35 weeks, nursery, and my new stove!

35 weeks today...wow! Baby Nash is the size of a honeydew and he/she is definitely running out of room! At my Dr. appointment this morning, I was measuring one week ahead and had lost one pound. My blood pressure was good (after laying on my left side for 30 minutes...it was high the first time they took it), I'm only a fingertip dilated, so I was "officially" cleared to make the drive to Indiana this afternoon! We're packing the car as we speak (and the carseat too, no worries - just in case!).

35 weeks

This week Matt and I put up some wall decals in the nursery...we've been debating about it putting them up, but we're really happy with the way they turned out. The pictures below are just the one above the crib, we have a few more we pay on the other walls since they turned out so well.

And more exciting news this week...my Christmas surprise:

A new stove!

I walked in the house on Wednesday evening to find this shiny new stove and couldn't have been more excited. Getting rid of our old inefficient, paint peeling, 3 burner stove - priceless. So excited to get back from Christmas and start using it! We "agreed" to not exchange gifts this year (as in years past), and I actually obeyed the rule - and Matthew broke it. I'm pretty thrilled with his purchase though, I must say. Thanks baby - you're the best!

Alright...off to load up. This guy is thrilled about the ride in the car and all the playtime with Louie and Xena once we get to Indiana...not to mention all the spoiling by Papa Joey!

Merry Christmas everyone!
xxoo!

26.2 in 3:40:40!

Last weekend was the big race...the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. We took half the day off last Friday and drove down with our friends Jen and Danny (Danny is Matt's running partner) and Danny's brother Tim (who is training to qualify for Boston at the marathon in Phoenix, AZ in January). They got registered for the race, we found some food, and checked into our hotel for an early night.

Bright eyed at 6:30 on Saturday morning, the boys were up and at 'em - pinning numbers on, checking the weather religiously for any sign of rain, and getting a quick breakfast in before race start. Jen and I dropped the boys off at the starting line...BRR! 39 degree start. I was cold and I had a coat, hat, scarf, and gloves on!

Matt bundled up in the car ride to the starting line

Danny, Matt, and Tim before race start

Jen and I then plotted out our day on the course, trying to meet and cheer on the boys as many places as we could. We ended up being able to catch them at mile markers 1.5, 7, 13, 16, 21, 24, and the finish line. I'd say that's pretty productive! We were happy to do so, and thankfully the rain held off - for our sake and for all of the runners!

Jen, demonstrating what we did for the next 4 hours - clap and cheer

Mile 7 - smiles!

Mile 13...still smiling!

Mile 16...hill ahead, smiles now reduced to "oh crap she's taking my picture" half smiles

Matt @ Mile 24 - so close to finishing!

We were able to catch the finish on a quick video...their goal time was to finish under 4 hours, and they crushed that goal by about 20 minutes and finished in 3:40:40. After wrapping themselves in foil and getting some much needed hydration and snacks, we headed back to the hotel for showers, packed up, grabbed some food on the way out of town, and began to drive back as the rain started. Thank God for keeping the rain away - really a blessing!

26.2 in 3:40:40

26.2 - check!

Matt, Danny, and Tim in all of their aluminum glory!

All in all, a great weekend...we had a great time, but I'm pretty sure the boys are ready for a few weekends without a crazy long Saturday run. A few lazy hours on the couch WITH Matt sound quite in order in the upcoming weeks - especially since they may be few and far between after mid January!

Thanks to all of you who were thinking and praying for Matt (and the weather!) last weekend as he ran the marathon...much appreciated!

33 weeks - A growing belly and a mini photo session

Last Friday was 33 weeks. 33 weeks sounds like a really long time, doesn't it? Let me tell you, these have been the fastest 33 weeks ever! I can't believe we'll be meeting little Nash in about 7 weeks! We are definitely very ready and very not ready at the same time. The 'peek a boo' belly shot below was taken by our friend Liz...more to come on that later!

