Confessions of a Newlywed

Turner Mc–9 Months

2012-02-07T21:49:00.001-06:00

December 10th – 9 months…..

Weight: 15.15 pounds – she’s in the 5th percentile for her weight

Height: 27 inches – 50th percentile for height

Clothing Size: still wearing some 6 months clothes and starting to fit in some 9 month stuff

Diapers: size 2

Feeding: Let’s see….what does my child eat? Puffs and prunes. The end. Oh and of course milkies! Our pediatrician encouraged us to start feeding TM whatever we are eating as long as it’s soft. Since she’s so picky and she hasn’t gained much weight we are trying everything. She lives on prunes, puffs, and mac & cheese.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are bright blue and her hair is a little thicker and darker to me.

Sleep: Sleep is the best it’s been. I’m finally starting to feel normal again!

Naps are a struggle but she’s starting to get on a schedule and it seems to be helping.

Favorites: The child LOVES books. She’s still loving bath time, her daddy, the dogs and cats. She’s really in to giving love and screaming loudly any chance she gets! She also loves brushing her teeth and doing anything I tell her not to do.

Fun stuff: She’s crawling all over the place! It’s so much fun to watch! She’s pulling up on everything and now that she’s mobile I never get any rest. I say “no-no” at least 737 times a day.

She’s working on some new teeth – the top two – so that’s fun.

That completes our 9 months…..I’m almost caught up y’all!! Thanks for being awesome readers and hanging around. You rock!!

Turner McCartney–8 Months

2012-02-01T23:45:00.001-06:00

Whoops! You guessed it! I’m still waaay behind on posting these updates. I take the pictures and jot down the things I need to remember and then, nothing. I’m going to post her 8th and 9th month updates and then do her 10 month post before she turns 11 months on the 10th. Pinky promise!!!

Picture taking has become interesting. At this point she no longer cares to smile or cooperate.

Weight: 15.5 pounds

Height: 26 inches

Clothing Size: 6 month clothes and some 9 month pjs

Diapers: Still in a size 2

Feeding: Eating lots of baby food and puffs and nursing 3-4 times a day.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are bright blue and her hair is a little thicker and darker to me.

Sleep: She’s sleeping through the night for the most part. Aside from a few teething issues sleep has been great!

Her naps are getting better and I’m learning the hard way that we need a schedule. And I am not the schedule kinda mom.

Favorites: Turner Mc is loving her daddy. A major daddy phase is going on. She also loves her paci, the dogs (especially Dayne), and the cats. She’s addicted to baby crack, I mean puffs.

Fun stuff: She crawls!! My kid can totally crawl! And she has TWO teeth! It seems like she just woke up with them one day. She was fussy for maybe a week. It wasn’t bad at all.

She’s extremely vocal and loves to scream and shriek as loud as she can. She says mama and da da and she’s been perfecting her Vietnamese. She’s the most fun and her personality is awesome!

Oh yeah….remember Thanksgiving?!? She was 8 months back then.

And seriously, I love y’all!

Baby Food Makin’–Part Dos

2012-01-10T12:01:00.001-06:00

Part 1

I wanted to go in to a little more detail with the baby food making process. (per Meagan’s request) It has worked great for us and I want to make it an easy process for y’all if you’re interested in making your babe’s food. And seriously this is so against my personality. But with the baby came this intense desire to be semi crunchy and I’m rolling with it!

When we can afford it I try to buy organic. Anything with a thick peel or skin I don’t worry about. If you’re going to peel it, then I don’t see the need to be neurotic about buying organic. I try to get organic carrots and peas and things that aren’t peeled. Please note that the hubs quite possibly finds this obnoxious. Whatever.

I thought I would list some popular baby foods and tell you how I prepared them.

Sweet Potato: I find it easiest to boil the sweet potato. I’ve boiled it whole with the skin on – it’s easier to peel once it’s boiled. If you’re trying to save time you can peel the potato and cube it then boil. I would say boil for 30 minutes or until tender. You can also bake the potato for 1 – 1.5 hours.

Apple: I have steamed apples and boiled them. Either way works fine. Peeling the apple first seems to be easier. You can go ahead and cut up the apple to make things faster.

Carrot: Carrots take FOREVER to cook. I like to boil them until they’re tender. When you’re pureeing it takes a lot of added water to make a smooth puree.

Peas: I buy frozen organic sweet peas. The best way to prepare these is to steam them. I use a steamer insert in a boiler on the stove. You can buy the microwave steamer bags but we are a little anti-microwave at our house. Peas don’t take long to steam. You’ll need to add some water to get your puree smooth.

Squash & Zucchini: Boiled is the easiest way to prepare veggies like this. Just boil until tender. These veggies hold a lot of water so the puree can be watery. You can also cut it up and steam it.

Pear: Steam your pear until tender.

Blueberries: Frozen or fresh blueberries can be covered with water and boiled for about 5 minutes. TM loves her some blueberries.

Butternut Squash: This cooks best in the oven. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Put the squash cut side down in a Pyrex dish. Fill the pan with a half inch of water and bake at 350* for 45 minutes to an hour. This makes a great puree.

Peaches: I steamed both fresh peaches and frozen peaches and both worked great.

Prunes: I bought dried prunes and pureed them with some water. TM loves prunes. The puree is pretty thick so I would wait until your babe is ready for stage 2 foods.

