We have approximately 42 days until Sienna arrives. Here is a quick rundown of what the Hills are doing to prepare for "Sugar Bottoms."
I have entered, what I believe is the nesting period. Last week, I made a list of things we needed to do around the house before D-Day. If you were to come by our house last Sunday, you would have found me scrubbing the toilet and the shower with Nick's toothbrush. Don't worry, he had a new one to replace it! Nick cleaned the windows in the house along with the cars and garage. We still have a few more projects but nothing that can't get done in a weekend.
We started our Basic Childbirth Classes on Monday. We opted for the "basic" three week class instead of the six week, Lamaze-type class. As I didn't take classes when I was pregnant with Eastan, I didn't think I needed to learn all the breathing and coping techniques. I made it just fine without them 11 years ago. But since we are at a new hospital and this is Nick's first time in the delivery room, we decided a basic class would be beneficial. We did learn two new things.
1. Do not over stimulate the nipples. This could cause your uterus to contract and put you in early labor.
2. Do not give your self an enema. (Thanks for the advice. Don't think I would have anyway!)
To this, Nick responded, "There goes our weekend."
I also stress about money. It has slowly progressed as we get closer to D-Day. We have been very blessed with AWESOME gifts from friends and family. Even so, there is so much more to buy. I was wide awake at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning adding everything up in my head. I couldn't stop stressing. I also find myself putting items back on the shelf at the grocery store. This weekend, I'm going to attempt to make my own laundry detergent. I know, it's that bad!
I stole this from another blog. I wish I would have done this earlier on. Oh, well. There's always next time!
How far along? 34 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: 24 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes. I can still pull off a few "regular" shirts if they are longer and have enough stretch to them.
Stretch marks? Unfortunately, yes.
Sleep: Depends on the night. Some nights I sleep really well and normally only get up once in the night to use the bathroom.
Movement: Sienna is a pretty active little girl. I think she was doing aerobics last night. Some movements are starting to hurt a little.
Food cravings: Last week, I ate a doughnut. That's really not normal for me. As always, I crave french fries.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? Still in.
What I miss: Wine
What I am looking forward to: Wine
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Challenge is on!
My friend Carrie recently wrote an entire blog about doughnuts just because her husband challenged her to do so. He really didn't think it was possible, but she rose to the challenge and far exceeded all expectations.
I was thinking about this random challenged and emailed Carrie a challenge of my own. Twice a month, Carrie and I will give each other a word and within three days, we will have to post a blog based on that word. We hope this will remedy our habit of neglecting our blogs and improve our creative writing skills.
I think we were both a little easy on each other for this first round. You will have to read her blog to find out her challenge word. Mine is VACATION. So, here goes!
As I sit here, almost 27 weeks pregnant, I have to admit that vacation has actually been on my mind quite often. More specifically, the lack of vacation Nick and I will be having in the next few years. If I had to guess, our trips to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico will soon be traded in for more family-friendly vacations.
As most of you know, our circle of friends is experiencing a small baby boom. With us having kids around the same age, it should make for some great group family vacations. We have already discussed trips to Florida and Colorado. Both excite me, but Colorado holds a special place in my heart.
My family, along with three other families, traveled to Colorado every year from the time I was in second grade to about high school. I have so many memories of these trips. In an effort to not make this the longest blog entry ever, here is a list of my top six memories (in no particular order).
1. Ski School - As a shy child, I never liked ski school. As an adult, I'm glad my parents enrolled me each year until I was able to master my mad skiing skills. I was always the best girl on the slopes at our church ski trips. When Nick and I went skiing for our honeymoon, I was able to show him up on the slopes. Sorry, Sweetie but it's nice to be better than you in ONE sport! My most memorable ski school moment occurred when I was around eight years old. I was on the ski lift with another little girl and when she leaned over to do something, she fell right out of the lift! I was horrified! Afterward, a few people from the resort asked me questions about the incident. Being only eight, I thought I was being questioned. I was worried they thought I pushed her or something. Looking back, I know it was probably for their own liability reasons. Luckily for the little girl, we were on the bunny slope and I believe she only had a sprained arm.
