6 weeks!

Benny at 5 weeks - Let's go Tarheels! Benny at 6 weeks - leaving his grandparent's house in his Christmas outfit

Last week was kinda sleepy for Benny and I. We've been doing a lot of hanging around our house and hanging with Grammy. We've also done a little bit of Christmas shopping. Ben is such a good shopping companion. He almost never complains and loves riding around in his stroller. He went with me to pick out his own Christmas presents, but slept through the trip.

Ben and Levi got back together for another play date and had a blast, wiggling around and cooing at each other. They are super adorable laying side by side, and seem to interact a little bit. Benny got a couple onesies from Levi for Christmas and of course, one of them says "Peanut" on it. He'll sport it this summer when he's big enough to wear it.

Speaking of size, we had another doctor appointment on Monday and Ben weighed in at a hefty 10 pounds, 8 ounces. His newborn outfits are getting tighter and tighter, and his 0-3 outfits don't look so ridiculous anymore. We've been sporting as much of the newborn stuff as possible because in a couple of weeks, Big Ben won't be able to button those onesies!

Nighttime sleeping is getting better every night, which is a huge relief to Mom and Dad. Ben will sleep for 4 hour shifts throughout the night and will only wake long enough to eat, burp, and be changed before returning to the Land of Nod. It's true what they say about routines beginning to form at around 6 weeks, and we are very thankful for that. During the day, we nurse, play, and sleep in that order and it seems boring, but is working for Benny at the moment. During playtime, he is becoming more and more interactive and will smile, laugh and reach for his toy friends and people friends. This week I decided to attach Pooh travel friends to his carseat so he isn't alone when we go for a ride. He watches them bop around, and will occassionally try to grab one, but can't quite hold them yet. He loves making eye contact and studying faces and continues to be more of an observer than anything else. He is fascinated with his environment and everything around him - it's been awesome to watch him watch the world and see new things for the first time!

Benny and the Holiday Season

The last two weeks in pictures:

Thanksgiving Ben:

Ben meets Auntie Meg:

Ben goes to downtown Hendersonville:

Ben turns 1 month old!

Ben naps in his crib for the first time:

Ben just hanging out, being a big boy:

The last two weeks have been crazy, with family visiting and the holiday season beginning. Thanksgiving week, Benny met his great-grandparents, Mommy's grandparents. He also met his Great Aunt Susan, cousins Lauren and Jennifer, and his Auntie Megan. He loved all the extra attention and spent very little time in Mommy's arms while family members passed him around. Ben enjoyed Thanksgiving as evidenced by his crying during the meal (as if to say, hook me up with some turkey, Ma!) and even ventured out on Black Friday for a little window shopping downtown. He loved his Baby Bjorn and cuddling with Daddy, but got tired of it at about the same time that we did. We went home, and met friends, George and Anna for some more cuddle time. The Turner family came to town and spent time with us as well, and all of us had lots of fun playing games like "Pass the baby" and "Whose turn is it to change Benny's diaper?"

At the end of the week, my big boy turned 1 month old. It's still so surreal when I back out of the day-to-day happenings and think about my baby boy being on the other side of the tummy for a whole month. When I think of all the diapers changed and the hours of sleep lost to feeding, burping and comforting my little guy, it seems like he's been here forever, but when I think back to the day he was born, it's hard to believe November went by so fast. Either way, I wonder how I ever lived without this precious boy. He has been such a fantastic addition to our lives - I'm totally OK with the fact that 4 hours of sleep is now considered a full night and all of my clothes have spit-up stains on the shoulders. On his 1 month birthday, Mommy went out to run some errands and couldn't resist the urge to pick up Pooh Bear cupcakes to celebrate. Of course, Benny couldn't eat his, but Mommy did and enjoyed it very much. I'm sure Benny even enjoyed some later in his midnight feeding so it wasn't totally ridiculous to get my newborn a cupcake.

Over the last two weeks, Ben has been working hard on tummy time and strength training and is now holding up his head for longer periods of time. He also pushes up with his arms and hands and will use his little legs to stand when he's fully supported as if to say, "I'm outta here, I've got places to go!" It seems like he's ready to just get up and walk away, he's always so busy with movement. He has also begun imitating certain hand movements like opening and closing his fists. We play a lot on his activity mat and on the fluffy rug in his bedroom and he really enjoys this time with us. He chats and coos while we play and read books and is really becoming more interactive every day. He also smiles when he is amused, and Mommy even caught him smiling and giggling at the tray on his swing today. He studied it intently for a minute or two, and then broke out in a big Benny Boo Bear smile and laughed as if it told a joke. It was a very sweet moment.

