visiting family

This is ashley, not lindsay, and I am here to say that Lindsay, Josh, and most importantly CHLOE, are here in California to spend christmas with the Mansfield family. It is SOOOO fun to have my sister here, get to spend time with my perfect niece, and gang up on Josh. Happy holidays to you all! :D

New Family pics from the talented Mikol Rosenbalm

The Perfect Crime

We tricked the Grandparents by dressing up the two cousins in the same outfit.

She's here!! And almost 3 weeks old already!

Chloe Merle Castillo was born on her due date September 21, 2010 at 10.26pm weighing 7 lbs 13 oz and 20 in long!!!

She is absolutely amazing. Sometimes I just can't help but stare at her.

Here is the story...mostly I just wanted to write it down so I would remember it.

The labor and delivery happened sooooo fast! At 4am on the 21st I felt my first real 'contraction'. They were not too bad and happened every half hour from 4 -8am. Then they kind of stopped. Josh got up to go to class and I told him to keep his phone on him today because it might happen today. His typical response.."Yeah, sure. I don't think so.". My mom was home with me and I just wasn't feeling well. So we hung out in bed, napping and stuff most of the day. Then around noon the contractions started again every half hour. Then at 4pm they started every 10 minutes and by 4.30pm they were every 3-4 minutes! My mom actually called this one....she decided since it was speeding up so fast, that we should go in and have it checked out. So we called Josh and told him to meet us at the hospital. His response..."Are you sure you want to go in this early? Aren't people in labor for like 24 hours? We could be there FOREVER!" I think he could tell it was happening by the tone of my voice because I said "No, this is it. See you there." So my mom and I drove to the hospital. It was right during rush hour so it took over a half hour to get there. My contractions were every 2-3 minutes. It was a bit of an intense car ride.

We got to the hospital around 6pm. A nurse got me hooked up to the contraction and heart rate monitor for the baby, but then left because it was a shift change for the nurses. So we waited in the room for an hour. I was having really intense contractions every 2-3 minutes. I had no idea how far I had dialated so I made my mom go find someone to come and check me. Around 7.15pm my nurse finally came in. She went to check me and I was already at 6cm and my water broke everywhere! She was like....ok....we need to move you to another room, this is happening really fast! So it was kind of like the movies, lol. They threw stuff on my bed and the nurse and josh went running with me on my bed down the hall way to delivery room. I was really dying at this point because the contractions were so hard and fast. There was not really a break between them.

So we got to the new room and everything was a blur til I got the spinal block and he also put the epidural in my back. I finally had some relief, but they checked me and I had already dialated to a full 10 cm! The nurse said if they had induced me they would never have let the contractions get that hard and close together, but my body was doing it naturally! So with the spinal in, they got the room ready and let me rest for about a half hour....then I pushed for about 20 minutes...and then Chloe was born! From hospital admittance to baby born was about 4 hours! It was pretty intense!



Then we got to come home Thursday afternoon. Chloe is doing great. She only cries when she has a dirty diaper or is hungry. Now she sleeps about 3 hours in a row during the night. Score. My mom got to stay for a week and that was super helpful. I think we are getting the routine down pretty good. As of this last thursday she was already 8 pounds 9 oz! So little thing is already getting bigger! We love her so so so much. It is already hard to remember what life was like before we had her. Josh is so amazing with her. Always wanting to hold her, and sing to her. The pediatrician said we could already start some tummy time and on Friday....at less then 3 weeks old...Chloe rolled from her tummy to her side to her back all by her self!!! It was INSANE! I couldn't believe it. I think she will be quite the athlete.

This picture is from her "0" birthday party. The night after we got home from the hospital it was like 1 am and we were all kind of sleep deprived and slap happy...so we gave Chloe a birthday party. That's why she has a bow on her head. She is smiling in this pic I think! She must have liked her party.

My sweet baby.

39.5 weeks...

Yep...I am so so close to my due date! A few weeks ago with all the blood pressure and pre-eclampsia stuff I really thought she would be here all ready. But, my due date is Tuesday and if I don't pop before then I will probably be induced next weekend. Like IN A WEEK!!! Oh my gosh!!! Just saying. It has been quite the journey and I am so ready to hold our baby in my arms. So I have an appt wed (day after my due date) and we will schedule the induction then.
Pretty exciting!!!!!!

In other news my mom comes into town tomorrow afternoon! I really thought she might have missed it, but here I sit still way way pregnant. lol. The timing is good. I am hoping/thinking it might happen this weekend or early next week, but we will have to see.

So exciting times. I do kind of feel like a ticking time bomb though. Like it might happen at any second. Obviously probably not that fast, but it is kind of a weird feeling.

So anyways....I will keep you updated. But hopefully good news and pics to come!

38.5 weeks.....

So......

My blood pressure is way down. Great news, but that means no early induction for pre-eclampsia so I have NO IDEA when this baby will finally make her debut, lol. I have really been relaxing and taking it easy and that seems to really help my blood pressure. The one weird thing is the vision changes....still here. So I try not to drive too much. Sometimes it feels like I am going "light speed" like in the star wars or space balls movies...anyways...

I really really wanted to go into labor on labor day just to say that i did, but it didn't happen. bummer. lol. I keep hoping this will happen sooner than later, but you never know. Now is just the waiting game. We are totally ready for her to come and so excited. So everyone cross your fingers.

My mom is coming into town in about one week on the 18th. So I will be 39.5 weeks then. Hopefully delivery will be right around the corner!

36 AND 37 week updates....

Hello there world,

So it has been a crazy 2 weeks and I totally understand what people say about the last month of being pregnant is really not that fun. lol. I mean, we are totally ready....car seat ( in the trunck of the car, lol, in case I decide to have the baby soon), crib, diapers, hopefully everything else, lol, but now we just have to wait for her to make her arrival!!!

So last week on Wednesday, 8-25-2010, I had my 36 week appt. My blood pressure was WAY high again so they sent me straight over to Labor and Delivery. There was a scary few hours, because my doctor said depending on how the preeclampsia labs turn out today they might induce me!!! Or send me home on strict bed rest and try to wait a week til I got 37 (or full term) weeks. It was pretty intense. Well once I got all checked into the hospital and hooked up to tons of things....my blood pressure went down, all the labs came back normal....what the heck???? So needless to say....NO baby yet. It is kind of weird though....my vision changes, seeing dark spots and flashes of lights are still there even with my blood pressure back down and all the labs coming back normal. So who knows?? I have had those vision changes since 34 and a half weeks and they are still here today! So I was sent home, not on complete bed rest, but on light duty. They had me come in on two days later just to check my blood pressure and it was fine.

So I saw my doctor again yesterday for my 37 week appt. And my blood pressure...120/73. Totally fine. Who knows? They think I am "thinking" about getting preeclampsia so we are still watching it closely, but this time I got sent home on light duty again and they will see me in a week.

Depending to my blood pressure, they still might induce me at 39 weeks!! So we will have to see. I looked at that countdown on my page and it says 18 days til my due date! Oh my gosh! This really is starting to feel more real, especially when I think I am feeling little contractions, or braxton-hicks, or something. All I know is...yeah...not that comfortable anymore. But it will all be so worth it when our little girl finally arrives!!! :)

35 week update....

So the good news is.....baby is not in breech anymore. :) They found the heartbeat low, but did a quick ultrasound just to make sure and her head is definitely down so that is fantastic!

The other news is that we are watching my blood pressure very closely. Last week on Wednesday, after not feeling too good all day, I started seeing stars and black spots in my vision. Definitely not good. Josh and I went into Walmart to check to blood pressure and it was high. I sat and tried to relax and calm down and 15 minutes later it was back to normal. So the next morning I called my doctor and they had me come into the hospital to Labor and Delivery to do some monitoring and make sure my blood pressure wasn't too high. The worry here is preeclampsia. It is when your blood pressure gets to high and won't go down and the only solution is to have the baby! Well the first blood pressure reading at the hospital was WAY HIGH, but then it went down and stayed down for the next 3 hours I was there. They told me what signs to watch out for....headaches, blurry vision, right upper abdominal pain....and sent me home. I also had some blood and lab work done. I am also supposed to watch if my face gets puffy. Obviously most pregnant ladies deal with swollen hands and feet, but the face is a sign of preeclampsia. And just saying...on Sunday for church not ONE pair of my Sunday shoes would fit. Not good! I had to wear flip flops! lol. So that was last week....

Today I had my 35 week appt and my blood pressure is still borderline high. I still am seeing stars and flashes of light in my vision. My blood work and labs show that I don't have preeclampsia yet, but it looks like it is heading that way. So I am not on bed rest, but my doctor did say to take it very easy and rest as much as I can on my left side. So just watching that closely. Josh has been amazing and since he is available he has been able to help me out with my nanny job this week. So....not having the baby yet, but if my blood pressure gets any higher we will have to think about it! Luckily this week we are NOT in an extreme heat advisory here in Illinois. Last week for 6 days straight the heat index with humidity was around 115 F!! They think maybe I overheated/got dehydrated last week. So we will see.

Other than that I am feeling pretty good. Everything is mostly ready in the babies room. We had a car seat "appointment" on Saturday at Children's hospital in St Louis and they explained everything about the car seat and how to install it correctly...ect. We just got the mattress in the mail. Now just need to stock up on diapers and a couple more small things and I think we will be ready. It is pretty exciting how close it is getting!! :)

Some belly pics....finally!

Here is me at 32.5 weeks....and I cut off all my hair. Illinois is WAY to hot and humid to have long hair.



Here is me at 33.5 weeks after church....





Here I am at 34.5 weeks. I really popped out!

33 week update....

Hello there!

So I am officially 33 weeks along! I can't believe how fast it is going! I had a doctors appt yesterday and it looks like the baby is in breech position right now. Not a huge deal yet, but she said at my 35 week appt we could try this acupuncture technique to see if we can get this girl to flip if she is still in breech. My doctor said it is one needle in your little toe and some incense and witch doctor stuff. lol. We will see how that goes. I have never done anything like that before! All i know is that baby Castillo is more active this week than she has ever been and it is all up in my ribs all the time!

In other news my dad was able to come out to Illinois for the weekend!! It was last weekend for a retirement ceremony on the base. He stayed with Josh and I. Since our house is so small he had to stay on the couch, poor guy, but we had a great time! On Saturday I put him and Josh to work painting the babies room. It looks AMAZING! I am doing the final touches tomorrow so pics will be coming soon. I also have the crib, changing table and bedding to set up. So excited!!

I need to be better at taking pics of my ever growing belly. I finally started showing for real around 30 weeks. So that has been fun. I even found that the commissary and BX on base have a "For expectant mothers only" parking spot in the very front!! That was very helpful this week when the heat index has been around 115 Degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday!! SO SO SO MISERABLE! I am NOT a humidity lover at all.

I am feeling pretty good overall. Starting to get tired a lot more easily, sleeping is hard sometimes and the fantastic thing this week has been heartburn really bad. I have had it throughout the pregnancy randomly, but it is here in full force like everyday. Luckily at my appt yesterday my dr was able to get a prescription so hopefully that will help. It feels like my chest is ON FIRE! But honestly, since the kidney stones everything is like nothing. I am really curious how labor pains will compare to the kidney stone pain.

I will try and take some belly pics soon. It is fun to actually look pregnant!!!

ITS A GIRL...we found out in May, lol!!!!

So during my fabulous trip to the hospital for kidney stones, we also got to have an ultrasound of the baby at 20 weeks and found out....ITS A GIRL!!!! I wanted a girl so bad, I was guessing it would be a boy, but a girl she is!! We are so excited. I was in a ton of pain from the kidney stones when they did the ultrasound and I don't even really remember what the doctor said when he came in, I just remember the verdict...we will have a new daughter in September!!! :):)

They got a great profile shot of baby girl Castillo....Her hands are crossed under her chin, and she is looking up. So cute! I can't wait to meet her!!


Here is the baby with her hands crossed in front of her chin and looking at us straight on.


Here is my first baby bump pic. It was taken at 21 weeks. I really haven't been showing that much....but here is the first baby bump pic. So this was taken in May...way to long ago! lol. I need to take some more pics!!

The Kidney Stone Story....

