Tap Tap, is this thing on?

Well, it has been some time since I've hit the blog! Life got a little nuts. Once wedding and event season hit, it was nonstop from March until...well, recently! So much has happened since our last post...let me see if I can hit all the high notes:

1. Harrison celebrated his first birthday...and it was so much fun! Oh Captain, My Captain!
2. Some weddings and LSU events
3. Chris has been rocking out his new job like a champ and survived his first session with gusto!
4. Some more weddings and LSU events
5. Lily celebrated her fourth birthday...and I'm still so depressed about it. It was Frozen...of course!
6. Some more weddings and LSU events
7. Chris and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary! What an amazing five years it has been!
8. Chris and Pops built a swing set...outside...in our backyard!
9. Some more weddings and LSU events
10. I went to Vegas for a work conference...in Vegas! Did I mention Vegas?
11. Harrison decided that nursing was for babies so the breastfeeding journey ended..after 16 months!
12. Some more weddings and LSU events
13. I got promoted at LSU to Director of Professional Education & Special Events!
14. I had umbilical hernia repair surgery...of course.
15. WE WENT ON OUR FIRST FAMILY VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
16. The new school year started and Lily is officially a preschooler! Tears everywhere.
17. I got a fit bit...let's walk everywhere.
18. I'm back on the healthy and organized lifestyle kick...quinoa everything!
19. Da Boi had the first of two total ear ablation surgeries and my heart just can't.
20. All the Henrys are addicted to the Disney Tsum Tsum game.

Whew! My goal is to share some additional posts on all or just some of these...I'm not sure you care about our recent addiction to Tsum Tsum! ;)

Harrison Reid Henry | A Year In Review

As I type this I just can't believe that Harrison is turning one. 

This year has been incredible but it has moved too incredibly fast. Prior to his arrival, I was worried that I could never love a child as much as I love Lily...but my heart just grew the moment Harrison was born. Even further, watching Lily become an active big sister has caused me to fall more in love with her each day...watching Chris tackle life so effortlessly as Super Dad (times two) has caused me to fall more in love with him each day...and watching Harrison meet and greet each milestone in ways both similar and different from his sister has caused me to fall more in love with him each day as well. My cup truly is overflowing...and I'm just so thankful for my precious, amazing, crazy, messy, wild, loving family! ;)

To celebrate our little Captain turning one, please enjoy this little photo journey of the past year and his sweet little life thus far...

When we found out that Baby Henry was a BOY!!!!

And then fast forward a few months to March 2, 2014 at 2:50am, when this beautiful bundle arrived!

And he was loved...

One week old!

First trip to the doctor...anchors away!

One Month!

First Easter!

Two Months!

Three Months!

Four Months!

Five Months!

Six Months!

Eating solids and loving it!

Evening Walks!

Park trips!

Seven Months!

First Halloween!!!

Eight Months!

First Thanksgiving!!

Nine Months!

First Christmas!

Ten Months!

Standing Guy!

Eleven Months!

First Mardi Gras Parade!

And finally...

Twelve Months!

What a year! 

We have so many fun little celebrations planned for this week...stay tuned!!

2014 Resolutions *Update*

Last year, the Henrys all made "resolutions" but really there were more like goals. Here is our post from last year...let's see how we did...

Rachel

1. Read 5 books. YES...technically. Here is how I did:

China Dolls by Lisa See: Loved it! I discovered that I love basically everything by Lisa See. I'm not obsessed with Chinese history by any stretch of the imagination...but it is quite fascinating and the journey that Lisa See takes us on through her historical fiction is quite enjoyable.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: So this is where the "technically" fits in. This is technically three books...so I win. These were an easy read but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. I'm a big fan of young adult literature and it was proven with this set. I tore through these books in three days and loved every minute of it.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: This was a rough one...intense. If you haven't read this thriller and you like twists and turns, this book is for you. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author.

There were a few books that I just couldn't muster the energy to finish this year: Inferno by Dan Brown (hoping to finish this one), Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger (just couldn't get in to it) and Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts (the fourth of a quartet so it's sad that I just can't finish it!). I'd really like to finish these in 2015...plus more!

2. Being less negative. Failed...just plain failed. I would even venture to say I got worse at bottling up things inside and consistently putting myself in negative situations. I did become more aware of the consequences of this behavior towards the end of the year and made some relatively big changes...so there is hope for me yet.

3. Establish a balance. Again...failed...but those changes I've started to make at the end of 2014 look promising for 2015.