33 weeks

Frank - your grandson/daughter is projected to be the size of a pineapple! About 4 pounds and 17 inches long...pretty hard to believe he/she is growing so quickly. Along with the growing baby comes a growing belly! I may have gained a pound or so since my last appointment, but I can definitely tell that my fingers and toes are starting to take on some water. My wedding band and engagement ring (which are now super shiny thanks to Uncle Pat!) are wearable for a few hours, but definitely get tight quickly. I have put the shiny, real ones away until after Nash arrives and am now sporting a lovely CZ I scored at Kohls for $4. Other belly news is pretty minimal...

• Nash is starting to get a bit crowded, I can tell that he/she has less room to move around. I am now getting more flips and flops than jabs and punches. Definitely doing kick counts every morning though to be sure.
• I'm having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions during the day, and I can definitely tell a difference when I force myself to drink more water. They usually calm down once I get home for the day and make myself relax.
• Stretch marks - no
• The big line down my belly - no
• Heartburn - ohmygoodness yes (Sorry Frank - I probably should've refilled the bottle in the kitchen before we left!)
• Pediatrician - yes! We met with a pediatrician that came highly rec commended to us and really liked her (and her northeastern attitude!). Not to mention her resume includes Johns Hopkins undergrad, Albert Einstein Medical School, and Yale residency.
• Baby laundry - working on it!

My next appointment with Dr. Crenshaw is this Wednesday afternoon, so I should have an update on little Nash after that!

We have two more childbirth preparation classes to go. Last week we watched our first video, which I believe was quite shocking for the men in the room. Let me just say I'm thankful to see it once - but there will definitely be no mirror involved and my sweet Matthew will be right next to my head when the time comes. This week's class will be focused on pain management (drugs and breathing techniques) and the last week will be focused on breastfeeding and infant care.

On Sunday, our good friend Liz came over take some photographs of Matt and I (and belly) together. She has a fancy camera (we do too, but have no clue how to use it yet!) and her photos always turn out great! We are so happy that she was able to do this for us and I think we got some pretty good shots out of the mini session. Thanks Liz! Below are some of my favorites.

Thanksgiving and a PA Baby Shower

Matt and I spent Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania this year and completely stuffed ourselves as usual (I did try to be on my best behavior!). It was great to get to spend so much time with the Murphy crew (and the Koch etc. crew), and I think Matt was actually able to visit with most of the friends he had hoped to catch up with.

We flew into Newark the Wednesday before Thanksgiving where Frank and Annie picked us up (Thanks! We realize it was a long, late night!). Matt then ran from Pottsville to his cousin Jane's on Thanksgiving day. He made it safely through all the hills and winds and turns, and for that I was VERY thankful! We had a great time at Jane and Brian's - lots of sweet kiddos, one cuddly puppy, enormous amounts of cheese, Guesstures, and so much laughter I'm surprised Nash isn't with us today!

On Saturday after Thanksgiving, Annie was back at it again throwing me a baby shower at her home. The house was quickly filled with friends and family who brought the sweetest and cutest gifts - Matt and I are so lucky to have so many people willing to help us prepare for Nash's arrival (although I'm not sold on the fact that this kiddo needs a pinball machine on his/her birthday...). It was really a great chance for us to get to see so many people we haven't seen since our wedding. Mark had our new camera in hand and was taking some shots for us, so some of those are posted here. Annie - I can't thank you enough for such a great afternoon...the food was great and so was the company. Your home looked amazing (as always) and your gifts so generous. Thank you!

Guests and the lovely hostess!

More guests

Jill - our note taker for the day

A year in clothes from Annie - what a cute idea! Outfits for every age/season...love it!

A gift for me! Cuddly robe and slipper set from Julie.

Teeny PSU socks.

Mrs. Miller winning the prize...by cutting the string that closely matched the circumference of my belly!

Our evening on the couch "watching football".

Quick Update - First Childbirth Class, 32 Week Dr. Appointment, and Thanksgiving Plans

Quick update here...no pics to upload though, sorry!

Last Thursday Matt and I attended our first childbirth class...nothing really about "birthing" during the first class, more of an introduction/anatomy lesson/how you're feeling right now discussion. No videos either, which begin next week. There are 10 couples in our class, one of which I happen to know from work. Out of the 10 couples, we are the only ones who have not found out the sex of the baby. We thought that there would surely be at least one other couple who was waiting to be surprised, but not so. We have three more classes...Dec 3, 10, and 17.

