Weekly Visit

On Friday we went in for our 37 1/2 week appointment with my doctor. And the report.... 30% effaced (thinned) and 1 cm dilated. Nothing to brag about, but we are progressing as we should be! Little girl is hanging in there (literally) and anytime sweet thing.... anytime! I will be surprised if she comes naturally; I am still thinking we will be induced. But who knows! Just not a Valentine's Day Baby.... please no!

Much Love,
Jenny

Crazy Cousin Dance/Fashion Show

Here we are doing the crazy cousin dance during a fashion show! Grandma had picked us up some of the cutest clothes EVER and Kate and I were super excited to try them on together! Matching outfits!

Love,
Anna

Ashley's Room

Enjoy the pictures of Baby Ashley's room all ready for her to come home :)

Much Love,
Jenny

37 weeks and 2 days

YEA! Made it to 37 weeks plus! I feel like 37 weeks is such a big goal in pregnancy and I have reached it! Knowing that Baby Ashley is pretty much done developing everything that would help her live on her own is a HUGE relief! She can pretty much come anytime now and it would be okay with me!

I go to the doctor tomorrow for another check up. Should be interesting to see how I am progressing because I think Ashley fell even more this past weekend and my contractions are starting to become more and more frequent. I had what I think was heartburn- never have had it in my life- and it woke me up several times throughout the night feeling sicker then sick. Besides those couple of nights, a headache or two and some serious back pain, things are going swell. Or should I say things are starting to swell!! I had to take my wedding band and ring off at like 18 weeks or something insane like that but I have been wearing on my wedding ring finger my baby bling ring that I got when baby Anna was born. Well that officially came off today- and just BARELY!

Off to nap while I can :)

Much Love,
Jenny

16 months old

Here's what I've been up to during the last month!

*I love Barney
*I am making new sounds for things (Forgive me if I have already posted about this!)... I say:
        "beep beep" for car
        "WOW" and "Weeeee!"
        "ha" for hat (I also tap the top of my head)
        "uh-oh"
        "ooo" "ooo" for a choo choo train
        "Baa" for Lambie and "Bu" for Bunny (My two besties)
        "jay" for Jayhawk
        "bebe" for baby
        "ha ha ha" for hop hop hop! (bunny)
        "duack" for quack
        "braloooo" for elephant
        "onk" for pig
        "cheeeeees" for the food cheese
        I blow when you ask me what the big bad wolf says/does or when you say I'll huff and puff and blow your house down! I have even started blowing air at houses!
*Most of the time I giggle when I fart!
*I am walking around on tip toes
*I love Barney
*I had a cold that lasted 2 weeks... a REALLY bad cough too!
*I started walking up and down the stairs while holding onto the bannister. I can do a couple stairs at a time. I INSIST on carrying Bunny and Lambie up and down the stairs with me and this scares mommy.
*I march when mommy tells me to
*When you ask me to shake my tail, I shake it!
*I put Lambie and Bunny in my crib before every nap.
*Did I mention that I love Barney?!?!?
*My favorite toys are my Elmo books, kitchen and kitchen stuff, medical kit, teddy bear, little people, mega blocks, music and basketball! So much fun!
*I try to put on my socks and am SO close!
*I love putting on lotion and getting ready with mommy and her makeup and hair stuff.
*Sleeping around 11 1/2 - 12 hours each night with one 1 1/2-2 1/2 hour nap during the day.

Love,
Anna

Life Lesson #1

For my dear Anna....

You may win a fight or two..... but I will ALWAYS win the battle!

Yes that is our kitchen table with a scarf tying the chairs to it. Anna is a climber... a VERY persistent climber.... and she hasn't mastered the art of getting down from everything without falling yet. Yes I want to encourage her to learn how to do it on her own (just not on hardwoods on wooden chairs leaning against a wooden table), but I don't really want a tooth to go through her lip anytime soon!

Much Love,
Jenny

Basketball

I love to watch and PLAY basketball so much!

I have gotten tall  enough to where I can slam dunk my basketball into my basketball hoop with no problems! I have even started to let go of the ball before I dunk it and mommy says I am starting to be good at shooting! I just love basketball and when I want to play it with someone, I either bring the ball to them or I say "ba ball" or something close to that- we can't figure out what it is exactly that I say but mommy and daddy know when I mean when I say it!

SWOOSH!

Love,
Anna

Royals Fan Fest

This weekend, mommy, daddy and I went to Royals Fan Fest. We had a very good time- I especially liked seeing the HUGE blown up balls. They had the largest ball that I have EVER seen! Mommy and I played by the ball for a while while daddy listened to some speakers and mommy even let me touch it a couple of times! It was SO cool!

