Henry at the Zoo

While we were visiting the Washington DC area we visited the zoo, which was suprisingly free. I love DC for all the free museums and places of interest. Henry had to take his long morning nap, so we got to the zoo a lot later than I expected, so we had to rush around to see all the things that we wanted to see. We had fun in the small mammals house as the meerkats followed the movement of my cowboy hat up and down. We got to see many of the animals get their dinner, including the pandas, which was a treat. Henry saw the pandas and signed "bear". I couldnt' believe he knew exactly what they were. He's so smart. We also had fun playing with the large ape. I didn't look to see exactly what kind she was, but there was a little girl putting on make-up in front of her at the request of the trainer. I guess she loves to watch people put on make-up.

Henry also had fun in the reptile house. He was making the snake sound when he saw every snake, lizzard, toad and crocodile. We have to teach him the difference between them one of these days. The Hippo made a splashdown in the pool after his meal which put a big smile on Henry's face. He also learned the sign for elephant and did it often as we watched them roam their territory. The last place we visited was the invertibrates house which housed a really cool octipus, some clear jellyfish, many bugs, a beehive, and a japanese orb weaver spider that was hanging from the ceiling without glass around it. It freaked many people out, but I knew they weren't dangerous and so I let Henry get pretty close. Near the end of our day, we were joined by Tracie and Justin B to walk the grounds after the houses had closed and then we ate some Thai food and coldstone. That was really fun to see them twice on my short trip. I missed Meghan though, although she was pretty busy preparing for her upcomming nuptuals. Here are some photos of Hen at the Zoo

Wash your mouth out with soap....

When I was growing up, I frequently got my mouth washed out with soap for "talking back" (I still don't know what that means). The worst part of that was finding a chunk of soap stuck in my teeth a couple hours after I had tried to get it all out. Blech. So, since I'm not planning on doing that ever to my sweet Henry I let him have his own taste of soap today as we took a bath together. He was interested in the soap and even though I made the yuk face and said 'Blech!, eeew, Yuk" a million times, he still proceeded to put the bar in his mouth, bite down with his newly emerged molars and shaved some chunks out of it. At first he smiled and laughed as he chewed because that's what he usually does when he does something he knows I don't want him to do, but the smiles quickly turned to gags and dry heaves as it made it's way back to his throat. He didn't cry, but the look of disgust on his face that I saw today was a face I had never before seen. I think he eventually swallowed the bits, but didn't get sick or throw up (which was good since I was in the tub too). I don't think he'll ever do that again. lol:)

Some of you may think that I should have just taken it from him, sparing him from this experience, however I'm trying to let the natural consequenses of his actions teach him about the gross and the relatively dangerous so that I'm not the "mean mom" who always saves him or tells him what to do. He is getting good at listening to me when I say "danger," however making my "gross face" doesn't really keep him from eating dirt, worms (one worm became two as it met Henry's chompers), yesterday's dinner from off the floor, or spilled drink off our deck. No matter what he does, we are laughing constantly at his faces and funny personality. We just love that little one.

Remembering Georgie

Georgie surely was loved. It's been a month since he died and on this day I remember him and search for meaning in his death. Every day as I look at Henry as he progresses in learning, interacting, and becomes more and more adorable, my heart aches to have the opportunity to experience those moments with little Georgie. Some day that day will come, but for now we just keep trudging through life in this soggy part of America. Does it ever stop raining for weeks on end? I imagine myself eventually moving out to Colorado leaving behind a dripping trail of rain/humidity and tears.

