Headed Home!

Well it was a long day today as we waited for the docs to give us the final stamp of approval for mom and Annelise to come home, but we are now all clear!

Nicole is feeling much better now with no headache and has even been up and around a bit today.  Thank you all for your concerns and comments. We are grateful for your love!


Austin Henderson
Manager, Information Technology
FirstFleet, Inc.

Tale of today...

The story of today is one with happy endings but a troubling road to get here. Sometime yesterday afternoon Nicole began to struggle with a headache that came on her on Thursday afternoon. As the day progressed for her today the aches continued to worsen – to the point that she wasn’t really able to sit on any incline without surging pain in her face, neck and head. It became clear that the two different narcotics they gave her were not going to make a dent the pain and we decided to ask for the Anesthesiologist to pay her a visit. We remembered there was a slight possibility of a headache side effect from the spinal tap she was given on Thursday afternoon, and we wanted to check out that possibility. The doctor came by and checked Nicole out and basically communicated that he couldn’t be sure if what she was experiencing was something called a “spinal headache” or not. Essentially if it was this type of situation then the hole where the needle was inserted for the tap was basically leaking out fluid that insulated her brain from her skull. The pain was the pull of the tissue that “suspends” her brains in her skull. He did say that if this was the case there was no imminent danger from leaving it untreated and that at some point her body would patch that hole and replace the fluid.

The treatment for this condition is something called a “epidural blood patch” – basically they take blood from your arm and inject it into the epidural space in your back. This creates a sort of “bruise patch” that plugs the hole and thus fixes the leak. The risk factors are not high but it is an epidural procedure so there are some risks involved. We decided to wait on this procedure because there was uncertainty in the diagnosis and there were risks involved. We waited several hours and in these hours the situation got much worse for Nicole. At about 6:15 pm we asked for the doctor to return and ended up asking for the patch after serious deliberation and prayer. Nicole and I were of course visibly anxious about the procedure, but I am I am thrilled to say that remarkably the fix solved the problem within minutes of completion!

When I say “minutes” I literally mean minutes! She was lying down for the procedure and the next time she sat up after the procedure she had no more pain – remarkable considering she had severe pain for about 36 hours every time she sat up. Nicole is now able to sit upright and walk (though slowly) around without neck and head pain! We are truly thankful to be celebrating this blessing tonight.

All this to say that the day has been very tiring for us, and we have not had much time to be joyful with Annelise because of the circumstances. Annelise however has been a delight – in a very real way we feel blessed that she chose to sleep pretty much all of the day and not really fuss much about the time between her feedings. This evening we were able to interact with her for a good period of time and that was a real joy! She is of course cuter every time I see her and we are hearts are overjoyed with the privilege of knowing she is our child.

For those of you that knew of today’s events thank you for your prayers, calls, and texts they were a real blessing. Thank you all for the tangible ways you have loved us in this process.
Austin & Nicole

What a joy...

We are now the proud parents of a new baby girl - Annelise Merri Henderson! Born 6/11/09 at 2:23 PM - 7lbs 10oz - 19.5in - she is a wonderful blessing in our lives already! God was gracious to us throughout this entire day and He has richly blessed us with a wonderful daughter. Both mom and baby are doing well and seem to be recovering superbly from the day. Annelise has eaten a few times already and is taking quickly to the process - following no doubt in the footsteps of her big brother who truly loves to eat!

Nicole handled the events of the day like with beauty and grace and is presently resting here beside me. Our initial assesment of Annelise is that she is probably going to have some spunk - when she was first born she was quite literally jumping around and kicking her feet wildly. The doctors jokingly commented that we had a dancer on our hands! This no doubt spoke to Nicole's soul with her love of dance.

