Almost Turkey Time!

Once again, excuse the slackness! It seems like we have been living on the road the past month - partly because we have. We (Karris & I) went to NC for the week a few weeks ago and stayed with Daniel. I had 3 interviews for nursing jobs and I actually got offered ALL 3. Unbelievable! But, I found out about the last one yesterday - which was the one I wanted most! One job was a home health, and the 2 others were both at the same hospital. I got offered 1 of the 2 at the conclusion of my interview to be a PRN (as needed) nurse for the telemetry & medical units. The job I ended up taking is to be an OR nurse. I am so excited - because I will only have to work M-F, either 3 12 hour shifts or from 7-3 everyday. What a BLESSING! I never in a million years thought I would get to start off with this kind of nursing job. Almost everyone I know works nights, weekends, etc. I am so, so very lucky. My tentative start date is November 28th! Which is great.. gives me one last week with my princes.. on that note... I am a mess over leaving Karris. BUT. I know that the time has to come and I can't waste all the hellacious hard work I put in.

On to KARRIS! Wow, I will probably say this every month - but I can't believe how much more and more you can love something/someone. She changes every day. She is holding her head up like a pro. People constantly comment on how little she is but how alert she is. She was 3 months this week. She is growing like a weed. She was 9lb 10oz at her 2 month appointment.. I am curious to see how much she will weigh at 4 months! My guess is almost 12.... Some 3 month clothes are still big on her. But she is DEF out of newborn! She doesn't nap very well... but of course as I type this she has been asleep for 2 hours! Longest nap in a month. But, she does go about 6 hours straight at night. So I will trade the naps for a long span at night. She just doesn't want to miss anything going on during the day! She has gotten to spend a lot of time with her grandparents this past month. My mom (Grancie) came to visit 2 weeks in a row for a few days, she had her first over night visit and stayed at my dad's (Daddybob's and Nana's) and Daniels parents (Poppy Chuck and Nana) have been down to visit once and we have been there a few times as well. I love seeing how in love they are with her too. People told me our parents would just be different people - and boy is it ever true. Amazing what something so small can do!

So we have had Halloween - Karris was definitely not crazy about her pea pod outfit. He constrained her arms and she likes her arms out. Plus she was sleepy. So we went to 3 houses in my parent's neighborhood back home. Karris loves this big star that is on her activity mat. She likes her swing now and she LOVES looking around. Basically anyway she can be without her head touching anything is the way she wants to be. She DOES NOT like being held like a baby at all. She likes looking at the iPad and watching anything bright on it or the TV. She smiles so much and laughs too. She wants to sit up so bad she can't stand it. She also loves being on her changing pad and getting her diaper changed. She LOVES taking a bath. I think she would stay in the bath tub all day long if I let her. She cans splash around now. It's super cute.

In other life.. which isn't much anymore :) This was Karris and my last week at the beach. We are going to Daniel's parents for lunch on Thanksgiving then to my dad's for dinner. Then I will start my job and we will hopefully find a place we like in NC soon. We actually got renters for our house instead of selling it for now. The way I look at it, we never thought in a million years a year ago we would be moving - so who knows if we wind up back here one day! Ya never know... So that sums it up for now. Daniel really likes his new job. I am excited about starting work but sad to leave Karris, but that's the catch 22 of life I suppose.

XOXO

The good part!

Sweet girl 10-15-11 Go cocks!

With our little peapod!

Happy peapod!

 3 Months! 11-15-11

Sweet girl waking up from a nap 11-8-11

The crew after Daniel's bday dinner 9-22-11

With the besties Nicole & Kris at Daniel's bday dinner!

Some more pics!

In her bunny hat!

Cutest lil cheerleader!

I took this pic on accident, but it is one of my favorites!

Sweet sleeping baby, almost 2 months here...

Karris is 2 months & Mommy is SLACK!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have blogged. ONE MILLION things have happened! Where to begin... we have been one on the go bunch. Karris has traveled the state about 4x by now! Speaking of Karris.... :)

Karris

Karris is so sweet and such a good baby (not that I have another to compare it to, but I have been told this haha). She started smiling and laughing in the past few weeks and it is probably my favorite thing I have ever seen! She tries to "talk" - it is so cute watching her concentrate and how excited she gets when she lets out a big "ooooo" or "aeeeeeee." She was holding her head up when she was a day old and that was definitely an indication of this little busy body! Her Nana H calls her a busy body, because she is so nosy! She has to know what is going on at all times. Unlike most babies, she doesn't like to be held in the typical cradle hold. When she is awake and being held, she wants to be up over my shoulder so she can look around. (Hopefully this will be visible in my muscles one day haha.) Aunt Kris calls her a 2 year old instead of 2 month old because of how alert and in tune with her surroundings she is. (She sees tons of infants at work all the time and can't get over how miss Karris pays attention and tries to sit already.) She had her 2 month appt last week - thankfully we haven't been to the doctor with her since her 2 week check up. She got her shots and did really well. That cry is a cry you sure don't want to see again! Luckily it only lasted a minute. She sleeps well at night - she goes to sleep when I do around 11 and has a 5-6 hour span, then back up at 7 and then we nap for a few more hours :) She will even just go on to sleep on her own... I was worried at the beginning with so much company all the time holding her that she would get used to it. But most of the time she will fall right on to sleep when you put her down - of course with a few times of re-inserting her paci into her mouth if it falls out. It is amazing how fast she is growing. She was 9lb 10oz and 22 inches at her 2 month. We think she is probably more of 23 inches because we measured her last weekend and it was almost 24. So a meeting in the middle would be 23 haha. Long and skinny! Not like me as a baby, I was the pudgiest thing around. She loves sleeping on her side, when someone touches her nose, and the gamecocks of course!

