We Are Homeowners!

It is official...

The journey and process of buying our first home came to a successful end today!

We are homeowners and are totally blessed by the opportunity to own such a beautiful house!

Below is a picture of the house that I took back in April. I will post more pictures later this week...

While, overall, the house is in good, liveable condition, it still needs a great deal of TLC. With the close arrival of baby girl, we're taking our time moving into the new house. Tomorrow we'll be having the house cleaned, carpets cleaned and then Ray will start painting and repairs. Next week floors will be refinished and we'll go from there.

We are very excited and I can't wait until we get fully moved in and settled!

Thanks to all those who have been praying for us through the season of looking for and purchasing a home. It's been quite the journey and Ray and I are very, very grateful for all those who were involved!

She's A Mini Watermelon...Week 39!

Today I am 39 Weeks! Baby Girl could be here any day!

39 Weeks

39 Weeks

Fun Baby Facts:

Baby girl continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (My doctors think she's actually a little bit on the smaller side...more like 6 pounds instead of 7...we will find out soon!) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath. All of her organs are developed and in place.

How Am I Doing/What's New This Week?

Besides swelling in my hands and feet, I'd have to say that I'm feeling pretty good. I'm tired and the simple daily tasks are getting harder and harder, but I'm still capable of doing mostly everything I need to do.

This past Thursday I started working from home. This has been really great! I mean, who can complain about working from home, in bed, with my PJ's on!? I'm really blessed that I've got great support at work, that they are allowing me to work from home right now!

Ray's mom is also here right now. She's been a huge blessing...cleaning, doing laundry, packing boxes, even cooking! While, to be honest, I get REALLY frustrated about people doing things for me and telling me to sit and take it easy, it's been great to have the option to relax!

We are closing on our new house this week. YEAH!!!! We were scheduled to close on Monday, but it's been pushed back to either Tuesday or Wednesday. I can't believe we're going to be homeowners this week!!!! It's been a long process, so we are super excited that it's about to be over! I'll post pictures later this week, once we have the keys to the house. As ready as we are for baby girl to come, we're hoping she holds off until after we close this week.

Last night our good friends, Dana & Jessica, welcomed into the world, their newest addition - Gavin James.

Gavin James, Born 6:58pm
7 lbs 3 oz, 19 inches long

That's all for now...I'll give a quick update in a few days, after close on the house and after my doctors appoint Tuesday morning...

Blessings,
Ray, Summer & Baby Girl

She's A Leek...Week 38!

Today I am 38 weeks and baby girl is close to the size of a leek (in length).

38 Weeks

38 Weeks

Fun Baby Facts:

Baby girl has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp and her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

How Am I Doing?

I can't believe that I've been doing these weekly updates for 21 weeks now. And even more, I can't believe that baby girl will be here sometime in the next few weeks.

I'm still continuing to have really bad heartburn in the evenings and sometimes in the mornings. My weekly doctor's appointments have been going well. At last weeks appointment I was only 50% effaced with no dilation yet. My next appointment is tomorrow morning - we shall see if there's been any progress. The swelling in my hands and feet have continued to be really bad too. Many days, by early afternoon, I have to take my rings off and you can't see the bones in my ankles.

This past Saturday Ray surprised me and took me to Wolf Trap to see Cats. Wolf Trap is an amazing venue - all outside. The stage itself is covered...sort of like a pavilion. This was our first time going to Wolf Trap. It was a hot day, but we had a great time!

View from our seats before the show started...

Last week I also did the second part of out maternity photo shoot. Our photographer, Heather of Captiva Photography, did an amazing job (as usual)! This weekend she finished processing our photo's. She posted many of our pictures on her blog. Click here to view them.

Here's just a few of some of the ones we love...(It's going to be so hard to pick which ones to have developed because they all turned out amazing!)...

Ray and I really wanted to represent the city we live in through our pictures...I'd say the above picture definitely portrays where we live!

At the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument in the background..

Me at the Lincoln Memorial...

This one is on the lawn at the Capitol...

Also on the lawn of the Capitol with the Washington Monument in the background...

Me in the most amazing field that Heather found just for the second part of my photo shoot!

That's all for this week. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer and closer to baby girl to join us!

Blessings,
Ray, Summer & Baby Girl

Melon & Chard? Week 36 & 37 Update!

So, this weeks post is a two in one post...A little about last week and a little about this week...

Last week baby girl was 36 weeks and weighed around that of a Crenshaw Melon. This week she's 37 weeks and (from head to toe) is around the size of a stalk of Swiss Chard.

