what to expect

Dad, my uncle Tom and aunt Pam
Lots of family!
Three generations! New baby and a newly engaged couple! How fun!
Dad holding a sleepy Coranelle. She's all cuddled up in his arms!


Coranelle is now 3 weeks old! Crazy! She is clearly growing. I put on one of her newborn onesies today and it was already getting pretty snug. How amazing.
She is doing well, but getting more fussy and cries more often. Ryan and I thought that we would not use a pacifier. We didn't want it to affect the breast feeding or for her to rely on it. But, yesterday, she cried (unless she was eating) from 11am until about 8pm. That much crying is SO taxing and so hard. She was clean, fed, rocked, swaddled, and I had tried putting her in the swing, and the vibrating papasan(sp?). I felt like a human pacifier, as eating seemed to be the only thing that calmed her. Ryan didn't go to the gym, like he typically does, because I was just worn out and in tears. After we had tried to walk her to calm her, she was still fussy. I think Ryan realized what it felt like all day and went and found the pacifier. And it worked! She took it and it calmed her. I guess she just really likes to suck! So, I think that it will be a lifesaver. Not that we will use it all the time. I will change her, rock her, feed her, swaddle her, etc. first, and then use that if nothing else works. Today has been a much better day and I am enjoying Coranelle and motherhood so much more. You just don't know how you are going to parent or what decisions you will make until you have your own little child with her own little personality. I kept telling people before we had Coranelle that I just had no idea what to expect. And it was so true! You cannot make decisions before you have a baby or judge those of others- ever. Ahh, the things I am learning as a new mom. It seems like a high learning curve, but I am enjoying it.
Heido came and walked with me today. Coranelle was super fussy, until we stopped and changed her in a grassy field and found she was wet and dirty. After that, she was great. Typically, she has a reason to be upset. I just have to figure out what that reason is! After our walk, Heido stayed with me and held Coranelle so that I could get ready for the day, weed my garden and pick some lettuce and snap peas. Yes, I have a whole bunch of snap peas now! And tons of lettuce, so I picked a bunch and made a huge salad for our fun get together tonight. Amanda is home from Haiti and we are all getting together to see her! I am excited.
This past weekend, we bought a TV. Ryan and I have always had a 19 inch TV with rabbit ears. Funny, I know. So, for our anniversary, we got a new tv! A flat screen, 37 inches! I feel so grown up! It makes a huge difference. Now, people can come over to our house and watch movies and the office and we won't have to haul Coranelle to other people's places all the time.
We also went to my Grandpa Lew's wake. I got to see all of the Mullens and Millers and everyone got to meet Coranelle. She did pretty well and got passed around to be admired by all the relatives. Interesting that new life came into the world so soon after another passed on. Too bad that Grandpa couldn't meet his great granddaughter. But, it was fun to see my dad, Christina and Kyle. Dad got to hold Coranelle and it was really fun to see him holding our daughter with a big grin on his face. Please be praying for him, as he continues to deal with his cancer and figures out what the next steps are for treatment. I don't want to say much more than that, but my mom, Stefan, Rachael, me, Ryan, Kyle and Christina are all very worried and upset about this and extra thoughts and prayers never hurt. Thanks!
I hope you are all having a great week. Thanks for reading.

18 days old

Coranelle bundled for her daily, morning walk in the stroller.
Going for a walk with momma and Coranelle in Broomfield!


Coranelle is doing well. Just wanted to post a new update about how things are going. Coranelle and I went to the pediatrician on Friday. Our appointment was supposed to be on Wednesday. I was looking forward to it all week to see if she has been gaining weight as she should and just get her all checked out. But, I had it in my head that we had an appointment at 1:15. I had my day all planned out so that she would be fed and ready to go on time. But, at 11:30, I got a call from the pediatrician office saying we had missed our appointment. It was at 11:15, not 1:15. I was so upset. I think the combination of being up with her from 3am-6am and all of these crazy hormones made me lose it and I was just sobbing. I DONT miss doctors appointments and I felt so bad! Of course, me being upset did not help her crankiness and the two of us just cried together for a good while. I don't know why I am so emotional! But, we made it on Friday. She now weighs 7 pounds 1 once. By 2 weeks, babies are supposed to gain their birth weight back (6 pounds 6 onces). But, she has well exceeded that. So, it gives me confidence that she is eating well enough and I am doing okay breast feeding. She checked out and everything is healthy and going well. I really like my pediatrician! He is great. She also had to get her Hep B shot. It was not fun to watch them stab my little girl with a needle and see her face turn purple in pain and horror. Poor girl! But, she recovered okay. Heido came over yesterday after her appointment so that I could get in a nap. That was great! And my mom was here Thursday to walk with us, get coffee and do some grocery shopping. We had a great time. On Tuesday, I met with the girls I did prenatal yoga with and truly enjoyed meeting their little ones and comparing birth stories and sharing how it is to be new moms. I am very thankful for them in my life and having moms to relate to and share with.
Coranelle has gotten much more fussy as time goes on. She seems to fuss in the late afternoon( right when Ryan gets home from work). There isn't too much to do to rememdy her crying- except take her on little walks. But, we are learning different ways to sooth her and we are getting used to hearing her little cry. It is a bit like a guessing game- trying to figure out why she might be upset or fussy. We love her tons and are learning so much each day. It has been wonderful to have grandparents around to help out and hold her and love her!
Tomorrow, we have my grandpa's wake and my dad, Christina and Kyle are in town. Coranelle will get to meet the other grandparents and her uncle Kyle. That sounds crazy, but it will be fun!
Hope you are all doing well! Thanks for reading!

