The Hammond Fam

Long time no blog....

2011-04-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

My goodness... where does the time go? Our little family has been crazy busy the last few months. Kyle is getting ready to graduate from veterinary school at Colorado State University. It has been a long road and an exhausting four years.... we will both be so glad to put it behind us and move on to the next stage of our lives. I am so proud of him! Kyle has been really busy with job interviews, we are keeping our fingers crossed that something great comes along for him. For those of you who may not have heard the news.... I was accepted into nursing school at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. YAY!!!!!! It has been a long wait, but I am so excited and proud. School starts May 16th and goes straight through 5 semesters (18 months). When I am finished I will have a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing, and will be a Registered Nurse. We are so excited for this new chapter, and cannot wait to see what the future has in store! Cache is getting HUGE!! He is almost 14 months old now (can you believe it?) and he amazes us everyday. He says a few words (baby, dada), and is into EVERYTHING. He really likes throwing balls/playing catch, opening and closing doors, reading books, and crawling over/under/through things. He is not walking yet, but he is cruising on furniture and will walk as long as you are holding his hands. He has quite the personality now, and is beginning to express his independence. We love him to pieces... Here are a few recent pictures (as well as a couple from his first birthday). Thanks for checking in with us, I will try to post again soon! Love~ Kyle, Ashley and Cache

So Much To Be Thankful For!

2010-11-25T22:37:00.001-08:00

Well, we were supposed to go to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with Kyle's family this year, but unfortunately the weather prevented us from getting there. We tried to make the most of it, we ordered pizza and put up our Christmas tree!! It actually turned out to be a pretty awesome turkey day! Cache's bib says it all... with everything that has happened to us in the last year, we are truly grateful to have such an amazing child, he is a blessing in so many ways! We hope everyone had a safe, fun and blessed holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Little Pumpkin's First Halloween

2010-11-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year we dressed Cache up like a pumpkin. He had so much fun at all of the Halloween parties that we went to, and we went trick or treating during the day in downtown Fort Collins. We carved pumpkins as a family, but he wasnt really sure what to think about the gooey mess! Which one of these doesn't belong?

Mmmmm..... pumpkin seeds!

Dad helped me make a big mess!

Oh Baby!

2010-11-08T11:27:00.001-08:00

One of my good friends from high school is pregnant and due with her first baby any day now! Cache and I went to her baby shower and got some really cute pictures!

My baby boy, looking all grown up.

Waiting for Cache's playmate, baby Bradley... any day now!

This is me & Corina at my shower last fall. Crazy how much can change in a year!

Off to Grandmother's House We Go!

2010-11-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

In October we went and visited Grandma Dawn for a little over a week. I'm not sure who had more fun, Cache or my mom! She always loves when he comes to visit!

Showing off our new shiny teeth

We LOVE bathtime, especially in Grandma's BIG tub!

Laughing at Grandpa

Cache and Grandma Dawn

Playing on Grandma's exercise ball is lots of fun!

State Tennis Championship!

2010-11-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

My baby brother Cody has been playing tennis for two seasons now and had been playing #3 singles for less than 1 month when he qualified for the State Championship Tournament. He was the only one from Widefield High School that qualified, and I am so glad that we were able to go down and watch him play. Unfortunately the majority of the other kids that went to state have been playing since they were toddlers. He was up against some really tough competition, but we are so proud of him!

The tennis stud.

Cache really enjoyed the games and cheering on Uncle Cody!

First Haircut

2010-11-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Cache finally had his first haircut! He was a very good boy and he sat still, but he was so concerned and distracted by the buzzing of the clippers that we couldn't even get a smile out of him!

Utah in October

2010-11-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of October we made a quick trip out to Utah to have Kyle's hand rechecked by his surgeon. Everything looks great! Cache and cousin Wyatt got to hang out for the weekend, they are starting to have so much fun together!

cousin Wyatt

The boys were cracking each other up in their strollers.

