A 'yee haw' to some favorite Texans!

I have some relatives who are not on facebook. This is shocking, I know, but as they are not on facebook, they have not been able to keep up with us as readily when I get delinquent on the blog. So here's a bump update just for them. Now, go friend us already!





In sequence - 24, 27, 32, 34 weeks

The bump's a growin'

The bump is getting bigger - I think even bigger than it was when Emma was in there - and with it have come a few pregnancies pleasantries (some heartburn, minor swelling on hot days in my fingers and toes, sore back). All in all though, still feeling great, doing well, and loving the experience!

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Boy? or Girl??

We had our ultrasound today and our wiggly little baby is doing great! Measuring a week ahead of schedule and a little mover and a shaker!

Return of the bump

I've been a little delinquent in posting bump pics, here are a few!

Flying in to spring!

It's hard to believe that the days of snow in the forecast are (mostly) behind us. It's been so great to feel spring in the air and see buds on the trees. Emma is loving the opportunities to get outside, her mama is far more willing to be out in the world when it's 40+ than when it's colder! We hunker down for the winter in the Murray household.

Em is working on yet another tooth. Ugh. This process is not fun for anyone, although probably least of all for her. She's working on more and more words, communicating so well, and she can walk backwards - something apparently children should do at 18 months that her mama hadn't noticed when we were at her 18 month appointment.

Baby #2 is growing and changing and should be the size of a lemon right now! We've hit the 2nd trimester-wow! The pregnancy continues to go well and other than being a little more tired, the impact has been minimal. With more friends having more babies, the reality of our changing family is more real and exciting! This Friday we hear the heartbeat for the first time, sooo excited for that!

Emma's getting excited for an upcoming visit from Grammy & Oscar and then a summer with more time with daddy. My how she loves her daddy time! It's been fun to hear him talking about scheduling play dates and activites for their days together as he usually has less opporunity to do so.

So there you have it folks! A brief check-in from the Murrays. Pictures will hopefully come soon. :o)

What a difference 10 weeks makes!

16 weeks, 3 days

26 weeks, 5 days

Each week when I upload a new picture, I look back at the weeks before. It now seems so funny to me that by 12 weeks I felt I really had a 'bump' to speak of! Yes, there was a little something there, but now that seems like a tic tac compared to what's going on. (And I imagine that in 10 more weeks, I'll be feeling similarly.) It's amazing to me how my body is changing to accomdate this growing baby.

We're at our last day of the 2nd trimester. Yup, tomorrow marks the end of the 6th month and entry to the final leg of this race. How incredible is that?? The time is just flying! *I hope I still feel that way in sticky Minnesota heat this summer.*

Everything continues to go well. This week I've had a better sense of which little body parts may be where. I had either a butt, head, or foot (but probably one of the first two) right below my right ribs most of the day yesterday. That makes it harder to bend or lean over, even to easily/comfortably get to my plate when I'm eating at times.

On Monday I had the privelege of meeting Ms. Peyton Surgeon when I took her parents dinner. It was incredible to hold such a tiny little baby and think that there is one like that growing inside of me, just waiting for the right time to be placed in my arms. I'm not sure I'll ever hold our baby in my arms when (s)he is quite as small as Peyton, after a week in the world she was up to a whopping 5 lb 13 oz, but whatever the size of Baby Murray when (s)he makes her/his appearance, (s)he will no doubt seem tiny! We'll know soon enough!

5 down 4 to go

Months that is. Holy cow! 5 May marked the end of the 5th month. It's hard to believe that Baby Murray's ETA is 4 months from now. It feels like there is still a ton to do (we haven't even thought much about the baby's room or done more that perused Babies R Us, plus I'm studying for licensure and Steve is rarely home as he's busy working and getting the rental ready). I guess this is like hide-and-seek, ready or not, the baby will come!

This morning I have my echocardiogram to see how my heart is adjusting to the pregnancy. I'm confident things will be fine, but I guess you never know. I believe the only adjustment to make would be taking antibiotics during delivery, which may cause me to butt up against my desire to be able to move about if they make me have them through an IV. Hopefully that would be negotiable. I generally head in to my md appointments, let her know things are fine, and leave without asking questions. This month though I plan on heading in with quite the list to get a better understanding of hospital restrictions and regulations for the birth process. I've even had a few dreams about my concerns and admimentally told my mom in one that I absolutely do not want Pit. She got the picture. :o)

Here are a few pictures of the bump from the past few days.

22 w 1 d, getting ready to study outside


The baby kept me smiling in spite of the EPPP as (s)he was quite wiggly!


Cooking with my baby. (**Sorry that so many of these pictures come with a direct shot of my arm pit, seems weird to me. . .**)

The early bird feels the kick

Last night at 8 pm, Steve and I were both lamenting about how tired we were. We had both worked at the rental (I painted in the upstairs, he slaved away on the forever bathroom project), plus run other errands, made dinner, studied, and started the day with church/clients. He looked over at me with a twinkle in his eye and suggested we head upstairs and. . . GO TO SLEEP! Ya hoo! Got ready for bed, read the baby a story, and Steve was out. I read a bit longer and then crashed early too. His 4 am wake up still probably wasn't his favorite, but it couldn't have been as bad as it is when we go to bed at 10.

