29 weeks and Merry Christmas

Here is a quick belly picture update at 29 weeks! I can't believe I am almost to the 3/4 mark. It is feeling more and more real by the day as Pat and I talk about life with our daughter and how much fun it will be to watch her move around in the world. Her room is starting to fill up and we can imagine a little baby girl in the crib now. We know life will change dramatically soon and are looking forward to the many blessings that the Lord will bring into our life through our little girl.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

29 weeks and Christmas time

It is snowing like crazy in Seattle and the Summerill family is up for Christmas! We are having a great time and trying to maneuver about in the snow. As you can see, our back yard got quite the pile of snow last night and it is still snowing now. The last picture is of myself, Kaitlyn, and the crib bedding that my mom made and brought up from Miami. It is now in the nursery and waiting for little baby Murphy to arrive! Only 11 weeks to go. I am thinking that the next two weeks will fly by with my family in town and time away from work. I hope to slide into January without too much trouble and then it will be 2 months. Hum...I am already playing number games in my head. :)

Third Trimester

I have finally hit the third trimester and can't believe that we are 12 weeks away from meeting our little daughter. Sometimes that seems like a lifetime away and other times it feels like it is coming quickly. According to babycenter, our baby is now 2.25 pounds and 14.8 inches long. I still love feeling her moving around and can often tell where her head and feet are.

Pat also finished the nursery painting this weekend after many long hours of carefully laboring. It looks awesome. I am so thankful that I didn't have to do the work. As you can see from the pictures, three walls are a kind of neutral tan and the fourth is a bright teal, which will match the bed skirt perfectly. My mom is bringing the bedding this week and then I will just have the lighting, curtains, and wall decor to add. It is really fun to watch it come together. More and more I can picture a little baby in there.

Nursery Room Progress

Props to my mom because she just finished our little girl's crib bedding!!!!! Cheers! Cheers! Cheers! She was torturing me by not telling me how it was going and then just called me, told me to check my email, and then hung up. The picture and a few others is what I found waiting for me in my inbox! She's tricky for sure. She finished the bedding in record time I think. I am really excited about how it turned out and quite grateful that my mom was willing to go through the sewing torture to make it happen! Big contribution from Grandma in the baby's room! Thanks MOM!!!!!

Now I just have to wait until December 18th when the family arrives in Seattle to see how it looks in the crib. It will be awesome! Pat is also painting like crazy in the nursery and has finished at least half I would say. I am so thankful for all of the help.

25 week update

I have been a bit of a slacker with my updates lately. Here is a new picture of the growing belly, which is getting more hilarious by the day. I am still really enjoying being pregnant and knowing that there is a little person developing in my ever-growing belly. It seems more and more miraculous every day as I can feel her moving around. Some days she moves so much that I can feel exactly where she is and how long she is with movements on one side of the belly and movements on the other side at the same time. I can also sit in meetings at work and watch my belly moving because she is kicking hard enough that it is visible on the outside. Pat and I had a great time the other night feeling her doing some serious moves. She can really get moving in there. I love the movement and knowing that the Lord created this being that is developing and will some day join our family. We are already in love with our little girl.

In other news, I took the test on Friday that determines whether or not you have developed the pregnancy form of diabetes. Thankfully I have not nor do I have to go back in for the exciting three-hour test. Sigh of relief on that one. There is only so much daytime TV one can stomach while sitting in the waiting room.

I also selected the fabric for the nursery bedding and am thrilled that my mom is making it for me. I now have the paint picked out and my awesome husband is going to paint the nursery, which is not exactly his favorite task though ironically I love to paint and am sad that I can't do the work. Probably not a good idea to have me climbing around on a ladder. I am not blessed with coordination at this point.

I am starting to feel the back pains of pregnancy and feel tired when I have been on my feet too long. I can't imagine what it will feel like when I am really big.

That's about all of the excitement for now though here is the latest from babycenter.com.

"Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture."

22 weeks and our 1 pound little girl

I am at 22 weeks now and only 6 weeks away from the third trimester! My belly seems to be growing every day and my coordination dropping as the belly grows. I am sure both will continue. :) Thankfully I am now craving apples and orange juice though we'll see how long that healthy trend lasts. The latest in the baby preparations is that we bought our stroller! I am pretty excited about it because it will be great for running and trail "hiking" if you can call it that. We are going to have an outdoor friendly baby! I also braved Baby's R Us on Saturday to look at car seats and will never make that mistake again. That place is a mad house!