Cache was hanging out on the floor and Wyatt decided he wanted to join the fun!

They look so much alike in this picture!

SEVEN Months!!!!

2010-09-23T21:29:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness, our little man is seven months old already! He amazes us every day and we still cannot believe that we were so blessed with such a wonderful and beautiful little boy. Cache is sitting all by himself (we are still working on the crawling), he babbles and squeals constantly, he has started to feed himself crackers and he has TWO teeth on the bottom!! He is 21 pounds and is wearing 12 month clothing already! He is such a good baby and we could not be more proud to be his parents!

Trying to show off my new teeth

We went to the zoo last weekend and saw lots of animals!

Orangutan

Black bear, sleeping in the tree

Good Times, Good Friends

2010-09-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Our friends Scott & Michaela came out to visit us from Utah at the beginning of September, so we decided to show them the perks of living in beautiful Colorado. We took them to Rocky Mountain National Park and did some hiking, and then we took them through Estes Park. It is getting close to the "rut", so tis the season for seeing a LOT of elk in Estes Park. They were so close to us, and we even got to hear them bugle.... so amazing!! To top it off, we saw a black bear on the way home, but we weren't able to get the camera out fast enough to get any pictures. They definitely got a good taste of Colorado, and we hope they come back again soon!

Yes, that is the sideview mirror!! He was so close to the truck!!!

Beautiful

The elk make themselves at home on the golf course during the rut (mating season).

This one decided to hang out in this person's driveway!!

Some big boys

Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

Hiking is hard work!!

One of the lakes that we hiked to

Rocky Mountain National Park

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

2010-09-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Our friends Scott & Michaela came to visit us from Utah at the beginning of September. Scott had never been to a major league baseball game.... so we went to three Rockies games!

Born a Rox fan!

Cache Hammond, MVP

Scott's "game face"

Cache & Michaela

Smiling for the camera

Labor Day Camping

2010-09-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day weekend we headed up the Cache La Poudre Canyon to go camping, just the three of us. It was already starting to get a little chilly in the mountains, so we mainly sat around the fire and watched movies in the trailer, but we were able to squeeze in a little hiking and some MUCH needed rest & relaxation!

Hanging out by the fire with dad

This kid never stops smiling!

First hike in the baby backpack.

He didn't seem to mind it at all!

Cache & Mommy

Estes Park Retreat

2010-09-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of August Kyle's family visited Colorado, and we rented a beautiful cabin in Estes Park for the weekend. It was a busy weekend, but we had so much fun!

The cabin

So relaxing....

Our baby boy

Look out, here comes trouble!!!!

The boys with Grandma & Grandpa

Our Little Family

Robert, Holly & Wyatt

We all went to the fish hatchery to let Wyatt catch a fish. It was hilarious to watch him wave the pole back and forth, and he was so excited when it came out of the water!

Estes Park, Colorado

Go-karts... so much fun!

Even Wyatt got to go... he was so excited

Cache stayed on the side lines with Aunt Holly

Kyle even got his dad to go down the big slide!

A Shared Tradition

2010-09-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

At the end of July we headed to Utah to go camping with Kyle's family. (Well, they are my family, too...) =) Kyle has camped at the Spruces Campground every year since he was a baby, so I cannot tell you how excited he was to take Cache. We had so much fun, and our little man is quite the camper!! He loves being outside and kicking back with dad. We had a moose that wandered into our campground and made things a little exciting... We hope to keep the tradition going and we hope that Cache's memories will be as great as Kyle's.

On our way to Utah... You relax dad, I'll take over for awhile!

Abby is still not sure how she feels about sharing the back seat, but she
is starting to realize that Cache isn't so bad after all.

The moose !!!

This is what happens when you let dad feed him. ;o)

Kicking back with dad... I LOVE camping!

