The Schnabel's

It's another BOY!!!! 18 WEEKS

2011-11-22T21:00:00.004-05:00

So If you haven't already heard from myself or Facebook, It's a boy! We had an ultrasound on 11-16-11 and with a quick check the Dr. said, Kane's going to have a little brother! And just like Kane's sonogram, it was VERY obvious that it was a boy, no doubts at all. : )

I begged Chip on Monday the 14th, to finally help narrow down the boy name. We had been going back and forth about the boy name for awhile. We'd pick one, and I'd like it, then hate it the next day. For months we had liked the names Grayson and Jude, but they just didn't click with me like Kane's name did when we picked it. So while sitting in the Jimmy Johns in Greenbrier we were on the website Nymbler.com which helps you pick a name through in putting names you like. And after a few good searches, he saw Brady and Chip asked what I thought, and I knew that was it!!!

BRADY JAMES SCHNABEL

Chip was also able to feel baby Brady kick for the first time last night, right at 18w. When I was pregnant with Kane, we didn't feel fetal movement until 19w and Chip didn't feel him from the outside until 20w. It's crazy how much more aware you are the 2nd time around!

Ultrasound, bump, and Thanksgiving pictures to come soon! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

-C, A, K & soon to be B!

Kane is 2! Baby S #2 15 weeks

2011-11-01T17:20:00.007-04:00

Kane Parker Schnabel -- 2 Years Old

My little boy is 2 years old. I just can't believe how time flies. On October 22nd we had an amazing party over at our house. Many family and friends gathered in our back yard to play games, eat treats and jump on Kane's new Birthday gift, his trampoline.

Kane receive MANY great gifts that he just won't put down! Two Elmo's, one that does the Hokie-Pokie, and the other who plays instruments. A John-Deer tractor, many trucks and a real Goldfish named Dorothy, just like Elmo's!

Kane is talking up a storm these days. He's singing many songs, Jesus Loves me, The ABC's, You are my sunshine, and Katie Perry's Firework are his favorites! He's counting to 20 and speaking in sentences, the most popular is "May I have another Oreo PLEASE!" One of my favorite times with Kane is putting him to bed and saying his prayers with him. He always asks for one more kiss, about 10 times, then says "Love you Mommy". My heart just melts! It also cracks me up when he says "Bless you Mommy" whenever I cough or sneeze. He's such a good boy, very loving and just so smart.

Baby Schnabel #2 -- 15 weeks

Not much to report just yet on Baby S #2. At my last appointment I had only gained only 1 lb. since the pregnancy began back in July, success! Baby has a fast and strong heartbeat and is measuring normally. We have a sonogram scheduled for 11.16.11 so by then baby will be 17w2d, hopefully we'll have a gender to report!!

I'm happy to say that on Kane's Birthday 10.26.11 was the first night that I felt the baby kick! Baby wanted us to know that she/he also knew how special that day was. I've been feeling movement ever since, a few kicks in the morning and a few in the evening. It's just so strange being pregnant again. I've associated everything pregnancy related to Kane, and now it's a different baby. It's so hard to wrap my head around sometimes, but we couldn't be happier.

I've had some morning sickness from about 8w-14w which hasn't been too bad since it was isolated to the morning only. My appetite has been good, I just can't always finish the food on my plate. Not many smells have bothered me this time around, other than fresh cut grass, vomit. The worst thing this time around has been the constant headaches. I can't get rid of the headache for more than a few hours it seems.

Kane is very interested in the new baby. He rubs my belly and says "Baby in the tummy, Mommy, Baby!" Then lifts his shirt and rubs his tummy and says the same thing! He thinks everyone has a baby in their tummy, even Elmo! haha :)

More to come after my appointment on 11.16.11!

Enjoy pictures from Kane's Party!!!

-C, A, K & ???

And then there were 4

2011-10-02T00:11:00.000-04:00

I do not have a face to see,
or put inside a frame.
I do not have soft cheeks to kiss,
I don't yet have a name.
You can't yet hold my tiny hands,
nor whisper in my ear.
It's still too soon to sing a song,
or cuddle me so near.
But all will change come April,

that's when they say I'm due.
I'm your new baby boy or girl,
I can't wait til I meet you.
All I ask between now and then,
is your patience while I grow.
I promise I'll be worth the wait,
because of all the love we'll know.
So what I have to give you now,
is a wish to you from me.
I cannot wait to be a part,
of this wonderful family.

Love Baby Schnabel...The Sequel :)

-C, A, K & ???

Changes in the Schnabel Family!

2011-05-20T09:13:00.018-04:00

I’m not going to mention that I’m a horrible blogger, since that seems like how I’ve started all of my posts over the past 6 months. I’m not going to mention that we’ve been super busy….I’ll just start with a recap!

At the end of February I applied for the Youth Director position at my home church. I was notified in early March that I had gotten the job! I couldn’t be happier!! Being able to put my Religion degree to use thrills me. Since then I’ve been doing a smooth transition with the interim youth director. I’ve had lots of great guidance from her and other member of the church. This is a 20 hour position to which I’m adding on top of my 40 hour daytime position, which I love! BUSY. Because of this new job, I was commuting sometimes twice a day to Deep Creek from Virginia Beach…not good…A change in location was needed.

Starting mid March, we began our hunt for the perfect house! With the help of a great mortgage rep. and our fearless real estate agent, my God mother, Josi Brown. As you know, Chip and I don’t like to take long drawn out time to make decisions. We know what we want, and we either like it or we don’t. We took one day to look at homes and saw about 7-9. That next week we put a bid on one of those houses and were outbid. The very next day we looked at about 6 homes, and found ours! We made a bid that same day and the next day it was accepted! We had a ratified contract by March 28th, and a closing date set for April 29th. So not only was the Royal Wedding taking place, but we were also closing on our 1st home, a big day indeed!

Moving day was so crazy! We had tons of help, and I can’t IMAGINE moving again, it was miserable! We’re back in the CREEK!!! I never thought I would want to move back there so badly. Our new house is zoned for the same Elementary, Middle, & High schools that I went to which is really neat. It’s like the twilight zone though, driving around the Creek where I sowed my wild oats! Lots of great memories and lots more to come!

These are a few of my favorite things about our new house in Meta Pointe:
-Rose bushes -Pergola & outdoor fire pit garden
-All Brick -2 Car Garage
-Hardwood throughout -Front loading washer & dryer
-Stainless Steel Appliances -Dimmers in the Kitchen
-Granite Counter Tops -All Walk-in Closets
-Tres Ceiling in Master -Giant Master Tub/Closet
-Ceiling Fans in all rooms -Wrought Iron Spindles on Staircase
-“The Puppy Room” -Deck

Ok, ok, I LOVE IT ALL!!!! There was only one small hitch, and I say was because I’ve grown to not mind it anymore. We’re directly behind a set of double train tracks. And when I say directly behind, I mean, we’re able to make eye contact with the conductor and wave to him! HAHA! Some trains are louder than others, but some are quiet and slow. Either way, they don’t bother me. Why you may ask…Well my baby LOVES THE TRAINS! He can’t stop saying “CHOO CHOO” which sometimes sounds like “shoe-shoe” but you get the picture. He wakes up saying it, he says bye bye to it on his way to bed. We’re now a Thomas the Tank engine family! And Kane, well he’ll be the envy of all his friends. Who else will be able to say they have a choo choo in their back yard!?

This brings me to my little man! Kane Dog is 18 months! Can you believe it? I sure can’t, I can’t believe how fast the time fly’s. He’s growing like a weed. At his 18 month check up this past week he weighed **lbs. **oz. and was ** inches long. Mimi took him to his appointment and Dr. Wiley said that he was doing great! He’s very advanced in his speech according to her. He’s already saying almost all of his ABC’s and his counting to 10 like a pro! He pronounces 7 “Sebee” which literally melts my heart. He’s so smart; I can’t even count all the words he’s saying now. Some of his favorite words/phrases are: What’s that?, Sorry (we’re saying that a lot these days), Blanket, Choo-Choo, Oreo, Cookie, well any sesame street character for that matter. He does a role call with every person he knows name’s including the dogs. But he’s just picking things up so quickly, if you want him to say it, he’ll try his hardest to mimic what you’re saying.

We’ve been having a little trouble with biting. Hopefully we’ll be out of that stage soon. A stage we’re VERY much into right now is being Mommy’s shadow. He gets VERY upset if I’m not holding his hand, sitting with him or carrying him. This warms my heart, but is a little difficult at times to get house work done. Kane is an expert now at giving kisses on demand and hugs too, his are the best. I die when he walks over to Misha and puts his little hands on both of her droopy cheeks, bends over and puckers up to give her a big kiss! I’m so thankful that Misha, Tank and Kane get along as well as they do. I love seeing the three of them standing at the front door, looking out, and waiting for Chip to get home.

So that’s it for now. Some wonderful changes have been happening in our lives, and we couldn’t be more blessed.

-C, A & K

15 Months

2011-02-13T16:08:00.017-05:00

Hello everyone! Stopping for a little Kane update, well here ya go! We had his 15month appointment last week. He's right on track with height and weight 23lbs. 6oz. & 32". He's advanced in his speech which we're thrilled about! Dr. Wiley said they should have 5 solid words by this age and Kane has 15+, a few animal sounds, and a few signs too. Let's see if can name some off the top of my head... Mommy, Daddy, Papa, Bud Bud, Puppy, Dog, Ball, Elmo, No, Nite Nite, Bye Bye, Up, Sorry, Baby, Apple....there are some others that only we can understand like "be-boo" is Big Bird, but he's doing really great!

We've all been passing this cold around since the week after Christmas, it's been awful. We've also been battling this "Floppy Airway" with Kane. Dr. Wiley said this was most likely Kane's issue with the symptoms we had described to her. Picture this....A nice dinner out to eat with family, Kane happily eating, everyone enjoying their meal....and then....a simple cough, and another, and then a gag, and then PROJECTILE VOMIT EVERYWHERE.....awesome. This has happened in Chick-fil-a, Applebee's, Bravo!, and at Gummie's house and it is the worst! We're doing everything we can to eliminate Kane's cough so that his VERY sensitive gag reflex stays calm.

Kane loves to dance and the ABC's are his favorite song! He's been going to a new Daycare provider since our favorite Ms.Holly is having a baby! Her name is Ms. Christine and her house is right behind my mom's school which makes it SUPER convenient. He's already adjusted great and feels right at home.

Our little man is SOOOO into bath time now. He wants the water to run for the entire bath so he can grab at the water and try to catch it in his mouth! He'll stick his mouth under the faucet, take a sip and crack up! Those little belly laughs just make my day. Kane loves to laugh, his favorite things to laugh at are farts, burps, and being surprised. HE CRACKS UP, and when you laugh harder at his laughing it make it 10x better.

One thing that absolutely warms my heart are Kane's hugs and kisses. Now when you ask for one, about 70% of the time, you're going to get one! And if his face is covered in snot, and he decides that HE wants to give YOU a kiss, well of course, you take it. haha, snotty kisses, so nasty but as sweet as can be. Kane's big show stopper of the moment is pointing to his body parts, when you name one, it's too cute!

We hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day!! We'll be going to Roanoke next weekend to spend time with the Big Chill, and we can't wait!!!

-C, A & K

2010 in Review

2011-01-07T15:50:00.027-05:00

Well it seems like every time I blog, I'm apologizing for being such a bad blogger!!! Well, I am sorry, and I do wish I were better at it, but time just flies when you're having fun, and we sure are having fun with Kane these days!

14 Months is SUCH a fun and busy age! He's into everything!! No socket is safe around those wandering little fingers. We are totally baby proofed and ready to go. Kane's vocab. as of now includes: Mama, Daddy, Papa, Puppy, Puppy Dog, Good Dog, Ball, More, Hi & NO! He says them both in a out of context, but boy is he a chatter box. We have also found out that we have quite the "drama king" on our hands; everything is sooo devastating when something doesn't go exactly his way, poor thing! haha

We had a wonderful Holiday season kicked off by Beth and Jamie coming to visit for Thanksgiving. We all went to Gummie's where we had unseasonably warm weather, which was wonderful! We were stuffed to the gills, Kane loved the Turkey and Gummie's famous Mac & Cheese.

Christmas was celebrated a week early at my parents house since we were in Charleston for Christmas week. As most of you remember, last year Chip and I were VERY sick during Christmas, well this year we narrowly dodged that bullet again. All three of got caught the 24 stomach bug the week prior to Christmas. Luckily my parents came over to take care of Kane since we were soooo sick. Our trip to Charleston was a quick 6.5 hours there and a miserable 9 hours back. We had a great time visiting with the whole Schnabel clan, lots of food & fun. The day after Christmas we were greeted at home with 12 inches of snow! Kane loved looking out the window at the snow falling and the dogs trying to maneuver around in it!

Kane's most favorite Christmas gifts:

A 3 color glowing turtle that projects stars on the ceiling from Mary's parents, Dottie & Rick
A puzzle that spells "SCHNABEL" From Mimi

A "FurReal" Puppy from Santa, barks, sleeps, wags it's tail, he's in love!

A recordable book, read by Mimi & Papa, and Elmo too!

A bouncing Wahoo!! From Aunt Bip (Mary) & Uncle Pete

A Beautiful pop-up from Cocoa, a must have!
Also an interactive book from Cocoa

We were all very blessed this Christmas, and this entire year. 2010 started off with a lot of uncertainty. As we end the year, Kane has had so many new milestones, and I even started a new job in December! We rang in the new year at our house with Parker and Ashley, who at the stroke of midnight & 2011 became his fiance! They're planning a wedding for September 1st, 2012, and we couldn't be happier for them!!

We hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, and can't wait to share another year of our growing little family with you! Enjoy the Pics!

Love,

C, A, & K

Kane's 1st Birthday Party!!!

2010-11-04T20:54:00.019-04:00

What a big boy we have. No more little baby :) Kane's walking and jibber-jabbering, saying Mama, Dada & doing the sign for more! My little pumpkin has 12 almost 14 teeth! He's giving little kisses too! Enjoy the pictures from his 1st Birthday party!!!

-C, A & K

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY KANE!!!

2010-10-26T23:27:00.005-04:00

Our little baby is a big one year old boy! Here's a little peek and his new "development"!

