Bye Bye Blog

So I haven't posted in 6 months. I am effectively saying goodbye to the blog. We had a good run. My life has finally slowed down enough that I don't have to keep everyone posted on the internet anymore. Hopefully, I stay in one place for awhile and no insanely major life changes take place. We're in Little Rock now. I teach special education at Hall High. David is teaching at Pulaski tech, and we are both constantly amazed at how great our life is. Cannon is such a wonderful, beautiful addition to our lives. He makes us both so happy. I love you all, and commend you for sticking with the blog for this long. Thanks for the love! Sayonara blog.

P.S. you can keep up with us on facebook.

Welcome to the World, Cannon. Isn't it awkward.

Sorry for the delay on the birth post. You would think having a baby that pretty much sleeps all of the time would be an excuse enough to write on the old blog, but unfortunately, it's an excuse to pack, clean, do my umpteenth load of laundry, or sleep. Little guy has finally passed out for the moment, so here goes the abbreviated version.

We went to the hospital at 12:30 am on Friday, July 30th. My contractions were mild most of the night, and I got a little bit of sleep. At 9:00 am my doctor came in and broke my water and my contractions got a lot stronger. After about an hour I asked for an epidural, which hurt like hell going in but turned my 9-pain-scale contractions into zilch pain scale. Little did I know I would have about 12 more hours of labor to go. I was dilating uber-slow but finally, at about 6:30 p.m., I was a ten and could start pushing. Every time I would push everyone would yell "good good, great, perfect," but after an hour, he was still in the exact same place. Everyone could see his head, but he was still pretty far up there. Cannon was facing "sunny-side up" which means his head wasn't in a good position to be pushed through my pelvis. No amount of turning or twisting was getting him to move. Every time I laid on anything besides my back, his little heart rate would drop too low. My doctor told me to keep pushing for awhile longer and well see where we got. An hour later, Cannon was still in the exact same position. I was devastated and tired. I asked her if there was anyway we could just pull him out, since we could see him. She told me that it could hurt him, because he was still so far up, and that (prepare yourself) she would pretty much be giving me a vaginal cesarean and that it was going to "tear my bottom up." After explaining this she told me I could keep pushing or we could do a cesarean and it was up to me. After hearing the vaginal cesarean comment, I was scared, but done. I told her I wanted the c-section, that I was ready for him to get out. I was upset about it, but there is a certain point where you just want to be finished and see that little baby. The anesthesiologist came in to give me a spinal block, and teach me the true meaning of a 10 on the pain scale. I ended up instantly getting what is called a spinal headache. I can definitely say this is the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life. I was hysterical and sobbing and can't even remember much of the surgery except for David telling me to breath and me telling him I didn't want to EVER do this again (much to the protest of everyone in the room). My doctor also kept telling me that as soon as the baby was out, she was going to give me "the best margarita I've ever had in an IV." Cannon came out at 8:45 p.m. with extensive tugging and in went the margarita. He weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20.5 in. long. After about 5 minutes I felt a lot better and could get a look at my little guy. His apgar score was a 9, but he was kind beat up from getting stuck in my pelvis. He had a black eye, fat lip, and bruised forehead. My doctor told me I made the right decision, that he was NOT coming out. David went with Cannon and I got wheeled off to recovery where I had a bad case of the shakes that lasted well into the night. At about 11 pm I got to go to the mother/baby room and nurse and hold him. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but truly truly worth it.
It's been twelve days and Cannon is the sweetest, most adorable kid a mom could ask for. He eats ferociously every 2-3 hours but sleeps like a log. I think he has my nose and the rest is all his daddy. I honestly have never been so happy.
As most of you know, things have never been so crazy in the Carpenter household. David found out he got a full time visual arts teaching position at Pulaski Tech on July 28th and Cannon was born on the 30th. David started work on Monday and Melinda has been staying with me and helping me take care of the baby and recover from surgery. My mom comes down on Sunday and I head up to Little Rock on the 22nd or 23rd. We are staying with David's parents for a few months and trying to buy a house. I'm going to miss everyone here, but can't wait to finally be in Arkansas again. Things could not have worked out better for us. We are so blessed.

P.S. Ashur sent us a card, and it said "Welcome to the world, Cannon. Isn't it awkward". Touche, Ashur, Touche.

