floor bed + thanks + something free

Oh man oh man!  

Thanks to everyone so so much for all the awesome support, advice, and suggestions from my most recent woes.  I have tried a few of the ideas.  I got two great messages from Kieren and my sister's sister-in-law Lindsey about the Montessori idea of the floor bed.  I liked it but I need a mattress bigger than her crib mattress so I dont have to nurse her to sleep while I'm on the hardwood floor.  We both don't exactly fit, my baby is a bed hog.  I am going to keep trying that idea though.

Truly, thank you for all your lovely words.

(instagram- @johnandrachelmurphy)

p.s. I felt lame for charging for those awesome vintage patterns.  So now they are all posted and free here.  Have fun and make tiny animals.

say mama!

I love being this girl's mommy.  She is learning so much now.  Last week she said her first word.  First official word I suppose, we are going to count dadadadadada as a semi first word.  It was both creepy and really cool.  My sister and I were in Target in the dressing room and she was sitting on the floor.  She must have heard me say my sister's name because she said as clear as could be, "Re-be-kah".  We both looked at each other and our jaws dropped open for a solid minute.  Then she said it again!!  It was impressive.  Then this week my mom and I were letting her play with some toys on the floor while we were trying to figure out how to put an exersaucer together. (dang baby toys and their complicated directions)  One of her toys said "I love you" and yet again clear as could be she said, "I love you".

Jaw droppage.

She is amazing.  I guess we have to be semi ignoring her though for her to talk because when we try to get her to say things again, she won't.  She is just playing hard to get I guess.

I wish she would just say my name.  I am the one who feeds her after all!  Certainly that is easier than Rebekah or I love you.  Say mama Evaleigh SAY MAMA!!!

Happy Monday people!

feeling guilty

I woke up this morning feeling a little bit like crap.

We have been cosleeping with Evaleigh since she was probably 6 weeks old. I always put her to sleep around 7:30 by nursing her in our bed. I move her to her crib for the first part of the night while John and I can hang out and then when we are going to bed she normally wakes up around midnight and I feed her and she goes back to sleep with us.

Bedtime has always been so easy and it takes her about 5 minutes and she is OUT! I love snuggling that little girl while we sleep. I love holding her hand while we sleep. I love to closeness I feel to her. I love waking up right next to that smiling face. I even love feeling her wiggles every once in a while. Everything about it has been wonderful.

Except that I have started sleeping worse. (mostly just in the last month due to EJ's chubby little 95th percentile body. She likes to sprawl out all of her limbs now) I have to sleep in a modified position to accommodate this little thing and now I have body discomfort to the max and I am not as well rested. I love cosleeping and so has John. It has been the best choice for us. If it were up to me I would let her stay in bed with us til she went off to college. But then she might not ever have anymore siblings...

The past three nights i have tried only nursing her in the rocker in the nursery and then putting her back in her crib and it's been great. Then last night it all fell a part. I decided to try a modified cry it out method I had read about. When I put her back in her crib I did it when she was still a little sleepy so she could try to put her self back to sleep. This has worked several times before. Then she started crying.

Here is where the modified part comes in. Instead out flat out letting her cry it out alone we let her cry 10 minutes then go reassure her she isn't alone by touching her and talking to her but not picking her up. It was torture. I have never let her cry that long. So after 10 minutes I went in and saw her little tear soaked face, let her know I loved her and tried to calm her down for a minute. Then I went back to bed for another 10 minute stretch. Seeing me made her cry even harder. So we waited 10 more minutes. John was coaching me through it the whole time. Both our hearts were just breaking! He was finally the one who said, "I can't take it, I don't care if she sleeps in the bed!". So he went and got her and she whimpered for a few minutes in his arms. Have we traumatized our baby?? Or does she already know she has us wrapped around her finger?

I need help. Suggestions. Something else, because cry it out isn't for us. What has worked for you parents who have tried to sleep train? Is there a way that is less extreme? I want to get good rest but I also want to meet the needs of my baby....

animal patterns

I have made EIGHT of these precious patterns available to all! They are in a very high resolution so if you print them off they should be just the right size as the pattern.  The animals come out to be about 6-8 inches tall.

 They have been so much fun to make and I am still working on completing my set.

Send me pictures of yours when you make them, I would love to see how they come out!


Enjoy!

lately on t&s design vol. 3

Here are a few of my most recent blog designs with many more in the works. A huge thank you to all of my customers for allowing me to create your little space on the Internet. I love doing this and enjoy working with you all!