The secret to making baby food is finding what works best for you. It can be time consuming but it saves money and you can control what your baby eats. Just make sure whatever you’re cooking is tender and you’ll be fine. If you have any questions just leave me a comment or send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to help you out.

Turner Mc–7 Months

2011-12-26T23:31:00.001-06:00

So waaaay back in October my little chick pea turned 7 months! Yeah I know.

Weight: 14.5 pounds

Height: 25.5 inches

Clothing Size: 6 months

Diapers: Still in a size 2

Feeding: We are full on baby food now and nursing or bottle 3-4 times a day.

Hair/Eyes: Bright blue eyes and her hair doesn’t look as red to me anymore. It’s still blonde but a little darker in my opinion.

Sleep: Who knows. At this point I don’t know how often we get up or what goes on in the middle of the night.

Naps are touch and go and I swear if the kid didn’t look just like her daddy I’d think she were someone else’s child. He can sleep like no other, but the baby??? She doesn’t need sleep.

Favorites: She loves her walker and will go all over the place in that thing. She loves the dogs and has a new infatuation with the cats. She’s very vocal and loves to scream and shriek as loud as she can. Bath time is still so much fun and she loves playing with the cell phone.

Fun stuff: No crawling and no teeth. It’s crazy! She gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth and she can drag herself around now but no “crawling.” She’s finally figured out how to balance herself and she does awesome sitting up on her own without falling over.

She’s eating all kinds of pureed baby food and working on getting a couple teeth….I hope. She says mama and dada and a couple other foreign words. She does everything on her own time and will not repeat anything. It has to be her idea. I’m pretty sure she knows who we are but she isn’t calling us by name, just mumbling. Humor me and tell me that she says mama and dada and knows what she’s saying!

If you still actually read my blog then you are an awesome bloggy friend! I swear I’m trying to find some balance between mommyhood and normalcy. Work throws me off and I try to spend all my down time with Turner McCartney and John Paul. By the time she’s in bed for the night I’m a goner. I love you guys and if you’re still around let me know!

Baby Food Making

2011-11-28T05:59:00.000-06:00

I decided when I was preggo that I was going to make all of Turner McCartney’s food much to John Paul’s amusement. Let’s be honest…I’m super lazy and I rarely make my own food. But to everyone’s surprise I’ve been making baby food since TM started solids and it’s super fun! Yay!!!

I try to pick one day a week – usually Saturday or Sunday – to make all the food for the week. When we started at 6 months I was only feeding her solids once a day and waiting 3 or 4 days between new foods. Now at 8 months she’s eating 2-3 times a day so we go through a lot more baby food.

I use the baby bullet to make our food but you could use any food processor or blender or the baby cook if you have that.

The cute little batch cups with the smiley faces sold it for me! They have a little dial that you can turn to the date you made the food so you’ll know how long it’s good for. I keep prepared food in the fridge for 3 or 4 days and in the freezer for 1 month based on info in the cookbook that came with my baby bullet. Ice cube trays are great for freezing baby food and then transferring to a freezer bag for storage.

On the menu: peaches, apples, sweet peas, brown rice, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. I like to buy organic on things that aren’t peeled. And frozen versus canned peas because frozen peas contain no sodium. The fresh veggies are from our local farmers market. I LOVE shopping local and supporting our farmers!

I cook everything except avocado and bananas before turning it into baby food. I have a small steam basket that I use all the time. It fits in a medium pot and works perfectly for steaming food for the babe. I steam or boil just until the fruit or veggie is soft and I always leave the peel on while I cook it. I boiled the squash and sweet potato and steamed the carrots, peas, peaches, and apple. The brown rice you just mill to a fine powder and then cook with water later.

I’m still pureeing TM’s food to a smooth consistency because I’m terrified she will choke. This is what the finished product will look like. The peas are a little textured and the sweet potato makes the best puree. You can even bake it and then puree it.

The first foods we introduced were avocado followed by sweet potato and then bananas. She was not a fan of the avocado. So far she’s had apples, carrots, peas, peaches, squash, zucchini, blueberries, green beans, butternut squash, pears, prunes, and plums.

Most everything freezes well and keeps in the fridge. The only thing I make right before she eats is the banana. It turns brown pretty fast but I haven’t tried freezing it. Avocado also turns brown pretty fast but both these fruits can be mashed right before serving. I thaw the frozen food in the fridge the night before she needs it and I heat the food in a cup of hot water just like her milk.

So that’s how I make TM’s baby food. If you have any questions please let me know. I think making baby food is super fun and I love knowing exactly what she’s eating.

There are some things that I would love to know. Like when should I introduce meat?? And how can I get TM to eat like a champ?? She’s been refusing some of her fav veggies lately and really only eating fruit. Womp womp womp…..

6 Months in Pictures

2011-11-15T15:29:00.001-06:00

So Turner McCartney turned six months back in SEPTEMBER! Holy blog slacker. I really keep thinking that I’m starting to get a hang of this mommy deal and then we resort to waking up in the middle of the night or throwing tantrums and it’s like I have to start over.

So this is the part where I promise to blog and I attempt to hold myself to it and then I fail miserably….so blah blah blah…..

I’m just going to give a quick recap and post some ridiculously cute pictures of my kid!