A few weeks ago we went to Little Rock for a wonderful baby shower thrown by Elizabeth, Katie and Christy. Here are some pictures. I know there aren't very many of me, but I feel like a whale in every picture. I've only got a few weeks until little guy makes an appearance, but things are getting incredibly uncomfortable. I can't wait. Either I'm carrying him really high, or he's one tall baby cause I get kicked in the ribs a lot. I'll be sure and let you know if he decides to make an early appearance. I left work early today. The air conditioner went out and my Braxton Hicks contractions were driving me crazy. I felt so miserable I decided to leave. I just need to remember that it will all be worth it in the end.
David is still looking for a "real" job. He's been busy with several art openings and has got a lot of press. Check out some of the links below.
Arkansas Democrat
Arkansas Times
Tiger Weekly
Country Roads Magazine

belated updates

Hey everyone,

The last few weeks have been so busy both David and I have barely had time to sleep, more or less blog post, so here it is. Baby Carpenter is still doing well. I'm officially 10 weeks away from my due date and HUGE! We go for our (probably last) ultrasound tomorrow to see if his little cyst is gone. The doctor assures us that if it still isn't, it'll be okay. We went to childbirth class this weekend and it was pretty intense. After much consideration and debate, I've decided to go ahead and have an epidural. I admire everyone who doesn't, but it's a personal choice and one that apparently 98% of patients and Woman's hospital in Baton Rouge choose. I also have a feeling this little (big?) guy is coming early as I appear to be nine months pregnant, get Braxton Hicks at least 4 times a day, and have a family history of early babies. So let's cross our fingers for 8 weeks, shall we.
David is officially done with his MFA thesis. It was a roaring success. I'm really proud of him (and us). Three years is a long time to be in school full time, but it's paid off. He is currently applying for jobs in the Baton Rouge area, and a couple look promising.

As many of you know, we are developing a long term plan to eventually move back to Little Rock. With the baby due in August and my health insurance and maternity benefits, moving this year isn't really an option. Depending on a lot of factors we will be moving as early as December and as late as May/June. This time next year, we should at least be packed and ready to go back home. We've been here awhile and really want to be closer to family.

My students finished school on Thursday, but I"m still at work for most of this week. In Louisiana, to go on past the 4th grade, you have to pass a state test called the Leap. The scores range from unsatisfactory, approaching basic, basic, mastery and advanced. You have to have at least an approaching basic and a basic in math and ELA to pass. Last year I had a self-contained special education student pass with basic ELA and basic Math. This year I had a self-contained special education student pass with Mastery ELA, Basic Math (and basic science and social studies I might add). Also, many of my students received approaching basic on the test. I couldn't be prouder of my kids. Most of them come to me at least 3 grade levels below, and for them to do so well is almost unheard of. There are days where I feel like I"m not sure if I'm making a difference, but I can legitimately say I feel proud of myself as well.

Next weekend we are packing up the truck with David's art work because he has a show in Little rock the first week of June. We are also spending memorial day weekend in Little Rock and attending a baby shower hosted by Katie, Elizabeth and Christy. I can't wait. Here are some pictures of the last few weeks.

14 weeks to go

We went to the doctor again on Monday and Cannon still has one little cyst, but everything else looks great. The doctor is not at all concerned. They are going to check again in a month. In 11 days I'll be in my 3rd trimester. Honestly, I'm already ready for him to make an appearance. My trips to the restroom are pretty much hourly and my appetite is out of control. Besides all of that, I'm doing really well. David's thesis show reception is May 15th from 6-8 pm. He is working constantly, and we are both ready for it to be finished. I start summer school on June 1st and we head to Little Rock on May 28th for Memorial Day. Anything else comes up, I'll keep you posted. The latest ultrasound pictures are uber-close ups. She turned the 3-D on for a second and he definitely has the Devor nose! He has his little fists up in this picture, like he's going to knock you out.

trucking along

Baby Cannon is growing bigger everyday. Here are pictures of his little feet and cute face (except for that last skeletor pic). I swear I can already see a Devor nose on that kid.

We went to the doctor on Friday and everything looks good except for one little thing. He has these 2 tiny cysts on his brain called choroid plexus cysts. They are found in about 1 out of every 100 second and third trimester ultrasounds and most doctors agree, found alone, with no other problems, usually mean nothing. Our doctor told us NOT to worry. She is going to check him out again, from head to toe in 4 weeks. I've done a lot of research. Choroid plexus cysts can be an indicator of a usually fatal condition called trisomy 18 and sometimes downs syndrome, but my chances are still low, 1 in 371, which is not very likely. Basically we have a .0026% chance of having a baby with a chromosome problem. I guess the semi-nerve-racking part is that my chances of having a baby with trisomy 18 before the cysts were 1 in 3000. I'm going to take the doctor's advice and not worry (which means staying off the internet).

I broke down and bought a plane ticket to Siloam for Monday for spring break. I can't wait. I haven't been home since Christmas. This will probably be the last trip to Arkansas for awhile seeing as my belly is constantly growing and my back can't seem to handle the car ride.

David is crazy-busy with his thesis show. He has 6 weeks to get everything done including his paper. I'll keep you posted on how things go.

Belated Baby Blog

I know I said I would update every Sunday, but I got to caught up with work. School is super busy right now with the end of the 9 weeks, IEP-bonanza, summer school determination etc. David has also been burning the midnight oil on his thesis show. My sister delivered her beautiful baby girl Joanna Namoi on the 4th. She's a cutie with a Devor nose. Picture attached. Carpenter Baby news: official baby name Cannon Carpenter. Middle name is still up for grabs. My belly is HUGE, but if one more person asks if I'm having twins I will cry. (it doesn't take much though, I literally saw a picture of a puppy and cried, boo). I can feel him move every now and then, but it still just feels like popcorn popping. I'm still waiting for that Garrett Hartley kick. (Saints reference) From the looks of the sonogram it shouldn't be long. He's a busy body and a heavyweight.

