Updates

Hi all! It's been a busy week since I last posted. Mark has had quite a few firsts, including his first ever trip to Ben and Jerry's ice cream shop! Here is a picture of us hanging out on the patio after we enjoyed our ice cream (I had chocolate peanut butter--very rich and yummy! One of the benefits of breast feeding--ice cream whenever I want!) Look at how tiny he is, and check out the cute monkey on his onesie!

Our condo is going on the market on Monday. We have been furiously packing up extraneous items in an attempt to make the condo look bigger and less cluttered (although there isn't a lot of clutter to begin with). My mom is going to come this weekend and pick up some of the boxes for us to store till we sell the condo and move. We met with the realtor last night and signed the contracts needed. She is coming back Monday to take the pictures that will be posted on the internet and Multiple Listing Service (MLS). We are excited this is going so well, and hope our condo sells quickly. It would be awesome to have this done by the time I go back to work in Oct. Please pray for us.

Here is a sweet picture of Mark passed out on his daddy's lap. They are so precious together. I could seriously eat them both up!

Isaac has been traveling this week to Williamston, NC and Henderson, NC to conduct some energy audits. He has been working in this miserable heat, and it is definitely taking a lot out of him. I am really proud of the amount of work he has accomplished, even with a newborn in the house!

Well, time for Mark's next feeding... so I'll sign off for now. Hope you all are having a great week!

Isaac back at work and lots of other news

Isaac went back into the office this week, and Mark and I have been surviving. We were lucky enough to have Isaac home yesterday (he worked from home) b/c we had some tile work done in the bathroom. That allowed me to take a nap after lunch. Baby bird likes getting up early in the morning, so by lunch, I'm worn out. Today my mom is coming over, so I hope to sneak in another nap. I'm grateful I've been able to nap a couple times. For the first week I was home, I was too anxious and wound up to sleep--either at nap time or bed time. Needless to say, that wasn't good for my emotional health!

Mark and I ventured out to Target and to get Isaac's watch battery fixed. It was a good trip except for the fact that we both almost melted in the heat! I will be glad when this 100 degree weather goes away! Goodness!

We've made a couple trips to Babies R Us since we've been home. It's amazing how much stuff you find you need when you get home from the hospital. I purchased a breast pump, pumping supplies, more bottles, freezer bags, a baby book, and another nursing bra. It adds up quickly! I'll be glad when the major purchases ease off a bit so we can work on our budget.

I also managed to get Mark added to my health insurance, increase my life insurance, and increase my flexible spending and open up a dependent care account (daycare). Unfortunately, things have changed and we have to start paying for daycare Aug 1 even though I won't need it till Oct 1. It's too bad b/c I didn't really feel like spending $2200 (daycare is $1100 a month!) for care we aren't really going to use. But at this point, the daycare is at our church, 2 miles from our house, and right down the street from my office. You can't beat that for convenience. Plus, some of my friends have children there and have been really happy with First Pres Child Development Center. I may drop him off for dr's appts or for a few hours at a time closer to when I get ready to go back to work.

Speaking of work, my maternity leave should last till Sept 30, 12 weeks. I think I'll end up with 5 or 6 weeks of unpaid leave, but it's totally worth it! I want to treasure this time with Mark as much as I can. They are only this little once, right?

On the housing front... please PRAY for wisdom and guidance for us. We are thinking about going ahead and putting the condo on the market. Our plan was to stay here for another year, but mortgage rates are pretty excellent right now and we are out growing this space very quickly. This is very anxiety-producing for me because I'm comfortable where we are. Unknowns are so stressful, and I want to make the right decision... even though there are probably 5 different "right" decisions. Now we need to decide if we want to attempt to sell on our own, or list with a discount broker, or a full-service broker. It's amazing how much it is going to cost just to sell this place, probably anywhere from $9,000 to $14,000 depending on which route we choose. But I guess that's part of life. I really, really cover your prayers as we explore the possibilities. God bless you!

I made it to church last Sunday and Psalm 46 was part of the service. This is one of my favorite Psalms. Some of my favorite verses from this psalm:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (v. 1)

"The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (v. 7)

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (v. 10)

Praying that I will remember to be still and know that God has our lives in his hands... and that is the best possible place we can be.

Oh and of course this post wouldn't be complete without another baby picture. Here is a picture of Isaac and baby Mark snuggling together on the couch. Goodness how I love those two.

