SniperBear – Don’t Get Sniped
So can honestly say I have NO idea where he get’s it from /sarcasm
…but I do believe our baby is a diva! But then again, when you are as adorable as he is, I don’t blame him. I mean, look at him! It may just be me being a proud pop, or the fact that Lane just takes really good photos, but I think our baby is simply beautiful.
That’s all, I just wanted to put it out there. Below are his newborn photos courtesy of Graceology!
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No one ever said raising or taking care of a baby was easy. Well, I’m sure someone has said that, but at least no one I’ve ever talked to. However, over the past week or so things around the house have just kinda fallen into place. Lane is sleeping 5-7 hours each night. Jess and I are getting back into a routine of sorts, Chase is really taking on the role of a big brother with flying colors, and things are just good.
Certainly we have our days or nights when all we want to do is sleep or finish that load of laundry and Lane has other ideas of how we should be spending our time. Last night for example, he decided that it would be a good idea to stay up until midnight. It would have been one thing if he was up crying or fussing, but not our kid. He was just smiling and making faces and being a happy baby. It’s hard to get frustrated at a baby that just wants to look at you or pull on your shirt (kid’s got a grip) and smile. To keep him happy all we have to really do is make sure he’s fed when he’s hungry, has a new diaper when he’s wet, and get’s some sleep when he’s tired. There isn’t a whole lot of complication around that.
I don’t have the experience of raising a baby and it’s been nearly 10 years for Jess so this is all new to us. We’re figuring it out as we go along. Should we put him down or hold him until he sleeps? At 7.5 weeks what’s the “usual” thing for babies to be doing? Does his poop look normal? When did he last eat? Do you think he’s cold? All these things and more are constantly on our minds, but the more we interact with Lane the easier things become. Take this morning for example. I’m writing this post while feeding him. Two weeks ago that would not have even been a thought of a possibility. Now it is all second nature.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifow_7131VY[/youtube]
In a few years we’ll look back on mornings like this and remember how “easy” we had it. Then over time that too will become easy. I honestly don’t believe that raising a child is difficult. It’s only ever as hard as you make it. There will always be challenges like “did my son just eat sand?” or “did he forget to pack extra underwear for summer camp?” but we get through it.
Today is easy. My beautiful son is asleep in my arms while my amazing wife is peacefully sleeping in our cozy bed. The pets are fed and enjoying the quiet morning and the sun is breaking through the clouds. How much more could a man ask for on a Saturday morning?
Over the past month I have learned a lot of interesting and fascinating things.
The list could go on and on. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how a child so small can have an enormous impact on my life. Jess and I are all that Lane has. He came in to this world a month ago not having any idea what was going on. He could never comprehend life outside the womb and everything he knows or has learned so far has been by us. I can’t wait until the 2 months, 10 months, 5 years, etc. Just to watch this little guy grow and learn is just a wonderful process. He has changed my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Happy one month birthday my son!
Sleep has quickly become a topic of much discussion around the Turner house. We’re to the point where we’ll take it any chance we can get.
Recently Lane has had some stomach issues that keep him up more than a 3 week old should be. And as everyone knows, when the baby is awake, we’re all awake. For now, he’s snoozing in his little bed, so mom took this opportunity to grab a little shut-eye as well.
I’m sure it’ll all work out soon, but for the time being we’ll just keep on snoozing on the couch or going to bed at all hours of the day.
Lane’s first stroll while Chase bikes and daddy runs! 2.5 weeks old.
As of tomorrow, our sweet Benjamin Lane will be two weeks old! I can’t believe how fast it’s going by. I wished and wished for these days, and now I am ready to press the pause button and freeze time for a bit. Our boy has gotten bigger and better in just the two short weeks he’s been in the world.