4. Kid's Suite. Eh...I didn't necessarily complete this goal but great progress was made. Lily's room has a theme and just a couple plain walls and Harrison's room is basically finished. Their bathroom is far from finished but it's functional. We have lots of goals for their little space to make it quite colorful and fun. I'm still head over heels in love with our home and neighborhood...it's just that damn backyard. Once that is functional...we will be living the high life! ;)

5. Being a better person, wife, and mom. I mean, I didn't fail but there is always room for improvement. I learned a lot in 2014 while making some big decisions and adjustments. I started a new job and our life was rocked by the arrival of our precious Captain. I'm really pleased with the journey we've started. I'm not perfect and I'm not ridiculous enough to think I can ever obtain perfection...but 2014 was a great learning year and I'm thankful for all the trials, excitement, and progress that was made!

Chris (by Chris)

1. Brew more. Semi-failed. I brewed about 3 batches this year. Not nearly what I would have liked but, considering all the stuff in this action packed year I feel okay about this looking back. I ended up brewing a Hefeweizen that I split into two batches. One fermented over cherries and the other normally fermented. I also brewed a batch of spiced winter ale for the holidays. My favorite was the chocolate vanilla porter with a touch of rum that I helped brew with my Iron Brewer team. Really tasty stuff. Right now I have two beers queued up for 2015, a brown ale and a session ale. I think my next plan is for some smaller more creative batches of homebrew and keeping the big 5 gallon batches pretty basic,

2. Keep in touch. Meh. I still feel like I was pretty caught up in our own little world. I was able to see some family and friends who I normally might not run into. Plus some extra Facetiming with people. I still need to do better.

3. Backyard. Small steps were made in the right direction to having our backyard become an oasis of play. Azaleas were planted, a loquat tree too, but overall without a lush carpet of grass that yard will remain the main priority for home improvement in 2015.

4. Become a handyman. Projects were definitely knocked around with in the Henry House. I'm still learning the ropes with some little woodworking projects and craftiness. Having a dremel is going to be a real game changer in this area for 2015. Big stuff for the new year will be building a workbench and a small storage shed for the backyard.

5. Notarize. Not a notary yet, Maybe one day, but now that the Masters is over I'll have a little more time to devote to this noble cause.

Lily

1. Potty train...yeah girl! She sure did tackle that potty in 2014 and is basically the winner! She still wears a pull up to bed...but that's my call...I'm not a fan of the inevitable accident in bed in the middle of the night. I'm so proud of the strides she made and still beam each time she tells me she needs to find a potty.

2. Love Purple. Yeah, this girl still loves the color purple! LOL!


All in all, 2014 was an unbelievably magical year for the Henrys. Each and every day I feel more lucky and blessed...can't wait to see what next year holds!

Happy New Year!

Throwback: Lily's Birth Story

Chris and I are in the final stages of "baby prep mode" and have been absolutely ripping through our to-do list...like champions! But as we prep for the Captain's arrival, we have been constantly reminded of where we were a little over two years ago and pleasantly reminiscing about the Pea Pie's arrival.

I get asked a lot about Lily's birth story...probably because I was so vocal about wanting to have a natural birth. It's so weird, people just love when you "fail" at having a natural birth. I'm constantly just "smiling and nodding" when people rub it in that I ended up getting an epidural because I couldn't "hang". It's beyond disappointing because despite their intentions, the comments are rude and borderline hateful. Although those smug comments do still sting a bit, I no longer consider how Lily arrived to be a disappointment or failure...and here is why: she was a healthy, beautiful newborn! As hectic and emotional as her delivery was...it was such an amazing experience that I truly look forward to doing again.

So, as we type out our birth plan for Harrison, we were compelled to visit my old blog and read Lily's Birth Story that I wrote a week or so after her arrival. To "throw it back" this Thursday, we wanted to share! Enjoy!

At 4:29am on Tuesday, May 10th, I woke up with mild cramping. I remember looking at the clock and seeing the time...thank goodness I did because I knew the next set of cramping was about 30 minutes later. I wasn't too alarmed because the cramps weren't "like the book said they would be". So, I shrugged it off and went back to sleep. Chris and I woke up for work around 7:00am and I was still experiencing the cramps. Just in case, we both called-in to work. I downloaded the "contractions timer" app on my iPhone and started timing. I still wasn't sure this was the real deal...but I knew it was something.

As the day progressed, so did the cramps. Despite the fact that they were getting more intense they were also getting closer together. I still wasn't 100% sure I was actually "in labor". So, we kept powering through them. I did a lot of walking, a lot of leaning over onto counter tops, a lot of side lying and even more hip swaying to deal with the pain. Chris called our doula to fill her in and get suggestions. She advised us to rest as much as we could, eat something light but substantial, and to keep her updated. So, we ordered Jimmy John's and I continued to manage the contractions that were now 4-5 minutes apart.

