Too Many Books

In late May, we attended another graduation party. Damn Murphy cousins finishing high school and costing me money! Jussst kidding. I didn't mention yesterday, but I am proud that both cousins are amazingly brillant and one will be attending Ohio State while the other will (blech) attend The University of Kentuky. I don't hold it against him, though. Many of the Murphy's are UK fans. I just pretend I'm down. So, some other cousins came to this second shin-dig, which was super exciting because they have a little baby boy who was born December 16th, just TWO days after my Stella. Caleb has the prettiest eyes, and I'm not jealous that he is soooo much longer than Stella, because she might be peanutty, but I like her like that. (Also, she rolls over way more than he does.) On Memorial Day, otherwise known as Hotter than Hades Day, we took Stella downtown for the first time. We attended this annual music festival called "Abbey Road on the River," in which a b...

Maybe I should just commit to blogging once a month... er, hello again! (Let me catch you up on things.) Stella has now visited her third state... Ohio! In May, we attended a graduation lunch, so we had to get fancy. I'm ever so slightly proud of the following photos. It took us about four hours to get home from Ohio... because someone I married decided not to realize when he missed the exit and overshot our route by about thirty miles and also did not notice a large sign which said "Welcome to Indiana." Someone else was in the passenger seat playing with her iPhone. Also, on May 26th... this happened: It's hard to be too upset, considering that our bedroom is to the left of all that. It was so weird though... we didn't hear it fall. It happened on one of those horrid storm nights, but after the worst of it came through. $300 later, I'm thankful that my house is still standing, but I do miss the shade when I'm out of the back porch roasting in this J...

I haven't blogged in about a hundred years. I'm very broken up about it. I've missed it terribly. Stella is keeping me busy every moment. (Well, Stella and my breastpump and the endless bottle washing and rocking and sing-songing and diaper changing and cooing and oohing and ahhing...) Yeah, so, mostly Stella. Look how she's grownspice!  Remember this little December peanut?  Well... Here's her most recent glamour shot. :)   How are you people doing? What'd I miss?

  "Who IS this woman holding me? I don't even know her anymore!"   Clearly, I've had no time to blog since returning to the working world last Tuesday. Le sigh. Any free time I have in the morning and evenings is reserved for Stella. God, the guilt of being away from her for so many hours SUCKS. I know it will be even harder when she's a little older and screams, "Mommy, nooooOOOO! Don't leave meeeeeeeeeeeee!" Hubs was home with Stella last week, but she starts day care tomorrow. I'm a little concerned about how on earth I am going to get the two of us out the door, drop her off, and still and make it to work by 8:15 in the morning. (Let's just be honest. I pretty much know I'll be late to work tomorrow, since it will be our first try... but I'm talking about how in the hell I'm going to do it everysingledayspice.) Anywhine, going back to work was a bit stressful, but not completely horrible. Trying to catch up on...

Yeah, I've been in such a baby bubble for the last 8 weeks that yesterday afternoon I told my husband I was going to cheer for the Jets to win the Superbowl. (And I actually do like sports!) Fail. It's my last day of maternity leave: I go back to work tomorrow morning. The mix of emotions is intense, and Stella doesn't even start day care until next Monday, since hubs is on vacation and will be staying home with her this week. (I'll be coming home at lunch time for a little breastpumping/ cuddle session. YAY!) Speaking of breast pumping, I'm a little concerned as to how that will work out for me at the bank. I'm thankful that my right to pump is federally mandated, but, um... bank branch = cameras everywhere. And a few camera monitors, too. I'm pretty sure my pumping location options include:  a freezing cold restroom (thankfully, there are two restrooms in my branch, so I could theoretically occupy one for twenty + minutes without any inconven...

