The Kindness of Others

I have an incredible family. I love them all dearly, but from afar... I am on one edge of the country, and they are about 3,000 miles away on the other side. Google maps will tell you that you can make the trek from my town to theirs in one day and twenty-two hours, but I'm pretty sure that's only accurate if you're carpooling with a robot that doesn't need to take breaks to eat or sleep. Point is, they're super duper far away. While modern conveniences like Facebook and texting and cell phone calls help keep us all in touch, it's not the same as having them here, in my neighborhood, available to pop over at any time. Especially not when you're about to birth a baby.

I also have incredible friends. Friends that are so kind and supportive that you'd think they were family. Friends that do so much to show that they care, it makes you wonder what you did to deserve them. Friends that are local, that have become an adoptive family of sorts.

I am in awe of these friends, especially recently. So many people have rallied around us to show their support of our expanding brood through countless selfless acts. Throwing incredible baby showers. Coordinating meal drop offs and childcare pickups. Volunteering to spend time with me and the little one to help me heal from my c-section once Ryan has to go back to work. Offering to take Ethan - not to get him out of our hair, but to do something fun with him so that he'll know just how special and loved he is. Taking time off from work to be at the hospital when baby brother is born. They give, and give, and give, with open and sincere hearts. These amazing people are like family to me, and I appreciate them more than words could say. Asking for help is not one of my strong suits, and right now I am surrounded by people that just "do" without waiting to be asked.

Let's face it - when you get to this final stage of pregnancy, and definitely once you have a fresh little newborn at home, you may not want to ask for help, but you most certainly need it!

(And this shot is a month old, so imagine what I look like now!)
Perhaps it's the lingering scent of Thanksgiving turkey, or the holiday tunes that play in the background of sappy commercials, or the fact that my little family is about to change in such an amazing and dramatic way, but I can't stop thinking about how important it is to have a strong, supportive, loving family. Be it through birth, marriage, or friendship, the individuals that I have in my life right now have been blowing me away, and I can only hope that I am as good to them as they are to me!

Baby Notch: The Sequel

Finally! After what seems like forever (but was really just a little over a year), Ryan and I can happily announce that we're expecting another baby! We've had so much support throughout our journey, and want to officially thank everyone who was there for us through all of the ups and downs - especially the downs.
We love you!

Quick preggie stats:

- At just about 12 weeks, I am already showing! Big time! At three months now, I look like I did at four or five months with Ethan.
- I'm super sick. Ryan says that I was this sick with Ethan, and thinks I blocked those memories out. I maintain that this time around is worse. Either way, no fun.
- I'm also super tired. In addition to the pregnancy fatigue, I'm working full-time, going to grad school full-time, and chasing after a toddler. I'm usually asleep before the sun goes down.
- Notice that "being a wife" is not on the list of things I'm tackling above. Poor Ryan has to pull his weight and mine around here. Cooking? Forget it. Grocery shopping? I can't stand the look/smell of food. Cleaning? Ha! Best. Husband. Ever.
- We do want to find out the gender, but won't be able to until July 27th. Just like last time, we'll tell you if the baby is a boy or a girl, but will be keeping the name a secret.
- Our due date is December 15th, but since we'll be having a repeat C-section, we'll likely get to meet this little one a week earlier.
- Ethan does not yet know that his world will soon be turned upside down. We've started talking more about babies around here, but he has no idea what he's in for.

Come to think of it, Ryan and I don't have any idea what we're in for, either! From jealousy issues with the firstborn to how to manage two kiddos at one time... anyone with good 2nd baby tips is welcome to send them our way!

A Year of Memories and Forgotten Glimpses

This time last year, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little boy. I was as big as a house (check out this post for photographic proof of my prodigious pregnant belly). I was uncomfortable, but excited. I was on constant contraction alert, and did the "freeze-count-wait" thing about ten times a day, wondering if I was going into labor. I took naps whenever I wanted whenever I could get comfortable enough, knowing that my sleep patterns were about to drastically change. I obviously knew that I loved my baby, but I had no idea how deep that love would become. I feel like I remember this time last year like it was yesterday.

