Christmas

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas experience. We had a great weekend together. We enjoyed two Christmas services, ate well, kissed our girls bunches, and reflected on our many blessings. As I've looked through the pictures we took over the past few days and see myself with two little ones, it almost doesn't seem like it is me in the picture. We have waited such a loooonnnng time for our children, I can't help but marvel at the wonder of it all. I never want to take parenthood for granted. We are a miracle family. That's for sure!
I had another "God Moment" this Christmas. I just have to share it with you. A few weeks ago, our church made several hundred dollars available to the congregation, on the condition that we'd take a portion and give it away. Immediately, I knew who I wanted to give money to. I thought of a little boy that was in my Morning Kindergarten Class this year. I thought that I still had his address, and if not, I was sure that I could get it from my former teaching assistant. Well, true to form, I procrastinated! Early on the 23rd, I got myself in gear and began locating this family's address. I didn't have it, and school was already dismissed for Christmas Break. So, I loaded up the girls and headed to the low-income housing apartments. I drove around, hoping to see someone I recognized; it didn't happen. I stopped at the office, and asked the manager to assist me. She spent 10 minutes looking through files, but came up with nothing. I made some phone calls, but got voice mail instead of someone who might be able to help me locate this family. Nothing. So, I prayed. I said, "Lord, I really thought you wanted me to give this money to this family, but I've messed up. Please help me find out where they live or show me someone else to give the money to." I went on with other errands. My last stop was going to be Wal Mart, but as I looked toward the area of town with said store, I just couldn't go there. The traffic was horrible, and I knew sticking with that plan was going to be painfully long. I decided to go the grocery store, even though I'd have to pay a little more for what I needed. A few minutes later, I was at our destination. I was just pulling into my parking space, and.......there was the mom of the little boy I had been looking for all morning!!!!! She was just leaving the store. Our eyes caught! I gasped, put the car into park, jumped out, tears streaming down my face, and ran to give this woman the card I'd prepared earlier that day. It was so amazing!!! Talk about a divine appointment, perfect timing. Our God is incredible!!! It makes me cry, as I recall the story to you. She was getting ready to load her car and leave. If I had been 5 minutes later, I would not have seen her. The love of God. How rich! How Kind! Wow! This experience, coupled with the day before, has built my faith. I hope it encourages you too!
I really need to go to bed, but I will leave you with few more pictures. One is Gracie at her Christmas program. She was so funny there. She just stood there most of the time, doing nothing. Then she spent the whole rest of the day singing the songs from the performance! I've been telling people that she has her own take on Christmas festivities. We got out the stockings...she put them on her feet! We took her to see the Christmas Light Show at one of our parks...she wanted to go down to the lake and look for turtles. We made a gingerbread house...she begged me to let her eat it. I finally gave in after a few days. We gave her Christmas presents...she spent all day opening them, not because she had so many, but because she was busy playing with the ones she had already opened! She is a funny girl who fills our lives with a lot of joy!

Ok- one more thing, then I've really got to go to bed, while the "getting's good". Karis is army crawling! Actually, today, she started moving one of her legs as she crawled too. I can't get over it, because Gracie was 9 months old before she started moving like that! I've always said that Karis is a mover and a shaker! She's sitting up for a few moments at a time, and babbles quite a bit! And, after studying her big sister, quite intently, she has begun to drink from a sippy cup....just a few sips at a time of course! She is almost 27 inches long, and weighs 15 pounds and some change...I can't remember what the nurse told me! She does have an eye that likes to cross, so I'm waiting to get referral to a specialist on that, but otherwise, she is thriving.

Good night all! Happy New Year!!! 2011 is year I'll not soon forget, but I'm ready for what 2012 has in store.

Merry Miracle Day

Christmas is the biggest miracle of all! Christ came to earth and began the work of redeeming us! Hallelujah!! I hope all of you have the best Christmas ever this year!

I had one of those moments today when God let me know that He knows everything about me. HE KNOWS everything I need. It took my breath away to realize how much He cares. You see, last night I was wrapping presents for Gracie. As I was wrapping, I thought, "Gee, I wish I had some paper that wasn't so grown up, and old looking." Earlier, I had found 3 rolls of wrapping paper, and with money being tight right now, I couldn't justify going out and buying new, happier prints. I also resisted the urge to buy tags for presents. It probably wouldn't have been much, but I figured it was a couple of dollars that I didn't need to spend. I finished wrapping what I could for the evening and went to bed. This morning, our door bell rang. Gracie, Karis and I were still in our jammies....ok, that really doesn't mean much, it was 10:00. Anyway, it was our neighbor. His wife had sent him over with a gift for us. It was a huge gift bag stuffed with smaller gift bags, tissue paper, gifts for the girls, tags, and two rolls of perky wrapping paper. Even now, tears are beginning to flow. I didn't verbalize my desire for paper. It wasn't even a need. It was a want, and not a very important one at that. But, my God spoke volumes to me in providing that little thing for me. He said, "I am all knowing. I am sovereign. I am faithful. I care about you. I am in the details, so I can handle the big stuff. You can trust me." Yes, Lord. Yes Lord.