HE'S WALKING!!! More updates & pictures on Sunday following the Saturday party :)

Thanks to all of those who have followed me though my pregnancy and through this past amazing year!

-C, A & K

OK OK WE'RE BAAAAACK!!!

2010-10-16T23:01:00.031-04:00

So sorry to all of those who had missed us over the past 2 months! Lets do a quick update!

Milestones from September to current:

He has 12 teeth, 4 top, 4 bottom & all 4 molars
2-3 sicknesses colds mostly, one fever that reached 104.2 & a rash that covered his body
Taking his first steps, 3-4 steps then a flop!
Says "Hi" "Hi Da-da" "Bye-Bye" "Ba-Ba" & "Ma-Ma" Also makes the "Ta" sound
Crawling like crazy, up stairs too!
Extremely aware of when we set him down or leave the room, has a fit!
Lifts his hands to the sky when we say "TOUCHDOWN!!!!!"
Wearing 18mo. clothes

We can't believe Kane's almost a year old. This has been the most amazing year of our lives. Here's a few pic's from the past month! Enjoy :)

-C, A & K

The Crappy CROUP!

2010-08-24T22:09:00.013-04:00

Monday the 16th was like any normal Monday, nothing to report. Tuesday the 17th started with a funky cough. Over the monitor I detected a cough that distinctly sounded like a bark. Kane seemed happy and normal and without temperature. My mom was keeping him for the day, I alerted her of the cough and told her to be on the watch for any other symptoms. By the time I got off work his cough had gotten worse and his resting breathing sounded like Darth Vader. There were no sick baby appointments available on Tuesday so we make one for Wednesday at 9:30. As the night went on, the sleep was few and far between. At 12:30 he had a 100.1 fever, at 3:30 he had a 101.5 fever and again at 5:30 a fever of 101. His cough persisted and you could tell he was weaker than normal. He wasn't wetting his diapers like normal and rejected his bottles.

Finally the appointment at 9:30 came. When the nurse saw him breathing she didn't even want me to place him on his back to weight him because it would make his breathing even worse. She got Dr. Wiley right away and she ordered a nebulizer treatment. It was the absolute worst "Mommy moment" thus far, holding that mask over his little nose and mouth while the medicine mist blew at him and his little watery eyes glared at me :( The nurse warned me, "Mom, this isn't going to be easy for you, and he's certainly not going to like it, but the harder he cries the deeper it goes into his lungs and the better off he'll be". After that gut wrenching treatment they gave him a steroid shot and listened to his lungs again. Dr. Wiley was very honest with me that she thought it was severe croup and that we needed to be seen at CHKD and she didn't feel comfortable with me driving him alone for fear that something could develop and get worse on the ride over there. She called the CHKD amblulance to transport us over to Norfolk. Chip met us at the Dr.'s office and the medic's came to get our little pumpkin. It was surreal seeing them situate him on the stretcher, but they strapped him in like he was in a rear-facing car seat. In the ambulance we went, Chip followed behind in the car, off to CHKD.

In the ambulance they did another nebulizer treatment, thank goodness I was sitting upfront and didn't have to watch my poor baby go through that again. Once we got to CHKD we stayed in the emergency room for a few hours in our little private room watching Peter Pan and The Jungle book. After yet ANOTHER nebulizer treatment we were told they wanted to keep him over night for observation. Off to the 7th floor we went to our home for the next 24 hours. My mom brought Chip and I dinner and we were visited by my dad, brother and close family friend Susie who just so happened to be volunteering at the CHKD gift shop that day.

Kane continued to respond well to the steroids and nebulizer treatments. He played in his crib, but you could still tell his was sick since he would just fall flat out and go to sleep while he was still playing. A few times I would get into his crib with him to get him to fall asleep. The only upside of him being sick was that I could truly comfort him and he wanted to cuddle and snuggle all the time. Thankfully we were only in CHKD for 24 hours, and they took great care of us.

Kane is now 100% better, and Chip and I have been recovering from our own sicknesses this past week. We our now disinfecting the house as we speak!! Tomorrow we're going for Kane's 9 month pictures a bit late since he's now 10 months. Can you believe he's 10 WHOLE MONTHS?! Enjoy some pic's of my big HEALTHY boy!

-C, A & K

A few new pics!

2010-08-16T22:17:00.013-04:00

Kane's playdate with cousin Madi!

9 months & 7 months

Big boy

Pretty girl

Two peas in a pod!

Teeth, Crawling & New job oh my!!

2010-07-25T15:47:00.013-04:00

Starting this past Tuesday, CHIP GOT A JOB! YAAAAY! He's now a borescope operator at T.A. Sheets, a construction company out of Norfolk. We couldn't be happier, and I know he's glad to get back to the working world!

Now that we're both back to working 40+ hours, Kane is having a big ol' time in the Creek! Monday, Wednesday & Friday, he's with our friend Holly who keeps her daughter Lucy (1yr) and nephew Noah (2 yrs) also! I get updates via text and picture messaging throughout the day to see all the fun he's having! On Tuesday and Thursday (for the summer) he spends his days with his Mimi and runs her ragged!!! I think she realizes why she had her children in her twenties and not her late forties! But at least she gets her "Kane fix" twice a week now! After school starts, he'll go to Holly Monday-Friday and Mimi will pick him up after school around 3, and he'll get to watch General Hospital with her! Did I mention Kane LOVES General Hospital?! He bounces up and down and claps his hands on his legs when the theme song plays!! haha, I love it!

Also a new development, Kane started crawling! One night he was spending sometime with my Dad, and my Dad said "You didn't tell me Kane was crawling?!" and I said, "Well as of this afternoon, he wasn't!". So my Dad was quite pleased that Kane decided to show off his crawling skills for him first!

Kane will be 9 months tomorrow, shocking!!! I can't believe how quickly time flies with him! Here are some of our little guy's milestones. Also his 9 month appointment is on Wednesday, will update next week with his height & weight stats!

Crawling on knees and feet
Pulling up and standing
Waving
Passing objects from one hand to another
5 teeth (3 top, two bottom, looks too funny!) #6 is cutting as we speak
Saying Dada & Mama
Shaking head left to right mimicking us when we do it as we say "No-no-no-no"
Gives hugs
Feeds himself bottles, puffs, dried fruit, yogurt bites & mandarin oranges in the safe feeder

Here are some pics, enjoy my Big 9 month old boy! By the way, since we're 3 short months until his 1st Birthday, we're already in the works of his celebration. It will OF COURSE have a Halloween theme, since his B-day is Oct. 26th. The party will be on Saturday Oct. 30th, costumes are strongly encouraged!!! This is just a heads up to mark your calendars!!

Eating Mandarin Oranges in his Safe Feeder

My baby and fur-babies

My little crawler!

Milk Drunk!

Our Pampers photoshoot!!! haha

-C, A & K

1st Father's Day/ 8 months Old/ My 24th B-day/ 4th of July!

2010-07-05T22:14:00.015-04:00

We've had quite a busy past few weeks! We celebrated Chip's 1st Father's Day with a trip to Maryland for a wedding. Chip had a simple request of a new wallet for Father's Day, but we also had a nice dinner at Buca de beppo in Gaithersburg with his mom! More recently, my 24th Birthday was this past Thursday! Chip and I went to Freemason Abbey and to see the new Twilight movie on Friday, while Kane had a sleepover with Mimi and Pappala. Then we enjoyed a game night with some friends on Saturday! Sunday was the 4th and we stayed in since it was sooooo hot. However, today was a little cooler and we went out to Shore Dr. to the beach! This is Kane's 1st time in the ocean since it was much calmer and warmer than it has been in the past. He's quite the little swimmer, I'll have to take a video of him swimming next time!

EIGHT MONTHS: We've been experimenting with table foods a little more. There's a thing that looks like a pacifier but it has this netting that they can suck on and it allows tiny pieces of the food to come out as it gets softened. Also we're getting him started on the puffs, which are like a puffed flavored rice to help them learn to feed themselves. I must admit that he's very skilled with......his.....LEFT hand! Oh lordy, could my child be a Lefty?! hahaha, I know my mother will be happy!

Enjoy the new pics!

-C, A & K

A Little Sicky : (

2010-06-10T22:13:00.013-04:00

So today was Kane's 1st sick day. He has thrown up a few times, but Chip took him to the Dr. and she said that everything was fine, it was just a bug that would pass on it's own. He seems to be taking it well but just a little cranky. Since he did take a trip to the Dr. he weighed in at 19.9lbs. which for 7 & 1/2 months is the 60th percentile! Quite a far cry from his 8th percentile at 4 months. Also he's cut his top two teeth just this afternoon! Kane's new favorite things are splashing in the tub, and singing to his favorite pal Scout. He hasn't started to crawl yet, but he's such a sturdy sitter! His eating habits are five 6oz. bottles a day, 1 veggy, 1 fruit & 1 yogurt! He's a growin' little man! Here are some pictures of our big boy :)

Hugs for Mama

We say "Give baby kisses"

Kane's BFF Misha

Look at those chunky little legs!!

Two front teeth just peeking through

Such a big boy!

-C, A & K

Kim Sawyer Photo shoot

2010-05-23T23:12:00.023-04:00

Enjoy these pictures. They are from our 1/2 price photo shoot that we won from the cutest couple contest where we entered the picture of Chip and Kane both in sunglasses! Kim's Website

-C, A & K

Such a big boy!

2010-05-19T23:06:00.010-04:00

Well it's official, my little pumpkin is getting sooo big! Before you know it, he'll be talking back and asking to borrow the car!!!!....ok, well maybe not before you know it, but I just can't get over how much "older" he feels. Where did my baby go??

As of last week he's sitting up on his own. That to me took the "baby" right out of him! He's holding his own bottles for feedings, and he's SUPER interested in what Chip and I are eating! Chip has been doing story time with him every afternoon, which seems to be the highlight of his day. He'll be 7 months old in a week and he's already wearing 9 month clothes, growin' like a weed!

Kane is such a happy baby and you can't help smiling when you look at him. He's into the yelling stage! He doesn't cry anymore, just yells. Where ever we are he's talking to everyone, flapping those arms and kicking soooo hard, and out pops a shreak! I can't help but laugh, which I'm sure isn't funny to random strangers, but I think it's adorable! haha

Here are some great pictures that Chip took this week, enjoy!

-C, A & K

Recap and Lots of pics!!

2010-05-10T20:24:00.019-04:00

Hello All! I apologize for the short and sweet update but with the new job I can't seem to find the time for ANYTHING! Here are some QUICK updates, bullet style!

Kane's 6mo. appointment 17 lbs. 4oz. 28''
Peter and Mary's beautiful wedding on 5-1-10
Wonderful Mother's Day
Job's going great, very busy!

Enjoy the pics!!

-C, A & K

Wedding & New Job

2010-04-20T22:17:00.024-04:00

Saturday the 17th was not only my brother-in-law Jamie's 23rd Birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMBO!) but it was also my cousin Kevin's wedding to Suzanne (her blog). They had a beautiful wedding in Newport News VA with a reception to follow. Kevin has been fiercely battling Caner for many months now with more success each day. Seeing how happy he was on his wedding and what a life of the party he was, was a true testament to everyone there. We wish them all the best of luck in their new marriage. WELCOME TO THE CLUB!

Also I started my 1st week at Bank of America! So far so good, everyone seems to be VERY nice and helpful....All I can say is if you bank with us, stop by the Kemps-River branch and say hello!

Enjoy the pics....Chip got some great ones this week :)

LOOK AT THOSE BIG BOY TEETH!!

Yes we match. Yes it was on purpose! hehehe

So this is a picture I found of myself at 3mos.
old. The chubbier Kane gets, the more he favors
me...hahaha, figures.....

-C, A & K

The Search is Over!

2010-04-13T01:15:00.017-04:00

So for those of you who haven't heard....I GOT A JOB! I start next Monday and I'll be working for Bank of America as a teller full-time!

Last week Kane, my mom & I took a road trip to Roanoke to visit our friends from the "Big Chill" and to celebrate our friend Peggy's 50th Birthday! It was the 1st time Kane got to meet some of the Big Chill members, and they were so happy to meet him! We had such a good time visiting and Kane was such a trooper, especially since he cut his first two teeth while he was there!!

We've got a busy weekend, then I start my 1st day of work on the 19th!! Can't wait :)

First 2 toofers!

Kane and his pal Addy! (Jeff & Elizabeth's dog!)

Kane with Poppy (Kathryn & Elizabeth's Grandpa)

Kane and Poppy! We Love Granny & Poppy!

Poor Kane, dress-up with the girls :)

Kane's new sun hat from Mimi!

Julie & Peggy

Kathryn

Elizabeth & Kane

Kane's 1st Beach trip!

Too cool!

-C, A & K

Kane's 1st Easter

2010-04-07T00:58:00.027-04:00

What a wonderful weekend, we had perfect weather. Chip's mom Beth came to visit us and spend some time with baby Kane! On Saturday we went to the Hunt Club Farm and went through the petting zoo! Even though Kane won't remember this trip to the petting zoo, I certainly won't forget!! It was so neat to see all those fearless kids around those animals, I on the other hand was freaked out a little! We got to pet all kinds of animals and Kane got to sit with the Easter Bunny! Sunday we had church then over to Gummie's house for the annual Easter Egg Hunt! It was great to introduce Kane, and his second cousins Kelsey and Madilyn to the Easter egg hunt this year.

Christ has Risen, Christ has risen indeed!!!!!

Dress Up time!!

We caught you!!!

Kane and the softest bunny!

Kane and the Easter Bunny .03 seconds
before he spit-up all over the bunny paw!

Kane & Cocoa

Us & Cocoa

Us & Mimi

Off to Gummie's!

Already out of his Easter outfit and into his play clothes!

Pappala and Kane

Mimi taking Kane on his 1st Easter Egg Hunt!

Uncle Wayne, his "Grand-God Daughter" Madilyn with
Mimi and Kane

Proud Grandmothers with the little ones

My little bunny!

Hoppy Easter!

Hi Bud Bud!

~Great Grand Babies~
Kelsey Maire Colquitt--10mos.
Kane Parker Schnabel--5mos.
Madilyn Rose Corley--3mos.

Through Easter we have new life. We certainly were blessed with that in our growing family over the past year :)

Enjoy the silly videos!

