Sayonara 2009!

First, I would like to thank my father for shaving a year or two off my life last night. I think it was right around 8 pm, and my cell phone rings. It's Mom's cell phone number. I instantly panic because 1) they never call this late, and 2) when they do, and it's from Mom's cell, it's usually letting me know that Mom is in the hospital or something. So, I answer it, and hear Dad's voice. Immediately I think the worst- my heart starts beating out of my chest. I say, "What's wrong?" and Dad's like, "Well, everything's okay, but..." [long pause] "I can't figure out how to get my USB stick out of the computer." I hand the phone to Casey so I can allow my heart rate to get back to normal. Dad, I'm glad Casey could help you. Sorry to jump to conclusions, but can you blame me? That's the first time you've called that late and it wasn't a real emergency!! AHHHHH!!! I'm okay now.

Anyway, it's hard to believe this is the last day of the year. 2009 has been a good one, and I'm really looking forward to 2010. I have no idea what kinds of things I will be able to say this time next year, but I should have a little kid toddling around a year from now. I wonder what they will look and act like. I wonder if I'll be back in school yet. I wonder if I'll miss working, or will be fully enjoying Mommyhood and not thinking twice about a paycheck. I wonder what Casey will be doing at BP this time next year. I wonder if Charley will enjoy having a toddler around (and I would imagine so, since that will mean that more food ends up on the floor for him to eat!). Crazy to know that I'm right on the edge of a year full of change. I think I'm starting to actually be ready for it.

Not sure yet how we will ring in the New Year, but it looks to be very low-key compared to previous ones, for obvious reasons. I think we may even stay in tonight, cook dinner, and watch a movie. I think tomorrow we will venture out, since Casey has the day off. I suddenly had a flashback to Japan 4 years ago... one of the craziest and most fun New Years I have ever had. :) My, how life has changed!! Again, I don't regret it.

Finally, here are a few random pictures for you. I previously forgot to take a picture of the outside of our house with the Christmas lights, so I took one last night. (*Before I forget... you can barely see him, but Charley is looking out the office window in this picture!) I also took pictures (above) of some cookies I made yesterday for our neighbors who took care of our deliveries that came in while we were in Topeka. Finally, Casey posed for a picture on Monday night when he was sick, and Charley was curled up with him... I call it "Sick Puppies" even though Charley wasn't actually sick... don't they look pathetic? (Casey may have played the face up a bit... Charley always looks that way, though.) :-)



Love,

Ash

Too much energy for 6 a.m.

Alright, I think I have way too much energy for it being so early in the morning, but I have good motivation... Last night, Case and I did some price comparisons on things we need for the baby, and this morning I am on a mission to 1) get things we wanted at a good discount, and 2) spend the heck out of some of the gift cards we got at the baby showers. I love being married to a guy who minored in Economics (unless he talks me out of buying something I really want... but I later realize it's a good thing and forgive him... haha). We spent a good hour on the computer last night, comparing items from Target & Babies R Us, and found that a lot of things at Target are less expensive, so getting the gift cards to Target turned out to be a good thing. We also got quite a few Visa gift cards for Christmas and the 2nd baby shower, so that'll help out with the bedding from Baby Depot, as well as a number of things elsewhere. I am kind of anxious to get the bedding, even though we don't have a crib... yet. Cribs To College called while we were in Topeka, and not only are they sending us a new crib, they are going to come to our house, haul off the old one, and assemble the new one for free! It should be here in the next 2 weeks. I think I may have mentioned it before, but I am really impressed by CTC. They are a local, family-owned business in Naperville. They don't work on commission, so we enjoyed going in because we knew that we could look around without feeling like vultures were circling us (unlike the way it felt to go to The Buckle at Westridge Mall... I could never go in there without being hounded by a bunch of sales people!!). The fact that they have offered to do the replacement and installation for free just makes things better. I'll be sure to update when everything is said and done, though.