But recently, I discovered that memories that are oh-so-sweet can be oh-so-fleeting.

Our friends Matt and Laurie recently celebrated the arrival of their second precious baby boy. Holding a floppy, gurgly, cooing, tiny newborn again made me realize how much time has passed since Ethan was born.

There are things I can't remember:
~ how intense my labor was (I read this to remind myself)
~ living in a world of equal parts euphoria and insomnia
~ Ethan's newborn noises, smell, mannerisms, and habits
~ how often Ethan nursed and napped in the first few months
~ putting him down and knowing that he would stay in that spot
~ Ethan weighing under twenty pounds

There are things I hope I never forget:
~ my baby's sweet disposition and joyful laugh
~ watching him figure things out and discover his world
~ the excitement of his "firsts"
~ what his smile looks like with only a few teeth
~ how incredibly grateful I am for this little boy

Luckily, I've got a photographer/filmmaker on permanent retainer, and he's madly documenting each and every phase. Here's Ryan's latest project:



*If video is jumpy, pause it and let it completely load, then restart from the beginning*

"Baby Ethan" Got a Facelift!

No, no, we didn't take Ethan in for elective surgery - his handsome little face is perfect just as it is! Our blog, formerly entitled "Baby Ethan" is the one that went under the knife. There are lots of changes in store, the first being that I (Sarah) am going to stop posting in third person. There are so many personal thoughts and stories I want to share, and trying to do so without being personal is cumbersome and awkward. Before getting pregnant, I'd never read a blog, let alone written one myself. The original intent was to enable our friends and family living far, far away to have a way to experience the pregnancy with us. Those of you who know Ryan could have predicted that our journey would be well documented, visually. The purpose of blog version 1.0 was to provide a platform to share his art, with my words merely serving as a side dish - a written compass guiding the reader from one image to the next. Since becoming parents, our lives have changed completely, and it's high time that our blog evolved as well. Thanks to those of you who have phenomenal sites of your own (I read blogs now!) that have inspired me to do more, think more, and say more. Stay tuned, friends, for good things to come.

Less Than a Week Left!

My goodness, our due date is only a few days away! We had a BBQ party today with some friends to celebrate Ryan's incredibly successful graduate thesis review. It's hard to believe that it was probably our last get together as a family of two... we'll have a tiny party crasher from here on out! It was a fantastic day with good eats and great friends.

MacKay, Allison, Ingrid, Jim, and Ryan enjoying the yummy food!

Hmm... do you wonder how Sarah got her "Kool-Aid Man" nickname?

Baby Joey was a big hit, and he had a great time playing with Nelson!

We're so glad that Laurie & Joey were here! Matt - you were missed!

We also have a bonus picture for your viewing pleasure, taken at Ryan's birthday celebration at Rogue two weeks ago. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out to celebrate - it was a fantastic night!


We're in full on waiting mode in the Notch household, looking forward to the big day! Sarah is having lots of contractions, some that are pretty intense and close together, but they don't last long enough to make any difference. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and will hopefully be told that we've made at least a little bit of progress since last week. If the baby doesn't arrive in the next few days, we'll go to Skipolini's with our friends Matt and Laurie for their famous Preggo Pizza that's guaranteed to bring on labor. We're not sure that this will work for us, since Sarah won't actually be eating the pizza... it's loaded with TONS of meat. Do you think that one of Skipolini's veggie pizzas will have the same effect?

Mommy Update:
- Has her fingers crossed that the baby has dropped since last week, and would be delighted if she's a bit dilated already.
- Is looking on the bright side if the baby arrives late... her family will be in town soon and may catch the birth!
- Has cleaned just about every surface in the house, and is running out of nesting activities to keep her occupied.
- Sends her love and thanks to everyone who keeps checking in and sending good luck wishes her way!

The Video Tour of Our New House!

