The Many names and Faces of my Son

The Famous "look" by Mr. Grumpapotomus

LOVING his mobile

SO serious

The Mastered boo boo face ♥

The many names of my son.....

Bode

Benner

Buppy- I just started calling him this when he was born.

Buddyboo- this one was completely originated by my HUSBAND, and this is his name for him (I wont take part in this one..lol)

Hungrysaurus- The kid eats as if he hasnt been fed in the last week. Like he cant get enough in the first gulp so he gasps, glups, and swallows like its the end of the world. Not the most appealing thing in the moms room..LOL

Handsome

Baby / Baby Boy

Stinky- This includes blow out diapers, regular diapers, man farts, acid burps and puke, and just being an all around BOY!

Bodeman- This is a daddy name as well..

My Happy Boy- Mainly in the mornings when he wakes up and starts out the day. He has bright eyes, a happy face on, and happy to see his momma.

Squeaker- His cries and protests are alot of squeaks and high pitched. He sounds like a baby dinosaur. (until the real cry breaks out!)

Poopy- :)

Grumpapotomus / Grumpasaurus- My son is the most serious baby you'll ever meet. I have NO idea how he got this, except this is how i was as a baby. He doesnt like to be bathed, his clothes changed, diaper changed, touched when he is not being held, being on to hard or a surface, cold mattress, yawing, etc. All that is accompanied by intense screaming and his protest the entire time. This is not so convenient when at church, or out in public in general. It sounds like im beating my child when i beginning to unbutton his onesise to change him!!!

I honsetly have to say it makes me laugh, i dont know where he got it unless it is genes. Dan and I are So chill and easy going especially with him. He doesnt enjoy playing a whole lot, will not do tummy time, and if he does he falls asleep or pukes. He likes to be talked to, and watch his mobile. (He LOVES LOVES LOVES his mobile) When he is sitting in his bouncer or swing he usually has his eye brows scrunched just looking around, or asleep with his eye brows scrunched! haha Sometimes he gives you "the look" when he is not happy with something but not protesting, i have to turn away and laugh, or make fun of him (in a good way). Sometimes when he is sleeping he'll be dreaming and smiling away, then let out the cutest giggle waking him self up startled and start crying!! HAHA And then there are times he just wakes up fussy and grumpy. :/

He only wants to be held, if thats where he could always be then he would. He is able to know who and whats going on around him at all times. he holds his neck up AMAZINGLY for his age so he loves to be looking over your shoulder. When hes having is really grumpy or sick days he just wants to cuddle on my chest. ♥

Dont get me wrong, his not an unhappy baby, just VERY serious and touch sensitive (unless hes being held). Alot of it has to do with his tummy as well im sure, heartburn is not fun for an infant :( Although he has started smiling the last few days and talking!!! WOO HOO Its so fun to sit and talk and have him occasionally chime in his two cents. Hes getting more and more active by the day and mommy is LOVING it!

A little bit of Everything

Well here i am finally with some free time! WHOA haha! I have SO stinking much to say, but no way to catch you up on it all. Ive got some a little bit of everything to tell you all! So i think the easiest way to go about it is to just bullet point some of it here and then i can be a little caught up and stat this going again!

Here we go...

Bodie is doing wonderful, still a puker with terrible reflux but doing MUCH better! I think the trick is keeping him full so it balances out the acid.

I have had to start formula...and it was a HARD HARD thing for me to do, but looking at it right now, it was the best decision. He has never gotten the latching on thing, and so its been a huge struggle, so i have been pumping, which is alot easier for us both. Switching to half formula was a challenge for me, but Bodie is now putting on WEIGHT! Hes now at.........im embarrassed to say...........9 pounds!! He has had the hardest time putting on weight with how much he throws everything up. But were working on that...

I have been doing wonderful as well, healing up very nicely, and only have about one or two sore days a week! My milk is dangerously LOW from having to start supplementing with formula half and half. Im working on getting it bac, but its a long and hard process.

Dan is doing good, busy. Hes still doing full time school and work, so hes only time with me and Bode is for about 4 hours a day :( poor guy

Some things on the funnier side of parenthood...

Im realizing that there are such a thing as are muscles and they are now getting quite the work out :)

I can officially say that i have changed a diaper, a LOT of every kind...haha

My perspective on sleep has TOTALLY changed, before i would have thought 3 hours of sleep was suicide, now i think its heaven!

I NEVER EVER wanted my kids to sleep in bed with me....now i dont see how you cant! lol Mainly because he has hos 4 am wake up due to his reflux and gets in gagging and puking fits, and the only thing that helps is if he is on his tummy inclined. (mommas chest) and Dan leaves at 4:30 so i need to cuddle.. ♥

i went on my first outting with out dan or baby, it was hard but SO refreshing. I came home and Dan had given him a bath and gotten him into his jammies. Such a good husband. I thought he needed his diaper changed and as dan picked him up to go change him he had a BLOW OUT! by the time we got up stairs to change him....he had NO DIAPER ON!!! HAHAHA Dan had gotten him dressed without a diaper and then blew out his outfit! it was CLASSIC

I think i beat up on Bodie more then a big brother would at times. Im either, bumping him, scratching him, just all around beating him up ;)

One ting i CAN NOT STAND, is when im wearing my sling with Bodie in there sleeping, and im either in the prayer room or something and people come within centimeters of hitting him with out even knowing. UH, seriously one of these days someone is going to run into him and find themselves on the floor! haha good thing im always watching and able to move before hand. WATCH WERE YOUR GOING!

I could go on and on BUT im not going too, i just wanted to catch up a bit, and now i can keep up for here on out...hopefully.. :)

Love you all,
Ash

BABY IS HERE

Hey everyone, sorry i have not posted sooner, life as i know it now is crazy, (in a wonderful kinda way). As all of you already know, we met our little boy on Sept. 14th, (two weeks ago today) @ 2:23pm. He weighed 8pounds 3ounces, and was 19 and a half inches long. I will be posting my birth story later, once i have time to really sit down and write it.



Things are going wonderfully, ,and we are SO blessed and SOOO in love already with our little man. I honestly could not have asked for anything else or more, he exceeds everything i could have dreamed up. ♥

I will be posting more now that i have some time and things have calmed down a bit. Im still getting the hang of it all so be patient with me ;)

Ash*

Quick update....


I had my next appt. Tuesday, where i showed NO progress in dilation or anything. SO she MAJORLY stripped my membranes again and told me if this didn't work then nothing would at this point. And i will have to be induced sometime next week if nothing happens.

So this morning i THINK i may have gotten a slow leak in my water. :D My mom and i are going to hurry and get ready, and head up to the hospital, as soon as my hubby gets home. This may just be the day...oh man... Dan had guessed the 10th from the beginning, so i guess we will see?! Keep up in your prayers today and we will keep everyone updated..