2. French Toast - My parents' friend Larry made the most awesome french toast in the morning before we hit the slopes. Yum! I wish I had some right now!
3. Limousine - My parents' friend Rick owned a company that built and restored limousines. One year, we actually took one to Colorado. All of us (just the kids, not the adults) were so excited. We thought it was the coolest thing ever that we were riding in a limo to Colorado. It wasn't a fancy limo or anything because it was one that needed to be restored, but we didn't care! It was a LIMO ... with a TV! I think we even put "Colorado or Bust" on the outside with masking tape.
4. "We're Walking" - Most of our parents had their own ski equipment but the kids always had rentals. It didn't make much sense to buy boots and skis for kids that would outgrown them each year. The men in the group would always work to get the best deal at the rental shop. (needed background information: of the four dads in the group, two were used car dealers and all four were pretty tight with their money) One year, we had all been fitted for our skis, poles and boots but Larry didn't like the price we were given. He told the guys at the rental place if they didn't give us a better deal, we would walk. A few minutes later we heard, "That's it. We are walking. Come on, kids." All seven kids dropped their skis, poles and boots and we walked out the door.
5. Kudos - My dad always had a backpack filled with snacks when we were skiing. Kudos were always included in the mix. I can't look at a box of Kudos without thinking about our ski trips.
6. Hot drinks - Before the boom of Starbucks and speciality coffees came to Springfield, Missouri, my mom and I discovered two delicious drinks called Latte & Cafe Mocha. For a few years, the only place we could find them were at the base of the mountain in Keystone. It was a special treat each year!
Thanks, Mom and Dad for all the memories! I hope Nick and I will be able to provide many great vacation memories to Eastan, Sienna (and others).
I was thinking about this random challenged and emailed Carrie a challenge of my own. Twice a month, Carrie and I will give each other a word and within three days, we will have to post a blog based on that word. We hope this will remedy our habit of neglecting our blogs and improve our creative writing skills.
I think we were both a little easy on each other for this first round. You will have to read her blog to find out her challenge word. Mine is VACATION. So, here goes!
As I sit here, almost 27 weeks pregnant, I have to admit that vacation has actually been on my mind quite often. More specifically, the lack of vacation Nick and I will be having in the next few years. If I had to guess, our trips to all-inclusive resorts in Mexico will soon be traded in for more family-friendly vacations.
As most of you know, our circle of friends is experiencing a small baby boom. With us having kids around the same age, it should make for some great group family vacations. We have already discussed trips to Florida and Colorado. Both excite me, but Colorado holds a special place in my heart.
My family, along with three other families, traveled to Colorado every year from the time I was in second grade to about high school. I have so many memories of these trips. In an effort to not make this the longest blog entry ever, here is a list of my top six memories (in no particular order).
1. Ski School - As a shy child, I never liked ski school. As an adult, I'm glad my parents enrolled me each year until I was able to master my mad skiing skills. I was always the best girl on the slopes at our church ski trips. When Nick and I went skiing for our honeymoon, I was able to show him up on the slopes. Sorry, Sweetie but it's nice to be better than you in ONE sport! My most memorable ski school moment occurred when I was around eight years old. I was on the ski lift with another little girl and when she leaned over to do something, she fell right out of the lift! I was horrified! Afterward, a few people from the resort asked me questions about the incident. Being only eight, I thought I was being questioned. I was worried they thought I pushed her or something. Looking back, I know it was probably for their own liability reasons. Luckily for the little girl, we were on the bunny slope and I believe she only had a sprained arm.
2. French Toast - My parents' friend Larry made the most awesome french toast in the morning before we hit the slopes. Yum! I wish I had some right now!
3. Limousine - My parents' friend Rick owned a company that built and restored limousines. One year, we actually took one to Colorado. All of us (just the kids, not the adults) were so excited. We thought it was the coolest thing ever that we were riding in a limo to Colorado. It wasn't a fancy limo or anything because it was one that needed to be restored, but we didn't care! It was a LIMO ... with a TV! I think we even put "Colorado or Bust" on the outside with masking tape.