As promised a loooooong time ago, we have finally finished the video tour of our new house. We thought about being cheesy and doing an MTV Cribs parody (especially considering we have an actual crib in our tour), but ended up playing it straight. The house is still a work in progress since we have a lot of decorating left to do, but you'll get the gist. We send our love to our friends and family who live far, far away and can't be here with us in person... hopefully this is the next best thing.



We had another doctor's appointment today, and things are still looking good. Sarah is at -3 station and not dilated at all, so while in theory the baby could come at any time, we probably have at least a week or so to wait. It's getting harder and harder as we near the end of the pregnancy, but it will all be worth it when we get to hold our little boy in our arms for the first time.

Sarah ended up in the hospital again, this time for a non-stress test due to decreased fetal movement. Our hyperactive baby decided to stop moving for several hours, which was very abnormal for him. After trying all of the tricks to encourage movement, we ended up calling our doctor who sent us to Labor and Delivery. Of course, everything is fine, and we're back to the one-baby conga line type of constant movement. Hopefully the next time we end up in the hospital will be for the big day!

Mommy Update:
- Big. Uncomfortable. Not sleeping. Lots of contractions. Loves being pregnant, but ready to have this baby!
- Though anxious to give birth, hopes it doesn't happen before Ryan's graduate thesis review on Wednesday.
- She and daddy-to-be have finished all of their childbirth classes, will get the car seat inspected this week, and are (in theory) ready to go.
- Can't wait for her family to arrive... not too much longer until the troops are in town!

Baby Poll Guesses Revealed!

Over the past two weeks we've collected lots of baby predictions. Thanks to everyone who has participated - this has been fun! Some of you are going with family names (you'll see a trend below), while others are having a grand ole time coming up with something off the wall (such as Luminarium Darjeeling, submitted by Jim). The due date prediction strategy has also varied widely. Most players are guessing one date, others are guessing many. For those of you who have guessed more than one date, we've picked one to post for you. Don't worry - we've logged your other predictions just in case! If you haven't submitted a guess yet, you have up until Sarah goes into labor (again) to do so. Unless the baby arrives before we get to it, we'll update the list and repost if we get more guesses.

Here are the predictions so far:

Baby Boy's Birth Date
July 4th - Cristy P.
July 8th - Gina W.
July 10th - Cindy N.
July 11th - Ines G.
July 14th - Christin L., Sydney J.
July 15th - Stephen G., Wanda R.
July 16th - Java D.
July 17th - Pete E.
July 18th - Sarah N., Crys M.
July 19th - Emily Q., Jen G. & Eric W.
July 20th - Amanda B., Candace H., Angie S.
July 21st - Sarah B.
July 22nd - Cheryl E.
July 23rd - Jim A., Anne R.
July 24th - Linda P.
July 25th - Ryan N.
July 28th - Nancy E., Ryan H.
July 30th - Laurie B., Mary E., Ally W.
August 1st - Patricia P.
October 1st - Ingrid R. (Sarah's least favorite vote... October?!?)

Baby Boy's Name
Christin L. - Christopher Cole
Ines G. - Noah
Amanda B. - Nicholas
Mary E. - Christopher or Ethan
Sarah B. - Owen or Jackson
Cristy P. - Ryan Jr.
Jim A. - Zephre Sun, Forrest Steens, or Caterpillar Jarvis
Stephen G. - Dances with Ryan (Ooh, Jim has competition!)
Ingrid R. - Hefeweissen (Joins Jim & Stephen in the "not likely" club)
Patricia P. - Curtis James
Linda P. - Tyler or Quinn
Crys M. - Ryan Jr.
Anne R. - Ryan William
Emily Q. - Christopher Ryan
Sydney J. - Samir Narong (Sydney's traveling in Thailand right now!)
Gina W. - Ryan Otha
Wanda R. - Christopher Emerson, Stephen William, or James Robert
Nancy E. - Curtis William
Candace H. - Samuel or Kyle
Ryan H. - Michael
Mai C. - Aidan or Adam
Jen G. & Eric W. - Parker Ryan
Java D. - Brandon Joseph, Huxley Joshua, or Ronan Michael
Jessica S. - Alexander, Tyler, Benjamin, or Sam
Leslie R. - Tristan Lynn
Cindy N. - Charles Ryan, Joseph Ryan, Christian Ryan, Michael Ryan, or Ryan James


As promised, here are the latest preggie belly pictures. Months three through nine are featured below. Click on the images to view them in a larger size.

