One Month Old

Our little Kensley is one month old!  Here are her stats:
 weight: 8 lbs 6 oz   (25th percentile)
 height: 21.5 in   ( 75th percentile)
 head: 14.3 in ( 60th percentile)

She is very long and thin.  At one month old she is still in newborn diapers and clothes.  I have put her in some 0-3 month clothes but they are pretty big on her still.  We had some concerns about her not eating well and gaining weight but for the last week she has gained a good ounce every day and has finally gotten the hang of eating instead of just snacking for a minute and then falling asleep.  We are very happy about that. She eats about every two hours during the day and every 3 hours at night.  As far as sleeping, she loves to sleep anywhere except her bed.  So we are working on that.  We have good nights and bad nights but Austin still takes a nap and I can usually get a nap in the afternoon.

It's so fun to see her be so much more alert now.  She loves being able to look around, loves her swing ( thanks Aubrey!), and of course prefers to be held and snuggled.  Austin is still so good with her.  He has never tried to pick her up, drag her, or hit her.  Maybe that phase is still coming but Austin has had a great adjustment with her so far. However, I am still not comfortable to leave them alone together, not yet.  His favorite thing is when I lay her down next to him in his bed to sing songs as he is going to bed.  He always asks me if she can stay in bed with him.

Used my carrier for the first time when going on a walk with Austin.  It was great!  I never had one with Austin but now with two I see myself using it a lot.  However, it did feel a little like being pregnant all over again! 

All dressed for going to church for the first time.  She clearly does not enjoy playing dress up as much as I do!

Austin loves giving Kensley hugs and kisses. He is very gentle and sweet with her.

Laying in bed together and singing songs before nap time.

Sweet little girl sleeping

The Past Two Weeks

Our little Kensley is now 2 1/2 weeks old! Sometimes I feel like she has been here longer than that but she just fits right in with our little family. I have felt very spoiled and blessed the last two weeks with all the help I received with having my mother in law come visit and then my mom. I had meals cooked for me, the house cleaned, Austin entertained and naps every day.
Now that my mom has left real life with two kids has started.  So far, it's going well and we are adjusting great.  Matthew has final exams all of next week which means lots of  intense study hours for him but then we will have a week of Spring Break which we are all looking forward to.  Kensley is a great baby and we all, especially Austin, love to give her hugs and kisses.  She has not a great eater and therefore has had some issues gaining weight but she is doing better and hopefully will continue to eat and grow!  Here are a few more pictures from this past week:

While my mom was still here we made our first real outing beside the doctor's office  We all walked to the park to enjoy the fabulous weather.  It was so nice to get outside for a while as we have been mostly home-bound the last couple of weeks.  Austin loves playing outside and Matthew was able to join us too! Kensley was an angel and slept the whole time.

Shanna is Amazing

I am the luckiest man alive and I want people to know it. It amazes me that even five and a half years into our marriage I am still learning how incredible and close to perfect my sweet little wife is. Of course I thought she was incredible and perfect when we first met and got married, but that's supposed to fade right? Well, maybe I am her refiners fire because it seems to me that the longer we are together the more sincere, committed, strong and righteous my wife becomes. Don't misunderstand me, it has nothing to do with me and is more realistically in spite of what I do. How many women are extremely beautiful, gifted and talented and at the same time humble, teachable and unaware of their beauty. I know only one.

Shanna brightens my every day and makes the worst life has to offer bearable. We were truly unprepared for how difficult medical school was going to be, but with faith and hope we decide life needed to be a little more stressful and so we brought a beautiful little girl in to top it off. I never doubt for a moment that Shanna will be able to handle the stress of raising two children as a "single" parent. She would never even think to complain because everything is so perfectly black and white in her mind. When you have certain responsibilities you just do them without question and without looking for a reward. If I make the bed in the morning I expect a special dinner that night!

I am truly blessed and hope others can see the incredible strength and amazing beauty that I see in my sweet wife. Shanna I love you more than words can express. You bring joy to my life and peace when I think there is none to be found. Thank you for choosing me.

With love and affection,
Matthew

Kensley's Arrival

I can't believe Kensley is over a week old and I am just getting around to posting her story.  We just love her to pieces!
Last Saturday Matthew's mom came into town.  She knew I wasn't due for another week but with Matthew being almost non-existent as this semester of classes is very intense,  it was a great comfort to know that she was here if anything were to happen. Well the very next day, Sunday, I woke up and went about my day while having contractions.  I had been having real contractions for the last couple of weeks so these were nothing new but I was having having them more often than any other day before.  But I didn't think too much of it.  We had a great morning breakfast and then got ready to go to church. Right as we were getting ready to leave I started timing my contractions since I was having so many. They were about 15 minutes apart and a little stronger then I had ever had.  But the doctor said not to come in unless they were about 5 minutes apart so I decided to go to church anyway.  During the meetings, I realized that they were getting stronger and stronger but still about 15 minutes apart.  It was then that I realized that this little girl was probably on her way. We debated about leaving church and going to the hospital but I didn't want to be turned away for false labor since they were still 15 minutes apart so we stayed at church.  But by staying, I was really pacing the hallways, drinking water and having to stop every time I had a contraction.  Then we came home, had dinner (I made sure to eat since they never let you eat anything in the hospital while in labor!) and then Matthew and I packed up and headed for the hospital.  I am so glad my mother in law was already here and ready to take care of Austin. It was such perfect timing!

At the hospital, they told me I was already dilated to a 7! I was shocked.  I'm so glad those contraction were doing something!  I was admitted and very soon after given a blessed epidural.  Then I labored for a few hours until I was ready to push.  The nurse had me do a practice push but then said "Ok, stop! She's coming!"  The doctor came and in literally three pushes my sweet little girl had arrived.  The whole process was very smooth and calm compared to Austin.  With him, my water broke at home with little contractions, I was so shakey and nauseous the whole time and had some pre-eclampsia. With Kensley's I was very calm and collected and enjoyed the process a whole lot more!

First family picture of 4!

Coming home

She is so perfect! She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and has a little bit of light hair.  Matthew's mom stayed in town for a week and took such good care of Austin while I was still in the hospital and even took night shifts with Kensley when we got home.  I am so glad she came when she did and so appreciate everything she did for us!

Austin is so sweet with her. He constantly loves to shower her with hugs and kisses.  Since I was in the hospital for a couple days with this tiny newborn, I felt like when I came home Austin had grown so much.  He just seems so big to me!  I guess you just forget how tiny newborns really are and how fast they grow.  Austin loves to help with anything involving Kensley and even loves to share his tiny cars with her!

Here are a few more pictures from Kensley's first week of life: