Everything you've always wanted to know.....LOL =)

ABC's of me....

A-Age: 25

B-Bed Size: Queen

C-Chore you hate:  Dusting

D-Dogs Name: Buster

E-Essential start t0 your day item: shower and Diet Coke

F-Favorite Color: Ooooh...I have a bunch....brown, pink, yellow, purple....the list could go on and on

G-Gold or Silver: Real jewelry-white gold, costume jewelry-either!

H-Height: about 5'10

I-Instrument you play: haha funny

J-Job Title: 8th grade English teacher

K-kids: 1 newborn, Harper  

L-Living Arrangements: with the hubs and daughter

M-Moms name: Wadene

N-Nickname: Depends who you ask...Sissy, Hun, KK...I answer to pretty much anything. lol

O-Overnight hospital stay besides birth: tonsils in 5th grade and delivering a baby most recently

P-Pet Peeve: Ugh!  Where do I start....I, also, am very OCD and a perfectionist....let's see....I don't like liars, cheaters, people who live beyond their means and think they are better than others, gossipers, DUSTY furniture, a messy house, disrespectful children,....again the list could go on and on.

Q-Quote from a movie: "No one puts Baby in the corner" from Dirty Dancing...my fave!!!!

R-Right or left handed: Right

S-Siblings: One brother, Ryan

T-Time you wake up: Which time? LOL  My schedule prior to Harper was around 6 during school and whenever I felt like it during breaks.  These days I am up around 11:30, then around 3, and back up somewhere between 6:30 and 7:30.  But, hey, I'm not complaining!

U-Underwear: Yes, please!  The bigger the better! ha:)

V-Vegetables I dislike: Turnip greens, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, and several others

W-What makes you run late: These days....baby! LOL  But, usually, oversleeping and working around the house instead of getting ready!

X-Xrays: Oh goodness....all over!  Head, back, chest, jaw, knee, foot, teeth....

Y-Yummy food you make: Omelette, corn pudding, brownies, meat loaf, goulash, chicken cordon bleu, ....I don't know....I cook what we like!  So we are biased! lol

Z-Zoo Animal: Giraffe

I tag Andrea, April, Amber, Lana, Emily, LeAnne, Paula W, and anyone else who wants to participate!

Busy, busy weekend

We started off our busy weekend with a WONDERFUL visit from some GREAT friends from Florida.  They lived here for two years when we were younger (I think K-2 grade, maybe?) and we became the best of friends.  We spent almost every weekend together and we were so, so sad when they were relocated to Florida.  Over the years, we have visited back and forth some during the summers, but we haven't seen them since 2002.  Since then, we have both gotten married, I've had a baby, her mom was diagnosed with cancer on several different occasions, .....lots of stuff has happened.  SO, this was the year for them to come to TN and then we are planning a trip to Destin next year and we are going to visit with them while we are there also.  Anyway, they came out to our house to meet Brandon and Miss Harper and we just had a great visit.  

That night, we all went out to eat and to Wal-Mart (but just for a second because H screamed the entire time we were in there!)  Then, on Saturday, we had a family reunion, and then went to my parents' house for a cookout and our other bestie from back in the day, Andi (the one who made our pics), came and we had the best time!  We laughed and giggled like we hadn't spent any time apart.  It was soooooo nice to visit and reminisce over long, lost memories.  Andi took some hilarious photos from the night, and I'll post those when she sends them to me.  I can't wait to see them!  

