLD ARE RESTORED TO HEALTH AND VIGOR, THOSE WHO WERE HURT OR MAIMED ARE MADE WHOLE AND STRONG AGAIN, JUST AS WE REMEMBER THEM IN OUR DREAMS OF DAYS GONE BY. THE ANIMALS ARE HAPPY AND CONTENT, EXCEPT FOR ONE SMALL THING. THEY MISS SOMEONE VERY SPECIAL TO THEM WHO HAD TO BE LEFT BEHIND.

THEY ALL RUN AND PLAY TOGETHER, BUT THE DAY COMES WHEN ONE SUDDENLY STOPS AND LOOKS INTO THE DISTANCE. THE BRIGHT EYES ARE INTENT, THE EAGER BODY QUIVERS. SUDDENLY HE BEGINS TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE GROUP, FLYING OVER THE GREEN GRASS, HIS LEGS CARRYING HIM FASTER AND FASTER.

YOU HAVE BEEN SPOTTED AND WHEN YOU AND YOUR SPECIAL FRIEND FINALLY MEET, YOU CLING TOGETHER IN JOYOUS REUNION, NEVER TO BE PARTED AGAIN. THE HAPPY KISSES RAIN UPON YOUR FACE, YOUR HANDS AGAIN CARESS HIS BELOVED HEAD AND YOU LOOK ONCE MORE INTO THE TRUSTING EYES OF YOUR PET, SO LONG GONE FROM YOUR LIFE BUT NEVER ABSENT FROM YOUR HEART.

THEN YOU PASS OVER RAINBOW BRIDGE TOGETHER.


Godspeed little man, we will see you again at the Rainbow Bridge.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Tomorrow...

I don't think I have been up this late in a VERY long time. I can't sleep tonight. Tomorrow Chris and I are going to have to say good-bye to one of our babies. I don't think I have ever spoke of my 3 beautiful blond furry "sons". Willie, Gus and Dusty on here. Willie and Gus are Golden Retrievers and Dusty is a Cocker Spaniel. Dusty is an old man. He is a ripe old age of 16 in human years. That puts him right around 100 in dog years. He has been showing his age more and more lately. He is in pain from arthritis in his back and hips. We just can't let him keep being in pain like this. So we have made the hard decision to do what is right for him. What I don't I understand is that if it is so right why are we so upset?

Our dogs had been our "babies" for six years. They have been through so much with us. Especially through our wait for Lily to come home. I can't believe this time has come.

Dusty came to live with us 3.5 years ago. Before that he lived with Chris's mother when she could no longer deal with his aging and was going to put him down. Chris and I asked that if instead of that if could he just come to live with us. Chris and I figured that we could give him a better existence until it was time. We were told that he probably wouldn't live more then a few months. We were also told that he couldn't hear, or see, and pee'd all over the house. I will tell you that the only thing that had wrong was that he would (and still will have) accidents in the house. They have become multiple times a day now. But he can hear and see w/out problem. HA he proved that wrong! He has thrived here with his 2 big-little brothers! They all became a pack, and Dusty just fit right in with it. He has done well with the addition of our non-furry children. Even though we haven't had the same amount of time for them.

Tonight Chris gave him a good bath. We normally take him to PetSmart to keep hair in check. But the pain is so great in his back anymore I just wouldn't have been a treat for him, like it had been in the past. We then treated Dusty is a double dose of his pain meds, Chocolate, and Pizza! Now before you think we lost our minds you have to understand that Dusty LOVES chocolate. We never give it to him.. he seeks it out!! In fact there is a story of Dusty eating 4 candy bars (this was in his prime mind you), and his one passion in life is Pizza! Chris told me tonight that it is funny that we were giving him some tonight because this was the first table food he had when they brought him home.

We have been talking to Lily about Dusty going to be with Jesus, and that he is going to be all better and will be able run around. We keep it to what we think a 2 year old can comprehend. She will say 'bye Dusty' and Jes (that is her Jesus). So tonight while we were waiting for Chris to get home work I was talking to her more about tomorrow, and she started saying her 'bye Dusty'. So I them told her that Daddy was going to be sad tomorrow and that we have to be nice to him. She then looks at me and says "boo boo's", and I said yes Daddy is going to have Boo boo's on his heart. When he got home you know that baby went over to him and said "Boo boo's heart" and then proceeded to kiss him the general area of his heart. Like she was trying to kiss away his Boo Boo. Chris just hugged her for what seemed like forever.

I know that I should wrap this and go to bed but I just don't want to even think about tomorrow, let alone do anything that is going to bring it here faster. To make matters worse, Dusty isn't the only dog that our family will be saying good-bye to. In the next week my parents plan to take the other old man in for the same thing. Ivan is my family dog, he is only a year younger then Dusty. I guess for Chris and I it is like saying good-bye to the last thing that tied us to our adolescence. Dusty and Ivan are great together. They truly are like old men when they get together. At least they will each have a buddy in Heaven.