-C, A & K

5 Months & growin' like a weed!

2010-03-30T22:55:00.006-04:00

So last Friday we had our dreaded weight check. We have stressed this weight check since the Dr. said if we didn't hit at least 13 pounds, we would be going in to CHKD to have tests run. So Friday morning, we went in, stripped him down and on the scale he went. 15 pounds!!! Thank the lord! No more worries about weight! We can now stop dream feeding him at night which will drop him back to 5 bottles a day 7oz. each. He's been loving the stage one foods. We've tried bananas, prunes, carrots, sweet potatoes & apple sauce, next we will try PEAS!!! We'll keep you posted on how the peas go!

Enjoy the video and pics!

-C, A & K

30 before 30!

2010-03-28T23:54:00.002-04:00

I'm participating in "30 before 30" from my good friend Elizabeth's blog. Here's the description from her blog

"Will you join me on this adventure of growing up?

All you have to do is:

* Pick a milestone that works for you. (Trust me, I KNOW life doesn't end at 30... Thank Goodness!)
* Make a list of things to accomplish between now and then. They can be big or small things... To me, this is just one step closer to living life a little fuller!!
* Post my "30 Before 30" button on your page to let everyone know you're playing along
* And then, link-up or leave a comment here with your very own "To Do" list.

We'll check-in periodically to see how things are going... I can't wait! (It's never too late to join in!)"

So, I've taken up the challenge, and here's my very own 30 before 30 list!

1. Finish having babies
2. Be in a size 4
3. Have a daily workout routine
4. Become a vegetarian
5. Regularly volunteer at the SPCA
6. Travel to Germany to do an ancestry project
7. Get reacquainted with the German Language and become fluent
8. Own a home
9. Go on 2nd Honeymoon with Chip
10. Go on a behind the scenes tour of the set of General Hospital (I'd die!!)
11. Take a trip back to California with my best friend Kathryn ; )
12. Enjoy reading books
13. Become a runner
14. Run in the Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon
15. Coach a local middle school cheer-leading squad
16. Go to an NFL football game
17. Sing in the church choir
18. Plant a garden and eat food from garden
19. Take ballroom dancing classes with Chip and perform dance in a competition
20. Play tennis once a week
21. Teach Sunday School
22. Take cooking classes
23. Own a business
24. Flip a house
25. Get plastic surgery to correct damage done by pregnancy
26. Cut my hair extremely short and sassy
27. Wear skinny jeans
28. Go skiing/snowboarding (never been!)
29. Take Chip & Kane to Disney World
30. Learn to like my coffee black and my tea unsweet

Don't worry, I'll be posting about Kane this week too :)

-C, A & K

LOTS of New Pics!

2010-03-24T13:32:00.029-04:00

So I missed a blogging week!!!! I'M SOOO SORRY! It's the first one I've missed in forever, this week just got away with me! Here's a quick update, and what everyone really wants, PICTURES!!

We had a very quiet St. Patty's Day! It was a beautiful day and we walked all around the shops by our house, there was a GREAT sale at the Carter's store. Also we went to a Gymboree class with our friend Kendal and her little boy Rylan! It was very cute for the babies, they enjoyed the bubbles and the singing!

This past weekend we were in Maryland and went to a wedding in DC. It was such a beautiful blended ceremony of Jewish and Greek-Orthodox. There were so many fun traditions at the reception that we couldn't keep them straight! While we were at both the rehearsal dinner and wedding, Chip's mom & peter got to babysit Kane!

This Friday Kane will be 5 months old! He has his weight check on Friday at 11am, we'll see if all of our new feeding habits have paid off. I'm sure they have, Kane feels soooo solid now! They Doctor would like him to be at least 13 pounds, and I'm thinking he's surpassed that!

Enjoy the pics!!

Off to the Wedding

Rehearsal Dinner

My Misha 3 years old!

Tank's 3rd Birthday, just a week after
Misha's!

My favorites!

Not so Irish, but feeling the Green spirit for
St. Patty's Day!

All the Babies under the parachute!

Kane Love's Jimbo the puppet!

Loves Bubbles!

Stimulation with a paintbrush

Mirror Tummy Time

Kendal & Rylan!

-C, A & K

There were 9 in the bed and the little one said "Roll Over, Roll Over!"

2010-03-11T01:13:00.004-05:00

So Kane is FINALLY rolling over! A little behind the mark, but he finally did it. I think it was because I had told him about the other babies his age already rolling over and he just couldn't stand it! hahaha :) Here's a quick video of his new trick!

Eating is going well! Per our Doctor's instructions at his 4 month appointment, we started with the Rice Cereal and have began to introduce Stage 1 foods 4 days at a time for allergy reasons. I was worried since he did so poorly with the rice cereal, but he's very much enjoyed Bananas & now Prunes! haha YUCK! He's been eating the baby food 2-3 times a day in between bottle
feedings.

Here are some pic's! Enjoy!

Kane in his Bear Chair with Curious George!

Kane by his toy box

Dad and Punkin!

So Sweet

-C, A & K

4 Months Old--Kane's Baptism

2010-02-28T21:50:00.023-05:00

Wow, 4 months old! I can't believe it's been 4 months already! On Friday, Kane had his check-up and vaccinations. He was 11lbs. 9oz. and 25 1/2'' long. This height and weight would now put him in only the 8th percentile. Of course we couldn't understand why our happy healthy boy wasn't growing like we thought he should be, especially he's been eating 6oz. of expressed breast milk or formula (we've started supplementing since my milk production can't keep up with his intake) every 3 hours, which with his sleep habits winds up being 5 bottles per day. Dr. Wiley said that since he is spitting up, he may have reflux, and since he's so active he may be metabolizing too quickly. But we just have to remember that all babies are different and our little guy just needs a little tweeking! Kane's now on a reflux med. to see if that makes any difference and she wants us to increase him to 7oz. and to 6 feedings per day. Hopefully this will get him to at least 13lbs. by his weight check at 5 months. We've also started him with the rice-cereal, it's more out than in right now, but he doesn't seem to like the taste at all! Hopefully he'll warm up to it in the coming weeks.

Today we had Kane's Baptism. Beth, Peter and Cito (God Father) all came down from MD and spent the night with us and joined us this morning. We had many family members in attendance to support us. It was a lovely service and there was a soloist (Lori Wold) who sang a beautiful song for our little man. Afterward we had a great lunch with everyone at Gummie's house!

Here are some pictures from the weekend and the baptism! Enjoy!

He's sitting and eating now on his own in the Bumbo seat

Chip and Kane in the baptism gown worn by all the grandchildren
on my mom's side of the family.

God Parents Cito & Samantha

Proud Mimi & Pappala

Pastor Jonathan

Proud Peppy & Cocoa

Kane Parker Schnabel Baptized 2-28-10

Being presented to the congergation

The proud bunch!

Kane & Madi--4 months & 2 Months

Holding hands!! Love it!

Parker being silly next to Kane napping!

Kane in his gown on "the green quilt" all
of the grandkids have this picture!

Kane's new shoes from Mimi!

"Alright mom, I've worn this dress LONG enough!" hehehe : )

-C, A & K

Charleston Days!

2010-02-24T01:56:00.014-05:00

Last Thursday through Monday we traveled to Charleston, SC for Kane to visit his Aunt Mary & Uncle Peter, Great-Grandma Jean & his Grandpa Geej. We went downtown and visited Rainbow row with all of the beautiful historical houses. Also went shopping in the open-air market. This was the first time Kane got to meet his 3rd Great-Grandma Jean who lives in Isle of Palm, SC. We had a lovely dinner and got to visit with her. On our way home we stopped in Mullins, SC to visit with Chip's dad or "Grandpa Geej". He was very happy to meet his first grandson!

We had a great time staying with Pete and Mary. Charleston is one of our favorite places to visit. Even though it's a 6 hour drive, Kane did great time in the car. Unfortunately even though the drive is 6 hours, with adult potty & food breaks added with burp and diaper breaks, it was more like 8 hours! The dogs stayed home with Parker and had a great time. This week Kane will be 4 months on Friday along with his 4 month appt. on Friday at 11. Any guesses on his weight? We're thinking he'll be in the high 11's. I'll see you next week with a full update!

Enjoy the Pictures!

Rainbow Row

Seawall at Battery Park

Pretty house!

Happy Boy

Happy Parents :)

On the porch at Pete & Mary's

My little family

Sweet kisses

Pete, Mary, Pingo & Bubba

The gang

Kane & Great-Grandma Jean

Kane, Grandpa Geej & Chip

-C, A & K

Valentines 2010

2010-02-17T21:28:00.007-05:00

We had a great Valentines. Chip and I went to the Commodore in downtown Portsmouth to see the movie "Valentine's Day" and had dinner there. Parker stayed at our house and watched Kane, it was a nice treat!

We finally got Kane to cooperate to studio pictures. My parents came with us and all four of us were making the craziest noises and faces to get that little man not to cry!

We're heading to South Carolina tomorrow morning to visit Chip's Grandma, Dad, and brother Peter and his fiance Mary. This is why my blog today is short and sweet, I'm busy busy busy trying to get everything together for your little trip to Charleston. It's nuts all of the things you need to take with you to travel with a baby! He's sooo tiny and he needs such large items! haha

Here are some pictures!

-C, A & K

My Major Milestone!

2010-02-09T16:34:00.014-05:00

Hello everyone, I really haven't spoken too too much about weight on my blog, but now it's time. Last January after Chip and I got married I decided it was time to loose weight! Being happy and in love sure does effect your waistline! At that point I needed to loose a solid 25lbs. since I was my heaviest at my wedding. Then "Ta-Da" PREGNANT! Phew! haha this was a red light to the weight loss thoughts and a green light to eat WHATEVER I wanted! Throughout the pregnancy, Chip (my eating buddy) and I ate whenever and whatever we wanted!! Coldstone? SURE!!! Chick-fil-a everyday for lunch? WHY NOT?! WE'RE PREGNANT!! You're supposed to get huge! People expect it!.........47 POUNDS LATER, and only an 8 pound baby, I was stuck in size 18 pants...GULP!

After I was given the green light from my doctor to safely work out and diet after my c-section I hit the ground running! Mind you, I lost plenty of lbs. of fluids after giving birth, and I've been successfully breastfeeding since Kane was born so this too helps the weight loss process. But as of Sunday night I'm proud to announce that I'm back in my PRE-PREGNANCY PANTS!!!!!! This is a HUGE milestone for me, and I couldn't be happier!! Working out and eating those veggies is finally paying off! I've lost all 47 pounds in 15 weeks! Yes, I'm patting myself on the back right now, I know, but I still have 25 pounds left to go and I've gotta keep up the momentum! Thank you everyone for the words of encouragement. I must say, there's no way I could have done it without the support of Chip. He's been right there with me, encouraging me the whole way, EVEN in my size 18's and granny panties! hahaha

Here's some new pictures! Enjoy!

-C, A & K

Snow Day!!

2010-01-31T23:38:00.020-05:00

Here are some fun Snow Day pictures from this weekend! We've stayed in and enjoyed the cozy weather! But we couldn't help but sneak out for a few pictures of my little snow bunny!

In other news, I've become a Creative Memories Consultant! Soooooo, please let me know if you'd be interested in hosting a party. For those of you who don't know CM has come a long way over the past few years, especially with their digital scrapbooking! For more information check out my website!

Look at new products, get layout ideas, place an order, or see my crop schedule 24/7 at: www.mycmsite.com/ashleyschnabel
ORDER 24/7 from my website and have products delivered to YOUR door!
(Digital downloads can be downloaded right away with no shipping charge! All digital products come with FREE training links!)

-C, A & K

3 MONTHS OLD!!!

2010-01-26T01:00:00.016-05:00

It has been 3 amazing months with our little man. Watching him grow and experience new things each day is such a neat thing. Where he once just sat in his bouncy seat and looked around, he's now swatting at Mr. Hippo, and pulling the music cord on his own! His favorite thing right now is riding in the baby carrier on Chip's chest while Chip walks around the house. He loves to look out at the world!! He's now eating 5 ounces about every 3 1/2 hours. He's gotta be at least 10 pounds now, but we'll find out at our 4 month checkup on Feb. 26th. The other day for the first time HE GIGGLED!!! Chip and I freaked out! We were doing anything and everything to make him giggle again! I'm sure if someone saw/heard the crazy things/noises we were making they would have thought we were crazy, but we were loving it! Since he's been sleeping 8-10 hours every night since he was a month old, we thought it was time for him to "make the move". So last week we moved him from sleeping in the bassinet in our room to his crib. A little tough for me at first, but he wasn't phased! Into the crib he went, and we changed him from using our white noise applications on our phone to using his mobile hanging on the crib, he loves it! These are the most high tech. mobiles I've ever seen. Now-a-days they play music, rotate, and play a light show! No wonder he loves the thing!

In other news....Chip and I have been having a great time at our new Gym. Chip has been swimming in the wee hours of the morning and I will take classes 3 times a week. So far I've taken Zumba & Cardio Kickboxing, both of which I enjoyed a lot. Tomorrow I'm taking some step aerobic class, we'll see how that goes! We've completely changed our eating habits and I've been calorie counting with my handy dandy iPhone app. So far we have both lost 5 pounds, hopefully we keep up the pace all the way to the May 1st deadline!

Here are some pictures!!!

Taken at the park behind Cox High School

Sleepy boy!

Favorite Toy

That sweet face :)

It's like Where's Waldo! Where's Kane???

HERE I AM!!!

Already a remote hog!

-C, A & K

Maryland & Pennsylvania

2010-01-19T23:03:00.022-05:00

This weekend we had a great time visiting with Chip's family. Friday night after Chip's class we packed up the car and headed out of town for 4 days. Can I just say that one tiny little person, less than 10 pounds of person sure does require TONS of stuff! After spending the night at Beth's Friday night we woke up bright and early Saturday morning to head over the Bethlehem, PA where Chip's Grandmother "Grams" lives. At Gram's house were Beth's sister Sue, her husband Scott, Sue's kids Kristen & Scott, and Scott's family wife Aubry, son Isaac & Chip's brother Jamie. We got to visit with each other and enjoy some great meals. Also Beth brought the game "Catch Phrase" to play with everyone, it was a great time that I'm sure we'll be playing again next year. It was a great time and a great way to celebrate Gram's 91st Birthday! Sunday afternoon we hit the road back to Maryland where we enjoyed watching Jamie's Rec basketball game, the rest of the night and Monday too. Now we're back home tonight, and wiped out! Lots of driving, and Kane did great! It was nice to introduce him to everyone, and we'll be seeing all of them again at Peter and Mary's wedding on May 1st!

