Patrick Murphy's Pregnancy Photo Studio

Pat has photo skills and did a pregnancy photo shoot in our garage/makeshift studio with a bunch of lights, reflectors, and a massive backdrop. The neighbors probably thought we were crazy with the bright flashes coming from our house. We had a lot of fun capturing the massive belly on film and Pat even got in on the shoot. He is partially responsible for the belly after all. Here are two shots. Hopefully the exposed belly doesn't freak anyone out.

35 weeks

I have now hit 35 weeks! That means 5 weeks to go until the due date and only 2 weeks until I am full term! I am threatening to start jumping jacks and lunges as soon as I hit the full term mark. Baby Murphy should be right around 5 pounds at this point and is quite active. She seems to stay in about the same position though just does a lot of shuffling and kicking around. She also seems to get the hiccups every day still, which is pretty funny.

I made the big trip to BabysRUs this past week to pick up the rest of the basic stuff we will use right after she is born. Good grief, little people require a lot of stuff and that stuff is all over packaged in an unbelievable amount of plastic. I think that I carried in three massive bags into the house and one massive bag of trash out after unpacking all of the stuff. By the way, any recommendations on diaper brands to use? I got a pack of the Seventh Generation Baby brand, which is supposedly better for the environment. I am hoping they work as well as other brands.

That is about all of the baby excitement for now. My next dr. appointment is this coming Friday which, as always, I am excited about. I'll post an update after that appointment.

Future Mom and Dad

I realized that I hardly have any pictures of Pat and I together on the blog because he is always the one taking the pictures, so I thought I would post an update with us together and one with Pat showing his pushed out mocking pregnant belly. ;) Pat has been an amazing support throughout the pregnancy and we have so much fun talking about our little girl and feeling her move around. Pat is also fond of talking to her through the belly button microphone. If she takes after her dad, she is definitely going to be a hilarious spaz!

The best baby shower

Yesterday was a great day! Rachael and Jai did an amazing job of putting together a baby shower for me and little Murphy. I was so honored that Jai and Rach would go to all of the work to plan, organize, and prepare for the shower. It was beautiful. They are both very creative and everything was perfect. I was so grateful to see my friends together in the last few weeks of pregnancy and know that I have such a solid group of people around me to support me. I am thankful for each one of them and how the Lord has brought them into my life. Pat and I are unbelievably blessed to have so many people willing to be a part of our lives. It is encouraging to know that each one of these girls care about our new little baby and want to be a part of the experience with us.

During the shower, I got lots of great advice and encouragement along with a few hideous name suggestions for our little girl. ;) One of the games was a contest to see who could come up with the best baby name using only letters from my first and last name. I have to say that they were...um...creative! You guys have serious issues! I am also stocked up on some pretty awesome baby gear and hand made presents which I included pictures of below because I know that these took a lot of time and love to make. So, shout out to all of the knitters and Rachael for the greatest onsies one could hope for.




Pat also had a surprise pizza and beer guys night up on Capitol Hill with a bunch of friends. We spent well over an hour this morning talking about our nights and how thankful we are for our friends and our little girl that they helped us celebrate last night. We can't wait until she joins us and we can kiss her little pudgy baby cheeks.

33.5 week check up

I just had my 33.5 week check up and all is looking good. Nothing too exciting to report today but the baby is head down which is great and she is facing to the side for now, so I hope that she decides to rotate her little face down for easier laboring. Right now she seems to enjoy sticking her rear out to one side and her feet out to the other, which makes for some interesting belly pressure. It is pretty funny to watch though. She also seems to get the hiccups on a fairly regular basis. She is still on track for March 8th and 7.5 pounds. Her heartbeat was normal along with all of my stats like weight and blood pressure. My next appointment is February 6th, which will be just shy of 36 weeks! After that appointment, I start seeing the doctor every week until I deliver. I can't believe that we only have 6.5 weeks to go! Pat and I talk every day about our little daughter and how we can't wait for her to join our family!

33 weeks

I am now just one day shy of 33 weeks pregnant! That is 4 weeks from full term and 7 weeks from the due date. Some days it feels close and other days it feels like March will never come. Pat and I went to our second and final birth class. We went to the first class last Saturday for 4 hours and then again this morning for four hours. The information was great and I am sure that the different pain management suggestions will come in handy. It also helped to solidify how I would like to manage the pain though I know that the birth process isn't something that you have the luxury of controlling. The class also provided a good dose of humor, as I can't exactly make it through the practice breathing with a class full of people without laughing. Pat is going to a great job as my labor partner. I also realized how much work he will have in the whole process. I have to deal with the pain from the contractions but he has to be the encourager, which will be a tough job too.

I am starting to think about all of the prep stuff that I should get done before the baby comes like washing her clothes, packing my bag, making sure that I have all of the essentials, and making food that I can freeze and then we can easily heat up after she is born. I get to take a few days off in early February, which will be a good time to get those things done.

My next dr. appointment is this coming Thursday and I am looking forward to it. It is nice to go in every two weeks at this point just to see how things are progressing. If nothing else, it makes me feel like we are getting closer to meeting our little girl. The dr. appointments are really quick but the doctor always tells me the position of the baby which I love and, of course, listening to the heartbeat is always fun.

Dr. Visit- nearly 32 weeks

I had my first appointment back with my OB today. My previous two months have been with PAs. I was reminded how much I like my doctor and am very thankful that I ended up with him. The appointment was fairly quick but he did have a few things to say that I found encouraging and interesting.

1. If the baby continues to grow as she is, and is born on the due date, she will weigh around 7.5lbs. I am thankful that I don't have a baby on its way to 10lbs! ;)

2. The due date still appears to be correct and I am measuring two days shy of 32 weeks which is spot on.

3. I have the option to induce if I am one week past my due date and he won't let me go past March 22nd (two weeks past the due date).

4. What I thought was my baby's head is actually her back and what I thought was her butt is her knees ...not so good with the baby parts game I guess. The good news is that she is heads down, for now, though, per the dr., you can't count on the baby staying in the same spot until 4 weeks from the due date. That said she seems to have been in the same spot for a few weeks now. I did guess the location of the feet correctly. Those are hard to miss when they kick you.

My next appointment is on January 22nd just two weeks from now. I am enjoying the appointments because I get to hear her heartbeat and talk about the delivery. Only 8 short...er..long weeks to go!

Here are a bunch of pictures from Christmas time.


Still not clear on how the little person is going to fit in there!

Waiting on little baby kicks.

Mom and I out at lunch with Craig and Lindsey.


Kaitlyn, Lindsey, and Solveig on Christmas morning.

All the siblings together!

Pat and I on Christmas Eve.

Pat, the baby, and I :)