Topaz Mountain

This year for Memorial Day weekend we took Ashie to Topaz Mountain for the first time! :) It ended up snowing on us (in the middle of the desert, can you believe it?!) so we were stuck in the trailer for a lot of the time but Ashlyn seemed quite happy with that. Her ducky is her favorite toy and she played with him and some of grandma's stuffed animals all weekend long. I was worried about how she would do in the truck on the drive there and back but she did great! She was awake for about half of the drive, both ways, and she was as happy as a clam. She would just sit in her car seat and stare at me, then she would turn her head and stare at Andrew. And she LOVED when we would sing or talk to her. She would get the biggest smile on her face. :) By the time we got home she was blowing raspberries at me!! I don't think she's been able to figure it out since then but it was really cute.

 Here is Ashie and her best friend Ducky.

I love this picture! She looks like the queen of her little animal kingdom. :)

Ashlyn and Me

I don't remember for sure when this was taken but I think Ashlyn was around 6 weeks old in this picture.

Ashlyn Echo Herbst

Ashlyn Echo Herbst

Born on March 7, 2011 at 3:30 pm

6 pounds 11 ounces

20 inches long

Andrew and I went to the hospital on Sunday March 6th at 9 pm to start a scheduled induction. I was 41 weeks pregnant and Ashlyn wasn't showing any signs that she was going to meet us anytime soon, she seemed very happy in my belly. *stinker!* We got to the hospital and the nurse got my IV going (after having to fish for my vein) and they strapped a heart rate monitor and a contraction monitor to my belly. It was cool to see Ashlyn's heart beat on the monitor and we could hear it too. The nurse was going to start my induction with placing a pill of Cytotec on my cervix and she told me that once the pill was placed I had to stay laying down for an hour, well being pregnant and having an IV I decided it would probably be best to use the restroom before she placed the Cytotec. The nurse showed me how to unhook the monitors and how to take the IV bag off of the holder- I had to carry it with me- and I used the restroom and came back. When I came back she showed me how to hook my monitors back up and as she did that she noticed that I was having contractions. I couldn't feel them so I didn't know until she showed them to me. Since I was having contractions she couldn't place the Cytotec so she decided to monitor me for an hour and see if the contractions would stop or if they got stronger. She came back after an hour and my contractions were staying the same so she called the doctor and see what he wanted to do. They decided that they would just let me labor on my own and we would start Pitocin around 4 am to speed things along. So Andrew and I were in for a long night. The nurse came to check on me every hour or so and neither of us slept very well. Next time we need to bring a pillow for Andrew. lol! So the nurse came back in around 4 am and started the Pitocin. My contractions still weren't very painful yet so I tried sleep a little bit more. I woke up just before six am with very painful contractions. There wasn't a gradual increase in the pain, one minute I was sleeping and the next I was in excruciating pain. So I called the nurse and she came in and said that the anesthesiologist was scheduled to come in at seven so she gave me some painkillers through my IV and said that it should help me make it until he got there. Well, fifteen minutes later I was in pain again and there was still 45 minutes until I would be able to get my epidural. Finally, right at seven am the anesthesiologist walked into my room and we started the process of inserting the epidural. Let me tell you, that sucked! I had to sit up in bed and round my back much as I could and then not move. Ummm.... it's extremely difficult to not move when you are having a contraction. For some reason my body decided to be difficult again and the needle would not go where it needed to. The poor anesthesiologist had to try three different spots before he could get the needle into my spine and get the tube put in. I think it took around a half an hour to get it put in completely. Even though it was such a pain to get in I am so happy that I got the epidural! From that point on it was easy sailing, except for the pushing part. The morning went well, family started showing up and we just hung out and rested all morning. Around noon I started feeling the contractions more and I was having some pretty bad pain on the right side of my stomach. I used the little button that puts more pain meds into my epidural and it just wasn't working. So I finally called the nurse in and she call the anesthesiologist and he ended up putting a different type of medication in my epidural catheter. Then I was good until around 1:30 pm when the pain started coming back again. At that point I was super close to being fully dilated so it was a rush to get the anesthesiologist there in time for me to get some more medication. As we were waiting for him the nurse suggested that we try a few practice pushes to see what that did for the pain and to my surprise when I would push the pain would go away! I was fully dilated so we just decided to start pushing and hope the baby was out before the pain got too much worse. I was lucky (I think anyway) and my legs didn't go super numb so I was able to move them myself and I could feel the contractions, not pain but pressure, and I think that that helped with the pushing. I pushed for just under two hours and at 3:30 pm Ashlyn was born! The doctor put her up on my chest and I just started bawling!! She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life!

I'm posting this for now but I will be back later to finish our story and give updates. :)

36 Weeks 4 Days

I know I've said it before but I really am bad at keeping my blog up to date. :( I'm sorry!!

