Sunday, May 20, 2007

Introducing the latest member of our family...

Hannah Mae Grace Caldwell arrived on Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 7:59 am, weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs, 1 oz, measuring 21 inches long! What an answer to prayer she is - arriving full term (38 weeks) with no complications for her or Mom. We came home from the hospital yesterday to a house full of girls jumping up and down, so excited to have their baby sister home - never mind Mom. (I don't get near as many kisses and hugs right now... :)

She has lost quite a bit of weight in her first couple of days, but now that Mom's milk is in, we're expecting her to gain it back right away... She's already proving to be a naturally good eater.

Here are a few more fun pictures... Proud Mom & Dad bringing her home yesterday...

Daddy bonding with his little girl. Jeanna and Haley with Hannah Mae.Home at last with my baby girl ...Proud Papa praying over his latest grandchild with the rest of the family looking on... Jessica & Mimi, too.

Daddy & Molly bonding with baby sister.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Our Baby is Here!















Our Baby is finally here! Her name is Hannah Mae Grace Caldwell. She arrived at 7:59am on Thursday May 17th. She weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz, 21 in. long.

Hannah & Joy are doing well and should be home within the next couple of days. Mimi & Papa (Joy's parents) are here taking care of the rest of the girls, who are all very excited about their new baby sister!

Stay tuned... I'm sure Joy will update this blog with all her important details within the next couple of weeks.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Birthday Party Set for Thursday!

Latest Breaking News from the Caldwell Household....!!!

Today's amnio results revealed that Baby's lungs are almost ready... not ready enough for her to join us today; however, by Thursday - she should be "good to go"... so unless she (or the Lord) has other plans, she is scheduled to arrive by "special delivery" (C-section) on Thursday morning, May 17th!

Stay tuned to this channel for all the latest breaking news and photos...

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

No Baby Yet...


For those of you "checking in", there's no baby here just yet. The amniocentesis last Friday went well with no complications; though it hurt like crazy and induced heavy contractions. Cervix is dilating but I'm not in active labor... yet. The amnio results basically said that there was still a 20% chance that she could have some respiratory distress if she was delivered then. So though I feel "done", she must not be quite ready and still needs a little more time in the oven. So we wait... and try to keep from going into labor just yet.

My Dr. is out of town at a conference and holidays this week. He says he'll be surprised if I don't deliver while he's gone. (I already had a scare Monday and thought she was on the way - contractions 2 & 3 minutes apart for a couple of hours... but no...) The hospital staff helped me get the labor stopped so we can keep "cooking" her lungs a little longer.

So we get to do like most everybody else... wait 'til she's really ready and go into labor naturally. Then we'll go into hospital and deliver by C-section. Good news is that we really are in the safe zone now. I've carried her full-term - longer than ever before! Yay!!! Every day she stays in, she's that much more ready for a healthy delivery with no complications.

So I here I still sit at home, "Lady in Waiting"... on bed rest now, taking medications to keep her in there for a few days longer, hoping to at least wait until Monday the 14th when Dr. Logen gets back- since he's "the best"! Thanks to all who call, write and visit... the walls are closing in and feeling a bit claustrophobic as I watch the clock and count contractions :) The company and distractions are most welcome!

Thank you all for praying - we'll keep you posted here when the Big day arrives...

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Lady in Waiting


Baby Shower - Saturday, April 21st. We were showered with blessings for our new little girl... arriving very soon... Of course, if "she" turns out to be a "he", we'll be totally thrilled, exchanging some outfits and re-decorating the nursery in a hurry!

Yes, this is really "Us"... Baby and I waiting patiently for her arrival! I’ll be 36 weeks tomorrow. I’ve already carried this baby longer than any others, which is HUGE to me. Speaking of huge, I feel huge as I’m already measuring full-term and baby is already estimated at weighing over 8 lbs… we’ll see. I am scheduled to go into the hospital on Friday for an amniocentesis to check on Baby’s lungs for maturity. If her lungs are mature (surfactant is present in the fluid) then we will promptly go into the OR for a repeat C-section. If her lungs are not mature then we’ll still be waiting: a) to go into labor on my own – in which case a C-section will still happen upon arrival at the hospital or b) for Dr. Logen to return from his week off (May 14th) in order to repeat Friday’s process…

My prayer requests are for:
  1. Peace and safety through all procedures. (I’m very nervous about the amnio – big long needle – and all that the C-section involves too.)
  2. Lung maturity, feeding/swallowing maturity, and temperature control for Baby.
  3. Obviously - safe and healthy delivery for Baby and me, with no complications for either.
  4. His perfect timing in all!

