Thank you for the sweet card and styrafoam box Goodfellow girls!

A word from the sickly

Hi. It's Keri. I stole the phone because I can't sleep. Brian has been doing such a good job taking care of me. My hope is that next week I will be able to have that I am home and healthy as a major praise item. In other news
I am so hungry! They won't let me eat anything but I would pay a lot of money for some pudding or yogurt right now!

Last update for the night

Well, I told my mom that I would let you know what's going on before we kind of shut down for the night. Nothing has really changed. Apparantely the doc came in while I was gone and said that everything is going well and the best thing to do is to continue what she's doing. Keri asked how long she'd have the tube in her nose and he replied with "less than a month." i'm sure Keri didn't find that funny. They said that before they took it out they would clamp it to make sure everything else was working properly to avoid having to insert it again. He's got a point. So Keri is just keepin' on keepin' on

in other news, my mom found a cheap flight out here earlier than she had plannedon coming that gets in on Monday morning. That will be a big help once we get home from the hospital, and I'm hoping we will be by then.

Blessed...

Well I am home right now, and I thought I'd give somewhat of an update because I can type on the computer and it's a lot faster than on my phone. But I was driving home and hit was really hitting me how blessed Keri and I are with our wonderful friends. I know I joke a lot about hating North Carolina, but it is absurdly (best word I could think of) obvious why God sent us to this miserable state. Because while the state itself is horrible, it holds some of the most amazing, Godly people we could ever meet.

The Paynes - I know I've thanked them over and over, but they totally deserve it. Without complaint, and probably with too much excitement, they have made this whole ordeal SO much easier on us. From just visiting with us and sitting with Keri to letting Kenley stay over with them while mamma heals, to driving all the way to Havelock to pick up our dogs and take them to the groomer, AS WELL as letting them stay at the house. Shall I continue? I get home today and find all our laundry folded? Seriously??? I don't know for sure it was them, but they are the only people with a key to our house, so I can only assume. Thank you, Payne family, from the bottom of my heart.

The Goodfellows (including Bro. Good Garyfellow :) - You have been so kind in bringing us food and just being there whenever we needed you. Melissa came by to "visit" tonight, and just happened to pack an overnight bag in case she needed to stay with Keri while I got some sleep at home. Also, thanks for all the food you've brought me. Thanks for keeping my tummy full while they drain Keri's tummy.

The Coghills - You've been so supportive with your visits and your phone calls and those Sonic slushie runs for us. I am proud to have you as my pastor. (Doesn't make me a free will baptist thought :) Love you guys a ton!

Mrs. Billie Woolard - Thanks for your visits and your genuine concern for Keri. You also know what else you did and it was definitely not called for, but thank you!

Friedleins - We were honored to have you drive down for Kenley's birth. Sorry you couldn't stay longer and I hope Jim's school is starting off well. I'll always remember those few hours spent listening to Preacher's version of "This Is The Day," other "trumpet" sounds, and taking pictures (Too bad that lady ruined all those good ones, huh?)

Susan Navas - Definitely the winner for "Most Unexpected." I still can't believe you drove all that way for such a short time seeing Kenley, but it was such a privilege to have you there and hope you get to come back down when my parents are in town.

All those who brought us meals- This was so great and took such a load off of Keri's shoulder, because you know there's no way that I would be making full meals like that. Lucky Charms only tastes good for so long.

The prayer warriors - I know you're out there. Completely behind the scenes and we may never know who you are, but your contribution has had a lasting effect on this whole situation. Please do not think you are going unnoticed. I may never know who you are, but someone much greater that I am does, and you will get your rewards!

Those who came and visited us at the hospital - Now I won't limit this to just the people that actually came, because Gary told me that he had to strictly forbid people to show up so we could get our rest. We know you're out there, but since I only have the names of those that didn't listen to Gary (Just kidding...), thank you to Amelia and Lucille Stewart, Sandy Klingenstein, Melissa Mcarthy, Christy Steel (nice to finally meet you), and of course all those that I had mentioned earlier.

Everyone else who reads this blog - Just to show your care and concern is so encouraging for us. All the comments and words of encouragement have meant so much to Keri and I.

The parents - We know you're dying to get here! Just a few more days!

The two mystery men that came and mowed our lawn today - Don't think you'll get away with it.

