Dad's Salon

From the contented look on her face, it must be the place to go!

MaryP

So, if you didn't remember, we made an announcement a little while ago. Well, she came.


MaryP Henrichsen was born at 3:36 pm on Wednesday, July 18th. She weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing great and taking their first nap at home right now.

I think her new name will be Mary Poppins because she is "Practically perfect in every way."


This picture was taken about 20 seconds after MaryP was born. The doctor told Woodine that after her head came out she would pause to clean out her nose and mouth then she should push out the body, but when she came MaryP came out all at once, surprising the doctor. MaryP was ready and rarin' to go!

Woodine was due on Saturday, July 14th. Saturday came and went. We had consigned ourselves to the fact that she was probably going to come late. Woodine was small for a 9 month pregnant woman, and hadn't had many contractions. We saw the doctor on Tuesday. Since MaryP kept on growing, but mom's belly wasn't the doctor asked us if we wanted to be induced right then. With my eyebrows raised I said, "uh. . . sure." But Woodine hadn't had a good night sleep, and we were planning on taking a nap right after the Dr's appointment, so we opted to be induced the next morning (not like Woodine or I got a good night's sleep that night - too much anticipation). We showed up and they broke her water and started her on Pitocin at 8:00 am. By noon, she was having strong hard contractions closer than the nurse wanted. Woodine opted to get an epidural. It was a lifesaver. The rest of the labor was more like rest and less like labor. She could hardly feel the contractions, but she still progressed rapidly. MaryP's heart rate dipped during two contractions in a row. The nurse decided to check her progress, and found that the baby was coming really soon. She called the doctor and told her to come quickly. They set up quickly and then MaryP came quickly. From induction to birth it took about 7 1/2 hours. Not bad for a first pregnancy.

I honestly expected MaryP to be uglier when she was born. We looked online about some things, like when to clamp the cord and found pictures that grossed both of us out. MaryP was cleaner and prettier than any of those pictures. Yes she was purple, but I think anyone if they had to go through what MaryP went through.



I can't believe how much we have been blessed. So many things have gone so well for us. I know many people who have had so many more trials along the way. I can't help but thank God for giving me a healthy baby girl and a healthy wife.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Some friends had us over last night and served us this (minus the raspberries).
Um, I think not all of my baby weight is from the baby, but man oh man, talk about a delicious! I think it'd be worth purchasing the little souffle dishes or creme brule cups just for this. And it's split into 5 or 6 containers, so that makes the distribution of butter and powdered sugar much better...right? Good enough excuse for me! (And even though the inside is runny, its hot enough that there's not the worry of salmonella, etc.)

Chocolate lava cake

Mix 6oz chocolate squares or ch. chips with 10Tbsp butter and melt.

Add 1.5 C powdered sugar and 0.5C flour and beat.

Add 3 eggs and mix.

Add 3 egg yolks and mix.

Pour into 5-6 greased or floured souffle cups.

Bake at 425 deg. for 15 min.

After removing, loosen edges with a knife. Put a plate over it and flip it over. Great with whipped cream, ice cream, etc.

Only 250 weight watchers points ......and totally worth it!

Qualified

Main Entry: qual·i·fied
Pronunciation: 'kwä-l&-"fId
Function: adjective
1 a : fitted (as by training or experience) for a given purpose : COMPETENT b : having complied with the specific requirements or precedent conditions (as for an office or employment) : ELIGIBLE

Yesterday and today Wood finished the last two big requirements to become qualified. This included a hands-on exam where he was the head-officer standing watch over the nuclear reactor and they throw problems and situations at him to see how he responds. Today were his final oral boards. He did well on both and is done! This means he can go to his sub (where he has to re-qualify for that particular sub) and start doing what he's been training to be doing for the last 2 years. In a bit of irony today was his 1 year mark of starting training here in NY. He will spend the remainder of his time here assisting other students. (And taking care of a baby. Whenever she decides to show up......)

I am so proud of him and how hard he's worked. Way to go honey!

Ta Dah!

Wood wanted a project and we both wanted a new bookshelf. He designed it and it comes complete with adjustable shelves. I think he did a great job. I didn't get a full shot of the finished product because of a mess at the bottom of the shelf - the "spare room" is a current work in progress, hopefully to become the baby's room/still sort of spare room in the next few weeks.

Fifty-two weeks and one day a Year Maketh

- except on leap years -
One year ago today, I was with my sweetheart about to be married for time and all eternity. It seems like it hasn't been a year, but I guess the calendar doesn't lie.