last week we held a memorial service for our dear little George in the freezing, rainy weather. I had worked for two weeks preparing everything I could think of to make it a special day. I wanted to do everything on my own mainly so I felt like I did something important for him, but many of my friends and family came to my rescue in the hours before the service to put it all together. I thank those who helped so much. Some of the ideas for what I would do for the memorial I read online, or from the books that I received at the hospital. There were many suggestions of what to do in my situation and since we didn't have a body for a funeral, I wanted to take some time to do everything I could to make it known that Georgie is and will always be an important part of our family. Some of the things I did were to make a memorial photo collage in a nice frame. His best photos, foot and hand prints, tiny toes photo, memorial invitation, family photos of the day it happened while I was still pregnant, and ultrasound photos were all included. It was the centerpiece of our kitchen table and everyone looked at it and now know what he looks like. There was a beautiful drawing of him that was my aunt Kris provided that was also on display. They are both haning in our music room where we can see them every day. My sister-in-law, Stefanie Chou and I made sugar cookies the shape of trains, planes, doves, and lambs and, with a lot of help from my dear friends Jess and Danae, decorated them with beautiful shiny sugar frosting, which took two days to do. They looked fabulous. I also spent a great deal of time preparing a gift for everyone who attended of a tiny tomato plant decorated with a ribbon and a photo of George's toes in a tiny paper frame with the words "Never Forget Georgie" or "Always Remember." These were attached by a piece of scrolled wire that stuck out of the dirt. I really loved how they turned out. We also bought a cherry tree from my sweet step sisters to plant in the backyard so that every year we can have cherries in his memory. I really wanted a tree to help remind me that the fruit of his existance is still with us and we will always look forward to when his life will bloom and give our family the long awaited sweet fruit we have been waiting for. One of the most wonderful things that was gifted to us was a song written by my sister, Lucy, called "Little Angel" which couldn't be more perfect or more sweet. I listen to it every day and I sing Henry to sleep every night with it's sweet melody. That song seems to immortalize him to me and hopefully I can share it with enough people that it will truly touch their lives in a way that will make his memory last forever to more people than just me and my husband. Many people also brought beautiful flowers, also some live flowers that I can plant outside later in George's garden, and refreshments. The house looked beautiful, springy, and full of love and support.

Over 60 people attended the service. There were people filling the rooms and hallways of our home including friends, family and neighbors that I hardly knew. I am so grateful for those that made it. Many of Justin's classmates also came to support us which, I know, can never be taken lightly with their busy schedules. It was so good to see you all. Our Bishop conducted the service, Franklin Chou played the piano, the Shill Boys, Brayden and Collin, sang "Families can be Together Forever" which was absolutely sweet and darling. I just love that family. Justin and I both spoke about what we were feeling and said things that needed to be said about him. It felt good to express what I was feeling to all the people there like how much I love Georgie and how his memory will be a great help to my spirituality and ultimately be a stepping stone to my salvation. We sang the hymns, Be Still my Soul and God be with you 'till we meet again, planted the cherry tree in our backyard and spent some good time talking with friends and neighbors. It seemed to be a real positive experience for everyone, especially those of our friends who had never had contact with The Church before.

After the service, I was left with a real sense of peace and resolution. I was left with many beautiful flowers that are still alive and blooming all around me. My home is filled with life and when the clouds break, light. I am about to plant my garden soon and I will hopefully have a summer filled with fun filled Henry moments and time spent tending my garden. I am still working on putting together a book of remembrance with all the cards, photos, and anything else I can put in a book to have to show our kids who he was how many people loved their brother and our darling son, George McGregor Hohl.

In addition, I am in the process of turning the hill in our backyard, which is covered in rocks, trash and stumps into a garden for Georgie. Justin has already built a terrace and we are adding a fence soon with an entrance next to the cherry tree we planted. Many of you have already contributed bulbs and live flowers that will come back next year after I plant them, but if you are interested in contributing to Georgie's Garden, I will be adding to it all summer and during the next four years with everything I can get my hands on. I'm going to plant trees, flowers, bushes, vegitables and anything else that comes my way so that I can keep him in our memory. You can send any contributions to 5014 Venice Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15209. He will not be forgotten.

Baby Boy Lost

After five months of pregnancy, my little baby boy came into our lives for only a moment, then left us to return to his Heavenly Father. I suppose he just wasn't ready, or didn't need to come into this world at this time. We are sad and we look at our precious Henry and it breaks our heart to think of what we will be missing without our little one that would have been, but we know that we will see him again and that he is still ours for eternity.

He was born at about 1 am on Thursday, March 22nd. He weighed 12 oz and was 10 inches long. His heart had already stopped before he was delivered, so I never got to hold him while he was alive. His lungs had not developed to the point where he could be sustained artificially, so all we could do was hold him through the night. His skin was translucent and his tiny body was cold and limp. I rested him agains my chest, kissed his head and face and put my hands on him to keep him warm. He already had redish blonde hair forming his eyebrows and on his head with a face that looked a lot like Justin. He was perfectly formed and perfectly peaceful as we held him and kissed him for a few hours in the hospital. We took some photos as to not forget him and the kind nurses made hand and foot prints for us and put it all in a nice little box that we will keep in a special place in our hearts and in our home.

