The Name

Quick info about his name:

Jack--we always loved the name Jack. Not really for any particular reason (a lot of my favorite movie/book characters are named Jack and one of my favorite teachers was named Jack) and it was always the top on our list.

Stetson--I had no clue what to do for a middle name. We didn't really like the name of any family members just because it didn't seem to flow well. One day I was looking through a baby name book and came across Stetson and low and behold, it means "Steven's son" and we both fell in love with it.

That's where it came from!!

Jack Stetson Carbonneau

Our baby is here! I can't believe it. That was THE fastest 9 months of my life. I have to write the birth story here for myself and for whoever else wants to read about it! I need to start a few days before though of course :o). Enjoy!

I was scheduled to be induced Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 at 5 a.m. but REALLY didn't want to be induced...who would? I wanted this baby to come on his own in his own time. So, at my doctor's appointment on Monday afternoon I was hoping to have progressed from 2 weeks of being not dilated at all. The doctor checked and I was 2 cm, 60% effaced...I was okay with this but wanted it to be more. My mom came up to be with me and help me with whatever I needed prior to being induced. I had some minor contractions here and there but nothing that I thought was serious. Tuesday night came and we called the hospital to see if they were still on schedule for the next morning...nope! They said to call the next morning about an hour before my appt so we went about our night, baking cookies, cleaning and getting last minute things together. I was surprised I was able to sleep so well knowing the next day I'd be having a baby!! I woke up the next morning at 3:30 am, called the hospital and they told me to go back to bed and wait for THEM to call me because they were backed up. Fortunately I knew it wasn't going to be the next day or anything because I was on a medication that was "timed" so I was higher on the list to get in.

5:30 am rolls around (I'd gone back to bed) and I get a call from the hospital saying "hi Meghan, you had an appt at 5:00 to be induced...it's 5:30, are you coming in??" Anyway, I told them what the previous person had told me and they said "okay, sorry for the miscommunication. Come on in whenever-we have a bed ready for you."

Go time!! We got up, showered, and got everything ready and headed over to the hospital. We got checked in after a few minutes and got prepped and ready to go!

*Side note--I'd been preparing for the birth using hypnobabies (look up more information if you're curious...I don't want to type out a so much stuff but essentially it's teaching your body to go into an instant state of relaxation during contractions using self hypnosis). Anyway, I'd prepared using this method because I really wanted to TRY having a natural birth. I'm not anti-medication or anything, I just really wanted to try because I didn't know any different and yes, I'm one of those who believe my body was designed to do it so it could!

Okay, moving on. The nurse (AWESOME nurse named Leslie!!) got me started on pitocin around 8:15 am or so. Dr. Layton (my AWESOME OB--seriously love the guy) came in at 8:30 am and broke my water. They checked me and I was STILL 2 cm, but 70% effaced. I was slightly discouraged because I was hoping to start a little further along. Oh well. The contractions started and I used my hypnobirthing techniques to get me through them. They weren't unbearable by any means but I could definitely feel what a contraction was. Up to this point I wasn't really sure what a "real" one felt like.

A couple hours passed (like, 4) and things were getting REALLY intense...I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep going. The anesthesiologist had come in earlier and introduced himself to me and after he left I was really tempted to call him back in the room :o) I wasn't worried about what people would think if I DID end up having an epidural, I just didn't want my baby to be medicated coming out--that was all I could think of. So, at 12:30 I needed to go the bathroom and I had some bloody show (sorry for the info but it's all part of the story :o) so the nurse decided to check me again because that's a sign of things getting started! Fortunately she hadn't really needed to increase the pitocin because my body had started working on it's own. So, she checked me and I was at a "loose" 4...kind of discouraging because after that I felt like I just couldn't handle anymore. Steven leaned down close to me and I said "babe, I can't do this anymore. I need the epidural. I know I told you I was going to ask for one at some point and you'd just need to reassure me everything was going to be okay but I REALLY need one." So sure enough he just kept saying "babe--you're doing SO good. You've got it." I wasn't really getting frustrated with him but I knew he was going to just keep saying that and not give in to me :o) I'm so glad he did what he did. The nurse came in and said I was doing amazing so that was encouraging as well.

