Playing Dress-Up

Before we had Jack, our dog Owen was our pride and joy. We loved taking silly pictures of her and family photos of the three of us.




It's much more fun and a heck of a lot cuter to dress up our little baby Jack.

A Boppy Comparison

Here's Jack at about a week old:

About a month old:

And here at about 2 months:

Caught mid-sneeze.

And finally, these are from today, he's just shy of 3 months:


We'll probably be forcing the poor guy to carry around the boppy so we can get a photo-op when he's graduating from college.

Meeting the Great-Grandparents

Jack had the privilege of meeting some of his great-grandparents this past weekend. We drove up to Pittsburgh to spend the weekend with GiGi and Pappy (Jean and Jack), James's mom's parents. It was also Jack's first overnight trip away from home. But the most special part of the trip, was being able to introduce Jack to one of the two great-grandfather's that he's named after.

There was lots of oohing and ahhing over, and cuddling of baby Jack. He also got to meet James's aunt & uncle and some of their kids and spouses. He doesn't remember since he was sleeping, but he also Skyped with his dad's cousin's baby girl (I have no idea what she would be to Jack, fourth cousin by marriage once removed? who knows.) who was born two weeks after he was. You can read all about the adorable Ava Faulhaber here.

We had a great time. Beside the obvious enjoyment of being with family we don't get to see very often, we were so glad to get away from our apartment for a bit (if you've ever been over and experienced the ridiculous noise levels, you'll understand completely), and just get out of town. We've spent so much of the last two and a half years traveling and moving, we were getting a bit stir crazy.

Jack traveled really well, we were so grateful. We made it the 6 our drive with only one stop each way.

Jack, meet Jack.


and meet your great-grandmother Jean, get ready for lots of fun spoiling which you are sure to love.




Second cousin Mae-lin. I guess they're second cousins, I'm not really sure how all those extended family relations work.


There was so much snow there, we were dying to let Jack play in the snow for the first time. James found a snow suit on Craig's List right down the street from his grandparents house. As you can see, Jack was thrilled.


"I can't put my arms down!" A gold star for you if you know that movie quote.




I'm envisioning many adventures ahead for the two of them that will be sure to make my heart stop a few times.




Good times, great hospitality, and wonderful family.

Mr. Chatterbox

Lately our little man has been chattin' it up. We have little "conversations" and it cracks me up. Everyday he seems to smile and laugh more and more. Here's a taste of it:

Bizarre Produce

One thing we never lacked during the first two months of Jack's life was delicious food, and not because we were doing any of the cooking. So many people prepared incredible meals for us and even delivered them. We ate so well and we are so grateful for those gifts of service.

I knew having a newborn would be a lot of work, but I didn't anticipate just how much I would dread having to cook a meal when dinnertime crept around. But thanks to our awesome friends and family, we never once had to do anything more complicated than put something in the oven or punch buttons on the microwave.

As a result of these glorious meals given to us, the only food cabinets I opened were the ones containing the cereal and granola bars. These onions are proof of that. We found them the other day; I'm not sure how long they have been there, but they're definitely older than Jack is.

Kinda scary, don't you think?

Month #2

Dear Mr. Jack,

That is one of the many nicknames we have for you. In your second month of life, you continue to put smiles on people's faces. We hear a lot of, "he's so cute!" and while many babies are cute, you are especially cute. You've started smiling much more and you're finding your voice. You've been cooing some, and doing lots of squealing and making gurgle noises, it's so much fun to have this kind of conversation with you, it seems like you'll have a lot to say when you add words to your repertoire of sounds.

Growing is something you do well. At your 2 month check-up you weighed 14 pounds and were 24 inches long, that means you're in the 95th percentile for your age. You were really brave when it came time for a shot. You made a really sad face, whimpered a bit and then laughed at me a minute later. The worst part was when we had to take the band-aid off later that night. Next time we'll just do without the band-aid

You're noticing your surroundings so much more; a couple of days ago you couldn't tear your eyes away from a tree for 10 minutes. You love watching your mobile, seeing yourself in the mirror, being in your swing, and just yesterday you started splashing around in your bath for the first time. But your favorite thing of all is seeing people stick their tongue out at you, you think that is the funniest thing you've ever seen, and you work really hard at mirroring our actions. We love playing that game with you and don't care at all that it makes us look like fools.

