A Garden Kind of a Weekend!

Matt and I visited the Chicago Botanical Gardens last Saturday with Jean and Darrell!  We were all very thankful for the early start because by noon the gardens were packed.  The Chicago Botanical Gardens are a little piece of serenity just 20 minutes away from the city and I'm excited to share some pictures with you.   A big thanks to Jean and Darrell for picking such a wonderful place to spend a Saturday morning. 

We spent the remainder of the weekend getting all our ducks in a row; checking out gliders for the baby's room, shopping for the mom to be (I needed to add some maternity gear into my wardrobe) & of course cleaning and preparing the condo for its listing debut.  Our weekends have been filled with more work then play these days but we are hoping things slow up going forward and we can relax a bit and enjoy this wonderful Chicago weather!

6 Month Bump

It is hard to believe that we are at the sixth month point!  I'm still feeling great which is a bonus because Matt & I have been busy.  This past weekend we staged the first floor our condo and de-cluttered in efforts to get the house ready to list.  A big thanks to my parents for all their help (we needed it)! We just have to focus on the bottom floor so we can get some pictures taken and get the process in motion. No word on our potential home in the burbs but we might have some new news by the end of the week.

Matt & Dad spent Father's Day golfing and watching golf on TV (Matt's dream day for sure).  Mom and I hit up Buy Buy Baby for the third time to try and finish up Baby Murray's Registry.  It is kinda remarkable how many things the little guy is going to need and it is a bit overwhelming trying to predict what we will need for his arrival.  Luckily, we made progress....

I've been feeling the baby more and more and love every time I feel a little kick or movement from him!  I've been trying my best to get workouts in here and there and have found that walking is an activity I enjoy these days.  Going forward this mama to be is getting pedicures; painting my toenails isn't as easy as it used to be. I'm sure as the months progress I will run across other tasks that are more difficult to do.  I'm not craving any foods but I am finding that I have been eating more meat then usual (pasta just isn't as appealing) and will jump at the chance to eat frozen yogurt.

Galesburg: Erica & Jason's Wedding 

A Walk in the Park...

It was a beautiful weekend in Chicago and Matt and I took full advantage of that on Saturday!  We hit up the Green City Market and picked up some fresh cilantro (which was pretty fabulous in the black bean & corn salsa we made Sunday night);  then we headed north to the Lincoln Park Zoo!  Many of the animals were out and about enjoying the day as well as many families (we can't wait to take our little guy to the zoo next summer).  We also did the Nature Walk which is part of the zoo as well; all the walking had made us hungry and wanting a rest which lead us to our next stop.. Dunnley's for apps and "drinks" (my go to drink these days are virgin bloody Mary's).  Even though we had tons to accomplish Matt & I put all of that aside and thoroughly enjoyed our walk in the park and a beautiful day in the city!

  

House News: Matt has been working hard on our condo; we thought we were going to put it on the market last week but it appears that every accomplished project leads to more work.  We have new tile in the downstairs bathroom and Matt is in the process of painting the baseboards and the bathroom door.  We have another flooring guy coming out this week to do some more finishing touches.....  I guess we aren't in a huge hurry since we have no new news on the house we put an offer on last month.  I still have a good feeling about it but as we approach my due date I get more concerned about where were are going to be living.

Baby News:  I'm 23 weeks and the little one has been moving around more (or at least I can feel him more) which is so exciting!  Matt even got to feel him the other night; just 121 days till we get to hold the little man.

Aunt Mia was in Lawrence and picked up Baby Boy Murray's March Madness 2013 outfit!  I can't wait to deck him out in Jayhawk Gear.

It's A BOY!!!!

Last Friday we had a small gathering for the big announcement; we had our 20 week ultrasound a few days before and had them seal Baby Murray's Gender in an envelope.  I handed off the envelope to Kristina from Pops By Kristina to make some gender reveal cake pops (it took all of our will power not to rip open the envelope but we successfully handed it off without taking a peak).  