Caleb spent most of the day with his Mimi and Grandaddy but did come visit his new sister. When I first got off the elevator to visit with family while holding Annelise in my arms I got down to Caleb's level and introduced him to his new sister (crying sister).... He looked her over for a few seconds and point blank asked me - "Daddy - what is wrong with her - what is she mad at?" - we all got a kick out of his response. In another moment of humor I asked Caleb who's birthday it was today to which he exclaimed - "Aunt Pam's!" - The answer we were looking for of course was baby sister but his response did get a chuckle - because in truth it is her birthday. Caleb seems to be doing great with the new family adition and we know he is going to be a wonderful big brother!

Here are a few photos of the day and there are more here. Thank you all for your prayers, calls, visits and texts. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends to do life with! We love you all and look forward to introducing you to our newest family member.

Austin & Nicole

Meet Annelise Merri Henderson

Here she is! Mom and baby are doing wonderful.

She was born 6/11 - 7lbs 10oz - 19.5in.

She is beautiful and has quite the set of lungs on her! More pics to follow. Thank you for your prayers.



Austin Henderson
Manager, Information Technology
FirstFleet, Inc.

Ready to go!

We will meet Annelise soon! Appreciate your prayers!


Austin Henderson
Manager, Information Technology
FirstFleet, Inc.

Phase I

Well here we are at Grandaddy's and Mimi's dropping Caleb off for his sleep over! Caleb is pumped with his new mask, water gun and car - gifts from grandparents - and he is looking sharp with his "I'm a big brother!" shirt! A few hours now and we will meet Annelise! We will keep you posted.


Austin Henderson
Manager, Information Technology
FirstFleet, Inc.

The Time is Near...

The days are counting down now into the single digits, and we couldn't be more excited about the upcoming events! Annelise will make her scheduled grand entrance this Thursday afternoon at 2:00 PM. Both Mom and baby are hanging in there for the final days, and Nicole is as beautiful as ever. She is of course having trouble sleeping and is ready to meet our new daughter, but all in all she and Annelise are doing well. The house has been a-buzz with activities such as putting the final touches on the nursery and making general preparations for the growth in our family. Caleb is thrilled to meet his new baby sister and given his attachment to her already we think he is going to make quite the big brother. We of course would love your prayers on Thursday for Nicole, Annelise and our doctors. Once we have pics and news we will be sure to post more information. If you would like to see more pictures from this past month please click here.

Farm Trip and More!

Well the 19 of us journeyed to Merri Acres Farm (my family's farm) again for the 2nd year in a row for a weekend of family fun!! We enjoyed the most gorgeous weather we could have imagined!! We fished, rode in the back of a pick up truck, looked for cows, swung on the front porch, played in the sprinkler, rode bikes, roasted smores, sang around a camp fire, and ate like kings!! It was another memorable time with our friends that we cherish. We hope to go every year!

This shot of the three of us might be our last before Annelise comes- it's been a wonderful three years with Caleb.

Here are the kids (minus little Sarah Beth and Timothy) down by the creek. They had fun picking up and throwing rocks while we parents nervously tried to keep them from hitting each other!!

Here Caleb is shooting his first real gun- a BB gun- very carefully and safely- don't worry!! ;) He shot 4 for 4!! Yea, Caleb!! To see more pictures from the farm click here.

I'm 30- almost!! My birthday is in May; however, Austin arranged for us to celebrate a month in advance because he thought I might not be up to it on my actual birthday - which is very close to my due date. He surprised me with a "Spa Party" with some of my dearest friends- Karen, Randi Lea, Liz, and Mandi. We ate chocolate, cheese, and fruit, and talked and laughed for several hours while getting pampered. It was FABULOUS!! He bought us all rings that represent our friendship as well. We also got together again for dinner where our husbands joined us. It was a wonderful, memorable birthday, and I am blessed beyond all measure to have such a thoughtful husband!! Way to go Austin!! I love you! For more pictures click here.

Easter 2009! I am 30 weeks pregnant here and feeling good. Even though sleep is difficult and I tire easily, I can't complain. Overall the 2nd half of the pregnancy has been a really sweet time.

Caleb and Emily smile for the camera at church before walking in to their 3 year old class together!

