tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61549155756965287392024-03-13T16:20:33.788-04:00The most important things in life aren't things.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-37975263321476635502014-12-13T13:25:00.001-05:002014-12-13T13:25:33.079-05:00Settled In - Puerto Cayo, Ecuador<div dir="ltr">
We've been in Ecuador for over two months now and specifically in Puerto Cayo for a 8 weeks. We're now at the point where things are working on auto pilot sort of. We know where to find everything we need. We know how to get around with the bus system. We've met lots of people nearby (both Americans and Ecuadorians). It feels like we're actually living here and not just vacationing. The days are normal & relaxed. </div>
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Dean and I find ourselves often talking about the simplicity of life here. Most people are happy just 'being'. The streets aren't bustling and busy & traffic is non existent. The typical family here has a small business at the front of the home with the living quarters at the back. Tiendas and restaurants are common. Others are fishermen that catch daily and sell their catch to restaurants, locals or gringos (us). </div>
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The town we're living in is very small. It's mostly considered a vacation spot and the majority of homes are vacation homes. Right now is low season. High season starts toward the end of November and runs through April. This is when we're told that things get busier. For now we're enjoying our little piece of paradise. :)</div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-1775220941733678592014-11-24T21:48:00.001-05:002014-11-24T21:55:33.350-05:00Our Visit To The Relaxing Vibrant Surf Town Of Montanita, Ecuador<p dir="ltr">It was a quick 1.5 hour bus ride from Puerto Cayo. It cost us $6. And we're in the surf town of Montanita, Ecuador. We've only booked a one night stay here as we were told this is a big party town and one night is enough but we're not sure...immediately after stepping off the bus, we're in love.<br>
Locals and gringos pepper the streets. Restaurants and shops abound. Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, oh my! Friendly smiles and others speaking English...bakeries, fro-yo, tattoo parlors and surf shops a plenty. Hotels and hostels, each one unique to the next. Colorful and clean. We are loving the vibe in this seaside town. It took us all of two minutes to see the sign for our hotel off the main street near the bus stop. The hotel owner, Robby, meets us with smiles and English. He's from California and has built one incredible hotel here (Montanita Estates). He immediately takes to Reese and tells us he has a son close to her age. Right then he also asks his staff if the 3 bedroom villa is available as it has a full kitchen and we're welcome to it! (Ummmm that room goes for $225 a night...which is really about $800+ US equivalent and he was just going to give it to us) We graciously and politely told him the room we booked would be perfect because it had a king bed while the others have a queen. But whoa, how nice is this guy already?!<br>
We check out our room which is spectacular and very luxurious before walking back over to the center of it all.<br>
Earlier I saw someone eating pizza which just sounded amazing so we set out to find it. And we did and it was fan-freaking-tastic. We got the pizza, salad & lasagna combo for $12. It was one of the best meals we've had in a while. I love seafood but we've been eating it everyday and I was happy to have this Italian comfort food. Along the way we've already talked with a few people, both locals and foreigners that are super duper nice. Of course Dean already made plans to take surfing lessons with one guy.<br>
And I'm getting a massage tomorrow AND a mani/pedi! Y'all, this is huge right now! I couldn't tell you the last time I saw these places! I seriously might not sleep tonight!<br>
We strolled along the beach soaking up the sun, digging our toes in the sand and watching the surfers ride the waves. We wandered the little streets taking in the enormous amount of restaurants and local artisan shops. Everything is unique. No chain stores or fast food joints here. <br>
Lots of guys have long hair, dreadlocks and/or tattoos and are carrying a surf board. We kind of blend in. I love it! And there's so many families with kids! <br>
We walked back to our hotel for a dip in the hot tub before retiring to our room to put baby girl to bed. We're already talking about staying here longer than first planned...I REALLY hope we do...</p>
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First and foremost something like this requires an open mind. And you must WANT to do it. It's not something I suggest if your hearts not in it. Okay so beyond that, what really does it take?<br />
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Dean and I have traveled to many places (we met on Semester at Sea where we lived on a ship for 3 months and traveled to 13 countries while taking college classes) and have always talked about continuing our travels when we had kids. So when we had Reese we talked about what exactly we would do. Where? When? How long? HOW? For me it was important that we not leave the country until she was at least one year. Why? I wanted her to get a good start on building her natural immune system and I wanted the first year near our families and friends. Secondly, I didn't want to go TOO far from home. At one point we thought about going back to Thailand for a while because we loved it there but with Reese it is just too far from home (18ish hour flight) and we don't speak any Thai. So the conversations continued over time. Then we started researching.<br />
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We also talked about how we could do it financially. We aren't rich nor do we have a deep savings account. We would have to plan ahead enough to have the money we would need before we go.<br />
The financial piece played a big role in us landing in Ecuador. While researching, Ecuador kept coming up as having a low cost of living while having great weather and being beautiful! And it's not far from home (4 or 5 hour flight to Atlanta or Miami), Dean speaks decent Spanish and the currency is the USD.<br />
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Basically we researched where we wanted to go and started number crunching to see how much money we could put aside and save before we went. We started to like the idea of Ecuador so we dug further into the logistics of living there. How much are furnished apartments? Where should we live? As we began digging deeper we were taking notes. We created an Ecuador cost of living spreadsheet (I'll share that soon) to give us an idea of how much we would need per month. Then based on how much money we could save, we would determine how long we could be here before returning to the 'real world'.<br />
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Before I go further let's talk more about money. My family has one income which is Dean's job. For the past year he has been working with his dad and together they run a software business. The business is still in its infancy. Our income covers our bills nicely and we live a modest lifestyle. But it's basically paycheck to paycheck. If you would like more specific details about this please send me an email.<br />
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So how did we save for our trip?<br />
We reduced our ongoing bills as much as possible! Last year before Reese was born we paid off both of our cars while we had two incomes, we rented out our house and moved into a cheaper apartment. These big changes freed up some cash to start putting away. These are very substantial changes that some may not make but for us it was well worth it.<br />
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Shortly before our departure we sold our cars. This was a big chunk of change for our trip. But obviously we planned to return and would need cars again so we put some of the money in savings to cover about of year of payments when we return as we will have to adjust to having car payments again. We also moved out of our apartment and put our belongings in storage. Once our year lease was up we went month to month until our plans were finalized.<br />
We sold a few big items like our sectional sofa and big screen TV to save the money and free up space in our storage unit. We sold some smaller things too that we really just didn't need or use anymore.<br />
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We also don't calculate the two 'extra' paychecks per year into our budget. What I mean is Dean gets paid biweekly which turns out to be 26 paychecks per year. Two months out of the year he gets 3 paychecks (as does anyone that gets biweekly pay). We make our budget to only include the 2 paychecks per month. Therefore we saved the two 'extra' paychecks for this trip. Usually those go toward our our family cruises/vacations etc.<br />
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We also received a security deposit refund from our apartment. Since we aren't moving into another apartment right away we decided to use this as well to fund our trip.<br />
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If you receive a tax refund that's also a great way to save some money.<br />
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Once our belongings were in storage and we moved out of our apartment there were a few weeks before leaving to come to Ecuador so we stayed with family to save a little more while Dean still worked full time. This actually worked out great as we got to spend good quality time with our families before taking off.<br />
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We estimated the total of what we could save and compared that to the estimated monthly cost of living and travel expenses to Ecuador. We would have roughly enough for 3 months.<br />
We then discussed timing. When should we go? Our apartment lease recently ended and we went month to month which gave us some flexibility. We had travel plans in September already, Dean was going to south Africa with family for two weeks and Reese and I were going to GA while he was gone. Also in the mix was the fact that Deans sister is pregnant and due in early February so we want to to be back around for that. So we did the date crunching...and made our departure date for October 1, 2014. Our return date is December 24, 2014.<br />
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Our total budget for the 3 month trip is approximately $8500.<br />
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I'd love to hear your thoughts...was this helpful to you? Would you like to do something similar? Any questions? Please ask! I love to hear from everyone that is reading.<br />
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Coming soon....<br />
What about Deans job? Did he quit or is he still working? How do you just leave like that?Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-55971223159838925962014-10-31T00:14:00.000-04:002014-10-31T00:14:58.997-04:00Ecuador Days 6 & 7October 6 & 7, 2014<br />
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Well we've been on the farm a few nights now and WOW were we unprepared for the COLD temps at night! The daytime temps are in the 70's but the nights get into the 40's and there is NO HEATER!!!!!<br />
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Mom fail. Wife fail. Self fail. Total epic failure. Minor detail I forgot to inquire about with our host family first. You know that feeling when you are so cold that your teeth chatter and your body starts to shiver in an attempt to warm itself? Thank goodness for lots of blankets and fleece pajamas that we borrowed from our hosts for Reese! Dean and I wore layers of clothes and hoodies to bed! Needless to say this is very new territory for us as we came from south Florida where we sleep half naked with fans on! Poor Reese bear didn't know what to do. She's never slept with blankets before. Body heat is amazing when you feel like your close to having frost bite. Okay, <i>maybe</i> I'm exaggerating. I wish I were folks. But I'm not.<br />