4. "We're Walking" - Most of our parents had their own ski equipment but the kids always had rentals. It didn't make much sense to buy boots and skis for kids that would outgrown them each year. The men in the group would always work to get the best deal at the rental shop. (needed background information: of the four dads in the group, two were used car dealers and all four were pretty tight with their money) One year, we had all been fitted for our skis, poles and boots but Larry didn't like the price we were given. He told the guys at the rental place if they didn't give us a better deal, we would walk. A few minutes later we heard, "That's it. We are walking. Come on, kids." All seven kids dropped their skis, poles and boots and we walked out the door.
5. Kudos - My dad always had a backpack filled with snacks when we were skiing. Kudos were always included in the mix. I can't look at a box of Kudos without thinking about our ski trips.
6. Hot drinks - Before the boom of Starbucks and speciality coffees came to Springfield, Missouri, my mom and I discovered two delicious drinks called Latte & Cafe Mocha. For a few years, the only place we could find them were at the base of the mountain in Keystone. It was a special treat each year!
Thanks, Mom and Dad for all the memories! I hope Nick and I will be able to provide many great vacation memories to Eastan, Sienna (and others).
Monday, January 11, 2010
Holy Cow!
So, I decided it was time for me to blog again. I just realized that I haven't posted a blog since OCTOBER. I'm sorry to all my loyal readers (all four of you).
Really, a lot has happened since October. I think about blogging about it but then wonder, "Who really reads this that I don't see on a regular basis?" Then I move on to something else in my day and forget to blog.
I can actually give you several reasons for not blogging on a regular basis. Number one reason being that I'm pretty OCD when it comes to writing. I worry about everything making sense. I worry about my grammar. I worry about not being creative and entertaining. Because of this, by the time I post my blog, two hours have past.
Why do I worry so much about this, you ask? Mainly because I over think EVERYTHING I write. I've always been this way. In college, Nick and I would write a paper at the same time and you would think the communication major would always finish before the computer information systems major. Not in this case. Nick would ALWAYS finish before me and not by minutes but hours. I used to call him the King of BS because he just pulled stuff out of his butt where I would over think and make sure everything was perfect. I do the same with my blog. I know of at least four people who read my blog that would catch all my mistakes.
1. My sister-in-law Angela, the writer
2. My best friend Jessica, the English major/former English teacher/proofreader extraordinaire
3. My friend Aubrey, the BRAIN and Super Mom (just kidding, Aubrey. I couldn't resist)
4. My mom who always read my papers before I turned them in
I could go on, but I'm writing this to say that a resolution of mine is to not let my OCD hold me back from writing on my blog. If I have mistakes, I know you all will love me anyway. If each post doesn't flow, you will keep reading....right???
So, to make this quick, here is a run down of the last three months.
1. Nick finished his marathon in Memphis. He is truly amazing. He wanted to complete it around 3 hrs and 45 minutes. His final time was 3 hrs and 48 minutes. Not only is he the King of BS, he is a machine!
2. Eastan worked very hard raising his grades from 1st quarter to 2nd. He went from no A's and a few F's to no F's, a few A's and mainly B's. Nick and I are very proud of him.
3. We found out that we are having a girl. I will blog about that later!
4. Eastan's winter break ran an extra week because of the weather. He was out for three weeks instead of two. Today is his first day back!
5. Our friends Micah and Jessica had a baby girl in December. Emrie is so precious and I can't wait for her to meet her best friend in April!
I'm sure that something is being left out...but I'm going to hit the "publish post" button now instead of worrying about it. Actually, I will re-read the post, spell check and then publish. OCD can't be cured in a day!
Really, a lot has happened since October. I think about blogging about it but then wonder, "Who really reads this that I don't see on a regular basis?" Then I move on to something else in my day and forget to blog.
I can actually give you several reasons for not blogging on a regular basis. Number one reason being that I'm pretty OCD when it comes to writing. I worry about everything making sense. I worry about my grammar. I worry about not being creative and entertaining. Because of this, by the time I post my blog, two hours have past.
