"Santa where are you?"

Those were Madison's words when getting to the mall yesterday to see Santa! Her excitement gave me a little hope that the day I had been dreading wouldn't be so bad. We originally went to see the man in red on Sunday .. But upon getting to the mall and seeing the 1.5hr line we decided it wasn't the day! Then I discovered you could make an appointment, so I quickly jumped on my phone and made our appointment for Monday night! I did feel a little bad that we got to skip the line but then again we were those people many times. So just a little advice ... Look and see if your Santa takes appointments!.

I took Madison by myself so I was a little nervous about her or I having a meltdown during this experience BUT to my surprise and most of our family members ... Madison nailed it!!! 

She sat on his lap and proceeded to tell Santa "I'm a ballerina". Not once did she cry or act like she was afraid.  All in all it was an awesome night! I even scored an amazing deal on crib sheets for the baby at Pottery Barn :)

Madison has the funny "pirate face" as we like to call it with the crooked eye and forced smile, we ended up purchasing the top one I posted where is a just looking at the camera.

Next year will be a whole new experience with 2 of them.. One thing is for sure I will be making an appointment!!!

Today we are lucky to have a snow day!! It is Madison's first snow day (she doesn't go to school on Tuesdays but I'm still counting it and it's my first snow day as a substitute and school employee...I get the whole day to spend with my little family. I never thought of this little perk when I took the job!   

Off to bake some Andes Candies Cookies while we wait for Chris to get home from work. We've got lots to do today... Play in the snow, attempt to build Madison's first snowman and decorate our tree! Check back tomorrow for a post all about the snow!

Hope your having a great week!

Xo

26 weeks .. 14 weeks til St Patricks day!!

And 14 weeks or so til Baby Murray will be here too :)

We are still at Mike house (thanks mike:)) but we have signed contracts and are just waiting for the bank now .. So hopefully we will be in the house in the 2 weeks Madison has off from school and I have off from work. It's been so hard NOT shopping for the new house.. I have purchased a few things .. Steam mop, a couple cute signs for the baby room, Madison's new bedding, and picked out the glass tile for the kitchen back splash.... And of course the paint colors have been picked since August. I can't wait to share all the exciting renovations and upgrades and all the changes :) 

Anyways time for the bumpdate...

How far along are you? 26 weeks  

Have you started to show? Yes .. I don't think I will say no to this anymore 

Total weight gain: will find out on the 23rd at my next appt but it was 12lbs 2 weeks ago 

Maternity clothes? Yes, my normal jeans aren't comfortable anymore they fit but the belt digs into the bump when I sit. 

Stretch marks?  Just what's left over from Madison 

Sleep: not so much .. I wake up to every little noise Madison makes!

Best moment this week: Madison feeling the baby kick!!!

Miss Anything? My daily workouts and running .. Can't wait to start working out again 

Movement: tons!!

Food cravings: corn dogs ... Why? No clue. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing really 

Gender predictions: I'm stuck on boy.. Chris is thinking girl  Madison changes her answer daily 

Labor Signs: no .. Let's keep it that way!

Belly Button in or out? In .. Never popped with Madison.

Wedding rings on or off? on.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy 

Looking forward to: Christmas and all the amazing food and sweets and seeing Madison open her gifts :)

 Our family has some very very exciting news .... Madison is not only going to be a big sister BUT she is going to be a big cousin again!!! Our sister in law Michelle is pregnant!!! She is due in May.. We are 11 weeks apart this time .. With Madison and Bella we were 5 weeks apart. It's awesome to be able to share all this excitement with someone!!!

 .. Walking to school.

Hope your all enjoying the holidays and the winter weather with your loved ones!

Xo

 

24 weeks or 30 days not sure which I'm more excited for ...

This post is a little different because of the move .. There is no chalkboard :( .. I have the board but can't find my chalk!!! So for your viewing pleasure ... The bump!!

How far along are you? 24 weeks  

Have you started to show? Yes .. I don't think I will say no to this anymore 
Total weight gain: 12lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes, my normal jeans aren't comfortable anymore they fit but the belt digs into the bump when I sit. 

Stretch marks?  Just what's left over from Madison 

Sleep: my sleep is getting much better,

Best moment this week: The baby getting hiccups! Love the feeling!

Miss Anything? My daily workouts and running .. Can't wait to start working out again 

Movement: yes, Madison has felt it too!

Food cravings: cheesecake 

Anything making you queasy or sick: some smells

Gender predictions: I'm stuck on boy.. Chris is thinking girl  Madison changes her answer daily 

Labor Signs: no .. Let's keep it that way!

Belly Button in or out? In .. Never popped with Madison.

Wedding rings on or off? on.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy 

Looking forward to: thanksgiving dinner! Followed by Black Friday and outlet Saturday shopping :) 

So far we've spent a little over a week at "uncle Mikey's" house and it's been an adjustment for us all. Mikey's slowly getting used to a toddler running around, the dogs are loving all the play time, Chris and I are trying to get used to sharing a room with Madison and NOT waking up every time she moves. As for Madison she is loving it here tons of room to run, she walks to school, and there is always someone home to play with!

Contracts are signed for the new place so hopefully more news on that move in the next few weeks! Having thanksgiving this week slows down the mortgage process as no one works for a few days!!

Happy Thanksgiving... 30 days until Christmas!!!

Xo's 

Ch-ch-changes

A little David Bowie reference in the title there ... 