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We're surviving, just adjusting. Finally after a few somewhat sleepless nights (I never sleep well in a new place <i>and</i> I was freezing) we're getting acclimated and things aren't so bad. We actually got good sleep last night! During the day Reese and I are mostly with Lindsay and Gus (their 11 month old adorable son) while Dean works on the farm with Shawn. We rotate cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner and washing the dishes after each meal (dishwashers are common here). I've also done some light housework like sweeping, wiping, organizing, etc. while little one allows me. Lindsay and I enjoy conversations about motherhood, Ecuador living, babies and other wonderful fluffy stuff.<br />
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Today Lindsay taught me how to make corn tortillas! I was surprised that I liked them so much! Reese and I also wandered the farm to find daddy to see what he was doing. Today he worked on the pig enclosure. The new baby piglets were small enough to escape the wide gaps in the existing fencing so Dean attached chicken wire to it. He's enjoying his manual labor! And I enjoyed watching him sweat and get a little dirty. :)<br />
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Nap time was a bit of a struggle today. But I can't blame her. We've been on the move for several days now AND we all caught colds (was it the airports or the climate change - <i>I'll never know</i>!) which makes things even more challenging when she tries to sleep. You know what though? There's no reason to stress or worry about it. I just want baby girl to be comfortable and I do what I need to do around her.<br />
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So here at the farm they raise pigs for butchering. They process the meat from start to finish. They warned us in advance that we needed to be okay with the entire process (including killing). Wahhhh poor piggy! Gimme bacon. Lol. This evening the guys cut and packaged some previously butchered meats. It's really an interesting process to watch. They cut, trim, weigh, package and seal the meats in order to sell them. Talk about home grown! <br />
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Tonight we had a delicious Mexican dinner of stuffed peppers compliments of Lindsay and Shawn.<br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-35902081801396382632014-10-28T21:45:00.000-04:002014-10-28T21:48:57.129-04:00Ecuador: What is Workaway?As you read this blog and my recents posts about our current life in Ecuador you may be wondering how in the world we ended up in Ecuador and why.<br />
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Most of you know that Dean and I love traveling. We met traveling in college on Semester at Sea and we've continued our travels through our relationship and marriage. We've been to over 30 countries together and don't plan to stop! But now we are a family now and it isn't quite as easy to just take off anytime anywhere. There's a financial piece too. How do we afford it? What about jobs? That part will be a separate post so stay tuned.<br />
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We first decided that we wanted to spend a few months in Ecuador and we were brainstorming ideas about how we could make it happen. We both love to research and with the internet at our fingertips we began a zillion searches. That's when I happened upon the website <a href="http://www.workaway.info/">www.Workaway.info</a>. It's a website that connects hosts with volunteers all over the world. The hosts are looking for volunteer help for anything from A to Z and volunteers give 20-25 hours a week of their time in exchange for room and board! Say what?! Aside from flights, room and board is usually your BIGGEST expense while traveling! This is HUGE! And you can literally find anything you can imagine to do...anywhere! I'm not joking guys, check out the website!<br />
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Anyway we loved the idea of doing this for a portion of our trip. After lots of searching and communicating with potential hosts, we arranged to stay with a family on their farm outside of Quito. They raise pigs & chickens, have 7 dogs, and a son turning 1. They are from the US but have been living in Ecuador for the last 6 years. As we are traveling as a family, we agreed that I may not be able to 'work' the full hours so we were going to chip in a bit for food costs. Still an amazing deal for a unique traveling and volunteering experience.<br />
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I can't recommend the experience highly enough. More posts to come on our 10 day Workaway experience including what we did, what we ate, our accommodations, etc.<br />
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-34069064697781176612014-10-28T00:36:00.000-04:002014-10-28T00:36:15.722-04:00Ecuador Day 3October 3, 2014<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- today we leave Quito and head to the farm about 3 hours away</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We went to get breakfast and had the same as yesterday along with the friendly service</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- also met a gentlemen that items a lodge on an island of Ecuador in the Amazon (whaaat)</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- enjoyed conversations with him about Ecuador and the world and his activists pursuits</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- after breakfast we walked around the corner to the super maxi (grocery store basically) to grab a few things like wipes, shampoo and conditioner, 2 wash cloths to have on the farm</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We walked back and packed up our things as we arranged a pickup at 11am</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- at 11am no one arrived</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- at 11:45 we called Shawn at the farm to find out if there was an issue</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- turns out traffic was pretty bad but Washington arrived at 12pm</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We picked our things into his brand new Kia van and loaded Reese into her car seat</span><br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- I ride shot gun bc I get car sick and a 3 hr ride is no joke!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Alas we arrive to the farm! We're greeted with their 7 dogs and these adorable smiles :)</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QhwtYmf4N2c/VE8ZWMYnTKI/AAAAAAAAdGg/ILAEM_dSfzs/s1600/2014-10-03%2B18.06.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QhwtYmf4N2c/VE8ZWMYnTKI/AAAAAAAAdGg/ILAEM_dSfzs/s1600/2014-10-03%2B18.06.06.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;">And this my friends was our humble abode for 10 days</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4wGU6dlBNrM/VE8Zk4tOvdI/AAAAAAAAdGw/JcLzNoIRh8g/s1600/2014-10-03%2B18.25.50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4wGU6dlBNrM/VE8Zk4tOvdI/AAAAAAAAdGw/JcLzNoIRh8g/s1600/2014-10-03%2B18.25.50.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-55973647313434686562014-10-27T23:43:00.000-04:002014-10-27T23:44:46.888-04:00Ecuador Day 2October 2, 2014<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I didn't get the best nights sleep in our cramped bed but we all awoke about 7:30 am ready to start the day. The hotel provides breakfast from 7-10 am and that's exactly where we headed first. It's actually a full restaurant too! This hotel is just very unique and cute and I love it. It has curved walls, beautiful teal doors and windows, stained glass, ivey growing beautifully up the outside walls, a quaint courtyard with flowers and stone pathways and it's completely fenced which is perfect for our Reese bear!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4q-Qu3mdkqs/VE7vnIfU4uI/AAAAAAAAdEk/GBB89NCqGOE/s1600/2014-10-02%2B08.04.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4q-Qu3mdkqs/VE7vnIfU4uI/AAAAAAAAdEk/GBB89NCqGOE/s1600/2014-10-02%2B08.04.48.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph5h0dbdeHw/VE7vg9ny_kI/AAAAAAAAdEc/8D7RFiTE3Co/s1600/2014-10-02%2B08.13.42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph5h0dbdeHw/VE7vg9ny_kI/AAAAAAAAdEc/8D7RFiTE3Co/s1600/2014-10-02%2B08.13.42.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Breakfast was made to order and we had scrambled eggs, sunny side up eggs, yogurt, granola, banana, watermelon and coffee. It was perfect and delicious. The dishware is beautiful clay. Our server is so so nice and accommodating to our Spanish level. And she loves Reese (I mean who doesn't, but still) she helped us order our meal in Spanish and kept telling Dean how good his Spanish is. We're really trying to immerse ourselves in the language to learn better. He knows way more than I do but I'm excited to learn! After our delicious, complimentary, meal we played inside and out while setting up wifi calling on my phone to reach out to our families. It was great to be able to reach them so easily and they loved hearing from us. Back to the room for a tissue and snack and Reese is actually ready for a nap. While she snoozes I write this and Dean is planning our next step. Bus tour? Walking tour? Wandering? Who knows! Our day in Quito wasn't planned in advance (which is typical for us) so we're figuring it out now.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw5bL9Tan4I/VE7yeWVqGlI/AAAAAAAAdE4/l77XKF48UxU/s1600/2014-10-02%2B08.20.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw5bL9Tan4I/VE7yeWVqGlI/AAAAAAAAdE4/l77XKF48UxU/s1600/2014-10-02%2B08.20.19.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The weather is beautiful. Blue sky with a few small clouds. Lows are in the 40's and highs in the 70's. The cooler temps actually feel great! Not even cold just fresh and brisk. Today we're wearing jeans with sneakers and zip up hoodies. It's perfect.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Baby girl had a great nap and when she woke up we ventured out on foot to find lunch and look into the double decker bus tour. There are plenty of places to eat here that's for sure! We decided a small cafe with indoor and outdoor seating looked good. It had cute little wooden tables with paper placemats and chalk to draw/color with. Perfect for Reese! We first sat inside then realized outside was the best. Great view of the mountains and the street! Why not?! I had the sopa to start. It was the best I've ever had! Potatoe with avocado and cheese. We all loved it, Reese included. My meal was grilled chicken with rice, vegetables and small salad. Overall it was tasty and hit the spot but the chicken was dry. Bummer! Dean also had a similar dish but called chicken salad. His was also a bit dry. I had cappuccino too which was amazing. Reese enjoyed climbing the furniture, writing with the chalk, and roaming close by with us between bites of food. Our server here was also extremely nice and helpful.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FmDCTIQoSt0/VE71W-y0FkI/AAAAAAAAdFM/o9ja6wDhGOc/s1600/2014-10-02%2B11.53.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FmDCTIQoSt0/VE71W-y0FkI/AAAAAAAAdFM/o9ja6wDhGOc/s1600/2014-10-02%2B11.53.35.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zll5I_9QxWQ/VE71YKHi7oI/AAAAAAAAdFU/5rQGYuGuhTU/s1600/2014-10-02%2B13.07.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zll5I_9QxWQ/VE71YKHi7oI/AAAAAAAAdFU/5rQGYuGuhTU/s1600/2014-10-02%2B13.07.54.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The remainder of the day was filled with sightseeing, eating, walking and lots of bus rides. Oh and did I mention eating?! We're pretty good at that sport. It went a little something like this: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- found park to sit, relax and look at the map at to find the double decker bus stops</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- found a wonderful pastry shop for a delicious sweet treat</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- got on bus tour which was 3 hour tour around the city showcasing the most beautiful and historical places</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- Reese did fantastic in the ergo! Even napped a while on the tour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- the city of Quito is huge and gorgeous</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We stopped and got off at the virgin statue that had a 360 degree view of the city and surrounding mountains and volcanoes</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a2tamZcwznw/VE8PtkBuw9I/AAAAAAAAdGM/oFIMjtHJ8pY/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.24.