Just a Quick Update

Hi everyone! So, at this point I am 6 months pregnant! It seems like the time has just flown by and I am definitely on the downward slope of this now. And as the time has progressed, I can feel our little one in there growing and kicking me on a very regular basis now. It seems that early evening is her favorite time to wake up and stretch. It is the coolest/weirdest thing I've ever experienced. Words cannot even describe what it feels like, but all I know is I can't help but smile every time I feel her moving around in there.

Besides her moving a whole lot now, not much more to report except that Kyle and I just got back last week from our "baby-moon" in Disneyland. We had such a great time just being alone and enjoying ourselves. Getting out of our driveway was insane (it snowed 18 inches at our house the night before), but once we were on the road it was pretty much smooth sailing. Here are some pictures of our vacation:

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

It's A Girl!!

So, we went in for our 20 week ultrasound and the technician said she's about 80% sure that our little one is a girl. It was sort of hard to tell because, like a lady, she was sitting with her ankles crossed. More importantly however, she is completely healthy and is developing right on schedule. To be honest, I was looking forward to hearing that more than anything. The experience was so amazing though. We got a good look at her face for a while and could see her yawn and suck her thumb. She looked very relaxed in there with one arm behind her head (which is how I sleep :) ) and sucking her thumb. Kyle's reaction to see her little face was so cute. He was just amazed. It was so different from our first ultrasound at 9 weeks where the baby just looks like a blob of stuff; now we got to see eyes, a nose, a mouth-just incredible!

So, this will be a short blog entry, but before I wrap up with posting the pictures, a quick update: Kyle's dad and step-mom are doing good in Minnesota (thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!) and the Mayo Clinic is really getting everything in line for a transplant. We still have a ways to go until he's healthy, but everything is finally heading in the right direction.

Also, I have another, regular, doctor's appt. on December 7 just to do a quick check=up. In fact, I believe after this one, we'll start moving into once every 2 week appt.'s rather than the once every 4 weeks right now. On top of that, Kyle and I will be leaving that same day for our baby-moon to Disneyland. We're so excited and I'll post some pictures once we get back. So, that about does it. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and here are some pictures...

1st Picture is of the baby's face. You can see it's eyes, nose, and mouth, and a little arm bringing her hand to her mouth.

2nd picture is a profile picture where you can see one of her feet.

3rd picture is looking up at her little butt and below that, you can see where her little feet are crossed.

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18 Weeks Update

Wow. So much has happened since I last updated this blog. Well, I guess not a whole lot, but more than normal for my wonderfully routine life. I guess I'll start with Dr. stuff first. Just last week I went in for my routine check up, and the according to the Dr., everything looks perfect! The babies heart beat (which never ceases to amaze me when I hear it), my weight gain (thank God), blood pressure, everything! So, it was nice to know that my efforts of attempting to be healthy are definitely paying off. More exciting news, is that 2 weeks from tomorrow, we will, hopefully, be finding out the sex of the baby. I should say that at least this is when my next ultrasound is. Whether we find out if it's a little boy or girl in there, well, that's up to the baby. But we are super excited, either way, just to see how much it has changed since our first ultrasound at 9 weeks. Let me just say, that basically my entire family is split on whether they think it's a boy or girl. My mom is now convinced it's a girl because of 2 wives tale tests we've performed. So, we'll see. it will definitely be fun.

Over these past few weeks we also had my Aunt, her husband and her kids out from Oklahoma for over a week! It was super fun. We did all the fun touristy stuff around Placerville, Coloma, Apple Hill, and Tahoe. We had a blast and I think that they should move out here! :)

So, now I've saved the last 2 extra-exciting things for last. First, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and well wishes for Kyle's dad. He and his wife are now up in Minnesota where he will be receiving dialysis at the Mayo Clinic while waiting to get on the liver transplant list there. He's not out of the woods yet, so please keep your prayers and good thoughts going because they are working! He is at the best place he could possibly be right now and it is a relief to all of us that we're finally moving in the right direction of getting him better.