Cache and cousin Wyatt

Not so sure how I feel about this hat, mom

I have no clue what he was so shocked about... lol

Happy camper

Summer Fun

2010-07-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Really? Summer is almost over? It has gone by so fast! Some days it seems like Cache grows overnight... he is becoming such a big boy! He is in 9-12 month clothing and size 4 diapers already, we keep asking him to slow down but he just doesn't listen! We have started rice cereal and sweet potatoes, and he is LOVING every minute of it. He has started rolling from his stomach to his back and is getting pretty good at sitting up. He babbles all the time and already has an "I-will-do-it-myself-thank-you" attitude. We have been spending a lot of time at the pool with friends, he absolutely adores the water. I can't believe that he is 5 months old, but I am so grateful that I have been able to spend it all with him and watch him grow. He is such a good baby! Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.

Yummy cereal

I will do it myself

I told you.... I will do it myself

I love to jump jump jump!!!

Splashing at the pool

Cache & Daddy

See... I can sit by myself too!

How big is Cache? SOOO BIG!!!!

2010-07-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well, our baby boy's 4th month is quickly coming to an end... and one thing is certain - our little man is NOT so little! Cache had his 4 month doctor's visit recently, and we were shocked to see how much he has grown:

94th percentile for his weight: 18.3 lbs

91st percentile for his height: 24.5 inches

99th percentile for his head circumference

Needless to say, he is a healthy boy. He is such a happy baby... see for yourself!

Hangin with Uncle Cody

Meeting cousin Wyatt

Watching TV with Dad

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the rolls

Cooling Off

2010-07-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well, Cache's first "swimming" experience went very well! We filled up a kiddie pool in Aunt Holly's front yard and let him play in it. He really enjoyed being in the water and he laughed hysterically every time he got splashed!

All ready to swim mom!

... this is kind of cold!

Yep, definitely cold

Getting splashed

Big Laughs for Donald Duck!

2010-07-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Willard is famous with his grandboys for his Donald Duck voice.... Cache LOVES it!!

Happy Camper

2010-07-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

While we were in Utah, we headed up the canyon near Kyle's hometown for a little weekend camping for Kyle's first Father's Day. Cache did so well, and he absolutely loves to be outside! Looks like we will have a little camper on our hands.

This Little Piggy cried "wee wee wee" when the horse pulled it off!!

2010-06-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Kyle had a pretty big oops at the beginning of June. He was in Utah doing an externship at a veterinary clinic, and they were trying to ultrasound a horse that was not cooperating. Kyle was trying to lead the horse into the stall and it panicked. Typically you are supposed to just let the horse go, but there were some other people in the stall and the clinic's ultrasound machine was on the ground, so instinctively Kyle tried to steer the horse away. The rope wrapped around Kyle's hand/thumb, the horse pinned his hand between the rope and some metal in the stall and then jerked forward, pulling all of the tissue off of his thumb. No bones were broken (thank goodness) and all of the tendons were in place, but it destroyed all of the tissue, nail bed, skin and blood supply to the thumb. After a 7 hour surgery, the hand surgeon reattached the tissue to his thumb, but was skeptical of the outcome. He was able to connect a good artery (that brings blood to the thumb) but he wasn't able to find a really good vein (that takes the blood back to the heart). As a result, Kyle's thumb would swell up with blood, and they used leeches (YES, I said LEECHES) to help drain the excess fluid. Kyle's spirits were pretty low, and he was really worried about how this might affect his future as a veterinarian. He was even worried about whether he would be able to someday play catch with Cache. He tried really hard to keep his head high, and we have the most amazing family and friends that came every day to keep him company. Cache and I stayed with him in the hospital. After 6 days in the hospital, as they started to slow the leech treatment, the transplant failed. They discarded the transplanted tissue and Kyle was taken back into surgery. The surgeon took the tissue from the top of Kyle's index finger and transplanted it onto his thumb. With this approach, there is a possibility that Kyle will gain sensation back in his thumb. They then took a flap of skin from his abdomen and covered the top of the index finger. They attached his thumb to his index finger to promote blood supply, and it had to remain that way for three weeks. Kyle's right thumb is about 3/4 inch shorter and he is missing pretty much all of his nail bed. On June 30 the doctor separated Kyle's fingers successfully. His fingers will be stiff from not using them, but he will not need physical therapy. Kyle is eager to get back to school and is ready for the whole ordeal to be over. It seems so wierd to say that this injury was relatively minor, but when we think about all of the things that could potentially have happened to Kyle, we are so grateful that he is ok. Even though it has been a major ordeal, he could have been seriously injured. He will not lose any of the capabilities that are necessary for his future. Thankfully, he has some really good friends that have kept his spirits high and helped him see the humor in his situation. One friend made a "thumbs up" cake for him after his second surgery, and the other told him "Well, at least you'll have a unique 'This Little Piggy' nursery rhyme to tell your son." ...........We have the best friends. There are pictures of Kyle's hand below.

