Let's try this again.

Thank you Tina for letting me know it was set to private. I'm sorry about that.
http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/crites171/?action=view&current=a97dd766.pbw&t=1241118885

Belly pics

Someone requested these so I finally had time to post them. Life got busy after 9 weeks and I finally had time to take more today, at 23 weeks. And one picture is because Jeff was jealous that I kept taking pictures of my belly so I had to take some of him acting.

It's a.....

Well we finally had our 20 week appointment this morning and we are so glad that the time has finally come for us to find out who we will be welcoming into our family. So will it be Ethan Richard or Peyton Victoria?
http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/crites171/?action=view&current=BABYGIRLCRITES_16-1.jpg

That's right!! Eli will be a big brother to Peyton Victoria!! We are super excited and now we can't wait to meet her! So now I get to go shopping for some pink girly items!! She is doing very good, growing right on schedule and everything looks healthy and great! My hemoglobin was a little low so I have to try to raise it so that they will not have to put me on medicine for it. Also, I have been having some chest pains that come and go. The doctor said that it sounds like Acid Reflux so I have to get some Zantac and try taking that for the chest pains and heart burn. If that does not help or if it gets worse then we will decide what we will do next.

Other than that, Eli is crawling every where and trying to pull up on every thing he can get his hands on. He is growing up way to fast.

I finally felt it!!

I was laying in bed last night with Eli and I finally felt the baby move! I'm super excited that I finally felt it. It felt weird and at first I wasn't sure what it was so I came into the den and told Jeff about it and he agreed that he was more than likely the baby. After that I talked to a few different people and they all said that it was the baby. It felt almost like butterflies but with some gas bubbles mixed in with it, it was a different feeling so it is hard to explain. Now, I'm just waiting for the time that Jeff can feel it too.

Update on us.

WOW! It has been a while since I have had time to update this blog. Since Eli has started crawling I feel like all I ever do is chase him around all day, he is either crawling and playing on the floor or in his walker almost running from room to room. He has also just start trying to stand up on his own while he is crawling, its very cute but also very scary for a first time mom, I'm so scared he is going to fall flat on his face. He finally cut his first tooth last week and now I think the top teeth are trying to come in, he is extremely cranky and ill, especially compared to the last tooth. Do the top teeth hurt them more than the bottom? Other than that I'm looking for a swing set for him since I took him to the park for the first time a couple of weeks ago and he loved the swings!!!

I'm doing very good. I get the results back from the biopsy yesterday, and there was some mild dysplasia, but I will have another pap smear at 30-32 weeks and we will decide what to do once we get those results back. The nurse said that it is nothing to worry about but we will watch it to make sure it does not turn into cancer, but I'm not worried about it because God has brought me through cancer and I have faith that he will bring me through it again if it even comes to that. Thanks everyone for your positive thoughts and prayers.

Jeff is still working hard, as always. He is taking very good care of me, Eli and the baby too, he is helping me with the cleaning and with Eli too. He is very excited about finding what we are having, and that is saying a lot about him because he never gets excited about much of anything.

The baby, well its just hanging around. LOL! We still have 3 weeks before we find out if it is a boy or a girl, and we can not wait. In fact, I want to know so bad that I have been looking online for places that do ultrasounds without paying thousands of dollars for it. Oh well, if I can't find anyone that does them then we will just have to wait it out.

I'll add some pictures of Eli playing at the park for the first time.

Colposcopy & Biopsy

Wow I finally have a free minute to post another blog. Sorry it has been a while but things have been very busy around here lately.

I was suppose to go in last Monday for a Colposcopy because I had an abnormal pap smear but because of the snow we got my appointment got rescheduled for Wednesday. So I went in Wednesday and the nurse explained to me what would happen and told me that the doctor more than likely would not do a Biopsy because I'm pregnant and you tend to bleed more when you are pregnant. So I was laying on the table having the Colposcopy done and I was feeling a lot of pressure and cramps and then all of a sudden the doctor decided that he needs to do a Biopsy. With the Biopsy I felt even more cramps and pressure but I made it through, with Jeff and Eli holding my hand. I am so lucky to have the wonderful husband that I have because he helped me a whole lot for the two to three days after the procedure, besides when he was at work, with Eli because I was still cramping pretty bad, luckily I did not have any bleeding.

