15 Month Appointment

We went for Carson's 15 month doctor appointment today.  It went well for the most part.  At his 12 month appointment he was 17 lbs 5 ozs and at this appointment he was 19 lbs 1 oz, he gained almost 2 pounds!  That was really good although he is still in the 3rd percentile for weight.  He also grew about an inch since his last appointment and was 29 inches.  He continues to be in the 5th percentile for height.  So he is a little boy but that's okay!  He is growing!  

When we went for his 9 month appt, they took blood to check his iron levels which they do with all 9 month olds.  Well, his came back a little low and so they tested it again at 12 months and it was still a little low.  The doctor said this is normal for breastfed babies because they don't get as much iron.  Well, they checked it for a 3rd time to day and it was finally within normal ranges!  YAY!  I was really happy about that too which means no more finger pricks for awhile!

The only concerns at this point are that Carson is on the low end for how many words he is saying and how much he is talking.  But the doctor said it is nothing to worry about right now.  Also, although he was happy with the weight gain and that Carson continues to stay on his growth curve - he wants us to continue to give him lots of calories and even recommended that we put a little formula in his sippy with his milk.  I'm not sure how I feel about that yet, I may try it with the samples he gave me.  

That's about it.  Carson had 2 vaccinations today - the MMR and Hepatitis A.  He cried of course but calmed down pretty quickly.  His next appointment will be at 18 months!

Long Overdue Update!!

Ok I told myself I would update this blog regularly...and look at me, it's been 3 months!  Owell, life has been busy!  

Carson is now 15 months, I can't believe it!  He is just growing so fast and changing so much.  He is walking all over the place and trying to run all over the place!  He is becoming more and more independent everyday.  He still is not speaking a whole lot but can be very loud making noises.  His most common words are "look" and "dog".  From time to time he will say other words like "Mama" and "bye".  He is so active though, he doesn't have time to work on talking!  Carson loves to play outside and explore, I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time outdoors this summer.  

Another MAJOR milestone for Carson is that he is FINALLY sleeping through the night!!!!  What a miracle, I never thought this day would come!  It is so awesome to get a good night's sleep.  He wakes up pretty early, usually 7:00 at the latest but I am not going to complain!  I really never thought he would sleep through the night, he woke up at least 1 time per night and often many more times for his whole first year of life.  He is taking 2 naps per day but I think he may be ready to start transitioning to just one nap per day.  We will see how that goes in the upcoming weeks.  

Carson has had 6 teeth (4 top, 2 bottom) for quite awhile now.  But I just noticed last week that his molars are coming through.  Both top ones have broken through the gums but the bottom ones haven't yet.  I am sure they will soon because they are very swollen at the moment!  Another thing about Carson is that he eats anything and everything.  I really haven't found anything that he doesn't like yet which is awesome!  His favorites are veggies (peas, carrots, black beans); fruit (blueberries, pineapple, grapes); cheese; turkey and ham.  He drinks whole milk and water throughout the day out of his sippy cup and then still gets a bottle right before bedtime.  I am going to try to phase that out this summer.  I just worry that he may not be getting enough to drink during the day which is why he still gets the 1 bottle.  Carson quit nursing when he was around 13 months, we just gradually cut back until he was completely weaned.  I can't believe we made it that long, it was very difficult in the beginning but turned out to be a wonderful bonding experience and one that I don't regret.  He has only been sick one time in his life so far and I like to think that that nursing him helped with that also.  

Another BIG change in Carson's life has happened this week, he now has 2 working parents.  Carson has been lucky to have one of us home with him his whole life so far.  I stayed home with him from January-August 09 and Justin has been home with him since August.  But Justin started a new job on Monday and that means we had to figure out what Carson would do.  My mom and dad are keeping him 2 days per week and then it just happened that a lady who has twins in Kindergarten at my school was looking for something part time.  So she is taking care of him 3 days per week.  He is at her house all day one day per week and she works at a Mother's Day Out 2 days and he will go with her to that on those days.  We think this is great because he gets a lot of one on one attention with her but also will get to be around other children, which we think is important.   So far, it has been working out great and he seems to be adjusting very well.  I am so proud of him!  And only 7 more weeks of school and I get to be home with Carson for 2 whole months!  I am really looking forward to doing a lot of fun activities with him this summer!