The dog is officially driving me nuts this morning. He is WOUND UP and already wanting to play. He just went outside to go to the bathroom, and apparently saw something in the neighbor's yard that freaked him out. He was bounding all around back yard in the snow, and wouldn't come inside. Then he busted into the house and tracked snow everywhere. Now he has his new blue lobster toy from Christmas (thanks Mom!) and he's squeaking it in my face. I realize the kid needs more playtime, and I need to let him out somehow to spend up some of his energy... I just don't want to fall in the snow, etc., so I'm limited on what I can do with him right now. I really wish there was some kind of indoor dog park nearby. So far I don't think anyone has ever thought of doing this, or if so, it's not popular enough to be in our area yet. And now here Charley is again, bringing me Kong. I hope this isn't a theme for the day.

Today I plan on shopping, baking cookies and using my new cookie press and decorating tools, and getting my hair cut. I need to take the Christmas tree down, but we'll see how much energy I have after everything else I want to do today. Yesterday I didn't get a whole lot done until the afternoon... I think I was trying to catch Casey's cold, so I spent most of the morning attempting to sleep or lounging around, and congested. I ended up going to Walmart later in the afternoon once I started feeling better. I saw the awesome greeter guy who spoke to me more than ever before! He even helped me with my coat! Someday I'll get a picture of this dude... I'm telling you... BEST GREETER EVER. I am also still impressed with the Plainfield Walmart in general. I thought I would have to wait in line yesterday, but they opened a new line right away and I only waited about 2 minutes. The longest I have ever waited in line was 5 minutes, and even that wasn't so bad. It's always clean, and the people are friendly and helpful. I actually feel safe there, something I never could have said in Topeka or Columbia. They have changed my mind now- I officially don't mind going to Walmart anymore!

It's hard to believe that there are only a few more days left in 2009. Next year is going to be a big one for us, but I'm excited to see all the things that we get to do. Baby Hetrick is going to change everything!

I guess I should go now... I'm going to find out what time Target opens so I can get there early... it's supposed to start snowing sometime this morning, and I really don't want to drive around too much in it. Speaking of driving... we're going to get a new vehicle sometime in the next few weeks! We have to get rid of the truck, which actually makes me sad because I know Casey enjoyed having it... we just can't put a car seat in it safely. I know Case isn't too excited about driving my Jetta, either. I truly don't deserve to get a new car, based on the way I took care of the old one, but I plan to step it up and take better care of the one we get.

Anyway, I will really go this time. Write again later!

-Ash

Pictures from Home

Baby shower cake... tooooo cute!!! :-D


Me with the shower girls!


Casey and I at the baby shower w/the Peanut cake!!


Dinner @ Sakura w/friends: Dan & Kathy Richardson, Dan Nadeau, Aaron Brumley, & his girlfriend Laura


Chelsea & I at The Classic Bean


Charley nose-deep in his goodie bag...


Peanut shirt!

Home again

It is hard to believe that Christmas, as well as our time in Topeka, is already over. We made the ~9 hour trip back yesterday and got home around 4 pm. I'll try to remember all that happened last week, as it is a blur to me now.

Monday night we went to my cousins' house and had a delicious lasagna dinner. It was fun catching up with them and eating great food (something I did a lot of during our trip home!). My cousin Bryan has an adorable son named Miles who just turned 5- unfortunately he is in a very shy stage and barely talked to us while we were there... he spent most of the time hiding. Hopefully next time we see him he'll come around a bit more, because I always enjoy spending time with him- he's hilarious! I guess kids go through stages, though.

After dinner, we headed back out to the Hetricks, where we basically went right to sleep. We ended up going to Lawrence on Tuesday morning and meeting up with Aaron Brumley, his girlfriend Laura, and our friend Jon Tipton who we haven't seen since our wedding! It was fun catching up with him and trying to recap all that's happened in the last 6 years. :) Jon had to go to work after breakfast, so we walked around downtown Lawrence with Aaron & Laura. Then we went out to the Hetricks again and tried to pack up things to take to my parents house for a few days. Casey spent the afternoon with Aaron playing video games, and I hung out with my mom at the mall for awhile. (Had to replace those undershirts I had outgrown in less than a week!) We had dinner at my parents house that evening. I passed out early, something that seemed to happen quite a bit last week! All that eating really wore me out, apparently!

