Aria Flora Emma Murray

on may 6th 2012 we had the absolute joy of bringing our beautiful 8lb 9oz little girl into the world.  it was an amazing experience for both myself and raymond.  as soon as i held her i couldnt believe how much i loved her. it was a very fast labour, i went into the hospital at 4.30 and got into the birthing pool about 5pm and she made her grand entrance at 6.10pm. the water birth was amazing :)

i havent blogged for a while but here's an update on whats happened since.

- we moved back to glasgow and are staying with my family till we find our own place
- raymond got a new job
- we had a baby (no biggie)
- i think ive gained like 100lbs
- esme is an incredible little speaker and says new words every day
- i have gallstones and may have to have my gall bladder removed
- my little brother got married
- my other little brother is going on his mission this week
- my best friend also got hitched

i cant think of much else at the moment, life is full of ups and downs though. aria is very exhausting and likes to cry... A LOT. esme is still an angel and is fantastic with her little sister, she loves to give hugs and kisses. esme cracks me up, she makes me smile and laugh like no one else can, however she also makes me want to pull my hair out like only her and her sister can!! just yesterday i was sitting in the living room and she came up to me and says 'becca c'mon' and proceeded to grab me by the hair and take me outside where we blew lots of bubbles and had a run about the garden. at the moment her favourite thing to watch on tv is 'show me, show me'. its not a very interesting show but she loves it. on the introduction there are lots of animals and she makes all the animal noises and looks at you as if to say 'so mum, i made the noises now tell me how clever i am!' and then when it finishes she says 'bye bye show me, bye bye' - its adorable.

i only wish i blogged more so i could keep track of all the funny, wonderful moments we have together. here are some recent pictures :)

a few seconds old

one day old

when esme met aria

at home

   

pulling all the clothes out - how could i be mad at this smile!

coming home from the hospital

kisses & cuddles

this kid loves her bath!!

saying prayers at church

2 months old :)

she likes to put balls in all sorts of strange places...

playing the organ at church

morning sickness... morning my ass!

aargh, id like to say im able to keep my head out of the toilet at least one day a week but im afraid its just not possible :( its just not fair, why was it not this bad with esme?? is it because its second time round its just twice as bad?? recently i keep asking the question 'why do i have to go through this'. i know its a selfish question but i think everyone is entitled to be a little selfish once in a while. so, i ask this question on a daily basis and ive come to realise that its just so we can love our babies more! not that someone who doesnt have sickness loves their babies any less! but it is without a doubt very difficult. its like labour, we have to go through the pain and it makes us love our babies more (again, not that someone who has had a section loves their baby any less!) but really, how many people would endure that kind of pain for someone they didnt love with all their heart, might, mind and strength.

i think it was a silly man that named it 'morning sickness'. some people just dont have a clue!

ive been doing a lot of research into morning sickness and nausea and how to prevent it. here are some things ive learned:

- stop whining about it, its not making it any easier and doesnt exactly help the people around you (especially your poor husband who has to listen to you droan on about it!)
- eat whenever your not filled with nausea. even if its just something little.
- get preggy pops! im sorry, ive still not invested in them but ive heard they are little miracle workers.
- keep up the fluids (obvious, i know but difficult when they're coming out of both ends at times... gross.)
- always have crackers at your bedside table. something that worked very well with esme however i did get sick of rich tea biscuits after a while.
- avoid spicy food. doesnt exactly help the heart burn either!
- always have a fridge full of yoghurts. if you cant stomach anything you can always stomach a good yoghurt!
- pray. it always helps, even if its just temporary.
- have a midnight snack if you get up, just some crackers or toast. nothing too heavy but at least it stops you feeling so sick in the morning.
- have your husband take your daughter in the morning when she gets up. this then gives you some time to get up without rushing.
- try laughing about your misfortune, remember there is always going to be someone less fortunate than yourself out there.
- and finally, dont moan about the fact that you've but weight on while spilling up your guts, you are carrying another life after all and isnt that the best thing in the world :)

i cant wait for my first trimester to be over and done with!!

the work of a mother.