Life other than Karris...

We are moving! Daniel actually already has started a job - as of October 3, in Claremont, NC. So we will be relocating to Hickory, NC. Either when we sell the house or when I find a nursing job. Speaking of, yes! I can finally add RN to the end of my name. Woo hoo!!! As much as I love staying home with my sweet girl, it will be so nice to finally use this degree I worked so hard for. And I know Karris will appreciate her hard working mama. Especially when we won't have to ask dad if it's ok to buy matching shoes one day. Lol. Speaking of, I think Daniel is the most excited about me working. Bless his heart.. so happy he has been able to provide for us since, um well, we met I suppose. So the move is exciting because it is a great job opportunity for Daniel yet also very sad since we will be leaving a lot of great friends at the beach and our house that we LOVE and just bought in April. But.. we have always in the back of our minds known we likely wouldn't live here forever. We just didn't know it would be so soon. Atleast Karris is still so young that she won't be moving schools, etc. And, we will be back to visit the beach every other month I am sure!

Needless to say, since the move Daniel and I have both been on the road A LOT. Our families have gotten to see Karris a lot more than they probably would have since Daniel started his job. Which has been nice for all of us. We have such great parents - who are making the best grandparents ever, so it is nice they get to see their first grandbaby a lot!  I will do better at updating. I can't believe how long it has been!

Here is the part you want to see anyway :)

Not even a month old! Sweet baby.

In her bouncy seat the first time.

Out at lunch with the girls!

1 month Birthday!

I love this picture... a little over a month old.

First time in her gamecock gear! GO COCKS

Our Princess is HERE!

Karris Grace Knight arrived on 8-15 at 11:27AM weighing 6lb 12oz and was 19.5 inches long. After going into the hospital on Sunday at 4PM for a scheduled induction, much to everyone's delight my progress Monday morning was great! My cervix was completely softened and I was dilated to a 2 as of 5:00AM. The nurses started me on Pitocin at 5:30AM. I didn't get much sleep on Sunday night because the heart monitor for Karris kept on not reading her heart rate because she was so active (which has continued to hold true!) and because of me moving around trying to get comfortable in my sleep. But, I was so excited - getting up at 5 was no problem at all! I could feel a few strong contractions that night too, which was also exciting!

After the Pitocin was up and going, regular contractions really started between 7-8AM. By 9AM I was having very regular contractions and I was in EXTREME pain. They were every 2-3 minutes and lasting a good minute. Poor Daniel was so upset for me that I really thought he was going to be in tears. The nurses would not get give me anything for the pain, because since things were progressing so quickly they knew as soon as my doctor got there he would likely order an epidural. So let me just tell you how NOT fun having active labor contractions are with no pain medicine! And I feel like I have a pretty high pain threshold! It was horrible. I didn't cry, but I was so close and it truly makes me want to cry even thinking about it! Luckily, Dr. S showed up around 9:30 and ordered my epidural. It was administered around 9:30ish. Talk about heaven! Woooo hoooo. I was on cloud 9. From there they just monitored baby Karris and I. Around 10:30, the nurses started getting concerned because Karris' heart rate was dropping to the low 100's. (Infant heart rates should be between 120-160). After positioning me different ways and giving me oxygen, a little after 11 Dr. S decided an emergency C-section was necessary because Karris was likely on her umbilical cord, or regardless, something wasn't quite right! So... the whole thing happened very, very quickly. I was in the operating room for the C-section at 11:20 and Karris was born at 11:27. Daniel was in there with me for the surgery. It was truly amazing. As soon as they laid her next to me, I saw Daniel cry for the first time and I was overwhelmed with emotion. I looked at Karris and I said "Karris, I am your mommy" and she quit crying and look right at me with her big, gorgeous eyes. Afterwards, I went to recovery for awhile and Daniel got to take her to the nursery and spend about 15 minutes with her until they bathed her etc. Around 2:00 they brought her into our room and she hasn't been out of my sight since! She is the sweetest baby and I can't get enough of her. Daniel is the best daddy I could've ever imagined. I often wondered how he would take to daddyhood - and I can say that he is better than I imagined. I already don't want her to grow up and she isn't even a week old. I find myself telling people and thinking about it all the time. She is so perfect in my eyes. I absolutely cannot explain the love I have for her and the love that now have for Daniel. It has made our relationship stronger than I could ever imagine. I am on cloud 9 as you can see and I never want to get off!

