Owen with his Pa and his daddy

Water play!

Mr. Owen discovered the outside water bowl for our dogs and kitty this morning, while I was watering the porch plants. He got a little wet, and I figured, why not go all out? So I refilled and refilled...he kept dumping it out, splashing, pouring it onto his own legs...he was soaked! It was great fun!
(I'm trying to get pictures to upload but it's not happening...I'll try again later)

Once again showered with love...

...this time by my in-laws' church friends. My MIL wanted to wait until Owen was home to have her big shower w/all of her closest friends (and she has a lot!), and so we had it on Sunday. There were probably 35 or 40 people there, and a gorgeous cake, and gifts piled high. We won't have to buy diapers for literally weeks and weeks and weeks now...and Owen has the best wardrobe for someone under the age of one EVER! He has tons of clothes now, for right now and for 12, 18, and 24 mo. He is going to look soooooooooo cute. :) And the toys--so many awesome toys! His favorite right now (I haven't gotten all of them out yet, or else his head would explode) is the circus train. In fact, it excited him so much that he actually GOT UP AND HIS HANDS AND KNEES for the first time and rocked! He wanted to GET IT! He did this 3 or 4 times!!! I cried. Of course.

So once again, we are humbled by the people who love us and who love our family, even if they don't know Shannon and I that well. Our lives have been enriched and made easier by the love and generosity of Chuck and Ardie's church community, and there are not enough thanks in the world to tell them how much we appreciate it. Thank you to First Baptist Church in Farmington, and everyone who was at the shower Sunday (in person or in spirit).

The true meaning of humble

Last Friday, Owen and I went to watch Shannon's football team scrimmage. I had only planned to stay about an hour, in order to get Owen bathed, bottled and in bed at a decent hour. However, the moms of the football players and other football supporters had other plans! After instructing me to STAY, a few of them vanished for a little bit, then they came and got O and I. We walked down the bleachers to see a HUGE PILE of gifts and cards! The football families had all gone out and bought us things for Owen--clothes, toys, DIAPERS AND MORE DIAPERS, wipes...you name it! There was even a cake!

I was totally shocked, floored, and most of all, humbled. The people of Fredericktown who know us have been there for us throughout the long adoption of this little guy, and I knew they had been praying for us and thinking of us as well, but this was out of the blue. I still shake my head in wonder as I think of it. These families, who give so much of their time and energy as it is, supporting, feeding, cleaning up after (hee hee) the football players, went even more out of their way to give us, the now-complete Henson family, things we really need and things we really love for our baby Owen! To have this kindness showered upon you and your family is truly God's work, and makes me understand once again why our family ended up here.

To the Fredericktown football families: Thank you. Thank you. And thank you. We love you.

Computer whiz!...and what we've been up to

Owen got this 'laptop' from the McDowells, a family with three boys who play or have played football under Owen's daddy...he loves it! Actually, Owen is into closing things. Closing the laptop, closing books in the middle of the story, and so on. If he can flip it shut, he will.

He also went back to the doc Friday because he has a cold, and some little sores on his lip. Ack! But the cold is mild, no ear infection, and the sores are likely from acidic fruit/fruit baby food. Oops. She said strawberries, mango, etc., both of which he'd had several times in the days the little sore developed, were prime suspects (he hasn't eaten any citrus yet).

Last night we went out to eat w/his Pa, Nana, Grandpa, Grammy and Great-Grandma Billie, then went to Daddy's football jamboree. It was great fun! He was very interested in the people clapping loudly, the big sweaty football players (gross), chewing on Mom's Diet Coke (I SO do not give him soda but you'd never know it, the way he obsesses over soda bottles), and playing w/his g'parents.

Learning to drink from a cup! (Yes, this is VERY exciting around here!)

Owen Owen Owen! Are you trying to go for a swim in that cup?

Sorry, Ellie & Josey...he's just too cute! We're keeping him!

From Ellie and Josey

Well, that new pack member is still here. He's been here for more than two weeks! We have never kept an extra pack member that long before. We are having trouble understanding why this little organism is above us in the pecking order. Didn't he arrive later than us? Isn't he smaller than us? Why does he rank so high?

So, we finally asked Mom yesterday, when are you taking this extra pack member to the Humane Society? That's what you do with all the other extras that show up here. Or maybe it's time to find him a new home, right? We have had extra animals here before, but they always find new homes. Can't we find him a new place to live? Please?

