20 weeks...Halfway!!!

So, we are halfway already.....I must say each week I get more and more excited for this baby to get here! Last Thursday night I felt the baby kick for the first time!! It was so amazing....I have been feeling things in my stomach but have not been able to determine exactly what it is. However, once I felt this kick I knew right away it was the baby! I'm so looking forward to feeling the baby more often now! Also, this past week Courtney and I had our 20 week ultrasound, and we have a perfectly HEALTHY baby so far!! We got to see and hear the heartbeat again which was 140, so nice and strong! This was actually the first ultrasound Courtney has attended since our 6 week ultrasound, so it was great getting to experience it with him again. At the end they starting looking to determine the sex, so Courtney and I had to look away. It was extremely hard to not look by the way!!! So, I guess the baby's legs were wide open, so it was easy to tell! However, as you all know Courtney and I have to wait until April 7th for the results....this is TORTURE!!! :)

This past weekend Dixie and George along with Tom, Bernice, Russ, and Susan all came to visit! It is always great getting to spend time with family. We had wonderful weather this weekend, so we were able to enjoy sitting on the deck for dinner and for playing some cards! Courtney also took them to see Crystal Bridges American Art Museum, which is kind of big deal around here! ;) I think and hope they enjoyed it!

Courtney and I have also been working on a few things in the nursery....so here is what we have done so far. It is obviously not finished, but once we know if this little peanut is a girl or a boy we can start tackling the rest of the room! There also is a new belly pic from 20 weeks....until next time!

18 Weeks!

I know it's been awhile since our last post, so I thought it was definetly time for an update:) I'm going to try my best to recap the past few weeks. First off we went to our 16 week doctors appointment two weeks ago and got to hear the heartbeat again! It was 144 and the doctor told us it sounded great!!! It is so amazing hearing the heartbeat every time!!! Sometimes I just can't believe I am making a baby! As for momma I have been feeling great, but have been getting a few headaches the past week. I don't normally get headaches, so I have been taking an afternoon nap to cope! :) Courtney and I are extremely excited to find out whether we are having a little boy or girl....I don't know how I ever thought I could wait the full 40 weeks! We actually go in next week for our 20 week ultrasound and they will be able to determine if it is a boy or girl, but we have to wait to see the results until April 7th. I guess 4 weeks really is not that long to wait, but it just feels like forever! Either way it will be very exciting finding out the BIG news with our family! Also, a couple of weeks ago we ordered our crib and it came in last week, so we are excited to get it set-up. Once we find out whether we are having a boy or girl, we can start putting the nursery together. Now, here is our latest belly pic....16 weeks. 

This past weekend Courtney and I made a quick trip back to Iowa and got to spend some time with my mom and Steve along with both sets of my grandparents. Unfortunately, the reason for the trip back was not so good. Steve's brother Ron suffered from a massive heart attack and passed away last Monday. It was an emotional weekend and Ron will be greatly missed. However, we all take comfort knowing he is in a wonderful place now!!! 

On a lighter note, Courtney and I were greeted with a room full of baby stuff when we arrived Thursday night at my mom's. I think my mom is a LITTLE excited!!! She had the room full of blue and pink stuff....LOL....I don't think she would have been able to wait the full 40 weeks either!!! Another positive aspect to the weekend was Courtney and I got to drive home our new Toyota Highlander!!!! My grandparents were in the market for a new vehicle and wanted to get rid of their Highlander....so it was perfect timing for Courtney and I, as we were wanting another vehicle before the baby arrived! We think the car will be just perfect for when we welcome home our little one. Here is another picture from the weekend....doesn't Courtney look great all dressed up! Well I think that about sums up the past couple of weeks....until next time!

15 Weeks Pregnant!

Ok, so time has been flying by...we are already at 15 weeks. Everything has been going great so far. I'm still feeling really well! I guess I have been very lucky, I have not had any of the "bad" pregnancy symptoms. I have officially moved into maternity pants....I must say though I can still fit in my regular pants, however it is HIGHLY uncomfortable and does not look the best! LOL


The past few weeks Courtney and I have been pretty busy. My work is really starting to pick up with appointments with all of my summer brides!  A couple weeks ago Courtney's parents Pat and Rose came to visit. It was great seeing them and getting to spend some time together playing cards. Last weekend we went to a super bowl party. As much as I like football, I was much more focused on the FOOD this year! The super bowl is always a great time for good food with friends! Also, over the past few weeks Courtney and I have decided that we would like to find out the sex of the baby. We will go in for an ultrasound at 20 weeks, which is around March 17th, and the doctor will be able to determine the sex at that point. My mom has decided she would like to throw us a "gender revealing party", so we are going to wait to see the results until the night of our party April 7th. This way we will get to share in the excitement with our parents. I think it will be great since we live so far away and we will not get to share this "9 month" experience much with our parents.  