Wednesday, we hung out at my parents house in the morning, then ended up meeting my KSU roomie Chelsea and her husband Jonathan at the coffee shop in the afternoon. It was great catching up with them again, as it's been FOREVER since we last saw them! Chelsea is one month behind me in her pregnancy, so we compared notes while the boys talked about work/video games/etc. :) Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for them to leave and for us to run a few errands. We rented a movie, then went back to my parents house for dinner. We ended up doing our Christmas Eve festivities that evening because we found out that the weather was going to start getting pretty bad on Thursday, and my parents wanted us to make it back safely to the Hetricks. So we spent part of Wednesday night opening presents. Charley dove face-first into his goodie bag that Mom had made him... what a spoiled brat!! He really enjoyed his time at my parents house, mainly following my mom around and begging for food. :) We got several things we needed for the house, and Peanut got some cute clothes, toys, and books. I'm excited to bust out my cookie press and new baking sheets sometime this week!

Thursday, the weather started getting bad pretty early in the morning. Keith decided that he wanted us to leave Casey's truck at my parents house, and he would come pick us up in his Dodge Ram when he left work. He came to get us around 3 pm or so, and by that point, the streets were ridiculous. Luckily we were in a vehicle that could plow through just about anything, so we weren't as affected by the weather as the majority of crazy people that were out on the streets at that point. Keith needed to get a last-minute Christmas gift for De, so we went to the mall (Charley and I stayed in the car). Then Casey's sisters, who were stuck at home, sent us a list of things to get at the store, so we stopped there before going home. I was really happy to get to the Hetricks... the weather conditions and frightened dog in my lap made the trip pretty nerve-wracking, so I was happy to get my blood pressure back to a normal range. We vegged out that night, baking and decorating cookies, eating spaghetti, and watching It's a Wonderful Life. (Good movie.. I had never sat through the whole thing before, but I'm happy I did!) We opened our Christmas Eve gifts (love my maternity pajamas!!) and passed out.

Christmas morning, we woke up and opened our gifts. I got a robe (which I'm wearing as I type this... love it!!), a CHI hair straightener, and some very cute things for the baby. I'll include pictures (if they aren't too scary of me w/o make-up...) I laid around a lot that day and pretty much did nothing until we got ready to leave for Lawrence for the Hetrick Christmas at Lloyd & Jeanie's. The Hetrick grandparents got snowed into their house, so we piled into the Honda Pilot and went to bail them out. We somehow managed to get 8 people, 3-4 crock pots of food, and a LOAD of presents into the vehicle and make it to Lawrence... it took 2 hours to actually get there between shoveling snow and packing the car. There were a ton of stranded people out on the streets, and luckily we never found ourselves in that situation. We made it to Lloyd & Jeanie's, and spent time catching up with everyone, eating dinner, and opening presents. I think we finally got home around 10:30 or so, and everyone was pretty much exhausted at that point and went to bed.

Saturday Casey and I got up and attempted to pack everything to take to my parents house. Keith came home and the boys spent time packing the truck. The roads were still really bad out North and we were supposed to have the annual dinner with my friends that evening, but it turned out that everyone else couldn't make it because they were snowed in. I was pretty bummed, mainly because it was the only other time during the week that I could have seen them (other than the baby shower), and I won't see them again until after the baby is born. It was a strange reality to me that this is the last year I would have to do the traditional things before everything totally changes. I know that the change will be a good one, and I'm extremely excited about the baby! I just got sad knowing that this was the last year that we'd probably have a tradition like that. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes, though. The Hetricks (minus Val) made it out, though, so all that food didn't go to waste. After they left, Casey and my dad worked on getting things packed up for the trip home on Sunday morning.

