After Thanksgiving

Thanks to everyone for making it a great Thanksgiving.  We had a great time introducing Mackenzie to so many people.  It sure did wear her out.  She got a bit cranky by the end of the weekend...nothing a long day of napping can't cure.  

Mackenzie has reached a massive weight of 13 pounds and is 23 inches long.  She loves to smile and talk.  She's definitely becoming more aware of her surroundings, and always wants to look around.  And yes, she loves television...especially sports.  That's my girl!  

She's had a few more tests on those pesky kidneys.  It turns out, she only has one!  She may never play football, but as long as that kidney keeps working, she'll be just fine.  

Mackenzie's Busy Day with the Doctors

Mackenzie had a couple of appointments today.  She got to see the pediatrician this morning.  She's now 10 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long.  This afternoon she had a VCUG.  That test was to determine whether she had reflux from her bladder to her kidneys.  Good news...no reflux.  She's doing great so far, and will have some more tests in the next few months.  

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

I was getting Mackenzie ready for bed tonight, and she decided to show off just how strong she is. Maybe it's not a big deal, but I still think it's very funny.

A New Life

Well, we've had Mackenzie at home for about two weeks, now. Things are going very well. We're both very tired (Katie especially) as expected. Mackenzie is eating often, putting on weight, and driving mom to exhaustion. She seems to become more aware every day. Her eyes focus a little more, and her movements are a little less sporadic. She's very calm, except when she's hungry. The dogs are curious of the new noisemaker in the house. But they've been very good with her.

We're very thankful for all the help we've received from family and friends. From the cleaning, to grocery shopping, to dinners, we appreciate it all. We're very lucky. Mackenzie will know how much she is loved. Thank you.

We're Home

We're finally home and relaxing with our Little Mac. She's had her first bath, and a couple of doctor's appointments. We also took her for a walk around the neighborhood, and she loved it. Each time we take her outside, she perks right up. She loves the great outdoors. The dogs are interested in her, sniffing all the time; they've been very good with her. The days and nights are long, but she's beautiful, healthy, and worth every second.

Zander's Here!

On Friday, September 26, Katie started having strong contractions. We made the trip to the hospital at about 8 pm. She received the epidural around 10 pm and labor went well from there. She started to push at 5:30 am and the baby came at 6:06 am on Saturday, September 27. Katie handled the labor very well; I'm very proud of her.

So, we've called the baby "Zander" for the past 9 months. For some reason, we expected a boy. But she's a beautiful baby girl with a head full of dark hair. And her name is Mackenzie. And we love her very much. She's doing great so far; very calm and a good eater. She loves to fling her hands around, even sucking on them when she's supposed to be eating. She has a cute cowlick on the front-right of her head. Long fingers and toes. She knows her mom's voice. And she even holds her head up. We're very proud.

False Alarm

Well, we took an exploratory trip to the hospital this weekend. Katie was having regular contractions for a couple of hours, we called the doctor, and went in to get checked out. False alarm. But we'll be back there soon enough. I suppose we're being extra cautious because of Zander's kidneys.

I Am So Type A

Since the middle of January, we've been looking forward to October 5. That's the day we're supposed to have a baby. But now that it's close (still close to a month away), we're so anxious we can't stand it. I can't speak for the wife, but my stomach is in knots. Her stomach is doing other things right now. Anyways, I'm just trying to be patient, waiting for the next doctor's appointment.

By the way, she's at 3 cm and 50% effaced.

Zander's Almost Ready

My wife is about 8 months pregnant. I'm going to be a dad...very soon. I'm anxious, nervous, excited, the list goes on. So far, the pregnancy has gone very well (from my side, anyways). I feel like we've done well to enjoy the journey, and made a lot of great memories along the way.

During one of our ultrasounds, though, the doctor noticed one of the baby's kidneys was dilated (called hydronephrosis). We've had a couple of follow-up ultrasounds, and it turns out it's not "fixing" itself. So, the baby will be checked soon after birth. We'll know more about the problem at that time.