And for the last tid-bit of info--I felt the baby really, actually move today!! I've thought I have felt it twice before but it was a really light fluttering feeling so I couldn't be sure. But today, while I was sitting at work getting ready to go home, WOW! It felt like a little alien was doing somersaults in my lower belly. And it went on for like 5 minutes!! I was trying to keep from crying at my desk because it was the so unmistakable, so unbelievably amazing! I really am at a loss or words on how to explain it any further. All I can say is that it was the most amazing (and kinda the weirdest) thing I have ever felt in my entire life! Anyway, thank you all for reading this and I love you guys!!

Baby's Heartbeat at 13 Weeks

Well, it's no longer a secret (not like it really ever was;-) ). Since I am a few days away from being in my second trimester, I decided to make the grand announcement on facebook. So, the few people that didn't know, know and the few people who kept my secret (not you Grandma, lol) can shout it from the rooftops now. This week was another amazing one for a few reasons. First, most of my pregnancy sickness has gone away (however, the heartburn is in full swing) and it's so nice to not feel sick all day!

Secondly, I had another Dr.'s appointment yesterday and got to hear our little one's heartbeat! I cannot even describe the feeling I had when I heard it. This whole thing is so surreal to me that I still don't fully believe it. So, when I get to see or hear tangible proof that there's a little baby in there, it is amazing beyond belief. I actually recorded the Dr. getting the heartbeat and am posting it at the end of this blog. It's kinda funny because every time you hear a "whoosh" sound, it's the baby moving--and it was doing it a lot! The Dr. even remarked that it was pretty active. This correlates with how during the ultrasound I said it was moving it's tiny little arms around a lot. Something about this just makes me smile. It's like the fact that it's active and moving just makes me feel like it already has a little personality. Who knows, it might already be training to be a little cheerleader or a ball player!! Anyway, here's the clip:

And thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Kyle's dad. We just ask that you keep them coming! We love you all!

11 Weeks Update

Hi everyone! First, I would just like to thank all of you for your congratulations and well wishes. It means so much to us that everyone is just as excited as we are!!

So, nothing too exciting the past few weeks going on except that I gained my fist .7lb last week. At first I was a little disappointed because I just spent the last 9 months taking off 37 pounds, but Kyle shook me back into reality. So, now I just look at the bright side and think, now that's 37 more pounds I don't have to lose after the baby comes! Seriously though, every time I think about what's growing inside of me, I literally smile-so I know it can't be that bad. :)

Now that I'm thinking about it, the past few weeks has been a time for mini-breakdowns. I started crying one day because all of a sudden I was terrified I wasn't going to be a good mom because I heard that they're opening a Harry Potter Land at Universal Studios and I was totally excited and planned on telling Kyle, once the baby was a little older, we have to go! Then that got me thinking, should I not want to do things like that? It seems kinda juvenile. And hence, the break down. I realized I still like, wait make that love, going to the zoo, riding rides, playing games, watching cartoons, and sometimes just acting like a kid myself. Surely if I felt this way, I wasn't ready to be a mom. Then Kyle, my amazingly grounded husband, told me that because we still like doing these things, it's going to make us great parents. Then logic came back to me and I realized he was right. What would I do without him?!

That's about it with what's been going on lately. I can't wait for our next appt, which is October 7, when we can hear the baby's heart beat again. Now, before wrapping up with a little picture and overview of what the baby looks like right now, I would just like to ask all of you who read this to keep Larry, Kyle's dad, in your thoughts and/or prayers. He's been really sick lately, going in and out of the hospital, and we need him to get healthy so he's ready to chase a grand-baby around! So, we would really appreciate it if you would all do that, and thank you in advance!

OK, so here is what our little guy/girl? is doing this week:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Thanks everyone for reading and we love you all!

9 Weeks and the Baby's 1st Picture!!

Wow! Well, if there were any doubts still in my head about being pregnant, they have completely vanished now. Kyle and I both went down to get my first ultrasound done today and words truly cannot describe how we felt. I know that, personally, I was not completely sold on the idea I was pregnant-even with all the symptoms! I think it was some weird psychological way of my brain guarding me in case it all ended up being a big mistake and I wasn't pregnant after all. That would've devastated me. So, I just kept my guard up this whole time, but it is completely gone now. There really is a baby in there!