The doctor said that I will have to have another pap smear at 30 weeks and then one after I deliver the baby. He also said that if the results come back abnormal after that pap smear I will have to have the Colposcopy done again. I should get the results back some time this week and as soon as I get them back I will update you all.

Eli's First Snow!!

We ended up with about 6 1/2 inches of snow last night, which is plenty for Eli's first snow. We took Eli out for a few minutes this morning to let him "play" in it, he couldn't hardly move in his clothes and snowsuit so he didn't like that part of it but he was smiling in just about every picture. We pulled him around in his little red wagon, we "made" snow angels, he helped DH make a snowman, and then we took a few more pictures. After that we came inside and made snow cream, ate some, and now he is laying down for a nap because he is tired. Yes, our snowman is small, but we wanted something small for Eli's first snowman!

Pregnancy 10 Commandments

I got this from a friend and thought it was really cute!

1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is "Congratulations" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you a jerk.
2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus, or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase "my baby"
3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the pregnancy, birth and the raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.
4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone’s stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.
5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about to pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!"
6. Most of us have picked up on the fact that summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don’t need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes.
7. There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, mother-in-law or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt or genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.
8. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are not invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital and the parents’ home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.
9. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from various locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.
10. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask you to wait 3 weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

P&PT for me & the baby please

I went to the OB on Feb. 11 and had a pap smear and didn't think anything else about it since I have not heard anything from them. DS and I were on our way to town this morning to start some shopping for the baby when my cell phone rings and it is my OB office on the caller ID. At first I didn't know what to think so I answered the phone and there was a nurse on the other end. She informed me that my pap smear was abnormal and that they need to run more tests, I got upset and she promised me that the baby would be fine. So I go Monday, March 2, at 2 pm (Eastern time) for a more involved pap smear. They will use the dye and really examine the area and if they have to they will do a biopsy then. She said that they normally don't do a biopsy while you are pregnant but if I need one they will do it. I'm very upset/nervous/worried all at once, even though I know I need to try to stay calm and relax its easier said then done. I have a history of ovarian cysts, have had my right fal. tube removed, and have a history of cancer because of a brain tumor. The nurse said that it may be cancer that is why they want to do more tests so soon, and I'm very scared. I have/had a large cyst on my left ovary the last 2 ultrasounds I've had so we hope it was abnormal because of the cyst, since it was draining on its own. I understand that abnormal pap smears are normal, it just worries me because of my past medical history and one of the first things out of the nurses mouth was "It may be cancer". I really hope and pray that it is just something else, like the cyst or an infection or just a "false" thing and nothing more. I will try my best to get them to do an ultrasound as soon as possible, if not Monday at least at my next appointment on March 11, instead of waiting until the middle of April just so that I will feel better knowing that our baby is doing good. I will keep you posted and please send some extra P&PT our way.

Second Trimester! YAY!

YAY! I have finally reached my second trimester! We are very excited to reach this milestone after thinking it would never happen for us now we are waiting to find out what we are having. Jeff has said every since we found out that I'm pregnant that we can't start buying anything yet, he wanted to wait and make sure that nothing was going to go wrong. Well, we were talking this morning and he told me that I can start shopping next week. I'm not going all out yet, just starting to stock up on diapers, wipes, new nipples, etc. I'm going to wait until after we have our big ultrasound and a friend of mine is going shopping for clothes, nursery items, etc.

