Tag: lane

Happy One Month, Benjamin Lane!

Benjamin Lane - 1 month
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!

The lost art of sleeping

6:30 bed time

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.

Happy 2 Weeks Lane!

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. 🙂

It’s a boy!

It was quite an adventure yesterday and it all started with a text.

Jess and Lane
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.
Continue reading “It’s a boy!”

Only a few more weeks!

We are literally counting down the weeks and before we know it, it’ll be days. Lane is moving around quite a but these days, he seems to be most active when SJ is singing Adele. Maybe we’ll have a little singer on our hands. Not sure if he’s into Skrillex yet, but we’ll see.

So now we just have about 7 more weeks until there is this tiny baby in the house. Jess has had the ‘joy’ of carrying him around for the past several months and I can’t wait to share in on that. We got some family/maternity pictures done and it’ll be fun to look back on those when Lane is older. We’ll get the pics posted soon. For now we’re just making our way through the holidays. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and we have a lot of food we’ll be cooking. The smells and sounds and happiness from the holidays is upon us. I’m excited to be in the kitchen cooking with my family.

Speaking of cooking with my family, I reckon I better get in there and get to it! Pics and videos soon!!

Lane’s Shower!

Somehow I am already 31 weeks! Where has the time gone?? The holidays will be here soon and I am so ready to enjoy some great food, family, and finish getting ready for little Lane’s arrival. Of course I’m already prepared….just need a few last minute things. We are already pretty stocked, thanks to an awesome baby shower thrown by my bff Heather this weekend. It was co-ed and ended with chili and football. I need to get some final shots of the nursery posted. I went with an owl theme and it’s turning out SO cute. I’ve been feeling really, really great lately and I can’t wait to meet Lane! I hate that we didn’t get many pictures of all the guests, but here’s a few highlights from the shower!

It’s the little things

Like little tiny toes and fingers and a yawn, that make it all worth it. Last Friday we went for our first official sonogram. It was the first time we got to see Jr. BLT really moving around. We got to see all his little baby parts and they were all perfect. For me, all I could do was sit there in awe. Here was this little baby, growing inside of my wife. He was so wonderful. He seemed in bliss and just happy to be right where he was. I wanted to hold him, but was ok with him being tucked away safely for the next few months.

Below are some pics of Lane in all his baby glory. I’ve not seen his face yet, but I know he is going to be beautiful and amazing.

UPDATE:
This post was originally made back in Sept, and I’ve yet to get around to actually uploading the photos. That doesn’t change the fact that my little boy is still safe, and warm, and kickin’ like a soccer player. I’ve had the joy of feeling him move around in SJ’s belly and it brings me to such a happy place. I can just picture him squirming around, being all baby like and happy. We got his room set up and I know I’ll be spending many hours in there with him, cleaning up poop, sleeping, doing my best to get him back to sleep at 2am, and all the things that come with being a father to a newborn.

I can’t wait. My life is changing, and it’s all for the better.

Baby Lane..’aka’ Mommy’s Zoloft.

Ok, so I’m not taking Zoloft. But this baby, and this life, make me feel like I am. Nothing better than feeling like you are flying high on Zoloft without actually being medicated, huh? This weekend has helped bring a feeling of zen over me. When these waves come, I just want to soak them in like a sponge and save them in a reserve tank to use when I have a shitty day. Today, my zen overflows. The weekend started with a sonogram of Benjamin Lane. How a baby can be cute in black and white is beyond me, but his little yawns and his little fingers and toes were just. perfection. I know he’s in there, and he’s growing, and we’re planning and painting and I feel him move…but I feel in love on that table Friday. Also, the weather this weekend is ridiculous. It makes SUCH a difference with my mood. We had lunch on a patio in Midtown yesterday and enjoyed the sunshine and walked to get yogurt and relaxed with friends and football. Today I smell freshly cut grass from my handsome husband outside cutting the yard, Adele’s on the itunes, and I’m even enjoying this paper I’m writing for grad school. Mostly because I can see the end and I know I’ll be finished with these last two classes in no time. So. Proud. Of. That.

My life is in no way perfect. I’m not delusional enough to think that. We’re going to have a huge few years ahead of us. Baby Lane coming, one more final big move (hopefully the last), possible change in career location (hopefully the last), finances/debt to continue to fix, friendships to fix, etc. But what we’re doing now, with this amazing 9 year old of ours, this partnership that’s health leaves me in awe, this baby we’ve made and this life we’re creating…this is it. Contentment is bliss…finally. 🙂