So, after all that, we were able to rest a little on Sunday before we took Miss H to the dr. for her 2 week checkup yesterday.  Well, she is still 20 and 3/4 inches long and still only weighs 8 lbs. and 11 oz.  Since she was not back up to her birth weight, they sent us back to the hospital to meet with the lactation consultants again.  I knew she was getting enough, but they wouldn't listen to me! LOL  So, anyway, we had to go over there, feed her, and see how much she gained after eating.  And, sure enough, she gained a full 3 oz. after eating.  SO, they said they thought she was getting enough, she just needed to eat more often.  SO, we did what they said and it totally messed our whole little night schedule up and we were up til almost 2am with a screaming baby!  We were furious!  Brandon said where is the dr. and lactation consultant now?!?  LOL  It made me laugh!  But, after she finally went off to sleep, she slept until 7:45, woke up and ate, and then went back to sleep until 10:45!  Hallelujah!  So, needless to say, I haven't gotten much of anything accomplished today! ha:)  Oh well, I'd rather spend the time with this little girl...Oh goodness....I CAN NOT believe she is already two weeks old.  Time is going to fly by and I am going to be really, really sad!  (But isn't she beautiful?)  I know I'm biased, but she is my baby and I guess I can be!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.  I've gotta get off of here and get busy...we are having newborn pics made tomorrow and I've got to get everything ready!  Tootles!

xoxo, Kara C:

We are alive!!!

....and sleep deprived! LOL  I have been meaning to post the past few days but these days I find myself holding an adorable baby, sleeping when I can, and visiting with all of our wonderful company.It has been quite a whirlwind around the Fuston house the past 6 days.  We have had 2 dr's appts, lots of great company, not a lot of sleep, and trying to figure out our new roles as parents.  We are loving the new responsibility God has blessed us with more than we could have ever imagined.  Finally, I feel like I am getting a sense of myself again and getting back to the old me...just a more important me with a very important job on my hands.

So what all have we been up to?  Well, let me see....we came home on Thursday and then we had to take Harper back to the dr. on Friday to ensure that her jaundice levels had not shot back up since we came home.  Her levels were normal and she had gained an ounce and a 1/2 overnight (so up to 8lbs. 10 1/2 oz. now).  So, the dr. said she was great and we don't have to go back until her 2 week checkup.  Then, on Saturday, we just hung around the house and had several visitors.  

Since Sunday was Father's day, Brandon wanted to have everyone over and grill out and since it was his first big day, I wanted to do what he wanted to do.  So, all of his family, all of my family, and our preacher came over and we grilled out and had a wonderful time.  While all the ladies were getting everything prepared for the meal, the grandfathers were patiently waiting because they had their hands full....But something tells me that they didn't mind their jobs that much.  What do you think? :)

We had a great day and Brandon had a wonderful first Father's day.  This lady made his gift from Harper and I thought it turned out perfectly.  Thank you so much, Tabetha!  It is a bible bookmark and the back says, "The first man a little girl falls in love with is her daddy."  Awww....I love it sooooo much (and so did he)!  He also received several cards, a photo album, some money, and his sister got him a frame with our first family photo in it....so sweet!  I love it and it's something I'll always treasure.  After we got home from the hospital, I asked B if we had a picture of the 3 of us after H was born and he said he didn't think we did.....luckily she had one on her camera!  Thank goodness for family! LOLThen, after church that night, my uncle, aunt, and cousins came over to meet Miss H.  They have been in Orlando all week and weren't here for her arrival, so they were anxiously awaiting for us to get home from church so they could meet the new addition to our family.  I think they liked her....can you tell? LOL

So, after a fun-filled Sunday, I began to feel kind of bad that night.  I really didn't think a lot about it (just figured I had overdone it like my mama keeps telling me) but then when I would wake up to feed Harper, I would just be shaking like crazy.  I finally decided that I must be getting sick and decided to take my temperature and it was 101.3!!!  My temp usually runs lower than average, so I freaked out.  I called my dr. the next morning, and by then it had gone down to about 100 and she said if it went up again to call back and they'd have to bring me in.  Well, early that afternoon I decided to check it again and it was over 100 again, so I had to make a trip to the dr. on Monday afternoon, and they decided that I must have a bladder infection.  UGH!  But, at least it was something small that's easily treatable.  