We'll be doing one more of Sarah and baby to complete this set!

Whew... that's the last time Sarah has to squeeze into those jeans!

Mommy Update:
- Wishes Ryan a very Happy Birthday, and is translating the baby's kicks to mean the same!
- Excited and relieved to be full term, though not sure if she's quite ready for the big day.
- Has incredibly swollen feet and hands, as Sarah B. spotted in recent pictures.
- Has packed her hospital bag and will take her final childbirth classes with Ryan this week.

Prenatal Massages and Preterm Labor!

Ryan officially goes down in history as the most incredible husband ever! For our anniversary on Thursday, Sarah was surprised with a spa appointment for a prenatal massage. She was able to lie on her belly, thanks to the handy dandy cut outs in the massage table. It's been MONTHS since Sarah has been able to lie on her belly and, though it seems like a simple thing, it was quite a treat! The spa was so relaxing and was the perfect, perfect anniversary gift.

Despite how relaxing the massage was, Sarah started feeling very uncomfortable on Thursday night. When she was still feeling the same on Friday morning she called her doctor, who told her to go to the hospital to be checked out. We headed over to Labor and Delivery and Sarah was strapped up to monitors to see what was going on. We quickly learned that Sarah was having regular contractions that were only 2 to 3 minutes apart! It's still a bit early for the baby to arrive, so she was given an injection to stop the contractions. Though the contractions continued, the medicine did weaken them, and since Sarah was not dilated at all we were allowed to go home. Since then the contractions have tapered off to a much more irregular pattern, which is what we want to see for a few weeks. We officially hit the full term mark on July 5th at which time it would be 100% safe to deliver the baby - hang in there for a while longer, little man! We still have a few stragglers on the birth date and baby name poll, but we'll post the results soon.

Who knows... our delivery date could be right around the corner!

Mommy Update:
- Now knows what contractions feel like and will be that much more prepared when the big day happens.
- Realizes that she and Ryan need to pick a pediatrician soon and pack for the hospital... just in case!
- Cannot believe that there are less than thirty days until our due date (we're going to be parents soon).
- Attended two childbirth classes with Ryan and got to watch him quite skillfully swaddle a baby doll.

Cast Your Vote!

Okay, blog readers, this is your opportunity to get in on the action. We are now taking predictions for the baby's name and birth date. Sarah's official due date is July 27th, but the baby will be considered full term on July 5th so he could be born anytime after that date. Technically, he could arrive before July 5th, but we're hoping that he holds out until at least then! Today's high temperature was 103 degrees, so we're also hoping that he'll take into consideration the intensifying summer heat and won't decide to arrive late... Sarah's already uncomfortable enough as it is!

You can submit your predictions by either commenting on this entry or emailing Sarah or Ryan. If you post your guess in a blog comment, be sure to sign your name so that we know for sure who it is coming from. We'll compile everyone's guesses and post them on an upcoming blog. The winners will receive the greatest prize of all - the ability to forever gloat to everyone that YOU were right!

We've had a lot of fun setting up the baby's room and getting ready for our little man's arrival! Bit by bit, the baby's stuff is steadily taking over the house. We now present Exhibits A - I:




Whatever will we do if the little guy doesn't like monkeys?!?

We're still keeping incredibly busy with getting everything moved in, and on top of that Ryan has his Master's degree thesis review coming up soon. He has to have a published book and twenty gallery ready images for his hour-long presentation to the review panel. Think good thoughts for him in the upcoming weeks!

More pictures and news to come soon... in the meantime, cast your vote for baby's name and birth date to make sure your voice is heard!