Little Miss Fru Fru

Hi Everyone~
If you read my last post, you are aware that I am now a stay at home mommy. Hooray! I love being home with my girls, but I still need to supplement my income. One of the things I'm doing is working with my mom and a friend of mine to jumpstart a business that mom and I started a few years ago. We call it, '~Little Miss Fru Fru~'. We sell accessories for girls of all ages. My mom is working her little fingers to the bone, as they say, adding embellishments to flowers, bows, leggings, tutus, etc. Lisa and I are doing our best to get our products into small retail outlets, craft fairs, preschools, and of course on FB. I haven't mentioned it to you all because I've been waiting for our website to be up and running. It is, but it still needs a lot of work! Nevertheless, I'm putting it out there for you to check out!

The address is http://www.littlemissfrufru.com/.

If you need anything 'FRU', please let me know!!!!

Here's a sampling of some of our favorites...Of course, I'm just a little more partial to the models than to anything on their heads!

Bloomers with lace- $10
Mary Jane Leggings with bows- $8
Headband with Burgundy Flower and Rhinestones - $8

Crocheted hat with Ostrich Feathers and Zebra Flower-$15
Hand-made Christmas Bow with Headband- $8 Purple bloomers and hat- $25

Random Things....

It snowed 3 or 4 inches at our house this weekend!! This is very, very unusual for us. I loved it! There's something so peaceful about snow falling from the sky. Gracie had a blast playing in it yesterday. I gave her a plastic spoon and a sand bucket, and she was set. The home page on my cell phone is Gracie throwing a snow ball at the kitchen door. :)

I get very happy when I walk upstairs and see that the living room has been dusted and vacuumed. Ahhhhh.....the room is no longer mocking me!

God always provides! When I removed Gracie's summer clothes from her closet a few weeks ago, she had about four outfits left hanging. Then, my dear friend told me to come over because she had some clothes for Gracie. Boy! did she ever. The back end of my car was loaded with beautiful outfits from Gymboree and Children's Place. It took a few hours to get everything on hangers, and moved into their new home. Once the job was complete, there was barely room for another stitch of clothing. Thank you Lord, for taking care of my girl! Thank you Kim for your kindness and generosity!!! Here's a picture of Gracie sporting one of her new outfits...I know it looks like she's posing. Actually, I snapped the picture just before she ran off. She really wanted to watch Little Bear and not get her picture taken!

Karis has been eating solid food for a little over a week. Her first attempt was carrots, and she really liked the experience. She cried when I stopped feeding her! Her daddy had fun with big sister by saying, "Carrots ate Karis." Gracie would correct him, and say, "No, Daddy. Karis ate carrots!" That went on for quite a while...
I don't care for potty training. It's so frustrating. I know she(Gracie, not Karis) can do it. She just doesn't want to do it! I'm too tired to add much more to this subject right now. Maybe I'll devote a post to what's going on in that department, I don't know. For now, I'm praying that things will click for her very soon!!!!!!

Lastly, because I know my mother in law checks this blog often in search of new pictures, I'm going to post some pics that I took this afternoon. Enjoy, Shur Shur!
I love my girls!

The Four Month Visit

I took Karis for her 4 month well-baby visit a week and a half ago. (We're a few weeks behind schedule.) Everything went very well. She weighs 13 pounds, 4 ounces and is 25 inches long. That's the 50th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for length. She is growing beautifully! Hooray!! She has the sweetest smile, too. I know, because her pediatrician said so! ;)

Much has happened since I posted 8 weeks ago. Back then, I was preparing to return to the workforce. I appreciate and needed those prayers! Two days before returning to work, my childcare plan for the school year fell apart. I was so distraught! I finally had to call my parents, who live 8 hours from here, and ask them to come watch the girls until we could come up with a new plan. They dropped everything and came to our rescue! I am so thankful for them! Well, I was able to line up a new sitter and transportation to and from preschool for Gracie. We started the day after Labor Day. Everything was going well, but I just did not feel at peace. I wasn't crying everyday or anything like that, but I just didn't feel comfortable. I described myself as being on "high alert". I don't know any other way to explain it.

I also was going through some major emotional battles. Again, not because I was working, but I just absolutely felt like I was drowning. When I was at work, I wanted to be home. When I was home, I wanted to be somewhere else. Everything was becoming mountainous in my mind...the laundry, lesson plans, potty training, meal preparation, bills...everything. The second Monday in September was the peak. I was a wet noodle in everyway. That night, my dear friends at Bible Study prayed over me. I sobbed and sobbed. I think I may have scared some of them, because I really let me guard down during prayer. My mom said that that's called soaking prayer. I don't know about that, but I do know that God ministered to me. I felt better afterward. Later that week, I was at a worship conference. One of the songs we sang had a line in it about feeling like you're drowning, but how God moves those mountainous situations in our lives. There's nothing more powerful than when God moves on complete strangers to present a song or a word that is exactly from Him to you!!! More crying, more healing.

A few weeks later, my world got rocked a bit. The person who transported Gracie from preschool to the sitter said that she couldn't continue doing that for me anymore. An hour later, my baby sitter asked me if we could pay her more money. After I cried, I opened my bible and read about God's grace and mercy. I felt peace and knew what needed to be done. The next day, I talked to my principal about taking a leave of absence from my job.

