Zion Visits Da Burgh

Zion likes Tiger, she has chats with him.
Her Uncle Doug was interpreting for her while we were in Pittsburgh and says she talks a lot about tugboats (we dont know about Doug sometimes) but she has a good boating outfit.
Relaxing!
She enjoyed all the live music that is constantly happening at the Cook house but the cello seemed to be her favorite. Maybe her Grandma Schenk can teach her piano when she gets older.
Meeting Aunt Abbey. Zion really like Aunt Abbey who gave her lots of attention and Abbey changed her first diaper.
Meeting Uncle Tim who taught her all kinds of new tricks like how to tell her left from her right and how to follow people with her eyes.
Snow Bunny!!
She was not quite sure about the cold but she got to see her first snow.



Zion took a trip to Pittsburgh for a week and a half to discover some of her roots. She got to meet my brothers and sisters and her other Grandpa for the first time as well as her great grandparents and aunts and uncles. She was not quite sure what to think about the cold and the snow as you will see in the pictures above but she was very brave. She had lots of people to play with which was great for her and for me. Now we are back home and unpacking and doing laundry so we can pack again to leave for Oklahoma to be with Travs family.

Zions Busy Thanksgiving Weekend

Zions First Turkey (Maple Glazed With Sage Butter)


For those of you that think Zion never cries.

This is her I'm getting mad look.

This is before she got mad.

Baby dedication at church on Sunday. We decided to adopt the tradition of having godparents for Zion to be a godly influence in her life and help support us as parents. Kenci and Angenie are were there for her dedication as her godparents.

During the dedication with our pastor.
It was special to have Travis's family there with us for her dedication.
Kenci, Angie, Kaleb, and Joshua
Our pastor
Zions first golf outing.
Zions New Friends

A nap with Grandpa. Zion especially seemed to like her Grandpa and he seemed to have a way of putting her to sleep!With her Great Grandpa Schenk.
A nap with Grandma. This is a quilt that Travis's mom and Great Grandma made for Zion.Giving Keme a hug at church.
Playing with Uncle Jordan. Notice shes wide awake with him.

All the turkey and activities wore little Zion out and now she is recovering.
Her Dad is recovering as well.

The End!

4 Weeks Old

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

3 Weeks

Well Zion is three weeks old today which I cant believe. Its been a whirlwind. Someone mentioned to me that reading our blog sounds like everything is perfect and very easy. I guess writing about the easy and fun things is the most enjoyable and what most people would want to hear about. The past three weeks have been awesome, exciting, and wonderful but not without many challenges. I know I did not realize how challenging but rewarding it would be to have a baby. I guess you cant possibly know what it is like until it happens to you but also I think no one ever told me about many of the things that I experienced. First of all breastfeeding proved to be more complicated than I thought it would be. You know you just see mothers out and about feeding their babies so you think no big deal. Maybe for some thats just how is. In the hospital there was no one to help me figure out what I was doing the first time I tried and then later on every nurse I asked for help had a different philosophy about latching on, how often the baby should eat and everything in between. Then it became really painful and I ended up getting mastitis which I never even heard of before. I was about ready to give up on the whole thing. Then we had a lacation consultant who came to our house, she at least made me realize that dear Zion was getting enough food so that made me feel a little better. But even seeing her did not fix the problem. Finally the midwife determined that I had an infection but it was my moms friend who is a midwife that gave me advice about all different things that I could do that fixed the problem. Thankfully I made it through. I think the hardest part was feeling so frustrated because I didnt think that I should be having a problem because I never heard of anyone having a problem with it before. Thankfully my dear friend Les who just had a baby prepared me for some of the other strange things so I didnt think I was dying when I woke up at night drenched in sweat.

At the beginning I was so worried that we were not doing things right. They told us before we left the hospital that she had jaundice and we had to have her on this light thing at home which seemed scary to me because I didnt know anything about it. The first couple of days we were running her to the doctors and the hospital for blood tests and stuff which I totally hated and which made me more worried about her. Her first visit to the pediatrician was rather traumatic. I didnt like the guy when I met him. Now granted I was probably more emotional and edgy than usual. I was a little worried about dear Zions nose because it was all squised to one side. I figured that he would just say it was from delivery and it would go straight on its own. So I asked him just to check and he said it would probably be like that permanetly and that we could consult a plastic surgeon when she got older because "you know its her nose." I just lost it when we got in the car. I had been trying to hold it together but I was now really worried about her nose and totally worn out and tired. Poor Travis had to drive with both of us crying in the back seat of the car. I gladly announce that I was right about her nose and it is now perfectly straight. I should have known after all God made her nose not the pediatrician what does he know. That pediatrician also called us the other day thinking that we were some family that just had a preemie. Thankfully we already found another pediatirician that we really like.