Can't wait for next year's when I am old enough to play more of the games! I did get a really cool stuffed baseball from a vendor though!

Love,
Anna

Scoot!

I can finally SCOOT!!!

YEA!

Love,
Anna

Tunnel!

I love making tunnels with my long legs for all my toys to go through- and love it even more when mommy and daddy make them with me. I love making them for my little people train, bus and cars. OH and to make it better, I say BEEP BEEP when the car goes under!

Weeeee!

Love,
Anna

36 week and 3 day appointment

Saw the doctor today... less then a month to go! Everything looks great. Blood pressure is fine. Ashley's heartbeat is great. My belly is measuring right on. She confirmed that Ashley has dropped even lower (which I could have told you happened on Monday). Then she smiled and said see you in a week...

.....And that was the length and extent of our visit!

Much Love,
Jenny

Barney!

For the past two weeks, I have fallen in love with the purple dinosaur! Since we have been snowed in our house for the last couple of weeks (or just here because mommy claims it's too cold to take me ANYWHERE!) I get to watch Barney... sometimes even twice a day!

I love all the episodes I have seen so far because there is so much singing and dancing (and that is my favorite thing to do!!!). But my favorite episode is the Home Sweet Home one because of the big bad wolf! I just love how he tries to blow everything down and get the pigs.... I even mimic him! When mommy asks what pigs say, I say "onk" and when she asks me about the big bad wolf I get all serious and do my biggest inhale and blow it all out!

It is even how I have started to ask for Barney.... I...
1. point to TV or remote
2. get up on the couch
3. blow at the TV and point.... then blow some more
4. Say "baba"

Mommy usually gets the point and turns it on for me but not every time I want it... because if it was up to me we'd have a Barney watching marathon ALL day!

I love you!

Anna

Potty Chair

Daddy brought my potty chair out this past weekend and OH DO I LOVE IT! It is the same one that I have been sitting on for fun at Grandma Fimmen's house while cousin Kate goes potty and it also turns into a step stool!

Here I am trying out the potty AND the step stool! I like to pretend that I am going potty like mommy and daddy and I like to read on my potty! As for the step stool..... to say that I am mildly OBSESSED with washing my hands on my own would be an understatement! It is the coolest thing that I am allowed to do! I am so tall that once I step on the step stool (by myself) I can reach the water.... ALL... BY... MYSELF!!

Love,
Anna

36 weeks

Thumbs Up!

We are in the home stretch with less then a month left! Baby Ashley is definitely slowing down her movement and I think she dropped down even further this weekend because I am feeling a little more discomfort- we will see at our next doctor appointment on Friday. Backache- check! Not sleeping well- check! Nothing is really new in how I am feeling but just large and tired!!

Serious nesting has occurred in the last week and we have a freezer and cupboard stocked with 25 plus easy meals for when Baby Ashley gets here AND are stocked with paper products- plates, bowls, cups.... no cleaning dishes for me for a while once she gets here! Just busy getting the house ready and finishing up on everything that needs to be done before Ashley gets here and getting ahead on anything that I can possibly get done for the next month. So far.... feeling so good! The baby girl just needs to hang out in me for another week or so and then she is more then ready to lay in my arms- just one more week til full term!!

Much Love and hoping for another week with a bun in the oven,
Jenny

Aren't I cute?

Love,
Anna

newest face

And did you notice this facial expression in the last post??

Yep- I've been doing that a lot!

Love,
Anna

No Hands!

My new trick that I LOVE to do with blackberries, blueberries and just about anything! Mommy and Daddy try not to laugh but I know they are secretly LOVING it :)

 

Love,
Anna

Favorite Song

Whenever the song "The Man on the Flying Trapeze" comes on the ipod I go CRAZY! I spin around in circles, dance like crazy and ask for more more more when it's done! And the best is when Daddy gets home from work and dances with me.... he helps me fly through the air and do EXACTLY what the song says!

OH it's so much fun!

Love,
Anna

One of my favorite things to do at my house...

....search for squirrels out of mommy and daddy's window!

Believe it or not, I have a baseball bat in one of my hands- just in case one came REALLY close!

Love,
Anna

Bye Bye Morning Nap!

The week of Christmas I decided to drop my morning nap. It wasn't that I wasn't tired in the morning.... oh I was... it was more that I HATED my afternoon nap! I would scream and scream and scream! So mommy decided to slowly push my morning nap back a little bit to noon (it took us a couple of weeks to get used to it). But now I am only taking one nap that lasts anywhere from 1 hour and 15 minutes to 2 hours.

