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!

BOOM!

I started counting last night and we know of 35 babies entering the world in 2011. Some have already made their appearances, others are anxiously being awaited. We are THRILLED to be among such great company as we wait for the arrival of the newest Murray in October (the 14th is the guess date). We think Emma's going to be a great big sister and we're so excited for this baby to have so many playmates! (And with more time left in the year for announcements, our number may reach 40 - wowzers!)


*Grammy made the awesome announcement shirt - it says "Whoooo's the best big sister?!"

Over due?

39 weeks 1 day

39 weeks 2 days

39 weeks 4 days

Good thing this baby's not a library book or we'd be starting to rack up the fees! The due date came and went on Saturday with no real excitement (outside of a Mac football game and some Izzy's ice cream). I may be the loan patient hold out, still feeling good and perfectly content to wait for this baby to decide it's time. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to meeting our kiddo, just content to follow his/her lead.

1 day or 1 month

38 weeks and 2 days - check out that foot (?) pushing it's way up!

38 weeks 4 days - getting ready to head out to take the PRE, which I found out this weekend I passed!

19 weeks later. . .

A beautiful day in the pregnant-hood

I have had a few really sweet moments with strangers in this pregnacy. One a few weeks ago when a little boy, maybe about 3, looked at me and got SOOO excited, loudly exclaiming "Mommy! That lady has a baby in her tummy!"

Today I had two such run-ins and I thought they were great. First, after work I stopped at Chipolte to pick up some chips & guac before heading to the grocery store (it's dangerous to shop on an empty stomach you know). The kid who helped me seemed all of 16 and asked if the baby was getting close. I said yes and he was all smiley and nice, wishing me luck as I left. I left with an excited smile. :o)

Then at Target, the guy who checked me out was very cautious of not making my bags too heavy (which I really appreciate since so many of them just load me up, especially when I bring my canvas bags). He too seemed really excited and commented that he has one "just like me" at home (his accent sounded African to me). His wife is due a week after me and he was impressed that I was still out and about. Then he asked me not to work too hard and again left me with a big smile.

I have had no random stranger belly incidents, just really pleasant well wishes, which I have thoroughly enjoyed!

(**Oh, and by the way, I also got excited at Target when I bought peaches and thought of how I'll get to read James and the Giant Peach to this baby some day - those things are going to be the best!**)

Full Term

That's right folks. Today marks 37 weeks and if baby Murray would arrive today (which we know (s)he wouldn't dare since Gma Wilson's tickets were booked for the 29th), (s)he would have made it to the finish line!

Here are some pics from the last week and the ever growing bump. . . First two 36 weeks 2 days, last one 36 weeks 4 days

Rightie Tightie

The baby shows a definite preference from my right side. Sometimes, like last night, this is incredibly obviously. After a staff meeting yesterday, a woman I worked with even commented on it - and she had been sitting across the room! I get a huge kick out of this funny shaped belly! (And I'm curious if this has any correlation to future handedness. . .)

*Both pictures are from 33 weeks, 4 days*

Hump day

Wednesdays are my day for catch - and if you saw our house, you'd be convinced I definitely need this day! Last Wednesday was my grandpa's funeral, so some of the weekly tasks didn't get done. Couple that with a busy weekend filled with birthing class and friends and I think I could use a whole week!!

Steve is still busy in the basement, spending almost all of his time out of work down there. Windows are installed, initial plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and framing inspections are passed, insullation is done (I think), and drywalling is well underway. Phew. Does that wear you out? It does me! Our friends Doug, Janel, and Peyton stopped by Saturday evening. Doug helped Steve get the insullation in and Janel, Peyton, and I hung out. We so appreciate the help!!

Here are a few pictures of the progress. The goal is for the drywall/mudding to be finished this weekend, at which point he'll turn his focus to completely finishing our bedroom down there. That'll allow us to move down to the basement so he can come out of the dungeon in to the attic so to speak to put down the new floors up there. (Then back to the basement for the bathroom, family room, and laundry room. It will be SOOO nice when it's finished!)

Home Depot Delivery - it was quite impressive!
Basement window insullation. Hopefully these will keep creepy crawlers out!
Surveying the bedroom.
Bedroom with insullation & partial ceiling
Future family room - Emmit is acting as tour guide


In addition to basement remodel, we've still got baby growth! Here are a few recent pictures. The bump is growing!