I hope this is it, ill be so embarrassed if i go in and it turns out im slowly peeing my pants... LOL

Ash

72 hour wait

Quick update on my appointment today:

Things were going good, she checked me and i was at a full 2cm dilated and about 75% effaced! (progress none the less!) She decided to do a membrane sweep on me to help progress things, which i have to say was a bit more painful then expected. She said if my body is ready for labor and the baby is ready to come then this should jump start labor with in the next 72 hours! The baby has and was so low today that she was able to touch his head with no problems. WHOA! So now we're waiting to see if this worked, and i start to progress faster with my contractions or my water to break. I was actually really relieved she did the sweep today, and praying it will work. my back has been and is the worst i have ever had it, i have almost fallen a few times and almost had to call Dan to help me out with walking... :/ Most movements send a sharp shooting pain down my leg or up my back, to the point my leg just gives out. I dont know what to really do about this, and it does make me nervous for labor with it like this. SO please i really need your prayers, healing for this pinched nerve, especially so i am able to get around by myself, or at least walk around the house with out falling or using things to keep me up..

Thank you its much needed right now. :)
I will keep you updated with everything, and IF anything happens in the next three days! (hopefully it will) :)

Ash

Full Term

I MADE IT!! I am as of today considered full term (37 weeks). baby is now developed all the way, and if he came now would be perfectly healthy!

Todays check up went wonderful. We did our routine check up and then she checked to see if i had started to dilate or efface. As she is checking me she goes "oh I dont think you'll be making it to September!" I am dilated to 2cm and starting to efface. Great news for me, i have been praying i would have SOME progress, even if i stay like that for a few weeks. And i am in fact making progress. We joked a bit about having the baby this weekend (which turns out i actually may) and how Friday i CAN NOT have it because its completely marked off as her one vacation day, which i am fine with the baby needs his OWN birthday, not mommys. It was a good appointment.

I was telling her how i have been feeling the last couple of days and telling her i was having LOTS of contractions yesterday, and really sick today, she said it maybe the very beginning of labor, and keep watch of the contractions. :)

Thats all i have for right now, praying that baby is going to come early still.

Oh and were ALMOST done with the nursery. We bought a dresser yesterday, and are going to hopefully by the crib either tonight or tomorrow. :) This is a LOT of progress for us and how busy we have been. I still need to pack a bag....i should just go do it now... :/

Ok NOW thats all.

♥ Ash

36 weeks tub time!

Ok so normally i am overly modest, and have yet to put a picture of my bare tummy on here...I thought these might be a cute exception.. :) you can click on them to make them bigger if you need to.. :)

36 weeks

Well here i am and im ALREADY 36 weeks. WHOA! Ill be full term next week. Its so crazy to think about how fast this pregnancy has really gone! I mean the baby could really be coming anytime after next week and be perfectly fine! (I truly wishing he come early) :)

Ok for the update!

Ash:
Im as good as it gets for being 36 weeks pregnant! (haha) Things are defiantly getting more and more sore and achy. I actually got adjusted last night(by a REAL chiropractor),(which is a MASSIVE step for me) and she did a WONDERFUL job. I have so much more energy today and no aches or anything. Praise the Lord! My body must have really needed it. The lady, AMY, is actually a wonderful Christian who owns her own Chiropractic Clinic and is teaching our birthing classes. The classes have been great, and she is doing a wonderful job. Dan and I are doing it with another couple our age and good friends! (needless to say we have fun) :) During class last night i actually got a massive contractions and about 3 more later that night. WOO HOO!! Its getting SO close.

Other then that im doing great, (today) and am getting more and more excited/ nervous for the little one to come. Not knowing WHEN he will decide to come is slightly scary, but exciting. OH, and i also learned last night that Full term came from the bible. Let me explain; Most women actually go OVER their date because thats ow the Lord created it. I think its in Lev. but pregnancy is based on 10 Lunar months, which is based on 28 days. So cool! (still hoping for a early baby though)

Baby:

Baby is about 17- 18 inches long and anywhere from 4- just under 6 pounds! (the size of a honeydew'ish) he is basically fully developed and just needed to wait a bit longer for his little lungs to completely hold up to the outside world. (but would be fine if born now) He is so developed his little gums are now hard! (kinda weird)
his kicks are getting harder and harder, One caught Dan's eye the other day and it kinda freaked him out. He said the baby is going to just punch right on out! haha He still likes to rub his feet along my ribs, and is now sticking His little butt out to the point my tummy looks all deformed!! he is going to be a stinker!

Well this is about it for now, i WAS planning on uploading pictures from the other night but forgot my uploader..typical! I will later on tonight or tomorrow.


♥ Ash

Thank You

This post is to all of you who have supported us and all the gifts we received for the Little One.
I just wanted to let you know I AM IN THE PROCESS of writing my baby shower thank yous!! Im sorry its taken me so long, once we started packing, they too got packed and i haven't found them until just last night. I haven't forgot about any of you! :( I promise i will get them out as soon as i can. :)

On the other hand,
I finally ventured into the "baby's room" today to try and tackle some of the organizing, and such of all the gifts and clothes and heaps of other stuff. I have to say, it was fun (a little overwhelming) but fun. We don't have our crib yet... The one we actually wanted went out of stock and never to return once we got home, Sadly we are looking for a new one. (we DO have a bassinet, so don't worry to much) :) We have a changer on the way, praise the Lord for giving people! And we are still going to go looking for a dresser. So basically we have everything we need but the big stuff. AMEN! I will post pictures of the nursery, before and after. :) I still need to pack a hospital bag as well, i know im terribly behind. The next step is getting some baby detergent so i can not just organize the clothes and stuff but actually WASH them! We're slowly but surly getting there, and the house is also on its way to becoming a home. :) We have just over a month left to prepare :/

♥ Ash

funny symptoms and warning to the ladies

So over the last few days i have gotten a few new pregnancy symptoms, you know the ones you laugh about other people getting..yeah.. haha

The hormone "relaxin" has officially been let loose to take over my body. This means that my joints and ligaments and even bones are very lax so the baby will be able to come with ease. BUT i feel like Gumby. I literally feel like nothing is being held together, and when i walk i feel all..well Gumbyish. Everything feels like its going to fall apart, or pop out. Like my insides are made of chewed bubble gum. Its the most bizarre feeling. Mainly where i feel like this is, my two hips, where my back connects to my hips, and my knees. So i look like a slightly drunk duck when i walk. Its ridicules! I just have to laugh at myself. :)



My eyes are also not so reliant anymore, (as if they ever fully were). My eyes decide to go blurry at any given time and focusing is sometimes difficult. Weird i know, but again i must say thank you pregnancy. :/

Ok now for the little more serious note. (For the sake for this next part i hope only women are reading this)

Yesterday i decided was called to, to head to our L and D to be hooked up the monitors, i was and had been having something like contractions for a few days and they kept getting worse, along with a few other symptoms. So i called and they told me to come in. They hooked me up and everything and well checked me down there to make sure baby was still high and everything was ok. They swabbed me and it turned out i have a bacterial infection, or imbalance I think its called Bacterial Vagnosis (i think they could have been a little more creative with the name)..? Basically how this comes about or is caused is by sleeping with underwear on at night. (who knew?!) My midwife was pretty shocked when i told her i had no idea about any of this. What happens is when you have underwear on at night and if you get any kind of...discharge or leakage, it is able to straight back up, and its a vertical infection, causing an imbalance of bad bacteria to good bacteria. She assured me it was JUST a simple infection and not something bad or a STD. Praise the Lord! This is especially bad while your pregnant. Simple fix of 10 days of antibiotics and all is well. So Ladies DONT sleep with underwear on, she said if its completely uncomfortable (like for me) then to have boxer shorts on, this doesnt mean nothing, just the pajama pants... Praise the Lord i went in, if i would have let it go, it could have put me into preterm labor by weakening my membranes.

