bed rest :( and finished photos of the nursery

Bags all packed and ready to head to the birth center...now we just need LABOR!!

Bella's on bed rest with me --HAHA

this is where the rocker will go- its supposed to arrive this week sometime :)

got these stuffed animals online- they were expensive, so i thought they were goign to be huge...NOPE aparently they're some collectors item--oops! haha, oh well!

finished changing table

entrance...just love the lil table/stool with his name on it :)

Finished crib with the mobile

finished closet shelving-- thanks Hunny!!

Dave building the closet

The diapers attacked him!! haha thanks everyone for all the gdiapers!

Blue Angels...soo amazing!

of course, Bella came along

Dave and I at Patriots Point watching the Blue Angels

the bushes in front of our house turn to complete flowers-- love them!

Dave and I before we left for the shower his work had for us

OH MY GOSH!!! huge belly!! haha almost there...no stretch marks- thankfully!! BUT i'm sooo ready to have my normal stomach back!!

37 weeks!!

below is a sweet gift from a friend with his name embroidered..and how cute is the bag?!

So...

i was feeling really shaky and weak at work on Weds, thought it was just my glucose dropping, but figured i'd better call the midwife to check- we ended up missing each others phone calls, in the mean time i ate a yogurt- felt fine, so didn't call back- figured it was nothing... happened again at dinner that night- ate- felt fine... happened again at work on thurs and thought i better call to see if this is normal. she asked me to have someone take my BP, if it was low- drink some gatorade, if it was high- call back. my BP is usually really low, like 100's over 40's... i went in teh hospital and hooked myself up to a monitor and it was 153/104!!!! oh my gosh! so i called back- they told me to come right in... it was still high when i got there and the protein in my urine was elevated (from my baseline levels) so she had me lay there and rest for a bit and took it again- and it thankfully dropped to 120's... so i had to do a 24 hr urine test (to test for protein in my urine) and get a bunch of labs to check my liver and kidney function (pre-eclampsia can have some serious effects on those!) so she said if it is elevated and i do have preeclampsia i would have to be induced and have him at the hospital :( so that was a HUGE bummer and sad moment when you plan for one thing and hope for it and in a flash it can be taken away from you. Everyone thinks i'm/ we're crazy for wanting a completely drug-free natural childbirth, but it something we desire and think is the best for Noah, and it really stinks to prepare 9 months for that and maybe not being able to have it... long story short- the labs all came back normal!! PRAISE JESUS!! so i'm still on bed rest and i go back in monday to get checked again and if he's still not here by tuesday then i have to repeat the urine test to make sure it doens't turn to pre-eclampsia.

all last week i was so stressed with work, teaching, school and exams AND making sure everything was ready for baby that i really think that had a large effect on me... i was also getting up early for cases and class at night- working 12-14 hr days then goign to class-- maybe this was my bodies way of saying STOP i cna't do it all!! so hopefully the bedrest will bring everything back to normal--- another bummer is that my leave time with Noah is starting now :( so i just pray he comes soon so i can be home with him for the majority of the time i'm off and not sitting here alone on the couch! haha

dave has been amazing, taking care of me and bringing me everything i need, cooking, cleaning AND getting everything ready...we are OFFICIALLY READY! below are the finalized pics of the nursery and the new shelf he hung and the new shelves he put in the closet :)

soo i'm sitting/laying on the couch feeling like a COMPLETE BUM, watching movies, stalking people on facebook and blogging-- thank goodness for the internet :)

so hopefully Mr Noah makes his arrival SOON!! we're hoping this weekend, but i don't think that will happen...keep us in your prayers :)

also...check out the poll on the side and vote!!