We woke up early... I was pretty out of it as I didn't sleep well at ALL the night before. Casey and my dad got the truck packed and ready, and I got Charley around and all of our stuff together. We hit the road around 6:30 am. We only stopped 3 times for bathroom/food, and made it back to Plainfield around 4:00 pm. All things considered, we did pretty well. Missouri and Iowa were hit pretty hard by the winter storm, but I have to praise the Illinois DOT for clearing off the majority of the highway, as we didn't have any problems at all once we hit the state line.

Side note: Somewhere in Iowa, I REALLY had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped to get gas and I ran inside. There were 3 ladies in front of me in line, and 2 that were behind me shortly after I got there. Peanut was doing the tango on my bladder, and I was having a really hard time standing there waiting on the people in front of me. The guys bathroom was empty, so I looked at the ladies behind me, said, "I've got a kid dancing on my bladder... I'm just going to go in here" (and was relieved when one of them said, "No judgment!")... the bad part was when I came out and saw 2 guys standing there waiting on me. All I could say was, "Sorry guys, I'm 7 months pregnant and couldn't wait anymore!" Hopefully they were fine with it but I didn't stick around to find out!

So that's our trip home, the short version. Chuck is happy to be back home now, although he had a blast getting tons of attention (and treats!) and playing with the Hetricks 9 month old Great Dane, Harley. He slept pretty much all day in the truck yesterday, and barely woke up last night when we were going to bed. I'm glad he had a good Christmas this year. I can safely say we did, too. Just hard to believe it's already over!

This morning I went for my 31 week doctor's appointment- I start going every 2 weeks now. Everything is on track and looking good. I gained 2 lbs since I went last, and the baby's heartbeat was 146. Overall, I have gained 13 lbs! They think I will probably gain 25 total. All in all, a good and short appointment. Now I'm home and going to attempt to get some energy and make sense of all of our Christmas/baby shower gifts. I've got my work cut out for me!

Love,

Ash

PS: I'm going to post some pictures in a separate blog entry as this one is pretty freaking long. :)

Topeka, and Peanut's 2nd Baby Shower

We made it to T-town without too much trouble, although the ice/snow in Iowa was a little unnerving. We made pretty good time, too- left at 6:15 am, rolled into Topeka around 3:00 pm. We only stopped 3 times- it surprised me that I didn't need to stop any more than that, but it was nice not to have to stop and start all the time. :)

Saturday we got around and then went to the baby shower my sisters-in-law and two best friends threw for us. It was fun, and definitely more co-ed than the work shower. I think we had about 8-9 guys there this time! It was great catching up with everyone again. They got us a cake that was shaped like a peanut!! It was absolutely adorable, and I will have to blog now and update pictures later as I'm not on my own computer. Leslie took a bunch of pics during the shower, which will help me remember all that went on- that day was kind of a blur. We have quite a bit to haul back to IL, but I'm excited about the things we got for the room, etc. Last night, Leslie gave me a lesson on how the stroller works, which was pretty awesome. She has been babysitting for the majority of her teenage years (probably a bit before that even) and knows a ton of very useful tidbits, so it was fun to pick her brain. Then she quizzed me on how everything works. With a little more effort, I should have it down soon, and then I'll teach Casey. :)

Anyway, after the shower, Sara, Lindsey and I all went out to the Classic Bean for coffee. It was fun to hang out with them and relax after all of the festivities of the day. Someone at CB was playing one amazing soundtrack in the background, so we spent a good hour or so just reminising on the old days and memories the songs brought back. It was great to hang out with them- I needed it!!

Later that night, Casey & I met up with the Richardsons, Aaron Brumley and his girlfriend Laura, and Dan Nato. I haven't seen the Richardsons or Dan since before we were married! We went out to a Japanese restaurant and stuffed ourselves with delicious food. :) Afterward, Aaron told us about a Christmas party that one of the teachers at Seaman High School was having, so we decided to 'crash' it. It was a lot of fun, and Case, Aaron, and Dan got to catch up with teachers they had in high school. After that, we decided to go to downtown Topeka to a bar called The Office, and hung out there for about an hour or so. I did feel pretty awkward being at a bar, but at least I wasn't the only one not drinking! Ran into a few people there I haven't seen in awhile, too, which was fun. Overall, it's fun to come back home because I have a lot better chance of seeing people I know... and I thrive on that!

