It was a beautiful day. The rain took a break for the 24 hours we needed in order to get everyone here safely. We were happy to have some of our good friends and family join us as we celebrated this special day. Mark's cousins and aunt drove up from San Diego and San Juan Capistrano, his brother and his wife drove up from Laguna Woods, my sister flew in from Albany, my parents flew in from Milwaukee, and Mark's sister flew in from Detroit. Our friends the Paulsons, the Hills and the Barkers also came to celebrate with us.
Mark and I usually go to a traditional service at church, but today we had the baptism follow one that was much more contemporary than we are used to so everyone wouldn't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get here in time. Henry hung in there for about the first hour(we did a lot of walking in the lobby). At that point, he needed his bottle and wouldn't let it go, even for the baptism itself. He had missed his morning nap.
We dressed Henry in a traditional Vietnamese outfit that was given to him by his birthmother the day we adopted him. He was very handsome!




Henry with his Godparents, Phil and Kit.

Henry walks in the grass for the very first time!

One happy family!

a weekend of celebration

Last weekend we were very busy...hence my late posting. Mark's sister, Margot, my sister, Kit, and my parents all came to town. On Saturday, the 14th, friends Hilda and Joyce hosted a wonderful "welcome Henry Luncheon". It was a special day and the food was amazing! Thank you so much Hilda and Joyce!!







The next day we celebrated Henry's baptism. We dressed Henry in the outfit that his birthmother gave him the day we adopted him. My sister, Kit, is Henry's Godmother and Mark's cousin, Phil, is Henry's Godfather. Pictures and more about the day coming soon...

14 months today

Henry is growing so quickly! It's hard to believe that he's been with us for two months already.
He signed his Valentine's Day cards with a crayon.
It sounds like he is now saying "thank you".
When I was holding him and he wanted to get down, I thought I would try to teach him the word "down". After I put him down, he lied down on the floor and looked up at me and smiled. I then realized he was doing what I tell the dogs to do. "lie down".
He figured out how to take the cushion off of the chair so it is easier to climb, which he does by himself.
We have a place where we put our recyclables. Henry went over and grabbed the empty cardboard cereal box and put it back in the cupboard exactly where we store the boxes that are full.
He loves blackberries and to drink water out of a cup.
Probably the biggest milestone for Henry is that yesterday, he walked barefoot on the grass without a problem. We have Stephanie to thank for that!
He is starting to pour water on his head in the bathtub after I shampoo his hair.
He was able to use his fork to eat his heart shaped Valentine pancake.
He still loves to watch Elmo.

I was reminicing...turn up the volume and enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Another Amazing Celebration

Ted and Amy, good friends and the head of Chadwick School, hosted a shower for Henry last night. They, along with so many people here, have been incredibly supportive during our long journey to Henry...it was fun to have a chance for everyone to get to know him a little better.

We are once again completely moved by such kindness and generosity.



This is Grace, Henry's future babysitter! She and her brother were a great help last night!




Henry was tuckered out by the end of the night.

There are a lot of parents that have been extremely supportive and generous, too! Henry has many fans! We've had dinners delivered to us from a group of parents for the past three weeks...what a gift!

All is well

Henry is doing very well in his new helmet. I can tell that he is trying to figure out how it stays on because he is touching the velcro strap on the side. I know it will not take long for him to figure out how to take it off...not sure what we do when that happens.

Henry now likes to watch Sesame Street while he eats his breakfast. I'm glad because it makes him to sit longer in his high chair and therefore, he eats more. He likes to eat, but he tends to lose interest after he's taken a few bites of something. Today I made him french toast, which he liked.

Yesterday we were walking around the yard, and I picked a rose off of one of the bushes. I held it to my nose and said "mmmm". I put the rose up to Henry's nose and he started laughing...everytime I would put it in front of him, he laughs.

He's so fun!

Such a trooper...

Mark and I made our first big parenting decision a few weeks ago. After taking Henry to the doctor, we learned that he has a condition called plagiocephaly, which is "a malformation of the head marked by an oblique slant to the main axis of the skull." It is otherwise known as flat head syndrome. Henry's case is significant and was caused by spending a good chunk of time lying in his crib the first six months of his life. Our choice was to do nothing and have his head grow as it is, knowing it wouldn't round out, or to make a helmet that will help reshape his head and eventually lessen that flat spot. We decided to go with the helmet, and we picked it up today. Aside from a flat spot, plagiocephaly can sometimes cause jaw alignment issues and hearing and vision problems. We figured we had nothing to lose. I know if we hadn't tried something he would have asked us one day why we didn't try to reshape his head, and we'd have no good answer.

When the helmet was first put on, Henry yelled. Some adjustments were made, and when we put it on his head again, he yelled. This yelling lasted a whole 10 seconds and the next thing he did was touch the helmet, walk over to the mirror and look at himself. If you've had a chance to spend time with Henry, you'll know that he likes to touch foreheads with others. He did this with his reflection, turned around and smiled!
It's as if he doesn't know it's there. I thought tonight he'd fuss, but he fell asleep after five minutes! He continues to amaze us each day!

He'll have to wear the helmet 23 hours a day for 4-6 months, depending upon how he responds. We obviously hope to see results quickly and won't need the helmet for long, especially in the summer months. We are also taking Henry to physical therapy once a week to help loosen the muscles on the right side of his neck. He is not a big fan of the stretching, but we do it every day.

Please keep us in your prayers as we go through all of this with Henry. Thanks!

Henry update...

Last week he needed my help...not any more!




Henry's new thing is to open and close doors, all day long! He especially likes to do this at the gate between our yard and driveway, and the one between his bedroom and the hallway.
He was almost running today when we were out on the baseball diamond.
He started connecting his Legos today.
He tells me when he's hungry by touching his finger to his mouth.
He can hook the dog leash to one of his toys.
He had his first cookie. It seems he does like sugar after all!
He still pats my back every time I pick him up.
He likes to pretend that he's talking on the phone. He'll use the remote or a toy.
He likes to throw the ball for Cody and tries to tell Cody to "drop it" by pointing to the floor.
He still blows kisses.
He was not quite sure what to think about the Roomba today.
He loves to nap in his stroller.



He loves his new truck!