♥ Gumby

34 weeks

Let me first start off by saying thanks you to everyone who called me and was concerned after the last post. I can say i AM alive, and did in fact NOT have a complete breakdown. :)

It just hit me yet again that im having a baby. Well not that im having a baby but the baby WILL be here soon! ..whoa.. Its crazy to me that the baby could honestly come at any time and still be perfectly healthy. I have about 4 weeks left till im "full term", which blows my mind!!




Excuse the typical bathroom shot, but i wanted to let you all see how im lookin! I have to say it again, I AM bigger then this, the picture doesnt do any justice, and i have dropped. :) The picture with mama bear shows that she LOVES babys kicks as much as i do! When even he is active and awake she will come lay on my tummy right where he is. That picture was from a few weeks ago.. :)

ASH:

Im doing great, for the most part. Feeling good, a little tired but on the whole pretty good. The baby has Officially dropped, well has been dropping over that last few weeks, and yesterday it really hit me. I started to get really bad cramps and such really low, and they lasted through out the night. Then this morning i got up and went to the 6 am prayer set, and as usual used the bathroom 10 times, but noticed my stomach was between my knees! I about hit the floor, but on a good note it has made me look a bit smaller. :) I have to be honest, i have been getting more and more self-conscious of my belly the last few days. I mean i know im big and i love it, but im really ready to get my old tummy and body back. I remember thinking "wow, you can totally see my bump" "I cant wait to be really big" or thinking "yeah, duh, im OBVIOUSLY pregnant". And sadly to say this was when i could still pull off being fat and could hide the bump with a normal (non maternity) shirt. :/ (Ive already out grown my maternity shirts!!) Now that im here all i can think about is, i still have a little over a month to go, and im going to get even bigger! Thats scary! Oh, another thing i think is completely weird and random...Despite the fact that i have indeed stretched, i have not stretched on my tummy!? Everywhere i have baby im fine, but the places i have put on any kind of weight, i have stretched. I guess i am not ever going to be able to gain weight..lol My body was not made to be heavy..obviously!

Im getting more and more excited as the time gets closer. When i log on and see my ticker and how far along i am its so cool, scary and overwhelming, but amazing. I was praying the other night and i was asking the Lord, how and why He has so much mercy on us and how He can truly love us. And in His reply this is what He asked me, "How can you love your baby so much?" And i sat there and thought, and i couldnt figure out why. I mean, this IS our baby, but its still in the womb, i have not met him, its not real yet (you know what i mean), i didnt have an answer. And He told me, "Its because its in your NATURE to love him already" ..whoa.. He is Love, and its in His very being to love us. That sounds so simple, and it is, but it put a WHOLE NEW perspective on things when its dealing with your baby. I guess i need to strap on my seat belt and get ready for this new season called "motherhood" and "parenting".


BABY:

Bodie is doing wonderful, measuring good and on track, head DOWN, and now dropped. I dont know that i am done dropping, we'll just have to wait and see. He is about 4-5 pounds and about 18- 19 inches long. His skin is also smoother and fattening up. His central nervous system is maturing and lungs are continuing to mature as well. He Loves to have something shoved up under my ribs, mainly a foot or butt, and gets the hiccups on a very regular basis, this morning he had them for over a half hour :( I felt so bad for him, he would kick really hard after so long like he was flustered he had them. (awww)

Ok well this is it for now, im off to take a much needed nap before my husband gets home. :)

♥
ASH and Bodie

The Sweet Relief of a Blog

*sigh*

Im sitting here in my half put together living room, on the verge of another spout of tears. After a week of moving, packing, and being 8 1/2ish months pregnant, its been stressful and overwhelming, Im not going to lie. We still have to move some of our other kitchen, and i have to clean. And now we have a house full of boxes, trash from cleaning and unfinished painting jobs, and no matter how much i scrub everything is still nasty and dirty and needing painting. I never thought this whole thing would be such a big deal, i mean moving is a little stressful but really!?

I cant do everything, i have a massive stomach in my way, and its now super hard. My poor husband is helping me out like a poor slave boy all while having a MAJOR lack of sleep, getting sick, sore everything from moving, and working 8 hours a day, AND yet still having a good attitude and encouraging me. How? I dont know???

Im just needing to vent and cry a little tonight...

I dont know what it means to have OPTIONS, i have to be honest with myself and say i dont like change to much, and its really hard for me, unless its planned. (i know im crazy) SO, im happily packing and moving, everything perfectly labeled, and then get to the new place and BAM! I cant just do everything the SAME, which i did not even think about. SO im in a whirlwind of trying to figure things out, and wanting to do something NEW, but dont even know where to start. (I know, one box at a time, one room at a time) tried it, got half way done and then had to start on something else cause we needed it. So now i have every room STARTED, not finished, and not cleaned. Im a bit, let me rephrase, Im a big germ freak especially when its someone else's nasty grime, that has a big question mark above it...gross...
This is my predicament, 1: unpack and clean just what im doing at a time, but leave everything else a crazy mess? OR 2: Do i clean the entire room then unpack? (these obviously are not my only options, but are two i cant ignore)

I just want to "NEST" but i cant and it sucks ..period.. Other peoples nasty ?'s are driving me up the walls, and i cant clean like i would actually feel comfortable living in, the "touch up" painting to COVER grime is not done, my belly is COMPLETELY in the way of everything and hindering me for all of it, I have boxes and boxes of stuff i dont know what to begin with, I have an amazing and overly stretched husband i have to ask to do everything, down to even moving a box because "its to heavy", two scared and freaked out cats that are getting NO attention locked in the scary basement and feel terrible about it, Im a month and a half away from meeting our baby and dont have anything ready for him, the pregnancy fatigue and nausea has hit me again, i still have to clean and finish moving the other apt., i have to deal with my car and get it towed still, i dont know what to do and make everything work Smoothly with all these options and decisions, did i mention my stomach is always in the way, and i constantly get remarks on how big i am and rude stares everywhere? I LOVE baby's movements and kicks, but lately they have been anything but pleasant, when he does kick its a full moving of my ribs, or He is literally going to punch right through my skin. (even thought they still make me smile)And my hormones and emotions are at an all time high. I have never in my life been so down, or i guess blah about myself. My hands and feet are swollen, i have gained enough weight to live off of for 10 years, and my new stretch marks are not helping in any way, shape, or form, and any sort of moving, walking, stretching, exercise leaves me out of breath. BLAH feeling ( i have always been athletic and in good shape) I know it will all be worth it, and im not a vain kind of person but its really getting me down, and its a new challenge to have to deal with, and am not to sure how to. And to top it all off my lips are chapped!
This is a LITTLE of where i am right now, the last few days, and im sure the next few. I just feel useless

Im trying so hard not to just go at everything and do my thing, but i cant thats just not feasible right now being pregnant. I am trying to enjoy this last few weeks of this journey, but its hard right now. I want to enjoy nesting like everyone else does, and do some cleaning, and getting ready, but i have "demolition" projects ahead of me..