Here is the latest from babycenter:
At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Nursery- Before Pictures

Alright, here are a few "before" pictures of the nursery. We do have the crib and the dresser in there now but we still have the painting and all of the other decorating left. I spent a sick amount of time looking at fabric today because mom has graciously "volunteered" to make the crib bedding for me! I can't handle all of the girly options available, so I get to pick fabric that I can actually live with which I am quite excited about. Thanks MOM!!!! As soon as I settle on the fabric, I will get to pick out paint, dresser knobs, lamb/shade, and all of that fun stuff. I am looking forward to painting over the yellow and getting a light that doesn't make the room look muddy.

20 weeks and 4 days

Here is a picture from the afternoon that we found out we are having a little girl. It was a beautiful October day.

It's a GIRL!!!

Pat and I just came back from our 20 week ultrasound. We love seeing our little baby moving around on the screen. The baby looks so much more like a little person at this point. We were able to see her little hands and feet and watch her kick. You could see her face a few times and watch her open and close her mouth and eyes. It is hard to believe that there is a little person growing in me. It seems like and is a miracle. I know that God's hand is clearly at work in me creating a new little being. It is a blessing to feel the baby growing and to know that the Lord is in control of her little life even now. God is so good!

We also found out that our little person is a girl! That was a fun experience along with telling all of the family members and listening to them scream. :) I think that it helps make the process feel even more real. Pat and I are going to have a daughter and we love her already! Here are some pictures of our cute little girl.

Belly update

I forgot to include the latest belly photo in my last update, so here it is. It is growing fast but I am trying to keep it under control. Wish me luck! :)

20 weeks and the half way point

I am now officially half way through my pregnancy! The baby is kicking and moving around more and more these days. In fact, Pat felt a good kick last night which was exciting. I can feel the baby moving around at least a few time during the day but most often when I am sitting still in the afternoon at work or in the evening at home. I am sure it will just become stronger and stronger as the weeks progress. I am looking forward to being able to see the movements from the outside.

Pat and I took another hike this weekend up to Blue Lake in the North Cascades. The hike wasn't nearly as long as the last but was about 5.5 miles. It was quite cold but beautiful outside. The larch trees were also bright yellow as you can see from the pictures. It is always great to get out of the city, get a bit dirty, and feel like we got some exercise. I am sad that the hiking season is coming to a close for this year. The trail at the top was fairly icy in spots, so we will need to look for lower level elevation hikes in the weeks to come.

18 week update

A number of fun things have happened over the last week. The most exciting is that I started to feel the baby moving around. It is the greatest experience. I first felt the baby last Wednesday (October 1st) and have been feeling it move every day since. It really feels like there is a little person in there now. It doesn't move often but always seems to move when we are driving or when I am riding the train. Pat and I have decided that it must like roadtrips. We also went to the doctor today and he helped us feel the baby's head through my belly! Now we have to stop ourselves from over doing it and smooshing our baby around whenever we feel like trying to find it. Of course, we have already tried it again twice this afternoon. :)

We also have our next ultra sound scheduled! This is the 20 week ultrasound; 20.3 weeks to be precise. We should be able to find out if our little person is a boy or a girl! Only 17 days left! We are quite excited for that date!

The last piece of news is that the baby is now about 7 ounces and 5.5 inches long.

17 week baby update

Just a quick update from babycenter for week 17. Oh yeah, watch out...our baby weighs 5 ounces now!

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now, and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

17 weeks and a hike

Pat and I went on an amazing hike this past Sunday. The weather was perfect. It was about 70 out and not a cloud in the sky. It was a 9 mile 6000 total elevation change hike with unbelievable views. Definitely my favorite hike that we have ever been on. I've included some pictures from the hike along with updated belly shots. The second picture down is post hike from the parking lot at the Mt. Baker ski area.

Belly at 14.5 weeks and Bozeman, MT

Here is a quick belly update picture. It is about a week old, so about 14.5 weeks.



Pat and I also just got back from visiting with Jai, Sten, and other wonderful Andersons family and friends in Bozeman, MT and we think that the baby liked it out there. Sadly I did not take any pictures actually in Bozeman, but here are a few from our trip out to the bolder river just a few hours outside of Bozeman. Bozeman is quite beautiful! We enjoyed the sun and the landscape and were sad to enter cloudy Seattle this afternoon.

Second Ultrasound Pictures!