And last but not least, she doesn't even read this blog, but was one of the most encouraging, sweetest people to my wife, and we didn't even know her. Our nurse during labor and delivery's name was Jessica Ipock (I hope I spelled that right). She was the nurse when Keri first started into serious labor and was in the room with us most of the night. At approximately 3 in the morning, the oncoming nurse came in and said that Jessica had to clock out from her shift. Her words were "That's fine, but I'm staying with Keri." She didn't leave until Keri left for surgery around 9 a.m., about six hours AFTER her shift ended, just cause she knew Keri needed her there. But it doesn't end there, the next night at the beginning of the shift she came in to check on Keri and see how she and the baby were doing. Then, once we got back to the hospital for this last visit, she recognized me and found out what was wrong with Keri and went in to see her to encourage her. TODAY, she came in on her shift with a "Get Well" card for Keri with her personal number on it to call her if she needed anything. It sent Keri to tears and it was such a great thing for Keri in the middle of this ordeal.

I realize that list was long (I feel like I'm at the Academy Awards except for the fact that I'm ACTUALLY grateful), but the list could be so much longer.

Alright, maybe I'm starting to ramble. I'll give a quick update on Keri as of when I left the hospital 2 hours ago. Nothing MAJOR has really changed, just slowly and progressively getting better. She's starting to clear a lot of that blockage out, and her stomach is starting to feel "softer." Her nausea has cleared up a lot and she's somewhat moving around by herself now. Still a LONG way to go.

Alright, now I'm done. I'm still overwhelmed by everyone's generosity, love, and encouragement. You have been such a blessing to us and we love you all! I'll update again when I get back to the hospital and know more.
-Brian

Getting better

Well good morning everyone! Here's yet another update on my beautiful wife: one of the general surgeons came up and said that the nasal tube was in wrong, because Keri was still vomiting which is what that tube was suppose to stop in the first place. So doc tells Keri they're going to have to take the old one out and put the new one in. Keri was, to put it extremely lightly, not happy. The doc was nice enough to get some stuff to numb keri's nasal passage and the back of her throat so she wouldn't gag while it went down (I'm not being graphic, I'm being informative :) she still pikes, but only once and the whole process went a lot smoother. She's been doing other stuff that is also what the dice are wanting, so she's definitely making progress and hopefully we'll be able to avoid another surgery. The morphine is definitely dong it's job. Keri has been asleep off and on for about the last 2 hours. Thanks for all your prayers
-Brian

If any news is good news...

…then I have good news. Don't get your hopes up, we're not leaving the hospital anytime soon, BUT, the nurse felt Keri's stomach and said it was feeling "softer," and that is a good sign. Just means that some of that blockage is getting out of there. That's a step in the right direction. Another good sign... Keri just started snoring, which means she's sleeping; another thing she hasn't experienced in awhile. Maybe I'll get that chance one day too.

There are some life lessons/biblical truths that just can not be learned from other people's experiences. This is one we have to experience ourselves. Praise the Lord for a learning/growing opportunity!

Love you all. Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement. I'm going to try and get some shut eye
-Brian

Nasal tube... Yummy!

I just had to watch Keri have a 3 foot long tube stuck down her nostril. She had vomited a few times and this was the doctors way of clearing that up. It took them two tries which had Keri in tears and I don't think there's much more for them to drain out cause she pretty much threw up all she had. I thought about making it as graphic as possible so all you queezy people could feel some of her pain, but I think that all the bile she got rid of really helped remove some of the pressureand should make it so she doesn't puke anymore. She's got tubes coming out of everywhere and I think and hope that they're doing something to relieve SOME of the pain or pressure, but it's still nowhere near feeling good. I hate seeing my wife in this condition! They also have antibiotics running through her IV which will hopefully help take care of that infection.

Once again, when we look at the bigger picture, this all stemmed from one event: the birth of Kenley, and while this is just me talking cause I'm not in keri's pain, but I know she would agree that it is 100% worth it!

Well, as I was typing this up, Keri puked again, the nurses came inane pulled that tube out a little bit cause they thought they might have it in too far, and when they did, you could see it start to flow a lot better (gross, I know). Hopefully that will make her feel a tad bit better. Any relief from anything would be a plus.

As always, please continue praying.