Then, yesterday we had some more great visitors and stayed at home all day.  Two of my great friends came out to see Miss Harper and they just loved all over her....and it gave mommy time to bathe and put on normal people clothes! ha:)After they left, we had some more friends come by to see her and they played with Harper and I enjoyed watching their little girl.  Is she not adorable?  She was also a 9lb baby and she began sleeping through the night at an early age....hope Harper decides to do the same! ha:)  We will see....So, as you can see....we have been B-U-S-Y!!!!  But, I have loved every single second of it.  In addition to all of our visitors and adjusting to life with a newborn, we have had several very important "firsts"......

Our first church visit...This is also a picture that I will always cherish because he is also the preacher that married us and if it weren't for him, we would not be where we are today and have this precious baby in our lives that we are so, so thankful for.

Harper's first bath (at home)...

Her first swing ride...

Her first time laying in her crib (and she totally loved it by the way!)...

First visit with Great-Grandmother Fuston...We are having an absolute ball with our little girl and we can't wait to see what all this new life brings.  Several have asked me if it was what I expected or thought it would be, and I honestly don't know how to answer that!  I knew I would love her, that was inevitable.  But, the depth of that love is something that I could've never imagined.  I knew I would look at Brandon differently, but the way I love him also changed....he appeals to me in a totally different way than he ever did before.  I just don't know how to put it into words......it is the most life-altering decision we have ever made in our lives and it is the best thing we have ever done!  We are loving every minute of our new life!

Well, I'm sorry for the super LONG post, but this may just have to be how they are for a while...long and a few days in between. LOL  We have a super, super busy weekend planned and I'm curious to see how it's all going to go with a newborn! ha:)  We have friends coming in from Florida and staying with my parents, then we have a family reunion, newborn pictures to make, cookouts......ahhhh!!!  I'm going to go crazy if we can't slow down soon!  So, now that it is 3:30 am and my post is finally finished, I think I'm going to go try to rest for a while until our next feeding.  OH, and by the way, the nursing is going really well.  Harper has had to take a few bottles and she's adapted to those too, but she'd rather me feed her as opposed to the bottle, so that's a good thing.  AND, some other good news.....as of tonight, I am 2 POUNDS away from my starting weight before getting pregnant......2 POUNDS!!!!  That's the first time I've been excited getting off the scales in a long, long time! LOL

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week and enjoying this gorgeous weather!  Talk to you soon!

xoxo, Kara C:

WE ARE HOME!!!

I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a few days, but yesterday was kind of a hard one for me.  First of all, I did not sleep Monday or Tuesday night...AT ALL!!!  But, it was my choice, I think I was running on a huge adrenaline rush.  Harper was wonderful, though! (And, by the way, Daddy slept great! ha:)  

Anyway, I had planned on getting up Wednesday morning, getting ready and packing, and coming home to sleep.  WELL, Miss H had other plans.  Her dr. came by to do her assessment that morning and he said she had developed jaundice pretty badly.  Her levels were 12.7, which was over the 95% mark.  I was like, "Okay, no big deal...lots of babies have jaundice."  Then he said if it goes untreated, it could cause brain damage.  LET THE FLOOD GATES OPEN!!  I just started crying and crying!  I knew she'd be okay, but I guess with the hormones and not sleeping in 2 days, it finally hit me.  So, yesterday, she had to be put under lamps and we only got to see her every 3 hours for only 30 minutes at a time and that was purely to feed her.  So, we still had to get everything packed up and they gave us a complimentary room to stay in next to the nursery.  I finally cheered up close to lunch and it turned out to be a pretty good, restful day.  And, once I could see her, and knew she was okay, I was okay.  (Look how cute she looks....I told everyone she was the coolest chick in there laying in the tanning bed w/ her shades on. LOL)

So, this morning, the dr. came by and checked her levels again and they were down to 9.7, which is below the 40% mark.  He said he never thought it would go down that much over night....then he said, "But obviously your baby likes to surprise me!" ha:) She's being stubborn w/ him now! lol  So, we have to take her back to the dr. tomorrow just to make sure they haven't gone way up today and then she should be good to go.  So, we packed up and headed to Rock Island....

