What a wonderful year!

Christmas & New Years Greetings to everyone! We are so thankful for all of our friends and family. You have blessed us richly with your prayers, love and friendship. God has been so good to us. This time last year, we were still hurting as we anticipated if we would be matched with a baby and little brother. God not only gave us this child, but THE child He had for us, Christian Grant! We are amazed at how our family has changed and grown. We are in love with our new home here in Hallsville and are thrilled with many sweet neighbors and awesome friends for the boys. Tony still enjoys working at Lowes for his 19th year. He will be facilitating a mens Bible study in January by Tony Dungy. We pray many mens lives will be changed by this study. Donnis continues to enjoy teaching Kindermusik in Marshall and Longview, singing in the church choir and being a very busy mom! Jacob & Jonah are halfway through their first year in the Hallsville ISD and absolutely LOVE it! Jacob, now 13, is 1st chair percussionist in the 8th grade band, made 1st chair Region Honor Band, and LOVES playing baseball and hanging out with friends, including his best-bud and cousin Coby. Jonah is loving 5th grade and is making straight A's! He also loves baseball, playing the piano and playing with friends at school and in our awesome neighborhood. Li'l Grant is now 9 months old, wearing 12-18 mo. clothing we might add, and is into EVERYTHING! He is crawling all over the place, pulling up on anything he can, and loves to "repeat" anything we say. :o) He enjoys Kindermusik classes with mommy, going to Nona B's with DahDah and playing with his brothers. He is an incredible JOY...more than we could have ever dreamed. We pray you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

Love,
Anthony, Donnis, Jacob, Jonah and Grant

6 months old!

Oh my word! We can't believe that Grant is already 6 months old! Words can't describe what joy he brings to us all. 3 days ago, he started clapping. His Great Grandmother Louise was the one to get this started! She was excited to see Grant sitting up all by himself and started clapping and saying "patty cake Grant" and then he turned on the charm! A couple of weeks ago, he started saying "Da Da". Now, those who want to be intellectual about it will say that that's one of the first sounds all babies make; but he was looking around the edge of the sofa, right at his daddy when he first spoke it! So we'll take that perspective. :o) He seems to love music (he hears and moves to it all the time). The ladies in the church nursery seem quite fond of him and enjoy his newest nickname. Let me explain. Grant was at the nursing home visiting Great Granny. He hadn't been there in a couple of weeks. One of the workers noticed him and said, "Oh my Lord, he has grown! He's so JUICY!" So there you have it, Grant's newest nickname Juicy!! He LOVES the sight of all of his family, and kicks his feet with joy and gives that million-dollar smile as he approaches each one. Big brothers Jacob and Jonah are quite proud of him, and kiss him ALMOST as much as mommy and daddy do. :o) We are so thankful to God and to his birthmom's incredible love and sacrifice for this precious child. God is good all the time, and all the time, GOD IS GOOD!

May you be blessed today,

Tony & Donnis

No...we didn't disappear!!

To all our sweet family and friends that have been sharing our adoption journey: So sorry we haven't been able to post anything over the past 30 days. Moving with a newborn is a BEAST!! (And playing ump-teen baseball games!!) Also, God spoke to us through a very sweet voice that it's TIME to start adding posts about our other male blessings; so be on the lookout! We love you all :o)

14 Week update

Grant is such a happy baby as he's making more and more sounds, and even giggles now. He certainly recognizes the appearance and sound of his bottle being made, and lets everyone around him know as well!


He went to see the gastrointestinal specialist this past Tuesday. The doctor did not state what he felt was the problem. He had us change from 6 ounces of formula per feeding to 4 and added 5 teaspoons of cereal to every bottle. He also had us discontinue PREVACID, and added 1.5 ml, 3 times a day of Zantac. To help with the constipation, he added 1 teaspoon a day of Miralax. He also wants to schedule an upper GI and a MRI in a couple of weeks.

He loves going to the nursing home with his Nona B (Tony's mom) to see his Great Grandmother Grant and friends. He makes them all smile. :)

We continue to be so thankful for him and can't WAIT for the finalization date in Lubbock July 2nd!!

Our Li'l Angel :o)

Li'l Grant is growing! He went for his 2-month checkup this past Wednesday and weighed 10.8 lbs. The doctor said everything seems to be going fine. He was a little concerned about his continuous acid reflux and spitting up. He suggested we try Reglan, 1/2 ml every 6 hrs. We have been giving him this ever since and can't tell if it is helping just yet. We hope with time this will get better. However, this doesn't seem to bother him much! He gets fussy sometimes in the late afternoon, but other than that, he's still smiling and giving everybody BIG grins! He is such a sweet, happy baby and we continue to be blessed by such a gift from God. :o)

Days gone by...

