40 Weeks

Today is the day that Asher should be born. Evidently somebody forgot to tell him that because instead of pictures of a sweet baby boy, I only have a picture of me with an even bigger belly (by the way, there will be no more belly pictures, me and my tank top have reached the end).
Actually, we have read that only 5% of babies are born on their actual due date. So, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised that he's not here yet.

I think we have everything ready. I have most of my hospital bag packed (at least the important stuff like a new book, The Office Season 4 and snacks for Roger), the camera is charged and the
"Welcome Home Asher" sign is complete*.
Asher's bag has been packed for a while (umm, maybe since July...) and this week Roger put the car seat into the car. This is Asher's coming home outfit courtesy of Mimi, check out the cool monogram.
We are trying to be patient, but we can't wait to meet our baby boy. Hopefully soon we will be blogging about contractions and going to the hospital, but until then we will just be waiting.

*Bonus points for anyone who knows what television sitcom inspired this sign.

39 Weeks at the Buffet

There's not too much to update this week. Still no Asher and I haven't been to the doctor again. I do go back to Dr. Pujo on Thursday night, hopefully he will tell us something really exciting like, "It's time for Asher to be born!" So, check back on Thursday and see what we find out.

While we have been sitting around sweating and waiting for Asher we have had some fun. Yesterday we went to the Shangri-La Hotel for a little breakfast buffet action. It was heavenly and we managed to eat enough that we were not hungry again until dinner time.

This is what gluttony looks like. They told us the buffet was closing so we all went back and loaded up our plates with one last round of bacon, pancakes and other goodies. For some reason I also ended up with several pieces of cheese. I guess that's just what happens when you take a very pregnant woman to a buffet.

After we rolled out of the restaurant we went outside to take a few pictures.

Roger and I wanted to compare our bellies. Since I've been pregnant Roger has lost 20 pounds and I have gained 20 pounds.



I made Roger pose for a few pictures with me. Who knows, these may be the last pictures we have together before becoming a family of 3!

And of course, Roger couldn't be serious for all of the pictures. I think in this picture he is giving Asher a little pep talk...
"Get out here boy! I'm tired of waiting around to meet you!"

By the way...check out that countdown on the right side of the screen. We are in the single digits now!

38 Weeks

Today Asher got a big box in the mail, it came all the way from Louisville! It was filled with clothes, books, toy and diapers.

This was Roger's favorite thing.

Sapi Cat felt like he needed to check out everything.

Look at all the stuff! Thanks Mandy (and family), we really appreciate you sending us such a wonderful package. Besides all the baby stuff, there were some Reese's Cups and Kit Kats for me and Roger.

Today was definitely a good day all around. Besides getting a package, we got hot water. Yay! After a week of cold showers it felt so good to take a hot shower. I was starting to worry that Asher would be taking some cold baths when he got here.

Nothing new to report, no doctor's appointments or anything this week. Roger got his haircut, so he's ready to take pictures with Asher. I'm just ready to trade in belly pictures for baby pictures. Here's me at 38 weeks, enjoying some Indepence Day festivities.

37 Weeks

Today marks Asher being a full-term baby. That means we are ready for him to get here. We have moved past looking cute and being patient and into being hot and round and ready for our baby to arrive. Actually, there are still three weeks until Asher's due date, so really there's not too much to get excited about quite yet. But we are excited and hoping that just maybe Asher will decide he's ready to come on out.
Here's a hot and sweaty picture of me in our miniature kitchen. Excuse the scrubby look, we are once again without running water in our house and I am having to resort to bathing in our laundry room with a bucket and some cold water.

Here's to the possibility that by this time next week we will have a baby (or at least running water!)

36 Weeks

I went to see Dr. Pujo last Thursday night and he said all is well with Baby Asher, he is head down and engaged and we are ready for him to get here.


We are now going to the doctor every other week and as far as I know that will continue until Asher decides to make his appearance. Until then I am trying to keep myself busy and distracted. One very exciting distraction this weekend will be a baby shower! My friends here are throwing a baby shower brunch for me on Saturday. Check back later for pictures from the festivities.

35 Weeks

Here's yet another picture of my ever-expanding belly.

So far I have gained about 18 pounds and I'm feeling pretty good about that. Hopefully since I have not gained that much weight it won't be too hard to lose it after Asher is born.

I think the nesting urge has hit me. Besides being up at 4 am washing baby clothes the other day I have found myself with the overwhelming urge to dust the tops of the ceiling fan controls and organize our socks. I keep trying to get Asher's room put together, but I get distracted by the little details (like socks and dust). Hopefully tomorrow while Roger is working on his fitness I will be working on making a disorganized guest bedroom into a nursery using only a twin bed, a small dresser and a Moses Basket. One of the downsides of Asher being born here is that we are moving soon after he is born and therefore can't really justify spending a lot of money on all that fun, cute nursery stuff.