I can't explain how huge this is for us. It's what I've wanted to do for three years, but we just didn't see how we could swing it financially. I'm still not exactly sure how all the finances are going to work out, but I know that we both have peace about the decision we've made. I've had the sensation of stepping off the rooftop of a tall building, but instead of falling, these invisible steps are there just when I need them.

Sooooo....I have officially been a stay at home mommy for 1 week and 2 days. I feel such freedom and excitement about what the future holds. I am relishing the moments I'm having with my girls, too. Yesterday, I was nursing Karis with Gracie snuggled up next to me. It was 3 oclock in the afternoon. The house was quiet. The only sound we heard was the rain falling outside and some distant thunder. It was so precious!! Of course, a few minutes later, Gracie started kicking her legs wildly, practically socking me in the stomach, but for a sliver of time, we were having a "moment".

All is well

I took both of our girls to the dr. yesterday for their "Well Baby" visits. Gracie is doing great. She's 40 inches tall and just under 36 pounds. I got some helpful tips on finishing the potty training race. (My idea is to have nap time or nite-nite time continuously for the next few days. Everytime she hits the bed, she declares a need to "Go potty." And, she actually does!) Any other time of day, she's too busy playing to be bothered with anything as trivial as using the bathroom!

I'm thrilled to report that Karis Joy is growing beautifully. She's now moved into the 75th percentile for height and weight. 23 1/4 inches long, 11 pounds 3 ounces. I knew she was growing, but it did this nursing mother's heart good to see such healthy growth.

I would truly appreciate your prayers over the next several days. I am returning to work on Monday, August 15th. I'm not sure if I can describe how I feel about that. I'm sad, scared, numb, but also hopeful that God will strengthen and help me to be a working mommy. When I went back to work with Gracie, I was a basket case, and in total denial! I didn't even begin looking for a sitter until a week or so before going back. My mother in law stayed with Gracie for those first few weeks, which made the transition much easier, but it still broke my heart to leave her. I'll never forget my third day of work. I was attending convocation, which is a gathering of all the professional staff in our school division. Our superintendent was giving opening remarks and then an inspirational video was being shown. During those first few moments, I just cried my eyes out. I had arrived "just on time", and was too late to sit with my coworkers. No one was on either side of me, so I just bawled uncontrollably. A woman seated a few seats down reached for my hand and asked, "Are you alright?" To which I replied, " Sniff...I just...sniff, sniff... left my baby... sniff ,sniff...at home...sniff, sniff...." She patted my hand, the lights came back up, and I tried to regain my composure~although, I really didn't want to! During the break, this same lady (Who, btw, is a principal. One of my good friends works at her school. Whenever my friend mentions my name, the principal asks, "Is that the girl who cried?") gave me hug and asked about my little one. She said she had just had a baby too. As we compared notes, I discovered that she hadn't just had a baby...she had a baby on the same day and in the same hospital as me! In fact, because labor and delivery was so busy that day, I had to wait to be prepped for surgery in the family waiting room. I was there when her sister came in with pictures of this woman's baby.
It was incredible. Here I was, surrounded by over a thousand people. Out of all the places that I could have been seated, God orchestrated my path, so that I would sit next to someone who was in the same situation as me. This experience taught me once again that God in heaven is mindful of me... here on this earth. It was as if He was saying, "Krisa, I know what you are going through right now. I have not forgotten you. I will be there to support you through this journey. I know it's not the path you wanted to take, but it is a path that I will walk with you." It makes me cry, just thinking of how very often God poured out His grace into my life that first year. That very present grace gave me courage to work the second year, the third, and now the fourth. I am still praying that God will open a door so that I can stay home with my girls, but until then, I will endeavor to keep my heart fixed on trusting Him.

Ahhh...Sleep!

For the first time in almost 10 weeks, I got 5 continuous hours of sleep! What a blessing!!!

Missing the Blogging World!

Warning~This post is long and long overdue! I don't have time to put these pics into the story. :)Gracie!

Karis

Sleeping on Grammy's lap!

The girl loves her new sister!

Gracie enjoying the pleasures of summer.

Mommy and baby. Check out that neck! She's been tryng to hold her head up since day one.

Karis~ 4 weeks old!

I've just got to update my blog! It's been difficult for me to determine what I should do whenever I have a few moments to myself...laundry? the checkbook? quiet time? sleep? blog? Last week, I told my husband that I felt the bulk of my prayers have been about asking God to help my children sleep, pass gas, or (in the case of my 3 year old) to get potty trained. Later that day, I turned on the radio and heard the speaker say that the number one indicator of your spirituality is the quality of your prayer life. I changed the station!

Karis turned 8 weeks old yesterday. It's so hard to believe that so much time has passed! Karis is such a good baby! She rarely has times of inconsolable crying, and if she does, there's always a reason~ she's hungry, she needs to burp, or she wants her diaper changed. The first few weeks were really difficult, however. I think my easy delivery sort of added to how hard it was once we got home. I wasn't prepared for the days that followed. On top of being totally exhausted and sore from my c-section we had the following 'issues' going on...





