Nursery!

Today Jeff, Marilyn (Jeff's mom), and Lacey (a friend) all painted the nursery while I was at work! It is looking amazing! I have a "before" picture I will post when I upload it from my camera. But here are some pictures that were taken from Jeff's phone documenting their progress throughout the day. 

The top half of the wall is "Spun Honey" and the bottom half is a Mint Green (I don't remember the exact name). 

Eventually (hopefully in the next couple of weeks), Jeff and my dad are going to be hand-painting a jungle/safari scene as a border along the top of the white chair rail around the middle of the room! I can't wait to see how that turns out!!! Of course, I will post pictures as they work on it :-)

New Stuff

For Christmas, my dad and step-mom got us the Chicco Discovery Pack N Play and High Chair that we wanted! And my mom and dad got us the Jeep Stroller that we wanted!!! We also got our crib, from Jeff's parents, but I don't have a picture of that yet! So, above, you'll see the pictures of our stroller, Pack N Play, and high Chair (the high chair has another cover that is green but it's not on right now)! The second high chair picture is of it all folded up against the wall! I can't believe it folds so small!!!

25 Week Appointment

I had my 25 weeks check up (it should have been a 24 week check up but with the holidays we had to wait 5 weeks between my last appointment and yesterday's appointment.) 

I started my rotation between the doctor's yesterday - they do this so that the patients are comfortable with all 4 doctor's in the practice before delivery because if my doctor isn't on call that day, then one of the others will do the delivery. I met with Dr. Martin. He is the doctor who did my D&C from my MC last year. He is wonderful! 

He said that he wasn't concerned at all with my weight gain (I'm up 20 pounds now and NOT happy about it!) He said that since I had lost 20 pounds to begin with, he wasn't concerned that I had gained all that back. PHEW! I was holding my breath for a good old scolding from him! 

He measured me for the first time and said I am measuring 26-27 weeks - I was 25 weeks and 1 day yesterday. Hmm... big baby?? 

He said the pain I have been feeling in my lower right back (pretty much every time I take a step) is because the baby is almost entirely on my right side and is very low! So, he said it will probably cause pain because of where Aiden has decided to be cozy in there! 

My next appointment is January 26, and after that appointment I start going every 2 weeks until the last month when I'll go every week! WOW! Time is flying!!!! 

Ultrasound Pictures

Picture 1 is of his foot. You can see the toes on the right hand side of the womb in the picture.

Picture 2 is a profile shot as well. You can see his arm in it too.

Pictures 3 and 4 are of Aiden yawning.

The Poem

Here is the poem we wrote to tell our family that we are having a boy. What we did was we cut out the poem in 2 line segments and put each line in a box that was numbered. We passed out the boxes and had the person with number one open theirs first and then number 2, and so on til number 8. Then, Jeff and I had strip number 9 and read it (which is the last line you'll see). It was really fun! Jeff and Ashlee are excited to say, Exactly what happened on this wonderful day. They got to the doctor’s around one or so, What to expect they didn’t quite know. Ashlee’s hopes for a girl ran really high, While Jeff’s hopes for a boy he couldn’t deny. The tech called them back to begin the scan, They couldn’t get there fast enough so to the room they ran. They were so nervous, they didn’t know why, As they sat and watched their baby wave “hi”! They couldn’t believe what they just saw, They looked at each other and both said, “aww”! It took 20 minutes to scan every part, From the head to the toes, the fingers and the heart. The baby’s gender the scan did finally show, Aiden or Toree, now you will know! The Freeman family is excited to say, That Aiden will join us on a great April day!

It's a Boy!

I was totally wrong (I definitely thought it was a girl) but Jeff was convinced he had created a boy in there, and he was right!!! So Aiden Michael Freeman will be arriving April 11th(ish). The appointment went very very well! The tech said all the measurements measured me exactly at 20 weeks 2 days (which is what I am today!) so April 11th it is! Aiden kept yawning and stretching while she was scanning him. Oh, and he had one arm propped behind his head, which is exactly how I sleep AND how I was laying on the ultrasound table at that moment!!! It was precious!!!! As for showing us the goods, he only showed them once, and the tech saw them but we didn't. She tried for 10 minutes to get him to show them again, but he crossed his legs and wasn't budging! But she said she saw the goods and was 100% sure it is a boy! We just weren't able to get a picture of it. No biggy, I trust her :) Anyway, all is well and we both couldn't be happier!!!! I should have pictures scanned in to post tomorrow.

