Sunday, September 18, 2005


Our poor little house Posted by Picasa

And there goes another tree... Posted by Picasa

Our backyard- the war zone! Posted by Picasa

Saturday, September 17, 2005


Rrrrrrip Posted by Picasa

Can you imagine the sound that sucker made! Posted by Picasa

big ugly tree stretching across our side yard and onto our house Posted by Picasa

He's mine, all mine! Posted by Picasa

Big Sister Posted by Picasa

That's MY baby in the nursery Posted by Picasa

Big bloated Deagan- He really doesn't look like this...remember he wasn't squished out, so he retained a lot of fluid;) Posted by Picasa

Proud Papa Posted by Picasa

Thursday, September 15, 2005

NEW ADDRESS

Thursday the 22nd, we will be moving up to Michigan. Paulla has been so nice as to set up a PO BOX for us up there. So any mail should now be sent to:

The Carter Family
PO BOX# 269
13062 Isthmus Rd.
Omena, MI
49674

And our phone number will still be the same at (517)449-8119, my cell.

So anything that anyone wants to mail out to this Louisiana address should be sent no later than this Saturday, the 17th. And then next week, use the Michigan address. :)
Thanks,
Tricia


Saturday, September 10, 2005

pictures Posted by Picasa

Carter Family Update

Well it turns out Deagan is allergic to breastmilk too! very rare, very odd, very sad:( He is on that same special formula that Olivia was on. He seems to be doing much better, no more yucky diapers and no more every hour feedings. He's much more content.
Things are ok here, we wish we could go home- but that's not going to happen for a long time. Jeff has to go back to work on Thursday...sniff sniff. But at least he'll be in town to get the ball rolling on the house and finding a contractor (wish him luck, it's not going to be easy)! Specially with work keeping them busy seven days a week.
I can't figure out the Dick's computer, and they don't have the same camera programs as we did, so I'm affraid right now I won't be able to post pictures, boring I know! Sorry! But I can email them, so email me and I'll send them to you.
Off to squeeze in a nap while both kids are down and Jeff is glued to Ryan's Xbox....haha
Call us, we're bored!

Thursday, September 08, 2005

oh yeah, the house.....

Jeff, Ron, and Tony went down to Slidell on Monday to survey the house and fix what they could. When they got there, they saw the MASSIVE tree smack in the middle of the roof. It was from our right neighbor's house, maybe 50+ feet tall (you'd have to ask the guys). Needless to say it was a huge one if it stretched from their yard all the way onto our roof.
Here's a mental picture: If you take a triangle (aka the apex of our roof), the tree smashed across the entire left side of the triangle and went down about four feet, ripping the siding with it and breaking the trusses. (Please forgive my spelling, they don't have spell checker).
So the guys patched the roof and put up tarps. The inside has bad ceiling water damage. No flooding from the bottom up, just top down. The living room looks terrible. The old popcorn ceiling fell down and turned into this mushy paper mache like goop. Which landed all over our couches! And the carpet sqwishes...eeeew. There are water marks in Olivia's room and our room too, but no visible breakthroughs.
All of our trees are snapped in half like twigs. Luckily only one fell on the house, the rest took out the fence....all of the fence, but hey we wanted a new one anyway;)
The HUGE old oak tree that sat between us and Joe's house was totally uprooted and on his house. Not sure how much damage he had, but it wasn't pretty. That poor tree was probably a hundred years old and gave great cover and buffer between the houses.
The garage was just fine. A tree fell on it, but just rested against it, thanks to the fence.
Overall it was ok. There could be massive structural damage to the roof, with the force of the tree hitting it, we think it might have shifted the whole roof...maybe even some walls inside. We'll have to wait and see what a contractor says. If we ever get a contractor!
So we are homeless, possibly until Christmas or longer, all depending on when we can get someone in there to fix the roof and ceilings. We do have power and water. I guess we got luck b/c we are on the hospital's power grid. Our friends across the street don't even have it!
But until they get gas in the gas stations and food at Walmart, there will be no living in Slidell.
It's crazy how much that little house drove us insane and how much we hated it at times, but now we'd do anything to have it back....and crappy little Slidell!
But we are together, as a family, and that's all that counts!
Pray for us and speedy construction of our house!

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Not again....

Well we think that Deagan might have the same milk protein allergy that Olivia had. He was doing fine in the hospital, but as soon as my milk came in he started all the signs that Olivia had. It makes me so sad that breastfeeding just doesn't seem to work with my kids. I thought for sure it would this time, but no luck!
We are going in tomorrow afternoon to see the doctor and get him evaluated. I just know he'll be in formula:(
I'm just glad we could know the signs and catch it early this time, before he feels the pain that Olivia did!
Wish us luck!