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a2tamZcwznw/VE8PtkBuw9I/AAAAAAAAdGM/oFIMjtHJ8pY/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.24.57.jpg" height="50" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WBzqmirkJcM/VE8OJRyIQAI/AAAAAAAAdGA/DViq2CFFxIU/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.35.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WBzqmirkJcM/VE8OJRyIQAI/AAAAAAAAdGA/DViq2CFFxIU/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.35.13.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1U0yfB1ezH8/VE8OAQx2gnI/AAAAAAAAdF4/Ntq6QBPF0M0/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.35.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1U0yfB1ezH8/VE8OAQx2gnI/AAAAAAAAdF4/Ntq6QBPF0M0/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.35.22.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<br style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We paid about 20 <b>cents</b> per person to walk up into the statue and get the highest view possible</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- bus tour was $12 pp (Reese was free)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- the tour ended at the largest park in the city</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We asked a local police officer the best way to get back to our hotel and she said to take the bus</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- the bus ride was also about 20 <b>cents</b> per person</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We got on the wrong bus first but people were helpful and told us how to get on the correct one (thank gosh for dean's Spanish!)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- 15 min bus ride and we got off</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- it was dark outside by now and I wasn't sure where to go from here so I started getting nervous because it was also getting cold for Reese</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">- We stopped in McDonald's to sit and look at our map & hotel was across the road!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gq0I4qcAlq4/VE8LUvDTlaI/AAAAAAAAdFs/dMECfmyWJ9c/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.38.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gq0I4qcAlq4/VE8LUvDTlaI/AAAAAAAAdFs/dMECfmyWJ9c/s1600/2014-10-02%2B16.38.59.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BbsfooLbXDQ/VE8LB1A0nvI/AAAAAAAAdFk/rXi2D0aVPj4/s1600/2014-10-02%2B18.03.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BbsfooLbXDQ/VE8LB1A0nvI/AAAAAAAAdFk/rXi2D0aVPj4/s1600/2014-10-02%2B18.03.46.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Apple SD Gothic Neo, AppleGothic, Malgun Gothic, 맑은 고딕, NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, MS PGothic, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Pheeew! Home sweet home (away from home) at last! Today was long and busy but very worth it. </span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-798097694401158852014-10-27T13:56:00.001-04:002014-10-27T13:57:41.040-04:00Ecuador Bound!<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>October 1, 2014</b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uk2vfL3eDTA/VE5K-_Q-nwI/AAAAAAAAdCk/1zCv14Z_2eQ/s1600/20141002104515305_t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uk2vfL3eDTA/VE5K-_Q-nwI/AAAAAAAAdCk/1zCv14Z_2eQ/s1600/20141002104515305_t1.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dyzzEKKINQ/VE5K9GuiXzI/AAAAAAAAdCc/8MmqOAH6mcY/s1600/20141002104517049_t1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dyzzEKKINQ/VE5K9GuiXzI/AAAAAAAAdCc/8MmqOAH6mcY/s1600/20141002104517049_t1.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jnF4mk6YkHY/VE5MaGBADcI/AAAAAAAAdDE/J_7fZawjl2E/s1600/2014-10-01%2B18.26.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jnF4mk6YkHY/VE5MaGBADcI/AAAAAAAAdDE/J_7fZawjl2E/s1600/2014-10-01%2B18.26.30.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_77pZ1xJMgM/VE5MV1Ok-WI/AAAAAAAAdC8/kK07RJN-oGA/s1600/2014-10-01%2B18.36.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_77pZ1xJMgM/VE5MV1Ok-WI/AAAAAAAAdC8/kK07RJN-oGA/s1600/2014-10-01%2B18.36.45.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PB-8zjYFS4E/VE5Mn9INncI/AAAAAAAAdDM/P8KngKgi33o/s1600/2014-10-01%2B19.09.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PB-8zjYFS4E/VE5Mn9INncI/AAAAAAAAdDM/P8KngKgi33o/s1600/2014-10-01%2B19.09.16.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QeIYhNk7dUU/VE5MvfvHL4I/AAAAAAAAdDU/73wyUI8FWYE/s1600/2014-10-01%2B19.36.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QeIYhNk7dUU/VE5MvfvHL4I/AAAAAAAAdDU/73wyUI8FWYE/s1600/2014-10-01%2B19.36.39.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7;"><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Apple SD Gothic Neo, AppleGothic, Malgun Gothic, 맑은 고딕, NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, MS PGothic, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Yesterday we made the journey from Florida to Quito. If I could sum it up in one word it would be </span></span><i style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><b>flawless</b></i><span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, Apple SD Gothic Neo, AppleGothic, Malgun Gothic, 맑은 고딕, NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, MS PGothic, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">. We couldn't have asked for it to go any better! We left the house at about noon and went to Miami airport. Everything went smooth and we grabbed a bite to eat before we boarded. We let Reese roam and run and burn some energy in the uncrowded gate we were waiting in. The flight into Atlanta was quick and easy. She slept a little bit of the way and when she didn't we snacked, played on the phone, and looked out the window. We arrived in Atlanta right on time and had precisely one hour until our next flight departed. (Which isn't very long for an international flight!) We had to change terminals (from domestic to international) and thankfully the Atlanta airport makes this quick and easy with the fast train and lots of good signage. We had a restroom break and grabbed a snack for the fight and </span><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">BOOM</b><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> it was already time to board. I was a little nervous because this would be the longest flight with Reese at 5 hours. And that's after a 2 hour flight already. When we boarded we asked if the fight was full and were told it was actually OVER sold. Ugh. Bad news. Momma started to get a little nervous!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">But low and behold, several people didn't board and we were able to move to the first row with lots of extra space! What what! Thank you God! This made a world of difference while traveling with an 18 month old. After takeoff, that space became Reese's play area. For 3 hours she enjoyed playing with her dolls, rolling a ball, blowing bubbles, reading books, chatting with friendly passengers and climbing in and out of the seats. Then we stretched out across the row of three seats and baby girl slept the final 2 hours. I watched an episode of shark tank and another mindless sitcom. I couldn't believe how easy it was! And the sunset from above the clouds is beyond mind blowing. Pinks, oranges and purples for as far as the eye could see. Before we knew it we were landing in Quito!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The Quito airport is beautiful and easy to navigate. And customs was quick and easy. (After we spent about a half hour filling out the customs forms) We grabbed a taxi to bring us to the hotel which is about a 40 min ride away. Baby girl was awake and a bit crabby but still a champ. We arrived at the hotel about midnight Ecuador time which is 1 am home time. We'd been traveling about 12+ hours total so we were tired but mostly excited that we're really here! </span><span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The hotel is adorable. Our room is very cozy (okay, it's a bit tight) but still perfect and has more than what we need. We opted to stay at a more unique place rather than the typical American style hotel. Finally by 1:30 am we crawled into the full size (we thought it was a queen) bed and drifted off. Good night Quito! We can't wait to see you in the daylight tomorrow. :)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', AppleGothic, 'Malgun Gothic', '맑은 고딕', NanumGothic, 나눔고딕, 돋움, Dotum, HiraKakuProN-W3, 'MS PGothic', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-58816630934562925402013-04-09T14:35:00.000-04:002013-04-09T15:40:13.126-04:00Pregnancy: 40 Weeks - Reese's Birth Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My story begins with
my 39-week check up on 3/13 with my midwife. Assuming this visit would be like
all the other visits and very ordinary, I was thrown for a curve ball when my <i>midwife </i>recommended an induction. WHAT?!
I was in complete shock and had a zillion questions. Throughout the later weeks
of pregnancy I was measuring small by both belly measurements and ultrasound
measurements. Over the last several weeks the ultrasound was putting my little
one in the 18<sup>th</sup>, 22<sup>nd</sup>, and 11<sup>th</sup> percentile for size.
And my ultrasound in week 38 put her in the less than 3 percentile. This
dramatic drop was the reason for the concern. This led my midwives to study my
file and decide their recommendation. With my baby having a chance of IUGR (intrauterine
growth restriction) they felt she was better off being delivered soon and
getting breast milk instead of being in utero where her growth seemed to be
restricted. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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After several
conversations with my husband and support team, we decided to move forward and
err on the side of caution as our midwives rarely make this recommendation. But
we truly felt everything was OK and our baby would be just fine either way. But
I could never live with myself had I declined and something actually gone wrong
and I trust my midwives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We arrived at the
hospital at 5pm on 3/15 (my due date) to begin the induction. That night I
started Cytotec suppositories to ‘ripen’ my cervix as I was only 1-2 cm dilated
on my own. I had 3 suppositories. The next morning on 3/16 I was 3 cm with
contractions 4-6 minutes apart. There was a chance I may not need Pitocin. After waiting a while to see what would
happen, and not much did, we started low dose Pitocin to increase contractions.
My midwives only use low dose Pitocin to increase the chances of a vaginal
delivery with an induction, which I appreciated but it also means a longer
labor. I continued to progress VERY slowly. About 10:30pm we called my doula
because contractions were intensifying. We also had an apprentice doula that we
invited to get more experience. So its me, hubby, my mom and two doulas in my
L&D room. At this point I still had hope for a water birth. With Pitocin, a water birth is still possible when I get to 7-8 cm and the Pitocin can be turned off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I labored all night
and contractions continued to increase. My pain level was very intense but with
all my support I was able to make it through them. Despite the Pitocin in an IV
I was still able to move around pretty well. We were using every tool in the
book to manage the pain and get through the contractions (counter pressure,
massage, rice sock, guided relaxation, multiple positions, music etc). At one
point during the night we turned all the lights on, cranked up some 90’s jams
and I danced for a while! It was a great change of pace. And I finally learned that
I was having back labor. During each contraction my very low back felt like it
was on fire and the only thing that helped was strong counter pressure on that
area during the contraction. I was also using a heated rice sock on my back. I didn't feel any pain on my front. I would have sworn my baby was coming out of my back! Early Sunday morning the contractions were consistently 2-3 minutes apart and
very strong. I was vocalizing through them and started to get the urge to push.
