Carpenter Family

10 Months!!!

2009-04-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

WOW! It has been a LONG time since I have updated this!!! I'm so sorry to anyone that is following the blog. Well... lets see... what is new in the Carpenter family????

Caden is 10 months now and keeping us very busy. He is crawling, standing, waving and getting into EVERYTHING!!! He has 5 teeth and is the 95% in both height (30 inches) and weight (23lbs). Those measurements were at his 9 month checkup so we may be way over that by now... who knows :)

Kris and I are doing wonderful as well!!! We are keeping busy but also making sure that we take time to have date nights when we can (which is more often then you might think). We have both sets of grandparents living close so finding a babysitter is not difficult :) Our family is blessed in so many ways!!!

Here are some pictures from the last couple months...

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa Schwaners...

Caden and his buddy Trevor... Caden is 2 months younger but look at how much bigger he is!!!

He loved the swing!!!

Rainy day photos!!! I was in the laundry room and heard Caden talking to something so I peeked around the corner to find him talking to the rain... waving bye bye and kissing the window. It was precious. I'm so glad I put my chores asside and took some shots!!!

Here he is making a funny face at his reflection :)

Waving bye bye to the rain...
Our happy boy!!!

All in all I must say that the Carpenters are doing wonderful!!! We are looking forward to Bugs first birthday in June!!!

Hugs and Love,

M, K and C

Fall, Friends and Football!!!

2008-10-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

We started out the month with a bang!!! Uncle Ryan came for a visit :) YAY!!! Caden really loved seeing him and showing him all the new things he learned. Mainly just smiling and cooing and wiggling a lot :) But I think Ryan was impressed!

GOOOOO BIIIIIG REEEED!!!! GO BIG RED!!!!

Caden attended his first Husker Tailgate for the Mizzou game this year! Our good friend Lorin sponsored food from Venue and so we of course wouldn't miss it!!! YUMMY!!!! Anyway, Caden loved being around all the red!! I think we have a future linebacker on our hands!!! We'll see :)

As I stated before Bug LOVES to watch football on T.V... so without further ado... here is our little Bronco Fan! Thank you Miss Mandy for the onesie, we now have a new saying in our house "Go Donks!" It's fun to see Caden supporting his loved ones in CO!

Caden and Jack have had several play dates! Here's a cute pic of them just chillin out together! It's so fun to have such good friends with a little one only 5 weeks older then Caden :) I love that they will grow up together!

On a spur of the moment decision Mom, Caden, Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Bill went on a fun venture to Roca Berry Farm. I was pretty impressed at all of the fun things they had for kids (older then Caden) but still it was pretty impressive! I cant wait for him to experience it again when he's older. I must say that he was in such a weird mood that day!! He was alert and checking everything out but we couldn't get a smile out of him and boy did we try!!! It was like he was just trying to take it all in but didn't want us to think he was having any fun whatsoever. It was pretty funny... after Grandpa Doug saw the pictures he now has a new saying when Caden is in a subdued mood.. "He's in the Pumpkin Patch mode". Never the less... we had a good time! It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed spending it with my Son, Father and Mother-in-law!

Normally we get BIG smiles from Bug when we give him smootches...

Seriously... Nothin!!!!

Here he is sitting on his first John Deer... still just checking things out! Not too interested in anything :)

I love this shot... I can just hear him saying "seriously mom... you're making me do this!!!"

All in all it has been a fantastic month :) He had his 4 month appointment October 3rd and he weighed in at 16 lbs 11 oz and was 26 inches. He's laughing now and making so many fun noises!!! We are still waiting for him to roll over but I've been assured that it's okay that he hasn't done it yet :)

Well we hope you are all doing well!!! The holiday's are approaching fast and furious!!! We cant wait to see family and friends!

Hugs and Love,

K, M and C

Here comes Fall!!!

