don't act like you want to hear me talk...

This post is going to be short and sweet but with lots of pictures. I have come to find that most people just want to see the cutest little boy in the world--and I don't blame you. I can't tell you how many hours Gabe and I have spent just staring at him. I know we are probably a little biased but we tend to think he is the cutest thing we have ever laid eyes on.

Our little buddy was one week old yesterday! His umbilical cord fell off on Sunday night at bath time. Mommy got a little misty eyed when I thought about what that little piece of flesh signified. That was Isaiah's lifeline while he was in my womb and now at not only a week old it had fallen off. So strange! I can see now why people say cherish every moment. I told Gabe last night that it seems like he was just born yesterday but at the same time I do not remember life without him.

Okay--now on to the pictures...

"Enough with the pictures!"

Daddy loves this face Isaiah makes!

Mommy and Isaiah out to lunch

My mom, My grandma and Isaiah-I think they like him a little bit!

Isaiah and Grandma (still working on a name for her to go by-any ideas?)

Isaiah's first bottle (I am breastfeeding but really wanted Gabe to have the opportunity to bond with his son--he does about 2 of the feedings a day)

Isaiah and Grandpa Dan

How cute is he!!

How I find my guys quite often!

Isaiah's first bath with Daddy and Aunt Kimmy

Isaiah LOVES his swing!

I want to also say thankyou to every single person that has taken time out of their lives to be apart of this last week. Gabe and I have been amazed at how many people have come to meet our new addition. We have the MOST amazing family and friends. Gabe's parents are headed out to meet their grandson this Sunday and we are SO pumped! Isaiah keeps asking me when Mima and Gramps will get here!!!

Stay tuned for more pictures.

Enjoying the journey with my Father-- and my son

Hello Isaiah fans!

Gabe here. I was holding Isaiah Caden today after his afternoon feeding, just watching him sleep and listening to the words of a song by Jason Upton called "When It Thunders":

Baby look up there’s our star in the middle of the sky
Shining where we are to comfort you and I
While I hold you in the dark I hope you see the light
And the passion of my heart in this simple lullaby

Daddy don’t sleep daddy don’t slumber
I don’t wonder when it thunders
If I’m safe in daddy’s arms

Daddy look up there’s our star I hear you say to me
Something deep inside says I never want to leave
So I need for you to know whenever I go
God is in control and you are in His arms

Tears came to my eyes. I couldn't help it! In that moment, I realized that I would die--or kill--without a moment's hesitation before I'd let any harm come to my son. Now I know, in a very small way, how my Father feels about me. Is it any wonder that He asks me to call him 'Abba' (Daddy)?

Click here to listen to a 2-minute clip of the song. It's from a CD called "Great River Road", and I highly recommend it, along with all of Upton's other stuff. Worth every cent! He's my favorite worship guy, hands down.

Oh yeah, almost forgot to share our praise report! Isaiah's pediatrician didn't even check his bilirubin levels this morning since he's doing so well developmentally. He was wide-eyed, alert, and he's doing really well. Praise God! The little champ still has some jaundice, but nothing abnormal. Thank God for being involved in every little detail. And thank you all for the prayers!

The psalmist David spilled his guts to the Lord and cried out: "O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you ... For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers" (Psalm 39:4-5, 12).

This Scripture helped me gain perspective. Today, the Lord taught me that all of the little stuff I freak out about means nothing. Life is short. Our lives are like shadows by a campfire... spit in the wind. Like David, I asked the Lord to help me gain (and keep) His eternal perspective. I want to see like God sees, and live as He does. Like my own Dad and those who've passed on, I'm just a guest here. This isn't my home.

Today, I will just enjoy the journey... with my Father and my son.

I am head over heels in love...

Hey guys--Kara here. This week has been a whirlwind and I have loved every minute of it--well there were a few parts during labor I did not LOVE but hey it was worth it.

We are home from the hospital and trying to get in the groove of things. Isaiah's first night was a little rough because he was having some tummy issues but I think we are on the right track now. Thank you Jesus for Milicon drops :)

I don't have a lot of time to write a long post but I wanted to ask all of my blog friends to be praying. Isaiah has a little bit of jaundice and we have been getting his blood tested every day since he was born and it has continued to climb. It is nothing at all that is not fixable but I am believing God to heal him so that we will not have to worry about doing anything with it. I know this is a completely normal thing for babies but just wanted to ask for some prayer. We go back tomorrow morning at 10 for another blood test to see if they levels have gone down. If they are still elevated we may have to have some light therapy done here in the house. Basically some lights that he will need to lay under--kinda like a little tanning bed :) Any who...would you please be praying that:

a) tonight he is able to eat regularly
b) he is able to poop (this is how their bodies get rid of the jaundice)
c) because of these things his levels will be low tomorrow

That is all for now. I will be back soon and write about the birth story and just my wonderful son in general! As I stated in the subject I am in LOVE with my son--and even more in love with my husband.

Some more pics of Isaiah:

My son is here!

Hey guys!

Gabe again. Isaiah Caden is here! He was born on Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 8:04pm-- and the final stats are in: 6 lbs, 7 oz, and 20 in long. Baby and momma are doing great! (Actually, Kara looks like she just finished a day at the spa... that's how great she looks.)

I heard that some of you were freaking out because I didn't update the blog after 5:07pm on Monday night. That's because a) Kara started into hard labor around 6:45, and b) the hospital's internet connection died, so I had no online access whatsoever.

