One Month Old!!!

Baby Girl, you are a month old today, time is flying by way too quickly.  Here a few of your favorite and not-so favorite things :).
You had trouble sleeping at night in the first few weeks so mommy went out and bought this contraption which is a God-send! We think you may have a little acid reflux and the incline helps you not to choke if you get reflux in the middle of the night.  This is currently what you sleep in and you will normally sleep from about midnight until 3:30, maybe 4:00, eat, then you will sleep from about 4:45-6:30 or 7:00 which is a huge improvement.  I am trying to lay you down in your crib during the day to see how you will nap in there, usually you are up in about 30 minutes though haha.  So we are currently thankful for this Fisher Price Rock and Play Rocker!!!

You are still in newborn clothes and can wear some 0-3 months, we think you may be around 9 lbs. but will find out for sure at your 1 month checkup next tuesday! You have increased and eat an average of 3 ounces every 2-3 hours which is hard for mommy to keep up with but we are working it out! You have grown to LOVEEE bath time and don't mind your diaper being changed anymore as long as you aren't starving.  You still get very fussy most nights around the same time which could be anywhere from 7:00-12:00, but we have recently found out about another God-send for you, Colic Calm! Your friend Miles' mommy told us about it and we are forever grateful, it calms you down so you can sleep when you get gassy and fussy. 
We love you so much and can't believe it's been a month since you came into our lives.  We are so blessed and your daddy is wrapped already! We can't wait to celebrate your first Christmas this weekend with our families!

 Here you are with one of your boyfriends, you have lots haha!!

 We love you, Happy One Month!

 Speaking of someone who loves you! He is so in love with his baby cousin

She's here and is 1 week old!!

Our baby girl arrived at 5:11 on November 23, 2011, this was the best day of our lives!!! She was 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 19.5 inches long.  After going in on Tuesday night at 5:00, I was induced and had her the following day.  It was a very difficult labor for me, but looking back it was all well worth it when I look at our precious angel.  Steven and I just sit and stare at her, sometimes we don't even know what we are watching on tv.  She was very healthy except for some high jaundice levels, so with some very heavy feedings and several days later her levels have come down and we are so thankful for that.  Because of having to feed, feed, feed her to get the jaundice down we had to start supplementing formula in the hospital becuase she was having trouble nursing after we discovered our baby was tongue tied.  So, I have been pumping and feeding her this way and then with one or 2 feedings a day with formula.  We took her Wednesday to ENT to look at her tongue and they suggested for us to clip it, it would be very painless and hardly any trouble.  If we had kept it like this she could have eventually had speech problems and some other issues.  So, we decided to go for it and she did so well, I think it lasted 3 minutes and she barely cried or bled.  Now, we will resume trying to nurse again :).
She is now a week old and is a very good baby.  Steven is so in love and everytime it is his turn to stay up with her, I come in later to find her asleep on his chest.  I have always loved Steven, but there is something different seeing him be such a good daddy to our little girl.  He's very protective over her and is so proud of her.  So here are a few things about you baby Emery:
-You like to sleep ALL day and then party at night with mommy and daddy when they would really like to be sleeping.  We have learned to take shifts, but this will have to change more to mommy when daddy goes back to work next week :(.
-You drink about 2 ounces of breast milk every 2-3 hours, this is probably getting ready to increase because sometimes you don't seem to be getting quite enough. 
-You LOVE your gloworm, we put it on and you immediately fall asleep.
-You HATE being laid down in your pack and play beside our bed, but you will sleep in your swing for a few hours at a time. 
-You HATE to be changed because you hate the cold wipes, but this is getting better each day.
-You have had lots of visitors and some of our very sweet friends have been bringing us dinner and this makes it so much easier so we can spend more time with you to learn your ways!

Here are some pictures of our sweet baby girl, we are so blessed and could not be more in love, there is absolutely nothing like it.  People have always said that, but you just don't know what it's like until you hold your baby in your arms!

 I can't believe you are a week old, and you are so precious we could eat you!

 Your first bath was a success, you loved it!

    Your cousin is so in love with you he couldn't hardly wait to hold you!!!

