We aren't certain where Henry learned these sweet moves.
Some say he dances like his daddy....
Others like his grandpa...
I think it's his own original style.
Don't miss his graceful wipe out techinique....CLASSIC!
(Pardon my shaking camera. I couldn't contain my laughter to hold the camera still. You can't hold it back either, right?)
I've needed to post this for a while now.... (Check out pro-walker Brooks in the background.)
He's soooooo proud of himself and LOVES the attention. He's up to about 7-10 steps this week. So what do his parents have to say??????
"It's about time, Henry!!!!!!!"
Afterall you've been climbing this for months..
And then there's this...
Even this...
Welcome to the world of WALKING, Henry! Why don't you give your climbing gene a rest for a while, k?
(Clark and Isaac are neck in neck for who's next. Soooo close - I'll keep ya posted!)
Related Post: Brooks' First Steps
The picture you see above is not what it appears to be. I know it looks like chicken and noodles, but I assure you that what you see above is much, much more than that. Henry worked on this creation for the better part of dinner time at the table. While all three of his brothers ate, played, and talked at the table, Henry was very quiet, and very concentrated. You may think that he quickly smushed this pile of noodles, chicken, and corn together hastily, but you would be wrong. Each of these bits of food were maticulously placed in just the right spot, then inspected for structural integrity.
I am not kidding folks, this one was really funny to watch. He took several minutes and placed each bit of food on this pile one piece at a time. I am convinced that Henry must have decided to become an architect. He is not able to communicate this verbally yet, but he was very proud of this structure.
Conveniently, shortly after Henry created this masterpiece, I needed to go to Lowes to pick up some supplies for a few home repairs. I decided that this was a perfect time for me to show Henry "man's land". I showed him what real lumber looked like and explained that someday he could build real buildings out of real wood, not just chicken, noodles, and corn. I cannot be sure, but I think I heard Henry say, "this is the coolest place I have ever seen, dad" under his breath.
I cannot tell you what a joy it is to be this boy's dad. Henry makes me laugh almost everyday. I am so proud to call him my son. God has filled my heart with so much love for this little rascal that I cannot even begin to express it. I love Henry's electric blue eyes, his love for wrestling and being rough, the way he curles up on my lap for his night bottle (man, I will miss that), his daring personality, his lightning fast crawl, his perfect hair, his ability to get out of any confined spot, the way he whispers da da da, and most of all, the fact that God created Him just the way he is and gave him to us healthy.
Henry entered our world 2 months premature. He was our first and our smallest, wieghing just 2lbs. 12oz. I am so excited to see what God has in store for Henry's life. I pray daily for his salvation and the impact I hope he can have on his world. I also pray daily that my example, and Jen's example would show him what it means to live every day for Jesus Christ. And, when we fall short in this area, I hope to point him to Jesus who is the only one who can forgive us for our sins. Henry needs a Savior just like I do, so I trust God to take care of him.
I love you Henry,
Dad
PS In case you are wondering, I am planning to write a post on each of my four sons. They are all a blessing and I cannot get enough of them, so I want to praise God publically for the amazing gifts He has given me through my precious wife....
I'd like to begin by thanking my son, Henry, for providing such great blogging material. He is the creator behind this post and the film.
You may recall that Henry has a fascination for toy boxes (click highlighted text to see previous encounters). Brooks first introduced him to "life inside the box" and Henry quickly joined the elite Toy Box Diving Club.
Unfortunately for the divers, the "pool" was taken over by a new wall-mounted, sturdy storage bins....(pictured)
...but Where There's a WILL There's a HENRY!
(To those in the Henry Fan Club, he's perfectly fine here...just frustrated that the toy box is limiting his climbing ability, but I'm sure he thanks you for your concern.)
Here's the old file footage of Henry's Toy Box Initiation in December:
Hats off to your creativity and great sportsmanship (even if it is forced), Henry!
Your comments in the Part One post shows that every name has a story! Thanks for sharing your name origins with us - I've enjoyed these posts!
So last post I shared the HOW....now on to each individual name and story to go with it - the WHO! (I'll be using some quotes from a sweet friend, Kathy, who created a handmade card for us shortly after the birth of our boys with their names, meanings, and a verse to compliment the meaning. I'm not sure what name book she used, so hopefully if she's reading she'll leave a comment revealing her source.)