Pictures of Kyle's Hand

2010-06-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Front view after the transplant failed

This is a side view of the transplant after it failed (which is why it is black)

This is after the second surgery. Kyle's thumb and forefinger are attached to promote blood supply, they used the tissue from the top of his hand to help cover the thumb since all of the black tissue from the previous picture was discarded.

The cake that one of our friends made Kyle as a joke to help cheer him up.

Our nephew Wyatt was very interested in Uncle Kyle's hand.

All smiles for the camera!

2010-06-24T22:51:00.001-07:00

Grandma Linda took Cache to get his 4-month pictures done. He was a total ham and definitely showed off his personality (and his rolls)!

Cutie-Pie Cousins

2010-06-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Grandma Linda took Cache and cousin Wyatt (who just turned 1 year old) to get their pictures taken together. The boys did so well, and we got some really cute pictures!

2010-05-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

OUR CHUNKY MONKEY

Time just keeps going by, I can hardly keep up!! Cache and I just got back from a week in Arizona, visiting my aunt, uncle, cousins and grandparents. He changed so much while we were there that I figured I had better post some pictures before we leave.... we are going to spend a week with my parents and then a week in Utah with the in-laws while Kyle does a veterinary internship. Our baby boy is almost 17 pounds already, moving into 6-9 month clothing and he is chunky chunky chunky!! It seems like he gets cuter by the minute.... see for yourself!

We LOVE bath time!

Oakley is pretty sure that Cache is HIS baby

Hanging out with Erica (2nd cousin)

Finally has started to figure out his hands

Sweet baby boy

He has also started to figure out that his hands can go in his mouth!

(Along with everything else)

Hangin out with great-grandpa

Meeting great-auntie Donica for the first time

Jake wasn't so sure about him... (2nd cousin)

Cache and great-grandma (who has requested to be called G.G.)

Always has a smile for daddy

Best picture ever.

Three Months Already!!!

2010-05-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Loving our teething ring

Daddy & Cache at the Zoo

Ready for my close up

First Mothers Day

Sweet baby

Our baby boy turned twelve weeks on Mother's Day... which was an exciting event all in itself. Kyle and Cache took me to the Denver Zoo and then downtown for lunch. It was a wonderful first Mother's Day, and I am so blessed to have such a healthy, beautiful baby boy and wonderful husband. Cache is growing up so fast we can hardly believe it. He is already in Size 3 diapers and 6 month clothing!! He has discovered his hands, will hold/shake a rattle, loves to smile at himself in the mirror and, yes, we got our first true belly laugh out of him finally! He loves to stand up and is sleeping through the night (YAY!) He is drooling a lot already and has been biting down on objects, so it's a possibility that we may get a visit from the tooth fairy sooner than we had bargained for. He brings so much joy to our lives, it's hard to remember what life was like without him.