While we are super excited that Asher will be born here, there are definitely disadvantages as well. Mostly missing out on having family around, having baby showers and all that kind of stuff.

34 Weeks

Only six more weeks until Asher gets here! Here is a picture of my growing belly.

We have been busy buying baby stuff recently. After searching many different baby stores we found a Graco car seat and stroller.

Hopefully having a nice stroller will make our long trip back to America a little more comfortable for Asher.

We are getting so excited imagining little Asher riding around in this car seat. But until he gets here the cats think that they should be able to play in it.

Our final big purchase was a baby bed. We debated what kind to get for a long time. We hated to spend a lot of money because the bed will only be used for three months before we move to America. Also, we wanted something that could fit into our small bedroom. After another round of baby store shopping we found this Moses Basket on sale.

It's small enough to fit in our bedroom, was on sale and will be easy to move.

I think we are almost ready for him to get here. I still need to wash some clothes and blankets, get bedding for the new bed and rearrange a few things in our other bedroom.

32 and 33 Weeks

We are on the last leg of our final trip before Asher gets here. Tonight as we were waiting on a train we started thinking how crazy it is that the next time we fly or ride a train or really do much more than drive around the city Asher will (hopefully) be with us. I ordered a sling and bought a stroller so we should be ready for our world traveler baby to start accompanying us on our trips.

Here's a picture from sometime in the past two weeks. I think my belly already looks bigger than this.

Weeks 29 and 30

We have been traveling for the past two weeks and finally made it back home late last night. Those airplane seats seem to be getting smaller and smaller these days...
Actually traveling while being pregnant has not been too difficult. Some airlines have let us board early, people on trains have gotten up so that I could set down and pretty much everywhere we have been people have stared and given me a good belly pat.
Our first stop on our trip around Asia was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All I wanted to do was take my picture in front of these towers.

After that we had a week-long meeting in Thailand followed by a week-long vacation in Bangkok.
We ate some great food (and I got some great indigestion) and did a lot of relaxing. We shopped for baby stuff and just generally enjoyed our time away from home.
Here is a picture from 30 weeks, you can see my big belly and our wonderful view of BKK.

For now we are back home, trying to unpack and hopefully start working on Asher's room. I think we have one more trip coming up before we settle in and wait for Asher to arrive.

28 Weeks

Nothing exciting to report this week, I had another normal visit to the doctor last week and after my appointment I took my mom and Melvin on a quick tour of the Labor and Delivery floor at the hospital.

The belly is still growing and I'm starting to get just a little bit uncomfortable when I am sleeping.

As I mentioned earlier, my mom brought Asher a whole suitcase full of stuff. Two of our favorite things are the diaper bag from Aunt Beth and the Boppy cover from my mom. The Boppy cover even has Asher's name on it!

This last picture is just to show you how great Roger is. I have been really tired lately and having some contractions (don't worry, the doctor says it is normal), so while I was home resting earlier this week Roger went out and got me these flowers.

Aren't they beautiful? Asher is lucky to have such a great daddy and I am lucky to have such a great husband!

We will be traveling for the next few weeks, but hopefully I will still be able to update the blog with pictures. We leave on Thursday, June 19 and return on July 4.

27 Weeks

The third trimester is here! Only 13 more weeks until we meet Asher. That's 90 days. 2160 hours. Unless he's early...or late. Either way we are getting to the end. The belly is continuing to grow and so is Asher.

I really don't think my belly is as big as it looks in this picture, every week I am surprised to see how big it looks. I thought it was maybe just the picture making me look big, but Roger assures me that's no the case. I think I'm starting to feel huge and just a little awkward when I bend over.
We go back to see Dr. Pujo tomorrow and hopefully I will be able to give my mom a tour of the hospital where Asher will be born.

26 Weeks

Grandma and Uncle Mel are here! On Monday they went with us to have a 4D ultrasound and we were able to see Asher's face. We haven't scanned the actual photos yet, but we do have some videos. Below is a video of Asher yawning and kicking, you can see his hand and foot up by his face.



In this next video you can see his legs and then his face. We think he looks like Roger.



There are actually six videos from the ultrasound and you can see them if you click on this link: www.youtube.com/rahj218.

Baby Asher is still growing, he now weighs 1 pound 15 ounces (877 grams) and is completely healthy. The doctor measured every part of him and he found everything to be normal. We listened to Asher's heartbeat and to the blood flow from the umbilical cord. I am so happy that my mom and Melvin could be here to see and hear him!