Here are some pictures of our weekend!

4 Generations, Grams, Beth, Aunt Sue, Kane & Me

Hi Aunt Sue!!

Kane's new sweater from his Cocoa, this one fits!!

Sleepy Puppy!

Uncle Jam & Kane's nap time, they slept for 2 hours!!

Scott, Isaac & Aunt Cilla

Isaac & Mr.Bear :) He's 2 years old!

Daddy & Puppy

Uncle Jam, Cocoa & Kane

Cocoa, Aunt Sue & Kane

Great-Grams, Cocoa & Kane

Chippy, Grams, Kane & I

The Whole Crew!

Kane and his Jordan's that Uncle Jam gave him!

Kane's picture next to Chip's baby picture! Wow

Jamie playing basketball at his game Sunday night

Neat pic we took of chip & Kane and the Willow Tree Character
I bought Chip for his Birthday : )

With Love,

C, A & K

10 weeks old! WOW!

2010-01-10T02:23:00.019-05:00

So Kane is now 10 weeks old, can you believe it?! That seems soo old to me! haha, well he's just growing everyday! He has been "talking" up a storm lately. He loves to sit in his bouncy seat and chat with his friends Mr. Hippo, Mr. Lion & even Mr. Monkey. His conversations consist of "Arrr Arr Arr??, "EEEaaaa Arr Arrr!" It's sooo funny to watch him interact with his "friends" he'll look at each of them individually and smile. Sometimes he's coy with them but then sometimes he just swats at them to get their attention. Then there are those times where their love relationship turns to hate and Kane just out of nowhere sends out this pitiful cry like someone has just pinched him for no reason and he has the sad lip (which BTW he's mastered). It's the saddest/cutest thing I've ever seen, moments later he's fine and back to bouncing! His new favorite things are his fuzzy football and a black & white circle rattle my cousin Lauren's daughter Kelsey gave him for Christmas!

This week was pretty tame. I got to visit with my friends Sarah and Katie at McCormick and Schmick's to go over our holiday stories. Also we had dinner at Katie's house with her husband Brandon and their two kids Elliot & Elaina. Elliot is 2 years old and Elaina 7 months and they are both too cute! Elliott loves his Thomas the Tank Engine (reminds me of Parker) and Elaina was decked out in smiles and adorable leggings with bronze Mary Jane's! Love it! We had a great dinner and it was nice to get together with a set of parents who are near our age.

Alrighty, just a heads up we will be traveling to Maryland and Pennsylvania next weekend to visit with Chip's Grandmother for her 91st Birthday! So for my devoted readers (hehe!) it's going to be a late blog week!! ; ) But I promise to make up for it in pictures!!

Her are some now to enjoy!

Tickle Time!!!

All my boys watching the Dallas game!

Buds!

Gift From Gummie!

Drolly the Lion, guarding the nursery :)
(This was Omi's Lion, sitting in the Bear Chair from her house
that us grandkids used to sit in when we visited her)

Having fun with the mobile

Kane's friends! By the way if you need a gift for a child 0-18
months get the one on the far right, called My Pal Scout made by
Leap Frog. Google it, it's soooo neat! It says "I Love you Kane!"

Mesmerized!

Such sweet Tootsies!!

Kane and his Godmother, my cousin Samantha!

Hi Sammy!!!

-C, A & K

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-05T01:41:00.015-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe a Happy New Year! Chip and I enjoyed spending time with his mom Monday-Wednesday last week. Then on New Year's Eve my parents and brother came over for Pizza and my parents brought their PJ's and we rang in the new year together! Kane and my Dad both fell asleep before midnight, but my Dad did wake up for the countdown, haha. On New Year's Day we swung by Gummie's for some black eyed peas for good luck and a photo shoot with her TWO great-grandchildren. After filling our bellies we drove to Williamsburg with my parents to meet some of the Big Chill where they were celebrating Kris's 50th Birthday! It was great to introduce Kane to some of the Big Chill, they just loved him! We had a great meal with everyone at the Whaling Company later on. We also celebrated our 1st Anniversary with some stale cake and Sushi! It's been an amazing 1st year, and many more memories to come!

Now that this new year has begun, Chip and I have started our new healthy lifestyle change! While it may be a bit much, I've committed to loose 35 pounds by my brother-in-law's wedding on May 1st! I'm determined to get back to my healthy weight, and hopefully in the next 4 months I'll be able to. I feel like we've done everything to prepare for this "change". I've bought gloves & ear muffs for the cold weather walking/jogging I plan to do. I've also found a gently used jogging stroller on Craig's List for when it gets a little warmer out so Kane can join in the fun! Chip gave me a pedometer for Christmas since they SWEAR by them on the Biggest Loser, which by the way is also apart of my weight loss preparation by watching the new season which premiers today 1/5. Among other things we've joined our local rec. center where Chip will be able to get back to swimming and I'll be able to take Zumba classes! We're both really excited about the working out portion of our "change" but it's the eating that we have issues with! We will see how it goes! Wish us luck!!!

Here are some pictures!!

-C, A & K

Our First Christmas & 2009 in Review

2009-12-29T23:48:00.028-05:00

So this Christmas was much different than any other we have ever had. Not only was this our first Christmas as a "married couple" but it was also "Baby's first Christmas". We were both very excited to do all of the fun holiday traditions with Kane and then, both Chip and I got sick. Chip became sick the Friday before Christmas with Bronchitis and I got sick with swine flu the Tuesday before Christmas, yes swine flu....As some of you have found out I've become a bit of a germ-a-phob since Kane was born. I have an internal freak out when someone coughs or sneezes around me and when you visit my house I have set up a hand washing station when you walk in the door to protect baby Kane from SWINE FLU! We were extremely picky as to where we took Kane and even avoided my families major Thanksgiving due to the amount of people since he was only 4 weeks. Well I felt that it would be safe to venture out last week since it was Christmas and he was 8 weeks old. Nope, Chip and I both got sick.....figures. However I will say that I fully believe that Kane did not get sick from either of us because I am breastfeeding. I exclusively pumped and Chip fed him bottles while I was sick and I know that's what kept him well. The breast is the best! hahaha, Well anyways my mom bought me a new breast pump for Christmas and it got plenty of use this past week. For those of you who aren't familiar with what's out there on the market for pumps, this is a picture of mine. It's a Medela, and It's amazing! While they're on the high end, their product is the best out there. It only takes 8 minutes for me to get an entire meal for little Kane.

Since Chip and I were both sick through the real Christmas Eve & Day we celebrated Christmas on Sunday and it was just as nice! We opened gifts at my parents house then went to Gummie's and did dinner and gifts there. We had such a great time enjoying Christmas with our family and our little baby boy! It's so fun to think of how he'll be next year opening all of his gifts! We are so grateful for our loving and generous families.

So I can't believe that 2009 is already coming to a close. This has been quite an eventful year in our little family, from our Wedding to the pregnancy and then baby Kane! Here are a few old pictures to recap 2009, and a few new pictures of Kane! I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year! Chip and I are very excited to be celebrating our 1 year Anniversary on Sunday!!!

Our 2009 in pictures!
...enjoy

With Love,

-C, A & K

New Baby!!!!!

2009-12-21T18:53:00.009-05:00

Hello all, **BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO DANA & JACK CORLEY** The happy couple welcomed their baby girl Madilyn Rose Corley on Sunday December 20th at 12:03pm. She came in at 6lbs. 3oz. 19 inches! My mom and I visited them at the hospital yesterday at 2pm and they were all happy as could be. Dana had a very smooth delivery and is feeling good today as well!

We had a good week. I finished my last minute Christmas shopping, but I still have wrapping to do. We also went to get Sushi at a small restaurant near Town Center that is our favorite with Chip's childhood friend Alli and her boyfriend Chris. This was Kane's 1st restaurant appearance and he did great! He just at in his car-seat looking all around, smiling, and sleeping! Poor Chippy has been very sick this week. He has bronchitis and has had a fever of 103-102 since Friday. Luckily he's starting to feel better today, but now I have a sore throat! But I guess that's just how it goes!

Yesterday, besides the great news of baby Madilyn, we had a great time at our church's Christmas Cantata & then at Aunt Janet's annual Christmas exchange. This was Kane's first debut at Church and everyone was soo happy to see him! I was a little nervous about all of the people, and all of the noise of the clapping/orchestra/50 choir members singing loudly.....but he slept through ALL OF IT! hahaha Not only is he sleeping 8 hours straight through the night, but loud noises don't bother him at all. This also came in handy at my Aunt Janet's house where we played games (tradition started by Aunt Kathy & Lynn Lynn) and were super loud and he just slept on Gummie's shoulder and didn't mind a bit. We were so glad our cousin Kevin was able to make it to dinner too. Kevin is my age and battling Cancer. He was in such happy spirits and was a true inspiration to everyone there without even realizing it.

Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope yall have a safe and Happy Holiday!

-C, A & K

Uncle Danny, Aunt Susan & Madilyn

SMILE TIME!!

Weekend in Maryland

2009-12-16T00:05:00.015-05:00

KANE IS SMILING!!! That was our major event this past week! It seems to be when Kane wakes up and just after a feeding, it melts my heart! He just looks up at you with that big toothless grin and you can't help but crack up! Needless to say we've had our camera attached to our hand to try to catch a smile.

Also on Friday we went to Maryland for the weekend to visit Beth and Peter, or as Kane will call them Cocoa & Peppy. Chip had spoken to Peter to arrange our visit, but we wanted to surprise Beth. We rang the doorbell and a SHOCKED Beth answered! It was a great surprise and we were able to spend time with Beth, Peter and the entire Gost family. Peter's mother Rita, and his children Jen, Carissa, Alli & Alex were all there to help decorate their house and get their tree ready for Christmas. Kane was welcomed into the family by all of them! Kane also got to meet Chips best friends Adam and Cito and Chip's second family, the Hard's. Maryland has met KANE!!!

....Enjoy the pictures! Kane and I had a little mini photo shoot with my iPhone! haha, so you'll get to see all his funny/silly/angry faces! He knows how to work the camera already! :)

-C, A & K

Chip's Birthday Week!

2009-12-05T21:39:00.021-05:00

This week was calm here at the Schnabel household. We've successfully decorated the house for Christmas, despite our tree falling down once while Chip was at class! We got the cutest stockings from JC Penney with our names on them!

Tuesday was Chip's 26th Birthday. At his request we got Sushi from our favorite restaurant in Town Center, Sakura. Then Friday night we went to see A Christmas Carol at the Va Aquarium in 3D IMAX which was awesome! Jim Carrey was great in all his roles. However this sweet Charles Dickens story is sure to scare the dickens out of young children! (haha I couldn't help it!) The Ghosts were pretty weird and scary, not a kid friendly movie. Also if you get motion sick, 3D is not for you! There are many scenes where they quickly fly above the town darting through the buildings, I wanted to barf!! Afterward we had dinner at Bravo which is one of our top fav's! It was nice to have our date night with Kane having a photo-shoot at the house with my parents! haha, we came home to view the MANY pictures they had taken of him, and the addition of more Christmas lights, garland, poinsettia, ornaments, etc. My mom, the decorating tornado, blew through the house! haha, it all looked great!

We also ventured to the mall for the first time Friday afternoon to have our Family Christmas Card taken by the Picture People. Needless to say, Kane was a little on the fussy side, which isn't his normal temperament. We think he, like Chip and I, was hot in his clothes under those lights! We had lots of tummy time this week! Kane neck strength is really getting good! He can keep his neck up longer and longer everyday!

Please enjoy the NEW pictures!...Miss Julie!!!! ; )

**SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to my cousin Melissa Tatman and her husband Matt who have announced that they are 3 months pregnant with TWINS!!!! We're sooo happy for them and their special news! Humm, that sounds like July babies to me, and who doesn't love a July baby ; ) haha**

2009 Christmas Card

Thanks for taking our pictures Sarah!

He was starring down Mr. Hippo!

We love tummy time!!

Waving to the camera!

I think Kane looks like Parker in this picture, when he was little.

Proud Big Sister & Brother

Misha and Tank have been much more cuddly with each
other since we can't cuddle with them as much anymore

Having fun with the camera one night before bedtime!
(I promise I have a tank-top on! haha)

Such a little guy on such a big bed!

Waking up from a nap with Daddy

Kane LOVES to watch General Hospital with Mamma!

-C, A & K

Gobble Gobble rhymes with Schnabel

2009-11-27T23:58:00.009-05:00

Well I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, we sure did! We had Chip's family down and we had a beautiful spread cooked for us by Beth and Chip! Turns out they accidentally cooked the Turkey upside down and it turned out to be soooo juicy and moist, it was the best accident ever! haha All of the Thanksgiving staples were there and we used our beautiful wedding champagne flutes to toast Kane's first Thanksgiving. We're now in the process of putting our house back together from having our guests, and getting our Christmas decorations down for the weekend. Also don't forget to send your birthday wishes to my wonderful husband! Chip's birthday is December 1st, and is turning 26! We have plans for our first date night, without Kane. We will be having dinner at the ocean front then heading over to the Virginia Aquarium to see The Christmas Carol in 3D IMAX, very excited! My mom very eagerly accepted the babysitting duties for the night :) Here are some fun pictures from the week! Enjoy!!

-C, A & K

Let the Thanksgiving Festivities Begin!

2009-11-21T00:29:00.017-05:00

Hello everyone! So a quick update along with more pictures! Kane had a weight check this week to make sure he was gaining weight properly since we're nursing. He is now 8lbs 7.5oz. so all is well! We had our first outing this week, and we went to Kohl's! We took him on Wednesday afternoon for a "test run" to see how he took to being in his car seat in the stroller, and he was great, slept the whole time. I wanted to go during a time when very few people would be there for both reasons of how he would handle it and for germ purposes. We will be taking baby steps as to when and where we go out during these cold weather & flu months. Also Chip's brother Jamie and Peter, and his fiance Mary came into town to spend the week with us to celebrate Thanksgiving! We're so glad they're going to be spending this time with us and getting to know Kane along the way. Jamie and Peter will be well versed in all things "baby" once they leave after this week! It's sooo cute to see Chip teaching them things when he just learned himself, he's such a good Dad. :) Please enjoy the pictures, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE, BE SAFE!