All of this to say, i love our new home. Its perfect for us, big and cozy (minus the scary basement). It needs to be MAJORLY cleaned, and the baseboards need to be painted, but its wonderful. I need to put away and find places for everything, but im thankful we're not lacking. I love my husband more then ever, he is absolutely amazing, and needs a Husband of the Year award! (literally)

*SIGH*

Please pray for me to get things done as smoothly and quickly as possible so i can enjoy the last bit of this. I would like to finish and just be able to go and sit in the prayer room and relax before baby comes. :(

This is how im feeling....not so much angry though..haha


An overwhelmed,
Ash

Really quick, i want to let you all know that we are having a 100% Healthy baby!
Thank you all SO SO SO much for your prayers, especially for me, i was at peace for the most part right till we walked into the room. haha

Ok so, before heading off to the appointment i make Dan stop by Starbucks to get something COLD, SWEET, and CAFFEINATED, so that the baby will have three hits against him sleeping during the ultrasound..(I Know its horrible, but you gotta do what you gotta do!) So we get there, later as usual due to a wrong turn that turned into construction and a detour, get checked in and wait. About this time we are both a little anxious, and i was shaking from drinking a grande caramel frap. We go in to the room, and get everything going, she checks the heart rate, NORMAL, and then we sit and watch his clenched fists for about 10 minutes, all tellin him to open them up. We are shaking him around poking him, and then finally he popes open his left hand in a almost full salute! We all jumped for joy, and then began to wait on the right hand to do the same. Nothing, nothing, nothing. So finally another tech comes in and is talking to us and saying how its dumb we're back, and the dr who set us back is just crazy, which was their boss.. Quite a fun time. So she grabs the wand and is basically laying over me and on top of me to try and get a shot, which all we could get was a half open one. So we all called it good.

Basically He is perfectly healthy, no problems, and has two very relieved parents!
Thank you all again, we are so blessed to have everyone praying for our little man! :)


Ash, Dan and Bodie!

Red Flag on baby

Alright i thought i would do a quick update on whats going on with me and mainly the baby, and ask for urgent and much needed prayer before tomorrow at 3:30. The above picture is the main problem and cause for concern for our last ultrasound.

Yesterday (Tuesday) we went in for our normal check up, and our midwife Deb told us she wanted to talk to us about the ultrasound. She went on to tell us that the baby is at risk and a "Red Flag" is up for Trisomy 18 (ill explain later on). Our last ultrasound the week before didn't go so well all together it turns out. The baby's hands were clenched the entire time of the ultrasound, which is a sign and symptom of Trisomy 18. She told us that she was going to be completely honest with us and if she thought there was anything to look into she would. SO we have another ultrasound tomorrow to see if the baby opens up his hands or not. *sigh* Its a pretty normal thing to be double checking (i guess?) but that alone gives me no comfort. Dan, the saving grace of the day, started to ask all the normal questions, while i sat there and tried to listen. Some of the things that have given us so much hope is that Trisomy 18 babies are normally alot smaller, and He is measuring right on track along with me measuring perfectly. Also, during the first ultrasound we had at 15 weeks His little hands and fingers were moving around just fine, and the last thing was that He would have a short neck, which He again doesn't. The list goes on and on, all of which our baby checks out just fine as far as we know. So basically everything for the next few months lies in the baby's cooperation tomorrow. There is no way for us to make him open them up and if he doesn't its more of a waiting and wondering game.

Where we're at..

Dan is doing great, as usual.. haha After talking to our midwife Deb and getting some answers he is at complete ease, and comforting me. haha As i said today has been much better, compare to today. On one hand i am easily and fully trusting in the Lord. I know He has a plan in all of this, no matter that is going on. I know we have a fully healthy baby, and he has been healthy up to the last ultrasound and is still checking out just fine. Besides the clenched fists. There is a WHOLE NEW matter of trust that comes with something like this, especially it being your BABY. I went to the prayer room today to sort out my thoughts and just talk to the Lord, and before i even got my bible or sat down, i was in tears. The singers were singing one of the Psalms, and it was all about putting our whole trust in the Lord, and Him fully an completely coming through. A chorus they sang today that hit me so hard was "If he has birthed a cry in you, he is faithful to bring it to pass" It was good, and then i went and sorted life kinda things out with a good friend. Its been a good day, and Im not worried. Just a little tense about if he will cooperate tomorrow or not.

And then on the other hand I cant just ignore whats going on. The reality could be real of having a baby like this, and its terrifying. I want nothing more then a healthy baby, there is nothing i can do but trust the Lord. I am emotionally drained with this put at our door step. I dont want to carry this baby for two more months NOT knowing if he is healthy, or will make it to the end. We're just praying for answers tomorrow!! Everything seems to come in waves, and when it does i just cry. I need prayer for my mind and heart's sake. I just need peace.

Here is a quick and short overview of Trisomy 18:

There are 23 pairs of human chromosomes. In Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), there is an extra chromosome with the 18th pair. Like Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 affects all systems of the body and causes distinct facial features.

Trisomy 18 occurs in 1 in 3,000 live births. Unfortunately, most babies with Trisomy 18 die before birth, so the actual incidence of the disorder may be higher. Trisomy 18 affects individuals of all ethnic backgrounds. (I also read that the baby is carried full term most times and then born still)

Trisomy 18 severely affects all organ systems of the body. Symptoms may include:

* Nervous system and brain - mental retardation and delayed development, high muscle tone, seizures, and physical malformations such as brain defects
* Head and face - small head (microcephaly), small eyes, wide-set eyes, small lower jaw
* Heart - congenital heart defects such as ventricular septal defect
* Bones - severe growth retardation, clenched hands with 2nd and 5th fingers on top of the others, and other defects of the hands and feet
* Malformations of the digestive tract, the urinary tract, and genitals


This is as much as i am going to put or look up, we're believing for a healthy baby.
Please pray for us through out the night and tomorrow!

Thanks,
Ash Dan and Baby

30 weeks in the first trimester?

So here i am with some time on my hands...finally! So sorry this blog has been so neglected these last few weeks! We've been so busy, and when we have some free time its now turned nap time. :)

SO here we go with a quick update on the baby, and I.

BABY:
Baby is doing great, He is anywhere from 15-16 inches long (head to heal) and about 3-3 1/2 pounds! Hes getting so big, in very tight spaces. As you can tell from the ultra-sound pictures he looks like quite the CHUNK! He has the big cheeks Dan has been praying for! haha I still dont think he looks like either of us, but i will say that he has Daddys feet, we got a picture of each of his feet, and in one of them he was flexing it and all his toes were spread out. It was too cute.
He has been head down for a few weeks now, so hopefully he will just stay head down from here on out, (well hes more at an angel, head at my left hip and feet in my right ribs) :) He is already developing quite the personality. When ever i rub my tummy, he will push his back or head towards my hand, and when i stop he kicks pretty hard to keep going. haha Its so cute to see a little bulge in my tummy where he is, Dan thinks he'll be pretty touchy. He is mostly sleeping through out the night, except when i stumble out of bed to go to the bathroom, so i try and be as graceful as i can! This morning I was jolted wide awake by a MASSIVE thunder, which also woke baby up, and scared him so bad he had gotten the hiccups, i felt so bad for him, but it was so cute as well!!

