Week 27 ... Flash Back to the Past

Happy July 15th (3 months until my due date in Calendar days!) Next week starts my 3rd trimester. It's really hard to believe! Here is me at 27 weeks :). Jon said I don't look that much bigger, but I sure think I do! We are truly blessed to have this little miracle arriving in our life.

During the power outage in the 1st week in July, I was doing some organizing and started to go through some old pictures. It brought back a flood of great memories. Here is a picture of Jon and I at the beach in our early years of college. I think we look so young..and not a glimpse of our soon to be son in our eyes!

I also stumbled upon this picture of Jon. This picture was taken before a Halloween parade in Tunkhannock. He worked on this with his brother and I believe they won an award.  He looks kind of grumpy, but it really gave me a glimpse into what our little boy will look like. I know he will be just as cute :) and I hope we can be as creative with him.

Jon can talk to the baby now, and the baby really does seem to respond and kick back. Feeling him kick every day just makes me more and more excited to meet him. Although - I can admit that I am starting to get a bit nervous about labor/delivery. I keep trying to remind myself that so many other women have gone through this and succeeded, so I will be able to do it!

Well..bring on the 3rd Trimester next week!!!


Live.Laugh.Love.

Sara

26 Weeks...Surprise Visit from Family for the 4th of July

We hope everyone had a great 4th of July! I was expecting to have a low-key holiday with Jon with the 4th falling on a Wednesday. We got up early and heading to the grocery store to get some goodies to BBQ. When we were pulling into our parking spot, I noticed two people sitting on our front steps. Turns out my parents came down to make a surprise visit!

Jon knew all about it, but I was completely surprised. It's been awhile since I was SO surprised. We had a really great visit, and they helped us out a ton with some things we wanted to get done around the house. Thank you Mom & Dad! We both love and appreciate your help! 

I wanted to get a pantry cabinet to put in our kitchen as I didn't feel I had enough storage space for when the baby arrives. Jon got an awesome deal on this from Lowes.

Mom and Dad also worked on the guest bathroom while I was at work on Thursday. They painted the vanity and replaced the fixtures and light.

AND last but not least we finally finished one of our guest bedrooms upstairs. This is one of my favorite rooms in the house.

We are now at 26 weeks. 2 more weeks to go until I officially hit the 3rd trimester. I'm still feeling great, and I've been in hibernation mode lately with this hot weather. It's even rough for me to run out to the store and back. I was reading today in the news that we've officially broken the record for the most consecutive days above 90 degrees (at 9 days) in this area. They are saying the upcoming week should be a bit cooler, so i am looking forward to that! He continues to kick more and more very day. Mom even got to feel him during their visit.

Until next week!

Live.Love.Laugh.

Sara

25 Weeks...Derecho hits 3092 White Birch Court :)

Hi All,

Well, Baby Bach got to experience his first major storm/power outage :). We had quite the weekend here in VA with the big Storm "Derecho" .. had anyone ever heard of that before? We lost power here at the Bach ranch as soon as the storm came through on Friday night, and it didn't come back on until Sunday night at midnight  (and we are grateful to have it back now as many others do not). Jon had to go into work on Saturday as they were slammed with reservation requests for people trying to get out of their power-less houses. We both realized that we were low on gas in the cars and of course none of the gas stations had power (lesson learned for the future, always make sure you have above a 1/2 tank of gas..should have learned that from my Dad a long time ago!). I ended up driving Jon into work, getting gas in Georgetown and making my way back home.

We ended up having an impromptu date night on Saturday night. We went to dinner in Georgetown and hit up the movies for the first time in a long time. It was actually a really nice evening, making the best of a bad situation. After the movie we thought the power would for sure be back, but no dice! Saturday night/Sunday Morning it was just too hot to stay in the house and luckily our good friends Jeff & Taylor had gotten power back so we made our way up to Maryland. On our way we made a pit-stop at Ikea.