One day as I was putting you to sleep, you were staring up at me, wide awake, with your beautiful blue eyes. Suddenly, you gave me a completely unsolicited smile. You melted my heart, once again.

A song I've been listening to recently sums up how your Daddy and I feel:
You will lose your baby teeth, at times you'll lose your faith in me; you will lose a lot of things, you cannot lose my love.
You may lose your appetite, your guiding sense of wrong and right; you may lose your will to fight, but you cannot lose my love.
You will lose your confidence, in times of trial your common sense; you may lose your innocence, but you cannot lose my love.
Many things can be misplaced, your very memories be erased, no matter what the time or space, you cannot lose my love. -Sarah Groves

It's Been Too Long

Surely you're dying to see more pictures of Jack. No? Well, you'll have to forgive me, he's by far the most exciting thing going on around here, so pictures of Jack are what you're gonna get.

The way he loves to stick his tongue out is really cute right now, but I imagine there will come a day when his motives change, and we're not going to think it's very cute.

But if he grins at me like this, he might get away with most anything.


See all those chins? I think he grows a new one each day. This kid enjoys his food.

Our Little Man

His little hands and little feet are just two of the things I want to burn into my memory because he will continue to grow, faster than I'd like, and there will be a day when I will be shocked at how quickly the time has gone and we will be thinking back to the days when he was this little.


But that day hasn't come yet, so I'll attempt to treasure every moment and keep soaking up grins like these:

The Many Faces of Jack

Though I took these photos, it was Valerie, who is far more creative and witty than I am, who wrote the fabulous commentary to go along with each photo.

"Why am I not eating? What is happening here?"


"That's shocking."


"Go Phillies!!!"


"Again with the not eating."


"Oh Mama, you're so funny."


"How you doooooooin?"


"Well, this is fun!"


"I'm impossibly sweet and worth all of the sleepless nights because, c'mon, look at this face."

Jack's One Month Birthday

(I've enjoyed Valerie's monthly posts about JR so much that I've decided to shamelessly copy her and do the same for our son Jack. Hope you don't mind Val, thanks for the idea!)

I imagine I'll be saying this a lot throughout the life of our son, but seriously, where did this past month go?! It's hard to believe this beautiful little man has been in our lives for a month. He definitely took his time getting here, he must have been incredibly comfortable since he was almost two weeks late and I was in labor for 32 hours before he made his grand, and miraculous, entrance. Eventually I'm going to write out his birth story and will share that with you here, but right now I'm busy taking care of a newborn.

As many of you know, we lost our first baby to a miscarriage in 2008, so being able to meet our second child was a joyful occasion on so many levels. One of the thoughts I had during Jack's first week was how exciting it is that we will get to tell him about his sibling that he will one day meet in heaven.

So a bit about our little guy. He is named Jack Charles after his two living great-grandfathers: my dad's father and James's mom's father. They are both wise, honorable, caring, godly, family-loving men and we would be so proud if Jack grew up to have traits like them. Of course, we would love him just the same if he didn't, but we liked the idea of honoring family members who have had a huge impact on our lives and having their legacy live on in our family.

So far, Jack does a few things really well, like most newborns, he likes to sleep, eat, and fill his diaper. Let's talk about the eating. We're breastfeeding (I say we because it's definitely a collective effort between me, Jack, and James. I wouldn't be able to get by without James to encourage me and bring me all sorts of stuff when Jack is eating. My husband is amazing.) and though he's a fast eater, he must get lots of food in a short time because he is gaining weight incredibly fast and becoming a little chubster, which I love. He was incredibly adorable when he was born, but chub makes him even cuter. Eighteen days after he was born, he had already packed on two pounds, doubling the average daily weight gain for newborns. See for yourself:



Other than eating, here are some of his other likes and dislikes:

Jack likes:
-Taking baths, as long as it's not a sponge bath, and only if we run the hot water before hand to get the bathroom really steamy.
-Looking at any kind of black and white pattern
-Stretching and yawning. It's so adorable, one day I'll record it and share it with you.
-Sleeping in his car seat when we're out. He's a marathon sleeper in that thing.
-Snuggling. This was clear from the first moment I held him.
-Folding his legs up like a little frog.
-Being swaddled.
-Holding his hands by his face (a reminder of one of the reasons labor was so difficult for me) and rubbing his head and face with his fingers. He's fast asleep in this picture:

-Being in a baby carrier. I think it reminds him of being in the womb.
-Being held like this when his belly hurts:

-Being sung to.
-Getting silly kisses from his dad.


