Gardens and Growing

Henry Samuel, you are 8 months old!

By way of introduction, I should mention that I lost the charger for our camera's battery.  Consequently, I don't have recent pictures, but I did find a few from earlier this month when we visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens.

Henry enjoyed his stroll through the gardens. 

To his right is a model of the Children's Hospital.

Here he is babysitting Claire's baby doll.

Joe and Claire with our friend Rob and his daughter Izzy.

Henry, I just can't say it enough - you are a fabulous kid.  Yesterday we saw the surgeon, and he had great news for us.  He feels relatively confident that your Omphalocele has been completely corrected, and there should be no need for future surgeries.  What a gift!  And while I may be biased, I maintain that your tummy is perfect and that belly buttons really are overrated!  

Well, I'm off to hunt down that charger.  Wish me luck!

Remember When...

Yesterday I spent some time remembering the ultrasound appointment we had exactly a year ago.  It seems like a lifetime ago.  It was the first time we heard the word Omphalocele.  I could barely pronounce it, let alone spell it.  There was a lot we did not know about the condition and future of our baby.   

There's been so much that happened since then.  There was bad news, then devastating news.  But then there was a glimmer of hope, that by the grace of God, shown through the darkness.  Doctors were cautiously optomistic.  So were we.  So it's hard to believe that a year later, here we are, with our loveable, huggable Henry.  He's been through a lot, but he's happy and healthy... 

...and yes, he's wearing a Minnie Mouse headband and

sitting with a princess doll.  Thanks Claire!

The difference one year can make...

My Two Men

One out of every 10,000 babies is born with a severe Omphalocele.  There's no known cause and every case is treated uniquely.  Several doctors have told us how rarely they see O. babies as healthy and happy as Henry.  We are so grateful.  And we are also hopeful as we begin a new year.  We're hopeful that 2012 will be a little bit easier and a lot less dramatic.  We'll see how that goes!

A Blog of Christmas Past

With Henry doing so well today, and sleeping comfortably at the moment, I have finally finished posting pictures of our Christmas festivities this past weekend.  You may want to make yourself comfortable, because this is definitely the longest blog I have ever posted.  Bear with me, as I simply could not narrow down the pictures any further! 

First, we celebrated with the Sternberg family.  It's not very often we're able to all be together under one roof, usually only once or twice a year, so this Christmas was special as we were all able to gather at my parent's home for an extended holiday celebration.

On Friday evening, the kids frosted Christmas cookies.

And then we began the long awaited process of opening gifts. 

This year, my parents started a new tradition.  Since my mom has been volunteering at Africa's Child, a thrift store in Holland, they decided to give gifts from there.  In this picture, she is explaining to the grand kids about the hospital in Africa they are hoping to build with proceeds from the store. 

Henry dove right into the gifts.  He's a natural. 

And well Claire, she's our little star.

Aunt Laura read the girls a bedtime story before their slumber party. 

And with the kids away, the adults could play.

One word: Pandemic!

Saturday, we enjoyed a full day of fun and relaxation.

Grandma and Henry

Grandpa with Claire and Andrew

The Girls: Sylvia, Aaliyah, Claire, Gracie

Aunt Katie introduced Henry to his new baby cousin.

Finally, he has some seniority around here!

Aunt Kelsey and Henry dine over some pureed green beans. 

Sylvia and Henry

Grandpa and Henry

Sunday morning we opened gifts as a family.  We don't get much for the kids since they get plenty from extended family, but it's amazing how Claire can be so happy with things like band-aids and toothbrushes.  I know - I am one of those moms!  

Claire admired Henry's new toothbrushes

Until she found her very own Dora toothbrush.

Henry loved the gift Claire picked out for him - some fish bath toys.

Joe's new read - "The Blue Parakeet"

Then Sunday night we celebrated with Joe's dad and family.

They always put out a large spread of food, so we ate while we visited.

Henry visited with Grandpa while Claire opened gifts.

Grandma lent a helping hand.

Henry in his Sparty hat

Henry with Aunt Melissa

The girls

Henry and Great Grandma

We also enjoyed visiting with Joe's cousin

Nate, I mean, Zach who was in town for the weekend.  

On Monday we celebrated Christmas with Joe's Mom's side of the family.

Another fun-filled family party!

Joe and Henry with Grandma

Claire and Avery entertained us with their lovely singing.

The men - minus one very sleepy Henry

Henry and Great Grandpa

Claire and Avery enjoyed opening more gifts. 

Here they are with their jewelry boxes.

This year we played a game to exchange white elephant

gifts.  There were so many...interesting gifts.  Here's Matt proudly

 presenting his "Polish and Proud" license plate.

Linda and her...???

Do not be fooled by the fact that these two had changed

   into pajamas.  In no way were they anxious to get to bed.  

Well, that's it!  A gold star for you if you made it through this entire blog.  I know there were a lot of pictures, but we are so blessed with the family we have and the memories we made.  I just wanted to share them all with you. 

Thanks for a wonderful Christmas everyone!

A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Okay, so I'm a few days late.  I'm sure you'll understand.

I'm working on posting pictures from our Christmas weekend, but there's a lot of them, so in the meantime, here's a couple of the kiddos in their holiday garb. 

I'll be back soon with potentially the largest blog I've ever posted! 

Too many cute pics to choose from.

Henry's Surgery

Today was the big day. 

Henry had surgery to remove the patch inside his abdomen

that had been holding his muscles together. 

Here's Henry shortly before surgery, playing with his toys.

The surgery took about an hour and went as well as we could have hoped for.  Dr. Neal Uitvlugt, who had performed Henry's omphalocele repair, also did this surgery.  The one glitch he had was that he wasn't able to close Henry's abdominal muscles, so there remains a hole that may need to be repaired in the future. 

 But all in all, we're grateful for a successful surgery.

Here's Henry about 4 hours into recovery. 

Honestly, it was a tougher recovery than even the nurses expected.  If you know Henry, you know how happy he is, so it was difficult to see him struggle as he did.  The good news, however, is that he was able to come home this evening.  The nurses thought he might do better here, and I think they were right.  It seems since we've been home, he's been more comfortable and has been eating better.  Thanks to everyone for your warm thoughts and kind prayers.  We appreciate them.

Random Winter Pictures

This year we put Christmas lights in the

fireplace for some kid-friendly ambiance...

...Cause Henry loves the lights!

A Winter Walk

Henry plays hard to get.  Sorry Zoey! 

Give him another 16 years.  He'll come around.

Breaking News!  Two elves missing from Santa's workshop.

Oh wait, here they are - fixing toys for "Africa's Child" thrift store.

A+ for Effort

Congratulations Joe!

You did it...you finished your last class!  It's been a long journey, but your Masters Degree is well within reach.  I am so proud of you.  You've done a great job!