I remember people saying to us, "Something will go wrong on your wedding day, so don't get to caught up in any problems and enjoy your day together." Though there was some stressful moments setting up for the reception the day before (Sorry Frogalee, M, B and others), our wedding day was wonderful. I remember talking with Woodine as we were departing for our fabulous honeymoon and determining that there really wasn't anything that went wrong at all.

In the past year Woodine has been such a strength to me. Often she hasn't felt well due to morning sickness. And even more often she has had to deal with a husband that likes to tease and push buttons (J, you are not alone). More seriously, she has had to endure the roller coaster of being married to a man in the military. She has dealt with so much. Our lives have changed a lot in the last year. I had a hard time imagining Woodine and I as being a family before, but now it just feels right.

I thank a loving Father in Heaven for blessing me with a wonderful wife . . . and wonderful life.

Trail Run

Wood ran a 5K today (Saturday) in the Adirondacks and it was a good excuse to go somewhere to celebrate our anniversary.*

We went up Friday afternoon, took a hike and then ate some dinner in Lake Placid. We had one of those experiences you read about and think "that's cool, wouldn't it be fun if that happened to me?" We met a really nice couple going to the same restaurant for their anniversary. When we asked for our check after the dinner we were informed it had already been paid for - and even though they wished to remain anonymous the waiter spilled the beans and we were able to thank them. They smiled and suggested we could return the kindness to some other young couple in 30 years....I think we will.

Wood did a great job in the race. Here he is preparing to do his finishing quadruple axel (that's what it looks like to me) - or maybe just asking which way the course went. I was trying for a head-on action shot. Oh well.



Crossing the finish line.



He finished 2nd in his age group and since the guy who came in first also came in first overall, Wood won some snazy socks and a hat.

A navy friend and Wood's old roommate (Philip Trottingham**) had encouraged him to run in the first place along with a few other navy guys. 3 of them ran the 5K but Phil-T ran the 11.5 mi trail run - a rugged trail and did well. It was fun to cheer him on at the end. We stayed for some of the festivities and awards and headed home a little sunburned but happy.

*We were able to relax this weekend because we're not moving next week - we're moving in August...and it's in writing. :) Phew! Perhaps I should stop posting about where we're going when and just wait until we get there. Ie. Surprise....we're in Guam!

**Name has been changed. We have a Trottingham street near here and decided that if our first born was male - Philip Trottingham would be a great name. What was even better was the looks on our friend's faces when we told them that - polite disbelief. Unfortunately, I'm no good at keeping a straight face!

Instability

I think eating ice cream directly out of the box is cathartic. It's good in a bowl, but for those moments when I need to enhanced comfort - I prefer straight from the box. We ate ice cream out of a box last night.

After celebrating that we are moving in August we found out that, never mind, we are moving in June. Just under 3 weeks before I'm due. Yuck. Okay, Wood's moving and the Navy won't stop me from going with him, even though I don't "have to" and am technically no "supposed to". So no fun, but we can deal with it, right? Here's the problem. Those at the top of the chain of command insist all of his class leaves in June. However, his lieutenant who participates in scheduling isn't so sure they're going to be able to get them out in June. Which means we're supposed to make complete preparations as though we're leaving in June, and then they may change the orders 4 to 2 days before we're supposed to leave. I can move in June -it's the instability that caused an emotional melt down for me last night - hence the cathartic ice cream.

On a positive note, we're still going to Washington, same boat and all. Connecticut is only a 10 week stint, so we can do this. Washington is a much longer commitment so I'm grateful that's in place. I had a doctors appointment yesterday and the baby is very healthy, and she will come regardless of where we are living - though she has strict orders not to come on the road while we move - thankfully it's not a long drive! So, I know things will work out but I am curious (and a little anxious) as to just how they will. But they will. Que sera, sera...........

Orders

We have our orders, which is a huge relief! We will be leaving for Connecticut in August for a 10 week submarine school. Wood reports August 20th. The baby and I will probably join him a week after that. We just found out August. Our initial orders asked us to report in June, ~3 weeks before my due date. Wood's been working with people and they've just given the ok for August. We know moving with a 4-6 week old will not be easy either, but we are excited to have the baby here where we like the doctors and the hospital and where many supportive friends are close by.

After the 10 weeks in Groton, CT we are headed to the great Northwest!!! Yep, we are to be stationed for the next 2.5 to 3 years out of Bangor, WA. This is on the Kitsap peninsula just north of Bremerton. Wood will be on the Henry M. Jackson, an SSBN or ballistic missile sub.

