Hospital Stay 16 1/2 weeks

Wednesday night (technically Thursday morning) at 1 AM Josh and I began getting ready for bed and I found a sight I really only wanted to see if it was that time of the month for me... and I wan't pregnant. Not knowing what to do we called Josh's mother and she told us to get to the ER now. Crying, I got myself dressed, while Josh went to the Front Desk to put up a BE RIGHT BACK sign and to call the manager to tell him we had to leave, and he would have to come in.

The ride to the ER seemed to drag on and on and I did all I could to think happy thoughts. We got checked in and taken into a room rather quickly. After I had changed into the ever so appealing hospital gown, the nurse brought in the Doppler to lister for Baby's heart beat. I pointed to the middle of my stomach saying it was the location our doctor has a found a very strong beat every time. The nurse touched the machine to my stomach and silence,I began to cry. The nurse and Josh both held onto one of my hands while the nurse continued looking for a heart beat. She thought she could hear one different from mine. After a few minutes she looked just a little lower and there was baby. She apologized for the scare, but I was just so happy to hear that little beat that I didn't care. The nurse continued listening to the beat, and pointed out when she could hear Baby moving past the Doppler.

Next came the blood work and the IV. The guy who did the needle work scared the crap out of me because 1- he was shaking like a mad man and 2- he muttered, "hum... I don't want to try there because I don't want to have to try again". In my life NO ONE has missed a vein on me! Thank goodness that still stands to this day.

An ultrasound came next. We saw Baby kick it's feet and move it's arms. It was so exciting to see for the first time. I asked the tech if she could see what the gender was she said it was still really early to know for sure, but it looks like a girl!

After an hour or so at the ultrasound, I was wheelchaired back to the room. While we waited in the room with the door to the hall cracked open we could hear a ER doctor ask if any one has called my doctor yet. Josh and I looked at each other and knew that wasn't a good thing. We were told that the ultrasound showed some blood flow and it looked like a possible tear and or bleeding cyst in the placenta and that I would be transfered over to the other campus in town and kept for observation.

Now, the real experience of waiting at the ER came. The IV had all been emptied into me and now it was time for it to come out. In that time I had to use the restroom many, many times. Hating the feeling and knowledge of something stuck into my skin, my left hand with the IV became handicap and I would barely move it. It was quite a chore to use the rest room. It was a chore that I would be cursed to do with the IV until 5 pm that night when I would be released from the hospital and the bonds of that darned IV.

Just before 6 AM I got transfered, and Josh ran home to get our phone chargers for our drained phones and some snacks. We were told my doctor would come in before his regular clinic hours to talk to me. He came just before 9 and told us that he has set us up to meet with a fetal

specialist. He had equipment that would be able to see details more clearly and be able to understand more about what was going on inside of me. So the waiting continued.

Yes, I am a true beauty, wide awake yet wishing I could sleep. That other, is my hand.

Oh, how I don't like IVs!

Josh trying to sleep. Every time he got relaxed someone would walk in.

He finally just gave up.

I order breakfast just to get sick an hour later. I asked for some nausea medicine or if Josh could go get mine. They refused and said they had to administer the drugs and my doctor had to okay it. So I waited, and waited. About 1 PM I had some Lime soda and some lunch and the nausea was leaving. My sister called to check up on me and I jokingly told her the day would have been better if she would have called the hospital back and OK'ed the medicine for me. She asked the Doctor and he said he OK'ed it a long time ago, and that I must not have been aware they gave it to me. I laughed told them that we haven't slept, I haven't taken a pill and no one had come in and tampered with my IV. Silly hospital, they had forgotten about me!!

2:40 PM I was taken downstairs to meet with the specialist. The techs did the first ultrasound. I was really happy to have my mother there to see Baby move inside of me. When I say move, I mean MOVE. Baby was constantly kicking, turning, flipping around, moving it's arms, turning it's head. After several attempt at taking a photo and Baby moved out of the way at the last second the tech told me to have a talk with my child! My mom, Josh and I loved every second of it. Even though the dark room was starting to put Josh and I to sleep from being awake for since 7 the morning earlier. Again, I asked the tech about the gender. She also said it was still early but she thought a girl, too. While she was trying to look, Baby would close it's legs and I said that if it was a girl, she was a really good girl!