39 weeks...whew

Last week before the big DDAY!!! This seems crazy to know that I only have 4 more days until my due date.  I am so nervous and excited to meet her.
Size: A mini watermelon...I hope she's a mini watermelon and not a big ole watermelon :).  The midwives have all said different things about her size, but they all agree she will be on the smaller side.  I have heard 6.5 pounds up to 8 pounds, I guess it depends on how long she decides to bake.  Babycenter says she is probably around 7 pounds and 20 inches long, but one never really knows until she appears!
Weight Gain: I actually haven't gained any weight in several weeks, so I am still at a total of right at 30 pounds, I think this is pretty good considering what I have been eating at times haha.
Sleep: I still can't complain about this, I sleep pretty well waking up a few times to go to the bathroom, and then it takes me a few minutes to get back asleep, but overall I am sleeping good. 
Appointment: I had my appointment Thursday and the midwife thought she had turned again so we got an ultrasound, and after all the worry she is definitely still head down, just doesn't seem quite ready yet! The ultrasound tech measured her at about 6 pounds 14 ounces, so we'll see how accurate this is very soon!
Symptoms:
I have actually become pretty miserable the last week or so.  I am constantly nauseous and this keeps getting worse and worse :(. 
Heartburn-still horrible
Back aches-check
Swelling-NONE I'm so blessed that this has not been a problem for me at all!
Exhaustion-I am so glad I got most of the stuff in her nursery ready before these last few weeks, because when I work all day all I want to do is come home and lay down. 
A few things I have learned about myself while being pregnant:
-It gets harder and harder to drive, well basically just hard to turn around and see blind spots, etc. haha
-They make us pregnant women pee in a cup every doctor's appointment, but they must not realize we can't see down there which makes this the most difficult part of the appointment for me!
-This baby has loved Chic-Fil-A, Chocolate peanut butter ice cream from Baskin Robbins, and well anything sweet!
-I don't even want to get dressed unless Steven is home anymore because I can't reach to put my shoes and socks on by myself, I can't imagine if my stomach were bigger because everyone keeps telling me I have a really small belly.
-I really enjoy the fact that it's been me and her for these past 9 months and I have loved feeling her kicks and punches, but I think it's now time to share her with her daddy and the rest of the world!
-Everyone loves to tell you to walk, walk, walk, but this is so difficult when all I ever want to do at this point is sit/lay down!!!
I am hoping one of these next blog posts will be about our new baby girl, but we'll see, she may wait and grace us over Thanksgiving :).  I have been told by several people my stomach is still pretty high up...but she definitely feels low enough to be ready haha.
Anyway, everyone say prayers for a safe, healthy delivery!

36 weeks and ready to met this baby girl!!

The ticker at the top of my screen tells me we have about 26 days, WOAH! The anxiety has kicked in for sure.  I'm afraid she doesn't have enough diapers, enough blankets, burp cloths, clothes(YEAH RIGHT) haha, I think this is normal right?? Here are a few updates about the pregnancy:
Size: At our 35 week ultrasound Friday before last, they think she was weighing about 5 lbs 8 oz., according to babycenter this week she is the size of a crenshaw melon, whatever that is, and should be about 6 lbs.  I hope she doesn't gain more than another 2 pounds or so these next few weeks :). 
Weight Gain: I am working on about 30 pounds, I'm hoping I can keep this number over the next few weeks!
Sleep:  I have slept overall pretty great, up until now.  I wake up about 3 or 4 times in the night, mostly Tyson wakes me up but it's because every little noise wakes me up now, I guess it is the Lord preparing me.  Every time I wake up, I have to get up and go to the restroom of course :). 
Appointment: My next appointment is tomorrow morning, they will be testing me for Group B Strep and I will begin my weekly checkups with the midwives.  She is definitely not breech anymore and definitely feels like she could actually fall out at times, sorry TMI!
Symptoms:
Heartburn, this seems to have minimized some, but when I do get it it's pretty horrible. 
Nausea-this happens a lot, I guess she's taking up a lot of room in my belly which causes me to feel so sick at times.
Backaches- I have had an achy lower back this whole last trimester, but I just throw my leg over the body pillow and this seems to relieve it some.  Speaking of my body pillow, I have no idea how any pregnant girl could make it through their pregnancy without this, I call it my boyfriend because it takes up a space big enough for another person in our bed. 
Pelvic Pressure-This is pretty new but very uncomfortable, this just gives me one more excuse not to be able to walk sometimes at night, ugh. 
Swelling-I have been pretty lucky to not have any swelling so far!

I have overall loved being pregnant, but at this point I am over it and just ready for her to be here and know that she is healthy.  We had a wonderful shower at our Church this past weekend, we are so blessed to be surrounded by a wonderfuly church family.  Her nursery is pretty much ready with a few more finishing touches.  I have attached some pictures for you guys to finally see what we have been working on :).  I also attached a picture of me at 35 1/2 weeks! 