Look at one of the many items we had to load up in the car...Have you ever seen such beautiful flowers?  These were literally carried into the delivery room just minutes after Harper arrived.  They have opened up and are blooming beautifully!  The card was extra sweet too.  It read "Even though there is another girl in my life now, I think you'll understand.  I love you!"  Say it with me....awwww!!!!!  Brandon has been great, if I haven't said that enough.

This is a pic that Brandon took with his phone.....He loves it when her eyes are wide open and she's looking around!  And, have I told you how much I love double chins now? LOL

And, as far as the breastfeeding is going, it is going really well.  She eats really well and my milk came in today and I didn't even realize it! LOL  I guess that was a first for the lactation department. ha:)

So, we are doing WONDERFUL!  I don't know if we have ever been happier.  Brandon is doing great and is so, so much help.  He has done anything and everything I have needed him to without saying a word!   (Maybe we should have more kids! ha:)  Harper loves her new home and her new room and she was so good the whole way home....she was snug as a bug in her carseat.As we got closer to home, I told B that we needed some milk, bread...you know a few necessities from the store, so we stopped at the new Dollar General they just built a few miles from our house.  While he was inside, Harper was telling me how much she loved shopping!  I think she wants to go soon.....what do you think?

Well, I'm off to feed my baby....

xoxo, Kara C:

NO WORDS...

Well, as you can tell by the pics above, the grandparents and aunts/uncles don't like Harper at all.....not a bit! ha:) Brandon and I have been blessed with such wonderful, loving families and I just love sitting back and knowing that Miss Harper will grow up being so loved by so many. I had to ask B's sister now if she understood what I felt when I saw Madelyn for the first time. She is leaving for a short trip tomorrow, and her exact words were, "If I knew it was going to be like this, I would not be going!" I'm telling you....being an aunt is wonderful! (Although, I do now think that being a mommy is a little bit better!) lol

Today has been another fun filled day here at the hospital. Brandon counted up tonight and we have had like 56 visitors or something like that!!! 56!!! Are you kidding me....I didn't even know that we knew that many people! LOL I am sooooo overwhelmed....so many people love this little girl (and I can't really blame them:) and have prayed for her over the course of this pregnancy, and a simple 'thank you' just doesn't even seem like enough to say! Where do I start? EVERYONE has been great...from the dr's, nurses, FAMILY, friends.....I just can't get over it. It makes me wanna have 10 more kids....just kidding, just kidding (my MIL probably just got really excited when she read that!) LOL We are so, so, so blessed and I don't even know how to express my gratitude. SO, I'm just letting anyone who wants to hold her and love on her, because everyone means so much to us and we know that her safe arrival is a blessing...why not share her?

Other things that have been going on....I am really convicted to trying breastfeeding...I WANT to do this! It is so good for her, and it's the way God intended! So, we made several attempts yesterday, but they kept saying that the first 24 hrs, they really don't eat anything. So, this morning, the lactation consultant came by to help. It was wonderful....Harper did great. So, we have "attempted" to feed her every 3 hrs or so, sometimes we were successful and sometimes we were not! But, that's okay! I am going to do this!!! She has really done exceptionally well, and of course, I am as big of a worry wort as ever! (It really is ridiculous now!) lol But, we are going to do this and we are going to succeed....I am convinced! Please pray that everything works out the way I hope it does.

Well, right now, it is waaaaaaaaaay early in the morning, and our baby is in the nursery getting shots and bloodwork drawn. Oh goodness....I'm sooooooooo glad I don't have to witness that! I just can't stand to hear her cry, even though she does have the cutest cry that I've ever heard! :) She obviously has been passed around a lot the past few days, so she was a little fussy tonight, but she calmed down and took a nice long nap. I just hope they don't make her too mad in the nursery before they bring her back to me! :( Well, I have about an hour to nap before it's time to try to feed her again and then it'll be time to get up and begin getting ready! So, I'm going to go....

But, before I do, please know that I mean this from the depth of my heart....THANK YOU! Whether you have checked on us through phone, email, facebook, blog, or visited.....thank you! Thank you for your prayers, concerns, gifts, phone calls, visits.....the list could go on and on and on! I know it hardly seems like enough, but like I said in the beginning, I have no words!

