Who Does He Think He Is??

This morning on our walk, I noticed Bazzle stopping every once and awhile to scratch or bite himself. I didn't think anything about until we get home and he is eating himself alive...definitely not something that Bazzle does.
I flip him over and notice this...and then I notice one small little flea trying to hurry itself into the thicker hair to hide. Who does that flea think he is attacking my big boy?! I made sure to end the flea's life before giving Bazzle a flea bath, putting anti-itch cream on his leg, dosing him up on Benadryl and wrapping him up in a tight blanket so he wouldn't scratch.
I hope Bazzle doesn't scratch/bite too much today while I'm at work...his little sores already look so tender.
Since when do fleas come out in the fall? For some reason I thought they were a spring/summer annoyance...hmm.

STEP Exams Are A Thing Of The Past

I realized that I forgot to give an update on Jason's STEP 3 exam. After a crazy month of studying and two days of exams, Jason received his STEP 3 exam results a few weeks ago and he passed with flying colors.

He was so worried about the exam because he studied for it during trauma surgery, aka-the worst rotation in residency, but once he saw his results he was relieved that he pushed forward and took the test early on in his residency.

We are so excited that STEP exams are completely finished and are a thing of the past. Boards will still have to be taken but having one set of exams completely done feels so good!!

I'm so proud of my hubby and his dedication to his profession and to his family. He's learning so much during residency and he's having a blast. The hours can be a little rough and tiresome but other than the occasional grumble when the alarm goes off, he's excited to get to the operating room!!

Emotional Mess

Pregnancy is associated with being an emotional/hormonal mess or should I say being a hormonal mess is associated with pregnancy?! Once I told everyone the awesome pregnancy news, they were warned made aware of my unstable emotions.

With that said, I feel like I've been fairly normal in my reactions to certain things, with the exception of a few off the wall breakdowns. I can watch most shows on TV without tearing up, I can listen to Amelia's heartbeat on my phone and not completely lose it and I can feel her move and not feel the need to stop everything and shout, "she's moving again".

Yesterday when I got a card in the mail, the emotional mess came out in full force.

Seeing Amelia Jean wrote down on paper really made this pregnancy, my sweet baby girl and the titles 'mommy' and 'daddy' seem so real.

We are currently parents of the sweetest, tiniest little mango-sized girl named Amelia Jean. I was barely able to type that sentence with the tears welling up in my eyes. Like I said...I'm an emotional mess!

Couch Cuddling

There isn't anything better than spending a Sunday afternoon snuggled on the couch with my loves. This is probably one of the sweetest pictures I've taken of Bazzle and his daddy. He was all snuggled up and snoozing on Jason...I could resist taking a few pictures!

Another Mish Mash Post

• After searching multiple websites, I finally found Amelia's nursery bedding. Before I was pregnant I had everything picked out in my head and knew exactly how I wanted everything but now that I'm pregnant, decisions are so much harder to make.
• Our house appraisal is scheduled for Monday and we are excited to hear the results. We know the appraisal must line up with what we bought the house for or we will have to reevaluate the contract. Only 3 weeks until we close on the house and it will feel so good to know one more thing will be marked off the list.
• I made Paula Deen's, Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding, on Friday after I got home from work. It seemed like a great idea at the time but two days later and only a few servings left, I realized how bad of an idea it was. We definitely did not need to skip breakfast and eat banana pudding TWO days in a row but we did and it was some of the best breakfast we've had in a long time!
• We watched Contagion yesterday, per Jason's suggestion, and I realized how scary germs and diseases can be. Needless to say, I am more aware of where I put my hands and how much instant hand sanitizer I can place around the house, in the car and around the office.
• We locked ourselves out of our apartment for the second time in a month over the weekend. The first time we called the main office, waited for security to unlock our door and had to pay a $55 penalty. This time we were determined to not have to pay the penalty so we 'borrowed' a bicycle from a nearby neighbor so Jason could get a boost so he could scale up the wall and pull himself up on our deck. Thank goodness for messy neighbors that leave their bicycles out in the yard, a hubby that can pull his body weight up and a forgetful pregnant mama that forgot to lock the back door.
• We went for a 4-5 mile bike ride yesterday and I realized how much this mama is out of shape. There is a really nice walking/biking trail that goes through Hershey and we decided to give it a try. It was so nice to be out in the fall weather, riding through corn fields and spending time with my hubby. I'm really going to miss him when he gets his crazy call schedule back in November.
  

If...

If....