I had to use the restroom again, the two IV bags I had while there at the hospital was really taking a toll on me, when I returned the doctor was going to do the ultrasound. I lay down, touches the machine to my belly and says "What is that mess?" over and over again. As we watched the monitor, the Baby was repeatedly kicking "the mess". The tech said,"I am not sure, she just went pee." It is weird to say, but I feel like it was because I went to the bathroom it was easier to see that "the mess" which was the placenta sitting on top of my cervix. No tear, no bleeding cyst. The doctor told me I have had a threatened miscarriage an

d now, I am to go home and get myself into bed, and stay there.

I have been ordered to two weeks of bed rest for now. From what I understand, my uterus is almost to the point of kicking Baby out, even though Baby isn't ready yet. So no stress to the uterus so not to encourage it. When the uterus has had enough and if the placenta doesn't move itself then the only way Baby can get out alive is by cesarean section. And hopefully Baby will be developed enough to come out. So I am just going to lay here, and try not to move!!

Badger

Our pet hamster died last night. We have had Badger for just over a year and a half. Badger came to us after we had a series of unfortunate events with new born hamsters. We chose the fully grown Badger from Sue's Pet Castle. He was very bright and had an amazingly, awesome personality.
Badger was very hyper active when he first came to live with us. He climbed everywhere and on everything. He made as much noise as he possibly could. Hamsters are nocturnal, so a lot of this noise making came while we were trying to sleep! He spent a lot of nights in the bathroom so I could sleep in silence!

As he got older and needed more sleep, his personality came through as he became moody when awoken from is slumber. He turn to us, give us "a look" the turn back around and bury his head.

He was such a well tamed hamster, he never bit us. He was always willing to get in and out of his ball by himself. There was a few times we would let him wonder the ground outside of is ball and he found a home in one of our shoes!
Even though we knew this time would come, we will still miss him a great deal. He was our baby.

Blast From The Past

Since I was looking threw some of my old projects I came across some that I made before the days of Photoshop and Illustrator. These were Microsoft Paint days.

A bowling alley:

My hand holding a pioneer diamond:

Los Kung Fu Monkeys Logo:

The Birthday Cake

The cake for my brother-in-laws birthday. It is a red velvet computer! Very creative. I am proud to say the design is mine. It is funny because I didn't even recognize it. After I looked at it and admired the cake, my sister and her husband asked what I thought of the image on it, and if I recognized it. Then they cleared things up and said yes, Ashley, you made that logo a few years back. I am now proud of it all over again!

How It All Started

Three years ago this weekend was the first time Josh and I ever talked. In honor of such an occasion I found a written recap of our "firsts" that I put together in September of 2007. Enjoy.



-First Time I Saw Him: At work. He looked little, but cute. ;)

-First Time I Talked To Him: Not a lot was said. He didn't talk much.

-First Time I Spent Time With Him: Work at the Ridge. Only one time in the year it is aloud 'n i got to be with him. We shared a pizza at work.

-First Time I Hung Out With Him Other Then Work: He was gonna come see the ending of the marathon with me 'n nat. Damned those people are fast. We missed it. 'n we didn't met up with him. So i asked him to eat breakfast with me 'n roach. Roach made fun of people in flip flops.. 'n he was wearin them too! haha

-First Time Date: October 12, 2006. I asked him out. We went to the glow in the dark golf place, ice burg, the haunted corn maze, then Silent Hill at my house. (Wow-o!! it was a late night! i was so excited!)

-First Time We Held Hands: I asked him one night after we hung out if he was ever going to? he said yeah. Then a week later we went to see Stranger Then Fiction and he mustered up the courage 'n he did it!!!

-First Time As A Couple: Nov. 27, 2006. I asked him what we were doing. "Are we just hangin out? or are we going out?" he said he didn't know.. then left to help a customer. i felt like stupid!! but he came back afterwards 'n was like "About your question. Yes we are going out." (haha in yer face devil girl!)

