2 weeks go by so quickly

Karis (rhymes with Paris) turned 2 weeks old yesterday. I seriously can't believe it's already been 2 weeks. She is such a joy, so sweet and cuddly and easy-going. I have been so thankful for this. Caleb has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the changes, and I can't imagine what it would be like if she was high-strung. One of the books I read called this the "spirited baby", which most definitely described Caleb. He wanted to be held all the time, literally cried nearly every time I set him down, and he didn't like to sleep all that much. I think now that I see how things are with Karis I realize just how hard those first few months were with Caleb and how close I was daily to completely falling apart. I daily thank God that this time is easier. Don't get me wrong. Though Caleb was harder I cherish every moment of those early months with him, and I love him and Karis with a fierce kind of love I didn't realize was possible. I LOVE being a mom. I've had some great jobs, but staying at home with my children is absolutely the most rewarding and fulfilling one I've ever had.

Karis had her 2 week appointment today. She has grown a whole inch and gained a pound since we left the hospital. She's now 20 inches long and weighs 7 lbs 3 oz. She is beautiful and healthy!


Caleb loves to say "cheese" for the camera - love this expression! And Karis looks so tiny...

Caleb loves his sister so much. He is constantly wanting to hug and kiss her.

We're home! We came home yesterday afternoon - was a great Valentine's Day present to be able to take our sweet girl home and for our new family of 4 to all be together at home. Caleb is so sweet with her. He loves to just tell her hi and watch her. We have to be careful because he loves to give her hugs and kisses, but doesn't always understand the concept of being gentle :)

We've also learned that you don't have to tell a toddler that their life has completely changed when they get a new sibling. Last night I was talking to Karis and asking if she was hungry. All of a sudden Caleb just started crying and having a complete meltdown. He just kept saying "mine, mine" over and over. I thought maybe Marc picked up something that Caleb wanted. Finally Caleb walked over to his highchair and through his sobs and tears and desperate claims of "mine" I finally understood that he thought that Karis was going to sit in his highchair to eat! Poor kid. He was so upset b/c he thought I was giving Karis his highchair. We finally calmed him down and explained that the highchair is his and Karis is not going to sit and eat in it. Too funny - it was so hard not to laugh. I'm sure we'll have many more of those moments as Caleb adjusts to the changes.

Anyways, I was so excited - Karis sat in the swing for about 30 minutes last night so that I could eat and take my medicine. She just looked around - perfectly content. I was hoping for this since it's definitely harder w/2 and Caleb was not like this at all. Every time I set him down he just screamed. I'm very thankful that Karis seems pretty laid back so far. I got about 5 hours of sleep last night, which isn't bad - maybe I'll get more tonight :)
Here's a few more pics from the hospital. Nancy aka "Nana" and Stan - such a great pic
My best friends Tanna and Brittany came to visit!
One of my favorite pics of me w/Karis
A great one of Marc and Karis

I thought I'd post more pics of Karis. It's funny, sometimes she looks just like Caleb and I have a hard time remembering that this is my new little girl I'm holding, not Caleb as a newborn. We've had a really easy time so far, which I am so thankful for. I'm recovering really well and really quickly. I've been walking around lots today and am feeling pretty good. Caleb has also done really well. He's had so much fun with Gramps and Grammy and Mimi and Pappi. He loves his sister, but he doesn't like it when she cries. Caleb can be rough and tumble but he is also so sweet and sensitive.
Chillin in the sunny window with daddy - she has a bit of jaundice.
Such a sweet face. Those cheeks are deceiving. She's actually really tiny - those chubby cheeks just make her look like a chunk :)

My best friend Tanna made this onesie for me when we had Caleb since we didn't know until he was born if he was a boy or girl. I was so excited to get to use the girl onesie!!!
Birthday brownies!
Seriously, I have a picture of Caleb that looks exactly like this!
She has already found her thumb. I was up w/her pretty much all night last night - all she wanted to do was nurse. So I was glad when she found her thumb. We'll see if we get more sleep tonight.
LOVE this bow hat the hospital gives the girls!

Some face shots

We did not have any good face shots before, so her is one or two.

She is Here!!!

Little Karis Kathreen Rose came into the world at 1 p.m. February 11, 2010. She weighed 6 lbs. and 15 oz. and was 19 inches even. She is totally healthy so far and she definitely has a good set of lungs on her. So far her favorite things seem to be eating and sleeping, but I am sure that pooping and peeing will be added to the list soon. Laura is doing very well and the c-section went well in general, she feels much better than she did after the last c-section at this point. Laura, myself, and Karis are going to hunker down at the hospital and watch the snow while Caleb spends the night with my dad and Elaine.