According to the old wives tale, if the baby's heart rate is higher than 145 BPM then its a girl, well our baby's heart rate was 165 BPM at resting. I'm secretly hoping its a girl since we already have our son, Mommy's Boy, now we need a Daddy's Girl. If we have another boy though, I will be just as happy and excited, we just want our baby to be happy and healthy. We should have our big ultrasound around the middle of April and as soon as we get our results I will let you all know. Here are a few more pictures from our last ultrasound.

http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/crites171/?action=view&current=ACRITES_12.jpg

http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/crites171/?action=view&current=ACRITES_10.jpg

Long time, no blog

Sorry I have been MIA lately. I have had company over, dealing with a sick baby, taking care of myself, and spending time with my wonderful husband and son.

Eli is starting to feel better now compared to how he was feeling. He was congested, went to the pedi twice to get the second part of his flu shot but couldn't get it because he was sick, finally the pedi came him some antibiotics the second visit. We went back last week to get the shot and they gave it to him since he was starting to feel better and then he got sick again. He still has a runny nose and a cough and he is very clingy but he is starting to feel better. Also, I don't know if it was because he has been sick or he is just going through a fase or what the deal is but he is only 7 1/2 months old and he thinks he does not have to take a nap anymore and mommy id exhausted. Jeff helps out a whole lot but when he is at work I feel so bad because I am not getting any help with him.

I'm going to prop my feet up since Eli is finally playing on the floor in front of the couch by himself for right now.

Happy Anniversary Jeff!!

I just want to let you know that I love you so much! I fall in love with you all over again every morning when I wake up. On this day 2 years ago I stood at the alter, saying my vows to you from my heart, I never knew that we would be where we are this soon. We have a happy, healthy, and handsome baby boy with another baby on the way, our family is growing very quickly! I met you by chance and then I fell head over heels in love with you. I miss you and worry about you when you are at work but there are no words to describe how I feel when you walk back through the door in the mornings.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART, BODY, MIND, AND SOUL!!

Help me raise money for March of Dimes please.

I am very excited to be a part of March for Babies, please support my participation by making a donation.
Why March for Babies? Because the March of Dimes champions the needs of moms and babies in our community and across the nation. The money we raise for March for Babies will help:
- support all-important research offering preventions and solutions for babies born too soon or with birth defects - educate women on things they can do to increase their chances of having a healthy baby - provide comfort and information to families with a newborn in intensive care - push for newborn screening and health insurance for all pregnant women and children
Won't you please help me in this worthy cause? Contributing to my walk online is fast, easy and secure. You can donate directly from my personal webpage with a credit card or PayPal. If you prefer, I can also accept cash or check. Just click the appropriate box on my webpage.

My personal Web page address for donations is...http://www.marchforbabies.org/elismommy2008

What is going on with our baby?

I'm going to post this first and then I will go back and tell you about the pregnancy.

It all started Thursday afternoon. I had a busy day Thursday, taking Eli to the doctor, running errands, etc. Then that evening I went to the bathroom and I was spotting some so I thought I would not upset Jeff and just keep it to myself and if it happened again or got worse I would tell him. So later on when I went to the bathroom again there was more spotting so I told Jeff. He, of course, was worried. So now I'm spotting, cramping in my lower tummy area, and having really bad back pain. The OB office was already closed so I called the on-call nurse and left her a message. She called me back about 30 minutes later and told me to call the office first thing Friday morning because they may want to do an ultrasound since I was spotting so early.

So I called the office Friday morning and a few minutes later the nurse called me back and I explained what was going on and what the on-call nurse told me the night before. That nurse said that they would not do an ultrasound but they would take a urine sample and check for a UTI or bladder infection. Jeff and I talked and we both agreed that Jeff would stay at home with Eli since he was congested and teething and not feeling good. I mean why should we take Eli out in the cold and wind when he is sick since all they were going to do was a urine sample not a ultrasound.