ASH:

I have been doing pretty good, well ok, this last trimester is kicking my butt all over again! I feel like i have entered the first trimester again, im SUPER tired, a bit nauseous all day long, and now i have a tummy sticking way out which hinders bending and certain movement...haha I do have to say i am SO THANKFUL i am no longer on night watch like in the first three months, i think thats mainly why i was so sick.
Other then this i have been doing great, loving MOST of the babys kicks, punches, and jolts, minus the constant or demanding kick or push to the ribs.
I am taking more iron due to a low red blood count after my glucose tolerance test. I am also measuring perfectly on track for the week i am, and all my normal check up stuff is right on track, which is wonderful news! I have been feeling huge lately, and when i went to see our midwife for my normal check up, she was SHOCKED at how big i was. When she went to measure me me she stepped back and said "WHOA, your all baby!!" Which im not going to lie scared me, out of 800 births i cant possibly be the only person my size this big by now..? right? Through out the rest of the check up she was on complete shock and made sure to voice all of her amazement. But i am measuring right on so it is all ok.

Please be sure to continue to be praying for my back, the bigger i get it seems to be getting worse. I am completely limping around and sometimes unable to walk, especially up three flights of stairs, i almost had to have Dan carry me up yesterday. We are painting the home we are about to move into and packing and cleaning, and as easy as i am taking it, it just doesnt seem to matter.
Thanks!

This is it for now, and i WILL be putting some more pictures of my tummy up SOON!

LOVE,
Ash and Bodie

* My nightmare Ultrasound*
Just on a quick and humorous side note, i figured i would let you know how this last ultrasound went. :/

We had our last ultrasound earlier this week. As the lady was getting all the pictures she needed to make sure everything checks out, I was feeling great, all day no problems. Then she decided to "make sure" the baby was still a boy but could not get the shot for anything, so she went about it from another angel, which just happened to be at my empty stomach. So shes pushing and pushing and i start to see spots, and the room going dark, so i tell her im not feeling to good to get her to stop, but no she had me roll to my side for a minute or two and then roll back to my back for her to continue. So everything starts again, rooms going black and my ears are ringing so loud i can no longer hear her at all. So i sit up, yup, with all the gel all over and tell here im not feeling good for real. So she sits there kinda worried and said to just clean up and she'll step out till im doing better. (which by this time i cant hear OR see her. She walked out and i grab the trash as quickly as i can and throw up.....yeah i know.... (this was a first in months!) As soon as i finished everything came back into view and i could hear again. Dan was in complete shock and the sudden change of direction, but was wonderful like always. I clean up, but still had gel all over my shirt from sitting up, and walk out of the room. mortified i tell her im sorry, and of course it was no big deal to her, we get our pictures and leave... I have no idea why i got so sick for this, and have been queasy since. BUT the baby is STILL a boy..... HAHA

Third Trimester!!!

I have finally made it to the third trimester! I remember thinking that it will never come, but now that im here im almost not ready! I feel like we still have SO much to do!! Im 27 going on 28 weeks Tuesday, and that means only 10 weeks until im full term! Thats insane, i dont feel ready, but i do at the same time. Honestly im ready to get moved and start nesting and preparing for baby, this will help me get feeling more and more ready, im just anxious right now more then anything.

Im doing great, couldnt be better. Dan and I have been in Cheyenne for about a week now and its been so relaxing so far! Weddings, family, baseball games, and today our BABY SHOWER!!! Im so excited, and ready to see what everyone got the baby!! We have already been so blessed, i cant imagine, and i also cant imagine having three more after this!! WHOA!

Well this is only a short update, ill update with pictures of the shower today!!! YAY!

Ughhh

Ok so im sitting here in bed a nervous wreck, away from my husband for the first time since we have been married and hes away in the mountains with bears, my dad, and brother Camping in the rain.. On top of all the bear mauling stories, jokes, and EXTRA precaution, im a teary mess! Bears are my biggest fear in the woods, and thats right where they are headed, to bear proof sites and trash cans, hiding your food outside of your camp area mountain lake.

I know they will be having fun and all, but really?! All they took were sleeping bags, freeze dried food (they had to be "REAL" mountain men, water, and fishing poles. They backpacked in. I guess i have no grid for that being a girl, and pregnant.

ANYWAYS, PLEASE pray for them tonight and tomorrow as they spend time together, and do man stuff. They will be fine, so pray for me for be at ease, and no thoughts of bears and mountain lions, and whatever else could go wrong. :( i just need to get through this night and then they will be home tomorrow. my hormones are just going crazy, and its our first night apart since we've been married. :(

Hopefully if any bears do come along this is how they are....

Last week of the second trimester!

I cant believe i have been so horrible with my blog these last few weeks! Sorry, i just realized the last time i really updated was at 23 weeks! We have been SO SO SO busy, we're going home on Friday to have some good time with family and a vacation. So i have been running around cleaning, packing up our house to move, get our newsletters ready to send out, laundry, and being pregnant...Ok here we go, this may be a bit long so i will try and make it short :)

Ash:
(quick life update first)
As i said, i have been so busy and so stressed out, Dan and i are going home from this Friday (the 12th) and getting home on the 28th, and then the plan was to move the first week of July. So that made everything crammed into a very short time of having to get everything ready to move, and then when we talked to the apartment the two layouts we are choosing from wont fit all our furniture!!! So of course we are stuck with finding another place for our second couch or somewhere else. (im just telling all this to let you know whats been going on here) :) So we ended up talking to our friends who are thinking about buying a town-home and us renting it out. Which everything would fit and it has an unfinished basement if it doesn't. This all happened yesterday MONDAY. Now i think we are going to stay here for another month and move into the town-home the first week of August. We'll find out everything on Thursday... AHH it makes me want to scream. As you can see we have so much going on right now, and if we are moving it will (at least to me, be cutting it short) with the baby on the way, and starting school in Aug. But if the town-home DOES work out it will give me an extra month to pack and get everything together. So thats a massive relief. I think i will update our ministry blog with all of this and how you can pray for us. :) I know the Lord is good, and i trust Him with the short time and pretty big leap up in rent.

OK now how IM doing. I doing, well lets just be honest, im super stressed out, but doing much better with this possibility of the town-home and moving in August.
These last two weeks have been so different from the second trimester, i feel and have felt like im just starting this pregnancy over again but with a belly now. Ive been much more queasy after every meal, tired all day long, and have heartburn really bad (but thats nothing new..haha) If you could really and honestly be praying for my back, its getting worse and its getting harder to walk and sit and bend. Just the other day i was just walking across the bedroom and almost fell because it felt like a stabbing through my back and i couldnt put any pressure on my leg, Like if i took any kind of move i would be paralyzed kinda feeling. I think its a really bad pinched nerve. So please pray, i have a lot to do and am about to go home and want to enjoy the trip! Im getting more and more excited for the baby just to be here and for me to be holding him. Ive been having dream after dream of Him in my arms or giving him a bath, just anything and it just makes me all the more anxious! But i am SO thankful we have three more months to prepare, were not ready at all and def. need the extra time!!
I have been sleeping really good! WHOA i know. :) I have a normal time of waking up around 4 am and then getting back to sleep around 7ish. Which at this point i dont mind to much and since i have been so tired and sleeping good during the night i cant complain!