Thank you all so much for your prayers on our behalf! We’ll keep you updated as to her safe arrival and the answers to your prayers!

Stay tuned for all the details coming soon to this "blog-channel" right here, just for you!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Settling In

Here they are - our 4 drama queens in their matching Easter blouses. They're quite the beauties aren't they?! Way too much fun!

Speaking of drama, there's never a lack of it around here. A couple weeks ago, our little dog Sandy (maltese/pom) and the neighbors boxer (BIG dog!) decided to "go a round". Needless to say, Sandy lost - ending up with 7 stitches in his neck from a puncture wound. Lots of tears that day from all of us girls!!! Thankfully Paul was here and assisted with separating the dogs, the vet run, etc. It was very traumatic for the girls but after lots of cuddles and prayer, the girls and Sandy are all better now and none the worse for wear. I dare say he's got it in for big dogs for sure now - barking vigorously at any he catches sight of!!

Then there's Jessica - brave, no fear, confident, and bold!! We were at the playground a week ago, me sitting, the girls exploring the ladders, slides, swings, etc., when Jessica decided maybe she could try the monkey bars ALONE! NOT!! Before I knew it she was on the ground crying, with her face bleeding. She had landed head/face first in the bark. I think she was more upset that there was bark all over her clothing than the fact her face was hurt. She cried for a couple minutes then wanted back on the playground - "All better. No Dr." Long and short of it - I took her to the Dr. anyway just to be on the safe side. (I'm pretty sure an angel or two helped cushion her fall as it should've been much worse!) No concussion or serious injury - just a badly bruised and scratched face, with a bit of a black eye the next morning. The Lord was watching over her!! She only had one dose of tylenol the first night at bedtime. A week later you can hardly see a scratch left. She's such a trooper! (This picture was taken on Easter Sunday just a couple of days after the accident.)


We're feeling more settled in all the time in our new home and loving it. Right now we're counting down 'til Baby arrives. Looks like she'll be here within the next month at least. I've had a couple "false alarms" and visits to the Hospital already. Thankfully, we're still holding on, though, we can hardly wait for the right time to be here... especially me... I'm feeling a bit anxious to have my body back. All you moms out there know what I mean!

In the middle of all this, Paul's store in Burlington was closed for good a couple weeks ago - very sad; however, the good news is that he was transferred to Sedro Wooley (only a few more miles away) to the busiest store in the chain. He is the Perishables Manager there and enjoying the busy-ness of the larger store.

Meantime, my Mom & Dad (affectionately known as Mimi & Papa to our girls) arrive here on Monday as they are moving here permanently from Swan Hills, AB, Canada. We are very anxious to have them here. My awkward body needs the help :) They will be ministering on staff at our church, Christ the King, and reaching out to our community and county here in Mount Vernon, WA. The biggest blessing will be to our immediate family as we are all anxious to have more family close by.

So there you have the latest news from the Caldwell Clan... busy and growing, never a dull moment... too much fun! We'll keep you posted when Baby arrives... Drop us a line when you have a moment. We would love to hear from you, too.

Friday, February 9, 2007

Expanding Family



Our first visit with Molly as a family - Christmas 2006: Jessica, Paul, Molly, JG, Haley, Jeanna. Molly is Paul’s daughter from a prior relationship. To make a long story short, there was unforgiveness towards her mother and so Paul had a hard time wanting a relationship with Molly. The Lord answered many prayers and softened Paul’s heart towards her. Molly is a precious little 3 year old, full of energy and life - only too pleased to be united with Daddy, her sisters, and "Mama" Joy, too.




This is a photo of our new home as of next week. (Our house finally sold.) Now we're making room for girl #5, due in May. The house has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a 2 car garage, huge yard in a quiet neighborhood at the end of a cul-de-sac. We are so blessed by His answers to all of our prayers!



The pregnancy is going well, with some pretty "normal complaints". I am on limited activity and trying not to overdo myself while packing and moving. I have gestational diabetes, keeping me from having too much fun with pregnancy cravings... no pickles and only small servings of ice-cream. Good news is that it's gone just as soon as baby is born. :) The contractions come quite regularly these days, keeping me sitting most of the time, but Paul and the girls are taking good care of me and working hard to compensate for my lack of mobility. We have good friends and family who are being helpful, too. My doctor is very pleased with how well baby is doing and we are very hopeful and confident that she will be born full-term and healthy. Thanks for all your prayers.



Paul and the girls are all doing well - keeping as busy and active as ever! Way too much fun!! We'll write and post more later.