Nursery

Turner's nursery was fun to put together. I went through about 50 million ideas of what I wanted, but finally sense (and a budget) won out, and the result is simple and sweet.

Just like little Turner :) My mom and I made the window treatments and pillows, the blocks were my oldest brother's (from the 70's), and the print of the boy with the giraffe reminded me so much of Camden, it had to be included.



Completely Smitten

 the best way to describe how we feel about little Turner.
completely smitten.

we have fallen head over heels with everything about this kid.

the way he opens his mouth when he sleeps. his full head of naturally mohawking hair. the sweet yawns and adorable hiccups. his long, velociraptor feet.

even his screeching, desperate cry is enough to break your heart.

the look of bewilderment he gets when he opens his eyes.

how when big brother sings to him, he (almost always) stops crying. 

I love how much Camden loves Turner.

He is always so concerned about him...always wanting to know where he is, and if baby Turner is ok. And if he is crying, Camden is the first one to run to me and demand tell me "Mommy! Baby Turner is crying! You pick him up!"

He also gives Turner about 50 kisses a day (no exaggeration).

It completely melts my heart when Camden goes to Turner and tells him,

"Oh baby Turner, you so cute."

Ryan especially loves having Turner fall asleep on his chest. And I can't help but smile to see them asleep on the couch.

It's crazy how this little boy has captured our hearts.

Newborns sure are exhausting, but they sure are worth it.

scenes as of late

 Hear no evil? I think he was just preparing himself for loud interactions with big brother...

 This has got to be one of my all time favorite pictures.

My 3 boys. And they really are all mine. :)



a few visitors

 While in the hospital, we had a few visitors.

It was so nice to see all the friendly faces, anxious to see this new little babe, and love him too.  We are so blessed to have so many wonderful family members and friends :)

welcome to the world

 Welcome to the world, baby Turner!

Here are a few hospital snapshots of your first few hours--

Checking out your mama...

 Daddy and big brother Camden watching you get your very first bath!

(Camden really didn't understand why you were crying, he LOVES baths)

Big brother holding you for the first time :)

 Oh, sweet little baby, what did we ever do without you?

sitting, waiting, wishing

37.5 weeks pregnant.

and measuring a little big...

we'll for sure be meeting this little boy in two weeks, if not before!

Dare I say, we're ready?

Maybe if I put it out there, he'll decide he is ready to meet us, too :)

I was so caught off guard when they induced me at 37 weeks with Camden, I had so many last minute things to complete, and I really thought I had at least 3 more weeks to prepare!

So, this time, (with A LOT of help...my husband, parents, and in-laws are the best!)

we have things ready.

ready as in: nursery mostly completed, newborn diapers purchased, Camden fully brainwashed instructed on how much fun a new baby is going to be, Ryan will be on spring break next week, and I am so ready to be done.

a little nervous, as in: I am not sure if I am ready to give up my time with Camden.

There, I said it. 

I know I will love this little boy just as much as I love Camden, and giving Camden the opportunity to be an older brother will be wonderful, but I am selfish.  I love being able to give all of my attention to my little buddy, and I'm just not sure if I am ready to give that up.

Even now, as I am sitting at the computer, bawling, Camden came over to give me a hug and see if mommy is ok.

Not to say I am not excited to meet this little boy, and all of the adventures we'll have together too, I am just a little...nervous.

a new little baby to love

 it must be baby season.

with a lot of babies being born lately, i can't help but think of my little one entering the world.

pregnancy, birth, and even motherhood are all miracles in my book.

what wonderful things we are capable of!

while Brecca was getting ready to meet little Lucy, i kept thinking it was 2 1/2 years earlier, and baby Lucy was baby London.  crazy to think that soon we will each have 2 little ones...

witnessing my best friend give birth (twice now!) are pretty close to the top of my list of most amazing things i have ever seen :)

she was such a rockstar! way to exemplify womanhood, Brecs.

so happy i could be there, snapping pictures of this sweet family of 4.

