Before my Baptism in Mommy, Aunt Kristina and Uncle Tony's Baptismal gown.

I'm Mommy and Daddy's favorite present.

Daddy, I don't want to be Santa Clause.

Mommy, I'm not a girl! (this was the outfit he would have worn if he were a she like we thought)

Love this shot.

He sure makes us smile.

Kick. Kick. Kick.

Loves looking around on the activity mat.

Sleeping in his favorite position in bed.

At Alt N Bach's for Grandpa's 60th

Well, Danny's studying with Murphy conked out on his lap, so I figured I would take some time to post some more pictures. Amazingly the downloading went really smooth. Also, it's snowing like crazy so I'm pretty much cooped up tomorrow too, so I have some spare time at least as far as being at home is concerned. I realized the most difficult part for me about having a baby is that I'm not very good at just staying home and relaxing. In fact today is probably the first day I haven't gone out in a long time and even then I walked to the gas station near our house to buy a magazine. Whether Murphy is with me or at home with one of his other adoring family members, I'm just not good at being home. I have to say I did kind of enjoy being forced to do it today and tomorrow, so maybe it will catch on.

Two Month Update- It's Been A While

So it's been just about two months since I last posted. Not really surprising since we have a little one. Well many of you know the first month was pretty busy. We dealt with going to the doctor every day since we came home for the first week because of Murphy's jaundice. Then at his two week appointment he was still at the weight he dropped to (6 lb 15 oz), so I was a little stressed about feedings. Then he started gaining weight and we thought we were finally settling in and getting used to being parents when they suspected he might have a protein allergy. He was having very long crying spells. I completely changed my diet cutting out nearly everything for like three weeks. Then after about a month every thing just got a smooth as could be with a little baby. He started just waking once a night, was spreading out feedings, smiling and playing more. Maybe we as parents were just more comfortable. We also watched the Happiest Baby on the Block and followed it pretty religously. So the last four to five weeks have just been great. Murphy loves to smile, kick, talk and look all around. We now don't think he has an allergy either, just at times needs a little more attention (he still has to be swaddled arms in or won't sleep longer than 10 minutes). So you can see why I might not have had time to post the first month, but the second month was a lot smoother, however I managed despite having a one month old to really fill up my schedule-- out of town welcome Murphy shower, surprise party for my dad, putting our house up for sale, rehoming our cat, dealing with a sick dog, Thanksgiving, advent event, family Christmas, Baptism, and all the little things that go along with those.

I'm going to post several pictures to give you a glimpse of the last two months. Hopefully now I can try to post regularily. (oh yeah, our camera tends to freeze when I download and I have to convert pics to thumbnails first, so that sometimes prevents me from posting due to frustration). These pictures are from October to mid-November starting with the most recent. I need to download pictures from then until now, but the camera froze the computer so I decided to just post the ones I already had on. Will hopefully add more recent ones tomorrow.

First trip to the zoo, enjoying a snack with Nana.

In mommy's hat and sweater getting ready for a walk.

Mommy and Murphy in our hats.

At Murphy's welcome baby shower on the Manowske side.

Mommy's little tiger.

A pea in a pod (this picture looks just like Danny at this age).

A very common expression of Murphy's especially the first six weeks.

Cuddling with Daddy.

First time in the carrier (trying to find anything to keep him happy).

A trick or treat trip to Daddy's work.

Cozying up in the boppy.

First Packer game after the big Oct. 5 game.

First walk.

Go Pack!

A tired mommy and Lacy.

A tired Daddy checking on Murphy.

Little glow worm.

Swaddled with the billi light.

Welcome Home Murphy

Murphy, mom and dad came home from the hospital on Wed. 10/7 in the afternoon to a nice suprise of decorations and gifts put together by our loving families! Mom started "balling" once dad turned near our street. The reality of our precious gift really set in! We got some lovely pictures thanks to our friend Roy which we are excited to share with you. The first night was to be expected but mommy and daddy tag teamed well. Murphy had his first visit to the doctor on 10/8 because his billirubin was elevated. He is now officially our little glow worm because he had to wear a blue fiber optic lit billi light and it makes our little angel glow even more! Today we found it he hopefully only needs it through the day! Yippee because it kind of keeps us camped out in his room. We are all doing really well and having lots of fun laughing at all the mishaps of being new parents, like how little boys pee all the time when you change them and lots of laundry for accidentally soiled clothes is just the way it is and how daddy fell asleep without realizing it while holding Murphy on the couch. We have lots of nick names all ready, but the one that seems to stick is Murpee, it's how Murphy's 2 year old cousin Jackson says his name and we just think it is hilarious. Well, that's all I have time for now, Murphy is in serious training to be a future eating contest champion (go figure, his dad loves that stuff)!