Carson has his 15 month doctor appointment tomorrow.  I am looking forward to finding out how much he weighs and hopefully he has moved up some on the growth chart.  But I know he is healthy and happy so that is really all that matters!  I will try to update tomorrow with how everything went.  

I am going to leave you with some of Carson's 1 year photos that we had made in February.  I think they turned out great.  Shannon Payne did the photos and she has a blog:  shannonpaynephotography.blogspot.com.  She does an awesome job!

The Story of Carson's Birth

I have been wanting to write up Carson's birth story for awhile now...I started writing it out on Carson's 1st birthday (Jan. 7th) because I was feeling sentimental.  But of course I am just now getting around to posting it.  Better late than never, right??

I already wrote on here about how I was admitted to the hospital on New Year's Eve day 2008 because my blood pressure was high and the ultrasound showed that Carson wasn't growing.  So they decided to keep me in the hospital to monitor me closely until they could induce me at 37 weeks which would be full term.  The hospital stay was boring but looking back, I'm glad I had that time to rest before the baby got here because there was not much sleep to be had after.

We decided on January 7th as the day that I would have Carson because Dr. Cole would be at the Baptist office and would be close by to check on me.  I would be 37 weeks and 2 days on delivery day.  All along I knew I wanted to try for a natural childbirth because the idea of having a needle stuck in my spine freaked me out and I also did not want to feel not in control of my body.  But I wasn't sure that I would be able to do it since I was being induced and I had heard that contractions are much stronger with pitocin.  So I decided that I would just go with the flow and see what happens.  

I literally slept the whole day on January 6th and was pretty much by myself because Justin needed to wrap some things up at work.  Justin got everything together and brought us Red Robin for dinner that night.  It was so good!  They started the induction that night.  At around 7:30, the nurse came to put in my IV which would keep me hydrated during labor.  Then we got everything ready to move to a room on the Labor & Delivery wing of the hospital.  I had been in a room on the Antepartum wing for a week.  

So when we got to our L & D room, we met the nurse who seemed really great and she asked us lots of questions.  Then, she put in the Cervadil which they place in your cervix in order for it to thin and ripen in preparation for labor.  The nurse also checked me and said that I was still at 1 centimeter but that the baby's head was really low.  She said that I would probably cramp some from the Cervadil and that it may put me into labor because of the low position of the baby. The plan was to take the Cervadil out at 4 a.m., start the pitocin to begin contractions at 5 a.m., and Dr. Cole would break my water around 8 a.m.  Because I had the Cervadil in, I had to be monitored all the time which meant that I had to wear the straps around my belly which measured any contractions and kept track of the baby's heart rate.  I also had to wear a blood pressure cuff so that they could check my BP throughout the process.  With all of this on, it was going to be very difficult for me to get to sleep.  The nurse encouraged me to take an Ambien so that I could get some sleep and I did.  Justin decided to take a Tylenol PM also so that he could get some sleep before the big day.  I think I slept for a couple of hours until around midnight and woke up to some pretty bad cramps.  They weren't contractions, they were more like menstrual cramps.  They were pretty painful but I tolerated them and just tried to rest as much as I could.  I also had to use the bathroom several times, which was annoying because each time I would have to unstrap all the monitors and BP cuff, pull the IV fluid bag with me, and then get it all hooked up when I got back.  I tried to get Justin awake because the cramps were bothering me but he wasn't much help at that point because he had taken the Tylenol PM.  For the next few hours, I dozed in and out of sleep trying to ignore the cramps.

