Three Months with Hans

My little buddy is 3 months old today. 

He is still a sweet snuggler. He loves to be held throughout the day. He’s getting a little better at being set down in the swing or in his bouncy seat where he’ll bat at his toys and be contented there for a few minutes. But he definitely prefers to be held. Thankfully there’s no shortage of arms to hold him.

 

Hans started sleeping through the night at about 2.5 months so the past 2 weeks have been very nice. He still is up sometimes but only for about an hour then he’s back to sleep. Just this week I moved him to his crib in his room overnight because he fills up the bassinet from nearly head to foot he’s so tall! The first night he was awake several times but the second night he slept all night. 

This is the face he made when he saw me after sleeping all night. Isn’t he so sweet and handsome?

He really is such a content little guy. He outgrew his 0-3 month clothes so I’ve already moved him to 3-6 month outfits. He now weighs about 12 pounds and is about 23.75 inches tall.




Growing is hard work!

Ruth took this photo of me playing with Heidi while holding Hans. I love how it is an accurate representation of where we’re at right now. Babies, messy top knots, comfy leggings, tired eyes and smiles. This was in between giving spelling lessons. 

The days are jam packed but also somehow slow. We’ve dialed back on therapies and appointments and it feels really good. 

Hans will for sure have a different childhood and experiences from his older sisters but we believe it will shape him into the man God wants him to become. 



I have great hope for the bond between Heidi and Hans. She’s always ready with a pacifier for Hans as she finds it very upsetting to hear him cry. She’s not always as gentle as I would like so I’m glad he’s growing into a big boy!

Looking forward to seeing Hans grow another month. God is gracious. 

Two Months with Hans

Another month! I’m so grateful for my little buddy. He grew 2 inches this month and gain about 2.5 pounds. I’ll get the official numbers next week but I think he is now 23.5” long and 11.5 pounds. What a man! 

Hans is still the sweetest snuggler. It seems like he has, once again, slept the month away with frequent eating. He eats every 2-3 hours during the day. He has had some longer stretches the last couple nights, a 7 hour stretch (midnight to 7 am) and a 6-hour stretch 11-5 am. That was glorious!

He loves to be held. He really is the snuggliest little man. 

It doesn’t feel like he’s awake all that often but I try to take pictures when he is. His eyes are a startling blue, just like his daddy’s! 

I feel like he sleeps so much that he hasn’t learned to do anything yet. It was a great joy to my heart this morning when he gave me lots of great smiles for the first time. We hope we’ll see lots more of them in the next month. 

Happy two month, Hans! I love you my little buddy!

Looking forward to another month of kissing your soft cheeks and examining your wrist rolls. 

Abbey was 12

I’m embarrassingly late on this post. So much so that Abbey will be 13 in just a couple months. 

However, I want to take a few minutes to jot down a little about Abbey at twelve. 

She was looking forward to a summer of swimming. She was nervous about taking over the role of OAH (oldest available Hess) when Anne started school. 

Abbey had just gotten Peach! She was very excited about her new puppy!

She chose a delicious desert and had to do math on her cake because I thought I had the right candles but didn’t. Thankfully she has a great sense of humor and didn’t mind!

I love her smile! Abbey continues to have a sweet tooth. She loves all desserts. 




Abbey is very crafty. She got several faux leather patterned fabrics and earrings designs and has busily made lots of earrings. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and has plans to sell many of the earrings she has made. 

The original three. These three sisters have been through so much together. It’s hard to remember a time when they weren’t all three born. We knew it was going to be very different for us all when Anne started school. 

Abbey at twelve has a great sense of humor. She loves to make jokes and has a witty, dry humor. However, she continues to be very sweet with Heidi. I’m constantly impressed when I see her take initiative to comfort Heidi. She has also started to help make breakfast and get the morning moving.

Happy 12th, Abbey Frances! We love you! 

One Month with Hans

Time has a funny way of marching along and here we are with Hans already one month old. 

I’ve learned a bit in my 14 years of parenting, and one thing is sure, I definitely don’t remember all the things I thought I would remember about my kids when they were babies. 

So here’s a few things about Hans this month:

-he mostly sleeps. In my experience, preemies tend to be very sleepy until a little after their due date. We’re looking forward to more awake time next month

 

-Hans sleeps best when being held, the hazard of being the youngest of 7, I presume. This is a non-issuer during the day, but makes for some long nights at times. 