Mommy Update:
- Found out at her latest doctor's appointment that the baby is definitely not breech... thank goodness!
- Wonders what her waistline's current circumference is, but is too afraid to break out the tape measure.
- Excited about her first childbirth classes next week, and is hoping that there will be plenty of diaper practice for the dads!
- Was asked the other day if she was expecting twins... oh, the humanity!

We Love Our New Home!

Since our last post, we've moved most of our belongings into the new house and are steadily unpacking. It's been a lot of fun, even though it is a lot of work. We were lucky enough to have some phenomenal friends help us with the move. Christin was in town for a visit, and Angie and Nelson came over on Saturday. Nelson also brought one of his friends along to lend a hand! Without their help, we would never have been able to pull off this move. Thanks to all of you for the lifting and stair climbing - you're the best! Ryan also deserves a special mention. Since Sarah can't move any boxes, the daddy-to-be has been making trip after trip back to our old apartment to get all of the odds and ends packed up and moved over here. Thank goodness we're overlapping our leases by a few weeks!

We thought it would be fun to post a short video tour of the new digs once we have everything set up. Not only will that be a bit more interesting than pictures, but you'll also get to see footage of Sarah's waddle walk. We'll be sure to get that up as soon as we can. For now, here's a picture of the two of us (three of us?) in our backyard. We love sitting outside in our little "garden oasis" - it's so peaceful and relaxing!


At our last doctor's appointment, Sarah had a fetal fibrinectomy test. Since she has been experiencing a lot of pain at night, our doctor wanted to make sure that her symptoms weren't indicative of pre-term labor. The test is able to determine with about 97% accuracy whether or not the patient will go into labor in the next two weeks. As we expected, Sarah's test came back negative, but we thought it was an amazing example of what modern medicine can do. Too bad we can't get one of those tests every time we go in for our appointments - it would make planning for delivery a lot easier!

Mommy Update:
- Has discovered that she really loves doing laundry... no, really, she LOVES laundry!
- Was finally able to wash and organize every single stitch of baby clothing and linens.
- Is looking forward to hosting a barbeque party once all the boxes have been unpacked.
- Sends congrats to all of her colleagues for officially making it to summer vacation!

Lotsa Baby in This Belly!

We recently shot the eight month preggie belly pictures. It's been a lot of fun to chronicle Sarah's incredible expanding waistline, and we are excited to see what next month's shoot holds. We're posting the single pictures this month, since the line o' bellies is getting pretty long. We'll reveal the full progression (3 months to 9 months) next time.



In other exciting news, our friend Christin will be arriving for a visit on Friday! We missed seeing her in the Spring, since we had to cancel our Texas vacation plans due to the previa. We can't wait for her to get here and are looking forward to five fun-filled days!

We have another doctor's appointment today and will be sure to post any important news that we receive. Things are pretty routine now, which is great, though it makes for somewhat uneventful blog entries! We're pretty sure that the baby is in the head down position, getting ready for his big day. He's kicking Sarah's ribs each and every night and, though he is running out of room, still attempts to flip and flop. It's not the most comfortable experience, but it reminds us that he is feisty and strong. We can't help but wonder if this is indicative of what his activity level and sleep schedule will be once he's born...

Congratulations to our friends Jessica and David are in order - their beautiful daughter, Julia, was born on Friday! Yay!

Mommy Update:
- LOVES packing for the move... it's a great way to fulfill her crazy nesting needs!
- Can't wait to unpack (for the same reason) and do her first load of baby laundry.
- Having trouble sleeping through the night, but thankfully is able to sleep in to compensate!
- Has a new third trimester dairy craving and is trying not to satisfy it solely through frozen yogurt.

We're Moving!