Why do I worry so much about this, you ask? Mainly because I over think EVERYTHING I write. I've always been this way. In college, Nick and I would write a paper at the same time and you would think the communication major would always finish before the computer information systems major. Not in this case. Nick would ALWAYS finish before me and not by minutes but hours. I used to call him the King of BS because he just pulled stuff out of his butt where I would over think and make sure everything was perfect. I do the same with my blog. I know of at least four people who read my blog that would catch all my mistakes.
1. My sister-in-law Angela, the writer
2. My best friend Jessica, the English major/former English teacher/proofreader extraordinaire
3. My friend Aubrey, the BRAIN and Super Mom (just kidding, Aubrey. I couldn't resist)
4. My mom who always read my papers before I turned them in
I could go on, but I'm writing this to say that a resolution of mine is to not let my OCD hold me back from writing on my blog. If I have mistakes, I know you all will love me anyway. If each post doesn't flow, you will keep reading....right???
So, to make this quick, here is a run down of the last three months.
1. Nick finished his marathon in Memphis. He is truly amazing. He wanted to complete it around 3 hrs and 45 minutes. His final time was 3 hrs and 48 minutes. Not only is he the King of BS, he is a machine!
2. Eastan worked very hard raising his grades from 1st quarter to 2nd. He went from no A's and a few F's to no F's, a few A's and mainly B's. Nick and I are very proud of him.
3. We found out that we are having a girl. I will blog about that later!
4. Eastan's winter break ran an extra week because of the weather. He was out for three weeks instead of two. Today is his first day back!
5. Our friends Micah and Jessica had a baby girl in December. Emrie is so precious and I can't wait for her to meet her best friend in April!
I'm sure that something is being left out...but I'm going to hit the "publish post" button now instead of worrying about it. Actually, I will re-read the post, spell check and then publish. OCD can't be cured in a day!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Blog Awards
If you ask me, Aubrey's blog is the most fabulous of fab! According to Aubrey, she is the "least fabulous person she knows." Her reasons boil down to shopping exclusively at gap.com and oldnavy.com, her only handbag is a diaper bag, she doesn't watch T.V. other than Elmo, she loves to cook and read, she is a math teacher, and self-described nerd. Aubrey leaves the following information out:
- she is the mom to two of the cutest girls ever
- she went from living in a small town in Oklahoma to residing in Baltimore, England, and currently in Germany
- not only is she a "math nerd," but she has amazing writing skills and I believe she majored or minored in English as well as Math - basically she is super smart
The above qualities are just a few reasons why Aubrey's blog is FABULOUS. I especially enjoy it because it helps me feel connected to her and the rest of the PJs while they live so far away.
If I could, I would pass the award right back to Aubs. But there are rules for this award that I must stick to! Basically now that my blog has been tagged with the Fabulous Award, I have to share five things that I am currently obsessed with and pass the award onto five other blogs that I read.
1. Weight: I know this is vain of me. I'm sure you are thinking, "Ashley, you are pregnant. This is the last thing you should be worried about. This is the time to GAIN weight and be happy about it." I know you are thinking that because these are things people have told me. You have to understand that when I was pregnant with Eastan, it was not a pretty site. You can ask my mom. This time around, I am trying to keep up with my regular workouts and watch what I eat. I'm not pregger-exic by any means. I just don't run to Sonic or McDonalds just because it sounds good.
2. Christmas: I have always loved Christmas but this Christmas morning will be especially awesome! See The Best Christmas Present EVER? post.
3. iphone: Although I am not currently obsessed with this, I fear I will be soon. Nick and I are switching to AT&T on Sunday so we can have iphones. Nick is already obsessed and has been counting the days until our contract with Verizon is over. I have had the same piece of crap phone for two years and would be happy with any upgrade. I think my constant connection with the world via Facebook and the multiple apps that are available could soon consume me.
4. Zits: This pregnancy is making my face breakout. Primarily from my left temple, across my forehead, and down to my right temple. I sort of freak out about it because the majority of my life, I have been pretty lucky in the complexion area. I'm not used to having breakouts. What makes it even more annoying is that these aren't the type of zits that want to pop. They just want to sit under my skin, just enough to show but not come to the surface. This makes me pick at them while I sit at my desk or in front of the mirror at night. It feels like they are ready to burst but in reality, they are just a big tease!
