Week 36

Madeline 36 weeks & 3 days! Look at her chubby cheeks!

Madeline at 35 weeks and 2 days! Love this sono because it shows her heart!

Some of Madeline's Christmas Presents!

I had an outfit made off etsy so she could match Matt's Crew!

Can't wait for a group photo of them with her!

I hope that everyone had a very merry christmas! Things around here sure have been busy to say the least. Lots of christmas shopping and lots of baking! With the weeks getting closer till our little girl is here we have had lots of appointments. After the appointment with the Maternal and Fetal Dr last tuesday, we were looking forward to our appointment with my OBGYN. We heard her heartbeat last friday 12.23.2011 and the Dr said it didn't sound irregular at all so we were very excited for such great news. Unfortunately we had our follow up appointment with Maternal and Fetal today and it seems she still has an irregular heartbeat but it doesn't happen often and they don't seem to be to worried about it. All I can do is to make sure that I don't drink caffeine, no chocolate and limit the amount of sugar that I intake. All the Dr's can do is to monitor her heart beat each week to make sure that it isn't getting worse. We obviously would prefer for the irregularity to stop, but as long as its not getting any worse thats about all we can ask for right now. We have our weekly appointment with my OBGYN this friday 12.30.2011 & then our next appointment with Maternal and Fetal is next Tuesday 1.3.2011.

With the holidays wrapping up and 2011 coming to an end I look at everything I have been blessed with, not the amount of christmas gifts I received (although I did get a ton of amazing things!) but the more important things. My health, the health of my family and amazing journey that we have been through in just these past 9 months. Finding out we were going to parents in 2012, getting engaged and getting married. I couldn't be more blessed to have the family and the friends that support us through everything that we do! I ask that you look back on your year and find what you are truly thankful for, don't forget the small things, and never take anything or anyone for granted. For tomorrow they just might not be there.

We can't wait to hold our little girl in our arms and wrap her up in the endless love that we have for her. I will be praying that this heart issue ends with her delivery and that we won't ever have to worry about it again. What god has in store for us is unknown but my resolution for 2012 is to keep my little family happy & more importantly healthy!

God Bless.

Xo Ashlie & Matt

Woah Baby!

Baby Madeline at 35 weeks and 2 days (Notice her heart!) So sweet

The holiday season brings numerous things, endless hours of Christmas Shopping to find those perfect gifts for those you love, lots and lots of yummy cookies and most important it brings family even closer.

This week has been hard because Matt's Great Aunt (His dad's mom's sister) passed away this week from a terrible fall that she had in her home. So today was the funeral, Unfortunately I was unable to attend due to my OBGYN apt that was at the same time. I'm still measuring at 35 weeks which is great! & they asked me are you having leg cramps, trouble walking, and swollen feet every now and then? Um.. YES YES & YES! They always listen to her heartbeat just to make sure everything is going smoothly and today it was a bit irregular.. Its usually strong and steady at 150 beats per minute but today the Dr and I could hear it skip a few beats. The one appointment I wish my husband could of been there because it was scary, But I knew his family needed him there at the service. My OBGYN called a High Risk Maternal and Fetal Dr to make an appointment for me to get a echocardiogram this afternoon at 3 pm. My OBGYN said that caffeine and chocolate are usually causes of irregular heart beats, but I haven't had caffeine in months. So maybe all those yummy chocolate cookies that I have been making aren't always a good thing? This year I will be leaving the cookies (well the chocolate ones) for Santa and eating less sweets.

Matt and I met with the High Risk Dr and got another sonogram! We love seeing her on the screen it makes it all so real, and boy does she have chubby cheeks! She's in the 98% percentile for almost everything and weighs a whopping 7 pounds 5oz already! She's the weight of a baby at week 37. So at the rate that she is growing the Dr said she will be 9 pounds 4 oz at delivery! Yikes! Its already hard to walk and they said that the odds of us delivering early are rare because first babies don't usually come early. He focused on her heart for the majority of the appointment and said that only 2% of the 150 beats per minute does her heart skip a beat, which is great news. So he's not to concerned and I have been told to have NO chocolate and NO caffeine, and we will go back next Tuesday December 27th to check her heart again. More than likely over 50% chance that her heart will be back to normal and we will have nothing to worry about. Also due to her large size I will go back to see him one more time a bit closer to my due to measure her size again to get an estimated size of her so my OBGYN and I know what to expect. I wasn't to scared of delivery because the result of pushing is a beautiful baby girl and I just want to hold her in my arms, but wow.. 9 pds?