My doula’s told me that I was progressing through the holistic stages of labor
and it looked like I was about to need to push so they called the nurse in. The
nurse was going to check my cervix before calling the midwife….and this is
where the game changes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’re all expecting
her to say I'm 9 to 10 cm….<i>and she says 5 to 6 cm</i>. WHAT THE HELL???? I was
completely in shock and quite frankly devastated. Obviously it wasn’t time to
push. Everyone was in shock too because I showed the classic progression signs.
By now I’ve been in labor 30 something hours, I hadn’t slept, I was completely
exhausted, emotionally drained, and didn’t see how I could continue doing this much
longer. I reached my breaking point. My doula talked with me about my options –
break my water to progress faster (but this would also greatly intensify the pain level), get Fentanyl to relieve pain and try to
rest, get Epidural and break water. At this point I was upset and crying and my
doula suggested everyone leave the room but Dean and we had a heart to heart. I
told him I was done and I can’t do it any longer. I was tired. I was in pain. I
told him I wanted my doctor to go in and get her out, do whatever was the
fastest. He was able to calm me down and get it together again. He reassured me and read our affirmation cards to me - You are beautiful and you can do this. Your body was made for this. I can do anything for 6 minutes an hour. Every contraction brings me closer to meeting my baby... (a MUST during
L&D!!). He was my rock and together we decided to get the epi. So at 7 am
on 3/17 I got the epidural. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sweet relief!!!!!! Oh
my word, what a difference. I felt great. The epidural was perfect. I didn’t
feel pain but I could still move and feel pressure. The nurse used a catheter
to empty my bladder one time so it didn’t stay in. My midwife broke my water. In
choosing an epidural I knew I could no longer have a water birth and could not
move around at all (these are some of the reasons why getting and epi wasn't part of my plan). Fine. I accepted that now. The next several hours went by
very slowly but much more peacefully. I could feel the contractions but not
pain. My nurse told me to let her know when I felt pressure that made me want
to poop. So about 1:30 I had that feeling and told the nurse. My midwife came in and checked me. 10 cm!
Thank you Jesus!<o:p></o:p></div>
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A crew came in to
prep the room for delivery (is this really about to happen?!) and at 1:45 I began pushing! It felt so good to push
and I really gave it my all. My midwife put up the squat bar that I planted my
feet on which was amazing. I pushed through 6-7 contractions. I reached down
and felt her head as she was coming out. What a head of hair. My midwife was
coaching me through the pushes to help avoid tearing if possible. Her head came
out…and with the next push her body came out. I did tear because her hand was up and came out with her shoulders – 2<sup>nd</sup> degree. At 2:12 pm my little precious
rainbow was born. She was put on my chest immediately. Oh my God. There just
aren’t words. All 40 something hours were absolutely worth it. She is perfect. My life has forever changed. I’m a mom. We're a family.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4_b5Liy6zJU/UWRWWXU1ppI/AAAAAAAAOpQ/SQX_LyKns3M/s1600/2013-03-17+14.45.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4_b5Liy6zJU/UWRWWXU1ppI/AAAAAAAAOpQ/SQX_LyKns3M/s320/2013-03-17+14.45.31.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Reese Monroe
Friedland<o:p></o:p></div>
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Born 3/17/13 @ 2:12pm<o:p></o:p></div>
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6lb 4oz, 19 inches<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-59998006211135497022013-03-04T22:32:00.001-05:002013-03-04T22:58:17.583-05:00Pregnancy: 38 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u9NSlKPsjWo/UTVdJskbtSI/AAAAAAAAOmk/RjCrnSrPqkc/s1600/2013-02-20+14.44.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YI4MwTWK-qo/UTVdwsXYBLI/AAAAAAAAOns/JEvzeaQ-Qow/s1600/2013-03-01+08.49.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YI4MwTWK-qo/UTVdwsXYBLI/AAAAAAAAOns/JEvzeaQ-Qow/s320/2013-03-01+08.49.16.jpg" width="240" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u9NSlKPsjWo/UTVdJskbtSI/AAAAAAAAOmk/RjCrnSrPqkc/s320/2013-02-20+14.44.48.jpg" width="240" /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"><b>How far along:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">38 weeks 3 days!!! (11 days and counting! Estimated of course)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Size of baby: </b>About the size of a pumpkin, about 6.8 pounds, and 19 1/2 inches long</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Weight gain:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> 29 pounds</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Symptoms:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> Feeling good...not much to report. Well, Braxton Hicks ('practice' contractions) are in full force but thankfully aren't painful. Just noticeable. My belly tightens up and becomes a perfect hard circle for a minute or so.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Movement: </b>I still love feeling this baby girl move. A few jabs have taken my breath away and I swear she's about to jump out of my skin but obviously that didn't happen. She is now shifting from having her back at my left side to having her back on my right side. But she's still head down, wahoo! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Preparations for baby:</b> We've hired a doula! What is a doula you ask? Well here you go: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">From dona.org</span><br />
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<div class="headline1" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-align: -webkit-left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is a doula? <img height="1" src="http://www.dona.org/images/spacer_ccc.gif" width="100%" /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11px; text-align: -webkit-left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11px; text-align: -webkit-left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11px; text-align: -webkit-left;">
<span class="purple12bold" style="color: #330066; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Birth Doula</span></span></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11px; margin: 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: -webkit-left;">
<li style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stays with the woman throughout the labor</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decisions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My birth plan is to have a natural unmedicated childbirth and most likely a water birth. Having this plan we decided to hire a doula who has attended LOTS of births and will be my 'labor coach' to help me have the birth experience I want to have. Most doctors and midwives may come and go during labor but the doula will be there start to finish. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are also currently taking a childbirth class. It's a 12 hour course that we're taking every Sunday for 3 weeks. One more class to go so we hope Reese let's us finish our last class on March 10. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We found our doula and class at Labor of Love (alaboroflove.org). Working with this company has been nothing short of amazing and I'm excited beyond words for labor as I know it will eventually lead to me meeting my little Reese face to face!</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">And of course there's been more progress on the nursery! I've been painting, recycling and hanging! </span></span><br />
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It's only a matter of time now until we get to meet our girl. We're ready when she is but I'm certainly not rushing a thing, I know she will come when the time is right and she's ready to enter this world.<br />
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</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-86575376636569907142013-02-13T23:59:00.001-05:002013-03-05T18:46:59.524-05:00Pregnancy: 35 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JNJBu4-ga7c/URxsB5WzrjI/AAAAAAAAOlw/92EIqKZEIO4/s1600/2013-02-08+17.49.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JNJBu4-ga7c/URxsB5WzrjI/AAAAAAAAOlw/92EIqKZEIO4/s200/2013-02-08+17.49.28.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dkiv4Qz64Tg/URxr4IfvInI/AAAAAAAAOlo/5n1XfMPCEEY/s1600/2013-02-06+11.15.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dkiv4Qz64Tg/URxr4IfvInI/AAAAAAAAOlo/5n1XfMPCEEY/s200/2013-02-06+11.15.58.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TV3i4s1hpzY/URxsCvpFs-I/AAAAAAAAOl4/hVp62zabLSM/s1600/2013-02-08+17.47.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TV3i4s1hpzY/URxsCvpFs-I/AAAAAAAAOl4/hVp62zabLSM/s200/2013-02-08+17.47.58.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>How far along:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">35 weeks 5 days</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Size of baby: </b>About the size of a honeydew, about 5.25 pounds, and 18 inches long</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Weight gain:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> 24.5 pounds up! A-okay with me. I can definitely feel the gain and it has thrown my balance off a little bit. And I'm waddling a little now too. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Symptoms:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> Still having some acid reflux. I stopped drinking acidic juices which has really helped. But I do miss my OJ. Energy is still very good, wahoo! I definitely feel the shifting and loosening of my hips and I try to move and stretch often. I enjoy doing figure 8's on my exercise ball and bouncing on it. Several people have told me 'she's dropped' which may be true as I do feel her way down there, more pressure, and more potty breaks!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Movement: </b>Reese loves my right side. She is constantly poking and prodding on that side far more than the left. She doesn't have much room these days so I feel even her slightest movements. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Preparations for baby:</b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">My GA baby shower was A-MAZING! Wow, I'm so blessed and thankful. It was so wonderful to see all my guests and we had such a great time. My hosts were fantastic. The guests all made hair bows for Reese and my best friend Julia surprised me with a special 'Friedland Baby Story' slideshow! You can watch it <a class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" data-original-id="BLOGGER_object_107" href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Cdiv%3E%3Cimg%20src=" id="BLOGGER_object_107" img2.blogblog.com="" img="" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; height: "480"px; width: "640"px;" video_object.png=""><br /><b></b></a><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%22http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d3967118k5003831o1/friedland-baby-story%22">Kizoa slideshow: Friedland Baby Story!</a></b> - <i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%22http://www.kizoa.com%22">Slideshow</a></i></span><br />