Other notable happenings include his growth! My little guy was 8 pounds, 11 ounces at birth and measured 21.5 inches. He lost a lot of weight and dipped down to 7 pounds, 10 ounces but has since made up for lost time with his unbelievable growth. All of those hourly (yes, hourly) feedings have paid off - my little chunker weighed 9 pounds, 12 ounces last Friday, and measured a very tall 23 inches. I don't know what percentile that puts him in, but I am so proud of him! This is quite unfortunate for his duckie sleeper however. He did not fit in it and I imagine he will start outgrowing all of his newborn outfits soon. He's also outgrown the newborn diapers so we're finishing up what we've got and are graduating to size 1. What a big boy!

3 whole weeks!

Benny in his second week, being super cute:

This week was a quiet one for Ben and I. We did a lot of lounging around the house, watching TV and playing together. On Tuesday I decided I was brave enough to leave the house alone with Ben, so we went to the bank. This was the first time we rode together without me sitting next to him in the backseat. Not surprisingly, all went well. Later that day, we traveled to several stores with Grammy and had lots of fun. Ben loves the car, and riding in shopping carts. This is good for Mommy, who is getting sort of stir crazy sitting at home day after day.

On Friday, Ben went to his second well-baby visit at his doctor's office. He got another clean bill of health, weighing in at 8 pounds, 9 ounces. He is almost up to his birth weight and the doctor was pleased with this. He returns in two more weeks for another weigh-in.

This week Ben confirmed that he can smile intentionally, and often does when Mommy and Daddy chat with him and sing him songs. He is a happy baby. He continues to attend to us for longer periods of time and seems to be truly entertained by us making funny faces and speaking baby talk to him. We also noticed that his gross motor skills are starting to come together - he grabs toward us when we get close to him. This has resulted in fistfuls of hair and nearly broken necklaces. We also started some "tummy time" sessions with him this week, and he is a seasoned pro, especially considering that the little guy lifted his head off Daddy's chest minutes after he was born. He got an activity mat over the weekend to keep him busy during tummy time and loves it. Our little strength trainer even managed to flip himself from front to back while elevated on the activity mat's pillow.

Ben had his first play date on Saturday and had a great time. Ben and Levi (future BFFs) layed next to each other on the couch and wiggled around for 15 minutes or so. It was so interesting to watch Ben while he watched Levi - he really observed while Levi squirmed around and began squirming himself. He also grabbed toward Levi, and Levi grabbed back, and the little guys ended up holding hands for a few moments. Ben also succeeded in placing his hand in Levi's mouth, which thoroughly confused Levi initially, but he went with it once he realized it wasn't his hand. The whole 15 minutes was painfully adorable, and resulted in yet another photo and movie opportunity:

For more ultimate cuteness and a video clip, check out Lena's blog at: http://levirichards.blogspot.com/

Week two to three was a good week. Today, Ben's Auntie Megan and great-grandparents have flown into town and will meet him this afternoon. Wednesday, his Great Aunt Susan and cousins will also be here to love on him. Thursday will be Benny Boo's first Thanksgiving (and first holiday since the little guy was a day late for Halloween) and Friday, his Turner family will be back in town to see what a big boy he's grown into in the last three weeks and to celebrate his ONE MONTH BIRTHDAY! I can't believe how fast this month has gone - my little guy is growing up!

2 weeks and counting...

Benjamin at 13 days old: playing toys with Mommy




Benjamin at 2 weeks old: wearing Daddy's least favorite outfit



My feet: let me show you them



So we've made it through the first 2 weeks and lived to tell the tale. Benjamin has been such a good baby, it's hard to complain about any of it. Since he was born, he does very little besides sleep, eat, poop and burp. He does all of these things like clockwork, which makes him pretty predictable and easy to live with. He does not fuss just to hear himself, and is easy to calm down once you give him what he wants. Very Type B - he takes after Daddy for sure.