almost 2 weeks old!

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So, being a new parent seems to be getting a little less scary. Every day, there are new things happening, but I feel so blessed to be the mom of such a great little girl. It has been so fun to watch Ryan, friends and family bond with her. We had a good weekend together and are getting out for walks every day. Coranelle stayed with Heido on Friday for a bit while I went out grocery shopping! I have never left her before, so it felt strange and I missed her little face before I even got to the store. But, she was in good hands and it was good to get out. Heido and Bruce also watched her Saturday night so that we could get to church, and that was a fun little date! We are not quite ready to bring her to our church yet, as there are about a thousand people at each service and it is really loud. But, it was nice to be able to go. Yesterday, we did a photo shoot with Bruce so that we can make official announcements. Coranelle was pretty good, but we got a lot of pictures of her crying. She didn't really get a good nap yesterday, so I think she was pretty over stimulated. But, Bruce and Heido set up a whole studio for her and it was fun to get some good shots of her!
Today, after our walk, we went to get our second newborn screening test done. I hate watching them prick her foot and the look of sheer horror in her face! But, she calmed down and I went to my first La Leche meeting in broomfield. It is a group for breastfeeding moms that meets twice a month for support. It was nice to meet some other moms and babies and share concerns and hear feedback. I am also going to join a mom's club in broomfield. Tomorrow, all of the moms who I did prenantal yoga with that had babies in May, are getting together for lunch. There are 4 of us and we all had our babies within 2 weeks of each other and we live in the same subdivision. It will be fun to meet the other babies and hear how the moms are doing.
What else is new? The umbilical cord fell off at 10 days, so that is healing well. We have another doctor's appointment on Wednesday, so we will see how Coranelle is growing. Coranelle seems to have a fussy time in the evenings, so we are getting used to that and working on ways to calm her down. It is fun to get to know your baby! We have been getting a few 3-4 hour stretches at night- which is wonderful. And Ryan has been so great about taking Coranelle after her 2am feeding and changing her and swaddling her and convincing her it is nighttime and time to sleep- all while I get some sleep. It has been so helpful and appreciated.
Overall, we are really enjoying our little family- the fussiness, challenges, and joys of it all. When she is just content in your arms, there is not a better feeling in the world! Ryan and I talked about how- even though we didn't do anything on a Friday night, except hang out with Coranelle and give her a bath- we are so happy. We have our little family, and you don't need much more to make you feel like the most blessed people in the world!
Tomorrow- we celebrate our 2 year anniversary! I think we got a pretty great present this year for our anniversary!

a week and a day!

Daddy got her a new outfit! Actually, he went out a bought her quite a few things because we didn't really have clothes or hats that were small enough. Never thought I'd have a small baby- considering how big Stefan and I were!
This picture just makes me smile. She and Ryan were playing and dancing. She is starting to grab at things and make her little body swim through the air. Every day, something changes!

Coranelle has been out for 1 week and 1 day. It seemed to fly by! She is doing well and growing and enjoying her little life. Ryan went back to work part time this week ( Mon, Wed and Fri). It is sad to be home without him, as he has been just phenomenal! He is a great dad and has a special touch with Coranelle. He has been getting up for one nighttime feeding to burp and change Coranelle after I feed. She loves her daddy!
Yesterday, she was like an eating machine! Is there a growth spurt at 1 week? She would only go about an hour or hour and a half in between feedings and was just sucking away! It wore me out a bit! Hopefully she is gaining her ounce + a day! I think her cheeks are filling out.
On Monday, I ventured out for my first walk alone with her. She did awesome. Then, we went to target together. Doing things alone with her for the first time is a bit scary, but she did great. I got the carseat all figured out and am working on getting her all changed and fed before outtings. That takes a long time sometimes! But, I am happy that I can breast feed and that I am getting the hang out it. She is too! She has a little blister on her lip from all of her hard work during feedings.
We are just really enjoying our family. I still look at her every hour in awe of how precious she is. (even when she is screaming because she hates baths and diaper changes).
I hope that you are all doing well. Thanks for reading and happy Wednesday!

more pictures

Coranelle Grace Mork!