WE ARE HOME (kind of)

We came home from the hospital yesterday evening. It took over three hours to get discharged after Deagan's final test. We settled right in and he thankfully loved his new bassinet. (sorry grandpa, it's not your cradle!). We unpacked for the longest time. All of the nurses from the hospital were so kind and so giving. Everyone wanted to help in some way. You'd swear the nurses threw me a baby shower or something! Each day my nurse for the day would show up with a gift for the baby. They were wonderful, better than anything we might have found in Slidell!!!!!!! I guess some things happen for a reason;)
Linda and Dean have been SOOOO great to us. They took their den/game room and made it into a little suite for us. We have a bed, couch, two sitting chairs, TV/DVD, and a whole corner for Deagan. They set it up so nice for us, I just wanted to cry. We've really been taken care of here and I just can't imagine all those people out there who have it so much worse than we do! We are really blessed!
Today was our last day with our parents here:( It was so comforting to have them all here for the birth this time. And then having a place for them to come visit us after made it feel a little more like home. They really spoiled us too! We wouldn't be anywhere in this world without our family! When all is lost (or dangled in your face), you realize what is important to you. And even though we thought we lost everything, we were happy with what we had....each other. Great friends and family!
Well Deagan and Olivia are doing great. She's so busy with Laney and Maddy that she hardly notices us, which is good right now when we have to focus on a new baby. Angie has been so helpful with watching olivia. I know she's exhausted too having to chase after the girls...but in a few weeks I'll be right back in the action:)
I'll try and figure out this computer soon to post pictures, I know it's driving you all crazy! We are so exhausted right now that making time for this computer is very hard....please forgive me!
Thanks for all the LOVE AND SUPPORT!!!!!

Saturday, September 03, 2005

He has arrived!

*Written by Tricia, posted by Angie (if there are any mistakes, she's to blame;)

We FINALLY had our baby boy. We've been dying to get pictures up, but it may be a few days.

In case you didn't hear:
Deagan Nicholas Carter
8lbs. 11oz. 20in.
Born: September 1st, 2005 at 7:50am

He has a ful head of straight dark brown hair, blue eyes and DOUBLE DIMPLES:) He is a great baby, not fussy at all. He took to breastfeeding right away and hasn't let go yet! He's just and overall healthy boy and won the award for the biggest baby in the hospital so far this week.

Olivia has been amazing. She is so in love with her baby brother. If she's in the room she has to be holding him... and touching him... and petting him... and forcing him to hold her hand. It's sooo cute! She whispers things to him like "it's okay, baby, it's okay" or "love you baby broder." And if she's in the room, good luck getting to hold him because she's so possessive. She loves to walk to the nursery and look at all the babies.

Overall the recovery is going good. The C-section was excellent. Much better than with Olivia. The doctors here are outstanding. We were cracking jokes the whole time. We couldn't have asked for a better experience, probably much better than we would have gotten in Slidell. The nurses and staff are all wonderful. They make you feel like family. In fact, everyone here in Ruston has treated us so well. Being "homeless" is not our ideal way to bring a baby into this world or raise a family, but the people here have made it much easier on us. One nurse went out and bought us a big bag of diapers, lotions, blankets, and other baby stuff. Another nurse bought us a swing. Many churches in the area have come through the hospital to ask what we need. They are great! We know we'll be okay, no matter what the status of our house and our "stuff" is. We have a great support system of family, friends, and strangers willing to help.

The guys are going to check out the house on Monday. They are going to attempt to patch the holes in the roof and garage. We pray that we only have to do repairs and that Jeff can salvage most of our stuff. So after Monday, we will know our fate.

As for now, we are still staying in Ruston with Ryan's family. Their address is:
986 Goodgoin Rd.
Ruston, LA 71270
(318) 255-9402
And we are at Lincoln General Hospital until Sunday. You can reach us directly at 318-254-2206.

Look for more pictures on Tuesday;) You can go to www.lincolnhealth.com and see a terrible picture of Deagan in the Woman's Center baby pictures. Love to all!

