Kirsten was born--a miracle-- on Jan. 25th at 5:20 pm!

After an extremely dramatic day, Carrie and Karl welcomed their baby Kirsten into the world!

At 5 lbs. 6 oz. (her proud papa will correct me on the details if I'm wrong), and 18 inches, my niece is a little, healthy pink miracle.

I say miracle not as an exaggeration... I say miracle because in all reality, Kirsten almost wasn't. Praise be to God in the highest.

As you might already know, Carrie lost her mucus plug on Saturday night. After some on-and-off contractions, Carrie grew frustrated, naturally. But everyone good-naturedly told her that this was normal and not to fret. Well...

By some amazing miracle, and some amazing medical connections with friends from church, Carrie went in for a biophysical profile yesterday at 2:45 p.m.. A nurse friend from church was concerned about Carrie's well-overdue condition, and called another midwife from our parish. This midwife also grew concerned, and called her husband who is one of the top OB/GYNs at one of the hospitals in Portland. He checked his schedule, and happened to have an available time for that very afternoon. Thanks be to God in the highest!

They checked the amniotic fluid, and it wasn't good. They checked baby's heartbeat, and with each contraction it dived dangerously low... and an emergency Caesarean section was called into order.

Carrie's amniotic sac was filled with meconium, which is basically the baby's excrement, waste, dead skin, toxins, etc. Kirsten's lungs were filled with meconium, and when they pulled her out she had the cord wrapped around her neck twice, and once around her body. It was one of the worst cases of meconium the doctors and nurses had ever seen.

She wasn't expected to live, and if she had tried to breath right away, she would have choked. They rushed her to the ICU, where they put oxygen on her little face and began to hook her up to machines... But as they were checking each of her vital signs, the doctors and nurses were amazed to find that she was okay--she didn't even need the oxygen. She was breathing. On a scale of 1 to 12, 12 being the best, her healthy condition and life expectancy went from a "1" to an "8" in a matter of minutes.

Had Carrie waited until today for the biophysical profile like she had originally planned...

.... my heart is torn just thinking about it.

Had her contractions continued steadily... Kirsten's heartbeat would have ceased....

Had the baby been born at home... we wouldn't have her today...

And had Carrie gone to any other hospital in the area, they would not have been equipped for such a high level case of merconium.

For the past three days, Kirsten hadn't been able to eat, and had to live off of her own body fat... which is why she is so tiny now. But I think she'll plumpen up in no time :)

Watching our pink-faced angel from behind a plexiglass window, it was hard to believe she almost wasn't. Sure, she was smaller than the other big, round babies, but her face radiated with a red glow, brighter than any other baby in the room.

While the beautiful mama held her child and visited with guests, my parents, Job, Karl and I stood in the hallway. A man dressed in scrubs--one of the doctors who delivered Kirsten-- walked over to Karl, smiled and held out his hand saying to him, "You're the luckiest daddy in Portland." My mother made the sign of the cross, and asked him with a voice filled with faith, "So, she really was a miracle?" "You bet" was all the doctor could say; he was on the verge of tears, and quickly turned and walked away.

If you've never experienced an outright miracle, this is one. And if you've been praying for the Thienes family, then you've been a huge part of this miracle. I am overjoyed, and overwhelmed by this merciful event. Praise the Lord, Praise Him in the highest. I thank you, my family thanks you, and I'm thanking God unceasingly. Words and tears cannot express...

I wish you could see her :)

The parents are doing well, and they're considering giving Kirsten a second middle name after St. John Maximovitch, whose relics were placed on Carrie's belly before she had the surgery.