Henry's Happenings

Henry is now officially 3 months old.

He is been quite busy, he has mastered the art of pooping by himself. YEAH!!!

He is looking stylin and proflin in his little shades.

He has started cereal. I started a little early, but he LOVES it.

He has started rolling over, and holds his head up so well.

He has been taking long naps in the morning.

He has been sleeping great through the night.

WE love him so much, and are so glad he is in our lives....

Enjoy the Henry Picture Festival above, and Hasta Luego.

It is Fall YouAll

Well it is September 2, 2009.. Which just so happens to be my brother Joe's 17th Birthday...
Am I bummed I missed yet another Family birthday? The Answer to that is YES!!!
But GOD knows, I know that he knows how much I miss my family and wish I could see them, I know HE KNOWS..
As I write that sentence I also will write that I know that I am supposed to be here for such a time as this.. God has his hand on Andy and Henry and my lives... We are following God's will, and yet it is hard and Good at the same time.
I get to be home with Henry all this first year of his life and see all his changes, and I love this.
I am writing all this because I want to share a little bit about Missions from my standpoint.
I was reading in my bible today and found a sermon that I had written notes on, this sermon was written and told by my Andy... It encouraged me on this day, and I thought it might do the same for you out there.
It is one of my favorites of his and I thought I would share it to all the blog readers out there:

Title: Are you a Mat Carrier?

Mark Chapter 2 verses 1-12

Jesus Heals a Paralytic
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.
4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralysed man was lying on.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
7 Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, Why are you thinking these things?
9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . . He said to the paralytic,
11 I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.
12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, We have never seen anything like this!

Basically the question we ask is: Are you a Mat carrier?

The 4 guys in this story were Mat carriers, they put the needs of their friend above their own needs.
Missions is exactly this, putting others above yourself. Carrying them to Jesus. Getting people to Jesus who cannot get to him on their own.
Forget about yourself for awhile.
Try to think about the people in your life, is their anyone you could carry to Jesus?
The cool thing about these men are they left with some eternal changes in their life:

1. Their Faith was stronger, by putting others in front of them, it shows there faith was tested.
verse 5 says Jesus saw THEIR faith.. The faith of the mat carriers.
2. They refused to give up. There was no easy way to get the guy on the mat to Jesus, so they litterally made a whole in the roof.. Would that not have been Crazy to see? When was the last time I was that desperate?

Anywho, this was challenging to me, as the fall is coming and we are starting our ministries up here and I want to have a fresh attitude and perspective..
I think we can all find people in our life who need to be carried everynow and then.. I know I have been one of them.

Chao for now

what is for Dinner???

I have had this blog for about 3 years now and rarely do I feel that I write a blog about a complaint.

The reasons for this are:

1. I am beyond blessed and have absolutely nothing to complain about

2. I have seen some pretty bad circumstances of others and once again have nothing to complain about..

So, this is not a complainy blog, it is complaint blog about myself..

I feel I have the liberty to complain about myself, so here you go..

I hate cooking dinner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would make 6 cakes, 3 breads, 4 batches of cookies before I would want to make a dinner

I feel as though I am a baker, not a dinner maker.
The reasons for my hatred of dinner making are:

1. I feel I have a limited (5) basic meals that I prepare all the time.

Spagetti, some sort of chicken something, spagetti, shepard's pie, barbeque chicken, spagetti...

2. I start worring about what to make around like 2 pm,, HELLO, who does that?

3. I usually do not like what I make.

4. I usually make a huge mess in the kitchen..

5. I would rather some one else always make it for me..

6. I would rather be eating something my dad has made.. He is a great cook, and I pretty much crave his food everyday.

7. The people on the foodnetwork have all the ingredients, and it is never as easy as they make it look.

So, just thought I would share.

Now, off I go to try to make another dinner :)

P.S. I can't end a blog with out a couple pictures of Henry Roo..

Golden Boy

Just a quick update..

August has been sort of quite around here, which is nice and weird at the same time. We are used to being crazy busy, and to go slow has been odd.

But nice, beacause we are getting to spend lots of time with little Henry.

Henry is growing quickly, at his 2 month check-up he was close to weighing 13 pounds. He is in the 75th percentile for weight, and 50th percentile for height.