No, your eyes do not deceive you - we've decided to move in Sarah's ninth month of pregnancy! The lease on our current apartment is up soon and the rent was raised to much more than we are willing to pay. We've been in our one-bedroom, 600 square foot apartment for the past several years, and the increased rent on top of the baby's fast approaching arrival was the push we needed to search for a bigger place. We tackled this task with a bit of sadness, however, as we really love the location of where we live now. Lucky for us, we found the perfect solution! We will be moving into a townhouse that is twice the size and located practically next door to us. We'll have two bedrooms, tons of storage space, and even a backyard complete with a doggie door for Mr. Max! While the timing isn't great considering that Sarah can't lift any boxes, it will be well worth it in the end. We can't wait to get everything set up in our new home, hopefully in time for the arrival of both the baby and the grandparents. We'll post a few pictures once everything is moved in, but for now here's a sneak peak of our new abode:


Our official move-in date is June 7th, and we're simultaneously counting the days and dreading the chaos. With so many benefits to moving, however, we're willing to deal with the madness!

Mommy Update:
- Super excited about the fact that she'll have a washer and dryer now... bye bye, laundromats!
- While getting more uncomfortable as the weeks go on, still enjoys every minute of this experience.
- Is happy to have the doctor's clearance to swim now, especially with the hot days we've been having!
- Can't wait to take advantage of her longer leash and venture out beyond a five mile radius of the hospital.

Baby Notch Goes High-Def!

Well, it's not quite high-def, but it's definitely better than our previous images! We had our 4-D ultrasound today and were quite pleased with the results. The baby had his arm in front of half of his face the entire time and was holding on to his foot. He was playing with his toes and having a grand old time - it was really interesting to watch and get a glimpse of his personality!

Here's a quick clip of the baby moving around and yawning:



We received a ton of still images as well. It was hard to choose which one to post! Here's a shot of baby boy's favorite toy - his foot!


More news to come soon!

Defying the Odds!

We had our 30-week ultrasound yesterday and received some fantastic news. The placenta previa has completely resolved itself and is no longer a factor in our pregnancy! The odds were so stacked against this happening, only a 3 - 5% chance, that we were quite shocked. In addition to a significant decrease in the risks to Sarah and baby's health, the news also means that we no longer need a C-section. Guess we'll need to sign up for childbirth classes after all!

The baby currently weighs about three and a half pounds, and apparently has a head full of hair already. As with our 20-week ultrasound, we did not get fantastic images, but the one below is our favorite. The perspective is looking up at his face, as he shields his eyes with his hand. You can see his nostrils and little mouth, post yawn.


Since we've been somewhat disappointed with our first baby pictures, we decided to make an appointment for a 4-D ultrasound. We'll be going in on Tuesday and are looking forward to catching a better glimpse of baby boy! We can't wait to *hopefully* get some good pictures that don't need as much explanation. We'll be sure to post them soon after our appointment, so be on the lookout for another blog entry soon!

Mommy Update:
- No C-section? Woo hoo! Wait a minute... natural childbirth? Uh-oh!
- A bit scared, but excited about the labor and delivery experience.
- After ten weeks of bed rest and worry, so relieved that all is well!
- Getting lots of attention from Max... he knows something's up.

Lots of Excitement! - Part Two

Our last doctor's appointment was full of lots of new experiences and information. After getting Sarah's vitals, the doctor turned to Ryan and offered a challenge. "Come on, Daddy, let's see if you can find your baby," he remarked, and handed Ryan the Doppler. Ryan quickly and skillfully located the baby's heartbeat, and we quietly listened to it together for about a minute. It was a great moment for both of us!

We'll visit the Perinatal Specialist on Tuesday for our 30-week ultrasound. We're so excited to see our little boy again, and can't wait to find out how much he has grown! The ultrasound will also check for whether or not the placenta previa is still present. Our doctor says that there is only about a 5% chance that the condition has resolved itself, so while we're hopeful, we're remaining realistic and preparing ourselves for the news that it is still a factor in our pregnancy.

At our next doctor's appointment on May 22nd, we will be scheduling the C-section. We were excited to learn at our last appointment that we'll get to choose the baby's birthday. We had assumed that the date of the procedure was strictly up to our doctor. We'll keep everyone posted once we finalize the date. Of course, the baby could disagree with our choice and decide to arrive early... with as active as he is we have a feeling that he's quite the independent spirit!