I'm kind of sadspice. I go back to work Tuesday. Stella will still have another week before she starts daycare, as hubs is taking a vacay week next week to stay home with her, which means we'll all be home together this weekend and on Monday. Soooo.... my point being... today is my last day of just Stella & me at home. Maternity leave pretty much rocked. I mean, I guess it's kind of like being in labor... it isn't so wonderful while you're in the midst of it, but looking back... it was amazing. There were moments during those days alone when she was fussy and I was exhausted that I just wanted to trade places with my husband and RUN back to work to get a break, some adult interaction, a full night's sleep (yeah, he gets that. I let him sleep, because I might be dog tired but I'm still a control freak.) But, now that it's basically over I feel like maternity leave was the most precious time. I will never get to spend that much time with her alla...

Happy weekend!

Hubs is back to work, and Stella and I are just chillin' at the homefront. Mom is trying not to spend tooooo terribly much money on Shutterfly, and Stella is trying not to be toooo terribly disgruntled in spite of her chapped little ass. My poor baby has her first diaper rash. (My blog is sexy, I know.) I think I'm going to take Stelly to the pedi's office today -- get her weight checked and see what they reccommend for the red tushie. It's starting to blister a little and I'm afraid it will turn into a yeastyspice-thing. Yummy. I'm a little nervous about venturing out of the house with my Stellabelle... I'm yet to drive her anywhere at all. I'm great at being in the back seat next to her, but I'm supes anxious about just the two of us in the car, and me all far away in the driver's seat. Good thing the pedi office is only 5 minutes away. In other news, Stella took her first road trip this weekend to Mommy's home state! We My mo...

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...

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 c...

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...

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...

Boy  or girl ? Tomorrow, I have an ultrasound. I'm almost 22 weeks pregnant. If the baby does not reveal his or her special parts, I shall be very disappointed. Hubs is convinced it's a boy. My mom is attending the Big Show with us, and if it's a girl she and I plan to point at hubs and say, "In yer face." I know that most of you have already cast your votes. If you haven't, feel free to comment with your gender guess. I wish be giving away something blue or something pinkspice. These people guessed girl: Lilly Jen Vicki Rocho Frankie Diane Mallis Christine Danek B.E. Sanderson Natalie Murphy ND Linda Henderson Rose Cooper These guessed boy: Jenna Wallace MJenks pinkflipflops jayme @ kentucky blonde a little pink in the cornfields Simon Larter Guesses it's a Griffin: Travener Housekeeping: If you don't see your entry here, leave your guess in the comments below. Yes, the prize is still a mystery. If you don't like that, too badspice.

So. Hubs and I were so excited when we arrived at my doctor's office this morning. We kept giggling over silly little things. We couldn't wait for the ultrasound! Seated in the plain-ol'-exam-room, I explained to the nurse (I'd never met this particular nurse) that hubs and I were like giddy little school kids, because we were meeting with the ultrasound tech to hopefully find out the sex of our little bundle!! I refrained from squealing be excited for us! "Um, what? The ultrasound tech isn't here today..." I wanted to punch that nurse in her face. So, she took some blood from my arm (birth-defects-tests) and said she would talk to my doctor. My doctor came in and said, "So, you thought you'd be having an ultrasound today?!" She sounded confused, as if I'd told her I thought pregnancy itself only lasted four days or something. " Yeah. Because that's what you told me the last time I was here, at my twelve week appoi...

God, I miss a lot of things about not being pregnant. Like fitting into all of my pants, for instance. Pardon me, but I'm feeling a little sensitive about my appearance. I found out that during the four weeks between my first two OB-gyno appointments... I've already gained a whopping five pounds. Apparently, it's all in my middle. And I just don't mean my front-middle. (You could land a jet plane on my ass.) But, it's worth it -- because I'm making my own version of one of these: Secretly, I hope my own little one turns out exactly like my niece. I mean, my little one has a lot of competition. Carley is the yinspice to my yang. And sometimes, when we're at outdoor wedding receptions and she is watching the bride and groom dance their first dance as husband and wife, magic happens: (this photo = lovesssssssspice) So, come on, little baby-in-my-belly. Turn out cute. Or I will sell you on the black market and use the money to get liposuction. *p.s...