We visited a church of one of the students that we work with about a week ago, and the pastor came up to Andy and I after the service so he could pray for us. He told me that Henry was GOLD IN MY HANDS.. At the time, i just sort of agreed and went on, but really this phrase has stuck in my mind for weeks now. Because it is so true. Henry is gold in my hands.

Becoming a parent has been such a blessing for Andy and I, but there are times where it is really hard. But just thinking about the blessing of his life and the future that is in front of him, how it really is Gold...

Right now is the precious times I have to be with my baby. He is growing so fast, around the corner is his teenage years....

Well that is about all for now..

P.S. The top picture is of him watching his Baby Einstein DVD,, he loves it.. And so do I.. HA

Immunizations

Just wanted to say that Henry is not a fan of immunizations...
Despite being up all night, he is still going strong..
Poor baby....

Happy 2 month birthday to Henry

Today is Henry's 2 month Birthday...

Wow, how time flies by so quickly.

Some cool Henry facts for you:

He loves to eat..

He has been sleeping through the night.

He is trying his hardest to find his thumb, he just can't extend his finger yet.

He is very smily after he wakes up..

On his Mexican Birth Certificate his name is Henry Hanson Reed Reed....

He loves to play baseball with his daddy..

More than that, we love him... And it just seems like the last 2 months have been so hard yet so rewarding.

I am so thankful to have a healthy baby boy...

Henry's Daddy

What I should be doing is sleeping,, what I am doing is updating my blog and eating cookies and cream ice cream....

Anyway, I thought I would post on Andy.

And how amazing he has been with his new little boy. Just shortly after Henry was born I caught him singing Jesus loves me to Henry in the rocking chair.. This made my heart sing, because how blessed am I to have such a husband. Men like this are few and far between.

Andy is so loving with Henry, he likes to play baseball with him and pretend like he is running the bases.

He sings songs to him all the time..

He is extra soft with him and makes sure everyone who touches him, has washed there hands..

Henry loves to lay on his dad's shoulders and Andy tries his hardest to help me at his feeding times..

He is the best daddy..

Someday, Henry might read these blogs and I just hope he knows what a special father he has.
I know, and I am so thankful!!!

Aunt Mish and Henry!

We are mixing it up this week, I am Chelsea's sister, Melissa, and I will be writing the blog this time! A nice change of pace...
This week has been a week of leisure, smiling, pooping troubles, and sisters! (Clarification: Not my pooping troubles...Henry's)
It has been a great week here in Guadalajara, Mexico! I have met all of Chelsea's friends and most say that we either look alike or sound alike. You can decide for yourself by the photo.

I have also met the cutest boy in the world whose name is Henry Hanson Reed. We have just been hanging out and having fun! I have seen my older sister, Chelsea, mold into a beautiful mother and Henry just adores her. He smiles for her and Andy all the time! It is quite amazing how he is only 6 weeks old but recognizes them and loves them so much! I have also realized that it takes a lot of work to take care of a new baby! I have the utmost respect for new mothers and fathers because it is a hard job! For the rest of the blog I thought I would just put up some photos that I have took while I have been here...Enjoy!








This picture is of Henry smiling at his mamma! His bib pretty much explains it all...I love Mommy!













Here is another picture of Henry smiling at his mamma! It kinda looks like he is crying, but that is untrue...he is smiling! Chelsea said that in his 6th week he is supposed to start smiling more and more, and this is so true because he has been!










Here are a couple of pictures from his bath time! He really enjoys his bathes! I think that he likes to be clean and smell baby fresh!
















This is the first time Henry used his big boy bathtub! He LOVED it! Just relazing in the tub with his ducks...I think he was about ready for a nap here because he looks kinda tired.
















This picture was a cute little smile after bath time! Clean baby!

















Chelsea bought Henry a new toy, it is a Baby Einstein ocean gym toy. I think he really enjoys it! It is crazy because he is only 6 weeks old and he grabs the rings, and follows the lights, and kicks his legs! He is going be the smartest boy ever..takin after his father!









The last two photos are of Henry and his Aunt Mish (me) I have been holding him and loving him all week! I am going to miss seeing him, but we have had a great week together!

Vacations

I have been tagged by one of my friends, Missy, to do the following blog. I was supposed to go to my 4th picture folder and choose the 4th picture and describe it for you all. Well, this was the one in that place.

I took the, "View Alcatraz," photo when Andy and I went to California, which happened to be a great vacation for Andy and I. This is a picture in San Francisco right next to Alcatraz. We also went and saw the Redwoods in Northern California and then spent a day in San Francisco. We took this trip with our great friends Bill and Mary Campbell.

