Name That Baby!

Okay, I'm 24 1/2 weeks and still don't have a name for this little baby girl. It's driving me crazy!!!!!!!!! It's pretty pathetic of RJ and me I think. Nothing just jumps out at us. Are we just supposed to absolutely LOVE the name from the beginning or is it supposed to grow on you after saying it a million times? :( Help! I'm about to pull my hair out. Okay, so this is were you guys come in... I'm asking for you to pray that the perfect name comes to us so I can start sleeping again at night. Hopefully this sweet little baby girl will have a name before she gets here :)

I guess the good news is I'm pretty sure they won't let me leave the hospital without a name.

I Love Fall!

Drew and Kate's wedding weekend in Indianapolis-- miss you guys!

I can't say it enough! I love love love the Fall! I love the cooler temperatures, I love the excitement from other Houstonian's that the hot and humid Houston summer is coming to an end, I love the changing of the leaves (I wish Houston's leaves would change), I love decorating my house and yard, and I love the smell of pumpkin and spice candles! I hope someday RJ and I can take a roadtrip around October and drive up North and see the beautiful leaves changing. I guess when the baby (still NO NAME!!) gets here we won't have much time for that but hopefully someday. The one and only time we have ever seen firsthand the different colors of Fall is when we went for Drew and Kate's (RJ's cousin) wedding in Indianapolis a couple of years back. It was beautiful and the air was so crisp. We loved it!!

It reminds me of when RJ and I first got married and moved to Houston and it rained almost everyday that June, July and August. I had only been to Houston a couple of times in my life and the rainy days made me feel really homesick from being 6 hours from my family. Not to mention RJ was traveling offshore alot and we lwere crammed into a small little apartment (pre-Addison). I still remember the date for some crazy reason, but one October 6th, we woke up early and it was absolutely beautiful (and cool!) outside. We went for a walk and to a cute little coffee shop on Westheimer and sat outside and talked and just enjoyed the day. I think we even went to the Greek festival that weekend. I do remember that it was one of the first "fall days" in Houston that year. RJ and I both remember it and cherish it. The meterologist is reporting cooler temperatures for this weekend... maybe we will have a repeat??!?! :)

Baby Registry

RJ and I registered at Doodles this past weekend. What an experience! RJ had his feelings hurt that he didn't get to "shoot the gun" when my mom helped me register at Babies R Us a couple of weeks ago so I made sure and planned the Doodles registering around his schedule. I think it might have been a mistake. At one point I looked up and could have hurt RJ. He was acting like it was a "real gun" and was shooting everything he saw. He didn't care what it was. He put about 10 different burp clothes on there and didn't even look to see the colors or design-- he was just having fun shooting the gun! When I asked him to stop, he said I was being no fun. No fun?!? All I'm saying is I don't think we need it's a boy blue burp clothes. Do you? After about an hour in the store, he was ready to go. Shooting the gun wasn't as fun as he thought...LOL He was a trooper though for sticking it out! Registering can take forever :)

No More WebMD!

On Friday morning we had to make an emergency visit to Dr. Irwin's office. Thursday night/Friday morning I woke up around 3a.m.to go the restroom like I do many many many many times a night. This time, when I jumped out of bed I pulled something on my right side. I didn't know that I had pulled something at the time. All I knew was I couldn't walk and I was hunched over in serious pain. I somehow went back to sleep and thought the pain would be gone when I woke up Friday morning. Then I got out of bed-- oh my gosh! I, of course, got on WebMD immediately and started reading about what could be wrong (appendicitis). I completely upset myself because RJ and I had just read about it in our weekly pregnancy book and I just knew that it was my appendix. After the whole Florida heat stroke thing, I decided I better go see the doctor.

Dr. Irwin checked me out and said I had pulled a muscle on my right side and to take tyenol and use a heating pad. What a relief! I was freaked out that something might be wrong with the baby. I don't know why I do this to myself. I worry worry worry. Of course, I told Dr. Irwin "my diagnosis" and he just laughed. He told me, "Ashley-- I forbid you to get on WebMD again!" I had Dr. Irwin and RJ laughing up a storm at me. They can laugh at me all they want.. I'm just glad everything turned out okay and the baby is fine :)

Birth Day Show

WARNING: Do not watch the Discovery Health TV Show Birth Day if you are pregnant!

