Ansley Joyce Brown

Catching you avid readers up on our lives!

Ansley Joyce Brown was welcomed into our world on Monday, November 21, 2011 at 5:45 pm. She was 6 pounds, 1 ounce, 18 inches long. The picture above is our first picture together. My new page picture is our family photo in front of our christmas tree. :)

The story of her birth happened so fast. Sunday morning around 10:30am, I started having consistent contractions. With the family on the way, I managed to walk the dog several times. Once Christy showed up, we ate chipotle and walked the dog more. Attempting to be admitted to the hospital several times didn't work. I wasn't dilated enough or the my contractions weren't strong enough. I eventually called Kyle in from the field and the three of us wandered around the hospital from 6-7am. At that time, Kyle walked into the "ship" store to get breakfast and red bull for him I crouched down for another contraction and my water broke. I vowed to keep it together, but with no sleep for 2 days, immense pain, and lots of hormones, I burst into tears. In fact, I became slightly hysterical. It took two tests to confirm my water broke to be admitted to the hospital. At three centimeters for several hours, pitocin was administered and then everything happened so fast. Ansley's heart rate kept dropping and I wasn't dealing with the pain well so I wasn't breathing through the contractions so I had to get an internal monitor for the baby. The doctors didn't want to check my progress too much because of risk of infection so once they finally checked, they were expecting me to be around 5 centimeters; I was already at 9! I was given an epidural and pushed for ten minutes and our precious little girl was here!

Of course I am leaving out several details where things got scary and funny moments Christy and I had walking in the dark or the three of us walking in the rain in the middle of the night with reflector belts on but it was an experience I hope to remember forever!

We are facing challenges daily with how to be parents, control our emotions when we are tired and balance work, family, and personal time. I believe that in time we will get the hang of it.

We are now preparing for Christmas leave. We are going back to Colorado to be with all our family and introduce Ansley to the everyone. More updates to come, but the baby is getting fussy...

Graduate

Hey All! I wanted to report that Kyle Brown is now a Scout Sniper. Here are a few pictures from the Graduation...

Kyle receiving his certificate and "hog's tooth"

The Brown's after the ceremony. It was only 20 minutes long!Kyle posing in front of the Sniper weapon

34 weeks

I am one day short of 34 weeks but I figured it was time for an update. I went to Colorado to visit family and have two AMAZING baby showers. They were both so much fun and everyone was so gracious in gifts.

We got:

-a TON of clothes

-a crib

-high chair

-bottles

-bottle drying rack

-dishwasher baskets that you can put small things in

-cups, bowls, silverware

-blankets

-books, books, and more books!

And I am sure there is more but that is the gist. And both sets of parents were nice enough to mail us all of our new gifts. I immediately opened all the boxes, washed all the clothes that are size newborn and 0-3 months. I washed little socks, hats, blankets, sheets, towels, wash cloths, and all the dish stuff. I put away the books... her room is almost complete.

We went to Babies R Us yesterday and picked up the crib, we bought the mattress, pack and play, the bed set we wanted, a bath thing, and repurchased the high chair. Today we put things together and it looks amazing! Thanks to Kyle for putting it together and everyone for contributing to us getting it all. :)

Inspiration

This week I am at 30 weeks. Third trimester. So far so good. But every little ache and pain worries me.

There are too many things that are scary about life. For me, it is having a baby, getting sick, failing school, letting the people I love down... The list can go on forever. Right now, my biggest fear is losing the baby and doing something that can harm it. I am slowly becoming a hypochondirac. I have a cold so does that mean the baby has one too? Do I have preeclampsia? Am I feeling braxton hicks? Is what I am eating or the meds I take going to give my baby autism....? It is scary. All of it. What if Kyle doesn't make it to the birth for whatever reason? What if I go into labor while I am in Denver? What if something happens during traveling?

I am scared people! I also am scared to tell people my fears because:

1. If I tell Kyle, I become his worry and right now, he needs absolutely zero distractions-- if he fails school again, he will feel like it is the end of the world. I don't know how to deal with that and I don't know how he will come back from that.

2. I feel like so much has been going wrong with all the times I have gotten sick, that people will roll their eyes and think I am a hypochondriac.