As many of you know we have a lot of changes going on in our little family right now .. Expanding from a family of 3 to 4, selling our house, buying our house, Madison's new schedule, my new job etc ... It's a lot!!!

Friday at 5pm we came "homeless" .. We had officially sold our house and didn't own any property. Now we aren't actually homeless we are living with Chris brother Mike about 3 miles from where we used to live. It was awesome of him to offer his home to us .. It's not easy taking in a toddler, your brother, pregnant sister in law and their dog especially when he also has a dog... But it works!

It's going to take some getting used to as we are now all sharing a room. The past 2 nights have been great Madison gets time to lay in our bed and watch Dora (her favorite bedtime show) and then she crawls into her bed and goes to sleep. Chris and I try to avoid going into the room until we know she is fast asleep!

Once we are confident enough that she will not wake up we crawl into bed watch a little tv and hope Madison sleeps through the night... So far so good, it's me that doesn't sleep through the night .. Thanks to baby Murray's 2am dancing parties! 

One awesome thing about Mike's house is our commute to work and school has been cut down hugely ... We don't even need to drive anymore! Mike shares a fence with the school property so Madison gets to walk to school and I to work! 

Madison is having a ball living here she loves playing with the dogs and uncle Mikey! Never a dull moment.

As for the new house we are still hoping for a mid December close... We are waiting for our mortgage approval so we can set a closing .. Cross your fingers it doesn't take to long. I am really hoping we are in at least 5 days before Christmas so we can put up a tree and decorate!!

Here is a little picture of Madison with all her friends at Mima's house 

Madison, Ryan (Chris cousins son), Ryan and Ellie 

Pregnancy after a loss...

Last year I wrote a super personal post about the miscarriages we suffered before having Madison, you can read the post here (http://keepingupwiththemurrays.blogspot.com/2012/10/always-in-our-hearts.html)

So I feel it's time for another personal post, this isn't something I like to discuss in depth with people because it brings up a lot of emotions... We have always been very open about our miscarriages and will continue to be, but deciding to try again for a baby after Madison was one of the most difficult decisions we have made.

Chris and I both had some reservations about trying again mainly what if...?, Chris was a little more relaxed and was more what happens happens, where I on the other hand was very nervous and didn't know if I could handle that possibility again. If it were up to Chris we would have started trying before Madison turned 1, but I was to nervous.  

It took a lot of talking to my parents, my friends and Chris as well as our doctor to convince me that it was ok to try. In the spring I was finally in a place mentally that I could say I am ready! I know some people may wonder why would you think about something so bad so much, to me it wasn't thinking about the bad possibilities, it was thinking if I could mentally handle the possibilities, could I be there for my husband, could I still be a great mom to Madison, can I take care of myself?

Starting or expanding a family is not something that should be taken lightly no matter what your situation is. So far we have been so blessed with this pregnancy it has been super easy compared to Madison, but we can't help but breath a sigh of relieve at each milestone.. The positive test, the fabulous bloodwork, the first time hearing the heartbeat, the 13 week mark, the half way point and I know the 3rd trimester and having this little love bug will other big milestones!

I had said after Madison I was not planning on having any other children because of our history and how hard of a pregnancy I had but I think taking the 1.5 years to think about it, settle into life as a mother and really weigh the options was the best for us. 

Since it is infant and pregnancy loss awareness month lets just take a minute to remember our 2 angels in heaven 

Xox

Halfway, 50%,..20 weeks

However you want to say it we are halfway through the pregnancy .. 20 down 20 to go 

How far along are you? 20 weeks 

Have you started to show? Yes!
Total weight gain: 7lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes, leggings which are the most comfortable things and some top.. I can still fit my normal clothes 

Stretch marks?  Just what's left over from Madison 

Sleep: yes! 

Best moment this week: Our anatomy scan, getting 20 minutes to see our little love bug. With Madison we had a single vessel cord so this time we were concerned about that again BUT no worries we have a normal cord :) 

Miss Anything? Running ... To much time on my feet makes my sciatic unbearable 

Movement: yes, hopefully Chris and Madison can feel it soon!

Food cravings: ham, cheese and mustard paininis 

Anything making you queasy or sick: the deep coughing sound .. Makes me gag 

Gender predictions: I'm still thinking boy .. This has been so different compared to Madison, Chris thinks girl. .. 20 weeks and we will see!

Labor Signs: no .. Let's keep it that way!

Symptoms: just some sciatic nerve pain
Belly Button in or out? In .. Never popped with Madison.
Wedding rings on or off? on.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy 

Looking forward to: not feeling guilty about sneaking an extra Halloween treat.

Other news ... Waiting for a closing date on our current house so we are slowly packing up all of our stuff. It's amazing what you accumulate in 3.5 years of living together!!

Also waiting for our computer to get fixed so I can take all my pictures of our camera and update you on all the fall fun, candian thanksgiving, Madison's 2nd birthday, our visit to Boo at the Zoo and our visit to the pumpkin patch!! Hopefully it will be fixed in the next 2 weeks before I get to far behind!

Madness I tell you .. Madness

Our life has been crazy this week ... Between thanksgiving in Canada , a special little lady turning 2 and the need to pack our home for the move I haven't found a free moment to update you all. I PROMISE and update is coming .. Tomorrow (Sunday October 20) probably in the evening as we are going to Boo at the Zoo in the morning.

Hope your all enjoying the fall weather ... Back to packing after I get my pumpkin latte ;) ... But here is a picture of Madison helping Opa make waffles while we were in Canada.