Saturday, February 27, 2010

Adorable

This post has no purpose except to brighten your day with our son's adorableness :)




This is Sawyer's quizzical look...He's thinking mom what are you doing? This is getting to be ridiculous. I know I'm cute, but come on.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Favorite Pastime

One of our favorite past times has always been snuggling on the couch and Sawyer has eagerly joined into the fun. This was taken right before Kyle left for Canton. We were enjoying some quality family time. Right now, I'm missing that family time. Sawyer and I can't wait until Daddy returns home!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Our Valentine

Our valentine with some of his valentine goodies (teddy bear and socks)

Sunday, February 21, 2010

5 weeks

On Wednesday, February 17th Sawyer turned 5 weeks. At his weekly weight check he weighed a whopping 8 lb. 7 0z. What!? I was not expecting that number. I know some babies are born at that size, but compared to where he started he has grown so much. In fact, yesterday I went through his drawer to remove all the newborn sizes and prepare the 0-3 month clothes.

Below is a comparison picture:
1 week: 5 lb. 7 oz.
5 weeks: 8 lb. 7 oz.

Friday, February 19, 2010

On The Road Again

For those who haven't heard the news...we're MOVING! Yes, we are once again picking up our lives and moving across the country. It's a very exciting opportunity, but we are sad to be moving away from family and our church community.

Now for the details. Kyle accepted a position as defensive coordinator at Malone University in Canton, OH (yes, that is where we moved from 1 1/2 years ago). God works in interesting ways :) We are excited to be a part of the new football community at Malone!


So, in addition to having an infant, doing grad school classes, and working I've now added a cross country move to the mix. Thankfully, God has given me great peace about the situation. I am focused on taking care of Sawyer and passing my classes. The rest will just have to wait. Starting with my job, I have already resigned, but will be returning for 2 weeks in March to wrap things up.

Kyle has already left for Malone. He is there getting his work started and looking for housing. He will return for 2 weeks in March to watch Sawyer while I'm at work and then in mid-March we'll pack up the truck and head to O-HI-O. These plans are tentative and subject to change based on God's timing :)
Family picture from the last time we were at Malone in 2007.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Change of Plans & A First

Sawyer had another first on February 12th he was in his first car accident. More on that in a minute...
Friday, February 12th was Kyle's last day at home and it did not go as smoothly as we had hoped. Kyle packed up his office and spent some quality time with the family then we all jumped into the car for a ride to the airport.

On the way to the airport the airline called to inform us his flight had been cancelled due to bad weather in Atlanta and was rescheduled for 5:30 am the next morning. Since we were almost to Wichita we decided to keep going to the airport to see if there was another flight he could catch that night. He had an early morning appointment with the realtor and he did not want to miss that. Also, I did not want to get up at 1:30 am to drive him back to the airport.

When we reached the airport we were waiting our turn to get the ticket to park when the vehicle in front of us decided to back up. This decision resulted in him running into our vehicle and smashing the front of our car. Thankfully no one was injured, but our car will need some body work and the worst part is the headlight is out, so I cannot drive at night. Because it occurred on Friday afternoon and Monday was a federal holiday the insurance company did not even contact me until Tuesday to begin the process of getting the car fixed.

Kyle was not able to find another flight reaching his destination, so he had to cancel the realtor appointment. Thankfully our wonderful friends, the Tuckers, graciously opened their home so Kyle could stay in Wichita and gave him an early morning ride to the airport.

I was planning on staying in Wichita to do some shopping and once again join the land of the living, but because I no longer had a headlight I had to hurry home before it got dark. And to top it off Sawyer was starving. The poor thing was crying so hard, but I couldn't pull over to feed him because I had to get home before dark.

Needless to say our good-bye to daddy was hurried and frantic. I was feeling overwhelmed. I am playing the part of a single parent for awhile and now I have to deal with having no transportation. So, saying good-bye was hard, but as we parted Kyle reminded me who I needed to find my strength in...not me, not him, but Jesus. Thanks for the reminder honey! Life since Kyle's departure has been going much smoother now that I am trying to trust in Jesus and not my own strength (funny how it works that way :)

**I wrote this post a few days ago. For more information on Kyle's destination and some upcoming changes stay tuned for the next post.

***Today I went to the body shop and the car may be totaled...that was a shock. I guess we might be getting that new car a little sooner than expected...we will see.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Wide Eyed

Working on his tummy time.

Sawyer is wide awake and not quite sure what to think about tummy time.

He's so cute even though he looks like a little old man in this photo :)

Monday, February 15, 2010

Only the First of Many

Sawyer had the wonderful opportunity (sense the sarcasm) to attend his first football banquet at 2 weeks of age.
Son, I apologize in advance for the number of football banquets you will have to attend. You did very well at your first. We hope the next 17 will go as smoothly.


Saturday, February 13, 2010

Meeting the Family: Take 2

On Sawyer's second weekend at home he had the opportunity to meet more family.

Great Grandma Velda with Sawyer

Jessie holding Sawyer

Breckyn holding the little guy
Aunt Marlene cuddling with Sawyer

4 Generations of Schenks: Sawyer, Kyle, Randy, & Velda

Thursday, February 11, 2010

4 Weeks

Weight Check: 7 lb. 11 oz.

I can't believe he is already 1 month old! He has changed so much already. Some of his milestones in the first month include: smiling, sleeping a 5 hour stretch, growing 2 inches, holding his head up, peeing on every piece of furniture, and stealing his parent's hearts.