2008-09-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an exciting end to our summer '08 and we are gearing up for fall... oh wait... fall is here!!! I cant believe it!!! Well... things are just awesome in the Carpenter house. Caden is cooing and almost rolling over!!! Any day now!!! And I heard his precious laugh for the first time last Saturday! He smiles all the time and has finally started enjoying bath time now that he has figured out how to splash mommy!! He has started day care and seems to really love it there. He has fun with his new friends! We are still struggling with the massive spit up but I think we have come to the conclusion that we just have a spitter... oh well! If that's the worst thing then I believe we are doing pretty good.

Caden really loves to watch football on the big screen! I'm not kidding... he will turn his head as far as it goes to see the T.V. if he hears a football game. He doesn't seem to be as interested in other sports, or shows on the television... but Football seems to really catch his interest. It's pretty cute :)

We recently went to Portrait Innovations for his 4 month pictures... we were really happy with how they turned out. I went in for the $10.99 special... well... lets just say that didn't happen. Our little bug was just so dang cute I went a little overboard with the pics... live and learn I guess :)

And without further ado... Here is the cutest little turtle around :) He's going to hate us for doing this to him when he gets older but I love having some black mail in case I need it!!!

Hope all is well!!! We send you many hugs and tons of love!

K, M and C

First Family Vacation!!!

2008-08-05T12:24:00.001-07:00

Well we have successfully returned from our first vacation as a family of 3!!! We were so blessed to have started our trip in Scottsbluff, NE to visit Caden's Great Grandma and Grandpa Schwaner the day before Great Grandpa passed away! Grandma was so precious holding Caden, and Caden just loved cooing to her as well!!! It was a wonderful sight for us to see.

Then it was off to Denver Colorado to visit Uncle Kyle and Aunt Clara. Kyle had his big solo art show on August 1st and we were not going to miss it!!! We were so proud of him. His work is AMAZING!!! There were so many people there supporting him and he sold quite a few pieces. If you want to see his work go to www.kcarpenterart.com. It was an awesome night and we were so happy that we could be there!!!

I was also able to visit my dear friend Mandy on Saturday! They have recently moved back to Denver and it was great seeing her and my sweet God Daughter Lauren. Her little Noah is growing up quite fast too!!! I cant believe how big both of them have gotten in the year it has been since I was last able to give them a squeeze!!!

All in all it was a great trip!!! Caden did great and we are about to embark on our 2nd venture tomorrow for my grandfathers funeral. It has been a busy but wonderful 2 months with our little man. He is doing great and we feel blessed every day that he is with us!!!

God bless!

K, M and little C

Caden Kristopher Carpenter

2008-06-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

I know this is well overdue but better late then never! On June 3rd, 2008 at 5:38 pm our precious blessing was born. Caden weighed 7lbs. 14.5 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Here's how it all went down....

The week leading up to his birth I was dealing with high blood pressure and my doctor was becoming a bit concerned. After doing a 24 hour urinalysis I was diagnosed with preeclampsia so on Monday June 2nd Dr. Martin decided it was best to schedule induction. As ready as Kris and I were to meet our little man we were a bit nervous at the thought as well. So Kris and I were off to the hospital at 8pm on Monday night. Through the night I was given medication to soften my cervix then at 5am I was given pitocin to start things going. I was having contractions all night long and the nurses were impressed with my pain tolerance... that was nice to hear since I've always thought of myself as quite a wuss! At 7am Dr. Martin broke my water and I was given the epidural soon after. I was dilated to 10 before I knew and and it was time to push. Unfortunately Caden was face up and not wanting to come out so after 3 long hours of pushing we decided it was time for c-section. So within 28 minutes Caden was born and our lives have not been the same since :) He is the greatest blessing from God that Kris and I have ever seen and we are thankful for every minute we have with him. Kris and I are settling in to parenthood with so much support and love surrounding us. We are amazed at each new face, sound and smell that our son makes!!! We hope that if you have not yet met Caden you will get the chance to soon.

Sending you much love,

Kris, Melissa and Caden

Home Stretch!!!

