Tag Archives: baby

How’s that Cute Baby?!

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 How’s that cute baby?

That is the number one question I am asked these days.  Nobody really cares how I am or how my husband is (although we are both doing well).  But, everyone wants to know how Maximus is doing.  And the answer is: he is a baby, a bundle of boy!

Can you believe that Maximus is already 8 months old?! You all were correct when you said that they grow up really fast.  It’s been about two weeks since our first two teeth appeared.  After drooling like a teenage boy on the beach, those suckers finally surfaced.  At first I was so excited to see them – that is until it was time to breastfeed.  Biting + breastfeeding are not a good combination.  (YES, I’m still breastfeeding after 8 months!)

Maximus can roll over in both direction and sit up on his own for an extended period of time.  However, he has little to no interest in crawling.  If you lay him on his stomach in a crawling position, he will quickly roll over on his back. If you roll him back on his stomach and get on all fours to demonstrate how to crawl, he’ll just look at you like you’re crazy and still roll back over on his back.

However, he loves to stand up! He can pull himself up to a standing position.  We have a walker that looks like a baby sized plastic lawn mower and he can push it in a room and walk with it. He is very observant and upon walking into new surroundings he will stare and take everything in before feeling comfortable.

He loves to talk, blow raspberries and mumble – especially in church.  We haven’t said mama or dada yet, but it often sounds like he says “I love you”.  His face lights up at the opening words to The Mickey Mouse Club (“Hey everybody, it’s me. Mickey Mouse…) His face also lights up whenever my husband walks in the room after a day at work or talks with him on Facetime through the Iphone (thank you Steve Jobs).

Maximus went on a bottle strike for at least a month and a half and recently went to a daycare that he hated.  Plus, he had the flu. Even with the flu shot. It’s hard to be a parent of a sick kid, especially one that is too young to know what’s going on.  I still don’t fully know what it means to sleep through the night and did not get the sleep model baby that takes extensive naps during the day.

He’s a mama’s boy that always knows where I am in a room.  His favorite spot is in my arms and his big brown eyes will melt anyone’s heart!  Maximus can care less about battery operated stuffed animals that sing and move, instead he likes objects that he can bang and throw around the room. In my husband’s words – he is our miracle baby and we are so blessed to be called his parents!

No Dial Tone

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  No Dial Tone

I’ve seen it before with some of my friends.  They run around looking like their head is cut off and never seem to have it quite all together.  Many of these friends of mine have kids (plural) and always seem a little bit frazzled.

Earlier this week Maximus and I went out to eat with some of my former colleagues.  He slept the entire time.  We went to the bank.  He slept the entire time.  We just had one more stop before going home and it was a quick stop to a small baby boutique.  For some reason, Maximus doesn’t always like the car and he starts crying – loudly – and won’t quit until you pick him up (which is impossible to do while driving).  In route to the store, the drama started. When we arrived, I took him out of the carrier and walked with him inside.  We made a purchase and headed home.  I could tell him was hungry, so as soon as we walked in our room, I pulled out the milk factory and all was good.

I looked for my cell phone and couldn’t find it.  I looked in the diaper bag (I can’t believe I now carry around a diaper bag!) and it wasn’t there.  I looked in the car – not there either.   So now I start to worry.  From my house phone (thank God for still having a land line) I call my cell phone.  It went straight to voicemail.  I tried two more times and had the same results.

Crap! Please don’t tell me I Iost my phone and someone else has already  started using it.   Although I knew the phone could be replaced, I hated that many of Maximus’ undownloaded newborn pics were saved on it.  I called the Baby store and they didn’t see a phone. I asked them to check the parking lot.  They saw nothing.  Oh me oh my! Had my iphone gone to phone heaven?

I decided to take fate in my own hands and drive back to the store (it was only five minutes away).  I looked at my parking spot, which now had another car parked. Underneath the car I could see my red phone case.  ALLELUIA!  I picked up the phone and although it wasn’t crushed, you could tell it was melting from the heat.  Luckily oh luckily it just needed a little TLC and air conditioning and worked just fine.

Lesson learned: Don’t give up hope too easily.  Even when you think all is lost, take that one extra step to give it your all.  Just because someone has taken your spot (like the other car did my parking spot) doesn’t mean that your opportunity is lost.  And the most important lesson learned – iphone cases are everlasting gifts from God!

Mother’s To Be Day

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Today Baby Turner has made it to 34 weeks. Each and every day is a blessing.  Although I thought I’d get off of bed rest this week, my doctor would like to keep me on for another week – so bed rest lives on.  It was a difficult transition at first because I went from being  in the hospital and having EVERYTHING done for me, to being at home and having just the opposite.  Luckily I have an AMAZING husband that has been there 100% of the way and has never complained.  I see how tired he is most nights, and a couple of times tried to help out.  But I was told to lay back down and bake a baby.