It was my first trip and quite the experience! We were able to check one of our "pre-baby" items off the list which was to find dressers for the guest bedrooms. Jon already put the one together and we love it.

We  had a great time visiting with Taylor, Jeff, and their new baby Liam. Jon was also able to get a few lessons on feeding a newborn, swaddling, and changing diapers from Jeff. We are very grateful for their hospitality and taking in the 2 refugees for the night :).

Switching gears now to our little miracle coming in October :). I can't believe that I am already at 25 weeks.

I'm still feeling really great and sometimes forget I'm pregnant..until he kicks :). I can feel him moving more and more each day. Jon has also been able to feel him on a more regular basis. This month will be my last monthly check-up and then I'll start to visit the Dr. more frequently. We also start our child-birth classes at the end of August, and I've been reading a lot. I feel like I can't learn enough about being pregnant and bringing a newborn home. Two new books I've purchased recently through recommendations from our pediatrics group are: The Happiest Baby on the Block and Heading Home with Your Newborn.

Happy 4th of July Everyone! Enjoy the fireworks and cook outs!

Live.Love.Laugh

Sara

Week 24, Trip Home to PA

Happy Monday All,

Jon and I enjoyed a wonderful long weekend. We both took Friday & today off to travel home to PA for our Friend's Kylie & Eric's wedding. It was a great trip home with beautiful weather.We also got to spend some great quality time with friends & family.  Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Fisher on their nuptials. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Glen Oak Country Club. Here is a picture of Jon and I before heading out to the wedding. The belly is really starting to show now, and I really loved wearing this dress. I feel like I am in the "cute" pregnancy stage, but I know in a few weeks I'll probably feel like a house :).

While we were home I had a chance to head downtown to check out Tunkhannock's Founders Day. It really has grown since the last time I went, and it was fun to walk around and visit the vendors with My Mom and MIL, Joanne. Everyone we bumped into was excited to see "the bump" and wish us well on the arrival of our baby boy. I was even able to pick up some items for our boy and his room.

We are going with a nature/tree theme for the nursery. I fell in love with this picture for his room and especially the text at the bottom. It really summarizes many of the things I hope & pray that we can teach him and that he can experience in life.

It says: "Life is not a race - but indeed a journey. Be Honest. Work Hard. Be Choosy. Say "thank you", "I love you", and "great job" to someone each day. Go to church, take time for prayer, The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. Let your handshake mean more than pen and paper. Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental - search for your purpose and do it as best you can. Dreaming does matter. It allows you to become that which you aspire to be. Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them. Some of the best things really are free. Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming. Forgive, it frees the soul. Take time for yourself - plan for longevity. Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know. Live for today, enjoy the moment. "

We also had another successful Dr. appointment today. Jon was able to go to this appointment as well and hear the heart beat again..every time I hear it, it's just amazing. The Dr. says that everything is progressing as expected. My blood pressure had been a bit high, but today it was normal. I'm going to do my best to keep it that way with trying to balance my stress level at work..easier said than done sometimes but he is the most important thing in the world right now. Every time I feel him kick I'm reminded of that.. My last monthly appointment will be next month and then I'll start going more frequently. I'll also have my glucose test next week..they gave me some fruit punch mixture to drink.

Well, here's to next week. We hope that everyone has a great week.

Live.Love.Laugh.

Sara

Week 23...Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to all of the Dad's or the "To Be" Dad's out there. Jon and I both couldn't have asked for two better Dad's. Thank you for all that you do for us, you are both truly appreciated and loved. Jon opened his first father's day gift this AM. Something special for our little boy to wear when he arrives :).

Another extra special present for Jon this weekend was that he got to feel him move for the first time. It's not too strong yet, but you can definitely feel little nudges. It was very exciting for us both. In fact, Jon was SO excited that he ended up spilling his drink on our coffee table :).