Jonah & friends at IBC Dayschool in 2004 :o)

Our 1st Baby Boy turns 13!

Where did the time go????

More sounds!

Yes, Grant is not only making more sounds, but even flat-out giggling. :o) He still loves it when people talk to him. When we stroke his sweet little cheek, he just breaks out into the cutest little sounds you ever heard! We still spit-up like crazy, but we're just praying that goes away very soon. He had his first touch of cereal this past week. He seemed to like it. :o) Last night (Thursday night), he slept from 10:30pm - 6:30 am! His big brother Jacob is having his 13th birthday tomorrow. Oh my, how did that happen?! He also had his first encounter with his Motion and Music Jungle Gym (video attached). Boy, did he love it! It's such a joy to watch him grow everyday. We are so blessed to have this opportunity. God is good all the time, and ALL THE TIME, God is GOOD! May you be blessed today. :o)

A favorite Mother's Day gift

My first Mother's Day gift from little Grant! The "bumble bees" and "flowers" are his sweet fingerprints! I pretty much lost it when the Mobberly nursery teachers gave it to me. :o) What a gift little Grant continues to be. Thank you, Lord!

Let it be told...I'm 2 months old!

Our little miracle Grant turned 2 months old on Mother's Day! A coincidence? Not at all, it's God's sweet touch. :o) He is trying so hard to talk to us; it's just a matter of time. We are most pleased that he no longer has a fit when we change his diaper and his clothes! What a big boy. :o) His Nona B came to Kindermusik with him this past week, as you can see in the picture. They were having a grand time with paper plates and fun music. He really got the royal treatment, AND, the other mommies weren't as afraid that their toddlers would step on him! His little belly and long torso are about to "pop" out of his 0-3 month clothes. I think it's time to move up a size! His constant smiles are a treat. There's no other feeling than to see a smile like that at the start of the day! We'll be going to the doctor for our 2 month checkup in the next few days. He was 9 lbs. 11 oz. last week. We wonder what the weight will be now! Oh, and I found my thumb too!

Baby Grant spoke his first sounds this past week! Donnis was singing to him and he tried to join in. :o) Just a little "ooh", but it was music to our ears!! Everyone keeps telling us how he's grown. You can really tell in his face. He's gotten quite accustomed to hearing shouts and cheers at his big brother's baseball games! However, sometimes, he says "enough, it's lights out for awhile", as you can tell in the attached picture! We had 2 bibs made with each brother's team's name and player number on them. That way, when he spits up, he can still cheer his big bros on! Grant is still seeing a chiropractor about once a week, and even had a session with a pediatric masseuse to help with his acid reflux. He is still having a little problem with that, but it is better than it was. Daddy is still having so much fun holding, singing and playing with baby boy Grant. As Dad sad, "when he smiles at you, it just warms you up from head to toe!" We continue to be blessed by this miracle from God :o)

I love my brothers..even when I'm crying :o)

It's hard to believe Christian Grant is already 6 weeks old! We are out of the NB diapers and almost too big for 0-3 mo. clothing. He is still smiling at anyone who talks to him and made a couple of "ah" sounds this past week! I think he was trying to say, "I love you"! :o) Little Grant still struggles with the acid reflux. We took him to a chiropractor 3 times last week and we are quite pleased with the results so far. He still spits up after every feeding, but he is more relaxed in the late afternoon. Before this, he was very fussy between 6-8 pm each evening. We look forward to the time when his little tummy will keep all that comes in! You should see him track the instruments with his eyes in Kindermusik class. It's pretty neat to see my own little one do all the things I've taught and shared with other mommies! He gives us such joy. Jacob and Jonah are so excited to see him when I pick them up from school. Baby Grant is pretty elated to see them too! Daddy has taken him to work several times to share his "little buddy". He adds a sweet touch to that home improvement store! God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!

Growing so fast

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Grant is growing so fast! All of his newborn clothes and diapers are getting a little snug. :o) He is smiling at us more and more everyday when he hears our voice. In our Kindermusik classes together, he stays awake and looks around; soaking every bit of it up. Everyone says he's going to be a pianist when they see his long, cute fingers. His little head is constantly being kissed on by mommy, daddy, big brothers, grandparents, aunt, and cousins. That's what babies faces are for, right?! He is still spitting up and having trouble with reflux, especially in late afternoon. We still give him Zantac every morning and night, but it doesn't seem to help much. Someone had mentioned that we should let an infant-experienced chiropractor take a look at him. I think we will give that a try Monday. He is still sleeping pretty good, only waking up once between 9:30ish pm and 6 am. We think that's pretty good for a 5-wk old! He loves going for a ride in the car; the rumble of the car seems to soothe him. That's good, considering we spend a lot of time traveling as we take his older brothers from place-to-place.