3. I don't want people to know I am scared at all, not even me. So I turn a blind eye to the pains I feel and wait for them to go away. But then I have a moment of panic. What if what I am ignoring is a problem and I am letting it get worse.

So here is my solution.

"If you aren't frightened, you aren't paying attention. And if you become frightened, find a way to become inspired."

So that is what I am trying to do. Become inspired. I am trying to become inspired to think positive. The baby, Kyle, and I will make it and everything will be ok. Being worried and scared is part of being a mommy. I am trying to become inspired and I can do it.

Another week...

28 weeks has gone off with a bad boom. I have been in the hospital twice this week for vomiting. The good thing is I got to see where I will deliver, the bad is that I am there for getting sick. Being really sick once again has gotten old... but if I have to do it for this baby, I will. She is strong and can make it through it too.

Reasons (obvious) why getting sick is so bad:

1. It is painful- everywhere.

2. I get scared for the baby.

3. I get really tired but can't sleep.

4. I get behind in school.

5. It worries everyone.

Today I have started to feel well enough to eat something and clean the house a little bit. I vacuumed, swept, did some laundry, cleaned toilets, and picked up dog poo.

The things I have learned about being 28 weeks:

1. My belly still grows a lot and it is even more difficult to get comfy at night.

2. Shaving your left leg with your right hand no longer works out too well.

3. EVERYTHING makes me have to pee.

4. I am always a little sleepy even if I just woke up.

5. If I go a full 40 weeks, I have less than 86 days of this.

I am getting very excited about going to Colorado for these baby showers. They should be fun. I got the invite to the one the Brown's are throwing and it is cute. I am anxious to see what the Barcheski invite looks like. Either way, I am getting excited to see family and get ready for this baby.

School is good for both me and Kyle. We are moving right along and passing our "tests." This is the last week of a class for me and then I immediately begin another.

Diesel is good. Since I have been sick lately he is restless but he will get a walk today once it cools down a bit more.

That's all for now. :)

27 weeks

I haven't kept up the blog in a few weeks. There wasn't much to tell. I got really sick in week 25 and had to see the doctor. After that, Kyle came home from training in Bridgeport. he loved it up there. So much so that he talks about re-enlisting and trying to get a job up there. I want to visit it first, but if he likes it up there I am sure me and the baby will too.

Guess what?!? Tomorrow I turn the big 2-4!!! Nothing happens at 24, but it is the last birthday of not being a mommy. I am going to check out the new exchange, hopefully win a prize, and wait for Kyle to come home.

Diesel has been very emotional lately. He pouts and sulks around the house and then becomes happy and animated after dinner. Quite the personality.

The baby is growing swiftly. Everyday I feel like another inch has been stretched around my belly. She rests in my rib cage and pushes out from the inside. I can't wait to see her and meet her personality. I am also very very excited to go home in a month or so for baby showers. :)

That's all for now.

24 weeks

This week my belly is 42.5 inches around. The baby is growing a lot!

Week 23

This week has been another good week. Another doctors appointment was on Monday where we found out that there are no risks for down syndrome and whatever else the genetics tests cover. :) I got all my questions answered. It was a good visit.

Also this week we are experiencing life without cable to try to save some money. Day one is almost over and it hasn't been too bad. It forces me to play nintendo and focus on school. I am sure I will read more books too.

Here is a picture I took on Sunday Aug. 7th. My belly is getting bigger!

Week 22

Monday we went to the radiology department for a high-tech ultrasound. It was determined that it is officially a girl! :)

It was so cool to see the various aspects of Ansley. We saw her lips, eyes, stomach, kidneys, brain, nose, spine, toes and her little legs and arms. She was very active and it was making the technician mad, but it was cute. She covered her face, she got tired and sucked her thumb and stretched out a lot. The technician said she is 1 lb. 2 oz. and everything is right on track for my due date. It was a successful appointment. We got back to the doctor Monday the 8th to speak to the doctor.

Other than that, Kyle prepares for training in different places of California and I finish my last week in my Business Law class. I will start a new class either next week or the following if I get a C+ or higher grade. So far I have a B so this week I am focusing hard to keep that grade or better.