So since I LOVE vacations, I thought I would talk a little about the importance of them. Not only will they give you fond memories, but it is a wonderful chance to relax and spend qualitiy time with your family. When I was little my parents must have thought the same thing because we took a vacation every year. I have some of the best memories from those vacations. The nice thing about them were they did not have to be extravagant, just a small trip to get away from the house. We went to a varitey of different places including: Lake Okoboji, South Dakota, Branson, Missouri, Denver, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Minnesota, Chicago, Omaha...and more. Anyway the best part was the memories we made as a family. Andy and I are planning on taking a 'Vaca' every year and I am sure Henry will have the same great memories as I did as a child... ;) HA (let's hope).

To wrap up my vacation expose I thought I would put up some pictures of fun vacations and I will explain a little about each of them. Enjoy!!


This first picture not only shows off our dancing skills and great hair cuts, but it shows my cute parents and how much fun we had when we went to South Carolina.

This is also from South Carolina, and it just proves that we were having 100% fun~! Best face: Joe-G and his braces! And I am pretty sure if I made that face right now there would be a few extra rolls present!

This again is South Carolina, (one of the best vaca's)! Actually this picture may be very familiar to some...and you are probably thinking, "Where have I seen that house?" Well, it was the house from: THE NOTEBOOK. Yes, we took a tour! (Even Joe and Andy, they didn't share the enthusiasm as Mom, Mish, and I). Our friend from SC took us around to all of the different locations where the movie took place, all in beautiful South Carolina! It was kinda cool!

This was from the Redwood Forest, something EVERYONE should go and see. Since it is part of, 'This land was made for you and me!' It is Babe and his Blue Ox!

Now, that you know a little about my vacations...take a moment to do some looking back at vacations you have taken or live vicariously through mine!

The Sweetest Thing

Thought I would update the blog with 2 sweet pictures of my sweet little boy..

Not much new here.

Just wanted to give some kudos:::

First off,

Kudos to all the MOM's out there....

And Kudos to all the MOM's who breast fed there babies...Because AAGGH it might be one of the hardest things, and no one tells you that ahead of time.. Instead of Delivery classes they need to give courses on HOW TO BREAST FEED and not go Crazy...

That is all for now, maybe you can guess what my time is being taken up with......

My 2 boys

Henry is taking a nap, so I thought I would update our blog.

Small update:

Things are going good, breast feeding is getting a lot better. Nights are a little rough, especially when you are expecting to sleep but for the most part things are good. :)

Henry weighs 8 pounds 11 ounces. He loves to eat........

Basically we are getting used to moving our life around a child.

Andy stated to me while we were driving the other dayt that he actually feels like an ADULT now.. Like before he wasn't one.

But now we have a life in our hands and that has changed everything!!!

My friend sent me a card that said becoming a parent is a constant holding on and letting go.. You hold on when they need you and let go when they are becoming more independent.

I thought this was a great quote for me to take each day as a present, a gift from God...

To hold on to those cute little fingers while they still cling to me. And just to soak up this time that Henry is still a Newborn...

He almost does not fit in the newborn diapers anymore and he is only going to be a newborn once..

SO, to all who read.. Slow down and savor the time you have with your loved ones whether that is kids, grandparents, parents,spouse, siblings... Time goes by so quick...

Enjoy your day...

Henry Hanson Reed

Happy Birthday Henry Hanson Reed

Born: June 6th, 2009

Weight: 7 pounds 14 ounces

Height: 20 inches

Time of Birth: 6:37 pm

Well, I am now a mother.. To the cutest baby in the whole world...

Henry's Birth story:

I went to the doctor on June 5th, and was checked. I was dilated at 2 cm, at this point. My doctor told me again that due to the full moon he believed that I would deliver in the next hours or days.

So, freaking out we called my mom and told her to buy a ticket.

She bought a ticket that day and was planning on arriving on Saturday June 6th around 4:30pm.

So, I went home, at a good dinner, had a vanilla shake and was quite nervous...

On Saturday at 5am, I wake up feeling like I am leaking.. And yes, my water had broke..

I woke Andy up and went to the bathroom, and then called my mother to tell her what was going on.

Our doctor told us to come to the hospital around 8am. So I took a shower, shaved and laid down for awhile.

