HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox slideshow

MORE DISNEY PICS

SO GLAD TO BE HOME! AND MINNIE CAME WITH US!

Okay, first trip with Little E..... and oh my!
Jay and I traveled to Orlando for the annual Funeral Directors Convention. When we planned the trip I am not sure what I was thinking! Sure we can travel with Little E and it will be no big deal! We had it all planned out, my mom and step dad will meet us in Orlando and keep "E" while we do our thing. WRONG!
We found a great townhouse close to Disney and the convention site, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, great price... and we were set... eager to travel and get back to our old traveling routine. Little did we think that our wonderful little baby would once again remind us that she is part of the family now! We all arrived on last Saturday and decided to go to Disney- Magical Kingdom- on Sunday. So we woke up, fed "E" and headed out... only to be called about 2 hours later by my mother who was frantically saying that "E" had been crying.... well more than crying for 45 minutes... and she didn't know what to do! So, Jay and I headed out of the park to go and see what was up... we get almost to the car and Mom calls to say she is now asleep... passed out from crying for so long. So we head back into the park to try and enjoy some time together. I'm sure all of you who know me, know that I am not enjoying myself at all at this point. Well, about 4 hours later mom calls, says that "E" is awake and doing okay... then about an hour later she calls and says "E" has been crying frantically for 15 minutes now..... okay, so Jay and I head out of the park again.... and of course by the time we get to the townhouse she is passed out. My mother had been crying and my step dad had been pacing the floor, wringing his hands! I felt horrible and my mother felt like she failed me. I told her I loved her and called my baby a toot pot and kissed her little cheeks! From that point on... which was the entire week I didn't leave the baby with my mom.... she just will have to learn to travel with mom and dad! What a Carnes....

BEDTIME

BIRDS EYE VIEW AT BEDTIME
Elizabeth sleeps in her bassinet right next to my side of the bed. This is the precious view that I get to look at. What a sleeping beauty! I keep thinking that it's time for her to start sleeping in her big girl bed but I just can't seem to want to let her go. I know that she and I would both probaly sleep better. I wake up about each hour just to make sure that she is okay~ is she too hot? too cold? still wrapped up? head buried in the covers? is she breathing? is she starting to wake up because she wants to eat? O ALL THE THINGS ABOUT MOTHERHOOD!!!
Then I just stare at her for about a minute, rub her sweet cheek, maybe a soft kiss, and thank GOD for my beautiful daughter. So maybe it is okay for her to continue to sleep so close to her mommy. Thank you God for our sweet blessing.

CUTIE PATOOTIE

HOW CUTE IS THIS!!!

(and check out that neck fat!!)

I bought this cute dress on ebay for 2 dollars! I'm sure she will be a bargain hunter just like her mother!

Bottle Update: Going VERY well! She took the bottle 3 times today! Woo Hoo!! Like a very good friend told me.... its all in GOD'S timing! I should have know he would work all of this out for me! I seem to forget that I can't control everything.... even when I think that I can. Now I just have to let GOD take care of her being a perfect girl on the airplane flight on Saturday!

SUNDAY GO TO MEETIN'

Our beautiful Elizabeth dressed for her first day at church. FBC Galveston has some MAJOR damage from IKE but we are now having church there on Sundays. I did not take Elizabeth to church for the first 2 months of her life, then IKE hit so she didn't get to go until this past Sunday. Everyone loved her! She is so big now! 13 pounds, loves to stand up, has great head control- as you can see from the picture, and coo's up a storm!

Update on MD appt ~ she does not have ANYTHING wrong with her ears.. or any other part of her body! She is just a toot! AND some good news............... she took a bottle 2 times today!

Praise the LORD!

Love to you all!

Me and E

SHE'S NEVER LEFT OUT!

As you can see Diva makes sure that she gets her play time in also!

It's been a while since my last blog. Motherhood is OMG so overwhelming! I am still trying to figure out how those of you with more than one of these humanoids does it!

We went last week for her recheck on her hospitalization issues- to check for urine reflux into the kidneys. All went well and all tests are negative! God is so good!

Now I think that we are dealing with a ear infection! We go to see Dr. Hay in the morning!

Jay and I leave next Saturday with Elizabeth for Orlando. We are going to the annual Funeral Directors Convention! My mother and father will be meeting us there to take care of "E" for the week! We only have one MAJOR problem~ "E" will NOT take a bottle!!! Does anyone have any suggestions? I am thinking that maybe if she has an ear infection that maybe that is why she won't take one! Right now when she takes the breast she will eat for about 4-5 minutes then start crying like she is in pain! Then she might try to suck then stop, suck then stop and cry.

It's heart breaking for me! If I try to put her on the other breast she just cries and cries.

SUGGESTIONS?????

Other than that motherhood is wonderful. I am still exhausted. This is harder than any thing I have ever done! But o so rewarding! I will upload some new pics later on!

In Christ ALONE

Me and E

HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW?

How cute is this little puppy!

JAYS TWIN

Okay, so if Jay was a girl this is what he would look like! Elizabeth looks more and more like her daddy every day! Thats not a bad thing! The other day Nina (my mother in law) said 'Lori, I think she has your feet...." ah.... no, she has her daddys feet also! Maybe, just maybe she has my eyes, and as her hair lightens up maybe she will be a blonde of some type.

She has done great since she got out of the hospital 2 weeks ago. As I look back on the week before she went in, I can see that she was not feeling well. It's a total learning process all the way around! She is so much more alive, cooing and trying to talk when she is awake! Her

neck control is getting so good and she attempts to stand when you hold her up! It's amazing!

She goes to bed at about 11 PM and only wakes up once during the night to eat and that's only for about 7-10 minutes and then she is right back to sleep.

Jay and I are still trying to adjust to not being able to pick up and go at a moments notice. I am still trying to figure out how all of you with KIDS do it! I feel like I am packing to

go on a camping trip everytime that we leave! I guess this will get easier. She has still

not gone out to what I call "General Population." Once she gets her immunizations- which is in about 10 days we will be traveling bugs! She has not yet been to church, and everyone is so anxious to see our precious girl! I am ready to be able to show her off.... because she is just so

cute! Guess that's what all mommies think!

I went to my last ob/gyn appt on Wednesday and was cleared! I have lost all of the weight that I gained and then some! I now understand what they mean about breast feeding! Man, the weight just fell off! I am now also able to get back to my running... which I have really been missing! Jay and I walk the Seawall about 4 days a week but some running will be nice.

For all of you that moved away from Galveston I want to tell you that the weather has been

AWESOME! Not too hot, a nice breeze and the water is beautiful! I miss all of you that moved away... especially those that took off to start life in the country.... ( and to be a PTA mother!)

Well, its time to find some lunch for me before I am needed to be lunch for her!

I love you all!

Lori

BEING ON THE OTHER SIDE IS NO FUN!

In the hospital - UTMB
Going home... she's knocked out..
and I'm not far behind her!


When I graduated from nursing school I worked with newborns - well and sick. I started many IV's, had to draw tons of labs, hold babies for doctors to do lumbar punctures for... and whatever needed to be done to care for a sick baby. The babies cried and I always felt horrible but I knew that I was doing what needed to be done to help treat or diagnos whatever was wrong.



Well being on the other side is no fun! This past week, Elizabeth came down with a fever. Our pediatrician told us from the beginning that if she came down with a fever before her 1st set of shots that she would get the full work up. So when she had a fever I knew what was coming! I was crying before we even left the house!

She was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday and was found to have a UTI!! Of course all I could think was that we failed to change a diaper quick enough and that we had caused this!


We were reassured that we did not cause the infection and that it is actually a common reason that babies are admitted to the hospital at an early age.

We stayed for 2 1/2 days and were able to come home on Friday on oral meds. She is doing well and with the prayers and love of our family and friends I have managed to not go crazy.


I was so exhausted last night that I don't even remember her waking up at 2 AM to eat. I woke up at 3:30 AM with her in my lap in the glider- we were both crashed out so I guess she got enough to eat! She woke up at 7 AM to eat and I called Nina (my mother in law) and asked her
to come over for the day so that I could sleep. She came to the rescue and I slept until 1:30 PM!!



Now if I could figure out how to get her to go to bed before 1:00 AM!



Love to you all and thanks for all the prayers!





