New Friends

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Dear Henry, 

Last week Mommy's Auntie Glo (Crappaw's sister) and her friend since college Mo came to visit us.  It turned out to be a really fun Saturday.  
Mo's brother, Michael, lives in Bloomington too with his wife, Megan, and their little boy, Devlin, who was born just days after you.  Mo has always suggested that we should meet them because it seemed we have so much in common but the opportunity never came up.  This summer we were talking with one of Auntie Kristin's friend about you and he was talking about this little boy and it turned out to be Devlin.  I took this as a sign and as we decided what we were going to do we suggested that we all meet for lunch.  

We met Auntie Glo and Mo at the Farmer's Market.  It was a beautiful day and the market had soup tasting.  We tried about 5 samples.  Some of them were okay but the most marked thing about this is your amazing drive to try all foods, any food... you're a little garbage disposal.  We walked around a bit, ate some fresh kettle corn, danced by the guitar player and then decided to get something to eat.  We ate at The Bakehouse.  Mo was very sweet and you took a liking to her throwing her flirty smiles and rubbing her arm.  It didn't hurt that she shared her turkey and cranberry sandwich with you!  As we were finishing up Michael, Megan and Devlin showed up.  As always you became super excited to see another little person.  You wanted to touch him and say hello.  You each had some avocado, your first, and of course you loved it.  

 

Mo was right!  We hit it off instantly and didn't run out of things to talk about.  We spent the afternoon chit chatting then decided to take you boys for a swing in the park.  At first you swung side by side but the adults couldn't help but notice that you boys could swing back to back. 

 

 

 This would be more cute than we could all handle so that's what we did.  We put you in Devlin's swing and you stayed back to back for about 15 minutes.  You were both getting sleepy so it was too cute!  Then you realized he was behind you and started trying to feel his head and face. 

Auntie Glo and Mo had to get going and we needed to get home so we said our goodbyes and promised to get together soon.  You took a trip down the slide making your hair fill with static and you waved bye bye and we were off.

It was good to see Auntie Glo and Mo but it was really awesome to make new friends... especially since Mommy and Daddy share so much in common with Devlin's Mommy and Daddy AND hopefully you and Devlin can share lots in common growing up.  After all, you are two likable mini guys!

click here for more photos on flickr
Love, Mommy

Brush-ah, Brush-ah, Brush-ah

Friday, November 13, 2009

Dear Henry, 
There has been much discussion of your teeth here; how many, how quickly, how painful, how they chew on everything, how sharp and now how you need to brush them.  If you have teeth Peep you have to brush them.  To use the words of an old marketing campaign for Crest, you must destroy the cavity creeps especially now that your mouth has become Toothopolis.  

Mommy holds your head and brushes the tops and bottoms then I give you the opportunity to do it yourself.  

Your toothpaste isn't laden with all those fancy things like whitening agents, sparkle crystals, floruristat, or even foaming agents but you don't mind it.  You let Mommy brush while Daddy brushes his teeth then you're done with it when he is done with it.  I was looking at our toothbrush holder the other day and felt compelled to take a photo because it made me think of us.  It looked like a little toothbrush family.  

I promised Daddy that I wouldn't write too much about our toothbrushes as it could come off a little strange but I think you can see our little family is all clearly represented.  
Love you!

Mommy

Two Two Two Toooo Cute! The Twins!

Dear Henry, 
Your new future buddies have arrived!  We have been a visitin' to Heather and Phillipe's AND Etienne and Sylvie's house (a FAMILY from our Adoption Support Group).  On October 28th, 2009 at 8:52 pm with Phillipe by their birth mother R's side those babies were born!  Heather joined them in recovery and thus their love affair began.  The babies came home five days later and Mommy had to cool her jets until the family put in some zzzzzz's and she had given them the proper amount of privacy (yeah right! I called way too much to be decent).  I can certainly remember how during the days following your birth Mommy and Daddy were very close to being real true zombies.  Then all at once we put in some pillow time and we came back to the real world, luckily before our flesh started dropping off and we craved brains.  eh em... Finally!  We get the call that we can come over and check "them" out and we ran, not walked over. 