I get ready and go to the office. I signed in and ask for a sterile cup. When I came out of the restroom the nurse stopped me and told me to just sit there and wait, instead of going back out to the waiting room, because she was checking my sample then. She came back out a few minutes later and took me in a room and got my weight and blood pressure. My blood pressure was a little high (122/90) and she said that she thought I may be a little dehydrated. She then put me in a room to rest and relax for a few minutes to see if my blood pressure would come down. After a little while another came in and rechecked my blood pressure. It had came down some (118/84). The doctor came in a few minutes later and we talked about my history and what I was experiencing that brought me into the office. I explained to her about the spotting, cramping, and back pain. She told me that she wanted an ultrasound done just to make sure there was nothing wrong with the baby or me. So I go to another waiting room and wait and wait and wait until they finally call me back to the room. While I'm waiting I sent Jeff a text explaining what they had said so far and that they were going to do an ultrasound. He was a little upset because he was going to miss the first ultrasound of our miracle baby but I promised him that I would try to get him a picture. She went to my left ovary first and there was a large cyst on it, then she went to the right ovary and it looked good. Then the big moment came...I saw our baby!!! I was so very excited. I saw the heartbeat and its arms and legs. She kept pushing on my belly to get the baby to move around so I could see it more. That was a moment that I can not even begin to describe with words. Everything looked really good with the baby and me, except for the cyst. The cyst was what was causing the problems.

When I got home I showed Jeff the pictures. Eli looked at them like we were crazy and Jeff really enjoyed looking at our baby for the first time. We can not wait to go back February 11 for the next ultrasound and Jeff will be with me then.

Here are a couple of pictures...
http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/crites171/?action=view&current=BABY_2.jpg

http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/crites171/?action=view&current=baby10wks1day.jpg

http://s275.photobucket.com/albums/jj318/crites171/?action=view&current=BABY_5.jpg

The roller coaster ride of Adoption

We filled out the application and sent it back in December 2007. In January 2008, we started all of our classes, training, home studies, and inspections. We received our approval letter the week before Mother's Day 2008. I was so very excited to know that we were "Paper Pregnant" and our child was out there somewhere. On June 27, 2008, our baby boy was coming into this world and we did not even know it. On July 2 Jeff was out doing his part time job, Lawn Care, and I was sitting at home playing on the computer when my cell phone rang. It was our Social Worker and she said that she had a 5 day old baby boy that they wanted to place in our home forever. She ask me if we wanted him and I, of course, said YES!! She ask if we could pick him up the next day. Again, we said YES! Jeff called her back while I was talking to her and she told him that I was on the other line crying so she would talk to him later. Jeff came straight home.

We got ready and went shopping because we had nothing for Eli. When we filled out the application we put that we would take a boy or a girl and up to a 3 year old. We did not know if we would get a boy or a girl or an infant or a toddler. Jeff and I were so very excited that we called everybody.

The plans changed and we were not able to pick Eli up on Wednesday, July 3 but we did get to brink him home forever on Monday, July 7. Our hearts and lives changed forever that day, for the better. Eli has been home with us now for 6 months now and he is growing up way to fast. We are still waiting to finalize the adoption, I will keep you updated as we learn more about court dates or anything.

Next up, my emergency visit to the OB today.

Some background information

Hi everyone! I'm Ashley, happily married to Jeff, and one proud Mommy to Eli and our miracle baby that we are expecting August 27, 2009. Jeff and I met in 2005 and starting dating December 22, 2005. We got married February 3, 2007 and then we had our big wedding August 18, 2007.

We tried to get pregnant and were unable to so we started going to different doctors to try to find out what was going on. We were told that the only way we would be able to get pregnant would be through Infertility treatments. At the time, we were not ready for that, I had some surgeries and then complications from the surgeries. I saw a write up on the front page of the local newspaper, in September 2007, begging for "Forever Families" for the children in DSS custody so I called Jeff and ask him to think about it and let me know if we could adopt. Without hesitation he told me to call and get more information about it. I called and they sent us an information package with an application. We read over everything and started filling out the application when I started having more complications, so we put the adoption process on hold for a little while. Then in November 2007 there was another article on the front page. So I called Jeff again and ask him if we could continue the adoption process. Again, he said yes! So I called DSS and ask if we could use the same application and they said they we couldn't but they sent us another application.

Coming up next, the roller coaster ride of adoption.