This is the best family picture we have so far.
Caleb loves his little sister and wanted to give her a little kiss before he left for the night.

A healthy little girl!

They are cleaning her up just a minute or two after she came out.
The last belly picture in the snow.

Craziness

Alright, so I just talked with my OB. More crazy news. Apparently there was something wrong with the first test - the one that they said was not good and her lungs were not developed yet. We still had to wait 2 hours for the more in-depth second test, but my Dr. said there was no way that those results would be ok if the first wasn't. So she just had the hospital send me home. Well, now the second test results show that Karis' lungs look great and well-developed. They're apparently more reliable than the first test. But my OB said they never should have gotten the results that they did on the first test, that it was basically impossible. Crazy. So, my OB asked what I was doing tomorrow, b/c they have an opening at noon. You'd think I would have jumped on that chance, but I told her that Marc had already told the school he would work and said he didn't need a sub anymore. Also, we will have more help from family etc b/c it's easier for them later in the week.
SO, long story short....we have a c-section scheduled for noon on Thursday. This one should not change....that is unless I go into labor or my water breaks before then! So pray for a safe delivery this Thursday at noon!

What's the best way to make a pregnant woman cry?

Easy. Just get her all excited about having a baby today, tell her the lung test results look really good, that we're just waiting on one more but it should all be good. Then come back an hour later and tell her you (the nurse not the Dr.) were wrong - the results show that the lung development is not mature and send her home, starving, dehydrated, with no baby yet.
That's been my day so far. I'm trying really hard to have a good attitude about it. Of course I want Karis' lungs to be well-developed before she's born. Obviously she's not ready yet. And so for that I'm glad we didn't have a baby today. However, I've been on an emotional roller-coaster for the past week, and I am so ready to stop hurting and just enjoy our sweet little girl.

My OB is supposed to call me back later today to talk about the final test results and what our plan will be. I honestly have no idea what she'll say. Right now she has to weigh my health and the baby's health and make a decision depending on who is more at risk. Because of all the extra fluid, the longer I go, the greater my chances are for complications. However, Karis is obviously not ready yet and we don't want her to be in the NICU b/c of immature lungs, so I just don't know what the Dr. will say. A planned c-section for this Friday sounds great to me. Of course things never work out so perfectly, just as we want them, do they? :) So we'll see what happens. I'll update as I know more. We, of course, would appreciate the prayers for patience and safety/health for myself and Karis.
I'll leave you with something much more fun...pics of the kids' room. We got it all ready a few days ago. They have to share a room, although I have no idea how the sleeping arrangements will work out for a while. We'll just take it one day at a time. This is Karis' bedding set - love it! Thank you Tom and Elaine!
Caleb's bed. My mom made his blanket!
Caleb's corner
Karis' space.

Toying with my emotions

Sorry, no exciting news of baby Karis' arrival yet. I got a call late last night from my Dr. saying that she had just found out that if we did the amniocentesis Sat. morning they still would not have the results back until Monday morning. I am assuming that because it is not considered an emergency procedure, they do not have the staff etc available to get lab results back in 2 hours like they do during the weekdays.
SO....she scheduled my amniocentesis for this Monday the 8th at 8:30 am and a c-section for noon. I think she feels pretty confident that the results will be good and will show that Karis' lungs are well-developed and mature enough for delivery. If the results show that her lungs are not developed enough, then I guess we will wait until late next week. But I am hoping to meet our sweet baby in 2 days!!!

She'll be here in 2 days....maybe...

Yet another Dr. visit today. The polyhydramnios has gotten worse (the amniotic fluid level has risen), and I am 37 weeks but measuring at 45!!! Dang fluid. Also this little girl is apparently too cozy in there b/c she has not dropped at all and I am not dilated at all. It's not safe for me to keep going like this, risk of uterine rupture etc. So the plan is to go in for an amniocentesis on Saturday morning to see if Karis' lungs are developed enough, and if they are we will do a c-section the same day. Please pray her lungs are well developed. If not I'll have to be on bed-rest for the next week and then hopefully do the c-section at 38 weeks. I'm just really uncomfortable (who wouldn't be if their uterus was 8 weeks bigger than it was supposed to be!) and ready to be done. Some women really enjoy pregnancy. I am not one of them. Give me the newborn, sleepless nights, poopy diapers etc. I'll take it any day over pregnancy.