Benjamin Lane - 1 month

Over the past month I have learned a lot of interesting and fascinating things.

• Babies can go from zero to 90 in a matter of seconds.
  One moment Lane will be laying peacefully asleep and the next he’ll be crying his head off… only to be cooing and giggling a few seconds later.
• Poops come in all colors, smells, and can sneak up on you at any time of the day.
  It really doesn’t matter when Lane had eaten, when he’s ready to poop he will. The sneaky thing is, some times it’s just a fart that sounds and smells like he destroyed his diaper.
• When people tell you that you’re not going to sleep much (or at all) during the first weeks of your babies life, they mean it.
  We have battled with Lane at all hours of the day trying to get him to sleep.  Battling with a baby takes time, and takes away from sleeping.
• One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to beds, pillows, bottles, formula, etc.
  In the past month Lane has had no less than 4 types of nipples/bottles, 5 different apparatuses to sleep in, and 3 types of formula. In addition to that some 0-3 month onesies fit while others are snug.
• You can’t spoil a newborn.
  It doesn’t matter how much I hold Lane, if I put him down and he starts to cry or whimper again, I’ll snatch him back up. Holding my son never gets old.
• You can’t get too comfortable with the way things are.
  Some nights he likes pajamas other nights he doesn’t. One day he’ll love taking a bath the next day he hates it. Just because he enjoyed something once doesn’t mean he will again. He, like his mom and I are constantly learning and changing.

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!

Jess get's to touch Lane for the first time

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.

By the time I had gotten in my car and on my way, she called and told me that she had begun bleeding. It wasn’t just a normal bleed, but something a bit more constant and indicative that the baby was on his way. She spoke with a doctor who told her that it would be best to not wait for me and that getting to the hospital was her priority. This, was not an option for me. So I made like Vin Diesel and got home Fast and Furious style. By the time I got home Chase had already gotten the car packed and ready to roll. It was now 5:00 and we were heading to the hospital…another 20 or so miles away.

Jess was in a lot of pain, Chase was kinda freakin’ out and my baby was on his way. So again I made like a bandit and high-tailed it to the hospital. Luckily we had been to the hospital before for a tour, but in our panic mode we didn’t exactly remember how to get to the maternity section. As soon as we got out of the car Jess’ water broke, however it wasn’t just water, it was blood and a lot of it. She went to the bathroom and I rushed to the front desk to find some help. The ladies, though they were nice were extremely unhelpful. Eventually we got someone to come and help out and get us to the maternity ward where we could find out why there was so much bleeding.

The doctors examined her and found that she was not dilated at all. So for her to be contracting, bleeding and not dilated it meant that something was wrong and she had to have a c-section, now. The room was a blur with people. From doctors asking family history questions, other’s getting papers signed and putting wrist bands on the both of us. Chase was hanging out in the bathroom to avoid all the blood, but he was a trooper! Due to the fact that she had lost all the blood and Lane needed to come out immediately, they were going to put Jess to sleep. Since she was going completely under, I couldn’t go back with her. When I found this out I was torn. I wanted what was best for Jess and the baby, but I wanted to be with her. Eventually they took her away and off Chase and I went to the waiting room. By now it was 6:15 and it would be just a matter of time before my baby boy would be born.

Heather, Jess’ mom and sister were in the waiting room and I updated them on all the deets. We had some food and all guessed the time, birth weight, and length. None of us were right. Benjamin Lane Turner was born at 6:30pm. In less than 15 mins they had taken Jess back to surgery, put her under and delivered our baby.

Around 7:15 I got to go back and see him. Words really can’t express my feelings when I saw him for the first time. He was so beautiful. Lane was smaller than either of us had thought he would be. In addition to that, he had a head full of black hair! Jess had been wanting a baby that looked like her, and she finally had one. He had her hair and lips, but he has my eyes and it looks like he’s got my stature. You can tell he’s our son and he’s wonderful.

Eventually they brought Jess around and man was she in pain. They had her pretty drugged up to deal with the pain, but she was coherent enough to see our son. Happiness was all over her face despite the pain she had from the surgery. It was still too early for her to hold him or for her to have visitors, but they got to be close to one another. Witnessing my wife and our baby laying there beside one another was a moment I’ll never forget. I wanted other’s to be able to see the baby so I went out the waiting room and got my mom. She went back and saw Jess and Lane.

