tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44521684003470460112024-02-20T20:02:35.124-08:00Then You Knew My Path"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path." Psalm 142:3Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-83280838958990363892012-07-24T10:35:00.000-07:002012-07-24T10:36:05.719-07:002 Months Old<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My sweet O,<br />
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It's hard to find time to capture these beautiful moments of your life, but I am determined to do it! </div>
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You are two months old and the joy of our lives! It's entertaining and bittersweet to watch you grow and change every single day. </div>
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Vital Stats:</div>
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-You are 12lbs 13oz and 24 inches long</div>
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-You can hold your head up great! Occasionally, you lose control and head butt whoever is holding you.</div>
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-You are still nursing exclusively and doing so good!</div>
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-We do a combination of cloth diapers and regular diapers. We're working out what's best for us! </div>
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-You have discovered your voice and love to talk to anyone who will listen. It's completely adorable.</div>
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-You love trying to stand up on your little legs and your muscles are getting so strong. </div>
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-You wear 0-3 month and 3 month clothing for the most part. You have definitely grown out of all your newborn things. </div>
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You love....</div>
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-Ceiling fans</div>
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-Bright lights</div>
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-Your Baby Einstein playmat</div>
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-Maggie & Ian. Especially when Ian sings his songs for you!</div>
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-Your mommy and daddy. Your face lights up when you hear our voices and you turn your head to find us if we aren't holding you!</div>
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-Music. It doesn't matter if we are playing Hillsong, Bethal, John Mayer, Adele or Baby Einstein. Your little legs and arms start waving around and you really concentrate on what you're hearing. </div>
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-Marty, your soothie buddy. You have several soothie paci's, and they'll work in a pinch, but Marty is definitely your favorite. </div>
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Our day....</div>
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-You usually wake up around 5-6 each morning, but you take your paci and are content to sleep for a little while longer. </div>
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-Around 6-7 we usually get up and do our first nursing session of the day. You are such a combination of excited and impatient before you eat. You will smile at mommy and pump your legs until you start eating.</div>
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-We take Bella outside after this and you love looking around at all the trees and animals. </div>
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-We usually wake daddy up after that and you play with him for a little while before going back to sleep.</div>
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-The rest of the day, you stay on a consistent 3 hour schedule of eat, play & sleep. You are a good baby and you are content to do whatever we have planned for the day.</div>
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-During play time we: listen to music, do our silly dances, chill in the swing, play on the Baby Einstein mat, sit in the Boppy and look at lights, read books and talk to each other. </div>
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-After your late afternoon feeding, we do more playing with daddy and mommy, then you sleep while we cook and eat supper. </div>
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-After supper, we usually take a family walk down our street with Bella. You sit in your stroller and love to look at all the street lights as we pass by. </div>
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-You usually have your last feeding of the night between 10-12. After you eat, mommy and daddy give you a bath in your blue whale tub. You LOVE bath time and start kicking as soon as we sit you in the tub. You also make some pretty funny faces in the bath tub. We use our lavender wash and Baby Magic lotion every single time. If you don't get a bedtime bath, you usually don't sleep very well.</div>
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-After bath time: you go into your pj's, are swaddled by daddy, go into the nap nappy, and listen to your sound machine. You go to sleep very soon and stay asleep throughout the night. </div>
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Some things we've done....</div>
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-We've made several trips over the summer including: Memphis, Jonesboro, Little Rock and Redfield. You do great riding in the car and being in new environments. </div>
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-Rhea Lana. You were such a trooper during this <i>six hour</i> event. Mommy racked up on some cool clothes for this winter and some fun baby gear like a stationary jumper and a jogging stroller. </div>
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-Spent the night with Noni, the Mixons and Nona and Bop (of course Mommy was always with you!)</div>
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-We did two weeks of camps with junior high and high school students and one week of family camp. We were pooped after all that!</div>
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-Your two month shots. This was so rough on all of us. It's the first time we've ever seen you cry big tears! Mommy is used to being the "mean" nurse giving shots, not the parent on the other end consoling a child. It was so hard!</div>
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-You shared your first stomach virus with mommy and daddy. It was a "fun" weekend with all of us being sick. I definitely think your poor daddy had the worst round of it. </div>
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You have....</div>
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-Discovered your hands. They are your new favorite toy and you love to put them in your mouth.</div>
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-Always favored your right side and continue to do so. We are working on making you turn your head to the left so you don't end up with a crazy shaped head!</div>
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-Finally caught daddy off guard and peed on him. </div>
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Sometimes I find myself wishing you were older and could do more "things" with us. I am excited for the day that we can take you fun places and you actually know what's going on around you. However, I remind myself continually to take the time to enjoy these precious moments while you are still a baby. I treasure every single second that I'm with you, even when you're screaming and I have no idea why. You are our sweet baby boy, and I'm so glad God gave you to us!</div>
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Much love,</div>
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Mommy</div>
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</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-2136913322995211962012-06-06T09:03:00.000-07:002012-06-06T09:03:08.265-07:00Newborn Recommendations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's hard to believe that my little man is already 3 weeks old! Soon he will no longer be considered a newborn. Sad day for this mommy's heart! I've been asked several times about what products I would recommend for newborns, and here they are:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOXA7BBbvp8DyCK6xsYV7FVoslP-3tFQl3JB5z0VAJe_p7w7FjvIgSukwLp4F5Xs4MRUC0YDSIghSshGUySVs-57QO1mOKs9nktlhEhuOtq8X4AkPJ7wXcFzdkhtf2XcUBAXeEz1ia6A/s1600/AdenAnaisSwaddleBlankets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOXA7BBbvp8DyCK6xsYV7FVoslP-3tFQl3JB5z0VAJe_p7w7FjvIgSukwLp4F5Xs4MRUC0YDSIghSshGUySVs-57QO1mOKs9nktlhEhuOtq8X4AkPJ7wXcFzdkhtf2XcUBAXeEz1ia6A/s200/AdenAnaisSwaddleBlankets.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b>Aden and Anais Swaddle Blankets.</b> These are a must have for all newborns. As a pediatric nurse, I consider myself a professional "swaddler". Oden sleeps so much better when he's swaddled and these blankets make it so easy to do. O also does better when his daddy swaddles him. Somehow, Nate always gets it just "right". You can get these blankets at Target or Gap. Love the Gap prints!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1TKazieffRQ5dNwKk3tAZzUuO-4kdxjAoqOkquuwKJ7dG7buYEfPiNU7ahUQGwvXrDBsgojCIvHr161nthrQOHDUGcnAakcBhY29M_TR1hM31A2BmX0qrMMGKGNpFV_aowQNVNlnuvc/s1600/41fiiaBXR-L._SL500_SL160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1TKazieffRQ5dNwKk3tAZzUuO-4kdxjAoqOkquuwKJ7dG7buYEfPiNU7ahUQGwvXrDBsgojCIvHr161nthrQOHDUGcnAakcBhY29M_TR1hM31A2BmX0qrMMGKGNpFV_aowQNVNlnuvc/s200/41fiiaBXR-L._SL500_SL160_.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Soothies/Wubba Nubba</b>. We tried every pacifier we could find before I decided to revert back to my pediatric roots and try a Soothie. These are the paci's we use in the hospital, and I have never had a baby turn one down. Of course, Oden loved it! So we invested in some Soothies and then I found the Wubba Nubba on Amazon. It's great for helping to keep the paci in. Love it!<br />
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<b>California Baby Products.</b> I love, love, love these products! They are all natural and smell so wonderful. My favorite products are the calming lavender/tea tree oil body wash and the calming diaper spray. I also have the sunscreen and bug spray, but we haven't used them yet. You can find these gems at Target!<br />