-C, A & K

Weeeeeee're Baaaaaaaack!

2009-11-11T17:47:00.015-05:00

Hello all! I'm very sorry to those of you who don't have Facebook as I've been keeping that updated with pictures :( and have sadly neglected the blog...but were back! Here are some fun facts on how Kane's doing and how we're doing too! Starting next week, I will be posting a Kane blog update each Friday at some point, they may be brief or just pics sometimes, but I'm sure once we have a routine it'll be a bit easier to find time :)

Kane:

Breastfeeding is going GREAT! He's eating every 3-4 hours, 15-20 minutes both sides
About 12 diapers a day
Very gasey at night, Mylicon drops are our hero! For those of you who don't know, they're drops to eliminate gas, and work like a charm, google it! :)
Poopie diapers are his favorite! He likes to make them right after you've put a fresh one on him!
Loves Skin to Skin cuddle time
Already a heart-breaker :)
Hates baths
Sleeps like an Albertson, we have to wake him up to eat at night (only for a little longer though to gain weight since he's breastfeeding).
Recognizes the Beatles music that I played with head phones on my belly while pregnant

Chip:

So happy to be a dad finally
Loves blowing air on Kane's belly
During the middle of the night wakes up to change Kane's diaper while I get ready to breastfeed
Is a pro at burping
Official bath giver, especially while I'm unable to with my incision
Is dealing with all my hormonal changes great
Loves Kane & Tank cuddle time
Love when Kane falls asleep on his chest

Misha & Tank:

Were so glad to have mom home finally
Were very confused the night Kane was introduced to them
Realized that Kane wasn't leaving after about 4 hours
Kane's official babysitters
They are very concerned when he cries, they look at me like "Ummm, Mom, is he ok?"
Sniff his head once in the morning and once at night
When visitors come they seem to be very protective of Kane
They are now the three amigos!

ME!:

Crazy hormones
Hot flashes & Cold Flashes
From delivery to about 2 weeks postpartum, uncontrollable crying! Ask my mom, ask Chip, or Chip's mom the things I cried over. They varied from the pampers commercial to sending text messages that I got emotional over
Feeling of being ugly as sin, but thankfully a few highlights perked up my spirits, thanks mom! ; )
Slowing healing with my incision. I'm down to almost no pain medicine. I'm not taking the harsh stuff they gave me in the hospital, it was making me way too dizzy, so they gave me a non-narcotic medicine.
Trying to take it easy, sometimes I over due it, and then I REALLY feel the consequences
Love smelling my little baby! I told Chip, "This is the first baby I get to smell whenever I want, and I don't have to give him back!!"
Singing to him and rocking him to sleep, favorites right now are You are my sunshine, Edelweiss, Kay sera sera, & Silent Night!
Really enjoying breastfeeding. A connection that you can't describe or understand unless you do it since my mom expressed the same to me and I just didn't get it until now :)
Becoming a morning person. When you have that sweet little face to wake up to, mornings become much better!
Found a new appreciation for all mothers, especially my own :)
Love finally being a Mom!

ENJOY THE PICTURES!!

With Love,

C, A & K

40w5d--Kane's Birthday!!!

2009-10-27T10:34:00.013-04:00

Hello Everyone! Kane has finally arrived!!! If you haven't already heard from friends, family or Facebook, here are the stats. Born October 26th, 2009 at 9:38pm. He was 21 inches long, 8 pounds 4 ounces. He's got some blond hair on his tiny little head and blue eyes! So here's our birth story, brace yourself it's a long one! By the way, let me apologize to those who have been checking the blog, only to find no recent updates :( I thought for sure I'd be able to update sooner, but between the pain killers and my sweet little boy, Ive been delayed :)

THE BIRTH STORY:

I was up Monday morning around 5am with strong contractions. I tried to change my position as well as go from the bed to the couch to see if they would die down. More time passed and I began to time these killer contractions and they were VERY consistent, about 4 minutes apart. I was very upset and crying because as most of you know, i've had some false alarms, 3 to be exact. I told Chip "If these people don't keep me, in all this pain, PAST DUE, I'M GUNNA HURT SOMEONE!!!!" Chip calmed me down and we were off to the hospital and checked into a room by 11:30am.

Our nurse checked my cervix, and much to my dismay I was STILL only 2cm. Lucky for us our Dr. was delivering a baby when I came in, so we were able to wait 2 hours till she was able to check us, which gave me that extra time to make progress. Finally at 2pm Dr. Wright came in to check me and I had progressed to 3cm! This was my ticket to FINALLY BEING ADMITTED TO HAVE A BABY!!!!! These words were music to my ears, they weren't sending me home, I was having my baby THAT day...wow...reality sets in! Dr. Wright wasted no time in breaking my water to get the ball rolling, and BOY did it! Breaking my water felt so great, it released TONS of pressure, but it was quite odd to have this "peeing" sensation for a few hours! You'll find that I say this a few times during our "birth story", I had many weird first times to experience! Over the next 6 hours I labored up to 4 cm, this not only took FOREVER, but they were concerned about how my contractions were showing up on the monitors that they kept coming in to adjust the sensor on my belly because they felt like it wasn't reading my contractions correctly. I told the nurses how the contractions were concentrated in my lower back which was AWFUL, but may also be a reason they weren't reading correctly. Then the bottom fell out, I had what the Dr. said was refereed to as a "Titanic Contraction". Now a typical contraction at its strongest usually lasts between 50 sec to 1 minute and 30 seconds. A Titanic contraction can last anywhere from 2-5 minutes LONG! Holy Crap this was absolutely the worst. I could totally deal with a minute long contraction, but once I was hitting the 2 minute mark and beyond I was crying like a baby and begging Chip to put me out of my misery! During those six hours I was able to have some I.V. pain medicine, they gave me 2 doses of Nubain which were great! haha, Chip said I looked VERY happy! But around 7:30 Dr. Wright came to talk to me about my contractions. I was having a 3 minute one followed by a 25 second one. This was a problem since it wasn't progressing in dilation, and to help progress me they would need to give me Pitocin. Also during these Titanic contractions Kane's heart rate would drop after about 1 minute and 30 seconds into it so they couldn't risk making them last any longer than they already were. This is when we had "The Talk".

"The C-Section Talk" was a very easy one I thought. She explained how Kane was distressing through those rough contractions and they didn't want him at risk. I absolutely agreed with her that OF COURSE we would be doing ANYTHING that would keep him out of harms way. She suggested that we go ahead with the C-Section rather than labor any further. With that the epidural was ordered! 20 minutes later the anesthesiologist came, and thank goodness because I had hit my pain threshold BIG TIME. The epidural was easy to get, and it felt soooo weird! It was like someone was pouring a bucket of ice cold water down my back! It took about 20 minutes for the epidural to take effect, again, another weird sensation with lack of feeling in my legs! Then once it was in effect they put in my catheter in....sooooo weird to see a pee bag dangling on the side of my bed knowing that at any moment I could just be peeing and not know it! haha By that time, all we needed to do was wait for the next C-section to clear the O.R. and it was go time!!

I had a few visitors just before I went in for the operation. My Mom, Dad and brother were all there rooting me on along with Chips Mom & brother Jamie. Also our preacher Jonathan and his wife Eileen made it just in time to say "Good Luck" to me! My Uncle Danny & Aunt Susan, and dear friends Amanda & Christina were there to help calm the nerves of the first time grandparents that were surely pacing the floor in anticipation! It was great to have all of these close people to us by our side during one of the most exciting times in our lives. Chip and I also could feel the overwhelming support of our friends and family who were rooting us on from a distance. Tons of e-mails, text messages, voice-mails, and Facebook comments were pouring in during the time of Labor and Delivery and it was so great to feel that love and support.

Shortly after 9:00 p.m. they wheeled me into the operating room, and I waved "See you soon!!" to all of my visitors. IT WAS GO TIME!!! The nurses prepped me for surgery, while Chip anxiously waited in his "HAZMAT" suit back in my room. Dr. Wright and the anesthesiologist were great at explaining what was going to happen and exactly what to expect. Lying on the operating table was pretty funny. I was in this room with about 7-8 people all running around manning their posts, and there I was BUTT NAKED lying on this table in the shape of a cross. There was a blanket covering my chest and arms, but it was just odd that my entire body chest down was completely numb! The Dr.s pinched me all over asking "Can you feel this?" about 20 different times, which was very reassuring to me! I was about 20 minutes to prep, then they began to cut. 10 minutes into the cutting, they called Chip in. I was told later on that Chip was freaking out waiting to be called in. He didn't realize it would take that long to prep and poor Chippy thought they had started without him and he had missed the birth :( aww he's soo sweet! I felt tons of pressure and I swear it felt like they were digging around in my rib cage! I was crying the entire time, I was so eager I meet my little man, my child, it was just sooo crazy to think about becoming a parent. After what seemed like tons of tugging and pulling I heard what felt like the best music to my ears, the first cry........

KANE PARKER SCHNABEL: Born October 26th, 2009 at 9:38pm 21 inches 8 pounds 4 ounces

40w2d--Check up--Schedule Induction

2009-10-23T23:46:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone! So this morning Chip and I went to our appointment all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Why you may ask?? Well being the eternal optimist that I am, I thought there maybe a chance that the Dr. would say "Ya know what Mrs. Schnabel, you've been pregnant Loooooong enough, head nextdoor to the hospital, we're inducing you TODAY!".....yeah right.....But just in case, Chip and I cleaned the house top to bottom last night, and I made lists of everything "last minute" that I would need in the hospital because I knew for sure that I'd be going to the hospital and Chip could run home and get our things and come back to join me....Well none of that happened. Here's what DID happen.

We got to the office around 10am to be taken right back for a sonogram. They scheduled this to check the amniotic fluid levels to make sure there was plenty for him. Fluid levels were great! The sonogram tech. was very vocal about what was on the screen, which is nice since not all tech.'s are as friendly and willing to educate you on what you're looking at. It was great to see him again since we hadn't had a sonogram since 20 weeks! When she got to his face, she switched it from a regular sonogram to the 3D which was an awesome surprise! Of course being my child, he was stubborn and uncooperative! She kept the 3D on for about a minute, hoping that he'd move his hands from his face, but no such luck :( Oh well, soon enough we'll see that face in person!

Next we went into one of the rooms to have the Non Stress Test. The point of the test is to get the babies heart-rate for about 20 minutes straight, measuring it's rise and fall in pattern form as it compares to his own movement and my contractions. This may sound easy, but when you've just had Chick-fil-a sweet tea, baby tends to be a little on the active side, and when he moves, the monitor drops his heart rate if it's not in the perfect place to pick it up! So for about a half hour I was busy chasing his heart rate all over my HUGE belly, getting that nasty gel everywhere, yelling at Chip saying "This is your fault, tell your child to sit still!!" haha! Well anyways, even though the patterns weren't as cohesive as they typically like, they could clearly tell that this past due baby was having no troubles with lack in movement!

Next Dr. Wright checked my cervix, which was still the same 2cm and 60-75% effaced. She said since I was already contracting and had some progress that most likely the induction would just be them breaking my water, thinking Pitocin would not be needed, but we shall see! She said most likely I'd have an induction scheduled between Wednesday & Friday of next week...WHAT?!!? This upset me since just on Monday, the other doctor told us that I'd be delivered BY WEDNESDAY....Oh well, what can you do now, it was up to the Surgery Scheduler, and off to her we went. She called us in her office, we sat, she picked up the phone and spoke to the L&D desk and said "I'm scheduling Mrs. Schnabel for an induction on Thursday 10/29 at 7:30am." Apparently there was to be no conversation with this woman on "Well what's a good day for you guys??!" hahaha Of course I thought that we'd have some sort of say in the matter, but, wrong again! We were handed a list of what to do on induction morning such as calling L&D to make sure the bed that was reserved for me was still available, and if it wasn't, every hour we'd have to keep calling back to check in. So that's all folks! We have our induction scheduled for Thursday the 29th, at which time I'll be 41w1d. Hopefully we will go into labor before then....but at this point, I'm not holding my breath! :)

Sincerely,

Painfully Pregnant!

40 weeks--Due Date--10.21.09

2009-10-21T00:31:00.003-04:00

~The Over Due Blues~

Dear Baby Boy, it's time you come out.
You have us tossing and turning, you're all we can think about.

At eight weeks along we knew a certain test needed to be taken,
Signs of nausea and dizziness I'd turn green from the smell of bacon.

Fifteen weeks came with surprising shock and joy,
The ultrasound proved we'd soon have a "big ol' boy!"

Twenty-eight weeks along, with so many Braxton-Hicks,
No matter the time of day you were active with punches and kicks.

Thirty-eight weeks and doctor's appointments galore,
With no progress each time, they were disappointing, such a bore.

False alarms here and there. Is it time? How do we know?
Better to be safe then sorry, to the hospital we go!

Aches and pains getting worse with each passing day,
None of the Wives-tales have worked, no matter what people say!!!

Nine months have gone, you're time is past due,
All systems go, we're ready to meet you!!

-Love Mommy & Daddy

39 week Appt.--Another False Alarm--Due in 2 days

2009-10-19T23:31:00.002-04:00

So I had another false alarm on Saturday. I was having constant contractions that wouldn't allow me to sleep Friday night so Saturday morning at 7, Chip and I made another trip to Labor & Delivery. Once we got there we were given a very bratty nurse, lucky for us the contractions died down and we were able to leave since there was still no progress, still 2cm 75% effaced. It would have been quite a bad situation if we would have been stuck with that woman!

We had a great weekend with Chip's Mom, brother Peter and his fiance Mary. We were hoping we'd have a baby to introduce to them by now, but Kane had other plans! It was nice to be able to spend one last quiet weekend with them though before the baby rocks our world! They will all be back to celebrate Thanksgiving with us.