My 32 week appointment with Dr. Crenshaw was this morning, everything looks good. (Thankfully...especially after my visit to Labor and Delivery yesterday to have a non stress test...Nash decided it was cool to not move or kick me for about 6 hours yesterday! Everything was fine, and he/she made up for the lack of kicking last night in my sleep, I assure you.) I've only gained 1 pound since my last appointment for a total of 17 pounds so far. I'm hoping to not gain more than 10 pounds in these last two months, which seems pretty reasonable to me. I think the GD will help keep my weight gain under control for sure! Dr. Crenshaw doesn't plan to have any additional testing or monitoring done for me as a direct result of the GD unless I'm unable to control my blood sugar levels with my diet. He said that most pregnant women with GD who can control with their diet do not have much more risk for complications than a "normal" pregnant woman. So he'll just watch my blood sugar levels and the size of the baby to determine if any action needs to be taken. He also reassured me that as long as I'm healthy and baby is healthy, that he has no issues with letting me carry Nash in my belly until 41 weeks (hopefully he/she decides to come before that!). I'd really rather let things happen naturally than forcing an induction with meds, etc. Lets see...what else? I'm good to travel still, no issues there. I'm measuring right on target (between 31 and 32 weeks) and Nash's heartbeat was 140. Once again, Nash didn't really care to much for the doppler probe and was kicking it every time the nurse tried to move it. Cute little personality, huh? :) Our next appointment is December 9 - we've graduated to the "every two weeks" appointments now. Crazy!

We're flying out tonight around 7 pm for Newark, NJ where Frank and Annie will pick us up and take us home to Pottsville. We're pretty excited to see everyone and get some yummy food in our bellies (in limited carb portions for me, of course). Matt has this lovely plan to go for a 15 mile run tomorrow on a road named "Tumbling Run" (i.e. narrow, scary, dangerous, curvy mountainous road). I'm quite nervous about it and begging him not to with my "baby needs a daddy" ploy. Not sure it's working! We'll be having Thanksgiving at his cousin Jane's house tomorrow which is always fun - a house full of adorable kiddos and laughter. Love it. On Saturday, Annie is throwing us a baby shower - how sweet is she? I really am so lucky to have in-laws that I love spending time with! We'll be in Pottsville until early Tuesday morning when we fly back at 6 am to be able to make it to work on time. I'm sure we may be regretting that decision when our alarms go off at 4 am on Tuesday morning!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and is able to share it with those you love!

Baby Shower & 30 Weeks!

Another week has passed, and another fun weekend has come and gone. This past Friday my mom and grandma drove into town to spend the weekend, what a treat! We pretty much relaxed most of the weekend. Friday night we watched the season opener for the Hoosiers, Saturday I had my first baby shower followed by an evening of college football, and Sunday was our fall kickball tournament which was followed by a late lunch, naps, and a super fun Colts vs. Patriots game. It was a good Sunday to be a Colts fan!

I am so blessed and so thankful to have such great friends in Liz, Jen, and Brandy. They threw me the most perfect brunch shower on Saturday morning. We (myself, mom, and grandma) arrived to Liz's house at 11 am to find this sweet sign on the door:

Bunnies!

Liz did an amazing job with the decorations...she used our bedding for Nash as a theme for the shower and created the invitations and made decorations accordingly. She's so creative! Guests enjoyed a yummy "Coffee Punch" and mimosas and received adorable magnetic frames as favors. Jen and Brandy made quite the spread for the food buffet: french toast casserole, omelets, assorted breads and muffins, cherry tomatoes stuffed with a cream cheese/sausage/bacon/basil spread, fruit, and my favorite - sausage and cream cheese croissant sandwiches! After gift opening we were treated to probably the best caramel cake I've ever had. And YES, I did sample most everything - I was just sure to take an extra long walk afterward and my blood sugar level was great!

Yummy food buffet - and more bunny decorations! Love it!

Isn't this sign so sweet? It's now in Nash's nursery.