If I could have any job in the world....(Ashley) I would love to work in administration at a children's hospital or a pediatrics department within a hospital. (Jason) Anesthesiologist with no call and no weekends

If I had a day to myself....(Ashley) I would get pampered head to toe. Facial, massage, manicure, pedicure, hair cut and anything else I could squeeze into a 24 hour period. (Jason) Enjoying my family.

If I could get married all over again....(Ashley) I would do it all the time. Our wedding was such an awesome day! (Jason) I would do it in a heartbeat...maybe even, every year.

If I could live anywhere in the United States....(Ashley) Location doesn't really matter as long as we lived close to our family. (Jason) Colorado, in the mountains.

If I could have any talent in the world....(Ashley) Creativeness and craftiness. I love playing Martha Stewart but would really like to not have to try so hard to be crafty! (Jason) I would like to be able to sing.

If you met me in real life....(Ashley) You would know that I am very tender hearted and I would do just about anything for my family/friends. (Jason) I'm dedicated to my family and I love the outdoors.

If I went back to school....(Ashley) I would make sure to enjoy it. Cute notebooks, planners and smooth writing gel pens would be a must, regardless if they were on sale or not! (Jason) I WOULDN'T GO BACK TO SCHOOL, I JUST GOT OUT!!

If money were not an object....(Ashley) I would pay off ALL our school loans, support our family members that have always helped us out, buy plane tickets to go home every month and hire someone to update and decorate our house! (Jason) I would take my entire family on an awesome vacation and buy a large property so my friends and family could hunt.

If I could meet one celebrity....(Ashley) I would have to say Miranda Lambert. I think we would have a lot in common and so much fun together. (Jason) Big Ben from the Steelers.

If I could shop at only one store for the rest of my life....(Ashley) Target! I'm not a big shopper but I love walking the aisles at Target and being surprised by what is on the shelves. (Jason) The grocery store! I wouldn't want to run out of food.

If I could choose an animal/pet....(Ashley) My pups! No doubt about it and no questions asked. (Jason) My Dogs

If I could go on a trip right now....(Ashley) I would love to take Jason to Bora Bora or Fiji. I love the little huts on the water and I think we could both use some alone time in the middle of the ocean. (Jason) Elk hunting in Colorado.

If I could choose between a house maid or a personal chef....(Ashley) A personal chef. By the time I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is cook a yummy, healthy meal. (Jason) A chef would be awesome!

*I saw this and thought it might be fun to read how Jason and myself would respond to the different questions. Some questions were pretty hard for us to generate answers for but we were able to think of something.

Bump Updates: Week 18

Here is the bump update for week 18....How far along? 18 weeks and 3 days (Saturday, September 24, 2011)

How big is the baby? The size of a sweet potato

Sleep? This week I actually was able to fall asleep and stay asleep, with the exception of a few visits to the bathroom. The back pain has seemed to disappear for the time being--I now wake up feeling refreshed! I did notice a few muscle spasms while I slept...but nothing too bad.
Food Cravings? Right now, the cravings have subsided a bit. I'm at the point where I feel like I'm constantly eating or constantly wanting to eat.

Gender? It's a GIRL...Amelia Jean
Best moment this week? I loved seeing my little girl again...she's gotten so big! I loved when the tech tried to get her to open her legs so we could see the gender. The tech wiggled my belly a little bit and I guess that frustrated Amelia because she started kicking her little legs just as fast as she could. She was already throwing a little temper tantrum, but she looked so cute doing it!
Development? Amelia sleeps and wakes regularly and now can be awakened from sleep by movements and noises. Soft hair, called lanugo, is starting to cover her sweet little body. This helps keep her warm. The eggs in Amelia's ovaries have formed...she seems too small to already have eggs in her ovaries. She is becoming a master of the yawn and the hiccup. Amelia's truly a one-of-a kind, this week she developed unique fingerprints one her fingers and toes.
Noteables? At my ultrasound appointment, the doctor was a little concerned that I had some fluid build up around one of my ovaries. There weren't any cysts present but the extra fluid gave some concern so I'll be getting another ultrasound at my next appointment to make sure the fluid decreases.

Now that we know we are having a little girl, I've started shopping for all the necessary nursery goodies!! So overwhelming but so much fun!

Memories, Sweet Memories

Since the blog is a great way to document everything, I wanted to share some things, some pretty special things, that are going on right now.