I watched the whole thing. I helped Kara push, counting to 10 as she nearly passed out. I did make this comment during a hard push: "Wow, look at that head!" Yeah, Kara didn't like that. Anyway, my son is amazing. Without any further ado, let's have some pictures.


Ain't he cute?! Thanks everyone for your love, support, and prayers!

5:07pm Update

Hey all-- Gabe here again. It's a little after 5, and Kara is still in labor. We had a little scare because Isaiah's heart rate kept getting low, so the nurse pumped some fluid and readjusted Kara's position, and all seems to be fine now. Kara's now dilated 8 cm (that's up from 3 this morning), so we're making progress!

Please continue to pray for a safe and happy delivery.

"Man, I thought this thing would take, like, 2 hours..."

Hey all--

Gabe here. Kara just had her epidural put in. Contractions are coming at a fairly steady rate, although nothing major yet.

Seriously, I thought this thing would take like 2 hours. We got here a little late--mainly because we just left late, but also because McDonald's messed up our breakfast order (yeah, THAT wasn't annoying!). I must confess that I was kind of rude with the lady. Wherever you are, I'm sorry!

So instead of getting here at 7:30, we got here at 8:00. It's now 11:30. Kara's doctor broke her water to induce labor, and we've been waiting ever since. Kara really wanted to watch a movie to make the time go faster, but the only ones I brought were "24:Season 5" and "The Incredibles." I didn't even bring my Batman movies. Nonetheless, Kara was very uninterested in the ones I brought, so her sister Kim got "The Secret Life of Bees" from a nearby Redbox. The title menu music was playing while the anesthesiologist put her epidural in. Very calming.

Well that's all for now. More later.

Happy Valentines Day!

I hope that everyone is enjoying this Valentines with people you love. Gabe and I went out to eat last night with some friends and decided to stay in tonight. I am making homemade Chicken Parmesan right now...well it is in the oven as I type. I will get back with you on how it comes out!

We went to the doctor yesterday and they scheduled me to be induced on Monday at 7:30 am...yes you read that right--I will be a mom in about 36 hours! My blood pressure was a little high so the doctor decided to go ahead and deliver Isaiah. It was funny because my doctor was at a delivery so another doctor saw me. This doctor obviously didn't know about all my crazy antics and when I told him I did not want a Friday the 13th baby or a Valentines baby he just stared at me! My doctor is quite used to my weirdness but this doctor didn't know what to do with me. He could not schedule my induction because I am not his patient but he sent me home (after they determined there was no protein in my urine--this can be a sign of preeclamsia) and told me to be waiting for a phone call to schedule my induction. I had not been gone for more than 5 minutes when the phone rang and the nurse told me when "go time" would be. I just said "wow, umm okay". The sad thing is that I went back to work and worked my last few hours there. I was planning on having at least another few weeks to tell everyone bye but my little guy had other plans. It was just so surreal to not only be told that my child would be here that soon but also knowing that my days of working full time were coming to an end.

Gabe and I are so excited. I really don't think it has hit home with me that I will be sitting at home this time next week with my son! I will have Gabe update the blog once Isaiah is born. Please keep us in your prayers. We are praying for a FAST and safe delivery!

I am going to miss these gals...

Before I get too far behind I wanted to post pictures of my work baby shower. As many of you know I will not be returning to work after I have Isaiah. I may try and find something part time but as far as full time, my days are coming to an end. I have worked at the same company for almost 3 years but my mom has been there my entire life, so these people are my 2nd family. I have already told all of them that I will be up there quite often just to sit in my office and reminisce. Also, grandma and Isaiah will need to have their lunch dates :)
Below are some pictures from the shower.


Thank you so much to all my friends! This pregnancy would not have been as fun without you. The constant support has meant so much to me. I am thinking that next time I get pregnant I need to just come up there weekly so I can have you all there again to help keep me sane! :)

Update on me and Isaiah: I will be going to the doctor tomorrow morning and I am excited to see if anything has changed. I have not felt any contractions (that I know of) but I can definitely feel that he has dropped. I have a lot of pressure down low but other than that I am doing okay. My feet are very swollen but my house shoes have made life a little easier! I know that I can't plan everything but I really don't want Isaiah to be born on Friday the 13th or Valentines--but anytime after that I am all good! Ha ha! I know... just keep laughing!

On a side note. This weekend I learned that one of my coworkers passed away and this week has been a little rough on me and my group. His memorial was yesterday and it was such a great life celebration. Please keep the Mackey family in your prayers.

NO I am supposed to have another month!

So I went to the doctor on Thursday for my first weekly checkup. Gabe is out of town and will not be back until next Tuesday. When he scheduled this time to be away for work I told him there was no way I would be even close to going into labor. Well lets just say that Isaiah is making sure that we know he is in charge now. I have NOT had Isaiah yet but I was informed that I was 3 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced. I know that my doctor, friend who was with me and I were all very surprised. Usually for your first child you can add about 4 days to your due date and that is when your baby will make their arrival. So needless to say I have been going crazy since Thursday organizing and trying to get all my last minute items before Isaiah makes his debut.

I have been feeling really good since Thursday and though I have had some Braxton hicks contractions I think I have at least have another week. I say that but I am new at this and I also thought I was having a girl! It is hilarious because when I told everyone my story about when we were told we were having a girl only later to be told it was a boy everyone said, "I have heard of that happening but not very often" and now when I tell people that I am 3 centimeters and 70% effaced already they say the EXACT same thing. I have a feeling this little boy is going to be full of surprises.

I will keep everyone updated but please be praying that he holds on until his Daddy gets home!