This week he began grabbing things, and the little guy has quite a grip. This is fine when he is playing toys or just hanging out, but not so much during feeding time, if you know what I mean. We are working on a hands-off nursing session but no luck yet. He also managed to flip himself from front to back in bed one night. We placed him in a Boppy and went to sleep, and when we awoke, he was face down in it, happy as a clam. I have no idea how he worked this one out, as he is barely two weeks old AND was completely swaddled and had no arms or legs to get this done. He is a determined little guy for sure. Needless to say, this was the last night he napped with the Boppy. Back to the flat sleep positioner for Benjamin! Other notable happenings include facial expressions. When he sleeps, as I'm sure most newborns do, he makes lots of funny faces. He will cycle from sad, to mad, to amused, to happy, and back to sad, all within 30 seconds. He'll do this for 10 minutes or so, and it's hilarious to watch. We call it: Benjamin going through his programming. When he is awake, he definitely has his sad and mad face mastered at appropriate times, but doesn't really express happiness yet. Although I'm pretty sure he smiled at me last night while we played and sang songs (badly). We looked it up, and he's really not supposed to smile intentionally for another few weeks, so it could have been a coincidence, but I'd like to think he was really amused at Mommy's rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Attending to faces and items in the environment has also begun this week. Ben will maintain eye contact with us if he is held close enough to our faces, and seems genuinely interested in what we have to tell him. He loves listening to us chat, and is a great outlet for sharing thoughts and gossiping. He also noticed his mobile and a few toys we play with and is adorable to watch as he gazes up at his rotating bears above his swing. He watches each one go by like it is a brand-new bear, and this will keep him busy for a minute or two. Sometimes when he begins to fuss, he'll catch a glimpse of his bear friends, and forget why he was upset. It's adorable.

Benjamin went on a couple of trips into the outside world this week. He accompanied Mommy and Grammy to a La Leche League meeting and the doctor's office on Wednesday. He slept through the whole thing. Mommy would have preferred sleeping through both activities as well. The meeting was a very strange experience, but Mommy picked up some good nursing tips that have worked like a charm. Mommy also got a clean bill of health at the doctor's office, which was fantastic news. On Saturday, Benny's 2 week old birthday, we traveled to Target (Ben's favorite) and the grocery store to stock up on items for the week. He also slept through this outing, but attracted a lot of attention along the way. He LOVES riding in the car and being pushed around in a shopping cart. He stirs a little bit when the cart stops to pick up an item, so we've learned to keep it in constant motion in order to keep him napping and happy.

Today is my official due date - November 16th. It's amazing to think that he could have stayed larval for two more weeks, and hard to believe that I wouldn't have exploded carrying this big boy 14 days longer. He would have been a cool 10 pounds, considering his birth weight. Today is also a milestone developmentally, because he is now officially "full term" so his developmental clock starts now. However, I don't think that will be a problem for Benny Boo - he is already doing things that should come much later and it has both pleased us and scared us equally as much. I think we need to start baby-proofing the house now - this kid will be an early walker! The last two weeks have exceeded our expectations of parenthood and we are completely in love with this little creature and endlessly amused by his Peanut Antics. We are looking forward to the rest of parenthood, but also savoring the early moments with our little guy. Everyone was right - it does go by fast.

Benjamin Maddox is here!

Benjamin Maddox was born on November 1st at 11:03 am and weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. We are so happy he is finally here!

The birth story:

At 9:30 on Saturday morning, we got a visit from the doctor who had a change in plans. She informed us that my blood work came back with a very low platelet count, and it was unfortunately too low for me to receive an epidural or a spinal for pain relief. Unfortunately, I was still considered unfavorable for induction, but because pain relief was no longer an option, a 2-3 day labor did not seem like an option anymore. She further informed that even if she induced, I only had a 50% chance of delivering. She presented the option of an emergency Cesarean section that would have to be performed under general anesthesia meaning I would not be awake for the birth and Jacob would not be allowed in the operating room. We opted for this because it seemed like the safest route to get our Peanut out in a healthy manner. At 10:30 am I was cathed, prepped, and wheeled down to the operating room for surgery. At 11:03, our son was born. He required positive pressure to get him breathing, as he did not get the hang of it on his own, but was otherwise very healthy. It was later said that when the incision was made, his ear was the first thing the doctor saw, so he was in no way engaged or ready for his birth. We were lucky that the doctors acted quickly to ensure that both he and I were safe.

Benjamin was taken to a room for vitals to be checked and to be cleaned up, and Jacob got to meet him at that time. He was also able to provide skin-to-skin contact for Benjamin in his first minutes of life since I was being sewn up and wheeled to recovery. I got to meet him about 2.5 hours later in our hospital room, and we've been inseparable ever since. His first day was met with lots of hugs and kisses from family members, and he did fantastically with all of the excitement. I struggled a bit more, as I was coming out of the anesthesia for most of the day and do not remember most of what was said or done during that time. I do, however, remember this:

It isn't a very good picture, but it's the moment that I met my baby Benjamin. I remember thinking that he is perfect, and he continues to be that way.

