semi silent sunday: scenes from watermelon pond

i'm going to keep my words to a minimum tonight because 1) i'm exhausted and 2) the pictures tell the story of our weekend.  we braved the crowds for a short while on saturday to take in some of the gator gameday excitement.  emma was very interested in all the commotion and was particularly interested in police car lights....great! ;)  needless to say, it will be the last time you'll find me at gameday festivities for a while. i payed the price in the form of swollen ankles and sore hips but it was a fun time nonetheless.

got my sunglasses, my purse, and i'm ready to tailgate!

cutest gator

holy HUGE!

the highlight of our weekend was a trip to watermelon pond, a beautiful piece of expansive property owned by friends.  we've been wanting to take emma out for a while as the pond is home to quite the group of animal friends.....dogs, chickens, goats, quail, ducks....even the sandhill cranes were out today! emma loved every second of it and we loved exploring the property with her :)  

after months and months of learning my camera and relying on either the shutter priority (Tv) or aperture priority (Av) modes....mostly Tv since emma is all over the place these days....i've started to try and master the full manual mode.  it's definitely a work in progress, as you will notice many of my photos are either over or underexposed, but i'm learning and having fun doing it.  one of these days i'll have to take a class....but until then, i'll just play. i didn't edit any of the photos below so bear with me while i get {slowly} better.  what better subject matter can a girl have?  

happy whatever day it is when you read this! ;) 

bathtime bonding

 nothing puts the finishing touches on a wonderful day like a nice warm bath. a BUBBLE bath. with your favorite bathtub squirt buddies.

and on this particularly special evening....daddy!!  ryan, all 6 foot 4 of him, can actually fit in our new tub....and after all these months of watching me get in the tub now and again with emma, decided HE wanted in on the fun.  so, he donned some shorts and jumped in for some soap suds and splashes with his favorite little lady ;)

made my night watching the two of them together. covered in bubbles. squealing with delight. {well, ok...emma did most of the squealing but the smile on ryan's face was too big to ignore} there is nothing like a daddy and his daughter ;) 

eventfully UNeventful

an eventfully UNeventful weekend just went down in the murphy house.  ryan and i are currently lounging in the bedroom watching some sunday night television {he mounted our flatscreen today!} and just MIGHT be eating ice cream in bed ;) the full fat kind. we'll only be able to blame that kind of behavior on this huge belly of mine for a few weeks longer so we're pretty content to maximize every last opportunity!

i'm feeling ok.  still having contractions but the normal braxton hicks kind mixed in with a few painful ones here and there.  NOthing like before.  no regularity.  nothing that stops me in my tracks.  my schedule has been reworked and swapped around with minimal damage and for that i am very very grateful.  despite that, i have a feeling deep down that ben is coming "early"....or at least not waiting until after his due date like his sister.  call it wishful thinking....but mama's got a hunch.  for now, he is comfortably wedged in my pelvis giving me one hell of a case of sciatica.  i spent a lot of time in the tub this weekend trying to numb the shooting aches and pains running through my hip and down my leg.  i'm getting the crap kicked out of me by a 35 week old fetus. ha!

not much excitement around here....and that's a good thing.  emma and i did some arts and crafts {did you know that cupcake sprinkles are fun to throw and stick to just about anything when wet? and that glitter spray paint is pretty much the most awesome thing EVER?} while daddy got work done around the house.  

we spent a large portion of mealtime making funny faces. and laughing. and getting food everywhere.  here is emma's "serious" face.  i'm still waiting to catch "fishy kisses" on camera ;)

this is what happens when i leave my phone in the bedroom while i make breakfast for my lovies.  a bit of foreshadowing for what is to come for mommy in the coming weeks? just sayin...

i love this guy. so much. so much MORE than i thought possible when we first fell in love at 16. and so much more than i even thought possible when i said i do or held our daughter in my arms for the first time.  he's my best friend, takes SUCH good care of me and our family, and has the biggest most patient heart.  and when your wife is enormously pregnant and needs help with EVERYthing and your 20 month daughter has caffeine and glitter running through her veins...patience is a very hot commodity. i love you, honey.

here's the view from the bed these days.  sooooo relaxing. {please ignore our completely empty closet. the closet system is being built....and then i will fill it. with lots and lots of clothes. ryan can't wait}

last but not least, emma and i made something super cute for her room this weekend.  i saw an adorable ribbon wreath on pinterest and knew i wanted to make one for emma's room.  after a trip to michaels {always an interesting endeavor with a toddler. and a quick lesson in the meaning of the word "fragile"} and 500 rolls of ribbon later....we got started!

mom, what the heck IS this?

it came out better than imagined and looks really cute hanging on her wall.  and it was super easy to do and really only took a few hours.

once all was said and done, little miss approved of the new funky wall decor!

as a side note, ben would like for me to say hi to everyone for him. i've learned that two kicks to the stomach and a punch in the side followed by a contraction means "mom...say HI for me!".  it's like baby morse code and i'm getting good at it ;)

doctors orders

well....here i am. 35 weeks pregnant, laying in bed, feet propped up, feeling simultaneously frustrated and relieved all in one. we saw the doctor today and he was adamant that my work schedule (7pm to 7am, 6 days a week....do that math!) was putting me at a significantly increased risk for preterm labor.  especially after friday's little incident. so, here i am. i spent the day sleeping off my overnight shift and this evening with my family.