At six months we are still not crawling, have no teeth, and basically the cutest baby ever. She’s eating some solids and still nursing all the time. Wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. Sleep is really a topic I try to avoid.

Working Mom Woes

2011-09-29T05:50:00.000-05:00

I’m sure it’s no surprise. I would love to be a stay at home mom, but I can’t. I’m not gonna lie….I’m super jealous of all my bloggy and twitter friends who get to stay at home with their babes. I hope that in the next few years we will be in a position for me to work from home or even better, not have to work.

We could have waited a few years before having a baby but ya know we didn’t wanna. Luckily the hubs knew how important it was to me to spend as much time with Turner Mc as I could and we decided I would return to work part time. With the new job my schedule is super random and a little excessive at times but I’m very thankful for the extra time I have with TM.

Even though I’m only working part time I miss TM like crazy when I’m away. I’m constantly wondering what she’s doing – if she misses me, is she eating enough, is she fussy, what about her poop – seriously, is she spending time on her tummy – you know typical mom worries. I know she is in great hands either with her daddy or with our super awesome baby sitter who treats her like a princess but obviously I think I’m the most awesome baby taker carer or whatever.

Am I the only psychotic mom out there?? You know the one who freaks about everything…the soft spot. Choking. Smothering. I worry about her while she’s napping. Will they check on her often? Make sure she’s still breathing. Not let her cry because I hate crying. Just typical neurotic crazy mom.

The hardest part of being a working mom is the fear that I will miss something. A first word, the first time she crawls, the first time she walks. I had a serious talk with TM about not doing anything unless mommy is there to witness it. And if she does something with her daddy that I’ve never seen before, he totally gets her to do it when I get home and pretends it’s the first time she’s ever done it. :)

I love that I have friends – in real life and in the twitter world – who are also working moms. It makes it easier to deal with when you have someone who understands what it’s like. I feel guilty at times because I don’t know how TM feels when I leave her with someone else. Does she even care? Is she old enough to understand that I’m not there anymore? I dread the day that she cries when I leave her but I secretly long for it too. Sad but true. I want her to be happy when I leave her but not happier than when she’s with me. I know I’m crazy – it’s okay to let me know. I just feel like we have one chance to do this right and I’m so controlling that I have this need to be in control at all times.

I’m sure if I was a SAHM I would complain about needing a break – that’s just how it goes. But I do know that I wouldn’t trade the time I have with TM for anything in the world. Being a working mom is hard and it’s not even about trying to function after a sleepless night. It’s about trying to function when you’d rather be snuggling your baby.

Things I Miss About Pregnancy

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe I just typed that! And I know y’all are shocked. There are a few things that I do miss about being preggers!

*My last preggo pic and you can see how awesome my housekeeping skills are you know based on the cleanliness of the mirror……

If you are currently pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant these are the things you should totally take advantage of:

pie – I ate an entire pie a day. And now that I’m not pregnant I can no longer consume an entire pie daily….without people thinking I’m crazy. At least when you’re pregnant no one will say anything to you!
bitching – when you’re pregnant you can get away with being totally rude. Just blame it on the hormones. People are more forgiving when you are pregnant. Not so much once the baby arrives.
sleep – there’s no sleeping once you birth the kid. For the love of all things holy - sleep people! Seriously, quit your job and stay in bed the entire 9+ months. Leave only to get more pie and to pee!
making the hubs do things for you – I could get my husband to do lots more for me while I was pregnant – not much but more than now. :) You are totally helpless while pregnant (at least I was) and I still don’t know how y’all care for a child while pregnant…..
presents – yes I’m a horrible person and I miss getting presents. I could use a baby shower right about now….diapers are expensive!
sanity – you think pregnancy brain is bad. Just wait till you meet 3-hours-of-sleep-brain.

I honestly have a hard time remembering what it feels like to be pregnant. I miss feeling the first flutters and those lovely kicks in the ribs. And the dancing on the bladder. However, I do not miss peeing on myself even though I must admit that doesn’t completely go away post pregnancy….just a warning.

TM 5 Months!

2011-09-06T23:28:00.001-05:00

Turner McCartney turned 5 months on August 10th…..

Yes I realize I’m a failure as a mother and definitely a failure as a blogger!

Let’s go over the deets! Other than the fact that she’s basically the cutest baby ever.

We both think 5 months is awesome!

Weight: 14 pounds

Height: 25.5 inches – homegirl is tall!

Clothing Size: Still sporting some 3 month clothes. 3-6 month fits great. And we’re wearing 6 month pjs for the length.

Diapers: Still in size 2 diapers

Feeding: Let’s see….she basically eats whenever she wants. She’s eating 16oz at the sitter’s house and nursing when we are together. She’s eating rice cereal now and doing awesome! She loves to eat and I promise she won’t miss a meal.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still blue. I think it’s so crazy how her hair looks red at times. Mostly its strawberry blonde with a couple “thin” spots.

Sleep: I will go ahead and jinx myself and say bedtime is getting easier. She usually sleeps through the night and only wakes up when I have no one here to bitch at.

Naps are a whole ‘nother story. I hate nap time. Hate it. Who has a baby who can’t stand naps?? Oh that’s right. Me. If anyone can figure out how to overcome this anti-nap phase I promise I’ll share my wine and xanax. (okay so I’m not on xanax – yet)

Favorites: The dogs. Especially Dayne! She also loves her some bath time and playing in her exersaucer. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the mornings. She laughs and smiles anytime she hears the theme song. Or the hotdog dance music!