Presenting Baby Murphy

Baby Murphy Richard Coyle made a spectacular debut on Monday, October 5 at 9:22 pm. He was healthy weighing 7 lbs 8 oz and 19 inches long. It was quite a long day for mom and dad, but once he was here it was all worth it. Murphy has extremely strong legs and since he decided to make his grand entrance during one of the biggest Packer games of he season mommy and daddy are pretty sure he'll be drafted as a kicker sometime around 2032!

Boy or Girl?

When you don't find out the sex of your baby, which apparently is pretty rare these days, the most common question is "do you think it's a boy or a girl?" I've had fun with putting the question back, especially with the kids I teach and my nephews (though I question how much my two year old nephews or really know what a boy or girl is, so that's probably pretty unreliable). One first grade student this summer without hesitation said "boy" and in response to what should I name it, he said again without hesitation "Bob. Baby Bob coming through." I laughed so hard mainly because I understand that the baby does kind of "come through" but I don't think he did.

I really haven't had any strong feelings either way. Sure I had a dream early on that we had an ultrasound done in the mall by our Pastor and they commented that the baby had a striking resemblance to Suri Cruise, despite the third leg protruding like a tail. And I've probably had one or two other girl dreams, also early on, but not as memorable. Those I always attributed to talking about the subject or the just plain crazy phenomenon we call dreams. Part of me has tried hard not to convince myself either way, so it can still be the ultimate surprise, however as I'm nearing (gee how long have I been saying somethin along the lines of "I'm nearing") the official meeting day I may have a thought.

First off I should start by saying Danny thinks we are having a girl purely based on either slip ups or regular occurence at the doctor's office. The ultrasound tech said "her arm" and the doctor said "she" and then corrected herself by adding "or he." While excited by the possible truth of this, I have since scoffed it off as purely coincidence that both those medical providers always use she.

This morning I started to think maybe the baby is a she. Not based on Danny's reasoning or the common response "the way your carrying it must be a (fill in the blank)" (which by the way I think I have gotten pretty 50/50 responses based on the way I'm carrying, some truth that theory brings). You see I think the baby might be a girl because I'm getting a sense of personality. Boys may test you physically like "so you think I won't through this expensive vase, watch me" but girls test you more in a "I'm right, I'm the boss sort of way." The personality I'm sensing is the latter.

As I have been anxiously awaiting the baby's arrival (I was convinced the baby would arrive around 38 weeks, boy was I wrong), I have had several instances, probably everyday, of sensations wondering if this is it. After waiting a little while it always ends in a big fat no. It's not the physical drain, but the mental drain of this constant, "do we call, do we go in battle" that is taking it's toll. And again I truly believe boys test you more physically girls test you mentally. Last night after several of what I think were bladder pains that took my breath away, we decided to call. We knew they weren't contractions, but weren't sure the harm a bladder infection would do to the baby if I had one. And of course after talking to the doctor I was left with the, "it's really up to you if you want to come in." The decision was emotionally draining on me, the doctor said there wouldn't be harm to the baby I would just get increasingly sick as time went on if it was an infection, however I was so tired the thought of sitting at the hospital only to hear "it's just the baby sitting on your bladder" seemed like even worse torture (not that I want it to be an infection, just to clarify). I was so sick of gasping from the stabbing pain when I would that everything was starting to frustrate me, the sound of Danny working on the computer, the stupid movie playin on tv, etc. I finally decided I was too exhausted to want to go into the hospital at that point, if a fever came I would have gone immediately, and went upstairs. I really felt this was more of a how can I mentally get through the frustration of not being able to move or sleep or always feeling like I have to go to the bathroom.

So that's one test, the other is I really now think the baby might come on the due date, for the pure "I told you so" factor. I know, none of you can imagine a baby saying that with hands on the hips and a glare in the eye but fast forward 13 years or ask any mother of a teenage girl and I bet you can. September 28 has been our due date all along, from the internet predictions to the first ultrasound and every apppointment since. So now, one day before, I wonder if the baby is a girl and her first sentence is going to be, "I told you so." If I'm wrong, then clearly you can see I have way to much time on my hands to analyze things.

Gear

So people say you just need love to have a baby, all that gear is just material things. And yes I agree love is the most important thing you must possess to have a child, but inevitably you will have a lot of gear. We have had the extreme fortune of having a sister who had children before us. Not one but two (twins), so needless to say she has an excess of gear that fortunately she is not ready to fully get rid of so we were able to borrow some. Yesterday I walked into the room to find Danny testing out one of those pieces. Hmmmmm is the Daddy Breastfeeding Nightgown next to come (doubtful but that would be hilarious). Here's a glimpse of Danny gearing up.