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<b>Baby Swing. </b>This has been a life saver for us. Baby O loves to be in his swing! We swaddle him up, strap him in and let him sleep away. Definitely would recommend it for a newborn. Baby swings can be expensive, check on Craigslist and consignment sales like Rhea Lana. That's where we got ours.<br />
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<b>Boppy & My Breastfriend pillow.</b> I love these pillows! They are great for propping your baby up and for feeding time. The boppy tends to "wander" away when feeding, so I prefer the breastfriend pillow during feeding time. It straps to you and has great back support!<br />
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<b>Sound machine. </b>We have this sound machine from Target by Homemedics. It is wonderful for putting your baby to sleep! It plays several sounds including rain, heartbeat, ocean and lullabies. You can place the sounds on a timer or let them run continuously. There is also a projection system with several different discs to put stuff on the wall! That's probably my favorite part, although little man can't see that far yet :)<br />
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<b>Itzbeen timer.</b> I managed to stumble on one of these at RheaLana and I immediately scooped it up for us. It is perfect for sleep deprived parents to keep track of all the important things your baby is doing! The timer has 4 separate timers, and can count time between events or you can set it to go off at certain times. It is backlit for nighttime feedings and has an optional flashlight at the top. It also has a Left/Right switch at the bottom for breast feeding moms. Extremely helpful when you can't remember which side to start on! You can get these at Babies R Us or download a similar app on your iphone/ipad.<br />
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<b>Milk Band. </b>Again, these bands are great for breast feeding moms. You can keep track of how long your baby is feeding and which side to start on. They look like the rubber bands that you wear for a "cause" and come in all kinds of awesome colors. They can be purchased at milkbands.com<br />
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The two books I would recommend for a newborn are :<br />
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<b>Happiest Baby on the Block. </b>Now, I haven't read this book all the way through. But I would swear by his soothing techniques! If nothing else, look up the 5 S's for soothing a crying baby. They work every. single. time.<br />
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<b>BabyWise. </b>There's a lot of controversy about placing your newborn on scheduled feedings, I know. However, this book was recommended to me by several moms and I am already in love with it. I have read, reread and reread this book so many times. I have pages and pages of notes and handouts from it. Baby O is on a consistent 3 hour schedule and sleeps beautifully (most of the time). He also is starting to transition himself off of nighttime feedings. If you want to help schedule your baby's feed/wake/sleep cycle, this is the book I would recommend to do it!<br />
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<br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-75386081024754819102012-06-06T08:15:00.000-07:002012-06-06T08:15:09.447-07:00Birth Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br />We went for our 37/38 wk appt on Monday (5/7) and had our first official "check" to see how progressed I was. Absolutely nothing was happening. So we were settling in for a long wait and expecting a Memorial Day baby. Also, my doctor was leaving town for a little while, so I wanted to hold off labor/delivery until she came back.<br /><br />That entire week, I felt very tired but continued to work and see patients. Friday, I overworked a little bit, saw a lot of patients and was exhausted by the end of the day. Saturday, we drove an hour to watch my mom graduate and then Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day. Sunday night, I was completely exhausted, but counted it up as a long weekend.<br /><br />I woke up off and on throughout the night just feeling "odd", but I felt like it was all pregnancy related. I really wasn't in active labor, this was all the "early stages" in my mind.<br /><br />I finally woke up again at 5:30am, and felt some pretty regular contractions. I also thought my "water" may have broken. I got in the shower and worked through some contractions and they just kept coming. So I decided to start timing them before freaking out. Nate downloaded the Contraction app on my phone and started timing at 5-7 mins apart. I was set for an appointment with my doctor's partner later that day, so we decided to get ready and we would call when they opened to see if we could come in early to be checked.<br /><br />We let our families know that we might be laboring, but nothing too intense, no need to worry or start heading to the hospital.<br /><br />We called the office at 8:30a, talked to the nurses, and they told us to go on over to L&D to get "checked" since I was having contractions that close together. They were also concerned since my water may have broken. <br /><br />We loaded up our car (with help from our sweet neighbor), told the family we were headed in, but to wait until we knew this was the "real deal" before coming.<br /><br />By this time, contractions were every 3-5 mins and getting pretty intense. But I was breathing through them and rocking back and forth to help with labor. We did the classic drive to the hospital: flashers on, 85mph.....for the entire 1.5hr drive. It was an experience! By this time, I told my mom to go ahead and start driving towards the hospital (she was 2 hours away).<br /><br />We got to the hospital and checked in. I shared my story with the nurse, got a "tub room" to labor in and we started the admission/lab work process. It took a little while to get a positive reading, but we finally determined that my water had broken and my nurse checked me for the first time. I didn't expect to be very progressed considering my last check, but I came out with a good 4-5cm at that point. She started my IV (the scariest part of labor for me), drew labs, put me on the monitor and then checked me again, just to see how well my contractions were progressing me. I was at a 6 by then.<br /><br />I started laboring pretty intensely with contractions every 2-4mins at that point. Every hour the nurse checked me I dilated an additional cm. By 2:30pm, I had reached an 8. My husband, my best friend Chastity and my mom were helping me work through my contractions with counter pressure, fans, ice, lip gloss application and just encouraging me by helping me breathe and count through each contractions.<br /><br />The pain was pretty excruciating by the time I was at an 8 and I was completely exhausted. So I asked the nurse for half a dose of Stadol. This helped tremendously and within the next hour I was at a 9 and was able to sleep between contractions. I then decided to take the second half dose of the Stadol.<br /><br />The next 3 hours were the longest & hardest. I stayed at a 9 the entire 3 hours. Finally, around 5:45 they called the in the doctor. Our doctor was still on vacation, but her partner came in to deliver and I couldn't have asked for a better replacement.<br /><br />At this point, I couldn't have any more IV meds. I told myself "theres only one way out of this" & so I went to work. I pushed every 2-3 minutes for roughly an hour. I quickly learned the difference between pushing the right way & the wrong way. Who knew there was a difference?<br /><br />At 6:44pm I made my last big push & our son, Oden James Smith, entered the world & went straight into my arms. It was an incredible experience. Oden stayed in my arms for an entire hour following delivery. I was able to feed him and we loved on him while they finished delivering and cleaning us up.<br /><br />Giving birth was the most incredible experience of my life. I couldn't be more happy with our birth experience and would do it all again in a heartbeat!!</span></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-80744994341687130012012-06-06T07:56:00.000-07:002012-06-06T07:56:38.732-07:0037/38 weeks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">How far along? </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">37/38 weeks</span><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Total weight gain: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">27 pounds <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Maternity clothes?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> All maternity at this point<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Stretch marks?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Keep the Palmer’s coming<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Sleep: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Very little at this point<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Best moment this week: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Baby ultrasound! Loved seeing our sweet boy again!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Miss Anything?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Everything about my “normal” body <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Movement:</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Little man has settled down as he’s getting ready to come into
the world<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Food cravings:</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Really nothing right now. Food in general makes me sick<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Anything making you queasy or sick:</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Everything, especially Mexican. Talk about killing a girl’s
dream.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Gender: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Boy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Labor Signs: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I’ve got regular contractions, but no other changes at this