Let me preface this by saying that Brad and I had a few Naming Rules. These were simply personal preferences. I am not in any way slamming your kids names if they fit into any of these criteria....=)
1. They couldn't rhyme or be "sing-song cute".
2. They needed to be non-trendy; Traditional, yet distinct.
3. They needed to be names that were complete in itself - not needing to be shortened to a nickname (This rule was obviously meant to be broken...keep reading!)
4. They (at least some of them) needed to have a family link.
5. They couldn't rhyme with "Murray"....That eliminated furry, hurry, and Suri!
In Birth Order:
HENRY SAMUEL
Henry - A name we both agreed on and since Henry was only 2 lbs. 12 oz. "Isaac" just didn't fit him!
Meaning: Trusted
Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way."
Samuel - We really liked the Biblical heritage of Samuel as well as the meaning of the name (Check out I Samuel Chapter 1)
Meaning: God heard
I Samuel 1:20 "Hannah gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked him of the Lord."
Nicknames: H-Sam, Henry Dickory Dock, Hen, HEN-ERR-EEE (3 syllables like my TX Friend Pam says it), Heners, Show Boat, Small Fry, 2-12, Buddy
BROOKS LAYTON
Brooks - A name that we threw out there and then ended up falling in love with
Meaning: Refreshed
Zechariah 2:10 "Sing for joy and be glad O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst."
Layton - A family name on my mom's side, but mostly chosen because we just liked it
Meaning: From the Meadow Land =)
Psalm 23:1-2 "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters."
Nicknames: Brooksy, Brooks A Million, Little b, Brooksalufigus, Stinky (with all my affection), Buddy
Clark Thomas and Isaac Edward will be explained in detail tomorrow. It's getting late and lengthy....On To Part 3 Tomorrow!
AND While You're Waiting on Me to Return You can Discuss the Meaning of Your Name (or your baby(ies)) and Any Naming Rules You had/have for Your Kids!
Thanks for sharing all your money saving ideas and your personal recommendations on our last post. We're up to almost 50 comments showing that you truly are passionate diaper enthusiast! I hate to end all the great diaper dialogue, but I wanted to post some recent video highlights.
The first video is proof that I'm not a big fat liar. =) I mentioned a few posts ago about how Clark was doing "So Big" for Brad and I, but looks at us like we are crazy fools when I ask him in front of anyone else...Caught on camera!!!
The second is Henry up to his usual mischief. When we revamped the guest room/office into the playroom we gated off the "leftovers" (desk-top computer, vacuum, desk, office equipment, and such) until we had a chance to find a place for it. Henry decided it was high time for us to find a new home for it all. How he fits his big head in a 2" gap is beyond me! Move over, Curious George - Here comes Henry!
Don't worry I haven't forgotten about the other quad buddies (Brooks and Isaac). I just didn't have any recent footage, but if you're dying to see them in action you can click here to re-watch these great Quad Cam Moments.
Speaking of watching.....Gotta cheer on our Indianapolis Colts Sunday as they stomp the San Diego Chargers in the playoffs. Go Horse!
Although this may appear to be a re-run (see Brooks' video), this is brand new footage! Henry apparently wanted to reenact the classic toy box episode.
My dad has labeled Henry as the future "troublemaker" and he just might be on to something....After all, this is the kid that tried to break out of his isolette when he was 2 days old! Here's some pictures of a more successful attempt in climbing in the toy box.
To add to his record - I've found Henry in the playroom without pants 2x now! How the little dude figured out how to de-pants himself is beside me, but I'm thinking it's WAY too early for this mischief!
Yesterday after a particularly challenging and tiring day, I guess I had a little "learning moment" from my buddies Isaac and Henry. My brother and I were just having a discussion on Monday about how much kids show you your own sin and selfishness, humble you, and hold you accountable. Well, last night at the nine o'clock feeding (my favorite feeding - it's quiet, the boys are sleepy adorable and Brad and I are able to have actual conversations) Isaac and Henry were finished with their bottles and ready to put down for the night. We had them sitting up (burping position) and facing each other. Well, Henry had the hiccups. Poor guy, he gets them so often and so strong! However, Isaac was getting a kick out of it. He was checkin' Henry out and beaming every time Henry hiccuped. Isaac even started trying to imitate Henry by breathing and kinda jumping on Brad's lap. Henry started smiling from Isaac smiling. It was such a precious moment and I wish there would have been someone there to grab the video camera, but it was a sweet thing that Brad and I got to share. Okay you ready for the corny application point?