Seriously though, today was one of the most unbelievable days of my life! As the nurse was showing us the baby, Kyle was stroking my arm, and I was trying my hardest to not erupt in sobs. I think the point that tested my will power to not cry (too hard) the most during the ultrasound was when the baby started waving it's arms around. I don't know why, but that action was like, oh my gosh, there is a little human being in here and he's moving around voluntarily! It seriously brings me to tears thinking about it right now. We also got to hear the little one's heart beat which was amazing--and so fast! So, now the plan is an appt every 4

weeks to check my health and the baby's heartbeat, however, the next ultrasound won't be until I'm at 20 weeks, which is also when we get to find out the sex!

The nurse printed out 3 pictures which I am so happy to share with you all. I hope you e

njoy them! Oh, and as a side note, as soon as the nurse walked out of the room, I completely broke down in Kyle's arms into uncontrollable sobs :-) It was a great day!

OK, so in the pictures (the baby is facing the camera), the round part on the right is the head and the oval part on the left is it's body (the legs are tucked in). The 2 little circles on either side are the little arms buds.

First off, Kyle and I have big news (which I'm sure you already know since your reading this)--I'm pregnant!!! We are so excited and have decided that we should start a blog so that all of our family and friends can feel free to follow along with what's happening. So, in order to catch all of you up, I will give you the short version of how we got here.

Kyle and I had been trying to get pregnant for almost 2 years when we had recently decided to turn to fertility specialists for some help. After months of diagnostic testing, we were finally set up to get an IUI (intra-uterine insemination) procedure done. Part of the preparation for this procedure was for me to get on hormone pills the first day

of my cycle. Well, low and behold, that first day never came around. I took a pregnancy test when I was a few days "late" seriously thinking that I'd just wasted another $5 (I cannot explain how many times I'd taken those with a "negative" result) and to my incredible surprise, it was positive. I seriously couldn't believe my eyes! I had completely given up on us getting pregnant the old natural way. I really had finally accepted it and had turned the whole situation over to God. Well, it looks like that's what I should've done from the beginning!

Anyway, after moments, even weeks, of disbelief here we are-8 weeks pregnant. I realize it is still incredibly early to start spreading the news, however, we have so many people happy for us that it just keeps spreading. That's why I wanted to start this and keep everyone posted since mostly everyone knows already! We love it though and we feel so blessed with all of the love and support from our families.

So, that's the story of how we got to where we are now. I am in full swing of wonderful (NOT) pregnancy symptoms; you know, the fatigue, sore breasts, nausea , and complete aversion to foods I used to love. Although, I have my good days and bad days, I have to say that the morning sickness is not as bad as I expected. Not to say I don't have it because I assure you I do, just not to the degree that I thought I would have it.

One last thing before I wrap this up, I just wanted to brief everyone on the Dr. appt.'s (I've had a lot of questions about this). We just went to the Dr last week to talk to the nurse. It was a short appt. and she just gave us the information about the hospital and what classes they offer, asked if we wanted to do genetic testing (which we declined), and took another pregnancy test. Luckily, we had already done all the required blood tests through the fertility center in preparation for the IUI. The next appt. is the big one and I seriously cannot wait for it. It's going to be our first ultrasound!! We get to see the baby and hear it's heart beat! I really cannot describe how excited we are for that, and that happens next week. So, I'll definitely post a

picture!

OK, and finally wrapping it up, since I don't have an actual picture of our little baby, I thought this was the next best thing. This is what are baby looks like and how it's developing right now:

How your baby's growing:

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby —about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

I just thought that is a great way to end this! So, thank you all for all of your amazing love, support, and prayers. We've definitely felt them and needed them. We love you all so much, and I'll post something new after the ultrasound!

~Love, Ashley & Kyle

PS: Feel free to leave comments-I'd love to hear what you guys think!