At 3:55 a.m. I felt a pop and felt some fluid come out and just knew my water had broken!  I called the nurse and she came a checked and sure enough, my water had broken on its own 5 minutes before she was to take the cervadil out!  So, she went ahead and took it out and checked me and I had progressed to 2 centimeters!  I also started to have some contractions right away and they seemed to be pretty close together which seemed kinda weird at that point. They weren't too painful but I was having to do my deep breathing with them.  After this went on for about 30 minutes, the nurse came in and told me she needed to give me a shot because the baby's heart rate had dropped and he was under distress because my contractions were coming too fast.  So she had called the on call doctor who instructed her to give me a shot of terbutaline to stop/slow the contractions.  After the shot, the baby's heart rate went back to normal ranges and the contractions slowed down a lot.  They were much less intense and I was able to breath normally again for the most part.  Also, she was instructed not to start the pitocin at 5 a.m. and that we would just wait until Dr. Cole got there to decide what to do next. 

Justin finally woke up when all the excitement was happening and he felt really bad that he was not fully awake earlier when I was experiencing the painful cramps.  But it was okay, I was glad he was rested for the day because I was sure it would be a long one!  At around 7, we got a new nurse, Diane, and she turned out to be an angel!   She was so supportive of everything I wanted and did not make me feel like I was crazy for not wanting an epidural.  At around 8, Dr. Cole came to check on me and I was so happy to see her so that I could know what was going to happen next.  She decided to put internal monitors on me because they were more accurate than the external monitors.  This meant that they would attach a suction cup thingy to the baby's head and it would keep track of the heart rate and contractions.  So she put those in and she also checked to see if I had made any progress, I was at 5 centimeters but she said she probably stretched me to a 6 while putting the monitors in!!  I was shocked because ever since I got the shot, I really hadn't had many painful contractions.  I was so excited and at that point I knew that I could give birth naturally.  It couldn't be that bad because I was already halfway there!!  Dr. Cole also decided to start me on Pitocin at that point so that the contractions would pick up some.  I was nervous about this but the nurse assured me that it would be gradual.  As Dr. Cole was leaving she said that we would probably have a baby by lunchtime because it was going so quickly!!  I was really happy because I had thought that it would be at least afternoon before the baby would be here.  

So the pitocin was started through my IV at about 8:30 and the contractions started to get more intense within a very short time.  I had to use my breathing techniques through each one - I would breathe in deeply through my nose and then exhale out my mouth.  This really helped me to stay calm and not tense up during the contraction.  Also, my lower back felt like it had a lot of pressure on it so during each contraction Justin had to rub my lower back very hard with his hands to offset some of the pressure I was feeling.  I was not able to get up and move around during labor either because of my blood pressure so I was just stuck in bed the whole time.  I really didn't have the desire to move around though so it was fine.  I can't remember all the specific details of this point in time but this basically went on for a couple of hours.  I will admit that it was difficult and painful but nothing that I couldn't handle.  As long as I did my breathing and Justin was rubbing my back, I could make it through the contraction.  During the break between contractions, I would literally close my eyes and almost fall asleep because it was taking so much energy to work through each contraction.  After a couple of hours, I remember feeling very nauseous and I vomited.  After I did this, I remember reading that when you vomit and basically feel like you can't take it anymore, which is how I felt, that it is almost over and time to push.  Sure enough at about 10:30 - ish, I felt a lot of pressure and just knew that I needed to push.  So I called the nurse and she came to check me and I was at about 8 centimeters.  So I had a little bit more to go.  At this point, the contractions were very close together with barely a break in between and also they had 2 peaks which  meant as soon as I thought it was over it would get even worse!  So after about 15-20 minutes of this, I felt like I must push again and called the nurse and she said I only had the lip of my cervix left and that I could start pushing!  At this point, I really felt like I could not take any more and I really wanted the drugs!!  But the nurse told me it was too late and that I was almost there which I was not happy about at the time but now I am glad I continued on.  

So now to the pushing part, it actually felt kinda good to push but it was hard work!  I was literally seeing stars because I was pushing so hard and I was so exhausted!  I began pushing at right around 11.  I pushed for awhile, it was just very awkward because I had to hold my legs, push my chin down and push three times during each contraction for 10 seconds each.  I kept wanting to take a break between each time pushing which was causing it not to be very effective.  So the nurse finally told me that I have to push 3 times and hold it for 10 seconds each without taking a break in between.  So with the next contraction, I did that and I finally got his head past my pelvic bone which is where it needed to be so that she could call Dr. Cole to come deliver him.  I thought I was going to pass out during that set of pushes but I made it.  