*UPDATE: Baby Deagan spiked a fever to 101 this morning. The doctor's are running blood tests, urine tests, and did a spinal tap:( They should know the results to those tests some time this evening. He is currently on antibiotics and seems to be handing the situation very well. Please keep this amazing family in your constant prayers. -Angie

Monday, August 29, 2005

Baby Blues

Well we are up in Ruston with Angie and her family. My parents joined us late this afternoon. We have seen no effects from the hurricane this far north, just less humidity and a light breeze (feels great).
We have gotten ZERO update on the town of Slidell. It was hit directly by the eyewall of the hurricane and no crews have been able to get in and out. So there is no coverage on the news. All of the phone lines, cell and land, have been knocked out. And there is no power. The only thing we've heard is a breif sentence "there wasn't a home nor a business in Slidell left untouched!" Other than that, we have no idea whatsoever.
We've been calling everyone we know, but the phones are just down!

Linda, Ryan's mom, helped to get me in touch with a local OBGYN. I have an apt to see him tomorrow at 2:30. Just to get checked out and set up a contact with a local doctor. That way, if need be we can deliver up here. Who knows when.

Right now there is alot of unknowns. Do we have a house to come home to? Is there anything left in the house? Will the baby come here? Who knows!
But we will keep you updated as we know!

Love you all and thank you for your prayers!

Saturday, August 27, 2005

OH JOY! Here comes KATRINA

Well all weather reports indicate that hurricane Katrina is headed right for Slidell. The last report that our local station had for us tracked the eye wall straight over where we live! OH JOY!!! So we have boarded up the house and secured everything. We are bagging ass out of town tonight around 5pm. We are going with Ryan and Angie to his parent's house in Ruston Louisiana (north/central). We'll be back around Tuesday....assuming we have a house to come back to!
You're probably wondering, what about the baby? Well just pray that I don't go into labor along the road on the way up. (we've packed him clothes and a car seat just in case). And then pray that when we come back we have electricity and a house to come home to. It's all so complicated! But he can wait in his womb until it's nice and calm outside to come into this world!
We'll try and keep you all updated. You can reach us on our cell phone 517-449-8119 if you need us. Love you all! Pray for us and our homes:)

Here's the projected path of Katrina...the eye wall is forcast to directly hit our house!  Posted by Picasa

Last Taste of Freedom

THANK YOU ANGIE!!!!! Ok, so my awesome friend Angie treated us to a night out tonight and took Olivia too! Jeff and I got to go out to eat and have a deep adult conversation, uninterrupted mind you. We managed to have a whole meal, drinks and dessert...consecutively. Then we went out to a movie. (Must Love Dogs...cute chick flick). AND we got coffee (decaf for mommy me) afterwards. And when we went to pick Olivia up, she was happy as ever and wanted to stay the night at Maddy and Laney's house!
Lord knows we are going to have some LONG weeks ahead of us and it was great to have a last taste of alone time before the storm moves in!
THANKS AGAIN ANGIE:)

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Baby Boy Update

We had another apt today with the OBGYN and the little man checked out AOK. She had our hopes up to take him via Csecion today, but no luck. He's happy and comfy in his womb and isn't going anywhere. Our doc is on vacation till Monday, so he better stay in until then! I'm huge, so huge. I've gotten to the tired and b!t#&y stage where I'm just uncomfortable as ever. I guess your body just preps you for being exhausted and sleep deprived! Funny, the doctor didn't ask if I could last another week, she asked if Jeff could put up with me for another week;) So as it stands, Thursday September 1st at 7:30 am he'll be gracing the world with his presence....FINALLY.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Quote of the Weekend...

"I better see something come out of that crack!" said from Jeff to Olivia on her fourth trip to the potty in five minutes:)

Saturday, August 20, 2005


Hi everybody! I'm growing my hair out long, but it's getting kind of fluffy now. Posted by Picasa

This is mine! I know it was mine, I remember these things...it's fun, cuz I think I still fit:) Posted by Picasa

Cuddling with his 'baby'...this silly dog cuddles more than an animal I've ever seen! I think he's thankful to have a good family:) Posted by Picasa

Underwater hockey?!?!? Couldn't you come up with a cooler story? HA! I told him we were going to go into labor and he'd have a nasty black eye for all the first shots with his son;) Posted by Picasa

