Happy Father’s Day!  Jake had his first Father’s Day this year J He is so excited and I can’t wait for him to hold his baby girl for the first time. He is going to be such an awesome dad! Gracelyn is one lucky little girl to have Jake as her daddy and I have a feeling he is going to be wrapped around her little finger.  Gracelyn bought her daddy a brand new Dewalt cordless drill for Father’s Day.  Attached was a “daddy to do list” from Gracelyn. The list included stuff like constructing a tree house, installing training wheels, building a doll house … and anything else Gracelyn wants. Below is a picture of Jake with his new drill.

Lindsay and Robert had their baby girl on June 7th. Her name is Lydia Marlynn Powell. She was 8lbs and 20 ½ in. What a cute little baby J She is so sweet! We can’t tell exactly who she looks like just yet, but she is looking more like Robert every day.  Holding Lydia makes me so excited about meeting my sweet baby girl.

Summer has arrived! We spent the day on the lake with Matt, Stacy, and Declan. We had so much fun on the “big water” as Declan calls it. Declan makes one cute picture!

With summer comes the heat and humidity. It’s been a HOT start to the summer! The high for our first baby shower on Saturday was 106! The temperature sure didn’t put a damper on Gracelyn’s party!! Laura and Christin hosted our shower on Saturday and the theme was an Ice Cream Party! What a perfect idea for a pregnant lady. They set up an ice cream bar with homemade ice cream and all kinds of toppings. Gracelyn is one loved little baby! She got so many clothes and toys! We had about 35-40 people show up to celebrate. A BIG Thank You to Mrs. Jenkins for opening her home up to all our friends and family and to Laura and Christin for all their hard work.  We also want to thank all of our friends and family for attending and all the beautiful gifts.  It was a perfect day! Below are some pictures of the fun!

Kim and Phillip also came in town this past week. It was a lot of fun seeing Kim with a baby belly and being able to feel my little nephew kick and move all around. Anthony and Gracelyn are due within 4 weeks of each other. It has been exciting being able to share this experience with my sister. I just wish they lived a little closer! Aunt Cindi hosted a joint baby shower for Kim and me on Sunday. The church was filled with all kinds of pink and blue! Anthony and Gracelyn are spoiled rotten already. I think my favorite part was eating cake! The cake was beautiful and some kind of yummy! Thanks to everyone for all the gifts and we can’t wait to share these sweet babies with you all!

We are now 32 weeks pregnant! It won’t be long now!! Gracelyn is as active as ever. She makes us laugh all the time as she stretches and morphs my belly into all kinds of shapes. Just a few weeks ago we had our 3D ultrasound! Gracelyn was awesome and was a little show off. We got some really good pictures and videos. She is so CUTE!

Pregnancy at 32 weeks:

What's up with your baby? She's starting to get ready for her big debut, tipping the scales at almost four pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. In these past few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice as she hones the skills she'll need to thrive outside the womb — from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, your little one has been able to suck her thumb for a while now. Something else to note: As more and more fat accumulates under your baby's skin, she's becoming less transparent and more opaque.

Your Body in Week 32 of Pregnancy

This week, your body may start prepping for delivery day by flexing its muscles — literally. If you feel your uterus bunching or hardening periodically, those are practice contractions, otherwise known as Braxton Hicks. These rehearsals  feel like a tightening sensation that begins at the top of your uterus and then spreads downward, lasting from 15 to 30 seconds (though they can sometimes last two minutes or more). How do you know these contractions aren’t the real thing? They’ll stop if you change position (try getting up if you’re lying down or walking if you’ve been sitting).

Speaking of practice! I definitely felt a few Braxton Hicks contractions this morning at work. Nothing painful, just a little uncomfortable/tight... Gracelyn continued to kick and move all around so I didn’t let it worry me. I’m okay with my uterus getting all the practice it needs… I want it well trained and ready to pop out a baby in the next few weeks!

 Here are a few other recent pictures... Enjoy!

