Rain, Rain Go Away!

It's been raining for days! It was nice the first 2 days or so, but it got old fast. It did rain hard enough that we lost internet service, so I haven't been able to post anything. But, We finally have our internet back after days of bordem. Karis and I didn't have too much to do, but "talk" to each other and ponder things.

She's starting to jabber a little bit, which is so cute! You can tell she's wanting to talk so bad! I love the fact that she's starting to develop a personality. She's such a happy baby and smiles a whole lot. It just melts my heart every time I see her big smile!

She also loves music! (A baby after my own heart!) Worship music seems to be her fav right now. She loves the mix that I made her. We sing 'Jesus Loves Me' a whole lot, but we exchange the word 'me' for 'Karis' and she just grins from ear to ear! It's so precious!

It's Sunday!

" This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it." ~Psalm 118:24

Whew! - 1 Month Already!!!

Karis is already 1 month old! Time has really flown by! She has been such a joy & a blessing; a lot of work too!I apologize for not posting sooner. I feel like such a bad mom! The surgery, along with adjusting to having a newborn, was a little harder to handle than I imagined. I guess I'm not superwoman after all!

Here are some pics of her from the past few weeks.

The past few weeks we haven't done a whole lot: eat, sleep, change diapers, repeat. We did get to go to Amarillo for a quick trip. And - we started walking this week. We've also tried to get Karis on a good nap & feeding schedule. If you haven't read the book Baby Wise, I would highly recommend it. I think that this schedule that I got from the book is going to work out pretty good. I'll let you know here in a couple weeks.

Little Karis is getting more and more of a personality every day. She's pretty much a happy baby, except when she's tired or has a gassy tummy. I love the fact that she smiles a lot already! (She even smiles in her sleep.) Here's a picture of what I woke up to one morning last week. I was awake; Karis is still asleep. Isn't that just precious!

Introducing. . . . .Karis Brionne Vennell!

After much anticipation & 20 hours of labor plus a c-section she's finally here! We proudly introduce the most beautiful baby girl ever, born on August 3, 2009, Karis Brionne - 7lbs. 1 oz. - 19 inches long.

We're all doing good, but are still resting and recouping. We have tons of pics to share, so there'll be much more to come! Thank you for all your prayers! Mike & Leslie

STILL NO BABY!!!!

I'm almost half way through my 39th week of pregnancy & still no Baby Karis! I wasn't supposed to make it this far, but I guess the doc was wrong. :( My first due date was July 31st, which is only about 4 days away, so hopefully I'm on the home stretch! I've been praying, well more like begging, God everyday that today would be the day. I do want God's perfect timing and will for Karis, it's just so hard to be patient! You would think this is a test or something! :)

My doctor appt was on last Thursday. I was still dilated the same, but the doc said that the Karis' head was just right there and that my 'bag of waters' was bulging and would probably break on its own. I'm really excited about that one, seeing how I'm not very fond of the idea of using a crochet needle to break it for me! Ouch!!!

My mom has been staying with me for the last week or so. We have been having so much fun! It's helped a whole lot having her here! It makes me feel more secure knowing that I have someone with me in case my water breaks and Mike is at school. We've been doing lots of shopping, watching movies, cleaning house, and making jewelry for Karis. She's already a blessed baby! Tons-o-fun!!!

The rest of my family drove down again this weekend again just in case I went into labor. I feel so sorry for them having to travel 350 miles one way to get here and then another 350 miles back! But, I do feel extremely blessed that they are sacrificing money & time to try and be here when Karis comes. It means so much to Mike & I!

This outfit is what we're thinking of bringing Karis home from the hospital in. What do you think?

Well, if you think about it, keep us in your prayers. Pray that Karis would make her debut this week! Also, keep Mike in your prayers. With all the baby excitement, he still has school, tests, and finals start in a week and a half. He's been trying so hard to keep everything up, but it has been hard for him to really concentrate how he needs to. We need him to keep it up!

False Alarm! :(

Yesterday morning we had a false alarm!

I started having contractions every 3 - 5 minutes late Sunday night, and by the wee hours of Monday morning they had gotten closer together and longer in length. They were every 2 minutes for about 90 - 120 secs each. We went back and forth on what to do because I couldn't really feel them very well. Sometimes I knew I was having them, and other times I had to ask my husband or my mom to feel and make sure it was contraction. So, to be on the safe side, we headed up to the hospital to get checked.

We got there, got hooked up to the monitor, and sat for 2 hours! My contractions were the same and then a little stronger. I was 50% effaced, but my dilation had not changed since last time I was checked! My water is still in tact, but I did lose my plug. The nurse was a little puzzled, but said that everything looked fine so not to worry. My blood pressure was still about the same (106/68), the baby's heart rate was normal, and Karis was really active. Needless to say, I was sent home!

It's a bit disappointing! My whole family was here. It would have been the perfect time for Karis to make her entrance! We got all excited and then nada! Hopefully I'll start dilating more & fast! I guess God is still putting the finishing touches on Karis. We want her to come at God's timing for her, not our own time even though it would be nice to have her sooner than later!

No Baby Yet! :(

It's Monday & no baby Karis yet! This waiting around stuff is for the birds!!! It's so, so hard to be patient right now! Here in the metroplex my neighbor's thermometer says 107 degrees outside. They've been coming over to check on me, and to make sure that our air conditioner is working good. It is thank goodness!!

All I've done lately is stay in the house. I'm beginning to feel like a hermit. I don't think I've been out of the house except to go to church on Sunday, and to Wal-mart & Target today. It's just too hot to be out and about. Tonight I have a chiropractor appt., and Weds. is my next obgyn appt. Hopefully I won't have to go to the obgyn appt on Weds. :) I've been praying my guts out that things will start happening soon!

I think that I've gotten everything ready to go now. My bag is packed, Karis' bag is ready, I've already cleaned the house like 4 or 5 times, I've sprayed for spiders (with a mask), gotten all the laundry caught up, the baby book is up-to-date, finished making bows, the nursery is done, and we just finished our birth plan last night. What else is there to do?? I've been trying to busy my self by reading books, soaking in the bathtub, exercising, and wandering mindlessly through the Internet for recipes to make your own baby lotion, wipes, & powder, etc.

Well, I think that you could say I am officially bored!!