2008-05-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Well... a little over 3 weeks and it's go time! That is if he decides to wait till his due date. Whatever Birthday he decides on is fine by us :) We're ready... or we like to tell ourselves we're ready. There really isn't anything new to report other then I cant imagine my belly getting any bigger, and seriously... this water retention is UNBELIEVABLE!!! I have the biggest feet/ankles I've ever seen!!! Holy Cankles!!! I'm not kidding... you cant see bone anywhere... just one big swollen watermelon attached to my legs :) Awww... the beauty of pregnancy... I'm truly trying to embrace it all! It's going to be over soon and I'm sure as crazy as it sounds I'll probably miss certain things. What that will be I don't know but I'm sure there will be something :) I'll go ahead and attach our most recent addition to the nursery. Kris and I found a picture of wall art that we really liked and figured we'd make it ourselves with the colors that we liked. So here is the finished product! We are very excited about it. I don't know if you can tell by the picture but it's 100% made out of fabric that we stretched onto canvas then ironed on the other fabrics for the tree, leaves and apples. Who knew we could be so crafty! I have to give most of the credit to Kris. He really did all the hard parts of this project. His talents continue to amaze me! Well that is about it on our end. My next post might be a birth announcement! We shall see!!!

Hugs and Love,
K and M

33 weeks!!! YAY!!!

2008-04-28T08:28:00.001-07:00

Well... we've hit the 33 week mark and couldn't be more excited about getting closer to meeting little JB! At my last appointment I measured almost 4 weeks ahead of schedule... YIKES... so doc is hoping to get me to 38 weeks before his arrival. That means 5 weeks left!!!! YAY!!! We will be getting another u/s at 36 weeks to get a more accurate look at JB's size so that will give us a better idea on whether or not we'll have to go early.

Other then that we are just working on the nursery getting it all ready :) I'll post pictures when we get it all done. Kris and I took some pictures on Friday with Khara (we love her). We hadn't really taken many pictures throughout this pregnancy and so I'm so glad we had her come over to help us document this precious time. Enjoy the sneak peak of our photo shoot... more will be coming soon :)

Hugs and Love,

Kris and Melissa

Another Bump....

2008-03-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

Kris and I just got back from meeting with a Diabetes Specialist this morning and it was very informative. Yes... that's right... I didn't pass the test :( I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes last week and have been trying to figure out what that means ever since. Basically every pregnant woman get's her glucose tested between weeks 24 and 26. Well apparently my test taking skills are a little rough because I failed miserably. So off to another specialist we go. This one, however, I feel is a true blessing because I've needed to change my diet and exercise (or lack there of) for years and this is forcing me to do so. By the time this baby comes I think the Carpenters will have a new lifestyle in which healthy eating is among our top priority. I have to count my carbs which will take some getting used too but again very important for healthy eating. This first week I have to prick my finger 4 times a day to check my sugar levels then our new friend Pam will look over my numbers and tell me what the next step is. If all looks good then I can go down to 2 pricks a day. If all looks not so good then we talk insulin. I'm feeling very hopeful that I can get this under control so that I don't have to take insulin. I'll keep you posted! The good thing about Gestational Diabetes is it goes away after the baby is born!!! YAY for that!!!! Well... I hope all is well in your worlds!!! Kris and I were soooooo excited to hear of the birth of our newest addition on the Carpenter side... Congrats Aric and Amy!!!! We cant wait to meet Ethan!!!!

Hugs and Love,
K and M

25 weeks!!!

2008-03-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Not much new to report. JB is busy kicking! I'm feeling pretty good and just cant wait to meet our little blessing. Kris and I did the tour of Labor and Delivery this week which was great. It made us both a little nervous but that is to be expected. We will be delivering at Bryan LGH East. The nurses seem great and my Doctor has his office in the same building so it's very convienent for him as well.

I'm posting a picture of me at 25 weeks. It's not a great one but it gives you an idea of how I'm growing. I decided to include my face this time. I'm puffy I know but that just goes along with the territory I guess :) I will also include a picture of our glider that just came in. We love it!!! The nursery is coming together! YAY!!! Well, I'm not sure when the next post will come so for now toodle oo... hope all is well in your world.

Hugs and love,

K and M

YAY!!!!

2008-02-13T06:26:00.000-08:00

It's a Boy!!!!!!!!!