24 - 27 Week Update

24 Weeks:

Almost 4 weeks have passed since the last day of Tax Season and Jake and I are finally getting back into a normal routine.  We better enjoy these next few months as NORMAL will never be NORMAL again.  110 days to go until our due date and from what we hear life as we know it will soon be over.  BRING IT ON!!! This little bundle of joy can only make our lives more rich and joyful.  I can’t wait to meet her and finally see who she looks like!

Speaking of seeing her soon- We have our 3D ultrasound scheduled for June 18^th!!!  Hopefully we will be able to see some chunky little cheeks and maybe even be able to pick out whose nose or lips she has!

Gracelyn has been one active little girl lately.  The majority of the day she likes to use my bladder as her trampoline as she jumps and tumbles.

Getting to feel your baby kick, roll, and bounce is unexplainable. Being a first time mom every new thing is an amazing thrill.

27 Weeks:  3^rd Trimester!

Okay, I’m going to get better about blog updates. We are now in our 3^rd and final trimester of pregnancy.  I’m going to try and make it a priority to update my blog more often. I know everyone is wondering what’s going on with Mommy and Miss Gracelyn.  Things are about to get really interesting these next few weeks and LOTS of changes are on the way.

Gracelyn is growing! We are now going to the doctor every 2 weeks.  Last week I had my glucose test- We passed! No gestational diabetes to worry about! However, my iron level is a little too low so I’m now taking an iron supplement. Gracelyn measured right on date last week and her heart rate was 144 beats per minute.  

What’s new? Gracelyn’s sleep/wake cycles are very noticeable now. When she is awake… she is AWAKE! It’s so much fun watching my belly bounce and feeling her little leg or foot roll across my belly. She woke me up Friday night around 2:45 am- She was wide awake! After I rolled around in bed for a few minutes with a bouncy baby I got up and went into the living room to rock her back to sleep. It was so sweet! I loved just sitting up thinking about the many nights to come!  She enjoyed getting rocked, after about 15min she stopped moving and I went back to bed. I’m taking it all in… soon she will be here and all this mommy daughter time will be a little different. It will be just as special but being pregnant has been something I’ve enjoyed so much!

What else? Hiccups! Yes, this little one gets the Hiccups almost every other day.  Per my Ob the Hiccups are a good sign of a healthy baby! They are entertaining to me and Jake but I’m sure not so comfortable for Gracelyn. She must like the way that amniotic fluid taste as she gulps it down. J .  She is also very responsive to loud noises.  I had a dentist appointment on Friday morning to get a filling replaced.  My poor baby, every time the dentist cranked up that dreadful drill Gracelyn started kicking like crazy. I just laid there and rubbed my belly trying to calm her.

How your baby's growing at 27 weeks:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Summer Fun! We took a trip to Atlantic Beach Memorial Day weekend with family and friends.  Zach, Abigail, Christin, Jason, Laura, Jeff, and baby Evan. We had so much fun catching up and the highlight was seeing Evan as she experienced her first trip to the beach. Evan did great! She is a water baby for sure! I’ve added some pictures to show off a fun weekend, a cute baby, and a growing baby belly! Enjoy!

Sweet baby

Pool Time

Laura, Jeff, and Evan

Zach and Abigail

Christin and Jason

This is the prego beach chair! Allows you to lay on your belly and tan :) Thanks Laura

My Handsome Lifeguard

Happy Baby

My Shadow :)

 PS: To anyone wondering about baby showers… Invitations are coming soon. We have a few separate showers planned this summer. We look forward to seeing everyone in the next few weeks! … Soon we will have someone special to show off and share! We can’t wait J

20 Weeks –Half Way!

We have made it to the half-way mark in our pregnancy! I can’t believe we are ending our 5^thmonth of pregnancy and only 4 short months away from meeting our baby girl.

We have had a busy last few weeks. This is going to be one l-o-n-g blog update.

On Sunday April 1^st my best friend Christin lost her father after a long fight with diabetes and other complications. Mr. Matthews was such a wonderful father and had the biggest heart! Our prayers are with the Matthew family in the weeks and months to come.