It's pretty amazing how generous my friends and family are...Nash received some pretty nice loot. He/she now has a stroller, a swing, a boppy pillow, a baby carrier, an activity mat, bottles, toys, bunny artwork from great great Uncle Dick (my grandfather's brother), sleepers and onesies, a diaper pail, a few loveys, a tummy time mat (so soft I want to take it to bed with me!), letters to spell his/her name above the crib, a photo album and frame, and gift cards - one to be used at Best Buy towards a DSLR camera mommy and daddy have been wanting and one to be used for Nash's first year of professional photos at a photographer of our choice. How fun is that?

Brandy, Jen, me, Liz
The lovely hostesses - and some of my best friends! Can I thank you enough?

Me and my mom...it was really special to have her make the drive into town for my shower. Thank you mom! I love you.

me, Mom, Grandma Harshman, Aunt Becky

Not only was it a beautiful shower, but we had a beautiful day in Memphis. Thank you to all my friends who were able to join us on Saturday! Click here to see the full album from the baby shower, or watch the slideshow below.

Last Friday marked 30 weeks of being pregnant, 10 to go. I really feel so lucky to still feel so good this far along in my pregnancy. The GD has been just a small hurdle, but I'm getting used to what I can and can't (or shouldn't!) eat. It seems that the key is ensuring a 15 or 20 minute walk after lunch and dinner. All the times we've walked following, my blood sugar levels have been great. The times I haven't walked, my blood sugar is definitely higher - although rarely over the number my doctor wants me to stay at. I'm definitely learning that I CAN have most things, it's just a matter of determining the portion I can consume that keeps me within the number of carbs I'm allowed to have.

In other pregnancy news:

• My belly button has officially declared itself an "outie"
• No stretch marks just yet, yay! (I've read that most women who get them have them by this stage...keeping my fingers crossed!)
• We begin childbirth/infant care classes this Thursday
• We're both starting to have "girl" feelings after months of "boy" thoughts

We'll be home this weekend, hopefully doing some organizing (I know how much Matt loves when I say the word "organize"!) and finding room for all the goodies we recieved this past weekend. The weekends are filling up quickly. Here's a rundown of now through the end of the year:

Home - Nov 20/21/22
Thanksgiving weekend in Pottsville - Nov 27/28/29
Home - Dec 4/5/6
Huntsville, Alabama for Matt's marathon - Dec 11/12/13
Christmas weekends in Indiana - Dec 18/19/20 and Dec 25/26/27

I can't believe there are only SIX weeks left of this year - it's crazy. When we get back from Indiana...baby Nash could make his/her appearance anytime. Wow. Wow. Wow.

29 weeks, Gestational Diabetes, Twins, and Visitors to Memphis

29 weeks down, 11 more to go! Nash's size is being compared to a butternut squash, he/she is about 15 inches long and weighs about 2.5 pounds. He/she is more active than ever and is no longer being stubborn for Daddy when he's trying to feel movement from the outside. :)

29 weeks

I still feel really great for the most part, baby Nash has definitely found my ribs and is hanging out there more and more everyday. Deep breaths are definitely hard to come by now and heartburn is my nemesis while Tums are still my best friend. I am still able to sleep pretty well, although I am up at least twice a night to pee.

At my last appointment with Dr. Crenshaw, my blood pressure was great and I had gained 6 lbs. He didn't seem concerned (I was!) considering I had only gained 8 up to that point. I got my H1N1 shot and had a discussion with him about Matt and I tutoring at the shelter downtown. He strongly recommended that we stop tutoring until after the first of the year with all of the germies that kiddos are toting around the public schools. Matt and I are disappointed to not be able to tutor on Tuesdays, but whatever keeps this baby healthy and kicking me in the ribs is definitely what we will do. I also took my one hour glucose test at that appointment, which I failed. I went in this past Tuesday for the longer three hour test which I also failed. No fun! They like for each blood draw to be under 140, and my levels were 220 at 1 hour, 187 at 2 hours, and 15 at 3 hours. I now have a glucometer that I will be using to check my blood sugar after I eat and a diet I will be following - low sugar/low carb. I have a class to attend on Tuesday afternoon to learn more specifics about my diet and how to use the glucometer. A sugar/carb free Thanksgiving and Christmas sounds pretty daunting at this point, but hopefully by then I will be in a routine and not feel cheated! No pumpkin pie, no fudge, no cookies....whew, sounds rough! But again, whatever I need to do to ensure Nash is happy and healthy inside my belly - that's what I'll do. My next appointment with Dr. Crenshaw is the day before Thanksgiving...my last monthly appointment! After that, I will be seeing him every 2 weeks.

