Swim Lessons!

Mur and I went to swim lessons yesterday for the first time. I guess at this age lessons really isn't the right word. We went at 10 AM on Sunday which seemed like a good time - early enough so your whole day isn't ruined and late enough that you don't have to set your alarm to get out of the house. He did great - he didn't scream when he was in the water and the water was pretty warm which is really the only things I can think of that could have gone wrong. I sang some songs and he chewed on a toy and that was about it. His face got in the water a little bit one time and he coughed a little bit - but he seemed fine after about 30 seconds. Andy was taking care of Deucey so we don't have any pictures. Hopefully one weekend we can go and take some pictures so that you can see him in his cute surfer shorts.

Visiting the Grandparents in Florida

A couple of weeks ago we went down to Florida to visit Bob and Talli in their new house. They bought a house outside of Orlando in the Spring of last year and this has been the first winter they spent in Florida.

This was also Murdoch's first plane flight. We were expecting the worst but he really wasn't that bad - only a little bit of crying on 2 out of the 4 flights. We did have a really bad experience traveling down there - a lot of weather problems - Murdoch was probably the happiest out of all of us. We had a good week down there - the weather was a little chilly but we still took some walks and enjoyed it because it was warmer than Boston, and we traveled down to Vero Beach to visit Murdoch's great-grandmother - 4 generations went out to lunch at once! And Andy and I managed to get a few days at the beach by ourselves which was nice. I think Murdoch had a great time - I am sure he loved all of the extra attention. Here are the rest of the pictures from our trip.

Trying to be more green - Paper Cups

The topic of the environment and global warming is very important to me so I thought I would publish a post every once in awhile on this subject.

I feel like there are a million articles and show out there on how you can become more green and more environmentally friendly. Sometimes I find the volume of this information overwhelming to the point that I feel like I am just not doing enough. I also find some of the suggestions are very expensive and time consuming. I know what you are saying - if something is important to you, you will make the time and make the money portion work as well. In some cases this is true but others it is not. Because of this I have decided to make one environmentally friendly change a month that is relatively easy, does not cost that much money, is free, or could actually save you money. This way I can focus on a positive change I am making instead of feeling like I am just not doing enough.

For this month I am starting the use of my own tea cup. Instead of going to the cafeteria every morning and getting a paper cup that I fill with hot water for my tea I brought a travel mug in from home. I started this on Monday so I have saved 4 cups from being used, and actually probably more - I have been pretty tired this week so there has been some afternoon tea consumption as well. It is a small change that was pretty easy for me so I should be able to stick with this. Over the course of a year I will save hundreds of cups and that feels like an accomplishment.

Mur Memory Memo - Hand Kisses

Another memory post! I am starting to realize all of the things that I am going to miss if I don't write them down. When Murdoch is having a bottle or when he is going to bed he likes to reach his hand up to my face. Sometimes this results in hair pulling or scratching my face but a lot of the time he puts his hand to my mouth I give him a kiss and then he puts his hand back down. I don't know what this means to him but to me it means that he is looking for a little comfort and I am able to help him out - maybe I am looking into it too much but I don't care. I don't enjoy the scratches or the hair pulling but when that little hand springs up to my face, I give him a kiss on his palm or finger tips, and then he drops it a little relaxed it makes me smile. I know this won't last forever - he is already starting to feed himself so he is using both hands and I don't know how long I will be rocking him to sleep so that will end at some point as well. I will also miss him opening up his eyes briefly every 30 seconds or so while I am rocking him to sleep as if he is checking to make sure I am still there and if I am it is okay to fall asleep. I love those two little eyes that look at you with such trust.

Mur Memory Memo - Kisses in Bed

This is another post for me so I don't forget this. Sunday morning Murdoch woke up a little earlier than normal so I brought him into bed with me because I didn't feel like getting up. I was laying in bed and he was sitting with his back to me playing with some toys. After playing for a little while he started turning around as if he was looking for me and when he turned to the right I gave him a kiss and he smiled. Then he turned to the left and I gave him another kiss on the cheek. Then he turned back to the right for another kiss and a smile and we did this for about 30 seconds. It was the cutest thing - after that I felt like I could get out of bed and start the day.

6 Months Part Two

I took this video about 30 minutes after the other one. I brought Murdoch downstairs and put him on the floor with some toys and left the room to put on some clothes to take him to daycare. I came back to just a little head and hands sticky out from the ottoman. Pretty soon I am going to come back in the room and he will be in a different room or he will be right behind me when I turn around! We are in trouble!

6 Months!

So we are catching up on videos and other blog-related activities. Here is the first of two 6 month videos - thought I should post this since he is going to be 7 months old in about a week :). Poor Mur was woken up for this video - I was sick so I wasn't sure if I would be motivated later to do his video.

Here are the 6 month 'stats':

Height - 29 Inches - 98%
Weight - 19 pounds, 12 ounces - 84%

Enjoy!