39 Week Update!

Still no change today, looks like I am like my mom. She had to get induced with all 3 of us because her cervix wouldn't soften and it seems like mine doesn't want to either. So, if she isn't here by Sunday they will start an induction. We are to be at the hospital at 4:00 and they will start Cervidil at 5pm! Usually takes 8-12 hours to soften cervix then I will be receiving Pitocin. So hopefully Karris arrives sometime midday on Monday! (Unless she comes on her own before then, but when I asked the Dr. if he thought she would, he quickly said no.) So just keep us in your prayers. I am very nervous about getting indcued. I would much rather have her own my own - but he thinks she will likely be 8lbs as it is. So I don't want to chance a C-section OR a 10 lb baby. I am still counting my blessings, because the positive with the cervix not softening is it's strong and I hopefully won't ever have to worry about a preemie or being on bedrest in the future. So that is a plus I must say.. especially with the number of people I have known go into labor early or have to be on bedrest. So, there is always a silver lining! If for some crazy reason I go into labor before Sunday - we shall update! I am so excited to OFFICIALLY know I will be a mommy in LESS than a week!!! XOXO

Nursery Complete!

Rocker & Dresser 

Side table and wreath for the door after she is born :)

 Other wall with her books on chest of drawers & toys in the floor

Her hairbow holder (the first thing I ever made for her!) and rocking chair that my brothers and I used growing up!

Crib

VENTING :)

I am taking a moment to vent. I have never done this before.. but it is time haha. So here we go... and if you don't want to read this, then don't. I'll probably update tomorrow with a doctor update so that will be a little more exciting for you.

#1 - Just because you have had a baby before me, whether it be 10 minutes, 10 days, 10 weeks, or 10 years - I do not need to know every piece of advice that you think you should offer me. If I have any questions for you, I will be sure to ask. And if I do ask, don't be a know it all. Just be honest and supportive. Don't act like you are super mom. I promise that I won't once Karris is here. Heck, I am not even super wife or super friend or super daughter... I know I won't be super mom. But I will do everything in my power to be as good of a mom I can be.

#2 - Your baby is not perfect and life is not peaches and cream immediately after you have your little one. It is a fact... it is an adjustment. So quit trying to pretend that life just keeps on keeping on like it was before your little one was here. It is hard for everyone, regardless of if you have a "perfect" baby. (Which if you act like you have a perfect baby, it's pretty much a dead giveaway you probably don't anyway.)

#3 - Just because something works for you doesn't mean it is going to work for me. All people parent differently and all babies adjust differently. If I want to stay locked up in the house with Karris for 6 months, maybe I will. Haha just kidding. I'll probably have her at the mall when she is a week and a half old. Hey - I never missed a day of school K-12th grade - so my parents must have done something right letting me be around germs early on!

#4 - My doctor is in charge of me and Karris. He will know what is right for us as far as induction, waiting it out, etc. And as soon as he tells me what I should or shouldn't do - I will go with it. There is a reason he is a doctor and delivers tons of babies weekly successfully.

#5 - It is hot as H-E double hockey stick outside. And I have an extra 30 pounds on me and the heat index is like 110 or something crazy today. I know you are probably hot too, but believe me, unless you are a 400lb obese person - I promise that I am probably hotter. Not to mention, I can't even pull myself up out of the bed without pulling my comforter for support, or the cushions on the couch, or pushing up out of the bathtub using the side and the railing... mmk?

#6 - I did go to nursing school and I did graduate and I did do L&D clinicals. (A whole 6 months of them actually - wow!) So, not that I am by any means a pro (far from it actually) - I have seen many different deliveries, many different mommies and many different babies. Note the key word is different. No 2 are the same. Like no 2 pregnancies are always the same. All I can do is pray for a smooth, healthy labor and delivery for both Karris and I. (And Daniel too, sometimes I am more worried about him passing out than anything.) And I pray that if God blesses us with another baby one day - that my pregnancy will go as smooth as this one has. Because everyone knows I have been so very, very lucky. No sickness.. no complications.. no nothing. But like I said, next time around I'll probably be sick as a dog on top of taking care of a 3 year old or whatever age Karris happens to be. Hey - it's the way the world works, right?

#7 - This is it, I promise. I am ready for Karris to be here. SO ready. This last week is hard because I feel like a cow. Sometimes I feel like I can't even breathe when I am laying down. But one thing that I have heard from people I know will be true, as soon as she is in my arms - all of these last few days of misery will all go out the window. Maybe I'll crack a window and let in the 110 degree heat to prepare. Just kidding.

XOXO - COME ON BABY KARRIS!