We are now having weekly appointments at my OBGYN so we get to go back this friday and hear her heart beat again, so hopefully it will be back to normal and I can update with some great news!

XO Matt, Ashlie and Baby Madeline

Christmas Card!

Our Beautiful Christmas Card!!

Our beautiful tree!

This year Matt promised me that we could do a christmas card, I wanted a picture of the both of us with my belly to remember the holiday season! We almost didn't do it, because the days are flying by and I didn't think we would have time to address and mail them all, but matt said it didn't matter if they arrived at our family and friends house's after Christmas. The point was to take a photo and create a memory to show baby Madeline when she is older. Boy am I glad that we did it! Matt's dad who's a professional photographer did an amazing job taking this picture and I can't wait to take some more maternity photos soon! Christmas is in 9 days! YES 9 days and we haven't even started our christmas shopping! Yikes!! Tomorrow is the big day that we are spending the entire morning doing nothing but shopping. Baby Madeline is full term (37 weeks) on New years Eve, so maybe we will have a New Years Baby!?!?

As much as I love being prego and feeling her little kicks inside of me, I can't wait to hold her in my arms and kiss her little nose! So I told Matt that for New Years Eve we are getting Thai food, because spicy ingredients are supposed to induce labor! So we shall see.. whenever our sweet baby girl comes we will be ready and waiting! Can't wait to meet our little tiny squish!

Her nursery is almost done, so I will post a picture of the progress very soon!

XO Ashlie, Matt & Baby Madeline

Baby Shower 12.4.2011

Maw, Me, Addie-Tay & Gracie

Amazing Diaper Cake my Future Sister in-law Krysta made!! Over 100 Diapers!

Beautiful Flowers on the table!

Got Cravings?? Why yes I do!!

Stunning Table Filled with Sweets!!

The baby shower was EVERYTHING & MORE that I could of dreamed of! Caitie (Matt's Sister) & his cousin Shelley did an amazing job planning it all! Plus my future sister in law Krysta for her adorable diaper cake she made me! She's so creative and crafty! She even made her a custom tutu! Can't wait for all the hair bows and ribbons! LOVE LOVE LOVE my new extended family!! After 2 long weeks on bed rest it was finally nice to get out of the house and see everyone! I can't thank everyone enough for all the gifts that Baby Madeline got! She is set for quite some time! We will have to put her in a new outfit every hour to keep up with all the adorable clothes that people keep getting her! But I love it, everything is so sweet and pink!

Only 17 more days Till XMAS which means... SHE'S ALMOST A HERE!! We are 37 weeks the weekend of New Years so she can make her arrival anytime after that! Can't wait till she is here!

Matt & I decorated our Tree last night and I told him we will have to leave it up so Baby Madeline can see it when she comes home! I'm kind of hoping she comes early, I just can't wait to hold her in my arms!

We love you tiny squish!

XO, Ashlie, Matt & Baby Madeline

Tis the Season

Moose Apple Tree Farm BerryVille VA 12.3.2011

Tis the season to be jolly and thankful for many things! Above is a picture from our recent outing to Moose Apple Christmas Tree Farm! Matt & I have started a tradition where every December we head out to BerryVille to cut down our own Christmas Tree! This year my mom and ron and joined us! They found their tree right away, but us on the other hand it took at least an hour to find the perfect tree. Matt & I were saying its amazing how fast time flies, last year at this time we were getting our tree as a couple who had been dating for a year. Now this year we are married with a beautiful little girl on the way! The amazing thing is, is that our christmas tree might still be up when baby Madeline makes her appereance into the world! We both are SO excited, I can't wait to hold her in my arms and share that amazing bond with Matt as parents to our daughter!