Jack doesn't like:
-Being naked when it's cold. I don't like it either, so it's understandable.
-Having clothing pulled over his head. Any outfit with all buttons or a zipper up the front are our favorite.
-When we don't put him down for his nap when he's ready. When we miss that window of opportunity, he let's us know that he's not happy about it.
-To wait too long to eat. When that belly is empty, he's ready and can't quite understand why he's being made to wait any longer than five minutes. Then we hear what we have dubbed his "angry cry," but it's more like a guttural yell. He's got two parents that really like to eat, I should've seen this coming.

This little man has already brought so much joy into our lives, it's so exciting to look forward to watching him grow and change into the person he will become.

We love you so much Jack, and that will never change.

This kinda blows my mind:

This was me and my big belly on November 26th, Thanksgiving:

Then, a little more than 3 days later, on November 30th we got to meet Jack, our beautiful baby boy.

I mean seriously, the fact that he was inside my belly is hard to believe. All those kicks, jabs, and hiccups came from him. Amazing. Babies are miracles.

Introducing...

Jack Charles Murphy!

We are so incredibly grateful for this huge blessing! He came into our lives November 30th at 3:09 am, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 22 inches long.

It certainly wasn't easy getting him here, but definitely worth every second of the 32 hours I was in labor. One day soon I'll sit down and write out the details before it slips from my sleep-deprived mind.

Hope you enjoy these photos as much as we're enjoying him!

Fashionably Late

Like most first babies, our little guy has decided to wait a bit longer than his due date to make his grand entrance into our lives. Since I am now 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant, we have officially started the waiting game. But, even as I say "officially," I know it's not actually official. Over the course of the first half of my pregnancy, I was given three different due dates, ranging from November 13th to November 26th, so I could be only 39 weeks pregnant at this point.

My midwives are going by the 19th due date, but have told me that if the 26th comes and goes, and the baby and I both look healthy, they won't be in any big hurry to induce. Which I am very thankful for. I'm of the opinion that the baby will arrive when he knows it's time, and who am I to rush him along just because I'm ready to meet him? Of course, if it looks like the baby is running out of amniotic fluid, my placenta is breaking down, he's not getting the nutrients he needs, or any other issues are going on that are threatening either of our health, then of course, an induction would be necessary and favorable.

I found out at my last appointment that the chemicals that start the labor process are released from my babies brain; not the female parts of my body, but from my baby. He's the one we're waiting on to tell us when the time is right. I think that's a pretty cool process that was designed by our Creator. Doctors and scientists have attempted to duplicate these chemicals but, thankfully, have been unsuccessful. Babies and the birth process are mysterious miracles and we as humans have messed up many aspects of it, hopefully this is one aspect we won't be able to duplicate.

Until we meet our little guy, I'll be attempting to enjoy every second of freedom that comes with not caring for every need another human. While I am so excited to meet him, I realize that our lives are going to be turned upside down, in lots of great ways, but they will never be the same. So I'm going to take long showers, spend too much time on the internet, take a nap when I feel like it, get an almost full night of sleep (minus all the obligatory trips to the bathroom), and lots of other things that won't be as easy with a newborn.

Another thing I'll be doing is trying not to let sarcastic responses slip out when I'm faced with all the, "You're still pregnant?!" and, "You haven't had that baby yet?!" comments that come from people I'm speaking with face-to-face. One of the things I've realized over the last 10 months is, if you're not sure what to say to a pregnant lady, know that, even if you don't mean it this way, many things could come across as hurtful and frustrating. A sincere, "How are you feeling?" or "You look great," are always a safe bet. Even if the latter isn't completely true, she enjoys hearing it because she most likely doesn't actually believe it herself. Coming down off my soap box now.

Stay tuned, we'll keep you posted as things progress!

Déjà Vu

These last few days of rain, wind, and gray skies have transported me back to Scotland.

Typically, this long of a stretch of weather like we've had this week would have quite the depressing effect on my demeanor, but this time it has a slightly comforting appeal to it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing for weather like this to continue and I definitely am not preferring it over blue sunny skies, but now that we've had the chance to step away from constant dreary weather of Scotland, and have been exposed to a (somewhat) hot Virginia summer and a beautiful fall, I can appreciate it a bit more and not get so annoyed with it.