Week 1- Karis developed breast-fed jaundice. Her billirubin levels continued to increase at the time that they were to supposed to peak and then decrease. We took her to the hospital everyday for a week for heel pricks. She spent about a week on a billi-blanket, which kept her from having to be hospitalized, and thankfully 'did the trick' to rid her body of dangerously high billirubin levels. During that same time period, I lost feeling in my left index finger and thumb, and had terrible pain in my left shoulder and arm.




Week 2- A couple more trips to the hospital and pediatrician to monitor the jaundice situation. I had my stitches removed, made a visit to the chiropractor, and later developed a UTI



Week 3- Karis was still yellow, but was declared, "Out of danger!" Praise the Lord!!! I had an MRI, and made a visit to the neurologist. I also had a dr's appt because I was still having UTI symptoms. My parents returned to Ohio this week as well. It was so hard to see them leave. I wasn't sure how I was going to function without their help. I cried a lot and often! Gracie would say, "Aw, Mommy! Don't worry. Your mommy and daddy will come back. It'll be ok."




Week 4- I had a second MRI, and then a nerve/muscle study (the latter was not fun at all) I felt like I had been run over by a truck! The good news, however, was that I got good news. All the tests came back within normal ranges, and my arm problems were deemed pregnancy related. Apparently pregnancy hormones, thyroid problems, and diabetes can cause inflamation internally that can cause a disruption of the nerve passages. I do have some problems with C6 and C7 in my neck, but nothing that would require surgery. The Dr. said that the further I got from delivery, the better I'd feel. Sure enough, six weeks to the day that I lost feeling in my hand~it returned to almost normal. Praise the Lord! That was such a relief, a help, and answer to prayer! (FYI~It's really difficult to snap sleepers when you can't stand to touch anything with your index finger and thumb!!!)




Weeks 5-6- The girls and I spent two weeks at my parents house in Ohio. We missed 'daddy', but it was such a blessing to spend time with family. I loved seeing Gracie interact with her cousins, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She had a blast! She got to go swimming in the "big" pool, play in the tree house, and eat what seemed to be an endless supply of cupcakes! It was nice to always have an extra set of arms to help with Karis so that I could more easily care for Gracie's needs. We had a great time.




Week 7- We had some doubt as to whether or not we'd ever make it back home. Our usual 8 1/2 hour trip turned into 12! Between stopping to nurse Karis and stopping everytime Gracie said, "I have to go potty!" We had a few delays, but eventually made it! On my first day home, flying solo, I felt like I had regressed back to week 4. I called one of my friends late that afternoon for moral support. I told her that I felt like, "One ADAM 12." I NEEDED BACK UP! But, the next day was better, the following even easier. We (the girls and I) actually made it to the swimming pool mid week for a play date with friends. Woo-hoo!




Week 8- That takes us up to the present. The latest development is that Karis is now wanting to nurse every one and a half to two hours. This started last week. She used to nurse every three hours like clockwork, and would go 4-5 hours between feedings at night. Last night, I was up with her 4 times! I don't think this a growth spurt issue. Do you? I'm thinking I may need to supplement. I'm open to suggestions! She's kind of a lazy nurser. She starts off strong and then falls asleep about 7-10 minutes in. After that, she's sort of just nuzzling, not sucking and swallowing....She is growing, however. At her 4 week appt., she was in the 50th percentile for weight and height. I've already had to purge her wardrobe because she's too long for 0-3 month sleepers.




Gracie still loves, loves, loves her baby sister. She makes up songs about her, wants to hold her, and is really quite helpful. She is expert on telling me what she thinks Karis needs. "Karis needs mommy's milk." "Karis needs to burp." etc. Last week, Karis was having a particularly tough time, and I really couldn't figure out what was going on with her. I asked Gracie to pray for her and this is what she said...First she started to sing her little meal time prayer, then she switched gears and said, "Dear Jesus, Thank you for my baby Karis. And Jesus, her tummy hurts. Please heal her and make her tummy feel better, in Jesus' name Amen!" It was such a precious moment!

Today is our 26th Wedding anniversary! Gracie just recently recognized me in our wedding pictures. She couldn't wait to show her daddy what a beautiful princess bride that mommy was. Last night the pictures grabbed her attention again. She asked, "Are Karis and I in your tummy in this picture?" To which I replied, "No Baby, you were in my heart!"

Pictures

Me on delivery day. It was quite surreal to be at the hospital, with no contractions, and realizing that I'd have a baby in a just a few hours!

Karis becoming "official" at the hospital.

My mom, Karis and me.

Gracie and her baby sister. She adores her!

Our first family photo. Karis was a little over 24 hours old. We all happened to be wearing pink and/or green so we took a picture. I was feeling pretty good on that day. I was so completely in awe of the difference from my first c-section to the second.

This is Karis just cuddling on my chest. It doesn't get any better than this!

My beautiful girls and me! This was us right before I was discharged from the hospital. I was glad to go home yesterday because it was my big girl's third birthday! I was pretty exhausted by the time all the presents had been opened and "happy birthday" had been sung, but we made it! Karis had a pretty good night her first night home. She nursed really well and even slept for one stretch of 3 1/2 hours.

