So of course I have to start this off with an explanation for my lack of posts the past few months. A lot has changed in my personal life..all for the better :) My husband and I found out in June that we are expecting our first child in March 2018!! We are completely ecstatic and overjoyed at the growth of our family. It has been such a huge dream of mine to become a mother..and I always knew it would happen at the perfect time.
So what makes this the "perfect time"??
Well, for my husband and I, there had been a lot of unanswered questions as to what our next move would be for quite some time.
We've known since before we got engaged that we want to buy our dream home in a warm tropical location..and not stay in NJ. So once we realized that our hearts were set on Florida, we scoped out places, picked out our favorite area (Fort Lauderdale) had a date set to move out, and then..life got crazy! My husbands career took off and he was going to be traveling so much when we would need to be packing/making this huge life-changing move. So we decided to stay in Jersey a bit longer. While on a trip to the Bahamas this past April, we had a serious conversation about our next steps..was it was finally time to move to Florida?? orrr MAYBE it was time to start a family instead?? All signs were pointing to EITHER!; Yahya's career was transitioning and he was going to be working from home more, our lease for our tiny 1 bedroom apartment was ending in August..nothing was in our way! So we made a deal; we would try for a family in the summer and if it was meant to be we would stay in Jersey a bit longer to be close to my family (and my mom who's a baby nurse :) On the flip-side, if it didn't happen right away..we'd be moving to Florida for September 1st!
Well..it's clear what the universe wanted for us b/c in no time at all we found out our little miracle was on his/her way! :)
Now on to Baby Bakkar! OMG still so surreal to write that!!
I had tons of pregnancy tests anxiously waiting for the first day the internet said it would be ok to take them! (lol) On June 26th I snuck to the bathroom while my husband was busy on his computer and took a First Response test! My heart was pounding out of my chest, I laid the test on the counter and sat on the floor for the longest 3 minutes of my life..I couldn't bare to watch the screen blink as it loaded the results. When I finally got the courage to peak..I saw "YES" on the screen! I immediately started crying and stared at myself in the mirror, I just remember thinking.."I'm going to be a mommy!" I have never felt so nervous and excited all at once..I think I cried a good 5 minutes before pulling it together. I always knew I wanted to film Yahya's reaction so I set my phone up on the ledge of our bathroom medicine cabinet, opened the camera app and hit record. I called him in to show him what I had done..his reaction was amazing..shock and joy..this was our next chapter<3
Check out my horoscope from that day!! (crazy) v
I took about 4 more tests over the next few days & weeks just to confirm..and all were positive. We decided to tell my parents and sister a few weeks later while on vacation in Cape Cod. We were out to dinner and we texted them this pic that we had secretly taken on the beach that day:
They were in shock! When my parents realized they were going to become grandparents for the first time..they got teary eyed..and my sister balled hysterically :)
Pic we took on the way to dinner.."we have a secret!"
When we got home from vacation my mom referred me of one of her favorite doctors from her hospital and I set up an appointment for my 10 week scan. However, I ended up going in for an emergency visit at 6 weeks because I was experiencing sharp cramping on my right side. Everything turned out normal and the best part was I got to see my baby and hear the heartbeat that soon!!
1st ultrasound pics from 6 week visit<3
On to our Gender Reveal Party:
Since I'm a self proclaimed "super-planner" I always knew I would want to find out the sex of the baby ASAP. I had non-invasive prenatal testing done (NIPT) at 12 weeks which checks for a few different abnormalities and also reveals the sex. Thank god all was normal and I could pick up the results and plan the party! I kept the envelope sealed and dropped it off at a local party store. They are the ones who look at the results and fill a giant black balloon with the appropriate colored confetti to stuff inside. All that we had to do was pop it!
My husband was certain we'd be having a boy (as were 90% of my family members) and I had absolutely no clue! I loved that we were all so surprised to find out that baby Bakkar is a GIRL!!
Sweet baby girl, we have known your name for so long! Even though you only weigh a few ounces, you are so loved and cherished already! Mommy and Daddy promise to do our absolute best to give you an amazing life and all that you deserve. You are the best thing that has ever happened to us, we can't wait to meet you in March!!
*THANK YOU to everyone who stops by my blog and reads these posts..it means the world to me to be able to share a deeper part of myself with you<3
So what makes this the "perfect time"??
Well, for my husband and I, there had been a lot of unanswered questions as to what our next move would be for quite some time.
We've known since before we got engaged that we want to buy our dream home in a warm tropical location..and not stay in NJ. So once we realized that our hearts were set on Florida, we scoped out places, picked out our favorite area (Fort Lauderdale) had a date set to move out, and then..life got crazy! My husbands career took off and he was going to be traveling so much when we would need to be packing/making this huge life-changing move. So we decided to stay in Jersey a bit longer. While on a trip to the Bahamas this past April, we had a serious conversation about our next steps..was it was finally time to move to Florida?? orrr MAYBE it was time to start a family instead?? All signs were pointing to EITHER!; Yahya's career was transitioning and he was going to be working from home more, our lease for our tiny 1 bedroom apartment was ending in August..nothing was in our way! So we made a deal; we would try for a family in the summer and if it was meant to be we would stay in Jersey a bit longer to be close to my family (and my mom who's a baby nurse :) On the flip-side, if it didn't happen right away..we'd be moving to Florida for September 1st!
Well..it's clear what the universe wanted for us b/c in no time at all we found out our little miracle was on his/her way! :)
Now on to Baby Bakkar! OMG still so surreal to write that!!
I had tons of pregnancy tests anxiously waiting for the first day the internet said it would be ok to take them! (lol) On June 26th I snuck to the bathroom while my husband was busy on his computer and took a First Response test! My heart was pounding out of my chest, I laid the test on the counter and sat on the floor for the longest 3 minutes of my life..I couldn't bare to watch the screen blink as it loaded the results. When I finally got the courage to peak..I saw "YES" on the screen! I immediately started crying and stared at myself in the mirror, I just remember thinking.."I'm going to be a mommy!" I have never felt so nervous and excited all at once..I think I cried a good 5 minutes before pulling it together. I always knew I wanted to film Yahya's reaction so I set my phone up on the ledge of our bathroom medicine cabinet, opened the camera app and hit record. I called him in to show him what I had done..his reaction was amazing..shock and joy..this was our next chapter<3
Check out my horoscope from that day!! (crazy) v
They were in shock! When my parents realized they were going to become grandparents for the first time..they got teary eyed..and my sister balled hysterically :)
Pic we took on the way to dinner.."we have a secret!"
When we got home from vacation my mom referred me of one of her favorite doctors from her hospital and I set up an appointment for my 10 week scan. However, I ended up going in for an emergency visit at 6 weeks because I was experiencing sharp cramping on my right side. Everything turned out normal and the best part was I got to see my baby and hear the heartbeat that soon!!
1st ultrasound pics from 6 week visit<3
On to our Gender Reveal Party:
Since I'm a self proclaimed "super-planner" I always knew I would want to find out the sex of the baby ASAP. I had non-invasive prenatal testing done (NIPT) at 12 weeks which checks for a few different abnormalities and also reveals the sex. Thank god all was normal and I could pick up the results and plan the party! I kept the envelope sealed and dropped it off at a local party store. They are the ones who look at the results and fill a giant black balloon with the appropriate colored confetti to stuff inside. All that we had to do was pop it!
My husband was certain we'd be having a boy (as were 90% of my family members) and I had absolutely no clue! I loved that we were all so surprised to find out that baby Bakkar is a GIRL!!
This is a really beautiful post. It is always good to see people starting new families. May your child be blessed and bring happiness to everyone.
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