Chip and I went in for our 39 week appointment today. We met Dr. Bell for the first time and we liked him a lot. So far we've met 5 of the 6 doctors that I could have for the delivery and for the most part I'd be happy with any of them, which I feel is pretty good. Since I had my cervix checked on Saturday I requested that they not check me again today, it's very uncomfortable and I'd just rather not deal with the cramps and bleeding for the rest of the day on top of the normal pregnancy pains! He listened to the heart beat which was strong, and then we went to talk in his office. He said that once we go over due they monitor more closely since you become higher risk. They scheduled us for a Non-stress Test as well as an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid on Friday at 10am. Dr. Bell said he hoped to see me in the hospital before Friday, but if not we would have the appointment at the end of the week, and at that point they would schedule my induction for sometime next week. Well that's all folks! So I'm now officially at "Ticking Time Bomb" status. If you don't see an update during the week you can safely assume that you'll get one on Friday. We'll have our computer in the hospital either way since they have free Wi-Fi, so I'll be updating as we know more! **PRAY MY WATER BREAKS!!!!**

39 weeks, OHHHH 39 weeks

2009-10-14T01:51:00.003-04:00

Doctor's appointment on Monday, will update then! Pray for Progress!!!

38 weeks--Weekly Appt. & Pictures!

2009-10-09T22:41:00.009-04:00

38 Week Check-up!

This afternoon Chip and I went in for our weekly visit. This was the first time we actually didn't have to wait at all which was very exciting! HaHa, it's the little things! I hit a milestone today....I knew it was coming.....but it's now officially here....What you might ask?? Well it all started when the nurse uttered 4 simple words that cut me like knives.....LETS GET YOUR WEIGHT!!!!! I stepped on the scale the lower notch was set at 150, then she gently flicked the top notch, then some more, then some more......ugh.....kill me now....I closed one eye tightly and just said "Just do it, just move it!" The nurse nicely smiled at me and it was like in slow motion, she reached for the bottom notch and kerplunk, she moved the notch to 200 pounds. No need to move the top notch, I've hit the mark, 200 lbs. even, for those of you wondering, that is a total weight gain of 41 lbs. for the entire pregnancy. While this number bothers me, it doesn't bother my doctor. Kane is growing right on target and both his and my health have been perfect throughout the 9 months knock on wood.

In other news, they did another internal exam, and I'm now 2cm dilated and 75% effaced (Effacement is the thinning of the cervix, while dilation is the widening of the cervix). I had mentioned to Dr. George that he wasn't moving as much as he usually did so she hooked me up to the Non-Stress Test machine where they have me sit in a recliner and monitor the fetal heart rate along with my contractions. This was very similar to what they did in the hospital except every time I felt Kane move I pressed a button, like the little button that contestants press on Jeopardy! They monitored me for about 30 minutes and said everything looked fine! My next appointment will be Monday October 19th (I don't have an appt. next week since they're going through a major computer shift and have limited hours and are completely booked)....I will be 39 weeks & 5 days, this is when we will discuss, dun dun duuuuunn INDUCTIONS! Dr. George explained to me today that they would like all of their patients to be delivered by 41 weeks, so this means we're almost 99% sure we'll have this baby before Halloween, unless there are scheduling conflicts that take me slightly over that 41 weeks mark. But lets cross our fingers for no induction!!

After the appointment, we went to pick out some pumpkins for our flower bed! Also we took our infant carrier & base to the local fire station to make sure Chip had installed it correctly and it was just fine! The firefighters were impressed that Chip had the base installed perfectly, since some parents come to the station with the seat in the box still!! He's winning the Greatest Dad Award already!

Here are some updated pictures. My 38 week bump picture with the pumpkins & Tank! Also updated nursery pictures, all set and ready for Kane! You'll notice that by his amount of clothing he takes after me already :) Also there's a picture of Chip holding the swaddled bunny we've been carrying around the house in an attempt to prepare the dogs for Kane's arrival!

***As a side note: If you know someone with a newborn, someone expecting a baby, or someone caring for a baby like a grandparent, listen closely! Chip and I were given the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp, by my cousin Jenny. I've been reading the book, and last week Chip and I checked out the DVD that goes with it from the library. The DVD was amazing! It's for soothing crying babies, with the 5 S's method: Swaddle, Side, Shushing, Swing, & Suck. The book/DVD goes into how you should view the 1st 3 months of the babies life as the "4th trimester" where the baby needs to have the securities of the womb still. Also along with the instinct to cry and suck, they've realized that baby also has the instinct to sooth, and the 5 S's help you find that "soothing sweet spot". Anyways if you don't believe me, or think it's crazy talk, or better yet, if you know or have known a baby with "Colic" check this quick 30 min. DVD out from the library and see for yourself!!***

**By the way...For all of those interested, we've tried ALL of the wives tales to induce labor...as you can tell, no baby yet!**

37 weeks.....Ugh.....False Alarm & Weekly Appt.

2009-10-03T03:11:00.003-04:00

Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to starrrrrt!!!!! Sorry I was channeling Fraulein Maria for a moment!

FALSE ALARM:

Tuesday at 10pm Contractions begin. Finally I fell asleep around 4am. Wednesday was a smooth day, a few contractions throughout the day, nothing too bad. Couldn't fall asleep Wednesday night. Thursday morning around 3am, still awake and starting to have contractions. Chip suggests that I start to time them with my handy dandy iPhone that has an application on it that records the contraction so I can track the duration and length between them. We started to time contractions at 4am. They were 5-3 minutes apart and were lasting from 50 seconds to a minute and 15 seconds. I called the Dr. and they had a recorded message that instructed you to go to the hospital if you were having these EXACT symptoms.

Once my bag was packed (had already started collecting things over the past few weeks) and we had both showered we were off to the hospital! We got there around 8:30am Thursday morning and they got me into a room up in Labor & Delivery. Blood Pressure cuff, check, Kane's heart rate monitor, check, my contraction monitor, check! I was in my little smock and all hooked up! They examined me and I was still 1cm dilated from last week's appointment!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!??! I'VE BEEN CONTRACTING SINCE 3AM AND I'M ONLY 1CM......deep breath in....out.....don't be upset with the nurse......all better. They asked me a million questions and told me they would monitor my contractions for 2 hours, and then reexamine me to see if there was any progression. 2 hours goes by, Chip and I watched the Today Show and who wants to be a millionaire. They came back to examine me....and whatdaya know.....STILL 1CM.......Defeated I crawl back into my clothes, since the last internal exam hurt like crap! I swear some internals are fine, others you feel like they are reaching inside there to grab onto your nostrils!! They said that you can be in "latent" labor, contracting at a regular pace but it have no effect on your cervix, for days! This lovely tid-bit of information made me sooooo happy. ::note sarcasm:: Feeling silly, they wheeled me downstairs, with a Vera Bradley in my lap, not baby Kane, and sent me on my way waving "See you soon!!".............

37 WEEK APPOINTMENT:

Chip and I went in on Friday at 2:30 to meet with Dr. Ruetzel for our weekly appointment. We discussed my Group B Strep results which I came up negative for, yay, just one more thing not to worry about at delivery time. We also discussed Flu and Swine Flu. They gave me the seasonal flu shot, and will give me the swine flu shot once it becomes available whether I've gone into labor yet or not. Since I was given 2 internal exams at the hospital they did not do another one, which I had mixed feelings on. On one hand I wanted to see if I had progressed ANY from the day prior. But on the other hand, I'm pretty sure there would have been no progression, and there's just this "disappointed funk" that you go into once the internal exams start, and you're continually told, "Well looks like we'll see you next week. He sure is cozy in there!". So the Dr. tells us, "I could care less if you're dilated or not, the baby will come when he's ready. All I care about is if he's head down or not." And since he is head down, no internal exam. We listened to the heartbeat, took my BP, all was well, they sent us on our way!

Chip begins his work with the Navy Reserves tomorrow morning...well actually this morning...I'm up right now, contracting & blogging to try to tire my eyes and fall asleep. Until then, I'm drinking a Canada Dry watching The 1st Wives Club! Until next time, see you next Friday. OH! I almost forgot, Sunday 10/4 is a Full Moon, we all know what that means!!! PRAY FOR DILATION!!!!!

36w Bump Picture

2009-09-26T00:28:00.003-04:00

36 weeks--Weekly Doctors Appointment

2009-09-25T22:59:00.007-04:00

We had our doctors appointment this afternoon, it was supposed to be at 3:45 but because of the weather & the multiple car accidents, we got there at 4. They did my Group B Strep test, and my first internal exam. Group B Strep is simply a bacteria that 10-30% of pregnant women carry. If you have the bacteria you're given antibiotics once you go into labor as not to pass it to the baby since it can cause serious health problems in the newborn. The doctor reported that the baby was in the head down position, and that I was dilated 1cm. So no "real" progress, but I guess 1cm is better than nothing! Just as I was getting up from the exam, I turned white as a sheep and laid right back down, I passed out! The doctor said that this was a common reaction to internal exams, something about the combination of the weight of the uterus and the pressure that they put on the cervix during the exam. Anyway, I felt pretty stupid!! They checked my blood pressure again, and everything was fine in 5 minutes. The whole time we were there Kane had the hiccups, it didn't even faze him! He's measuring right on target for 36 weeks, and still the strong heartbeat. I've been having contractions everyday for the past 2 weeks, about 2 an hour and about 45 seconds duration, but nothing consistent. I figure I'll have plenty of practice with them by the time I go into labor! Alright, that's all for now. I'll be updating the blog every Friday night now since each Friday afternoon is when I have my appointments from now until delivery!

35 week Recap!

2009-09-22T00:44:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I said I was going to update on Sunday, but the Primetime Emmy's were calling my name...very funny this year! Anywho, on to the recap!

Meet with the Pediatrician:
Wednesday afternoon Chip and I met with our soon to be pediatrician Mrs. Dr. Wiley with the Pediatric Diagnostic Center with CHKD. We found this group through our recommended list from the hospital. Their office is very close to our house, only about 2 miles actually, on Concert Dr. in front of the Va Beach Amphitheater. The building is brand new right behind Landstown High School. Since it's on Concert Drive, the entire building is decorated with music notes and lots of other musical decor.

We came prepared with a list of questions for Dr. Wiley and she was happy to sooth our new parent concerns. We were happy to see that they had separate sick & well child waiting areas. Also their office has same day sick appointments & Saturday sick appointments as well. We learned all about Kane's vaccination schedule, goodness there are so many, I had no clue. I also informed her that I was planning on breast feeding. They provide a Lactation consultant on staff to help out first time moms get through the tough times which was great to hear. All in all we really liked Dr. Wiley's personality, she didn't speak down to us, and also stressed the importance that we felt comfortable with her.

Final Birthing Class:
It was sad to say goodbye to our instructor Laurie, but Thursday night was our last birthing class, six weeks sure flew by! We covered what happens once baby is born: Vitamin K shot (stimulates blood clotting), apgar score at 1 minute and 5 minutes of life (a 1-10 score based on heart rate, how quickly baby "pinks up", breathing, reflex, & muscle tone) hearing screening, Hepatitis B shot, &.......CIRCUMCISION!!!

OHHH the circumcision topic.....Chip was cringing since they went into detail as to what the procedure entailed. Here's how it went, please envision Chip's face becoming increasingly scrunched up by the moment. Laurie explained, "So the pediatrician on call will take the baby boys born the previous day back to the nursery together. They will give them pacifiers dipped in what is like a sugar water to keep him content. Then they will tightly swaddle their upper bodies so their arms don't flail about. They then strap his little legs down to the board, he's snug as a bug! The Dr. will then inject his little pee pee with a local anesthetic, and SWOOP they will slice away the foreskin!" All of the dad's jaws were to the floor! She quickly added "Oh and dad's you'll be happy to know that your little boy's penis will be numb, but this is a practice that has only started to take place in the last 5 years, you all weren't as lucky!" Birthing class, $65. 9 months of pregnancy, tough work. Seeing 11 soon-to-be-dads faces when the instructor said "SWOOP they will slice away the foreskin!" PRICELESS.

Breast Feeding Class:
Saturday morning I picked up my cousin Dana and we went together to the free breast feeding (or BFing) class offered at Obici out in Suffolk (looks like a Hotel inside, not a hospital). We got some great information on common misconceptions of BFing, and typical stumbling blocks that most women face, and how to overcome them. Here's a little fun fact: Did you know that a baby's stomach at 1 day old is only the size of a small marble, and at 10 days the size of a ping pong ball. We were able to practice doing the proper holds for baby while BFing. Unfortunately we had to use these HUGE cabbage-patch babies whose heads were triple the size of a normal baby! Over all I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what to do, and what not to do. I really hope the BFing works out, and I'm able to do it as long as possible. I feel like with the benefits to myself, Kane & my pocketbook that BFing offers that I'd be crazy not to! Fun Fact: Did you know that the average family will save upwards of $1,500 BFing rather than formula feeding in the 1st year. ::Cha Ching::

Deep Creek Baby Shower:
Sunday morning before the shower I was meeting my mom for breakfast at her favorite, Frank's Truck Stop. Much to my surprise our close friends Julie, Elizabeth, & Kathryn from Roanoke had come to surprise me! It was so great to see them. We all had breakfast together and got to catch up on girl talk.

Around 1:30 we all headed up to our church where Ms. Susie & Ms. Rhonda were setting up my Micky Mouse themed shower! Everyone began to trickle in around 2. Family, friends, church family, everyone was there! We all sat in a circle where I opened gifts. Everyone snacked on the food, ate the yummy cake that my aunt Susan brought (Chip and I are still eating it!!) and visited with one another. I was great to finally meet my new little cousins Kelsey (3mos.) & Robbie (5mos.) they're already getting sooo big!! Thanks to everyone who loves us so much, we got great gifts and little Kane will be the most styling newborn ever with his new outfits...especially the Halloween costumes! :) Last night and today Chip and I have been going through everything, snipping TINY plastic tags, unwrapping & removing tape, doing loads upon loads of baby clothes, sheets & blankets, then finding a place for everything in the nursery! Chip has taken on the true Daddy task of putting everything together. I thought the Pack N' Play was going to get the best of him, but NO, he finally got it set up and did sort of a "victory end zone dance"! We are OFFICIALLY READY FOR KANE!!!

First internal exam on Friday. Appointments every week from now on!

35 weeks....

2009-09-16T00:06:00.003-04:00

WE'RE OFFICIALLY 35 WEEKS PREGNANT WITH ONLY 35 DAYS LEFT UNTIL OUR DUE DATE!!

I'll be updating on Sunday night, we've got a busy week ahead.

Wednesday- Meeting with our Pediatrician
Thursday- Final Birthing class
Saturday- Sentara Breastfeeding class with Dana
Sunday- Local family & friends Baby Shower

34 weeks--Jam packed week!