38 weeks (4/20/10)

So we went to the CNM for our 38 week appt yesterday ( i was really 37.6 weeks ;) haha) and everything is going perfect!! my blood pressure is low/normal ....AND she checked me...which i was a little hesitant about b/c i almost didn't want to ruin the positivity of last week... 1 cm, 50% effaced and -2 station....but though, hey what the heck... PS my whole motto is to expect the least and prepare for the worst (not pessimistic, just a way to mentally prepare myself so if i am preggo for 42 weeks, i'm not miserable and angry...IF i plan on 42, then i'll be fine :) ) i promise, i'm not negative, just a way to plan for the extreme scenerio and if something better happens, fabulous...anyways... so i decided to let her check me and she gets all excited and says " i have really good news!!" and says: i'm 3 cm dialated, 70% effaced and -1 station!!!! WOOWHOOO she said, Ashley, people in full blown labor would kill to be here!! yay...so that's pretty exciting! so i say thank you again to the Bradley method and the birth center for helping us use natural supplements and techniques to get my body ready to labor :) so thank you to the birth prep pill and evening primrose oil...and other techniques...staying active, etc. :)

so then Dave asked...what's thsi mean? and she said..."well it could be any time...this week, next week, but it does mean that you will most likely NOT go past your due date" YA!! so that's realy good news!! BUT kinda scary news as well, since i've been preparing for 42 weeks of pregnancy, i also haven't been planning on the reality of a baby for 4 more weeks--ekk!! so thats deff. surreal!

so...we'll keep everyone posted on everything :) but baby Noah may be here before we know it! Please keep us in your prayers for a safe and healthy delivery and birth :)

Ashley

Dad's prego thoughts

Since Ashley wrote up her list of things that she likes and dislikes, I felt I had to do mine too! So here they are:

Things I'll miss:

1. Rubbing her belly...it's kind of fun to do. It's like a basketball that you have to be gentle with.
2. Kicks! Its cool to feel him kick in there. Especially since he does these big sweeping kicks that we call window wipers.
3. Her cravings which I seem to have also....i.e. milkshakes and what not.
4. Being able to park in the expectant mother spot at Publix. Ok so this isn't so bad but I figured I'd throw it on there.

Things I won't miss:

1. The millions of pills Ashley takes every day. She gags on each pill and makes this terrible noise each time. I feel bad....
2. The traffic on 26. Every time we go to the Birth Center, no matter what time, it's mad traffic and construction.

37.6 weeks 4/19/2010

WOW...again all i can say is WOW! we're THIS far! i just can't wrap my mind around the thought that we could have a little baby at ANY time now :) I saw on someone else blog, they did a funny post and thought i would do the same... I have truly enjoyed every moment being pregnant...okay the 2-3 weeks of morning sickness weren't the most fun times in my life, but since then, i really can't complain...so i thought i would write a post/ tribute to pregnancy, since its coming to an end :)

Things I will miss most about being pregnant:

1. the BELLY...its actually pretty fun- my entire theory throughout the whole pregnancy has been...just EMBRACE the belly (if you fight it, you will be miserable haha)
2. random smiles from strangers- its funny b/c when you're pregnant, people don't look at your face- they go straight to the belly, then back up to the face and smile- isn't it neat that creating life creates joy in other people as well?!
3. Feeling Noah all day, every day and always having him with me, but i am excited to share him with all of you, finally :)
4. being able to take naps and not feel guilty about it
5. Dave coming home from work and rubbing/ talking to the belly...b/c soon he'll probably just run to Noah, since he'll be here!
6. Learning to say "no" to too many activities...we tend to over-exert ourselves and commit to too much and end up warn out and exhausted in the end, I'm learning to say no and be okay with it- and its actually really nice to have a couple minutes of free time to spend with Dave :)
7. SLEEP...most important, i know this phenomena called sleep is about to leave our vocabulary...and have i mentioned how much i TRULY LOVE sleep? eugh... this might not be pretty

Things I am looking forward to post-pregnant/ things i won't miss about being pregnant:

