Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! We can't believe it's the end of October already! We've been keeping busy the past couple of weeks. The weekend before last we had a nice, restful couple of days. Natalie and Owen went to the babysitting program at school on Saturday night, and after finishing the normal household chores (including cleaning, which Owen enjoys helping with by pushing the broom around) on Sunday we went to the playground. We've had much cooler weather, so we were able to bear being there longer than 15 minutes. We spent last week gearing up for the Halloween Carnival at school, which was Friday night. We went and had a lot of fun. The band was Owen's favorite part - he preferred to stand by the stage and dance, and there were various activity booths, rides, and a fun house. Natalie and Owen were excited to wear their costumes, and Mom and Dad dressed up too - although there are no pictures of this (as planned?). After we left the carnival Friday night we started on our last minute trip (driving) to North Carolina to visit Pa (and the rest of the family!) as we haven't been there in a year and his health is failing. The trip was 20 hours there on Friday/Saturday, and we left early Monday for a 21 hour drive home. Natalie, Owen, and Henry were so good with all this driving! We had a nice visit with everyone, although it was very short. Natalie and Owen had fun playing with the toys at Grandma Phyllis' house, and they entertained themselves with their backpacks at Gram and Pa's. We've been getting back into the swing of things. Natalie (Rapunzel) and Owen (Frankenstein) went trick or treating tonight, and Henry (little bat) dressed up for pictures and answering the door with Mom.

Henry

Henry Christopher was born on September 19th - he weighed 7 pounds 15.7 ounces and measured 21 inches. We had a scary couple of weeks as he spent that time in NICU with persistent pulmonary hypertension - newborn. We spent that time driving back and forth from the hospital multiple times each day, juggling our time between visiting him and spending time with Natalie and Owen (trying to make things somewhat normal for them). After the first 10 days, Henry had recovered from his respiratory issues (and thankfully had most of his tubes, IVs, and other wires removed) and spent the next week with a feeding tube up his nose while he learned to eat. Finally, on October 7th we were able to bring him home and start to adjust to the new routine. So we haven't updated in a while because we had a lot going on. But things are settling down now, and he is doing great! The way he eats you wouldn't know he'd been sick! Natalie and Owen enjoyed having company after Henry was born, and especially enjoyed their big sister/big brother gifts. They are thrilled to have him home and they are very sweet with him. Owen is especially concerned with Henry's whereabouts at all times, and if he's crying or sleeping, does he need a paci, etc. Natalie is very keen on making sure Henry has enough toys around him and if he's warm enough, does he need another blanket, can she hold him....We are well into the new baby routine with nighttime feedings and all, and we forgot how many diapers newborns go through in one day! We are adjusting our schedule to meet everyone's needs, and things are pretty much normal around here again.