Too Many Books

Blog Photo Review: A visually stimulating two years August 31, 2008: knot = tied Got Hitched I adored every single inch of my modern wedding... rooftop ceremony, reception in an urban space overlooking a glass-blowing studio.. all the purple and yellow and black and white... the way I looked... the euphoria of pulling off the event... love is grand, but a kick-ass wedding is, too. Sept. 2008: Fish outta water! Honey, moon me... Hubs and I spent the week in Myrtle Beach, SC and were there for Tropical Storn Hanna. Not a highlight: super hard wind and rains. Definitely a highlight: forcing my new husband to take my photograph on the beach, me sportin' my wedding dress, even though our wedding took place back in Louisville.  November, 2008 I spy a Hoosier!  Floor Seats in Assembly Hall, Bloomington Yeah, we played nobody IUPUI. It was still top-ten on my most awesome life-experience list. Summer 2009: Got a new ride. I drove all night... to get to you. Her name

(Preface: I didn't think I was going to have the strength to blog about this, but since what doesn't kill our babies makes them stronger...) Two weeks have slipped by since our first day home with Stella. A couple of hours ago, hubs headed back to his job. (My mom took this week off from her job and is coming over to help me -- I think the plan is that she will entertain Stella while I clean up around the house. Part of me wishes she would do the cleaning up while I do the baby-holding, but it's her birthday today so I guess I'll let it slidespice.) Um, anyway... I digress. (I'm stalling.) So, I have one of those super-stylin' My Brest Friend pillows, which straps around me like a fanny pack slash inner-tube... I just lay the babe on it and whip out the boobage... It pretty much rocks. Well, I'd gotten kind of confident using that pillow because I had it with me in the hospital. So, for instance, if I... say, dropped the remote or something, I woul

Cute mobile; not the same as the photo on the website! When I got the opportunity to receive a free item from csnbaby.com, I knew that I wanted to find a mobile to accent my modern nursery. The Lambs & Ivy Madison Avenue Musical Mobile looked like the perfect addition. When the package arrived, I was a little crestfallen at first. The mobile I received was not exactly the same as the one in the photo on csn. The mobile I expected to get was brown, tan, and white -- the mobile that came was brown, pink, white and yellow. I realized that the mobile shown in the product photo is actually the Lambs & Ivy Park Avenue Style. I considered returning the item and getting what I wanted, but decided that it still looked great and kept it to avoid any hassle. Plus, since I received it at no cost for doing the review, I figured there was no reason to be complaining. My husband easily installed it on the side of our crib. Our newborn doesn't sleep in her crib yet, but we love to p

merry christmas from amber and stella murphy may joy be yours today and always.

I spent a good part of the nine months I was pregnant being a little miffed that I would have a December baby. I spent the better part of late November and early December just wishing she would getherealready... so her birthday wouldn't be dreadfully close to Christmas every year. I prayed that I wouldn't go past my due date and end up in the hospital for Christmas. I wasn't that excited about having a "Christmas baby." Then she arrived and none of that mattered anymore. It is a special time of year to have a baby... and the hospital looked beautiful with winter decorations, Christmas trees, lights. More, in those quiet moments alone with Stella, when I looked into her eyes, I felt like saying thank you to a Big Man Upstairs -- one whom I'm not even sure I always believe in.   On our last day at the hospital, the most wonderful thing: I was walking back from the nursery and I heard voices behind me -- the voices of a choir singing. I started to boing!

my little polka-dot-peanut For first time parents, bringing home a little bundle of joy from the hospital is a big milestone. I'm sure that every parent can recall this emotional event -- the fear you felt getting behind the wheel. Is the car seat installed correctly? Is her head tilted too far to the left? Maybe we should turn up the heat a little more! Yes, this beautiful moment is marked with just a bit of anxiety, isn't it? When we brought Stella home on Thursday, December 16th, we were feeling like every other new parent: scared out of our wits! We had some bonus stress: Louisville was covered in a blanket of sparkling ice. The sleet and freezing rain had come as expected Wednesday night, and cars and trees and ground were all coated in a crystal glaze. Schools and businesses were closed -- even the bank where I work (when I'm not busy bringing new life into the world) was on a two hour delay. We didn't leave the hospital until late afternoon, and after

Stella Claire Murphy 12/14/2010 5 pounds 12.9 oz 19.25 inches long Birth Story: not for the weak-bellied Monday night, Dec. 13th -- I went to bed around midnight. Monday night became Tuesday morning, December 14th... at 2:30 a.m. I woke up with searing pain in my thighs and lower back. I decided to try to go back to sleep because we'd just been to the hospital 2 nights before with a false alarm and I did not want to be the pregnant woman who cried wolf. I got out of bed at 3:30a.m. and started coffee. I sat through an hour of contractions that were spaced 4-6 minutes apart. The pain was so different than what I expected -- I thought it would feel like a fist clenching and unclenching in my groin. Nopers. More like someone poured kerosene on my kidneys and then intraveiniously pumped it into my thighbones as well. At 4:45 a.m. I went and sat on the edge of the bed -- hubby's side -- and made him aware of our situation. He'd heard me moaning and figured I was up questio

I started a post and scrapped it... it was titled: "TMI Thursday, Monday Edition: Childbirth Photos." Then I was going to write "PSYCH!!" as my opening line. Anyway... Blog world, she's here! Please help me welcome: Stella Claire Murphy 12/14/2010 5 pounds 12.9 oz 19.25 inches long A few things: yes, she's almost 7 days old already... sorry this post is delayed but I have been busy sacrificing my body, boobs, and bedtime for another human life. Plus, if you've befriended me on facebook, you already knew! Still, as a reward for your patience, I will post a few photos of this December darling (and a few of them aren't on facebook yet... so they are super special.) You'll have to settle for captions tonight, but I promise there are stories to tell -- get ready for TMI's out the vagina wah-zoo. please note: she doesn't sleep here yet. Once she does, the crib will be empty of toys and other such hazards. (Musings of Amber Murp

Lost my mucus plug yesterday. Word. (If you know about those, then you know how TMI that is. If you don't know, then google it.) (Hubs came up with a pretty decent descrption of it, though... "It looks like you blew your nose after you had a bloody nose.") (I'll pause for regurgitationspice.) Still no baby, though. I'm six measley days from my due date on December 16th, and I'm starting to feel like a beached whale. No, not just a beached whale: an impatient beached whale. I'm 1 cm dialated/ 50% effaced as of my last appointment. What is she waiting on?! Christmas?!