Parenthood has gone really well so far. We had the help of Jacob's family for the first week, which was fantastic, and my family has helped a lot in the first week and now that Jacob's family is back at home. Without that, the transition into parenthood would have been much harder - even with a perfect baby. He is a very laid back little guy who only cries when he needs something, and is easy to soothe once he's been satisfied. We struggled with breast feeding in the first few days but have the hang of it now. He's been to the doctor for his first check-up and is still healthy and gaining the weight back that he lost initially and is just doing very well. We are so thankful to have him - poopy diapers and all!

I've continued to heal after the c-section and am almost back to normal. My pre-eclampsia, diabetes, hypertension and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) have gone away and I've lost close to 30 pounds in 10 days. I feel great and continue to get stronger and can't wait to have my old self back! It's been a long 40 weeks since that chart started in February and I am so glad it's over, but would do it again in a heartbeat. Benjamin is such a blessing and we're so lucky to have him here :)

Twas the Night Before Induction..

So as of today, I am 38 weeks, 2 days pregnant with Peanut Turner. It's been a long, bumpy road but it seems that it's about to come to an end as we prepare to meet our little guy. Because of several health issues affecting Mama (Peanut is still looking great), we have planned to start an induction in the morning. This means that our little guy will be in our arms as early as this upcoming weekend. We are exhausted from all of the hospital visits, observations, and admissions but are equally as excited to count Peanut's fingers and toes, and marvel at his long-awaited chunky baby legs. Hopefully our next post will be introducing the little guy.

Over the last week, Mom's health has rapidly declined. Up until now, I've kept most health-related updates to a minimum but throughout this pregnancy, I've been labeled "high-risk". It began because we were blessed with Peanut on the heels of a miscarriage but as the weeks wore on, different issues arose. We dealt with food poisoning at 19-20 weeks, a gestational diabetes diagnosis at 26 weeks, and a pregnancy-induced hypertension diagnosis at 36 weeks. The hypertension was classified as severe this afternoon, and paired with a low platelet count and severe swelling, we are headed down the pre-eclampsia road to boot. I am truly exhausted by all of it. I had hopes of an uneventful, boring pregnancy where my biggest issue would be maintaining a reasonable weight gain, and things have gotten so far from that, I only learned today what my total weight gain has been (and hell no, I am not sharing). Through the weeks and months, I've gotten more and more sedentary as bed rest requires, and have watched my tiny stretch marks and vericose veins grow into red, blue and purple zig-zags that cover my belly, breasts, sides and now legs. I was very sad about seeing them for the first time, but now I look at them as a badge of honor and a reminder of the difficulties we endured through the last 9 months. Honestly, I hope they fade, but if they don't, they will be my little reminders of our adventure with Peanut in 2008. It's hard to believe that I began the year running 30 miles per week and feeling fantastic, and here I sit in a hospital bed, with multiple diagnoses and a big round belly full of baby human.

That being said, I would do it all again for Peanut. I already love him more than the sun, moon and stars, and about as much as I love Lilly Bean. I think about him all day, every day and wonder who he will look like, which blanket will be his favorite, what kind of personality will he have. The wonder and excitement that has consumed this 40 week countdown is all coming to a head this weekend and that really hit home when the doctor proclaimed - "You are not leaving here without a newborn in your arms".

We started this journey with a conversation in late October 2007 about starting a family. When it was first brought up, Dad needed to process what he was hearing because it was such a shock and nothing we'd ever discussed before. Mom pitched the idea and let him get used to it for awhile before he agreed to give it a shot. The bottom line was, November was the first month we actively tried to bring Peanut to life. Now here we are, on November 1st, waiting to meet the son we've wanted for over a year. We have been so lucky to bring this idea to life in a little 8 pound boy in a year's time. And with everything we've been through during that year, his arrival will just be that much sweeter. So it's official - the Turners are going to become parents this weekend if all goes as planned, and we are exhausted, nervous, queasy, elated, and incredibly anxious to hold this little creature and kiss 10 baby fingers and 10 baby toes. It's been 40 weeks and counting since we knew you, Peanut, but we've loved you long before that. Can't wait to tell you face-to-smooshy baby face.

3rd Trimester - A summary

OK so I haven't been fantastic at updating this thing, I admit, but I'll try to summarize the last 12 weeks now.  