Week 20

At week 20, our baby is the length of a banana from head to heel! He/she is weighing in at 10 ounces about now!

This week is going to be a very exciting one! We go in for our 20 week appointment on Tuesday at 2:30pm. However, before that appointment, at 1:30pm, we get to have our "anatomy scan" done. This is the ultrasound where they will examine all of the baby's parts make sure he/she is developing well. Then, we will get to learn the gender of our baby!!!!!! Jeff and I have been looking forward to this day for MONTHS! I cannot believe it is finally here!

After our appointment, we will be joining all of our family at Mi Jalapeno for dinner. Somehow, we will creatively reveal the gender to our family there. 

I know that no matter what the baby is, we will both be overjoyed! However, Jeff is CONVINCED that this baby is a boy. Whereas I am pretty sure it's a girl. Just about everyone else that has shared their opinion has said "boy" as well. I guess we'll find out on Tuesday! I would be perfectly happy with a boy, because they're cheaper, less dramatic, etc. But I know the special bond a daughter has with her mother, and it would be great to have that!

Everything has been going really well this past week! Nothing new to report really! Feeling awesome! I just can't believe we are halfway through this pregnancy already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby's First Kicks

Today, November 15, 2009, the first day of my 19th week of pregnancy, I finally felt the baby kick for the first time! I have been feeling flutters here and there for a couple of weeks, but never a real kick or punch feeling. However, that all changed today during church. The baby always seems to respond to music, so for the first half of the service when the band was playing I could feel the flutters start up, kind of like the baby flopping around inside. Then, during the pastor's sermon, I felt a kick! I wasn't sure if I was just imagining things or not, so I waited, and there it was again about 30 seconds later! So after the second kick, I poked at my stomach and the baby kicked back! I know it was the baby now! I was so excited, but it was during the sermon, so I didn't want to say anything! So I had to wait until we got home from church to say anything to Jeff! He was very excited to hear this news :) I can't wait to feel more!!!

Week 17

We are 17 weeks along now, and time is just flying by! Can you believe that in 3 short weeks we will already know if we are having a boy or a girl??? WOW! Then the planning can really begin!!!

I finally remembered to take a "belly shot" so you all can see what this baby is looking like from the outside. I started showing a couple of weeks ago that Jeff and I could tell, but now it's becoming more evident to the general public :) So, I've put that picture up on this post for you all to see.

The only new news around here is that we have purchased our first nursery furniture item! We got a Dark Cherry Dutailier gliding rocking chair and matching ottoman on Craigslist.org for $100!!!! New, the set goes for about $700-$800!!! We are thrilled with our purchase! The only problem is, it's located northeast of Cleveland in Mayfield Heights! Luckily, though, Tracy lives up there about 30 minutes from the guy! So, when she and her husband get back from their cruise on Sunday, they are going to pick it up for me! I am so thankful that they can, because we had no idea when we would be able to get up there, and I didn't think the guy would want to hold it forever for us! I've attached a picture of it too :)

Oh.. and I FINALLY got the ultrasound photo from 11 weeks ago (at our 6 week 2 day appointment) scanned into the computer, so you can see a good photo of that!

Anyway, that's all that's new around here! I'll keep you all posted as it comes!

2nd Trimester

I have now been in the second trimester of my pregnancy for 2 weeks. It has been great! The nausea and morning sickness is gone for the most part (with the exception of some foods making me nauseated, all is well!). For the first week of my second trimester, I couldn't exactly enjoy any of it because Jeff so lovingly shared his illness with me. He had a sinus infection, bronchitis, and upper respiratory infection. I'm not sure what all I got, but I know had some sinus stuff and bronchitis stuff.... in the end I got so dehydrated that I had to go to the hospital and get 2 liters of fluid! Luckily, my mom had Jeff call my OB on-call and talk to him before taking me to the hospital, and he said instead of waiting in the ER with all the swine flu people, so check in at the ER and then go directly up to the OB floor! THANK GOODNESS! The ER was packed and we would have waited for EVER! So anyway, everyone on the OB floor was AMAZING! The nurse we had, Kim, was so incredible! I am praying that she is working when we deliver! She is a Christian and had such a calming way about her! Anyway, after my first bag of fluids she came in and said, "Do you need to pee yet?" and I said, "no" and she said, "then you're getting another bag of fluids!" Lol. So apparently I was REALLY dehydrated!