Here are some outtakes from the 4 week photo shoot.
Sawyer with a big yawn...being so cute and taking so many pictures is absolutely exhausting.

He is mad in this picture, but I thought the grandparents would like to see him stretched out to show how much he has grown.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

3 weeks


Weight Check: 7 lb. 1 oz.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Year in Review


August 2009

Since we didn't do Christmas cards this year I thought I would do a 2009 year in review through pictures.
What we looked like before children :)

January 2009
Jake & Audra were married on January 3rd
Kristen started her MBA at Fort Hays State University

February 2009

We welcomed our 1st nephew, Noah

March 2009
Jake, Audra, Kristen, & Kyle went on a skiing trip to Breckenridge. We were quite the ski bunnies. And not to rub it in, but the girls were way better skiers :)

April 2009
Kyle was busy recruiting and practicing spring ball. Kristen stayed busy with homework.

May 2009
Kyle celebrates his 10 year high school reunion and also finds out we're having a baby!

June 2009
Wendy & Adam get married in Estes Park, CO. It was an amazing wedding with a beautiful bride and perfect location. I can't believe the only picture I took that day was of the centerpieces, but I guess I was a little busy :)

July 2009

We went on a mission trip to China. We taught English and played with kids in the orphanage.

August 2009
Kristen traveled to St. Louis for a Taylor reunion with Drew, Hannah, Jo, and Sarah

Kyle purchased the truck of his dreams :)

And a huge blessing! We paid off Kyle's student loans.

September 2009
Found out we were having a baby boy!

Enjoyed night football games with the family.

October 2009

More football at Sterling College


November 2009
The month of baby showers.

December 2009
We went on a babymoon to Kansas City, spent time with family at the holidays, and celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.

For our anniversary we ate at P.F. Chang's and this is what my fortune cookie said. It was a fitting statement as we moved from 2009 into 2010!

Friday, February 5, 2010

From My Vantage Point

This is what a typical morning looks like from my vantage point. Me holding a precious, sleeping babe while reading a business textbook.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Day 5: Perspective


Day 5 of Sawyer's life was a rough day for both mom and baby. He was barely eating, he had no wet or poopy diapers, he would cry hysterically during feedings, his skin was turning yellow, and his mother was feeling pretty miserable because she couldn't fix any of his problems.

First thing that morning I scheduled an appointment with the lactation consultant. While waiting for the appointment, on the verge of tears I overheard commotion in the next room. It was a room full of doctors, nurses, a set of parents, and a 26 week micro-premie. From my eavesdropping I gathered they were preparing the baby for transfer to a larger neo-natal facility. I didn't give the situation too much thought as I wallowed in my own despair.

At the appointment I learned Sawyer had again dropped in weight to 5 lb. 7 oz., which is a 15% weight drop from his birth weight. His bilirubin levels were also checked and it was determined that he had developed jaundice. Needless to say, the appointment didn't start out so well, they were talking about re-admission to the hospital. But then things began to look up when we tried to feed him. After attempting all the normal strategies the lactation consultant discovered that Sawyer has a unique sucking technique which makes it difficult for him to latch on effectively (he raises his tongue when he sucks, instead of keeping it down). She gave me a shield that would enable him to latch on and won't allow him to raise his tongue. Within minutes he was nursing and didn't stop for an hour. When I left the appointment I was feeling more optimistic about his feedings, but then I realized we had another hurdle to overcome to correct his jaundice. He was prescribed a bili blanket which is a phototherapy mat that must stay attached to him 24 hours a day and leaves him tethered to range of six feet from an electric outlet. It also gives him a nice long tail and makes it a little difficult to change his diaper. The bili blanket in itself isn't too bad, but I worried that it would set us back on the feeding end of things as we now had to lug around a machine every time we picked him up.

After a long day of doctor visits I was driving home through the fog (both figuratively and literally) and it hit me. I am truly blessed. Sure we've had some struggles and frustrations the past 5 days, but the problems we had in the morning that felt so huge were all resolved by the end of the day. I should be praising God for our beautiful, happy, on his way to being healthy little boy. My mind wondered to the parents of the micro-premie that was being transferred and the long road ahead for them and their child. Yet, as they stood by their child watching the doctors swarm I could see the joy on their face. They were simply happy to have the opportunity to be with their baby. Examining their challenge made my plight seem insignificant and that's when my perspective changed. I started the day feeling hopeless and it ended with a huge reminder of how blessed I am. I need to rely on God, not myself, for Sawyer's protection. I need to be rejoicing that Sawyer is here and God entrusted him to us. I need to praise God even during the tough times because He is in control and He is good.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" James 1:2-6

Praise the Lord Sawyer's health issues were resolved quickly (by day 7 I'm happy to report he was up to 6 lb. 1 oz.). I hope and pray I remember this lesson daily and can impress it upon Sawyer's heart at a young age.

Monday, February 1, 2010

2 Weeks

Here are the stats from Sawyer's 2 week check-up.

Weight: 6 lb. 10 oz.
Height: 20 inches
Head: 13 inches
Chest: 13 inches


Our little guy is starting to pack on the pounds. He has already changed so much!

The doctor is happy that he is back above his birth weight. He is starting to be more alert. He has even smiled a few times. His favorite past time is sucking on his hands. He is a great sleeper and only cries when he has a dirty diaper. He is also a champ at peeing every time we remove his diaper. He has spared his parents, but he has gotten himself in the face :)