The end of the 2nd trimester was uneventful, as I wrapped up working in late August and started my "Gestation Vacation", as my friend, Brian puts it.  Peanut and I began a several-week stint of catching up on soaps and crocheting a series of blankets for various purposes.  In early September, at just over 30 weeks, Mi-mi and Poo-Poo (the Turner Grandparents) and Auntie Madison came for a visit and got to see Peanut on film at a 3D/4D ultrasound.  We got over 60 shots of him, as well as a movie and the whole experience was really cool.  Here is a sample of our movie star fetus:

He is pretty cute.

The next few weeks were pretty uneventful for Team Turner, but while Peanut was cooking, his two friends were born - Levi Christopher on September 14th and Jack Oliver on September 27th!  Both boys are incredible and have made Mom pretty impatient about meeting her own little man.

Everything has continued to go really well at doctor's visits.  Peanut was in a breech position until about 34 weeks, where he turned to head-down, and we're hoping he is still in that position today.  A checkup/ultrasound (yes, our 12th ultrasound) will confirm his position and measure him to see if it will be possible for him to be born the old-fashioned way.  This past Monday, our doctor guesstimated Peanut's weight to be around 6 pounds, which will make him quite manageable for a normal delivery.  We'll see how accurate she is next week!  He is still measuring two weeks ahead because of Mom's diabetes most likely, but no complications have come up as a result.  We're still healthy, happy, and ready for delivery!  Technically, our due date is still in mid-November, but Peanut is considered full term tomorrow.  This means if labor starts between now and November 16th, the doctors will let it progress.  With mom's size, this is great news - it's getting harder and harder to carry this little (big) guy around. Check out THIS belly progression:

Yes, I'm sure it's not twins, yes, he still has 3 more weeks to grow, and yes, I HAVE been eating healthy (thanks, diabetes diet).  I've spared you of the full-sized version of these shots for obvious reasons.  Needless to say, I can't wait to see my feet again!

Other notable happenings in the last 12 weeks:  We traveled to Atlanta in September for my oldest friend, Danielle's baby shower and it was a very nice visit.  Peanut definitely enjoyed all the food and activity - and behaved himself during the 6 hours we spent in the car.  We got some fantastic pictures that are scrapbook-worthy for sure.  I'm hoping to dig up a picture of Danielle and I from when we were 5, and place it next to the picture of us, 8 and 9 months pregnant.  In a few years, It'll be fun to add to that with a picture of Jack and Peanut at 5 years old.

Peanut and I also voted again.  We voted in the primaries in May, and have been keeping on top of this political season pretty closely (we watch MSNBC during commercial breaks from ABC soaps).  We voted again on the first day of early voting (October 16th) and waited in line for about 30 minutes.  After our submission, the polling volunteer gave me two "I voted" stickers - one for me and one for Peanut.  I'm keeping it with the two Obama stickers we got at the Apple Festival, and the two Hillary stickers we got when we visited her in Hendersonville.  More scrapbook material!  Peanut got to participate in the voting process for the first time.  Next opportunity: 2026!

We finished up Peanut's nursery and have all necessary items (except diapers, oddly enough) so we're ready to go there.  I'll post a separate entry about that whole process.  We also have had two more baby showers where we got a TON more Peanut stuff, all set up and ready for use.  Last weekend, we secured his car seat in the back of the Xterra and got it checked out with the fire department, and Mom FINALLY packed her hospital bag for the big stay!  All that's left to do now is Peanut's birth - let's hope it happens sooner, rather than later!

Entering the home stretch

My feet: let me show you them - 25 weeks

Making kissy faces for Mom - 25 weeks

Peanut has had a busy month with lots to report! His room is finally done and looking beautiful, thanks to Mom and Dad. Somehow we pulled off the lattice pattern on the accent wall and got all the furniture set up. Peanut got a comfy armchair glider from his grandparents and his crib, dresser and changing table (which we've come to refer to as the poop station) from Mom and Dad. Sometime later I'll have to post the construction pictures and go into more detail about that fiasco, but onto more interesting things for now!

Peanut went to his first Bele Chere and behaved well for the festivities. He enjoys music and crowds and kicks a lot when he's around either one - so he was pretty excited all weekend. He enjoyed several lemonades and couldn't seem to get enough of it. We walked around a lot which proved to be difficult on the feet. Carrying around a big belly in the July heat isn't all it's cracked up to be, but we had fun nonetheless.

