Author: Zack Keene

30 days have come and gone but the memories will last forever. I am beyond thankful for the sabbatical opportunity.

The third week of my sabbatical has flown by. We headed down to Austin last weekend for my brother-in-law’s wedding. He and I were actually in a band together for quite a while and we have been close friends since even before I met my wife. It was awesome to see him “tie the knot” with his long time girl friend. The ceremony was held at the Wizard Academy which was a strange, but pretty awesome place just outside of the Austin city limits. Although it was quite hot, the view from the chapel was beautiful and the ceremony was perfect.

After the wedding we headed down to San Antonio to visit my family. As always, it was a fantastic time. Everyone had their turn to hold baby Rogan, only to be supervised and critiqued by his sister. If I had a nickel for everytime I heard “Be very careful” come out of her four year old mouth, I would at least be $5 richer. On top of the awesome visit, I actually stumbled into a great opportunity. At dinner one night I brought up the service project aspect of the sabbatical to my dad and he reminded me that my grandmother is actually largely involved with the meals on wheels project in Kirby (a small area of San Antonio). Not only did I get to deliver meals on wheels, but I got to do it with my father in the neighborhood that I grew up in.

Thanks for reading,

-Zack

My dad has been a detective with the San Antonio Police Department for 23 years. Though my dad has NEVER put work before his children, a career in law enforcement can be quite taxing on any kind of personal relationship. These past 4 years our relationship has been stronger than ever and I am beyond grateful for it. He made it a point to be here when Rogan was born just as he did with Harper.

A few days after we got to come home from the hospital, my dad and I decided to take Harper fishing for a few hours. Despite the scorching heat, we did catch quite a few catfish and even a couple of bass. Watching my dad and my daughter fishing together is almost surreal. She is growing up so fast and I am glad he is a part of her life.

One of my many sabbatical goals is to spend as much time as I can helping my 4 year old daughter adjust to life with a baby brother. With that being said, she has needed very little assistance from me or Kaela. Rogan is 11 days old and Harper has already shown a tremendous amount of compassion for “her baby”. She has learned how to make a bottle, locate and deliver a pacifier, pack a diaper bag, and has assisted in the changing of 2 diapers. Kaela and I agreed that she has done so well and we decided to suprise her with a trip to the movies.

The 2 biggest take aways of the first week for me have been:

1. Although it might not be what I WANT to hear, my dad will always tell me what I need to hear. I am beyond grateful for his sound advice.

2. Just like her mother, my daughter has a heart of gold.

-Zack

The past few days have really been a blur. It all started with a Wednesday afternoon phone call from Kaela (my wife). I answered the phone like I would any other call only to have her inform me that her water had broken and my son was on the way.

“Everything is fine,” I told myself. “You’ve spent the last 9 months preparing for this and you’ve done this once before.” Trust me…I know how easy I have it. Aside from having my hand squeezed to an almost numb state, I’m in charge of making sure that Kaela has everything she needs, being her “rock” during this time.

As prepared as I was, I wasn’t at all. I’d forgotten how much it hurts me to see the woman I love in pain. All I could do was remind her that it was temporary and that the greatest reward on earth was at the finish line.

After about 4 hours of heavy contractions, a nurse poked her head through the door to our room and said, “It’s time to start pushing.”

At 12:09pm on 6.29.17, I met my son.

Rogan Noel Keene

Overwhelmed with emotion, I met Kaela’s eyes with mine and told her I loved her.

Once everything was settled down and Kaela was feeling up to it, i went out to the waiting room and got my daughter, the infamous Harper Rose Keene. When I called her name and told her to come with me, she hopped off her grandmothers lap and strutted out in front of the full waiting room, “My baby is here, I’m gonna go see him now.” She walked into the room and stayed calm, cool, and collected. She’s a big sister now. My little girl.

I stared at them from across the room and the reality of the situation sank in. At this moment everything is perfect. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.

My sabbatical may have started a little earlier than I expected, but it won’t make it any less special. I’m so grateful to be in the position I am and to have this opportunity. Thank you all for reading.

-Zack

***side note…our Dr. For this pregnancy was Dr. Tadvick…he was out of town on a planned trip and wouldn’t be back until Sunday evening…so our delivery Dr. ended up being the on-call physician at Hendricks when Kaela went in to labor…the Dr. who delivered my son was Dr. Moscaro…she and the nursing staff were an absolute blessing***