Love & Peace to all!

xoxo, Kara C: (aka...Harper's Mommy, best title anyone could ever have)

Pure happiness....

The loves of my life.....

So this is what love is all about....

Oh my goodness...what a day! Well, we started out by checking in last night to be induced. They started the IV and got me hooked up to all the monitors and began the citotech to start the process. Plans were to break my water and start the pitocin early morning. WELL, my body had other plans....sometime around 4am, my water broke and I was already dilated to a 5. So, we called the parents and told them that they may want to come on whenever they could get ready. Around 5am, I got my epidural....honestly, the sleep meds they had given me earlier had me drugged and I really don't remember a lot of anything that happened this morning until about 10am.

So, from this point, they really started to monitor my sugars and check me every hour. After reaching a 5 so quickly, I then went to a 6, 7, 8, and eventually a 9 more slowly. Around 1pm, we began talking about when to start pushing. We decided to wait until 2, get checked, and go from there. Well, Harper was down low, but not officially crowning or in the birth canal. So, they had given me several more doses of my epidural, and I was N-U-M-B!!! I thought, "this is great!" Well, around 2, I was fully ready to start pushing, BUT I was having a little bit of pain in my left side and hip. They said they hesitated to give anymore meds just yet.....WELL, needless to say, they finally concluded that I had hot spots on my left side and I DELIVERED THIS BABY WITHOUT ANY MEDICATION ON THE LEFT SIDE!!!!! Not a walk in the park to say the least. Oh my goodness...if it were not for my wonderful, loving, patient, and kind husband and mother, I would've had a c-section....seriously!!! I felt every single contraction on my left side and Harper must have been on a nerve. So anyway, after about an hour of pushing, they called for the doctor and I had about had all I could take at this point....but, eleven mintues later, the most wonderful blessing, God given gift was handed to me and it made it ALL worthwhile!

She is absolutely gorgeous (I know I'm not biased at all....lol) and she is healthy. The dr. guessed her at about 8 and 1/2 pounds and I was convinced she was at least 9....and she weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz. and was 2o and 3/4 in. long.....beautiful and healthy....I LOVE IT!!!!!

We have had lots of visitors and phone calls and we appreciate and love everyone more than they will ever know. I am sooooooooo thankful that I was able to have a healthy pregnancy and a pretty good delivery and now our family feels complete. We are blessed so much more than we deserve and I can't sleep just thinking about how happy I am and how complete I feel. As I finish this post at 12:25am, I am sitting in my hospital bed, holding my beautiful baby girl, and listening to my wonderful husband snore because he is so worn out from being by my side all day......what more could a girl ask for?

Headed toward the big D and don't mean Dallas...

It's delivery time in Tennesse and we are READY to have this baby. Today, I am 39 weeks and 1 day pregnant and we should see our baby girl tomorrow....I am sooooooooooo excited!

So, we are all checked in and plugged up to all the monitors....now comes the hard part...trying to rest! I really, really, really would love to rest....but I really, really, really don't see that happening. lol They are going to be checking my sugar every 2 hours until I go into full blown labor, and then it'll be every hour! I'm ready to go into full blown labor....lol

And, now comes the hard part.....WAITING!!! Oh my goodness, I am just wanting to get up and do something...anything! But, that's okay...it'll all be well worth it in the end, I know. But, I'm not gonna lie....I am now officially nervous! Guess it's good I waited til now, huh? lol

As long as I have this one by my side, I can make it through....and by the way, he is absolutely fine! Several of you have commented or text me wanting to know if he was hurt, and no he left without a scratch. Of course, he didn't tell me anything about it until it was all over...thank goodness!! That would not have been good for my nerves. lol

Well, I will be sure and keep everyone posted on our progress. And, I'm going to address this this one time and this one time only....I have a blog for MY own purposes, to document OUR lives....I love my blog because I can keep all those who care up to date on what's going on....if you just want to be nasty....do it elsewhere. I have far bigger fish to fry than worrying about someone who doesn't even have the nerve to sign in with their real name making stupid comments! We are us and we claim to be no one else!

