Introducing Nicholas Parker

Hi!  I'm Nicholas, and this is my birth story.

Many of you know that I was a little overdue for quite a while.  I went to the doctor on the 8th, being 8 days overdue and we decided that I would come back in that night to start the process of induction.  My cervix was beginning to efface, but I wasn't dilating.  My doctor wanted to put me on Cervadil to help ripen my cervix.  My instructions were simple, I was to call the charge nurse at 5 p.m. and come in at 7 that night.

I called that night from 5 p.m. to 11:30 that night every 2 hours or so.  Every time I called, two more women walked in.  There wasn't enough rooms available for me to come in.  The nurse called my doctor and we rescheduled for the following night.

It is now Wednesday, July 9th.  I called at 4 p.m. and the charge nurse told me to come in!  I started Cervadil around 9 p.m.  When I went in that night, I was 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  My labor nurse was optimistic that I wouldn't need to start pitocin to induce labor.  Boy was she right!  Around 5:40 the next morning my water broke on its own! :)

That's when the contractions REALLY came on!  I immediately decided I wanted an epidural! However, it was shift change and the first anesthesiologist had already gone home and the next one wouldn't be in for another hour. The nurse offered me an IV and it KNOCKED. ME. OUT!!!  One minute I'm trying to talk to Skyler (and seeing double!) and the next thing I knew three nurses came in, rolled me on my side and gave me oxygen.  Nicholas' heart rate had dropped.  I was on oxygen for a few minutes and fell back asleep until the anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural.

He talked me through everything and I didn't really feel it at all.  I was always so scared that it was going to be this major thing, but I'm certainly glad I got it!  About 10-15 minutes into the following contractions, I could still feel everything on the left side of my body.  The anesthesiologist came back to readjust the catheter.  Due to that, my right leg got a double dose! The only side affect I had from the epidural was aggressive shaking in between contractions.  Mom freaked out when she walked in and saw my violently shaking!

I was able to sleep most of the morning and only woke up every once in a while.  Around 10 a.m. I remember feeling an intense amount of pressure and asked my mom to call the nurse in.  She came in, checked me and said I was ready to go!  She called the doctor and told me to wait.

The doctor came up only thinking he was going to check me and see where I was at.  He immediately began getting dressed and set up.  This was it!  I was only in active labor for 5 hours and it was time to push!  15 minutes later...our beautiful baby boy entered the world!

Nicholas Parker Luthi

Born July 10, 2014 at 10:35 a.m.

7 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long

Mrs. Luthi's Classroom

This post is a couple weeks late...I apologize!  Things have been so busy around here trying to finish up my last days of working for the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, preparing last minute items for the baby and getting Skyler moved from his dad's house to working out of our apartment!  

Yep!  He is officially working from home now!   And just in time!  He is working for his dad's drafting company and is starting to enjoy it as well.  He is currently taking Spanish I online and will finish with his AA at the end of the year!  Then he plans to transfer to the University of Florida to start their Construction Management Program.  So this job is getting his whistle wet for this type of work and getting his foot in the door!

Now for the purpose behind this post.  Ever since we knew we were moving to Gainesville, I've been applying for teaching positions in Alachua County.  I had a few interviews at the beginning of the year but nothing came from it.  It's hard being a beginning teacher and coming from an outside county!  I was blessed to receive the job from FSDB and loved working with all my little toddlers and their families!  

However, we have been praying and contemplating on what I needed to do for this upcoming school year.  I loved being a Parent Advisor but I just didn't have enough kids and we've barely been able to make it by on our (BOTH) unsteady income.  I decided to go ahead and apply for positions around the area and we would see what came of them.  I interviewed for three positions (all of them being Hearing Impaired! I'm not sure how I got so lucky!) and received a call from THE PRINCIPAL a few weeks after an interview. 

She is the principal of the only Deaf program in the area.  At the time of my interview with her, she didn't have a Hearing Impaired position available, she just interviewed me to start a language-centered preschool classroom.  However, one of her teachers was moving to the district level and she had this amazing position open up.  She called me persoanlly to see if I would be interested!

Uh....YES!

This was about the second week of June.

She knew I was due at the end of June and wanted to have everything taken care of BEFORE the baby came!  She had already spoken with personnel due to unusual circumstances, the job wasn't officially posted.  In the area, all teaching positions are posted online.  The principals must leave the position up for 5 days and interview at least 3 candidates before offering a suggestion to the school board.  The board then calls the candidate and officially offers the job.  With my due date quickly approaching, she didn't want to have to go through all those motions and potentially lose me because I would be in labor or unable to answer/accept her offer.

She called me at around 10:00 a.m. and explained everything to me.  She told me that, while she couldn't officially offer me the job - the call would come in from personnel, I would be in a classroom with a co-teacher.  There are 7-9 students, 1 Cochlear Implant, 1 BAHA, 1 profoundly deaf student who doesn't use any amplification and the rest use Hearing Aids.  All of the students sign and there are 3 sign language facilitators on campus.  Around 2:30 that afternoon I received the call from personnel and OFFICIALLY became an Alachua County Schools Teacher! :)

My sister-in-law was staying with me that week and I did a little happy dance as I was on the phone with the lady from personnel.  I then had to quickly explain everything to her before calling the family!

The next day I emailed the principal and THANKED HER for offering me the position!  I then asked for any and all information she could give me and she invited me down to the school to take a look at the classroom.  We set a date for the following week.

*A week passes.* I anxiously awaited.

I had set up a time with the principal to go to the school at 10:00 a.m. to see my classroom and bring down some supplies that I've started collecting.  We walked down to my classroom, spoke for a little bit and then she decided she wanted to take me to the room where they were holding summer school.  It was the last day and the teacher that I am replacing and just told her students that morning that she wouldn't be their teacher next year.  Of course, they were upset and wanted to know who the new teacher would be.

In I walk with the principal!  I was able to meet 4 of my students, two of the sign language facilitators, and the teacher I would be replacing.  I was then told that in about 45 minutes they were having a meeting with the county chair for the ESE Department, the school's Audiologist, and a representative from Phonak to discuss updating some of the equipment and asked if I would want to stay.  

I spent 3 hours at the school that morning!  I am so thankful for everything that has been given to us lately and for the outpouring of not only blessings, but the love and support we have received from family and friends!

My due date has officially come and gone (it was yesterday, June 30th) but I am eagerly awaiting my little man's arrival!  I'm hoping to keep everyone updated as I start a family and a new career all at once!  I know there are exciting days to come!

Until next time,

<3