The baby's head was right there and Justin could see it so the baby would be with us very shortly.  While waiting for Dr. Cole to arrive, I actually had to resist the urge to push which was very hard because the pushing takes over your whole body!  It's like you almost can't stop it!  

Dr. Cole arrived around 11:20 and she got everything set up.  When I started pushing, she said "You look like someone who's epidural has worn off" and all of the nurses looked at her and said "She didn't have one!"  I think Dr. Cole was very surprised by this even though I had told her that I wanted to try to do without one.  So basically I looked like crap but I could care less at that point!! I just wanted that baby out!!!  It took about 2 more sets of pushes and the baby felt like he just came flying out!  I remember yelling "OH MY GOD!!" It was such a crazy feeling!  Dr. Cole held him up and said "It's a Boy" because we did not know the gender. Throughout my whole pregnancy, I just knew I was having a boy so it really didn't feel like a surprise to me but Justin was surprised.  I remember the first thing I asked was "Is he ok?" because I had been so worried about him since he was measuring small on the ultrasounds.  Dr. Cole said he was perfect and Justin cut the umbilical cord.  Carson Grant was born at 11:32 a.m. and was 5 lbs. 1 oz. and 18 and 1/4 inches long.  Just a tiny little peanut but so perfect in every way!!  All of the pain I had just went through disappeared and I was just on cloud 9, so happy to meet my perfect baby who I had been dreaming about for 9 months!

Little did I know, the fun was just beginning!!  

Here are some pictures from delivery day!!  I wish we would've taken more but we just were too excited to remember I guess!

The Proud Father

Carson Grant Koshenina just a few minutes old

5 pounds 1 ounce

Goodbye 2009!!

Well, I guess 2009 is coming to an end!  This year has had its ups and downs but it definitely has to go down as one of the best for me because it was the year Carson was born!!  I keep thinking back to this day last year - New Year's Eve 2008 - and it was the day I was put in the hospital.  So New Year's Eve last year was not so great.  I was worried and upset and definitely not expecting to be put in the hospital that day.  I ended up staying until January 9th!  That was one long hospital stay that I hope to never have to experience again!  But out of it came the greatest gift and blessing we could have ever received - our beautiful son!  

I am looking forward to a great day today...we are going to the Tigers/UT basketball game at 3.  I love Tigers basketball and know this game is going to be a lot of fun to watch!  We don't have any plans for tonight, will probably just watch a movie and some TV and just relax.  Sounds like a great way to ring in the New Year to me!  

I am looking forward to 2010 and enjoying Carson as he enters toddlerhood!  Hopefully Justin will be able to find a good job in the near future and if not, he will enjoy staying home with Carson for a little longer which is ok too!  Happy New Year to everyone out there!  I hope the new year brings great things for you!

Carson's First Christmas

Wow, it seems like Christmas has come and gone very quickly this year!  I guess I didn't really get into the Christmas spirit until school let out for the break and that was just 1 week before Christmas.  We got our real tree and decorated it a couple of weeks before Christmas.  I love getting a real tree, they are so pretty and smell so good!  We thought Carson would be pulling on the tree and trying to take the ornaments and lights off but we were wrong!  He hasn't really touched it at all, we think he is kinda scared of it.  I need to get a family picture in front of the tree before we take it down!  

We also went to Zoo Lights this year.  It was REALLY cold!  But we got all bundled up and went into the warm buildings along the way so we didn't get too cold!  We went with Paul, Anna, Greta and Jackson and had a lot of fun!  Carson was so good and all of the lights were so pretty!  The new Teton Trek is really nice too, it was the first time we had seen it.  We will definitely be going back for years to come, it is a fun thing to do for kids and adults!  I really want to go to Starry Nights at Shelby Farms too, maybe sometime this week.

Of course, we had to take Carson to see Santa.  We saw a billboard that said that you could get a free photo with Santa at the Bass Pro Shop.  I have never stepped foot in Bass Pro Shop before but figured we might as well take Carson there since we didn't know whether he would like Santa or not!  At the mall and Zoo Lights, you had to buy a package and the cheapest was $20 and we are on a budget so we decided to go with the free Santa and I am so glad we did!  This is how the picture turned out...