Our church gave us an INCREDIBLE baby shower this past Saturday. We were amazed at all of the many gifts we received, even before, and now after the shower. It was decorated beautifully and the ladies were sooooo sweet. I think I've counted 89 gifts so far! I don't think little Grant will want for a thing, for a long time to come. God is so good to bless us with not only a beautiful baby boy, but with incredible friends and family in which to share him with. We look forward to the new things he does next week!

I'm one month old!

Oh, how we continue to be richly blessed by baby Grant! He has started smiling at us this past week; BIG smiles! When he does that, it just lights us up all inside. :o) He is such a happy baby and loves to cuddle. Little Grant has had his second week of Kindermusik classes with mommy. The other parents and children simply adore him and I can already tell he enjoys this music and movement time. He still struggles with spitting up after each feeding, but it seems to be getting a little better. We have tried every formula on the shelf, and the soy-based formula seems to work a little better than the rest. We took him to the pediatrician this past Friday for a follow-up from his 2-week check-up. He had gained a whole pound!! He now weighs 8 lbs. 5 oz. I asked the doctor if he could check Grant for pyloric stenosis to see if that might be the cause of his spitting up. He ordered an ultrasound for later that day. The doctor doing the test indicated that at the time, he did not see any blockage in his stomach, but that they would look at it closer later on and the pediatrician would get back with me. It most likely will be that little Grant just has a good case of acid reflux and he'll have to outgrow it. He is a beautiful baby and we are enjoying every minute, even at 2:00 am!!

A very special Easter gift :o)

Our sweet Grant turned 3 weeks old this past Tuesday. We can't believe it! He is keeping his eyes open more & more everyday. He loves for his family to talk to him. :o) He's eating well, about 4 oz. every 2 hours during the day, and every 3-5 hrs. during the night. We had a very talented friend from church take some really cute pictures of him for Easter this week. Attached is just a sample I took from my phone. We hope you enjoy this Easter weekend in celebration of our sweet Savior's victory!

Goin' "HOME"!

Our sweet Grant finally got to come home to the hotel today!! We are enjoying him sooooo much. He gives us more joy than we could have ever imagined. God is faithful...in His perfect time. :o)

Still at the hospital

Sweet Grant is still in the hospital. He is still running low grade fever and docs want to see it come down before they release him.

Good times

Li'l Grant is coming along. They are going to keep him in the hospital one more day due to an ongoing low-grade fever. The hospital is WONDERFUL and we LOVE the nursery nurses. We can't wait to bring him to his temporary "hotel" home soon! We are all fighting over who's gonna hold him!

God has GRANTed us a gift!

We've spent 1 1/2 days with a very precious baby boy, Christian Grant Henderson! He has to stay in the hospital 1 more night and we should be able to bring him to his temporary hotel home tomorrow. Pictures coming soon. :)

whoo hoo...here we go!

Well here we go! We r leavin for PA tomorrow am this time to meet our baby boy, Christian Grant Henderson (Grant) born today at approx. 2:20 pm weighing 7 lbs 8.2 oz 19" long. AND Jacob and Jonah are going with us to meet their baby brother. :o)

There's no place like home...

It's so nice to be home with family and friends! We spent a wonderful day with cutie-patutie Connor and are turning in for the night. We even get to go to Jonah's baseball tourny this weekend. In fact, we're enjoying being home so much that we didn't even notice if we got a call on if our BM went to the clinic or not. At this point, we figure that baby HAS to come out at some point, and that's when we'll get the call. Until then, we'll continue to enjoy being home. :)

Almost home...for now

We made it Atlanta, now waiting to take off to Shreveport. We can't WAIT to see the boys! We'll keep the blog updated for future news on our return trip to PA...this time hoping to return with a sweet baby boy or girl. :)

Even as the heavens...

"Even as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than yours; and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

We made it to the hospital with our BM, her twin sister and friend today. She went to the ER at the hospital where she will deliver. She was having a hard time explaining to them why she was there and I could tell they were about to send her back home. So, finding it hard to watch, I stepped in and proclaimed, "She's 2 weeks past due." Well, they almost threw her into a wheel chair and took her up to Labor & Delivery. However, she came back to the waiting area 15 minutes later to tell us they couldn't give her a full examination because she wasn't showing signs of labor. They told her she would have to go to a clinic. She is scheduled to go to a clinic this Friday, which, unfortunately we can't afford to wait for, AND we miss our boys and need to rescue Austin & Lynsey who have taken the sweetest care of them while we've been gone. So, unless our BM goes into labor tonight, we'll have to head back home and hopefully return when she goes into labor.