Here we are, 36 weeks and 4 days, that means only 3 weeks and 3 days left!! I started my weekly appointments on Tuesday and I have been waiting for these forever! Not that the appointments are necessarily fun but they aren't bad, it just means that Ashlyn's birthday is getting closer! I know that they say that your dilation and effacement aren't very good indicators of when you will go into labor but it's still fun to know how my body is progressing. My first internal check was on Tuesday and the doc said I wasn't dilated but he could feel the baby's head and my cervix is 50% effaced. The doctor also said that if I went into labor this week they would try to stop it but if I were to go into labor next week that we would be good to go. My next appt is next Tuesday, the 8th, and I'm excited to see if anything has changed. My blood pressure was good, I think it was 106/68, that's pretty normal for me. I have discovered that when Andrew doesn't come to my appointments with me my blood pressure is always a little bit higher, the 120/70 range. lol! The baby's heartbeat was 138, the same as it was at our last appointment two weeks prior.

I can definitely tell that she is getting bigger. *rollie eyes* She likes to stick her heel into my right side and just push. I am very glad that she's not in my ribs but it still hurts! If you put your hand on my side you can feel the little circle of her heel moving around.... well I'm assuming it's her heel based on where her head is and what position she is most likely in. She also likes to push on my left side just barely above my hip bone. It's really weird when she does that because it feels like she is going to put her hand or whatever it is between my skin and my hip bone.

I still feel good. No swelling or contractions (that I feel). I have the normal back aches and a tired body but I think I am probably getting off easy. I started waddling (or wobbling as I like to say) about a week ago. Some days are worse than others, depends on how heavy she is that day, but I did notice that my thighs don't rub together as much when I walk so I think that means my hips are spreading.... not that they aren't wide enough already! Lol! My wedding ring still fits and I even wore high heels the other day with no issues!! :) My boobs are leaking, they've been leaking for almost two months now I think. It's really strange to me still but I guess it goes with the territory. We are not going to breastfeed so I'm worried about when my milk comes in, it's supposed to be super painful and since I'm already leaking so much I'm worried I'll have a lot of milk come in. :( My eyesight is still getting worse. I won't drive at night unless I absolutely have to and it's really hard for me to read the TV guide from the couch. Even though I don't have a ton of pain and discomfort I am very excited to have my body back to myself. Mom bought me a pre-natal massage and I am SO excited for it! I still need to schedule it but I can't wait. :) I feel like I've been more ornery and grumpy the past few days. I don't know if it's because I'm getting more uncomfortable and tired or if it's just nerves and me being anxious for her to be here. I really would love to just lay in bed until she gets here.

Here is a pic of my belly from today:

Ashlyn's room is getting closer to being finished! I finally finished her dresser and Andrew put it in her room for me and I've already filled it with clothes, diapers, and blankets. :) We have her crib (Thanks Chris and Katie!) and my awesome rocking chair from Mom and Dad. I still need to finish cleaning out her closet and then I can get everything else put away. The night I put her clothes away I had a dream that she was here and I kept changing her outfit every few minutes! lol! She was so cute in my dream and it felt so real, it made me want her here even more than I already did.

Andrew and I bought a new car last night! It's a black 2006 MazdaSpeed6 and her name is Delilah. She is super fun and I'm glad that we got her before Ashlyn got here. I loved my Grand Cherokee to death but it was a 1999 and we were worried that she was going to start having problems and be more expensive to maintain. So we got a new car that will be more reliable and will last us for the next few years. Now we just need to put the car seat base in the backseat. :) I also need to finish packing Ashlyn's diaper bag and my hospital bag. I think I have pretty much everything I need for my bag but I need to make sure it's all in there and ready to go.

I think that's all for now but I will do my best to make a new post on Tuesday with another update. Cross your fingers!!

Your Baby in Week 37 of Pregnancy


Congratulations! You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean he's finished growing — in fact, he's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so he’s probably not kicking as much, though he’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for his big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking his thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side.


Your Body in Week 37 of Pregnancy

Your body is going through its own preparations for childbirth as your practitioner starts looking for signs of labor. On the checklist: the baby's position in relation to your pelvis (engagement) and whether effacement (thinning of the cervix) and dilation (opening of the cervix) have begun. Your practitioner may also determine whether your cervix has begun to soften and move to the front of the vagina, another indication that labor is getting closer. Keep in mind that these processes can occur gradually (over a period of weeks or even a month or more in some women) or overnight. So while they're clues that you're indeed progressing, they're far from sure bets when it comes to pinpointing the actual start of labor

28 Weeks 2 Days

Well, it's been a while. :( I've been a slacker. Sorry. I am now 28 weeks and 2 days along! in the third trimester now! Yay!! I started feeling the baby move a few days after our ultrasound, and now she's always wiggling around in there. :) It's nice to be able to feel her and know that she is okay. Andrew has felt her and it freaks him out a little bit I think. I don't blame him though! Even I think it's weird when she moves and rolls around. I love it, but it is weird. I finally have a belly and I always find myself touching it and rubbing it without even thinking about it, it's comforting.