32 weeks, 5 days


33 weeks - with Gma Wilson. My dad gets back this coming Monday for some basement help prior to his trip up Nort', 'eh, so we'll have to get a picture of him with the bump!

Troll Feet

I've heard them referred to as "sausage toes" and "Pillsbury Dough Boy feet," but in our house, they're troll feet. The lovely, swollen effect of pregnancy at the end of the day. For me, my left foot falls victim more severely than my right - I've heard that it's because the baby hangs out on my right, thus limiting the amount of fluid that can get down in to my right leg. Who knows. I thought I'd share a picture though - this isn't even at their worst as they'd been elevated, but it shows the difference between right and left. Lovely, huh??



In other news, Grandma Wilson was visiting recently. We took tons of pictures of our exciting visit, or just one the morning she left. Whatever. :o) We had a great, relaxing time. Had the visit down to see my grandpa, spent a lot of time knitting, and just enjoyed time together. I didn't even put her to work on the office as intended since I'd done such a good job myself. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to have an early morning picture of the 3 of us, but we've gotta get at least one recent one of the bump with his/her gma!



Finally, this week has been very exciting for the Murrays. We got a huge delivery of basement stuff from Home Depot, Steve passed the electrical inspection, and I passed the EPPP!!!!! Oh happy day! It is a huge relieft to know that I won't need to focus on that after the baby is born, or ever again for that matter. Hooray! That was a wonderful letter to come home on Thursday night, especially lafter we used my possible failing as an example of still accepting ourselves in situations like that. Now I get to come in and say I'm not a failure, so there! ;o)

(I had planned on using it as a wonderful example in the journal I'm keeping for the baby about how things like this don't determine our self worth, we'll love him/her in spite of any hiccups/"failures" along the way, what's important is that you did your best, blah blah blah. I did give that speech the day before I took the test - but upon finding out was able to just say "your mommy passed!" Much more fun.)

Just a few hurdles left and I'll get to add mommy and L.P. to my title!


31 weeks, 4 days, a front view

31 weeks, 4 days

Falling Behind

29 weeks 4 days

Week 29 was another one that zipped by. Work was busy, hormones were fluctuating -there were tears over moving furniture around in the house because I got confused. Sigh.

30 weeks with the soon-to-be 96-year-old Great Grandpa Keenan

Saturday my mom and I went down to Stewartville to spend some time with my grandpa. The drive wore me out and I ended up napping for part of the time, but it was good to see him and talk with him about the baby. I may not get back down before the baby comes due to work and weekend commitments followed by travel limits in August, so it's crazy to think that the next time I see him may be with a baby. Wow. He turned 96 on Tuesday, just 4 years 'til Willard Scott will wish him happy birthday.


30 weeks 4 days

And here we get to today. Again, not a ton has been going on. My mom is in town, which is great, but it's been too fast, as usual. Work gets in the way on visits, it's hard to juggle everything. I ended up getting myself motivated enough to do a lot of office purging before she got here, so she wasn't subjected to that. She did order the fabric for our diaper bag though and I am super excited, it will be very cute!! We spent time knitting (I finished a special project I've been working on for my nephew since October - now to get to the post office), watched a few movies, ran some errands, and enjoyed time with each other as well as other friends & family. She heads back Friday, but like I said, work gets in the way and our time is coming to an end. She'll be back up the last week in August, right before the arrival of Baby Murray. Hard to believe how quickly that'll be here!

Read to me. Please.

With Baby Murray's Minneapolis Public Library onsie ("Read to me. Please.")
(I think the baby weight is really showing in this one!)



In spite of the fact that my morning started last Friday with the licensing exam, it really was a great day. I came home from the test, ate lunch, and caught a short nap while finishing what I hadn't watched of the Sex in the City movie the night before (it's an absolute favorite and a great way to relax and go through a full gamet of emotions!). I needed to rest up a bit before book club and my first baby shower!

In my book club we have a book shower for our pregnant ladies. This month it was my turn (in spite of the fact that I didn't even get the book for this month, such a slacker!). The baby got lots of wonderful books for us to read to him/her and we can't wait to get started! (His/her mom got a few she's really excited about as well!) It was a great time that went by way too quickly!

Afterwards I had to dash to St. Paul for a prenatal massage set up by my lovely husband. That felt like Heaven!! Steve and I then spent the evening watching New in Town to complete this apparent "Katie Day".

Almost makes me willing to take the exam again, but hopefully that won't have to happen!!

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!