Yesterday we had the Shrimplin Christmas festivities at the Hetrick house. It was a busy afternoon/evening, but fun to see everyone and catch up. Grandma Shrimplin gave the younger girls in the family a HAND WRITTEN recipe book with over 80 recipes. She wrote each one- at least 6 of them- which I think is amazing. That is quite a bit of time and effort to put in, not to mention a TON of delicious food that I look forward to making now that I'm unemployed. ;) [Note to self- update on last day of work at some point!!] After the Shrimplins left, everyone pretty much crashed. I was so tired, I started falling asleep sitting up on the couch, watching TV. (For anyone who knows how much trouble I have falling asleep, this is pretty significant.) I actaully fell asleep around 11, and ended up waking up at 2:30. Finally got back to sleep after awhile, and didn't look back... I actually rolled (maybe literally... haha!) out of bed just before 10 this morning. I must need it!

Anyway, today Casey is spending some time trying to get a report done for work, and then we'll head to my parents' house and later to dinner with my cousins. Apparently the weather is supposed to start getting bad Tuesday night into the rest of the week, so hopefully we'll be able to see as many people as possible and not have to be shut in somewhere. Sounds like Chicago is getting some nasty snow/ice right now... I'm so glad I'm not there right now!!

I think that's enough for one day. Glad I took the time to do this now, because just writing this made me think of a bunch of things I had missed already. Looking forward to Christmas Eve on Thursday with my parents, Christmas day with the Hetricks, and then the annual dinner at the Harding house on Saturday night with friends & family. I am going to NEED all the time off next week just to catch up from this exhausting week!!

Love,

Ash

PS: Peanut seems to be on a growing spurt right now. The undershirts I could wear last week are practically screaming when I put them on now... ahhhh!! I wonder how many pounds I'll have put on when I go back to the doc next Monday...

Peanut's First Baby Shower

**TV & plastic tub obviously not included!!**

Yesterday, the wonderful people I work with (for one more day) threw a us a baby shower. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures during the shower, but I gathered the gifts and took a few pictures of them so I can keep a record and later I will *hopefully* be able to remember who gave us what, etc. I am already 1/2 way done with Thank You cards (I think it's because I wanted to put off cleaning the house... haha!) but I still have quite a bit more to go. I'm trying to decide if I should write thank yous to every agent that contributed money to our Target gift card... but since there are 33 people on the list, I am considering copping out and sending a mass e-mail. Lame, I know, but I don't know if I can handle writing all those cards!

The shower was fun. Casey got to hold and feed Dominick (coworker Ashlee's almost 2 month old baby) which was probably a little intimidating with all of the agents staring at him and watching his every move. I was informed that he did a great job, and I have nothing to worry about... LOL! (People continue to say the strangest things!) It was a fun party, and I look forward to the family/friend party on Saturday.

Anyway, here is a breakdown of the shower gifts:


Boppy pillow- Ashlee D.
My Baby photo album- B&W Agents group gift
First Year book- Kelly Rich
On-the-go Dishes/spoons- Joy Mulder
Baby Bugs toys- Kathy Aguayo
Froggie 'lovie' and White fuzzy blanket- B&W Agents group gift
Elephant Blanket- Kathy Aguayo
Clothes (from top pic)- Joy Mulder



Crinkle Zoo book- Michelle Toledo
Baby Record Keeper (growth chart, hand/foot print maker, etc)- new admin Gail T.
Foot Rattles, Owl toy- Michelle Toledo
Christmas Tree ornament- Kathy Aguayo
Gerber washclothes- Ashlee D.