I can't handle it. Every (and I do mean every) time I watch it I end up in tears. It scares me to death. One minute I'm happy and the next I'm sad, scared, freaked out and in tears. I'm sure everyone needs a good laugh today so I volunteer myself as the entertainment. Last week as I lay on the couch in my usual lazy position, I flipped through the channels and decided to leave it on a Birth Day story. I thought to myself, maybe I should see again exactly what is going to happen. Wrong idea. I've watched these types of shows a hundred times pre-pregnancy and was fine. Not today. Of course, there is always drama on there or it wouldn't sucker us in. Today was no different. Before I knew it, it got me. The woman was in labor pushing for hours and then ended up having a c-section. Let's back it up alittle...... they had me freaked out at putting the IV in!! I should have changed it then but no! I continued to watch the whole epidural part. I think I started crying hysterically when they put that scary brown stuff on the woman's back. After that it was all just a blur. The operating table, the Jesus position, the cutting... too much. The other woman they featured gave birth naturally. You might be thinking that was easier for me to watch- ummm.. NO! Both scare the daylights out of me!

So here's the funny part. The show ends and I can hardly catch my breath because I'm crying so hard. What do I do? I call RJ at work around 3p.m. He answered (normally he doesn't) and I couldn't get a word out. He kept saying hello?? Ashley?? Is something wrong?? I told him yes! YES, something was wrong!!! Majorly WRONG!! I told him I couldn't have this baby. I was scared of needles, knifes, hospitals, stitches, my legs in those sturip things, the whole enchilada!! I was crying so hard at this point that I had scared Addison and she ran to hide under our bed! RJ was really sweet and asked what triggered all of this. I told him about the show and EVERYTHING I saw and kept repeating that I couldn't have the baby! I just couldn't! I wasn't strong enough to have a baby! He said that there was no way out now and everything would be okay. I told him it was easy for him to say-- he didn't have to do anything but hold my hand and that men have it soooo easy! After letting me cry for about 10 minutes on the phone and trying to comfort me, I finally let him go. I bet he was thinking why in the world did he answer that call from me!!?!?! or that his wife had really gone crazy this time!!!!

p.s. If you think a week later I'm any less scared.. YOU'RE WRONG!

Growing and Growing....

This week I have hit the 22 week marker. The baby girl (who still doesn't have a name--poor thing!) is a foot long and weighs a pound already!! I can't believe it! She has been kicking like crazy also. I still haven't gotten to really get up and get things done like I want to because I've been under the weather. I think 2 weeks of fast and furious remodeling followed by one long week of too much sun and dehydration did me in (oh yes, I had a heat stroke in Florida on our vacation along with high fever and an infection--only me!). I'm doing better now but I feel like I have dropped off the face of the Earth. I went for my checkup the other day and my blood pressure is low and keeps dropping. What does this mean?? The doctor said it's better than high blood pressure and he's watching it. He said it explains why I haven't had much energy and to eat more red meat. Bottom line, I think I might be the weakest person alive. I hope I can actually have this baby! I'm trying to shield my friends from all the complaining.. lol! Sorry Mom and RJ, it's all you!!!

Finally Remodeled!!

Wow, it's been so long since I blogged! Live has been crazy with the "we must remodel the whole house in only 2 weeks" phase I was going through. The house looks great. I can't tell you how happy I feel being in a clean house with floors! I have decided I love floors! Carpet, tile-- I don't care!! I just love not walking around on cement and trying to jump over tack strips. It's so nice not to have to put your shoes on when you step out of bed. I'm just so happy!

Here are a few pictures of the remodeling. It only took 4 months after the flood for us to finally remodel! We put new carpet, new tile and new baseboards throughout the house. We also put new cabinets in the kitchen, both bathrooms and laundry room not to mention a few more changes like moving the oven to a new spot in the kitchen, building in the refridgerator and totally getting a new master shower. We still aren't completely finished. I just ordered knobs for all the cabinets and R.J. still needs to calk. Also, I have painted the babies room (3 times-- totally a story in itself!!).

We still need to put the kitchen knobs on- I just ordered them!

The oven used to be in the spot of the long cabinets to the left. We moved the oven to under the stove and built this pantry. I love it!!!

Our new carpet and tile up close and personal :)

Like I said, still needs knobs.

Master shower-- TOTAL redo. Down to the wood framing!