We also recently shot the seven month preggie belly photos. Once again, Sarah was astounded by how much she has grown in just four short weeks! The latest pics are below - click on the images to view them in a larger size.

Months three through seven... what an incredible journey so far!
*A special note for the Redskins fan family members in Washington D.C. - don't worry, those are not Dallas Cowboys booties!

Mommy Update:
- Absolutely overwhelmed by the baby shower surprise and finding it impossible to express her gratitude in words!
- Loved seeing Mary, Daddy, and Cheryl, and can't wait to have both families together in July.
- Feeling huge and awkward, and getting used to her new nicknames (Orca, Big Mama, etc.)... all in good fun!
- Counting the days (about two months!!!) until she gets to see her little man's sweet face for the first time.

Lots of Excitement! - Part One

Compared to all of our inactivity over the last two months, the past few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind! So much has happened, in fact, that we'll be posting a part two to this update in the next few days.

We had some very important guests in town recently. Sarah's sister, Mary, flew in for a visit on Thursday. About a week before her arrival, Sarah's dad and stepmom, Cheryl, decided to fly out for a visit and arrived a day after Mary! It was so great to see them and to have the opportunity to show them how much Sarah has grown. Mary was able to feel a baby kick for the first time, and spent a good part of her visit with one hand glued to Sarah's belly. Luckily for Max, she had a free hand left to give him lots of pets and cuddles!



Just when Sarah thought that things couldn't get any more exciting, she was surprised with an incredible baby shower on Saturday! She was blindfolded and driven to a secret location (which was still very close to the hospital, just in case). While the paparazzi, AKA Ryan, was snapping pictures, Sarah's dad and sister led her up the path to the site.



When the blindfold was removed, Sarah found herself standing in the middle of Castle Rock Park, surrounded by a ton of friends in a beautifully decorated picnic area! It was quite overwhelming, and a lot to take in all at once - she was very surprised and happy to see her friends and loved ones!



Sarah was so wrapped up in processing the experience that she almost missed two VIP surprise guests. Candace and Leslie, two fantastic friends from Los Angeles, were tucked away in the crowd and seeing them brought Sarah to tears. As it turns out, Candace and Leslie have been in cahoots with Ryan and Ingrid since January planning this whole shindig. It has been a few years since we've seen the two of them, so it made the day extra special!



As with any good party, we had a few uninvited guests show up. Shortly after the festivities got underway, our friend Jessica spotted a rattlesnake slithering toward our tables. Thankfully, a ranger was on hand to capture and relocate the snake to a better environment. It was super exciting for everyone, and a crowd of people with cameras soon formed around the reptilian rascal.



Not long after, another rattler was spotted on the trail about ten yards away! Almost as if to round out our critter experience, a few coyotes appeared on the hillside behind us. Luckily for us though, they were not enticed by the wonderful smells coming from our buffet spread, and stayed out of our way. We continued our eating, drinking, and merry making uninterrupted by any more crashers for the duration of the party.



We received some incredible gifts, and are so thankful for everyone's kindness and generosity! The best gift of all was to be able to spend such a wonderful day with people that we care so much about. This is definitely a day that we will remember forever!



Stay tuned for Part Two, which will include updates from our latest doctor's appointments and month seven preggie belly photos!

To be continued...

Monkeying Around

We had another doctor's appointment today, and the baby once again earned a great report! Each time we go in, the doctor comments on how active he is and how his heartbeat is really strong. We're so thankful that he's healthy and growing right on track. Our next ultrasound will be on May 13th, and we're counting the days until we get to see him again!

After our doctor's appointment, we took a tour of the Birth Center at the hospital. We are so lucky to live about a mile away from the only state-designated Level III infant trauma center in our area. If this little guy does arrive early, our hospital is the best possible place he could be! If the baby ends up in the NICU, there are video phones that the parents have access to from the postpartum rooms that allow them to see the baby with the touch of a button. We learned that all of the rooms are private, with state of the art features and amenities including a flat screen TV, large wraparound balcony, and a huge master bathroom. We thought we'd pass the "babies in a box" section of the hospital and get a good peek at all of the little newborns. This, however, was the only feature completely missing from our hospital. We were thrilled to learn that instead of being kept in a nursery, the baby stays in the mother's room! Especially considering that our recovery period in the hospital will be be a bit longer due to the C-section, we're glad that the baby will be with us instead of behind a pane of glass!

