Bathtime Fun

It took 4 1/2 months, but Kenzie finally loves bathtime.

We "Elf'd" Oursleves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

4 Months Old

It's a couple of weeks late, but here's the little munchkin on November 19th. Four months old!!!

The Excersaucer

Kenzie is finally strong enough to hold her head steady for long periods of time, so we broke out the Excersaucer, our latest and greatest new babysitting toy. Her time in the Excersaucer is heavily correlated to our mealtimes, so while we eat boneless/skinless chicken breasts, she stares at plastic flowers and smiling turtles. Everybody's happy.

Smiles . . .

They're a dime a dozen these days.

The PhotoShoot

Kenzie's three-month photos.

What Do You Think of the Shades?

Happy Halloween

Kenzie donned a butterfly costume this year. We worried the "headpiece" would cause issues, but she didn't seem to mind. In case anyone is wondering, she is still a relatively small child, but this picture makes her look a couple of years old.

Burt's Farm

On her 3 month birthday we took Kenzie to Burt's Farm, the pumpkin capital of northeast Georgia. Activities included sitting on giant pumpkins, sitting on small pumpkins, standing on pumpkins, sitting on the ground in front of pumpkins, and a hayride. Kenzie conducted herself very well under the cold and windy circumstances. A little freak-out at the very end was the only peep we heard out of her, and that was to be exepcted after all of the pumpkin-related activities we put her through.

A New Pair of "Shoes"

Kenzie notices her nifty foot rattles.

Her Sunday Best

Those onesies can get so old and they're not flattering if you have chunky thighs like Kenzie, so every now and then we'll throw a dress on her and take her out on the town. Here's a picture of her watching her favorite soaps before we left the house.

"Not Now Mom, I'm Watching TV"

First Test Drive in the Bumbo

Rather unassuming in it's appearance (a pink rubber blob), the Bumbo is a miracle of science and technology as it allows babies to sit up at a much younger age than they otherwise would. The only requirement from the child is decent head control/neck strength, and the Bumbo takes care of the rest. Kenzie uses hers to watch tv, stare at her feet, and to free up her hands so she can stuff them in her mouth. (Note: you're not supposed to sit them on countertops like we did, but we were watching her closely).

I'm also thinking of just cutting a hole in the bottom when potty-training time comes around. The Bumbo continues to amaze.

The Future of UGA Cheerleading

Kenzie and her friend Ava broke out their officially licensed Georgia cheerleading uniforms for the Arizona State game. Their cheers weren't exactly coherent - mostly just a lot of staring and whimpering. Things started to go downhill when Ava decided to reclaim her bow from Kenzie's head, but they shared a laugh when they admitted to each other that they had each wet their diaper. That's just a reminder to us that we need to start teaching sportsmanship at a very young age.

The View is Better from Up Here

Kenzie decided to hop up on the counter to get a better look at the happenings in the kitchen.

I am Absolutely STUFFED!!!!

After 5.5 ouces of formula her stomach begins to protrude slightly.

Look at Those Eyes

Mackenzie's 2 month birthday.

The Watermelon Series

This is really the first time Kenzie's gotten all dressed up. This is the first time she's worn shoes, and the first time she's worn a "real" hat. Keeping the hat on was quite a challenge, but she posed well for most of these.

Learning to Smile

She's starting to figure it out. It starts as an odd facial contortion of some kind, but it usually ends in a smile (or something very close to it). They're getting bigger and bigger every day!

Hanging Out with Dad

Kenzie Finds Truth in the Words of Yogi Berra . . .

"You can observe a lot just by watching." For the first time, she noticed her spinning mobile above her swing. This resulted in several minutes of complete wonderment for her. We thought she'd never stop staring at the spinning bees and waving leaves abover her.

Labor Day Visit from Kenzie's Savannah "Kinfolk"

We Tried . . .

We attempted our own version of an artistic photoshoot, which involved a black fleece blanket and a camera flash that would not cooperate. I'm not sure we could sell these to Gerber, but she's still pretty cute.

It's Looking Like Ballet Could be an Option

We cannot deny her excellent balance and flawless footwork. A more pleasant look on her face and she's a lock for the Nutcracker. I'm still rooting for for her to become a tennis player.

Young Einstein?

We've yet to make a determination on Kenzie's mental capacity, but she may at least have an Einsteinian hairstyle.