Huggable Hangers- The Passaro Team (including our Realtor Sharon Riegert!)
Carter's wall art- Michelle Toledo

I'm excited about the wall art because now I can start decorating the room a bit! There is a crack in the crib, so we are trying to negotiate something with the company/manufacturer to figure out when we'll get a replacement. Hopefully it won't take too long! But that has backed up the productivity of the nursery since we can't really do much until the crib is assembled and in its place. Hopefully they will just send us a new head and foot board and we'll be set. And hopefully Peanut doesn't arrive until we have a place for he/she to sleep!

I guess that's all for now... I'll try to write again before we leave on Friday. :)

-Ash

"The Storm"

I said last week felt like the 'calm before the storm', so this week I'm getting ready to take cover! Here's a breakdown of my week:

Monday (today)... CLEAN the HOUSE. And whatever else I can do to make the rest of the week go smoothly, esp. since we leave early Friday morning to head to Kansas. OH, and I'm working on our holiday letter and Christmas cards, so I should probably get some of that done today as well. Ahhh!

Tuesday: Last Photoshop class... turn in my final project... yay! The Baird & Warner baby shower is from 2-4 pm, and I found out Casey can come, so I'm a little less nervous about it. :) Now we can start really preparing for Peanut to arrive!

Wednesday: Packing, cleaning, laundry, any last-minute shopping for Christmas... packing...

Thursday: Finish packing, get ready for the trip to Topeka on Friday. Work my last shift at Baird & Warner that evening. Let's hope I don't cry.

Friday: Drive all day and arrive in Topeka!

Saturday: Family/Friends baby shower

Sunday: Shrimplin Christmas at the Hetricks

I had to change my mind about Casey's Christmas gift so now I am scrambling to figure out what to do for him. I think I know, but I feel lame now that my Big Idea fell through. Oh well... maybe I'll work on it for next year since I'll have more time at home now... it was just getting too involved and expensive. I think we're keeping Christmas pretty low-key between us this year, since we'll have so much baby stuff going on. Plus, we need to get a new vehicle, so that will probably be our big gift to each other. I guess that's not really low-key... but it's a necessity! A lot is going to change around here in the very near future!

Speaking of changes, Casey and I decided to rearrange the living room this weekend. Now the couch is along the half-wall, and the TV is on the north side of the room instead of the west. It really opens up the house a lot more, and Charley enjoys having even more room to run now that the couch isn't in the way. Peanut will have a lot more room to play now, too. We also put up the Christmas tree yesterday. Now that the TV/Entertainment center is on the north side of the house, the windows on the west side are free, so we put the tree in front of one of those. Charley didn't seem to mind the tree (which was surprising!) and still manages to look out the window and spy on the neighbors, which is one of his favorite activities. In general, I think the arrangement is a good one. Casey seems to be happy with his hard work... as I was not able to be very helpful as far as moving furniture was concerned. I'll try to take pictures of the house this week and update, since I don't think I've actually done that since we moved in over a year ago. Oops!

I am starting to feel more of the effects of pregnancy the past few days, and it doesn't take much to wear me out. Having two holiday parties this weekend did the trick, and I found myself really run down during the day Saturday and Sunday. I'm definitely getting bigger now, and I'm sure my body is just trying to adjust to the extra weight. Only 11 weeks to go! I have a feeling by the end of this, I am going to be 110% ready to have Peanut join the world... probably sooner than later. Until then, I'm going to keep trying to do as much as I can, but still take it as easy as possible. I have a feeling I'll need to work in naps here and there over the next 2 weeks, just to get through all the holiday activities.

I should go now... writing about all the things I need to do is wearing me out, and I haven't even started yet! Ahhh!!