I had my doctors appointment yesterday. Everything is good. I had my glucose test that tests for Gestational Diabetes and I passed with flying colors! Thank god. The baby's hear beat was good at 123, the nurse explained to me that as the baby gets bigger her heart gets bigger and doesn't have to pump as hard, so her heart rate will continue to decrease until after delievery when it'll go to a normal childs range. My blood pressure was a little bit high but since I have no swelling and no protein in my urine they aren't worried about it. She said that sometimes the baby can put pressure on my aorta and that will cause my blood pressure to elevate. I checked it at home today and it seemed to be fairly normal so I'm thinking that maybe that's what was happening. They also drew blood to check my thyroid so we should get those results sometime next week. And I've finally started gaining some weight. I gained about five pounds in the last four weeks, so now my net weight gain is about four pounds. It's still really good so I'm not worried about it, it's typical for women to gain a pound a week in the last trimester. It still really sucks to see the number on the scale go up, I have a harder time with that then I do with actually having a belly.

Andrew bought me a body pillow for my birthday and I love it so much! It feels so much better on my hips and back and I can tuck it under my belly. It just makes sleeping so much better! I still have to get up at least twice a night to use the restroom but I feel like I'm getting better sleep other than that. Now I don't have to prop myself up and sleep in a sitting position. lol!

Okay so here are some belly pictures. :)

 

It's a......

I am 19 weeks and 4 days today and we had our ultrasound this morning! It was so fun. :) My mom and Andrew's mom came with us to the appointment, it was so fun to see how excited they were. We got there bright and early, appointment was at 8 am, and only had to wait a minute to get in. I drank about 18 oz of water before the appointment (they asked me to drink 16 oz) so by the time we got there I had to pee so bad! The ultrasound tech was super cute and nice and she seemed to totally know her stuff, I was very happy with her. *I love all of the girls at the office, everyone is so nice and excited* So she started the scan and it was so fun to actually see a baby this time, not just a blob. The baby was laying face down so we could see the spine really well, it was so cool. I love anatomy to begin with so it was so fun to see everything. It amazes me how the tech can go through all of the different layers of the baby; we saw the bones and skull, the heart and different structures of the brain, and you could see the outlines of the soft tissue. So the tech was looking at the baby and measuring it's head and arms and legs but because of the way the baby was positioned she couldn't get a good look of the front of the baby. The tech really wanted to see all four chambers of the heart, and we could only see two, and  I wanted to see what was between it's legs so.... the tech sent me back out to the waiting room with my newly refilled bottle of water and told me to drink. Ugh. She wanted my bladder to be even fuller so that hopefully it would push on the baby and make it move. So we waited while she did her next ultrasound appointment and I drank almost 24 more ounces of water. By the time she came back (which really wasn't that long) I thought I was going to die!! I had to pee SO SO BAD!! So I hobbled into the room, so I didn't pee my pants, and she started the scan again and the baby had moved into the Perfect position! Yay baby, thank you so much! So we got to see all four chambers of the heart and her upper lip (to make sure it was normal) and then we got to see the parts! The baby.... is..........a......................................



Glitter Text @ Glitterfy.com

Yay! I am so excited!! Our little girl is so healthy and beautiful! I'm sure I'm the only one that thinks she's beautiful at this point in time but I'm a little biased. :) We could see her wiggling around in there and moving her arms and legs. I still can't feel her in there but I'm sure I will soon. It was kinda weird to see her moving around in there and not be able to feel her. So fun! And she was also measuring pretty much exactly on schedule, a day ahead actually, so my due date is still Feb 28.  Here are some pics from the ultrasound-

This is her profile.

 This is the money shot. She has her legs tucked up under her and you can see the three lines of her girl parts. :)

 And this is her skull, she's looking straight at us and you can see her ribs also. I've gotta be honest, this picture is a little bit freaky. Just in time for Halloween I guess. lol!

So like I said I still can't feel her move around in there. :( I asked the ultrasound tech where my placenta was because sometimes if it's in between the baby and the front of your uterus you might not feel the baby as well, but she said I have a posterior placenta, meaning it's between the baby and my spine.

I have been feeling good still. I was throwing up a little bit earlier this week but I think it was because my sinuses were really congested. My energy level is decent. I cleaned the kitchen and living room today, and vacuumed and did laundry, which is more than I've done since getting pregnant I think. lol!