2009-09-14T02:04:00.007-04:00

Week 34 was quite an eventful one! We had out 5th Birthing class, our 34 week check up with the OB, and our shower in Maryland, I shall start from the beginning!

5th Class-- C-Sections:

This was a very interesting class since we were able to hear first hand from a couple who just had a C-Section 2 months ago. While I already knew plenty about C-Sections from my mom, it was good to hear from someone who had just gone through it. It was interesting to find out that 30% of pregnancies are delivered by c-section, most of those being failed inductions. All in all, it was very informative and we enjoyed seeing her new baby boy. Hopefully a c-section will not be in my future, fingers crossed!

34 week Dr. Appointment:

This weeks appointment went smoothly. It was pretty much same ol' routine, weight (sigh), measuring my belly from pubic bone to the top of my uterus which happens to be directly under my boobs at this point & doppler to hear the heart beat. Everything checked out to be good and on target! We went on to the Q&A portion of the appointment which is Chip's favorite! Since I've been quite absent minded during the pregnancy Chip has been right there to pick up the slack with my brain, he always has plenty of questions for the doctor, while I tend to draw a blank. Good news is, at this point if I go into labor the Dr. won't be taking any artificial measures to stop labor, we'll just have a baby!

Maryland Baby Shower:

This weekend, Chip and I drove up to Gaithersburg for the shower that his mother was hosting for us. We arrived late late around 1:15am Friday night, well technically Saturday morning. The shower was from 2-4 Saturday afternoon, and everything was perfect! I was able to meet all of Beth's good school friends, and also see the women who came to the wedding who were good friends of Chip's family growing up. Chip's brother Peter & Mary, were able to make the trek from South Carolina to be with us, which was a huge surprise! We had a nice intimate shower at Beth's house with great food and fun games. Beth knitted us a BEAUTIFUL blanket for Kane, which is sure to become "The Blankie". Later on we all went out to dinner, a great ending to a great day.

The answer to everyone's burning question: "How are you feeling?"

I have bad heartburn...have never, ever had that.....HELLO TUMS!
Sore Tummy...being kicked so hard leaves me quite sore these days
Shortness of breath
Bruised Ribs from little feet
Contractions, none consistent yet but boy are they getting me ready

33 weeks--4th Class

2009-09-04T19:32:00.008-04:00

Not too much to report this week. We had our 4th birthing class last night. We learned about how the epidural works (yay, sign me up!) and also other medication options that women may want other than the epidural. We also learned more about the use of foreceps & vacuum assistance which totally freaks Chip and myself out. HOWEVER, the new vacuum that is used is completely not what we expected, and TOTALLY different than what has been used in the past.

Here are the pictures of the old and new vacuums.
As You can see, the one on top really cones around the baby's head, while the new one on the bottom is flat and just creates a quick seal. The old one involved a nurse and doctor's combined use, while the new one is a hand held pump that only the doctor needs to use. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised to see that if a vacuum was needed during our delivery that it wasn't so invasive like we thought.

Here are some fun facts about what baby Kane is up to during week 33:

The baby is now 4.4 pounds and around 17.5 inches in length.
The diameter of the head is about 8.5cm.
The baby fuzz, lanugo, is disappearing.
Your baby drinks about a pint of amniotic fluid a day.
You may gain a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy.
Half of your weight gain will go directly to your baby.

Thought this was funny!

2009-08-31T23:14:00.000-04:00

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit." ~ Anonymous

HAHAHAHA :)

32 weeks- 3rd Class & Glucose Test

2009-08-28T17:49:00.004-04:00

Last night we had our 3rd Birthing Class. Things seem to be progressing very well, and we worked on comfort techniques. One of the methods we worked on was to get our mind else where for one minute straight since that's as long as a contraction will be. The instructor had us spell our baby's name with our butt while facing each other holding hands. Please, the next time you see Chip, ask him to do this. It was the funniest thing I've EVER seen!!! I was laughing so hard I was crying, I never knew he could move his hips like that!! hahaha

This morning at 9:15 I had my Glucose test, along with 32 week exam. Usually the test is given between weeks 26 & 28 but since Chip isn't in the Navy anymore we had to find a civilian OBGYN that we liked. I found this great practice right by the Virginia Beach Amphitheater which is SUPER close to us, only about 2 miles. They deliver at Va Beach General which we love since they have a NICU on site, and the hospital is only about 9 miles away. So ANYWAY, we went in bright & early this morning for the glucose test that my mother warned me was soooo NASTY! Well surprise surprise, the glucose test has made some improvements over the past 20 years, the once thick syrupy orange nastiness has turned into basically a fruit punch soda that really wasn't bad at all. An hour later they drew my blood. I'll have the results either Monday or Tuesday next week if I failed then I'll have to go back for the 3 hour test. If I hear nothing I passed, so I'm crossing my fingers!! I also had my 32 week exam, the Dr. said that I'm right on target with my weight gain and so is Kane. They did the doppler and the heartbeat sounded nice and strong! We have an appointment scheduled for 34 weeks, after that weeks 36-40+ I'll be going every week. WOW, THE END IS NEAR!!! I know boys typically carry lower than girls, but I swear I feel like I have to hold on to my belly at times because it's so low! With each kick it feels like he's gunna kick his way right out! Until next time!!!

**CONGRATS TO PAUL & LEONIEKE WOLFE ON THEIR NEW BABY GIRL MACIE**

A Little Fun!

2009-08-27T01:48:00.003-04:00

31 Weeks--Pitty Party Time : )

2009-08-22T03:36:00.005-04:00

Ok ok, so I've now entered the complaining phase of the pregnancy. I have been so used to people asking me how i'm feeling then happily responding "I'm feeling GREAT!"....not anymore... So here is my list of "Poor me, pregnancy"

Constant Back pain
Who ever said Braxton Hicks were "painless" is a damn liar!
Difficulty just rolling from side to side in the bed
Getting up from being flat on my back (Chip gets a kick out of this one!)
Looking at myself in the mirror...pregnancy glow?? Also....damn lie
GETTING COMFORTABLE PERIOD
...oh...and I've discovered the use for breastpads....lovely....

Please pray for my husband. At this point I'd really rather not leave my house. It's sooo hot outside that it makes me want to vomit!

So our 2nd birthing class went well. They gave the Dad's a quiz when we got there and Chip won a prize! The question was "How can you tell the difference in false labor and true labor?" Chip's hand shot up and he confidently replied "If the contractions are stronger, longer, and closer together," I was sooooo proud of him! He's really getting into all of the little pregnancy details, he'll be a pro by October! The rest of the class we learned about the phases of labor, effacement, stations, & dilation. We also watched a video of a woman giving birth and our instructor said before she started the video "VAGINA WARNING!! Just so you know, you're going to see one!" hahaha too funny, like we didn't know that's where babies came from?!

That's all for now, hope everyone's enjoying the end of the summer, I sure am enjoying my A/C!

30 weeks--Let the birthing classes begin!

2009-08-14T00:15:00.008-04:00

Tonight was mine and Chip's first birthing class in the 6 week series. The class is every Thursday night from 7-9. Tonight's class was kind of a "get to know you" type deal. There were 14 couples, and to my surprise 8 of the couples were having girls, 4 couples weren't finding out the gender, and only one other couple was having a boy besides us! I guess baby girls are on the rise right now! We broke up into separate rooms, men & women, and made group lists of "likes & dislikes" of pregnancy. I could relate to many of the things the other women were saying. Likes: feeling the baby kick, the thought of becoming a mother, doing the nursery. Dislikes: lack of sleep, frequency of peeing, strangers touching their belly, being hot...etc. The men came up with an interesting list filled with dislikes of mood swings & likes of larger boobs! HaHa!! The rest of the class we watched a quick video of signs of preterm labor and how to identify it. After that we wrapped up with the mom's showing the dad's how we liked our backs massaged by giving them one, then the dad's had to pay attention and give us the kind of massage we liked! I wasn't so sure how these classes would be, but they aren't so bad! For the next 5 weeks I'll be updating how our class is going.

How's Baby Kane this week??

Baby measurements are 16 inches and weighs about 3 pounds.
The head is almost 3.5 inches (8cm) in diameter.
The feet are nearly 2.5 inches (6cm) long.
The wrinkled skin is becoming smoother now.
In boys, the testicles have moved down to the groin.
The baby controls its own body temperature.

29 weeks--Back to unemployment

2009-08-04T19:48:00.002-04:00

As some of you know, this past Friday I was laid off.....ugh.....Over the past ten weeks I've been very much enjoying my new job. Unfortunately there is a 90 day probation period, and just two short weeks shy of this period being up they just "decided" that they would be "revamping" my department. They said they were soooo sorry, but that it wouldn't be "fiscally responsible" to keep me on board with the current economic situation...blah blah blah....i.e. You're about to be a liability with the maternity leave. Whatever, it's such crap!!! They said they would be happy to give me a GLOWING reference! hahah, how about you just not fire a 7 month pregnant woman!!!! Anyways, I'm back to scowering the internet to find something to occupy myself for the next 2 months. I've been in contact with the Temp. agancy that I worked with back in April to see if they have anything for me, we shall see.

In the mean time, please keep us in your prayers. Chip is starting his new job with the Navy Reserves on Saturday. While you would think transistioning from Navy to Navy Reserves would be seamless, it's anything BUT! I just hope he enjoys what he'll be doing.

In baby news, little Kane seems to be doing great! Here are some of the developmental things he's going through this week:

Baby now weighs about 2 and a half pounds
and is about 15 inches long from head to heel.
Brain is busy developing billions of neurons.
Baby's muscles and lungs are continuing to mature.
The fetus can taste and respond to pain.
The milk teeth have developed under the gums.

28 weeks-Dana's Wedding

2009-07-29T20:26:00.006-04:00

What a beautiful wedding on Saturday July 25th. Everyone had a great time celebrating Dana & Jack Corley! Kane was out in full force at the wedding! Parker ran up to me at the start of the mother son dance and said "Sis!! Why don't you get on the dance floor and dance with yourself!! Just grab your stomach and sway back and forth, people will love it!!" Ohhhh Parker :)

As far as the pregnancy goes, everything seems to be right on track. Little Kane is wiggling all around and poking his butt out every chance he gets!! It's getting harder and harder to get comfortable in bed, I can't imagine how I'll feel in the coming weeks, ugh! The Braxton Hicks are becoming more frequent and annoying, but it seems like the more water I drink the better off they are. I can't believe that there are only 12 weeks to go, time flys!!

2009-07-21T20:17:00.005-04:00

15 Week Bump Picture.......27 Week Bump Picture!! Big Difference! :)

27 weeks--THIRD TRIMESTER--THE HOME STRETCH!!!

2009-07-20T21:48:00.004-04:00

SO, we are now in the third trimester! As of today Chip and the gals at work both agree, and in these words both said, "WOW you're huge"!!! Can you believe it! HUGE! hahaha, they meant it in the nicest possible way, but it appears that I've gained some major belly overnight!

Honestly, I've felt very comfortable through this pregnancy. I feel so connected to this little baby growing inside of me with every kick and shifting of my stomach! Chip and I both enjoy listening to Paul McCartney and the Beatles and have been sharing the music with baby Kane. I've been reading that if you play the same music for the baby that it'll be calming to him once he's out of the womb. Also while I'm in the car I've been singing to him, hopefully he'll be a fan of the Sound of Music & Grease soundtracks :)

Here's a neat picture I found on the Internet. These 3D pictures are of baby's at 27 weeks gestation, then comparison pictures of them after birth. It's to show that during this time of pregnancy your baby appears much like it will at birth, and not like the little alien baby we saw on those first ultrasound pictures at 14 weeks!!

This week is sure to be a busy one, my cousin Dana is getting married! Congrats to her and Jack!!! The wedding is on Saturday, and I'll be sure to post pictures on Sunday night!!

26 weeks--100 days left & counting!!

2009-07-12T20:37:00.002-04:00

Week 26 wow, I can't believe that next week I'll be starting the THIRD TRIMESTER!! What's new with me? Well this week I received the shock of my life when catching my rear-end in the mirror, stretch marks everywhere!!!! I knew I had a few on my hips, and in the bends of my legs, but I had no idea that they were COVERING my butt, in between my thighs, and wandering down my legs. I was so upset. According Chip I'm being silly (God love him) but I really am beginning to look like a Zebra or a Tiger from behind.....ugh, let the battle wounds begin!

Also I've come to realize that you can never trust a sneeze!! Why you may ask?! Well here recently I've noticed that stretch marks may not be the only thing running down my legs. If you're familiar with my mother and I you know that our sneezes can be heard from miles away. Well now I need to be a bit more careful when I sneeze since a little pee comes out as well! GREAT! Sneeze+26 weeks pregnant= Snot & Pee. Perfect!!

Kane's fetal movement has been pretty consistent these days. Breakfast time, kick. Lunch time, kick kick. Dinner time, kick punch kick. Bed time, kick somersault somersault punch kick punch!!! I feel bad when people want to feel him move because unless you're with me around 10:30pm you're gunna be out of luck!

Hope everyone has a great week, only 100 days left!!!!! :)

25 weeks

2009-07-08T22:43:00.003-04:00

What is going on in the development of baby Kane?

Baby is around 13.5 inches in length and weighs 1 and half pounds.
Bones are becoming solid, hands are now fully developed.
The brain is growing rapidly, the brain cells are starting to mature.
The sexual organs are fully developed.
Baby is now pretty well built portion wise even though it still has little body fat and its skin is thin.
The structures of the spine begin to form -- All 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments.
The tiny brain is growing rapidly, and the baby is starting to fill the space in your uterus.
The uterus is now about the size of a soccer ball and mom looks pregnant.
Your baby's hands are now fully developed, although some of the nerve connections to the hands have a long way to go.
Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and clasp objects placed in palm. Exploring the structures inside your uterus may have become baby's prime entertainment. Fascinated by the amount of tactile stimulation a fetus gives itself; it touches a hand to the face, one hand to the other hand, clasps its feet, touches its foot to its leg, its hand to its umbilical cord.
Blood vessels of the lungs develop.
Your baby's nostrils begin to open.
The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. Their swallowing reflexes are developing.
Baby can hear sounds outside the womb and the brain cells are starting to mature also.
Already it can learn and remember and can recognize its mother and fathers voice.
Babies at 25 weeks of pregnancy stand a 50% chance of survival.