Please pray for our BM. We do not feel these 3 1/2 days have been wasted as we've been able to get to know her and learn about her life. She is such a sweet girl but lives in a world where there's constant stress and turmoil. Lord, I pray for peace in her life. I pray that, if she hasn't already, that she'll come to know You as her personal Lord and Savior. Use us Lord to bring her closer to You.

WE ARE SO BLESSED by Bill & Gloria Gaither/Greg Nelson
We are so blessed, by the gifts from Your hand
We just can't understand why You loved us so much.
We are so blessed, we just can't find a way or the words that can say
Thank You, Lord, for Your touch.

CHORUS:
When we're empty You fill us 'til we overflow
When we're hungry You feed us, and cause us to know.
We are so blessed, take what we have to bring,
Take it all, everything, Lord, we love you so much.

We are so blessed by the things You have done,
The victories we've won and what You've brought us through.
We are so blessed, take what we have to bring, Take it all everything,
Lord, we bring it to You.

We might actually see a hospital today!

We are sitting at (another) gas station waiting to meet our BM to follow her to the hospital. We finally got to meet her in person at 11:30 pm last night. Yay! Please pray that when doc sees her today that everything's good with baby and birthmom.

These are the days of our lives...

We spent an entire day yesterday grieving over what we thought was a wasted trip (and still not sure) as we could not contact our BM. As we were making plans to return home, our BM sent txt msgs indicating that her cell phone had been lost and she just found it. She indicated that she wants us to meet her at a clinic today. We'll see if this one comes to fruition.

Tick Tock Tick Tock...

Hickory Dickory Dock, we're running down the clock, please get to the hospital before we go MENTAL, Hickory Dickory Dock!

Yes, Kindermusik comes in handy for all sorts of things! Our BM got her car back yesterday, Yay, but WHY didn't she go straight to the hospital in it? We dunnoh. Yes, we know...God is in control! Okay, say it again. GOD IS IN CONTROL! In the meantime, we're gonna go worship our sweet Jesus at a church my big brother found for us. Thanks Mal! xoxoxo

To Pennsylvania we go...

Friday, Feb. 26th 9:30 pm

Well, talk about FAITH...here we go! No call that BM is in labor, but tomorrow she'll be 10 dys. past due. So, we're gonna head that direction and she has agreed to let us take her to the hospital if she doesn't have transportation by Monday. Yes, all by FAITH and I must admit, we are both very nervous and excited! We are really gonna miss Jacob and Jonah while we're gone. We wish we could take them with us. Could everybody give them LOTS of hugs while we're gone? We leave tomorrow morning (Saturday) at 8:30 am. Please keep praying :o)

Badee badee badee badee....

Thursday, Feb. 25th 8:32 PM
No...the title is not a misprint, just don't know what else to say!! Other than, GOD IS IN CONTROL AND WE ARE NOT. Our BM did not make it to the hospital yesterday; says she has her car in the shop and hopes to have it repaired where she can drive herself to the hospital this weekend. Okay, just how long can you carry a baby before it just pops out on it's own?! This poor girl is 8 days past due now and she's GOT to be miserable. I know because I was 10 days past due with Jonah, who was born at 9 lbs. 5 oz. Well, our prayer request is that the car really is in the shop and that it will be fixed very soon and we might see this sweet baby very soon. (We understand if you're tired of reading this drama...we're tired of being in it!) Love everyone :o)

Today's story...

The story today is that our BM (birthmother) went to a hospital last night, one that her friend chose for her which was not the one she'll be delivering at. :/ She told our case worker that she was there for many hours and the ER physician could not examine her as they do not provide prenatal care. She states that she is going to the hospital (where she will be delivering) tonight and hopes that they will induce her as she wants to "get this over with". Please pray for her and pray that she really will go tonight and that we'll be contacted with her status before we go to bed tonight. ;o) We're getting really dizzy from this roller coaster we're on.

