Tummy Time!

 

Because her neck isn't yet strong enough to hold up her head all the time, Karis doesn't really appreciate "tummy time" very much. She does kind of a bob thing with her head for a couple of minutes and then fusses. The only thing she likes about it is that its easy to eat her hands because they are usually right under her face. But I actually caught her smiling so I had to take a pic :)

Ta--da!!

 

Dinner Time!

 

This little chair has been a lifesaver for us at dinnertime. Until we got it, we would have to try to hold her while we ate. But she seems to really like to sit in her chair and I like it because she is right beside me. When she starts to eat solids, there is a little tray that attaches. But for now, she just likes to sit and talk with us while we eat :)

2 Babies!

 

 
I was resting with my baby on the couch and my kitty decided to try to get as close as possible to us. No, I didn't let him stay there that close to her; he ended up curled up between my legs:) (See next photo)

Finally comfy

 

Stick that tongue out!

 

Breaking Free!

 

Yesterday, I went to Walmart and left sleeping Karis with Daddy again. When I returned, this was the pic I found on the camera. She usually can be counted on to take a full nap, but this time she had woken up shortly after I left and tried to break loose of her swaddle. And Daddy said she wouldn't ever go back to sleep. This was ironic, because when I left her with him on Monday, he wanted her to be awake so he could play with her and she slept the whole time. But yesterday, he thought she would be sleeping and had a lot he wanted to get done. Go figure :)

Already attached to the teddy bear :)

 

Not really, I was just using the teddy bear to try to make her smile, but she got too tired to play any more :)

A record night!

 

Karis slept 7 hours straight last night! That was really exciting because she's never been able to break the 6 hour barrier before. Only one more hour to go and Mama will have a full night's rest! Other firsts -- She went to Bible Study for the first time last night and did great. Other than waking up breifly to flirt with Baby Samuel (10 months -- see Leah's blog), she slept the whole time.

Sharing in the Life!

 

A big thanks to Theron and Cheryl for the meal and fellowship last night. We neglected to get pictures of all from our church, Messiah Baptist, that have brought us food, so the Stancils will represent them on our blog. We have been so blessed by their labor of love and their pattern of ministry for us. We think it so cool that not only did many bring food, but many stayed and shared a meal with us. This is no doubt one of Mark's favorite aspects of having a new baby, that is everyone wants to see her and come to visit. However, don't feel that you need to bring us a meal in order to see our baby girl. We'll settle for dessert:).

5 weeks old!

 

Another birthday! Doesn't it seem like we just celebrated one? The weeks are passing much too quickly! To get ready for her 5th week aniversary, Karis finally got a belly button! After what seemed like the most stubborn umbilical cord ever, it finally came off last night, much to the relief of her parents :) Now she can take a real bath, which we are really looking forward to!

Sleep Update!

 

Well, my little girl has been doing her Mama a favor pretty consistently. 4 nights out of 5 she slept at least 5 1/2 hours before waking her Mama out of deep sleep! So Mama's still pretty optimistic and thinks it will only get better from here on. And yes, she still loves her swaddling. Ok, I wouldn't say "loves," but rather "needs." She fights to get her hands free if we do it when she's not quite in la-la land yet. But if we don't swaddle her, those flailing arms and legs wake her up within 15 or 20 minutes. I also like it because it doesn't allow her to scratch her face at night. So the swaddle it is :)

The Great Babysitting Adventure

 

So I get back from my dentist appointment and this is the pic I find on the laptop. Evidently, Daddy had great plans for his first babysitting attempt and was going to do a special photo shoot for Mommy. Unfortunately, (or probably fortunately for him, since she would have wanted food pronto!), Karis slept the whole time. (Not knowing his plans, I had given her a bath right before I left so she would be tired and he cold finish his schoolwork). Since she never woke up, the only picture he got was this one :) I thought it was pretty funny.

3-D Challenge

Okay, its not much of a challenge, but I wanted to get some feedback regarding your favorite picture so far. Simply peruse and choose. Then you can click the comment section of this post and give me your selection (just type in the caption of the pic). Also, give a quick reason why you chose it.
Have fun!
---Mark

Another great Daddy and Karis shot :)

Karis loves hanging out with her Daddy :)

No hands needed!

My friend Leah taught me how to sew this baby sling and Karis loves it. I wore it during church yesterday and she slept the entire time! I've also worn it to the store and to the mall so that I wouldn't have to bring in the car carrier or push a stroller and each time, she has just conked out. My baby loves to snuggle close :)

 

Karis had fun with Sarah!

My friend Sarah from college came to visit and Karis had a lot of fun making faces at her :)

Sweet looks

I love this pic of Mark talking to Karis and she is just watching him intently. So sweet. By the way, I think it is safe to say that Karis is on the path to better sleep. She slept two nighs for 6 hours straight, and last night she did five hours, which is still lots better than 3!! I think the trick is to try to keep her up as long as possible after her evening feeding to wear her out, and to feed her as much as possible that last late feeding. I know we could just be getting lucky and tomorrow it could be back to getting up every three hours, but I choose to be more optimistic and believe that it will only get better from here on!

Also, for those who were wondering, this week I have finally felt back to normal. My stitches have finally stopped hurting, we have gotton into a pretty good daily schedule, and I have had more energy! I have enjoyed Karis from the moment she was born, but this week I feel like I've just had so much fun playing with her. I think its because I've felt better and she's older so she responds so much more. But I feel so blessed to be able to stay home and play with my baby all day!

1 Month Old Today!

Yeah, I know that on Tuesday, we celebrated Karis's 4-week birthday, but the doctors say she isn't a month til today. And we take any excuse to celebrate and take a picture :) Although Karis doesn't look very happy in this pic, it is the first of a monthly shot. Someone advised me t o take a picture of her each month in the same place to see how much she has grown and changed...so the rocking chair it is!

Showing off those long legs again :)

Not really, just enjoying her favorite past-time. One of Karis's favorite things to do is to stretch and stretch and stretch. Especially if Mama is smiling and talking to her. The other night we just lay her on the bed and she probably stretched and kicked and punched the air for a good 15 or 20 minutes. Its so fun now that she's old enough to get excited when you talk to her!

Who Me?

Oh, Yes! Miss Karis Lynn DeLong slept 6 hours last night!!!!! Mama could not bestow enough kisses to convey her incredible gratitude to her darling little girl :) For the first time in a month, I got a good night's sleep! (Who would have ever thought that I would consider 6 hours a good night's sleep? :) Now, lets all just pray that she would do it again and again, and maybe stretch it to 7 or 8 hours!!!!

4 weeks old now!

I just can't believe that my baby is four weeks old! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital!

Oh, yes, I'm a fiesty one!

Just one more... :)

Ok, so I know I have blogged so many pictures of her sleeping....but she just looks so sweet and precious...I just couldn't resist one more!