Lori and Elizabeth

Just Precious

I can't believe that time is flying by so quickly! She will be a month old tomorrow! Everyday there is something new to laugh or cry about! She is such a wonderful gift from GOD! This picture was taken last night as we were going to watch Daddy play softball. We don't get out much so the baby carrier is something that we are trying to get adjusted to so I was so glad to take this precious picture to share with all of you. We are dealing with some fussy evenings so if any of you have wise words on dealing with a somewhat colicky baby I would love to hear what to do!

Love to you all!

In Christ Alone!

Lori and Elizabeth

CONSTANTLY CHANGING!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update my blog! Being a new mother is certainly a huge change! Getting used to a new schedule has not been nearly as bad as I thought it would be. She started off eating about every 2.5 hours and now she is feeding every 4 hours! I can't believe that Elizabeth is almost 3 weeks old! She is changing so quickly! Elizabeth is a very good baby. She now weighs 8.8 pounds- she started at 8.3 lbs.

Jay and I are such proud parents.... it's such a wonderful change but we are enjoying every minute of it! The picture on the left was taken today, Saturday, Aug 2nd and the one on the right was taken on July 29th. What a change in 5 days!

Look for more updates soon!

WHAT IS LOVE?

LOVE IS:

having friends and family pray for you for 9 months!

having friends like Jillian Griefenkamp and Julie Dickerson give me the play by play details about the c-section and being 100% right about it!

having Leela Thomas (an old church member and retired Postpartum RN meeting us

at the elevator at 6:15 on Monday morning to be with us during the WHOLE procedure!

having a wonderful Dr- Michele Blackwell who was wonderful!

having a mother in law (Nina) have good friends at UTMB who made sure I was

treated like a QUEEN the second I was admitted!

then being treated like a QUEEN!

having a WONDERFUL husband who did not leave my side the entire time who constantlyencouraged me before the c-section

seeing all of your friends and family cheering you through the OR doors!

having a wonderful team in the OR who talked me through the entire procedure and

made sure that I was okay.

realizing that I was going to make it through the spinal because low and behold just like

EVERYONE told me I was still going to be able to feel myself breathe!

listening to the conversation being held my my doctor and the rest of the staff assisting

with the c-section while they were cutting me open - it reminded me that they do this

all the time!!!

again having Leela Thomas sitting by me reciting the Lords Prayer and other scritpure

throughout the entire c-section --- this lady is an amazing child of GOD!

hearing the first cry of MY baby girl for the first time!

seeing Jay with Elizabeth in his arms

seeing my whole family so excited about this new baby

and last but not least

holding your new little girl in your arms and your wonderful husband by your side!

Rookie of the Year

If you watched the movie Rookie of the Year then you will remember in the middle of the movie they decided to send in the new little rookie to bat. As the ball was being pitched to him all he could say was "oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" As I sit typing this last blog before the birth of my baby girl I feel like the "rookie" did.... but although I cry out to God in 2 ways.

The first way being that fast pitch ball that is coming and there is no turning back. The ball was
pitched 9 months ago and its almost to the bat. I stand here totally freaking out, not sure if I will hit the ball or it will hit me! Either way, its coming! So I am saying "oh my God,"oh my God, Oh my God" in preparation to what is about to happen I have no control over!

The second way is that I am crying out for God to prepare me!
* For the c-section- I am not good, NOT being in control.
* For the new birth - for her to be healthy.
* For all the family that will be around- what a blessing!
* For the preparation of Jay and I as Godly parents!
* For the total change that is about to happen in our lives!

But as I sit here freaking out.... I know that God says:
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

So, now its Birthday, July 14, 2008

Look for a picture of little Elizabeth sometime today!

Love you all!

Lori

7 FULL DAYS TO GO

44 .3 INCHES!!!

Aloha from sunny TEXAS! Is this what pregnant women in Hawaii look like??

I know that I didn't post a belly shot last Sunday but I think this one makes up for it! I hope that you have enjoyed the belly shots as much as I have enjoyed being a completely crazy pregnant woman to show my large belly to all of my friends!

Only 7 complete days to go and our little precious baby will be here. Jay was walking around tonight singing that song with the lyrics

....... "though I never laid my eyes on you how I've adored you...."

