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.