Fun stuff: I’m aware that I previously mentioned that my child is a genius but we must discuss the fact that she refuses to roll from stomach to back. She rolls back to stomach all the time. What’s the deal?

TM is sitting up on her own and she’s moved up to the ducky bath tub. She’s getting so big and I’m amazed at everything she does on her own. She reaches out and grabs whatever she wants. She holds her own bottle and puts her paci in her mouth. Let’s face it….she isn’t going to need me much longer!

4 Months Old!

2011-08-03T06:35:00.000-05:00

Turner McCartney is 4 months old….okay was 4 months on July 10th. Yes I’m a major failure….

4 months is way cooler than the last 3 months! This is by far my favorite age!

Stats:

Weight: 13 pounds

Height: 24 inches

Clothing Size: Mostly 3 month clothes but some 6 month pajamas

Diapers: We just moved up to size 2 diapers.

Feeding: With the new j-o-b I’m back to barely keeping up! She usually eats between 12 and 16 oz at the sitters during the day and she’s nursing once in the am and twice at night. Sometimes she still gets up for a 2 am feeding.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still blue. Her hair is strawberry blonde and it looks different every day. I think she might be losing some of her hair so fingers crossed for no bald spots!

Sleep: Oh how I loathe bedtime. Getting her to sleep is such a struggle but once she’s finally asleep she sleeps through the night. Maybe. Sometimes. Unless John Paul is at work. Then it’s up at least once a night.

Favorites: We still love bath time and I assume this will always be a fav. She loves strolling in her big girl stroller. Sophie the giraffe is another favorite.

Fun stuff: At 4 months we’ve tried out the bouncy activity center thingy and she loves that. She also really loves to watch TV. There, I said it. Judge me…..are you done?? Because she totally watches educational stuff like Baby Einstein and maybe she watches Disney Jr. Maybe.

She also sleeps on her stomach a lot. There’s no preventing it. She flips over in her sleep and she seems to sleep much better when we let her do her own thing.

She rolls over from her back to her stomach but she won’t roll from her stomach to her back which is super weird because it seems like that would be much easier. She’s starting to hold her own bottle some and just yesterday (August 1st) she sat up by herself without falling over! Yay Team Turner Mc!

So basically to sum it all up….my kid rocks! She’s a child genius and we can’t get enough of her!

3 Months Old

2011-07-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

My kid totally turned 3 months old on June 10th. Yes her 4 month birthday was on Sunday. Don’t hate!

She totally looks scared in this picture but I promise she’s fine!

Stats:

Weight: I’m not positive but probably around 12lbs

Height: Again not sure but maybe 22.5 inches

Clothing Size: Still wearing some 0-3 and 3 month clothing

Diapers: Still wearing size 1 diapers

Feeding: Surprisingly, the eating has slowed down a bit. She eats about 12 oz at the sitter’s house during the day. She nurses once in the morning, once in the evening, and usually twice during the night.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still bright blue. Her hair is strawberry blonde and it looks super red in the sunlight.

Sleep: My child sleeps great at everyone else’s houses. Naps are such a struggle at home. Bedtime basically sucks. It’s hard to get her to sleep and she’s getting up about 3 times a night.

Favorites: Bath time. It’s the highlight of our day. She loves her “Mr. Giraffe” toy and her bouncy seat. She is obsessed with her daddy and she loves their morning cuddles.

Fun stuff: TM is the rolling queen! You put her down and she immediately flips to her stomach. She’s awesome.

She smiles and “talks” so much more now. It’s the best thing ever. Her personality has developed so much and we are soaking up every bit of her! She’s extremely vocal and she’ll definitely let you know if you piss her off. And it’s not hard for you to piss her off. I’m not really sure where she gets her attitude…..

Turner McCartney you rock my face off! I have never experienced so much joy – it’s hard to remember this at bedtime and at 12, 2, 4, and 6am. I’ve never seen your daddy happier than when he’s holding you. You are by far the best thing ever. We love you so much!

SWW

2011-06-22T10:14:00.001-05:00

So What if……

- I still haven’t sent out those damn birth announcements. I’m gonna do it….now that my babe is 15 weeks old. I’m including a recent pic since you know she looks completely different and all.

- I meant to schedule 3 month pictures for TM when she turned 3 months but I’m a total mom fail and it looks like we’ll be doing them closer to 4 months. Don’t tell!

- I’m thinking of moving the babe into her nursery. Yes she sleeps in her crib next to my bed. Go ahead and judge. I’m waiting till hub's next off pattern because I don’t want to sleep alone in my room!

- After the horrendous car ride a few weeks ago we’re considering going back to the beach next weekend. Hubs wants to go in case we can’t go again this summer due to my new job. I’m not convinced it’s worth it but he thinks it’s a fab idea! (and so do the grandparents)

- I’m totally nervous to start a new job. I’ve worked in the same office for 9 years and I hate change.

- We switched to U-verse and I haven’t cancelled our Direct Tv yet. I hate “break-ups.”

What are you saying SO WHAT to? Go link up with Shannon!

