9 months!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little Murphy nugget as we've started calling her :) Emma is growing larger by the day......5 1/2 pounds by last measure at an ultrasound done in the middle of last week. We are now 36 weeks and change and are dying with anticipation. Why does it seem like the closer we get, the longer it will be before she's here?? :) I guess you could say I'm nesting. Between completely organizing her closet and dresser by clothing size, type, and color to cleaning the house from top to bottom and baking for my co-workers, I'm trying to get the time to pass more quickly. We'll be full term (38 weeks) on Christmas day so maybe Santa will bless us with the greatest of all gifts. I'm a little worried that she's having too much fun in there and that she'll want to stay inside.....twisting, rolling, and dancing away!

This photo was snapped at our recent maternity session with the amazingly talented Jenn Hopkins (www.jenhopkinsphotography.com). She is a whiz behind the camera and such a sweetheart. We can't wait to see her again for Emma's first photo shoot :)

under the weather :(

yuck! the murphy family is home sick this weekend.  ryan has been feeling crummy since monday and i started up mid-week.  we both have that sensation that our heads are going to pop off.....so congested!!! we have a symphony of coughs and sneezes going on around here! our house has turned into a pharmacy as i bought out the shelves at publix the other day. need zicam? we have a lifetime supply ;) we got a little worried that it might be the flu and finally broke down and headed to the doctor together on Friday morning to get flu swabs done (not before we had to sit in the waiting room with super attractive facemasks on like a couple on quarantine!).  we got good news though.....no flu for either of us, thankfully! i don't think it would have worried us so much if we didn't have little emma in tow - she's a trooper, though....kicking and dancing away through it all.  we haven't had the opportunity to get our flu shots yet and we just wanted to be extra careful.....or neurotic depending on how you look at it ;)

 flu or not, we both feel like stink so we headed to the movie store for some movies and to publix for some chicken noodle soup and have been on the couch all weekend hoping that a long weekend of resting will be just the ticket!  

 as i type our wonderful Gators are making QUITE the season debut, up 53 points going into the 4th quarter! we're enjoying taking in the game from the confines of our couch :)  ryan made homemade spinach-artichoke dip (he is turning into my martha stewart man) and i am snuggled up with no place i'd rather be!  here's to a speedy recovery.  hope everyone is having a wonderful labor day weekend. GO GATORS!!!!

what a month!

What a whirlwind of a month!!  Both Ryan and I have been so ridiculously busy that it isn't even funny! I have been working on average 80 hours a week in the Intensive Care Unit and Ryan has been busting his butt finishing up the expansion project at Southwest Rec.  We had dinner with my parents last night to celebrate the end of my rotation (which, I might add entailed spending the night at the hospital every 4th night!) and we both just couldn't help but breathe big sighs of relief.  I feel like I'm crawling out of a hole! My life for the past 4 weeks has been work, eat, sleep....pretty much in that order!  It feels AMAZING to be done....and to know that I won't have to be away from my Ryan like that again for a long while.  Phew!  I feel my life coming back and it feels good!

The month started out with the most amazing of treats.  On July 31st, we learned that we will be welcoming a beautiful baby GIRL into the world.....Emma Claire Murphy.  We truly could not be any more excited that we are right now.  Going for that last ultrasound was, second to our wedding day, the most magical day of our lives.  The experience was surreal and amazing in its entirety.  At first glimpse, the most obvious thing was just how much BIGGER she had gotten in just a few short weeks.  The last time we saw her, she was still relatively constricted....her neck had not finished developing enough to be fully extended and her hands and feet were curled up close to her body.  This time, however, it was like looking at a fully formed child.....her neck was extended and her arms and legs were flailing about :) She was kicking with reckless abandon and opening and closing her hands like a champ.  We watched as she waved to us and swallowed and we got to see every single last inch of her.  We got amazing views of her heart, her face (tiny nose and lips and all!), her lungs/stomach/kidneys and every single last vertebrae.  It was totally stunning....all in all she is completely developed.  Everything is there and she just has to mature now! So cool.  We seriously could have watched this all day.