We are so excited to finally be able to say "he"!!!! Our ultra sound went great. JB was sleepy (which was so adorable) we could see him yawning and he would have his hand on his forehead like he was saying "oh my what a day". He is measuring in the 58 percentile which is great. Nice and average!!! I have to admit I was a bit nervous we were having ourselves a 10 pounder. I know a lot can change but for now he's right on track at 1 lb. 2 oz. Kris and I were walking on a cloud all afternoon and still beaming today! We're having a son!!!! YAY!!!!!
I also received some GREAT news yesterday regarding my pathology. The surgeon was right... the mass was a fibroadenoma which is a BENIGN mass!! Another Yay!!! It was a great day and I was lucky enough to spend some quality shopping time with my mom which was just the icing on my already delicious cake!!!
I promise to get the u/s pics posted soon!!! I just have to get them scanned first. So check in soon for those if you are interested in seeing JB in 2d :)

Hugs and love!

Surgery Update

2008-02-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

Quick Update***

The surgery went GREAT! Everyone was wonderful at the Nebraska Surgery Center. I was there for the most part of the day but let me tell you I was ready to leave!! Both JB and I were starving by 2pm!! Both the Doc and the PA said that the mass looked like a fibroangenoma (?? spelling) which is great news! They are still sending it in just to make sure but all in all we feel very confident that it is a benign mass :) YAY!!!

Thank you for all your prayers. I have the greatest friends and family a girl could ask for!!! Keep watching this week because we'll hopefully have a few happy announcements :)

Love and hugs!!!

On the move...

2008-02-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

Well... JB (Junebug) is officially on the move!!! Last Sunday one of my dearest friends, who just so happens to do ultra sounds for a living, had me come in to her office and check out what's going on in my belly :) Well... lets just say JB was having a PARTY!!! I don't think "it" stopped moving once the whole time we were there. Sarah got some great pics that I haven't scanned yet but I will!! It was truly amazing seeing our baby move around. We did get a few good looks between the legs and I must say we think we may have seen a little somethin somethin... but I'm not holding my breath. We will get the definite answer on the 12th :) I can officially say that I'm feeling JB's movement now. In fact it kept me up for a while last night. I'm sure I'll get use to it but for now I must admit, it feels pretty strange!!
Well, surgery is still on for Friday. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. I've asked a lot of questions and my anxiety has faded quite a bit. The procedure itself takes about 45 minutes and they will check the fetal heart rate both before and after so that makes me feel better. Plus, thanks to Maw and Paw Schwaner we have our very own doppler so we can take a listen whenever we want :) I feel really good about everything and know that all is well!

Love and Hugs!

Update and new pics...

2008-01-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday. Baby is doing great! Healthy heartbeat at 154 :) Dr. Martin has been watching a mass on my chest since my first appointment and has decided that it's time to see a specialist. I just returned from that appointment and it looks like from the ultrasound that he would like to remove the lump. So that means surgery for me :( I'm confident that the mass is benign but I'm worried about the surgery and how it may affect the baby so please keep us in your prayers. Dr. Cole assured me that the sedation would not hurt Jubebug but its hard for me to give up that control and trust that all will be fine. I have faith that God will keep our little blessing safe and that the surgery will go well.

Other then that things are going smoothly. I'll post some recent pics :)

Here's a pic of my 20 week belly shot!!

Here is the crib...

Here is a close up of the bedding...

And our tall dresser...

Fist post

2008-01-25T08:45:00.000-08:00

Hello :) I have seen a few friends do this and thought I'd join in on the fun so that you all can keep track of "little carps" journey into this world. We are about 1/2 way through the pregnancy and things are starting to get really exciting. I can no longer hide this bump on my belly and hope that one of these days real soon I'll be feeling junebug move around.

Our ultrasound is on Feb. 12th and we will be finding out the sex of the baby so that will be an exciting day! Kris and I have started getting the nursery put together so I'll try and post some pics soon. I'll also get some pics taken of this belly so that you can see the progress.

Other then that we are just thrilled that I am out of the morning sickness phase and on to the exciting phases of this pregnancy. We hope you are all doing well!!! Sending many hugs and much love.

The Carps