Now, I am 14 weeks and 6 days (I'll be 15 weeks tomorrow) and am feeling MUCH better! I went shopping with Marilyn (Jeff's mom) last night at the mall and I got some awesome sweaters and a pair of pants and some underwear from Motherhood Maternity! I am very excited about being able to wear it all! I can already fit into the maternity pants, and one of the sweaters fits now, but by the time it gets REALLY cold out, I should be showing enough to wear them all. 

Last night and today Jeff and his dad, Bob, are blowing insulation in our attic to make our house much warmer! Thank goodness, cause it needs it! And today while they are doing that, Marilyn and I are going to go to the Dayton Mall and pick out some curtains for our bedroom windows. Yes, we've lived here for 2 and a half years now and still only have blinds in our bedroom windows. And it's cold with only blinds! So all that's hopefully going to change today!

Anyway, all in all this second trimester is MUCH more amazing than the first trimester. I finally feel like I can enjoy being pregnant! :) YAY!

Appointment #2

So, almost 1 year ago, when at our second OBGYN appointment, we left in tears because they were never able to find the heartbeat on the doppler. This time, we left in tears because we DID get to hear the heartbeat on the doppler!!!! It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my life. In one second, my heart went from being 100% nervous about having another miscarriage, to being 100% sure that this baby is here for good and that come April, we will be meeting him/her! The heart was beating between 130 and 140 beats per minutes, which she said was perfect! Also, the baby was squirming all over the place and she could only keep the heartbeat for about 10-20 seconds at a time. Then it would move away. But she was able, at one point, to get my heartbeat at the same time as the baby's, and it was so neat to hear the comparison between the two! When the baby kept moving away, she said "Well you have a little trouble maker! He doesn't want to sit still for us!" And I said, "Actually, he's cooperating just perfectly because he let us hear his heartbeat! And that's all I wanted!" Anyway, then she did the full physical (pap smear, breast exam, etc.) That was... fun! Ha! Then she gave us a big bag of stuff! Free magazines and books and coupons and stuff. We received he same bag of stuff last time, but she wanted us to have a new one cause it had newer magazines and updated coupons. Then she gave Jeff a "dad'' diaper bag. Basically, a diaper bag that isn't feminine. It's like a backpack diaper bag. Pretty cool! He was quite thrilled really because it's MUCH less feminine than the Vera Bradley Diaper Bag we have :) So, our next appointments are October 27th - just a typical appointment. Then on November 24th (the Tuesday before Thanksgiving) we get to find out the gender!!!! WOOHOO!!!

Week 10

Sunday, September 13, 2009 marked the first day of our 10th week. That also marked the day that my nausea began subsiding! This, my friends, was a GLORIOUS day! Since Sunday, I have only had to use my nausea meds once, and I have gained 2 pounds back of the 10 I had lost! It's been a good week :)

Today I had Hot & Sour Soup for lunch and I'll tell you what... it tasted better than anything I have eaten for a couple months now! So, folks, this may be my craving... for right now anyway! Every time I think of Hot & Sour Soup my mouth starts to water like crazy! Mmmm... I want some so bad!!!!

On another note, Jeff is sick :( He woke up this morning with a sore throat. I'm just hoping it goes away fast and I don't get it! If he feels worse tomorrow I may have him go to the doctor just so there's less chance that I get it! The last thing I want is to be sick AND pregnant! 