5. Wilco: I don't know if this is a real obsession but I do love this band. Wilco is a band based out of Chicago that has been around for a number of years. If you aren't familiar with them, you should be. My brother introduced me to this band a few years ago. They are his favorite. I went to one of their concerts about 3 years ago and wasn't quite sure if I liked them. Then my brother gave me basically all of their music and I was hooked.
There are my five current obsessions. Maybe you learned something new about me today.
Now for the awards! My five favorite blogs are:
Carrie M. - Chicklet & Ducky
Carla - Two to Seven
Angela - The Hill Hotspot
Carrie R. - Happy Together
Stacy - The Silverwood Family
TAG - you're it!
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Best Christmas Present EVER?
I am sure you are thinking, "Christmas is a few months away. Why is Ashley writing about Christmas?" As you know, Christmas is my St. Nick's FAVORITE time of year. He loves Christmas and everything that surrounds it.
He has a few more events to look forward to this holiday season. On December 5, he will be participating in the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis. He has been training very hard the past few months and I believe he will ROCK (pun intended) it out!
The second big event in December is our ultrasound. On December 1, (assuming baby cooperation) we will find out if we are having a girl or a boy... or will we?
My friend Crystal passed along this grand idea that since our ultrasound is in December, we should ask the ultrasound tech to not tell us the sex of the baby but ask her to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope. Nick and I would then take the envelope home, wrap it in a "beautiful box with a BIG bow" and open it with Eastan on Christmas morning. I thought that was actually a really sweet idea, until our ultrasound was scheduled for December 1.
I mean, I'm really suppose to wait another 24 days to find out the sex of this little shrimp? Then I begin to think about how magical Christmas morning would be. I know, I am being a little dramatic. But really, think about it. We would be so excited on Christmas Eve. We would wake up like little kids, anxiously getting out of bed on Christmas morning to open our little gift. We could re-wrap the envelope and when we go to my parents house for Christmas breakfast, we can give them the present. And again when we go to Nick's parents.
Nick is totally sold on the idea. Of course, he would be sold on something that would make Christmas even more awesome! It would be the best Christmas present ever. But what if I wanted to peek?
He has a few more events to look forward to this holiday season. On December 5, he will be participating in the St. Jude Marathon in Memphis. He has been training very hard the past few months and I believe he will ROCK (pun intended) it out!
The second big event in December is our ultrasound. On December 1, (assuming baby cooperation) we will find out if we are having a girl or a boy... or will we?
My friend Crystal passed along this grand idea that since our ultrasound is in December, we should ask the ultrasound tech to not tell us the sex of the baby but ask her to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope. Nick and I would then take the envelope home, wrap it in a "beautiful box with a BIG bow" and open it with Eastan on Christmas morning. I thought that was actually a really sweet idea, until our ultrasound was scheduled for December 1.
I mean, I'm really suppose to wait another 24 days to find out the sex of this little shrimp? Then I begin to think about how magical Christmas morning would be. I know, I am being a little dramatic. But really, think about it. We would be so excited on Christmas Eve. We would wake up like little kids, anxiously getting out of bed on Christmas morning to open our little gift. We could re-wrap the envelope and when we go to my parents house for Christmas breakfast, we can give them the present. And again when we go to Nick's parents.
Nick is totally sold on the idea. Of course, he would be sold on something that would make Christmas even more awesome! It would be the best Christmas present ever. But what if I wanted to peek?
Thursday, July 30, 2009
How to Plan & Implement a Successful Man-date
Man-Date: (n) Night of man-tivities such as drinking beer and playing video games
ex. My husband and his friend Jason had a man-date on Thursday night.
