Tummy Moving Video

10 Week Countdown!

The countdown has begun! I turned 30 weeks on Christmas Eve! So just 10 more weeks to go. I know they are going to fly by!

At this point in the pregnancy our baby boy is now 14-17 inches long and weighs almost 4 lbs. His head is getting larger and more in proportion with his body. He now has eyebrows, eyelashes and his eyelids now open and close as he responds to light outside the womb. Some researches say that if you shine a light on your stomach, your baby may move his head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow. Haven't tried this yet, but think it might be cool to see if it's true :)

Recently I have been experiencing many of the joys of pregnancy: back pain, sleeplessness, shortness of breath and exhaustion. :) I am trying to treasure each moment of it all because I know that soon will come many other joys of parenthood: changing dirty diapers and long nights awake with a crying baby.

One of the things I really enjoy the most is feeling my little boy do karate in my belly. I am often shocked at just how strong he can be! Sometime his punches startle me! :)

At night I have been taking long warm baths to relax my muscles before bed, and can see my entire stomach warp and change shape. It is truly incredible.

For Christmas, Marty got me a book of prayers and promises for our little boy. I have really enjoyed reading them to God and dreaming about what he will be like. What will his gifts be? Will he be tall like his daddy? Will he be quiet and calm, or loud and outgoing? Will he be athletic? musical? What will his favorite subject in school be? What will he be passionate about?

Only God knows the answers to these questions, but I pray that he is healthy and strong, full of light and joy, courageous and bold in His faith, compassionate to others with a giving spirit, handsome, smart and gifted with a powerful ministry. When I think that God already has a destiny for my son, knows his name, and all the joys and pains he will experience in this life, I am filled with a sense of awe, wonder, and comfort in knowing that God is in control.

This Christmas season was different than any other for me. Carrying a child made Mary's story come more alive to me than ever before. How did she ride so long on that donkey? Didn't her back hurt? :)

It was nice to be able to spend Christmas eve with my hubby and Christmas day with the family.
We had Mom, Grandma and Cortie over for Christmas breakfast at our new house (Dad couldn't make it because he was at home sick with the flu! ;( It's so nice to have a place large enough to have people over now.

I start birthing classes at Los Robles on my B-day (Jan. 7th) which is kind of special. We are looking forward to it.

Please keep praying for us as we get closer to the arrival of our little prince.
Blessings!
The Collins Family

7 Months!

I had my 7 month check up yesterday and doc said everything is looking good!

I started having Braxton Hicks contractions a few weeks ago, which are totally normal at this stage of pregnancy (just the body's natural way of preparing itself for labor). Although they are not painful, they can be very uncomfortable. A lot more back pain this month as my uterus is now the size of a basketball... a lot of stretching going on (as you can see in the belly picture below).



Thanksgiving was awesome! I was proud of myself that I didn't over eat and feel stuffed, but ate just enough to feel satisfied. I baked about 3 pumpkin pies this month and was tempted to finish them off myself, but limited myself to one or 2 slices...each :)

Marty and I cooked our first turkey which had great flavor, but sad to say came out a bit dry... but that didn't stop Marty from digging in.. haha. :)



I have tried to remain as active as possible. Continuing to exercise at least 3-4 times a week. My trainer is keeping me motivated, even the weeks I can not go.

It has been a very busy season for us, as we are in the process of moving to a bigger place to make room for our expanding family. We found a town home in Simi Valley that is everything we prayed for... praise God. We are looking forward to making it a godly home to raise our little baby boy, but I know that I need to not get too carried away with decorating...as it is a rental and just a temporary dwelling place.

He has been kicking up a storm lately and I can finally see my whole stomach move and change shape when he turns and stretches (like a little alien is in there and trying to get out.. it's really weird!) He is about 15 inches long now and weighs about 3.5 lbs.

At 28 weeks I now have doctors appointments every 2 weeks for a tummy check. I don't mind going so often, because I LOVE to hear the baby's strong heart beat. It amazes me every time that there is another life growing inside of me. Only God can do that! :)

I can't believe how fast time is flying by. Christmas is just around the corner and then he will be here in just a few short months! Please continue to pray for a healthy baby boy and that the rest of my pregnancy would go smoothly.