BABY:

Baby is doing great! Always moving and bouncing around, making my tummy rock and roll. haha He has hit his biggest growth spurt so far, and has been growing for around three days now. I can tell just because how much bigger i have gotten and the stretching. Im starting to stick straight out in front, like a bullet. You couldnt tell i was pregnant unless you saw me from the side!! He has now found out how to kick my ribs from time to time, which is so crazy to feel..! He likes to either be on one side of my tummy or the other making it look a bit lopped sided. Its so cute to see him pressed up against on side form head to bottom. :)
Baby is about 14 inches long, head to toe, and about 2 pounds! They say about the size of an eggplant, (but i have never seen one). Everything seems to be going good and he is healthy! AMEN

I feel like i have done all this a bit scattered brained..Hopefully this makes sense, and DOESNT feel or sound like i am falling apart at the seams.. haha ;)
lets make this a little lighter and do a your know your pregnant when.

YOU KNOW YOUR PREGNANT WHEN

You put the butter in the sink, and your husband finds it later and askes what you was thinking.

You you cry and freak out when you see and almost touch a scary spider on the arm rail (even if i wasnt preg i probably still would) and have not taken that set of stairs since, even though its the closest to the apartment

You accidentally knock an old lady with your stomach while she is worshiping trying to sneak by her and then hit the wall on the rebound...and then keep walking because your to embarrassed to say sorry.. :/

After you use the bathroom or go to any sink you forget you have a tummy and get the big wet spot on it from the counters.

You cant eat anything with out wearing it afterward

You begin to out eat your husband at dinner time.. :)

You refer to your husband coming home to the cats as daddy.

You hold your cats like babies to get the practice LOL

When you are constantly waking up the baby by poking and prodding my tuummy

You realize you've never changed a diaper in your life (ive never had the chance) and are now freaking out as to what kind of parent you will be not knowing the simple things HAHA

You are now procrastinating on cleaning the house by doing "you know your preg when"

OK everyone i will try and post one more time before i leave to go home and be updating over the next few weeks!!! Thanks for listening again to my blabbering

ASH

Randomosity

Here are a few of the things that make me smile right now...:)
MY BUNNY
MY NEW PURPLE WATER BOTTLE
STARBUCKS :)
OPENING PEANUT BUTTER AND IT HAVING A SMILEY FACE
AND MY BELLY BUTTON WITH A SLIGHT STAR SHAPE IN IT (with your imagination)

Well, i see i am way over that time to update, but really dont have anything to say but a bunch a babble and random stuff...SO ill just post points of these last few weeks...

-I am now 24 weeks going on 25 here in a few days, feeling great, besides these morning allergies that are on steroids because of pregnancy.

-I have finally gotten a whole night of sleep! (besides the two to three bathroom wake ups) I learned that sleeping with my tummy slightly propped up makes a world of a difference, and now have a little wedge pillow to help. Even though the restless nights are preparing me for baby's arrival i still would like to get some sleep. :)

-Had our monthly doctors visit, which i was completely excited for all day, despite knowing I, (MOMMY) hit my growth spurt and did not want to see my new weight. When i was weighted i was half hoping that it was all in my head and then saw that i have gained 13 pounds in four weeks! I tried to laugh it off to the nurse (and my mid-wife) who was very happy with my new weight and then cried the rest of the day, setting the whole pregnancy in a whirl wind.

-I am now scheduled for a third ultrasound, because the baby would give a good shot of the spine. Hopefully this will be the last and everything will be fine, (im turning into a mother who will probably worry till the ultrasound)

- My belly button, well, is now half way out, and so embarrassing!! Through my shirts it looks like i have a stray stuck on cheerio. And well from MY view it looks like it has a star shape in it..LOL I cant complain about that now can i..?

- On a lighter note, i ate a whole box of junior mints by myself..oopps (no wonder i have gained so much) :)

-My hubby bought me a new camelbak water bottle and it made my entire week! lol Needless to say i am very proud of it..(you cant tell but its a nice purple color) :)

- We are in the process of packing up our home for the move the the end of June. the need to pack so early is we are going home for about two weeks at the end of June and when we get home we will be moving within the next few days. SO we only have about two weeks form now to get everything ready, which is a little harder pregnant with a much shorter reach, a hubby that works full time, prayer room, and sentimental emotions arising due to hormones. I have to say packing up everything is so hard, mainly because i absent mindedly decided to pack all the stuff on the walls, pictures, and our whole book shelf. Uh, bad idea if you want to feel like you have a home. :( But we will be moving, painting and setting up for baby soon!

-During shopping and updating our registry we decided to sit down in the gliders at Babies R Us to talk about what else we needed and almost fell asleep.. HAHA

-Baby is and can now officially hear our voices and recognize them. The other day i was a bit worried due to not feeling little one kick all day, so i asked Dan to come tell him to wake up and kick a few times for me, and not only did he wake up to his voice he turned around to face him and was kicking the rest of the night. ♥

-My new favorite thing is my life time bed buddy "Bunny" When i have to wake up for the millionth time at night to go to the bathroom, getting back in bed and going to sleep can be quite a challenge. With baby now awake and kicking, and my husband breathing/snoring, i can just grab my bunny and fall right back asleep. :) He has never been so amazing!

- I almost died yesterday when i saw a family at church pull out a bottle and give it to their THREE year old. :O I turned to Dan and we made eye contact and nothing had to be said, i saw the shock in his eyes as well.

- I have no idea how im going to make it through this summer being in my third trimester (huge) and in the mid-west. Yesterday it was around 93 degrees at like 5ish o'clock, and the humidity is beginning. Im from WYOMING where 2 percent humidity is a shocker and HOT. Now living out here with a million degree days and 100% humidity... OH GOSH, grace Lord! lol

-For the first time in my life, Ok not my life im being a little over dramatic, but for the first time since i was like 10 i wore shorts today to go down and sit by the pool. A wonderful pair of maternity shorts i got, and completely fell in LOVE with!! (Jami you were right) And now all i have to do is tan these florescent legs that havent seen sun in 10 years, so i can wear them!! Nothing compares to them, not even a skirt. :)

Alright well i should go or i will keep going and want to get something accomplished today, if its even a shower before my husband gets home. :)

Ash

23 weeks!

The pictures dont really show my growing tummy, but were some fun ones form the botanical gardens!

I have been putting off updating for some reason these last few weeks. I think maybe because i SEE and FEEL my belly everyday so i don't realize that i AM actually growing.