Needless to say - Carson was not into Santa this year...maybe next year!

The week leading up to Christmas, it was nice having all 3 of us home just to spend time together as a family.  We made some yummy food and finished up the Christmas shopping and listened to lots of Christmas music.  My best friend, Liz, came into town from Orlando so I got to spend some time with her also which was great.  Christmas Eve was a very nasty, rainy day.  We stopped by Liz's parents house to visit for awhile and then headed over to my parents house and had a nice dinner with them.  We opened some of the presents that night and decided to open the rest on Christmas Day.  

On Christmas morning, we all slept in a little (until around 8!) which was wonderful and then my parents came over to have breakfast with us and open more presents.  We helped Carson open his presents and he enjoyed his new toys as well as the wrapping paper and bows!  We then headed down to Senatobia, MS to celebrate Christmas with Justin's family.  We had a lot of fun down there eating and opening presents.  When we got back to Memphis, we headed over to my parents to finish opening presents over at their house.  When we finally got home, we were all exhausted!!  But it was a fun day!  Christmas is so much more fun with a little one around!  

And I almost forgot!!  Carson took his first steps on Christmas Eve!!  He took 3 little steps and then fell down.  I was the only one who saw it but he did it again on Christmas Day in front of Justin's whole family!  We all just started clapping and cheering for him when he was done.  It is so cute!  Each day since then, he has been practicing walking more and more!  My baby is growing up!!  We just got a new video camera so I will post a video of him walking soon.  

We are looking forward to the New Year and Carson's 1st birthday!!!  More on that soon...

Pictures from Carson's First Thanksgiving!

We tried to get a good family picture for Christmas cards but that did not happen!!  Oh well, we will try again later!

Another try!  Carson was not cooperating!!

Ready to eat some yummy food!

Having fun at Thanksgiving!

Carson's First Thanksgiving!

Carson celebrated his first Thanksgiving on Thursday!  We had a good day traveling to Water Valley, MS to be with Justin's family and eat lots of yummy food!  It was kind of a long day because we left around 10:30 to drive there (it takes 1.5 hrs) and then we ate and visited for a few hours and then headed back around 4:00.  Carson did really good though, he pretty much slept the whole way there and back!  I contributed to Thanksgiving by making deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie - they all turned out pretty good!  Carson loved visiting with his Nana and David, cousins Greta and Jackson, his 4 Uncles and Aunt Anna!  He also tried some of the food - his favorites were the sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, and homemade rolls!

On Friday, we had another Thanksgiving dinner with my parents at our house.  We ate more yummy food - I made green bean casserole and chocolate pecan pie.  My parents brought turkey, lasagna, deviled eggs and rolls.  Carson had a good time playing and eating. We watched the Alabama - Auburn game...which turned out to be a close one but the Tide pulled it out to go undefeated in the regular season!  Hopefully they will beat Florida next week!  

We are thankful for so much this year - although this year has had its ups and downs.

1 - We are so thankful for Carson - he is such a sweet little boy and it has been a joy watching him grow this year!  

2 - I am thankful for Justin - he is such an awesome dad and husband. 

3 - I am thankful that Justin and I have both been able to stay home with Carson this year.  I stayed home with him from January to August and Justin has been home with him since August.  It is so worth the sacrifices we have made to be able to afford this!

4 - I am thankful for my mom because she watches Carson when Justin has something going on, or when we go out on the weekends.  When Carson was first born, she would come over every afternoon and hold Carson while I took a shower and got some chores done.  This was a lifesaver for me!

5 - I am thankful that both of our families are close by so that we can visit with them often! 

6 - I am thankful for a job that I love and that provides for our family.  I love teaching and being able to make a difference in the life of a child.

7- I am thankful for good friends!  I don't get to spend as much time with them since Carson has come along but we always pick up right where we left off when we get together.

I am glad I put this in writing because I need to remember all of this when I am down or worrying too much!  Pictures to come of Carson's First Thanksgiving!