 

33 Weeks!

As I look up at the ticker at the top of my blog, I feel more anxious that the time to meet our little girl is so near.  The baby on the ticker is SO close to the 40 mark it's crazy!!! I can't wait until she is here and I get to see my husband hold her, and obviously I cannot WAIT to hold her and know she's healthy.  Here are a few updates on the pregnancy:
Size:  She is now the size of a pineapple and should weigh around 4 pounds and about 17 inches long.  I can definitely tell she is growing and running out of room in my belly, her kicks and punches are getting painful, but it lets me know she is still doing great :).
Weight Gain: I may stop revealing this if it keeps going up, but so far a whopping 23 pounds, woah, I am always hungry so I definitely know everytime I go back to the doctor it will be higher and higher haha.
Sleep:  Sleep has been on and off the last week or so, I have had some really bad spells of nausea and it's usually at night and keeps me awake.  I also think that her kicks are waking me up in the middle of the night.  The last 2 nights though have been great, I've actually made it until about 5:30 both nights until having to pee!!
Appointment: My next appointment is October 14th and they will do an ultrasound to see if she is still upside down, and of course have my regular checkup.  We also have our baby care and breastfeeding classes this Thursday night, yay! :)
Symptoms:
Heartburn, heartburn, heartburn....it's terrible
Nausea, I think this is worse now than my first trimester!!
Backaches-I'd love to know what kind of nerve she is laying on to cause my lower left back to hurt all the time!
No swelling yet, so still doing good here!

Overall, still love being pregnant, but I am ready for my body back!!
Showers: We had our first baby shower on the 17th and it was WONDERFUL, it was at Kim's house and Elizabeth, Tina, Kim P, and Lauren Bailey all pitched in and did a fabulous job with everything!! Emery got so many great things and we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends to shower our daughter with great gifts.  See below at all the goodies we got!!
We now have a lot of stuff in our nursery ready, pics to come soon!! You guys know me, I am OCD and want the nursery looking right before I post picutres, so here is a sneak peak below :).

30 Weeks!

Wow I cannot believe we are in the short rows now before getting to meet our little girl!  Here are a few updates on the pregnancy:
Size: Emery is now the size of a head of cabbage, weighs approximately 3 pounds, and is about 15.7 inches long! When we went to the doctor on the 1st for the 4D ultrasound they said she is measuring in the 53rd percentile which is great!
Weight Gain: So far I have gained 20 pounds which is more than I would like, but the midwives say it's perfectly normal and I should be happy about it, I think it's just hard to look at that number on the scales.  Oh well, as long as my baby girl is healthy I'll keep eating :).
Sleep: Sleep has been great up until the last few nights, I have been very nauseous for some reason and it's hard to sleep, then she moves a lot at night and that makes it hard to sleep also.  Guess I need to get used to no sleep before she's born haha.
Appointment: I am now going every 2 weeks until it's time to start going every week.  Our next appointment is Wednesday, hopefully I haven't gained many more pounds!!!
Symptoms:
-Still having back aches
-Constant bathroom trips now haha
-Nausea
-No swelling yet which I'm happy about

Otherwise, cannot complain, I really enjoy being pregnant overall.  It's a great feeling when she is kicking around in there and only I can feel her, well except for when Steven gets to feel it too :).  We went for our 4D ultrasound week before last and we think she has Steven's nose and lips and my eyes, we'll see if that ends up being the case!
We had our first ECU home football game and tailgating was a lot of fun, but I think because I had been nauseous all day and no sleep I didn't make it through but about 10 minutes of the 90degree football game :(.  That's ok though I got to go watch it with Saeger who I haven't seen in a while and we had fun, it's still not the same as being there.  Here are a few pictures from the game and Ultrasound.
Here I am at 30 weeks, Kristen 24 weeks, and Kim and Meredith!!

 This is basically what I did all day, sit haha

Kingston

I haven't blogged about Kingston in a while, but I must say I'm very much in love with this little boy. Also, he is a BIGGGGGG fan of Ste-Ste and Lala, I believe Ste-Ste may have a little something to do with his pirate obsession!!

Yes, it's 100 degrees outside, but he insisted on wearing his new pirate shirt ste-ste bought him to bed!!

I can't wait for him to meet his cousin Emery, he told his momma the other night before bed that he was going to dream about Granddad(of course), Lala and Emery :). I could just eat him with a spoon!

26 weeks!!

Wow, I cannot believe we only have 3 months left before we get to meet our baby girl! Here are a few updates:

Size: Emery is now the size of an English hothouse cucumber, weighs almost 1 2/3 pounds and around 14 inches long!