37 Weeks

37 Weeks

Fun Baby Facts - Week 36:

Baby girl is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Baby girl swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

Fun Baby Facts - Week 37:

As of this week, I am now considered "full term". While I still have three weeks to go, if baby girl were to come early, she'd be just fine. Baby girl weighs approximately 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

How Am I Doing?

I am continuing to slow down a little more and more every day. The intensity of my heartburn has gradually gotten worse. Some days it's just plain intolerable. Last night I was up until 2am with heartburn. I am now going to my doctor every week, until baby girl is born. My next appointment is tomorrow morning. I am still working, but hopefully not for too much longer. Baby girl is still extremely active. Every night Ray and I lay in bed with our hands on my belly so we can feel her move around...it's really, really amazing. Her movements are often so drastic that you can actually see my belly move with her movements.

This past weekend Ray and I were so blessed by a few of our friends...we were given a lot of baby clothes!

Me amongst all the clothes for baby girl...

We are continuing to prepare for baby girls arrival...things on the "To Do" list for this week - pack our hospital bags and put the car seat in the car.

We can't believe that baby girls due date is three weeks from today...AHHHH!!!!

Until next week...

Blessings,
Ray, Summer & Baby Girl

Just for Fun!

This is just for fun...

I went to the grocery store tonight to pick up a few things for dinner; as well as, a watermelon (I've been craving watermelon like CRAZY!)...When I got home Ray realized that the watermelon was the same size as my belly!

While baby girl is NOT the size of a watermelon yet, it sure looks like my belly is!

36 Weeks, 3 Days

She's A Honeydew...Week 35 Update!

I'm a little late on last weeks update....

Last week I was 35 Weeks and baby girl weighs approximately the size of a Honeydew...

35 Weeks, 5 Days
I'm at Great Falls, VA with Ray and my dad

Fun Baby Facts:

Baby girl doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in my womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

What's New This Week/How Am I Doing?


This past week I struggled with a lot of swelling in my feet, ankles and lower legs. I had to make two extra trips to the doctors office to have my blood pressure taken and to do an extra urine sample. Because the swelling was so bad and it was significantly worse in my right leg and foot, I was actual experiencing pain and some numbness in my lower legs. My doctor was concerned with whether I was developing preeclampsia. Luckily I am not showing any other signs of it, other than the swelling. Part of this probably has to do with my inability to sit down and relax, so I've been instructed to "take a chill pill and take it easy".

This past weekend my dad flew in for a super quick trip to see Ray and I (and, as he said, "summer's huge belly"). It was great to see him...wish his trip had been longer. While he was here we went out to Great Falls for a few hours to enjoy the beautiful weather and eat some yummy sandwiches. It was really, really HOT on Saturday, so I walked from the parking lot to the three views of the falls and headed back to the car to sit in the shade and eat some food. Ray and dad continued on and went for a little hike before coming back to the car to eat.

Me and Dad at Great Falls

Ray and I at Great Falls

After we went to Great Falls, we stopped at the store and dad bought some amazing Porterhouse steaks that Ray could cook on the grill...They were so scrumptious!!!

Last week I started sleeping on the floor. I am beyond the point of being able to get comfortable and bless my poor husband who has patiently put up with my constant tossing and turning and my ups and downs to the bathroom. One night I was so frustrated that I moved to the floor. I was actually able to get comfortable - I piled up my pillows around me and fell asleep. The spot between the wall and the bed, on the floor, has been my spot for over a week now. Every night I do try to fall asleep in bed, but I just can't get comfortable, so it's back to the floor I go. It makes getting up to go to the bathroom a bit more difficult, but it's worth the comfort!

The other fun thing that went on this past week was that Ray and I did a maternity photo shoot with our amazing friend/photographer Heather. We did our photo shoot in downtown DC at the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol. I am so excited to see how they turned out!!!!! Heather will also be photographing our daughters birth AND she's going to do newborn pictures of baby girl when she's a few days old. WOW! That's a lot...we love you Heather! I can't wait to see all these pictures! I promise we will share them as we get them.

And finally, we found out last week that we finally have the bank approval on the house we are buying...we've been waiting for just shy of two months for the sellers' bank to approve our offer. We FINALLY have it! Now, we are waiting for some paperwork to sign; as well as, our home inspection and appraisal. AND hopefully we will close by the end of this month. Nothing like trying to close on a house and have a baby all in the next 30 days!

Well, I think that about sums up the last week for us. There's been a lot going on and we're just about ready for baby girl to come...we've got about 28 days to go!

Until next week...be blessed!

Love,
Ray, Summer & Baby Girl