I am praying for all of you that are still waiting for your little ones to arrive. God is faithful!

Karis

Well, I didn't do a good job of keeping you updated. My husband has posted a lot of pictures on FB, but I haven't really had a chance to blog!
Karis Joy was born on Tuesday, May 31st, at 1:38 PM. She weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 20 1/2 inches long. I had a c-section, and everything went very well. It was so amazing to see Karis' face for the first time. She is beautiful and precious and delicate and lovely!!!
Compared to Gracie, she seems so tiny to me. (Gracie weighed 10 pounds, 5 ounces at birth.) She has long toes and fingers, like her big sister though. Yesterday was her first- sort of alert day. She did a great job nursing! Hooray!!
Speaking of which- she's telling me she's hungry right now. I'll post more later!! xoxoxo Krisa

We're Here

We arrived at the hospital an hour or so ago. I'm hooked up to an IV and ready to go. Another girl was in labor and had to have an emergency c-section, so that means that my time got bumped back a little. They think that my surgery will be around 1:15 EST. Please keep us in prayer. We'll keep you posted! We are so excited to meet our Karis Joy!

39 Weeks Today

What a week! I started my maternity leave on Monday, mainly due to the fact that I had sooooo many things yet to do at home. I'm too embarrassed to post the video that I shot on Monday. I wanted to remember just what was going on around here, 8 days before Karis was scheduled to enter the world. Suffice it to say that it was rather difficult to navigate throughout the house without stepping on something! And the nursery....well, it was the worst room of all. We had exactly one onesie for Karis to wear. All of her other clothes were still under beds or in closets. The crib still had the same sheet on it, from several months ago, plus it was piled high with space saver bags. Next to the door was a huge pile of clothes that no longer fit Gracie. The rocker had a variety of items stacked on it. You get the picture!

Before any of that could be dealt with, we had to make room. So, Monday I cleaned out closets and made a large collection of things to take to Salvation Army. Then- that night- my parents arrived from Ohio!!!! Hooray! The cavalry came to rescue us!!! We have worked hard. Yesterday I got my suitcase packed, and even got to get my hair and nails done. We are now ready for baby girl to make her entrance.

I'd love for her to come today so that my doctor could deliver her, and so that my husband could have even more time to love on Karis before returning to work. But, so far, nothing is really stirring. I have had several braxton hicks contractions, and I'm pretty uncomfortable, but nothing consistent or FOR REAL! We'll let you all know if anything changes. We're so excited to meet our newest member of the family!!!!

Today's Appointment

I had another Non Stress Test and U/S today. Within 5 minutes, the nurse said that my baby had already passed the test, but we stayed on the monitor for the full 20 minute time period. My blood pressure was up slightly to a whopping 110 over 65. :) It was so low the other day that the machine had a hard time reading it! My U/S was just to check amniotic fluid. I did get a glimpse of the back of Karis' head though. The fluid level was still very good. The dr. said, "Your baby is hitting a homerun today!" Praise the Lord!

I am soooo glad that things are going so well this time around. I was terribly swollen and completely miserable from that at this point in my pregnancy with Gracie. I had already started my maternity leave because the only shoes that remotely fit my feet were my husband's size 11 crocs! Here's a picture from 3 years ago....

My legs and feet look nothing like that now! But, believe me, I remember the feeling, and can completely sympathize with those of you that are experiencing swelling!



It hit me today that Karis will be here 3 weeks from today! I can't wait to meet this precious girl that would have never been a part of my life without God's awesome, sovereign ways!

36 weeks today

Hi everyone- I thought I'd write a quick update on how things are going. I had a dr.'s appt on Tuesday and discovered that my regular doctor has ordered Non-Stress Tests for me, twice a week until Karis is born. This isn't for any one reason, but because I had pre-eclampsia with Gracie, I've been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes this time, and she didn't say so on Tuesday, but....because of my age. :)
I was stressed about these Non-Stressed tests because it meant I would have to take time off of work. I've been out of leave for about 6 weeks now, and am docked pay each time I'm absent. I explained this to the nurse in charge of scheduling all of these tests, but she wasn't very willing to work with me. I really made it a matter of prayer in between appts. And guess what? Everything got worked out yesterday. I had my second NST at Labor and Delivery yesterday. When I told the Dr. on call about my concerns, she told me to go by their office, pick up the schedule, come back to the hospital and they'd re-schedule any dates that don't work for me to take place at the hospital. So, we're all taken care of now! Thank you Lord!
By the way, the nurse told me that I get the award for "the best non stress test results" for the day. Everything was looking great and my Karis was very active.
My last day at work is going to be on the 20th, which will give me a little of a week to rest and get ready for the big day!

Five Weeks to Go....

Here's the latest update on baby Karis. When I had my appt. last week, which lasted about 5 minutes, the doctor said, "Your weight is great, your blood pressure is great, your blood sugars look good, the baby's heart rate is good. Any questions?" I didn't have any, so I was on my merry way! I still have waves of tiredness, but I have to remind myself that I am working full time, have a toddler at home, lead worship at my church, and try to keep up with our laundry. It's normal to be tired! Thankfully, I've had a few days off work for an abbreviated Spring Break. It's been really nice. It will be hard to go back tomorrow.