point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Symptoms: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">everything hurts. I’m pretty sure that’s normal for now <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Belly Button in or out?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Actually in. How did that happen?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Wedding rings on or off?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Off <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Happy or Moody most of the time: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Tired describes my general attitude <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Looking forward to: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Having this baby!! But according to my doctor, we are still a
few weeks away from that happening. </span></div>
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</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-91371427790632968212012-05-01T06:43:00.002-07:002012-05-01T06:44:01.594-07:0036 weeks and holding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">How far along? </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“36” weeks</span><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Total weight gain: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">25 pounds <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Maternity clothes?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Mostly maternity, with a few regular pieces thrown in<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Stretch marks?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Oh yeah. But thank God for Maderma and Palmer’s. They are my
friends!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Sleep: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I sleep great for about 2 hours at a time. My body is already
transitioning to baby time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Best moment this week: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Opening our mail! We’ve got so much stuff coming in as we get
all of O’s last minute things ordered. It’s fun coming home every day to see
what we’ve got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Miss Anything?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> My normal body and energy level. It’s a humbling experience
when you can no longer see your feet, knees, etc. and require assistance to
literally do every single thing in your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This majorly cuts into my independent streak. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Movement:</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> We have a soccer player on our hands. He loves to jab mom’s
ribs with his practice kicks. We’ve already had some serious discussions on
where it’s appropriate to practice soccer moves, and where it’s not
appropriate. He’s having trouble hearing me, I think. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Food cravings:</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Mexican food, banana pudding milkshakes and chocolate
sno-cones. But separate. No mixing of weird foods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Anything making you queasy or sick:</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Not really<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Gender: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Boy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Labor Signs: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Yes. A lot of contractions as my body is warming up for the big
day. We’re still in a pre-labor stage though. Nothing too exciting yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Symptoms: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Indigestion and fatigue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Belly Button in or out?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Flat<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Wedding rings on or off?</span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Off. My ring will go on, but it’s iffy coming off. So for now,
it’s resting in a safe place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Happy or Moody most of the time: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">All over the place. My emotions are a source of surprise for
everyone these days, including myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Looking forward to: </span></b><span style="color: #494949; font-family: Times; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">The weekend. My mom and I are going into serious work mode to
try and get my house completely unpacked, O’s room set up, his clothes and diapers
washed, hospital bags packed, etc. A girl can dream, right?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->
</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-87709122061097409002012-05-01T06:38:00.000-07:002012-05-01T06:38:36.511-07:00Catch Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So….I have been absent from the weekly blog/pregnancy posts
for a while now. Let’s play catch up. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 26</b></div>
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Our house in Little Rock goes on the market. Talk about
having a cleaning frenzy to get ready for this big occasion! At this point,
Nate is still preaching out every weekend, I’m going with him when I can but
still having to work some weekends in Little Rock. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 27</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This turns out to be a busy week for us. We start our
Thursday night birthing classes at Birth Works (another post in itself), Nate’s
cousin gets married and he performs the ceremony while my sister and I do
music. We officially start our new position as Staff Pastor at Connect.Point
Church and I also start getting sick this week.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 28</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We enter allergy season in the great state of Arkansas. I’ve
never dealt with severe allergies until pregnancy and then it hit me HARD.
Sinus infections, multiple problems and several days off work. Talk about
miserable. This lead to major stress on my body, complications and some scary
moments for all of us. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 29</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week was full of doctor’s appointments, tests, bed rest
and medications. Thankfully the Lord intervened and I’m now okay and med-free.
Our little man was a champ through it all and never was affected by all my
problems. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 30</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was my birthday week. I was able to spend a few days in
Eureka Springs with my two favorite ladies (my mom and sister) relaxing,
exploring, pampering and having a wonderful time on our last “girls only” trip
before O gets here. I also got a surprise baby shower from the sweet ladies at
my work! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 31</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had two baby showers during this week. The first one was
from our family and friends in NE Arkansas, and then the second one from our
new church family at Connect.Point. Mom and I had a power “sewing” weekend and
worked hard on getting O’s bedding ready to go. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 32</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My last weekend to work! It was a crazy weekend too. I
scared everyone, including myself, by deciding to have some serious labor
moments. Thank God we were able to slow things down. My little guy is already
showing his impatience! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 33</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We celebrated Easter with our Connect.Point family! It was a
nice, relaxing weekend to prelude our next few weeks of craziness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 34</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
AKA the craziest week of my life. Our sweet friends and
family came down and helped us pack up our entire house in 2 days. Friday, we
spent all day packing our UHAUL and then drove it to our new house (through the
rain and terrible road construction, I might add). Saturday, we unpacked.
Sunday, church. Sunday night we drive 3 hours to my in-laws. Monday morning we
get up at 4am, drive 6 hours to Dallas, spend several hours at IKEA buying
furniture for our new house, then drive 6 hours back to my in-laws. Tuesday, we
drive 3 hours home, unload our truck, then 3 hours back to my in-laws.
Wednesday, we drive to Little Rock, we work a full day, see our doctor and then
drive 2 hours home. A few words: crazy, exhausted, and swollen ankles. I never
thought we would live through it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Week 35</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We closed on our house in Little Rock! We also started the
daily commute back and forth from our home to Little Rock for work. The commute
itself isn’t bad, until you add one-lane road construction. We’ve seen some
pretty hairy stuff during our travels. I’m so thankful for the Lord’s protection
through it all!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And now here we are. All caught up. I realize that this post
has been more about our life over the last few months than my pregnancy, per
say. But that’s what our blog is for. A place for us to capture the journey of
life. </div>