Come 11:00pm, I had had enough. So, we finished packing our bags, said goodbye to our adorable animals and headed to the hospital. Upon arrival, I was anxious, scared, and just plain ready to know how close I was to seeing our little girl. I was convinced I was at least 4-5 cms. I mean, I had been laboring for over 18 hours! Plus, how embarrassing if I was wrong and this wasn't labor at all? Well, after being assessed by the nurses...I was somewhere in the middle. I was definitely in labor but only the very early stage of it. I had only dilated 1 cm and was about 70% effaced. WHAT!?! I was so disappointed!

After being monitored for an hour, Chris and I decided to go back home to progress further before being admitted to the hospital. They gave me something to help me sleep and off we went. We got home close to 2am. Unfortunately, their pills weren't as magic as we hoped as I barely slept! When we "woke up", the contractions were still 4-5 minutes apart but WOW, they were intense. I tried the same techniques (lots of movement) from the day before with little comfort. I tried to eat a bit of toast but couldn't quite stomach it. I jumped in the shower and that was actually the best help. The hot water on my back was wonderful! Once I got out, I was done. With tears in my eyes, we packed up and headed back to the hospital. 

We were admitted around noon and headed to Labor and Delivery Suite 11 approximately 3-4 cms along. Not ideal, but better than the night before. I was given an IV and was hooked up the the wireless monitors, which kept tabs on the baby's heart rate and my contractions. I also put on my adorable hospital gown! Yes, I'm vain and brought my own! The excitement of it all helped me power through the first few contractions with a bit of ease. Chris set up his computer to play zen-like music and we turned the lights down to create a more relaxing environment. As much as that helped, I needed a bit more assistance getting comfortable. So, my doula and the nursing staff set up the birthing tub.

The birthing tub was amazing! The water was kept at 98 degrees and was large enough to keep me covered with water from the shoulders down. I was able to almost float and kick my legs during each contraction. The weightlessness really helped relax me...enough that Chris caught me snoring in between contractions! Being able to rest was invaluable and before I knew it...I had been in that thing for an hour and a half. Unfortunately, the exhaustion caught back up with me and I had reached a breaking point...I asked for the epidural.

I wanted a natural childbirth so badly and this was not how I had pictured everything happening. I was so full of mixed emotions at this point. I later realized that I had been in labor for around 36 hours without any medical interventions...I can be proud of that! 

After the epidural, things progressed a little more quickly...but not much. After getting out of the tub, I was approximately 6-7 cms with a long way to go. The epidural really helped me relax and I caught a few more minutes of sleep. Chris had not rested or even eaten at this point and it was about 5pm. So, he made a quick trip to the cafeteria downstairs to refuel. Being the smartie that he is, he brought back some Mr. Pibb...only my favorite guilty pleasure EVER. I'll admit it, I took a little swig when everyone had their backs turned! At this point, I had only had water, ice chips, and a little apple juice...I deserved it!

I have to brag on the nursing staff at Woman's Hospital...they were incredible. They were very in tune with our expectations and desires and did everything in their power to make sure we were supported and comfortable. It helped that we had our doula with us and she has such a great relationship with the hospital. When most people have to say goodbye to their support system during the epidural being administered, my doula was able to stay and talk me though that intervention. This was especially helpful for me, seeing how I was quite emotional that I was getting it anyway.

Now, I had heard that one medical intervention can quickly lead to another...and I can say that is really true. Just a few hours after the epidural was given, I had my membranes artificially broken (aka my water was broken by the doctor). Although things didn't just domino immediately after this, we did progress a little stronger and faster. I was now 7-8 cms dilated...and incredibly sick to my stomach.

My legs felt the tingling of falling asleep, my back was knotted and sore, I was being twisted and turned every few minutes for various reasons, and I was now throwing up like a champion. YAY! Chris could not have been more supportive through this nasty time. He held my hair back, kept a cold rag on my face to help me fight the nausea, and kept whispering words of encouragement. There is not a doubt in my mind...I couldn't have made it without him!

Come a little after 9pm, I was told that my doctor was heading to the hospital to deliver our little one. So, everyone started preparing for the final stages. At 10pm, we were told that he would be arriving in about 30 minutes. I had my eyes fixed on the clock. Sure enough, he arrived at 10:30pm and the party really got started! I barely had the energy to keep my eyes open but the end was near. I pushed through four contractions and little Lily made her appearance at 10:46pm. She was a healthy and beautiful 7 lbs 8.6 oz, 20 inch long baby girl!

Every cliche' about childbirth is completely true. The minute I saw Lily, I was hooked and every bit of the last 42 hours was well worth it. Chris and I fell in love with her immediately! 

Although not everything went as we had hoped when preparing our birth plan, I couldn't be more happy with the results! We were blessed with a happy and healthy little baby girl...nothing could be better!