Below is just a song that makes me smile.

"Capri" by Colbie Caillat

She’s got a baby inside
And holds her belly tight
All through the night
Just so she knows
She’s sleeping so
Safely to keep
Her growing

And oh when she'll open her eyes
There'll be no surprise
That she'll grow to be
So beautifully
Just like her mother
That’s carrying

Oh Capri
She’s beauty
Baby inside she’s loving
Oh Capri
She’s beauty
There is and angel growin’ peacefully
Oh Capri
Sweet baby

And things will be hard at times
But I've learned to try
Just listening
Patiently, oh Capri
Sweet baby

Oh Capri
She’s beauty
Baby inside she’s loving
Oh Capri
Your beauty
Just like your mother
That’s carrying...Oh Capri

Keeping you updated

I have officially done away with Facebook. I no longer even went on there to socialize. I frequently logged on either on my computer or my phone just to look at the status feeds. I wanted to limit my friends and so looking at the status feeds got old quick when my small group of friends rarely posted anything new. I never really "stalked" people to see how they are but when I did, I felt like I was snooping. I just wasn't worth the hassle.

So here I am needing more to keep the blog up to date so all my family and friends (who actually read this) know what is going on.

I still go to school. Right now I am in week 5 of 6 in my business law class and the topic this week is about property rights. It is a challenging class. I don't know law very well and with my really rough start to the class, I have more pressure to do well. I need a C+ in the class to maintain my GPA. So far I have a C-. That just means that in the next two weeks I need to work hard and then do well enough on the final to either keep the C or raise it to a preferred B.

I am feeling the baby move more and more each day. I have reached 21 weeks and my belly is slowly getting bigger as well. I have been feeling pretty good lately that I make trips to the pool to get some exercise and cool off. I also am eating better when I can find something that doesn't take much effort. I don't feel up to cooking still. We have another ultra sound August 1st and then meet with the doctor (a new one) on August 8th so I will have to let you know how they go.

Kyle has been back and forth from home to the field so weekends, once again, are our time together. We have been slowly baby proofing the house and going through stuff to make room for baby things. It is a lot of work to get to actually doing it because somehow we suddenly have a lot of crap.

Diesel is good. He is fighting allergies so we put ear drops and give him oral meds everyday. haha- what a spoiled and needy dog. He plays a lot in the evening after a walk but sleeps all day. He has such a rough life. :)

I am getting so home sick. Now that I am feeling better and don't have much to do all day but school work, I am bored and miss home. I don't like it being so dreadfully hot here. Also, I have been increasingly more annoyed with my neighbor. She is so rude and immature that smiling and/or waving when we pass seems to be too much. Even if I call her out by name, she pretends she didn't hear or see me. Why does she do this? All because I chose to spend time with Kyle after he got back from deployment, and then I got pregnant and really sick? I may call her out the next time I see her. One funny thing about her is that when I told my Facebook friends I was deleting my account, she was literally the first person to post something along the lines of "don't leave Facebook." Why can't I? We are clearly not even friends anymore. Or are you treating me like crap because we are no longer Facebook friends? Either way, she is petty and stupid. Ugh!

Welp. I am off to get ready for bed. I seem to be getting really sleepy. G'night. :)

Expecting

To all our family and friends,

We are finally ready to tell all that we are expecting. I am currently 19 weeks, due DECEMBER 4, 2011. In recent ultra sounds, it appears it is a girl. We are so very excited after what happened last year. We just hope for a healthy little one! We were able to register at Babies R Us and Target...

We have received our first GENEROUS gift and would like to take the time to publicly thank Tyler and Kim for getting us the stoller/travel system we registered for. It is perfect!

We were able to go to Colorado for some family time during the 4th of July weekend. There were tons of people and places we would have liked to see and be with but we got some quality time with moms, dads, and siblings. It just seems the time ALWAYS goes by too fast.

Life here in 2-9 is slow. Not much has happened. I have been very sick and been to the hospital too many times to count. I even had to take time off of school and fall off the earth to get better. I am slowly seeing improvement but still have rough days or mornings. :( Kyle has been ever so supportive! I am so lucky to have him. For Mother's day he got me cute little sockies and cards and for Father's day I got him a tactical diaper bag. We continue to become overwhelmed by the baby stuff in what to expect and what we need. But, we also continue to grow together as a couple and now as a family.

