Not even December 1st yet

and The Stauffer Shenanigans is totally decked out for Christmas! a woo hooo!

Is It April Yet?

My momma asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I couldn't think of something I really wanted or needed until I saw this. I both want & need this :) Opening Day can't come soon enough! Go TRIBE!!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

and the Stauffer household is in full holiday bloom!

The shatterproof ornaments will definately come in handy with our curious Cakes roaming around. She's actually doing pretty good. Only thing is she keeps stealing the Big Bird ornament off the tree. It was Dustin's from the mid 80's, she absolutely loves it. And yes, that is Brookie only wearing a pair of tights. Lil exhibitionist pulled her dress off about 10 minutes into decorating.

Like the green bungee cord holding the filing cabinet closed? Ya, Brookie thought tearing through our files was hysterical. We on the other hand did not

Here's some other favorites around the houseHow stinkin cute is this?!?!? I originally put up our 3 stockings on the mantel. Dustin got Lil Sprout's ultrasound picture & this lil stocking & hung it up. Awwww!

I absolutely cannot wait until next Christmas. I plan on getting personalized stockings with our names in them. I can't wait to celebrate Christmas as a family of 4 <3

Oh & here's Brookie's hidden stash in the downstairs bathroom. This is just a fraction of everything...she's been a very good girl this year :) We're gonna be so screwed when she learns how to turn a door knob lol

Black Friday

My mom & I braved the crowds yesterday morning. She went out @ 330a to Sears to get the awesome washer/dryer deal. And she scored big time, basically getting the dryer for free with all the savings. She then picked me up around 5a & we headed to the Wal Mart in town. It was a nut.house. My main goal was to get these shatterproof ornaments I saw @ Sam's Club last week. They were $32 for 50 ornaments. I got them yesterday for $15 plus two 5 pack's of matching ornaments for $2. I also got Brookie a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ride on for only $18. Best of all, the lines were going all the way around the store....but we snuck back to Sporting Goods & only waited in line for about 3 minutes :)

Around 6a we headed to Mansfield. Kohls was in.freakin.sane! Seriouslly, even the cops were there. But we scored some major deals there! Biggest one of all was my new Candie's boots!

Regularly $82......got em for $28!!! So worth the 40 minute wait in line!

After getting some BK Lounge breakfast & going to the mall, we finally gave in & went home. Can't wait for next year :)

Happy Thanksgiving!...and 7 Weeks :)

I have SO much to be thankful for, this year especially.

~An amazing husband who is funny, devilishly handsome, caring, & supportive. And such a great father
~A sweet baby girl, who's not so much a baby anymore :( , that I love with all my entire being. She's my everything
~A precious Lil Sprout who reminds his or her momma everyday that they're in there by making me nauseous :) But I don't mind it, in fact I anticipate it everyday. I love this baby so much already. Grow my lil love, grow!
~A job. They've allowed me to go from 5 days a week to 4 days a week now down to 3 days a week. I'm also very grateful Dustin has a secure & stable job.
~Family & Friends, our family is truly amazing! And I have one of the best friends any girl could ever wish for! ~That about covers all the mushy stuff :) I'm also thankful for secret fit belly jeans, Sprite, my DVR, Target's shoe selection & Circo brand, Christmas decorations, & Smuckers Uncrustables!


Today was such a busy day! Cakes woke up extra early & even though hubs told me to sleep in, I just couldn't. You're talking to the girl who could fall fast asleep anytime during the day or night. Must be the pregnancy that's turned me into a morning bird....I miss my night owl status!

My family's Thanksgiving was @ 1 at my Aunt Julie's house. Then we had to leave there to be @ Dustin's Aunt Juli's house for Thanksgiving #2. Well, actually #3, we had the Stauffer Thanksgiving last Saturday....and then Dwayne's family tomorrow....and then my momma's on Sunday....ooooh the tryptophan isn't gonna do this 1st trimester-er any good!

Ok, so ya'll know how much of a picture whore I am (admittedly). Well, I forgot my friggin camera today. Suri Cruise. I was sooooo irked because my phone doesn't take the greatest pics. But I did get a couple of Cakes before we left the house.....

"When can we eat?!?!?!?"

"Seriouslly Mommy, I freakin starvin....I'll mean mug ya until you feeeed meeeee!"

"O-tay.....one good one is all you get!"