For Sunday lunch we drove out to Hartsville, TN where Austin's grandparents live. We enjoyed a yummy feast and watched Caleb hunt for eggs! You can see more pictures here.

Lastly, Austin and the guys-Matt, Jonathan, Brian, Derek, and Grant- went away to Fall Creek Falls for a weekend at the 1st of April. For a Christmas gift we ladies surprised our husbands with this trip! They said they had a fabulous time hiking, eating, and hanging out. I am so glad Austin got to spend some time away with his dearest friends. With calendars that always seem to be filled, it's so important for all of us to make time to go deep with a few close friends. They said their time was food for their soul, and I believe it- God created us to do life with others! Click here to see some photos from the trip.

Grace and mercy to you- Nicole

We have a name!

We are excited to announce that we have a name for "Baby Sister!"

Her official name is Annelise Merri Henderson!

We are going to call her Annelise. Ann is my grandmother's (Dad's mother) middle name, and Merri is short for Merriman which is my other grandmother's (Mom's mother) maiden name. We felt like God placed these names before us and are honored to have such a Godly heritage to name her after. Ann in Hebrew means "gracious and merciful" which we believe sums up my Ma. We pray that Annelise will be full of God's grace and mercy to those around her as she grows up. And Merri reminds me of my mother, my Nana, and our wonderful memories on our farm, Merri Acres which was all originally Merriman land. We pray that Annelise will be faithful and committed to God and her family as my mother has been and will nurture those in her home as both my mother and Nana did for us so very well.

The picture above is me at 27 1/2 weeks- almost 7 months. We celebrated Caleb's 3rd birthday on Saturday with a "Cars" themed party and then went bowling with family afterwards. We had a blast!! See some pictures here of the fun!

Up & Around

Dad is doing much better today... He is up and around for walks a few time today. Almost all the wires and tubes and such are unhooked now so he is a bit less restricted, but he is very tired and has been sleeping most of the day. We are still on track as far as I know for him to head home on Monday.

Thank you all for your prayers and concerns the past few days... They are greatly appreciated! 

Good Things...

Seems from all signs that dad is doing well today. He is sitting up and has been moved out of ICU!  He has a significant amount of pain, but is breathing strongly on his own and is more alert today.  The nurses said he had a good night and that he is progressing well.  We anticipate he will be leaving the hospital on Monday to begin his recovery.  He won’t be able to drive for three weeks and cannot work for eight so the recovery process is going to take him a while. Thank you all so very much for your prayers.

 

Austin

 

Out!

He is out of surgery! The triple turned into a quad bypass when they were in there. He is headed to the icu now and will be there for two hours until we can see him. He will spend the night in the icu and will be transferred to a regular room tomorrow. He should be walking tomorrow morning. The doctors said everything went great and everything went as planned.

Thanks for your prayers! Ill keep you posted.

Half Way Home

The doctors just called and have indicated we are half way done and everything is looking great! Thanks for your prayers.

Surgery Started...

The surgery should be starting any time. They just took dad to the operating room a few minutes ago. He was in good spirits and much stronger today.

Surgery...

Good news... The artery in dad's neck will not need surgery to repair!  He is expected to be taken at 0600 for surgery that will begin at 0730 ish. It should take about four hours to complete. Please keep my dad, family and the doctors in your prayers.

Update...

Hello Friends,

A short update... My dad had an ultra sound this morning on the arteries in his neck. The results of that are not in yet but the end result will be the same. He will have surgery tomorrow morning around 8:00. The surgery will take four hours to complete.

Thank you for your continued prayers. I will post this evening once we have more information.

Dad Update

Dear Friends,

As some of you may already know my father had some health complications earlier today… After spending the day at two different care facilities and seeing a small army of different doctors it has been determined that he has three blockages in his heart ranging from slight to about 97% blocked. The problem is aggravated by the fact that he has an abnormality in his heart that prevents them from doing (effectively) the typical procedure (a stent). As a result of these complications and the blockages his only real option is a bypass surgery.