This is what we've been hoping and praying for. This means his sea tours will be 2.5-3 months at a time instead of 6-8+ months at a time. And there are 2 crews on SSBNs, so he'll do a tour, come back, work on and sub maintenance that needs to be done, and then the next crew will go out for a few months and he will be around (as much as the Navy allows). We are so grateful. There have been ups and downs this last year and a lot of not knowing what is happening next. But I know Heavenly Father is guiding this process. That doesn't mean things will always be easy, but I feel these assignments are tender mercies. We are very grateful and very excited!

Memory loss

I used to think women were being sarcastic or funny or something when they talked about losing brain cells to the baby. Maybe it's not quite like that, but considering that I cannot remember what I was going to do 1 minute ago (and that this seems to be an increasingly frequent trend in my life) I'm guessing they weren't all joking.

Whoops - I just remembered what it was. Better hurry and do it before its gone again!

Too close for comfort

Watching a building burn down was not the way I planned on getting to know my neighbors.

The apartment diagonally across the street from us burned down today. A neighbor saw a large fireball and then the building caught on fire and she called 9-1-1.

I've never seen anything like it. The wind (which gratefully directed the heavy smoke away from our home) unfortunately also stoked the flames as the firemen worked on putting them out. They worked at it for a little over an hour before it appeared they were finished. I know they risk their lives in their jobs, but I'd never really thought about it until I watched some of them stand inside the burning building putting the flames out from the inside. You can see on the right a portion of the roof that they collapsed with axes - there was a small flame there that would not die down. At one point there were over 13 emergency response vehicles by our complex. Here is the building about 2 hrs after it was over.

Thankfully no one was hurt - it reminds you what is most importnat. That being said, I am also so grateful that the fire in our building a few months ago was resolved quickly and for the roof we have over our heads. What a blessing!

Piano

It's big. It's brown. It's out-of-focus. And it's ours.

We knew we wanted a piano, Wood especially, but also we knew it would be awhile before we actually got one. However, where Wood works there is a place where people post items they are selling or giving away. And a family didn't want their piano anymore and were giving it away, so we glady took it off of their hands. Okay, the piano movers took it. There is no way we were getting it up to our second story apartment by ourselves!

It's an old, old Story and Clark. It could use a little fixing-up here and there (like the sustain pedal - though I think we can fix that ourselves, hopefully), but the sound is good and it's fun to be able to play. Wood plays more then I do - my 3 months of piano lessons before I started violin when I was 8 just doesn't cut it -go figure! Both of us have a lot to learn, but now we have something to practice on! And for the price we paid, the people also threw in some beginner piano books, so I'm going to give those a shot.

It's big. I think Wood comments on that every time he comes home from work. Our living-room coffee table is currently occupying our hallway, as seen in the background. But we'll figure it all out. In the mean time, it's exciting to just have some more music in our home!

Washington DC

Wood had another one of his 4-day weekends - one of the definite perks of his strange schedule.

This time we decided to make our way to Washington DC. We decided to take the shorter (though pricey) toll roads that took us through New Jersey and Delaware and on into Maryland. Okay, my real motivation was that I wanted to say I'd at least been through those states. So as night fell I strained my eyes to get any glimpse of the NJ or Delaware landscape. Wood laughed at how excited I was, even at the little I could see in the dark. Some day I'll make it back for a real visit, but until then, this will have to do!

Thursday night we stopped when we (I) got tired and found an Inn that gave us a 40% discount for being in the military - I must remind myself of these perks the next time we're dealing with the red-tape!

Friday morning we headed to the DC temple. I've never been there before and the last time Wood was there it was for Lady and Man's wedding. What a beautiful temple!! We had a wonderful time and neither of us wanted to leave.

Friday evening we drove into DC and checked out the Washington monument and the WWII memorial. One thing I enjoyed about DC was how well-done everything was and how beautiful the mall and that whole area is!

Saturday we went to the Holocaust Museum. That was sobering, but well done. There were only a few images that I had to turn away from, but that was profound in and of itself. The people there at that time could not turn away. And it was not merely photographs - it was life. I cannot comprehend what really took place then, but both Wood and I appreciated the exhibit.
Next we breezed through 2 art museums in record time and headed for the Air and Space museum where we caught a cool planetarium show on collisions. After that it was off to the Vietnam memorial and the Lincoln and Jefferson monuments.

As you can tell from the picture taken from the Lincoln monument the weather was a little cooler then we were hoping for. Good thing we brought our winter gear!