Love to all!
Ash, Marty and Baby Boy Collins

6 Months!

Baby Update
It's been about 1 month since my last post and our baby boy is growing rapidly! He now measures about 13 1/2 inches head to heals and weighs about a pound and a half. At 24 weeks he can hear sounds outside the womb and his brain cells are starting to mature also. He now can remember and recognize his mother and father's voice. So Marty and I have started to talk to him more and more and I have been playing music for him while I work. I have also been singing a lot, so hopefully he will be a musical baby! ;)



Registry
We took our first trip to Babies-R-Us last week and were so overwhelmed with all of the stuff babies need. We had no clue what to register for, thankfully there were very helpful employees and random mothers who offered their advice as to what products their kids liked and disliked.
We are still in the process of registering. After spending almost 2 hours in the store, we decided to finish it another day.

Birthing Classes
We are just starting to look into Hospital Registration and birthing classes at Los Robles. There are so many different types of natural birthing/ Lamaze classes now, it's hard to choose which to take.

Names
A very popular question for me lately has been "do you have a name yet?" Marty and I have decided to wait till our little prince is born to give him a name. We do have a short list of our favorites, but want to wait until we see him face to face.

Sleep?
By now the doctor said our boy should be on a good routine of sleeptime and waketime. Dr. said I should know just about what time each day he wakes up and starts to kick. Unfortunately, this time for me is the moment I lay down to go to sleep. So I have been trying to change his patten and get him to be awake and active while I am, so that I can sleep at night.

That has been my biggest challenge these past few months. I sometimes feel like a walking zombie during the day, but feel blessed that that's my only complaint. I have heard horror stories about women being sick thoughout their entire pregnancy and all the things that can go wrong, so I am thankful that my biggest complaint is that "I can't sleep."

Holidays
It is quickly becoming a busy season as the holidays are creaping upon us. Halloween was a blast. We had dinner with family and friends and took my nephews trick-or-treating. Christopher was so adorable dressed as a pumpkin, and Matthew was so cute in his Batman suit.

I am looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year and then my 25th B-day all in the next few months. I love this time of year with all it's festivities and meaning. What a great time to be pregnant...much better than having to go through the heat of the Summer.

Well, I guess that is it for now, please continue to pray for a healthy baby boy, easy pregnancy/delivery and that God would grant us wisdom as parents.

With Love, The Collins Family.

IT'S A BOY!!!

We found out yesterday at 20 weeks pregnant that we are having a baby BOY!!! We could not be more excited and are so thankful for our little prince - a blessing from above!

The baby is 13 oz and growing strong! The doctor said he has big feet (we got to see a very visible foot print, toes and all, which was so neat!) I hope this means he will take after Marty's side of the family and be nice and tall!

Marty really wanted a boy even though he wouldn't admit it when people asked him, so he is thrilled, and as for me... I am a little more nervous now because I don't know a thing about little boys and will be expecting to be peed on a time or two...haha.

But one thing is for sure... he will definitely be a mama's boy! :)

The Babymoon

My dear sweet hubby surprised me this past week and took me to Cancun, Mexico for 5 nights. We stayed at The Royal Resort... the most beautiful place I have ever been. It was very romantic and he spoiled me rotten the entire time. We went snorkeling, spent hours in the sun, took walks on the beach, ate in gourmet restaurants, napped in the hammock on our balcony (overlooking the ocean), not to mention my 50 min. prenatal massage at the hotel day spa. Ahhhh.... pure relaxation!

Celebrating our 2 year anniversary (a few months late) we arrived to our rose petal decorated room with a bottle of champagne (which of course I could not drink) and an anniversary cake. The service was exceptional and the all-inclusive,adults only hotel was top of the line classy. I would highly recommend it for any special occasion!