Last week, the 'nut and his folks traveled 6 hours to the coast to enjoy a week on Ocean Isle Beach. We had a detour initially, as Peanut's great-grandfather passed away, and this was stressful and difficult on everyone. We had hoped to visit him during our vacation and show off larval Peanut but unfortunately the circumstances were a lot different. Peanut agreed that the funeral service was beautiful - he danced every time music played. He brought comfort to Mom and Dad during a sad time with his dance by reminding us of the good things to come.

The beach was fantastic. Peanut loves swimming in the pool, but not so much in the ocean. A man after my own heart. We were a bit nervous when the waves crashed over us, and unfortunately with my new shape, I got knocked over more than once. I'm a little more "front-heavy" than I used to be I guess. We did a lot of sunbathing and laying around and got to spend time with lots of family. Peanut kicked his grandmother, great aunts, aunts, and cousins and made everyone laugh with his Peanut antics. During our stay, the Turners got a SURPRISE baby shower that was completely unexpected and lots of fun. He got several items he needed and everything was beautiful. Somehow we got it all in the car and set it up last weekend. We are almost completely stocked up on baby items!

We are entering the 3rd and final trimester this week (if you don't count the 4th tri!) and are getting to be huge. I got my first "Are you expecting twins?" comment over the weekend and felt sad about it. I can't believe this belly has 13 more weeks of growing to do - I don't see how it could get any bigger. Last night I realized that I have stretch marks under my belly and I got very upset about this. When I showed Jacob he told me they've been there for weeks and he hoped I wouldn't notice. I guess cocoa butter isn't the answer after all. Peanut's kicks are getting stronger and can be seen from across the room now. He stretches from my lower belly to just underneath my ribcage and will sometimes kick and punch at the same time, allowing me to map out his whereabouts. He is still head down but will flip from the left side to the right about once a day, which is the weirdest feeling ever. So the official countdown is on - 94 days and counting...

July 10th - 22 weeks and feeling better

 

In the last couple weeks, we've done absolutely nothing to prepare the nursery while I recover from being sick.  The walls are still uneven, and they still aren't completely painted.  I'm hoping we can get that finished this weekend but we'll see!  Last week, Peanut went to his first 4th of July parade in Avery County and it was fantastic.  He kicked a lot when the emergency vehicles drove by with their sirens blaring so I'm thinking he had a good time.  

He's been kicking a lot lately, and even though it could be felt on the outside since Father's Day (his little present to Dad), now you can SEE him on the outside.  It's awesome!  He's kicking as high as an inch above my navel, and they get stronger every day.  I can sit and watch it for hours.  I'm thinking in a few weeks his movement is gonna go from cute to painful so I'm savoring it now :)

Mom had a grand total of 3 visits to the hospital in the last couple of weeks with complications from... food poisoning.  Who knew it could be so troublesome?  The silver lining to all of that was we got to see our little Peanut on ultrasound twice.  During the first scan, Mom wasn't feeling well at all and had just concluded a 30 minute full abdominal scan so Peanut was not amused.  By the time we got to see him, the little guy had both of his hands over his ears as if to say "Make it stop!"  Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of this because the printer was broken.  The second time, he was more comfortable.  He is getting so big and his facial features are becoming easier to see - it's been amazing to get glimpses of him along the way.

During our visit with the Turners last weekend, Peanut got another gift he will regret when he is 16 - an ADORABLE onesie with a Peanut on it and a hat to match.  He is never going to live this name down.  I can't wait until he's big enough for this little outfit.  I'm taking pictures and showing them to all of his future girlfriends.  We did come up with a real boy name last week but won't tell anyone until he's here.  I'm in love with this name and so thrilled that Dad agreed to it!  Dad picked the middle name and the whole package is very nice.  He will have a strong name to live up to.

So things are going well and Mom is trying to enjoy the last part of the second trimester.  The rumor is that the 3rd isn't all it's cracked up to be.  We've got about another month to go before the 3rd trimester countdown begins!  I can't believe it.  However, the belly is a constant reminder that we're in the second half of this thing - check this bad boy out:

I call this one "The Jolly Green Giant"

We're halfway there!

June 16th: 18.5 weeks

What a handsome little man! This is our guy at 18.5 weeks, getting bigger and stronger and more interesting to look at. Our anatomy scan went well with everything in its place, and he decided to flash his goods once more, confirming yet again that he is all boy. The techs and the doctor think this is funny every time because Peanut is so proud. He wiggled and danced throughout the ultrasound, despite Mom's best attempt at avoiding sugary food the night before. This is completely normal however. He moves non-stop which does not look good for us when he gets here. We will most definitely have our hands full.