Around 8:15 they moved Jess to a room where she could rest/recover and see more visitors. My mom, her mom, sister, best friend, and Chase were all waiting on us. I doubt Jess remembers all of being back there, she was pretty out of it. Unfortunately Lane was not going to be able to join us. Due to the nature of his delivery he had to go to the care unit/nursery to recover. We were all getting antsy to see Lane, but the doctors insisted on keeping him back there. By 10pm everyone was getting tired and we still didn’t know when Lane would be joining us.

The next several hours would be spent waiting for news. The doctors said that since he wasn’t delivered vaginally he didn’t have the opportunity to get a lot of the fluid out of his lungs. In addition to that he was having fluctuations in his breathing. They wanted him to be monitored until it was consistent. I got to go back and see him once, but for the most part it was just Jess and I waiting in the room. Jess was still in a lot of pain so she kept up with the morphine drip. The nurses kept coming in throughout the night so neither of us ever got any real sleep. They were going to bring Lane in around 1am, but he started his irregular breathing again. So back to the recoup room for him. We finally got him in our room around 5. Nearly 12 hours after he was born.

We had done it 2 hours after leaving work our beautiful baby was born. 24+ hours and about 45 mins of sleep. We were both exhausted, but had a long next day ahead of us. I love my son. He is everything I could possibly imagine, and much more.

Wrestle Cake!

For Chase’s 8th birthday we decided to make him a Rasslin’ Cake. He’s pretty much the biggest wrestling fan on the planet right now and Jess and I are bound and determined to elevate or cooking/baking arsenal. So, after several failed attempts, scouring of the interwebs for the perfect recipe, several trips to hardware stores and/or cooking supply stores, and countless hours standing in front of the oven, we made the best cake we could. It may not have been the perfect cake, but to our 8 year old, it was magical.

The party itself was a ton of fun. We had it at the bowling alley in Griffin. Chase and several friends spent the day bowling, playing arcade game, eating pizza and cake, and generally having a great time. He got a ton of cool presents. Everyone had a great time! In addition to all the kids having fun, the adults did as well. Speaking of adults, this was the first time Jess’ mom and my parents got to meet. They seemed to get along really well! I have a feeling they’ll be seeing a lot more of each other at future functions!

This was my first birthday with Chase and I can’t tell you how great it felt. I really did feel like a dad. Getting to watch him interact with the other kids, watching the joy on his face when he opened all his presents. Cheering him on while he bowled. Helping him try to get that elusive strike. It all just felt right. I can’t wait until 9, 10, 21, 30, etc. He’s such a great kid who deserves the world, and I intend on being there to give him that.

The Pics:

1 – sick boyfriend. Tired, achy, pissed off stomach, sunburned, yuck.

1- sick boy. Warm, tired, achy, sore throat, sunburned, yuck.

1 – empty refrigerator + 1 messy apartment = 4 to 5 hours of ‘chores’ to do

1 – amazing weekend that makes it all worth it

It started off with a night of bowling with the boys at 300 here in Dunwoody. We wanted to get warmed up before HBK’s birthday party at the bowling alley next weekend. Saturday morning we got an early start. Chase went golfing with his uncle then had plans to spend the rest of the day at the pool with his grandmom, and SB and I headed to float the hooch with friends for Bob’s birthday! We had about 6 or 7 floats tied together and despite the freezing water and a mid day storm, we had a really, really good time! We will post pics soon. I definitely want to get back out there on a canoe and take the HBK with us! He would love it. After rafting we cleaned up and went back to K-Bob’s for dinner and fun and promptly falling asleep on the couch (me). Sunday was another HOT day in Georgia. We had plans to go to the ArtBQue in Decatur, but I knew if we were going to be outside it would have to be in some water. After a breakfast at our favorite place we went down to get the HBK from my moms. The pool was too inviting so we spend yet another day in the sun and in the water. After, I pull together what little energy I had left to drive home, shower, and get right in bed watch the Kardashians.

So my job today is to get this place in order and get these boys feeling better! I have to much to do this week to have soldier down. Chase’s birthday is in a week and we’re attempting going to make his wrestling ring cake, plus I gotta find him a desk for one of his presents. My bestie is turning 30 this week and we are catering her party in two weeks. We also have a road trip that I am getting SO excited for at the end of this month. Throw in there house hunting since the job search didn’t go as planned.  Summer vacation is starting off pretty busy, but after the road trip we are going to RELAX! …who am I kidding? I slept until 11:00 am today. Here’s to summer!

Oh! And True Blood is back! Are you watching?? It’s off to a great start already!

SniperEdit:
Here are the pics from the rafting trip. They don’t quite capture all the fun, but some come VERY close.