First, his belly button fell off! Yay! This means no more sponge baths or folding down the diaper. Just a normal (ish) belly button that’s good to go in a big boy tub! Speaking of big boy baths, we have video of his first. Let me just preface that post by saying BLT is NOT a fan of the tub. Considering his behaviors elsewhere, I’m thinking it’s because he hates to be cold….something else we’ve learned about our little boy in this short time. As soon as Ben realized that Lane didn’t like to be cold and found him some comfy, warm pjs, well…he’s been sleeping much better at night. Maybe next time I’ll put his cute little butt in the tub with me. 😉
Another thing we’ve gotten the hang of is nursing. Having a VBAC, and successfully breastfeeding, were two goals I set for myself early on in this pregnancy. Now, the VBAC isn’t entirely in my control (well, not at all in my control), and if you read the previous posts you’ll see why it didn’t happen. But breastfeeding I can do. And am doing, quite beautifully. We’ve had a few bumps in the road with it just like anything else. Lane is supplementing with formula to help with his jaundice and throughout this process my supply has dipped a bit. But, there are still several times a day when I am able to cradle my guy and bond with him in a way I never have. What I initially thought would be awkward or unnatural for me has turned out to be second nature and cathartic for my spirit. I’m hoping I can continue this with him for another few weeks….
Last to mention is Lane’s “playtime”. I’m not sure if you know anything about newborns, but they pretty much sleep all the time. ALL, the time. But over the past two weeks Lane’s favorite time to be awake is after feeding, and after a diaper change. Sometimes he falls right back to sleep, but more often lately he likes to look, and stare, and whoever it is that’s holding him. These have got to be my favorite times so far. Most of the time we just stare at each other for 15-20 minutes at a time. I talk to him, and he doesn’t respond much except with random reflexive smiles or yawns. He loves when I stroke his face or give him kisses. It’s a very easy, simple time where we get to know each other and bond in yet another amazing way.
Tomorrow Ben goes back to work, Chase is at school, and it’s just BLT and I on most days. I am looking forward to spending alone time with my handsome boy, but also anxious about my other handsome guy being so far away. I take comfort, however, that in our experience, no matter how much space is between Ben and I…we’re never really apart after all. 🙂
Tuesday, January 3rd, started like any other Tuesday really. School was out and Chase was coming home from his Dad’s after spending a long New Year’s weekend. We spent the morning hanging out in our pajamas and watching tv. After lunch, I started having a few strong contractions. This was not much different than previous days, where my strong contractions lasted about 20 minutes then subsided. Once they got a bit stronger, and closer to an hour going strong, I texted Ben and called the nurse at my doctor’s office. Still not too concerned, I told Ben to take his time coming home and decided maybe I needed to ‘relieve some pressure’. While sitting on the toilet, I felt a gush that was not controlled by me. I immediately thought “Oh my gosh, my water broke! I’m going into labor”. Within the next few seconds my thoughts quickly changed as I noticed my water did not break, instead I was bleeding. Alot. My heart sank knowing that something wasn’t right. I immediately called my doctor’s office who told me to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Then I called Ben and told him he needed to be home ASAP. Throughout all of this, my sweet Chase was home with me. I put on my bravest face and decided to keep him busy while I waited on Ben. I stayed on the toilet and bled, while Chase grabbed things we needed and added them to the suitcase. I used every bit of my courage not to worry, but knowing that this amount of blood wasn’t normal. I hadn’t felt Lane move in a while. I just wanted to be at the hospital. Now.
It was quite an adventure yesterday and it all started with a text.
Around 2:45 Jess texted me saying that she was having contractions. This was nothing new since she had been having them off and on for the past week or so. This time however they didn’t go away. She had a bath and tried a few different techniques, but the contractions persisted and eventually got worse. We chatted back and forth and she kept me in the loop since I was roughly an hour away at work. When 4:00 rolled around and they were getting worse I knew it was time to leave, so I packed up and hit the road lickety-split.
Continue reading “It’s a boy!”
