Sleep Singing....

I think Katelyn may have a future singing career. Here's a video of her "sleep singing":

Update and More Pictures!!!!

Day 5: Katelyn is doing great. She's a little jaundiced but we've been told that her level of jaundice is normal, especially since she's breastfeeding. Laura is doing great as well!!! I went into work a little bit today. It was nice to get out a little bit. I'm trying to convince Laura to get out and do a little shopping with her mom. I think it would be good for her. We have our first appointment with the Pediatrician tomorrow so we'll see what he says about the jaundice and how shes progressing. Keep praying and as always....stay tuned!!!

Here are some more pictures:

Our friend Laci came by to visit the day we took Katelyn home.

Home, Sweet Home

It was a good first night here at home. It took us a few hours to figure out what sleeping situation would work best for Katelyn. In one spot, she was too cold, in another, it was too hard for Laura to get by when making her way to the restroom. This morning was GREAT!!! Katelyn fed at about 6 a.m. and then Laura put her on her chest and she (and Laura) fell asleep. After about an hour, Laura got up and got in the shower. I took her and she fell asleep on my chest for about an hour. We have Katelyn in the sunlight right now (she's a little jaundiced). We're trying to keep the house straight and constantly doing little chores here and there. My Mimmie and Papa just walked in and are here for a short visit. All is well here and Katelyn is going GREAT! Tomorrow, we'll take Katelyn to the pediatrician for an initial checkup.

All our bags are packed, we're ready to go...

It's 10:38 and Laura is about to have her staples removed. We've been cleared by both Dr. Killeen and Dr. Craig (the pediatrician) to go home. Now, all that's left to do is finish all of the discharge paperwork, pack up and GO!!! We can't wait to get Katelyn home to show her her big sister Lily and her beautiful nursery. Stay tuned...

Angel of the Day: Shannon the lactation specialist

I decided to go ahead and make an additional post today to thank Shannon the lactation specialist here at Covenant Lakeside. She has been amazing! There really is an art to breastfeeding and Shannon is a true artist. Katelyn has been feeding pretty good but Laura has had some issues with feeding (pain/trouble with Katelyn not feeding long enough). Shannon came in this morning and went over a handful of tips with Laura that has really put her a little more at ease with breastfeeding. For all the pregnant couples out there, if you have a lactation specialist at your hospital (most do), use them as often as possible. Have them come in during every feeding until you get the hang of things (it will make your life much easier). Thanks again Shannon!!!! God Bless you!!!

Settling in for the long haul...

Alright. We're just about settled in for the long haul now. Last night was rough for us mainly due to lack of sleep (I know, I know...we were warned!) We're doing good now though. Katelyn has been nursing great from the get-go. Laura is feeding her right now. We're feeding her every 2-3 hours, so it's pretty much non-stop (feed, change diaper, sleep...repeat). The hardest was feeding her last night. She was in such a deep sleep that it took us a while to wake her up and feed her. She just kept wanting to go to sleep on mommy's chest.

Now, for the detailed explanation of yesterday. We got to the hospital at about 10:30 a.m. Laura changed into a gown and the nurses came and took her vitals. Turns out that the worst part of the day occurred next: the IV. The nurses tried four different veins and blew one before actually getting an IV started on Laura. They told her that it was probably the fact that Laura had not ate or drank since 12 midnight on Thursday night. Her veins were pretty malnourished. After they get the IV started we waited, and waited....and waited. Laura's C-section was scheduled for 1 p.m. We actually didn't get called back until 2:30. It seemed like a lifetime of waiting. They finally called us back. They sat Laura and I down in the hallway outside of the operating room.

The hardest part of the day for me came next. The operating nurse came and took Laura to the operating room. She told me I'd have to wait until right before Dr. Killeen made his first incision. I waited about 20 minutes and then the nurse came and got me. I missed the spinal block but Laura said it really wasn't bad. When I got into the room, everything was already in full-swing. I sat down beside Laura and grabbed her hand. In just a matter of minutes, the doctor had Katelyn in his hands and the nurse took her over to a table to start her assessment. We heard Katelyn cry right as the doctor took her out. That's about the time Laura and I really started our waterworks. It was a beautiful moment! I looked at her and told Laura that I saw red hair. After the delivery, the nurse gave Katelyn to Laura for about 5 minutes of bonding and pictures and then whisked her and I off to the nursery. Laura went back to recovery for about 2 hours where she took a good nap. I rolled Katelyn down to the nursery where they poked and prodded on her some more (and gave her a bath). After Laura's two hour recovery, the nurses rolled her down to the nursery where Laura got to hold Katelyn a little bit again. We then settled into our room and Katelyn stayed with us. Katelyn then had her first meal and, again, did a great job.

Katelyn was with us most of the night. We did send her back to the nursery for a couple of hours so that we could try and get some rest. We did get a little rest but between the two hour feedings but not much. Katelyn has had a lot of visitors! Thanks to everyone who has come to visit! We're still doing great but looking forward to getting home! God is good!!!!

March 27, 2009, 3:04 p.m.

Katelyn Grace Williams has arrived!!! Weighing in at 8.01 ounces and measuring 21 inches long. I'll try and post a more detailed description of today's events tomorrow but for those of you still up and interested here are some pictures: