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!!! :)