Now, I'm not exactly 7 weeks today. 7 weeks & 2 days, but who's countin? Besides, my weeks are up every Tuesday & I work Tuesdays. 10 hour days. The last thing I want to do is take a picture. And I'm sure the last thing you want to see is me in scrubs with my hair up & my morning makeup wore off. So I give you 7 weeks...not much different than 6 weeks but it'll get there :)

How far along? 7 weeks (and 2 days)
Total weight gain/loss: Same as last week, still down 4. But after 5 Slapsgivings, I bet that changes
Maternity clothes? Nope
Sleep: Asi Asi
Best moment this week: Everyone knows the news! And Sanksgiving food!
Movement: Nada....from the babes or the bowels
Food cravings: Nothing really. I remember with Cakes in the 1st trimester all I wanted was those red white & blue bomb pops, rainbow sherbert, & fruit.
Gender: I'm still goin with boy. I think this might be my answer every week until the big ultrasound. I don't know why, I guess I've gotta feelin...woooo woooooo.....
Belly Button in or out? Innie.
What I miss: Holiday boozin.
Weekly Wisdom: This has nothing to do with my pregnancy, but a recent tragedy has happened to another mother & I'd just like to tell you all to hug your loved ones extra close.
Milestones: hmmm....I'm drawing a blank. I believe making through Thanksgiving & family drama without wine is a milestone enough!

Unfair

Yesterday while I was at work, a fav patient of mine came in. She seemed distraught but I didn't mention anything. I didn't want to overstep my bounds. Out of nowhere she just said "My best friend's daughter will killed Saturday". Of course hearing that is heartbreaking enough. But the fact that this beautiful young woman was only 19 years old & not even in the prime of her life made it that more devastating.

I cannot even fathom.

Brooklyn was the very first thing that popped into my head. The thought of anything happening to her....I just can't think about it. Last week we went to the mall with Hadley & they played in the food court play area. Hadley ran by Brooklyn accidently knocking her down. The look on Brookie's face was so incredibly heart wrenching that I seriously about cried (ok, I'm pregnant so I'm uber sensitive but still, it was the saddest face ever).

As a mother I have that urging need to protect her from everything that could hurt her whether it be a big step she could fall down or a boy that could eventually break her heart. I can't even fathom the pain this mother is feeling. The frustration & pain she must've felt when she received the call.

The amazing thing to come from this accident is the fact that she was able to donate her organs. She saved 5 lives...that's absolutely incredible.

I guess the point of this is to just cherish every moment. That sounds so cliche but it is so.true. Take an extra minute to get that extra hug or kiss. Be the bigger person & say I'm sorry, I love you. Dustin & I are guilty of going to bed angry because we're both too damn stubborn to say I'm sorry first. That's ridiculous. There is no guarantee on tomorrow.

Please keep the Sheibley family in your prayers <3

Sunny Days! Sweepin the Clouds Away!

Yesterday we took Brooklyn to see Sesame Street Live. In my mind I imagined a giggly squealing Cakes all excited & clapping. I mean, whenever it's on Sprout, she gets so excited & is in a trance. Well, she was in a trance at the concert alright, but I think it was more like a "what IS all this?!" trance.

We had pretty good seats, 2nd row woo hoo!

She wasn't into family self portrait time. Who would be when the kid in the front row had a light saber?!?
I'm not gonna lie....the 6 year old in me was stoked!!!!
And Dustin has a huge soft spot for Big Bird. He kept trying to get a good picture of him on his phone. I don't think he knew I was watching him but...I was. And it was adorable.
This is pretty much how she looked the whole time. It's a mixture of sheer enticement & sheer ohmigosh I could shart.
Abby Cadabby!
I just love this pictureAnd this one :)Of course she picked out the most expensive stuffed animalOnce again not into family self portraits.....Lovin on Elmo's big ol eyeballsWiped out I think she had fun. I mean, I didn't really expect much out of her being not even 15 months old. Hence the reason we left after the 1st intermission. She already had a bag of animal crackers, a sippy of juice, & 2 bags of fruit snacks in her. She wasn't gonna sit still much longer, especially when she saw that kids on the floor level were up running around & dancing. She was totally jealous.

But I am soooo glad we took her. She'll never remember that day but I always will.

O--H!!!

I--O!!!!

OSU beating Michigan definately isn't a difficult thing to do but it sure did tire Brookie out :)

6 Weeks!

How far along? 6 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Back up a pound, but still down 4 overall

Maternity clothes? Not yet, but I did score alot of good deals @ Kohls today on some cute outfits!

Stretch marks? Just the old school squigglies on my lower belly from one Miss Brook Cakes

Sleep: Interrupted. I've been waking up every night this past week around 2am & lay there for a half hour or so.

Best moment this week: Seeing Lil Sprout yesterday! All 0.44cm of him or her & a beautiful heart fluttering away <3

Food cravings: None really yet. Well, scratch that. 2 days ago I really wanted a hush puppy from Long John Silvers. Just 1 or 2. Dustin brought home 12

Gender: I had a surreal dream the other day about a baby boy...so for today I'll say boy

What I am looking forward to: Spilling the beans to the rest of our family!

Words Of Wisdom: Don't question yourself...Whenever you're in doubt, be that pregnant woman & call your doctor

Milestones: Seeing my wee wittle sprout & finally feeling like this is for realzy!