Friday, August 19, 2005

A Trip to the Hospital

This morning we went in for our weekly doctors apt. Things went well, they hooked me up to the baby heart monitor for about 20mins and then did an ultrasound. The ultrasound looked good. He's still measuring HUGE. We are 37 weeks along right now, and he's measuring the size of a 41 week baby!!!! Our doctor was a little stunned. He already weighs 7lbs 6oz. And should gain about a pound a week....so that makes him 9 1/2lbs by his Csection date! Holy Moly Cowboy!!!!
Anyway, she said that she saw a few 'dips' in his heart rate on the monitor and sent us over to the hospital for a non-stress test. Thankfully we were able to take Olivia over to Angie's house, because they hooked me up to the machines for about an hour.
In the end, all was well, I guess. They didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but what we saw at the hospital was the same thing our Doc saw in her office....so who knows!
She had our hopes up too! She was telling us in her office how he's ready to come now and she has no problem with taking him early. Maybe even this WEEKEND. But then they sent us home from the hospital?!?!?! Odd. She's odd. This pregnancy is odd. And we still have no idea.
She's having us back in on Wednesday (two days early) to sit on the monitors for awhile, and then she'll decide whether to pluck him early or not. You see she's going on vacation, and we think she's tempted to do it before she leaves, rather than wait till she gets back....because he's so big and potentially squishing his umbilical cord.
If nothing out of the ordinary happens, he's scheduled to arrive at 7:30am on Thursday September 1st. (Yes, it's surreal to know the date and time by baby will be coming into the world!)

Saturday, August 13, 2005

CONGRATS!

CONGRATULATIONS COUSIN ADAM AND BRYNN!!!!! They just got engaged this weekend. We are so happy for you and we look forward to having you in the family Brynn:) Love you!

Getting Closer...

We had another doctor's appointment today for the little guy. We thought for sure I'd be dilated, just a little, but no luck. I've been having pains, but not the right kind! Oh well, he's happy and healthy in his little world. Next week we'll get an ultrasound to see just how large he really is. The general consensus is that he'll be over 9lbs. Yes, that's right, a little porker:)
Jeff and I had a name picked out (for the last six months), but now are tossing around the option of changing it!....!....!....!....! Woah! Less than three weeks left:)

Friday, August 12, 2005


MY FAVORITE! Posted by Picasa

Love From Olivia Posted by Picasa

:) Daddy Snuggles :) Posted by Picasa

Belly full of love! Posted by Picasa

Our Maternity Photos Posted by Picasa

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Crazy World!

Well things have been crazy here! I've been having mild contractions much more regularly now. But still nothing to get excited about. I'm so big (correction, he's so big) that sleeping thru the night now is out of the question! Oh the joys of your ninth month!

Olivia's best friend, Maddy, is in the hospital. They are not totally sure what's wrong, but she has an infection in her kidneys and bladder. Poor little thing, she was admitted two nights ago after a 104.5 fever and vomiting. I feel so bad for Angie, she has her five year old too and she's pregnant!....and the DAMN military is (was) holding her husband hostage! For goodness sakes, his two year old daughter was admitted to the hospital, what more info do you need to allow him to come home. It's not like they were deployed, he was just doing training.

Good news is he's here now and able to be with his girls. Please send your prayers to Maddy in hopes of a speedy recovery. She's one tough little girl!!!!!! She'll be in the hospital most of the weekend...if only the doctors in the slow south could speed up and get her treatment moving!

Saturday, August 06, 2005


My Beautiful Baby Girl Posted by Picasa

"Baby Boy's" room. Not quite finished yet, still some painting, decorating and curtain making...but here's a sneak peak of half of it:) Posted by Picasa

"Wienie Man" as I call him, or "Maverick" as Jeff calls him! He's a spunky little fella...why might you ask are you seeing a puppy...it's a long story! Posted by Picasa

Now I have a stadium seating double stroller too! I'm one COOL girl:) Posted by Picasa

Friday, August 05, 2005

Baby Boy Update

We had another appointment this morning to check on Baby Boy. He's doing great! Still healthy and HUGE! Luckily my weight gain is slowing down (only two pounds in two weeks)! She said that he's sitting 'shockingly' low....no dialation yet or anything, despite daily pressure contractions and cramping. He's getting snug in there! I can't believe that we only have less than a month until we get to meet this little guy:) We have been working very hard to get the nursery done this week- we hope to post pictures this weekend.

Monday, August 01, 2005

Beach Babes

Jeff had to work all day today:( So we grabbed the girls and went to the beach. They've been playing in the pool all summer, so it was a treat for them to play in the sand. They had a blast! It wasn't too hot because of the ocean breeze. And the water was VERY shallow all the way out to the end of the pier. So the girls could walk out and sit in the sand to catch some waves. What a great way to spend a lazy Sunday. Next time we'll have to take the 'daddies' too:)

Sleep Walker

Last night, for the first time, Olivia actually got out of her bed. We didn't hear her until she stepped on her Leapad and the music came on. Jeff went in to check on her and she was standing at the door, a little confused. I'm still not sure if she knew she was awake and standing...but she said she had to go potty. So he took her, she went, and then went back to bed. Silly little girl:)