They tell you that you are supposed to lay on your left side, it's the best position for the baby to get the blood and oxygen it needs, and it keeps the baby from laying on your nerves and cutting off blood flow to your lower body, but during the past week or so when I lay on my left side my belly feels really heavy and it hurts, like it's being pulled down. So I still prefer my right side, and things aren't falling asleep or hurting so I'm not too worried about it. It feel weird though.

Still not eating chocolate much. I've eaten a chocolate cup cake but that's about it. But my appetite is coming back. :) I'm sure it'll help me start gaining weight but it's nice to not feel sick all of the time.

Anyway... I think that's about it for this week.
I can't wait to meet my baby girl!!

16 Weeks

Hey! 16 weeks this week, almost half way there!! I had a doctors appointment this afternoon. The doc said I haven't lost anymore weight but I haven't gained any either. I'm thinking that that means I'm going to start gaining soon. :( Oh well, it's good for the baby. The nurse checked the baby's heartbeat, nice and strong at 141 bpm-normal. :) She also measured my fundal height and said I was measuring just a couple of days larger than I should be (which is okay). For those who don't know, the Fundal height is: "a measure of the size of the uterus used to assess fetal growth and development. It is measured from the top of the mother's uterus to the top of the mother's pubic bone in centimeters. It should match the fetus' gestational age in weeks within 1 to 3 cm, e.g., a pregnant woman's uterus at 26 weeks should measure 23 to 29 cm."

So I've been trying to feel the top of my uterus and can't find it so I asked the nurse to show me. I found it! Yay! When I push on my belly it is fairly hard and as I move my hand up I can feel it curve away, that's the top of my uterus. Right now mine is at my belly button. It's fun to be able to feel it myself, I'm not sure why, but it is. :)  The doc also said that the hormones should be starting to level out within the next few weeks and I'll have more energy and my appetite will come back. He also said that my breakouts should start to go away! Yay! After I saw the nurse and doc they sent me over to the lab to do some blood work for genetic screening, for things like Downs Syndrome. At my first prenatal appointment the phlebotomist took like six vials of blood so I was kinda expecting something similar... nope, one vial, that's it. :) Nice and easy. And the girl was so good! It didn't hurt at all!! I should have the results back by the end of next week.
So I've been sick the past week. :( It sucked so bad. It was mostly sinuses and headaches... and no sleep! Last night was the first night that I slept well in a while. I am still stuffy but it's getting better.

Okay so here is another belly photo. I think it's really starting to show up now. Drum roll please...............

There it is! Still sorta funny shaped but oh well, everyone is unique right? To me it looks so much bigger in the picture than I think it really is but Andrew said it was right so.. it must be. :) We find out the baby's sex on October 7th. Just 23 more days to go! It'll be nice to be able to say he or she instead of it. It seems so impersonal and fake.
Still no movements yet, the doc said I should start feeling them in the next four weeks. I'm very excited for that. No swelling yet, thank god. My hip is hurting again. *rolley eyes* and I'm trying to think of what else happened this past week but I'm drawing a blank...... I guess that's it for now. :)

Week 17 of Pregnancy

Your baby is practicing sucking and swallowing as she gets ready for the real thing: a breast or bottle! As for Mom, you may be warding off some unwanted belly touching.

Your Baby in Week 17 of Pregnancy
My how your baby has grown! She's about the size of your palm, weighs about five ounces, and is developing some body fat (join the club, baby!). Her heart is now regulated by her brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as yours! What else is up? She’s practicing the survival skills she’ll need at birth — like sucking and swallowing.

Baby's Body Fat

Your baby is about five inches long and more than three and a half ounces — the size of your open hand. Baby's body fat is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy.

How big is your baby at 17 weeks pregnant? About five inches long and more than three and a half ounces  — the size of your open hand. (Open the other one too and imagine your baby cradled in both your arms right after delivery!)  Body fat (baby's, that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy.  By the time your baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his or her weight (and will make all those chubby parts especially yummy). 
 
Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts).  Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration  to the front of his or her head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed.  And since practice makes perfect, your baby is sharpening his or her sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) suckle at your breast or bottle. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that your baby will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now.

And here's some proof that your baby is truly one of a kind (as if you needed any!). Within the next week or so, the pads on your baby's fingertips and toes will become adorned with completely individual swirls and creases (aka fingerprints).
Your Body in Week 17 of Pregnancy
Now that you're starting to show, chances are that friends, coworkers, and even strangers may feel the urge to reach out and touch your belly. If you don't mind, that's fine. But if you do, speak up kindly but firmly. More new developments with your body: a slight vaginal discharge (leukorrhea) and a greater sensitivity to allergens these days — both are totally normal — and the appetite of a truck driver now that the queasy feeling is (probably) gone.