Baby Mama Drama

2011-06-21T11:50:00.001-05:00

Being a mother is the hardest and most rewarding experience. And seriously this is not intended to be an overly dramatic post. Just honest and maybe informative.

I love being a mommy and a lot of times I wish I could stay at home with Turner McCartney every day. But then on days where sleep is non existent, I’m thankful for the time I have away from the babe. And honestly I think it makes me love her more!

I always thought the hard part would be getting the baby through the vag and into the world. Wrong. Everyone says that your lives will never be the same and I promise they are right. For the most part. YOUR life will never be the same. You will sacrifice and you will never sleep again. You will spend your free time pumping, doing 17 loads of laundry, and washing bottles and pump parts.

You’ll lose the baby weight because there’s no time for you to eat. And when you find time to snack, your baby will immediately cry. You’ll learn to do things with a baby in your arms. You’ll multi task like never before. And while your life is completely changed, your husband’s life continues like normal. Sure he’s a dad now, but his obligations do not match those of yours.

Playing with the babe while you do laundry, wash dishes, clean the never ending sink full of bottles….all these things are helpful. He’ll change diapers and feed the baby and try to keep her entertained. But if he needs to shower he does. If he’s hungry, he eats. Needs to run to the store, done. You’re going to be lucky to bathe weekly. Trust me there are plenty of other things you can be doing while the babe takes a rare nap.

Bedtime will test your marriage like nothing else. If your baby naps and goes to sleep like a perfect child, please don’t tell me. Jealousy is an ugly thing.

I love my life as a wife and a mommy. I long for the days where I play with a baby all day and I survive on 5 hours of sleep a night. It’s hard but there’s nothing I would rather do. ~~Except maybe eat~~. A baby changes everything….for the better.

Traveling with a Baby

2011-06-17T11:06:00.001-05:00

I thought I would do a post on the things we took with us on our first road trip to the beach….leave me a comment and let me know anything you think would be great for road trippin’ with a wee one.

The first thing you need is a bigger car. What’s that? You have a super huge SUV??? Not big enough. Rent a U-Haul. This is the first thing we realized and my small SUV is no longer cutting it. We are in the market for a new-to-me larger SUV. Just sayin. Plus you know you’re going to buy all kinds of baby stuff while your gone. And where are you gonna put all that stuff???

These are the things that ~~my husband actually let me take~~ made the cut:

Pack n’ Play

*This is not the one I have. I can’t find that one online. Probably because it’s a piece of sh*t. But I suggest getting one with the detachable changing table. This one looks pretty nifty.

I took the pack n’ play for TM to sleep in. Go ahead and laugh. We all did. She definitely did not sleep in it. Ever. But I did use it to change her diaper. I doubt we would take the pack n’ play again. But if your kid sleeps in one it would be worth it. You could also take it down on the beach.

Stroller

Love our Bumbleride stroller. Umm we used it once but we were shopping and it was worth it. And our car seat snaps right in. Love it!

Bouncy Seat

TM loves the butterflies on this bouncer. We used it at the house and we took it out on the beach with us. It was a life saver.

I also took my boppy for nursing and we got a bumbo seat while we were there – at a consignment store.

I pumped before we went and I pumped in the car so we wouldn’t have to stop – but we still stopped along the way.

I suggest taking a baby tent or a canopy to set up on the beach. The canopy my parents had was fabulous and offered excellent shade.

Ours was similar to this one:

We also had a camping blanket that we could anchor to the ground. This was great for laying TM on to change diapers, play, etc. And since it anchored to the ground there wasn’t a lot of sand on it.

I packed a few of TM’s favorite toys and books to try and keep her entertained. I also took lots of gripe water and Tylenol. We The hubs and Poppy had to venture out at midnight for Mylicon because TM was having a major melt down and I couldn’t figure out anything other than her stomach. Maybe it was the oysters I ate??

I packed tons of clothes for TM because we go through so many at home. You need to over pack just in case. It’s also good to keep a couple outfits handy for the car ride in case of any blow outs.

I wish I had taken a dvd player. Suggested by LG, and TM’s tub. It’s hard to bathe her in the sink and she can’t sit on her own for a real bath in the tub so this was difficult for me.

These are the big things we took. I packed tons of diapers and wipes so I wouldn’t have to buy any while we were gone.

Also, bedtime at the beach was 10 times worse that bedtime from hell at home. Sorry Amber….don’t be discouraged. Maybe bedtime at the beach will be better for y’all.

Let me know of things you couldn’t survive without.

Beach Trippin’

2011-06-15T09:41:00.001-05:00

I have never been happier for a car ride to be over! Once we arrived I planned to head straight to the beach. But alas, once the babe finally went to sleep and the grands were ready to take care of baby girl, it started storming. So nap time for all!

We did make it down to the beach the next morning and TM loved it! I think. We had a canopy set up, and we took her bouncy seat. We didn’t plan on keeping her down there very long since she’s still too young for sunscreen and we def didn’t want a burnt little baby.

First time seeing the ocean!

This was her favorite beach spot!

Playing in the sand!

Her hair looks red in the sunlight. Love it!

She really liked the sand. She wasn’t so sure about the water. I think it scared her at first.

We kept her out there maybe 2 hours. It was nice and cool under the canopy and there was a great breeze the entire time. We took her out around 6 the next night and that was much better for her. Her face still got a little red even though she stayed under the canopy most of the time.

Yes I rocked a 2 piece with my post baby belly. The beach where my dad’s house is at is pretty private. So in all fairness only my husband and parents were subjected to my post baby belly.

Our little rock star!

We had a great time. We had a few rough moments but I’m pretty sure I would do it again….maybe. The car ride on the way home was much better! She slept 4 of the 5 hours and was happy when she was awake. It was amazeballs!

I’m going to do a post on what we took to the beach for those who care. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Road Trippin’

2011-06-09T11:52:00.001-05:00

Okay more like trippin’ because we took our 12 week old on a 5 hour road trip to the beach. Go ahead and ~~laugh~~ marvel at our bravery. My parents – dad and stepmom – have a house down there and we decided to join them for the weekend. Y’all I had this fabulous plan to get up with TM when she first woke up, usually between 6 and 7, nurse her and head on our merry way. She would take her 2-3 hour nap in the car and all would be right with the world. :)

I wish I had a picture of our car but by the time I thought about it, it was too late. I had no clue what we would need so we pretty much took everything baby related that we own. I decided to ride in the front – for about I don’t know 30 or 45 seconds. That’s how long it took for TM to start crying. We weren’t out of the driveway and I was already reconsidering. I was also afraid for the safety of my marriage. There’s just something about ~~being trapped~~ riding in a car with the hubs for extended periods of time that completely works my nerves. Maybe its his horrendous driving?

We made it about an hour before we had to stop for a diaper change. I had pumped but I only warmed one bottle – you know because of the long nap she was gonna take. So my 1 warm bottle was gone about 30 minutes in to the trip. After the diaper change we headed on our way. For 15 minutes. We stopped because Turner McCartney was screaming. SCREAMING. I nursed her to try and get her to sleep and we headed back on the road. And she pooped. So we pulled over for another diaper change. *Please note: we are also stopping for JP to pee because of his old man diuretic.

She finally took a nap and we made it 3/4 of the way. Then the meltdowns began. She was tired of being in her car seat and nothing was going to calm her down. It was rough. My dad called because we were slightly behind schedule and he was concerned. My child screamed but we finally made it – and it only took 6 hours. My plan didn’t work but we survived the road trip – barely. And I mean barely….JP probably would have felt better if he had let me out on one of those deserted back roads…and left me for the deliverance people.

I’m gonna post about the fun parts too….later. I just wanted to document our first road trip with the babe. It was rough and I’m still not positive it was worth it. We did have a good time but we also had some rough moments too!

Thanks for hanging in with my no picture post!

So What Wednesday

2011-06-08T13:14:00.001-05:00

So What If....

this is going to be a complete Negative Nancy post....I'm in a bad mood and I'm having my very own pity party. And you're all invited! You're welcome!
my main Twitter topic lately is my boobs.
I turn to Twitter for advice on basically everything. I trust my Twitter peeps more than anyone.
I have days where I'm glad I have a job to escape to....I love being a mommy but sometimes it's so hard!
I'm bi-polar and I hate working and I want to stay at home.
I cry because my boobs are incompetent and I'm super dramatic and I want them to make plenty of milkies for my babe.
we had a couple meltdowns at the beach - at least we were at the beach, right??
I ignore the lack of cash flow in our account. If I don't look it's really not that bad.....
I cringe when TM starts screaming and other people are around. I don't want to look like I have no clue what I'm doing!
we took cash to the beach to eat out and spent 80% of it on clothes for the babe. She needs to look cute at all times!

I'm pretty sure I had lots more to complain about but let's be honest, I'm overly dramatic and hormonal and I'm sure you're tired of my pity party! Thanks for joining in.

Now go link up with Shannon and let's hear what you're saying So What to!

*If you’re a new follower and you have a blog please leave me a comment and let me know! I’d also love to follow you on Twitter so let me know if I don’t

2 Months Old!

2011-06-01T06:30:00.000-05:00

Look who has internet!!! Yay!!! During this long internet hiatus TM passed the 2 month mark. She’s 11 weeks now but hey better late than never.

Turner McCartney – you are still alive! We are really doing this!

her feet are huge!!

Stats:

Weight: 10lbs 11oz – at 10 weeks

Height: 21.5 inches

Clothing Size: A few newborn sizes still fit but mostly wearing 0-3mnths

Diapers: we just moved up to size 1 diapers

Feeding: Homegirl never misses a meal. I’m afraid my boobs are going to fall off or start protesting or something. I’m nursing when I’m with her and pumping at work and some days I’m afraid I can’t keep up. I’m thankful that she still nurses and doesn’t demand a bottle at every feeding.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still blue. Her hair is light blonde but sometimes it has a red tint – almost looks strawberry blonde. The pedi said she’d be surprised if her eyes stayed blue so we’ll see.

Sleep: Apparently naps go great at Appy’s (the sitter) and at home she’s taking one good nap – 1-3 hours and a couple 30 minutes naps. Sleep is starting to get better. She sleeps between 5 and 7 hours at night and she gets up usually once a night. This has just started so I hope sleep is here to stay!

Favorites: Loving bath time still and we occasionally have major meltdowns when it’s time to get out. She has a love/hate relationship with the swing. She’s noticing the mobile a lot more but she doesn’t stay in the swing more than 10 minutes at a time. The changing table has been the best purchase we’ve made yet. She loves it. She’ll just talk and coo and smile the entire time she’s on it.

Fun stuff: TM has rolled from her back to her stomach on 3 separate occasions. I’m sure this is a fluke thing but let me be “that mom.” Humor me and tell me my child is a prodigy! :)

Her coos and sounds are getting so much louder and she’s been “talking” a lot more. She smiles and laughs all the time and it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen! She’s starting to focus on objects and follow us with her eyes.

She absolutely HATES tummy time but she does awesome holding her head up and lifting her chest when she’s on her tummy. Her head control is great.

Being a mom is crazy hard but it’s the most rewarding experience. There’s nothing better than snuggling up with your beautiful baby !

If you read all this you rock! Thanks for sticking with me. My bloggy peeps are the best ever!

Surviving Labor–Induction Style

2011-05-31T08:04:00.001-05:00

It’s possible I promise! I really wasn’t too fond of being preggers and I could not wait to meet my baby. I was terrified of labor until I was about 32 weeks pregnant. The closer I got to full term the more I didn’t care what I had to experience to just get the kid out of me! Once my induction was scheduled I was at peace with the fact that my vag may never be the same!

There are a few things you need to know about being induced. It was the best decision for me but that doesn’t mean it will be for everyone else. I was that pregnant girl who called the OB all the time and constantly complained about the pains of pregnancy. I’m pretty sure my doc was over me by the time Turner McCartney arrived.

- Spray tans are crucial. The day before induction everyone should get sprayed. I totally googled it and it’s safe for the baby as long as you aren’t a huffer and you don’t inhale ridiculous amounts of spray tan stuff. You need to look good for all the pics people will be taking.

- You definitely should shower before you go. You may never get to bathe again so take advantage of this time. Also do hair and makeup – I think it was a month before I wore makeup again!

- Be prepared for the water breakage. It was weird and uncomfortable. At this point in the game you should be used to being violated so that part won’t bother you at all.

- Pitocin is contraction magic. I swear I went from feeling nothing to the fetal position in about 5 minutes. It really works!

- Ummm I’m not sure how to tell you this but having a baby hurts. Be prepared. Contractions are insane and I have no clue how women have natural child birth.

- Epidurals are your friend. I was such a wuss and I promise it wasn’t bad at all. Just a little stinging and then it’s all good. I wish I would have gotten it sooner. There’s no need to suffer! Don’t be scared the epidural rocks!

- You need to be prepared for total vag destruction. I didn’t feel anything but pressure after my epidural but once the baby was out and it was time to attempt to repair the taint, it became quite unpleasant. And recovering from vag/taint destruction really sucks. I recommend sitting on a doughnut blow up thing at all times. And lots of hot baths – you know in all your free time.

- Just know your taint will never be the same. But it’s totally worth it!

I had the best labor and delivery experience and I feel truly lucky that everything went so smoothly. Try not to stress and make it a fun experience! Takes lots of pictures and make sure you get everything you want. Labor and delivery is all about mom – it’s totally ok to be a demanding bitch. You just grew a baby and carried it around for 40 weeks. :)

If you want to read the birth story check it out here and here.

Go link up your labor tips!

Shutterfly

2011-05-18T11:05:00.001-05:00

I love Shutterfly. They always come through when I need them. Like 2 months after my child’s birth when I decide to go ahead and do birth announcements. :) I mean it’s not too late. I’m pretty sure everyone that cares has seen a picture of her. But you know I’m sending them out anyway. It’s not too late. Right?

I have used Shutterfly to make awesome photo books to remember TM’s birth. It’s super easy to do and they are ridiculously cute. These make great gifts for grandparents as well. You can make a photo book of anything and it’s a cute way to keep up with all your pictures.

They have really cute birthday invitations and when the time comes I’ll be ordering TM’s invites from them. Look how cute these invites are. I cannot wait to plan a party but I’m a little bummed that I can’t have pool parties for TM since she was born in March! Sad day.

They also have cute thank you cards! You can include a picture of your super cute babe or yourself. I have no shame and I would totally put a picture of myself on one.

Have a blog? Sign up for a chance at 50 free cards from Shutterfly.

So What Wednesday

2011-05-11T09:15:00.001-05:00

So What If….

my kid is 2 months old and I still haven’t ordered birth announcements….I can get 50 free if I blog about Shutterfly and I still have no internet from the tornado.
I’m still going to send out birth announcements even though TM was born in March
I can’t post TM’s 2 month post because I have no internet at home and all the pictures are on my home computer….I hate not having internet!
I’m still putting off making a budget. I’m scared to know how broke we are.
sometimes I pump at night just so I can have a glass of wine before bed.
maybe I occasionally sometimes maybe let TM sleep with us. She sleeps so much better. Don’t judge.
I really need to update my blog look but I have no clue how and I have no money to pay someone!

Head over to Shannon’s blog and link up!

Happy Anniversary Baby Daddy!

2011-04-25T18:53:00.001-05:00

2 years ago today I married my very best friend. We are as ridiculously happy today as we were then! I love my husband even more now that he’s a daddy.

{my child is screaming and I’ve been trying to write this all damn day……insert ridiculously romantic text here…..}

I love you baby daddy!

I’ve posted this video before but I love it so much I thought I’d share it again because it’s amazeballs!