Baby/Murdoch Massage

This post is more for me but I thought I would share it with you as well. I realized that I need to document the cute things that Murdoch does while he is doing them because I will soon forget them as time marches on. Murdoch has started doing his own form of massage - or at least that is what we call it. He puts his knuckles down on something and then 'kneads' the area in a circular motion with his wrist. Of course he doesn't pick the most comfortable places like my sternum or Andy's throat but it is cute so we just move his hand to another area. He also tends to do this to objects other than the two of us like to the couch for example. Seems silly but it is just one of those small things that I think is really cute and I don't want to forget.

Photos from day care

I think the top picture may be my favorite picture of Murdoch. The second picture is of Murdoch and Allyson - his primary teacher from our old day care. Allyson was kind enough to send us some pictures from day care. Here are the rest of them.

Where are the baby gates?!

Well it looks like thing are just about to change at our house. I woke Mur up this morning around 5:40 to feed and change him. He was in a great mood which is always nice especially early in the morning. I put him back in his crib and changed for work hoping that he would fall back asleep. Well he didn't, he was up on all 4's rocking forward and backward squealing with delight. He eventually settled down but it was pretty funny. I went back into our bedroom and Andy was awake from all of the noise and asked what was going on in there. I told him and he is nervous - the crawling may start soon and we aren't ready!

Then I got an email from Andy later in the AM. Andy puts Mur in his bouncy seat while he takes a shower in the morning. Well while Andy was in the shower he heard a crash, some barking, and then some crying. He went back into the bedroom and said that Murdoch looked like a turtle with his house on his back. So I think we may have to break out the pack & play or he is going to have to play in the bathroom while Andy showers. I just thought this whole scene, at least in my head, was funny so I wanted to share it with you.

We better go out and buy some baby gates!

On the brighter side...

I realize that a lot of my posts have been me complaining and such. It has been a tough couple of weeks but at the same time the blog could use something positive. I don't have the six month videos uploaded yet so this one will have to do. Enjoy!

We have the flu we feel like poo

Wednesday night I called Andy in Orlando and said pray for me I think I have the flu. He told me to go to bed and hopefully it would pass. I had a sore throat and just felt a little off. Well after waking up every 1.5 - 2 hours all night starting around 9 PM due to a whining dog that needed to go out let me tell you I didn't just feel off I felt horrible! I got up the next morning sent a note saying I wasn't coming in, somehow got Mur to daycare and then went back home to pass out. Well Deucey wasn't having any of this - she wanted to go to the bathroom. Finally the dog walker picked her up and I got some sleep. Then I began to think if a person has to go the bathroom that much that is a UTI correct?! Oh god!!!!! Call the vet - they can get me in that night at 6:40 which seems like so far away at this point. Go back to sleep, wake up to pick Mur up, go home, get Deucey, put her in the car go to the vet (without the urine sample because I just couldn't get down the stairs fast enough to get it) and we are there for an exam. We walk out with antibiotics and pain killers for her and I have to produce a urine sample by tomorrow.

So we go home. I put everyone to bed, washed some bottles, gave Deucey her meds, and actually debated taking some of her pain meds because I thought they might work better than the Motrin I was taking on the pain in my joints - I don't of course because that would be cruel to Deucey and kind of weird on my part. So we all go to bed, with less wake ups compared to the previous night, though I was out there around 3AM in my bathrobe trying to collect a pee sample. It was hard though - I can barely get out of bed because I am in so much pain and she is running as fast as she can to get outside so I am collecting drops at a time for the vet.

Friday, drop Mur off, drop the urine off at the vet - they said that they didn't think it was enough - I said it took me three shots just to get that so hopefully it was because I had already started her on the antibiotics - it seemed cruel to wait just because they needed a good sample that I was unable to produce. Back home, more sleep. Me to the doctor - gets some antibiotics and some stuff for my eye - yes I have pink eye as well! More sleep, pick up Mur, wait expectantly for Andy to get home.

Andy has the flu and pink eye as well. So his last message of I am almost home there is a light at the end of the tunnel really never happened. So we survived the weekend, Mur doesn't seem sick, except for a running nose and maybe pink eye, and Deucey is much better.

And on top of that my Mom was supposed to come this past weekend but moved her visit. I don't know that I would want to walk into a house with the thought that I could walk out with the flu and pink eye. Plus she was feeling a litttle off herself and didn't really want to travel if she was about to get the flu. She is coming for a visit it three weekends though which will be really nice - Andy is going to be in England that weekend for a boys weekend so it will be us and the two troops. And next week we will be in FL visiting the other set of grandparents. A little sun to help burn this flu off!

I have his 6-month video but it will have to wait - at this point I don't even know what I taped because I was in such a fog. Going back to work tomorrow. Hopefully that is a good decision. Hope you all are well.