Less than 2 weeks now until our next appointment! Woohoo! It's on Tuesday, September 29th, at 11:10am. I know I will have nothing but great news to report that day :) 

Baby Belly

Right now our baby is about the size of a large raspberry, and is growing very fast! However, my uterus is the size of a large grapefruit, and I think I see it poking my belly out a little! This is very exciting :) I noticed it the other morning and so did Jeff, so I know it's not just me wishing things! I was wondering why my pants were getting tighter when I have lost 5 pounds since I found out I was pregnant! Pants that fit just fine when I was 5 pounds heaver, now cannot be buttoned! So obviously, it's the baby! I haven't taken any belly photos yet, but probably will soon. 

I will be 9 weeks along tomorrow... wow! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! (if you call all this nausea fun) ;) But really... can you believe it has been 5 weeks TODAY since we first found out we were pregnant again?!?!?! FIVE WEEKS ALREADY!!! WOW! So I am thinking the next 31 weeks is going to REALLY fly by because there is SO much to look forward to! 

In 3 weeks we have our next OBGYN appointment (Sept. 29th)

In 7-8 weeks we can find out the sex of the baby already!

Then, after that, we will be sooo busy planning the nursery and baby showers and registries and all that fun stuff!!! So exciting :)

First Ultrasound

(Sorry the image is awful, but I took a picture of a picture with my cell phone. I will post the actual picture once I scan it into the computer)

We had our first ultrasound and OB appointment yesterday, August 18, 2009. After waiting for 45 minutes to see the ultrasound tech, we finally got to go back! The nurse told me that she was going to check some other things first and then we would look for the baby. I didn't want to look at the screen because the last time we had an ultrasound (back in November) they never found a baby - only blood clots that used to be a baby...

So, I just stared straight at the ceiling... praying... praying... Finally, after what seemed like forever, but what was really about 1 or 2 minutes, the nurse said, "There it is!" And Jeff says, "OH MY GOSH HONEY! LOOK!!!" And there it was... our precious little baby's heart just beating away! I immediately started bawling! I don't think I have ever been so happy in my life! The tech printed out a picture for us and left the room. I held our baby's first picture in my hand and sobbed for a couple of minutes, unable to believe that this was really a little precious life growing inside of me. A life that will soon be a baby that we can hold in our arms...

Then we got to go back out into the waiting room to wait to see the doctor... we waited for an hour in the waiting room! We were then taken back into a room where they took my blood pressure. It was 138/80 - a little high on the top number, but she said if I was nervous that could affect that. So then we were told that the doctor was running late from labor and delivery, and that she would see us as soon as she got here. So, we waited... another HOUR!!!! Finally she came! She went over a bunch of things with us. She told us that the baby measured right on target for an April 11, 2010 due date! She also prescribed me 2 medications (Zofran for the day and Fenagrin - not sure how to spell it - for the night) for my never-ending nausea. She told me to take the Zofran with vitamin B6 supplement as well during the day.

After that we went to the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions. Oh... and they have one of those free blood pressure checkers, so I took my blood pressure to see if it had gone down, and it was 102/70. So I thought that was MUCH better! Anyway, we got the prescriptions filled and so far they are working miracles!!!!

What an amazing day that will never be forgotten.......

Feeling Anxious

This Tuesday, August 18th, is our first Ultrasound. Although I am feeling 100% confident about this pregnancy (due to being in bed all day talking myself out of actually throwing up...) I am still feeling anxious about the ultrasound. So, for now, all I ask if for prayers that Tuesday we see a heartbeat and all is well with our little one.

Pregnancy Scrapbook

I started working on my pregnancy scrapbook today. I am really big into scrapbooking, so I am very excited to FINALLY get to do this one! I started off with the title page. It's called, "Nine Months of Love" - and of course the "o" in "love" is a heart - cheesy, I know. lol. Then I have a page of pregnancy test pictures and the picture of Jeff and I with the pregnancy test right after we found out - yes, I purposely took these pictures so I could scrapbook them! Then I put "oh baby!" through the middle of the pictures. The next page is an hCG level chart and where my levels fit on that chart - this may sound dumb to some people, but this is a very important part of the pregnancy for me because of my previous miscarriage. Then I have a page with a picture of the first thing we bought the baby, along with the tag off the outfit. Next is a page of a printout of a Chinese Gender Predictor Chart - just to have something fun on there :) It says it's a boy, so I put, "Is it a.... BOY?" on the sides of it and then wrote up a little thing about the Chinese charts. 

