Ultrasound Pictures

With some extra time due to snow days I FINALLY got the ultrasound pictures scanned. Some of the pictures are from November (18 weeks) which was my first ultrasound and we found out baby Bailey is a girl. Other pictures are from December(22 weeks) when checking to see if the placenta had moved.

November - 18 weeks

November - 18 weeks

December - 22 weeks

December - 22 weeks

Another Step Closer...

In the last couple of weeks we have taken steps forward in so many parts of our adventure...

Baby Bailey

26 Weeks on Thursday

On Thursday I will be 26 weeks, 2 weeks away from the third and finally trimester. AHHHH!! We are getting very excited and a bit anxious! Since about Christmastime I've been able to feel this little girl kicking away but it wasn't until this weekend that Jeff was able to feel her kicking. It was an amazing moment that I will always remember. 

25 weeks

The Nursery

Jeff has been working very hard on the nursery. Before getting started on the nursery he had to spend many hours in the attic. After adding more insulation, free standing and stapling to the walls, and fixing the entry to the attic the draft seems to be gone in the nursery! With that problem fixed, he then had to prime the walls and closest, then paint the walls, closest and trim. He also put up the new blinds. It is looking and feeling so much better in this room! He still needs to do some electrical work, put in the custom closest organizer that he is designing, and clean the room of all the painting supplies and such before we can start moving in furniture but we are getting closer! 

The walls are gray and we plan on using pink as the accent color. The furniture is white. We will be passing on my childhood white wicker furniture that I got from my Grandma and Grandpa Baird to baby Bailey.

View from inside the nursery to the hallway

The lighting isn't the best in this picture but this the view from the hallways looking into the nursery

Registries 

We have completed our registries. We are registered at Target and Babies R Us. We didn't registry for items like bottles, wipes, and diapers because we really aren't sure what type or brand to use so we are leaving that up to you guys!:) We also didn't register for clothes because we would love to have a little piece of style from everyone :). Jeff and I plan on purchasing the bedding at a later time, still not sure exactly what we want to do. I'm thinking chevron (pink and white) or nature based (trees) or very classic girly (damask). The last thing we did not put on the registry but would love to get for our little girl is a library of books! We want to fill her room with books that she can look through and play with but also the classics that we can read to her and she can grow into. I know we have so many friends and family that are book lovers and we would love to hear your favorite children's book! If you do get a book for baby Bailey we would love if you would put your name inside the book and maybe a little message for her to read one day. 

Back to School

Jeff

As he has for the last 2.5 years Jeff is taking classes this semester towards his associates in mechanical design in addition to working full time (he is a BUSY man!). The good news is that he is taking 1 class this semester instead of his usual 2 classes. He is looking forward to finishing his associates within the next year and then transferring to Ferris State University to complete his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. 

Jen

As my provisional teaching license is coming upon expiration in the summer of 2015 I have started taking the steps to get my professional teaching license. I took my first master's class this past summer and I will be completing my second class this winter. After I complete this course and my fifth year of teaching, I will be able to apply for my professional teaching license. I will then be taking a break from classes but do plan on eventually getting my master's degree in early childhood development. 

My 1st graders snowshoeing on our school's property

So.... we are off to a busy start this year but I am very grateful and excited for what is to come! 

The Beginning

Welcome to our blog! Jeff and I decided to start this blog with the hope of sharing our stories, pictures of our growing family and the many adventures to come. A lot has happened in the past few years so first I will start with a quick recap:

September 2010 - We started dating.

In September of 2010 I had just moved to Grand Rapids for a teaching position. I had spent the previous year in Lansing teaching after four fabulous years at the University of Michigan. Anyway, my dad and sister Nicole decided that since I didn't know anyone and was single, that they would sign me up for eHarmony. I was quite shocked to get the email welcoming me to the site(they forgot to tell me after they signed me up) but I decided to try it out. Let's just say the first couple of dates were not good. I was starting to doubt this method of dating when I received a message from Jeff. After reading his flattering email and talking on the phone for just over two hours (yes, I know, very shocking!) I decided to give it one last shot. We decided to meet at TGIF next to the mall, for two reasons: it was a public place and easy get away (let me remind you that my first couple of dates were NOT good) and the mall was one of the few places I actually knew how to get to at this point. As you may have guessed, this date went very well :). At this time Jeff was working in assembly by day and playing guitar in a band called Vegas Knife Fight by night. 

July 2011 - We got engaged.

Jeff popped the question on July 23rd, the day before his birthday. I was very surprised because I was under the impression that we were spending the weekend camping and going to Cedar Point to celebrate his birthday but he had much bigger plans.

May 2012 - Bought our first house.

We bought our house in May and spent most of the summer working on it (except for when we got married and spent a week in a cabin in the upper peninsula for our honeymoon). You see, the house has great bones but it wasn't taken care of appropriately in the couple years prior to our purchase. The owner had to move quickly because of a job change and instead of selling it they rented it out. Let's just say the renters did NOT take care of the house at all. Not only did the scent of cat pee overwhelm you as you walked in but every room needed a little painting and touching up. We moved into the house in July 2012 and have continued work on the house with the help of our friends and family. We are still hoping to finish painting the last couple of rooms and getting the last bathroom in working condition before the baby comes in April! It has been a lot of hard work and sweat but we have already made so many memories in the adventure of remodeling our first home! If you ever want to come by to help or just to visit let us know! We would love to have you!

June 2012 - We got married.

On June 29th we were married at Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church in Harbor Springs, Mi. We were surrounded by friends and family as we declared our love and commitment for each other.  After the wedding we had our reception at Birchwood Farms Country Club. It truly was the best day of my life!

We spent the next week in the upper peninsula. We rented a cabin on Big Manistique lake in Curtis which served as our "home base." During the week we hiked Tahquamenon Falls (where I got poison ivy), took a sunset cruise at Pictured Rocks in Grand Marais, swam in Lake Superior and  attended some of the most interesting 4th of July celebrations. 

August 2012 - We took Josie home. 

Josie and her 8 siblings were born to Maya Pfeifle on June 1st. We were able to take Josie home when she was 8 weeks old. Josie is full of energy and love. It has been quite an adventure but we love her more than we ever thought was possible! 


September 2012 - 

On September 22nd we lost my dad after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He is very loved and missed but I know he is with us still. 

August 2013 - We found out we are pregnant!

In early August we found out that I was pregnant; we were very excited! In late November we found out we are having a baby girl. In late November I  was also diagnosed with placenta previa but we found out at our last appointment in late December that the issue had resolved itself and we are back to a "normal pregnancy". Baby Bailey is due on April 25, 2014. Jeff and I are very excited to meet this little girl that we love so much already!

20 weeks

Phewww... that was a lot! Hopefully I didn't bore you too much and you will visit our blog again. Please feel free to leave comments, we love to read them!