I think behind my contentment is the knowledge of a stretch of sunny skies and warmer weather that is right around the corner, a luxury we didn't have in Scotland.

I could get deeper about how this is a reflection of my attitude toward life and how if I could learn to appreciate the gray skies as much as the blue skies, and keep the perspective that there are always blue skies around the corner, I might just learn more from the rainy days and see the joy in all the seasons of my life, no matter how gray the sky is or how long the rain sticks around.

But instead, I'll soak in this gray, rainy day and reminisce about the great times we had in Scotland, and more importantly about all the incredible people we met who love us like their own family and who we miss terribly.

38 Weeks, and a Realization

About a week ago, a funny thing happened. I saw my profile in a mirror and realized that for the first time, my big belly seemed normal to me. Up until then, I would see my reflection and be surprised or just shake my head in disbelief that this ever expanding belly is actually a part of my body.

It only took 9 months to get to that point, but I'm finally here. Having a child grow inside my body is such a bizarre, and incredible, experience, I can't even begin to explain it; and I never would've been able to understand what it's like without experiencing it.

So here we are, 38 weeks pregnant and two weeks to go until D-day. But of course, a due date, as everyone knows, is merely a suggestion, especially for first babies. Our little guy could decide to arrive any day, or it could be another four weeks from now. My hope is he'll arrive on the day that is best for him, he can take as long as he needs to grow and develop...as long as it happens during the month of November.

In the last week, I've been dealing with some pain in the hip/pelvic area. From what I've been told, ligaments are loosening up down there to prepare for this little man's arrival, which is one of the reasons for pain. Another issue I've been having is sciatica; apparently he's camped out on a nerve which is causing random shooting pains through my hip and leg and pain whenever I take a step. But I've talked to ladies who've had this kind of pain for 2/3rds of their pregnancy, so if it's only the last 3-4 weeks that I'm having to deal with this, I'd say that's pretty good and I'm super grateful.

I'm off to pack my hospital bag. I'm a horrible procrastinator when it comes to packing for a trip, I usually do it after midnight the night before a trip. That obviously won't work this time since I imagine the last thing I'll feel like doing in the midst of labor pains is packing a bag with all the necessities.

Here's where I could use your help: any suggestions from you mothers (or fathers) of items I definitely will want or items you took and definitely didn't need?

Almost 37 Weeks, and a Few Random Tidbits

Even as I type the title, I have trouble believing it. As each day passes, I'm getting more and more excited about meeting our son. And surprisingly, I'm also getting more and more excited about the process I'll have to go through to meet our son. Maybe it's a case of ignorance being bliss, but it might also be that I'm reading a book that is helping me look more at the positive aspects of labor and delivery and not dwell as much on the aspects of it I've been focusing on up until now (those are mainly thoughts that have to do with the size of a baby and the size of my body. yikes!).

Lately he's been jumping around in my belly like he's trying to break out. It's funny because it seems as though the more squished he gets in there, the more he's moving around like a maniac; you'd think he would calm it down a bit.

It is a relief to be so close to 37 weeks, since that's when a baby is considered full term. But I'm definitely not wishing for his little guy to be born now. I'm much more comfortable with the idea of him coming around my due date (November 19th). I want him to have as much time as he needs to fatten up and be fully ready to face this world. Plus I need a bit more time to get organized. But I have this sneaking suspicion that even if I had another 9 months, I'd never be as organized as I'd like to be.

Two of my lovely sisters-in-law (Jenna & Leah) headed up the effort to throw us an incredible baby shower yesterday. Although it was more like a torrential downpour than a shower: the ladies who came to celebrate with me were all incredibly generous, I think I opened gifts for 90 minutes straight!

Last Wednesday, James and I took what was probably our last overnight trip for quite some time. James's sister's former boss gave her an incredible gift of two tickets to the final game of the NLCS. She then generously passed the tickets on to us. James's favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies were playing the Dodgers in Philly. It was so much fun. One day, little Murph (as nicknamed by Val & Ross) will be excited to see evidence of his first, and surely not last, Phillies game:



That's all for now because sitting upright for too long causes some intense back pain. An inconvenience I'll gladly deal with since it means getting to soon meet Baby Boy Murphy!