MOMMA

I have finally hit week 23, and it now seems to be CRAWLING by. I still have ALL summer to go, and that means summer in Hot Kansas City Humidity. (yikes) It may work out in my favor with all skirts,dresses, and capris. (IF im brave enough to..haha)
I am defiantly growing, despite how i may feel some days. Some exciting news, and a newer symptom i have developed is the "mask of pregnancy". I have been quite excited for this for some reason. All the freckles around my eyes are starting to show, like they do every summer, and but are getting a bit bigger and darker. It may take a while to start to show more, or maybe its just my mind. ;)My belly button is also starting to bump out, i dont think it will be to long before it stays out. At nights its so close! *I actually had a dream that i was able to flex my tummy and push my belly button out and then when i let up it would pop back in. HAHA*
Another NOT so great thing is SWELLING..gross I have been crazy swollen these last two weeks its miserable. All my skin and hands and feet hurt, no matter how many times i have to punch my husbands arm telling him to quit squeezing my hands because it hurts!..haha I hear (Jami)that pineapple helps with swelling, along with water. So hopefully i will remember to try out the pineapple and cross my fingers it helps. my feet have also GROWN! I was going to get some flip flops and ended up in a whole size bigger then my normal size! I was horrified, i did so much searching trying to find just one site that said this change is NOT permanent...I was wrong.. :(


BODIE

Well, he is literally a bouncing baby boy! His little kicks and punches are now waking me up at night. He has settled into a sleep cycle at night though, he wakes up wanting to play or eat around 12:30-1:30 am and then again around 5:30-6 when daddy goes to work. if he keeps this sleep schedule when he born he will be super easy! haha another thing he likes to do is body slam my bladder in public...Each time sending me almost to my knees scanning for the closest bathroom, and frantically yelling for Dan to help me.
We had our second and last ultrasound on Monday, which went wonderful. I was so nervous for this one b/c they do a full physical over the baby and see if EVERYTHING is growing right and on time. It was actually the same tech we had last time, which was nice, and she ever remembered us! She checked everything from cleff lips, a full stomach, all of his major arteries, a full physical on his heart and brain, and anything else you could think of. For the first half the baby was making it quite hard for her to get any kind of picture due to his moving and kicking the wand. (which i just had to laugh) Then the next thing we know (literally ten seconds later) he was crashed. Fell asleep, head back and mouth open it was so cute, we all had a good laugh. She unfortunately had to wake him back up and turn him over to check his spine. He fought it at first then rolled half way over and wouldn't budge from there, stubborn like his parents i guess..? haha
Baby is Exactly on schedule for his growth to the DAY! And PERFECTLY healthy! Praise the Lord! I will update this post with pictures of the ultrasound when i get home.

Well this is what i can think of for now, the pictures are about a week and a half old, sorry haven't had time to take a more recent one.. SOON though!!

♥ Ash and baby boy

Beyond Blessed

Im sitting here and its just about 1 am, not tired, and probably going to eat a quick bowl of cereal before bed. Just wanted to make a quick update on the Lords blessing, amazing, provision!

We had an awesome night with some friends, good fellowship, laughter, deep talk, and banana bread. It was altogether wonderful and refreshing, even got to spend time with an old friend that i have been really wanting to catch up with. I knew my friend Holli had gotten a bunch of maternity clothes handed down to her, (i dont know why, shes on her 4th and last pregnancy, due in July), and thought i might want to look and see of ANYTHING fit and i could keep it. So i was like Ok ill at least LOOK. I was handed about three BIG garbage bags full of clothes and went home to try them on. As i was looking there was like shirt after shirt and pants i was able to fit into and some i would be able to wear till the end of the pregnancy! I came out with a whole garbage bag of "keeping" clothes!

I have been so stressed out these last few days about having to get maternity clothes, and not having the money to get them. Over the last week I, ME, not the baby, have hit a huge growth spurt and Packed on the pounds! All of a sudden all of my size five pants are skin tight and are now even not zipping up. I cant imagine what size i maybe right now?! Just over two weeks ago they were hanging on me and i almost had to go DOWN a whole size. CRAZY! I have no idea what has happened, i haven't changed anything as far as eating or anything. Just finally it hit me, BAM! So i was totally blessed by all the new clothes i got, i mean, not very many are what I would pick out but not what i wouldn't pick out, if that makes sense..?

The Lord is so good, i could cry at how relieved i am right now. I never really said a prayer for clothes or anything, it sadly hadn't crossed my mind. But the Lord saw His little Worried, Stressed out, Anxious daughter and loved her. (Probably just had mercy on my husband so he wouldn't have to hear me stress about literally not fitting in any of my clothes and not have to convince me to go get some new ones..) HAHA

Well off to bed, i will update on the ultrasound hopefully tomorrow!

♥ Ashton and little love

My Love

So i was thinking today about my amazing husband, and just decided to make this post Just for him. It maybe mushy, but its ok, im in that kind of mood today.. ;)I woke up this morning, not feeling to great (in an grumpy kind of way) b/c of not sleeping at all AGAIN last night. Dan comes into the room, kisses me on the forehead and says he'll be right back. Of course i ask wheres hes going and he said he had to go get butter... Uh ok?? He gets home and he is making my favorite breakfast in the whole world! HOMEMADE COFFEE CAKE!

Through this whole pregnancy, he has truly been....Fantastic! During my first trimester, i was SO sick, and we were also doing Nightwatch (REQUIRED midnight to 6am every night in the prayer room, and sleeping from 7am'ish to 2pm). We had actually switched our schedule while i was pregnant, but hadn't found out yet. No wonder it was so hard! Through it all my husband was so willing to take me home when i was struggling, basically every night. And not only did he take me home but he STAYED home with me (which is a big deal for him), reading to me, holding me, and staying home reading his word when i slept. It was so rough, but not once was our relationship hard, even when I was worn out and grumpy. haha
Anyways, my husband is the best! He's been patient with my on going hatred for maternity clothes, even though i NEED them, and has helped me to find cute ones even when i dont want to look, and THEN encourages me thats it OK we spent our money on me.. He brings me home Starbucks blueberry muffins after work, (so yummy). He gives me the random bear hug tackle when i need them. His favorite thing to do is put my gross stretch mark lotion on my tummy. And tells me how excited he always was to see me pregnant and how cute i would look, but its way better then he had thought! AWW... These are just a few of the THINGS he does for me and helps me through this. Not to mention all the Love, patience, encouragement, kindness, gentleness, etc. And he does all this on top of two jobs, being a husband, raising support, having a PREGNANT wife, and leading our family. WHOA, good thing im not him, i would have lost it by now, haha!!
He is going to be the worlds best Dad in so many ways! Our little man couldnt have asked or been given better! Hes so excited, just to teach him and raise him in the Lord. I cant imagine how crazy rambunctious our son is going to be! haha I cant wait!

I love him.. and i wish i could write more and more, but if you know him you already know. AND i have some amazing homemade coffee cake waiting for me!