Love,

Ash

29 weeks and craziness

I feel as though this week is just the calm before the storm. It has been a good one, though! I survived the first big snow storm of the season, without falling on my ass. I skipped class on Tuesday because it was snowing and I didn't think driving 40 minutes with the maniacs around here would be very wise. It was also only a lab day, and because of our weekend SC trip, I didn't have a chance to take any good pictures, so I didn't need to take advantage of lab time that day. I can't remember if I went to Walmart on Monday or Tuesday, but whichever day I decided to go, I managed to time it just right so I left right as it started sleeting. That was awesome. My procrastination paid off again!! But I somehow managed to get groceries, put them in the car, and get home without having too much trouble. Wednesday was spent indoors with a bored puppy as we watched the snow fall. I did manage to get a lot done around the house, though. For once, I had a long list of things to do, and got them all checked off without even complaining about it or putting it off! Maybe the "Nesting" phase is kicking in. Either way, it's carrying over to today, which has been nice. Case and I woke up around 7:30 and I feel pretty well rested and ready to get things done. Hooray!

Thursday afternoon was Baird & Warner's holiday party. I've come to the conclusion that Realtors really know how to party. There was a ton of wine and beer consumed that afternoon, and apparently it carried over to the evening because people called in sick on Friday... they called me to come fill in for a few hours, which I actually didn't mind at all. (It probably gave them peace of mind knowing that I had only consumed good ole H-2-O the entire time.. haha!) Things were busy at work on Friday, as usual, but I also got to hear dirt about who got crazy the night before and a few things that happened with coworkers that were pretty funny. (I won't write them on here, just in case anyone happens to read this... ;)) As much as I have complained about certain work situations in the past, I really will miss the people there. They are still keeping the door open for me after the baby is born, so I may come fill in on the occasional weekend day or something when Case can be home with the kid. It will also be good to get out of the house and have some adult conversations with people other than Case every once in awhile. I don't want to become a hermit!!

Anyway, now I'm gearing up for a week of baby showers, traveling home, and getting ready for the holidays. We have gotten ZERO Christmas shopping done, which is making me a little anxious. Hopefully I will get through this week without completely exhausting myself! One day at a time...

Before I forget; We had a great check up at the doctor yesterday! I gained FIVE pounds over the last month (Yay!!! Thank you Thanksgiving food!) and Peanut is right on track as far as growth is concerned. We heard the heartbeat again (144 bpm) and got to meet the last of the 3 rotating doctors in our practice. He is the main doctor and will most likely be the one that delivers the baby. Case and I like him- he's got a fun personality and is pretty feisty, which suits us well. Even the office staff was nice yesterday, which as you may recall can be hit-or-miss at that office. All in all, it was a very good visit. Now I will start going in every 2 weeks for a check up. Let's hope the weather cooperates! Oh, this week I also signed us up for an additional pre-birth class. We start our Prepared Childbirth class on Jan 3rd, which will go for 3 weeks, and then we'll do a BabyPLUS class that will teach us infant CPR, car seat installation, etc. Lots of baby learnin' to do in the next month or so! :)

So that pretty much sums up the week. Our friend Kyle was supposed to come visit this weekend but he called yesterday to let us know that it wasn't going to pan out. Hopefully we'll get to see him shortly after Peanut arrives. Our schedules aren't going to work out over Christmas so we won't get to see him like we normally do when we go home. He's on his way to becoming a Pediatrician so I can't really blame him for having little to no free time right now. :)

I guess that's about it. I probably won't write much while we're at home for Christmas, so I'm sure there will be a ton to write about when we get back... I'll try to keep up with the blog next week, though, as the Baird & Warner baby shower, my last day of class, and my last day of work all coincide. Let the craziness begin!

-Ash

Weekend Update & Snow!

SO much to update!! Bear with me, guys.

