29 Jul -- Henry's Well-Baby

Henry had his 6 month well-baby on Tuesday.  He's only 5 months and week old, but you never know when you're going to get an appointment here.  It went well.  He's doing great and measured in at 18 lbs, 11 oz. and 27" long.  He rolled over earlier than Charlie or Jane and he's up on his hands and knees like he's about to crawl.  It's wierd to see that since I figured all the kids would be on about the same track.  Who knows, at this rate maybe we'll have a child that gets their teeth before their first birthday! 

24 Jul -- Henry Update

We finally have a surgery date for Henry.  August 16th.  Now that I have a date to focus on I can stop worry about "What are we going to do" and start worrying about "What the heck have we done and how are we going to get through this?!"

Henry will have surgery to correct his saggital craniosynostosis, which is an early fusing of the plate along the top of his head from his forehead to the back of his noggin.  It causes his head to have an elongated appearance.  He hasn't shown any symptoms of issues, but Dan and I decided that we don't want to risk health problems down the road which would require a longer, more extensive surgery or self esteem issues.

We love our little man and he couldn't be more perfect in our eyes.  I get sad when I think about the journey he is about to embark on over the next few months, but I'm glad that we live in a time and in a place where there is the ability to correct this issue.

The surgery,  in our understanding, should last 3-4 hours.  They will make a curvy incision from ear to ear and remove the fused section of the skull, allowing the brain room to expand and shape itself in a normal form.  He will be in the hospital about a week, depending on his condition and progress.  Jane and Charlie know that Henry has to have his head "fixed".  They don't know much else about it, but hopefully over the next 2-3 weeks we'll be able to prepare them for what to expect.  They are so sweet and gentle with them, I'm confident that we'll be able to adjust to this with only minimum problems. 

We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers and we ask for continued prayers in the coming weeks and months as we go through the procedure and post-operation recovery.  Henry is such a sweet and happy baby.  We want the best for him and look forward to getting past this time and moving on to the less stressful "other side" of surgery.  

23 Jul -- What a Vacation!

We drove to Heidelberg on Wednesday to visit our friends, Kerah, Kate and Charlie.  What a great family!  It was such a pleasure to hang out with them and have them spoil us with great company, great food and great memories.  All of us were sad at how quickly our time passed. 

On Wednesday afternoon we walked over to a lake near their house and played on the playground and in the water.  Apparently I should have worn my bathing suit.  Jane was a fish and didn't want to get out.  Charlie decided to try out the raft and took an unintentional swim when it flipped suddenly.  It was so warm that my clothes dried quickly, though.  It did show me that I need to sign my kids up for some swim lessons.  I think it'll be less stressful for me when I know that they can at least tread water for a bit.

Thursday was cloudy and later, rainy.  We managed to get in a trip to the ice cream shop before the rain started to pour and it was yummy!  On the walk home we saw the beginnings of the town's junk day (where they put out large items for bulk trash pick up).  I found a red sled that needed a good wash down (Thanks Kerah!) and brought it home as our souvenier.  In the afternoon we played Trivial Pursuit and Scattergories.  Oh, how I love a good board game!

Today we played a second round of Trivial Pursuit and headed home after lunchtime.  We had such a fun time.  I hope to see the whole family again soon. 

Already I'm thinking, "Shoulda worn a bathing suit..."

It was hard to keep Jane this shallow in the water.  She kept wanting to go further out, as well as wanting to swipe everyone's floaty device

Henry's hangout

Could he look more relaxed?!

Charlie and Charlie near the grasses, looking for fish

Jane was on a mission

Mission accomplished

Kate obliging a request for a piggy back ride

Charlie treated my kids to train tracks that were more involved than just a single loop.

Kerah spoiled us all during our visit

Photo by Charlie

That's better!

Not sure what Jane and this bear were discussing, but it looks pretty intense

Photo by Charlie (Isn't he just so creative?!)

18 Jul -- Sunday Happenings

Tut, tut, looks like rain

Jane's dressed for the monsoon

I walked out to see Jane in this position.  She stayed like this for a while letting the sprinkler hit the umbrella.

Wow.  All I can say is "Wow".  I walked in to see Jane in this position, half of her body soaking wet, damp toilet paper on the floor and puddles under the toilet.  Don't think the sprinkler was the cause of all this...unfortunately...

15 Jul -- A Visitor

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is our first visitor in about 4 years not related to delivering a baby or having surgery.  Welcome, Uncle Peter!  Thanks for coming to see us and we can't wait to have you and the rest of the family back next time you come through!

15 Jul -- Jane's Forehead Meets Nightstand

Jane decided not to heed my warning to not jump on my bed.  Here is her head on the mend

15 Jul -- Henry and his "Lady Friend", Lydia

Our friends Tessie, Briggs and newest addition, Lydia (4 weeks) came over the other day for a visit.  I think Henry's keeping a close eye on this one!

11 Jul -- Hot Summer Days

No better way to stay cool on a hot day

These kiddos were drinking the sprinkler water like they've never been given a drink before in their lives

Oh, baby, can you say SPF 50000+

This is the best I've ever seen him deal with water near his eyes

"Ahhhh, refreshing!"

Henry eventually woke up and joined the party

8 Jul -- Deployed Family Dinner

Got together with some other girls and ate at the base dining hall with all our kiddos running around like nuts.  Good times!

Running around in circles is tons of fun!

You just know someone's going to crack their head at some point...

Or lose their pants!

Thanks, Mom.  That could have been really embarassing in front of the ladies!

We'll catch you next time around, Henry

7 Jul -- The Sprinkler

Have I mentioned that my son hates water?  He's like the Wicked Witch of the West.  I have tried many a thing to get him to like playing in the water, but he avoids it at all cost.  For 4 years bathtime has been torture for us.  I finally discovered swimming goggles a week or so ago and it makes washing hair at least tolerable.  But he loves turning the sprinkler on out back...and avoiding it.  Here's what he came up with in attempt to balance fun in the water and keeping his shirt dry...

That's a "thumbs up" sign he's giving me, to let me know his plan is working nicely:)

Jane, my fish, still opted for snacks over sprinkler time.

I even donned my bathing suit (thank goodness for a private tree lined yard) and ran through the sprinkler in the spirit of being a kid again.  It was just as much fun as I remembered, though slightly more cold.