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!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas
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!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Merry Miracle Day
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.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Little Miss Fru Fru
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!
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Mary Jane Leggings with bows- $8
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Sunday, October 30, 2011
Random Things....
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The Four Month Visit
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.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
All is well
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.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Ahhh...Sleep!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Missing the Blogging World!
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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!
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Friday, June 3, 2011
Pictures
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Karis
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
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
We're Here
Saturday, May 28, 2011
39 Weeks Today
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Today's Appointment
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!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
36 weeks today
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!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Five Weeks to Go....
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Little Humor!
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!!!!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Profile and Toes
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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!"
Saturday, March 19, 2011
29 weeks today
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!
Monday, March 14, 2011
News
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.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
In Memory of my friend, Janie...
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
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Goings On....
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.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Prayer Please
Monday, January 10, 2011
We're having.....
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