it's hard to call in, believe it or not.  my inability to work nights means that someone that i work with has to do it in my place and for that i feel very very guilty.  i never wanted {or intended} for my decision to get pregnant to effect anyone else yet now that's exactly what's happened.  so i'm frustrated....and feel like, with the way my work schedule was constructed, i was sort of set up to fail.  how can someone as far along as i am, with a toddler at home, honestly be expected to work nearly 80 hours a week the month before they give birth?  i gave it a fighting shot, i'll say that.....and ben {and the doc} said heck no! sigh....

i'm also relieved.  i've been on edge since friday worried that something bad was about to happen. and by "bad" i mean an early appearance on the part of mr. murphy jr.  last night felt exactly like friday and i just couldn't relax my way out of it.  the doctor said that if ben was born now, he would be normal and healthy....but he wouldn't leave the hospital with us because he would need to stay in the NICU for a bit.  umm...hello!!! that is NOT happening, not if i have anything to say about it.  tonight, i was there for dinnertime, and bathtime, and bedtime too.  i spent precious moments with my little emma in what i see as a very critical time in her little life.  so much is changing for her right now....the house, her big girl room and transition to her big girl bed, potty training, and of course the upcoming arrival of her baby brother.  it literally felt like someone was stabbing me in the chest every day that i would be gone for 12 hours at work and would miss these moments of quality time that she needs me present for....now more than ever.  it's alot of adjustment for her and i need and want desperately to be here for her....not just emotionally but physically. and now i'll get to do just that.  i'll get to take care of BOTH of my kids and myself all at once.

so, tonight i'll catch up on some sleep and watch the season premier of glee with the hubs.  and probably eat ice cream and try and convince mr. murphy sr. to give me a foot massage.  i'm sneaky like that ;) hopefully this adjustment in my schedule will calm things down for me and benny a bit and we can finish this ride out together in the standard usual fashion!!

a little bit of this. a little bit of that.

what a hodge podge of a weekend it has been. we've done a little bit of everything in the past couple of days.  first of all....how did i manage to get the weekend off?? magic, i say! ;)  a good friend from work covered for me today {i should be at work right now as i'm technically starting my nighttime rotation today} because we booked maternity/family photos with my favorite of all favorite photographers ms. jenn hopkins.  and it's a good thing she did for another unforseen reason. don't get too excited...there's no mr. ben yet.  he's got a little more baking to do!

friday afternoon i came home early from work.  it had been quite the stressful day, much more so than most. i have been having braxton hicks contractions since i was probably 20 weeks pregnant but there was something different about friday. there was, dare i say, a regularity and a strength to the ones i was having that made me nervous.  long story short, i ended up home early and in the bathtub with the jets pounding steadily on my back and a candle lit in the corner.  ben and i had a heart to heart and i told him that while i know things are a little hectic right now, they are going to slow down very very soon.  he seemed content with that explanation and things quieted down.  i guzzled some water and took a nice afternoon nap.  i felt well enough to attend a birthday party that night and hang out {i.e. sit} with friends.

the next morning, we headed over to pick up emma from her mimi and pop's house. we spent the morning running errands and the afternoon starting to set up her new big girl room.  ben seemed content and while i didn't feel 100%, the contractions were less frequent and definitely not regular.  we were on the hunt for several things in particular...one of which was a large vanity mirror for the master bathroom. we didn't have any luck but got some laughs trying.....

i got a few bizarre looks at the store and here's why {i mean, aside from me photographing myself in the mirrors like a crazy lady}...

WOWZA!

we got emma's big girl bed all set up and got a good start to her room.  she was absolutely ECSTATIC over her new digs.  her bed is low enough to the ground that she can easily climb in and out on her own....and if she were to, god forbid, roll out, it's only like a foot to the ground so she wouldn't be in danger.  she went down with ease and slept without a peep until almost 9 this morning.  ryan and i must have been in her room like 5 times last night checking on her. i was half convinced she'd end up in the closet or nestled up with her stuffed animals but she stayed in her bed all night ;)  she was on top of the moon when she woke up....immediately started squealing and jumping on the bed. i'd say we have a winner ;)

after a homemade pancake breakfast, more room assembly was in store. emma showed her grandparents her new room and helped with the move proudly.  we ran a few more errands which resulted in the following photograph...

last but not least, we met up with ms. jenn and got some amazing and very special pictures of our growing family :) i cannot wait to see how they turned out....i was literally tearing up at the ones she showed me through her camera.  

i head back to work tomorrow and will see the doctor first thing the following morning.  i'm trying hard to hang with this insanity of a work schedule but he will make the final call on tuesday whether or not it's ok to keep working.  i'm close to the end as it pertains to both pregnancy AND my crazy hours.  but, at 34.5 weeks, its not quite safe for ben to come yet and it might be time to throw in the towel....or at least get switched to something a little less physically taxing.

we shall see.  i'm not sure which way things will go but i can say this....spending a full fledged weekend OFF with my family and getting to rest a bit did wonders for my body....but more importantly, my soul.  i'm so grateful that my friend was willing to cover for me so that i could enjoy a tiny break in this hellish month.  it's the little moments that i miss....dancing in the living room to saturday morning cartoons, family walks, chasing a wet naked giggly toddler through the house post-bathtime, nighttime chats & snuggles with my hubby...simple things. i give myself a hard time for the possibility that i may need to pull out of work early.....but at the end of the day it's that family that really matters and i'm not letting ANYthing get in the way of that.