Although we do like getting his leftovers, and enjoy smelling his poopy diapers quite a bit, we feel he has overstayed his welcome and we would like an explanation.

Here is Grammy with her sweet grandson, and Owen in his awesome new shoes his Aunt Shawnna got him!

Yo vengo de...

Owen's foster mom gave us this adorable T-shirt before we left. It says 'Yo vengo de Guatemala.' It means, 'I come from Guatemala.' Love it!!

GG's hat

This is Owen in my grandfather's hat--the one he was named after, Lawrence. I miss my grandfathers so, so much...they would love Owen!

Well! School started today..for THOSE NOT ON MATERNITY LEAVE!!! Waaaaaaaa ha ha ha ha ha!!!! Oh, sorry. Wow, that was rude of me. Hm. Lo siento.

So! Owen is still charming! He does prefer to be attached to my hip, standing on my stomach, sitting on my lap, or otherwise physically leeched to me. However, I'm ok with it, partially because he seems to need me to feel secure sometimes, and also because he is so stinkin' cute. He still leans forward in his high chair during meals to put his forehead on mine and hold my face in his hands...I just mellllt!

He has added a screech to his list of sounds, a noise that would shock those who only knew him as the quiet, mellow Mr. Owen. He's still mellow, but he seems to have figured out that I am at his beck and call, and is milking the heck out of that discovery.

fun day!

Some pictures from Antigua

I am SO HAPPY to be home...but sometimes I remember the slow, laid-back pace of Antigua...and our friends there, and the good times...and smile.

Maternity leave!

Shannon and I finally nailed it down: I will be staying home with Owen until the end of the first quarter! I'll go back 15 October. YAY!!!!!

A picture! At last!

So sorry for the lack of pictures...our (stupid dial-up) computer has been really slow and stubborn lately. We're just too far out in the country for DSL. But here's one that managed to upload, although it took just over 3 hours to do so!

(just kidding)

Home for 6 days already...and he is such a joy!

Well, of course he is! He's OWEN!

He's met people at our high school, people at the Board Office, friends, neighbors...and he always looks for Shannon or me, to make sure his constants are still around. Then, he can go back to playing with the person's necklace or reaching for 'toys' on their desks.

He is eating better on his own--last week I would have said he could get 2 out of 15 Cheerios to his mouth, but this week I'd give him at LEAST 6 of those 15 making it to the right opening in his head (as opposed to his ear or his eye). And he even managed to get some black beans in there last night!

OK! Let's try this again.

Owen is asleep, so this time the post can be longer...

So. Arriving at the airport was unreal. All four of his grandparents, his Aunt Shawnna, Uncle John, and cousins were there. His 'Aunt' Tammy and 'Uncle' Chris and their kids were there, and Tammy's mom. His good friend Eliot, who is just a few months older than him (well, 7 mo. older) and who came home from Guatemala just about a month before he did, was there with his parents Katie and Eliot.

As we came around the corner out of the secure area of the airport, I felt my heart start pounding as I saw the smiling and crying faces, the signs, the flags, the love. Shannon and I were overwhelmed with that love. It took us a long, long time to get out of the airport at all, or even get our luggage...it just didn't seem very important right then. What seemed to matter was that our family was together, all of us. That little person who we all loved so much was finally there! (And grumbling in his crib right now...uh-oh...)

Since Owen has been home, we've been amazed every day by his wonderful little personality. He has adjusted well, sleeping fine after the first night. He LOVES the dogs, who are not particularly fond of him, to be honest. Josey will have to straighten up pretty quickly or get booted to the outdoors, but he is really getting better all the time. Ellie sulks, since Owen is competition, but she is very nice to him. Even our cat, Cleo, has warmed up to him. At first she wouldn't come out from under the bed, but now she'll come up and rub against his little hand. He loves all of them!

Here are some pictures!

We are home!

Those are some amazing words! Owen's wiggling on my lap so this will be short, but we made it home! Owen did great, despite having gotten up at 3:30am in GC and arrving at our house at 8pm, with only 3 short naps!

The airport...how can I describe this? How can I explain how much emotion we saw on the faces of our family and friends, how much love and joy and relief?

Well, apparently I can't explain it now, because Mr. Owen is whining at his mommy. I love it!! More later!