">here. We will cherish this forever and cannot wait to show our little girl. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Her nursery is getting closer to complete! We definitely have all the essentials so now I'm focusing on the details and decor. Her custom bedding has been ordered (thanks to Lolli and Pop (my parents)) although it might not arrive until after she's here which isn't a problem. I can't wait to see it, it's going to be gorgeous! </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Curtains have been ordered too and should arrive on Friday!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I got some adorable pink baskets for organization and did her first load of laundry to make all her newborn stuff nice and fresh. :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I've also packed up her hospital bag. In case you're wondering, here's a list of what's in it. I looked at several lists and put the most common items in my bag. I tend to over pack but I also prefer to be over prepared than under. My bag is in process! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next week I have a water birth class and we are selecting our doula! Very exciting stuff to me!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-62305264287140520312013-01-24T22:52:00.000-05:002013-02-14T00:01:08.864-05:00Pregnancy: 32 weeks<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zO-0yZmTuGk/UQH506_pViI/AAAAAAAAOi0/iXjST7Hu2MA/s1600/P1200163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zO-0yZmTuGk/UQH506_pViI/AAAAAAAAOi0/iXjST7Hu2MA/s320/P1200163.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>How far along:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">32 weeks 6 days</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Size of baby: </b>About the size of a jicama, about 3.75 pounds, and 16.7 inches long</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Weight gain:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> Haven't checked yet this week but last check was 20 pounds...I'm noticing it in my face and arms now but everyone is very sweet and tells me I'm all belly. Love my friends and family. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Symptoms:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> Acid reflux maybe? I'm not sure but sometimes after I eat I burp quite a bit and feel like theres something coming up my esophagus and I might throw up...thankfully no actual throwing up though! And BH are in full force! I can feel them, they aren't painful, I'm just very aware of them. I don't mind at all. My body can do whatever it needs to do to get ready to bring this girl into the world! Prego problems. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Movement: </b>I'm pretty sure Reese already knows how to swim! I feel her all over my belly now at the same time. I try to guess body parts as she kicks/punches/knees/lunges but I have no idea if I'm right. But she is her most active in the late evening...hmmm...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Preparations for baby:</b> My Florida baby shower was on Sunday and was AMAZING! My MIL and SIL were incredible hosts. Everything was perfect. It was very surreal being the center of attention and all for a baby! Wait...I'm having a baby?! What?! I still don't believe it sometimes. This made it feel more real though...Reese got some incredible things and we're so thankful. The games were awesome and most of all I really enjoyed the company. AND...on Saturday we did maternity pictures with Adam Opris - he's our dear friend and a stellar photographer. We're fortunate to know him! I have one sneak peak pic but I'm so anxious to see the rest! The weather wasn't quite what we hoped for but the rain stopped just long enough for us to get some great shots around the park and Dean's parents community. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2nd0uuDvn-o/UQH9zr2f1BI/AAAAAAAAOjE/Ohmdl6OfIGg/s1600/250395_549416721735569_514245569_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2nd0uuDvn-o/UQH9zr2f1BI/AAAAAAAAOjE/Ohmdl6OfIGg/s320/250395_549416721735569_514245569_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">My GA shower is this weekend and I'm really overwhelmed by all the generosity and excitement! My best friend is hosting the shower and I know it will be nothing short of perfect as well. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">And we're making progress on Reese's room! Finally it's coming together. I found some inspiration and I LOVE the direction we're going. The soft pink and gray are simple and elegant which is exactly what I wanted. These are my inspiration pics. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_hw1w-UF1ss/UQH-wllQkeI/AAAAAAAAOjQ/aDQRUHZxBP8/s1600/ADALYN-0003-1024x682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_hw1w-UF1ss/UQH-wllQkeI/AAAAAAAAOjQ/aDQRUHZxBP8/s320/ADALYN-0003-1024x682.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4uWcPke3YjM/UQH-w9djLFI/AAAAAAAAOjU/GOfbxDNAY8E/s1600/ADALYN-0002-682x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4uWcPke3YjM/UQH-w9djLFI/AAAAAAAAOjU/GOfbxDNAY8E/s320/ADALYN-0002-682x1024.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yzZc9qJhg0s/UQH-w-zNiPI/AAAAAAAAOjY/sfCZLRkkNX8/s1600/korielynn_Adalyn-0013-1024x682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yzZc9qJhg0s/UQH-w-zNiPI/AAAAAAAAOjY/sfCZLRkkNX8/s320/korielynn_Adalyn-0013-1024x682.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Random:</b> I turned 29 on 1/22 and it feels amazing to be at the age that I'll have my first child. I'm really looking forward to this year, the year that my family of 2 becomes 3. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Here are some pics over the last few weeks...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IhK2BG3OqbI/UQH_21XFOgI/AAAAAAAAOj8/CsOJPSDaNuY/s1600/P1200115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IhK2BG3OqbI/UQH_21XFOgI/AAAAAAAAOj8/CsOJPSDaNuY/s320/P1200115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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1/20 Baby shower!</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar3tIcgw6vs/UQIAhStX2EI/AAAAAAAAOkE/S8j59jYP-ic/s1600/20121231_221909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar3tIcgw6vs/UQIAhStX2EI/AAAAAAAAOkE/S8j59jYP-ic/s320/20121231_221909.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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12/31Lake Lanier Nights of Lights</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0kfegt6FcZU/UQIAsQmm9hI/AAAAAAAAOkM/BKEiXzsOG1I/s1600/2013-01-08+23.19.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0kfegt6FcZU/UQIAsQmm9hI/AAAAAAAAOkM/BKEiXzsOG1I/s320/2013-01-08+23.19.12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Amazing gift! Pack and Play</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUI7NfGBysc/UQIAuNhTioI/AAAAAAAAOkU/aihklph_uOk/s1600/2013-01-20+11.27.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qUI7NfGBysc/UQIAuNhTioI/AAAAAAAAOkU/aihklph_uOk/s320/2013-01-20+11.27.12.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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1/19 Belly on the beach</div>
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Reese's armoire</div>
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32 weeks!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bvn0BYx0Fnw/UQH_zpPr6RI/AAAAAAAAOjw/JUT5HYSqh6c/s1600/P1200051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bvn0BYx0Fnw/UQH_zpPr6RI/AAAAAAAAOjw/JUT5HYSqh6c/s320/P1200051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shower favor - LOVE these!</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-77421326521438894922012-12-30T22:19:00.000-05:002013-02-14T00:01:20.055-05:00Pregnancy: 29 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5FpdId8TaY/UOD8jbxdbJI/AAAAAAAAOhs/fXZNxEVn940/s1600/PhotoGrid_1356842675479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5FpdId8TaY/UOD8jbxdbJI/AAAAAAAAOhs/fXZNxEVn940/s320/PhotoGrid_1356842675479.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>How far along:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">29 weeks 2 days</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Name Announcement: </b>We've committed to a name....drum roll please....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Reese Monroe Friedland</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dx9k4swOt3c/UOD7zujPL-I/AAAAAAAAOhg/zbG5wqMNi5E/s1600/D78DC6472E544942A196ABE88C3DEBF8.ashx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dx9k4swOt3c/UOD7zujPL-I/AAAAAAAAOhg/zbG5wqMNi5E/s1600/D78DC6472E544942A196ABE88C3DEBF8.ashx.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Weight gain:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> 17 pounds, still normal, but I hear the pounds pack on faster from here on out! And baby will gain 6 ish of those pounds!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Symptoms:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> I think I've really 'felt' Braxton Hicks contraction one other time since week 24 but not nearly as intense...it was Christmas Eve and I just felt waves of discomfort on and off for a little while. And the leg cramps have found a way of interrupting my sleep again. Not often but usually after a day of being on my feet more than usual. Like the day I went to a wedding and danced the night away. And the day I spent hours Christmas shopping. Not a big fan but things could certainly be worse. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Movement: </b>Her movement is certainly increasing!!! I feel her quite frequently both day and night but I'm thankful her night movement doesn't keep me awake. Thank you honey. I'm also feeling little jabs to my ribs. It takes my breath away for a second but that's all. Seeing her move is becoming more and more fascinating...Dean and I can see her move from one side of my belly to another!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Preparations for baby:</b> My showers are only weeks away! And maternity photos! Yippppeeeee! I'm super excited about all of it. And it's really time to hunker down and get her room started. It's still a storage room for a few unpacked boxes from our move (I need to get on that!). Dean asked for some baby books for the holidays so I got him two: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strong-Fathers-Daughters-Secrets-Father/dp/0345499395">Strong Fathers Strong Daughters</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Babyproofing-Your-Marriage-Laugh-Family/dp/006117355X">Babyproofing Your Marriage</a>. We'll read the latter as a couple after he takes the BAR exam in February. We're looking forward to it!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Random: </b>I'm feeling great and trying to really enjoy it. I know each person and each pregnancy are different but I commonly hear that things get rather uncomfortable as the weeks progress from here. No swelling, discomfort, nausea or exhaustion to speak of (yet?)! Reese is being a very good girl for mommy. I'm so blessed! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">As 2012 comes to a close and 2013 is about to begin I feel as if I'm closing one chapter of life and beginning another. 2013 will bring the biggest miracle and change to our lives! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Here are some pics over the last few weeks...</span><br />
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<b>Adios 2012!</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-7205754586502169362012-11-29T23:42:00.001-05:002013-03-05T18:47:10.616-05:00Pregnancy: 24 weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R8f1ly_SeW0/ULg1JWq1RnI/AAAAAAAAOgo/04iMxfqeYvA/s1600/PicsArt_1354223234061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R8f1ly_SeW0/ULg1JWq1RnI/AAAAAAAAOgo/04iMxfqeYvA/s320/PicsArt_1354223234061.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can I just start by saying these weeks are flying by! I just want to press pause and thoroughly enjoy this time...I'm feeling great!!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>How far along:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">24 weeks 6 days</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Size of baby: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">The size of a cantaloupe and as long as an ear of corn - she weighs in over a pound now!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Weight gain:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> 15</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> pounds - whoa! Where did that come from?! Still in a normal range but starting to feel the weight gain</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Symptoms:</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> Well, turns out I felt Braxton Hicks contractions for the first time and they weren't the typical BH that I read about. They were a bit painful and lasted about 2 hours, coming every few minutes and lasting between 30 and 60 seconds. Thankfully they subsided because I was beginning to worry and nearly called my midwife. I talked to her about them at this weeks appointment and she said they sounded a bit abnormal and suggested I call next time just to be safe...but if I feel them that way again to drink LOTS of water and take a warm bath. Note taken!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Movement: </b>Oh this little girl LOVES to wiggle and squirm and I love to feel it<b>. </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Purchases: </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">No more purchases at this point, still only the one pair of shoes. And it's REALLY hard to not give in to temptation every time I'm in any store!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Preparations for baby:</b> Still preparing for showers and building my registry list. Decided to go with Babies R Us and Target. I don't want a whole lot of 'stuff', just really the necessities but there are so many choices and options. We also just moved in to our new place and where Baby Friedland will live her first 9 months or so...now I really get to plan her nursery!! Also beginning to research doula's and childbirth classes. There's so much to look into! Definitely overwhelmed but in a good way. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Random: </b>I had my very first baby dream and my baby was a BOY! Oye!!! Not sure what to think about that, I mean it was only a dream but what if...haha. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Love LOVE LOOOOOOOVEEEEE this baby girl that is growing inside me! It's still all so surreal!</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-38519167738270167862012-11-05T22:19:00.000-05:002012-11-05T22:31:08.171-05:00Pregnancy: Rainbow on the way!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, needless to say, from the picture things have changed a bit since my last post, in a GREAT way!<br />