Around 1:15 or so I needed to go to the bathroom again and right after I went I had a contraction and I couldn't really stand or anything so the nurse said "I'm going to check you again..." By this time she had come in and turned the heating lamps on and stuff which I thought was weird because we were thinking i was going to have the baby late that night (the nurse's goal was to have him by the time her shift was over at 7:00 pm). So when she checked me she said "you're at a 10!! You're ready to start pushing!" THANK GOODNESS! I wasn't sure how much more I could take. I had gone from a 4 to a 10 in less than or about an hour. No wonder things were getting tough and when I had asked for the epidural it was because I thought I was maybe at a 5 and I still have 5 cm to go and it was going to get a LOT worse.

So, around 1:25 p.m. I started pushing. A good feeling because it was what my body wanted to do and I knew we were so close to having him. 14 minutes later he came out! I think my first words were "hey there--you're SO tiny!!" I held him while they cleaned him off and then they took him for a few minutes to do the weighing and all that. He was 5 lbs, 9 ounces, 18.5 inches long. Teeny tiny!

Neither Steven or I cried but I think it was just all so fast and crazy and then he came out! Of course I thought he was the most precious little thing and you really do just immediately fall in love with them. I wasn't in the most comfortable position because of the dr working on me so it was hard to just relax and enjoy the moment. I didn't tear in the normal spot but did a little on the inside (some weird part I guess) but it was pretty uncomfortable.

Right after I held him I said "yay! I get to order food!" I was worried I would have him RIGHT after the hospital closed and would have to live off "snack food" until it reopened :) So, I ordered a cheeseburger, french fries and some fruit. Yum. I got eating and so did baby Jack!!

So there it is. The nurse said she doesn't think i would have progressed so fast had I not been using hypnobabies (or some other relaxation technique) so I am SO SO SO happy I spent the time preparing for it. It was SO worth it. The nurse kept asking me questions about what it was and said she had some friends who were pregnant that she was going to recommend it to. She even stopped Steven in the hall the next day and said my birth was absolutely amazing (sorry, I get to brag a bit because I'm proud of my hard work!) and she's been delivering for 20 years and this really was the most amazing thing she's seen and how great it all was. I look back now and loved being able to feel my body working (even if it was hard!) and knowing I did it! All along i knew I wanted a natural childbirth but didn't ever believe I could do it. I just always had that doubt in my mind.

We got moved into a postpartum room, had visitors and got to do all the fun hospital stuff with a baby! We got to go home the next day and now we're loving every minute of being parents. It really hit me yesterday when I was holding him how absolutely wonderful and precious he is. I can't imagine life without him and am SO excited now for life WITH him.

Pictures to come!

My Pregnancy

I thought I'd take a minute to jot down some thoughts and experiences I've had with this pregnancy.
1st maternity picture taken at 19 weeks

I think I'd heard SO many horror stories about pregnancy and what people thought were definitely going to happen to me that I just prepared for the worse.

Well, the morning sickness never came...thank goodness. I had some food aversions or I just didn't feel like eating (wasn't even hungry) but that only lasted about 3 weeks. I never threw up! I was so excited I was blessed in that regard.

I got very, very tired around 6-8 weeks. I would be ready for bed at 6:30 p.m. even if I'd taken a nap that day. I was hoping and praying it wouldn't be like that the whole pregnancy since I still had an internship to do that would require a lot of my energy.

I didn't start really showing until 20 weeks or so and even then, it was just a small baby bump. After that it just grew each week!

I had many ultrasounds for the first 24 weeks just to make sure everything was okay since I was on a blood thinner and a seizure medication. Everything always looked great.

