Life with Henri

Well...we've been pretty busy for one thing... :)

The last 3 months have been the best days of my life. It's amazing how much a human heart can love. I never knew I was capable of caring so much for another person. When I was in college I did a lot of research in virtue theory and co-authored a few pieces on "generativity". In a whirlwind nutshell, generativity is a fancy name for loving care and concern for another. I could write you 40 pages about the different facets (nurturing, giving/offering, and creating). Erik Erickson basically said that the ultimate generative act was becoming a parent. I wanted to show that young college kids could also be generative...and I believe they can...but I also believe Mr. Erickson was absolutely right. There is NOTHING that compares to the love that I became capable of when I became a mom.

Here's a quick recap of the past few months:

We went to Oklahoma to meet Grandpa (Bopa), and Henri's great gramma ("MorMor"), and Uncle Joe and cousin Eleanor and Great Aunt Becky and Great Uncle Chris and lots more people we love. My gramma was quite the Henri-hog. She watched him one night while the rest of us went out to eat and when we returned 2 hours later they hadn't moved from their recliner. It was a really meaningful and peaceful time with family.








I went back to work. :( I was put at a new site with new students, staff, colleagues...but I'm at least grateful that my job requires my full attention on most days, so my pining for the days at home I had with Henri can't last for too long. I do have a digital frame on my desk that keeps Henri close to my heart all day until I get home. I have a great job and a great boss and I truly am grateful for God's provision for our family.

While I was at work Tim got to stay home another 3 1/2 weeks as super dad. He and Henri and Norman went on many many walks, listened to lots of Bob Dylan and David Bazan, and took lots of fun pictures which were sent to me during the day. Henri was a champ with the bottle and he and Tim had time to be men together. Not many men get the opportunity to be home with their kids for as long as Tim did, and Tim made the most of that time. I know he'll always have those memories of Henri's first few weeks of life.

Then, Tim had to head back to Apple Inc. and Henri started daycare at Kindercare. He's there with his buddy from church, Hudson. He actually adapted pretty quickly. Sleep isn't as good as it is at home...but there have been the occasional 2 hour naps so we're hopeful he'll learn to sleep more as time goes on. He has definitely become a more adaptable little man recently. We'll never know if that's the result of the magic 3 month mark or part of his transition to daycare...but he is way more content to just hang out these days...so Mommy and Daddy don't have to spend their lives bouncing up and down with Henri in our arms quite so much any more. :)

We went to Lake Elsinore to meet Great Gramma Light a few weekends ago and took some family photos with Tim's side of the fam. Gramma Light gave Henri this awesome pocket watch that belonged to his Great Great Great Grandpa Henry. It was made around 1880 and is pretty awesome. We can't wait to give it to him someday when he's all grown up.


This last weekend was Easter. I made Henri a bowtie from one of Tim's old shirts and we went to church here in Long Beach. Since we don't have any family super close by we went over to our friends' Chanda and Keith's and hung out with them for brunch and a playdate with Hudson.




Now I'm on spring break and Henri and I spent our morning playing, going on a long walk through Bixby Knolls with Norm, and now he's sound asleep to the sound of the ocean waves. (his white noise machine has the ocean on it :) He's so much fun these days. He makes this "AhGOO" sound and his hands find each other and find their way into his little mouth and he shoots us tons of tooofless smiles when we talk to him.

He's the most beautiful thing in the world to us. I can't believe we were given such an amazing gift. Lord help us to raise him to be a man of compassion and generosity and humility and love.

and for no reason other than a good laugh...here's Norm...being Norm.