</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-37365619529299806182012-02-17T06:14:00.000-08:002012-02-17T06:46:23.653-08:0024 & 25 Weeks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3zid9VhGhBF9mZCVy7yfQzezmWrGnKPIEy9AN-4jxMBm4ENDRu2iAKU8wkbhicG4sUlxFWztu5-YPfm-l_pv2FYGW-smKVmFbfS578YO3pHwTWUhPL9fEwb650aQLyHHtq1CJtCSoh8/s1600/photo-12.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3zid9VhGhBF9mZCVy7yfQzezmWrGnKPIEy9AN-4jxMBm4ENDRu2iAKU8wkbhicG4sUlxFWztu5-YPfm-l_pv2FYGW-smKVmFbfS578YO3pHwTWUhPL9fEwb650aQLyHHtq1CJtCSoh8/s200/photo-12.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710109070029759746" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAC4S0tWJo_vaj_19qaMqPEEB0nYOzF4UokF0XO3kY4uJ0AzDSfRoLhZLpsB3KwWK1TZlHoZj5xgVBZUw0q6T4L4J3ZUygW1jo0VZGwHBZwukk6P_c2MxyRasmFQ6vfnWVZFZOzblcr-o/s1600/photo-11.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAC4S0tWJo_vaj_19qaMqPEEB0nYOzF4UokF0XO3kY4uJ0AzDSfRoLhZLpsB3KwWK1TZlHoZj5xgVBZUw0q6T4L4J3ZUygW1jo0VZGwHBZwukk6P_c2MxyRasmFQ6vfnWVZFZOzblcr-o/s200/photo-11.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5710108575050902866" /></a><br /><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">How far along? </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">24/</span><span style="font-size:13.0pt; font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">25 weeks<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Total weight gain: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">13 pounds <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Maternity clothes?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Mix<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Stretch marks?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> No. But I’m about to go invest in some Palmer’s Cocoa Butter!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Sleep: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Off and on. I sleep GREAT when I’m completely exhausted. Otherwise, it’s a give and take. I now sleep with a cocoon of pillows to get comfy!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Best moment this week: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">First baby shower, first Rhea Lana experience and a birthday weekend with my mom!! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Miss Anything?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Bending over <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Movement:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Extremely active. Our doctor has a hard time finding his heartbeat because he won’t sit still long enough to get a reading (and I’m caffeine free too!)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Food cravings:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Fried pickles, McAllister’s, ice cream and Mexican food<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Anything making you queasy or sick:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Nothing<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Gender: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Boy<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Labor Signs: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">No<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Symptoms: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Indigestion, sore muscles <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Belly Button in or out?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> It’s flat :(<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Wedding rings on or off?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Off <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Happy or Moody most of the time: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Happy! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Looking forward to: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Getting things moved and organized</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <div><br /></div></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-89322236985019281062012-01-24T15:10:00.000-08:002012-01-24T15:12:35.611-08:0022 Weeks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_5PjyrXqYSoFEmvPw4CyF9AtTkloQI0nlLW3BGXQHechY6CfS9et45B-ANAPLP8RgqEBThKGIldq9hP0YBsCygBE34AbOVyCStsUIGGRh_1wQ2y-z33PgEHd_QX1kKbRoXSZU8517LU/s1600/photo-9.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_5PjyrXqYSoFEmvPw4CyF9AtTkloQI0nlLW3BGXQHechY6CfS9et45B-ANAPLP8RgqEBThKGIldq9hP0YBsCygBE34AbOVyCStsUIGGRh_1wQ2y-z33PgEHd_QX1kKbRoXSZU8517LU/s200/photo-9.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701340128467072114" /></a><br /><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">How far along? </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">22 weeks and holding<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Total weight gain: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">This was somewhat confusing to me this week. I’m 2 pounds over pre-pregnancy weight. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been gaining my required weight. At my first weigh in during pregnancy, I was 10 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight. So my total weight gain from the first weigh in is 12 pounds. This puts me right on track with expected weight gain. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Maternity clothes?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Still a good mix of both<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Stretch marks?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> No<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Sleep: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">I’m having trouble getting comfortable at night and I’m starting to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Frustrating. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Best moment this week: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Being at BOTT with all of our friends! Baby wise, it was when Nate felt “O” move for the first time. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Miss Anything?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Bending over <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Movement:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> He is extremely active! Flipping around and punching mom all the time. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Food cravings:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> It’s been an ice cream week<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Anything making you queasy or sick:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> nothing so far<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Gender: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Still a boy<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Labor Signs: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">No<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Symptoms: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Nose bleeds, frequent bathroom trips and loss of balance<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Belly Button in or out?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Still hanging “in” there<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Wedding rings on or off?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Still off. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Happy or Moody most of the time: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Happy! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Looking forward to: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Working on our house, getting it ready to sell. I’ve got a to-do list and I’m ready to see it done. We’re also busy working on O’s bedding and getting everything together for the nursery. I’m excited to see it all coming together! </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-17001756505933921922012-01-06T16:12:00.001-08:002012-01-06T22:22:39.657-08:0020 weeks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-t_bFbVepUkfd_uZAOUUNFVUO_7i_9l20H6a7MwVBVYHuIF4XxB7YWMlUhLCmRd6kTK-jE6AkGZ4U7Eci9mKrE35URKOabjIf9PnShEL191NlJHXurevAVh4EsICQryD_zD38fAVphg/s1600/CameraBag_Photo_1000-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-t_bFbVepUkfd_uZAOUUNFVUO_7i_9l20H6a7MwVBVYHuIF4XxB7YWMlUhLCmRd6kTK-jE6AkGZ4U7Eci9mKrE35URKOabjIf9PnShEL191NlJHXurevAVh4EsICQryD_zD38fAVphg/s200/CameraBag_Photo_1000-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694676590057319026" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">How far along? </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">20 weeks, although this is up for debate. I’ve always felt like I was further along then we thought, and measurements this week confirmed that. However, we are still holding with our original due date so I don’t risk getting induced prematurely and then a C-section because I’m “overdue”. I’m happy with this decision. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Total weight gain: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">still 2 pounds under pre-pregnancy weight! My doc is happy with the weight gain so far and I’m still shooting for just 30 pounds max weight gain. Lord let this happen!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Maternity clothes?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Still a good mix of both<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Stretch marks?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Thank God this is still “no”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Sleep: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">I’ve been sleeping more this week, but I’m pretty sure this is stress related<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Best moment this week: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Seeing our sweet baby BOY on ultrasound! Baby O is beautiful and healthy! I’m so excited to finally have a name and gender for this sweet baby. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Miss Anything?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Being able to do “normal” things without people freaking out about how much I’m lifting, if I fall, etc. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Movement:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> He is quite active! I drank a caffeinated drink before the US just to get him moving…..and he moved ALL NIGHT LONG! He definitely isn’t used to the caffeine and I wasn’t either. Monday night was a looooooooooonnnng night for both of us. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Food cravings:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> This week it’s still chocolate<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Anything making you queasy or sick:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> thankfully I’m doing much better<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Gender: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">It’s a BOY!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Labor Signs: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">No<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Symptoms: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">Nose bleeds. Ugh ugh ugh<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Belly Button in or out?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> still flat, though it’s EXTREMELY shallow. I’m getting nervous!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Wedding rings on or off?</span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949"> Still rocking the fake rings. Waiting to hear back from our jeweler. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Happy or Moody most of the time: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">This has been an extremely emotional/stressful week and then you add pregnancy hormones to the mix……somebody pray for my poor husband. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;color:#494949">Looking forward to: </span></b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:Times;mso-bidi-font-family:Times; color:#494949">getting my check list done! I’ve got a huge list of nursery projects that I’m tackling. Anxious to see it all come together. </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" ><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: -webkit-xxx-large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-79692432094036869462012-01-02T15:36:00.000-08:002012-01-02T15:50:50.078-08:0019 weeks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMecxb3fQt6-yIuGSaM72B617xvPqodJMXci6D4p1xQKNzrkNqlqRHThw6tndzThSd4-O9m3e8ZNjAAFqq7YC_KRGsg6kOekmW-pGl7UFeDvYDPo_eHHSkzk7WpuqXyguDYOc4G6wMMOs/s1600/CameraBag_Photo_1000-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMecxb3fQt6-yIuGSaM72B617xvPqodJMXci6D4p1xQKNzrkNqlqRHThw6tndzThSd4-O9m3e8ZNjAAFqq7YC_KRGsg6kOekmW-pGl7UFeDvYDPo_eHHSkzk7WpuqXyguDYOc4G6wMMOs/s200/CameraBag_Photo_1000-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693186108932698818" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">How far along? </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">19 weeks<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Total weight gain: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">only 3 pounds under pre-pregnancy weight this week. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Maternity clothes?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> Mostly maternity things with a few "regular" pieces thrown in. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Stretch marks?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> Thank God, NO!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Sleep: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">I'm still sleeping about 6 hours a night. I have all this energy!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Best moment this week: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Being with my mom for the last few days :)</span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Miss Anything?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> having a "normal" body. I managed to get a small sinus infection this week. I toughed it out with some OTC meds, but I longed to just grab a z-pack and go. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Movement:</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> All the time! This baby is active. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Food cravings:</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> I had to have El Chico on New Year's Eve. My sweet hubs drove me all the way across town for it!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Anything making you queasy or sick:</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> the smell of urine. Awkward, I know. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Gender: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">We find out </span></span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">TOMORROW!! Whoo hoo!! I'm praying this little one will be active for the US and we will get a clear shot of everything. Also praying that we find a healthy baby in there!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Labor Signs: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">No, praise the Lord!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Symptoms: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Some indigestion, excessive energy and frequent bathroom trips. </span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Belly Button in or out?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> still in<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Wedding rings on or off?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> my real ring is off. However, I found some cheap rings that aren't giving me any problems at all. Planning to take my real ring to the jeweler tomorrow to see if they can coat it in something that I'm not allergic to. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Happy or Moody most of the time: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Happy and energetic! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Looking forward to: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Tomorrow's US and getting my to-do lists going for this baby!!!</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-5707896985972764082012-01-02T08:03:00.001-08:002012-01-02T08:44:52.250-08:00Happy New Year!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_26oWcjYqD3hmNQbGrX-kXCP2LzX7C7dbjlNO3KC8dn2bK0002xzTyQ_Q0a2HEy2Y1BWVlMWJ2nXuPfrzMo-MKckdN4c_VyMoej2fSXk-I0Pnn83hD6Z0PmzYGvzWfazUH7mplvw0Vs/s1600/CameraBag_Photo_1000.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_26oWcjYqD3hmNQbGrX-kXCP2LzX7C7dbjlNO3KC8dn2bK0002xzTyQ_Q0a2HEy2Y1BWVlMWJ2nXuPfrzMo-MKckdN4c_VyMoej2fSXk-I0Pnn83hD6Z0PmzYGvzWfazUH7mplvw0Vs/s200/CameraBag_Photo_1000.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693076204662319682" /></a><br />Happy New Year! I love the feeling of a brand new start and I love making changes for the New Year. I actually started my "new year" plans the week after Christmas. That really feels like the beginning of the year for me. I started planning my new habits and routines using <a href="http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/Personal_Retreat">this</a> post and personal retreat guide. It really helped me get my priorities straight. <div><br /></div><div>So here are a few of the things I'm doing this year:</div><div><br /></div><div>-<b>Reading my Bible</b>. I knew I didn't want to start a 365 reading plan this year. I felt like with the baby coming that my plan would get thrown off track during the summer as I try to adjust to being a new mom. So instead, I'm doing some specific plans throughout the year. For the month of January, I am doing the New Thru 30 plan (found <a href="http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/new-thru-30">here</a>). I also used YouVersion to create some other plans for months throughout the year. I am loving it so far!</div><div><br /></div><div>-<b>Consistent Bible Study</b>. Right now I'm reading through Rick Warren's <i>Bible Study Methods</i>. I have been reading this for a few weeks now and I have only made it through a handful of pages. It is intense reading! The content, however, is really feeding my soul and providing some great insights and principles to apply to my personal study time. I also created a list of books and bible studies that I want to go through this year. I am a huge fan of <a href="http://store.precept.org/c-3-by-book-of-the-bible.aspx">Inductive Bible Study</a>. There are also several lists available of suggested order for studying specific books of the Bible. I am starting with the book of John. </div><div><br /></div><div>-<b>Prayer time</b>. I need to be more consistent with my prayer time. No doubt about it. I have found several great resources reading Rick Warren's book, the POA's prayer <a href="http://www.thepentecostals.org/">site</a>, Praying Through the Tabernacle (also available through POA), and the girltalk <a href="http://www.girltalkhome.com/">blog</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>-<b>Personal Goals. </b>I have several small personal goals that include specific things with serving our church, creating relationships with people around me and loving my family. Nate and I have a goal to spend time at least once a month with our families in some sort of fashion. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>-Housekeeping. </b>I am taking the <a href="http://www.cleanmama.blogspot.com/">CleanMama</a> challenge this year. I use her printables and love the fact that she follows the same principles as my beloved FlyLady. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>-Financial. </b>We are continuing with Dave Ramsey's financial plan. Love us some DR! I would like to be more consistent with record keeping this year and actually utilizing our cash envelope system more than what we do. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>-Health. </b>I am continuing to menu plan for 300 calorie meals and meal replacements to equal 6 balanced meals a day. Thankfully this works for pregnancy and post-partum! I am working up to my 30 minutes a day on exercise and have great pregnancy routines and I'm finding great things for post-partum exercise. I would like to start a running program this fall, but we will see how that goes! I also need to be more consistent with my water intake on a daily basis. Thankfully, I have craved water with pregnancy. Let's hope that continues! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>-For Fun. </b>Two things I want to do "for fun" include keeping up with this blog and my 365 blog. I really want to document our life this year and all the changes coming our way. I am hoping this eventually leads to improving my photography skills with my Rebel. Right now I'm stuck with my iPhone camera and editing software until I get a new memory card for the Rebel. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So these are my goals this year. I'm anxious to see how this all works out! Be looking for my 19 week pregnancy post later today or tomorrow. </div><div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year from our family to yours!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-20964602653520354882011-12-25T18:28:00.001-08:002011-12-25T18:44:30.269-08:0018 weeks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnVlIdT-KAcQbZWlIxIjqofeKs3t2gqa0UsjGC7FZT3wS6zwO1G5j__l634E9wGjilvNpWVcZgShbj4tnHMv_U85IapNGyFNECz1EkIrCPhyphenhyphenD0srPGHqCRV9IIa2fRgZX_nJcSqa5r-U/s1600/photo-8.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnVlIdT-KAcQbZWlIxIjqofeKs3t2gqa0UsjGC7FZT3wS6zwO1G5j__l634E9wGjilvNpWVcZgShbj4tnHMv_U85IapNGyFNECz1EkIrCPhyphenhyphenD0srPGHqCRV9IIa2fRgZX_nJcSqa5r-U/s200/photo-8.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690258575016345938" /></a><div><br /></div><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">How far along? </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">18 weeks<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Total weight gain: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">still 6 pounds under pre-pregnancy weight!