This is my belly at 26 weeks. The belly is still growing, but I am feeling pretty good. Asher is kicking more everyday and has recently started kicking the bottom of my ribs.

My mom brought a whole bag of stuff for Asher. I will work on getting some pictures of all the clothes, blankets, diaper bags and other goodies that he now has.

25 Weeks

Asher is continuing to grow and so is my belly. Roger and I just started laughing today when we looked at this picture.

Over the past few weeks my belly has grown so much! We were looking through old pictures today and were amazed at how much bigger my belly looks compared to one month ago.

Everything is still going well. Asher kicks quite a bit and Roger has been able to feel more and more of his kicks. Next week Grandma and Uncle Mel will be here and we are going to get a 4D ultrasound.

Introducing...

A S H E R

W I L L I A M

H A M P T O N

After several weeks of thinking and thinking and thinking we have named our son! We love this name because it has a very special meaning.

Asher - In the Old Testament, Asher was the 8th son of Jacob and basically his name means "happy and blessed by God" and "promised a life full of abundance and blessing."

Then Leah said, "How happy am I! The women will call me happy."
So she named him Asher.
Genesis 30:13

William - This is to honor a very important man in Roger's life. William was Roger's honorary father at our wedding and has been an important part of Roger's life for many years.

So, now the baby is named and all we have to do is wait for him to get here. I am now at 24 weeks and my belly seems to be getting bigger every day.

Asher is always moving and kicking. Sometimes he even curls up on one side of my belly and I can feel a hard spot, I am guessing that's his back or head. He now weighs more than a pound and is about a foot long.

In 10 days Grandma Susan and Uncle Mel will be arriving and bringing with them all of the stuff we have bought for Asher. I think I need to start making space for him in our extra bedroom. While they are visiting we will be able to go have a 4D ultrasound and a regular ultrasound at my doctor's appointment. We are also going to check out the Labor and Delivery floor at the hospital so they can see where Asher will be born.

22 Weeks

Sorry for skipping last week, we were busy and I never got around to taking a picture. But a lot has happened in the past two weeks. Mostly my belly has gotten so much bigger.

Roger and I were looking back at pictures and we can't believe how much I have grown in just two weeks. At least now people can see that I'm pregnant and not just a stereotypical fat American.
The Boy With No Name is a lot more active these days. I feel him kick through out the day and when I lay down to go to sleep at night. Roger has been able to feel the kicks and even see them. I spent a while today just watching my stomach bounce around while he was kicking. He is now weighs about one pound and is almost 11 inches long.
Later this week we will go to the doctor for a check up and ultrasound.
I have spent a lot of time lately shopping online for all of the stuff we will need. Who knew such small clothes could be so expensive. My mom will be here June 1 and she is bringing a lot of stuff with her. I have mostly ordered clothes from the States and we are trying to find a car seat and a stroller here. Unfortunately people here just don't use car seats so most of the ones we are finding cost somewhere between $250-$400. Strollers are much easier to find and we shouldn't have any problem finding one in our price range. While on our quest for an affordable car seat we found a stroller/car seat set that was on sale for $1000! I guess for now we will keep looking and hope we can find something a little more reasonable.

Like Father, Like Son (20 Weeks)

In case you didn't know, Coldplay released the first single from their new album earlier today. We have already downloaded it (free on www.coldplay.com) and listened to it. In fact, we have all listened to it. First, daddy got out the big headphones to listen.

Then baby that has not yet been named got his turn.

In case you were wondering, we all enjoyed the new song. Baby Boy even danced around a little bit while he was listening to it.

We have now made it to the half way mark! In just 20 more weeks Baby Hampton will hopefully already be here. At this point he weighs about 10.5 ounces and is 10 inches long, he's about the size of a banana. Here's a picture of my belly at 20 weeks.

18 Weeks

My trusty tank top is dirty, so this week's picture is actually from my recent trip to Sulawesi. While I was there we went up into the mountains to see a tea plantation and I thought it would be a great spot for a picture.

I left Roger at home and took off for a girls weekend. Besides the tea plantation we went to see a waterfall and took a trip to a nearby island to sit on the beach and get sunburned.

On Thursday we are going to a new doctor. We have decided to stay here in our city to have the baby and I am going to start seeing a doctor at the hospital closer to our house. Hopefully Baby Hampton will be wide awake and ready to show the world if he/she is a girl or boy.

17.5 Weeks

After hearing stories from friends at home who are having babies I am starting to realize that it’s just a little different to do it over here. So, I thought I would let you know a little about prenatal care here and how it seems to be a little different than America.

