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 :)

4-2-10...Dave's 28th Birthday!!! Happy bday hunny :) and 35 weeks...

So today is Daddy-to-be's 28th birthday!!!! omgosh we are getting so old!! haha!!
Hope you enjoyed every minute of the day babe :) this is our last year of just "us"

and below are some updates pics- sorry its been a while :(
heres me at 33 weeks


funny thing is... i felt huge here!! HA

34 weeks-- and spring has arrived!!! its beautiful outside :) too bad i only have like 3 summer maternity shirts :( looks like its time to go shopping!

34 weeks again

the BELLY or BASKETBALL...whatever you want to call it at 35 weeks...WOW did i all of a sudden pop out!! its funny b/c i forget i have a belly and try to do things i probably shouldn't...like uhh cartwheels outside--oops and uh jumping over the back of the couch..ouch, that one kinda hurt! haha its really sad i keep forgetting about this HUGE hange in my body! too funny :)

35 weeks...this week!! so crazy we are this close!! we went to the CNM and i am measuring small (belly and weight wise) EVEN gaining 6 lbs since my last visit-- omgoshhhhhh but she said it was about time b/c they keep yelling at me to eat more...eughh (as long as it comes right back off, i'm good :) hehe) his heartrate was wonderful as usual and she said my blood pressure is better than hers! haha

AND we got a list of "how to prepare your body for labor" some natural supplements to strengthen my uterus, so when it contracts, it gets work accomplished (so all the pain isn't in vain) and other pills to soften my cervix... then i asked her, "uhh so when do i start these?!" she laughed adn said..."NOW!" so that was a HUGE reality check- that ITS TIME!!!! wowzas~ i can't believe it! so, of course, i woke up 4 times last night dreaming that i was in labor!! HAHA

from now on we start going every week for avisit and i get cervix checks starting at 37 weeks (1.5 weeks from now) omgosh!! wow!!

here's pics from Dave's bday today...his ice cream cake :)

during my nesting phase- i cleaned out all our old tshirts and clothes we never wear- and made Dave part with some of his favs...BUT had a secret plan already in place...so after he whined and tried to hang on to every shirt... i found a lady on etsy to make a t-shirt quilt to surprise him- so he can keep the t-shirts and memories forever, in a more usefull way than occupying drawer space! haha so here's the product- i think she did an AMAZING JOB!! and...better yet, he was surprised and loves it!!

then she said she found some backing she thought he would love- i just told her to make it OSU themed...how amazing is this?!!!

then his main gift from my mom n I...a new Zune HD :)

Dave and I before our last fancy dinner alone... love you baby!!

AND Noah's very first letter...and Easter card from mom mom melbie :)

we'll keep you all posted---AND check out the birth center's virtual nursery-- you'll probably see Noah's pictures/labor announcement here before we will get around to calling everyone, SO SAVE IT INYOUR BROWSERS :)

http://charlestonbirthplace.com/VirtualNursery.aspx

then you click on the date and name and pics will come up and his stats... keep us in your prayers these last few weeeks ...can't wait to see him!!

The Hodges

link for photo teaser

photo teaser is up!!! check it out!!
http://bumpmeetbaby.com/2010/03/the-bump-charleston-maternity-photography/ashleymaternity/comment-page-1/#comment-37

for every 10 comments we get a free enlargement...so leave a comment :)

Ashley

3-27-10 Maternity Photo Shoot

Hello,
so today was a very exciting/fun day for us!! we did our maternity shoot with Tamara Hart...love her!!! she is absolutely amazing and made both of us feel so comfortable and special-- i just hope they all turn out good :) she said she should have a teaser up by tomorrow...yippie!! so i will post the link as soon as i get it :) AND if we get 10 comments on a photo on her blog we get a free photo...so we need your help on this one ;)
she also talked me in to doing a bare photo shoot as well...so i'm kinda nervous about it b/c i'm so not a very photogenic person, but i figured why not...the more pictures and memories we have of this time in our lives...the better :)
she also offered to do photos of the birth!!!! i'm soooo excited about that b/c we were going to have my mom take pics or the student or whoever was free-so this will be FABULOUS to capture all the emotion and entire experience of Noah coming into the world :) AND for those of you freaked out right now...we'll probably be having a water birth and the photos are all modest...so you won't see any private parts or things that should be private-- but lil Noah laying on mommys chest after he arrives and then on daddy's and getting his footprints, etc... how precious and blessed are we to have this opportunity!! i'm so very excited

AND one more prop to Dave... this entire time i have felt so beautiful and glowing and its all because i have a fabulous, loving, complimentary husband who tells me everyday that i'm beautiful and how much he loves me and my belly...and he's very convincing-- so i feel beautiful when i look in the mirror-- thanks baby for making me feel this way :) i love you!!!

so that's the update for now- hopefully tomorrow i will have alinkto post :)

love you all
Ashley and Noah (Bella and Dave are napping now...the photo shoot pooped them out hehe)

oh yeah...Bella was in the shoot too ;)

34 weeks

Bella pooped out!