2011 started off like any other year, with a wicked ice storm that pretty much shut down the whole state of Georgia. We made the best of it and actually had a really great time. We wouldn’t get that kind of ice/snow again for the rest of the year. I’m actually hoping that we get one again, only this time we’ll have a lil’ baby with us.
February brought us Gracie. A Great Dane that would put us to the test.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taFR6LzQ2rM[/youtube]
Neither one of us had ever owned such a beast. She was one of the sweetest and happy dogs ever, but damn was she a handful. After many ‘discussions’ we finally decided to find another home for her. Luckily I was able to find a nice lady that lived on a farm, a real one night the typical ‘dog farm’. Off to a better home Gracie went and I’m sure she is much happier now.
March ushered in some Spring little league for Chase. He really got into the ‘swing’ of things and enjoyed himself.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zz8R-pIEvE[/youtube]
Honestly it was a lot of fun. We got to meet some new people and Chase had a lot of fun. I don’t think the Mudcat’s won that many games, but it didn’t really matter to him, he just wanted to play.
I don’t think much happened in April. Well… I mean Chase did get to go a Wrestlemania Art show, meet a bunch of wrestlers and then go to the actual PPV. Oh, and there was Tax Day. Hmm… something else happened… Oh that’s right, WE GOT MARRIED!!!! It was a wonderfully magic wedding. Everything we had hope for. I got to finally call the love of my life my bride, and it was the beginning of our forever. The honeymoon was in Vegas, and well… and we know good and well what happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay in Vegas. In addition to finding out we were pregnant (but really what could top that) we spent the May kinda floating around in happiness and bliss.
Every summer we like to take a family vacation, and a pregnancy this year wasn’t going to slow us down. For the 2011 Summer Vacation we decided it would be a lot of fun to head to Disney! We loaded up the car and drove down to the most magical place on earth. Chase had never been and neither Jess nor I had been in SEVERAL years so it worked out perfectly. It wasn’t easy for Jess with the heat and the walking plus being pregnant, but we made it. It was a great vacation and a birthday I don’t think Chase will ever forget.
The rest of the summer went on by, carrying with the ups and downs of being pregnant. We found out we were having a boy and man, that made me excited. I was the last male Turner and to be able to continue the name, meant a lot to me.
As August rolled around we started getting read to go back to school, and doing just normal family things. Chase was doing great and really getting into the spirit of being an older brother. He was helping around the house and he just felt a little more grown up. October would creep upon us before we knew it and in addition to me getting a new car and turning 32 it started to really sink in that I was going to be a daddy, very soon.
Between Halloween and right now it’s all kind of a blur. It’s as if time sped up and didn’t really wait. We had our first, and second baby shower and started getting the nursery ready. Baby clothes, diapers, wipes, toys, bottles, all of it started coming in and every time we would get something new it would sink in just a bit more how soon this bundle of joy would be here. Lane’s nursery looked fantastic and in no time at all everything was in its right place and we could start getting ready for the holidays.
Our Christmas tree was up BEFORE Thanksgiving, and the house was all set and ready to go. We made our rounds to friends and family. Did the gift exchanges and then it was Christmas day at the Turner household. I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday season. My wife was glowing with that baby glow, Chase was happy and doing all the big brother things and I was doing everything I can to make the house and my wife ready for this baby.
In contrast to the rest of the year, this past week has been filled with lots of taking it slow. Everything we could possibly do to be prepared for Lane, we have done. The bags are packed, the car seat is in, clothes washed and put away, house is secure, etc. You name it, we’ve done it. Now all we need is for Lane to come home.
It’s been such a wonderful year. I’m sure I left things out, but it’s all good. They say that the first year of marriage is the toughest thing you’ll go through other than the 9 months your wife is pregnant. Well, I’ve done both at the same time and I’m more in love now than the day I got married and I don’t see signs of this ever stopping.
Thanks for all the memories 2011, but it’s time for 2012!
~SB