Ok, last thing...last week my friend Nicole invited me over to see her new house and to have another "FUN" ultrasound. Nicole's mother works at a pregnancy clinic, so I got to see our little peanut moving around again! "She/He" is getting a lot bigger. I could really see the difference from this ultrasound compared to the one at 11 weeks. It is so much fun watching your baby move inside you....it truly is a miracle! Some days I just can't believe there is a little baby growing inside me! We can't wait to meet this little peanut! Until next time....

11 Weeks Pregnant

Wow....I can't believe we are already at 11 weeks and almost 3 months pregnant. This week was pretty exciting because Courtney and I had our first doctors appointment with Dr. Hinton. We got to talk to Dr. Hinton about any questions we have had plus we got to hear the heartbeat!!! Dr. Hinton said that it may take a second to find the heartbeat, but not to worry that is normal for only being 11 weeks pregnant. However, the minute she put the heartbeat monitor to my belly....we heard it RIGHT AWAY!! So, we have a little peanut with a VERY STRONG heartbeat! Then on Thursday I went in for a "fun" ultrasound at Loving Choices. Loving Choices is a pregnancy clinic in NWA. Each month they take what is called "model scans" which just means that they need to conduct a certain amount of ultrasounds each month. I had heard about the place through a friend, who's mom works at a similar clinic. My friend Nicole said that she had an ultrasound done around 11 weeks and it was a fun stage to watch the baby move. So, I called Loving Choices and said I was interested in being a "model" and would like to have an ultrasound done. IT WAS AMAZING!!! He or she was like a jumping jelly bean...the baby was doing flips and turns all over the place. He or she was also waving their hands and kicking their feet....it was so cool to watch! Unfortunately, Courtney could not get away from work to come on Thursday...he was so bummed! However, we both are enjoying looking at the pictures....we are trying to guess if it is a boy or girl!! Either way the baby looks SUPER CUTE already! Agree!!!

If you look at the second picture, it appears to be that our little jumping jelly bean has a VERY large ear! Lord help this child if it inherited its mothers ears!!! Not to worry, they told me it was much to large to be an ear and was actually the hand. So, I guess "she" is waving at us... ;)


Well, I still feel great! No sickness of any form! I'm still fitting in my clothes, however they are starting to get tight. I have ordered some maternity jeans online from Gap, so I'm excited to start wearing some "comfortable" pants. Which, I'm going to need since all I really want to do is eat!!! Courtney says he is starting to see a small bump....LOL. I think he is just being nice! Lets see....anything else new? Oh, yeah last week there was a HUGE sale on baby stuff at a small store in Rogers. So, I made our first baby purchases and got our stroller, car seat, and swing. The cats are already starting to wonder what all this stuff is....they are going to have a rude awakening when this baby comes! Well, I think that is it for this week....until next time!

9 Weeks Pregnant....Yay!

Happy New Year everyone!!! Wow....Courtney and I can't wait to tackle 2012. Well, I must say that 2011 finished with a bang! Our parents found out that we are pregnant over Christmas and EVERYONE is super excited! Lets see Dixie and my mom were both screaming on the phone because they were so excited and my dad about fell over in his chair when he finally figured it out! I have to tell the story real quick....so we arrive in Nebraska Friday night the 23rd and one of the first things my dad asks is "what do you want to drink". I told him I had brought my own stuff to drink sparklingly cider, so when I go to pour myself a drink Kim asks what I'm planning to mix with my cider. I told them it was a "mocktail" and you don't add alcohol because mocktails are cocktails for moms. At this point my dad whips his head around and says "mocktails....well Ash that is what pregnant people drink" so I replied with "yep" and now he is just starring at me. He is still not getting it! The look on his face when he finally figured it out was priceless!! His eyes got really big and then it hit him I was one of those pregnant people! Anyways...it was fun telling them and they are really excited too! 

Courtney and I finished the year up with some friends last night by playing some games and eating: taco dip, cheese dip, pigs in a blanket, jalapeno poppers, chips, cupcakes, chocolate covered oreos, cake, and beer (water for me). So, I guess you could say we really finished the year up with heartburn and a stomach ache! LOL...no really we had a blast playing games with our friends last night and we actually stayed up until 1:30 (I figured I would have faded a lot FASTER).