I don't know about the weather in your 'neck of the woods' but it has rained, and rained, and rained here. They're calling for thunderstorms tonight, and through Thursday, but today has been beautiful. So, Gracie and I were able to get some pictures taken. Enjoy!

A Little Humor!

Many of you know that I teach Kindergarten students. I've taught many grades throughout my career, but I really enjoy the early childhood setting best. It's very rewarding in that the children change and learn soooo much in a year's time, and sometimes they say and do the funniest things. Yesterday, I got an email from a parent. She passed along a story from the night before. When her little boy came home from school on Monday, he informed her that I was absent that day. (I'd had my dr's appt. and Gracie wasn't feeling well.) He told his mommy that my baby was sick. Then he said, "Don't worry mommy. It's her OLD baby, not the new one that's in her tummy." It made me laugh!!!!! Hope it does you too!

BTW, I thought Gracie was much better yesterday morning, but she had a very miserable day at the sitters. :( This morning, she awakened with a tiny fever. We decided that I better take her to the doctor. She's had a runny nose since Friday and developed a rattling cough on Monday. We thought that she was suffering from allergies or just had a bad cold. Once again, I felt kind of silly taking her to the doctor. She was playing all over the waiting area and wasn't acting sick at all. She did the same thing a month or so ago and was diagnosed with strep, so I tried not to feel too much like an over-reacting mother. (Side note- when we were at the dr's for that appt., she saw a lady who had a rather sour look on her face. Gracie climbed into the chair beside this lady, looked up at her and said, "I'm 2. I have germs!" The woman's frown turned upside down at that proclamation.) ANYWAY- today's diagnosis......Flu B and Bronchitis! We left with 5 prescriptions! Word to the wise- Listen to your gut when it comes to your children!!!!

Profile and Toes

We had a good visit with our doctor and ultrasound tech today. Everything looks wonderful with our little one! Our doctor almost started crying and I did, as she remarked about how happy she was for us. Her basic comment was, "When I think about all you have done to build your family, it really thrills me to see that everything about your babies has turned out so well. It's amazing! I'm so glad you haven't had to put up with a bunch a 'crap' (i.e. complications) after all you've already been through." Our doctor doesn't mince words. :)

Karis was somewhat cooperative for the ultrasound. She was in a weird position and had the umbilical cord right in her face. So, we were only able to get a profile. But, what a side view! We love, love, love her chubby cheeks and adorable nose.

We also got a good look at her feet. They're too cute!

We discovered that although Karis is not genetically related to her big sister, apparently she is following in her sister's footsteps. Today, her weight measured 3 pounds, 11 ounces!! She's in the 79th percentile for weight and the doctor said to expect her to weigh around 9 pounds at birth. Gracie weighed 10 pounds 5 ounces! God knows I love big newborns. I was so glad Gracie was as big as she was. Having never really been around babies before, I felt much more comfortable with having a baby that wasn't quite as small and fragile as others.

With her size in mind, and other reasons...I officially scheduled a C-Section for May 31st. (Gracie was born by c-section). My only disappointment is that my doctor is on vacation during the week of Memorial Day and won't be able to deliver Karis. She could still deliver her, if I go into labor prior to the 28th of May. I didn't labor at all with Gracie. So, I have no idea what might happen this time around. I just know, that it's getting closer and closer!

As of today, I'll be going for prenatal visits every two weeks until my 36 week point. Then, I go in every week. As my mother in law is fond of saying, "It's pretty exciting!"

29 weeks today

For the marking of my 29th week, my body decided to remind me of morning sickness! I had such a yucky morning! I had to take two significant rest periods/naps before 1:00. It was 4:00 before I had a shower and got out of my pjs! Thankfully, I'm feeling better now, but I can't figure out what I'm going to eat for breakfast tomorrow. Eggs are definitely off the menu for a few days.

We are looking forward to Monday morning. We get to see our little one in 3-d! I can't wait to get a good look at our Karis. Not only is this adoption anonymous, but there were no pictures of siblings attached to the donor's profile. So, Karis Joy is going to be a surprise!

I'm attaching a picture from two days ago. I feel like my belly is growing daily. Actually, I measured on Sunday and again on Thursday. There was almost a one inch difference in my circumference! Karis is definitely movin' and groovin'! I'll try to post her pics on Monday!

News

I found out that I didn't pass my fasting blood sugar test. Which means I have Gestational Diabetes. Well, actually, I passed the initial test. But, when I drank the sugary, sugar drink and tested an hour later...I didn't pass. My blood sugar was 186. Passing is 180. I even took my co-worker's advice and didn't eat a cupcake 2 hours before the test! I didn't have this with Gracie, so it was quite a shocker.
Now I have to check my blood sugar level four times a day, and work on tweaking my diet. I'm quite motivated because I want to do everything I can do to ensure that Karis is healthy. But, I would rather not have to deal with this!
The Lord is the strength of my life!!!
Here's some really happy news, the friend I had you pray for back in January, gave birth to her twins yesterday. As far as we know, the babies are doing well and so is Kelly! Thanks again for your prayers.