Besides getting ready for the holidays, we have been making frequent appearances with some Drs. After our last scare of pre-term labor, we were faced with the fear that we could possibly deliver at 37 weeks (which is still considered full term) but that I might have to spend the remaining weeks of Decemeber on bed rest! We met with my OBGYN friday and we got great news! I'm finally released off bed rest, Thank GOODNESS!! You take the fresh air for granted when your stuck in your bed all day for 2 weeks. We also interviewed two pediatricians, recommended by friends and we are proud to say we will be going forward with Dr. Bill from Capital Area Pediatrics. Our close friends The Bischoff's see Dr. Bill and we just love his personality and staff! When Matt's not busy working he's been busy working on our little girls nursery and its almost done! I will post pictures of it soon!

Today is Baby Madeline's Baby Shower! I can't wait to see everyone! Thanks Aunt Caitie & Cousin Shelley for hosting it, I'm sure its going to be stunning!!

XOXO Ashlie, Matt & Baby Madeline

Our little turkey isn't done!

We had quite the scare this Thursday, everything was going well and normal until

noon when I started getting sharp pains in my lower belly, also known as contractions which is pre term labor. I have bronchitis and my OBGYN doctor said if I have more than 5 menstrual type pains in an hour that I need to call them ASAP.

So I left my friend Danielle's house, headed to work at 2 and called the doctor. By 3:30 I was walking into the hospital thinking I was over reacting because the pain was now gone and not constant. Had a couple contractions while I was there and I thought for sure I was just going to get sent home. Boy was I wrong, contractions got closer, instead of 10-15 mins apart like before they were now 2-3 mins apart. At 31 weeks that's way to early to deliver because our little turkey isn't done cooking! I spent the night in the hospital for observation for 24 hours. After 4 bags of fluids, and 3 yes 3 exams on my cervix (which is now 60% soft) I got released to bed rest for 2 weeks. As I sit at home in bed the week of thanksgiving I think of all the things I'm beyond thankful for. My family who rushed to the hospital to be by my side, my amazing husband who won't let me get out of bed for anything! He's even been painting Madeline's room all day! And I'm beyond thankful our little turkey has realized she's not done cooking and that she can't come out yet.

Here's to hoping I can stay out of the hospital until January, and I can't thank everyone enough for everything. I'm one blessed daughter, daughter in law, wife & mother to be!

Xoxo Ashlie, Matt & Baby Madeline

30 Weeks & another 3D/4D Appointment!!

Baby Madeline at 30 weeks and 1 Day!!

This past sunday matt, the family and I all went to our 3D/4D appointment, & My grandma from the west coast even watched it over the internet!! How amazing!!

We heard her heartbeat and got a recording of it so we can make a little heartbeat stuffed animal for her to have when she is here. I cried! Its truly amazing that this beautiful little girl is growing inside of me, and she even SMILED!! We all can't wait till she is here, only 7 weeks until I'm officially FULL TERM (I KNOW CRAZY!) time flies by! But her official due date isn't for another 10 weeks. I can't wait to her hold her in my arms and give her a huge kiss!!

We love you Baby Madeline! & I promise I will get daddy to paint your room this weekend!

xoxo Ashlie, Matt & Baby Madeline

Hello 3rd Trimester!

Time sure is flying by, only 11 more weeks till we meet baby Madeline!! Matt & I can hardly wait! Today we bought paint for her nursery so I will post pictures of the before and after look! Once that is done, I can start hanging all of her clothes in her closet! So exciting!

Things have been going pretty easy the last couple weeks, I started prenatal pilates at the hospital a couple weeks ago which I love! Boy is it hard but its helping me with my stretching and breathing techniques because thats the only part of this that scares me. Knowing that this baby has to come out of me some way or another. But as Matt always tells me, just breathe and it will be fine! So I know if I put my mind to it I can do it!