Tax season is now officially over!!! Congratulations to Jake for making it through another Tax season! I’m so excited to have my husband back. Tax season ended and turkey season began. The first day of turkey season was this past Saturday. Jake was able to do what he loves best and spent most of his weekend in the woods. It makes me happy to see him enjoying life again. For the third year in a row Jake and Zach both killed a turkey on the first day of the season!

Below is a picture of the boys with 2 big birds! I’m already thinking about turkey kabobs wrapped in bacon on the grill. Wild turkey is our favorite!

What’s next? Babies, babies, babies….

There is a lot of baby news to share. I’ve been waiting for a few weeks to finally announce all the new babies in my family. First is my sister Kim who is exactly 4 weeks behind me. She is 16 weeks and finds out on Wednesday if they are having a boy or girl! My parents are ecstatic to say the least!! Second is my cousin Pamela who is only 3 short weeks behind me. She is 17 weeks and finds out on April 25^th if they will be surprised with a baby boy or another sweet little girl. Third is my sister in law Abigail who is close to 3 months behind me. She has an ultrasound scheduled for April 23^rdto find out exactly how many weeks her little one is measuring.

Babies, Babies everywhere! God is GREAT! We thank him daily for all his many blessing and continue to pray for healthy and happy babies.

Below are a few pictures of all these mommies.

Kim

Pamela and Cayleigh

Zach and Abigail

Next…Little Miss Schachle Update:

She is growing so fast! About 2 weeks ago I felt my first little thump…now she is kicking and rolling all around. Jake has been able to fill her kick multiple times and we have actually been able to see my belly jump with some of her movements. Feeling her kick is the most amazing feeling ever. She is moving and kicking throughout the day, but her favorite time to jump around is about 10-15min after I’ve got comfortable in bed. I LOVE IT! Jake and I lie in bed at night with our hands on my belly and laugh. She is so sweet and we are in LOVE! I’m sure as she grows those little kicks will become karate chops to my ribs and bladder.

We had another ultrasound last Thursday and everything looked good. The ultrasound tech and the Dr. measured every bone and organ. Little Miss Schachle is one healthy little baby girl! She weighed in at 11oz and her due date changed by one day…August 30^th instead of the 31st. Again, we thank God for such a sweet blessing. We are so excited about becoming parents and meeting our baby girl the end of August.

Once we found out we were having a little girl the next question everyone asked was…What is her name? Jake and I have decided on a name and are ready to share it with the world!

Her name will be: Gracelyn Ann Schachle

The name Gracelyn means: Good will, Love and protection of God. How did we come up with her name? Family names are very important to us and we wanted to incorporate both of our mom’s names. Jake and I both loved Grace so we started there. Lynn is Jake’s mom’s name. We put the 2 together and decided on Gracelyn. My mom’s middle name is Diane so we decided to use Ann from Diane. Of course her daddy has already given her a nickname and calls her Gracie. J I think it’s very sweet for him to have his own little nickname for his baby girl.

And yes, we have thought about her initials. GAS… lol. The good thing about a girl name and their initials is the last name will be the middle… For monograming purposes her initials will be GSA.

We are head over heels in love with Miss Gracelyn and can’t wait until the end of August when we get to share her with our family and friends.

Here are a few pictures of our baby belly...

Highlights at 20 weeks:
Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now. Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already. Some snooze with their chins resting on their chests, while others nap with their head flung back. Many babies at this age fall into noticeable cycles of sleep and activity, so you may know before she arrives whether you have a night owl or an early bird.

If your baby is a boy, the testes have begun descending from the pelvis into the scrotum. If it's a girl, her uterus is completely formed and the rest of her "parts" are in development. (Is that TMI?)

From this point forward, your baby will put most of her energy into gaining weight and, not coincidentally, so will you! Right now your baby weighs approximately 10½ ounces and is about 6½ inches long, about the size of a banana.