I was at work last Tuesday & noticed I had a very small amount of spotting & alot of left side cramping. I was 6 weeks pregnant so I decided to call my doctor on Wednesday after the cramping continued. I figured they'd tell me to pop a Tylenol & drink more water. But they suprised me & not in a good way. Katie (my amazing PA) wanted me to go to the hospital ASAP to have my hcg levels checked & then come in an hour later for an ultrasound.

I was scared. I was thinking the worst. I honestly thought we could possibly be losing our baby, the baby we wanted so badly & had already grown extremely attached to.

Dustin was on a new case at work & couldn't be there with me & I really didn't want to worry my mom so I decided to go alone & just pray for the best. When I got there, Katie was very optimistic, especially since my hcg levels were 33,277 (anything over 9 is pregnant). An internal ultrasound (see a couple posts down for the adoable picture of lil Sprout) showed a veeeeeerrry teeeeeeeny tiiiiiiiiny embryo in my uterus which was a relief. Katie & Dr. Huggins were worried that since my cramping was mainly on my left side that this could possibly be an ectopic pregnancy. But he or she is comfy cozy & snuggled in just right with a heart beat fluttering away. It was beautiful, I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off me.

Dr. Huggins said the cramping was more than likely my uterus stretching. He said to not be suprised if I start showing much much earlier this time since my body has been through this before & already knows what to do.

He was right. During the day I look just fine, not pregnant at all. Night bloat is a whole other story....see???

Holy bloat Batman!!!!! This is crazy! But I'm not gonna lie...I love this bump, I've missed this bump. Welcome back bump :)

Here's the story....

So Dustin & I had started talking about another baby around Brooklyn's 1st birthday in September. We knew we wanted our children close together in age & had decided to start trying in February 2010.

A couple weeks later we talked again & decided maybe I should just stop my birth control pills & just see what happens. Not technically try, but also not prevent. I mean, I was paying $30 a month for these pills (I know, it's robbery!) & we already knew we wanted another child, why wait? And who knows how long it would take us to conceive? We were very blessed with Brooklyn & it only took 3 months of trying, but I know other young & healthy couples & it's taken them 12 or 13 cycles to get pregnant.

Not trying to give out TMI, but our timing was very off in October & I really didn't think it was our month. I barely gave it any thought, even when out of nowhere late October my nose just started bleeding. Or when I came home one day & instantly wanted to devour a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

I went into work on Monday November 2nd (also my sister in law Courtneys birthday!) feeling great. I knew my period was due to start on the 4th & on the drive to the office, I thought Well, we've got tests at work, maybe I'll take one.

The morning was extremely busy & the thought of testing was completely out of my mind. All of a sudden I felt a wave of nausea cross me when a heavy smoker patient came in. I just thought maybe I was getting the flu. I mean, I'm around ill patients all day at my job. Then I remembered the test. I snuck into the bathroom & did my business. I put the test in my scrub pocket & went into the lab to finish up some cultures. When I pulled the test out of my pocket, my heart fell into my butt. I was in absolute shock. I mean, I obviously know how this happens, but I could not believe that not only did it happen on our 1st month of kinda trying, but that our timing was so off, I mean talk about meant to be!!! I was so excited to see this!!!
I couldn't keep this to myself...I had to text my bestest Kendra!! Judge all you want that I didn't call Dustin first, but I wanted to tell him in person & I needed be talked down lol

The rest of the day went on forever. I knew I had to get home & get ready for CC's birthday party. Well, when I walked inside the door my lil gorgeous daughter was waiting for me (that's the best part of the day.)
I handed her the 2 tests (yes, I took another one at work juuuust in case #1 was a lying liar who lies) & she walked into the living room waving them around. Dustin goes What do you have baby girl & took the tests out of her hands. He goes stared at them....then looked at me....then looked at the tests. His face was pure confusion. He goes "What are these Ashley???"

I said "What do you think these are?" with a big smile on my face. He goes "Already?!?! No way!" And gave Brookie a big hug & told her she was gonna be a big sister.


We went to CC's party & it was so hard keeping our mouths shut! On the way home we picked up a digital & prenatal vitamins. And of course I had to get a picture....
Can you believe this picture was taken not even 2 years ago? Awww, we were so excited that day too!
So there's our story!!! I am admittedly a Chatty Cathy & keeping this secret has been torture! I feel great, well not all the time. This pregnancy has been much different that Brooklyn's. I only had one morning of nausea & no vomitting with her. With this lil babes I've had nausea everyday & have puked more than I'd like to. Maaaaaaybe it's a boy :)

Anyways, I thought it would be fun to keep track of my pregnancy through the weeks. I so wish I would've done this with Brooklyn, it'll be so neat to look back on how I've changed. Look for these weekly updates! Here is week 4 & week 5!