• Last night, we went shopping for Amelia's first outfit. I, of course, see the 'Buy One Get One' sale racks and head in their direction. Unfortunately all the newborn clothing on sale was for summer babies and since our little one will be a winter baby, then that wouldn't work. I got 2 outfits that are 3-6 months but... that didn't work for Daddy. He wanted to get her something that she could wear this winter, size newborn, so he went to searching the racks. He finally chose the sweetest little outfit...after long and serious deliberation! He was enjoying the shopping experience much more than I thought he would.
• This morning as I was getting ready to head to work, I got such a sweet, unexpected text. Goodness, I married such a great man! I can't wait to see him with his little girl!
• When I got to work, after a long meeting this morning, I had a package on my desk. Devon, my co-worker got us a little gift. This is her first gift from a non-family member...needless to say, I went a little gaga over it!It says 'mommy loves me on the front with cute little monkeys on the feet and a little monkey on the butt. I can't wait to pat that little diaper butt in this outfit!

Cute Idea!

I thought these buckets were too cute not to blog! My cousin is painting the buckets and adding all the cute monogrammed goodies to make this an adorable gift!! She has twins and is trying to find things she can do to make a little more money...I think she struck gold with this idea.
I'm ordering one for Amelia, one with the Conway name and then I was thinking of a Halloween/Christmas one.

Please let me know if you are interested...I can pass your name and contact info to her! You can email me at: ashconway(at)gmail.com.

Baby Conway Is A.....

Today was filled with a mix of emotions! I woke up like it was Christmas morning, showered, put on my makeup and even styled my hair...all in 40 minutes!! I parked in the hospital parking lot, made my way to the correct hallway and found myself sitting in a waiting room with all different sizes and shapes of pregnant women. My name was called after 10 minutes, a long 10 minutes I might add, and I think I pretty much skipped to the ultrasound room!

As the tech takes me into the room, I asked her to not disclose any important gender information because I wanted the gender to be kept a secret until Jason and myself were together. She tells me that she can't put the gender results in an envelope...it's against policy. I then proceed to ask if I can video record the ultrasound so he can at least see our little one move...it's against policy. *Yes, I took a picture of the room even thought it was against policyAt this point, I'm feeling pretty defeated. The tears slowly start streaming down my face as the warm goo was squirted on my belly. The tech proceeds to show me all the healthy parts of Baby Conway...so amazing to see a working 4 chambered heart, a fully developed brain and set of functional arms that may or may not have waved good morning to mama.Right before the tech discloses the gender, she makes sure that I am still wanting to know the gender of Baby Conway. I decided to try one more time and I ask her if I can call my mom on speakerphone so I'm not alone when I find out the sex of the baby...it's against policy.

I tried every option so I gave in and decided to find out the sex, regardless! She started searching and Baby had crossed legs so we had to wiggle my belly a bit to get the legs to open and the baby started kicking super hard and fast. Either we have a little soccer star or we have someone that is a pro at throwing tantrums already...ha!

Then clear as day, the little one decided to cooperate and we saw three white lines....

and I heard the tech say, "It's a GIRL!!", which of course generated more tears from this hormonal mama.

Amelia Jean Conway is a beautiful, healthy and lively little girl! We are so excited to meet our little girl in February!! She is already so loved and cherished by so many...her big brothers are going to love having a little sister to love on.

Gender Reveal

I've been marking days off the calendar like a crazy woman and now the time has finally arrived! We have our anatomy ultrasound scheduled first thing in the morning and we'll know if Baby Conway is a boy or a girl. Unfortunately, Jason isn't able to get off for the ultrasound so I'm going to ask the doctor not to give any specific details and seal the gender results in an envelope.

Once Jason gets off work, then we are going to go out to a nice dinner, open the envelope and then go shopping for the baby's first outfit!!

To say I'm excited is an understatement...I can't wait to call my baby by name instead of referring to him/her as Baby Conway. I'm hoping that the baby cooperates so we can get a clear view!

So...what do you guys think??

Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails (boy) or Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice (girl)?