I am still having a sippy cup of milk before I get into my crib at naps and night time and it pretty much does the trick to putting me asleep. I am also still sleeping around 11-12 hours at night which makes for a happy mommy and daddy!

Oh and I told you that I like to pretend sleep, right??? Sussssshhhh!

Love,
Anna

35 weeks and a couple of days!

Feeling Larger by the day but having bursts of energy every now and then! Backache is still there. Baby Ashley has dropped a little so I can breathe and sleep much more easy. She is moving less but when she does it is like her entire body is flipping around. I am starting to waddle when I walk and have a hard time going from sitting to standing. Contractions have also started but no patterns of them yet. Each day they are getting a little more frequent and a little more uncomfortable. Driving or just being in a car is becoming more uncomfortable trip by trip. I was on bed est with Anna at this point so I feel very lucky that I am up and about. I couldn't imagine being on bed rest with Anna running around.

We had our 35 1/2 week appointment with the OB Friday and she said everything looks exactly how it should. I have not started dialating and she said all my numbers and blood pressure are great! I go back each week now; every Friday at 4:15 to check in on the little bambino.

Today I had my last full day out alone doing "my stuff" where I will not have a baby dependent on me for a feeding every couple of hours. It felt great- no it felt REALLY good to be out and about by myself but made for a tired day. We are loaded up on all the supplies for freezer cooking and am planning on preparing a months worth of food over the next two days... mom I may need some freezer space :)

Much love and Belly,
Jenny

Teddy Bear

I love everything I got at Christmas, but I REALLY love teddy bear!

He's about twice my size but I still manage to drag him around the upstairs to every room and I even manage to get mommy and daddy to bring him downstairs as well! I give him diaper changes on the diaper pad and I even use wipes on his bottom! I put him to sleep under blankets and say "shhhh" when he is sleeping. Whenever I am by him I am usually on the floor rolling all over him and laughing. When I wake up he is usually the first thing I want to see when I get out of my crib. Ohhhh I love him so much! I call him "tahy" and mommy and daddy know exactly who I am talking about when I say it :)

I wish I could sleep with him but mommy says he's too big. So for now, he sleeps RIGHT by my crib in Baby Ashley's baby bouncer.

Here I am chilling with my Teddy!

Love,
Anna

34 weeks

Still large and in charge!! Which is a good thing :)

Feeling just more and more tired as the days go on. I am napping with Anna pretty much everyday now and could probably use a mid-afternoon one as well. My lower back is really starting to get the best of me. When I wake up, it takes a LONG time for Anna and I to get out of our pajamas... and sometime we don't until the next day :) Don't worry- she is being diaper changed :)

Hard to sleep in any position because Baby Ashley is so high in my ribs and when I lay on my left side (that is the preferred side for best blood flow) I swear I am putting pressure on her head or butt or something... so I am sleeping on my right side... god forbid me EVER do that during my first pregnancy with Anna. But since I feel Ashley kicks ALL. THE. TIME. I am not really worried like I was with Anna. Rob has been giving me back rubs at night and that has been helping me fall right to sleep much better- I told him tonight that those will become part of our evening ritual and he looked ecstatic let me tell you! Night wakings to use the bathroom have started and what a joy that is :)

Won't be too long until we will see our baby girl! Unbelievable, really!

Much Love,
Jenny

The BrewMaster

Watch out Boulevard... there's a new BrewMaster in town :)

For Christmas, Rob got a beer brewing system and all the supplies that he could possibly need, including stuff to make the beer. After several hours of reading and preparing..... we can officially announce that the first batch of Pale Ale is fermenting in Ashley's Room.... pray to god it doesn't explode! In about 10 days we will have 54 bottles of beer!

Any name suggestions for Rob's new beer?

Much Love,
Jenny

New Years Day

New Year's Day we woke up at Grandma and Grandpa Fimmen's house and so did the Horton's!! We had a great big breakfast and then played played played!!!

I forgot to tell you about what I made New Years Eve... icecream!!! Kate did the stirring and I did the test tasting- yum yum yum!

But that morning qwe made a gingerbread house that we had forgotten to make before Christmas and I had so much fun eating the candy! Daddy did help me put some candy on the house but most went in my mouth!

Then Kate and I had SO MUCH FUN playing in a BIG box. In and out, up and down, we would take turns popping out of it and sometimes we would do it together. Oh it was great!

And then the best thing happened..... Grandpa got out his remote controlled helicopter that the Horton's and we got him for Christmas. O. M. G. It was amazing! It would fly around the kitchen and get really close to us... once it hit the ceiling and fell RIGHT on me. Pretty scary but I thought it was REALLY cool. I can't wait to play more with the helicopter!

Love,
Anna