If you are interested in spicing up your blog layout head on over to my design site and lets see what we can create!

tunesandspoonsdesign.blogspot.com

pickle

month 5
month 4

month 3

month 2

month 1

You are a little chunk of a baby.  

You are precious.

Growl on baby girl.


We love you.


***look for a post with the patterns coming soon, I had so many requests I will just make them available to all!***

garden birthday party

Last night Janie(and her cute baby bump) and I threw a little Garden Picnic Birthday party for our dear red headed friend Lisa.

We had:

big balloons

watermelon popsicles

brie and homemade crabapple jelly

chocolate coconut milk cake

pomegranate gingerale

ultimate dance party 1997 iTunes mix

layered vintage table cloths (many from the old oat house on the ranch, THANKS KATHY,I LOVE THEM!)

binding garland from last Christmas

fresh flowers from Trader Joes in milk glass vases

big balloons

Happy Birthday sweet friend, we love you!

husbandless

and fatherless...

It's been just us girls for about a week now. Mr. Murphy has been gone to youth conference and then he went down to the ranch in Florida with 3 of his Young Men from church to work with his dad.

I miss playing music with him and his kisses. I am really looking forward to him coming back home in two days. Im ever more impressed with women who have to go long periods of time without their men. This teensy break has made me respect you all so much more.

Hurry home a-da, we miss you!

evie's new friends

The other day while deep cleaning the basement my mother found this vintage pattern that belonged to my Nanny.  I fell in love with it the moment I saw it and wanted to make all of these little guys for EJ.

We went to Hobby Lobby and bought a lot of different fabrics.  It was best to pick patterns with small designs on them.  I did get a few larger prints though, I couldn't pass up the gray chevron.

We did all of the embroidery before we sewed the animals together.  I still have 6 more to make, I am just taking my time because they take so long and I want them to be right.  I can't wait for her to have all the animals in her posse.

***If anyone wants me to photo copy the patterns and send them to you, shoot me an email!***

6 months

Evie,


We have spent 6 months together. You made me a mother, the most wonderful thing in the world. I can't believe how fast this time is going. Its so incredibly bittersweet.


You stand up almost all of the time, you like to do that right on my lap. I have tiny bruises on my thighs from where your little toes have dug in deep and left their mark on my skin.


You sleep in the bed with a-da and I every night...get ready, that's about to change. I think...


Your most happy time is generally right before bedtime, that is when I can always count on some good giggles.


Granmommee gives you baths in the kitchen sink after your rice cereal and you love it.


You are yelling at the top of your lungs and it makes us laugh so much. What are you trying to tell us? You have your mommy's singer lungs that's for sure.


You don't like being on your tummy. I think you might skip the whole crawling thing all together.


You love to take nose dives in to my chest and stay there and nuzzle for a little while.


Last week Nanny taught you how to shake your head, she is the only one who can get you to do it.


You wake me up the morning very sweetly/creepily. I am roused to the sounds of you whispering. 'Ts ch kkkk tssss ssss kkkk'. Sometimes it sounds like you are trying to reach someone on a walkie talkie. I think maybe you are just being nice and giving momma and a-da a few more minutes of sleep while you play quietly by yourself.


When our eyes meet for the first time in the morning the most glorious smile spreads across your whole face and you beam and beam for a very long time.


You love it when I sing to you, it always makes you smile. I'm so happy you love music.


You LOVE LOVE LOVE the outdoors. Your favorite thing to do is swing and look up in to the trees.


Lately you have been swinging from the basement ceiling, we moved the swing there while it is so hot out. You took a nap there yesterday while I taught a voice lesson upstairs and granmommee swung you the whole time.


You touch everything. Everything.


You have two front teeth, and they are precious.


You are such a gift. I can't tell you how many times I have fallen in love with you over and over again. You have my heart, it is yours. (and daddy's!) You are my joy.

curses

It's Friday y'all!!

Of course every day feels like Friday lately. We are having a family reunion and are seeing family from Australia.

I made my great grandmothers famous Caramel cake.

Like literally...famous.

She made thousands of them and sold them like crazy in Camilla, Georgia. Mine doesn't even compare, not even close. But it will have to do. I'm sure Virginia got a great kick out of me looking down from heaven last night. She is the only human being who can make this darn cake. I hope she forgives me for cursing her last night...

And this morning when I made a second one because the first wouldn't do.

She is the first person I want to talk to if I make it to heaven...