Now at 21 weeks and just 1 lb, her little flutters have transitioned into full fledged kicks and jabs......she must know I'm typing about her because she's going at it right now!  The absolute best part is that she is strong enough that Ryan can feel her now too.....he can finally make tangible contact with this amazing little life that I've have the pleasure of coming to know in the past weeks.  I have never been so happy in my whole life and while I had everything I could ever need in my relationship with Ryan.....this just makes our life so much sweeter.  We cannot wait to meet HER! :)

nightfloater

I am happy to report that residency is officially up and running! After a weeklong orientation of getting to know my new colleagues and getting re-familiarized with this hospital I know so well after 4 years of med school…..I am officially living my professional role as Dr. Murphy! Craziness! I really like my fellow interns and the first week of residency has gone off really really well. I’ve started with my nightfloat rotation which basically means that from the hours of 7p-7a, I am responsible for about 80 patients on the Medicine services at Shands. It’s exhausting and exhilarating all at once….but I’ve convinced myself I can do anything for 2 weeks J My program has been totally amazing with respect to front loading my schedule (while I front load my belly!) so that I will get ample time off come the arrival of our little Murphy munchkin in January. The hardest part of nights is that it’s….well, nights. The schedule is weird…everything seems off kilter. It’s lonely in the hospital during those hours….and I only get to see my hubby fleetingly. I don't know what I did to deserve such an understanding and loving husband. I feel like a little zombie sometimes but again….anything is possible for 2 weeks. And, I’m learning so so much which makes the experience that much better. It’s hard to believe that after years and years of schooling, I’m actually finally living my dream.

Ryan and I were able to take one last final little vacation just prior to the start of residency. We headed over to the beach for a long relaxing weekend over Father’s Day. It was so nice to just soak up some sun, play in the waves, and reflect on the times both behind and ahead of us. Ryan’s dad and brother joined us later in the weekend and made for some really great company. We all came back really rested and really tan!

Not much else to report. We are in the process of buying the house so we will soon be homeowners!! One more exciting thing to add to our plate….why not! We got to see baby again and it is amazing to see how much he or she has grown in just a few short weeks. Ryan and I are both dying to know if we’ll be having a girl or a boy and we are counting down the days until we find out…..July 30th can’t come fast enough!! We both have our suspicions about the sex but we'll see soon enough. Then….the shopping can commence...the wait is killing me!

This is our 12 week 5 day scan....you can see baby's fingertips resting on his/her face! Just kickin back looking up at the stars....I pray this means we are having a child blessed with Ryan's perfect laid back temperament. Fingers crossed!

....the rumors are true!! :)

....baby Murphy is coming 1/9/2010 :) We are overwhelmed with excitement and amazement for this new development in our lives. We will be 11 weeks along on Friday and never knew it was possible to be so happy! Ryan is amazing and has, totally and completely, carried me through the wild ride of crazy symptoms that is the first trimester. YAY!!!!

The images below are of our 9 week ultrasound, proud daddy holding baby's first photos, and of my bloated 9 week belly :) We already love our little gummi bear :)

is this for real?

so apparently i am graduating from medical school on SATURDAY. which means that in less than a weeks time, i will be a doctor.  it doesn't even seem real....people keep asking me if i'm excited and all i can do is nod and say "uh huh!" like a goon.  at this point, i'm just going through the motions hoping that at some point....preferably before i walk across the stage on Saturday....it will hit me.  the flood of emotions is kind of interesting. i'm definitely excited.  but i'm also admittedly terrified.  i KNOW how to be a student. i've done it rather well for the last 20+ years of my life, thank you.  becoming a doctor and starting intern year on july 1 is totally and completely uncharted territory for me.  it means fumbling, looking stupid, asking the proverbial dumb questions, being inept......but more than anything, having the absolute time of my life.  i keep pinching myself and asking...is this for real??? :)

oh happy day :)

i hope everyone has a sunny sunday!

playing catch up !

.....so i haven't blogged in a while and am playing big time catch up! things that have happened in the interim:

1) WE MATCHED AT UF for Internal Medicine, our TOP choice and are absolutely over the moon elated!!!!! this means so much to us for so many reasons (see the post below). I am overwhelmed with gratitude towards my unabashedly supportive husband and our family and close friends. Without all of your love and support, I never would have even gotten half this far. Although it doesn't even come close to capturing the depth of my appreciation....thank you.