So far I'm having a lot of fun with it :) 

I also want to do a page in April of things like bread, gas, egg, etc. prices so I can look back years from now and say, "wow! that would be nice again!" lol. I also want to do a page with a picture of the house we live in and the cars we drive and the animals we have so we can remember that part of this time too. Lots of ideas... can't wait to put them on paper! And of course... I couldn't have done ANY of this without the Cricut that my AMAZING family got me for Christmas :)

Second Round of Bloodwork Test Results

My first round of test results came back at 403 - very good! The second round came back today at 785 - very good still! The doctor said the numbers should nearly double every 48 hours. And they did just that :)

Rescheduled 1st Ultrasound

I broke down and called my OBGYNs office and rescheduled my first ultrasound. i was really hoping to get in on August 20th because I would be 6 weeks 4 days along and I can pretty much be certain we will see a heartbeat then. But my doctor is out that day and wants to see me after the ultrasound. So, they scheduled it for August 18th instead. So I will be 6 weeks 2 days along. I still feel much better about our chances of seeing a heartbeat at that stage than at 5 weeks 4 days like the previous appointment was supposed to be. So, our babies first pictures will be taking August 18th, at 12:30pm :) Can't wait!!!!

First Ultrasound Appt.

My OBGYN's office called yesterday (August 6th) to schedule my first ultrasound. She said that the doctor wants to see me next week for the ultrasound. I scheduled the appointment for Thursday, August 13th. However, the more I think about it, the more I want to change that appointment to the following week. If I have an ultrasound done on the 13th, I will only be 5 weeks and 4 days along. However, if I wait for the following week on Thursday I will be 6 weeks 4 days along. In the 5th week, the baby does not yet have a detectable heartbeat. But in the 6th week, it does! So... I think that even though I know in my mind and in my heart that it would be practically impossible to see a heartbeat next week, if we go through with the ultrasound I will still be disappointed with not seeing a heartbeat. BUT... if we wait one more week and get to see one, I will be overjoyed, comforted, and at ease in my mind and heart. So, I think I am going to call today and reschedule my ultrasound for the following week if they will let me.

1st hCG level Results

I went to the doctor yesterday, August 4, 2009 and she drew blood for hCG levels and progesterone levels. She called with the results today and said the hCG and progesterone levels were PERFECT!!!!!! The hCG level was at 403, and for being 4 weeks along it should be between 5 and 426. So I would say 403 is perfect :) I go back on Friday, August 7, 2009 to get the levels rechecked to make sure they are doubling like they should be. Oh... and I forgot to ask for the exact number of my progesterone level, but she said that they were both perfect, so no worries :)

First Doctor's Appointment!

That's us - the happy parents :)

Today, August 4, 2009 I went to my family doctor and she confirmed the pregnancy!!!! She did a pregnancy test with my urine like I did at home and said that they have to wait 5 minutes for the test results. She came in a few seconds later and said that the result showed that I am pregnant immediately so there is no question! She also drew blood to test my hCG and my progesterone levels to make sure the levels are good. If the progesterone is low, it can be a sign of miscarriage... BUT, the good thing is that since I am 4 weeks 2 days along today they can put me on progesterone supplements and get the levels up safely to maintain a healthy pregnancy until my body produces progesterone on it's own. 

My doctor told me that she is sure things will go beautifully this time around because the chance of miscarriage has significantly declined now since I have had one already! 

Also, the doctor confirmed my due date of April 11, 2010! Happy Easter baby :)

I will get the blood test results back tomorrow and I will update then :)

Baby Freeman

Jeff and I have been trying for a baby again since our miscarriage on November 16, 2008. We were starting to get very discouraged, as it had been so many months and still had no baby. So, we decided to be very proactive and get an Ovulation Predictor Kit. Basically, you pee on a stick and when you are ovulating (which is when an egg is released and ready for fertilization) that way you have the best chances of getting pregnant. So, we used one of these in July and on July 19th we received our positive ovulation strip! And I think you can figure out what happened next.... because WE'RE PREGNANT!!! I wish we had tried that sooner, but I can't help but think this is how it was all supposed to happen! Now, we get to become parents 6 weeks after we become an aunt and uncle! God definitely has a plan for everything... and I believe my miscarriage was a part of this plan now so that our child and Ben and Megan's child can grow up together!