1. the Belly... what will i have to talk about- it seems to be the highlight of all conversations at this point in my life- haha
2. feeling like a whale trying to get out of our platform bed in the morning
3. Struggling to eat enough protein everyday-- i could be vegetarian at the drop of a hat
4. as much as i "embrace the belly" i can't WAIT to go run...hard! do mad crunches and be able to see past my belly to the ground! HAHA I'm so excited to get back to the gym and have a normal body/clothes again, i can't stand it
5. HEARTBURN....omgoodness, I've never had heartburn and i have a new found empathy for people who do- its rotten, makes you not even want to eat!
6. People and their inappropriate comments...just so ya know its not okay to tell a pregnant girl "Wow, you're getting so big" or " oh my gosh, every time i see you you're getting bigger"...well no crap Sherlock- that's what SUPPOSED to happen, I'm preggers!! wow... oh yeah, and the opposite is also true "Wow, is everything okay, you're so small" "Wow, when i was at your stage i was way bigger" (it makes you go home and worry that something is wrong with your baby)....can i just say- you shouldn't EVER comment on a pregnant belly SIZE-- small or big it makes the person self-conscious! and thank goodness I'm not an insecure girl ;)
7. wine and lunch meat...i can't wait to have a glass of wine...maybe that can be someones first gift to me?! haha AND i can't wait to have a COLD TURKEY sub from subway...that's not heated to "steaming hot for 30 seconds" haha...oh yeah, and i want some sushi too! oh yeah, and COFFEE in the mornings!! ahhh (actually i may try to keep this practice of minimal caffeine...i feel so much better without it)
8. THE BIGGEST THING: i cannot wait to throw away all my pills!!! I've been taking all natural/ wholefoods supplements this entire pregnancy- to ensure he's getting the actual nutrients and making sure they're in the purest form...food! however, this makes my pill consumption over 40 pills a day!! AND did i mention how HORRIBLE i am at taking pills? i gag about every time (it wasn't pretty during the first trimester...poor Dave had to witness the whole thing haha) so i cannot wait to go back to normal 4-6 pills a day!


anyways that's it for now- 38 week appointment today at the birth place and our last Bradley make-up class tonight (its a labor rehearsal)....hopefully we pass ;) haha!

Ashley



sooo those are my things

Maternity photos

37 weeks...MUSC baby shower, and student baby shower :)

36.5 weeks and MATERNITY/ Easter photos

Hello,
so first... our maternity photos are UP!!! go to: www.bumpmeetbaby.com click on PROOFING then for the password enter: Noah and there you have it!! if you want to order any photos- you can do so from that gallery :)
second, I am 36. 5 weeks and went to the DR yesterday- everything is perfect...belly's still a little small, BUT still within normal range, he's head down, heart rate is great- he was getting excited and having accelerations...AND my Group B Strep came back Negative--woowhoo, so no IVs for this chica or for Noah :) yippie i go weekly to the CNM's now and can get my cervix checked next week!! we're getting close!!

this past Easter weekend we had brunch at the Old Village Post House with some dear friends, that we're so sad are moving back to Atlanta, but we had such a great time with them. after we ate, we walked around and got some photos... and sorry- Kelli- your eyes are closed, but i don't have any other pics of us!!! and she's beautiful eyes open or closed :) but i wanted to capture the memories...so here's a pic of Kelli and I:

Dave and I...disregard my HAIR is EVERYWHERE! HAHA

then Dave and Matt walking (too funny that they look so alike!) they're twins sep. at birth! haha

me... 36 weeks prego

Dave and I with the water behind us...its just so beautiful here :)

WE LOVE CHARLESTON :) just miss our friends and family :)

and a couple older pics from Daves b-day cake

and yet again...Bella :)
so- a sad farewell to Matt and Kelli (we're still going to try to convince them to stay haha) and to the memories and friendship we have built :( and a congrats to your future and visiting ATL :)

my work shower is this weekend, AND amanda, Rick and aunt Lois and Stan are visiting- so check back soon for pics :)

love you all!!

Ash, Dave, Noah and Bella

oh yeah...for the record- when the baby comes- the birth center has a virtual nursery--so when you get the call that i'm in labor, you can start checking to see when Noah makes his arrival at this site:
http://charlestonbirthplace.com/VirtualNursery.aspx

so save that in your browsers :)