Thunder in the Valley

As the Thunderbirds took to the air around 3:30 last Saturday afternoon, Beau turned to me and said, "It's a good thing I didn't see this show when I was 16 because I would have signed up for the Air Force." He couldn't have said it better.

At 9:00 in the morning, Beau and I accompanied Dad (on his birthday) to the Waterloo Regional Airport for the Thunder in the Valley airshow. A show of this stature had not been to the Cedar Valley since the 1980s. 50,000 people were expected for the 2-day event. I had never been to an airshow before and didn't really know what to expect.

We waited in line for 20 minutes or so to see inside the cockpit of a Thunderbird, checked out an Avenger (fully stocked with missiles, torpedo, and machine guns), and made our way to where the crowd was gathering by the runway. With all the seats taken up along the fence line, we set up shop in the middle of a wide expanse of grass, perfect distance between portable restrooms, ATM, and beer vendor! By the time the show started at 11:00, the area was completely packed with people.

It was an incredible experience. Highlights included: the National Anthem playing along to two planes circling a parachuter displaying an American flag; a B-2 Stealth Bomber flyover; watching a Panzl S-330 flip and stall and fall all over the clear blue sky leaving a zigzag of smoke with every twist and turn; seeing the Thunderbirds leave the crowd in awe; and $3 Summit Oktoberfests!

It was a long, hot day, but one that was totally worth the experience. If the Kiwanis can pull this off again next year, the Henrichs clan will be there. I strongly suggest anyone who missed out this year to be as well!

14 Weeks and Loving It!

On June 26, I received the best birthday present I could have ever asked for . . . a positive pregnancy test. I had a feeling I was pregnant but I didn't think we would be blessed to get pregnant so quickly again.

I took the test and waited with Jordan and Charly to find the results. Jordan took Charly into the bathroom to read the results, since I was too nervous to look. Then I looked at his face and that told me everything! The smile, the giddiness, the excitement was enough to tell me that Charly was going to be a big sister! I instantly got tears in my eyes and was so excited to begin this process again. It took a couple of minutes for it to really sink in, and when it finally did, the questions began pouring into my head . . .

Is our house big enough?
Will our house ever be clean and/or organized?
Do we need to move?
Is Charly going to want to share the attention with another baby?
What if the baby is born on Charly's birthday?
What if the baby is born on Leap Day?
Do we need to buy a double stroller?
Will it be even more difficult to bring two children to a restaurant, shopping, or on vacations?
Will I ever be able to run errands with two kids?
Is this baby going to be healthy?
Will Charly have a sister or a brother?
What will we name "it"?
Does that name sound good with "Charly"?
Will I give this baby the same amount of attention I gave Charly?
Will I have enough energy for two babies?
What will bath time look like with two children?
Are we going to be able to fit around our kitchen table?
Should they share birthday parties or each have their own?
Will they like their birthdays being so close together?
Will Jordan and I ever have a social life?
Will we ever sleep again?
Is this baby going to be a better sleeper than Charly?
What parenting techniques will we change with this baby?
Will I have just as much time to cuddle with this baby?
Will this baby even want to be cuddled?
Will this baby be as good natured, happy, and as smart as Charly is?
What will "it" look like?
How much is our life going to change?
Can I still buy new clothes for myself?
How will Elliot handle two babies in the house?
Could we have twins?
What will Charly do when we are in the hospital?
Will Charly and the baby be friends?
Will I be able to give Charly enough attention?
Will I ever get any schoolwork done?

Last Wednesday, Jordan and I went to the doctor's office to hear our baby's heartbeat. I was a little skeptical because when we were pregnant with Charly they could not hear the heartbeat, and we had to have an ultrasound. I told the nurse I was nervous and Jordan explained the situation with Charly. She put the monitor right to my belly and the instant it hit my stomach baby Henrichs' fast and strong heartbeat of 165 was heard loud and clear! I looked at Jordan and he looked at me and any questions or worries I had up until that point went away. Nothing else seemed to matter but this new baby that was growing inside of me. It was the best feeling of calm I could have asked for. Hearing the heartbeat, thinking about our future, made me emotional (the happy kind of emotional) and elated all night. Everything seemed perfect and everything seemed right.

Since high school, Jordan and I have talked and dreamed about having a big family. We love kids and we want to be surrounded by family for the rest of our lives. I am so excited to start this new journey with Jordan and Charly and to add baby number two to our amazing family.