*November 3rd*
How far along? 4 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: Negative 3....where was this whole zero appetite/nausea feeling 6 months ago when I needed it most?!?

Maternity clothes? Nope.

Sleep: Yes ma'am, may I have another nap?

Best moment this week: Seeing Pregnant pop up on the digital & it being confirmed at my OB visit today!

Movement: No.

Gender: No clue...my mother's intuition hasen't kicked in yet.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: My appetite.

What I am looking forward to: Telling our families!

Weekly Wisdom: Never underestimate the power of fiber!!!

Milestones: First OB visit down, forever to go :)


*November 10th*
How far along? 5 weeks.

Total weight gain/loss: Down another 2 lbs, making the grand total (so far) of 5 lbs :( I swear I'm not maliciously depriving my embryo.

Maternity clothes? No...actually my jeans are loose.

Sleep: Is amazing!

Best moment this week: My Great Grandma's pickled eggs...MmM!

Movement: Nope.

Food cravings: Anything I can keep down...and McDonalds Sweet Tea.

Gender: Still no clue.

Belly Button in or out? In.

What I miss: Starbucks.

What I am looking forward to: Thanksgiving---please oh please let my apetite be back in full force!

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy the early stages of your pregnancy, or at least try to.

Milestones: Lil Sprout is just a mere grain of rice, but went to a Bruce Springsteen concert. S/He is so awesome!

Guess Whaaaat?!?!

We're Pregnant!!!!!

Well, I'm pregnant but we're having a baby! We are so excited & feel so amazingly blessed! Baby Stauffer #2 (aka Lil Sprout) is perfect & healthy & will make his or her grand debut on July 13th, 2010! More soon to follow :)

Whooo Whooo

C'mon. These Nick & Nora jammies are to die for. Brooklyn absolutely loves them & she looks like such a lil grown up in them.

Best of all....they make them in adult size! lol seriouslly. I was thisclose to getting a pair but I couldn't justify spending over $30 for a photo op.

But I did justify spending $3, yes $3 on a hoodie I just knew Dustin would love. Ebay=my BFFF!

Ohh Gymboree

Ohhh Gymboree, how you taunt me! I have been making googly eyes @ the Gingerbread Girl collection for at least the past month. It is absolutely adorable!!

And, of course, my momma knew of this obsession. And in return got Brooklyn a liiiiiiitle early Christmas present......




I'm pretty sure we're going to take Brookie to get some holiday pictures done in this outfit. And it is high time for a family session! The last one was over a year ago, when Cakes was a mere 2 months old.

Toughest part about this whole thing? Getting Dustin to agree to pics. Nope, it's not the money involved or the time involved. It's the fact that this man absolutely hates getting his picture taken. And he has the greatest smile but hardly flashes it for pictures. Kinda like Chandler...

For our engagement pics, I had to bribe him with Bob Evans breakfast...for Brooklyn's 2 month pics I had to give the guilt trip...This time I think I'm gonna have to get him where it really counts...his obsession with sweets. I think a lil FS Chocolatiers will be convincing...I hope!

You can't start a fire without a spark

UhhhhhmaaaaazzzzzzinG! Tuesday night we went to Cleveland with Dustin's mom and stepdad to the Boss concert. First we ate @ The House of Blues, where Mama D got a drink filled with pretty much tequilla & mixed berries in a shot glass...and it cost $11! lol Then we walked over to the Q.

Ok, so I *obviously* love to take pictures. This was the Bruce Springsteen concert, there was no way I was going to go there cameraless, no matter what the arena said. The shirt I had on wasn't form fitting so I put the camera in the front of my jeans waistband & we walk into the arena where I see these

Oh.shit. Dustin, the goody two shoes, was like I told you! I'm not taking the camera back to the car! They'll just confiscate it & you'll lose your camera! I'm telling the teacher blah blah blah!
So I try to blend in & play it cool. And I beep when I go through, of course. An older security guard points at me, does the Johnny Castle 'Come here' with his finger, & takes out a wand to search me. The wand goes bananas when it goes over the camera (which by the way is on my left side) & he goes "Cell phone?" to which I pull my cell out of my coat pocket & he goes "Alright, your good". Funny story, my cell phone was in my RIGHT pocket. Dumbarse.
But I was stoked, I got my camera in! And I wasn't the only one. When Bruce appeared on stage there were a bijillion flashes going off. Anywho, the concert was to start @ 730p.....45 minutes later we were still waiting & getting annoyed. But when he finally came out, he made up for his tardiness. It was seriouslly one of the best, if not the best, concert I've ever been too. And I've been to some amazing concerts (I mean, what could top NSync in 98 & BSB in 99 wha wha?!?).
Bruce played for over 3 hours straight, it was amazing! Everyone was dancing & singing, such an awesome night. Now I know why he's The Boss :)