During these few days I have had time to reflect on my blessings and what these trials bring into our lives. Recently I have heard of tragedies much greater than my own and I am aware of what women have been living through since the beginning of time with the death of babies, and children small and big. These women are not very far removed from my generation, but I feel that in our day we expect everything to go as we plan it, and when it doesn't we ask, "why me?" I cannot pretend not to feel much grief over the loss of my child, but I do believe that his death will only influence me to be a more humble and grateful woman, a more loving mother, and a more compassionate friend. Through this trial I will also come to a better understanding of the pain the Father went through as he lost his beloved and perfect son, Jesus Christ. Because of this, I am closer to becoming more like them which will, in the end, lead me to eternal life where I can spend all eternity with my husband and children, even the ones who have been taken from me.

I rejoice in knowing that I was the vessel that carried one of Heavenly Father's special spirits and whatever the reason for his short journey, I believe that he was so special that the Lord had bigger and better plans for him in his kingdom. In the end, I get to be the mother of a soul that already proved his perfect faith in Christ and strength of testimony as to need no further trial on this earth. I am so honored to have him in our family for forever. He is a most precious part of our family and we will never forget nor be able to ignore the influence he will have on our lives for the rest of the time we spend in this world. I know he will be with us helping us choose the right and become one with eachother as we hold fast to the gospel of peace and salvation.

Our baby boy will always be in our hearts and in our minds until we arrive home to heaven where he will be waiting for his mommy and daddy, this time with a warm body and a beating heart. We love you little one.

Grandma saves the day!

I have been on bed rest now for a week and a half and so many people have come from church to take care of me and Henry. I can't believe how wonderful they have been and how willing these women are to clean my house and to take care of Henners. A month is a long time for someone to be incapacitated, so I've convinced Henry's grandma to come to take care of him and hopefully cook a few dinners as well. I'm just glad that Henry can have a normal schedule again with the naps that he needs and I'm excited for him and grandma to have this time to bond and get to know each other better. I feel like I'm doing a little better, however that doesn't really mean much in my case. I'm just hoping that my ultrasound on the 14th will be a positive one.

So, Henry has been making a sniffing noise with a scrunchy face lately as well as doing the signs for fish and airplane. He chooses not to learn the life changing signs for eat, drink, more, tired, and all done, however he sure knows his sign for fish!! You can guess how much that helps my life. haha! I really don't know what went wrong. We're still working on it though. He's talking up a storm in his secret language and loves to play with a ball and bat, or anything that he can swing around. His hair is growing and we had to cut it, and might even need to be cut again soon. I fear that it's turning blonder. I will miss his red hair!

Tough time for mommy and lima bean

Many of you know by now that I have placenta previa which is causing me to bleed a lot. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I haddn't just gone on a snowboarding trip and had a busy week preparing for Henry's Birthday party, however I was not informed about my fragile condition until after the damage was done and now I'm paying for it. Being on bed rest might have been a welcome change for a while, however I have my little Henster to take care of all day long and that complicates things. I am now having to send Henry out all day long to be taken care of, or have someone here to take care of him while I just sit and vegitate. It's tough because I don't feel sick or bad, but I am supposed to be on bed rest at all times for the next four weeks. I won't complain about my lifestyle change, but I have to admit that I am worried about the new little one and I do miss Henry when he's gone and I feel bad that I'm not going to be there for him all the time when he needs me. He has such a sweet little disposition and I know he's sensitive to change. Justin is going to be gone a lot this next month as well, so I hope Henry doesn't get scarred by being passed around so much. If anyone reads this, pray for us.

Birthday Boy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HENRY!!