Anyway, so I somewhat woke up at 4 when he did, but stayed in bed trying to get back to sleep. This usually is not a problem for me, but I guess since I'd already been sleeping for 7 hours, it was a little more difficult. By about 5:30 I was resigned to the fact that it was about time to wake up, so I propped myself up and sat with my hands on my belly. I could feel the baby moving around and for the first time was able to feel a kick strong enough that my hand could feel it too! It's amazing to me that the baby is already getting strong enough to have noticable movement!

For Ellie!

One of my best friends has been asking for a forward shot to get better perspective on the bump. :o) I'm curious how "obvious" people see it as... Post comments please!!

In other news, I think (am pretty sure) I felt the baby move a few times this week. The more I talk with other friends/moms, the more convinced I am. Pretty cool and makes me want more!! (Movement that is, not more kids at this point.) I'm excited for when it is strong enough for Steve to feel too, that'll be a new way of experiencing this whole process.

Transitioning past "it"

When we first found out we were pregnant (or rather I was pregnant, Steve dealing with me being pregnant. . . That expression has always seemed so funny to me and here I use it. I digress. . . ), he immediately began referring to "it" as "the baby" or "he or she". I, on the other hand, said "it" and when he would correct me, I would say we don't know what "it" is, so "it's it". No biggie. My mom corrected me, got the same response. Not a bad thing I don't think, I'm thrilled to be pregnant (most of the time) and absolutely thrilled with the idea of having a child, but initially "it" seemed like the correct pronoun.

That shifted a few weeks ago and a friend noticed that tonight - not the shift persay, but the "decision" to not refer to our baby as "it". And come to think of "it", I think the transition happened after hearing the heart beating for the first time a few weeks ago. We had gotten a picture of our baby at 9 w 4 d, which was amazing, but maybe there's something to actually hearing that little body inside of me working hard that did "it" for me. So now I have to use two pronouns "he or she"/"his or hers", etc. to refer to my baby. A few extra words a day, but it seems worth it.

**There was a day when I called the baby "she" and Steve cautioned me on this, so I am working at using both genders rather than settling in to the idea of one or the other since we are absolutely hoping for one or the other.**

Funny how these things happen along the way, without any conscious thought or decision.



15 w 4 d - and yes, it does look like I'm practicing mindfulness by roaming my house, taking pictures of my belly while brushing my teeth. Don't tell my clients!



15 w 5 d

It's a LEMMON!

Ok, so the baby's really the size of a lemon (yes, I do know how to spell. . . at least some words) this week according to "thebump.com". But that's not my point.

My point is that my grandma's maiden name was Lemmon. We had family reunions called Lemmon Squeezes where we'd get together with members of extended family and do great things like paint a giant lemon on a street in NE and slide down old fire escapes. It's a pretty fun last name to play with and I believe my grandma and great aunt Ruby once punched a boy for making fun it, so watch what you say!

I like the idea that this week the baby is the size of a lemon as it's size has brought with it great memories of time spent with family. Hopefully this baby will have a chance to learn lots about his/her family, Lemmons and all.

Maternity clothes & reality check

Friday after work I went and spent some time with my friend Melissa and her adorable daughter Sonja (oh yeah, and the crazy Roco!). Melissa was nice enough to let me go through her maternity clothes to borrow what might work for me. Such a nice thing as clothes continue to get tighter. **Thursday at work I was crazy uncomfortable even with my band and my skirt unbuttoned, and eventually unzipped after lunch.** I feel like I am getting so big and yet I had a bit of a reality check when I came home and tried things on. This belly has a long way to go before it's done!

Right now I feel a bit stuck in between, but I doubt that'll last for too long. Any predictions on when the belly really 'pops'?

**Oh, and I really need to learn not to brag or get ahead of myself. Last night I got sick before bed. 1st time in a full week and almost 1 day, but I guess that is still a huge improvement and if it happens from time to time, I'm still grateful it's not every stinkin' day!**

We made it!

To the 2nd trimester that is! Today is the day. My doctor explained to me that the 5th of each month will mark the end of that month of pregnancy, and since my baby's due in the 9th month, it makes it really easy. So today, 3-5, is officially the end of the 3rd month and the start of the 2nd trimester. Welcome to it baby! Time to grow even more and stop making mommy sick! (Still going strong with that record although last night I thought I pushed the envelop a little too far. . .)

And here's a picture for this week. I think it looks smaller, but maybe not. I am still able to fasten my jeans and not need my band, although yesterday I wore it after I took the picture because a belt was uncomfortable and I didn't trust them to keep themselves up. :o)