20 weeks...HALF WAY!!!

We are now half way there! It is hard to believe how fast these first 20 weeks have gone, and crazy to think that in another 20 weeks we will have a baby!!! Time flies when you're havin' fun, right?! I have had some requests to post a belly pic, so here you go...I have just started to pop out in the last couple of weeks. I know I'm only going out from here...thanks so much for all of your prayers and support! Our baby girl is now about the length of a banana (10 inches from head to heel) and weighs 10.5 oz. I have felt little flutters and they only seem to be getting stronger. It is the most amazing feeling in the world! We are so excited to share our baby girl with you.

It's a GIRL!!! We think.....

At our ultrasound today the tech told us she is 90% sure we are having a GIRL!!!!! She said she didn't see any boy parts, but because our little one was so squirmy, she couldn't get a good picture of her girl parts either, so she didn't want to say she was 100%. Everything else looked great...all the organs and body parts, so we are just so thankful. We actually get to have another ultrasound in 4 weeks because they couldn't get a clear view of her spine...and I think they used that as a little excuse to give us another look at the genitalia to hopefully give us a 100%! We were so excited for the news that we went out to dinner to celebrate and then straight to Target to buy a cute little pink outfit and shoes!

Here are some pics...like I said, our baby girl was moving around a lot so we weren't able to get a good 3-D image, but we still got some cute regular ones. For most of the ultrasound she was in a pretzel position with her feet and arms up by her face! The tech just kept laughing at her position...it was so much fun to see our little munchkin. We are in love!!!

Please Pray for Justus

I have posted on here before about our friends Andy and Sarah who had their son, Justus, 10 weeks early. Justus has been on quite the rollercoaster ride since his entrance into the world from being in the NICU, to Intermediate Care, to having to have 2 different surgeries to get a temporary and then a permanent shunt put into his brain to drain spinal fluid...to finally being able to go home.

Well, we are asking for your continued prayers for Justus and his family. About a week or so ago Sarah noticed Justus's head not looking quite right, so they took him into the ER. He ended up having to have surgery this past Wednesday, I believe, to fix the valve in his shunt. Post-surgery he got a fungal infection, and after a couple days of the new valve working correctly, the shunt stopped working. Yesterday, he had to have yet another surgery (making 4 so far for little Justus) to take the shunt out for a couple of days to try to clear out the infection. The antifungal medicine they have to give him is very harsh and can have severe side effects, but at this point there is no other option as they need to clear out the infection.

Please pray for Justus in this time...for healing that the infection would be cleared, and that they can get the shunt working again when the time is right, and that the antifungal won't have ANY bad side effects on Justus. This is the most difficult trial Sarah and Andy have had to face, as you can imagine...please keep them in your prayers. Thanks so much!

19 weeks

So, every week I get an email about what is happening with the baby and the changes going on inside of me...and I got this picture today that just makes me laugh. The ironic thing about this picture is I remember when Sarah Murphy got it at work and showed me when she was 19 weeks and we laughed about it then, which seems like yesterday...and now they have Easton! Our baby is 6 inches long (think 6" Subway sandwich...mmm that sounds good right about now) and weighs about 8.5 ounces...but I CAN'T believe Baby Lindo is as squished as this picture makes it look! GEEZ! I guess we will find out in 5 more days when we have our ultrasound and get to take a peek!!!

Easton Dean

Our good friends Sarah (who I work with at United Way) and Josh welcomed a baby boy into the world on Saturday, January 17. Easton Dean was 7 lbs 11 oz and 19 inches long. He is SUCH a handsome boy! We are so excited for the Murphy's and know they are going to make WONDERFUL parents. They are also the parents of one of Koda's best dog friend, Cabela. :)

Jordan & the #1 Fan

On Friday Chris and I went to watch our cousin, Jordan, play a basketball game against Whitman in Walla Walla, which is only about 45 minutes from the Tri-Cities. She sunk a couple three pointers and is absolutely amazing. We love her and are so proud of her. We also got to experience Whitman's #1 fan...a guy that changes hats/masks every time-out after he does a dance to the time-out music. He kept us very entertained and he definitely is a crowd favorite. GO LUTES!

#1 Fan...

Micky Mouse Ensemble

The Mask...who doesn't love to watch a basketball game in one of these?!?

Wee Monster

We came home today to find the cutest surprise! Our cousin, Angie (from the Linderman side) sent Baby Lindo a shirt from Scotland. She has been teaching in London and traveling around Europe. We miss her so much and think she is the sweetest! THANKS ANG...We love you!

Crib!

After much searching, we found a crib! My parents were in town this weekend and it was so great to have two other opinions to help us in our search. It is a sleigh style convertible crib that adjusts into a toddler bed and then a full size bed as our baby grows. The store we finally bought it in had the crib in stock and on sale so we thought it was meant to be. Chris put it together today (his first "Daddy" project), so our nursery is finally starting to take shape! The next step is to find a mattress and bedding...but we won't get bedding until we find out if we are having a boy or a girl (on Jan. 26!). It is really an unbelievable feeling. We keep finding ourselves going into the nursery to look at the crib and imagine what it will be like to have a baby in there in 5 months!

17 Weeks!

I am 17 weeks today...we are almost halfway there! I am feeling great overall, have started to get my energy back a bit, and am just so anxious for a number of things...first of all, to really start showing! I will probably regret saying that in about a month or so when I am feeling really large and in charge, but the other night Chris was all frustrated and said, "YOU DON'T EVEN LOOK PREGNANT! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START SHOWING?!?" I told him, don't worry...once I POP I won't stop! :) I am just getting tired of being in the in-between phase, of having my pants getting tighter, but not being popped out enough to show...oh, what girls go through! The other thing I am anxious for is to start feeling our baby move. I have read I should start feeling the baby anytime between now and 20 weeks and I CAN'T WAIT! And finally, the last thing I am anxious for is to find out if we are having a boy or a girl! Our 20 week ultrasound, where we will find this out (as long as Baby Lindo cooperates), is on Monday, January 26...that's right, only 19 more days (but who's counting)!!!

And just in case you were wondering...our baby is now about the size of a turnip or baked potato at 5 inches long and 5 oz in weight. Our baby's weight will increase approximately 6 times over the next four weeks. Our baby's ears are developing and is practicing sucking and swallowing. We love Baby Lindo so much already!