This morning, Mother’s Day, I woke up to the following post from Milton on my Facebook wall:

Michelle: I have watched you grow literally and figuratively over the past eight months. A little over a month ago, I got a call saying that you had been rushed to the hospital by ambulance because of pre-term labor. I rushed to the hospital not knowing whether our son would be OK at little over 2 lbs. You were told you couldn’t get out of bed for a month, but you used love, patience, and ingenuity to help our baby grow to more than twice his size. You beat the odds when even your doc didn’t think you could make it this long. All the while, you still ran three businesses from a hospital bed. I know it was hard and we shared a lot of tough times and contractions together, but you learned the great skill every great mom has: sacrifice. Mothers sacrifice everything they have for their kids and you are living, walking (ok, maybe waddling right now), talking proof that that nothing is more valuable. Thank you for giving our son a chance at a healthy life. Happy Mother’s Day, baby. I love you.

Of course it brought tears to my eyes. Milton helps me realize that being on bed rest is not just about being lazy all day, it’s about creating a safe haven for a developing baby.  Seven weeks ago my child try to make a special early appearance.  Seven weeks.  And for seven weeks I’ve helped slow down that process. Like Milton said, it’s the beginning of many sacrifices I’ll make.

Today was somewhat hard for me because I miss my mother.  Both of my parents are deceased and today brings up the realization that neither will be around to raise/spoil their grandchild.  My mother was one of the most amazing people you could meet.  I don’t say this just from personal experience, but everyone that met her said the same.  Even after her death, people were doing things to honor her.  Nobody can replace my mother, but luckily many of her friends have stepped in to do motherly things. Currently a group of them have started organizing a food delivery list so that Milton doesn’t have so much to do after working a 10 hour day (with a two hour commute). They have been a blessing.

What would have made my mother proud is that I reached out to them for help.  As an only child, one my my mother’s largest worries was that I didn’t reach out to people when I was in need and always tried to do everything by myself.  I’ve come to realize, though, that especially once I become a mother, I will need people’s support, love and advice more than ever.  Life is all about relationships.  Some are built over time and some are unexpected. My mother has an amazing legacy because of relationships she established with others.  I think I’m finally prepared to do the same.

You Are Not the Father

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Although thus far I’ve been limited to two 20 minute wheelchair privileges a day, I was given an extended pass to be wheeled down into the basement for their 2 hour New Mothers class.  It was from 6:30-8:30pm and Milton attended with me.  It was the last session in their six week series and we didn’t know what they would be discussing.  As we wheeled our way down to room with able-bodied pregnant women, we were handed a baby doll (that looked nothing like us).  1) It was a baby girl 2) She had blue eyes 3) she had blonde hair.  Milton obviously is not the father, and either am I.

Topic of the day: Infant Massage.  Yes you read that correctly, we learned different techniques on how to massage our bundle of boy.  We learned the heart technique along with milk the cow and the airplane.  We can even help the baby get rid of gas.  I would have much rather learned how to change a diaper, suggestions for breastfeeding etc… but Milton and I left with a certificate of completion in Infant Massage.

Bed Rest Diaries

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Once I was settled into my room, I started dealing with the reality that my regular life as I know it has changed.  My Type A personality came on and I had to get in major planning mode.  I called my friend and great Zumba instructor, Jessica, and she helped me get everything in place for the fitness studio.  I made a list of things for Milton to bring from the house.  I tried to explain in detail where each item is since I couldn’t be there to point it out.  I called all of my family and friends to let them know what had happened.  Everyone said to be strong.

Wednesday night and Thursday morning I was put on a clear liquid diet.  For those that don’t know what that consist of – chicken broth, apple juice, jello and italian ice. The first time I ate it, I actually looked forward to it since I hadn’t eaten in 10 hours.  I was still on strict bed rest and had to use a bedpan when I needed to urinate. Thursday was difficult because for the first time I was having to be dependent on everyone else. The bed was my island and all the action happened around me.

Thursday at lunchtime I had graduated to regular food.  For the meals here, you given a menu of foods and you can call down and decide what time you want to eat.  For my first meal i chose pizza (surprise) and chocolate cake.  It was good for the simple fact that I hadn’t eaten real food in 24 hours.

I had originally been on magnesium, but they stopped giving me that. The round the clock baby and contractions monitor was taken off and now they only monitor me twice a day. Freedom was mine – as long as I could do it from my bed.

The most difficult thing about Thursday and Friday was my concern for Milton. I experienced a major setback, but Milton experienced an even larger one with more emotion. Here both his wife and unborn child are rushed to a hospital, Milton is driving back and forth to the house to get all necessary items, when all he wants to do is be by my side.  Everything I’ve always done to maintain the household now falls on him.  He turned into the ultimate provider.  His job could tell how overwhelmed he was that they made him take Friday off – which was good for the both of us!

 

10 Week OB-GYN Visit (10 weeks/ 2 days)

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I always get excited and nervous about an OB-GYN visit.  I know that some of my fears can be put at ease but I am get nervous because I want baby Turner to be okay and healthy.

So, today was another visit and another ultrasound.  It’s amazing how much the baby has grown in just two weeks.  Luckily everything is going fine.  I had a little brown spotting this morning but the doctor said it was nothing to be worried about. She did suggest to hold off on doing something for a minute (watch the video to see what that is). Baby is starting to look like baby!  We’re on the downward slope now for the first trimester – which means announcing our news to our family and friends.

Next stop, Fort Benning, GA to watch my husband graduate from Airborne School and come back home to me for good after five months!