I was so excited when I found out I was having a boy. That's what I had been secretly hoping for because I knew a girl would be overwhelming with all the dresses, bows, and frilly stuff which isn't really me. And, I think a boy is a great way to start off a family because the other siblings will have that "older brother" to (hopefully) look up to and what not.

I felt him kick for the first time around 20 weeks which was fun even though I didn't really know what it was the first time it happened. After that I definitely knew and now at almost 35 weeks, I can't get him to stop moving!

I never wanted to be pregnant in the summer but...it happened that way! So far I haven't been TOO hot. I just avoid going outside but even if I were outside, I think I'd be hot, pregnant or not. I live in Arizona for crying out loud.

My feet have gotten swollen a few times and I hate that because they feel tingly and I already have thick calves so I completely lose any ankle that I had to begin with!

I have put on weight (who doesn't?) but I'm not concerned too much about it. I try my best to eat healthy without being super strict. I know the weight CAN come off after the baby and I'll just have to work hard to get it off! I'm actually kind of excited about it though for some weird reason. Maybe to just get back into a workout routine and train for another triathlon!

I'm having more and more trouble sleeping at night, even with my super amazing snoogle pillow. I just toss and turn a lot but...it could be worse I suppose. It's not like my days are super busy and I need tons of energy or anything.

So...those are a few things I've remembered/experienced thus far. Pregnancy has DEFINITELY not been near as bad as I always expected it to. I thought I'd feel fat, bloated, tired all the time, ugly, get zits, horrible stretch marks, waddle like a duck, be extremely emotional and moody but so far, so good. I have no real complaints and it's actually been no different really than not being pregnant. Sometimes I even forget until I look down and see my belly :o)
Maternity picture at 33 weeks

Catching Up-Long Post

I used to post on my blog all the time and then facebook happened and I felt everyone who read my blog was on facebook so I didn't need to really write anything here since most of my stuff was on there! Anyway, blogging is definitely better for events and thoughts and other things that would take up too much space on facebook! :o)

Anyway, I haven't written since I got pregnant and I thought this would be a good time (before the baby comes) to sit down and write a little bit about my experience thus far. I am going to be completely honest with everything and I guess with that said...here it goes:

I never wanted kids. Yep, you read that right. I was never the type to raise my hand in church when the question was asked, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" and say, "a mom." I don't know why, it just didn't seem to be in my "nature" to want kids. It wasn't that I wanted to be some high power, working woman or CEO or anything like that, I just never saw myself with kids. I did not enjoy watching other people's children although I did it often (maybe that's why I didn't want kids ;o) Just kidding!). So...I got married which was something I always dreamed of. I did not think I would be married so young but the thought of marriage never scared me. I just never really thought of anything past getting married (i.e. having kids).

So, I got married when I was barely 19--we're talking not even a month after my 19th birthday. I knew the topic of having a family was going to come up eventually but Steven and I both agreed that I would finish my education first and we were really in no rush. We felt good about this decision. However, it was hard/frustrating/annoying always answering the "so when are you going to have kids?" question. I didn't feel like it was anyone's business to know and it was something between my husband, myself and the Lord.

Anyway, fast forward a few years later to 2010. Steven was becoming kind of frustrated with me because he wanted a family so bad and I was just fine with the way life was. However, I came to the conclusion that having a baby was just going to have to be a leap of faith for me. Some people disagree with the viewpoint but the way I look at it is: I've never had a baby, I have absolutely NO clue what it is like or what it will be like. All I knew was that it's supposed to be a good thing and we're supposed to do it. So...although it wasn't something I was extremely thrilled about or wanting very badly, we decided to start trying for a baby.

Two days after Thanksgiving I found out I was pregnant and I wanted to faint. Seriously. I had to lay down on the bed and fan myself because I thought I was going to pass out. I thought once I found out I was pregnant everything would change and I would be super excited and all the feelings I once had about having kids would be gone!