As for me this week, I have been feeling really well! I have not been sick at all!! So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Now, my stomach has felt a little upset here and there, but I'm pretty sure it is due to all the crazy food I have been eating over the holidays! I'm looking forward to focusing back on my fruits and veggies! I must say Courtney has been so cute lately...his daddy instincts are already kicking in. He is making sure I eat something every few hours. The nurse told us that it is best to eat often so you don't get nauseous, and he is taking that advice seriously! LOL....I love him!!! Ok, besides Courtney monitoring my eating.....I would say that I'm still feeling bloated, but not really showing yet. I have noticed my jeans are feeling a little tighter...so I will probably start doing some clothes shopping here in the next few weeks. Well, I think that is it....until next time!

7 Weeks Pregnant

Ok...well we are now 7 weeks pregnant this week (actually we will be 8 weeks on Saturday). I have been feeling a lot better this week. I have not had any cramping and very little nausea, so I hope it stays that way. I must say my cravings are starting to pick-up....lets see I crave just about anything that is NOT healthy. This baby really likes sweets, fries, chips...you name it we want it. LOL I guess I'm going to have to really try to keep that under control!


This week has been exciting because I have been making little note cards to send our parents to tell them we are PREGNANT! I decided to order a t-shirt that said we were expecting and then took a picture of me wearing the t-shirt by the tree. We then put the picture in the note card. I can't wait for our parents to get the note cards in the mail...I hope they get there by Christmas Eve, but if not that's ok too. Courtney and I are taking bets on who is going to call us first once they find out the news.

We also decided to take a belly picture this morning to start capturing my growing belly...I know I'm not showing yet, but man I feel bloated all the time. I swear I look like I just got done eating a huge burger or something...LOL :) Anyways, we are really looking forward to Christmas this year...we leave for my dad's house in Nebraska tomorrow. My dad and Kim are going to be the only parents we get to share the news in person with, so I'm really excited to see their reaction!

Well I think that is it for this blog....I will keep you posted on our parents and friends reactions!!! Merry Christmas!!! Until next time...

6 Weeks Pregnant

6 weeks pregnant....and this week has been kinda crazy!!! First off on Tuesday the 13th Courtney and I celebrated our third anniversary! I love him more and more everyday and I couldn't ask for a better person to be the father our child. Ok, as for the pregnancy so far I have not been feeling the best. I have been experiencing a lot of stomach cramps. I called the doctor last week to see if that was normal, and they reassured me as long as it didn't last all day and there was no spotting things were normal. Well, this week the cramping really picked up, so I called the doctor again they thought it would be best to bring me in for an ultrasound just to make sure things were progressing as they should. So, Courtney and I went in on Tuesday (Dec. 13th) for our very first appointment and ultrasound. We meet with Dr. Bailey who is one of the many doctors I will meet with. Once we got to the doctor's office I was really starting to feel nervous because I had had some spotting. All I could think about was that I hoped everything was ok with the baby...it was such a scary feeling. Once we meet with Dr. Bailey and he did the ultrasound...he said everything looked PERFECT!!!  I felt like a huge weight had been lifted, however I was not happy to hear that I'm just going to have to live with these cramps possibly for the next few weeks. However, all in all it ended up being a great anniversary for Courtney and I as we actually got to see the baby's heart beat for the first time....SO COOL! The doctor actually told us we wouldn't be able to see the heart beat yet since I'm only 6 1/2 weeks along. So, we were all really surprised that we could see it. It made it all seem so real for Courtney and I. Now, according to the ultrasound it looks like our "official" due date is August 3rd. YAY for me...bring on the summer! ;)

Well, the next day Courtney and I were back at the doctor's office again only this time for my "scheduled" appointment to meet with the nurse to cover insurance information as well as the do's and don'ts. Gina was the nurse that we meet with and she was wonderful. She answered all of our questions plus she gave us a LOT of free stuff! I already have a baby stash started!!!


I would definitely say that I'm feeling pregnant. I'm pretty tired during the day and I'm starting to get more hungry. The good news is I have not felt nauseous or had to call the dinosaurs yet....hopefully I won't!! I think the baby news is still kinda sinking in for both of us, but Courtney and I couldn't love this little peanut growing inside me any more!!! I think that is it for this week....until next time.