I have to stop and think about what day of the week it is and I am happy if I get one thing done during the day. Sometimes she cries and for the life of me I cant figure out why she is crying. I watched Oprah today and there was this lady on that says she can tell exactly what a baby wants by how they cry and that all babies make the same noises for certain things. Like "neh" when they are hungry "eh" when the need to burp etc... I tried listening to Zion but all I hear is WAH! You know this whole experience has made me realize that I was very niave. You know you would think I have a masters degree and I have spent a lot of my short career so far telling other people how to raise their children. There are so many things that I didnt know and I am sure a lot that I still dont know after only three weeks. You know I suppose there is a reason for being niave because if you always knew what things would be like you might be too afraid to try and then you would miss out on the biggest blessings of your life. Its certainly not easy especially when you are used to always doing pretty much whatever you want with your time and being in control of things at work and at home. But when I look at her smiling in her sleep or I wake up and she is staring at me its just really amazing. I love to just watch her which is part of the reason I cant get anything done and I love watching her with Travis. He is so great with her and she loves being with him. I cant believe she has been with us for three weeks. It feels like just one long day to me. She is teaching me lots of knew skills including typing with one hand. Today I managed to update my whole resume with one hand. Sorry about the poor spelling it just doesnt seem that important right now.

Zion's First Sunday Outing

Zion had her first Sunday outing. I took the girls out to lunch after church Sunday. We took this cheesy picture at the new Friday's Restaurant close to our church. Some of you may be asking "why is Friday's so special?" Well, it's not, other than Reba and I had our first real date at the Friday's in Pittsburgh. After that, we went to Aventura Mall and hung out with the rich folk. Mostly to laugh at their silly ways and point fingers at people that have obvious plastic surgery. Then we went to our friends' house for the monthly couples meeting. Zion was pretty tuckered by the end of the day. That night she only woke up once. Monday night was a different story altogether!

Doctors Visit

Zion had her two week visit at the doctors today. He says she is spectacular. She is already 8 pounds 8 ounces which means she has gained more than a whole pound. No wonder she already looks so different. She is very worn out from the whole experience so she is passed out. I should probably use the opportunity to catch a nap myself.

The Name

Many people have been asking why we chose the name we chose. Mostly the only answer we have is because we liked it. We had her name picked out for a long time. Zion is a biblical name. It is Hebrew in origin and it means brilliant or excellent and refers to the "highest point" or heaven. We like it because it is a strong name. Here are some references of Zion from the Bible Psalm 50:2From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
Psalm 14:7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Mackenzie is Irish in origin which is one of the reasons that we chose it and it means daughter of a wise man (which Travis likes of course (-:).

Isn't it great to know that these feet will never have to trod alone?

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."--Psalm 23:4

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."--Isaiah 41:10

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD."--Jeremiah 29: 11-14

Happy Pumpkin Day

Yesterday Zion carved her first pumpkin with the help of her Dad. She also looked like a pumpkin thanks to her Great Aunt Trish.

What a Week

I can't believe that it has been a week already that Zion has been here with us. It kind of seems like a blur. She already looks so different and is starting to get a little chubby which is great because she seems less fragile. So many people I know that are parents have told me you cant know what it is like to have kids until you have them and now I know what they mean. Really its just totally amazing. I just look at her and think WOW. She just seems so absolutely perfect to me. It really is a miracle. I cant believe that she fit inside my stomach just a week ago and now here she is crying and smiling and she has her very own personality. Overall things have been great. My mom has been here this past week and unfortunately will be leaving on Wednesday I dont know what we are going to do without her. I dont think that there is any way that you can prepare for what it is like to have a newborn. I can tell I really like her a lot because I love to sleep and there isnt much of that happening around here. She is really very content. She hardly fusses at all, sleeps a lot and sometimes just stares at whoever is around. She really likes her Dad a lot and stares at him with really wide eyes and gives him her best smiles. Some things have proven to be harder than I would have ever thought and others not so hard. I'm just learning to be very flexible and to not get frustrated when things are more difficult or different than I expected. Today we went on an adventure and Zion took her first trip to Target (my favorite store) with me and my mom. She slept through the whole thing just like she slept through her first walk in our neighborhood yesterday.

Blessed!

Blessed is a word that many people use, but few really understand, like the Thanksgiving Holiday. Nearly 100% of Americans celebrate it. But, who in the world are they thanking? I don't get it. So, I'm here to say that I am truly blessed by God. And by God, I mean the one true God. Not the misunderstood one, but the one who is "I Am". Often times we think God is one way or read something about someone who thinks God is another way, but the truth is God is far more than what we believe He is, far more than what I say He is, far more than what the media says He is, and most of the time not what others think that He is. God is truth, God is love, God is here, and God has blessed me. He has actively pursued a relationship with me and has shown me, yet again, how much He loves me. If you don't believe me, that's fine, the truth trumps what you or I believe. I just look at my daughter and know that God has blessed me. I hope that he blesses you, too, through my family and our brand new baby girl! Thank you, God.