Pat and I just got back from our second ultrasound at 14.5 weeks. It was, again, really amazing. It is crazy how much the baby has grown in a few short weeks since the last ultrasound. The baby is about 3.5in now and looks much more like a little person than a little alien. The baby moved around quite a bit during the ultrasound and we saw him/her kicking, punching, rubbing its eyes, and we think even sucking his thumb (picture include to prove our theory). The bottom three pictures are from a 3D ultrasound and Pat and I think that the pictures look like our baby is being molded out of cheese or something. They are pretty fuzzy and harder to decipher than the first traditional picture.

I am back to the dr. on Friday for my ultrasound follow up appointment with my new OB. Hopefully he will let me off of this one appointment per week schedule.

Made it to the Second Trimester!

I made it to the second trimester! Now, it seems, the baby starts growing much faster. That seems very possible given my desire for FOOOOOD. :) We have another ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow, so more baby pictures to come soon.

From Babycenter:
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Pregnancy Cravings

I think that I had my first real crazy pregnancy food craving! I never really eat hot dogs or hamburgers. I enjoy meat just not pulverized and reconjealed meat. :) The last two weeks, however, I have desperately wanted a corn dog! Pat thought this was pretty sick and also thought that I shouldn't go buy a nasty corn dog where ever you buy corn dogs. So, to remedy my issue, I came home last night to my awesome husband making me home made corn dogs! It was hilarious and great fun. Here are some photos to prove it.

Baby Murphy during week 13

I have been a bit of a slacker over the past week and a half, so I will try to catch up and give a few updates this week as I'll have some pictures and a story about the first real pregnancy craving and then our doctor appointment this coming Thursday with the new OB. As for the news for this week, I am in the last week of my first trimester! I would love to say that time is flying by but I count ever day and get excited about the next which I suppose is good. I am also pretty excited about the hilarious growing belly that I am sporting. I have hit the maternity pants pretty hard over the last week, so I am almost out of my normal jeans which I think our baby will be excited about given that it keeps getting smooshed in the small pants. Here is what our little person is up to this week.

From Babycenter:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce.

Baby's Heartbeat

Pat and I just got back from the doctor's office...again. :) This time, we heard the baby's heartbeat! It was pretty cool and crazy. I have to say that the ultrasound wins out because you can actually see the baby but hearing the little person living in there was awesome. More confirmation that this actually is happening!

First Ultrasound

On Friday, Pat and I went in for our first ultrasound! It was absolutely amazing. I really have never seen anything so cool. The visual confirmation that there is a little person growing in me was great. We couldn't believe how much the baby was moving around. The little thing looked like it was doing water aerobics or something. You could also see the little heart beating and it looked like a little flashing light on the screen. It was a great experience. I can't wait to see her again in a few months!

Belly Pictures

Ok, for the peeps requesting pregnant belly pictures, here they are. I finally took some pictures and you can definitely see the belly. There is no arguing that it has gotten bigger over the past few weeks. :) You can't really tell much when I am wearing jeans because the belly gets mashed but the stretchy skirt helps. Anyway, Pat and I went to Port Townsend yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful weather in the NW. We did lots of walking around on the beach and at the fort and had rock throwing contests. It was a good day. Here are some pictures.

Baby at 10 Weeks

A few big dates are coming up. I have my next dr visit on 8/20 and then 8/24 marks 12 weeks! In other news, I did get lined up with an OB doctor, so I will move to that doctor after the visit on 8/20. His name is Dr. Henderson and has something like 100 years of experience. :) My initial visit with Dr. Henderson is Sept. 4th about 2 weeks after my 8/20 visit.

I can definitely tell that my belly is growing though I don't know how noticeable it is through a shirt. I am sure that it will quickly become much more noticeable.

Here are the baby stats for this week (starting last Sunday). The highlights for me included that the baby will grow fingernails this week (shout out to Juno), we hit the "fetal" period, he is kicking somewhere inside my belly, no more finger webbing, and his little mini wrists can bend! It is pretty amazing to read about the progress of our little person and to know that it is the perfect design of the Lord working within my body. It is a blessing to be a steward of such a gift!

From Babycenter.com:
Though he's barely a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Feeling Much Better

Hi Everyone, I just thought that I would post that I am feeling much better these days. That crazy cough is gone which is such a relief. Now I just have the tired and eating thing which is just fine to deal with. I also get to work from home today. The extra sleep and no commute is enough to make my day! 2 weeks until the heartbeat appointment!

