less than 10 minutes old...

We're in love with her.

Our little opera singer...

Kara has already decided that she wants to be an opera singer and we managed to get a snapshot of her practicing. She'll wow 'em all with her vocal range like she's already done for the NICU nurses and her eyelashes that go for miles are the talk of the town as shown in the picture...

Stress and Crying

Dean here.

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First off, Kara is not dying in any way shape or form, contrary to what we've been hearing from concerned friends and family.

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So, this morning was a little stressful. We woke up to find Kara under a bili-light. Now, this was brand new to chelle, but I vaguely remember the nurse coming in around 3 telling me her bilirubin was at critical levels and she needed to get some UV light exposure and was that ok for her to do? In a half asleep voice my response probably sounded like this, "what? Ok sure, I'd love some pancakes for breakfast", roll over and back to sleep within mili-seconds. This was compounded with a lot of other issues, for example she hadn't peed or pooped all night long and that was not ok, she was jaundiced, she's had a hard time figuring out how to eat, she's super lethargic, and even though she's on an IV she's not out-putting what she ought to.

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When chelle woke up and saw her she just started to cry because it was one more thing that went wrong and we couldn't figure it out. When I wake up a little bit later after only a couple of hours sleep in days to see my wife crying, my baby under a lamp wearing goggles which weren't see through, and chelle saying that once again she wouldn't eat I tried to be strong. So we prayed to understand what was happening, and to be able to get through yet one more hurdle that was placed before us, and then I start to lose it, which I NEVER do.

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After our prayer we feel that we need to ask our family and ward to fast and pray for her. It seems like after one thing gets cleared up there is something else waiting. So I go out to the family waiting room to start calling people thinking I can be composed. Throughout this whole labor and NICU ordeal I haven't let myself be emotional because I need to be strong and supportive. But now I start to lose it a lot. I just sit and cry for a couple minutes before I call our Bishop to ask if the ward would do this for us. I try to tell him a little bit about it, but I think it came out worse than I meant it to. After I talked to the bishop I called a couple of other people from church, my grandparents, sister, some friends to ask them the same thing, and I can't help but cry in between calls and have crying voice. When I went back to our room I recieved an email from my grandpa to the whole family that kind of makes it sound like Kara is on death's doorstep, and talk with a friend who asked us if Kara was really going to be leaving us. That's when I start to think that maybe I was a little too emotional. Since I don't EVER cry people probably thought that only the worst thing ever could make me cry.

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Also, after I came back to the room we talked with the doctor and he alleviated all of our fears telling us how things were connected and that it wasn't really all that bad, just a lot of little things and she ought to be fine within a few days at least. The night nurse 'Radney' had told us she might have to stay for up to another week if Kara doesn't start to turn things around soon.

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So to sum it all up. Kara is still sick but is going to be fine. We still need and appreciate all of the prayers and fasts on her and our behalf because she still has quite a bit of work to do and improvement to show before she's allowed to come home with us. I am imposing a ban on myself that I do not get to talk to people when I'm super emotional, chelle and I are feeling way more positive now than we were this morning, and we have a lot of friends and family that care a whole lot about us and her. We're just taking one hour at a time.

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Thank you to all of you who have offered support, love, and prayers. Our spirits have truly been lifted thanks to you.

Rock-a-bye

So there is a lullaby that chelle's mom used to sing to the grandkids that we have always liked. Well, we decided a long time ago that we like it better in german. So we translated it and have often sung it to each other, especially at bed time or when tired. So when we were pregnant we sang it often to Kara, so that she would be used to it when she was born. I will now let you all in on the song, just because it's so special to us. Warning though, the german may not be totally grammatically correct because let's face it, I've lost a lot of my german since my mission in Switzerland.

Rock-a-bye, don't you cry,

We'll go down to grandma's.

Up the hill, By the mill,

To see the little lammies.

Baah Baah

Schaukel dich, weine nicht,

Jetzt gehen wir zür Omas.

Auf dem Hügel, neben der Mühle,

um die Lämmer zu sehen.

Baahzig Baahzig

So there you have it. Just a little insight into the world of the Sheldon's. Try singing it to your own kids sometime, it works like a charm.

Tales from the NICU

Dean here.
Life moves a little slower in this part of the woods, it's the NICU or Neonatal intensive care unit. Our little Kara has been here since 6 pm wednesday, I think. Heck, I don't even know if it's day or night here sometimes. Since monday life has been one big blur and wow, that's it, wow. So, she came down here on New Year's eve, so mama and daddy got to celebrate with her, which consisted of chelle waking me up from the floor where I'd conked out, me getting two Styrofoam cups filled with ice and Sierra Mist for toasting from the nurses station, a kiss for each other and our peanut, and a picture of the three of us together. Yes, it was certainly the best party around and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. They did frown on the fireworks though so that was a no go. Oh well, little Kara will just have to be satisfied with fireworks for her birthday for the rest of her life. Real rough I know.

So, since chelle is still recovering from labor way more than me, she gets the bed, which is upstairs in our room. But we always want to have someone with her. There are about 8 babies here and when you look in their room they are all alone, how sad, so it's been our goal to always be here for her. Since 6 PM wednesday she's probably spent a grand total of 20 minutes alone combined, counting potty breaks etc. What can we say, we just love her so so so much and can't stand the thought of her crying alone. So, I "sleep" down here. But whenever I wake up I feel like I just woke up from being dead and it takes me 20 full minutes to actually be awake, hence writing this blog at 2:21 AM.