Last weekend, I was up bright and early on Saturday morning flying home to Indiana to spend a long weekend with my sister Jessi and my sweet neices (and my fam - parents, sister Katy, and BIL Tyler). I loved absolutely every second of it and am so glad I was able to get home to be with them and help out a bit. (At least I hope I was helpful!) Jessi and Tyler are amazing with these sweet girls - it is quite a daunting task to be caring for 2 newborns and they do it so well. I am so proud of them for being such great parents. I could go on and on about how sweet these girls are, my "M's" as I've affectionately called them (although Mya has also been nicknamed "Frannie"...as in Miss Frantic when she's hungry), but it may be best to leave you with a picture. This pic came from my phone, so my apologies for the quality. I forgot my camera (I know, I know!), so I'll post some more once I get some from Jess. Look at their cute little bellies! They've definitely changed from skinny preemies into 8 pound newborn babes!

Mya JoLynn and Macy Ann - my sweet M's

After flying home early on Tuesday morning (and going straight to my 3 hour glucose test after fasting for 12 hours!), the next two days were spent cleaning the house and preparing for some of our favorite peeps to visit Memphis. Matt's cousin Jill and her hubby Mark from New Jersey and our friends Phil and Molly from Chicago came to visit for the weekend...trouble when this crew gets together, let me tell you. We had a great time (Gus's, cornhole, adult beverages for the non-pregnant, and kickball) and miss them already! Again, our camera didn't make much of an appearance this weekend, so I just have a few pics from our kickball game. We can't wait to see Jill and Mark in a few weeks over Thanksgiving and hopefully it won't be too long before we see Phil and Molly again as well. Persianis and Malloys...thanks for making the trip! We love you and can't wait to see you soon!

Thanks to Molly, Phil, Jill, and Mark for playing kickball with us!

One of the few 11 man teams we've fielded all season!

27 weeks, Hiccups, and Braxton Hicks

Today marks 27 weeks of being pregnant, and only 13 more to go!

Baby Nash is about the size of a head of cauliflower - about 2 pounds and 14.5 inches long when stretched out. He/she is definitely a squirmy little one - and I love every second of it! Multiple times during the day I just have to stop my work and stare at my belly and watch the flip flops and somersaults that are taking place. And don't forget the hiccups - those are pretty fun too. Everything I read says they don't hurt the baby, which is definitely a good thing considering this little one gets them for multiple minutes at a time! Nash has *so far* been sleeping when I am sleeping which has been nice...it takes quite a few minutes for him/her to settle back down once we crawl back in bed after our multiple bathroom breaks in the middle of the night, but definitely no complaints. I'd much rather be feeling Nash squirm around than be worried about no movement. As far as sleep goes - I wish I was getting a little more of it! I blame the Phillies...they just need to win the world series again and maybe I can get to bed before 11 pm!

In other belly news:

• Braxton Hicks contractions are now a daily occurrence. Although they don't hurt, I literally feel like someone could bounce me off the floor like a basketball...my belly gets so hard for a few minutes and them softens up again.
• The belly button is hanging in there, but barely. I always had visions of being the pregnant chick whose belly button never became and "outtie". Umm..I'm pretty much giving up on that.
• No stretch marks as of yet - yay! Keeping my fingers crossed and keeping up the vitamin E and cocoa butter slathering.

This week Matt and I got confirmation that we are officially registered in our childbirth class that will begin November 19 and run four weeks (skipping Thanksgiving) for 90 minutes on Thursday evenings. We're taking the class through the clinic I go to and the classes will be at a different hospital than the one I will be delivering at. We will be getting a tour of our delivery hospital at a later date - one more thing to add to my ever growing to-do list. We also have a good idea of the pediatric group we want to use, I just need to call them and set up a time to talk to them. Matt and I have been discussing questions that "good parents" would ask a new pediatrician. I'm sure it won't be TOO obvious that this is our first baby!