Last of the Bump Pics and Nesting

So, I've been nesting from like day one, but it seems to be changing and I'm pretty sure Danny is too. I've been pretty exhausted, out of breath and having back pain the past few days and since I'm not able to do as much physical, my nesting seems to have turned into mental. I have been feverishly researching vaccines, having second thoughts on whether I should interview another doctor for our baby since we only met with one, have three books all of which I got tonight, one on vaccines, one on breastfeeding and one on "babyproofing your marriage" and I have this urgency to read them all by the end of the weekend. I guess that's just what happens when you can't physically nest. Actually I've kind of been mentally nesting this entire pregnancy too. I've never been much of a researcher when it comes to choices, but suddenly I've done a 180 and literally get obsessed with it, fortunately each obsession only lasts a short period and I move to the next. On a less crazy note, I have taken up crocheting and am working on crocheting a baby cocoon. So far it's taken the shape of a beanie, but it's coming along. Thanks to Deb for being patient in teaching me, and likely finishing the cocoon if I go into labor.

Last baby bump picture taken 9/18. Definitely lower!

August baby bump.

Premier of Baby Coyle Coming Soon

Well, we only have two weeks left to our due date (though the doctor said any time now would be fine for the baby, I'm hoping sooner than later!). The last two weeks since I posted have surprisingly flown by. Despite not working I have kept busy getting stuff ready and on days when I need it relaxing. I'm not very good at doing that days in a row though, so I always hope if I have a rough day that the next one will be full of energy and for the most part it has.

For the most part things are still going really well, other than I'm fairly miserable at night, I'm feeling good! Our hole problem, at least the major one with the baby's door knob, has been solved. Leave it to my dad to have a door knob lying around that fit! Last weekend we had a blast taking some last trips out of town (not willing to chance it any longer, I don't want to have the baby out of our HMO, gotta love insurance) to the Brewer game and my family reunion. Danny got to carve a pig that was roasted and milk a cow. I think farming might be in his blood, come on Farmer Danny, how perfect is that.

Today there has been some serious cleaning and organizing going on, mainly by Danny. I think he is nesting too. They say nesting is a sign of early labor, I've been doing it all along but hmmm, I wonder if spousal nesting means the time is near :) We still don't know if we are having a boy or a girl (and won't until the baby is born) and have not officially narrowed down the girls names. We've decided from this point on to keep any top girl names a secret, though here's a hint one of them is in the name of a song that a Brewer player bats to. That's not why we picked it, we were simply enjoying a late night conversation about names on the deck the other night and both liked it. It seems for me whatever we pick may just end up being what's on the top at that moment. Each time I add a new name they all seem to shift downward for the girl choices.

Well, the Packer game is about to start. I have said all along it would be a great distraction to start early labor during a game. I don't think it's going to be tonight though.

Holes

So it would be great to always post positive, happy-go-lucky, life is just peachy blogs-- but let's face it not all adventures are. Why might you ask is the title of this post "holes"? Well, because I never could have imagined how frustrating holes can make a Saturday and how much they popped up. It all started early this morning, we got home from a friends house watching the never ending Packer game to find a portion of the basement torn up. See our dog Lacy has issues with thunderstorms and we didn't realize it was going to storm so we didn't take any extra precautions before we left. Well, some how she managed to move the dressers out that are against the wall, tear up part of the carpet in the process, pull the sheet off the pack and play, unsnap the diaper holder from the pack and play and puncture a few HOLES in the not anxiety ridden dog proof mesh in the side of the pack and play. All and all though she could have done more damage, I figure we can find a way to patch up the HOLES. Well, then today a took a second look and found more on the back of the pack and play. It's not ruined, but for safety reasons we will have to patch it up. Some of you may think get rid of her, but really she's only destructive like that when it storms. So now we realize she is probably going to need to be kenneled when we leave, storm or no storm. It's not safe for her and I just don't have the tolerance to have anything else damaged (this is not the first time, she is truly the girl version of Marley). But, like kids for every temper tantrum there are many cuddles, kisses, and a forever non-judging companion.

Anyways, so that was the start of the Saturday HOLE saga. Meanwhile, Danny is trying to change the door knob on the baby's room (it randomly locks, yet the knob doesn't have a lock, weird) and other doors in the house to match, only to find out that the HOLES are not the right size for any door knob you can find on the market today. He is now on his third trip to Home Depot to return the second set of knobs that said "guaranteed to fit". This is extremely typical of our house, nothing is guaranteed to fit.