1. I must be proactive.

After talking to doctors in the States and reading my borrowed copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” I think I have a good idea of what a doctor’s appointment in the states would be like. It’s sort of different here. I walk in to see my doctor and she just stares at me. At first this was unnerving and awkward, I kept waiting for her to talk and I guess she was waiting for me to say something. I figured that she was the doctor, it’s sort of her show. Not true. After my first opening line of “Well, I’m pregnant,” was met with an odd stare and more silence I realized that just to get the appointment started I have to take charge. I tell her what needs to be done and she does it. I ask the right questions and she always has an answer, I just have to know what to ask. When I want blood tests or any other tests done I just write down what I want on a piece of paper, walk over to the lab and hand it to them. They run the test, no questions asked, and usually have the results back to me in an hour. Don't worry, my doctor is wonderful and knows what she is doing. It's just that most people that live here don't have the money to run all of the tests and get the same kind of care that we expect. Now that she knows what we expect (and that we can pay for it) we don't have to be as proactive during our appointments.

2. Ultrasounds, ultrasounds, ultrasounds.

From what I hear most of the time in the States you don’t have an ultrasound every single time you go to the doctor. The doctors here love to do ultrasounds and we love to see our baby kicking around. So far we have had an ultrasound every time we have been to the doctor, even when I was only a few weeks pregnant and all you could see was a little black dot. Ultrasounds are super cheap here, only about $5 unless I want a print out and then it’s closer to $15. It’s great to be able to see our baby every time we go to the doctor and not worry about our insurance company telling us it’s too expensive.

3. It’s so cheap!

It’s just cheaper here. It only costs around $9 to see the doctor (plus the cost of the ultrasound), so even if we didn’t have great insurance it would be cheap. I did once go to a different doctor that charged a whopping $15, but I think that’s about as expensive as it gets.

4. Making an Appointment

This should probably go under the proactive section. At the end of each appointment my doctor tells me to come back in about a month. So, about a month later I will pick up my phone on a Monday night and call the hospital. I tell them my name and that I’m coming in the morning. They say okay. The most difficult part of the whole thing is that the lady that answers the phone at the hospital doesn’t speak English, so my vocabulary has recently expanded to include all kinds of doctor and appointment making words.

Now for another belly picture. I really can't tell much of a difference from last week, but I guess it is getting bigger.

Next week we will go to the doctor again and of course have another ultrasound. Hopefully this time the baby will be awake and we will be able to see if it is a boy or girl. Make sure you vote because this week might (hopefully) be your last chance.

16 Weeks

I forgot to take a picture last week, but this week I made sure to get one.


I think I am showing just a little bit, but it shirts like this I think you can really tell I am pregnant. I have been slowly breaking out the maternity pants. The Belly Band still works, but the stretchy maternity pants are a lot more comfortable.

While we were in the States Baby Hampton got his (or her) first teddy bear.



Hopefully at our next doctor's appointment we will find out if the baby is a girl or a boy and then we can hit our city's newest attraction, Baby Gap, and do a little shopping.

According to all the experts (the internet) Baby Hampton is now 4.5 inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces. She (or he) is about the size of an avocado.


Coming next week: the baby will be the size of a turnip and will have toenails!

14 Weeks

After another long trip we are finally back home and trying to get settled in. I am feeling much better and I think if I could get over jet lag and get some good food I would probably be feeling even better.
We left the good old US&A on Monday, March 10, but because one of our planes was delayed in Minneapolis and the fact that it's just a long stinkin trip we didn't make it back until Thursday, March 13.
While in the States I did quite a bit of shopping for me and not very much for the baby. I really meant to buy a bunch of baby stuff, but it's all pink or blue and for now we don't know which color to buy. I did get a few onesies and some blankets from my family.


So far I've just gone for the green and yellow, but I hope that we can soon be buying pink or blue. We are going to the doctor tomorrow (if we actually get up and get around to it) and there's a chance she might be able to tell. If not, we will have her check again when we go for my next visit at 18 weeks. I added a poll on the side, so vote and let us know if you think the Hampton baby is a boy or a girl.

I took advantage of my time at Kentucky Oaks Mall and got a ton of maternity clothes (thanks mom!) and ordered a few more things online.


I don't really need to wear any of my new clothes, but I really want to! For now I am able to wear most of my pants with my lovely Bella Band. The picture I took this week doesn't really look too different from two weeks ago, but I can definitely tell a big difference. I can no longer comfortably button any of my pants and I can look at myself and tell a big difference.


Check back later this week, we will hopefully get some ultrasound photos when we go to the doctor and who knows, we may even find out if it's a girl or a boy. Don't forget to go ahead and vote!