By this time I was tired and cranky and in need of sustenance. Unfortunately, we also discovered that parking near restaurants in that area is nigh-unto impossible. We spent 30+ minutes just driving around and around looking for anywhere to park (within reasonable walking distance due to the tired wife in the passenger seat). We finally gave up and headed farther out of the city and found a little cafe` to eat at.

Sunday morning we woke-up and lo and behold the Easter bunny found our motel room. How does he do that? He even left a cute little outfit for our daughter - wow! Then we headed to PA and joined the PennHens for church and crashed Lady's family's Easter dinner and had a great time with them. Lady's family always makes us feel - like family. We enjoyed visiting with the PennHens and of course see MacGregor's new smile - now he can really sing all I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth!

We had a great time!

Crafty Companion

I am not crafty.

I have multiple memories of trying to do a craft for school, YW, or RS and while everyone else is on step 5 I'm trying to repair my step 2. Oh, I can be creative. It's just turning those visions into reality - that's the problem. In wood-shop in 8th grade I was making a "Calvin-ball" wicket set for my little brother. But when the teacher finally looked at what I was doing he said "Um, what exactly is that?!" So, that project was scrapped.

I'm not complaining. In my family it's an on-going joke that it's in the blood (lack of craftiness that is). It's a big triumph for both my mom and I if something turns out really well!

My VT companion on the other hand is EXTREMELY crafty. Everything she does just has that special touch. One of the ways she shows love to people is giving gifts - so each month she comes up with something to give our teachies. That's fine with me and many of them have commented on how they've appreciated what they received. I always point a finger to Stella in those moments - give credit where credit is due! However, lately she's decided that we should make the crafts together which is good social time for us but puts me out of my comfort zone. Fortunately she comes up with the ideas and they've been simple enough that I can even help.
Here are a few pictures of our Easter eggs filled with rice krispies and wooden eggs with a beautiful thought attached.
Oh, all of the ideas were hers, but I can't help being a little proud at the finished product.

Breakthrough in Relations

The snows in northern NY are not completely gone yet, but the temperatures have been quite nice recently. Some of you know that I love to play sports like Football, Ultimate Frisbee, or any sport that speed/hustle can compensate for . . . well for lack of skill. In any case, I organized a game between the officers and enlisted students in my section at the Nuclear power plant I work at.

-- I don't know how much you know about officers & enlisted in the Navy (or the military in general) but I'll try to briefly explain. Officers outrank enlisted people. There are 8 officer and ~35 enlisted students in my section. Since we are being trained right now, as far as military hierarchy, we are the bottom rung. But the officers have some benefits and don't have to do some of the tedious things that the enlisted people have to do. Officers are also graded by tougher criteria and are required to know more. But in spite of all the differences, we have tried to establish good working relationships. --

So I organized a game of ultimate frisbee / football, and proposed that it should be officer vs. enlisted. That peaked every one's interest and we played on Thursday on a field still slightly soggy from melting snow.

We ended up playing three games to 7 of frisbee. We lost horribly the first game 7-3. But the officers regrouped and we won the next two games 7-5 each. I hurt my left thumb in the first game blocking a pass, but still managed to contribute significantly both completing several TD passes and receiving a few as well.

Then we played football. All the officers were pretty tired, so we mixed up the teams. I used some medical tape to tape up my thumb and I played. I was the quarterback for the majority of the time. I was very pleased because did much better than I expected. My team won both games. I was covered in mud, and very happy. I had a lot of fun. . . . I also had a broken thumb.

One of my biggest worries was that Woodine would respond to the injury like:

"I can't believe you played 5 games with a broken thumb and you're still happy about it!?"

This worry ended up being unfounded. To my relief, she said:

"I'm sorry you hurt your thumb, but I'm glad you had a fun time. And you know, sometimes those things happen."

She even told me about when she played high school softball and she broke her finger, taped it up and played the whole game. I love my wife. :)










P.S. I think the whole event was a success. Everybody had a lot of fun, we got some exercise, and there is a tighter bond between students at work. The only downer is the fact that I have a broken thumb and now I can't say I've never broken a bone :(

Thank You Watercolor

So, since we've been married, I've written a lot more thank you notes than I ever did before. I think it's a good change, but I've always loved making my own cards. I know it's pretty ghetto to do, considering I usually made it from construction paper. I think Woodine saved a few of those construction paper wonders I made for her. So, I found a way to satisfy my urge and still make something that I think is pretty good. Here are some of the results:



















I attached the thank you note on the back and ta-da I have a thank you card. I think a certain SPH-1 and Daddy-O might recognize one of these. Hopefully. I find that I don't have the personal drive to paint if it is just for me, so I love this new set up. I get to watercolor, and someone gets a card. The only downside is saying goodbye to the pieces I like when I put them in the envelope. But at least I have the pictures.