Coranelle arrived on May 26th, 2009 at 2:25am after a 16 hour labor. She came on her due date and arrived like a beautiful, perfect doll. We still cannot believe she is ours and that we made her! She weighed 6 pounds 6 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. She was a perfect size to come out of me. She was very similar in size to Ryan when he was born. We assumed all along that we would have a "mini Kari" since we were having a girl. But, she looks a lot like daddy! She was born with long, dark hair and dark eyes. She has Ryan's perfect lips and my nose and a little bit of chubby cheeks. She is truly beautiful!
My labor was long. We got to the hospital at 9am Monday morning after being there three hours the night before because of contractions and then sent home. Mom and Heido got here at 9am. I started having bad contractions at about 10am, but was only 1cm dilated. We walked around for a long time and I got to 3cm dilated and they decided to let me stay. By then, the contractions got really bad. I was blacking out and shaking, but not making any progress. We decided then to go for the epidural. I realized that if I had to continue for 5 + hours of contractions like this, I would have no energy left to push. It was a great decision and made me more comfortable and focused. I still hadn't made much progress by late in the afternoon, so my doctor came and broke my water. This still didn't make the contractions very regular. I was "coupling", so I wasn't dilating much. So, next the put me on pitosin to make the contractions more regular. This did eventually help, but I was getting really worn out by 10pm, so they had to give me more for the epidural. Josh, Claire, Stefan, Rachael, Bruce, and Steve all came by for visits and support. My team of mom, Heido and Ryan was amazing and they pushed through the LONG day and held my hand, encouraged and fed me jello. Finally by 1am, I was complete and they let me start pushing at about 1:30am. I was relieved to finally push and have things moving along. I pushed with all my might while Ryan counted through the pushes and supported my head and encouraged me. The moms held my legs and were troopers. The doctor was called and I pushed for under an hour. It was so excited to hear them talk about her head of black hair and how close she was getting. What a relief when I was done and she, the beautiful, perfect child, was laid upon my chest. She was very alert and awake and didn't cry much. She was an 8-9 on the apgar scale and looking healthy. Whew! Next, I delivered the placenta, got stitched up and she was weighed and cleaned. We tried breast feeding a bit and then she was taken off for a bath with Ryan. My doctors, nurses, moms and Ryan were AMAZING! I could not have done it without them and they have been so wonderful!
Now, we are getting used to the feedinds and working on the breast feeding. My milk just came in and so we hope that at the doctor's tomorrow, she will have stopped losing weight. We are getting the hang of things and finding ourselves just staring at her for hours at a time- in wonder of the blessing that she is. We are such a happy and proud family.
She is stirring, so I will write more details when I get a few free moments. Thanks for all of the visitors, e-mails, thoughts, prayers and support!

39 week blooms

My newly planted flowers in the polka dot pots that were used to decorate at the baby shower. Why is this blue and underlined?
My awesome columbine and irises. They make me smile every time I walk out the door and see them. Everything else is blooming with new life... Coranelle.... where are you?
Giving my baby a little hug.
Trying to push her out. Don't worry, I am gentle. And, she has Mork, Mullen and Munson blood in her. That means, she'll have some stubborness in her. (or lots) She's gonna come when she is ready. Not when mom is!
This is my frustrated stance. Okay, any day now, little one....


I am due in 5 days! I am trying to be as patient as possible, but I am anxious for little Coranelle Grace to come! Ryan had guessed I would deliver yesterday, so he lost that bet. Although, I did have LOTS of contractions yesterday and last night. But, they weren't the real thing. We'll see how long Coranelle is comfortable in there. Meanwhile, it is lots of walks for me, weeding, planting flowers, swimming, and reading. I have enjoyed the time off, but sometimes feel guilty that I am not working but don't have a baby to take care of yet. I know I should enjoy the time while I have it!
Yesterday, I met up with a friend of mine who had a little boy in February. We were just strolling the mall together with her little son, Makana. We ran into 2 other moms who had babies in February and spent a few hours just chatting. It was fun to be around other new moms and hear about their lives and their babies. There were 2, 3 month old boys and a little 3 month old girl. Her name is Cora. Good taste in names! Hopefully I can find some more mom's groups like this to spend time with once Coranelle arrives.
The three other women in my prenatal yoga class who were due in May have already delivered. They all live in our subdivision, so it will be exciting to have park play dates with them this summer! Wow, life is going to change drastically- so soon!
I go to the doctor again tomorrow, so we will see what kind of progress I have made. Last Friday, I was still 1cm dilated. I had actually lost 2 pounds and my stomach hadn't grown any more. Like I said, I think Coranelle has run out of room to grow. My ribs cannot take any more! And, my stomach clearly doesn't have a whole lot of room in it anymore. I hope that Coranelle has dropped a little bit and that I am a little more dilated. We'll see if we make it through this weekend of HS graduation parties and momma's birthday. Maybe Coranelle will share a birthday with Grandma! We'll see. Until then, I'll be patiently (sort of) waiting.