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Maternity clothes?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> mostly regular clothes with a few maternity dresses and skirts thrown in<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Stretch marks?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> no. Faithfully applying the cocoa butter!!! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Sleep: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">I have always been a good sleeper. Especially since pregnancy hit. Now I'm averaging 5-6 hours a night and I feel great. This is so weird to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Best moment this week: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Feeling the baby roll around in my tummy during the candlelight service on Christmas Eve!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Miss Anything?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> breathing normally <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Movement:</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> definitely!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Food cravings:</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> nothing big. Still wanting my daily dose of chocolate :)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Anything making you queasy or sick:</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> Chinese, BBQ and anything with MSG<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Gender: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">waiting for January 3rd! I get daily "guesses" from my patients. I've had two different ladies tell me this week they just "knew" I would have a boy, then it was a girl. So who knows?!? I don't have the "motherly intuition" that tells me either way. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Labor Signs: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">No<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Symptoms: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Heart palpitations [SVT], frequent bathroom trips, and difficulty breathing at the most random times.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Belly Button in or out?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> still flat<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Wedding rings on or off?</span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;"> off right now. I'm having the worst allergic reaction to my ring. So depressing!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align: none;text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Happy or Moody most of the time: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Happy and my hubs says I'm more dramatic than usual<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">Looking forward to: </span></b><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi- font-family:Times;font-size:13.0pt;color:#494949;">a week off at HYC with the kiddos and then the Jan 3rd US!!</span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-51208947332313118012011-12-07T15:39:00.001-08:002011-12-25T18:04:34.062-08:00Surprise!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I last published on Jan 4th. Ouch!!! So this blog has taken many turns, but here we are almost a year later and I'm 4 months pregnant. Surprise!!<div><br /></div><div>I keep thinking, "I need to write that down" or "I'll want to remember this" as I make my journey through pregnancy. Have I done that yet? Why, no. Of course not. So here I am, attempting to capture some precious memories so that I can recall them years from now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's start from the moment we found out. The beginning of September 2011 I was hit with an extreme amount of fatigue and nausea. No surprise there, a nasty bug had been passing itself around to all my patients. I really thought nothing of it. The first week I slept through my alarm the entire week. I wrote it off as stress from a particularly trying family situation. The second week I was hit with the nausea. Again, I thought nothing of it until it started hanging around longer than the required 72 hours. We were in the middle of a college retreat and I felt like I had been run over by a train. Finally, extremely frustrated, I sent the husband off to grab some pregnancy tests (that I was sure would be negative) and then I would call my doctor's office to get worked in on Monday. We ran home, I hurridly took the test (we were on our way to watch a VERY important football game) and waited impatiently for the little pink line to pop up. Imagine my surprise when both lines turned pink! This couldn't be right!! We hadn't planned for this and had taken every precaution to be "safe". I walked out of the bathroom in shock to inform my husband of the news. It took a few weeks for it all to settle in.</div><div><br /></div><div>We decided to wait to tell our family and friends. We wanted to make it safely through the first trimester and wait until my brother-in-law was married before we spilled the "beans". I was glad that we waited to share the excitement with everyone around us.....I felt so horrible! I slept 12-14 hours a day and spent the rest of the time in a state of nausea and uh....relieving my stomach contents.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's fast forward to our first OB appointment. We were both so nervous about what would happen. We ended up having a great appointment, met our wonderful doctor and her staff and then got to see the ultrasound of our little peanut. It was surreal to see the heartbeat go across the screen. There really was something in there!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll finish this post with a sweet picture of our peanut at 8 weeks :)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfGEP88Gvh45Gi-ZKIbBeazYYpd-l14WVywEE8qkP9uPef-Cpk5ZJr5h_s3o6kg7auucLy-na11EMHUWRLLk3rIMyBrCB4VkWZCM06hfKujT_sUO6Ef3P-8wk7cNQTBRnk9BrTQLI5eE/s1600/photo-7.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfGEP88Gvh45Gi-ZKIbBeazYYpd-l14WVywEE8qkP9uPef-Cpk5ZJr5h_s3o6kg7auucLy-na11EMHUWRLLk3rIMyBrCB4VkWZCM06hfKujT_sUO6Ef3P-8wk7cNQTBRnk9BrTQLI5eE/s200/photo-7.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690251615793100738" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-8324686517547934712011-01-04T15:16:00.001-08:002011-01-04T18:18:53.993-08:00It's A New SeasonI love starting over. I love the clean & crisp feeling of a new year. It's a time for renewal, regeneration and fresh commitments. It's also a time to make those dreaded "New Year's Resolutions." Ugh. I despise making 'resolutions' that I know I'll never keep. <div><br /></div><div>So instead, I'm doing something else. With the help of <a href="http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451dbac69e20148c7424765970c">this post</a> and <a href="http://www.ronedmondson.com/2011/01/step-by-step-writing-a-life-plan-for-2011.html">these posts</a>, I'm creating a life plan for the next 6 weeks of my life. Much easier to do! </div><div><br /></div><div>My goals include financial goals, spiritual goals, organizational goals, fitness and meal planning. I'm creating a series of steps to reach these <i>measurable </i>goals and making myself accountable to others. </div><div><br /></div><div>I LOVE great resources, especially when they're free! I also love when I read blog posts that <i>share</i> great resources, so I thought I'd do that here. These are some of the things I'm using to help me reach my goals. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mvelopes.com">Mvelopes</a>: A great financial system. We also love Dave Ramsey!!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flylady.net">FlyLady:</a> Love her household routines. I use the bedtime routine, the morning routine and clean our house using the Zone technique. I also subscribe to her daily Flight Plan (email) and Twitter, which often have useful tips and explain things in greater detail. The greatest thing about "flying"....it's just a few baby steps at a time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wii Fitness/Zumba: I use this to get myself moving every day. Zumba is fun and super energetic! It's a combination of intense cardiac workouts based on popular Latin and hip-hop dances. Warning: It does require some coordination, but if I can do it, you definitely can too. Wii Fitness has a better combination of stretching, weights, cardiac and yoga. Wii Fitness also tracks your progress and personalizes a plan based on your fitness goals. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meal Planning: This is a hard area for me. I tend to be too much of a perfectionist and I find it hard to work with what I have on hand. However, I found <a href="http://jandaandco.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-i-have-learned-thursdays-being_20.html">this small series</a> on meal planning (written by a SAHM of 4 children!) to be extremely helpful. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Ashley</div><div><br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-49276677969329232882010-12-25T13:12:00.000-08:002010-12-25T14:05:14.924-08:00Christmas Joy<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I know it's been a long time since I've posted. One of my resolutions for the New Year is to keep my blog current! Today has been a wonderful celebration of family and Christmas. Here is a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">photo recap of the day:</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><b>birthday cake</b></span></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXG3CXaTs2wfJL1lQ7wSofDB4T-4ilVf_BbNXNHQizIh91YhldglNFXedVuQNJnyxT6JYcK5xfcjcYGK6uhheifpOZ5pP6wQg8LLDINIdr1Psem5mB92PLJwD_U9iCO3QdCak2I3EVS4/s200/IMG_1699.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554738592463795810" /><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4Az5RYlcffQRhQziEv7gaOs7xCwKBETL8lfeqBPuP48-vY9ncTryKSICKvCwY8OR1ObNfsoXobKMbdnM-R45gAlqh9ObUzzuHPFzgnI1CFjZ5lVZOXo5wOfHXpCI-INVMi6I0kFJOBk/s200/IMG_1690.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554738586483452338" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>the tree</b></div><div><br /><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUjjrAG7s8wHIc4bPz6ODKo_D5Fho97kC_Os7_tNmTxPpioBghrrg61YIYXP6gpWpMJ0BfKTogf28dgdqUN_BohhLojBaDDjyrzNVI5xNYDlDwQ3LOhJUJm2ObqlvrqJK7dHnl7Tl3MI/s200/IMG_1692.