Diesel has been a champ through all this. While I was too sick to know what day it was, he was patient and laid by my side. He now has seemed to come back to life as I do and plays more. He still uses his doggy door constantly patrolling the patio and laying in the sun. We go on walks as often as we can. He has been having some ear trouble lately we are starting to get concerned about- he has bacteria always building up and we have to wipe them out and it smells and it is gross!

Thanks to all the family and friends who have supported us this far and continue to help us through what has barely even begin in our new chapter in our lives. :) I will post baby belly pictures later.

third time is the charm

Today I had a third flood inside my quaint little home. I never knew my toilet could look like Niagara Falls so often. I am so tired of smelling bleach and poop. Ugh! I am tired and cranky and want Kyle to come home. School has kept my brain moving and I know this too shall pass.

The sun is out and I have to get happy so I am going for a walk with diesel and then wait for Kyle to make it home tonight. The house is clean and his birthday present is "wrapped." This is going to be a good weekend. :)

Here is a picture of the ugly tile under the carpet yet to get fixed. We have to wait until Monday. On the up side, the fans are gone and so the house is calm and quiet. Here is Diesel sleeping in his corner as he had been banished from the house to stay out of the water and out of the way of the workers.

March 24, 2011

It, again, has been quite awhile since I have had anything to say. Just to catch you up:

Kyle came home from deployment and we went to Hawaii. :) It was so fun! We went snorkeling, jet skiing, soaked up the sun by the beach and the pool, we went to a luau, visited Pearl Harbor and just caught up with each other. We were very lucky to be able to go. Here is the view from the hotel.

We got a chance to go home and see family after Hawaii. It was fun to see Diesel recognize Kyle. He latched on with his little paws on his shoulders and Kyle carried that big 'ol dog around for awhile. Diesel never left his side. It was sadly too cold to do much outside but we ran errands everyday and got a lot taken care of. We hung out with family. It was obvious Kyle was glad to be home.

Kyle got eye surgery and then we were off to Vegas for the Marine Corps Ball Celebration. We were on the go and in the car for about two weeks! I was tired of sitting in a car and getting car sick. But we had fun. We made it to the ball just as it was starting.

Back in Twentynine Palms, I log onto the computer once a day to get school work done. Four weeks into my MBA program, I am getting my mind back into the swing of school. I am a phoenix and it is pretty cool to say. Kyle goes to school too. He is in week three of Sniper School and he is finding it is pretty challenging. I believe in him and I know he will do great. It is just another time a part. He gets to come home most weekends. He is coming home this weekend and we are celebrating his 25th Birthday. We are going to grill steak and asparagus and have rice or potatoes as a side. I haven't decided. I will bake a vanilla cake from scratch. Maybe we will rent a movie! ;)

I think that is all for now. I will try to write more now that life has settled down. Over and out.

Any minute now...

I am back in Twentynine Palms from my much needed vacation back home. The holidays would not have as "smooth" if it weren't for the family and friends back home. I have gotten some TLC, my fair share of drama (in it and observing it) and all the distractions that were necessary to get through it all.

I would say the best parts are: (in no particular order)

1. Seeing Diesel happy.

2. Eating good food.

3. Seeing my family and kyle's family.

4. Sleeping in my bed back home.

5. Laughing.

It is crazy to think that after all that has happened in this deployment, we are almost at the end. It is even more baffling to think that we have to go through this all over again in another year. It is exciting to look back and see the growth both Kyle and I have had. I wouldn't have my life be any other way than to be with Kyle. We are better because of this roller coaster experience and I consider myself pretty darn lucky to have been on it.

Kyle's to do list:

1. LAUGH a lot!!!

2. Cuddle.

3. Fix breaks.

4. Fix blinds.

5. Cuddle.

Sigh... Did time stop? Is he here yet? When the day comes that he will be coming home, I will be holding hands with Tiffani, jumping in a circle and saying, "Yay yay yay yay yay yay yay..." Be ready!