Growth Spurt

We went to the doctor and Thursday and, as most of you know, we discovered we are having a boy. We are both really excited. He moves around constantly, and I can feel it ever so often. Not only is it a boy, but it's a very big boy. At my sonogram I was supposed to be 16 weeks and 2 days, but the baby is measuring 18 weeks. Either he's really big or my due date is off (I'm betting the latter). He's been measuring big since 9 weeks, and that is supposed to be very accurate. Next time we go to the doctor, on the 26th, they will do a full body scan of the baby and they may change my due date. Here is a picture of the baby, see through spine and all. I will not post a picture of the It's a boy, naked baby on a glass table from below shot. I am trying to avoid years of humiliation. Let's just say, it's obvious it's a boy.
P.S. check out how big he's gotten from the last pics, from lime to sweet potato.

We switched doctors, and I'm very happy with our choice. Our new doctor's office is much more organized and understanding. They even had us actually meet with the insurance department who informed me (and showed me) that we have a 25 dollar copay for pregnancy and delivery. At the last place, they told me I had a 300 dollar deductible for them, a 300 dollar deductible for the hospital, and I owed them 10% of everything else they did. I told them I thought I had a 25 dollar copay and they told me I was wrong, making me cry on two separate occasions. When I called Blue Cross after the new doctor, they told me not only did I only owe 25, but that they had already paid the old doctors office all of the money they also took from me. I had to leave a stern message on the voicemail and they now are sending me a refund check for 375 dollars. Hooray for getting back money.
I applied to teach summer school for the month of June. It's good money, and I might be able to save up enough to take off 12 weeks total. I have a feeling it's going to be a struggle to get me back at work. One of my students hurled adult scissors across the room yesterday. I know, I know, barrels of fun.

I was finally starting to feel better this week until this morning. Rocky let loose one of his horrendous farts which sent me reeling to the bathroom. Boo morning sickness, please go away. Ditto to all the other horrible pregnancy symptoms that continue to plague me. Honestly, I can't wait until this baby is here. I don't care how much he gets up in the night or how much he cries or needs changed, he will still be precious and wonderful and out of my body, which sounds absolutely fabulous to me.

Baby resolution

I've decided that since we're preggers I should probably post some more stuff. I'm going to try and make a new post every Sunday, so keep your eyes open. You can watch the amazing growing belly (this week in David's safety glasses). Since my last post we've had snow, school cancellations and MARDI GRAS! I only had to go to work 3 days this week. We headed down to New Orleans, had a blast at Spanish Town and David set up his art show in Thibodaux. Here are pictures from our recent excursions.

On a baby note, we might find out the sex tomorrow. I have a doctors appointment with a new doctor and I'm not sure what that will entail, but I'll be 17 weeks on Tuesday, so maybe we'll find out. If not, we should know by Michael/Anna and Katie/Holt's weddings. Arkansas, here we come. I'm missin' my homies. We tried to register for some stuff last week for fun, and left a little overwhelmed. How many kinds of bottles can they make? This is one situation where you have nothing you need, you have no idea what you're doing and the consumer world is trying to make you buy things like drying racks for bottles that you have no idea if you need or not. It's exhausting. I keep telling myself that people used to have babies in caves, so no matter what we get, it'll be better than that.

You spin my head right round right round

Things have been going pretty smoothly in the Carpenter household. I want to post, but I am honestly more tired than I have ever been in my whole life. I am also sporting a decent baby bump. Everyone keeps saying, "Wow, you're only 12 weeks!" I have to wear maternity clothes or stretchy pants just to make it through the day. Last time I went to the doctor the baby was going absolutely crazy. We couldn't even get a good picture it was moving around so much. I saw it do about 10 somersaults in 2 minutes. See above pictures. Two of my very sweet work friends, Eva and Sara, are throwing me a baby shower in May. I really can't wait for the baby to get here. If you know me at all you know I can't stand surprises and I'm not known for my patience. I am so anxious to get started, to know what it is, go shopping, have the nursery ready, and start saving it's college fund. I like to be prepared.

Mardi Gras is coming up and we're headed to New Orleans next weekend for the first big parade. If anyone wants to come and crash at our house for the big party come on down. I'm a fail proof designated driver ;). David's been cranking out work in the studio. Pretty much all we do is come home, eat whatever is in the kitchen and pass out from exhaustion. His show is going to be really amazing though. I'm really impressed with his work this semester. I promise, if anything happens, I'll let you know. Until then, enjoy the semi blurry pictures of baby Carpenter.

P.S. I swear it's waving in one of those.