2) Our beautiful wonderful Margaret visited from NYC!!! Coffee dates, poolside time, and our vegan chocolate cake tradition (thank you Top!) made for the perfect little slice of heaven. We spent alot of time drooling over our new obsession with Twilight (*eyeroll) and her upcoming adventure to Ireland!!! Oh how we love you Margaret, you shine from within.....no matter how far you travel....you are always with us :)


3) We've started the process of becoming first time homeowners!!! We are currently living in the house that Ryan grew up in and while we absolutely adore the house, we were (until a few weeks ago) unsure of where we were going for my residency training. Now that we know....it's full speed ahead. We've already started remodeling and are knee deep in home projects. I love it! It is such a fun experience growing as a couple as we work together to make this home ours......we are both so excited to be homeowners and to continue our journey together!!!

4) We participated in National Rebuilding Day! Ryan sits on the board for a fabulous non-profit called Rebuilding Together which has a branch in North Central Florida. Their focus is offering home repairs/renovations to low income families in our community and around the country (check out www.rebuildingtogetherncf.org). Ryan organized one of the Gainesville sites and recruited friends from work and his wife to help with the project. I just have to brag for a second on how proud I am of my amazing husband and his huge heart. I was so impressed by his commitment and work ethic and the efforts put in by so many around town. I got goosebumps seeing how so many people were willing to take time out of their schedules to participate and really make a difference in the lives of people around them. It was such an amazing day.


.....thats all for now! i vow to at least TRY and be more on top of this whole posting thing :)

...final countdown...

in a little under 2 weeks....we will find out where we will be going for my residency in Internal Medicine. as many of you know, we are hoping to stay here at the University of Florida for a whole host of wonderful reasons....a fabulous program with amazing physicians and residents, Ryan's job that he loves dearly, and of course our wonderful friends and family. i'm not sure that either one of us ever imagined that we'd become Gainesville lifers....i know i sure didn't....but the thought of this becoming a reality is so exciting to me in a way that i cannot explain. i love this town to my very core. i love the weather, the beautiful green that surrounds us, the progressive thinking of the people that live here. there are things i don't love of course but why belabor the point.

the point is...i've spent the last....well, entirety of my life....working for a degree that i will be receiving this May. and we'll find out in a little under 2 weeks where the next part of this journey will take us. words fail at capturing how lucky i am for the support of my amazing ryan. while other people's wives are busy having jobs and actually contributing to the financial soundness of the household....ryan has singlehandedly carried us through. he has stood by my side for every major decision i've made both personally and professionally and he has lifted me up on days that i thought i just couldn't do it anymore. he is, simply put, amazing. he is and always has been my rock. i know that no matter what happens, i will be ok because i have him.

so....march 19th is dubbed match day. i will be handed an envelope inside which my fate lies. i will get up in front of my classmates and announce where i am going for residency. stressful, yes. exciting, yes. finally.....hell yes :) say your prayers for us!

laissez les bons temp rouler!

 

our friend Kyle turned the big 30 on Febrary 21st and his wife threw a Mardi Gras style surprise party in his honor. here we are celebrating :) laissez les bon temps rouler!

full speed ahead!

its so funny how many times i've been asked "how's married life treating you??" in the last 3 months.  i mean, i guess its an entirely fair question. i DID just get married.  i think, however, that the concept that you get married one day and then wake up the next day and suddenly everything is completely different is not only strange....its absolutely horrifying.  luckily for me, my husband ryan is the same man as my fiance and boyfriend ryan.....and that's just how i like it :)  he's more or less the same guy i fell in love with 10 years ago and try as i might, i'm still the dorky girl he made eyes at in math class. the last three months of 2008 flew....i'm talking lightspeed.  the wedding, the honeymoon, the holidays and bam....2008 was gone.  before i even knew what hit me, it was all over.  i guess thats sort of a lie since i remember telling ryan at one point that i felt like one of those little balls in the arcade pinball machines.  i felt like i was bouncing around from event to event, dinner here, a get together there and was spinning by the time it was all said and done. the end of the year had its way with me and i was quite happy when 2009 showed its lovely face.  its been nice to slow down a little. not as many obligations and things to do. we've managed to get some considerable work started on the house - if for no other reason than its serving as a tangible way to ground me again....bring me back down to earth after all the craziness going on around me. i'm looking forward to keeping that forward momentum going.  in many ways, ryan and i have been putting so many things on hold until we find out where my residency will take us.  he's been so supportive of this journey i've chosen and some days i grapple with this immense feeling of guilt for making him wait with me.  but, we are so so close!!!  so, we woke up on January 1st and we both just threw our hands up with the waiting....i can't keep my life, our life, on hold anymore.  as i look out over 2009, i see that as a recurring theme. no more life on hold.  way more full speed ahead :)