Honestly I don't want to do this, and there is no way that we would except that we know he is in great deal of pain. We walks circles around the house crying until he can finally settle in. I guess I should try find some how to be grateful that we are able to do this for him and set him free of this pain. Our boy sigh... Please keep us in good thought tomorrow.

Megan



Dusty



The Old Men

Milestones!!!

Things have been buzzing around here at the Henry house. The girls have been busting a move with milestones.

First off we bought Lily her potty and some Dora panties! I tell people all the time that Lily needs a 12 step program to help with her Dora addiction!! So everything has been going ok. We are taking it nice and s l o w!!! She has several stickers on her Potty Chart and sometimes says she has to peepee just because she wants another one!! LOL

Next...Charlotte took her first bites of rice cereal tonight!!! Everything went great. She is uncertain what to do but we got a good couple bites in her. We let Lily help on a few of them too! She is a great big sister. Charlotte gets to continue on the rice and formula for the next month and then we get to move her on to yellow veggies! So exciting :-)

You may be wondering why I know that we are going to move forward with her food this way. It is because the girls had their well baby check-ups yesterday. Nothing says your a Mommy now like a double header check-up with shots all around! LOL The girls really did do ok. I think it mostly had to do with their Doctor not taking as long as normal. We were only there 2 hours this time. Please understand that I LOVE their doctor. She was my Ped, and she really does make up for the long waits by taking all the time you need with her. I had lots if questions and she answered each one.I didn't feel rushed at all and that I would wait years for. Anyway I got off topic, the visit went well. Lily got her Hep A injection. It is voluntary but it is good for her to have. She did really well with it, she got a little teary and yelled "BooBoo" a few times. But as soon as the doctor was done she (with help) hoped right off the table went right back to her snack of Goldfish! Mommy never leaves the house w/out snacks and bottle/cups! Today she kept pulling down her pants to show off her band-aid!!!

Charlotte went next my poor baby had to get 4 shots again and an oral. Now she REALLY didn't handle it well. She did better once I got her the rest of the way dressed and in her carseat. Then she settled back down. She slept while I fed her when we got home and didn't wake up again until around 4pm!

Now for what I know you are waiting for. The Stats...

Lily @ 2 years.... 23 lbs 32inches

Charlotte @ 3.75 months.. Ready for this one.... 14 lbs 23 inches!!

They are separated by 9 LBS!!!! HA HA

Lily is wearing size 18-24/2T
Charlotte is wearing 3-9 month! I already went "shopping" through the larger sizes for her. The best part is that I JUST put most of those things away out of Lily drawers! Too Funny! We call Lily our little string bean and Charley is our meatball! Their doctor wasn't too concerned over Lily's wt she just told me to get a few more calories a day. HA The child would eat ALL day if we let her. I am going to try some creative things and see how that goes.

Part of what I was asking the doctor about for Charley was her formula. She started out on Similac Advanced, but that gave her big time gas issues, So her doctor told us to switch her over to the Similac Sensitive. That works great for the gas but now she had LOTS of spit-up issues. Their doctor gave me the go ahead to put cereal in her bottle. Let me tell you that this child has never been happier and Mommy's shoulder's have never been cleaner!! LOL I started her on it yesterday at her very next bottle time, and there has been little to no spit-up at all. HEAVEN!!

We aren't due again for another 2 months for Charley and Lily gets a whole 6 months off.

Why I LOVE being a Mommy....

I got thinking about this after a recent visit with my parents. My Mom said that I am a natural at it(if she only knew the number of times that I doubted that!). My Dad then followed that by saying that I had always wanted this. He hit the nail right on the head. He was right I had ALWAYS wanted this. Maybe I was a little naive at times by what being a Mom really means. So I thought long and hard as to what is it exactly I loved so much. The following is why, even on our bad days I love being a Mom.

What seems like overnight my life has transformed into one that is covered in wet kisses and sticky hugs. My daily "uniform" has gone from neatly pressed scrubs to whatever I can live with being covered in spit-up and spaghettio's. Everyday brings a new first. I get to live life through the eyes of a 2 year and 3 month old. The excitement it brings to a child's face to learn something new. Whether it is a new word, or a new skill. To see their beautiful faces light up as they master something, is truly a site to behold. From eating gourmet plastic meals to burping baby dolls to making silly baby sounds I do it all just to get a smile and even once in a while I get a good laugh too. I know what it feels like to have a child completely relax as they fall asleep in your arms. I have been privy to so many miracles in the past year. From first steps to first cries of life. Arms that had been empty for so many years now juggle two. Each needing entirely different things at the same exact time. I have changed more diapers then one should even mention. Caught a sick child's vomit in my hands (gross I know, but it happened :-)while trying to comfort her. I witness human kindness the way it was intended. They love without a reason with no strings attached they just love. I have been given more then I could ever ask for.