this week we were luck enough to have raymond for one whole extra day! to me, this was a god send :) ive been struggling alot with morning sickness and i am really tired all the time. poor esme is suffering because every time i go to stand up or do something i end up with my head down a toilet and its really not very fair on her. i try my best, i honestly do but sometimes i just struggle. i seem to remember the whole pregnancy thing being easier first time round.

esme has been extremely difficult for the past few days, shes normally great but over the weekend she seemed to develop some kind of little attitude! ive found that ive been tested in so many ways i haven't felt before but when i get to a point where all i want to do is either break down or get frustrated or angry ive learned in the past year that the best thing to do is just to get on my knees, pray and then take a 5 minute time out and then everything seems to be fine (until the next time). i feel that ive grown so much not only in the past year but in the past month and do you know what, when im having a really rough time, when ive said prayer after prayer and i know im still being tested, theres one thing at never fails to help me progress and be a better mother (even if its only for a moment) this is my safety net.

http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages#p/search/1/WbYLKVgwztY

i hope you can enjoy it as much as i do. i feel so overwhelmed whenever i watch it <3

i am so thankful for the opportunity i have to be with esme, i love her so much. she is my world. i know shes going to make a wonderful big sister! she teaches me so many things, when im feeling down she never fails to impress me, its like she can sense it. she is so gentle, kind and loving. i am so thankful that i am sealed to her and to my family for time and all eternity.

i'm back!

its been a while since ive blogged, i feel so bad because its such a good therapy for me and ive been a little stressed recently. life has been so hectic since my last post in april and i cant believe its september already!! where has the time gone?! our baby girl is going to be ONE in 2 weeks and its so hard to believe. so things that have happened...

we spent a month in utah (it was great, i really miss the people, the sun and the food!)
we redecorated and about time too, the old decor was really starting to bug me.
we got a new suite!! yay.
esme is now sleeping in her own bedroom AND all through the night.
esme has stopped breastfeeding and is now onto a bottle of cows milk (starting tonight).
esme is crawling and standing by herself but has yet to take her first step alone, i dont think it will be too long however.
and esme has 6 teeth!! shes getting so big so fast <3
i cant think of anything else at the moment but im sure theres plenty!! here is a few pictures from the past few months that id like to share with you :)

esme and daddy - first morning in utah

she didnt like the lemon!

swimming pool

brandts wedding

brandt and alexis

esme and bethany

esme and mummy in america

her first ever softball game with bethany and wilford woodruff

at the swimming pool in price

condom head!

esme and bethany

castle dale days picture

first try of sour patch kids!

on the way to st george

vegas baby!

more vegas

family picture in vegas

wow, life is BUSY!

what a past few weeks its been, i mean its been an amazing 2 weeks but man am i exhausted! were finally home after a week at the temple and a week in glasgow visiting family. i love my family, they are awesome :)

the temple was incredible and to take esme for the first time was even better and she just adored every minute of it. i need to thank my mumma who took esme for a few hours so raymond and i could get into the temple. as soon as we got to the temple esme was jumping about with excitement, she was like a wee jitterbug!! she actually makes me laugh so much and now that she is just over 7 months she has become this tiny little person with a huge personality, she knows exactly what she wants and what she doesnt, she loves acting shy until you get to know her and she just smiles all the time, she makes me life complete (although its safe to say that i dont say that at 4am)

after the temple we went back to glasgow to spend a little time with my family, raymond came back to aberdeen so it was a quiet week without him but esme was so excited to see her daddy again!! esme had her first time at the park, in the ball pool (which she didnt like too much) and there was plenty of sunshine so we were out and about all the time. easter was amazing and esme was so spolied! getting gifts from everyone, its such a shame though that she didnt get any chocolate eggs - i was kinda hoping for an easter treat!! i loved being with my family but what can i say, its nice to be home :)

learning to walk

she loved the shoot at softplay

mmm... milkybar!!

clap - clap a handys 

with her great papa

esme, shy - i dont think so!!

she is so flippin' cute i could eat her - easter sunday outfit

believe it or not, this is a white chocolate duck

nom nom 

haha monkey face!! 

off to the park

on the swings

its not obvious but she was occasionally laughing on the swings!

we <3 the summer

with nana bella

waving ta ta