There are PLENTY of "hiccups" in life, Jen. Step back and laugh at your crazy day. Don't let the little things get you so down that you miss the amazing things happening around you! Smile at the hiccups.
Profound, theological, deep, book worthy, huh? Hey, they aren't even 5 months old, give them and their mama a break!
We could not do any of this on a daily basis without first of all, Jesus Christ - He gets the glory! Thank you for all that you have done to serve us. Thanks for continuing to read our blog, leaving comments of encouragement, supplying us with diapers and meals, feeding babies, thanks for your patience with us as we learn how to parent these boys, and just your overall willingness to help us. Our hearts are grateful.
Alright, so where should I start?????? Let's just start with the boys and what they've been up to.....We have a doctor's appointment today, their 4 month appointment - can you believe it? 4 shots a piece for a grand total of 16 shots and 8 bandaides. Ouch! We will be Tylenoling (yes, it's now a verb) all night. There's a specific prayer request for ya! I'll try to get on and update you on weights. We look forward to that part!
Let's see....the boys are growing and are so much fun each day. Especially now that they are all smiling up a storm, it makes you feel like, "hey, he likes me". Everytime one of them smiles it makes my day over and over. What a blessing! They are sleeping about 9 hours on average a night, with an occasional pacifer run. Whoohooo! It was hard work, but it's now paying off. We are such better parents with a good nights sleep and we are so thankful for some real shut-eye! Their day consists of feedings every 3 hours, playtime, and naptime. They enjoy their bouncy seats, boppies, and gym mostly. Here's a short run down of what they are doing individually.
Henry: Henry has been showing that he still is the oldest by rolling over, (which is quite an accomplishment for a 2 month old (adjusted age)). He loves to do his trick in his bed, while he should be sleeping! Occasionally he rolls into his big brother Isaac, which he isn't too fond of, but we are keeping them in 2 cribs for as long as possible. The crib dividers maybe just around the corner, though. Henry smiles with his whole face - too cute. He has such a sweet personality.
This Henry right after he rolled over for the first time!
Brooks: Brooks continues to be laid back and go with the flow. He likes to smile most when you're feeding him, which is very cute, but a bit frustrating when you are trying to feed 4 babies! He's been figuring out how to bat at his toys and loves to look at his brothers. He curls up with Clark in the middle of the night - so cute!
Clark on the left, Brooks on the right. Yes, we really can tell them apart! Promise!
Clark: Clark loves to kick (this started way back in wombville). He was definately my most active one in there. He loves to hang upside down by kicking backwards in his boppie. He has a wonderful grin and is quite the happy boy when you wake him up from his nap. He has rolled over once in the boppie and once in his crib - we'll see if he keeps that up! He's also quite the cuddler.
Isaac: Isaac is the talker of the bunch. He makes noise from sleeping to waking. I'm thinking he might be immitating his cousin Jonathan. He loves to smile and coo at you while you talk to him. He just loves to eat! Isaac loves to be held and loved on.
Isaac showing off his big ole cheeks and no neck!
They each have their own personality, as you can see. Hope you enjoyed my little update.
More blogging later,
Quatro Mama and the Gang!
Our two double strollers, thank you RCI!
From the left: Brooks, Isaac, Henry, and Clark
Brooks and Clark
Top to bottom: Henry and Isaac
Isaac
Formula for one month!
Well, after leaving the grandmas and aunt Kristy in charge for the night to go and pick up Henry, we soon realized we were in for quite a night! Brad and I decided to go by Babies R Us before picking up the little guy to look for a rocker/glider, since we just can't keep the Hurt's recliner forever. (Thanks Dan and Karen, it's been a true comfort to all of us!). No luck on that - where do you buy a good nursery rocker, anyway?
Well, on our way out of the parking lot, Brad noticed a strange noise coming from our van. He pulled back into the parking lot to take a better listen....We really should have video taped this for you all to get a hoot out of....well, when he went to pull the key out of the ignition the car kept RUNNING!!!! That is NOT normal! He put the key back in the ignition in the start position and it shut off and then it would not restart.
Making an incredibly long story brief, we had to call a tow truck (by the way, the cars on the northside must not break down, because it's impossible to find a tow truck up there! - must be all those Beemers and Lexus'). Kristy came in our car to pick us up, we threw all the "stuff" into the car, strapped in the car seat and finally headed to get our little Henry. I think he thought we had forgotten him. We finally arrived home around 10:30.From there until about 3:30 we had a crying fest between the 2 alumni (Brooks and Isaac) until my mom used her g-ma magic and got them settled. I think they were just missing Clark. =)
Anyway, it was quite eventful, which I think has just now become the theme of our lives!