Congratulations!  i look forward to more adventures.

large, and in charge

i'm not sure what the deal is today, but i am feeling HUGE.

like this bump is no longer playing hide-and-seek...it wants to be seen!

i tried on four pairs of pants today alone.

and finally ended up with leggings :)

i think i have been watching too many episodes of the rachel zoe project

because the way she looks 32 weeks pregnant and the way i look 18 weeks pregnant, is about the same. and that does nothing for the pregnant self esteem.

granted, she is this tiny little thing that eats nothing, and i have downed 2 bags of popcorn by. myself. in the past 12 hours...

hmm.

oh well!

long live a large, and in charge baby bump! :)

working on it

sooner or later you have to embrace pregnancy.

you can fight it all you want...the weight gain, the nausea, puking in every location possible, the whole nine yards, but eventually, it catches up to you.

i think when i was pregnant with Camden, i wasn't really sure if i wanted to document my pregnancy. especially because, to be honest, pregnancy and i, we don't really like each other.

but now, i'm wishing i had some pictures and thoughts to compare this one to!

so, the embracing begins!

at 16 weeks we know... it's a boy!

we went to fetal studio in the mall (gasp!), and had an ultra sound to see what this little peanut is.  a place in the mall? really? but, i had a few great reccommendations, and the dr. (an ob from switzerland) was extremely kind and professional. i will totally do it again!

craving: the first trimester i really craved mexican food. the beans and rice, sit down kind. not to be confused with the drive through stuff.  i also love me some baked potatoes! wendy's has been a god send.

as far as the past few weeks, my cravings have been all over the place! last week i stomached the kitchen and fridge to make mac-and-cheese, and the next day i scarfed down a pizza lunchable like my life depended on it.  i have no idea why i crave so much junk food at first. (with Camden it was all things potatoes, including lots of chili cheese fries)

this past week my little boy has apparently been much more nutritiously inclined. (he must've been paying attention when we watched the biggest loser.)
i've loved a good salad. weird.

anything vinegar tasting also makes the craving list-- salt-n-vinegar chips, mustard, pickles, and steak sauce. mmm! mmm!

pukage factor: this week, not so bad. 4x so far...nothing i can't handle!

weeks prior: not as good. but, i can see the end! hopefully...

i am still quite nauseous at night, which is no bueno, considering that is when i get to see Ryan.

and all he sees of me these days is a green face. that's love, huh?

weight gain: 10 lbs. splegh! that is 10% of my pre-baby weight... at this point that means i no longer fit into a bunch of my clothes. but, oh well! embracing pregnancy and ALL it has to offer, right?

love:  feeling baby boy kick for the first time this week- it was like little butterflies.

when he waved at me during the ultrasound...it was like a "hey mom, i'm in here! get ready"

knowing Camden will get a little brother. melts me.

seeing a little "bump" instead of a "pudge" :)

having a husband who is such a great father.  he comes home and takes care of Camden, does the grocery shopping (since i can't set foot in a grocery store without puking), does all the nasty jobs around the house, offers to get any food i am craving, and does IT ALL with a smile.

really, i chose a good one. i don't know how i got so lucky.

i'm excited to be pregnant again, and actually enjoy it this time!

life is always better when you stop to enjoy it...

and i'm hoping pregnancy will be too!



great news!

baby #2 will be arriving in March!

we couldn't be more excited-- or nervous...but mostly excited :)

Ready, or Not!

This week has been a crazy one! We went in for our weekly visit on Tuesday, and were surprised to find that I had high blood pressure. It wasn't going down much, so after our appointment, our Doctor sent me down to labor and delivery to be monitored. She explained to us that high blood pressure is one of the signs of preeclampsia, which affects the liver and kidneys-- and at this point in the pregnancy, the only real cure is delivery. (This statement completely freaked Ryan out-- Especially when Dr. Ponder said that after a few hours if I still had high blood pressure, they would induce me immediately. He had the deer-in-the-headlights look for the next few hours!) Camden has a great heartbeat and moves a ton, so no concern there! After a few hours, my blood pressure went down enough that they felt comfortable sending me home...but not without a lovely 24-hour urine catch. So much fun-- If there is protein in the urine, that is sign #2 of preeclampsia.

After 24-hours, I went back in to get another blood pressure check and turn in my test. My blood pressure was lower, but not low enough that they weren't concerned. They needed my urine and blood test results to decide what to do, so they sent me on my way :)

Yesterday they called and there is indeed a high amount of protein in my urine, so induction it is! They told me to "take it easy" for the weekend and depending on the status of things-- I will either be induced this coming week or the beginning of the next week! Crazy! It turns out that despite my earlier thoughts of my child hating me and making it his life's goal to inflict pain, (with the 4 months of puking, the 3 week long larengitis/croup, acid reflux, etc.)-- he may have actually listened when I told him that he was going to come early! he he he

With the news that we have 2-3 weeks less than we thought...our lives have gone into crazy mode! Luckily my parents have been in town and have lent a HUGE helping hand, and Ryan's family is close by! The nursey is almost complete...the baby is getting ready...now we just have to work on getting mom and dad ready...I'm not sure that will ever happen, but Ready or Not--he's coming!