Mommy stole a few photos of the babies while they slept.  

                                              Introducing the beautiful Sylvie 

                                                   and the dashing Etienne!

 You crawled around, explored their room and pulled up to the crib for your own peek.  

You eventually fell and bonked your head on their little tub and started to cry.  Poor tired Phillipe laid on the floor in front of you and put his hand out to you, you put your hand out to him and your tears dried up and a giggle took over.  Lise, Heather's sister, baked some awesome cookies and Mommy shared one with you fresh out of the oven.  While Heather's mommy was holding the babies you crawled up and stood at her leg to check them out.  Someday you will play and that makes Mommy so happy to think about.  Daddy was getting off from work and we needed some dinner and so did the new family so we met Daddy to eat and return later for him to meet the two new sweet cheeks.

 

On Returning, Daddy went into the living room with you while Mommy put up the ramps.  When I walked into the living room this is the scene I witnessed....

OH MY!  Mommy had to stifle it back, I saw four babies and happy faces.  Our little group has waited so long to see some results and here we were, in a room full of babies.  Matt and Eunice's son's birth mother is due in January!  We can't wait for news from Doug and Peter and for those contacts to begin for Nissy and Jim.  I can't imagine a group of people more excited to be parents.  Mommy pulled it back after threats from Mommy Brook because she was having her own struggles keeping the water works at bay.  It helped that I had to focus on keeping you from snatching Lily's hair off of her head with either your fists or your tongue and that the very musical Doug and Peter sang to the two of you Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

 

 

 

 

 

I know we will have lots of fun times in the future with these two characters.  We can't be happier for Heather and Phillipe, it is just not possible!  

Adoption is overwhelming all over again.  With each new addition I feel like I'm going to fall to my knees and keel over because it is so special and awesome. .. especially with the added gift of on going open relationships with our babies' birth families our lives and our previous concept of love is blown to bits.  It is humbling.  I wouldn't want it any other way.



Love, Mommy

Kitty Catty

Dear Henry, 

You love to chew on things... anything!  Paper is great but the side of the couch, your socks, my finger or anything! really anything will do.  You are getting a 7th tooth on your top right and a sneaky 8th on the bottom.  I suppose chewing helps you to relieve the pressure.  Right before you were born Mama tried REALLY hard to will herself to learn crochet or knitting because that is what she believes cute crafty mama's do.  I quickly discovered I can't will myself to make my hands magically produce a cute hat or an entire rhinoceros wrap like our good friends Mommy Brook and Mommy Heather can but I did crochet one square.  I left the square's tail loose and apparently stuffed it away, deep away in your play cabinet and you dug it out the other day.  You heard my echos calling you back out from deep within the recesses of the cabinet and you backed out to turned around with said square dangling from your mouth like a bird dog bringing master a retrieval.  We played with the sad excuse for a square for quite a while.  I would give you the dangly string end and get you to crawl away with it pulling out the stitches a little more each time.  You'd pounce on the string and pull some more until you grew tired and took a nap.  At least if Mama can't get a project put together she can give you some joy with her wonky stitches.

Love, Mommy

Henry's Head Gets Cold So He Needs Handsome Hats for His Huge Head

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Dear Hank, 

Sorry... Mommy loves you in hats and you seem to not mind hats on your head.  Mommy needed something to do with you, as a result you had to muster up all of your patience to sit still for photos while I changed out your hats.    As you see you didn't make for the last photo.  I don't blame you. 