Weekend Festivities

This weekend we ventured out of Hershey and headed south to York for their yearly fair. We love the atmosphere that fairs have to offer and this fair was no different. We pulled into the gate and this mama pretty much ran to the nearest funnel cake stand as soon as the car was put in park...don't worry, Jason wasn't too many steps behind. Shortly after we grabbed dinner, we walked past one of the greatest inventions for a fair 'store'. It was tons of different assortments of candy that you could add to your bowl and pay by the pound on your way out. We took advantage and found some candy that we didn't think we could live without! Who can say no to caramel apple lollipops?? Not this family, especially during this time of the year!With our candy in tow, we made our way up and down each row of the fair taking in all the sights and sounds. We also made sure to walk off our dinner as much as possible because on our way in we saw a dessert that we knew we had to try before we left. The dessert we had to try was named 'Waffles and Ice cream' and it was two fresh, warm waffles with a layer of neapolitan ice cream in the middle. Think warm waffle ice cream sandwich...yum!We had so much fun holding hands and walking through the fair grounds! Definitely a nice, casual outing for us to get our bellies full!
On Sunday, we stayed in bed until the last possible minute before church. Both of us were dragging a little bit but after some breakfast in bed, thanks to Jason, we got up and ready for church. Well at least some of us got up...Yes, my husband thinks Gatorade is a suitable drink during any meal throughout the day, even for oatmeal. Haha..no complaints though!
After church and a nap, we met up with some friends for a walk around the Milton Hershey School. The boys' friend, Delilah, is such a sweet dog and friend to the boys...they love to feel like a 'big dog' on the walk and keep up with her!The weather this weekend was amazing. Mid-60s and sunny is the perfect weather for strolling around the fairgrounds and taking a walk with the boys! We are really trying to enjoy these weekends that Jason has off because we know that it won't always be like this!

Saturday Morning

We woke up this morning to see the sun peeking over the trees and realized fall is closer than we may think. The last few days have been chilly...like 60 degrees chilly! We opened the sliding door, made us some tea, covered up with a comfy blanket on the couch and spent our Saturday morning talking and laughing. It's been one of the best mornings that we've had together in a long time. Both of us are grateful for the blessings we've been given, excited for next week to find out if Baby Conway is a boy or a girl and hopeful for the future.
This morning was a great start to our weekend....definitely looking forward to what the next few days have in store for the Conways!!

Bump Updates: Week 17

Here is the bump update for week 17....

How far along? 17 weeks and 3 days (Saturday, September 17, 2011)

How big is the baby? The size of a turnip

Sleep? I'm starting to get uncomfortable during the middle of the night...my lower back aches if I lay in one position for too long. A pregnancy pillow might be next on the purchase list!

Food Cravings? This week there wasn't one thing that I felt my body was craving. I've realized this week that I haven't gotten sick in awhile so I need to be eating a little more healthy, especially if I hope to stay smaller than a hot air balloon throughout the pregnancy.

Gender? Still too early to tell--anatomy appointment is scheduled for September 20th!

Best moment this week? Counting down to the anatomy appointment. It was so much fun to be counting down the days and getting in the single digits! Tuesday can't come fast enough!

Development? The baby is starting to get body fat, or baby fat as we like to call it. The baby is now constantly sucking and swallowing. This week the glands in the baby's skin is producing the white, greasy material that will be protecting the baby throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

Noteables? The baby was super active this week! I loved every second of the constant movement. I actually stopped at work and started talking to the baby when he/she was moving--I wanted to encourage all that movement!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was a little different than other weekends because of all the chaos that the flooding caused our area. I had to work from home Thursday and Friday because there was no traffic heading out or into Hershey. We were, and still on, on a water boil/water restriction so cleaning was a little more difficult that usual. The few days of being stuck at home made the weekend feel so much longer.

• On Friday evening, one of the main roads opened up and we were able to get out of Hershey so we ran to the nearest AT&T so I could get a phone. What happened to my phone you might ask?? Well, on Monday while chatting with my mom on speaker phone, I tried balancing my phone on my glass of milk to the kitchen table and the phone went into my milk. Unfortunately, the rain came shortly after my phone went for a swim in my milk and it made getting a new phone pretty difficult until the rain cleared up a bit.
• On Saturday, the baby got his/her first taste of fall. Caramel apples are now out in the stores and I couldn't pass them up! The baby definitely enjoyed the yummy apples!
• My niece, Ana, also had her first cross country race as a 7th grader. The race was 7th and 8th graders and she was able to place and get a medal. Miss Ana got 3rd place overall and the 1st and 2nd place holders were from her school so her team got first place in the overall race. I'm so proud of her!! I wish we lived closer so I could be there cheering her on! I got a text of her and my sister, Ange, after the race and I actually got a little teary eyed. Call me a hormonal, pregnant mess but she just looks so grown up! Goodness, I love that girl!
• On Sunday, we had our future house inspection scheduled. With the flooding, we were unsure if the appointment was going to be followed through with. This morning we headed to the house and this was what we saw...houses across the street from our home had so much water that everything in their basements got damaged. We were freaking out a bit on the drive to the house but thankful the water didn't make it to our house!!
• The house passed inspection with a few minor things that needed attention, but not immediate attention. All we need to do is go over the paperwork with the lender and we should be in our new home in a month as long as everything goes through!

