a baby blessing.

on sunday, october 2nd, we were able to give emery grace a "name and a blessing" in our church.

it was such a happy experience and we were so glad to be able to share it with family. 

emery is such a special daughter of God.  

she is pure joy for our family.

great grandparents. // 4 generation photos. 

[emery's name sake.  my grandma walter grew up in emery, utah.]

model status.

love this little family of mine. 

[jenny lea photography]

so this is love.

three weeks with our little miss.

loving all of her facial expressions.

we've enjoyed having grandma, grandpa and addison with us.

my favorite time of day is bedtime and first thing in the morning.

[just not so much the in-betweens...]

there is nothing better than when you laugh.

we didn't know we could love so much.

ships in the night.

it's been nearly two weeks with our little miss.  it's amazing how one tiny human can turn your world upside down.
i tell derek that sometimes i feel like we are just ships passing in the night.
diaper, feed, sleep, repeat.
for such simple tasks, it's amazing how much of a roller coaster it can be.
at the end of the day, all those baby cuddles make it so beyond worth it.
(...but let's still figure out night and day, baby girl!)

baby name.

{We sent out a letter each day to our families to see if they could guess your name.  On Mother's Day, we gave this letter to my Grandma Walter, Nana Johnson, and my Mom.}

The name we have chosen for our baby girl is to represent three wonderful women in my life.  Their examples, faith, and role model has shaped who I am today and I hope to teach my daughter how to be an amazing woman, as they have shown me.

Nana Johnson has taught me so much about our family and instilled in me a love of family history.  I have loved getting to know my ancestors and hearing their stories.  For this reason weve decided that we want all of our children and their names to represent our strong family ties in some way.

Grandma Walter has been a woman of great strength and faith in my life.  She is a woman that Ive always admired with her kindness, testimony, and love towards everyone.  She spent part of her childhood in Emery County, Utah.  It is for this reason we have selected the name Emery.

Mom (future grandma) has been the best mom.  Everyone says that about their mom, but I really mean it.  She has taught me everything I know and I hope to be just as good of a mother to my children as she has been to me.  Her example of fortitude, courage, and knowing how to have fun will be so important to me as I raise my children.  She wanted our baby to be Gracie, so her middle name is Grace.  That way Grammy can still call her little Gracie.

Thank you for all that you are to us!
Love, Derek and Ashley

a new arrival.

my due date came and went.  i have to admit, going past your due date feels longer than pregnancy itself.  longest week of my life.
on august 15th we drove to the hospital early in the morning to be induced.  i was nervous, yet surprisingly calm.  it was raining, which is unusual for a hot texas summer.  it reminded me of our wedding day.  we like to think the rain means good luck.
we got to the hospital and they got me all hooked up.  i even did fine through the iv.  my doctor came in and broke my water.  we waited around for a couple hours and then i decided it was time for the epidural.  seriously, no need for horror stories because it wasn't even bad.  after that point it was smooth sailing.  they checked me every so often and my body was progressing.  derek and i just watched hgtv and the olympics.  i was feeling pretty good [except for my one leg that was way more numb than the other].
about 4 pm, tina, my fabulous nurse, said i was a 10 and it was time to start pushing.  this is when i got the most nervous.  but i had the best support team.  we pushed for a while.  and pushed some more.  baby's head got stuck on my pubic bone and was having a hard time turning.  needless to say, i pushed for 2.5 [long] hours, threw up a few times, and tore quite a bit.  finally, dr. banks said the baby needed a little help with the vacuum extractor.  they set her up, got her head unstuck, and i pushed her out in two more pushes.  it was the most surreal feeling.
they had to quickly take her over to suction her out because she had pooped in the sac.  derek said how beautiful she was.  and i just kept staring over at her, amazed at what had just taken place.

emery grace asay.  born at 6:31 pm on august 15.  measuring 7 lbs 13 oz and 21.5" long.  

we love her so much already.  

third trimester: weeks 28-the end.

we enter the third trimester...

[week 28.  // week  31.]

[father's day. // grandpa's day.]

 [week 34. // week 36.]

 

 [week 37. // week 41.]

 [room sneak peek. // testing out your stroller.]

nicknames:  baby girl & your name.  [we will reveal it soon.]

gender:  still a girl at the 36 week ultrasound.  thank goodness.  i would have had a lot of pink things to return and a nursery to redo! 

feeling:  bigger, bigger, and bigger.  it's been a hot summer.  the last month of pregnancy has been hard.  i feel tired a lot [which little did we know, was mostly due to a lack of iron!]  ...but mostly we are feeling really excited to meet you.  once i hit 40 weeks, i thought i might be stuck pregnant forever...

food:  eating less and less.  i still love fresh, cold fruit.  pretty much anything that is cold. 

clothing:  derek's t-shirts, leggings, and basketball shorts.  most days i'm in my pajamas until afternoon.

other fun facts:  

decorating your nursery was so much fun!  

the first time derek saw you moving in my belly was at church.  he was a little weirded out. 

swimming all summer long has felt so good.  

your blessing dress is just about done!  

you weighed 6.5 pounds at 36 weeks.  we hope you aren't a giant baby.  

your dad flew to utah when i was 38 weeks pregnant and we were so glad you didn't come while he was gone. 

that pregnancy pillow is magic.  best $60 ever spent.  

attempting every way possible to put myself into labor.  walking, squats, pineapple... nothing worked.

spoiled. [texas baby shower.]

this baby is the most spoiled and so loved.  

our new ward in texas and my mother-in-law threw a baby shower for me. 

there were so many who came to support, a lot of them i had just met or never met before.

i was amazed at their kindness.  

we can't wait for little baby girl to get here.  

[she's got the biggest wardrobe waiting for her.]