Alright. Here's the next update: Keri is absolutely miserable right now and I think she'd rather be back in labor right now. The doc came in about a half hour after her CT scan was done and said (in a much more medically proficient vocabulary way) that Keri had a uterus infection which was causing her bowels to be backed up with air and "stuff." they're doing some procedure right now that I can't remember thename of that is suppose to clear that up and take most of the pain away, then all they would have to focus on is the infection. Keri just really wants the pain to be gone. I don't know if unbearable is a strong enough word for it.

It's moments like this that I realize my true place as a husband. I can do everything in my power to help my wife, but it is nothing without the Lord's leading and guiding. It's so hard for me to just let go, but when I sit back and look at the bigger picture, our great God can do so much more for her than I could dream of doing. Please continue to pray to the same gracious God that continues to bless us in so many ways. Hopefully this will be over soon...

We're Back!

At the hospital. We still don't know too much about what's going on, but the doc says that she probably has an intestinal infection... Sweet! Who knows how long it will take for them to fix it/it to heal, but we're trying to at least get out of here by Sunday cause that's when baby dedication is at church. She just got into the room now. So I'll let you know what happens when it happens

Rough Week

Keri started a post but never had time to finish it so I'm going to do my best to summarize for her. It's been a pretty rough week. Kenley is doing great! Feedings are going really well and she's perfectly content sleeping, pooping, peeing, and the occasional fussing. Keri on the other hand is the one that's not doing well. She's had intense pain in her abdomen and on Tuesday called the doctor to get stronger medicine. It worked for awhile and she was up and about for about a day. Her pain is back now and the percocet isn't helping. We're at the doctor right now so she can get looked at. When she talked to the nurse on the phone earlier today, the nurse made it sound like she might have a bladder infection. So I'll let you know what the results are when I find out.

I know Keri's really struggling and finds it hard to be a good mom when she's confined to the recliner and has trouble feeding Kenley a lot because of the pain. I know my wife is a trooper and she'll get through this, but we still need prayer!

I also want to take the time to thank those that have helped us this past week. Those that have brought us dinners and came and visited us. You've been so encouraging to Keri and myself as well. A special thanks to Rosa Payne for all her sacrifice in helping us out! You have truly blessed us and your kindness is not being overlooked! She is actually at our house now babysitting for us. Thanks

I'll keep you posted about Keri's condition

Random photos of our beautiful daughter!

Doctor's visit

We just got home from the doctor. Kenley was down to 7 lbs 3oz. We had
a really great doctor and she helped me with the breast feeding a ton.
So I feed her for a good twenty minutes and after she was done eating
they weighed her again and she was up to 7 lbs 5 oz! Praise the Lord!
So we have to go back in tomorrow for them to check her weight again.

Please continue to pray for us that Kenley would catch on to
breastfeeding.

Here is how Kenley looks with a full belly :)

First doctors visit

And she is not thrilled! This picture makes me think that I read a
little too much Twilight while I was pregnant with her. She looks like
a little vampire!

I'm not sure how many of you are still following this, but trust me,
the fun has just begun!

I was telling Keri earlier that I don't think I knew the extremes of
parenting. Now if you don't know what I mean by that, I'll explain. On
one side, I knew that I was going to lose some sleep and be grossed
out by diapers and get frustrates with non-stop crying, but wow! Last
night was filled with crying, crying, and some more crying. I'd get to
sleep 20 minutes here and 30 minutes there. I thought that babies
slept at least a LITTLE bit during the night. In reality, the diapers
and crying during the day don't bother me THAT much.

On the flip side of that extreme topic I was speaking of earlier is
the joy of having a child. No woman has been able to melt my heart in
as little as 3 and 1/2 days, and it didn't even take that long for
Kenley to do just that. Even if she's fussy or crying, she's still a
gorgeous child and I'm proud to be her father.

Keri is doing great too. Healing is taking it's time, but Keri is able
to get up on her own now. She even wanted to go for a walk today, but
it was raining. She's very patient with Kenley and me, while I
sometimes manage to sleep right through Kenley's crying. I'm so proud
of her and all her accomplishments. I have definitely been blessed
with a wonderful family.

We're headed home!

We just left the hospital!

Praise the Lord!

Keri and I got 4 straight hours of sleep last night, and probably about 6 total. Is it sad that 6 hours of sleep instantaneously became "sleeping in?"