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Our miracle "rainbow" (term used for a pregnancy after a loss) baby is due on March 15th, 2013. We are thrilled beyond words.<br />
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As I've been reluctant to post until now out of complete fear, I'm ready to shout it at the mountain top that I'M PREGNANT and share all the amazing and beautiful details of this pregnancy. It's already going by so fast. So here we go....<br />
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<b>How far along:</b> 21 weeks 3 days (whoa!)<br />
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<b>Size of baby: </b>As long as a carrot - about 10.5 inches and as big around as a pomegranate (quite a bit of growth since the poppy seed size we started with)<br />
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<b>Weight gain:</b> 7 pounds - normal range so far<br />
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<b>Symptoms:</b> This week has been great! Had a few calf cramps, mostly at night, which certainly hurt but don't last too long.<br />
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<b>Movement: </b>Yes! Feeling little kicks and jabs is sooo amazing! Dean is able to feel them too which he loves. I love feeling the movement because it reassures me :)<br />
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<b>Purchases: </b>I've only made 1 purchase and it was a pair of adorable (to me) itty bitty newborn shoes. I feel in love at first site and had to have them. And yes, IT'S A GIRL!<br />
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<b>Preparations for baby: </b>We are starting to look at the items we'll need and creating a registry. I'm also planning two baby showers for this little princess. One in FL with our family and friends there and one in GA with our family and friends here.</div>
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Here is our sweet girl's profile with her mouth wide open...probably singing like her momma. :)</div>
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-33509858011174548172012-05-17T18:42:00.000-04:002012-05-17T18:43:29.403-04:00TTC: 12 Weeks of Pregnancy<br />
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We were 5 weeks along when we found out we were pregnant.
Our emotions were all over the place! Excited, nervous, happy, scared…but it
didn’t feel real quite yet. And I wasn’t sure when it would. When a doc says
I’m pregnant? When I feel sick? When we
have an ultrasound? When I start seeing a belly? I had no idea. But it didn’t
matter. We were having a baby. <b>The stick said so.</b></div>
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In the coming weeks I would experience things I could never
imagine. Both <i>incredible</i> and <i>devastating</i>. Nausea was no joke for me. I could
not kick it…ginger beer, ginger ale, preggie
pops, constantly eating, nothing helped. I hoped and prayed that I would not be
cursed to have it the entire pregnancy. And the exhaustion was out of this
world. I could barely make it through my workday without falling asleep. I was
sleeping 10-12 hours a night. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our 7 week ultrasound was priceless. Seeing our blueberry
with a fluttering heartbeat was beyond amazing. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>Now it was starting to feel
real. </b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Around 10 weeks we started sharing the news. We also started
writing down names we liked. And thinking about the future and what our life
will be like once our kumquat enters this world…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then December 5<sup>th</sup> rolls around. It was 12 weeks
exactly. I started to have an uncomfortable amount of bleeding (I had some
spotting earlier in the pregnancy that wasn’t an issue) so I called my OB. She
had me come in right away for an exam to make sure everything was okay. It
wasn’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was having a miscarriage. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Devestated. Heartbroken. Upset. Angry. Sad. Furious. If I
could even begin to try and describe how the news made me feel, these are the
words. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why me?!</b> Why did this have to happen to me?! What did I do
wrong? Is it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really </i>gone? Maybe they're wrong and this is all a terrible nightmare. But it wasn't. The next few hours and days were
literally the <u>worst</u> days of my life. Nothing can prepare you for the
experience. I opted to let the miscarriage happen naturally versus having a
D&C (minor surgery) or meds to make things progress faster. Though it was
tough, I’m glad I made that decision. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course I had heard of miscarriage before but didn’t know
how common it actually is (30 – 40% of all pregnancies end in m/c) and never
thought it would happen to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me. </i>Our OB
explained that they are so common and there’s no way to know why it happens but
it was most likely a ‘chromosomal abnormality’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dean and I decided to share our experience publicly and the
outpour of <b>support was overwhelming</b>. It turns out that I know MANY people that
have had a similar experience. I’m thankful beyond words for encouragement and
support that I’ve had. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Another question I had was when could we start trying again.
If I asked 5 people, I got 5 answers. Ultimately the most frequent answer was
‘when you’re ready’. We decided to let one cycle come and go to make sure
things were working properly again and give my body some time to recover and
heal. And since we conceived on the first try, we were sure it would happen
fast again. That’s what I needed. To be pregnant again. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>That’s what would help
me move on from the miscarriage. </b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-34155391033753993732012-05-07T19:33:00.001-04:002012-05-17T18:43:45.934-04:00TTC: Our Journey to have a familyMy mind is racing and doesn't know where to start. My fingers are typing though and the words are coming out faster than I can comprehend...<br />
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Dean and I began our relationship in 2005 at the ripe young ages of 21 (me) and 22 (him). We have always been on the same page about having a family once things fell into place and once we were married. And so on the 10th of September in 2011 we said 'I do' and took the first step toward creating our family. We had discussed that we would start 'trying' to get pregnant right away. We agreed that we were ready for it but that we also didn't know what the process may be like for us.<br />
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The interesting thing about that last sentence is that neither of us knew anyone close to us that had difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant. Actually it was quite the opposite.<br />
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As October 2011 rolled around, my cycle was a few days late. That wasn't extremely abnormal though as my cycle length was known to fluctuate within a couple days. 3 days late. 5 days late. The first thought of 'could I be pregnant' started to creep into my mind. But I thought 'no way, we <i>just</i> started trying'. I also had some spotting which is a normal indication for me that I'm about to start so I was sure now that I definitely wasn't pregnant. I was going to start my cycle any day now. The day that AF (aunt flow) was 5 days late I had a tuna sandwich from Subway for lunch and I felt sick almost immediately after I ate it. Again I thought, 'could I be pregnant' but I quickly associated feeling sick with the tuna being bad or something. That was a Friday. Saturday came and went with no AF. Finally on Sunday I decided to get some cheapo HPT's (home pregnancy tests). Dean was with me when I took the test. So I POAS (peed on a stick) and waited for the results. We had no clue what it was telling us. We didn't know how to interpret the lines. There's one going up and down but not side to side...what does that mean? We went to bed that night not really knowing anything.<br />
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The next day (Monday) Dean started a new job so things were very exciting and it nearly made me forget about possibly being pregnant. But on my way to work I decided to pick up some more tests that would be a bit easier to interpret. Into the bathroom at my office I went. Again I POAS and waited. This time I was going to get Yes or No. There's no misinterpreting that....<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">3 minutes later it was clear - YES! </span></div>
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What?!</div>
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I was in complete shock. I couldn't believe it. I took a picture of the test on my phone and headed to my best friends desk (I happen to work with my best friend - huge bonus of the job). We had normal casual conversation for several minutes until I put the picture of the test in front of her. At this point Dean didn't even know the news! It took my bestie half a second to realize what I was showing her and we both started to cry tears of joy and shared a great hug.<br />
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Despite taking 4 tests at this point I still wasn't 100% convinced so bestie and I went to get more tests over our lunch break. These were the Pregnant or Not Pregnant kind. This is what I needed. I took both. Both said Pregnant. It was starting to sink in at this point that maybe this is real. I really am pregnant!
Since it was Dean's first day at his new job, it was the perfect way to surprise him with the news. I got him a congratulations card and put a baby ruth, the HPT's and a cute little baby book in a gift bag. I didn't talk to him literally all day because he was super busy on his first day. But we carpooled that day and I knew I'd see him right after work. I couldn't wait. I gave him his gift in the car right after I picked him up. I pulled over in the parking lot of his office and told him to open it. It was just a 'little something to say congrats on your first day'. He started opening the gift and read the card first. Then he opened the tests I had wrapped. It took him a few seconds to realize what they were and what they said...then he said 'oh shit! Are you really?' with a huge smile. I said YES and we were both overwhelmed with joy.
