3,2,1, MONKEY!

I don't even know where to start. Maybe the best way is to begin by saying that God does incredible things and Jase and I are both so thankful to have Monkey here with us today.

On Tuesday, October 12th at 4:03 in the evening, we welcomed Kenneth Mitchell Juneau into the world. He was born prematurely, as he was due October 30th, so he was a rather a small 5 pounds 3 ounces. But from the very beginning he was quite the eater :) I suspect this trait is from his Daddy. The labor went very well and due to his size he was pretty easy on Mommy. In fact, it took less than fifteen minutes to push him out! When he came, Grammy (my mom), Danielle, and Jason were all there. Everyone kept saying, "Look at him! Look at him!" I kept saying, "I can't see him!" Finally, the midwife put him on my chest.

He was beautiful. Jase and I were instantly in tears. All we could manage to say to one another was "Thank you" and "I love you" in between sobs of joy. I'll never forget that look on Jason's face.

A few hours after delivery, Kenneth was assessed by a pediatrician and the news was less than favorable. He and the nurses had several concerns: he had very low blood sugar, a low temperature than he could not self-regulate, jaundice, low platelets, and several other minor issues. The hours turned into days as we waited to things to regulate. Instead they got worse. Although he was feeding very well, my milk had not yet come in to the point where he needed it to be, so we had to supplement with formula. The problem was that he would not latch on to a bottle and he began to become dangerously dehydrated. It was at this point that the pediatrician told us that Kenneth may actually be more premature than what our original ultrasound had indicated. Because of his fragile condition and small size, he would have to be taken in to the NICU. The thought of him being taken away from us was awful. Obviously we wanted what was best for him, but my heart sank. I cried. I felt terribly guilty. I just wanted to skip ahead to the point where Kenny was okay. Luckily we were able to visit him in NICU and he did not have to stay long.

Our last day and a half was spent in the pediatrics ward with Kenneth under a UV lamp for his jaundice. We could take him out to feed and cuddle whenever we wanted, but the longer he stayed under the light, the faster we would be able to go home. It was so sad to see him in that plastic box with an IV in his head and a monitor on his foot, but Jason and I were both so proud with how brave and strong he was. The four days we spent in the hospital were the longest of my life. To see your child in so much pain is more difficult than I could have ever imagined. While he may not remember all of the blood draws and the pokes and prods, they are etched in my memory.

When the doctor finally gave the okay for Kenneth to be discharged, Jason and I both could have cried with joy. No more blood draws, no more IVs, no more watching the nurses walk away with him. He is ours. What a feeling. After the drive home, I cried when we walked in the door to our house. We are so fortunate to have a healthy son, and we thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.