Family Matters

This weekend, Jess and Adam came to Nashville for a visit. Kaitlyn finally got to meet her cousin Noah, who is just 4 days older than she is. She was fascinated by the "other" baby and kept staring at him. Thankfully, both babies slept peacefully through the night. After church on Sunday, they were all dolled up, so we took pictures of them together. (More pics under "Photos").














We also decided to take advantage of Jess' photography skills and have her do a "family portrait" of the three of us.




















It's wonderful having family together. We are so blessed to have both of Jeff's siblings living in TN. We know Kaitlyn will have many fun times with Uncle Andrew, Aunt Jess, Uncle Adam and Noah.

Sweet Smiles

Kaitlyn is changing all the time. Here are some of our latest pictures of her precious smile.

Summer Solstice

For the past five years, the two of us have celebrated the official arrival of summer by sitting on the steps of the capitol building in downtown Nashville and watching the sun set over the city. This year, we were able to make it a true "family" tradition by taking Kaitlyn along with us. She was fascinated by the sights and sounds of the city. She even got to see her first helicopter fly overhead. It's getting much easier to take her out and about, so we hope to enjoy many more family outings.

The Krinks' Family in downtown Nashville

First Father's Day

Jeff celebrated his first Father's Day this weekend. Kaitlyn's gift to him was a two hour nap so he could rest and watch the US Open. We took Kaitlyn to church for the first time and she did very well through the whole service. She looked so pretty in her frilly white dress. We were praying that she wouldn't poop on it! Here are some pics from the weekend.

Jeff and Kaitlyn on Father's Day


Kaitlyn in her church outfit

The first month

It's hard to believe that little Kaitlyn has been with us for over a month now. It's definitely been a month of adjustment for us. But fortunately she's been a pretty easy baby. And the best thing is that she's sleeping for SEVEN HOURS at night! Here are a few memorable moments...

Until the umbilical cord fell off, we gave Kaitlyn sponge baths. Here we are preparing to give her one. You can see what she thought about that. She didn't stay asleep for long though!

The first tub bath was a completely different story. Although she clearly hated the first bath, we're happy to say she has now changed her mind. In fact, I think she actually likes the warm water!

Her favorite thing to do is watch people's faces. She is obviously fascinated by Daddy's.

Here's Kaitlyn during her playtime on her Baby Einstein mat.

And her favorite thing to do after a nursing session is to fall asleep!

There have been many fun and sweet moments so far, and we look forward to many more in the second month!

First Mother's Day

Just one week after Kaitlyn's birth, Kara celebrates her first Mother's Day. Her mom is still staying with us and has been a momentous help. So it's a special day for all of us. Best of all, Kaitlyn has been significantly less fussy! Each day and night her contentment and our sanity get progressively better -- a much-needed answer to prayers. She has been feeding well and spends more of her waking moments observing us and her surroundings, rather than crying. We're thrilled!

The Krinks family on Mother's Day





We won't always acknowledge the specific people who have given generous gifts of time, energy, money, food, etc. But please know that all of it has been such a blessing to us, and we're very thankful!

Bundle of "Joy"

We were thrilled to have all the grandparents visit within the first few hours after Kaitlyn's birth. The labor happened a lot faster than we or the doctor expected, so they made their way as soon as we could share the good news. Kara's mom drove up from Fayetteville, and Jeff's parents came in from Collierville where they were visiting with Jess, Adam and baby Noah, who had just been born four days earlier.

The grandparents get acquainted with little Kaitlyn.




We came home from the hospital Tuesday around noon and were greeted by the smell of slow-cooking roast. Melissa and Sonua had prepared a meal for our first evening at home, and it was delicious! We spent the rest of the afternoon settling in -- not knowing how our first night without nursery care would go.

As it turns out, our little bundle of "joy" left us feeling overwhelmed, exasperated and exhausted. The three of us barely got a few hours of sleep combined. Lots of crying and fussing -- parents included. It was a night we'd love to forget.

The next day, Kara's mom was able to come up and provide an extra pair of hands to help us out. What a relief! Last night was a huge improvement! We all got several hours of sleep and feel much better today.

Kaitlyn pretending to be tired.

Welcome Kaitlyn

So much for May 12! Kaitlyn Amelia Krinks made her grand entrance on Sunday, May 6, at 11:14 a.m. She was 8 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 inches long. Imagine her size if she actually had gone to her due date!

The labor experience started at 1 a.m. on Sunday when Kara felt a gigantic kick that woke her up. Moments later, it became obvious her water had broken. And the pre-labor contractions she'd been having the previous few days now were extremely painful. We called the OB, and she advised us to come in to the hospital to assess the situation. We arrived at 2 a.m. and confirmed she was, in fact, in labor -- with big contractions every 3-4 minutes. We both were in disbelief when the nurse said, "Your baby's going to be born today!"

Once in the delivery room (about 2:30), we learned that Kara was dilated to 4 cm. So she took the epidural, and was to 10 cm by 9:30. At 9:45 a.m., she began pushing. And at 11:14...well, you know the rest!

Moments after birth, with smooshed forehead (rounded out after a few hours).


Mom and baby get to know each other.


...and baby makes three!

Almost There

The due date is now two short weeks away - May 12. We're betting on a late arrival though, since that's in Kara's genes. The most popular question these days is, "Have you chosen a name yet?!" (Not until we see her, although we have our favorites.)

Kara has been suffering from a head cold the last week. Not fun when your lungs already are squished. Otherwise, she is doing well. We recently enjoyed our "last fancy dinner before kids" at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Then with Kara's last day of teaching, we celebrated at The Cheesecake Factory. Any excuse to live it up while it's still just the two of us.

Here are a few recent photos. We hope to have good news soon!

At Cheekwood Gardens

At baby shower hosted by Jeff's work friends

Kara at 38 weeks

Christmas Girl

Happy New Year!

On Dec. 21 we had our "big" ultrasound and found out we're having a baby girl! It becomes more real each time Kara feels the little flutters and kicks. Jeff has even been able to feel the movements. Here's a screen capture from the ultrasound, which shows great detail of her head, nose, mouth, spine and little hand.



After our ultrasound, we packed up with Kasha and drove north for Christmas with the Krinks. After a few days of eating, visiting and tooling around Philadelphia and South Jersey, we headed to Parkersburg for a visit with the Mullers. Back in Nashville, we started on the nursery. Here's Jeff assembling the new Ikea crib...



Then it was on to Fayetteville for a great Southern spread with ham, potatoes, beans, dressing, sweet tea and our favorite - pecan pie! Here's Kara in front of the Christmas tree. (That little bump isn't from all the good eatin'!)



We're still making progress on the nursery. We've had to move the guest bed into what was the office. We also assembled the new dresser/changing table. Next will be reorganizing the closets and the other pieces of furniture before we attempt painting...