-Hans likes to eat. A lot. All the time. He also spits up a lot because he just doesn’t know when to quit. He gained over 3 pounds this month. He came home at 5 lbs, 12 oz, and currently weighs about 9 pounds. He has also grown 1.5”, making him 21.5” tall. 

-Night time routine currently is: eat from about 9:30-10:30. Wake up at 12:50 to eat. Usually goes back to sleep in the basinet well around 1:50. Wake at 3:10 or so to eat. This is often the time he does not want to be laid back down in the basinet. Sometimes he does ok, other times Trent will get up with him and sit to hold him for a couple hours so I can get some sleep from about 4-6. He eats around 6:00 or 6:30 and I usually fall asleep during this feeding. I go downstairs around 7:30 to start my morning. 

- Hans pooped through his diaper onto Ruth’s lap. Definitely a memorable moment that Ruth will have for a long time! Lots of clothes needed changed. She took it like a champ, and maybe even felt a little special. 

-Hans has met many family, friends, and been to church 3 Sundays. 

We are having so much fun with a newborn in the house again! It’s just like riding a bike, I think. 

One thing I’m asked the most is “how does it feel to have a boy”. I would say at this point he’s not much different from the girls, other than the obvious anatomy difference. Maybe ask me again when he’s busy getting into everything and making mayhem. 

Most likely Hans is our last baby so I’m truly cherishing these moments while he loves to be snuggled while simultaneously feeling excited to see who he becomes as he grows. 

My sister took this stunning photo that I will always cherish. Plus it’s much lovelier than what I look like on a regular day!

The Weary World Rejoices

If ever there was an apt description of the state of the world as 2021 closes, I think it could be weary. 

I know the difficulties faced by our family in the past month have at times felt overwhelming and consuming. How like God to lay on my heart something to share with our adoptive moms group about finding rest in the midst of the chaos. I would need those words and that group of women supporting me more than I could have predicted. 

And yet, the challenges we faced were quite small in comparison to what others have walked this year and continue to be faced with anew even this morning. 

A thrill of hope. Can you feel it? In the midst of illness, death, difficulties, politics. It’s there for the taking. The birth of a baby, coming to save the world so we can live eternally. 

I don’t like to put onto Mary what scripture doesn’t tell us, but I have to think of her in a stable, holding the light of the world. We perhaps cannot imagine worse circumstances or a less appropriate place for the Savior to be born. Yet, as far as we know, Mary doesn’t complain or expect anything greater for herself. When shepherds come praising and glorifying God Scripture tells us that Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

Last night as I sat awake with my newborn son, I was praying for him and thinking of who he might grow to be. The circumstances of the birth of Hans were not what I had hoped for. Yet God saw us through and was gracious to us. We have much to be thankful for. Sorrow and difficulty will always be part of life on earth. But so will joy! We can find rest and peace even in our hardest days. I pray that each of you can search and find it as we prepare to celebrate Christmas tomorrow. 

What’s in a Name? Hans Walter

All of our children have family names chosen and names which are meaningful to us. 

This is the story of naming our first son. 

Hans Walter Hess

Hans and Magdalena were our first Hess ancestors to come from Switzerland in the 1700s. They were fleeing religious persecution and traveled with their own large family (6 children at the time, I believe) to America. They settled in Conestoga/Pequea, PA which is about 15 minutes from where we live.

Hans is the Swiss-German form of John and means “God is Gracious”. {God certainly has been gracious to us through this pregnancy and I hope to post on that later.} While I was pregnant with Hans I traveled to Arizona to see my grandparents who live in the beautiful desert with a stunning Mountain View. I started believing and praying a verse over our child, which I prayed would be the anthem for his life. 

Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare a way for the LORD; make straight into the desert a highway for our God”. 

Walter means “army leader”. More importantly, it was the name of Trent’s paternal grandfather. He overcame much adversity in his life and lived a life honoring to the LORD. He raised six children, worked hard, was faithful to his wife, church and community. He died right around this time, eight years ago, and the word of the Lord was still precious to him in his last days. 

My hope for Hans Walter is that he would be a leader in God’s army and that God would be gracious to him to allow this to happen. That he would have the intrepid spirit of his ancestors with the wisdom to know when to take his family abroad and when to stay. That he would be like John that the Isaiah passage is prophesying to- that our Hans will make straight paths in the spiritual desert America has become and lead people to Jesus. 

Little Hans, we know that God knew you before you were formed in my womb. We have had a lot of fun not finding out if you were a boy or girl and trusting that God knew what was best for our family. We are excited to watch you learn and grow. We love you.