In other news, it looks like we're going to be going home today! Hooray! Everyone says that baby is very healthy except for a slight case of Jaundice which should go away once Kenley starts eating more regularly. She's still having some trouble figuring the whole eating thing out, but she's doing a lot better with it. I'm sire we'll get it in no time.

Keri is feeling "okay," which is more like an average because she's in a lot of pain normally, but feels great with the percocet!

Thanks for all your love and support. I can't wait for everyone to meet her. Hopefully all our west coast family and friends will get to meet her soon, too. Love you all

Crazy Keri

You know, most people right after surgery just want to sleep and moan
and groan; what does Keri want to do? Crafts, of course!

She wanted to make sure that we got some pottery painted with Kenley's
footprints on her first day, so there we were, late last night, me
holding Kenley and Keri painting her feet all up.

(There's a footprint on the bottom of that shoe)

I'm sure you'll get the post with the finished product once Keri takes
back over her blog.

Kenley June's latest

Kenley is doing great. She's sleeping a lot for long periods of time,
and when she's not sleeping, she's wide-eyed and trying to figure out
the world. Hopefully this means she'll be an easy baby. Even if she is
or isn't, she's such a joy to have. I love her to death. I know
there's a few of you out there who are having babies and you have so
much to look forward to! So congratulations in advance!

Breastfeeding is going a lot better now. Still not perfect and it's
still a struggle, but huge progress is being made!

Keri is recovering very well. The nurses came in early this morning
and "unplugged" her from everything and took the leg compression
thingies off. She was very thankful for that! About a half hour ago
she was able to take a shower and was waking the halls earlier. She's
up and about right now, feeling great.

Kenley's face has changed a lot already from when she was first born
and looks a lot more like the 4-D ultrasound we had in May.

In summary, everything's going perfect and we have had 0
complications! Praise the Lord!

Daddy and Kenley

Keri's Back!

First of all, Is this not the cutest picture? My precious little girl
in the arms of her mother. Keri is now in her room recovering. I was
able to see her right when she was brought up and kenley came in at
the same time. What an awesome moment that was! Keri tried to breast
feed but Kenley wasn't having it. She finally latched on after awhile,
but then just fell asleep. If you can't already tell, I love being a
dad! Love you all! Thanks for all your encouragement.
-Brian

Meet Kenley June Ronk

July 30, 2008 at 10:20 am

8 pounds 5 ounces 21" long

She is absolutely beautiful and I'm a very proud father! Keri is still
getting put back together and I'll give an update on her as soon as I
find out. She was a lot more calm in the OR than she was the labor
room. I'm sure she's happy it's over!

I have a ton more pictures on other cameras. Someday you'll get those.

Kenley is very healthy and there are no health problems. Great set of
lungs! Very moody though. Thanks for all your support and prayers.
Please continue to pray for Keri as she recovers. Love you all!

Well…

probably not the news everyone was hoping for, but still no baby. My most amaIng wife pushed for about 3 hours trying to get Kenley out, but she is too big. I still know that we have an amazing God! Right now, we're waiting for the doc to come out of the OR to give us a c-section consult. Not what everyone hopes for, I know, but this was our last option and we're now at that only option. I feel like she deserves a normal delivery because of how hard she worked, but I know she's ready to meet her, no matter how she comes.

To brag on my wife some more, anyte she was in her most dire need, she went straight to the Lord. What an encouraging example!

Keep praying. It's not over yet...

Thankfully, Keri is still sleeping. Now I get my chance to try and get some sleep myself. If only I could figure out how this stupid recliner/chair thingy works. I know it's getting late on the west and really really early on the east. Blame kenley. It's great to know that we have so much support across the country. Love you all!
-Brian

Update:

Well... Keri got drugs, but on the bright side, I talked her out of an
epideral that she REALLY REALLY wanted. She went from horrible pain to
dead asleep in the span of about 2 minutes. So I went back out to the
faithful who are gathered together in the waiting room. Welcome back
to NC Jim and Jenny. Thanks for making the trip!

Nurse just came in to check her and she said Keri is almost to 7 centimeters. She's in a lot of pain and really struggling o find a comfortable position. Standing is best for her but her legs are starting to get very tired and now has what the nurse called "labor shakes." so if she's laying down she's not comfortable, but when she's standing she doesn't have strength to stand. They let her take a shower which I think will help a lot. Please continue to pray. Things are definitely VERY tough for her right now.