We just got back from a most excellent weekend in South Carolina. And probably the fastest of my life. We had a layover in Atlanta on Thursday night, then landed in Charlotte and picked up the rental car... we rolled into Columbia around 1 am on Friday morning. After a bit of sleep (Casey more than me... it was the same snoring/Peanut dancing scenario I'm getting so accustomed to...), we woke up around 7:30 on Friday morning to get ready to go to the Chemical Engineering department. That was after picking up Bojangles for breakfast. :)

We got to the Department around 9, and that was the beginning of a crazy marathon-style day of seeing as many people as we possibly could. I waddled all around that place, and probably saw at least 40 people (and probably more) that I hadn't seen in at least a year. The best part was just standing out in front of the main office, having people come to me. Many of them would see me and 1) do a double take because it was me and then 2) do another double take because of my baby bump... it was fun to watch their facial expressions as they realized what was going on! we took about an hour for lunch, then went back and did it all over again. We even got to see Dr. Amiridis for about 3 whole minutes. He's the Provost now, so we saw him in between meetings. It was a pretty intense and insane schedule for us. I convinced Casey to take me back to Billy & Clay's place so I could take a nap before going back out that evening for dinner. Our friends Zahra & Kaveh brought their 5 month old baby girl (who I got to giggle and smile!) and Jan & Eirini brought their 15 month old daughter, Artemis. We had fun playing with the kids (and I especially had fun watching Casey with them... he's going to be such a cute and fun dad!!!) Seeing the kids made me even more excited for Peanut's arrival. :-D

Saturday, Casey got up and played racquetball with Qiang & Jay, so I waddled around Five Points for an hour or so before I heard from Sean and his pregnant wife Stephanie. We met up around the time Casey was done with his game, so we headed to Rockaway's for lunch. Jenny and her fiance Colby met up with us there. It was a nice, small group, and we got to hang out for about 1.5 hours. Then we did some shopping and went back to Billy & Clay's house. They ordered dinner at their place, which was nice because we got to spend some quality time with our hosts. Then we met up with Eyma, Wes, Amy, & Jason at our friend Candy's house while they were watching football games. We didn't stay long since we were both pretty tired and had to get up fairly early on Sunday. Went back to B&C's, then pretty much crashed.

We woke up Sunday, went to breakfast at the Gourmet Shop, and headed to Charlotte to catch our flight. Luck was on our side because although we underestimated how much time it would take to drive up there, we managed to JUST get the right shuttle after dropping off the rental car, JUST make it through security, and arrive at our gate to hand over our tickets and jump on the plane. If any of those things would have taken even a few minutes longer, we probably would have missed our flight. I was absolutely exhausted by the time our plane was in the air. It was a quick trip to Atlanta, where we actually arrived around 30 minutes early, so I was happy to have a few minutes to sit before jumping on the next plane. The strange part was that when I was taking a bathroom break, I ran into a girl named Yvette that I had been in elementary school, middle, and high school with! We chatted for a few minutes which was nice. Very random.

We made it home last night around 4:15 pm. It was then that all the energy completely ran out and I ended up napping on the couch while Casey took Charley Brown to get our dinner. We ate, and then my best friend Lindsey called (we haven't talked in a LONG time!) so we ended up talking for about 3 hours on the phone. It was great catching up again!! Shortly after our phone conversation, I went to bed. I woke up this morning to what the weatherman called a "light dusting" of snow. BS!!!! There is about 2 inches and counting out there now. So, I am basically terrified now because I have to drive around in this crap. I was not ready for this. It's supposed to get worse, as a winter storm is headed our way Tuesday night. I hope it doesn't ruin any plans for the Baird & Warner Christmas party on Thursday night. More than that, I hope that I can make it to class this week. I am pretty nervous about driving all the way there, but I have a lot to work on for my final project that's due a week from tomorrow. I know my teacher would understand, and I won't be surprised if he cancels class if it gets too bad... I'm hoping for the best. I will just go really slow and try to be extra cautious of people around me. One of my biggest fears right now is getting in a car accident and something happening to Peanut... but I know worrying about it is not going to help, so I will try not to.

Today I am going to try and get laundry done before I go to work at 2. It's my second to last time there... I don't work again until the 17th! The baby shower is on the 15th, so I guess I'll be there again, just not on the clock. :)

I guess that's about all... I could write a ton more, but this is more than enough. It was a great weekend seeing wonderful friends, and I'm really glad everything worked out that we could go. Seeing friends was my favorite birthday present this year. :-D

Love,

Ash