And then around 8am, we went off to the hospital.. I was having very light contractions at this point..

We arrive at the hospital, and of course they say there are absolutely no rooms in the labor and delivery area.. So freaking out and on the verge of tears.. And not wanting to hear SPANISH....We were sent to the surgery area, where they had open rooms..

This is where the fun starts. I was transferred to this room and got in Bed #1 of the day.

I knew ahead of time, this was going to be hard due to it being Spanish and my first child. But I was trusting God and knew he would be with me.. But saying this, I was feeling quite overwhelmed. Thank God ANDY was with me....

We had some friends who were living here who I wanted to see.. But being in this room, we could not have visitors. So I asked to be moved where we could get visitors. Also my mom being in route .......... And She was going to be in the room with me!!!!!

So, I was then transfered to another open room in like the ICU. I had no idea, but it was bed #3.

My contractions were now getting stronger due to the start of PITOCIN, and I was checked and still at 2cm.

So, our american friends we work with came and visited and this was so nice for me..

Next, I hear that there is a room now avaliable in Labor and Delivery and so I was transfered again.. Bed #5.. It goes up by 2 each time, because they put me in a transfer bed to go to each room...

It is now around 3pm, and my doctor who has checked my cervix for around the 5th time today, says I am still at 2cm.. So I had by this time been walking up and down the hall for around 2 hours and been feeling the contractions only in my lower back and quite intense. I begged him to let me walk for another hour. He was wanting my cervix to dilate at least to 4, or he would recommend a c-section due to my water breaking quite a long time ago...So off I went to hardcore walk the halls.

Which, was funny, because oldies were playing the whole time..Like Sweet Caroline... Kind of Funny..

I was checked again an hour later, and nothing..He stated I was at like 2.5cm.. So he wanted me to try an epidural, and see if it relaxed me at all.. And of course NO....So I was placed in the #8 bed of the day to have my sweet little boy..

The c-section went great,, I felt nothing.. And then all of the sudden Henry came out. Andy was there the whole time. He was awesome... Then I hear Henry cry and Andy yell,, Oh My Gosh.. He is so BIG and he looks PERFECT....

I got to see him like what seemed 10 minutes later, and he did look so perfect.

Then I was taken to the recovery room, BED #10. Andy was wisked away with HENRY.. At this point my mom had been picked up, by our friends and was at the hospital...Thank the LORD..

This was a miracle, because I had been praying for so long that she would be there and God heard my prayer...

In the recovery room, it was sort of rough, i was shaking horribly from the anesthesia, and vomiting..And i was in a weird mood, I kept checking my own pulse. Thinking that the nurse was doing a crappy job. And I kept telling Andy I thought I was going to die.. Yeah..kind of funny now, but not funny then...

BED#11 back in my room,, shaking continuing and vomiting continuing, I was so thankful to see my mom who works with Anesthesia situations every day.. She was very comforting and made me feel like I was not going to die...

Fast forward like 2 hours and I am feeling lots better.. Andy and I got to see little Henry and then he was taken to the Nursery for the night..

Now fast forward 8 days,, and we are to the present..

I have learned what it means to worry for your children, and how much more it means to love someone so much..

I have learned Henry is about the cutest thing, he loves to eat... He likes his hands by his face, he has the cutest brown hair on his head. He is a good sleeper. He loves when I sing to him..

I also have learned that SINGLE Parents have much more strength than I can imagine.

I am so thankful that my mom has been here..And Breast feeding is hard.... Especially since my milk came in around day 6.....

But mostly,, I am so thankful to the Lord for his blessing of Henry in our lives.. He is amazing and I feel so honored to be his Momma.

Reserved for Expecting Mothers

This might be my last post for awhile. Things are getting close...

I am officially 39 weeks and counting down the days until Henry is here.

I should probably be doing 100 other things on the list, but instead I decided to update the blog....

I went to the doctor last week and he said that I was 1 centimeter dilated and that his head is completely down and engaged. My doctor believes that I will deliver on June 7th due to it being a FULL MOON on that day. That is next Sunday....

It is a little weird to go buy what the moon is doing, but seriously when I worked at the hospital, the crazies came out on the days there was a full moon.. Andy stated that it is the Earth's gravational pull on my body..HAHA

He has also stated that my stomach is now turning Opaque.. As in see through..YUCK.. You can clearly see my tan colored pants, which are not even that tan, are quite tanner than my belly.