Wrong. People would ask me if I was excited and I'd kind of shrug and say "I guess..." Again, I didn't know WHAT to be excited about. Afterall, I'd never had a kid before! They'd tell me, "just wait until you know the gender" or" wait until you feel the baby move". Well, these things started happening and I still wasn't THAT excited. It was neat but still just foreign to me.

I felt so out of place for a while because other pregnant people would talk about how much they loved their baby and for me, I just couldn't understand how I could love someone/something that I couldn't see and didn't know what he looked like (hopefully that sentence makes sense!).

Anyway, here I am now. I am definitely excited to meet this little guy in 4-5 weeks. I know once he is here that my feelings will be changed. I just know it. I know I will love him more than life itself and I know I will think he is beautiful and I will be so happy I (we-steven and myself) made the decision to have a baby.

I have always been the type of person who doesn't really get excited for something before it happens, rather, right when it happens. Like, going on vacation. I'm not excited packing or anything, I'm excited once we're THERE! So, I know that's how it'll be for this baby. I know a lot of it is I still feel like a baby myself and not at all ready to be a MOM. Weird.

Anyway, I'll post another about my actual pregnancy so I have record of it.

It's Steven!

Every single day I sign onto my gmail account, check my email, then my Mashable and Boy Genius, two tech blogs that I like to follow. I also check blogs...every day! Yes, I'm a blog stalker and guess what...nobody ever updates their blogs anymore except for Breezy, Alli, Dresden, and a few others every once-in-a-while. So, I decided that I should probably start posting and hopefully some of you who haven't posted will get back on board also. It's fun to see what's going on in everyone's lives. I don't have time to call everyone and talk so I think blogs and texting are the next best things. It helps the conversations when we are able to speak.

Anyway, I'm sure you all know this already, but we are going to be having a baby!
Yes, it's pretty exciting. We are really at a loss of what to expect. Too often we are hearing people say "get sleep while you can! Good luck going out to dinner, do it as much as you can right now! Enjoy some quiet time before the baby comes! There are also some other things that people say that make having a baby seem...very scary! However, the other day I was speaking with a student of mine who has a 6 month old baby. She didn't say any of those things. She said "You'll never forget the first time your baby smiles! Your baby will fall asleep in your arms and it's precious." She said some other things that really got me more excited about having a child. She even said all of those great things while her baby was crying in the background.

Hearing those words made me think of the power of positive thinking. I know...this is a random tangent, but I think it's important to look at the bright side of things. I realize that I will be more tired, have more headaches, and not be able to just leave for California or Mexico at a moment's notice, but, isn't it worth it???

I am excited for this new step in our lives! I love you Meghan! I love you little baby! (boy or girl :o) )

Time to Catch Up!

I looked at my blog and realized it's been a while since my last post and SO much has happened! To sum up everything:

--we bought a house and moved in but are still "settling"
--We've dealt with about 40 scorpions since we moved here, me being stung by one on my shirt and taking another with me in my backpack to school
--Steven's done a bunch of wedding videos
--I started my LAST semester of school (classes that is, I have my internship but that's not school to me!)
--we bought a dog. I kind of wanted to wait until we were done with school but we saw this one and it all just fell into place. Her name is Bella (already named) and she's a yorkie/bichon mix. She has been the BEST dog so far. She's housetrained, doesn't chew, doesn't bark, is very cuddly, and adorable. She's lots of fun and has added some excitement to our house :o) It's funny how fast you get attached to these little creatures!
--Steven started more school (I think he's in his last year...kind of hard to tell when he doesn't go by semesters)

Anyway, that's a quick re-cap of what we've been up to. I'll post pictures when I get my computer. Steven has it at class on Thursday nights. Hope everyone is doing well!

We're Moving!

We're finally moving out of the apartments and buying a house! We're so excited this time has come and look forward to having a place of our own. We were so blessed with how everything worked out and couldn't be more pleased with the home, location, etc. We will want lots of visitors now that we have more room!

