Friday, March 23, 2012

Holy Moly!


On Monday we hit the two month mark. Two months to enjoy life as we know it, to prepare for a little babushka, to knock virtually everything on our to-do list off. Two months until we experience the greatest love and joy that we can imagine, not to mention the most natural and greatest pain known to man. Two months until our lives change forever.


That is a lot to take in. It's more than I can comprehend. All I know to do now is to take care of myself, follow my instincts, and to get the nursery to a place where I can release my inner nester! We have a major project going on in there that was a last-minute decision, so what I pictured to be a house nearly ready for a baby at this time is actually one with stacks and boxes of random baby gear scattered throughout and a baby nest that's completely empty. Hopefully this will be different a week from today. Hopefully I will be writing about organizing a dresser and how tired I am of washing little baby clothes. 

Fingers crossed for a productive weekend!


LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

It Takes A Village...

And what a village we have! Last weekend my mom threw me and the little guy a beautiful baby shower where friends truly let their love and generosity rain down. It was such a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by these lovely, strong, supportive women who have been down this road or simply enjoy supporting others on it. I got to catch up with friends both new and old, hear of past baby experiences, enjoy delicious food, and open wonderful gifts. If the adage of "it takes a village to raise a child" is true, then I know that this little dude will be raised right as rain.


The weekend started with a quick visit to my lifelong bestie, Kathryn, who happened to be leaving for Italy that afternoon. Even though she missed the shower (still sporting a sad face on that one), she did get a proper send off from the bean with a kick. I think it was a combo of disappointment and thanks for his favorite blankie come September.


Then came the preparations. My mom admitted that letting me help was one of her gifts to me, and getting to plan and set up this party with my mama was just wonderful. It was like my wedding with beaucoup less stress. Just joy and excitement for the day and times to come.

Friends were first greeted by this beautiful gift from nature.


Once inside, it was up to us to decorate.

My mom sprinkled pansies wrapped in pretty white paper around the house. A perfect way to welcome both spring and new life.
The pom-poms were hand-crafted using a Martha Stewart tutorial. Easy and fun, they added the perfect touch of whimsy.

We had a variety of vegan snacks, including a three types of hummus, a vegetable platter, some freshly baked breads from the farmer's market, and home baked scones and muffins. 


Some macaroons and a cheese platter were the two non-vegan exceptions.  Don't they look lovely?
There were homemade tags to lead guests to the delights of their choosing. 
In lieu of games we decided on asking everyone to leave a note for the baby, the mama, and the papa. These were then hung on a line by the windows for everyone to read, and definitely included some great words of wisdom and love.







Then came the guests. Our lovely, lovely guests. A party can be made or broken by the people who arrive, and to me ours was perfect. 











The present opening commenced with a wonderfully touching reading by Debbie Lippincott, a connecting link between the women. Talking of the love the mother felt for her newborn baby, a connection so deep between two creatures, brought tears to numerous eyes. It was such a different and special way to start a material event; a way to refocus our attention on the reason for the gifts, the little life that is about to be thrust on the world. 


And then came the presents... 





Has there EVER been a cuter lion made? Hand-crafted by the talented Gwennie, this will be treasured for years to come.

So I have to give a huge thank you to everyone who helped make this day so special. Not only do I feel better prepared, but I now know that it is totally possible to deck a little man in adorable goods. What a lucky family we are.

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE

Monday, March 5, 2012

And We've Hit The Third Trimester!

I haven't been good about keeping up with the pregnancy on here. As in, this is my first post on it. Ever. The problem with Pinterest is I see so many great ideas to do when I'm pregnant, getting married again (juuust kidding forever husband o' mine), or getting the craft itch that I just can't tackle them all. And I know that I'm not tackling them all. And that makes me sad. But some is definitely better than none, and I am good at doing some. So here is a late start to the weekly pregnancy updates that I would love to keep. Fingers crossed that I post another within the month! :)



Craving: Cauliflower. I've been roasting it with lemon and garlic and holy moly, it is simply take your pants off good.
Memorable pregnancy moment: The first time I decided I needed ice cream was at 27 weeks and I somehow was the one to run into the store at 9:45pm, in the rain, while my husband sat in the car... He's lucky that the cookie dough was just delish.
Favorite Part of Being Pregnant: Feeling our little man kick. And roll. And hiccup. Annnd jab. He's a mover and a shaker I tell ya!
Least Favorite Part: The anticipation of what's coming... Not the baby, just the process that brings that sucker out.
Surprising Part: My belly just isn't that big which makes it harder to realize that I am really pregnant and that I will have a baby in roughly 11 weeks...
Preparations: Been working on the nursery but hit a road bump with the floor, which basically means hours more time on Peyton's part while I'm out of the house. It also means that the nursery is further from being done than when we started...
Looking Forward To: My Baltimore baby shower this weekend!!

So there's my look at 29 weeks! Overall I'm feeling really great and just shocked that I will have a baby in just mere weeks. Kind of mind blowing...

LIVE THE MURRAYED LIFE