Our inch long little baby

Well, here is what is happening with our little baby this week. She (I am just going to pick a random gender with each blog so that I don't have to continue to write he/she) is an inch long now for starters though my belly feels like she must be bigger than that. :) I am also definitely starting to feel the affects of pregnancy more and more. I am still really tired and eat fairly consistently in order to avoid the nauseas feelings. I also managed to add a bad cough to the fun which has made my chest start hurting in the evening. The cough is definitely slowing though not going away and the nurse thinks that I have aggravated my ribs thus the hurting chest. I am thankful that I am feeling well today though!

I will post some more pictures shortly. My good friend Sarah has requested a belly pudge picture, so I will have to comply. :)

From BabyCenter.com
Your new resident is nearly an inch long and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

The Blessing of Friends

Pat and I have a small group through our church that is much more that just a group of people getting together for a bible study. They have quickly become close friends and a huge and important part of our lives. We are so thankful for them and their amazing support as we have started this whole crazy baby thing. One of the most impactful times thus far in our pregnancy was just this Monday. We were hanging out with our small group and our friend Beth suggested that they all lay hands on us and pray for us and the baby, so they all gathered around and prayed for us and our little growing baby. I felt so blessed to have people praying specifically for us. Our baby is so early in development and people are already praying that he/she will be a person who loves and serves the Lord. It was pretty amazing. I am so thankful that the Lord has brought them into our lives. The joy of new life should be shared with friends.

First Dr. Visit

I had my first real dr appointment yesterday! I went great though nothing too exciting. It was super long. They did all of the standard physical exam stuff and then talked to me for about 45 minutes about the myriad of test options available and which are standard. I opted for the middle of the road testing which will happen at 16 weeks. She also talked to me a lot about what the doctor will do and what the appointments are like. Then I gave about a gallon of blood for a bunch of tests for myself.

My next appointment is on Aug. 20 at almost 12 weeks, so we should be able to hear the heart beat then. She also mentioned that they don’t do an ultrasound until 20 weeks unless they think that I am high risk- which I am not at this point. So, the first view of our baby will be in late Oct when we find out if it is a boy or a girl!

The dr also confirmed that my uterus is growing so I can say goodbye to my cute little jeans. :) Bring on the baby pudge! I can say that I have been eating much more than normal. I feel better when I am eating so I just keep eating. Thankfully I have good stuff like fruit, veggies, and yogurt to keep me from eating Specialties cookies al day long. That would be bad news.

Fingers and Toes

Well, we hit 8 weeks today! This next week also brings some crazy changes. Our baby is now the size of a kidney bean and working its way toward the next size mark with is a grape! Here are the development details.

From BabyCenter:
Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby -about the size of a kidney bean- is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Sleepy Time

I think that the biggest change that I have noticed in the first few weeks of pregnancy is the unbelievable desire to sleep all the time! I usually love being active and can't handle sitting still. I am so tired now that every action seems to take so much energy. I guess that means our little baby is growing fast and stealing all my energy! I did, however, have a great weekend in Portland with Jai and Kathy. We had a ton of fun shopping around and eating tasty food. I guess the trick is to power through the sleepy feelings and keep moving. :)

Our baby grows a pancreas this week!

Well, friends, crazy things will be happening inside me this week. I have included all of the details below. It is hard to imagine that all of this growth and development happens in seven short days. There is quite the list of organs developing this week along with our baby's little hand and leg paddles. The Lord is mighty in His accomplishments! I am also starting to feel the affects of our little growing baby because all I really want to do is sleep all day long.

From BabyCenter:
The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

First Baby Outfit

Jai and Sten gave us our first little baby outfit! It is crazy and fun to think that we will have a little person to fill that outfit in 7.5 months! It is also hard to believe that a person that size will fit inside me...I am going to get LARGE.

Baby during week 6

I thought that I would share what our little lentil bean size baby has been up to this week. I'll have something new tomorrow to tell you what is coming in the week ahead. It is pretty amazing stuff that certainly points to the power of our Lord. The design and plan for development is perfect.

From www.babycenter.com

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

Baby Blog

Hi Everyone! Well, the adventure is underway and Pat and I are crazy excited to become parents of our little growing baby. I am starting a blog because my friend Sarah Hanks had a great blog with tons of updates on how she was doing and how the pregnancy was coming along. It was great to watch things progress from so far away, so I would like to do the same for our family and friends. I'll keep you up to date on what is happening with the baby and pictures so that you can all watch me get huge.

So far I just feel unbelievably tired and have no energy but no terrible morning sickness, which I am thankful for.