Would you rather....

Buy a stroller that

1. Is larger, but folds semi-compactly and has sturdy wheels?

2. Is a little smaller and also folds semi-compactly but is a little lighter?

3. Folds most compactly, has 2 -handles instead of a bar, and is a little smaller then the large one?

Full size? Compact? Can we supersize that?

We are going with Graco because their Snugride carseats got great safety ratings.

Who you gonna call.....?

Lint Busters!Our dryer vent was clogged, so I cleaned it out. Woodine liked the pictures so much she wanted to share.

Broadway - Baby - Blokus

So Woodine and I went to NYC Friday thru Saturday. We used Priceline to get a relatively cheap hotel right next to Broadway. We showed up, set our stuff down in our room, and walked to Korea town. We had some pretty good Mandoo (potstickers) for lunch and walked around the block to look at the Empire State Building. On our way down Broadway, Christine saw a Jamba Juice and since there aren't any where we live and she had some gift cards for Jamba Juice we had a nice smoothie.
For dinner we went to a different Korean restaurant. I was happy that Woodine liked most of the things we had - even some I don't especially care for! Then we went back to Broadway and saw Wicked. We had the album already so we knew a lot of the story, but we both were pleasantly surprised by the things we didn't expect. It was a great show. It was very witty. We both loved it. I'm glad we chose to go to Wicked over any other.
I liked how it incorporated so much stuff that was in the Wizard of Oz. From the ruby slippers, flying monkeys, Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow, and even the tornado. I guess I'd be repeating myself if I said we REALLY liked it. But we did. . . and so I did (repeat myself).

We also went and saw Liberty Enlightening the World (A.K.A the statue of liberty) and learned that that was its real name. I liked watching the video on how they made it. The engineer in me loves that stuff. I think Woodine was surprised I spent so much time learning about Lady Liberty. I think she intended on spending more time on Ellis Island. Sorry honey!

On Friday in the midst of sleet and snow, before we headed to New York City, we went and took some pictures of our baby. The ultrasonic fashion advisor was there and apparently Pink is in this year. I loved watching our little baby move around in Woodine's belly. She was so active! She kicked and moved her arms, and even rubbed her eyes with her hands as we watched. We were relieved to find out that she doesn't have a cleft lip (you can't tell about the palate with ultrasounds). Both of us were convinced before we went in that we were having a girl, but as the lady was doing the ultrasound, we both saw something (possibly the umbilical cord) that made us think it was a boy. The lady kept on saying 'him', 'he', and 'his' as she was talking. I realized I had been looking forward to having a girl, and found myself trying to reconcile myself to having a boy! But then the fashion advisor said that our baby was a girl. So then I had to undo my emotional reconciliation I had just begun. I have a lot of nieces and nephews, but I think I am finding (and will continue to find) that the emotional investment in a child skyrockets when they are your own.
She was nestled in a little ball in a pocket of the uterus where the Fashion Advisor said it was really difficult to get good pictures. Our baby girl refused to turn around and face the ultrasound lady. Woodine and I were really happy with all we could see, and I guess if we missed out we have nothing to compare it to and be disappointed about. Plus I was pretty impressed that the ultrasound could make out the color of our baby's tights. Technology these days. I'm just wondering what she did with her shirt.

About a week ago, we went to Target because we got some gift cards for Christmas we still needed to consume. Woodine bought maternity clothes, and I bought among other things, a game called Blokus. We have played it . . . maybe a little more than we ought to have recently. Let's just say we have missed our bedtime most nights because of it. Its great because it is a simple game to learn. The rules are:

1. Each player takes a turn placing a piece touching the corner of at least one of their own pieces already in play
2. You can't place a piece that touches the edge of any of your other pieces

The winner is the person who can place the most pieces on the board. Purple won by one piece in this picture. We bought the small travel version, but I think I will be buying the 4 player version with some of my other gift money because we like the game so much.

Voracious Appetite

In the last few weeks I've gone from nausea and "un-eating" food, to a growling stomach and eating most everything I lay my eyes on. I can't eat a whole lot at one time, but I feel like I'm eating all of the time. Which is much better then the alternative.

That and I think this child is practicing to be an olympic swimmer...it sure feels that way!

Ahhhh...second trimester is a beautiful, beautiful thing!