(Thanks for letting me process "out loud." Writing is so helpful in helping me getting my thoughts out of my head and on paper!)

Cute Mark Pictures

Hi all. Things are going pretty well around the Johnson household. Mark is 10 days old and we're getting a little better at things each day. Isaac is back to work today, and it's going pretty well so far... although he's only been gone 3 hours! : ) I thought I would attach some pictures for your viewing pleasure! : )

Here is Mark laying on the Boppy pillow wrapped up in his blanket. Love this picture!

Here is a picture of Mark going home from the hospital. He looks (and is) so tiny!

Here is a picture of Mark and Isaac shortly after Mark's arrival. I love this picture of my guys!

I've had an amazing, renewed sense of God's love and presence since Mark's arrival. The body of Christ has rallied around us to shower us with love, support, and encouragement. Many thanks to my best friend Julie who came up AGAIN on Saturday and held, fed, and changed the baby, brought us dinner, treated us to lunch, and let us take a nap. What a gift! And to my sister Carolyn for the meal when we arrived home from the hospital, and another wonderful meal last night. Seriously, if you ever have a chance to provide a meal to a new mom, do it! It is the biggest Godsend ever!

Holding on to this verse these days, from my favorite book in the Bible Philippians:

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in heaven." (Phil 4:19)

Made it to church for worship yesterday. It was so good to be in the presence of many believers, and it gave me a great opportunity to thank God for Mark. Isaac stayed home with Mark so I could go. What a gift.

Anyway, that's what's new so far. Hope you are all well. If you're reading this, leave me a comment. I would love to know who is reading along. Just click Comment... You can also email me at andreabachl@hotmail.com. (Bachl is my maiden name.)

He's Here!

Short post b/c we're pretty busy settling in... but Mark Isaac Johnson arrived on July 9, 2010 at 1:01 pm (after 36 hours of labor!). He was 7 lbs 12 oz and 21 inches long. We're back at home and totally in love with our little guy.

We are so grateful to God for this little miracle! I've fallen even more in love with my husband Isaac--he was SO AMAZING during the labor process. I am one blessed woman.



Will post more when I can. Take care all!

Still Waiting...

I'm 3 days overdue now. I had a non-stress test (NST) yesterday on the Labor and Delivery floor of the hospital since the office was closed for the holiday. It was strange taking the elevator to the L&D floor. You literally follow the stork signs--it's pretty cute. The nurses were very sweet and monitored me for about an hour. The baby was moving around well and his heart rate was good. My blood pressure is good too. So, the doctor came in, looked at the test results and sent us home. YAY! I have another NST on Thursday if this little guy doesn't come before then.

I am having contractions, but they are irregular and don't hurt. The best I can describe them as are a sense of squeezing or tightness. The contractions are stronger than what the monitors were picking up on Friday, so I'm counting that as progress! Come on baby! We're ready for you.

I spent some time yesterday working on a cross stitch for the baby. It's a good activity to keep me a bit distracted and chilled out. Isaac is definitely ready for the baby. We both figured we'd be back at work today. But the doctor let us have a few more days before she insisted on induction. If he's not here by Friday, I go into the hospital at 8pm to start the induction. They won't actually start the induction till Saturday morning though. So it looks like July 10 will be the latest day for Baby Bird's birthday! YAY!

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. We are so excited!

A Newborn... but not Mine. : )

My twin sister Kathleen had her baby on Thursday, July 1. Matthew Scott weighed 6 lbs 14 ozs and was 19 1/2 inches long. He is such a sweet baby! I know I'm biased, but seriously, he's beautiful. Kathleen is healing pretty well from her c-section. She is such a trooper and totally in love with her little guy. It was awesome to see daddy Scott holding his son and beaming down at him.



Isaac and I drove up to Va Beach to see them on Thursday. I couldn't resist going to see my sister and new nephew. Here is a picture I took with Matthew un-swaddled. I had to get a better look at those sweet baby hands and feet!

They are at home now. My brother from CA is in VA for a month of training, so he got to visit them too. My mom drove up today and will be with them for a couple days. I was tempted to go back this weekend since our Baby Bird hasn't made his arrival. But I figured I should stay a little closer to the hospital this time.

Baby Bird is now a day over due. I guess he has his own time line in mind. : ) I'm still feeling well and SO EXCITED to meet this little guy. I'll keep you all posted.