 

 

 

Love, Mommy

Dings

Dear Henry, 

You have been a master crawler for well over a month.  The last handfull of weeks you've moved on and are pulling up, teaching yourself how to get back down and cruising.  On Friday Mommy stood you up next to your push toy just to see if you might be able to stand at it.  You pushed it across the room.  WHAAAAT!!! Mommy and Daddy freaked!  We captured the second push on video, not as impressive as the first run but you did get the thing across the floor. It is very cute and a little frightening. 

Even more astonishing five minutes later Daddy left the room to answer the front door; while standing at your push toy you lifted one hand and waved bye bye to him!  Mommy was lucky, she was filming!  The last couple of days without prompting you've been waving at people we pass and while saying goodbye to people.  It makes Mommy feel a lot like butter left out on a hot stove...melty.  

You've also started saying Mommy and Daddy very specifically.  As mentioned in an old post, when you do things with purpose and on your own it kills me!  It kills me because it means you're super awesome and learning to become your own person so we doing an okay job...and it kills me because you're super awesome and learning to become your own person and you will come to need me a little less with each of these discoveries.  

 

Mommy is really okay with this.  I am proud of you working so hard to do more and more without whining or apprehension.  Of course with all of this brings some scratches, bumps and bruises.  Here is a photo of your first really good one.  Did you notice that your nose is running?  This is because your have two more teeth coming in to total 8!

Love, Mama
*Watch for an update, I'm going to add the videos later.

Twick or Peep

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Dear Peep, 

Last Saturday was your first Halloween experience.  Mommy and Daddy love Halloween.  Years ago we bought all of the old school movies from the Bartholomew County School Corporation annual auction, as well as several projectors, portable turntables and overhead projectors...it was very inexpensive and we couldn't pass it up.  The Overhead projectors have long been tossed away but for purposes of Halloween entertainment we keep the movies and turntables.  Some years we've set up a turntable to play spine tingling spooky sounds throughout the neighborhood and other years we set up reel to reel movies, such as The Tooth Witch and How Maple Syrup is Made, and last year we even put dry ice in the fountain to make it extra scary.  This year after setting up for trick or treaters (lights, fog machine, pumpkins and a scary Crappaw hiding in the courtyard) we took care of our new Halloween obligation, you!  We dressed you in your hot dog costume, Mommy dressed like a chicken and Daddy dressed like Colonel Sanders.  With Grandma P in tow, we hiked the neighborhood to fill up Auntie Kristin's old trick or treat bag with sugary eats.  At your first house you were greeted by a little girl in a tiger costume.  She gave you your first piece of Halloween candy, Starburst.  Mommy wishes she knew what her first piece of Halloween candy was.

 

Only being 7 months old, you looked slightly confused by the transaction but for Mommy and Daddy it was a big moment.  We were taking our son on his first trick or treat... we were parents milling about with all the other parents and little kids dressed up... and you were our cute little hot dog kid.  (As a side note it was pretty awesome to pass kids along the way and have them ask us if we were having our movies and stuff this year.  We had become a part of the neighborhood kids' Halloween memories and we were their favorite house to visit...Awesome!)  We went to about 8 houses and Mommy noticed that your hands were ice cold and your nose bright red.  

 

We decided we better get back home to give out our own candy. (Pez and Gummy Cheeseburgers for the well dressed and for non-costume costumes candy corn flavored taffy.)  Crappaw tried to hide and scare kids but we didn't have very many kids in our neighborhood this year.  He did get our buddy Max pretty good.  

Later J and Mommy text messaged back and forth.  She wished us all a special first Halloween together.  She said that Tommy and Uriah got around 20lbs of candy! WOW!  They were pretty stoked and so was J...  I'll let you in on a secret Henry, parents take you trick or treating so they can raid your candy bags as you sleep.  Recently on Facebook Mommy's old friend, Tiffanie, asked, "How much of your kids candy can you eat?"  This year we ate all of it but a tiny corner on a fruit roll up you were allowed to munch on.  Next year we'll see.  I'm just so happy that there will be a next year and a next and a next.

Love, Mommy