26 Weeks & Officially Mrs. Solomon!!

One of the last photos we took on our wedding day!! Matt got me and the baby a Marc Jacobs baby bag!! Lets just say I am so excited and I can't wait to start using it in January! Madeline already has a nicer bag than her momma carries every day.

First lets catch up, married life is great!! I cherish every moment that matt and I spend together. We are getting settled into the house, cleaning it up and setting up all our new wedding gifts!! Matt leaves tonight for Pennsylvania for 2 days for a work trip, and I don't know what I am going to do without him.. I know its only two days but still... I hate when we aren't together.

Baby Madeline is doing great! Had a minor scare that ended us in the hospital for a few hours but they ran numerous tests and we even got to see a picture of her at 25 weeks! She's so sweet and looks more and more like us every day!! I can't wait till she is her so we can compare her actual photo to her sonograms! They have me on more iron pills and vitamin D pills but other than that, she's one healthy girl! Less than 100 days to go till we meet her!

XOXO Ashlie, Matt & Baby Madeline

Cox Farms!!

Cox Farms Pumpkin Patch

I have been WAITING & WAITING for Cox Farms to open & FINALLY today they were open to the public! I took the kid that I nanny for and there is honestly nothing better than walking into this fall festival land surrounded by pumpkins, hay and baby farm animals.

The sounds of children laughing and running looking at everything brought a huge smile to my face. Knowing that this time next year our little pumpkin baby madeline will be 9 months old so Matt & I can take her to pick out her very first pumpkin!

The breeze was nice but it was still around 75 degrees... Where is the fall weather?? Come on 60's!

xoxo Ashlie Matt & Baby Madeline

23 weeks!

Time sure is FLYING by! We have 10 days until the wedding & 121 left until baby!

This weekend we are preparing the house for family to come stay with us & doing last minute wedding plans! This is our last full weekend as a "single" couple!!

Can't wait to share the BIG day with our friends and family!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!

xoxo Ashlie, Matt and Baby Madeline

Wedding Packed Weekend

The boys went golfing! Great Picture of the guys!

This past weekend the guys took Matt on his bachelor party!

First they went golfing & then took a Keg Bus down to DC to watch the Nationals Game!

Sunday the girls and I all went down to Georgetown and had an amazing brunch at the Fairmont Hotel!

Only 2 more weeks till the BIG day!!

xoxo Ashlie, Matt & Baby Madeline

5th Month Appointment!

3D & 4D picture of Madeline taken at 20 weeks!

Can't wait till she's here so we can kiss her little nose!!

The weather here sure has been CRAZY! Heatwave? Check! Earthquake? Check! Hurricane? Check! Tornado? Check! Flooding Rains?? Double Check! Lets just hope all this crazy weather stops before the holiday season, lets not check the massive snow storm of 2011 box!

Doctor said Madeline is measuring perfectly, right on track! Plus I've gained 4 pounds, never thought I would be SO excited to gain weight! By week 25 I will be gaining a pound a week which will have me at a total weight gain of 25 pounds by her due date! Heard her heartbeat again and its strong and steady!

It's FLU season so I got a flu shot, even though the last time I got the shot I ended up with the flu, but it will protect Madeline from getting sick so I will do anything to keep her healthy!

Next appointment: October 7.2011 which means the family that is in town for the wedding can come with us to hear the heartbeat!

xoxo Ashlie, Matt & baby Madeline

26 Days till the Wedding!!

This past friday Matt & I went to our local courthouse and got our marriage license! So exciting that in less than a month I will officially be Mrs. Solomon!

The month of September is PACKED full of last minute wedding planning. Meeting with the DJ who happens to be Matt's cousin Todd. Ordering our wedding rings. Finalizing the guest count and the menu choices. Matt's bachelor party is the same weekend as my bachelorette party which is very exciting! He's going golfing and to the Nationals game & the girls and I are going to have brunch in the city!

the BEST part preparing for family to arrive!

Can't wait for the BIG day!!

xoxo Ashlie.Matt & Baby Madeline

Over half way there 20 weeks & 3 days

Baby Madeline Grace Solomon (20 week sonogram)

September 2nd, 2011 My mom, Matt & I all went to the doctors office and saw the 20 week sonogram pictures of Madeline Grace! At first she was being a little stubborn not wanting to roll in the right direction, but eventually she gave in and listened the doctor.

