Welcome 2011 and My New Blog!

For the past year and a half I have kept a blog for Chloe. It began as a way for me to keep my immediate family and closest friends updated on her NICU status, progress, setbacks, etc. The blog quickly became much much more. 1. It's a documented record of almost every one of Chloe's 148 days in the NICU and includes comments from the great friends who prayed and hoped for her healing along the way. 2. I got lots of great advise from experienced moms who cared enough to share their knowledge. 3. The blog became a sort of therapy aid for me. Deciding how to describe my emotions (and there were lots of them!) was cathartic and helped me become introspective in a way I'd never been before. 4. A way for me to make some fantastic blog friends - something I never expected!

Chloe has been home for almost a year now and she's doing fantastic! We couldn't be more thankful for her progress and our many blessings.

For a while now, though, I've been playing with the idea of starting a new blog. You see, I actually have another daughter. An equally amazing and wonderful daughter named Solana, who hasn't gotten much blog time. Often times I want to blog/brag about her but Chloe's blog just didn't seem like the right forum for it. My family in Texas loves to hear about both their girls in Ohio so Solana stories are shared via text messages and Facebook. Neither of those last, though, and I want both my girls to have a record or our memories to enjoy when they're older. So...as we begin a new year I also begin 'La Familia Hendrickson'.

P.S. If you're curious about the palm trees I'll tell you the story... Our family vacation spot is to our favorite resorts in Mexico. Dave and I have been 4 times, Solana twice, and Chloe and Leila once (although we didn't know they were there, yet). We skipped our vacation this past summer since Chloe couldn't travel and we're feeling it. Mexico has definitely been on the brain. Two of our family photos from the last trip are labeled 'La Familia Hendrickson.' The palm trees are a sweet reminder of warmer days past and excitement for warmer days to come :-)