At one point in the day it looked like the surgery would take place tomorrow morning, but this has been postponed due to the fact that the surgeon, in review of my dad, determined there may be an issue in his carotid artery (neck). The only way to tell if in fact his thoughts are right is to get an ultrasound of it. The results of this ultrasound won’t change the course of action but it may add to the steps the doctor needs to take. So at 59 my dad is faced with a fairly invasive surgery on Thursday morning where the doctors will bypass three blockages in his heart.

At this point my family would love your prayers for his safety and wisdom for the doctors. We believe that God is sovereign and that even in this moment is in control of the finer details of life. None of this has caught Him by surprise… but it has naturally caught us a bit off guard. We would love your prayers for peace and wisdom as we care for him in the next few days and the recovery process.

Thank you to all who called and/or emailed asking for status updates…You are all dear friends and we appreciate the love you have for us. I wish I could have responded to each of you, but time did not prevent. I will post more information on the blog (www.thehendersonsite.som) as I have it.

Austin

It's A Girl!

Today was a special day for our family. We had two appointments today and God was gracious in both accounts. We will begin with the news of the headline.. It's A GIRL! We are of course so excited by this news! Daddy and Caleb have been convinced it was a girl for quite some time. In fact, as we sat around the dinner table last night Caleb stood in his chair and boldly proclaimed: "MOM, It is a baby SISTER!!" We all got a kick out of this today when we explained to Caleb with great enthusiasm that he was going to have a little sister and he responded with "Mommy, I told you that last night." Nicole is of course seeing dancing ballerinas dressed in pink, pretty bows and even painted fingernails already! Daddy is already thinking through how we will pay for all of these "accessories." In truth we are excited beyond words and are thankful that the report of our little girl's health was good. I suppose this is partly because it is our second time around and we realize how delicate this little life is.

The second appointment was with Caleb's eye doctor. He was scheduled today (nice timing) for a checkup visit. We are so thankful to report that everything checked out wonderfully. The doctor says that he has no signs of complications and that his vision is right on with where it should be for a child of his age! How amazing of a journey this is that we are on with Caleb. We are so thankful that God continues to provide health for Caleb in spite of the fact that he has a mass in his brain. We believe that God has a great plan for Caleb's life and are able to experience peace as we walk through these circumstances with this confidence.

It has also been a wonderful joy to walk through this with so many of our very close friends. We are so thankful to hear the joy in your voices today as you celebrated with us. We are reminded tonight of how blessed we are to live life with friends that mourn with us when we mourn and celebrate with us when we celebrate! Thank you for your love and care for us. We love you all!

Family Update

Well it's been too long since we last posted, but before we share the highlights of the past few months, we want you to know that Austin and I are expecting a new baby!! Yea!! We are very excited!! I will be 12 weeks on Wednesday, and I'm due around June 11th. Unfortunately, I was sick as a dog for the first 4 weeks, but I am getting stronger and stronger as each day passes and feeling more like myself. It hasn't been easy, but Austin has done a beautiful job doing just about everything from fixing breakfast, washing dishes, laundry, and taking care of Caleb when he's been home. I have been impressed!

You might be wondering about our adoption plans…we are still in the process of adopting, and even though we haven’t tackled the paper work in several weeks, we are still really excited about moving forward on that process. We decided as we got a little deeper in the adoption paperwork that the reality of a child coming into our arms was probably going to take longer than we had hoped.- about 2 years. So, we prayed about it, and decided to try for another baby in the midst of adoption. It could very well mean they will put our file on hold, but we are at peace with that. We feel good about starting the adoption and will continue that process until we bring home a little girl- no matter how long it takes.

As for this fall, it's been a whirlwind- a little too much on our plate especially since I've been so sick, but the Lord has given me strength at just the right moments and has used friends around me to serve me in some amazing ways. Karen and Mandi have truly been Christ's hands and feet to me as they have cleaned my house and even taken Caleb for the day. They are precious friends that are gifts from God! I love you!