Practicing Facial Expressions

Kenzie oftendoes facial workout just after rousing from slumber. Here's one set of twelve reps.

Something is Amiss

We didn't want to say anything yesterday because we were afraid we'd jinx it, but two in a row is worth mentioning. Mackenzie has slept for 10 straight hours for the last two nights. Oddly enough we're more groggy after 8 solid hours of sleep than we have been with 4 or 5.

Multi-Tasking

To some it may not look like much, but our little one is accomplishing several major feats at once. She's awake (and not crying), sucking on a pacifier, and listening to the music from her bouncy chair. Her next trick will be reciting the presidents of the United States in chronological order.

Home Gym

Mom doesn't have a lot of time to go to the gym, but Kenzie curls go a long way toward toning up the arms.

This Baby Bjorn Thing is Pretty Comfortable

Chow Time

We had hoped to get a good shot of Mackenzie in her yellow Ralph Lauren dress but it's tough to tell how cute she is since she's all bunched up. One's eye might also be drawn away by the dashing young man providing her with lunch.

A Visit from Nanny Olga and Uncle Grover

Nanny and Uncle came all the way from Houston to meet Kenzie this weekend. Nanny is already teaching her spanish. We thought Kenzie got bored since she passed out in the middle of the spanish lesson (picture below). But, when I woke her up to change her diaper this morning I could have sworn I heard her utter "como estas?" ever so softly.

Come On In, the Water's Fine!

We've ascertained through Kenzie's numerous fits of rage that she has a particularly large lung capacity, since holding her breath for 10-15 seconds at a time almost comes as second nature to her. At bath time we've begun testing her bouyancy to determine if she might have a future in swimming.

Some might say that watching the Olympics at 4:00am every morning has gone to our heads. We say there's scholarship money available for a good freestyler. Doesn't she look comfortable in the water?

There Ain't Room in This Lap for the Both of Us

Kenzie Test-Drives the Rainforest Bouncer

We're still working on getting these videos to post at the right quality. It's high-def on our computer but Youtube kills it.

An Emotional Rollercoaster

The many faces of a quickly-angering Mackenzie.

Mackenzie and Mom

Hanging Out

Staring Contest

Sunday was an eventful day for Mackenzie as she spent at least 90 seconds intently examining the landscape of my forehead. I can't say I really felt a connection, but I was happy to offer her something to look at.

They Learn So Quickly

We taught Kenzie the universal hand gesture for "call me." She is so committed to learning it that she even practices in her sleep. Here she is showing off for Lindsay.

Fire-Breathing Babies

They're rare, but they do exist. Last week was an interesting one for Kenzie. One might use phrases like "ornery", "irritable," or "mad as hell" to describe her general demeanor. We won't give you a full accounting of her symptoms, but let's just say that she gained significant experience in screaming at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason. A trip to the doctor revealed that she may be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is essentially heartburn.

The theory is that the smooth muscle at the base of her esophagus lacks the coordination to close up shop after a meal, so she essentially spends her days battling intermittent onslaughts of raging heartburn. She's on Zantac (seriously), and we're limiting her intake of alcohol, chocolate, and tomato-based sauces. I think it's our "one cocktail per day" rule that's really got her miffed.

We've yet to see actual fire emanate from her mouth, but we have seen smoke. I'm keeping the camera (and a fire extinguisher) nearby in case she sets the drapes ablaze.

More Excellent Sleeping Technique

Little known fact - babies spend a huge portion of the first two weeks of their lives practicing various sleeping techniques (okay, everyone knows that). Just as in the game of golf, it's all about muscle memory.

We believe Kenzie's aptitude for gravity defying sleeping positions will take her a long way in life. We also have reason to believe that her exposure to Charles C. Ebbets' 1932 photo "Resting on a Girder" (first photo) has influenced some of her more daring sleeping positions (second photo).

Joint Tummy Time with Her Older Brother, Harley

Go On, Take Your Best Shot!

I hear women's boxing is an up-and-coming sport.

She Missed Her Dad on His First Day Back at Work

Rub a Dub Dub

Mackenzie got her first bath yesterday, and overall it was a successful venture. The bathing itself went swimmingly (pardon the pun) but as you'll see we got a little upset when the drying off stage arrived. This being our first baby, we don't really know if she's a messy one or not, but it seems to us that she'll need about three baths a day at the rate she's going.