But honestly being down in the NICU has been a great experience. Even though my main goal for the two days we had here was to lounge around our room, eat free food from the hospital, and watch cable TV (we use rabbit ears at home) all while letting Kara sleep on me and spending a lot of one on one time with my two best girls, the NICU has been a better experience for our family.

The nurses down here are all incredibly kind and smart and have helped us more with things like nursing than even the lactation consultant upstairs did. Though Kara is in room 3106 she's also the current resident of 'Rock-a-bye Rd' with neighbors on 'Lullaby Lane', 'Snuggle St', 'Dreamland Dr', 'Cuddle Ct', 'Baby Blvd', and 'Neonatologist C'. I guess someone dropped the ball on naming that room. But there are no fun names like that upstairs. No Birthing Blvd, Pitocin Park, Episiotomy Edge, or C-Section Ct. Guess it just doesn't translate.

But the very best part of all of this is that I've gotten a chance to bond with Kara in a way I probably wouldn't have otherwise. By being with her at least 23 out of 24 hours per day while her mama is getting some much needed sleep, I've gotten to let myself feel how much I love her, how precious she truly is, and that she is the epitome of the best traits of me and chelle. I've been here when she was first stuck for an IV, when she used her first pacifier, gotten to change some oddly colored dirty diapers with pleasure, and just comfort her through the tough times.

I don't get to bond with her in ways that chelle does; through breast feeding, actually being pregnant, and stuff like that, so I am going to take it where I can. I got to sit down here with my mom who came out to visit and just talk with Kara slept on grandma's chest, and so many other great experiences. I love our daughter so much and am so thankful to my wife for being such a wonderful mommy, for sacrificing so much to bring our little girl into the world. I could not have married a better girl and I know it.

Sleepless update...

From the Pitocin swollen typing fingers of chelle:

If I start typing in tongues, no worries, it's just because I have only gotten 6 or 7 hours of sleep since Monday morning and my mind is making me think I am a chipmunk or a squirrel and that I can commune with animals.

Just like Honig wrote earlier today on our blog when he ran home after picking up his Mom from the airport, I had the honor to give birth to our daughter, Kara Faith Sheldon, the world's most beautiful baby girl on December 31st at 2:39AM. She weighed in at a healthy 9 pounds 1 ounce and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. Labor was 24 and a half hours long and was the most amazing, excruciating, adrenaline-filled, draining, spiritual, tiring, painful, and wonderful experience I have ever had in my 27 years on this earth. Nothing I've ever experienced even comes close to it, and I wholly and completely understand what mothers mean when they say "you don't understand it until you go through it." Amen sistahs. Preach on. I would do it all again in a heartbeat and then some for the reward of being a mother. It's still so surreal that Honig and I are parents and that our baby that we prayed so diligently and faithfully for is finally here. We are blessed beyond anything we rightfully deserve, and are eternally grateful to our Heavenly Father for granting us the privilege and honor of being parents to our gorgeous baby girl.

I'll do a posting later on the details of labor and what went on in the 24 hours it took to get our little Kara from the snug confines of my uterus to laying on my squishy belly. It's about time for her to eat again so I'll just finish up my post with an update on how she is doing.

Kara is actually in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit right now because she has an infection that she is being treated for with antibiotics. Once her lab work results were back about 14 hours after she was born, her pediatrician reviewed them and immediately called the hospital and had the NICU pediatrician come up to talk to us and tell us what was going on and that she needed to be transferred to the NICU to start early intervention. Her white blood cell count was sky high and that is indicative of an infection. She had her 2nd round of antibiotics today and she isn't outputting urine like she should be so they also have her on a saline drip to get some fluid going through her and to get her little kidneys doing their job. Kara's having some trouble learning how to eat so we're working with her on that, too. But thankfully as an answer to prayers from loved ones, her labs are looking better today and her white blood cell count is coming down so that is promising. She's a bit dehydrated and they won't let her go home until her white blood cell count is in normal range and until she's peeing more. Also, our poor little Peanut broke her left collarbone in the birth process so that's no fun but thankfully babies are resilient and are quick to heal broken bones.

Any prayers on her behalf are very much appreciated, and we would be eternally grateful for them. We know our Heavenly Father hears our prayers and answers them.

She is such a content and observant little girl and hardly ever cries. She loves to just look around and do little stretches. She is starting to discover her hands, and she loves to have her face and head stroked. And I like to think that she loves being kissed because that's all I ever do to her. I love her so much I could just eat her up.

Sorry I don't have any pictures up yet. Those'll be coming.

Ok, time to go and feed our baby.

Peanut's Arrival

Dean here again. Just to whet your whistle I wanted to let you all know that our little peanut was born on December 31, 2008 at 2:39 in the morning. I know that chelle will be doing a lot of blogging but I also know that you are all curious as the who our little girl is.

Her name is Kara Faith Sheldon and she was 9 lbs 1.4 oz, and 20.5" long.

We'll posting more pictures probablly today.

We love her and are so thankful for her. She's got her mama and daddy's hearts tied around her little finger.