More adventures later,
Quatro Mama
(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)
Friends and Family:
Awesome news to share with you, Henry is coming home!! They told us last night that Henry was ready to join us in Pittsboro today! We are so excited to get this much closer to having our family all together. God has been so incredible in supplying our every need the past few weeks as we learn to care for babies for the first time. We are ready and waiting for our little Henry to come home to us tonight.
Could you pray that the transition would go smoothly for him and for us? We are handling two babies pretty well now, so we are hoping that Henry will now fit right into the schedule. Please also pray that Clark would join us soon also. Clark continues to have digestive issues, but will hopefully come home in the next week or two if those clear up as they expect them to. The doctors recently took him off of his feedings for a few days to give his intestines a rest. They have now resumed a full feeding schedule for him and hope that his body will begin to function correctly after this rest. I guess I think of it like your computer locking up. You have to shut it down and let it cool off, then restart and hope for the best. Hopefully Clark just needed a restart!
Thank you all for your prayers, support, and help with physical needs.
Brad, Jen, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac
(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)
Hey everyone,
Sorry that I have not updated the blog in a while, as you can imagine, life is much different in the Murray house these days! Brooks and Isaac are thriving at home, gaining weight, and sleeping really well so far. We are so thankful to have two of our little boys home with us. It has been a long time coming and we are loving taking care of them. Each day has been a little better and we are getting just enough sleep to get by.
Henry and Clark continue to hang out at the hospital for the time being. Henry is doing great, should be home in the next week or two. Henry is taking most of his food by bottle now, but still requires the occasional tube feed, so he will remain in the hospital until he can stay awake for all eight feeds per day.
Clark is still the one that needs your prayers the most. Clark continues to have digestive problems with his intestines. They had to stop his feedings completely in the last few days due to loops in his intestines that were bloated. The doctors had to place a new IV line to give him fluids in the meantime. They have now put him back on minimum feeds, but are doing a series of tests to try to find the root of his problem. Please pray that Clark would make a final recovery and come home to us as soon as possible.
On a lighter note, we were blessed beyond our imaginations yesterday evening when Jen's parents brought gifts from a shower held for us at Calvary Baptist Church in Danville, Illinois. They filled our living room with gifts yesterday evening for our boys. This is just one more example of the amazing provision that God is providing for our family. Jen and I have not been able to keep up with all of you who have blessed us in various ways in the past few weeks since the boys were home. The cards, gifts, food, love, and prayers that have been offered has been amazing. We are so far behind on thank you notes at this point, that I am absolutely certain that we are going to miss some people in thanking them for their generosity. We do want to thank each of you individually, but for those of you that we miss, thank you very much. We are more thankful than we will ever be able to express to each of you.
-To our parents, siblings, great grandparents, and extended family: Thank you for your never ending support and help.
-The Bible Church of Brownsburg: You are the reason that we know that we will be okay. Your continued support and prayer is priceless. It is exciting to have such a great body of believers to support our boys growth.
-Teachers at Brown Elementary, thank you so much for the money you raised, we could not believe how generous all of you were, thank you!
-Brownsburg Teachers in general, you are an amazing group, thank you for your support.
-Calvary Baptist Church: I have never seen such a faithful group of prayer warriors.
There are so many of you to thank that I could not possible list you all. To all of you who have been so helpful and generous, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we love you all!
Brad, Jen, Henry, Brooks, Clark, and Isaac
(Post Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)
Everyone,
Just a quick update, and a piece of new information that I forgot to mention three days ago.....Jen is home!!
We just had some of our best friends call to see if it would be a good time to come by and see Jen at the hospital. These friends are faithful blog readers, so this confused me. But, now I realize that I never told you all this bit of info! Jen and I spent our third night at home last night, and it is just wonderful. We are certainly torn between here at the hospital, but it is so nice to sleep in our own bed in the peace and quite of home. (I know, the peace and quiet part is almost over.)
Please pray for Henry this morning. Henry is having 2-3 heart rate dips per hour right now. This is not a critical problem, and is very common with preemie's, but is a problem that he will have to overcome none the less. Please pray that little Henry's brain would remember to tell his heart to beat all the time, not just some of the time!