I also wore my first maternity shirt this past week and had to break out the belly band. I wasn't too sure about the bellaband (For those of you that don't know..it's basically a spanx band that you wear so that you can still wear your old clothes that no longer fit and leave them unbuttoned).  It was OK and did the job, but I'm still not too crazy about it. I also went shopping for a maternity dress to wear to a wedding. I feel like I'm officially in the "awkward" stage and looked like a house with what I was trying on. I just don't want to buy something too small and not be able to wear it when I'm much bigger. Nevertheless..I think I'll be wearing dresses and skirts for the majority of my pregnancy, they seem to be working out the best for me at this point. Here is a 23 week picture that we took yesterday.

The BIG accomplishment of the week was picking up the crib and putting it together. We LOVE it and have my wonderful parents to thank for this gift. The great thing about it is that it can turn into a toddler bed and adult bed so our little one will have this for many years to come. We still have to get the mattress. I'll of course post more pics as that arrives :).

Enjoy today and the week everyone. We can't wait to celebrate the upcoming Marriage of our friends Kylie & Eric. It will be a great upcoming weekend.

To health & happiness.

Sara

Week 22..Hello Summer!

Hi All,

Wow..can I say HOT? I think summer has officially arrived. It's been a beautiful, but very hot weekend (especially for this pregnant momma).

On to week 22 already, can you believe it? I sure can't, I still feel like there is so much to do and such little time!

Over the course of the past week I've started to feel the baby a lot more. I'm also starting to feel some real kicks, it's such an amazing feeling. Jon has yet to feel them though, every  time he tries the baby stops kicking...seems like he is getting shy around daddy :). I can't wait until Jon can feel them, he is going to be so happy :).

I went to a pediatrician information session this past week. It was really informative and seems like a great practice. It covered a lot more than I expected including baby safety, how to care for the baby, and what to expect when you bring the baby home. They also mentioned that we should take a Baby CPR class which I think we will do in the coming weeks. It was a bit overwhelming hearing everything, there is just so much to think about. I hope once he's here..it will all come together and that I'll do the right things.  I'm also going to visit another pediatrician next week. One of the great things about living in this area is the access to awesome healthcare providers. I'm feeling very comfortable about the Dr./Nurses I have met.

I've also joined a group called Mamistad. It's a group in NOVA for first-time pregnant mommies (Thanks Taylor for the recommendation!). I'm in a group of about 6 pregnant new moms who are also due in the Fall. We've had a couple of events, and it's been great to meet new people and share/learn about everyone's pregnancy experiences.

Well on to another week.. I've got a lot going on at work this week, so I hope it's a quick week!

Live.Laugh.Love,

Sara

21 Weeks and Counting!

Happy Sunday All! Can you believe we are already heading into June? The time seems to just be flying by.

We've had a great week in the Bach Household. I had a check-in with my OB this week, and he said things are progressing well. He said this pregnancy is flying by..to him at least :). Here is me at 21 weeks, the baby bump is really starting to show now. I've been very fortunate so far, and I can still fit into most of my "regular" clothes. I've calmed down quite a bit in terms of "worrying" about the health of the baby after the big ultrasound. Although, I still do worry and will until I see him arrive..it is really reassuring to have seen/heard the normal ultrasound results.

Jon has been able to make wonderful progress on the Nursery.We needed to add some new shelving in the closet, so Jon tackled that task. It came out awesome! The baby of course has a much nicer closet than we do :). I guess we should start to get used to that feeling.

At this point the nursery is almost completed and ready for furniture. We picked out the bedding a couple of weeks ago. Below is a picture of the curtain. We love it! After much deliberation we decided to go with a Nature theme. We wanted something neutral in case we wanted to re-use the bedding in the future.

Finally, CONGRATULATIONS go out to our wonderful friends Taylor & Jeff Baltzer on the arrival of their baby boy Liam Jeffrey Baltzer on Wednesday. He is absolutely beautiful, and we couldn't be happier for them. Welcome to the world Liam!

As always we hope everyone has a great week.

Live. Laugh. Love.

Sara