I thought these were all very neat developmental milestones! In the past week a lot has gone on. I celebrated my 23rd Birthday, and Chip, his brother Jamie, Jamie's friend Will, and I all went to Charleston, SC to visit his older brother Peter & soon to be wife Mary. We had a great time relaxing on the beach and celebrating the 4th of July! It was very exciting for Peter while we were there to get to feel the baby kick! Also just last night Chip and I were able to get a little show from baby Kane! Looking down, not only could we feel his little kicks, but we could see them on my stomach, it was amazing! Time seems to be flying by, October will be here in no time!

24w Bump Pics

2009-06-28T19:52:00.003-04:00

Dear Belly Button.....

2009-06-25T21:25:00.003-04:00

Dear Belly Button,

My connection to life is what you once were,
Now your old appearance seems to be such a blur!

Deep and wide, quite a cute little "inny",
One body part that never changed whether fat or skinny!

Once pierced, and decorated with jewels you were in,
Now you've just left a giant hole in my skin!

With a sneeze or a cough you pop out to say hello,
For now you sink back down, but soon back in you may not go!

Through my shirt you can be seen, just a little lump,
If you'd like a good laugh ask to take a peek at my baby bump!

See you in a few months, with baby Kane in tow,
My old belly button will be back, the perfect "inny" I used to know!

Love,

Pregnant Ashley

22 week Dr. Appt.

2009-06-18T22:06:00.003-04:00

This morning Chip and I went in for our 22 week check-up! We were only there for about 15min. believe it or not. The Doctor came in, and right away went for the Doppler to hear the heart beat. woosh woosh woosh! All was well with baby Kane, a nice strong heart beat!

We got the results from the CVS blood test, and it came back negative for downs syndrome which was good to hear. We had a few questions for the doctor like when I would have my glucose test for gestational diabetes and when we could schedule our Lamaze classes. You know Chip and I, always trying to rush things! haha, the doctor told us that at our next appt. (28 weeks) I would have the glucose test, and that's also when we would schedule our classes as well as pre-check-in to the hospital.

I also had the doctor examine the backs of my legs on my calves. Apparently I've added lovely stretch marks along with broken capillaries to my symptoms list! I had no clue they were even there, but you can never sneak something by my mom, and she caught it. We just wanted to make sure it was normal and not linked to preeclampsia, but all looked normal!

Alrighty, well that was about it for our 22 week appointment! Chip wanted me to add this into the blog today to let all of you know about our little guys name, so enjoy!

The boy's name Kane \k(a)-ne\ is pronounced kayn. It is of Irish and Gaelic origin, and its meaning is "little battler". Anglicised form of Cathán, derived from "cath" meaning "battle". Kane (kah-NAY) is also a Japanese surname. (haha this must be why he's kicking so much! I knew we were having the next Karate Kid!!!)

**Congrats to all of the family and friends who were members of the class of 2009!**

Courtney Albertson
Justin Albertson
Nicholas Albertson
Christa Black
Steven Hesse
Patrick Kernstine
Ian Lyons
Jessy Wilder

22 weeks--Braxton Hicks Contractions

2009-06-14T22:27:00.005-04:00

Here are some fun facts on where Baby Kane is in his development:

Baby is about 11 inches long and weighs in at about 1 pound.

The eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed, and the fingernails cover the fingertips.

Sounds from a conversation are loud enough to be heard by the fetus in the uterus.

If you talk, read, or sing to your baby, it's reasonable to expect him or her to be able to hear you.

The top of your uterus is now about 1 inch (3cm) above your bellybutton.

Over the past week I've been introduced to the wonderful world of Braxton Hicks Contractions! What are they, some of you may ask?? Well here's what google told me about these little unexpected jolts I've been feeling.

Braxton Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid-pregnancy, if you notice them at all. (Some women don't.) They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872.

I had noticed this "cramp" that would come and go, and I didn't pay much attention to it since I had no idea what it was. But last Sunday night as I was reading my "What to Expect when you're expecting" for the 5th month chapter, Braxton Hicks came up and I was like "OH! This is what I've been having!" Then sure enough I had one and made Chip feel it. It was like my whole lower abdomen turned hard as a rock all of a sudden, stayed like that for a few minutes, was uncomfortable, then went away.

This week I had to break down and buy a few new bra's. The 34 C's I borrowed from my Mom were cutting off my circulation, and my cup was over flowing! Chip and I took a trip to Motherhood Maternity and bought 2 nursing bra's, good for now and even better for when the baby comes! I never thought I go into a store and buy 38C & 38D bras! Absolutely crazy!

Also.....L.A. Lakers won the NBA finals....If you know me, you know I HATE BASKETBALL....But...I LOVE CHIP.....So........I have been watching Basketball....NOW IT'S FINALLY OVER!!!!! YAY!!!! NO MORE BASKETBALL!!!!....Oh yea, Congrats Lakers, whatever.

**Happy Birthday Dana Leigh fellow Mommy to be!**

I have another Dr's appt. this Thursday, more updates to come!

21 Weeks--New Purchase--Craft Project

2009-06-07T22:16:00.014-04:00

So as the days pass Chip and I seem to be just going along, checking things off our list in preparation for little Kane. We were invited to a "Baby Show" sponsored by Babee-Tenda. This 3 hour seminar featured many different consumer reports of the typical baby products that new parents are sure to go out and buy. Also since Babee-Tenda sponsored it, they had a few of their products for sale. This company has been around for over 60 years and once they were done with their schpeal we were hooked on the baby feeding table. Here are come pictures of the features, also visit www.babeetenda.com to check out the crib they make, it looks pretty awesome too!

We really thought this was a great product and here are some of the points that sold us.

1) The table is 24" square and rolls through any normal 30" door. The size and shape of the table provides your baby with a "safe zone".

2) The padded innerseat adjusts to 8 different positions and is vinyl-backed for easy cleaning.

3) The removable high pressure laminate tray easily slides out for easy access and is supported by grooves in the sides. Baby cannot be pinched by the tray.

4) Widespread, angle legs and low center of gravity create a non-tip design.

5) Double 2" barrel caster roll easily, even over carpet.

6) The aircraft-quality extruded aluminum legs are reinforced with a solid hardwood core which can be lock at 21", 24" or 27" high.

7) A unique load lock-up prevents all leg adjustment while the child is in the table.

8) The tension lock fastens the tray securely in the proper position.

Also this weekend we had a craft project to complete! We went to A.C. Moore and got letters to spell Kane's name. We painted them to coordinate with the colors in the nursery. We also bought a hat hook rack to paint a little later on. Here's how the letters turned out! Chip painted the "K" & "N" and I did the "A" & "E"!

I thought they turned out pretty good! Still lots more little decorations to do in the nursery, but things seem to be coming along!

So some of you know Chip and I have been thinking about doing cloth diapering little Kane. Please save your sighs and gasps for later! haha! When I've mentioned this to people many responses have been negative and from people who haven't seen what's new today in cloth diapering. There are many common misconceptions of what it is to cloth diaper here in 2009...This is not your grandmother's cloth diaper, they are prefolded, they don't involve HUGE METAL PINS, & in most cases look a lot like your every day disposable diaper. Cloth Diapering appeals to us 1/2 for the cost we'll be saving in the long run & 1/2 for the way lower environmental impact. Here are some pictures and fast facts.

Disposable diapers are actually more likely to cause diaper rashes than properly cleaned cloth diapers. Not only do they tend to be left on the baby longer (leading to ammonia and bacteria buildup) but they are also more likely to cause rashes for a variety of other reasons.
Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.
Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.
The options available today prove that cloth diapering doesn't have to be inconvenient. Cloth diapers nowadays are fitted with elastic in the legs and back area and have easy hook and loop closures or snaps. Many different fabric choices and absorbency levels allow parents to choose the best diapering system for the individual needs of their child.

Please visit www.softclothbunz.com to see EVERYTHING that's available now-a-days, there is so much to choose from that could fit almost any size and life style. We will most likely begin to cloth diaper Kane once he's gained some size around 6 months, and is done going through 20 diapers a day!!

20 week Ultra Sound!!!

2009-06-03T22:16:00.005-04:00

Hello all! So today was our "Big Ultra Sound" for our 20 week appointment. We made it to the Naval Hospital at 7am this morning ready to see our little one again. To make a really long story short, our ultra sound tech was "new to the equipment" and our 45 min. appointment took an hour and a half...NOT HAPPY...Anyways, Kane was in prefect health! All of his little organs were the right size and working properly, so all was well! Also as of last night Chip was able to feel Kane kicking from the outside! This was sooo exciting for both of us, and a huge milestone for us in the pregnancy. Here are some pictures of our little baby boy. The first is a great profile picture, and the second is...well...proof that "it's a boy"!!

CONGRATS--Friends Katie & Brandon Varner had their baby girl Elania Elizabeth on May 26th!!!

Also just this evening, my cousin Lauren had her baby girl! Lauren & Daniel welcomed Kelsey Marie at 6:35pm 7lbs. 2oz. 20 1/2 inches--CONGRATS!!!! (picture below)

19 weeks--First Kicks

2009-05-26T21:58:00.009-04:00

Almost halfway there!! I can't believe the time seems to be flying by! Here are some fast facts about where Baby Kane is in his development

Fetus is around 6.5 inches and 9 ounces.
The placenta continues to grow and nourish the baby.
Features of your baby's heart, should be visible during an ultrasound.
Your baby's genitals are distinct and recognizable.
Scalp hair has sprouted and continues to grow

Baby's legs are reaching their relative size and with the increase muscle development occurring as well, you will start feeling much more than tiny flutter kicks soon. If you have not felt movement yet, you will soon. The baby will increase its weight by more than 15 times between now and delivery.

This is a picture of a little one at 19w, I thought it would be neat to show how Kane might look at this point! Very neat! Also it seems to be right on target since I felt my first real kick on Friday night!! I was lying very still in my bed and all of a sudden, whop! I thought it was just gas bubbles at first, but then, whop whop whop! My eyes got sooo big, I knew it was him! I was so shocked, I didn't want to yell for Chip who was in the other room because I didn't want it to stop, so I texted Chip "GET IN HERE, KANE'S KICKING!!!" Chip ran in and put his hand on my baby bump. Of course right now only I could feel it, but poor Chip, he wanted to feel it so bad. I can't wait till he can feel Kane from the outside. I feel bad that I'm able to experience this amazing moment, but he is still waiting for his big kick. Hopefully in the next 3 weeks he'll get some external kicks!

We've got our "Big Ultra Sound" coming up on June 3rd. It's very in depth to check on all of Kane's little organs to make sure they're all developing correctly. Here's an updated picture of
my 19w Baby Bump!

Silly Saturday with the Schnabel's

2009-05-17T15:11:00.017-04:00

So I have lots of fun little updates, and pictures to go with them! We had quite a fun Saturday. It was pretty nasty outside, but we managed to get some errands run and then we stayed in a watched a movie! So here's how Saturday started.

First, I met my mom and dad at David's Bridal to order my dress to wear in my cousin Dana's Wedding! Dana and Jack are getting married on July 25th, and I'm her Matron of Honor! This is the dress that myself and her cousin Meghan (Maid of Honor) will be wearing in champagne! This dress will be prefect to accommodate my big baby bump, since by then, I will have just entered my 3rd Trimester and 7th month of pregnancy.

Next I headed towards home, and called Chip to see if he wanted to meet me out to grab a bite to eat and to go with me to Khol's. We decided that if we ate one more Chick-fil-a we were going to turn into a chicken, so we went on McDonald's instead! I know some of your are thinking "McDonald's, at lunch time, on a Saturday, ARE YOU CRAZY!" The answer to that is Yes, we're crazy. This particular McDonald's had 1/2 of the restaurant taken up by it's busy Play Place. After we weaved through the line, like the Loch Nes Monster at Busch Gardens, we had no choice but to eat in the Play Place area!!! This was the view from our table. A massive Space Ship, or Death Trap, was hanging over our heads. While we were eating, kids got in that germ infested thing and shook it as hard as they could, almost daring it to break! The entire Play Place was rocking back and forth over our heads! NOT OK! Very scary, and I wonder how we ever survived those things as kids in the early 90's. By the way, have you noticed that over the past 5 years, no play place includes in infamous "Ball Pit" any more?! I guess too many kids peed in those things, and got hurt from hiding under the balls and getting jumped on.

Anyway...So there was a cute little boy eating before he went back to play. He was standing next to the table in his little sock feet, eating his chicken nuggets, couldn't have been older that 4 years old. I looked at him and smiled because he was so cute, wondering to myself what Kane would look like at that age when the unthinkable happened. The little boy smiled back at me, dropped his chicken nugget and it rolled under the table on the NASTY MCDONALD'S PLAY PLACE SCUM INFESTED FLOOR. I gave him that "shrug shoulders whoops face", and he gave me the "oh crap, get back here chicken nugget look"!! Under the table he went, after the rouge nugget!! My eyes got really big as I was screaming in my head "NOOOOOO", but just as quickly as the nugget was dropped, it was just as quickly popped into his mouth! WOW, I was absolutely shocked, I think I also gagged a little in my mouth! All I could do was crack up and say "I guess boys will be boys!"..."but not my child!" haha

From there we went to Kohl's where I exchanged a few shirts my mom got me, then we came home to watch a movie while it rained. Later on we made our way out to Guadalajara at TowCenter were we had dinner, then made our way over to Wal-Mart. We looked through the baby items and wanted to compare their prices to Baby's R Us. We had originally picked out the Mickey crib bedding that was at Baby's R Us, but found a Mickey Pattern that we
actually liked better at Wal-Mart! It was already more than $100 less than the one at Baby's R Us, but the outside packaging was beat up, so I thought they may discount it more. We went to the customer service and got another $15 off! It was perfect, and soooo cheap, so we bought it!

The following pictures are of what Kane's nursery looks like so far. We still need to get cute wall hangings, shelving, nick-nacky stuff, and more books for the bookshelf! Then there are pictures of the Eddie Bauer bassinet we found on Craigs List in perfect condition and then the Chicco Travel system that Chip's Dad bought us.....Also we had a little fun testing out one of Kane's onezies on Tank! Hey, we have to wash them anyway!!! :)