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554740035116227122" /><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_JM77jgVjYUkhUw5GEVpqmCoKM77EMq2kYP1CdGkmS4XeJ2Zs3NzfNUm1PUcytkMAEJsp-qQehtoC1lv6LMS30bvDXUMqiBxUAgXbbyRTwCB5Ae1g6C8Xmo6ewyilNN_Tsv_ev-iCxyo/s200/IMG_1691.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554740031352932066" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>special ornaments</b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscRFtR_5u7FZwusLkDLvfq3MfPW5u-FvlP-_pNbCumWjF11_6_Gd7hcgsowH8c6uuyFJz5ebwrkpVKWMOhYTM1fJTZT95Qmhftwz8lrVpP8aF4IF793OWiEbWe6u8BZKQ97m_IlfMht0/s200/IMG_1696.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554741158411752114" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSj3nCp3h3ylxdCRS7jPf1_EPzk_bjWlf6xaj9OOPMHpEuUgwnh5QxSNYnF9BUqgBghrqsuKHyB4Ao1Q_5oO5EcVsJziB9sPgGDywTGtgrWhQh6TkHKzwcPKqgLKDhlzyRNCTAsEX5xuU/s200/IMG_1695.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554741156858083746" /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>presents</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNlE7f7_Y74grQ3jInIo0j7xAaCtOZGZ-3wGVnYVPwbRruLdGytkRO_xkjn3QFacvOzxvYKL0cyIHLmqViSjuCeK7qQTn3cOVA0fxu11ZGyvgodp8wSKLmnTqloY7_kTKxjuZftFDZBM/s200/IMG_1709.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554742937671306226" /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDydq-MZTZ6lRpkNYJn86RtVubssMUYGCkeO_jkn5ySWY7AxSpoMuG9HAa24HcxIX8ZBEwyjSRSC-rkGLkd7kUavZKxdgSGOJUSo7RmLiMg6jh75hyphenhyphentT6AS_A5z9PJQDuCxIQIP3prhA/s200/IMG_1712.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554742936653872274" /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtDYR83jA86pjVQL5mmWHhehuO1pOt3nvilQSFD0DPPfsBCTbedfP1v5RIua0W_BZ3N3kbVtbJgFE0NNwTvzUxx5DZbRPwroqkBRlCTVmxnwSqKwZ4T9Y8kgk_8EIrDbZhxcFLBSgh8o/s200/IMG_1705.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554742934805814402" /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Merry Christmas!!</div><div><br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-51869888518808296362010-07-25T20:39:00.000-07:002010-07-25T20:54:26.926-07:00And we're back....The last 8 weeks of our lives have been a complete blur! <div><br /></div><div>First of all, we did it! We got married July 9th. It was the day of my dreams and the wedding of a lifetime. I married the love of my life and my best friend!! Thank you to all our friends and family who helped us, encouraged us, supported us and were there for us during our wedding. It was simply fabulous! But more on this to come...</div><div><br /></div><div>We just got back from our beautiful honeymoon to Hawaii. It was incredibly fun but the overall feeling right now is exhaustion. There's only so much you can see and do in 10 days! We are so thankful to our parents for the sending us on this trip and for helping keep the home front intact while we were gone (i.e. house sitting, taking the car to the shop, running our errands and taking care of our puppy!). I'll be posting pics as soon as I can figure out how to set up a Flickr account!</div><div><br /></div><div>Normal life. Routine. These are words I have been dreaming of for the last few days. I'm ready to get back to the real world and do "real" things. My OCD kicked in big time during the multiple flights home. I have a to-do list a mile long and note after note in my iPhone. (Speaking of....anyone have any great apps they use for organization on their phone??). I have a ton of follow up to do, emails to return, phone calls to make and thank you notes to write. So on that note, it's off to bed to prepare for the full week ahead!</div><div><br /></div><div>Aloha my friends :)</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-51680307312966148442010-04-08T13:03:00.000-07:002010-04-25T13:20:59.848-07:00Fast and FuriousOnly a few weeks have passed since my last post but it honestly feels like years have come and gone. My world is spinning faster than I can keep up and I'm loving every minute of it (well....most of the time). <div><br /></div><div>I was blessed to share a wonderful Easter weekend with my beautiful family. It was so nice to be together, laugh, talk, play and work on wedding details. We got so much accomplished in those few days and it was wonderful to be just "us" again. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wedding details are overwhelming but fun. Things are definitely coming down to the last minute and we are furiously pulling it all together. We have also been working hard on our new house, trying to make it livable before July. There's much to be painted, torn down, put up, changed, sanded, fixed, etc. We are doing it little by little though. </div><div><br /></div><div>There's so much more to share, but I just don't have time to now! I'll try to post some pictures of the house, wedding details and some of our engagement pics. </div><div><br /></div><div>Love to all!</div><div><br /></div><div>-Ashley</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-79579228380403412922010-03-17T23:22:00.000-07:002010-03-17T23:40:16.692-07:00Music to Share<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HS7bwMsUX_1FEbaCmwm1ZPWll9Q89MSNW-k0kp5vJL1gC7S-nJFeNRSokLaiZf_j3Q097_lrim56dPEqWlkzIfpLbdmjwuYw186u1plIsMaWI_-Zb00AzTxuWKTOzRxbidJsqte2RvQ/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 82px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HS7bwMsUX_1FEbaCmwm1ZPWll9Q89MSNW-k0kp5vJL1gC7S-nJFeNRSokLaiZf_j3Q097_lrim56dPEqWlkzIfpLbdmjwuYw186u1plIsMaWI_-Zb00AzTxuWKTOzRxbidJsqte2RvQ/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449859609805157698" /></a><br /><div>Thought I would share the link to an iMix that I'm finding particularly inspiring right now! A church I love (found <a href="http://www.thepentecostals.org/">here</a>) is currently doing a 21 day fast and they have produced multiple resources for those participating in the fast. Although I'm not currently participating in this fast, I have definitely taken advantage of the (free!) resources they've provided. </div><div><br /></div><div>The iMix can be found <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=359728007">here</a>. Other resources offered are <a href="http://www.thepentecostals.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=175:21-days&catid=37&Itemid=272">here</a>. I'm not sure how long these resources will be available, so be sure to download soon! </div><div><br /></div><div>-Ashley</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-49802398892517261402010-03-17T00:03:00.000-07:002010-03-17T00:28:34.867-07:00Busy TimesThe past few days of our lives have been extremely busy but exciting. We started the weekend with a quick trip to St. Louis to watch my sister perform with her college and do a live recording. It was wonderful to see my sister and spend time with my family! I really do miss my family so much right now.<br /><br />After the flying 2 day trip to STL, we came back home just in time to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. We also met my brother-in-law's new girlfriend and we absolutely adored her! Definitely would love to see her become part of the family :)<br /><br />Sunday was full of church activities, youth staff meetings and the time change. I absolutely HATE it when the time changes. My internal clock is already so out of whack and "springing" that clock forward definitely did not help anything!<br /><br />Monday, we traveled to Nate's hometown to register for wedding gifts and houseware. It was an overwhelming and fun experience. I'm definitely looking forward to registering at some more stores!<br /><br />Monday night and tonight have been extremely busy in the ER. A ton of sick kids and crazy parents. But that seems to be the life of the ER :)<br /><br />On a sad note, a fellow nurse in the ER lost her only daughter yesterday in a car accident. The daughter left behind 3 young children. It's sobering when you are face to face with unexpected death of those close to you. Prayers for her family would be appreciated.<br /><br />Today (or really yesterday) was my birthday! It's the first birthday I've had where I've worked my entire birthday. Love the life of an adult. It honestly never felt like my birthday because I worked the night before, slept all day and am back at work tonight. I did get lots of Twitter, Facebook and texting love though. I'm so thankful to my friends and family for making it a special day for me. My sweet fiance gave me beautiful and thoughtful gifts and then took me out to my favorite restaurant. I couldn't have asked for more!<br /><br />Now, I'm heading back into the madness of the ER. I just wanted to give a quick update! I'll be sure and post more details and pictures later.<br /><br />-AshleyAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-58788110728664151342010-03-09T12:44:00.000-08:002010-03-09T13:50:24.306-08:00Busy, Busy, Busy<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Today has been quite a productive day at my house. I sit here typing with my sweet puppy in my lap and my belly full of goodness (I actually cooked for the first time in weeks!). Btw, if you need good recipes, I strongly recommend <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com">MyRecipes</a>. It's a fabulous site full of wonderful recipes for every cook, from the experienced to the novice. <div><br /><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I woke up quite late this morning, 2 hours after my alarm was set to go off!! Normally, I wake up with the first alarm and begin my day. But since I've started working nights, my body is completely off its internal clock. I rarely hear alarms anymore and I sleep for 10-12 hours at a time. It's quite scary not knowing if I'll wake up in time to get things accomplished, or even make it to work on time! Before night shift, I used to be a part of the <a href="http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/The_500_Club">5 o'clock club</a>. During nursing school and while I was a day shift nurse, I would frequently get up early to spend time with my Savior before going into work or about my day. It made such a huge difference in my everyday life, my attitude and my personal relationship with the Lord. I haven't quite figured out how to incorporate this into my night schedule yet, but I'm trusting that somehow it'll happen. Or that I'll get moved to a day shift position. Either one will work for me! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Wedding plans are continuing full speed ahead now. I managed to get in touch with all my bridesmaids with important details, talk with the photographer, get with musicians and schedule dates with my florist/decorator. Whew! Planning a wedding is a lot of hard work and it's soooooo time consuming. There are days that I wish I had thousands of dollars to pay someone else to worry about all these little details. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>When Nate and I started planning for the wedding, we both wanted an extravagant affair. However, after considering our options and the large amount of money that weddings cost, we started to scale back. We both agree that there are other more important things we would like to spend our money on (such as our house!). I also have been feeling very convicted about spending so much money on trivial things when there are people in this world who have true needs like shelter, food, clothing, healthcare, etc. We are desperately trying to find the balance between a nice wedding we will we both enjoy and being financially wise.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Speaking of being financially wise, I have recently started trying to organize my finances using <a href="http://quicken.intuit.com/set-goals-for-budgeting-and-saving/index.jsp">Quicken</a> and <a href="http://www.mint.com">Mint</a>. I am, admittedly so, not a money person. I've never managed money well and it has <i>always</i> managed me. So in light of being a good steward, I am following the advice of my mentors and getting some help! This has not been an easy process. However, I know that my efforts to be a good steward will be blessed! </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I've also been trying very hard to create order in other parts of my life. This does not come naturally to me and I envy those of you who have that knack for organization! *<i>ahem...mom* </i>It seems that everything in my life is constantly piling up. Doctor's appointments, finding a new dentist, insurance, renewing my driver's license, getting my address changed, new cell phone plans, volunteering at the church, getting B groomed and healthy, pre-marital classes, starting an exercise program (does Wii Fitness count?), eating healthier (I bought V8 fruit juice last night), getting my daily water in, quitting Dr. Peppers, grocery shopping, cooking and planning meals, cleaning my house (I recently discovered <a href="http://www.seventhgeneration.com/">Seventh Generation</a> products, which I love!), planning the remodel on our house (thank God for HGTV) and trying to fit a full time job in the midst of all that as well. I get overwhelmed just writing this! I fear my to-do list will never be done.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Through this busy season my comfort is this: God orders the seasons of my life (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ecclesiastes%203:1&version=NIV">Ecclesiastes 3:1</a>). This season of "business" is no surprise to Him. So in preparation for the chaos tonight will surely bring, I'm headed to take a short nap!</div><div><br /></div><div>-Ashley</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-62700216776502657862010-03-08T16:15:00.000-08:002010-03-08T16:55:01.415-08:00The Last Three YearsThe last three years of my life have brought many new seasons of change. Here's a quick recap:<div><br /></div><div>2007:</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Graduated from nursing school</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Passed NCLEX to get my RN license</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Moved 3 hours away from my hometown (where I had lived for 19 years!)</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Internship in a PICU 1 hour away from my new home</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-New friend-lationship with this guy named Nate</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Purchased an iPhone and began a life long relationship with Apple</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Decided the PICU wasn't for me and began a new job as a pediatric nurse in the "Boro"</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Friend-lationship with Nate takes some interesting turns and continues to grow</div><div><br /></div><div>2008:</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Promoted to charge nurse at my new job</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Multiple trips with my family and friends</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Decide to become more involved with my new church family in the "Boro"</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-After a DTR (define the relationship) Nate and I decide to move our relationship forward</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Offered a music minister position at the new church, which I accept</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Decide to go back to school to work towards a higher nursing degree and a minor in music</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Go to an "as-needed" position at work</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-A good friend gets married in Louisiana</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Several close friends give birth to beautiful babies!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Organize my first Christmas Cantata as a music minister, which is relatively successful</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Nate becomes a Student Pastor in a metro area</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Nate graduates from collage and I go with his family on a ski trip to celebrate</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-We celebrate our first Christmas together</div><div><br /></div><div>2009:</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I continue to go back to school</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I'm offered a job at my dream hospital and take an "as-needed" position in the ER there. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The hospital is conveniently located in the metro area where Nate pastors. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Life becomes chaotic as I juggle the responsibilities of school, living in two cities, a <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>serious relationship and a job as Music Minister. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I find the puppy of my dreams, fall in love and bring her home. Sweet Isabella Dora <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>(known as Bella) is almost one year old!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-My best friend from nursing school is involved in a terrible accident and I rush back to my <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>hometown to be by her side during recovery.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-My family decides to go on a cruise to Jamaica and we have a wonderful experience! The <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>only downside was being away from Nate for several days.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-My sister (and best friend) moves several hours away to go to college. This is very very <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>hard on both of us emotionally.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-A close friend is married! </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I decide to move to the metro to decrease the chaos that continually reigns in my life</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I move in with a friend, which proves to be the most interesting experience I've ever had.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Decide to go full time at my dream hospital. I have a night shift schedule and try to cope <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>with the changes that brings.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Battle multiple bouts of homesickness being so far away from my family.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Go with my family and Nate to Chicago for Thanksgiving. WE LOVE CHICAGO!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-A few weeks later, my family and Nate's family go on another skiing trip to New Mexico. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-During this vacation, Nate asks the most precious question of all....and I answer yes!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-We begin to furiously plan a summer wedding and I find the "perfect" dress</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Christmas is celebrated with both families and we welcome the new year with anticipation</div><div><br /></div><div>2010:</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-We begin house shopping</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-We find a house and make an offer!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I officially join youth staff and make efforts to become more involved in the church where <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Nate pastors.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-We purchase a house and become proud homeowners!</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I move into the house and we begin re-modeling plans</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-Wedding plans are put on temporary hold as we become consumed with the house</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-I get sick</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>-During my recovery, I decide to start a blog!</div><div><br /></div><div>....And this should bring you up to date! This by no means conveys everything that we have gone through the in the last three years. There have been many moments of great sorrow, tragedy, laughter, frustration, change, goodness, and love. Every moment has lead us closer to each other and closer to our Savior. Despite the overwhelming amount of changes life has presented, He has kept me close and I know He is leading my path. Looking forward to sharing more!</div><div><br /></div><div>-Ashley</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4452168400347046011.post-66182109185156258492010-03-08T16:05:00.000-08:002010-03-08T16:14:21.134-08:00My First Post!Hello to blog-land! I decided to start this blog to keep our families and friends from far away up-to-date on our lives. Our lives are often so busy and we miss sharing the everyday details with the ones we love. So join me as I attempt to narrate our comings and goings! Love to all!<div><br /></div><div>-Ashley</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17851465072413210341noreply@blogger.com0