Hello there world.
I can't believe that I have not posted anything since March. I was all excited to make the blog and post the news about the pregnancy and then i guess i just got busy and life happened.
Things have been going really well except for two rounds of kidney stones. Crazy, huh? When I think of kidney stones I think of old men. Here i am 23 and now passed kidney stones on BOTH sides about a month and a half apart. The first time, the left kidney, landed me in the hospital on IV pain meds for an ENTIRE week. It was the worst pain I have ever had in my entire life. Normally with kidney stones, you can get an x-ray, find it and then go in and get it out. Since the doctors didn't want to expose the baby to radiation we decided to just keep me on pain meds and see if I could pass the stone on my own. I did, but it took a week. Josh and his family were so helpful and supportive during this time. Actually I was there over Mothers Day!! Happy first mothers day to me. Once our baby is here, i'm sure all the pain will be worth it! This picture shows all my IV's and the hospital room where I spent a week of my life in May.
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Then exactly 40 days later it all happened again. This time Josh was out of town in California and luckily my friend Janae was able to take me to the emergency room in the middle of the night. This time I could feel it coming and sure enough my right kidney decided to pass a stone. This time I was only in the hospital 2 days, but it was still absolutely terrible. Who could have guessed that with all of the pregnancy things to deal with, I would also get to enjoy kidney stones???!!!

New Picture!!!

So we were pretty lucky and were able to get another ultrasound this week! I just LOVE to see the changes that 3-4 weeks can bring. So here is 13 weeks and 1 day. AMAZING!! The baby was moving all over (still too small for me to feel any of that) but Josh and I got to watch for a few minutes and it made me so happy and excited!

THE BIG NEWS!!!!!

So here is the news that we wish to share with the world, well really only those who care. lol. Josh and I are expecting a baby on September 21, 2010!!! I am officially 12 weeks along. We are super excited and still trying to digest the fact that this is really happening.
I got to have my first ultrasound at 7 weeks and 1 day. It was amazing to hear the heartbeat so soon! We were so lucky!! Sorry the pic is so blurry, it is a cell phone pic of the ultrasound machine.



Then at 9 weeks and 6 days I got to have another ultrasound. It is AMAZING to be to see the difference that only 2 and a half weeks make!





I am so excited and can't wait for this next part of our lives and marriage to begin. We are so blessed. I get to have another ultrasound next week at 13 weeks and 1 day so we are excited about that. Pics and updates to come. :) :)

Over 2 years in one post???

Hello there world.
I have finally started ourselves a family blog after over 2 years of marriage. I thought I would throw in some highlights of the last two wonderful years we have spent together.
We got married in the St Louis MO temple on December 27, 2007. Amazing day! All of the family and siblings from both sides were able to be in town. We were so lucky.
We bought a cute little house in O'Fallon Illinois that I had so much fun decorating. A few months passed while Josh worked as an assistant manager at Regions bank and I worked 2 pharmacy technician jobs and went to school full time at a community college in the area for one semester.
August 2008 changed our lives in a major way when Josh was sworn in to the Illinois Air National Guard. He left for Air Force Boot camp on my birthday October 28, 2008 and completed boot camp December 12, 2008. During which time I got maybe five phone calls only about 5 minutes long! It was rough, but we survived. I got to go to the graduation in San Antonio Texas!



The next five months Josh lived at Sheppherd AFB in Wichita Falls Texas, basically in the middle of no where. He was training to be a Medical Laboratory Technician. So he learned how to not only draw people's blood, but also how to run all the tests on it too. My parents, Josh's parents and I were all able to go to his graduation in May of 2009. During that time apart I drove down to visit him about once a month, it was a 10 hour drive! I also spent alot of time at my parents house who thankfully still lived in Illinois at the time so i wasn't completely alone! I also started working a nanny job in November 2008. She was three months old when I started watching her full time and it kept me very busy while Josh was gone!



Josh came back in May 2009 and starting working full time at Scott AFB doing the hands-on part of his training at the lab here in O'Fallon Illinois so he got to live at home and things got pretty much back to normal.
I helped my family move to California July 2009 by driving a 16 foot moving van from Illinois ALL THE WAY to California. We had some great adventures along the way and only one flat tire!!



We had a great Holiday season for 2009 and got to spend our first Thanksgiving together as a couple since Josh was at boot camp the year before. We flew out to Utah and met my family at the cabin in Idaho. It was a great time. Everybody was there except for Ashley who was on a mission in Mongolia at the time.



We got to spend Christmas in Illinois with Josh's family. So much fun. I played Mary in the Nativity Scene and so here i am with baby Jesus.


Then in February of 2010 Josh graduated from his training at Scott AFB. He is currently taking an online class and hopes to be a full time student in the future.



I am still a nanny. I watch my almost 3 year old nephew, my 15 month old niece and that same baby from November 2008 who is now over 18 months old!! So we are pretty busy, but we have had a great 2 years and can't wait to have more adventures together.

Whew. Long post. Hopefully they won't all be this long. :)