Many of you that read this blog were present at Henry's first Birthday party that was held on the 16th. We did it a week early because of the long weekend and because my older brother was already planning on being in town that weekend, so it worked out for just about everyone. Many of our family members came out for the occasion, including my mom, sister, aunt Kris, cousin Katie, and Justin's sister Tracie with her husband Justin. I had never done a kids party before and I spent hours online looking for ideas for the party, but I wasn't prepared for how much cooking I was in for when the day arrived. Luckily a few angels helped a lot in the kitchen so I could focus on the decorations and finishing touches. Anyway, we ate gourmet salads like the famous grapefruit and avocado salad, pizza fondue with fresh mozzerella and chips with the yummiest authentic home-made New Mexican salsa I imported from Santa Fe. For the kids we provided turkey and ham sandwiches cut out into tiny shapes. Those were a big hit with everyone I think. We opened fun presents, attempted to do a pull string pinata (which failed miserably) turned on the ultimate bubble machine and watched Henry splat everyone with a smash cake covered in whipped cream. haha! That was the most entertaining part of the party. My cousin Katie and I baked a chocolate ganache cake from scratch and it was so decadently yummy. Chocolate is where it's at, lemme tell ya. I think the party was a big hit and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Best of all, Henry was happy and content the entire time. I don't think he shed one tear at his party. He is the best boy in the world and we just love him so much. Happy Birthday Henry Boy.

First photos of Lima Bean Hohl

Here are the ultrasound photos of little baby Hohl #2. It looks pretty happy in there. Only six weeks until we find out if it's a boy or a girl:). I was lucky enough to get an ultrasound, but not after getting a scare when the nurse practitioner couldn't find the heart beat. Luckily it was just being masked by my own and the babe was nice and snuggly in my womb sleeping away with the heart working just fine.

Henry's exciting life

Henry has such an exciting life for such a youngster. On Friday morning, we had a special playgroup at the Carnegie Science Center in the city where He played in water fountains, and in a giant factory that transported and dropped those multicolored balls down on the kids' heads. He was loving it more than I thought he would, so I just might consider getting a family pass! Then, on Friday night we had a fondue party with our friends the Schrohowsky's and the Chou's and their kids and set up our new (but old) baby grand piano. Henry has bad a blast banging on the piano and constantly looks inside to see the hammers as he steps on the keys. He's so interested in what makes them move. Saturday, we drove three and a half hours to Hershey, PA to go to Chocolate World at Hershey Park. It was so fun to see the look on his face when he saw all the candy, stuffed animals and kids running around. He loved the chocolate ride and enjoyed very much destroying the displays of candy and toys, which I let him do because all the kids around him were picking up after him and trying in reprimand him for messing up the store. All us parents were just enjoying the scene. Some youngsters would say "No, you can't do that!" when Henry would slide ten bags of candy off the shelf, then as he looked at them with a quizzical look, he would just do it again. I just love that they expected him to understand what they were saying! haha! That day, we also took a tour of an indian cave and Henry loved that as well. He is a true outdoorsman and loves an adventure.


Today was a rough day. Henry fell down a few times, which is to be expected as he learns to walk, and scraped up his little chin and cheek and now I can't go get his photo taken and get the discount at Sears. Rats! Oh well.

We've also decided that he knows who "Daddy" is and doesn't really know who "Mommy" is yet. He also knows the word "trucks" because every time a truck from the constant construction drives by, he makes an "ssssss" sound because I always hold out the "s" sound on "trucks" for some reason. He crawls fast to the front windows and looks out at the passing dump trucks making his "sssss" sound. So cute. He is a big babbler, but doesn't say anything comprehensible. He isn't really getting sign language much yet, but I'm still going strong with it! I'm just glad he doesn't really cry or shreak when he wants something, and it's pretty easy to tell what he wants 99 percent of the time. What a good boy.

Walking like a pro and little bean number 2

It's official, I'm pregnant again (yee haw!). In some sense, I was in a state of denial because I have had so few symptoms, but I saw the little bean in there today with it's tiny little beating heart all peaceful and sleeping (quite different from what Henry was doing during ultrasounds) and I was finally convinced. So, I'm due August 10th, which will most likely be more like the end of July if things go like the did with Henry.

Well, since I went to the store and bought Henry a little push toy to help him walk, he's taking off! I seriously can't believe the difference one day can make. I believe that his inability to walk was purely mental because his change was too dramatic. I also dressed him up this morning in his new snow outfit and sent him out in the 15 degree weather to play in the new few inches of snow we got last night. He hated his outfit and couldn't even walk in his boots. The first thing he did was fall to his knees and stick his entire face in the snow and eat it...and as he kept eating it, his face got colder and colder until he started crying all the snot out of his head. We're going to have to work on his snow trekking skills.