On a separate note, Kyle just finished his junior year of vet school... he is officially a senior now! Only one year left, we couldn't be more excited! It seemed like he would be in school forever! He no longer has classes, but rather is seeing patients and "practicing" under a licensed veterinarian for the next year... SO exciting!

The next month will be a crazy one for us... Cache and I will be going to Arizona to visit family on Saturday. Kyle will be in Utah for two weeks at the beginning of June for an internship at a veterinary facility. While he is doing that, Cache and I will be at my mom's for a week and then we will be visiting the in-laws for a week in Utah. It's going to be a crazy ride, but we are so excited to be able to spend some time with family!

Love you all!

SO MUCH to catch up on!!!!

2010-04-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, I cannot believe how fast time has flown by! Our little boy is 9 weeks old today, and so much has happened since my last posting. Cache had his 2 month doctor's appointment this past week, and he is doing wonderfully! Here are some fun facts about our little one:

He is now 12 lbs 8 oz

He is 23.5 inches long!

He LOVES being outside

He has really good control of his head

He really likes to stand (with help, of course)

He has started smiling (as you can see from the pictures below)

No laughs yet, though

He is FINALLY starting to sleep through the night 5-8 hours at a time

He likes to splash in the bathtub

He went to his first baseball game

He loves his daddy

He smiles at himself in the mirror

He babbles and coos constantly

He recently discovered that he can put his hands in his mouth

He LOVES his crib mobile

He misses his Grandmas very very much!

We just love him to pieces

He is such a blessing and words cannot explain how lucky we are to be his parents. He is an absolute joy and has brought us more happiness than we could have ever imagined. Here are some photos from the last month of our life. Enjoy!

Love- The Three of Us

Cache, Grandma Linda & Aunt Holly

Cache was blessed by his Uncle Robert, our good friend Tyler
& Kyle's high school baseball coach

Our first family photo

4 generations: Cache, Kyle, Willard (Kyle's dad) & great-grandma Hammond

Cache, Mom and Grandma Dawn

We keep waiting for a laugh to come out... but no luck!

Getting his first baseball lesson from daddy

Most likely the youngest fan at the stadium! Go Rockies!!!

Our first hike as a family

Standing in front of Cache La Poudre River

(wonder where dad got the idea for his name?)

Staring at ourself in the mirror

The Best Valentine's Day EVER

2010-03-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

Well, here he is! We are proud to announce the arrival of our son, Cache Willard Hammond. He was born on Valentine's Day at 6:02 pm weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long. He was delivered by c-section after a long labor made it apparent that his head was a little too big for momma to deliver on her own. He is a happy, healthy baby and mom is recovering well! He is such a blessing and a wonderful addition to our little family. Words simply cannot describe the love we feel for him. He will be three weeks old already today, and he is changing so fast!! We have had a lot of family in town these last three weeks to help us out, and wonderful friends that have been bringing by much-appreciated meals. Here are some photos of the last three weeks, we hope you enjoy them as much as we do! Thank you for all of the love, support and well wishes, we hope everyone is doing well!

All our love- Kyle, Ashley & Cache

Meeting momma for the first time, just minutes after delivery

Sweet baby boy

Hanging out with daddy

Enjoying story time with great-grandma

Nap time with great-grandpa

Fort Collins Baby Shower... 8 months and counting!

2010-01-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well, so far so good! We are 37 weeks and counting! Last weekend my mom came up from Colorado Springs to help throw a baby shower for my friends and coworkers here in Fort Collins. We had so much fun, it was a great turn out and I got to catch up with a few friends that I have not seen in awhile. My mom surprised me by flying in my grandma from Arizona for the weekend.... SO SWEET!!! I cried when I saw her, I just don't get to see her as much as I want to. She hasn't really been able to see me during my pregnancy, so it was really nice to spend some time with her. The weekend went by way too fast, but she's coming out again once the baby is born... which could be any day now! We are now seeing the doctor weekly, and awaiting the arrival of our little one anxiously. I have had to cut down on my hours at work, I can now only tolerate about 4-5 hours at a time without getting cramps... fun stuff! Here are some pictures of the baby shower, we had a really great time!