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Earlier that day I looked online to determine my due date. It was June 18th, 2012 according to my LMP (last menstrual period). I was five weeks pregnant which means we conceived on our honeymoon.<br />
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As we rode home we talked about who we should tell and when. I knew it was VERY early and was a bit unsure of telling anyone quite yet but Dean wanted to tell his parents. Without much of a chance to object he called his parents and put all of us on speakerphone. 'We're pregnant' he exclaimed. His parents were thrilled! We asked them to keep it to themselves for now as we needed to decide how we want to share the news. I told Dean I wanted to do something special to tell my parents and sisters so we waited to say anything to anyone else.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"> ...To be continued
</span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-23293919543966922882012-05-06T22:50:00.001-04:002012-05-06T22:50:11.432-04:00Testing testing 1 2 3Does this thing still work?!
Well folks it's about time to dust this 'ol thing off. I haven't written in quite some time.
This blog originated as a place to document mine and Dean's travel around the globe and I love looking back on those entries and reliving the times we've had frolicking around different countries.
Now as we enter a new phase of our life, starting a family, I've convinced myself that I want to have this 'on the record' as well. I want to vividly remember what this process is like for us and if there's any chance this catches the eye of someone going through something similar, that's an added bonus.
That being said, I won't go into detail in this post but I will be starting to blog about our trying to conceive (TTC) journey. This journey is very emotionally charged and is bound to rip at the heart strings including my own as I venture back to memories I'd rather not have.
But in the end I want to be able to look back on this time and remember how far we've come...
Feel free to join me.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-8303851213811293972010-06-03T19:12:00.001-04:002010-06-03T19:47:09.307-04:00Travel: Amsterdam & Italy - Day 2We crossed the international dateline during our flight so it’s now a new day but we haven’t been to sleep yet. I was able to sleep maybe an hour on the flight. We watched the movie Invictus which was very very good and I watched an episode of house. Also notable was the food on the flight, it was very yummy which was a pleasant surprise! We could only imagine what the food was like in first class…maybe one day we will see for ourselves. <br />After the 6.5 hour flight, we landed at Schipol airport in Amsterdam at 8am (2 am home time). We were dragging at this point but our bags were first off the belt (yay, we have our bags! I always have a nightmare that I won’t get my bags when I travel internationally) and well, customs was easy as pie. We simply showed our passports and got the stamp. And with our 50 lb bags and carry on’s in tow we were free to enter Amsterdam. <br />We made our way to bank to get some euro’s ($1 USD = .74 euro’s) and to the info desk to find out the best way to get to our hostel which we found to be by train. We purchased our train tickets and a map and headed to the platform (where the train departs from the airport). By the way, I love trains. I think it’s because we don’t really have them in the US but it’s such a great way to get around. It’s fast, cheap, and usually safe. When we bought our tickets the lady said either platform 1 or 2. We took that as we could go on either train…<br />But in fact the one we got on turned out to not be right. We weren’t confident we got on the right train so Dean asked two young guys if the one we were on went to Central Station and they said no. We thought they were joking, but in fact no they weren’t. We had to get off at the next station, go back to where we started and get on the other train. Now let me paint a picture for you…Dean and I both have 50 lb suitcases, another bag on our shoulders and I have my camera bag too. And there are 2 steps to get on or off the train AND the doors only open for about 10 seconds. Needless to say, it’s not much fun to just get on and off this thing. And after 14 hrs of traveling, I was not in the mood for this either. I felt dirty, hadn’t slept, and it was 9 am. The city is waking and I want to go to sleep. <br />It was about a 10 minute ride to Central Station and following our handy map, it was about a 10 minute walk to our hostel. The city here is so interesting to the eye because the buildings are so old, they look antique. Many of them date back to the 1600’s and earlier! Most buildings are 4 stories, not many are higher. And canals are built throughout the city as well. Also, in case you’re not familiar with a hostel, I will explain it. A hostel is different from a hotel. In a hostel the majority of the rooms are shared by 4, 6, 8 or even 32 people. They’re full of bunk beds and a shared bathroom. Our room has two bunks and sleeps 6. We have a double bunk (double size beds). Hostels are very popular for backpackers and single travelers, and well anyone on a budget because they’re cheaper than hotels. The hotels are very expensive here. We don’t mind the hostel because it’s actually a great way to meet people. <br />We found our hostel, The Flying Pig – Downtown, checked in and found our room #206. Check in time was @ 10:30 am so we were a bit early. We dropped our bags in the room and took off back to the streets to find breakfast. We found a quaint little café around the corner that was perfect. Dean ordered and omelet and I had a traditional Dutch pancake and this thing was ginormous! It had apple, pineapple, and banana. It really was delicious. After breaky we walked around a bit, in and out of shops, the grocery store and a convenient store. We had to get some travel size shampoo, conditioner and body soap. Interestingly, not all the products had English writing so it took a while to figure out what was what. And because the jet lag was really set in at this point, we headed back to our room to try and get some rest. <br />We napped for several hours and woke up about 5 pm (11pm home time). The sleep was decent considering these beds aren’t the most comfortable (not the worst either), it was broad daylight, and the room window stays open because I don’t think there’s AC. We met three of our roomies – Lisa and Simon a couple from Australia, and Suge a guy from Canada. We all talked about our travel itineraries thus far and future. The couple is on a 6 month adventure covering literally all of Europe – they both quit their jobs to do this and they’re carrying everything they need in their backpack. So cool. I’m jealous. <br />Now it was time for the long anticipated shower…it’s ity bity but I couldn’t wait. I wouldn’t even care if the water was cold (well maybe). Actually it was a great shower. It was nice and hot and the pressure was good. Minor inconvenience though that you have to press the knob about every 30 seconds or the water will turn off. It is just like those faucets in places that you press and the water never runs long enough for you to wash your hands before you have to press it again. And the light goes out every few minutes too but hey, it was a hot shower. I cannot complain. <br />The second minor inconvenience is the fact that we didn’t bring an electrical adapter. The US electric plugs will not fit in the outlets here. No way no how, they’re circular. And we knew this already but totally forgot. So I had to forgo washing my hair until we get an adapter. After we got ready, we headed out with our roomies to explore and get dinner. Lisa suggested Indian food and we all agreed to it. Now there’s a restaurant every 10 feet so we didn’t have to go far. We found a restaurant that looked good so we went in. <br />And yay for English on the menu! I forgot to mention this earlier when we had breakfast but it’s a great relief to see not only Dutch but English as well on menus. I ordered Butter Chicken which is one of my favorite Indian dishes and Dean got Chicken Vindloo which is his fav and is VERY spicy. We ordered garlic Naan too. That’s always good. The food was delicious and the company was great. We all shared stories of our travels and life back home. After dinner we wandered to the Red Light District and went into a few coffee shops. Believe it or not, by midnight we were tired again and we ended the night. Back to the Flying Pig to catch some z’s.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-78039107575975376042010-06-01T13:06:00.001-04:002012-05-07T20:02:47.020-04:00Travel: Amsterdam & Italy - Day 1Monday 5/31/10<br />
We’re off on a two week adventure to Amsterdam and Italy! <br />
And so the journey begins! Like usual, we were up late last night finishing up our last minute preparations for this trip. Dean was in bed just after one and I followed at about 1:30am. We arranged to have a town car pick us up at 12:45 to be at the airport by 1:30. Our flight was at 3:30 – bound for Amsterdam with connections in Chicago and London. <br />
Surprisingly, I awake before my alarm that was set for 9am. This is good because there was still a list of things to do this morning before departing. This includes giving our house a quick cleaning as it is for sale and there are a few showings while we’re away. We cleaned, packed the last second items, and were ready just in time when Marshall (the driver) arrived. We load the car and lock the house. And so the journey really begins! <br />
While Marshall’s driving was less than impressive (he almost ran off the road twice), we got to the airport right on time. We were worried that being a holiday, the airport may be a bit busy but actually it was quite the opposite. Relieved, we went to the American Airlines check-in kiosk. Just moments after putting our flight info in, we found out the first flight was delayed and delayed to the point that it would make us miss our connecting flight. Fantastic. To the check-in counter we go with hopes there were other options. After this experience now I know why some people stand at the counter for 10-15 minutes…people in line were definitely eyeing us and likely thinking “what in the heck is taking them so long – I have a plane to catch”. Well, if you’ve ever wondered that, this is a perfect scenario. The gentleman behind the counter was very friendly and realized our concern and after literally 10 options that were ‘no good’ and several phone calls later, we found another flight…but it would mean changing airlines, getting to the other terminal, and getting through security in less than 45 minutes. All at the expense of AA of course, not ours. <br />
We ran from the north terminal to the south where Delta is. We received some good help here too…we checked-in via the kiosk then we became “those” people that everyone loves to hate. A Delta employee opened a lane just for us to check our bags as it was unlikely that we would make the flight if she hadn’t. And of course in the middle of the rush my bad was 2 pounds overweight (50 is the limit) so I had to remove some items from my bag and toss them into my carry-on to avoid the $50 charge. Dean’s bag weighed 50 exactly. Of course. <br />
Security was quick and painless, thank goodness. And we arrived at our gate in the nick of time…only to find out this flight was delayed too. You’ve got to be kidding me. At this point our itinerary has already changed once – we were originally going from Atlanta to Chicago to London to Amsterdam. Now we were going from Atlanta to Boston to Amsterdam. <br />
The flight from ATL to BOS was pretty quick once we finally took off – about an hour delayed. I can rarely sleep on planes and this was no exception. Dean and I chatted and surfed the net on the in-flight wifi. We landed at 6pm and our next flight was taking off at 6:50. It was going to be close but we stayed positive about it. We were finally de-planed at 6:15 and had to RUN to the next gate which was just a few gates down from where we were. Dean ran ahead of me to let them know we were coming and thankfully he did! The last few people were boarding the plane and we were the last on board but we made it. They made last call just as we arrived. We didn’t even have time to catch our breath! And it just so happened that we had the very last seats on the plane – row 44. <br />