Friends and family guessed baby Murray's gender; and Matt and I were the first to take a bite out of the cake pops revealing... BLUE cake!  I had a feeling we were having a boy but I think Matt was pleasantly surprised (he totally thought we we having a girl).  Matt and I are thrilled and can't wait to welcome the little guy into our lives.  Gosh, this is going to be an adventure for all of us...all things boy and all things blue.  Matt & dad are already talking about buying Baby Murray his first set of golf clubs; luckily they will be in charge of teaching him how to play as well.

Jenn guessed blue & Matt guessed pink!

Grandparents to be ECSTATIC about the news <3

Moving On Up!

We had our 20 week ultrasound this week and we couldn't have been more anxious about it!  It has been two months since I was diagnosed with placenta previa and told to lay low.  We were all keeping our fingers crossed that I could resume normal activity once again and start taking out the garbage for the love of God!  Today, we finally got the news we were waiting for....the placenta moved up! I am no longer a high risk pregnancy & I can start working out and being a bit more active.   That being said in the last week or so my baby bump has really popped (people are actually starting to ask me when I'm due); so we'll see how active I am able to be!

During the ultrasound baby Murray was being a bit stubborn (I wonder which one of us that comes from)!?!?!  The ultrasound tech was unable to get the baby in a position to see it's face; she poked my belly and tried talking to the baby but both tactics were unsuccessful!  While this was going on I was laughing to myself and telling the baby "I know, I don't like her either."

5 Months & Getting Bigger....

We want to thank all our family friends for sending positive thoughts our way and for all the extra help we received.  We feel so lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives who are there for us always.

House Hunting & Repairs

Matt & I have been causally house hunting and in the meantime we have been looking to fix up our place; either with the intention of selling or making it ready for Baby Murray.  In our place we have to re-tile the bathroom, fix our closet doors (they are off track & have been for the last 6 years), and fix some lighting issues.  So overall, nothing too major (thankful for that)!  This past week we did come across a house we both liked and after taking my family to see it, we placed an offer!  We aren't getting too excited about moving forward because the house is a short sale and it could be a LONG time before we are able to close on the house (if they except our offer).  We like to keep it interesting over here in the Murray Household; never a dull moment... We might be burbs bound sooner rather then later so stay tuned!

This week my energy officially came back and I totally took advantage of that!  Matt and I hit up RPM Italian (owner's Giuliana/Bill Rancic), one of the new hot spots in Chicago for dinner then headed to Taylor Street for some Italian Ice.  We met good friends out to dinner Friday night at Cantina Laredo and met up with some other friends back at RPM for "drinks."  It was great to catch up with friends and stay awake long enough to do so!

Katie, Meredith, Bridget, Melissa & Jenn

Baby Makes 3:

Goodness, where do we even begin!?!?! The last couple of years have been VERY exciting for Matt and I; and life is only going to get more exciting with a baby on the way!  About a month ago we shared with our family and friends that "Baby Makes 3" with our little one having a due date of October 3rd!  We're going to be a house of Libras with Matt's b-day on September 26th and mine on October 2nd. I however, have a feeling the baby is going to arrive right in between our birthdays giving us both an amazing Birthday present. 


This week I am officially 4 months and I am feeling pretty good!  I have gained a sudden burst of energy the last couple of days which has truly been amazing for me; even though  I'm not so sure Matt loves my sudden need to clean the house and urgency to accomplish tasks.  Overall, I've felt really good throughout the pregnancy besides my lack of energy. We did have a minor set back when the doctor diagnosed me with placenta previa.  Ever since, I have had to refrain from working out, vacuuming, lifting over 8 pounds and I have had to try my hardest not to use my abs (basically, I can walk).  Usually placenta previa goes away at 20 weeks; so we are keeping our fingers crossed that this is the case for me! 
  
I know many of you are dying to see baby bump pictures; don't worry we have been very good about taking a picture each month to share with you (and to use one day when I have time to put a photo album together).  Currently, I'm still in between my regular clothes and maternity attire and some days my belly is more prominent then others but it is clear baby Murray is growing!

2 month Bump....

3 month Bump...

4 month Bump!