The Hess Family

Fun With Siblings

doug — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:30:32 +0000

Analeigh and Kenian have a new favorite game. They like to play Ring Around the Rosie until they get dizzy. It is pretty darn cute. Here is a video…

Got Milk?

doug — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:28:32 +0000

When Analeigh was very young, we discovered that she was allergic to milk. She was not lactose intolerant, but instead was allergic to casein (milk protein). Even the most minuscule amount of this would result in severe stomach pain, diarrhea, and rash. Because of this allergy, Marissa had to avoid all dairy products the entire time Analeigh was nursing, and once she started on solid foods we had to be extra diligent to avoid even trace amounts of milk. Beginning a few weeks ago, we decided to see if the allergy was improving, as the pediatrician had told us that there was a possibility that it would get better around age two. First it was a Krispy Kreme donut (made with milk). No problem. Second came a couple bits of pasta with a creme sauce on them. Again, no problem. The final test came in the form of broccoli cheese soup, made with milk, butter, cream and cheese (it doesn’t get more dairy than that). She ate a half of a bowl and did fine! We are so thankful that the allergy seems to have passed, and she can have a childhood of fun, dairy foods (and we can have one free from policing her food). Here are some pictures of her enjoying some of her first dairy treats.

Where has this chocolate ice cream been all my life?!?

Do I have some on my face?

How about yoghurt?

Good stuff!

The Many Faces of Kenian

doug — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:20:57 +0000

In the past few weeks we have seen enough of doctors, hospitals and labs to last a while, and we still have no conclusive answer on what Kenain’s exact diagnosis is and what treatment he will need. We have an appointment on the 26th with a pediatric endocrinologist that will hopefully finally answer those questions for us. Thanks so much for your prayers, calls and e-mails.
One of the most fun things about Kenian (and occasionally the most annoying) is that he is extremely expressive. You never have to wonder what Kenian is thinking or how he feels about something. Here is just a short collection of the many faces of Kenian.

X-Rays, Needles and Donuts

doug — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:49:26 +0000

On Tuesday morning, the babies and I spent the morning at Hospital Angeles, getting a battery of tests done on Kenian. First was the blood tests, which took a while but were done with one stick (thank God). Kenian was very brave and didn’t cry. He just kept looking at the needle in his arm and looking back at me, as if to say “are they done yet?” Then came the urine test, which takes a while when you have a one year-old who is not potty trained and hasn’t eaten or drank since the night before. Lastly was the x-ray, used to determine “bone age.” After our three hour fun at the hospital I decided that it would only make sense to visit Krispy Kreme for some donuts. There were some happy (and very messy) babies sitting in that booth! Yesterday we returned to the doctor, who reported that all of the tests had come back fine, and it appears that Kenian is a healthy, but somewhat tiny little man. We were very happy to hear this, and thankful to all who prayed for him this week.

UPDATE: This afternoon we received a phone call from the pediatrician informing us that there had been one additional test outstanding when we went yesterday for our results. This last test was his IGF (one of the growth hormones) and it came back today significantly low. He advised us that we will need to follow up with a pediatric endocrinologist, so we will be working on that next week. We’ll keep you updated!

My appologies to the staff at Krispy Kreme for the mess.

Our Little Man

doug — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:14:37 +0000

Kenian has been a part of our family for almost ten months now, and in many ways it feels like he has always been a part. He brings a certain level of “boyness” to the home that was always lacking. Where Avalyn and Analeigh read books and play with dolls, Kenian breaks things, rips books and plays with trucks. He climbs anything that is climbable, and despite her significant size advantage, can often compete pretty well in a fight over a toy with Analeigh. Although he is totally a boy, he is also kind and very affectionate, always anxious to give us (or even his sisters) a hug or kiss. He has been a wonderful addition to our family, and since coming into our home, he has really thrived. Lately, however, we have noticed that Analeigh’s size advantage has been growing. For a while we weren’t sure if it was that Kenian was not growing or if Analeigh was simply growing quickly. Today we went in for checkups and discovered that Kenian is not growing much, and in fact is only in the 1% for both height and weight. At this point we are unsure of the cause, as he eats a ton and is hitting all of his developmental milestones. It is possible that he is just small, but tomorrow we are going for extensive blood work to rule out any genetic or hormonal problems. Here are a couple of adorable new pictures of Kenian…

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia!

doug — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:49:12 +0000

Today was Mexican Independence Day, and Avalyn’s school had a huge celebration program. The older kids sang and did traditional dances, and Avalyn’s class did a presentation about peace (paz). Avalyn had a small speaking part, and then the whole class recited a poem. Here is the video…

Rainy Season

doug — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 01:28:04 +0000

After living in Costa Rica, where it pours rain everyday for seven months per year, we are skeptical of any claim of a “rainy season.” Here in Mexico City, we are in the middle of what, so far, has been a very uneventful rainy season. 4-5 times per week we will get rain, but usually it is only a short shower late in the afternoon. A few days ago, however, was a different story. As the afternoon progressed, the sky became black, and a huge storm rolled in. There was significant thunder, lighting and peanut sized hail that piled up in our parking area. Our apartment complex sits on the side of a mountain, and most of the water from above the complex drains down a ditch in between our apartments and the neighborhood next to us. On Sunday this ditch overflowed, and turned into a raging river. I took a video below.

School Daze

doug — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 02:29:08 +0000

Last week, our little baby Avalyn started kindergarten. She was a little bit nervous, but very excited. Her Nanny and Pappy came all the way from Chicago to be there for her big day, and she really appreciated their support (and the new bike they brought her!). Here are a couple of pictures from her on the first day.

Here she is sitting in her new class

Avalyn was psyched and ready to go the first day!

Last but not least…Avalyn wants to take you on a tour of her new school…

Mimi Was Here

doug — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 02:38:35 +0000

This morning we took my (Doug) mom to the airport after a week’s visit. It was a great week, and I think she enjoyed seeing Mexico City for the first time. Here are some pictures from her visit, as well as some other recent photos.

A visit with Mimi means books…lots of books.

Avalyn bought a princess dress at Costco and has worn it pretty much 24/7 since.

Are they cute or what?

Sometimes you just get sleepy

She’s getting so big!

My big man!

We’re Still Alive!

doug — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:10:33 +0000

A friend of mine (who we will simply refer to as “Jonathan D. Boyette”) pointed out to me recently that people watching our blog may have come to believe that we had disappeared into thin air. If this was the conclusion that you had come to, we apologize. We are in fact alive and well, and have had a busy summer. We took a quick trip the the US in June for a wedding, and spent last week in La Muralla (about 2 hours north of Mexico City) for a week of meetings with our company. While we were in meetings, some volunteers from Indiana came and held a VBS for our kids. Avalyn had a blast! Here are two videos from the presentation that they did for us the last day. Enjoy!