Weight Gain: Last appointment at 24 weeks I had gained a total of 13 pounds, not too bad but the worst trimester is nearing this week and I've heard that's the worst for weight!! YIKES! Appointment:Next appointment is the 31st and will be our glucose test, hope this goes ok and definitely not looking forward to drinking the dreaded orange drink. We will then have our 4d ultrasound on September 1st, I cannot wait to see her again, I feel like I need a second peek to make sure the first sonographer was correct that it is definitely a girl haha. My mom gets to go with us for this and she is super excited, I just hope Emery cooperates and gives us some good facial shots!

Sleep: I have actually been sleeping very good the last few nights with the exception of waking once now to use the restroom. Poor Steven has no room in the bed with me and my many pillows :).

Symptoms:
-Lower back aches

-Heartbearn, ugh

-Cramps at night sometimes in my right calf muscle

Other than these few symptoms, still feeling great!
Also....Saturday night Kendra and I threw a suprise joint 30th birthday party for Steven and Mark, and needless to say all the stressful planning paid off. The boys were so surprised and I want to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with Steven for his birthday, he was truely so excited and had a great time! :)

23 Weeks!

Sorry for the last post being my 20 week post, I had it typed and never posted it, Pregnancy brain is tough haha.

23 Weeks and still feeling good!

Size: A Mango, approximately 11 inches and 1 pound, yes we are in pounds now :).

Weight: Last appointment at 20 weeks I had gained 10 pounds, we'll see what's in store for my next one at 24 weeks.

Movement: Yes I feel her all the time, I have learned now what gets her going and what times of the day I can expect her to be awake. Steven felt her for the first time at 21 weeks while we were sitting on the couch together, he yanked his hand back like it was something crazy. Now he loves to put his hand on my belly and wait for her to kick him, it's just so great!!!

Appointment: Next appointment is 24 weeks on August 3rd, then the next appointment is the dreaded glucose testing, YUCK!

Sleep: I wake up now to every little noise, and I have to wake up to turn to my other side, seems a little early for this haha.

Symptoms:

-Lower abdominal achiness-CHECK

-Heartburn-CHECK

-Nasal Congestion-this has actually gotten a little better!

-Hearty Appetite-Oh yeah, and just can never figure out exactly what I want!!

-Sensitive skin-I never thought this would be a pregnancy symptom but with 2 of my worst sunburns ever I've decided I will stay pale for the remainder of this pregnancy

-Itchy Stomach haha

-Lower bach aches

Here are a few new shots at 23 weeks with my other 2 pregnant friends, Kristen is 17 weeks and Kim, well was due the day after these pictures were taken!

20 1/2 weeks

Yayyy Halfway there! 201/2 weeks and feeling great! Here are a few pregnancy updates:
Size: A banana, approximately 10 ounces and 10 1/2 inches

Weight: I am right on schedule with what Baby Center says is normal, 10 pounds! Now if I can only keep it 10 pounds for the second half, 20 for the whole pregnancy doesn't sound half bad :). (Wishful Thinking)

Movement: Yes! I can feel her kickin up a storm now and I feel like if Steven were patient he could probably feel her, I just have to learn her patterns. I definitely feel her when I am sitting still at work or laying in bed at night.

Appointment: Heartbeat was 150 at our 20 week appointment yesterday. I will have my glucose test not the 24 week, but 27 week appointment, not looking forward to that!!

Sleep: Starting to not sleep as well at night, seems like I can't get comfortable and with my stomach muscles sore, it's sensitive to flip from one side to another. Or I wake up afraid I'm sleeping on my back, oh well I can live with this!

Symptoms:

-Lower abdominal achiness-Definitely

-Heartburn-This has started to happen more

-Nasal congestion-Definitely can't breathe at night

-Hearty Appetite-Check!

-Nausea kicked in a little this past weekend

-Itchy Stomach

Here is my belly shot at 20.5 weeks!

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16 1/2 Weeks and Baby Girl

Words cannot describe the feeling I felt when the ultrasound tech said those three wonderful words, "It's a Girl!" I have always wanted a little girl and I just feel so blessed that the Lord is giving us one! Steven is going to be the best father, he has already won the spelling of her name argument...Emery Brooke Asby.

Here are a few pregnancy updates:

Baby Size: At the ultrasound Monday they said she was about 6 ounces right now and looks wonderfully healthy so far :). Babycenter says she should be the size of an avacoda, but 6 ounces seems a little big for an avacoda haha. Oh well

Movement: I have felt a few twinges every now and then, very faint almost like popcorn popping or just a little flutter. I can't wait until they get to where Steven can feel her!