Thank you so much to everyone for the wonderful gifts for our new addition, it was so nice to see everyone! A HUGE thank you to my mother for the shower and for flying grandma out for it!

Love, Ashley and Baby

8 months prego

4 generations!

Baby Hammond is my mom's 1st grandbaby and my grandma's 1st greatgrandbaby!

My best friend Leah, who comes to everything! =)

Getting ready for the party

Merry Belated Christmas!

2010-01-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the belated Christmas update, things have been a little crazy lately! Kyle and I spent Christmas in Utah with his family this year. It was nice to be able to see them, it had been a few months and we have an adorable 7 month old nephew that is growing up way too fast!!

Here are some photos from the trip.

Wyatt was IN LOVE with my belly, but he wouldn't tell us whether he would be getting a boy or girl cousin... shucks!!!

Wyatt hanging out with Uncle Kyle

Mom and Dad-to-be Christmas morning

Uncle Kyle decided that Wyatt needed to have a donut... nice parenting skills honey!

Our adorable 7 month old nephew, Wyatt

We just had our 34 week doctors appointment last week.... everything is going well and baby is measuring normally. I cannot believe how fast time has gone by! After next week we start seeing the doctor weekly. We survived our first childbirth class this past weekend, lamaze breathing and all! Kyle wasn't too impressed with the breathing, but we learned a lot and got to take a tour of the birthing facility in the hospital.

We are getting anxious about the arrival of our little one, and we are trying our best to get everything ready. Kyle has developed a complex about the name of our kid if it is a boy... He was pretty set on Lane Willard, but decided over Christmas that he likes Cache Willard just as much. Now he's just hoping that it is a girl so he doesn't have to choose! Kyle put together the stroller and installed the carseat today... kind of "set it in stone" for us I guess, though I am sure our two dogs will not be impressed when they realize that they are going to have to share the backseat with a carseat now!!

Baby is a movin' and a shakin' these days, making me more and more uncomfortable with each passing day... I am definitely ready to move on to the next phase!

Grandma-to-be is coming next weekend to throw a shower here in Fort Collins for all of my friends and coworkers, I will be sure to post those pictures in a more timely manner!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

Love, Ashley & Baby H

Baby Shower #1 - Colorado Springs, CO

2009-11-25T07:36:00.000-08:00

Mom & Dad

I'm not hiding one under my shirt... I promise!!

My dad's bowling-ball-baby

Baby & Me

The "Diaper Cake" that my mom made me... so cute!!

Me and Grandma-to-be

Kyle and I FINALLY got some time off together this week and were able to go to Colorado Springs to spend some time with family. We both have to work on Thanksgiving, so we decided to do an early Thanksgiving with my parents and go down for my little brother's "Sweet 16".... and my mom threw me my first baby shower! Busy busy busy weekend!! We had a lot of fun bowling for my brother's birthday, playing games with the family, watching movies and relaxing. The baby shower was fantastic, and I got to see a lot of neighbors and family friends. I even got to reconnect with a "long lost friend" from high school that I haven't seen in 9 years.... so much fun!!!

This Thanksgiving week marks the end of our little one's 27th week... 7 months here we come! Time has gone by so fast I just know that he or she will be here before we know it! The baby moves all the time now, and has started it's ritual of keeping mom up at night, something that will continue for awhile I am sure! I am feeling really good, just starting to get more and more tired as I get more and more uncomfortable. I am finally starting to be noticeably and definitely pregnant (YAY!!), and I no longer have to try to convince people how far along I am, though I still get a lot of worried looks and "You are so small!" reactions. If that is your reaction to the pictures as well, be assured that my doctor is not worried at all and the baby is doing wonderfully! My belly measurements are perfectly normal for now!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, more to come later! Thank you again to my mother for the fantastic baby shower!