This flight is 6.5 hours (less than we expected!) which was a pleasant surprise. So now we’re in real time. We are about mid-flight now as I write and Dean and I watched Invictus (great movie) and had a great dinner. He had a chicken with veggies and I had pasta. A few hours remain before we land. It will be about 8 am in Amsterdam which is 6 hours ahead of home (EST). I’m thinking I may need to try and get some sleep now because once we arrive in Amsterdam we are going to hit the ground running…Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-88110045023161019042009-08-11T23:19:00.004-04:002012-05-07T20:05:28.986-04:00BlessingsSo this week (and it's only Tuesday!) has been such a blessing! Now I could make these stories really long but instead I will keep it short and sweet...<br />
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For the last 8 months I had been driving an 08 Jeep Wrangler and loved it but it was time to send it back to it's owner (I was sort of renting it from someone that was leasing it). Needless to say, I needed to get another vehicle! I decided some time ago that when the time came I would like another SUV for the space and to transport our kids (our doggies). So after some research and visiting a ton of dealerships around the area I bought a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SoI3vnsSaPI/AAAAAAAAFdY/YcXBgXvyrq4/s1600-h/P8090164.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368914997027170546" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SoI3vnsSaPI/AAAAAAAAFdY/YcXBgXvyrq4/s400/P8090164.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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I'm truly loving it and have every intention to drive it until it dies. It has every available option including a sunroof and heated seats. =)<br />
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The next and probably most exciting news is that I have a new job!!! I am now a Project Specialist at American Tower Corporation.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SoI5gYuT2AI/AAAAAAAAFdg/whu1U2dklWk/s1600-h/ATC+logo.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368916934334339074" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SoI5gYuT2AI/AAAAAAAAFdg/whu1U2dklWk/s400/ATC+logo.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 63px; width: 145px;" /></a><br />
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American Tower is a leading owner and operator of communications sites for the wireless and broadcast industries. <br />
As a Project Specialist my duties will include: <br />
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* Responsible for financial tracking, billing, and purchase order creation.<br />
* Responsible for managing, and assisting with multiple internal and external processes, procedures and clients including sales, environmental, structural engineering, regulatory, zoning permitting, construction, finance and integration.<br />
* Orders and tracks environmental services such as National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Phase I and (SHPO) studies and approvals.<br />
* Orders and performs basic overview of titles and easements.<br />
* Orders title updates and tracks expiration periods. <br />
* Tracks ground lease option renewal dates.<br />
* Maintains accurate project files and ensures that construction jobs are documented and re-integrated to the American Tower Corporation system via Woburn integration.<br />
* Assists with Return on Investment creation, budget preparation, preparation of cost estimates and management of budget.<br />
* Maintains the financial and public project tracker. <br />
* Ensures that all company and departmental guidelines are being followed.<br />
* Reviews Construction in Progress report analysis and projects financial reporting for accuracy.<br />
* Collects jurisdictional zoning requirements and update zoning database.<br />
* Reviews and verifies information Universal Forms.<br />
* Completes site candidate information packages for external customers.<br />
* Reviews external customer search rings and identifies best candidates.<br />
* Coordinates construction walks between contractors and American Tower Corporation operations personnel through Job Dispatch ticketing system.<br />
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So I will be a very busy corporate girl!! I get to work with my best friend too! Julia Muench is a project manager and really helped me get my position, and I am so thankful. Also, ATC offers amazing benefits so I will have health insurance again and they give tuition assistance as well so I will be able to get a masters! <br />
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With all that said, I have many things to be thankful for and I am counting my blessings!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-63098046392598676762009-06-02T22:45:00.005-04:002012-05-07T20:03:44.976-04:00Pursuing Photography<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SiXkHnFF2cI/AAAAAAAAFMg/89oBg0Rk08g/s1600-h/DSC_0212.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342927352345516482" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SiXkHnFF2cI/AAAAAAAAFMg/89oBg0Rk08g/s400/DSC_0212.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 268px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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For years I have loved taking pictures. It was world travel that first sparked my interest. While I traveled I wanted to capture as many moments as I could to look back on. I began scrap booking, making photo books, and gifting my favorite shots. Since 2005, that interest grown into an all-out love for photography. I finally decided that I wanted to pursue it on the side and help capture precious memories for others. And in December of last year my amazing boyfriend gave me a professional digital SLR camera (Nikon D60) as an early birthday gift. I was so overjoyed and the camera consumed ALL of my time for the next few months. I'm getting more comfortable with it everyday and love taking it just about anywhere. <br />
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Recently I was asked by a friend to take some headshots for him (he's an actor). I'd not done this before but knew I could. So we did a photo shoot in my house and the photos turned out great! There were actually several "money" shots and he was very happy. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SiXot0K2v3I/AAAAAAAAFMo/s-cdJ4sG_98/s1600-h/DSC_0068-1.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342932406740893554" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SiXot0K2v3I/AAAAAAAAFMo/s-cdJ4sG_98/s320/DSC_0068-1.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" /></a><br />
This photo has not been retouched.<br />
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Since I'm a beginner, I'd like to start building a portfolio. I don't charge a dime but I want to take photos for family and friends and friends friends. If you or someone you know could benefit from some pro bono photography services, send them my way. I don't <span style="font-style: italic;">plan</span> to start a large business of this, I'm simply looking to share something I love with others as a hobby. Let's see what happens. I'd like a variety of events to shoot. Examples are engagement photos, baby pics, headshots, homes for sale, animals, family photos, fashion portraits, etc. <br />
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I've also thought about doing something like a "photoshoot party" where a group of girls and/or guys get together and bring several favorite outfits, and we'll shoot with several backgrounds to create some very fun and cool professional photos for everyone to cherish. The target age group for this is probably teens to 20 somethings. <br />
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Let me know what you all think. <br />
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(Below is my favorite pic to date of my Java on our way to the dog park.)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SiXs4s7NMxI/AAAAAAAAFMw/yaQAVZjDeTs/s1600-h/DSC_0040.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342936991821280018" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/SiXs4s7NMxI/AAAAAAAAFMw/yaQAVZjDeTs/s400/DSC_0040.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 203px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-61585481077883237052009-03-22T12:32:00.003-04:002012-05-07T20:03:09.162-04:00I'm a Georgia State Panther!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/ScZr_hOg4NI/AAAAAAAAE9g/3LlSPYe4m08/s1600-h/Panther.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316055149152624850" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/ScZr_hOg4NI/AAAAAAAAE9g/3LlSPYe4m08/s400/Panther.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 398px;" /></a><br />
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A couple of days ago I got an acceptance email from Georgia State! It told me the official letter through snail mail would arrive shortly. I got into the Master's in Teaching Secondary Social Studies Education program. That's a lot of words but basically I will get a master's degree and be certified to teach high school social studies subjects like history, economics, psychology, etc. <br />
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The most desirable aspect of the program is that it's accelerated so it only takes 13 months to complete. So I start this June and graduate in July 2010. I'm so excited that I got in. I don't know how many applied but the program acceptance rate is about 52% so I was nervous. But I did it, yay! =)Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-30037151597130429872009-03-10T19:42:00.003-04:002012-05-07T20:02:27.645-04:00It's Official: We're Moving To Georgia!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/Sbb7K3GZFoI/AAAAAAAAE7g/SeCfMsdw0qM/s1600-h/Front+View.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311708974538102402" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_82M24XYDG4M/Sbb7K3GZFoI/AAAAAAAAE7g/SeCfMsdw0qM/s400/Front+View.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 289px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 385px;" /></a><br />
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Dean and I were in Georgia last week scouring the Atlanta area to find a new place to call home. We didn't actually plan to find <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> house, only <span style="font-style: italic;">the</span> area but low and behold we found a home we fell in love with in an amazing neighborhood. It's in Douglasville which is about 20 miles west of downtown Atlanta where Dean and I will commute daily. <br />
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Besides the fact that the home has everything we were looking for, the community sealed the deal. It's called Tributary At New Manchester. It's 1500 acres and is right next to the 2500 acre Sweetwater Creek State Park. The features we love about Tributary are: there are several dog parks and recreation parks all within no more than a 5 min walk from any home, all parks have WiFi, the pools, the gym, extra wide sidewalks, full-time activities director, hiking and mountain biking trails, and my personal fav, all homes are EarthCraft meaning they are built to be energy efficient and reduce energy consumption by about 30%. And these just name a few. Feel free to check out the website at www.tributaryga.com<br />
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The house has 3 bed, 2.5 bath, 2 levels, hardwood floors on the main level, fenced backyard, large bedrooms, walk-in closets, garden tub, kitchen island, and a large front porch. <br />
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Our move day is May 15, 66 days from today! I'm so excited to be moving back home!<br />
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<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&q=3133+Cunningham+Ln,+Douglasville,+Douglas,+Georgia+30135&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.999937,77.783203&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=FSxoAgIdG3f0-g&split=0&ll=33.869275,-84.574127&spn=0.39909,0.583649&z=10&iwloc=addr" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10427221547633608921noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154915575696528739.post-35530652182131891332008-10-20T15:15:00.002-04:002012-05-07T20:03:30.166-04:00Videos from Asia!!<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/prLN08n-a9k&hl=en&fs=1">
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