Then to try to feel better and finish the baby's room I put the mattress pad and the sheet on the crib. We put the bumper on yesterday, so it's exciting that the room is almost done. Well, low and behold a HOLE in the side of the pad and found one on the bumper. Well, the pad one doesn't really matter it's not visible and we'll just have to be careful, but the bumper you can see and could be very inviting for little fingers, so we'll have to patch that too. Yes, returning it is probably smarter, but I love this set and it's discontinued (at least I got it for more than half off), not to mention I have everything washed, the valances are up, the diaper holder is packed, so for me returning is not an option.

We're giving up on our projects for a while now to go listen to some live music. Maybe the HOLES will stop haunting us and we can get on with our Saturday.

So I have been soooooo busy getting things done. One of those things was taking maternity shots, I have wanted to do this since before I was pregnant, crazy I know. Well with four weeks to go I panicked yesterday and got us in today. Danny was such a trooper, not to mention a really good looking Dad! I intended to post more but I'm so excited about the maternity pics we just took that I decided I'll post more of my thoughts again tomorrow! Here are some of our favorite pictures.

Feeling Blessed

Well, I had all the best intentions of posting this past week of posting at least once, but the week ended up way busier than I planned. I finished my summer school teaching on Thursday. Funny, in before I started the ten weeks I really wondered if I would make it through, go into labor way early or just be to tired to do it. But all in all most days were great. Finished with a bang outside for an entire afternoon preparing for the kids play performance. They did an amazing job in their ten minute play or maybe better called skit. But it was all them and it was really cool to see their confidence and pride in their work!

So why am I feeling blessed, well I've been feeling pretty blessed the past 8 some months, but there was just quite a bit this week. First, Danny was gone on a work trip for a few days and I had a lot of time to reflect on how much I am blessed to have such a wonderfully amazing husband and future father to our baby! What he has been to me during this pregnancy is more than I can ever put into words. For me, this has been the most amazing process for our marriage. I can't wait to continue to grow closer as our family grows!

I also have amazing co-workers. They through me a shower and gave us our car seat, which was one baby item we couldn't do with out. Some also gave us their own little gifts. I wasn't expecting any thing. It was just so nice. I hung out with some of the girls last night and I just feel pretty lucky to have met so many wonderful people through my job! I have to admit, while going out pregnant isn't so bad (aside from hearing some dude at Genna's tell his friends to ask me if I'm pregnant, it's like "what do you think? of course I'm pregnant and yes I'm at a bar which there's nothing wrong with because no I'm not drinking"), I am pretty excited to have a girls night minus baby and daddy can have a daddy baby bonding night!

Finally, I had a wonderful shower yesterday (my first shower was too, but this blog wasn't started then, so I don't want to seem like I'm excluding that one, my sister blew me away and everyone was so creative and generous). I am so thankful to have amazing in-laws (it seems that can be rare). It was so nice to see some family and friends that I don't see very often. I have a bedroom full of gifts that I just feel so grateful for. It's really amazing to feel so much genuine love in one day! I'm looking very forward to unpacking it all and then having Molly over to help settle.

And aside from these specific events I just really feel blessed to have all the people in my life and most importantly God too (it's amazing when I'm feeling stressed how much better I feel if I just say a prayer). About six weeks to go. Today made it seem very real. We toured the birthing center and even got to see a brand new born baby. My eyes started to water as I watched the admiring dad thinking that is going to be us very soon!

Baby Bump Pics

So many of you who don't see me very often or maybe not at all since I've been pregnant have been requesting baby bump pics. Here are a few that span months, so you can see the progression. I've been very fortunate that this pregnancy has been good to me. I eat what I want and have stayed in a very normal weight gain range. Right now when I look in the mirror it looks as if there is an oblong, flesh toned watermelon attached to me the long way. The baby will begin to put on about a half a pound a week. Stay tuned to see how things grow!

Date night in Mexico, April 13, 2009. About 16 weeks.

On the beach in Mexico, April 13, 2009. Yes that is a maternity suit and yes I plan to wear it when non-pregnant too.

The bump is growing, May 24, 2009. About 22 weeks. I decided from here until the baby is born each month I would take a picture in the same shirt. We'll call this the Bump Chronicle. Scroll down to see the results. And stay tuned for more, maybe we'll go weekly the last month.

Same day different shot.

Brewer Game, May 30, 2009. It looks like I'm practicing for labor, but really I was just laughing hard.

Bump Chronicle 2. June 21, 2009. About 26 weeks.

Our first Anniversary out to dinner at Restaurant Magnus. The belly might look bigger because I just ate a delicious meal :)

Bump chronicle number 3. July 25, 2009. About 27 weeks.

On our way to a friends wedding, August 1, 2009. By the way that's not a maternity dress and I'm so excited to wear it with leggings in the fall. Gotta love the empire waist trend!

With my friend Julie on my birthday, August 6, 2009. About 32 weeks.