I Apilogize for the big gaps in updates. But last time the nurse checked, Keri was 6 centimeters. I've been reading her all your encouraging comments. You all have been such a blessing to us! I am overwhelmed!

Latest update... As everyone is asking for: we are still at the hospital. They never let us leave cause Keri was progressing. So we're in our own room now which is such a blessing. We've had a few visitors which have kept Keri good company. Keri is really feeling the pain and doubting the whole "natural" thing right now. Please pray for her. She is in a lot of pain but I know she will be so happy if she gets through this. This experience is nothing like I could have ever imagined! I love it! I could not be any prouder of my wife! Our preacher just got here so I'll end this here. Please keep us in your prayers. We love you all!
-Brian

Update:

Well… we're at the hospital and they're checking things out. They say everything looks really good, but contractions are still really sporadic. They'll probably end up sending us home, which is really okay with us. We kind of expected it. Keri's starting to feel the pain, but she's doing great and I am SO proud of her. Have I mentioned that I'm really tired and hungry? Keep us in your prayers. Love you all
-Brian

On our way!

Trust me... She's only smiling for the picture. We're going to the
hospital now, but no guarantees that we'll stay. We're just going to
see where she's at and if she's not that far we're going to leave to
the payne's house which is only about 10 minutes away from the hospital.

Not leaving YET...

We're not leaving for the hospital yet, BUT, we are finished packing up and ready to walk out the door as soon as the time feels right. We're hoping to get to the hospital, pump the baby out, and get back to VBS by 6:30. That gives us two hours. Time us. Ready....go....

Here's Keri on our walk trying to get that darn water to break!

Here's an update: Keri has started labor and doing great! She started
at about 4 this morning and called me home from work at 5:30 this
morning. She's been taking it real slow and doing great through the
contractions. Here she is chilling on the couch eating a popsicle and
watching T.V. Stay tuned for more updates.

I do understand a lot of people want to call, but I'm asking that you
refrain as much as possible. I'll keep this updated as much as
possible when things change and I'll be checking comments also. That
would be the best way to contact us.

Nothing Yet

I was having some contractions last night, so I had Brian come home from work but they never became consistent.

Just got back from the Doc

And... I am dilated 3 cm!!! So the Doctor said that he thinks it will be soon!!

We just took the dogs for a walk and then later tonight we are headed to help out with VBS so hopefully that will help it move along!

Ack

My sewing machine is driving me nuts. It could be the fact that I try overly ambitious projects with my horrible sewing skills. But still why wont it just cooperate? I have been trying to work on these baby flip flops for like 2 months...... GRRRRRR

I got a new job!!

You are looking at the new fabric department worker @ Walmart! Just kidding.... Sort of! I did help 4 customers including myself!

Today after Mickey and Cvon's wedding we headed to Walmart to pick up some fabric to make a roman shade for our bedroom. There were already two people waiting to have fabric cut and they said that they had found a worker who paged someone to cut the fabric a while ago. So we waited a bit longer and then I sent Brian to find a worker. That worker paged over the intercom again and still no one came.

So I decided to grab that little scanner thing and see if I could figure out how to print the tickets. It was super easy so I cut the fabrics and printed tickets for the other 2 people waiting and then I cut my fabric and then as I was finishing mine, another lady came up needing some ribbon cut, so I cut that for her too. :)

You can really tell how humongous I am in this picture :)

Yay!!

I am so excited! This week Harris Teeter is doing Super Double Coupons! So they will double all coupons up to $1.98 value! I missed it last time that they did it and I was worried that they wouldn't do it again . I want to stock up on some Batter Blaster since my coupon is for $1 off and usually they just double $.99 and below! So I am off to shower and then sort my coupons! Hope everyone has a great day!

I made a sling!