Love, Baby & Me

It's a BOY!!! ..... or a GIRL!!!

2009-10-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hooray! We finally made it past our 20 week ultrasound! A lot has happened since our last update! The baby looks great on ultrasound and is growing according to schedule even though mom's weight gain is a little behind. It was really hard to decline finding out the sex of our little one, but we got through it... and Kyle was even a little disappointed when we left! The baby was hiding it's face for the majority of the ultrasound so we didn't get any really great pictures, but we got to see him/her sucking their thumb and swallowing.... and then hiccupping! It was amazing! Kyle had been trying to feel the baby's movement for a couple of weeks and was very discouraged (the baby would stop moving as soon as he put his hand on my belly.... of course). The ultrasonographer was poking and pushing at the baby to try to get some good pictures, and the baby was so upset by the time we were done that it was kicking like crazy... and dad finally got to feel it move!

Baby is moving all the time now. It seems like it sleeps when I am active and is active when I am trying to sleep/rest ... a good indication of the months to follow I suppose! This weekend marks the beginning of our 22nd week, time seems to be flying by so quickly! We are slowly chipping away at the nursery, but we are still missing a lot of the essentials. The decorating part is pretty much done, as you can see from the pictures, but we still have a lot of work to do, and a lot of things to buy!

That's all for now, more pictures soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Love, Baby & Me

Hey, hey Baby!!

2009-09-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

Here they are, the first ultrasound and belly pictures! This ultrasound picture was taken at about 14 1/2 weeks along, baby is progressing normally, may even be slightly bigger than normal at this stage. (Kyle was a large baby, so keep your fingers crossed for me!) Everything looked great at ultrasound, all of the baby's systems are progressing normally. We got to see it's little heart beating and it was moving quite a bit on the ultasound, though I have not yet felt any movement... soon though hopefully!!

This week marks the beginning of our 18th week. I feel huge already, but I had only gained about three pounds as of my last doctor's appointment two weeks ago. Our 20 week ultasound is coming up fast... Kyle is still not budging on not finding out the sex of the little one... sorry grandmas!!! The 20 week ultasound will look intensely at the baby, measuring all the bones and organs to make sure that we are progressing as planned. In the next couple of weeks I should start to feel movement, and Kyle is looking forward to being able to hear the baby's heartbeat at home with his stethoscope... then we won't have to wait so long in between!

Even though we will not find out the sex of the baby, we do already have names picked out. I am either carrying sweet little Madeline Rae, or Lane Willard. We are so excited and can't wait to find out!

The nursery is coming along nicely, Kyle calls it "The Winnie-the-Pooh Memorial". In the next few weeks we will be able to put together the crib & rocking chair and I will post some pictures.

Mom and baby are doing well, I am starting to get sore feet and an aching back, but I am not complaining (at least I try not to most of the time!). We are so very grateful for how easy this pregnancy has been and thank our lucky stars for all of our blessings this far.

Love you all!! Kyle, Ashley & Baby

Okay Okay Okay! We'll start a blog!!

2009-09-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here we are, newborns to the blogging world!! After hearing all of the complaints and comments from family and friends that we live too far away and really, REALLY need to have a blog... we gave in.

Introducing the newly-wedded Hammonds, with baby on the way! Our lives have been pretty crazy this summer, and it doesn't look like it is going to slow down anytime soon! Kyle just started his junior year of vet school and I am working full time as a nurse's aid at a Rehab facility. Right now we are busy starting the nursery and trying to slowly prepare for our newest addition. I am just finishing up my 15th week... everything is going well so far, the time is flying by! We had our first ultrasound done last week and he/she looks great! And in case anyone is wondering, we are not going to find out the sex of the baby... just to torment our mothers!! Just kidding! Our official due date is February 15th, can't wait to meet the little one!

That's all for now, thanks for stopping by! We'll be in touch soon!

Love, Kyle & Ash