We're in between preggie photo shoots, so we thought we'd post a silly picture of Sarah's latest completed "bed rest project." Since our nursery colors are baby blue and brown, Sarah thought it would be fun to make a blue and brown sock monkey for the baby.


Mommy Update:
- Can't wait to spend some quality sister time with Aunt Mary when she arrives on May 1st for a visit!
- Thinking a lot about her Pa-Pa, and can't wait to share all of her memories of him with the baby.
- Waiting for the perfect pool day to lounge with a good book in her new maternity bathing suit!
- Feels like everything is more "real" now that she's had the behind the scenes tour of the hospital.

We Have the Greatest Friends!

Just a quick post to thank some of our friends who have been able to come out to visit lately. Being so far away from home, we're really lucky to have a great group of friends that have become like family to us! Thanks for keeping us company while Sarah's all cooped up in the apartment. You're the best!








Sarah with Megan



















Thanks for the stroller, Nelson!!!










Sarah with Allison, MacKay, Nelson, and Ingrid

Six Months Down!

We began our seventh month of this adventure with another good report from our doctor's visit today. Our doctor had one other patient with complete placenta previa, but she found out at a recent ultrasound that her condition has resolved and everything has returned to normal! Since that is so rare, it was comforting to hear and it gives us hope of the possibility that we could have the same outcome.

The baby was very active during our six-month photo shoot last night. Ryan could even see him kicking from across the room behind the lens! We're happy that our little man is so strong, and that we get a daily reminder between doctor's appointments that he's doing really well.

*Click on the images if you would like to view them in a larger size*

Since the belly is getting so big now, we took a few extra pictures for fun in addition to our usuals. Here's one of our favorites:


Mommy Update:
- Was happy to have Megan over for dinner and is looking forward to a visit from Nelson, Allison, Ingrid, and MacKay this weekend!
- Was shocked to learn that her uterus is now the size of a soccer ball and that it has completely displaced her stomach.
- Is only mildly uncomfortable now, but is hanging on to her hat as she hears the road will get bumpier in the third trimester.
- Is having trouble thinking of new updates since she spends most of her time on the couch... but sometimes no news is good news!

Still Resting!

As expected, no big news from our last appointment. Everything looks great with both baby and Mommy! Sarah has officially stopped looking at the scale when she weighs in, and the nurse is kind enough not to announce the numbers aloud, which is much appreciated! We've received a few questions regarding the C-section since our last posting. The need for the C-section is due to the previa, which makes a natural birth impossible. There is always the chance that the previa will resolve itself, but with the degree to which Sarah has the condition it's quite unlikely. That said, the doctors will hold off on scheduling the C-section until after the 30-week ultrasound, just in case we fall in that lucky small percentile. We're keeping our fingers crossed, but are okay with whatever the outcome needs to be - all we want is a healthy little boy!

A few days ago, Sarah saw a bump sticking up by her belly button (or what is left of her belly button). When she pushed on it to investigate, she felt it move away. We're guessing that it was a little baby foot, arm, or elbow. We're now anxiously awaiting another opportunity to "feel" the baby, and are amazed by each and every exciting new experience we have with the pregnancy!

Mommy Update:
- Looking forward to the next round of belly pics this weekend, and is anticipating how much bigger she will look this month.
- Is finally realizing that she's not just home on vacation, since all of her teacher friends have returned to work from Spring Break.
- Has developed an obsession with frozen yogurt, and thanks Ingrid for being her Yogurt Castle partner whenever she visits.
- Has started "nesting," and feels the need to reorganize every closet in the apartment (Ryan will be doing all of the lifting, lucky guy).