Tobias' Nursery

 His name above his window

I told you guys the other day that I would post pictures of Tobias' nursery, well here they are.  The ceiling is panted white and the walls are painted tan.  The blinds in the window will be replaced soon, but for now they do the job.  Ashley picked up letters at a hobby shop and painted them green, I was able to just set them on the window and they stay just fine.

 Tobias' crib and stroller

This is where our little guy will sleep once he is able to sleep in his own room.  The blanket hanging over the crib is a crocheted blanket that Ashley made.

 Jungle animals above his dresser

I got a little creative with wall appliques and thought it would be pretty cool to do over his dresser and above his door.  We may add more, but we ran out after doing 2 sets.  I needed to add a little color in the room so that he has something to look at.

 Jungle animal above his door

His changing table and closet

Nothing too exciting here, just his changing table (sorry for the mess) and the door to his closet.  We need to get a pad for the changing table, so hopefully someone buys one as a shower gift.

That is all for the pictures, but what you can't see is my big smile behind the camera.  The thought of Tobias having his own room makes it feel to me that he is already here.  Every time I walk by his room I get a smile on my face and I'm sure that will ring true after he is born as well.

I saw Tobias yesterday!

Ashley at 30 weeks 5 days

I saw Tobias yesterday and it wasn't on a computer screen.  Ashley was laying in bed and he was moving around in her belly and I could see it through her skin.  It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  I then rubbed her belly and talked to him and he responded by moving around more.  How cool is that? 

It is amazing how much he is growing everyday and how much Ashley's belly grows over a short period of time.  Being in the home stretch makes me even more impatient, knowing that he will be here so soon!

Baby Shower

Ashley's baby shower is coming up quickly.  It is next Sunday at a local church.  Everyone is scrambling to get everything ready for her big day and she couldn't be more excited.  I hope that everything goes off without a hitch, which I'm sure it will as she has a lot of great people helping her.

I decorated Tobias' room over the weekend, I will try to post pictures tomorrow.  We put up jungle animal wall appliques and put his name in wooden letters over the window.  It is starting to shape up into a pretty neat looking nursery. 

Yesterday, I spent time with my niece (Brooklyn) at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.  It made me feel really good that she told all of her friends that Uncle Ryan is the best at getting tickets.  She went into the ticket blaster and came out with 1,100 tickets, which had her pretty excited.  I helped her win a few hundred more and she got a huge ball to play with this summer.

I've said it before and I will say it again, I can't wait any longer to meet my son.  I am so excited to become a father and be a proud one at that!

18 Week Sonogram - Side Profile

Tobias from the side...

18 Week Sonogram

Our little Tobias...

 

This sonogram was very special, because it was the day we found out our little baby is a boy.  I had a few tears of joy and Ashley did as well. At that point we officially decided to name him Tobias Edward Thornton.  I probably called every person in my phone contacts whether it was someone I talk to or not.

Ashley's appointment today

Ashley sitting on my parent's porch

Ashley had an appointment today to get her first RH immune-globulin shots.  Her blood pressure was somewhat high, which can probably be attributed to stress.  Her baby shower is next Sunday (3.4.12) and she is doing an awful lot of the planning.  She also had some family issues before her appointment today.  They held her for a little while, but let her go home and said everything was okay.  We will be doing a lot of relaxing this weekend and just enjoying our free time together.

I probably won't be posting over the weekend, but I do have some sonogram pictures scheduled to be posted on Saturday and Sunday.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Ashley and Gizmo

 Ashley at 30 weeks

Ashley was 30 weeks pregnant yesterday, it really seems like the time is flying by.  Now that we only have 10 weeks left it seems like time is just slowing down.  I am so excited to meet my little guy and he is all I can ever think about now.  Ashley is feeling good other than the occasional headache or some heartburn.

Gizmo licking his sore paw

Gizmo is healing up well, he is still pretty sore but he is getting back to being his normal self.  Yesterday he had his last dose of kitty painkillers and it is just so funny to see the way he acts after taking them.  I hope that he doesn't have a whole lot of pain now since there is nothing left that we can give him.  He is so cute when he shows us his paw, like look guys see what you did to me!  He has been cuddling with us and sleeping in our bed a lot more than he used to.

I can honestly say that I am the happiest man in the world and I know I will be even happier once Tobias is here stirring up trouble with his dad.