Showing Off Her Multitude of Sleeping Positions

Mackenzie's First Crack at "Tummy Time"

Six Day Old Infant Suspected in Vicious Pooping Incident

ATLANTA, GA - A Woodstock man was brutally pooped on late Thursday afternoon in what authorities say was the city's most gruesome bowel-related crime. The perpetrator - a 6 day old infant, and the daughter of the victim. Lt. Wilson James of the Woodstock Sheriff's Department said "I haven't seen anything like it in my seventeen years of service."

The victim was quoted the day after the event. "I knew it would happen some time, I just didn't think it would be in the first week of her life."

Reports indicate that the perpetrator had JUST been changed and was being carried naked by her father when, according to him, "she pooped all over my arm." Information is still being gathered in the case.

While the suspect's name cannot be released due to her status as a minor, her street name is said to be "little sweetie" as indicated by the shirt she is wearing in this picture.

I Don't Mean to Brag . . .

But these pictures provide an example of one of the most perfect human beings alive. I'm thinking of submitting them to the Smithsonian.

Our First Day at Home

Day One was both a challenge and a relief. After our 2.5 day hospital stay, sleep has become an invaluable commodity. We each got about 6 hours over a 72 hour period in the hospital, so we were ready to catch some winks with our first night at home. I was able to get at least ten hours (with a couple of interruptions) but Shelby could only piece together 5 or 6 hours.

Breastfeeding has presented a significant challenge, but we're all learning here. We'll postpone more discussion of that topic until we can get some practice. Mackenzie has adjusted to her surroundings quite nicely, which is very easy to do when you're totally oblivious to your surroundings in the first place. She lives in a land of sleep and baby formula. The only environmental factor affecting her mood is the cold air from a diaper change.

The vocal chords she displayed in the first minute of her life are still there, and she's more than happy to show those pipes any time things don't go her way. A couple of pictures from the first day at home follow. I'm not strangling her in the first picture - that's her favorite way to be burped. Also, in case you're wondering, that's her crib she's sleeping in and it's a normal size crib. It looks like she's sleeping in polka-dot hell, but it's just a crib mattress.

A Grand Entrance

Mackenzie Faith Sheehan entered the world on July 19th at 3:28 pm. She weighed 7 lbs, 1 oz and measured 20.5 inches long. The labor & delivery experience was certainly unforgettable, and I hope it's okay for me to speak for Shelby and say that we now know why it's call "labor."

The process began at about 2:00 am on Saturday morning, and we hung out at home as long as we could. We got to the hospital at around 8:00 am, and that's when the real fun began. Contractions that were six minutes apart at home reverted to 10 minutes apart in the hospital bed, much to the chagrin of the mother-to-be. A couple of rounds of pitocin and about six more hours took us all the way to 2-3 minute intervals. Without going into the boring details, the midwife went to check Shelby's level of dilation at around 3:00 pm and instead of a cervix, she felt the top of our little one's head. After 13 hours of labor, the delivery took a whole 28 minutes.

Mackenzie came into the world screaming like a banshee. There was no doubt in our minds that she was okay when we heard the shriek of a creature much larger than our 7lb baby girl. She spent the first hour of her life wide awake, eyes searching the room as if to say "is this all there is?" The process of delivery was one of the most miraculous events I've witnessed. Future first-time dads need not fear the experience - it's something everyone should have to witness in their lifetime.

Some pictures of Mackenzie Faith Sheehan's hospital experience . . .

The Road to "Labor Day"

We'll begin with a little slideshow of Shelby's journey to July 23rd (which turned out to be the 19th). The more astute observer might notice that Week 9 is absent from the slideshow. Science and astronomy fans might remember that the week of January 7 brought significant solar flare activity - the kind that can cause interference with all kinds of electronic devices, apparently even digital cameras. I went to upload the picture for Week 9 a few days after taking it and found the memory card wiped completely clean, presumably by the heightened solar activity from just a few days before. Just kidding. I have no idea where Week 9 went.

Our Mission Statement

We here at The Sheehan Show decided to begin publishing this blog to commemorate, chronologize, catalogue, and celebrate the birth of our daughter and the months (years?) following her birth. We hope that this will serve to give our family and friends a frequently-updated and entertaining look into the life and times of little miss whatever-we-end-up-naming-her. Here's hoping we stick with it . . .