We got our positive pregnancy test August 1, 2009. I didn't quite believe it when I saw it because it was pretty faint. So I woke poor Jeff up and asked him to look at it. In the bright lights of the bathroom through blurry eyes he said he definitely saw it. So, that afternoon we went out and bought another brand of pregnancy tests and took another test at 5:30pm and the line was MUCH darker! Then, I took another Sunday morning just for reassurance :) It's true! We're having a baby!!!!!!!!

Brief History...

Well, seeing as this is my first blog, I thought I would just start by sharing our story... even if no one reads this, it will be a good way for me to remember where we have come from :) 

My name is Ashlee and I am 23 years old. My husband is Jeff and he is 24. We were married on April 28, 2007, so we just had our 2 year wedding anniversary. We have a 2 year old Pug named Elmer, a 1 year old Shi-tzu named Lillee Mae, and a 3 year old kitty named Misty. We live in a small town called Enon where we have made our home. We have a little house that we bought 1 month before we got married and just love it!

About 1 year into our marriage, Jeff and I decided that we wanted to start trying to have a baby. We knew that it could take a while to get pregnant for the first time, so we didn't want to wait too long. In January of 2008 we went off Birth Control (I had been on it since I was 15 for medical reasons). We tried for 7 months to get pregnant before I become annoyed with my body for not cooperating and just started giving up hope! (in other words, I let go, and let God!)

At the end of September/beginning of October I started realizing that my period hadn't started! So I anxiously ran out and bought a 2 pack of the Clearblue Easy Digital pregnancy tests! After 4 tests and still no period, I was very upset at all the "Not Pregnant" readings we were getting on the tests! So, a week later, on October 13, 2008 I decided to try one last time before completely going insane.... and there it was! The much needed "Pregnant" reading on our pregnancy test! 

As I'm sure you can imagine, this brought SO much excitement and joy to my husband and I that we just wanted to shout it to the world... however, Jeff, who runs a DJ company on the side, had to go set up for a high school dance that day at 8am with his best friend who was helping him! So, seeing as we had yet to tell our parents the news, he couldn't say anything to his best friend about it! This was very difficult, but he managed and we were able to tell both sets of our parents the next day. 

Everyone in our lives were SO excited for us to be pregnant! This would be the very first grandchild to both sets of our parents, and the very first great-grandchild on my side of family! 

However, on the first day of our 13th week of pregnancy, I started bleeding heavily. Luckily, this was a Saturday, so I called the emergency line at my OB's office and the doctor on call said to just lay low all day and see if the bleeding subsides. 

The next morning when I woke up, the bleeding was only worse. I knew in my heart that it was over. My husband did too. So we called all of our family and went to the emergency room. My husband called our worship leader and told him why we wouldn't be at church that day and they all prayed for us in the service. My mom, who is a Pastor, had her service and immediately following came to the emergency room to be with us. I truly believe that without the prayers that were said specifically for us that Sunday, this whole situation would have been much more difficult to handle for Jeff and me. 

On Monday we went to the doctor to discuss options for completing the miscarriage, as in the ultrasound we could still see our little baby without any signs of a heartbeat. We chose to have a D & C just so we could get on with things and move forward in our lives. The next day we had the D & C and everything went fine... until 60 days later when I still had NO period! We became anxious that perhaps we were pregnant again! So we went to my doctor and had blood work done... negative. But still no period. So, my doctor prescribed me Prometrium (I think that's what it was) and 8 days later I had my period. 

With many many many prayers, lots of faith, and more tears than I have ever cried in my life, we have made it through this difficult time. That's not to say that things aren't still difficult! I still find myself crying over our little Angel whom we both loved so dearly already. And a day does not go by when I do not think of him/her. And when we do get pregnant again, there is no way that this baby will ever replace the one we have already lost. They will both be our children forever. However, our next child will only be cherished even more than the first because of what we have gone through.