We've celebrated two weddings this fall: 1) my dear friend, Meghan's brother's wedding- it was fun getting to see Meghan again since she lives in London, and we got to meet her boyfriend for the first time, Chris- who we just love (his accent is fabulous by the way!!) 2) my cousin Joanna's wedding which was a big family event. It was beautiful! We had a blast! We also enjoyed our annual Tenpenny family weekend trip. We stayed at my grandfather's farm house in Dunlap, TN, played cards, fished in the pond, and ate yummy food! We also visited our Aunt Ruth and drove to Chattanooga for a tour of the aquarium. Caleb loved it, and I am always truly amazed at God's creative creation. I was reminded of the vastness of His power, His purpose, His attention to detail, and His Holiness. He is truly an amazing God who alone is worthy of our praise!

I can't believe it, but I had my 10 year High school reunion this fall as well!! I feel old! It was a wonderful weekend though. It was great to see so many people I haven't kept up with. We went to a high school football game, had a picnic lunch on the lawn of Lipscomb, and met up for dinner at the Wild Horse Salon on Saturday night. It was a great!

We also had our annual trip to the Pumpkin Farm and chili cookout at our house this past October. I actually wasn't able to join the gang for the Pumpkin Farm due to another commitment, but the pictures were precious! We had fun that night eating chili and roasting smores with some of our closest friends and their kids. It's a memorable event.

Halloween was even more fun this year as Caleb is becoming aware of how trick-or-treating works with the costumes and candy fun. He was is hog heaven sucking on a lolly pop while going from door to door. We enjoyed my parents and Austin's mom joining us for dinner that night before we left the house and met up with our friends. Caleb was Pongo the dalmatian from the movie One Hundred and One Dalmatians. He was adorable!

In November we celebrated Austin's 30th birthday! Crazy!! I threw him an 80's party! Austin dressed as Maverick- his favorite 80's movie character from TOP GUN. I dressed in full 80's attire wearing a New Kids On the Block t-shirt. It was truly a blast seeing everyone's costumes. My favorite were my parents dressed as Dolly Parton and Conway Twitty!!! ;)

And, lastly I just had my dear friend, Virginia, in town from California. Several of us in the 'boro threw her a shower since she is having a precious baby boy in February!! It was a wonderful weekend, and I will cherish our time together.

If you want, check out our web albums to see all the fun pictures of these events. We'll keep you posted on how the new baby is growing! Love to you all!

Awesome News!

Today as you probably already know we went to see Caleb's doctor to hear the results of the scan. We are very happy to report to you that at there has been no change in size of the tumor! This now makes 20 months that the growth has gone without "growth." Of course the longer we go without any change in size the better our chances are that as he grows he will not have any complications from the tumor... so we are of course thrilled by this news!

A few visits ago there was a slight mention in one of the reports that there could perhaps be "spots" on the brain that "could" be of concern... we were also elated to hear that these "spots" were not present in this scan... so there are no concerns with those!

Additionally there was an "interesting" find according to Dr. Pearson... this find is that the tumor which in all scans thus far has appeared all white in color was mostly a dull grey color with a small spec of white at the top. We now know that the reason for this white color is that the contrast that is in IV he is given makes it appear this way. So where the blood moves the white color follows... (layman explanation here).

We asked if this was a bad thing or a good thing and he said "well it certainly isn't a bad thing, but I am hesitant to say more." He indicated to us that he didn't really know what to make of this change in the scan. Because the light indicates life/growth, we are hopeful that the change in color means that the tumor is losing life. He really didn't elaborate more on the situation but was overall very positive about the scan and we certainly let out a sigh of relief as we left!

As for why the white went from all over the tumor to a small spec on the top... we are hoping this means the tumor is on its way out... We certainly appreciate all of your prayers to this end and beg you to keep it up. We believe God has given Caleb a passion for life and an energy that can be used mightily for His glory and we are so excited to see where He leads. We believe with everything that is in us that God can heal our son of this tumor and that regardless of the outcome He will be glorified.

Thank you for caring for us!

Austin & Nicole