The River Murdock – Kristin Eats

Running :: Two Babies & A Few Croissants Later

This morning, yes, as in about an hour and a half ago, I went for a run. As many of you know, I have been a runner for some time now, but since getting pregnant with Branch, running has been put on the back burner. A few months after he passed away, I started running again. I was slower than I had been, and my body and bones were soft & fragile from pregnancy followed by surgery. Â I did it, though, and it was empowering to some degree, as running often is. Â As soon as I was getting more comfortable as a post-baby runner…..I found out I was pregnant with River. Â I told myself, for about a millisecond, that I would run for months and months during this second pregnancy, but then I realized that was dumb and not at all what I wanted to do. So I hiked and walked and took a lot of naps and ate croissants, because naps and croissants are both delicious, and hikes and walks are much more fun when pregnant than running is.

I say all of this to help you understand exactly where I was at physically when I decided to download a “zero to 5k” app and go out for my first walk/run interval this morning. First off, this app is super cool. It’s called Fitness 22 5K Runner,Â and a couple of my friends have used it before so I knew what to expect. It has various “badges” you unlock by completing different runs, and the very first one is called the Lionheart Badge. Umm, hello.

Back to my morning run. Â I drove the 5 minutes it takes to get to the coast (#humblebrag), loaded River into the stroller (#bob), started the app (#5krunner), did the warm-up and first walk/run interval (#ivegotthis), and then almost died (#seriouslyithoughtiwasgoingtopassout). PEOPLE. Running is hard!!!!!!!!!!

SOMEHOW I managed to scrape my motivation off the sidewalk and make it through the entire thing.Â And of course, when I was finished, I felt amazing and so proud of myself. This does not, however, change the fact that RUNNING IS HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least, it’s hard for me. River had a great time and giggled the faster I went.

Until the next one,

~Kristin

Isaiah 40:31 Â “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.”

Nap Time

I am trying to get myself back into the habit of blogging, even if that means just writing a paragraph about something we do every day ……. NAPS.

I do not nap every day, though for a few months I did. (Newborn-induced sleep deprivation is no joke). River, however, takes mandatory naps two {recently down from three} times a day. Duh. He is a tiny baby. He needs lots of sleep.

I saw a shirt the other day that said “Mom Life is the Best Life”. I agree, but I think if I were to wear a shirt talking about my life as a full-time Mom it would say “Nap Time is the Best Time”. Are you with me?!? I feel like just that little bit of baby-sleeping-I-can-get-dressed-or-eat-or-meal-prep-or-read-or-whatever-I-want is refreshing to the body and the soul. And I am ALL ABOUT things that are refreshing to the body and soul.

I have been using nap time to do a little picking-up around the house, or to make myself breakfast and do a little reading. Today I decided to eat breakfast with River (though I did not have pureed peaches and brown rice cereal like he did…) and use nap time to brush my hair and put on a dress. Oh heeeeeey. Yep, sometimes I wear dresses.

There you have it on this Thursday morning. An ode to naps.

Until next week. When he decides he doesn’t want to nap at all anymore. 🙂

All my love,

Kristin

Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for You alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

Here We Are

I never know how to start a post when it’s been a while. I really don’t know how to start a post when it’s been a loooong while, but oh well, here we are.

Last time I wrote, River had just been born. I will spare you the excruciatingly long details of my excruciatingly long labor, and just tell you the important parts: I did it!!! Thanks to the grace of God, an incredible doctor, nursing staff, and doula (heeeey Briana!!!), and a lot of personal determination – I had a successful VBAC and out popped the monstrosity of a child named River Righteousness Murdock. A few days after giving birth, I wrote out every single part of my labor and delivery, and I am so glad I did. I may never read it again, but just in case, it’s cool to know I have it.

Today, River is seven months old and so much fun. His life has brought so much joy, and so many giggles. <side note, I just spent 20 minutes trying to upload a photo of him but I’m having trouble… so that will have to wait until next time!>

With Branch, parenting is so different :: holding love and loss, curating his memory, doing our best to ensure he is not forgotten and his name is spoken regularly. With River, I don’t have to express love and grief at the same time. I get to snuggle him every day, I get to watch him grow instead of imagining what he would look like, and I get to be the person who knows and sees his little personality developing every day.Â I am oh so grateful for the precious boys God has given me.

A few months before giving birth, I somehow convinced my mother-in-law to train for a half marathon with me. She has never done one, and anytime I had asked in the past she was *very* un-interested. Maybe I was less intimidating this time, maybe she was sick of me asking, or maybe she realized spending every Saturday morning with me would actually be pretty darn fun… whatever it was, she said YES and we signed up for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon, taking place May 8th. We have been training since the end of July, and we are SO ready. I am excited for her to experience the thrill of a big race, and excited for us to finish this thing together. Â It is honestly a huge accomplishment for both of us – this is her first time doing this type of distance, and my first race since having River. Also, we are going to wear matching tutu’s, so there’s that.

That’s it for today, but I will leave you with this little tidbit :: I drink iced Americano’s now. Black.

That’s right. No cream. No sugar. Just espresso, water, and ice. I think this is what people refer to as “growing up.”

Talk to you soon, my little raccoons!

A New Baby Boy and A Video for Branch

It. Has. Been. So. Long.

Did you think I forgot I had a blog?! I didn’t. It was just super hot and I was super pregnant, and then {as you will already know if we are friends on Facebook or Instagram} I went into the eternal labor, and then I had a baby, and now I’m figuring out what life is like with a tiny human I am solely responsible for. {hint: it’s pretty fun.}

BEFORE I went into labor, I had wanted to share a video with you all. We were privileged to share some of Branch’s story, as well as some of our own story, with our church family several weeks ago. The video team came to our house on a super hot day (as can be seen by our glistening faces) with loads of equipment and asked all sorts of deep questions. We talked for HOURS, and our friend Brad edited it all down to these few awesome minutes. We are really proud of the final product and so honored at all of the kind words people have said, and the ways Branch continues to inspire and encourage others.

The video was used as part of what our church called the Onward Campaign, as we are starting a new campus in Encinitas (really close to where we currently live!}. If you haven’t already, please watch it!

The Murdock’s Story – Branch Lionheart from FloodSanDiego on Vimeo.

A couple of weeks after the above video was shown at church, WE HAD A BABY!

He is perfect! I seriously can’t even believe he is here — and we are now toting all sorts of baby things with us wherever we go. His name is River Righteousness Murdock, an intense name I know… did you expect anything less from the couple who chose Branch Lionheart for their firstborn son’s name?

I’ll blog about how we came up with his name sometime soon, but for now I wanted to share with anyone who wasn’t already aware – that yes, baby boy #2 came and is alive and healthy!

Much love to all of you. I’ll try to keep it to less than 3 months between posts next time. 🙂

~Kristin