Pregnancy has gone fairly well until week 19. Mom got into some bad food which landed her in the hospital for 2 days, re-hydrating and recovering from a wicked case of food poisoning. Peanut was fine, but not so happy throughout the ordeal. He bounced back rather nicely and Mom is still recovering a week later. At the doctor's appointment this morning, Mom was officially put on bedrest for the rest of the week in order to recover completely. Aside from that, everything else looks pretty good. Weight gain at 20.5 weeks is a staggering 15 pounds, however in a month it has stayed the same. Despite this, my pants keep getting tighter as Peanut grows outward.

So we're officially halfway done cooking the little guy and it won't be long until he is on the outside. Construction started on the nursery last week and is a definite work in progress. We hung an awesome fan and got the four walls painted a beautiful baby blue and white. We are hoping to paint a geometric pattern onto an accent wall and still figuring out (2 weeks later) how to make the math work out, as all four of our 50-year old walls are settled, slanted and curved. Stay tuned for the results on that one. We started window shopping for furniture and decorations but haven't bought anything big yet. Peanut's wardrobe is getting bigger as clearance items come up and Mom and Dad bought him his very own bouncer last weekend. At this rate, he'll have everything he needs by the time he's here. It won't be long until November!

18 weeks and all's well

So it's been awhile since my last update.  I started a new job at the end of April and have been pretty wrapped up in that for awhile.  Here's the summary:

13 weeks:

Here is Peanut floating around and being 13 weeks gestated.  This visit went well - with a heartbeat in the 150's.  We couldn't see much because this ultrasound was about as bad as the last one, but Peanut is looking more like a grasshopper and less like a "peanut".  This week was a small victory because it meant we were officially out of the first trimester and a third of the way done!  We finally announced to the world that Peanut existed this week.

Things continued to progress well and Mom is still feeling fine.  Cravings are now caesar salad and hot soup.  It is acceptable to eat these items at every meal.  The belly continues to grow and regular pants are definitely no longer an option.  Strangers are starting to notice Peanut.

16.5 weeks:

We went to a 3D/4D ultrasound place to get some interesting shots of Peanut and to determine what flavor human we're making.  Within 30 seconds, Peanut showed the world that he is ALL BOY! 

 We are totally thrilled by this and spent the rest of the day talking about names, little league, and Spiderman-themed birthday parties.  

17 weeks:

Mom had a checkup with the doctor to have blood work done and to hear Peanut's little heartbeat on the doppler.  Peanut's heart is beating away at 135 beats per minute and it is stronger and louder than ever.  We get another peak at him next week to have the doctor confirm his manhood and to measure all his parts to make sure he is growing well.  At the last visit he was measuring 4 days ahead so he's starting to take after Dad - bigger than average.  This is an unfortunate development for Mom, who is smaller than average.  This makes for a big belly.

Check out the amazing belly growth already:

13 weeks: 

17 weeks:

YIKES!!

Approaching the 2nd Trimester

It's almost week 11 and I'm still feeling pretty good. Every now and then I get a wave of nausea but it's fleeting and almost always happens as a result of a terrible smell. I could work with the Beagle Brigade at the airport for the new sensitivity to smells I've acquired - I even have a talent of smelling things that simply aren't there. This new talent has us eating dinner at home every night - I cannot handle all the smells at a restuarant anymore. The last incident was at our friendly neighborhood Italian restaurant. I was minding my own business when the couple in the booth next to ours ordered fried calamari. It was all I could do to hold it together, eat my food, and get out without incident.

I've been reading a lot about baby development and learned that Peanut is no longer an embryo but is now a fetus. Happy Milestone, Peanut! At 10 weeks, fingers and toes seperate, and all of the essential internal organs are there. There are even fingernails. I'm excited about the idea that those little tiny fingers have fingernails already. I look forward to seeing fingers at the next ultrasound, and I think we will - I'll be 13 weeks by then.

My pants are definitely too tight to wear at this point, so I'm really thanking the textile gods for elastic waistbands this week. I've been sporting exercise clothes all week and getting away with it, but am about to start a new job and will have to go back to dress pants soon. I still look like I had three helpings of Thanksgiving Dinner for lunch, so I'll be glad when a real baby belly starts developing. The look I'm going for is pregnant, not fat. With the weight struggle I've had for the past 5 years, the getting bigger thing is definitely going to be hard for me. I've trained myself to believe that anything but a flat or relatively flat tummy is unacceptable. The good news is, since the double lines, I've been eating a lot healthier and controlled my portions to a little bit, all day long. I'm hoping this new routine will serve me well now and in the long run. We'll see about routines when Peanut gets here, which coincidentally, will be around Thanksgiving.