I have never made it a secret how much I love Chris, how deep and undenyable it truly is. That being said I knew that there was something missing from my heart. I had no idea that to find what I was missing would lead to another country and a early morning trip to the bathroom!! In the end by finding my girls I have found that husband it also an incredible Daddy and I found myself.

A first of many...

Ahhhhh what a differance a date night makes!! Chris and I went on our first date as parents tonight. A BIG Thank you to Grandpa and Grandma!!! Thank god the girls didn't revolt (or at least like good grandparents they left out that tid-bit!!!) Chris and I didn't really realize how much we needed a time out from everything. Don't get me wrong the entire time we wondered what they were up to. We knew they were being well taken care of, it is just a lot for me to let go even for a few hours. I haven't spent more then 2 days away from Lily (and that was when Charlotte was born) and I have never been away from Charlotte for more then just a few hours.

We were able to get all dressed up ( I even wore dress pants!!! No JEANS TONIGHT!!) and be a couple for a little while. What was even better was that when we got home the girls were fast asleep, again BIG thanks for Mepaw and Memaw! So we were able to really relax. Chris and I got to thinking that a BIG night out for us now is dinner and a little shopping and we are home by 830! I know we are PARTY animals! LOL

We are going to be doing this on a once a month schedule just to take sometime for us!

Megan

One Year HOME!!!

I can't believe it has already come back around. At this time last year we were putting Lily in her crib at home for the very first time. Everything was a first really. Now tonight she is fast asleep in her Dora bed, with her Dora sheets, and her little sister is in that crib! It is hard now to remember that small scared baby that was brought to us. Now a year later to the day we capture her first "singing" on tape. She is now a vibrant, loving, curious little girl! She loves to be loved and give that love in return. She is our beautiful brown eyed girl!

January as a month has been a roller coaster of emotion for us. Two years ago tomorrow (Mr. Henry's birthday) we lost our first referral Matthew. It was truly the saddest day in our married life. Then fast forward to this past year with Lily's homecoming. Then finally here today. He will have two little girls to celebrate with and a wife that loves him to his core. So I think we are on an upswing!

Chris and I both wanted to thank everyone who supported/supports us. We have definitely been through an adjustment phase these past few months. Everyone in the Henry seems to be settling in now though. I think I have the whole Mommy to two down a little better. You will never understand how a quick call/email to check in can help. So thank you!

One more thing... Chris, Lily and I had a little fun tonight. Lily has started "singing." It is the cutest thing... Sad really I think EVERYTHING these girls do is!! Anyway we got it on video and put it on Youtube.


Love you all!!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY LILY!!!

Our big girl turned two today!! It is truly amazing to see how much she has grown. Chris says that she reminds him of a little lady now. She is doing GREAT with her new bed set up!!! She loves being a big girl.

She woke up this morning at 5am. I went in to get her up and sang Happy Birthday to her. She then requested that I also sing it to her night night bear. We got her bup (cup) and we went back into our bedroom to snuggle while she drank her cup. She finished up her cup and then she and I snuggled until it was time for Chris to get up for work. Once we got out in the living room Chris brought out her surprise of the balloons we got her. There was a huge Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and two purple ones. She FREAKED OUT!!! She loves balloons. So then Chris finished getting ready for work and we got to playing. We played as normal all day. She requested to wear her new Dora the Explorer dress up outfit (thank you Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Jeff!!) but I was giving Charley her bath. Lily went into the dresser and got out her outfit and out it OVER her PJ's!! She had the top on like a beauty pageant sash and actually got the shorts on correct. Some how she also had tied the balloons around her waist and was running through the house!! She came around to show me what she had done all by herself. I just smiled really big and told her that she was a good girl for getting dressed. We then played until lunch/nap time. Everybody took a good nap after all the excitement of the morning. Daddy got home shortly after nap and we went back into their playroom for the rest of the afternoon. Then we had dinner spaghetti-a Lily favorite. Then after dinner we pulled out a chocolate ice cream cake. We put a #2 on it. Lily sat at her Dora table and Chris and I sang to her. She didn't really know what to make of this. After we sang and I got a few good pics we explained what she needed to do with the candle. She tried a couple of times and then asked for help. We all "helped" blow out the candle together. She loved her cake. Chris, Lily and I all sat at her little Dora table to enjoy our cake. Charley was taking a beer nap. Lily and Chris then played tackle dummies for a little bit. She kept yelling "dirtday"and running all over the house! It was great! Then it was off to the bathroom for her bath. Then book and bup with Daddy. Then she climbed into her bed and went to sleep.

I wanted to tell about our day in detail b/c this time last year we still didn't know when she was coming home. All we knew is that we didn't get to be with her for her birthday. So today it was so WONDERFUL to see her face light up when she saw her cake. It is even better to know that tonight when we go into check on her we get to kiss her and whisper Happy Birthday to her and not a picture!

We love you Lily Girl!!! APPY DIRTDAY!! CHEERS!!! :-)

Lily @ 13 days!

Lily @ 1 year

Big Girl!!

Lily with her Cake!

Lily and Mommy!