April 29, 2021
To my Rainbow Baby, Henry,
Today, you are eleven weeks old! What an amazing week we’ve had with you, little guy! Now that you’ve had your two month vaccinations, we are starting the tour of introducing you to all of the people in your extended family, and it is already filling my heart with so much joy. You have such a big family, which means lots of people to love on you! Our family is also spread out in Pennsylvania and Maryland, so it means learning how to travel with a baby, which is already quite the experience for your parents! This week was our first trip away from home and it was so wonderful to finally start showing you off, and to get a little bit of normal back after this year separated from our families by a screen.
Donna Marie, Your first cousin once removed (I Googled it!), was insistent that she had first dibs on holding you!
Our first stop on the “Meet Henry Miller” tour was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is the home base from Pup Pup’s branch of the family, the Heilmann’s- lovingly known as the Loud Family. We headed out on Friday afternoon, making sure you had a full belly to carry you through the 3 hour drive. You did awesome in the car- snoozing almost the whole way! About 30 minutes from the restaurant we were meeting at, you woke up and started to fuss a bit, so we planned to get you fed as soon as we arrived. This was delayed slightly when Mommy went to change you and found your second blowout in as many trips to restaurants!! I’m just grateful it didn’t end up in the car seat! Hopefully this doesn’t become a habit every time we try to eat out! Once we got you fed, you got to snuggle with your Aunt Mimi and cousin Donna Marie, who have been dying to meet you! By the end of the evening, you were not having it anymore, so we took you back to the hotel for another meal and bedtime. You did awesome sleeping your first night in a hotel, so thankfully your sleep schedule didn’t get disrupted too much!
Steven is your second cousin and the oldest great grandchild of the Heilmann clan- You're the youngest and officially extend this family into second cousins :)
On Saturday, we went to your Aunt Mimi’s house to spend the day with your entire family: I did a little research to determine the right names for all of its members. You have 5 second cousins: Steven, Matthew, Andrew, Brandon and Lexi, plus two soon-to-be-second cousins Jackie and Megan, who are Steven and Matthew’s fiancees. You are the first great grandchild born into a different branch of the Heilmann family, so you have officially extended this family into second cousins! You have 6 first cousins one removed: Donna Marie and Steve, TJ and Anita, and Lisa and Denise. You have 6 great aunts and uncles: Aunt Mimi and Uncle Tony, Aunt Donna and Uncle David, and Aunt Laura and heavenly Uncle Jim. Your great Grandma and Pup Pup are also watching from heaven, and I know they are just beaming with pride at how this family has grown. It just makes my heart so full. You spent the day getting passed around from snuggle to snuggle, got to hear your Auntie Donna sing “Tommy” in person for the first time, and got showered with tons of presents at our delayed celebration of Christmas. After such a busy day, you slept so good that night in the hotel.
Great Auntie Donna sings "Tommy" to you in person for the first time. She looks so much like your Great Grandma, so I can imagine her holding you from heaven <3
On Sunday, we got up to get ready to head home. You got to hang out with Daddy while Mommy went to church for the mass to celebrate Aunt Mimi and Uncle Tony’s 50th Wedding Anniversary, and then we hit the road. You slept the entire drive home, which included a stop at the slowest Wendy’s drive-thru in the world. Your first road trip was a smashing success and we are so excited to continue the tour this weekend when we head to Belleville, PA, so that your Gram’s family, the Sharp’s, can have their turn to meet you. That trip is 6 hours, so it will be a little more challenging, but I think you are going to handle it like a champ!
Great Auntie Mimi used to watch your mommy when she was a baby, and now she's watching you, too!
The only people missing from our Heilmann family visit were your Uncle John and Aunt Denise, but we got to see them virtually yesterday. They are hoping to make a trip home in the fall to finally get to meet you, and we are hoping they’ll be here to attend your baptism, since they are officially going to be your godparents! I can’t think of anyone better to help us lay the foundation of faith in your life, and I’m beyond thrilled that they’ve agreed to this important role. We are praying that God will align all of His plans so that they can be here with us for that joyful celebration.
This week, I thank God for the joys of family, that we have such an extended family tree that is still close and involved in each other’s lives for these milestones. I am so happy to have this type of family to raise you in, sweet boy, so that you are just constantly surrounded by love. I praise God for a wonderful visit with the Heilmann family, for safe travels, and for successes with you as we ventured out on the road. I pray that God will continue to grant us these mercies for our upcoming trip to Belleville, where we will get to experience this familial joy all over again!
I love you, little Rainbow Henry.
Love, Mommy
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