Introducing...... Matthew Ryan Murphy!

Proud parents, Ryan and Jen holding baby who? We couldn't decide on the name. Finally we decided later the next week on Sept. 22 that his name would be Matthew Ryan. See the next post for details on the name and birth experience. Sorry this blog is messed up. I'm still figuring it all out. Hope you like all of the pictures!

Yeah! What a team! Here's mommy, Matthew, Dr. Hardiman and the wonderful nurse that helped me the whole time. She was a crack up. I wish I could remember her name.

Thanks ladies!

Mommy and Matthew......he finally lets out a big howler to get his lungs going. What a glorious sound when you know they're breathing! This was truly one of the only big screams he let out! He's a pretty content little guy. Phew! Mommy made it through the delivery.

Smiles all around:)

Where am I? What's going on? Who are you strange people? Where's the party?

"What a very lucky boy!" exclaimed Dr. Hardiman. When Matthew was born he came out with the cord showing a big, but loose knot! Wow! Another miracle in this birth story:) Thank you! Our prayers were answered in so many ways!!!!!!!!

Drum roll............he weighs in at a whopping 6 lbs. 3.6 oz. and measured 19 inches long. What a peanut! We thought he'd be at least 7 lbs. or more but hey, we'll take it! Easier for mommy:)

Matthew's first bath at the hospital! Thanks for politely covering my bottom:)

Proud sisters HAILEY and MEGAN holding their new baby brother, MATTHEW RYAN during their visit to the hospital.

Matthew Ryan Murphy.... arrives safe and sound!

Here's daddy kickin' it with Jen as he patiently waits and keeps the ice chips and water handy! Boy, what hard work:) Read that magazine and take it easy.........I luckily got him out of rehearsals and piano lessons so he was pretty stoked:) Oh, I keep forgetting to do the pictures in reverse order. Sorry, a picture of Matthew at home safe and sound is below:) I'll try again.

Ughhh! Here I am posing in my HOT outfit at the hospital the morning of Wed. Sept 17th. I was feeling pretty good! My water apparently ruptured the night before but I wasn't sure since it was draining slowly and in spurt. I thought that maybe I had lost utter control of my bladder or something. I didn't know a slow leak could happen, but I guess it can if the sack breaks up high enough. So I went to my doctor that morning and said I wasn't sure what was happening but something definitely strange was. Sure enough they confirmed that it was amniotic fluid that I was leaking and my doctor asked me why I didn't call her the night before?! Well, I wanted to sleep and didn't realize what was happening:) Sorry!

So they rushed me upstairs to Labor and Delivery (since my doctor's office is in the hospital...convenient, aye) and started the IV's. I had been dialated the week before to 4cm and about 70% effaced. I knew I was a walking, ticking baby time bomb! I wasn't feeling any contractions but they said I was having some pretty good ones. Around 4 pm they gave me my Epidural and started me on Petosin (sp?) to help speed up and regulate the contractions. It finally kicked in around 7:30 as they began to get stronger.

Around 9pm the doctor asked if I was feeling any pressure and I said "no" then quickly changed my mind as I suddenly felt a lot of pressure. The doctor checked my and said.....He's COMING NOW! So within 3 more contractions I pushed him out quickly and with a little tearing. Sorry if this is toooo much info! But he arrived safe and sound:)

Here he is...........Matthew Ryan Murphy!!!!!!! Born on Septmember 17th, 2008 at 9:18 pm. He weighed 6 lbs. 3.4 oz. and 19 inches long. He looks like a mix between Hailey and Megan, I think. He has some really blonde hair on the sides and slightly light brownish-goldish hair. His eyebrows and eyelashes are blonde-ish white! We're not sure about the eye color. Hailey thinks/hopes they'll be brown, but I think they might be hazel or blue. We'll see:)

He is such a sweet boy! He doesn't cry very much (of course, when he's hungry). We named him Matthew because in Hebrew it means "gift of God" (which he truly is after all of our worry about his health and my puky pregnancy) and because it sounds sweet, yet strong and nice with Murphy as well as fitting well with the rest of our names. His middle name is Ryan after his daddy's first name. We feel sooooooo BLESSED to have him in our family. It feels so right!

Hailey and Megan ready for School!

They're so cute as they pose on our front steps. Ahhhh, the excitement of a fresh school year! I can't believe they're both in school together! Kindergarten and Second Grade.

My how the time seems to fly by. It seems like yesterday that Hailey and Megan were born. It's crazy to think that when we moved to Boston that Hailey was just 19 months old and Megan wasn't born until that next May. Now they're "big girls" and taking on the world of education:) I hope the year goes well and that they make some really good friends. You always hope that they'll be nice to everyone and that everyone will be nice to them and that they feel loved and satisfied with life.

Megan's First Day of Kindergarten!

Here's the proud and excited Kindergartner with her butterfly backpack on and ready for her first day of school!

Here's Megan, Hailey and Daddy "running/walking" to school for Megan's first day of Kindergarten on Sept. 4th and Hailey's second day of Second Grade. We were running a little behind schedule, of course! I'm waddling my pregnant self slowly behind. It was a gorgeous day and nice to walk the 8 or so blocks to the school. My body didn't quite agree by the time I got home but it was worth it and fun to see them so excited:)

Here's the sign on the wall that greeted the students as they entered the classroom. Mrs. Ryder is a fun teacher who does some really fun chants and songs with movement so the kids can get their wiggles out, like "Banana Split" (It's hot in here, I said it's hot in here. There must be bananas in the atmosphere. Peel to the left, peel to the right. Peel down the middle and ("Ummm" munch sound) take a bite. Go, go, go-go bananas. Go, go, go-go bananas. )and "The Volcano Blows" but I can't remember it- I think it goes "I don't know ch-ch. I don't know ch-ch. I don't know when the volcano blows. (exploding sound and jumps up)." The other day they sang "She'll be comin rund the mountain" and "The Ants go Marching". My kind of teacher:)

Whoops! Sorry this is backwards! But here's a last minute picture of Megan sitting in her classroom awaiting a name tag from her teacher, Mrs. Ryder. She's sitting next to one of her best friends "Peach" (aka. Christina). This is just half of the class from last names A-N for the first slow start introduction to school. The other half of the children went the next day and then they all came together the following Monday. They all look a little shell shocked:)

Here's Megan on her way to line up for the first day of Kindergarten. Oh, sorry, the sun was shining in her eyes:) It's fun to see the mass of parents and children as they get ready to say goodbye for a few hours and to see the mixed emotions of the little ones.

Hailey's First Day of Second Grade!

So, I'm trying to catch up on all of the things that have happened in September, like the beginning of school, etc. Sorry for the delay but I wanted to share these cute pictures of these momentous events!

Look how cute Hailey is in her first day of school outfit! It took her a long time to pick out just the right look that she wanted. Hailey's first day of Second Grade is mixed with excitement and nervousness.....will she like her teacher, what will her class be like, who will I sit by, who will play with me, etc. She was a little reluctant to go but at the end of the day she said she had a great time and was so excited about her new teacher, Mrs. Messing. Phew!

See you later! I'm going to school now! :)