I feeling good, feeling a little apprehensive, because I am going to be having a baby in MEXICO, and we are still not sure when my mom should buy a ticket. The doctor can say I will have the baby in a week, but he might be wrong, it still might be 2 weeks or something like that.. So, I am trusting.

Today in church the pastor talked about the difference between TRUST and BELIEF.. He stated that many people BELIEVE in GOD.. But NOT many people TRUST him with things in their life..

So, once again I am TRUSTING that God is going to take care of the whole thing.

That the cord that is wrapped around his neck is going to not be an issue... I am TRUSTING that all goes well.. And that soon enough a Healthy, little boy is going to be in my arms.

So for all who read, Trust God with me, that all will be well and there will be no issues.

I can't wait to post a picture of our new baby boy. Just remember it might not be for awhile.

Leg Cramps

I thought I would put a little photo of Henry's room. Due to the fact he is gettting so close.

I am 37 weeks now. Feeling good, but also feeling large. I also pretty much hate all my pregnant clothes and having been wearing Andy's clothes a lot lately. I think I am just sick of them completely.

It is getting harder to move around easy. I also am having stupid leg cramps every night.................. Which I hate.

But all is well. Less than 21 days till Henry comes to see us.

It is fun for Andy and I to talk about what he is going to look like and what his personality is going to be.. YEAH, we can't wait..

Talk to you later

Chelsea

my sweet husband

It has been 4 years now that Andy and I have officially been married. And I have known him for 10 years now. How blessed I am.

Time has flown by... Really it has.

So I thought I would share the 4 things I have learned being married to wonderful Andy.

1. He is the better part of our marriage, I feel as though he married a some what crazy person, but he continually is the kindest and most loving man I know. He is always careful of my feelings and he has his priorities set straight. His parents taught him well.

2. He loves me when it is difficult, and he prays for our marriage. He is all the best things I can think of.

3. He loves his Chicago Cubs and his Iowa Hawkeyes, he is pretty awesome at any sport he tries.

Which I like, it makes him manly. I can still beat him at bowling..HA

4.He is smart, he likes to sleep in, he enjoys taking showers, very much a germ-a-phob. He would like to open a chocolate shop one day. And i think it should be called EYE CANDY ANDY'S CHOCOLATES....

What can I say, I am blessed and can't wait to see what the next 4 years holds....

Song of Soloman 3:4 I have found the one my heart loves.......

Be Prepared

This is a picture of my stomach...

Please understand I do live in Mexico but I have not been tanning my stomach. OBVIOUSLY..
I understand if you yourself have a weak stomach and can't bear to look any further.
But those who are not weak,read on.
If I had to give it a name like I am naming a color on a crayon or something..I would say.. Dead of Winter White...HA

Anyway, my point of this random Pregnancy blog is to show you my belly button.
Little known fact..I had a umbilical hernia when I was a baby it is visible on some of my baby pictures, during that time my mom taped it down with a quarter and it slowly went away...

Well I have now come full circle. My belly button is now slowly turning out again like a small hernia again. At least that is what my doctor said.. But my personal opinion is that is sort of looks like the eye from the LEMONY SNICKET series of books, just use your imagination. And maybe add in the color Dead of Winter White.. That might help..Ha

Lastly, I drew a little picture to help you see that it really does look like an eye .. Here you go.. Enjoy

The Vow

I will be honest church is sometimes hard for us here in Mexico. I don't want to be complainy, but it is hard when you want your cup filled back up and instead you spend the whole time trying your best to understand what is being spoken to you.. That is our lives right now, in the same hand, we do really enjoy our church, it is a newer church with lots of people our age. I work in the nursery every couple of weeks. I have made friends....

But in trying our best to understand we loose out sometimes on just being filled, or just enjoying the sermon that you can 100% understand.

So Andy and I have started to watch a sermon or listen to a sermon online, once a week. We know of some good pastors we like. So all in all being a missionary today with the whole world of communication and technology at your fingerprints is NICE..... In more than one way.

What I have been wanting to say, is that we have been listening to the sermon series from http://www.lifechurch.tv/ right now called THE VOW.

It is about marriage and how to have a godly marriage. We really like it and recommend other couples and singles to check it out.

Last night it was about making the vow to keep on pursuing your spouse.

It challenged me personally to do and say those nice little things that come into my head that I never say or do.

Anyway, just thought I would throw that out there.