-First Time We Kissed: Dec. 2, 2007. He totally made the move. We were at his house watchin tv after spending the day at my parents house. He kissed me twice. Then i fell asleep. When i woke up the next morning he kissed me again.. and i realized HE KISSED ME!! (i am a little slow at times)

-First Time We Said "I Love You": His heart was hurting. He couldn't sleep. I was tired, i was trying to sleep. He was basically laying on my head and he whispered "Ashley can i tell you something? I Love You." i was half asleep 'n all i could say was "Thank You, i mean yeah me too." i finally said it a few days later... what a loser i am.

-First Time Talkin About Marriage: I actually talked to my mom about it just the day before. i told her that i was serious about him. i would like to marry him but there is no way i was gonna say something like that to him. (we had only been goin out fer about 2 months or so) then the next night. He asked if he was someone i could see myself marrying.. i was like... HECK YES! i couldn't believe it!

-Asking My Father: I told him i wanted him to go to my dad and ask fer permission to marry me. Josh was so scared. I told him that i have been talkin to my parents the whole time we were goin out and i told them from the first time i saw him that i was going to marry him and have his babies! haha. Any how. my mom called up sayin some of the family was coming to town and asked if we would like to come down. i asked josh 'n he said yes real fast. he told me after i hung up that he was ready to ask. i told him i would set up a chance fer him to be alone with my dad. i would get up and go to the bathroom 'n he can make his move. well when we got down there.. i really did have to go. so i got up.. while inside the room of the toilet i could hear josh and my dad talkin.. i loved it cuz i knew he was doin it! :) (my dad gave permission)

-When He Bought the Ring: He was so excited. He called me at work and told me he was coming over. He said guess what!! i bought you a ring today!! haha he couldn't hold his excitement in!! he was so cute.

-Who Spilled the Beans Next: I was over at his house and Landon comes downstairs 'n he was all "I can't tell you. I can't tell you." i was confused. "What?" "I can't tell you about the ring. I can't tell you." I couldn't help but laugh. i asked him where the ring he couldn't tell me about was 'n he said "not in the car". haha.. funny kid. Good thing i already knew or else i would of just been confused 'n i wouldn't be able to think it was funny then and now.

-The Proposal: a few nights after he had the ring. He asked me to go to his house with him after work. as we began the drive there. i noticed he got on his phone. who the heck could he possibly call at 11 o'clock at night? when we got to the house the inside lights were on. Why the heck is amy 'n neal up so late? weird.. then i see figures dart across windows and lights flash out... something is up. josh walks me in. i see lights on the back porch. dun dun dun.. this is it. He walked me out the back doors under a light filled archway to candle light rails and path to a small table in the the middle of the porch. So beautiful. The table has a bottle of sparkling apple cider and flowers and two bowls of cookies 'n cream ice cream. He sat me down 'n got down in front of me... i cried tears of joy.

-The Wedding: The temple. I was so scared. I saw him all in white and i fell in love all over again. how the heck can one man be so freakin hot?! haha. It was so wonderful to have him be there with me. Holding my hand, looking into my eyes. Pictures were long and hot. the luncheon was awesome. food so good. family and friends everywhere. our room was awesome too, strange, window looked out to the indoor lobby?? The reception, so perfect. cake chocolate, butterflies and flowers. halla. A little drama.. but nothing could ruin this day. I had nothing but smiles. I dropped a brownie down my cleavage.. right in front of a guest. luckily i knew them good 'n they just laughed at me. i had brownie there the whole reception. The dance - Avril Lavigne- Innocence, haha. anything fer my babe. it was a good song and i get all teary eyed when i listen to it to this day.

-Recap: We hung out for a month. Dated for 4 months. Got engaged. Married 2 months later. Today we have been married for 3 months. I have know Josh for only 10 months. But so much has changed for both of us in that little of time. I am so happy to have found him. He is my everything and everything i want to be. I still can't believe he married me!!!!!!!