Feeling: I am feeling great! Got my energy back, nesting is in full effect, but the headaches come about once or twice a week and are pretty bad when I get them. Other than that, feeling good and definitely showing!

Things I miss: It's hard because I've started trying not to sleep on my back, but this is difficult for me :(. I definitely still want a Pizza Villa club Sandwich, but no deli meats :(. I have stopped craving fruit, but still trying to make myself eat at least one peach or apple a day. I wish I could spray round up haha, but probably not a good idea, so I have to supervise Steven doing it.

Here are a few pics of our new little Princess!!

She has her arms behind her head and feet crossed, how sweet??

16 weeks :)

15 1/2 Weeks :)

Well I am 15 1/2 weeks now and feeling pretty good, I wanted to document a few things for my future scrapbook.

Baby Size: An apple this week and growing like crazy, trust me I know this baby is because of the pants that were fitting nicely, are not fitting at all anymore without the belly band.

Feeling: Feeling pretty good now, still a little nauseous every now and then, but overall pretty good. Getting a lot of headaches, which is no fun because Tylenol really doesn't help :(. My energy is increasing and I'm starting to feel a little nesting going on, Steven and I have been cleaning and organizing closets, etc. Hormones, yes they are very present and horrible.

Movement: I've been feeling this little random tightening in my stomach, but unfortunately, I don't think it's the baby, it's a little too far up for that small little apple to reach quite yet.

Things I miss: DELI MEATS, I have been really craving a club sandwich, but obviously cannot. So, hopefully Steven will remember that as soon as I push this baby out, I would like a Pizza Villa Club sandwich, is that too much to ask?? I don't really miss anything else, maybe my nose sprays, other than that, that's it!

Gender reveal: Well it is now less than a week away when we will see our little baby again and hopefully find out if it's pink or blue! I cannot wait!!! I mostly just want to see this baby and how much it's grown, it's been 5 1/2 weeks since our last ultrasound and I'm sure there have been lots of changes. I pray that everything is good with the baby.

That's all for now, until Monday.....PINK OR BLUE???

The Best Day of my Life

God is so good, because Steven and I had been told for some different reasons, it was going to most likely be difficult for us to get pregnant. So, after about 6 months of trying I had started to lose hope and get very discouraged, so I was soon to be started on Clomid and see if this would help speed up the process. Well, after much prayer and faith, we didn't even need the Clomid. I have irregularly long cycles and they normally last about 35 days. Well, on day 40 I started getting the feeling that I may need to take a test. Well, it is all true when people tell you it happens when you least expect it because that day I got home from work took the test, not thinking it would IMMEDIATELY be positive! THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE and the next hour it took to wait for Steven to get home from the gym was the longest hour of my life. He was happy, and couldn't wait to tell people, hence the facebook announcement, with me only being 9 weeks. The baby's la-st heartrate at 8 1/2 weeks was 174 and progressing very nicely! So if everyone could keep us in your prayers, I just cannot wait to get to the 2nd trimester in a few weeks when there is a little less worry to have.
How I've been feeling:
-SOOOO exhausted but this seems to be getting a little better or maybe I'm just managing it better.
-Starving a lot, and when I'm starving, WATCH OUT because I'm going to need to eat within the next 5-10 minutes
-I already feel like I'm showing, but it seems like it's way too early to be showing, so I assume it must be that I'm bloated, but my pants are definitely fitting much tighter.
-I am in love with fresh fruit, especially strawberries which is not such a bad thing, but I also love some fattening greasy foods too
-My dreams are crazy, so crazy they are waking me up in the middle of the night to where I can't get back to sleep.
-My hormones are pretty terrible so watch out Steven!!!!
-The headaches have started in the late afternoon when it's closing time at work, they usually wear off, but they are pretty terrible which they last :(
-I just pray that our little grape is growing and progressing like it should be, as much nausea and exhaustion I've felt, I'm assuming it has :)
Hope to keep this blog updated so that I can remember these special times.

Babies, Babies, and More Babies

Is it just me, or are ALL of my friends pregnant? I think we are definitely in that stage of our lives and I think it may be contagious, I should probably stay away, or maybe I should get closer to catch the "bug"!!! Could someone please ask Steven when I am allowed around my friends again? haha
I am saying prayers everyday for all of my friends who are expecting that they have a healthy and safe pregnancy!

Lauren