22 weeks--Braxton Hicks Contractions

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

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!!!

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

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

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!!! :)

Update--Week 17

So what's new in the lives of Ashley & Baby Kane? Lets roll back to last week. Mother's Day was a ton of fun, good food, and time spent with family over my Aunt Susan's house. From the moment I woke up I just didn't feel right. I was in a lot of pain all day, and it seemed to get worse and worse. By around 5:30 I knew I either needed to go home to get into the bed, or go to the hospital. So I of course called Chip and he said "Let's be safe than sorry" and he met me at the hospital.

From there we spent 4 hours in the ER and 2 hours in Labor & Delivery. Those poor ER Dr's were very nice, but didn't know what the heck they were doing!! There are some things that I think you just shouldn't tell a first time pregnant lady....especially when you're not 100% sure!!!! Like for example, saying things like "We can't find a heartbeat" or "You're 2 cm dilated" or "You're having pre-term labor". These were all things said to me ON MOTHER'S DAY, after having pelvic & digital exams done(ouch ouch ouch), and lets not forget the doppler when they couldn't get a heartbeat. They were so concerned with me that I'd need some surgery ASAP that they sent me to Labor & Delivery to be evaluated! hahah THANK GOD THEY DID!!

They wheel me over to Labor & Delivery. By the way, this was all taking place at the Navy Medical Center Portsmouth where I'll be giving birth, beautiful hospital! ANYWAY! So we get over to the REAL Dr's and they hook me up to a machine to measure if i'm having contractions...No contractions. Then they re-do the pelvic & digital exams (FYI not a pleasant thing to have done once mind you!) to see if I'm dilated...No dilation at all. Then they get out the doppler to hear the baby's heartbeat, you know the whoop whoop whoop sound! And what do ya know, a strong heartbeat pops right up!

Needless to say the on-call OB said that everything looked perfect and asked if I was feeling stabbing pains that wrapped around my stomache & lower back, maybe even up and down my belly button. I was shocked! YES!! That's what was wrong with me, she knew, so what was this?? Well she just explained that with your 1st pregnancy, and with where I was in the pregnancy that the baby is starting to grow rapidly and that those muscles around my uterus were sprained. Her suggestion....TYLENOL! hahahaha by this time it was mid-night, 6 hours at the hospital, my parents were so scared they came to the waiting room with my brother, and I had a few sprained muscles and was told to take Tylenol! Well, at least Chip was right, Better safe than sorry! These pains went on till about Wednesday, and seem to be getting better as the days go by.

Besides our little visit to the hospital, everything else seems to be going great! Still waiting on that first Big kick! Feeling little flutters, and what feels like wooshing water next to your skin, but no Big kicks yet! I'll keep ya posted, but for now just little bubbles!

15 week Bump Pic!