The appointment was almost an hour long and we saw over 80+ pictures of her and checked her growth! Her due date is still January 21st 2011 so we are officially half way there!! So exciting that in four months we will be bringing home a sweet little baby girl!! I can't wait to hold her in my arms!

This friday we have our monthly OBGYN appointment, where we will hear her heartbeat and I will get weighed again, hopefully by now I have gained some weight!

More exciting news, I felt her move for the first time last week which is beyond cool!

xoxo, Ashlie. Matt. & Baby Madeline

Wedding Update 30 days from this FRIDAY!!

I can't believe that 30 days from this friday I will be a married woman. It's a day I have been looking forward to since I was a little girl, and its actually almost here!

Mom has been so amazing, with all the countless hours she has done with the planning, I keep telling her that when she retires she should be a wedding planner part time!

Matt grew up in VA, and in Loudoun County (where we currently live) So he pretty much can't go to the grocery store or target without running into someone that he knows!

Our limit for the wedding guest list started at 120 and I thought that was ALOT of people but seems that number is creeping higher and higher! Which has us a bit scared but whats a wedding unless your surrounded by the people that you love?

I wish we lived closer to all my family on the west coast so that everyone could be there to share in the happy moment, but I will certainly post pictures on facebook and mail them to anyone who would like to have some!

The theme we are going for is Shabby Chic, with a Fall Twist! I can't wait!

xoxo Ashlie, Matt and Baby girl

19 weeks! Almost half way there!

This friday Sept 2, 2011 we have our 20 week appointment where they will confirm that baby is a girl as well as make sure she is growing at the right pace. Fingers crossed that she's still a girl!

& next friday Sept 9th, 2011 is my monthly appointment with my OBGYN where they will weigh me (so far I am 5 months and haven't gained a pound, so I am actually hoping I start putting on some baby weight, just so I know she is healthy). We will also get to listen to her heartbeat, a sound that matt and I will never get bored of hearing! Brings tears to my eyes every time!

Right now she is the size of a mango!

Ever since I found out that baby squish is a girl, its been hard to stay out of the baby section at target. Today I started the baby registry at Babies R' Us and then went to target where I managed find 20+ outfits and 2 bathing suits up to 18+months all 50%-70% off!

xoxo Ashlie, Matt & Baby girl

Gender Reveal

On Sunday August 21st I was finally 18weeks and we had a 3D & 4D Sonogram appointment where they could figure out the gender of our little baby to be!

Mom & Ron came with us and Matt's whole family came, His mom Joyce, His dad Ed, Sister Caitie, Aunt Ka, and his maw (grandma Nancy).

We had bets going in the waiting room of who thought it was a boy and who thought it was a girl. Only My mom, Aunt Ka and I thought it was a girl.

When we walked into the room it had a giant projector screen where the baby's image would appear so everyone could see.

The tech explained the heartbeat was at 150 bpm (beats per min.) which is great!

And for the gender, I had to roll on my side because baby had their legs closed.. but DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!

ITS A GIRL!!! & I was SO excited, almost started crying. (Aunt Ka, My mom and Maw) all started crying!!

It was one of the greatest things to see, we saw her little legs kick and her sucking her thumb! I can't wait to meet her!!

For the next 3D & 4D family can watch the appointment through their computer, so if your interested just let me know!

xoxo

Starting to pop!

15 weeks & starting to show!

Baby squish is starting to pop out! SO exciting and SO far this pregnancy has been fairly easily. No morning sickness at all.My weight is shifting so I haven't gained a pound. and I get to eat whatever I want? Well... Not so much but I've been eating a lot more ice cream than I used to! (the old wives tale is baby boy's crave salt and baby girl's crave sugar) So I'm convinced, that baby squish is a girl.

We have heard the heartbeat twice and its going strong at 150 beats per minute!

SUNDAY AUGUST 21st WE FIND OUT THE SEX!!