I thought that I'd just post something quickly to update you on our little, Karis Joy. I'm 27 weeks today- hooray! My belly is growing about an inch a week, and the baby is moving a lot. Last Saturday, I had some pain, that I'm pretty sure was due to round ligaments. It was not fun. I basically took a long nap, then spent the rest of the day in the lazy-boy chair. I am very activity minded, so it was hard to just lay around. There was a lot to be done at my house-always is- but I really needed that time of rest. At my last visit, I talked to my dr about being sooooo tired. I asked her if it might be due to being anemic. She said, "Probably not. It just happens during your second pregnancy. You have a little one to care for and it's easy to 'hit a wall' by the end of the day. Plus, your age is a factor." Thanks for the reminder! "Try to take naps during the day," she said. I reminded her that I worked full time. I should have asked her for a note!!!!

I go back to the dr. this Thursday for my fasting blood sugar test, then back again on the 21st for another big ultrasound. We'll get 3-d pictures at that visit, so I'm excited for that day to come!

This picture is from 2 weeks ago. We'll try to do an updated picture this weekend. I don't know why it's so hard for us to take a picture and put it on the computer......but it is!

In Memory of my friend, Janie...

Life is precious and fragile. I've always known this. Sometimes, when I get close enough to Gracie to hear her heartbeat, I'm reminded of that very first time I heard it when she was a tiny 6 week old embryo. It thrills me. I think, life is flowing through her. God is sustaining her. This is a miracle!
Last week, these thoughts came to me again because I lost a friend to cancer. On Monday, we were praying for her to recover from what doctors thought was a bad sinus infection. She was feeling really poorly, and couldn't make it to our Bible Study. On Wednesday she was hospitalized because her husband found her unresponsive when he came home. On Thursday morning she was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. At 6:30 that night, she crossed over to eternity. All of us who had to joy of knowing her, have been heartbroken at the suddenness of her passing. But, we know she is basking in God's presence and is gloriously healed.
Today....
I am more grateful for each new day.
I am more prone to hug my little girl and husband a little longer than I would have a week ago.
I am more appreciative for the times God has spared my life and the lives of those I love.
I am more thankful that God's presence sustains me even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil~for Thou art with me. Psalm 23

Goings On....

Be prepared for 'bunny trails'.
I just want to post something- anything. I have a lot on my mind right now. First, even though this pregnancy has been a bit more physically demanding, I have really enjoyed not battling fear this time around. When I was pregnant with Gracie, I felt that I was always bracing for something horrible to happen. I was afraid to let my guard down, because I knew that there were no guarantees that everything was going to be alright. We rented a fetal heart monitor and used it quite frequently. I remember God really helping through all of that though. He revealed to me that I could be gripped in fear at every stage and age of my child's life. He asked me, "Is that how you want to live?" Of course it was not. At some point around that same time, I had a very distinct dream. I dreamed of holding my baby against my chest. Her head was resting on my left shoulder. The dream was so real that I could literally feel that sensation when I woke up the next day. It was like a reassurance that everything was going to be alright, and I would hold my little one someday- and of course I did. ANYWAY- I just haven't dealt with fear during this pregnancy and it has been a blessing. Maybe it's because this is my second pregnancy...maybe it's purely God's grace.
Which leads me to the second thing I wanted to talk about. Our chosen name for our littlest lovee girl. Of course, it could be modified once we meet her, but for now we have decided on Karis Joy. Charis is the greek word for grace. It means: that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, favor and merciful kindness. So, we'll have two girls of Grace in the house! We've modified the spelling, which is kind of neat, because Karis has all of the letters of my name- Krisa. My mother in law has always wanted us to name any girls born to us- Krisa. I have flatly refused that idea, but this accommodates that request a little. Sometimes when Byron is talking to or about the baby and refers to her as 'Karis', Gracie says, "No daddy. It's Karis Jo-oy" (Joy has two syllables. We are raising a southerner here in northern VA.)
We've had some sickness in our house this past month. Gracie and Byron both had terrible cases of a yucky stomach virus. Thankfully, I only had a touch of the stuff. And, when I say thankfully, I really mean it. That virus has been nasty. Gracie had a horrible cold last week, and was running a fever for 36 hours this week. I don't like it when my family is sick.
Speaking of sick...I haven't been for some time now. Thank you Lord!!!! I think this weekend will mark the fourth week of being queasy free! I love that! Along those same lines, I had my first, full-fledged craving ever last Saturday night/Sunday morning. I woke up around 2:00 and just had to have grape juice. The desire was so strong, it was almost painful. The problem was that we had no grape juice. Even though I know my husband would have gone out and bought some for me, I didn't want to wake him because he was preaching at our church the next morning which was actually just a few hours away. So, I did the next best thing. I drank a little berry fruit punch, then chased it down with orange juice. I was able to go back to sleep. The next day, we had two gallons of grape juice in our kitchen. :)
Is anyone else tired? I am so beat at the end of the day. I can't even believe I'm still awake at 10:00 pm tonight! I got a call from my OB/GYN three weeks ago, directing me to start taking an iron supplement twice a day b/c my bloodwork showed I was slightly anemic. Maybe that's playing into the weariness. I don't know, but I sometimes feel discouraged by it. I'd appreciate your prayers for strength.
My friend that I told you about in my previous post has now been on bedrest for at least a month. Things had stabilized for her, but she went in for a visit yesterday and discovered that she is dialiated 1 cm and her cervix is shortening again. That's not great news, so please continue to lift her and her twin babies up to the Lord. She is 28 weeks this week. It meant so much to her to read your comments and to know that you were standing with her. So, thank you for continuing to do so!
This week has been kind of emotional for me. On Monday, I found out 25 minutes before I needed to report to work that I didn't have a babysitter for the day. (I have resolved to check text messages a lot sooner than 8:15, from now on.) I can't tell you how panicked I became. The good news is that because of some awesome friends- everything was worked out within minutes! I was so thankful, but whereas I was about to cry earlier because I was so upset, 15 minutes later, I was crying because I felt so blessed and undeserving. I was a bit of a mess for the remainder of the day. I won't even describe the total melt down I had before retiring that night. Let's just say that my husband was trying desperately to calm me down so that I wouldn't wake up our sleeping child. Three hours later was when Gracie started running a fever. The next morning though, she seemed fine, and since my sitter's kids were still running fevers and b/c we were on a 2 hour delay that day- I decided to go to work and take Gracie to the babysitter. I felt guilty all day. At 4, I got a text that her fever had returned...103.4- More guilt. I immediately decided that I would not go to work the next day. You guessed it- she was perfectly fine all day long. Not a 'smidgen of temperature', not a sniffle or cough. I enjoyed being home with my girl, but I hardly have any leave left, so again I felt stressed. Other things happened on Thursday- I won't go into that- but I've just been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I'm ready to settle down- spend some time with Jesus, and get perspective again. To quote an old song of the church....
Only Jesus can satisfy your soul...
Only He can change your heart and make it whole.
He'll give you peace you never knew.
Sweet love and joy and heaven too.
For only Jesus can satisfy your soul.