Calling all prayer warriors

Okay sweet friends and family, here's where we are: to our knowledge, our birthmother has not had much medical treatment during this pregnancy. She had a checkup back in July and was given a due date of last Wed., the 17th. She lives 45 min. from the closest hospital/clinic and does not have transportation of her own. The agency has worked very hard at getting her to a doctor to be checked. A church close to her was contacted and a volunteer was willing to pick her up and take her, but she was too uncomfortable traveling with a stranger (the agency had done a background check on the volunteer). She has a friend that wants to take her but is having car trouble. It would be so helpful to everyone involved if she could get to a doctor to be checked, to know that everything's okay and get a better idea of an expected delivery time. SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray that this birthmother will get to a doctor or hospital TODAY and that we will be contacted with the results. Pray for her and the baby she carries. We know this must be a very difficult time for her and we ask that you pray that she feels God's incredible, loving arms around her. ~Donnis

He alone

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. HE ALONE is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken." Psalm 62:5-6

Even though we don't know what's going on, even though we don't know if the birthmother has seen a doctor or not, or how close she is to going into labor, OR if she hasn't already gone into labor and we not know about it, WE WILL TRUST IN GOD ALONE. He knows, and He is our fortress. Love you guys :o)

Still TRUST-waiting...

Still TRUST-waiting for the "gone into labor" call :o) God is faithful \o/

A different kind of wait

WHAM! That's the sound of the 2 x 4 God hit us with today. We have spent more hours than we care to confess speculating and trying to make sense of our current adoption status. Why aren't we on our way to meet the baby we've been longing for? Why this? Why that? Well, we have declared TRUCE on the whole megillah. Either we trust God, or we don't. God matched us, out of the many who could have been chosen, with this birthmother for a reason. He is sovereign and is on His throne. "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." Psalm 37:3-6

So, not only do we continue to wait, but we will wait with TRUST. As Tony and I declared tonight, " Here it is, Lord; it's YOURS." \o/

Just a little more waiting...

Well, we've passed up the expected due date. But, that's okay. I simply cannot seem to get completely packed! We are just waiting for a phone call that our sweet birthmother has gone into labor, and then we're OFF to Shreveport to catch the first available flight to Pennsylvania. The boys are about to go NUTS! (Just WHO do they get that from?) By the way, to all my very dear friends who are ATTORNEY'S WIVES, please forgive me if I offended you in yesterday's post. I was having a moment and I KNOW that your husbands are the honest, trusting kind; much nicer than the one we're dealing with! Do you forgive me? Besides, if you guys have magnificent homes, YOU DESERVE IT!!! Okay, time to go to bed and attempt to get some sleep. However, I must admit, I wouldn't mind a phone call in the middle of the night. ;o)

Have MERCY!

WOW! Now we know ONE reason why attornys have such magnificent homes! We are consulting with attorneys from Texas and Pennsylvania. If anyone knows of a money tree growing nearby, let us know. These peeps are gonna cost us about $5000 more than we expected. Oh well, God has, and always will provide. :o) Keep the prayers coming sweet friends. :o)

Great phone consult today

We had a wonderful visit on the phone with our sweet birthmother today (Friday), our angel. We laughed and we cried and told her how much of a hero she is to us. We look forward to meeting her in person. :o)

All's ok!

Called agency and they did receive a message from BM (birthmother) last night. Everything seems to be fine. :o)

Hmm...

The agency has been trying to get in touch with the birthmother today with no luck. We will continue to keep believing in God's sovereign plan for us; whatever that may be. :o)

Adoption NEWS

February 10, 2010

Dearest Friends & Family,

We request your praiseful prayers! For those who might not know, we have been in the adoption process for over 2 years now. Well……as of last night, we have been contacted by our adoption agency of a possible match! We do not have a lot of details right now. We do know that the birthmother is due NEXT WEEK on the 17th and she lives & will be having the baby in PENNSYLVANIA!! The birthmother does not know the gender. If all works out, we will be flying to PA next week and will be required to stay there for 7-10 days. Please pray for the following:
• God’s comforting peace for us and the birthmother
• We are supposed to close on our new home loan MONDAY
• Jacob & Jonah – that they will be taken care of while we are gone
To my sweet Kindermusik families: Please be patient with me as we are taking this situation day-by-day. I will be contacting you as often as possible via email to let you know of any class cancelations or postponements.
We will be making all updates from this point forward on our family blog:
http://hendersonfamblogging.blogspot.com and on www.facebook.com
To be emailed of any new updates on the blog, be sure to become a “follower” of our blog. To do so, click on the “Follow” button in the “followers” section on the left side of the home page. You will be directed to create a Google Friend Connect account (free) if you don’t already have one. OR, you can simply bookmark the webpage and check it at your convenience. :o)
You are all so dear to us and we appreciate your prayers more than you’ll ever know!

You are treasured,
Anthony & Donnis