6 months! (22 weeks)

Im sitting here thinking about what ALL i can update on but think it will turn out like a novel, so ill just do a quick update on life the baby and whatever other babblings come along as i type... :)

ME:

Im dong wonderful. Im feeling great, Loving the baby more and more, and in general loving this pregnancy!
The last few days have been quite odd, baby has switched positions, and left me looking almost like im not even pregnant compared to the earlier weeks. I figured the baby was about to go on a growth spurt, (my stomach usually gets smaller right before) and sure enough, i woke up this morning and was like BAM, your huge.. haha But seriously i was kind of concerned because my stomach was about half the size it has been and was not growing. Then today i woke up got out of bed and felt like my tummy was now its OWN thing hanging over and out of my body. HAHA strange i know, I dont exactally know how to explain it but its like if you were to be wearing a backpack tight against your back and then loosened all the straps so it hung low on your back... (Like that, but not really..??)
ANYWAYS, baby has grown and that means...SO HAVE I! Im having trouble fitting into the "maternity" clothes we got me a few weeks ago, and am DREDING going and actually getting real ones. Everything on my body is growing and changing so quickly I cant seem to keep up! I dont know why i dont want to be in maternity clothes, i just dont want to. haha

As i said for the most part i have been feeling great. My stomach muscles are all gone and its so hard to sit up out of bed without using my elbows to prop myself up while i swing my legs over the edge. So funny. My skin is stretched thin, im surprised at night when i go home i dont have any stretchmarks! it feels like with every cough or good laugh im tearing my skin or muscles!
I think im struggling in so many ways this early is because of my back. Its been kiling me, and expecially over these last two weeks. I kinda went on a cleaning rampage...and then stepped off a curb that i didnt know was there and hurt it even more then normal..BLAH! Im even waddling after i am up and walking around for to long. Its pathatic! Ive even had to start wearing my running shoes as normal shoes!!!! haha Im praying this gets better before the end of the pregnancy (i doubt it) but i cant go along with a pinched nerve like this for much longer its so painful, it feels like with any movement or step im going to or might be paralized..it actually scares me sometimes, i just freeze.
The other thing that has gotten me is this SWELLING! By the end of the day my toes and fingers look like minature sausages!! So funny, i found drinking lots of water helps to some degree, i just need to remember!

BABY:

Baby, as i said just hit a growth spurt and is making momma huge.. He is about the length of a printer paper (11 inches more or less) and about one pound! So big! He's developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gum, and his eyes are fully formed, just lacking the color they will have still.
So active the last few days, expecially today. I think it was his and my most tiring day! His kicks are so much harder now and when he flips positions my whole tummy shifts and rocks around. It makes me laugh. The other day i got out of the car and just about wet my pants because baby body slammed my bladder, i had to stop and get control of myself then rush to the bathroom, Of course Dan just laughed, and quickly helped me find the closest restroom! lol i think he was just waiting for the right time, hopefully he wont get lucky next time!

Well hopefully this made SOME sense, with my babblings, pregnant mind, and it being way past my bed time, it might be quite confusing....

♥ Ash and baby

You know your Pregnant when.....

You are wandering around a nursery/greenhouse and see that its their 100th anniversary and they have cake for all the customers, you MAKE your husband get a piece of cake with you and almost go back for a second if we didnt leave. (normally this would NOT happen)

A monstrous thunder storm comes in (which are your Favorite things) and you cry convinced its going to be a tornado

You run from an on coming Frisbee not even thinking about catching it, but rather its coming Straight towards my tummy! LOL

Mario kart becomes a life or death situation. And you cry when you dont win..

You find your prone to road rage thinking that the other drivers should be aware of babies and pregnant women, and drive safer.

Your most hated color ever, your whole life, becomes your new FAVORITE color ever.

Sleeping is the least relaxing thing ever, especially learning how to sleep with a body pillow.

Your more high strung then ever before in your life.

You've developed dyslexia and all grammar has gone out the door..LOL

You are waiting in line for the bathroom, and the person in front of you looks at your belly and TELLS you to go first..haha

It feels like your poor heart is going to burst (minor heart attack) just going up stairs, and simple tasks.

You are now able to hear the drop of a dime in deep sleep. (getting me ready for baby)

When you almost cry looking at mothers day cards, and come across a "first mother day" card

When you jokingly put your feet out for your hubby to put socks on them and he really does it, w/o any consideration, and you cry b/c hes the best husband in the world

If your a little on edge until you feel you baby's first kick in the morning

After every meal you HAVE to have something sweet

You have a love/hate relationship with your body pillow

If you are looking for maternity clothes, get over whelmed and turn to your husband and yell, "Im not fat Im pregnant!!" then realize you in the "plus size" area.... oops... :S

You hear your stomach growl for the first time in months, but wonder if it really was your stomach because of the position in your body (right under your chest and shoved to the left side) haha

Just thought i would share this video with you all. Its my favorite, and i LOVE giraffes. this giraffe is only 2 weeks old and about 6 foot 3! Whoa!! So cute!!!

Check Point!

PHOTOS: (you can click them to make them bigger)
20 WEEKS!
Dan and I doing Charlies Angels, but Dan has a shot gun..haha
Enjoying a nice summer day with my baby Ben and Jerrys!

I have finally found the time to update the blog! Im sitting here in Starbucks waiting for my Love to finish up work and enjoying a nice strawberries and cream frapp. which in my opinion tastes like Captain Crunch berries.. :)

MAMA:
Im actually doing wonderful! Hitting the half way mark was a pretty good feeling day! All i could think about was in half the time its taken me to get here ill be at 30 weeks! WHOA! Its honesty FLYING by, i couldn't have ever imagined, (especially in the first trimester!). Im definitely growing, well this baby is growing and has been on a growth spurt for about 3 days now, which equals Round ligament pain... I have had more all day pain then the sharp pains, but they do come as well. Not anything i cant handle, not yet.. I feel like with how much my tummy is growing i should have stretch marks, but have yet to get them.. Its truly Amazing how our bodies are capable of doing all the things they do. I have also had a Braxton Hicks Contraction, to my surprise i didnt really FEEL anything, just my uturus tightning and then letting up a few seconds later. Im also relearning how to sleep. I have ALWAYS been a tummy or back sleeper. So i have been really strugginling to stay on my sides and have been waking up super sore in the morning. I started using our body pillow to help me not roll over to my back and stay on my sides, but its just hard to figure it out. haha Hopefully i will be getting more sleep soon!

Im loving baby's movements. He is getting more and more active by the day and his little kicks are getting harder and harder! Dan actually SAW the baby kick for the first time yesterday,(it would have been sooner if he was a little more patient)..haha I have to say i like to SEE the kicks more then just feel them. When i either have my arms crossed or my arm across my tummy he usually kicks and punches until i move them. ~OH there he goes right now as im typing this~..LOVE IT, So cute. Im starting to know, well im more so assuming at this point, that the lighter punches are his arms and the much harder ones are his little legs. I am getting to know which way his little head is facing. Hes been flipping and rolling around, which sometimes makes me sick feeling. Its like when you go on a roller coaster with a drop, with out the tickling feeling...If that makes sense..? My tummy has been getting more and more lobbed sided in the monings or when baby is sleeping over to one side. lol AND my bellybutton is about even with my skin. So crazy, i feel like it could just pop at any time!

My uturus is about even with my belly button, and i have gained ALL my weight back and have been putting it on this last few days! WHOO HOO! finally.. I should be growing a bit more and more as the time starts progressting towards 30 weeks, about a pound every week! My cheeks have also been getting a little rosier, i think im fianlly getting the "pregnancy glow", (much better then the 13 year old look, if you ask me..)

BABY:
Baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel. About the size of a cantalope! Practicing his sucking and swallowing for when hes born. Lots of movements, and a steady heartbeat so far. Our Midwife even had a hard time getting his heartbeat with him rolling around OR kicking her! haha

Ok well thats about it for right this second, need to go eat, hopefully some Chipotle, which is on my hubbys mind. Im in more of a mashed potatoes, sour cream, and butter mood. But im positive ill be hungry before the end of the night.. haha I will be adding pictures as soon as i can get Dan to take some quick ones later!