As you might suspect the tummy is ever expanding! I have grown a lot in the past few weeks (as you can see in the pictures). The exciting news is that I have not gained any weight in the past month. I am losing everywhere but my tummy. My personal trainer is keeping a close eye on me and making sure I am eating enough healthy food and getting enough exercise. I am feeling great! :)

Something really special that happened during our trip was that Marty felt the baby move for the first time. I have been feeling it move around inside there for a few weeks now, but he hasn't been able to feel it on the outside. So that was really exciting!

We find out the baby's sex in just one more week. I am so excited I can't stand the anticipation. Eventually we would like one of each, so whatever comes first, boy or girl, we will be blessed!

...almost half way there!

I had my 3rd doctor's visit yesterday at 17 weeks. We got to hear the little choo choo train heart beat again... love it! For the past 2 weeks I have been on a strict exercise plan and have been eating only healthy foods. I can really tell a difference.... I feel great! Not to worry...my doctor has signed off on my trainers program (created especially for pregers!) And I don't feel deprived, I have been eating every 2-3 hours! I must admit though, it is not easy to pass up ice cream and chocolate, especially when the cravings hit!

We have 3 more weeks to wait until we find out if we will be having a little boy or a little girl! So far everyone thinks it's going to be a girl, but I think that is just because I wear a lot of pink! :) Marty and I will be happy either way, just as long as we have a healthy baby! I know, I know...very P.C., but true ;)

At this stage in the pregnancy the baby is about 5 inches long and weighs approx. 4 ounces. (They say the size of a large onion). His skeleton is starting to harden from rubbery cartilage to bone.

In this week, hair starts to grow on head, eyebrows, and eyelashes. The lungs start to exhale the amniotic fluid. The heart starts to pump about 25 quarts a day. The circulatory system and urinary system are beginning to work.

The baby's reflexes are now entirely functional as the baby starts to suck, swallow, and blinks. The movements become stronger and more frequent.

I am starting to feel the little flutters and my tummy is growing... I will post a pic of it soon! ;)

Love to all!
Ash & Marty

We're Growing!

Well... since my last post the baby has grown from the size of a bean to the size of my fist, which has caused my belly to start stretching... I am definitely showing by now (as you can see in the picture on the left). All of the changes that occur during pregnancy are truly amazing! I am cherishing each moment.

At 14 weeks, as fetal development continues, the baby has the coordination, strength, and smarts to wiggle his or her fingers and toes and even suck a thumb (how cute is that?).
I should start feeling the little one move around very soon.

We had our 2nd doctor's visit yesterday and got to hear the heart beat again which was incredible! We also heard a "swishing" noise that the doctor said was the baby moving around in there.

Although the baby's sex can already be determined by an ultrasound, our doctor suggested that we wait until week 20 for a more accurate reading (as the parts will be larger and more visible by then). So stay tuned for the big news sometime around mid-October.

Marty has been so amazing! He makes me dinner when I don't feel like cooking and he even spent a few hours shopping with me (for larger clothes). What a guy! I know he is going to be such a great daddy!

We continue to covet your prayers during this special time- that I would have a healthy pregnancy and that God would grant us the wisdom to be great parents.

Thanks friends!
Ashley, Marty and Baby Collins

There's a Baby in My Belly!!! :)

On June 26th, 2008 we discovered that we are going to be parents! This came as a big surprise, as we were planning on waiting another few years to start our family, but God's timing is not our timing....and He always knows best!!!

So... terrified from the positive test, I called Marty home from the gym, and in tears told him the news. He just laughed at me and smiled. Now that it has sunk in, we are so excited and thank God for this precious gift he is entrusting us with.

On July 28, our 2 year anniversary, we had our first doctors appointment. Marty came and sat by my side as we watched our little bean move around inside my belly. We even got to hear the heart beat... it was AMAZING! Dr. says everything looks great and the baby is healthy. Our estimated delivery date is March 4th.

I have been battling morning sickness, which unfortunately doesn't just happen in the morning, and certain foods and smells make me nauseous. Saltine Crackers have become my best friend! I have been noticing all kinds of changes in my body already.

I have been reading "What to Expect, When You Are Expecting," which tells you pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about pregnancy.

Please pray for us as we embark on the journey of pregnancy & parenthood!