Emma sleepy as well

cute gift from my lil, Natalie... a dumbbell of diapers!! haha perfect for Diesel Dave :)

how cute is this?! haha

3-21-10

We have had a very busy (yes, busier than normal) last couple weeks...as you can see by the lack of posts... 2 weeks ago we watched our friends dog, who kept Bella very occupied, as well as us...then Jeannine, Denny, Emma came in town on Saturday night and Mike and Tara and Macey came in Sunday for a week. AND we've been short staffed at work, so I've been working more and longer hours than normal :( and there's no end in sight...sigh

Mike and Tara were working on wedding plans- trying to finalize things, which was fun for us to be a part of as well :) and nonetheless fun to have people to come home to :) just wish we could move them all down here with us :) so, again Bella was pooped from the 2 dogs. Denny and Mike re-built our entire garage with shelving and over the garage door shelves as well as re-organized everything!! it looks FABULOUS!! THEN to top it all off, Denny re-landscapes everything for us...for the 2nd year in a row!! so incredible to have such great in-laws who take care of us...b/c honestly, with school, work, childbirth classes, child rearing classes and everything else we have going on, I'm pretty sure the landscaping and garage were going to suffer! haha our neighbors thank you as well ;) haha

Jeannine and Tara got to go to the baby appointment with us and see the place :)

so they are all gone now and the house is quiet :( yesterday was so nice out- so Bella and I laid out in the backyard while Dave worked on an accounting paper-- yes this is how exciting our lives are right now...accounting, work, sleep, gym (if we're lucky), repeat!

only 6 weeks left until baby Noah arrives!!! can't wait to see him!!

i think that's it for the updates :)

32 weeks!



New table...


Noah cup!

3/8/2010... 32 weeks= 8 MONTHS!!!

Hello...

WOW is the first thing i have to say...omgosh i'm 8 months prego!!! INSANE!! time has flown and here we are, only 8 weeks away! SO now i'm in total panic/ manic phase trying to get EVERYTHING ready...and completely stressin over it all! haha i want everything done now so we can just sit back and wait for him to come...AND i'm thinkin i'm going to start losing energy soon and don't want Dave to have to finish all of it while i sit my chunky self in the chair and watch! HAHA



we went to the Dr last week and i've gained 11 lbs total! yippie...hopefully it stays that way, he's about 3.5 lbs now and will double in the next 8 weeks! she checked him to make sure he wasn't breech---and he's not!! good lil boy is head down adn keeps tickling my hips with his fingers and kneeing and kicking me in the ribs all day long (i'm sooo not complaining, i like a moving baby... i know he's okay :) hehe) she said he's measuring PERFECT and so is my belly...its really neat- they measure from your pubic bone to top of your uterus and it should measure the same amount in cm's as you are weeks- and mine is exact to the week each time :) yay! she said he feels right on track to be a 7 lb baby...i like that as well :) his heartbeat was so incredibly strong- even she said "wow" yay!! maybe experiencing all the little babies everyday in heart surgery with me has scared him :)





AND...biggest update of all: WE HAVE A NAME...drumroll please.......NOAH DALE HODGE (Dale is after my dad...miss you dad!) hopefully he will be as filled with laughter and joy, and as wonderful of a man as my dad was :)



AND i had my Ohio shower last weekend given by my mother, Lindsay Pardi (okay its really Kaleta, but Pardi just sticks hehe) and Nikki Crunkilton---you girls are the best and i'm so thankful to have amazing friends like you to support us through this new journey. everything was ADORABLE and perfect!! i think we had close to 30-35 people there!! thanks everyone for coming and for those who couldn't make it- we REALLY appreciate the mail gifts :)
below are some pics from the shower-- my camera died, so i didn't get many pics- if you have some, will you please email them to me...

and this past weekend we worked our booties off getting the nursery ready and organizing the house and putting things away... let us know what you think:) leave a message as anonomyous so we know you stopped by :)

love you all... 8 more weeks!!
Ashley, Dave, Bella and Noah :)

this is a pic of Dave and I at the shower

me starting to open gifts

more gifts

The hostesses (minus my mom...obviously) THANKS girls- you're amazing!!!

a sweet handmade blanket from my aunt lois--- thank you!!

sooo Kathy was taking the pics for me with my camera-- and here's what i found... haha love ya RACH!!! she's preggo too (3 of the 4 college roomies are all prego together and within 6 weeks of each other!!) soo much fun!

the gift table-- adn this was in the beg.... it grew and grew--thank you all soo much!!

Dave taking down the fan blades

the crib!!! we're not sure we like the location of all the furniture, but Daves fam is coming in town this weekend sohopefully they can help us :) but i just love the bedding!! yay! i also have painted letters that spell his name and i'm goign to hang them above the crib with white ribbon...

the curtains
the closet...getting full!!! we got tons of 3-6 mos and more of older clothes, which is perfect so we have clothes when he gets bigger :)

the basket on the dresser is precious moments bears Jeannine got for us before we knew what he was at a school function- they are sooo soft and cuddly! they will probably go on a shelf when we get them hung :) they're so cute!!

the other side of the bedroom-- the changing pad will go on top and check out the lil gdiapers :) we will probably put the glider here too...IF/WHEN we get it :)

the fan blades...

and the playyard from the Hodges :) just love it!! and its all set-up and ready for when we bring baby Noah home :)