As a person carrying a child how true is that?

Jay and I slept in today- until about 11:00 AM and then we had breakfast and got back in bed again until about 3 PM~ what a great day! As we laid there watching TV, Elizabeth decided to show her daddy how she can stretch out her legs... an amazing site to see! Since she is transverse when she stretches out her legs the right side of my abdomen pushes out a good extra 2 inches! Jay had not seen this before! How I wish I had the camera close to get a picture. It just amazes me daily of the things that God allows our body to do!

It amazes me that there is a LIVING, BREATHING, HICCUPING (and very often) baby inside of me! It is truly a miracle.

God is so good!

My doctor is out of town until Monday so please continue to pray that Elizabeth does not want to come out until at least Monday. I can really use next week to complete some tasks but if she wants to come a little early physically for me that would be fine. I did say PHYSICAL and NOT MENTAL!

I love you all!

Now She Can Come!

BRIAN (MY BROTHER) AND TIN... THE BED MAKERS

DIVA HAS CLAIMED THE GLIDER!
BABY BED DELUXE! YOU HAVE TO COME TO SEE THE TECHNOLOGY!
PLENTY OF DRAWES AND LARGE TV A MUST!

THE STOOL IN THE LEFT CORNER WAS MADE BY ASHLEY CARNES! IT SAYS "PRINCESS ELIZABETH' WITH A CROWN AND RHINESTONES ON THE TOP

21 Days and 43.5 Inches

This weeks belly shot!

Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me??

PUT IT TOGETHER PARTY

Late last Thursday night Jay and I were attempting to put together a Bugaboo stroller that Uncle Lawrence sent to Elizabeth, no one told us that you had to be a magician in order to do this! After 45 minutes and the stroller not together I decided it was time to go to bed. The next morning I had an idea and decided to have a "Put It Together Party" and invited

some friends over and cook dinner and make it a night to remember!

Here are some pictures and some of the room that is slowly but surely coming together!

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

DIVA AND JAY
LORI AND ELIZABETH (JILLIAN)
THE BUSH MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
FUN CUPCAKES!
THE CARNES FAMILY

AT THE FBC PICNIC

A DAY AT THE POOL

I THINK I SWALLOWED THE BEACH BALL!

Today is Sunday, Fathers Day and that also means that it's belly measuring day! 29 days to go and the belly measures 43 inches! Where is God going to put another 29 days? I am really starting to feel the belly taking over my body! Even trying to sit on the side of the pool was a chore today! I just laugh at myself~ what else is there to do! I had this idea at the pool today that I would try to put my belly into the ring of a float so that I could try and get some sun on the back of my legs, take my advise, don't try it! I looked like a total fool and did not accomplish the task! I wonder how many people were watching me do this?

'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears

about this will laugh with me." Genesis 21:6

C-SECTION IS A GOOD CHOICE

I went to the doctor today for my regular 2 week check up. Weight gain is still at a minimum! I asked her if there was anyway to see what position she was lying in because I can tell that she is not head down and sometimes I think she feels like shes folded in half! Well my wonderful doctor, Michelle Blackwell, said sure lets do an ultrasound and check that baby out! Well she is basically transverse with her back to my upper uterine wall, her head is on the left and her feet are on the right. Then she went to see if she could get the weight of the baby. Of course, Elizabeth is a totally wiggle worm but finally she was able to get a skull measurement and Dr. Blackwell says "Good thing your wanting a c-section! This baby has a big head! The skull measures at 36 weeks and I'm in the middle of 34 weeks! She thinks Elizabeth is a little over 5 pounds right now. My gosh does that mean she will be huge? Guess she will have a big Carnes head! Good thing I'm having a c-section!

Welcome To The World Lincoln Merrit Pena

Our newest staff member at Carnes!

Stephenie has been working with us for about 3 years and she and I have both been trying to get pregnant for years ~ she found out that she was pregnant and 4 weeks later I found out! We have travelled through this pregnancy together enjoying each others stories and complaints! Yesterday she went to her MD appt and was sent over to be induced! For a first birth she had a great one! She got her epidural at about 4:30 PM and the baby was born at 6:51 PM. He weighs 6.5 lbs! What a cutie! Congrats to Steve and Steph on your new little one!