Proud Daddy

Today at work I brought pictures of the sonograms to show my co-workers.  I was walking proud while showing Tobias off.  It is a nice feeling having something that I can truly show off, which I'm sure will be even more true when my little guy is born.  It is an amazing feeling that I hope everyone can someday feel.

I find myself thinking all of the time about how different things will be when he gets here.  Five years ago I would've said that it was going to ruin my life, now I can stand up and say that he will define my life.  I am perfectly okay with that, he is my successor and I want him to be far more successful that I ever was.

Very Special Appointment

 Tobias Edward side-view 29 weeks 6 days

Yesterday was a very special appointment for a few reasons.  Ashley went through a Glucose test, which we will receive the results of within a few days.  We got to see our baby boy again, it seems like it has been too long since I have had the chance to see him.

 Tobias Edward 4D face 29 weeks 6 days

What made the appointment really special is that Judy, Ashley's grandmother, was able to come to the appointment and see the sonogram.  Just a little background, Ashley's grandparents raised her from a child and she looks at them like her parents.  Ashley's grandmother (Judy) was never able to have kids of her own, so we found it only fitting to let her be involved in the process of Ashley's pregnancy.

 Tobias Edward 4D face 29 weeks 6 days

Judy had quite a few questions for the ultrasound technician, which is quite usual for Judy, but that's why we love her!  Just to see her expressions and interest towards the procedure was a wonderful miracle in and of itself.

 Tobias Edward 4D face 29 weeks 6 days

The ultrasound technician offered to put the pictures on a CD for us, so that we can share them with the world.  Ashley is feeling good and is very excited about sharing the sonogram pictures as well.

Very Excited!

Today is a very big day for us, we have an appointment today to check on a couple of things.  Ashley will be taking a Glucose test today and also they will be giving her a shot to prevent RH Incompatibility.  At the end of the appointment they will be performing a sonogram.  I love to see the sonograms and I wouldn't miss them for the world!  Luckily I work for a company that allows me to take off work for these sorts of things. 

Sorry for the short post, I have a lot more work to do in a short period of time since I am leaving early today.  I will keep you all updated!

Bye George!

Yesterday we had to return George to his previous owner.  There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that his previous owner wanted him back.  He also was very depressed and anxious at our house, and damaged quite a bit of our new home due in part to this.  He wouldn't eat and didn't like to go out to go to the bathroom.  Gizmo (our cat) was also very uncomfortable with him in the house, and being that Gizmo is our first pet we wouldn't want him to feel uncomfortable.  George is now back home and happy, and Gizmo is back to his old self.

8 Week Sonogram

Our baby at 8 weeks...

First Sonogram

First Sonogram

I figured it might be nice to post some sonograms.  I will post a new one every few days until I have posted them all.

Crib Set

 Changing table

 Crib

Dresser

We received this furniture set as an early baby shower gift.  I believe it is from Walmart, if anyone wants to know I can get the full details.  It was very easy to follow the directions and assemble everything, not that I would know because Ashley proudly built everything while I was at work.  Sorry about the mess in the one picture, we were just moving into to our house.  One word of warning, she had to disassemble the crib because she built it in the family room.  It was too wide to fit through the nursery door.

Baby Preparations Part 1

Ashley at 28 weeks and 5 days

 We have been preparing everything for the baby to arrive lately.  Ashley and some friends painted and cleaned the nursery, she chose tan to match all of his furniture and bedding.  She has decided on a jungle theme which I think Tobias will love.  

Gizmo

Gizmo (our orange tabby) went to the vet yesterday to be neutered and De-clawed.  I set up a cage in the basement for George (our German Shepherd/Blood Hound) for days when he is too hyper.

George

Our next preparations will be to secure our projector so that it can't be knocked over.  Also, we have some other rooms that need to be cleaned up and painted.  We just can't wait to meet our little guy!

Mommy and Daddy

Daddy To Be!

My fiancee (Ashley) is 29 weeks pregnant as of yesterday and is due May 3rd 2012.  This will be my first child and I am beyond excited.  I will use this blog to express my feelings, share our journey, and post pictures.  We decided that we would like to know the sex and found out that we will be having a boy.  We have decided on the name Tobias Edward Thornton.  Tobias translates to God is good or Yahweh depending on who you ask.  Edward is Ashley's late grandfather's name, he raised her from a child to an adult.  And of course Thornton is my last name.