Living in the apartments has had it's advantages and disadvantages. Here are 10 things I will NOT miss about the apartments!

1. The garbage truck. I know we will have a garbage truck coming to the house but it will not be at 7:00 am on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday morning and he will not be picking up a dumpster that's RIGHT outside our bedroom and SLAMMING it down on the pavement, sometimes repeatedly if it's stuck on the lifter-thing.
2. Parking in a covered parking spot that's just far enough away from the door that it makes carrying anything inside/outside a pain in the rear.
3. Smelling the cigarette smoke from our downstairs neighbor
4. Sharing walls with 2 different families (one who likes to play Hispanic music very early in the morning)
5. Walking by the dumpster to get to and from my car to get inside. I've learned just to hold my breath--bleh!
6. The light to the tennis/street hockey court right outside our window that is very bright and makes a LOUD buzzing sound (not fun when trying to sleep)
7. Having to go down stairs and out to the bbq area whenever we want to bbq. I can't wait until I can just walk outside my back door and do this and not have to carry charcoal, lighter, lighter fluid, bbq, spatula, hot pads to carry the bbq back upstairs, the food, and the charcoal starter.
8. The paint--the apartment complex's way of "cleaning" when someone moves out is to just paint over everything so in the cupboards and drawers there is this nasty brown paint that everything sticks to (dishes, toiletries, you name it) . The best part is standing in the bathroom and finding long hairs that have been painted into the wall. Kind of gross?? Yes. I think so.
9. Speed bumps. I don't mind these so much when I'm driving but Steven likes to drive over them very fast and yeah...let's not go there :o)
10. Our little stacked washer/dryer. Where to begin with this? No wonder I started buying more clothes when we got married and moved into the apartments! I wanted to avoid having to do laundry because I knew it would take FOREVER if I started.

NOW...with all that said, there are probably more things I will miss than not. Here are my top ten things I WILL miss from the apartments.

1. Our ward family--I have loved this ward so so much and I love all the people there. They have become like family and if there was anyway we could stay in the ward without living in the apartments, we would.
2. The trees/grass. This was one of the things that attracted me to this apartment complex. There are huge trees everywhere! I loved taking walks/runs or even just driving down Fiesta (a small street by the complex) because it felt like I was back east. It made it so much prettier and more bearable. It didn't feel like one of those old, nasty, empty apartment complexes (sp?).
3. Going to friends' apartments and being able to walk there to get to them (same with visiting/home teaching!). When the boys would go play basketball, Megan W. and I would just walk over to Desiree's apt and visit and when they got home we'd walk back to our places. It made it so convenient for whenever we needed to borrow sugar, flour, etc. on Sunday when baking (thanks to all those who helped Steven out :o) or walking over to Joey and Camie's to borrow a movie.
4. The big green grass "field" behind our building and the many frisbee games Steven and I enjoyed there. I hated that the front of our building faced the tennis courts and stuff but loved that there was no one behind us but a big grass field.
5. Being able to call the front office whenever we had something go wrong with our water, electricity, air conditioner, appliances, bugs, etc. and having it all be F-R-E-E!
6. Being so close to a costco and walmart...although we'll probably save money not just running to walmart every time we needed something and making a thousand trips! And not being too far from the freeway was nice as well.
7. The fact that it was the first place we ever lived together and we'll never live here again (I know, I know-cheesy but I'm sentimental when it comes to this kind of stuff).
8. Being around so many people--I know we'd complain about the noise and stuff sometimes but noise meant people and people meant we were part of a little community who all had something in common. I know we'll be in a community in our house but we won't pass each other walking to turn in our rent or check the mail or when getting out of/into our cars.
9. The closets--I have loved the closets in these apartments because they are huge and can fit so much stuff!
10. Having our utilities paid for...the small and simple things we come to take for granted when living in an apartment complex.

Anyway, we really are excited to move into our house tomorrow and we look forward to all the new opportunities (that's really just code for responsibilities) it will bring us!