Love and peace to all.....I'll talk to you soon!

Please pray for a calm, peaceful delivery and I'll definitely let you know what's going on.

Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments and concerns....talk to you tomorrow!

xoxo, Kara C:

What we're doing...

Well, what have the soon-to-be parents been up to on their last day at home.....

Let's let the pictures speak for themselves, shall we???

As for Momma....And, as for daddy...

Ahhh....will Monday ever come????????

Advisory Warning...

There should seriously be an advisory warning on this show.....NO one who is pregnant or wanting to be should watch this show....take my advice!  LOL  Several years ago, I loved to watch this show.  Even then, I would tear up and cry from time to time.  Well, what on earth was I thinking when I turned it on today while folding laundry.....I DON'T KNOW!!!  In a matter of seconds, I was squaling!!!!  (Like that southern word?)  LOL  I think I'll block that channel until after Monday!

xoxo, Kara 

Winding down & nursery updates

Well we are officially down to 5 days.....I CAN NOT believe it is here already.  We went for our ultrasound on Tuesday and they checked her growth, and we were expecting around 8 lbs. and they couldn't get a great image, but they estimated her at about 8lbs. 5 oz.  Soooo....it looks like we may have a 9 pounder on our hands! :)  Needless to say, she is out of room!!!  You can tell by the pic she was ready to smack us for bothering her so much! LOL  Other than that, we've just been trying to get a few things done and finished up around here before we leave out on Sunday.  

Someone told me today that I needed to update and tell how I was feeling and what my emotions were.  Well, as I thought about that I don't really know what to say.  Today, I am tired!  I didn't sleep well at all last night and I have felt groggy all day!  However, I did get some things accomplished in Harper's nursery today, so that made me feel better, of course.

As far as my emotions go, I am happy, sad, ready, excited, nervous, shocked, loved, tearful....I just don't really know what to feel.  I THINK I am ready to have her....I just don't know what to expect!  I know she's probably a lot easier to take care of where she is, lol, but I'm sure we'll both be much more comfortable once she's out here.  Then, I just wanna cry at times.  Not because I'm sad, but because it's all going to be over soon and I'm going to miss being pregnant.  But, also, because I know it's going to be overwhelming.  I am SUCH an organizational, planner, neat-freak and I know this is going to throw my life into a whirlwind.  I am completely okay with that....I just hope my nerves can handle it!  Please, please, please pray for us this weekend.  Everything has gone soooooooo smoothly so far that I'm just waiting for something to go crazy!  I would love for things to continue smoothly and easily! ha:)

Okay...here's what I've been wanting to do for a while....nursery updates! yay!!!  Here are some before pics of Harper's room (I can't even believe myself how much it has transformed!):AND NOW LOOK HOW CUTESY AND GIRLIE HER ROOM IS.......oh, I love it!And, this little stroller  was made especially for Miss Harper.  The sweetest man that I waited on all the time when I was a waitress made it for her.  How cute is that?!?  He signed and dated it and I am so glad he did....I am so thankful to have gifts like this for her so that I can pass them down to her when she's older and tell her about the stories behind them.  I think I'm going to make a cute little cushion to put down in it and then put her baby dolls in it. 

As you can tell, we are blessed way beyond what we deserve.  These next few days, I want to get our house cleaned and finish packing and getting everything ready to have our daughter.  I am going to say a few extra prayers over the next fews days and just thank God for all he has blessed Brandon and I with.  We have each other, we have a home, and we are about to have a family....what more could anyone ask for?  

I go back to the dr. on Friday to get checked and to make all of our final plans!  I will definitely keep the bloggy world posted over the next few days and probably more than ever during delivery.  I can't wait to introduce Miss Harper to the world!!!  Ahhh...that sounds so nice!  Can't believe it's real and that it's almost here!  

Love & Peace to all! 

xoxo, Kara C: