Baby's 1st Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

I want to wish you a merry early Christmas, since I won't be taking my laptop when we travel up north to the in-laws. This year's Christmas is extra special since it will be Turner's 1st. We're celebrating by giving him nothing ; ) Yeah, I know I'm a horrible Mom because I haven't bought him anything. I mean, it's not like he's going to remember. I could just wrap up some formula. 

We sent out our first Christmas card this year, since we didn't send out birth announcements. We went to the Walmart Portrait studios and tried to make them as cheesy as possible. I'm pretty sure the workers there thought we were serious.  Alex was channeling Clark Griswold. When it comes to our outfits, we actually purchased the turtlenecks from Walmart, left the tags on them, and after the pictures were taken, we returned them. BAM! I was super excited I didn't have to waste $8 on a hideous snowman turtleneck.  

Thank you Sierra for the Baby's 1st Christmas ornament. We love it!

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Turner's Nursery

Here is a look at Turner's nursery, which is tiny but perfect for him. Before I knew if I was having a boy, I fell in love with a yellow & white lamp shade at Target and made that my inspiration. I've never been in to crafting, but I'm proud of myself for making a few DIY items that make his room unique.

Product List

• Crib & changing table - Hand me down from my sis
• Glider - Target
• Shag rug - Target 
• Bedding - Land of Nod (gift from Mom)
• Lamp - Target
• Changing pad cover - Land of Nod (gift)
• Wire baskets - Crate & Barrel
• Blue baskets - Steinmart
• "Turner" Garland - Etsy
• Mobile - DIY 
• "BABY" sign - DIY
• White Frames - IKEA
• Curtains - IKEA
• Yarn "T" - DIY

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Turner Jack - 2 Months

Mr. T just returned from his 2 month appointment. I feel kind of bad, but I'm not one of those moms that freaks out when their baby cries during shots. I know most people say that the time has flown by by 2 months, but honestly it hasn't for me. It seems like Turner has been in our lives for quite a while, which is wonderful! Maybe the long nights have something to do with that ; ). Here's a few facts about Turner to date.

HE...

- Weighs 9lb. 13oz. (10th Percentile) Measures 22.5 inches (25th percentile). This boy is tiny. He is still wearing mostly newborn clothes, but is in a weird stage where he's getting too big for NB clothing but way too small for 3 month clothing. 

- Wakes up almost every 2 hours at night, which has been VERY tough on me. I think I have permanent bags under my eyes. Although the other night we added a tsp of rice cereal to his bottle before bed and he slept for 6 hours. I woke up saying, "THANK YOU JESUS!" I needed those extra hours of sleep more than you know. Since then, he's still back to sleeping in 2-3 hour increments, but I hope it improves as he grows. We're trying to get a night routine in place...bath w/Dad, apply vick's vapor rub to his chest (hopefully he'll associate the smell with bedtime), bottle and swaddle.

- Naps inconsistently, but I've been trying to get him to take a long morning and afternoon nap. 

- Has the funniest REM sleep. I love watching his eyes roll back as he fades in and out of sleep. That's also the time I can see him smile ear to ear with his gums sticking out (melts my heart).

- Enjoys peeing on me every chance he gets.  He's peed on my friend's couch, my SIL's laptop, his own face, in to a bag of chips at my sister's house, and every wall in his nursery.

- Has a strawberry on his forehead called a hemangioma, a birthmark that usually fades by kindergarten

- Has horrible gas. Of course Alex and I would get the gassiest baby ever.  Gas drops, baby leg exercises, swaddling, and a soothing pacifier have helped us through these 2 months.  I'm learning his cries, but his gas is part of the reason he sleeps inconsistently and for such short amounts of time. We hope his little tummy develops soon.

Poor guy before his snip snip

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Long Live Abilene

Alex, Turner and I took a quick trip to our favorite little town of Abilene this weekend to see our best friends, Sierra & Grant, graduate with their Masters degrees! So proud of their hard work, and excited for their future. I see big things in store for them.  Maybe next year Turner will have a little buddy to play with? 

Had to post this : )

 

Turner meeting family friends

He was pooped after the road trip

I couldn't help but think while we were in Abilene that 1 year ago I was walking across the same stage receiving my MBA degree, and the next day we packed up everything and moved to Austin.  Alex and I were so excited for the next steps in our lives, and look how far we have come. I never would have thought we would be back one year later with a little boy. I've never been happier in my life. I'm blessed with amazing friends, a wonderful husband, and a healthy son. Thank you Lord for your abundant blessings. I hope I never take them for granted. 

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Get Moving

 When I became pregnant I knew that I wanted to continue my fitness routine, but I wasn't sure what I could continue to do. Here's a break down of my exercise routine during pregnancy. 

1st Trimester (Week 1-12): 

Nothing changed during this time due to their being no changes in my body. However, I did buy a heart monitor because I was freaked out in the beginning that my heart rate would get too high. I used it once (waste of $30).

Workout Schedule:

Body Pump - 1xWeek

Zumba - 2xWeek

Weightlifting - 2xWeek (15 minutes of weightlifting before my Zumba class)

2nd Trimester (Week 13-27):

As I approached week 20, my body began to tell me Zumba wasn't working out. I could no longer twist, jump, and turn like I used to. I would get really bad cramps, so I took that as my sign to slow down. I stopped taking Zumba classes, and began walking with Alex after work. I really dislike running/walking on treadmills so I always choose outside over inside workouts.  I sweat way more, and I feel that my body has to work much harder.

Workout Schedule:

Body Pump - 1xWeek

30 Minutes Walking (Outside): 2xWeek

Weightlifting - 2xWeek (15 minutes of weightlifting in the apt. gym after our walks, as well as sit-ups & lunges)

3rd Trimester (Week 28-40):
I continued to work out during my 3rd trimester even when I felt very tired. The heat was too much for me to walk in the afternoon, so I walked early in the morning before work.  Week 34 was when I really noticed my appetite and weight increase, but at no point did I mind eating more (who wouldn't ; ) ) or gaining the healthy baby weight. I knew that if I continued to exercise, my labor and post-pregnancy would be easier.

Workout Schedule:
Body Pump - 1xWeek (still going at 37 weeks)
30 Minutes Walking (Outside) - 2xWeek

Weightlifting - 2xWeek (15 minutes of weightlifting after walks, including lunges)

30 weeks

33 weeks

36 weeks

38 weeks

39 weeks (early morning walk to get the baby moving)

 Taking our first walk together (12 days old)

I gained exactly 30 pounds, and lost 20 pounds after Turner's birth. I can thank breast feeding for the weight loss, but now that we switched to formula it's back to the gym for me. I took a Zumba and Body Combat class this week, and was huffing and puffing the entire time. I'm just happy for the challenging work outs (I love to sweat!) I encourage all pregnant women to exercise throughout the 9 months because your pregnancy will be much easier, and losing the weight after will be less of a struggle! 

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9 Months

 I'm happy I documented my growing belly during my pregnancy. It's crazy to think I actually grew a child inside there...I mean really. I didn't get a 40 week picture, because Turner came on his exact due date.  It's been a whirlwind these past few weeks, but I hope to get back to regular blogging soon. Stay tuned!

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