One thing we have been able to cross of the to-do list is our registry...we are officially registered at Target and Babies R Us. We had a pretty good list of items/brands we wanted to register for before heading in, so for the most part it wasn't too bad. I can definitely understand the overwhelming feeling one could get if going in non-prepared....BRU has a "must have" registry suggestion that is absolutely absurd. Did you know that according to BRU, an infant child "must have" 4 separate strollers (travel system, umbrella, jogger, and lightweight!). Seriously, there can't be anyone who actually follows those guidelines.

Hopefully this weekend we'll be making more progress on the nursery...we still have some things we need to move out and shelves and such to hang on the wall. Of course we don't have our bedding basics (sheets, crib skirt, etc - on the registry) so we haven't "put together" the crib - but I can't wait to do so! To hold you over...here's a sneak peak to Nash's bedding that I can't wait to put out! The nursery walls are green, furniture is an espresso color, and we're accenting with oranges. LOVE it, and can't wait to cuddle with our little human in a few months!

Now, for the most exciting part of my week...the best deal EVER: $150 round trip airfare from Memphis to Fort Wayne! I will be flying home next Saturday and spending two and a half days with Jessi and Ty and Macy and Mya. I'll fly back early Tuesday morning and come straight to work. I am so excited to get home and be able to help out like the rest of my family has been so great about...spending this time with the teeniest, cutest, sweetest babies ever is definitely something I NEED to do. I realized this after multiple consecutive nights of tears at the computer looking at their pictures and listening to their little squeals and coos. Matt would agree, but he's holding down the fort with our Roscoe man here in Memphis. I am really blessed to be able to do this - being healthy enough to fly home and spend this time with them, having the flexibility and vacation time at work, and most importantly - a sweet husband who knows how much I miss my family and encouraged me to spend this time with them! In case you need another dose of sweetness...feast your eyes on these sweet peanuts:

Surprise!

So, Matthew is officially 30 years old as of October 15, 2009! He tells me that it's not so much the number 30 that makes him feel "old", it's the 'having a baby' deal that's making him feel old. :) We decided to celebrate his birthday one day early because the Phillies (who are now officially NLCS champs and on their way to the World Series) were playing on the 15th. We bought a nice bottle of wine and headed to a cute little Italian restaurant we've heard great things about - only to find out it went out of business! Off we went to try Marciano's, another Italian restaurant, where Matt had the best veal parmesan ever. Even I would go back for it, and veal parm is not something I would ever choose off the menu! Yum!

Meanwhile, I had Matt convinced we were going to do a steak dinner out in Germantown with friends on Saturday the 18th to celebrate his birthday. I would not consider myself a good secret keeper, but I was able to keep the surprise party I had planned for him an actual surprise! I was positive he was suspicious, considering I always plan at least something (happy hour or cornhole at the house) for his birthday. I spent Friday after work and Saturday morning while Matt was running 20 miles prepping for the party. Our friends Jen and Danny (Matt's marathon partner) were so sweet to let me host the party at their house - I really can't thank them enough! As we turned the corner into their cove, Matt realized someone was having a party because of all the cars - he just didnt' quite realize it was his party until he saw all of our friends standing outside with a "Happy 30th Murph" sign. I have to say, it was quite a good surprise and I think he had a great time - cornhole, High Life, an inflatable joust, and a designated driver - what more could a guy ask for on his 30th birthday? Below are some pictures post-surprise...unfortunately I wasn't able to get a shot of the actual surprise considering we were in the car.

Warming up before his joust debut.

Andrew and Murph...both completely sober, of course.

Petey and Murph...a little 3 am rock band once we got home.

Matthew's 30th 'Happy Birthday' serenade (please excuse my lovely voice!)

In all seriousness though, we had a great time and it was pretty great to get to spend such a fun night with friends. Thanks again to Jen and Danny for letting me fill their yard with toys and thanks to Lizzy for helping set up!

To my favorite and soon to be baby-daddy: Happy birthday! I love you and love celebrating special days with you...hopefully God blesses us with many more to share! xxoo!