Step 1. Call your friend to set-up the date
Step 2. Call your wife to consult on the dinner menu
Step 3. Go to Harter House 24 hours prior to the man-date to purchase your steak & marinade
Step 4. Place the steak in the marinade before you go to bed
Step 5. Toss the steak around in the marinade before you go to work
Step 6. Call your wife again to confirm the sides that will go with the steak
Step 7. While you are at work, daydream about your night of man-tivities
Step 8. When you get home, make sure the house is clean
Step 9. Start the grill
Step 10. Pour a glass of wine
Step 11. Wash the windows (yeah, I don't know) while you are waiting on the grill
Step 12: Place your deliciously marinated steaks on the grill
Step 13. Eat your wonderfully crafted dinner of steak, sweet potato chips and corn on the cob
Step 14. Lock your wife up in the bedroom
Step 15. Lock your son up in his bedroom
Step 16. Have your buddy make his profile on the PS3
Step 17. Stand as close to 46" High Def, Flat Screen TV as possible
Step 18. Demolish all players & conquer the world of Call of Duty while you drink
Step 19. Say things such as:
"Get out of my way, dude."
"That's freakin' awesome."
"HaHaHa, did you see that?!"
"I couldn't move! They were right on top of me."
"OOOOHHHHHGGGG!!!"
Step 20. Say "good-night" to your buddy, go to bed, and dream about next man-date where you will resume kicking of ass and conquering of the world.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Extreme Weekend of personal records, joyrides and dream coats
I had one of those "perfect" weekends last week. Nothing special happened, it was just a fun and relaxing weekend. It started out with a unplanned date night with Nick. We 
decided to go to dinner and while I was in the shower, he told me that he was going run to "get something" from his dad. When we walked out the door to leave, I saw that the "something" was his dad's little black convertible. We had such a good time riding around in the car all weekend. I think Nick had an even better time driving the car. After a nice dinner at Rivals, one of Nick's favorite places, we decided that we really wanted ice cream. So, off to Andy's we went! YUM!
In the morning, I ran in the Girls Just Wanna 
Run 5K with Katie, my mom and her friend Marilyn. It is a fun race because (if you didn't get it from the name) it's an all girls run. What made it even better was that I ran a personal best at 26.54! The last race participated in was the Turkey Trot which I ran around 28.30. Fantastic!
What a GREAT life God has given me!
decided to go to dinner and while I was in the shower, he told me that he was going run to "get something" from his dad. When we walked out the door to leave, I saw that the "something" was his dad's little black convertible. We had such a good time riding around in the car all weekend. I think Nick had an even better time driving the car. After a nice dinner at Rivals, one of Nick's favorite places, we decided that we really wanted ice cream. So, off to Andy's we went! YUM! 
In the morning, I ran in the Girls Just Wanna 
After the race, we went to Anton's. Believe it or not, Nick and I have never been to Anton's. For those of you who aren't from Springfield, Anton's has been around for a LONG time. It way surpassed my expectations. The coffee was wonderful, the pancakes were crusty around the edges, my omelet had yummy feta inside, and the hashbrowns were not greasy. Perfection.
My day continued at the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition site near Ash Grove. I helped my friend Jessica in the VIP tent. I know this sounds special, but I think the volunteers in the hospitality tent actually had more interaction with the people from the show. I did get to see Michael but not being a regular viewer of the show, it wasn't too exciting. Jessica and I were able to get in a shot for the show. I told Jessica that it would probably get cut in the final edits - but we were excited anyway! I found out later in the week
that Jessica has a higher chance of getting on TV because she was able to be in a few more shots. She is a pretty big deal now and I hope she will still be friends with an "extra" like me! She also got to meet Ty.
My day continued at the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition site near Ash Grove. I helped my friend Jessica in the VIP tent. I know this sounds special, but I think the volunteers in the hospitality tent actually had more interaction with the people from the show. I did get to see Michael but not being a regular viewer of the show, it wasn't too exciting. Jessica and I were able to get in a shot for the show. I told Jessica that it would probably get cut in the final edits - but we were excited anyway! I found out later in the week
that Jessica has a higher chance of getting on TV because she was able to be in a few more shots. She is a pretty big deal now and I hope she will still be friends with an "extra" like me! She also got to meet Ty.Back to me! 
The weekend wrapped up with a performance at Missouri State's Tent Theatre. Jason, Katie, Nick and I saw Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. The weather was perfect for an outdoor theatre and the show was pretty good too.
The weekend wrapped up with a performance at Missouri State's Tent Theatre. Jason, Katie, Nick and I saw Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat. The weather was perfect for an outdoor theatre and the show was pretty good too. What a GREAT life God has given me!
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