Joining the Blogging Bandwagon

Well, since I'm just sitting around on my big pregnant keister, I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog, and finally, just today, decided "what the heck." So...

Welcome to the Murphy Family Update blog page! I don't expect I'll be changing the course of the world with wise words posted here, but I do plan to make it easier for those of my family and friends who have joined the world wide web to keep up with my crazy clan.

First, we'll start with me, Christine. I have been on bed rest since January 27th. Yes, three months of doing nothing but sit in bed and ponder why I decided to get pregnant again in the first place. I have three perfect daughters, so why do this again? Well, I guess I thought history would repeat itself and I'd have a boy, just like my parents (I'm the oldest of 4 kids... 3 girls and 1 boy, with the boy coming last). And that's just what happened. However, what I didn't count on was being diagnosed with placenta previa and having to lie on my back for months at a time. In the last few weeks, I received the good news that the placenta moved up and away all by itself, so the previa is almost a non-issue now, BUT (there always has to be a "but" when your last name is Murphy) now the baby is head down and has his cord looped three times between his head and the cervix, so I'm still on bed rest to prevent cord prolapse or worse, compression of the cord (which would cut off the baby's blood and oxygen supply). So, here I sit, with the handy dandy laptop, grasping at straws to keep sane.

I did read the most WONDERFUL book last week called Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston and was written partially while she was on bed rest and finished after her child was born. It is actually a fictional novel about a character Sarah created to give the book more flavor and depth. Currently, Sarah is writing a sequel called Sleepless Nights... if you have kids, you know what it's about (ha ha).

Now, on to Jeremy. His self started company, Nevada Pro Comm, is doing well. They just finished a government contract that took 16 weeks, and are currently preparing bids and quotations for abotu 6 more good sized projects. The best news is that all the books are up-to-date since the Business Manager has had nothing but time to stay on top of the accounting issues (that would be me). Jeremy is working towards having the crew be self-sufficient enough that he can get out of the field doing the hard labor and start focusing more on the executive levels of business... sales & marketing, strategic growth, etc. It shouldn't be too much longer now. We've got a really capable Director of Operations who is becoming more comfortable with decision making on the fly. Other than that, Jeremy has been losing weight, keeping his blood pressure as close to normal as possible, and doing his best to keep the household running smoothly since his prego wife is locked in the tower.

Athea is a female teenager. Need I say more? This weekend and next, she will be performing in her first ever musical, Honk, the Story of the Ugly Duckling. I'm bursting with pride!!! I've already decided to tell my doctor (not ask) that I'm going to the show during the second weekend and then ask if she has any recommendations or requirements for me for going. But not seeing Athea in her first show ever is just not an option. Athea left gymnastics about 6 months ago, and her body is definitely adjusting to not working out 3 - 4 times per week. She is nowhere near fat, just losing muscle tone. We've agreed to work out together after the baby. Gives us an excuse for Mother-Daughter time too.

Falisha has joined Girl Scouts this year, and it suits her just fine. She's been camping, gone to the planetarium, sold cookies (or, at least, Daddy and I sold them), and has another camping trip scheduled for later this month. Her grades are better this year too, even if her citizenship isn't. She's still working through some of her other issues, but Jeremy and I remain hopeful and work with her the best we can. She's got free reign in the house in the mornings before she goes to school and sometimes in the afternoon as well (since Athea has been in rehearsals), so the self control and self discipline issues has been more prevelent, and again, we're dealing with them as best we can... creating routines and schedules for her to stick too so there's no idle time.

Megan is killing me with her new outlook on life... everyone is an audience unto themselves. She comes up with some of the most incredible one-liners that I often wonder if she's really only 4 and 1/2 years old. She pays the most attention to my belly and the baby within. I think she's the most concerned about how the baby will affect her place in the family since she hasn't been through this before and the other two have. But she never leaves the house or goes to bed without giving the baby belly a hug and/or kiss and telling him that she loves him and waiting for him to say it back. My favorite Megan-ism for the baby to date is "I'm going to be the boss of him." And our favorite Megan book right now is I Love You Stinky Face. The little person in the book reminds me of Megan and her knack for logical argument and negotiation. Megan's favorite thing in the world these days, besides ice cream, is staying home with pregnant mommy on bed rest. Mind you, it makes it harder for me to stay bed-ridden, but she does well, and she's pretty good about brining me what I need when I need it.

The last Murphy to update on at this point is J.T. (Jeffrey Tynan) Michael Murphy, due June 26th, 2006. On Monday, May 1st, the ultrasound technician told me that he weighs approximately 4 pounds 8 ounces at this point. Being on bed rest as long as I have, it feels more like 8 pounds 4 ounces. He has been genetically cleared of any problems that tend to occur in the higher risk pregnancies due to advance age (over 35). We'll be seeing Mommy's doctor once a week now until it's time to meet him in person. Due to the location of the cord, and JT's size, it is unlikely, but entirely impossible, that the cord will move to a better location; therefore, there is a very good chance I'll be having him via c-section. Now it's just a matter of when. The doctor doesn't want me dilating at all, nor does she want my water breaking, so whether she decides to schedule a c-section before my due date or let me go full term before scheduling it is pretty up in the air. I'm sure we'll be closer to a decision by Memorial Day or maybe even by my baby shower on May 21st.

Wow... what a lot of updating... I'm sure it will be less verbose as we go, since they'll be just updates and not full blown explanations for each family member. Thanks for taking the time to visit our blog... and please come back to visit us again soon!