Teetering and Toddling

So, it's official. Henry is walking! He still stumbles and falls all over the place, but he can walk across the room as long as he has a point right in front of him to focus on. I have been trying to get him to walk to me as I stand up, but I think he needs me to be really low to the ground. Today he was getting a real kick out of Justin and I sending him back and forth between us and cheering each time he made it. I don't think life could be any more fun than watching my smiley, fauxhawked redhead toddle around the house. He is such a joy. We're really glad that he'll be walking well before his Birthday party. I reall hope our trip to New Mexico doesn't hinder his development. We'll be snowboarding the entire week, so I hope he's happy toddling around the ski lodges. haha! We cherish every moment we have with him.

Scared of the Vacuum

So, Henry really doesn't like the vacuum, or anything that makes a loud, continuous noise. He can barely stand the blow-drier, but the vacuum is totally unbearable for him. This makes vacuuming my house very difficult because I'm usually by myself at home and our walls aren't very soundproof, which makes it impossible to vacuum while he naps. And if he's awake, he's always right at my side begging for food like a little puppy, so if I vacuum with him in the vicinity, he screams bloody murder. Once I tried to hold him and vacuum at the same time, all the while, smiling and singing fun songs to help him realize that it's not so scary. No luck. This gives me a great excuse to let Justin do all the vacuuming. haha! So, the other day, I left the Vacuum in the upstairs hallway after I vacuumed all the Christmas garland needles from the stairs so that it was inbetween Henry's room and the stairs. Lately, I try to get Henry to crawl after me when I want him to come somewhere, so yesterday I tried to get him to come from his room to the stairs where I was going to go down. I really didn't think anything of the lingering vacuum, but boy, did he see it. He stopped at his door, sat back and scanned his surroundings. He looked in my room, back in his room and then at the vacuum, leting out a little whimper. Good thing our Henners is a very brave little baby, because he suddenly made a dash for me at the stairs, crawling as fast as he could, letting out his famous, high pitched scream as he passed the vacuum to where I was sitting. Haha! That was so classic. It made me realize how smart he is, and how much he can remember. Sometimes I forget how much of a little sponge he is. So cute!

He's also really into making boy noises lately. Any noise you can make using just air and your cheek, tongue, throat, and nasal cavity, he can do. Whenever he hears a truck, airplane, or car outside, he stops, looks at where it's coming from and makes a sound equivelant to the arab pronounciation of the letter "H", but with a closed mouth with the sound coming from his nose. Sounds nice? That IS actually one of the nicer ones! haha!

Sharing Henners

Many of you have requested that I start a blog of Henry, the sweetest, smiliest boy that ever lived. I have to admit, I will be glad to put all the millions of photos I have of him to good use. lol! I was so surprised this Christmas to know that so many of my extended family members had Henry's photo saved on their cell phone screens and had been sharing photos and videos that I thought I was only sending to my mom. I was overwhelmed by the love and care that my entire family has shown my darling little boy while we spent the Holiday's together and I am deeply grateful to have their support. I know Henry will know and love each and every one of you as he grows up.

Henry is just about the most loveable baby. He is happy 90 percent of the time, he sleeps through the night, and interacts with anyone and everyone who shares a smile with him. He loves people, expecially men with beards, and takes every chance he gets to smile and flirt with every passer-by. When people ignore him, he looks at me as if to say "I thought they were supposed to smile?" Maybe the fact that I can't look at him without smiling has given him the impression that it's just what we do -- smile all day long. Whatever the forces are that are molding this wonderful creature to become the darling boy that he is, I am grateful every minute to have him in my care. I even miss him while he takes naps! Before I go to bed at night, I look at the slide show on my phone of the hundreds of photos of him and laugh at just about every one. I am so glad to share him with all of you, and I hope you enjoy the photos and stories I will relate -- even if they're not fabulously written, and have occasional spelling and grammatical errors:)

I have to backblog his first year a little bit, but I'll do that mostly with photos. Check back often for updates and make sure to let me know what you'd like to hear more about, or if you like what you read or see.

Thanks for loving my Henners.