Prayer Please

Please pray for my friend Kelly. She and her husband have been TTC for several years. They have done IVF multiple times. This past August- it worked! She is pregnant with twins, and they're due at the end of April. However, she's in pre-labor. She home on bedrest, but after a week and a half, she's still having contractions. Please pray for these little ones to hold on for as long as possible. Thanks friends!!!

We're having.....

A GIRL! We are very happy and excited! Of course, we would have been happy and excited if we were having a boy, too. But, I've had a girl and sort of know how to "do" girl. Plus- our girls will be exactly three years apart. So- I have girl clothes, toys, and decor galore! The only thing we'll need for this little one is diapers and wipes. We haven't completely settled on a name yet, so I'll hold off on that for now.

We got several pictures, but this one is our favorite.

Look carefully and you'll see her tiny fingers on her forehead! :)

Our doctor was very pleased with the baby's development. She said that everything looked beautiful. She's also happy with my weight gain this time around. It's less than where I was with Gracie at this time in the pregnancy. I'm not sure how that's possible given all of the fudge I've consumed since Christmas!!! But- we won't talk about that!!!

I was so looking forward to telling Gracie that she's having a baby sister. This is pretty much how the conversation went, however.

Me: Gracie, are you excited? Our baby is a little girl. You're going to have baby sister.

Gracie: No, our baby is a boy baby.

Me: No, she's a girl. You are going to have a sister.

Gracie: Maybe we could get a cat.

Oh My!!!!

Flutter, flutter

Well, my suspicions were correct the other day. I definitely am feeling this baby move. I love it! It feels like a little fluttering feeling in my tummy. It's nice to just be sitting quietly at the end of the day and feel this little life moving around. So sweet!

One of my pregnancy books says that 'generally, the baby will be born about 147 days-plus or minus 15 days- from the time the mother first feels the baby move.' (I love how they couched that time frame with two weeks before or after!) Nonetheless, for Gracie it was spot on. She was born 146 days after I first felt her flutter. If my calculations are correct, that would put us at May 28th for this baby. Pretty close to the actual June 4th due date, anyway, but interesting to think about!

We go for our BIG ultrasound one week from today. I'm hoping that the baby cooperates so that we can find out the sex. For the past several days, Gracie has predicted a boy. But, before that, she has always said "girl". So, she really isn't helping us figure out what we're having at all!

I've included a 'lovely' belly picture. I've been horrible this time around and haven't taken any pictures up until this past weekend when I hit the 18 week mark. When I'm pregnant, I sort of just get big all over. I don't really have that cute little bump. But, I love how my body is changing. It's very exciting and amazing to be able to experience pregnancy, ONCE MORE. I may have said this before, but when I was pregnant the first time, I was just as amazed with how God created my body, as I was with the new life that was being weaved inside of me. I was 41, had never been pregnant, and yet my body did exactly what it was designed to do to carry a baby. It was incredible to me. ---You are fearfully and wonderfully made---- had whole new meaning.