Since I have this large baby belly and no baby I will let the chair play the part of me and the Marine Corps Build-a-Bear play the part of Kenley. :)
I used the video tutorial that I posted in the last post. It went really quickly, I started at about 10:30pm and finished around 11:30pm. Most of that time was me trying to get the pieces to line up. The flannel kept sticking to the other fabric making it hard to get it all straightened out. I also bought a really cute teal and cream jersey knit stripe that I found in the $1.50 section @ Walmart that I am going to make another one out of. I would also like to make a brown-ish one for days where the black would not go with my outfit. :) The outside fabric is sort of like a paisley black and the inside is a turquoise flannel and it looks alot brighter in the picture than in real life

38 weeks

Since I posted the maternity pictures that Rosa took of me last Thursday I totally forgot to also post my 38 week picture.
In Doggie news... They now love the trampoline. I see them on it all the time, sometimes they are just lounging and other times they are play fighting on it. I took a video yesterday of the extreme bounce play fighting because it made me laugh so hard. If I could figure out how to get the video off of my camera I would totally post it. But I cant so pictures will have to do. :)
Now I just need to make a trip to the groomer to get their nails clipped so they dont rip my trampoline before I ever get the chance to jump on it. (I have been pregnant the whole time we have had it)

Doctors Appointment

I had a doctors appointment this morning. It went really well, I saw a different Dr. than I have seen before and I really liked him. I brought my birth plan in and he was really good about talking through it all with me. They checked me and Kenley is head down and at minus 2 station so she has a ways more to go. Unfortunately I have gotten the "rash of pregnancy" so that has been the cause of my ridiculous itchiness. They prescribed me some Claritin to try to control the itchiness but it will go away a few days after Kenley is born so now I just want to have her that much more! But right now it looks like it may be while before she gets here, my next appointment is on the 27th!

Jealous!

Remember back when I told you about how when we announced we were pregnant at church that another couple announced at the same time and that we had the same due date? Well she had her little boy yesterday! I am so jealous!

I have an appointment in the morning but Kenley still needs to wait until at least this Friday to come even though I want her now!

Oh well... Hopefully this week I will have lots of time to get stuff done! I am hopefully going to go buy some fabric tonight to make a pouch sling. I was really wanting a hotsling but then I saw this tutorial for how to make one and it looks fairly easy so I am going to give it a shot!

Kenley's Nursery

We are finished with the nursery! Just waiting on the baby! We still plan to add photos on the walls once she gets here and we take some family portraits. I still also want to get a big plant for the corner too. We both just love how it turned out!

Maternity Pictures!

Rosa took some maternity pictures of me today! I love how they turned out!

I cant figure out how to get the wedding pictures off of the slideshow. Sorry :)

While Hubby's Away...

The wife will... Make fridge magnets!

I saw this awesome idea that turned old keyboard letters into magnets. I really liked the idea, but then there is the fact that you would need lots of keyboards so that you could spell different words all at the same time. Then it came to me... Scrabble tiles!!

So I went a thriftin and found an old Scrabble game for .99 cents! Brian was on duty Tuesday so I figured that this could take up a good chunk of my boring alone time! I just cut magnets to size and then hot glued them onto the backs of the Scrabble tiles. Best part is, they will still be fully functional for game play!

My Birth Plan

Since the day is fast approaching I thought I would share with you my birth plan. I basically just copied the one of Meagan from the Prayer of Hannah blog since hers was most like how I want the birth to go. And I know that no matter what my birth plan says, the whole event is really up to God and His will for Kenley's birth. So here it is...