Recap - the last 10 weeks

Charting the science of babymaking - que romantica!



So this is the chart that started it all. Don't worry about the details - the message is that I am quite pregnant from the red crosshairs forward. We didn't find out until 15 days later, though I sorta figured the cycle would end in two pink lines when I noticed my temps never dropped. The 4th and final 2 week wait turned into the beginning of a 40 week wait to parenthood.


March 7th: The first of the last set of POSITIVES!


So this greeted me on Friday morning instead of what we've lovingly started to call Aunt Flo. It's faint, but after inspection under every lamp, window and angle possible, we determined this is definitely a positive test. I should know - I have about 35 negatives in my bathroom cabinet to compare. Oh, and the peeing on a stick madness did not stop with this one - I have about three packs worth of positives in another cabinet, all increasingly darker. If you've ever peed on a stick, you understand the addiction. The Turners officially made a human.

The next few weeks were full of mixed feelings. The select few of you who have been following this saga since December know we recently suffered an early miscarriage that was nothing short of devastating. I lost my first bean at 6 weeks, so I knew I wouldn't be comfortable until I passed that mile-marker. We didn't mention the news to anyone and engaged in a new (but different) 2 week wait to the finish line. Fortunately we sailed through that week, although not without incident. Nausea. The whole thing about morning sickness is a total joke - I felt like I was on a tiny boat from Week 4 to about Week 7. It was OK though - it meant this bean was making itself at home and I was OK with that.

March 24th: Introducing Peanut Turner

My new doctor is really cool. I called her after Week 6 came and she agreed to have me come in and have an ultrasound done, just to confirm that everything was progressing well. Typically, the first ultrasound is done around week 9 or 10, so this was very nice of her, and it saved us from a lot of unecessary anxiety. I didn't sleep the night before, and I arrived at the doctor's office expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. The last ultrasound I had did not go well, so in my mind, I had to prepare myself for seeing a screen full of fuzzy grey noise. Instead I got this.

That little white seahorse is our baby. I saw it immediately and breathed for the first time in 6 weeks. The tech showed me the tiny baby, the yolk sac, and even let me see and hear the heartbeat. Keep in mind, that little tiny baby is virtually microscopic, but it had the strongest heartbeat ever at around 100 beats per minute. I can't say I didn't get a little emotional, but I'm a walking hormonal tragedy anyway so this is not new behavior. Anyway, that's my baby's first picture. Fabulous.

This picture gave us the confidence to start breaking the news to the family. The next few weeks were more of the same - being on a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean, craving pickles and other salty items, and going back and forth between monster bitch and the sweetest wife ever. The stereotypes are all true.

April 8th: Peanut gets comfy

So here is Peanut looking less like a seahorse, more like a Peanut, and still not really human. Granted, this is the worst ultrasound picture ever, but after hours of staring at it (no, I'm not exaggerating) I think I've made out a head, some legs, and maybe an arm. I've been told I'm way off, but we can still dream, right? By the way, Peanut is the little white item inside the black item. Measuring in at an inch and a half, Peanut is right on schedule. This shot was done at 8 weeks, 5 days with Peanut literally measuring 8 weeks, 1 day. My baby takes after me, just a little smaller than average. The heart was racing away at about 150 beats per minute, which is right on target for a baby measuring an inch and a half in length. We didn't get to hear it this time, ironically, my doctor is on maternity leave, so we had her replacement rush in, show us our human, and leave, all within 7 minutes. My doctor should be back in June, so we won't have Speedy Gonzalez for too much longer.

From 8 weeks to 10, things have been a lot easier, so I hope that lasts. The "morning" sickness is gone, and the belly bump is just starting to set in. It's unfortunate that my pants don't button anymore but I've learned some neat tricks involving rubber bands, safety pins, and tube tops for your belly that have all worked pretty well. When I found out I was pregnant in December, I stopped running religiously and from January to conception of Peanut, I pretty much did nothing and ate ice cream, so I can't blame it all on the baby. I'm starting to get more comfortable with the idea that I can maintain this pregnancy because Peanut has shown me nothing but a strong heartbeat and continued growth, but we still won't make our official announcement for a few more weeks.

So there it is - from a chart to a human in 10 weeks. Impressive.