I want to clarify Clark's story a little bit for you today too. On the night that Clark was at his worst, his doctors thought that there was a realistic chance that he would not make it through the night. They had maxed out all of the medication to improve his condition, and all of their efforts were failing. Jen needed to go 24 hours without an infection before she would be allowed into the NICU to see the boys. But, at midnight, the NP who was in charge of Clark's care came to our room to speak with us. She told us that she had been given permission to break the rule so that Jen could go up to see Clark. She was fearful that if Jen did not go get to see him that night, she may never get to see him alive. Clark finally turned to corner about 30 minutes after his mom got to see him for the first time. They still don't know what made him so sick, and they are even more confused about how he has made such a rapid recovery, but we know that God answered our prayers for healing.
I only share this with you so that you all know just how miraculous Clark's recovery was. His nurses and doctors were very grim about his condition, but God had other plans for his life.
We love you all,
Brad, Jen, and the Blue Crew
(Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)
What an amazing day!!!!! This is JEN (aka quatro mama)writing!!! I was so excited to update you all for the first time in months. (It helps that I can actually fit a computer on my lap now. My ridiculously HUGE belly kept me from that for months!)
First to update you on CLARK....He has had his best day ever. So great, in fact that they couldn't keep up with his progress. He was switched back to the "regular" vent today, weened off all blood pressure medicine, and his ventilator settings are turned to low (meaning mostly room air). He is also off the paralytic medicine and off the billirubin lights. (Although I must admit it was pretty cute to have all 4 of them lit up in blue for the Colts game!) Please continue to pray - there is still some danger ahead we are afraid for this little guy, because of his heart valve and the fact that they have not diagnosed what has caused his trouble. Perhaps this will be another unexplainable work that God will show Himself through, as the doctors and nurses cannot explain what has caused him to improve so much today.
Now to ISAAC.....He was taken off the vent this morning and put on C-PAP. Brad was able to help keep him calm during the transition process, therefore they didn't have to sedate him. Brad was able to place his hands under his head and on top of his precious body and rock him gently in his hands for about a 1/2 hour. He calmed down in his hands. What a sweet memory! Isaac is also off the billirubin lights. The only stinky news is that Isaac also has the unclosed heart valve and started his medicine tonight. Will you pray that Clark and Issac both respond to this treatment and will not have to have heart surgery?
HENRY...I like to call him King Henry, because although he's the little guy he's the show off. Today was my first day due to my fever being down for 24 hours to be able to touch our kids, and Henry fell first in line. I can't describe how precious his little head was to touch.
BROOKS....Best part of the day. I was able to hold my own sweet Brooks tonight. He even showed Mommy and Daddy his pretty eyes
for quite sometime. Then as he got snuggled in those eyes got too heavy to keep open and he fell right to sleep in mama's arms. Daddy got his snuggle time next. I cannot describe the sweetness of those 20 minutes.
An update on me.....I will most likely be released tomorrow, if my blood pressure is not too high and as long as I'm not getting too faintish because of my low blood count levels. (Sometime I'll have to fill you in on an interesting story this morning of trying to sit in the laundry basket in the bathroom because I was passing out - what an adventure this all has been!) I cannot believe that I have been here in the hospital for over 4 1/2 weeks! Please pray for me during this transition home and as Brad and I are away from our boys. We know that we cannot be with them here constantly - so please pray that we are able to leave them in the great care they are in and for me to start this recovery process from such an extreme pregnancy. My body has quite a bit of adjusting to do after going through the war. (I've already lost over 35lbs in 4 days, though, so perhaps I should have went for that "Biggest Loser" audition.)
Also many of you are asking when the boys will come home and that is a question not even being considered at this point. They ALL have many things to accomplish in NICU first. Specifically:
1.Maintaining Body Temperature on their own in an open crib
2.Ability to Feed
3.Ability to Gain Weight
4.Breathing on their own
They say plan on them coming home around their due date (March 30), some come home a bit earlier, some later. Most likely they will not all come home at the same time. They are 5 days old tomorrow, so we're just taking one preemie step at a time.
Alright, time for my vitals...Brad is sleeping - what is wrong with this picture? Didn't I just have 4 babies?????? Just kidding. What an awesome example Brad has been to love his wife as Christ loves the church. I am so blessed!
(Copied from www.triplet-update.blogspot.com)
