Yankee Doodle BoyS!

Happy Fourth of July!

Henry {One Month}

It's true what "they" say...by the time your sweet baby arrives it's hard to imagine life before they were physically a part of your family. I remember that feeling once Jack had arrived and it resonates deep within my heart again as I reflect upon this first month with Henry.

~Henry is a very sweet baby. He rarely cries. If he does, he is hungry. And not "sort of" hungry...maybe I could use a "snack" hungry - oh no! H-U-N-G-R-Y.

~He's a good sleeper. The last two weeks he's been stretching his night sleep 4 to 5 hours. {It's amazing to me what happens to your brain when you get more than 2 hours at a time.}

~At his 2 week check up he had reached 9lbs {up 20oz since leaving the hospital} and had grown to 21in. With that growth, he said "goodbye!" to newborn clothes and diapers. It has been so fun to see Henry in clothes that Jack once wore.

~He finally got to have his first bath at 3 weeks. {His umbilical stump just wanted to hang on...} I think since he was a bit older the first bath "drama" didn't occur. He really enjoyed it.

The adjustments that we have had to make going from one to two are nothing out of the ordinary. I think the biggest adjustment I have had to make is to give myself an unusual amount of grace throughout the day. To say that I had unrealistic expectations of myself this first month would be the understatement of the year. At times it has been completely humiliating to watch myself flounder with two children. {I mean...HELLO! I used to run a classroom full of crazy lovely students!}

But, as I have learned to accept grace from my Heavenly Father, I have also had to learn to make the time to be in God's word. My quiet times this past month did not look the same as they have in the past, but I find those moments since I know without His words in my heart, there is NO WAY I could do this job. To help me stay focused on my quiet time, I have been studying Kelly Minter's devotional on Nehemiah. As I was studying I came across these verses...

~ Nehemiah 1.5-6 ~

"O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those  who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night..."

Day and night...how I praise God he hears us whenever we call and whatever we need...even if we don't even know what to ask for {Romans 8.26-28}. I'm just so grateful that we have a God who cares and is the perfect model for us as parents. It gives me great HOPE as I look to the future as the Mama of both Jack and Henry.

Are you my brother?

Trip took each of these photos on the boys' first visits to the pediatrician's office. Jack is on the left and Henry is on the right. There is no doubt that these two are related.

The first two weeks home have been a true "learning experience". A dear friend of mine, who recently had her second baby, joked one day that "One + One does NOT equal Two...it equals ZOO!!" And oh how right she was.

Henry is a very sweet, cuddly baby who LOVES to eat. That sweet baby was born starving. And until my milk came in I swear every time he cried I heard him saying, "I'm calling DFCS...I'm calling DFCS...this woman does not feed me..." Luckily, he has since stopped saying that. Well, at least when I'm around.

Jack is slowly adjusting to yet another change in his world. These last few months have presented so many different challenges to him and his comfort level. Those changes, along with being two months shy of turning 3, are testing all of us. But at the same time, he is a living example to Trip and me of how much our Heavenly Father loves us. If it were not for the grace that I wake to each morning, I'm not sure I would ever get out of bed.

 

Trip and Jack have made up for lost time these last two weeks. They have played every minute that they are together. Jack's affection for Trip makes my heart burst with joy.

Thank you for the calls, notes, emails, and texts of congratulations and well wishes. Thank you also to each family who has brought us a meal. We are so blessed by the love and prayer covering our family {and the incredible food that has filled our tummies.}

Welcoming Henry

The following post is brought to you by Trip's photographic talent. After months of not being able to hold his camera, these pictures capture more than just Henry's arrival. They capture the hope and joy that we have looked forward to since Trip's surgery. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Jack meeting Henry for the first time.

I thought my heart was going to explode in this moment.

Radtke Party of Four!

 And finally, a picture I have waited months for...

 

~Job 8.21~
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.

His Name

Now that Henry is here and we have revealed this sweet boy's name, I had to share with you the significance of his first and middle names.

Henry ~
Together, with his big brother, a man of great honor in our family has been acknowledged. Henry Jackson is a man several generations back on Trip's father's side. He was a Methodist preacher who loved the Lord and used music to lead others into an understanding of how much God loved them. He and his wife Alice spent many years in Buenos Aires, Argentina as missionaries. Trip and I love to hear Grandma Radtke tell stories of this special man. We consider him a great standard for our boys to consider as they live a life that reflects Christ.

John ~
Trip's maternal grandfather was very special to him. He was beloved for being an incredible teacher and a loving, patient, and generous grandfather. Trip and his brothers spent hours in Papa's basement workshop, learning how to use the saw, router, and other woodworking tools. Papa also taught Trip and his brothers how to play all sorts of card games. Perhaps most importantly, Papa was known for service: whether serving in his church, as a docent at a museum, or the people in his community, Papa was always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Papa Miller's first name was Floyd. {Bless it.} So, we were relieved delighted to know his middle name was John. Thus, Papa Miller's middle name is now our Henry's middle name.

During the trials of these past few months with Trip's crippling pain, surgery and recovery, the Lord kept giving me a phrase as I focused on Henry's arrival. "He will bring you Joy." As we considered that and made it our focus, we knew that this child would be named Henry John.

Each of our boys have answered prayers that were months or years in the making. It is God's testimony to us as a family that we are in His grip and "The Lamb of God" will never let us go.

Look to the Lamb of God

~by Henry Jackson

If you from sin are longing to be free,
Look to the Lamb of God.
He to redeem you died on Calvary,
Look to the Lamb of God.

Look to the Lamb of God.
Look to the Lamb of God.
For He alone is able to save you,
Look to the Lamb of God.

When Satan tempts and doubts and fears assail,
Look to the Lamb of God.
You in His strength shall over all prevail,
Look to the Lamb of God.

Are you aweary?
Does the way seem long?
Look to the Lamb of God.
His love will cheer
And fill your heart with song.
Look to the Lamb of God.

Fear not when shadows on your pathway fall,
Look to the Lamb of God.
In joy or sorrow Christ is all in all.
Look to the Lamb of God.

He's Here!!

"Kristin, you will give birth to joy.

I, the Lord your God, 

knew what you & Trip would walk through between

this child's conception and birth...

and I choose to give you JOY."

~ Henry John ~
June 2
8lb 3oz
20.5in

The Nursery

Today the chair that Trip slept in during his recovery was removed from the nursery. So, before this little rascal makes an appearance, I thought I would share the nursery photos.

I loved using the bedding and furniture from Jack's nursery. Since I looked for so long to find what I wanted while I was expecting Jack, I didn't have any desire to do anything new for his brother. I have added a few new touches, but the nursery is essentially the same. I like that. I like the connection the boys' rooms have from the beginning.

Trip and I found the lighthouse prints during one of our visits to Corolla, NC.

This chair is God's gift to a nursing Mama.

There's a lovely first initial that hangs above the crib. But for sneaky purposes I have edited it out of this photo. :)

One of the personal touches I put in the room was this reminder... I want to remember this truth when I'm up at 3am feeding my son or changing a blowout. He and his brother, and the future God has for us, has been our focus these past few months. We gratefully await his arrival.

Before I sign off, I must show you one more special treat. Before Baby Radtke officially moves into his nursery, he'll spend the first weeks in our bedroom. The cradle is on loan to us from my brother and sister-in-law. My brother made this cradle for his children. It is such a treasure and I love that all of our babies will have slept in it their first nights home.