We were able to get a few things marked off of our 'to-do' list! Tomorrow I go back to the doctor for my 17 week checkup. I always get so anxious and excited right before an appointment. I'm ready to hear that heartbeat again...such a sweet, sweet sound to this mama's ears!

Bump Updates: Week 16

Here is the bump update for week 16....

How far along? 16 weeks and 3 days (Saturday, September 10, 2011)

How big is the baby? The size of an avocado

Sleep? I'm still getting up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom but I'm able to fall asleep without too much tossing and turning. I'm not as sleepy as I was a few weeks ago!

Food Cravings? I drink milk with just about every meal. Milk in my first trimester was my worst enemy but I'm loving it now!

Gender? Still too early to tell--anatomy appointment is scheduled for September 20th!

Best moment this week? Getting two big boxes full of maternity clothes from family back home and getting a baby package from my sister Elizabeth. We are so blessed in the mail category! Everyone has been sending us packages and cards...we love it!

Development? The baby is about 5 ounces and is about 6-7 inches long. Facial features such as eyelids, eyelashes, ears and an upper lip. The baby can now hear sounds and will move when some startles him/her. The baby is also becoming sensitive to light, even though the eyelids are sealed. This is also the first week that if I poke my belly, the baby will squirm around.

Noteables? The pups have fallen in love with laying on my belly. Whenever I lay down, I always have a little head resting on my belly. The baby is already so loved, especially by his/her brothers. I wonder if they can sense my pregnancy?! I would swear to it but maybe I'm crazy!

Flooding In Hershey

Monday morning, the rains came. We didn't think anything odd with the rain...we just thought it's a rain shower. Well all day rain on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and part of the day on Thursday has created madness in Central Pennsylvania. I should have known that the area was starting to flood when I drove to work yesterday and had to turn around because there was some standing water that was too deep to drive through. Thank goodness I found an alternate route to work and nothing more of the rain was thought of. Around noon yesterday, we started hearing about some road and school closures and the panic started to sit in. Our school closed down due to rain and we all packed up and headed home to work from the comfort of our couch. I didn't realize how bad the flooding really was until the news started putting up flood levels and pictures of the devastation throughout the area. Hershey definitely got the brunt of all the rain!This is Hershey Park...the rain levels got so high that some rides were completely under water.This is the Pizza Hut about one mile away from our apartment and 1/2 a mile from our new home. The water created a gas leak so not only was the water something to worry about, but the potential gas explosion was a concern too.
An earthquake, a hurricane and flooding all within two weeks of each other. This Pennsylvania weather is crazy!

God Is SO Good....Residency, Baby And Now A House!

Last week, we called our realtor and told her that we were still really stuck on the house that we originally put an offer on. Since we walked away and had no contact, our realtor contacted them to see if by some odd chance they changed their minds. Well...we heard back and they seller had a change of heart and decided that they were willing to work with us! I was outside when she called and I couldn't help myself...I started squealing and jumping around like a crazy fool. I may or may not have even told our agent that I could kiss her...haha!!

So as of now, both parties (seller and buyer) have signed the contract, the deposit has been paid, the inspection is set for next weekend, a meeting this week is scheduled with the lender AND our closing date is scheduled for October 14th.

So right now we are beyond excited!! Hopefully everything with the loan is able to be processed--Jason's student loans might throw a kink in the process and slow things down but we are hoping to have the documentation that the bank needs so everything works out smoothly!

My mom is coming to visit in November and I'm so excited that her first visit will be in our new house and we can go shopping for nursery things and get the nursery all fixed up during her visit!!

I know I say this a lot on here but God has been SO good to our family. We are so undeserving of his grace, kindness and love but yet he continues to bless our family. I'm praying that everything goes smoothly during our next scheduled meetings with the lender and the inspection man...I'll be sure to keep everyone updated!

Saturday With The Senators

Yesterday we were able to go to a Harrisburg Senators baseball game. The Senators are a AA baseball league in Harrisburg and the university I work for advertises at the games so we can get free tickets to the games. This was the last weekend of the season, so I put in my ticket request and was pleased to get the email back saying that I had two tickets waiting for me at the stadium. Before the game, we walked across the bridge and enjoyed the river from downtown Harrisburg.The game was a lot of fun! We really enjoy the atmosphere that a stadium has and Harrisburg didn't disappoint. The game was pretty slow but it wasn't anything that some popcorn couldn't fix..HA!I even took a picture of the bump at the stadium! It was the first game for the baby so I definitely had to document it! I would say that our Saturday with the Senators was a success!