Birth Plan for Keri Ronk and baby Kenley June Ronk
Our overall goal in the labor and delivery process is for both Keri and baby to be healthy and safe. We hope to accomplish that goal through a natural delivery with as few interventions as possible. We have included some of our wishes below, understanding that this is a guide and that unforeseen circumstances may require a change in the birth plan. Thank you so much for your support and guidance in the birth of our child.
Labor
• We expect only the husband, Brian, to be in the room with Keri during labor and childbirth.
• We plan on a natural unmedicated childbirth. As a general approach, we prefer that any medical intervention necessary be taken incrementally, staring with the most minimally “invasive” approach, and going from there only after discussion with Brian and Keri.
• Please offer non-medical choices for coping with labor. We prefer freedom of movement and mobility to increase comfort during contractions. Position during labor and delivery is Keri’s choice. This includes the use of a birthing ball, squat bar, and shower.
• We prefer very little intermittent monitoring with an external fetal monitor. We very much want to avoid internal fetal monitoring unless there is an emergency.
• We would like to eat and drink light foods and liquids as desired. Keri does not want an IV unless there is an emergency. If necessary, Keri will accept having a device (heparin lock?) inserted into a vein so that an IV can be started up quickly when needed, but without the IV being connected until it is needed. Keri does not want a catheter, either, but would like the freedom to use the restroom.
• Because we want labor to progress at a natural pace, we hope to avoid artificial induction or augmentation of labor (e.g., amniotomy, stripping of membranes, pitocin).
• We would like for the nurse or doctor to do perineal massage and warm compresses whenever possible during labor and delivery to avoid a tear. We also want to avoid episiotomy, unless necessary for the safety of the baby. If an episiotomy is suggested, please perform only after discussion with Keri and Brian.
• I will want local anesthesia for repair of tears.
• We hope to avoid the use of forceps or vacuum. If labor stalls or the baby seems stuck, Keri would like to try changing positions and other methods first.
• We view a Cesarean Birth as a last resort and only because of imminent danger to Keri or the baby. If it becomes necessary, we prefer to have husband, Brian, in the room seated at mother’s head during surgery. We would like the baby to be held by Brian as soon after birth as possible, and Brian will remain with baby. We plan to breastfeed as soon as possible!
Post-delivery
• Umbilical cord is not clamped or cut until after the cord has stopped pulsating.
• After the birth, we would prefer the baby to be laid directly on the mother’s chest without washing and allowed to nurse as soon as possible. All testing can be performed while baby lies on mother’s chest. Brian and Keri should be present for all newborn procedures!
• Delivery of the placenta is spontaneous, without the use of Pitocin. Other methods of encouraging delivery of placenta (fundal massage, immediate breast feeding) are used.
• We prefer to breastfeed only—so no bottles, pacifiers, artificial nipples, formula or water.

Mosquito Magnet

I have always seemed to attract mosquito bites. Brian can be outside for 4 hours and I pop out there for five minutes to ask him a question and I get tons of bites while he gets none.

On our honeymoon we went on a night time kayak trip and I got so many mosquito bites that I looked like I had a really bad case of the chicken pox. I even had to go to the infirmary of our cruise ship. I have pictures but I will spare you :).

I am once again covered in bites that are driving me crazy, so I did a little search and came up with this article. In it, it says that pregnant women also attract more mosquito's. :(

Any advice for warding off mosquito's or for dealing with the pesky bites?

Yard Sale Sucess!

Our yard sale today was a huge success! Almost everything we had sold except for the clothes! We ended up buying a deep freezer from my friend Melissa with part of our garage sale money and we still came out way ahead!

I am super excited about the freezer because now I can start making meals to freeze for when the baby comes!

Brian's Marine Corps Life Update

Please pray for God's will in our life right now! As of this moment it looks like Brian will not be getting deployed in September. (YAYYYYYYYYY!!!), Brian also has his application in for the officer program he applied to last year and didn't get, we will find out about that in November, if he gets it we will move back to Washington next summer. He also has an opportunity to be an instructor at Whidbey Island, which would start in September but they will not give him the spot with a pending MECEP application. If he doesnt get selected for MECEP then he will be able to reenlist (w/ a bonus) and then take on that instructor position in January. So yeah there is alot going on right now with Brian's career.

37 weeks yesterday!

We almost didn't get a 37 week picture taken. I totally forgot to do it and as I was lying in bed just about to fall asleep it hit me that I hadn't taken the picture yet. So I woke Brian up and had him come out to take my picture. He was not thrilled :). And then once we got out there to take the picture my cameras battery died. He was even less thrilled :). But here it is, crazy slept on hair and all!

Bittersweet Goodbyes.

Today our good friends the Friedleins are finishing packing up and heading up to Quantico. It is very bittersweet because I am so sad to see them move away but I am also so happy for them that Jim is getting the opportunity to go to EWS (Expeditionary Warfare School) and that they wont have a looming deployment for at least another year. I am so thankful that God blessed us by bringing the Friedlein's into our life.

Job 1:21b- " The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

I really don't have to wait too long to see them though because they are going to come back down here when I have Kenley! (That was my evil plan all along) :)

Here are some pictures of the last few days with Jim, Jenny, and David

David loved our trampoline
Here we all are @ the Payne's house this past Sunday night praying for Jim, Jenny, and David.
Here is Brian, Jim, and Gary doing "Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone" this past Sunday morning.

I never got a picture of just Jenny and I together so I will have to get one when they come back down.