If you live in the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa area and you need a videographer you have to use Holloway Productions because they rock!

Check out the music video portion of our wedding vid. I’m obsessed with it!

Brittany + John Paul Music Video from Holloway Productions on Vimeo.

6 Weeks Old

2011-04-21T11:51:00.001-05:00

Turner McCartney is 6 weeks old today and I am super sad! Back to work next week for momma :(. But only 3 days a week for now. I need to work but I don’t want to leave my baby. Berty has agreed to let me work part time for now to see how we do financially – and let’s face it, I’m not bringing in any big money!

It’s crazy how much TM has changed in just 2 weeks. Her personality has changed and she is smiling and laughing more each day. She’s started focusing on us and on certain things around the house and she’s discovered the mobile on her swing.

As far as sleep I think it’s starting to get better. She sleeps 4 or 5 hours the first stretch and 2 to 3 the next. She takes 2 good naps a day and maybe 2 or 3 short naps. She nurses great but before bed at night she’s extremely fussy and will usually only take a bottle – I have no clue what this is about but it really stresses me out!

TM absolutely loves her changing table. It’s so strange. She never cries or fusses when we change her and if she’s fussy I can go lay her on it and she’s all smiles. She also LOVES bath time!

She’s become very vocal in the last 2 weeks. She makes more noises and coos all the time. She makes the sweetest sounds!

I can’t believe it’s been 6 weeks since I was pregnant. Honestly I don’t remember what it felt like to have a huge belly with a kicking baby and that makes me sad.

1 Month Old

2011-04-11T18:24:00.001-05:00

I cannot believe it’s already been a month! That means only 2 more weeks at home with my baby girl. :(

The past 4 weeks have been the hardest and most rewarding weeks of my life! We love our baby girl more than we could ever imagine.

This pic is from yesterday – the 10th. Of course I am a day behind on posting!

Turner Mc is sleeping 3.5 to 4 hours at a time and nursing like a champ. She absolutely hated her “sponge baths” that we gave her before her cord fell off. She finally lost her cord at 3 weeks and she LOVES relaxing in her tub!

She only cries when I’m pumping or eating and usually constantly between the hours of 10 and 12 – at night. :) Other than that she’s a very happy baby! I’ve learned if we stay up till 12 or 1, I only have to get up once before 6am!

She’s sleeping in her cradle beside our bed and spends a lot of time in her swing during the day. I am adjusting to functioning on a lack of sleep and I love being a mommy!

Here are the pictures we took tonight…..

Happy 1 month Turner McCartney!!

TM’s Birth Story – Part 2

2011-04-01T11:02:00.001-05:00

Don’t cheat! Go read Part 1 because you know you wanna!

It is super important to mention that I got a spray tan the day before I gave birth. I cannot believe I forgot to share this info with y’all! Feel free to make fun but I was in desperate need of a tan and I didn’t want to scare TM with my pasty-ness.

Moving along….I got the epidural and all was unicorns and rainbows blah blah blah.

We need to revisit contractions. I had people tell me that contractions feel like period cramps. Ummm not sure what kind of hellacious period you have but my period cramps usually don’t feel like death. Get an epidural people. It will change your life!

So after the epi all my lovely friends and fam rejoined us. There were at least 79 people in the room and I felt great for a little while. All of a sudden I felt the worst pressure you can imagine. Shall we have graphic detail? Yes?! Of course. I felt like my a** was going to explode. Surely this is not normal…..I tried whispering to my nurse to let her know I needed to push or my butt was exploding. Since this was my first rodeo I wasn’t really sure which was correct.

She went in search of the doc while everyone socialized around me and I died a slow and painful death of anal pressure. A little before 2 the doc came in and checked me and it was go time! 10cm. Woo Hoo!!! (He then oh so conveniently left and I had to rely on my husband to keep me alive! – okay there was a nurse there too – and my mommas!)

I started pushing right around 2. Dude pushing out a kid is hard! Extremely hard. And you have to hold your breath and push for 30 seconds and it seems like 30 hours. Seriously. Apparently TM wasn’t in a hurry to make her appearance because it took 40 forevers or a little over an hour for her head to “crown.” Y’all it felt like I pushed for days before they could see her head. And I know this will be hard to believe but I didn’t say not ONE ugly word while I was pushing! Yay me!!!

The doc came down around 3 because they thought I was oh so close to delivering. Sike! I could not get homegirl’s head out. It was horrible. I think they told me “ONE MORE PUSH” at least 37 times. I thought I was going to die. For real. Finally at 3:38 Turner McCartney arrived! With the cord around her neck, and a knot in her cord. WTH? I couldn’t see what they saw so I was freaking when I heard the nurse say she has a knot. The doc suctioned her and she started screaming! Apparently the knot had just happened that morning and didn’t cause any problems.

I LOVE this picture!!!

Now once TM was out I felt great. Until I realized I had experienced complete vag destruction – three cuts with the kitchen scissors - and I had to be sewn up. And for some crazy reason I started to feel the doc stitching me up. It was horrible! And the needle was, I swear, a fish hook. No lie. Looked just like one. I survived having my taint sewn back together and I got to finally hold my beautiful baby girl! Best moment ever!

I need to give props to LG who had to push out a nearly 10 lb baby Fenn! I cannot imagine!

Our first family photo!

So that concludes the birth story. I’m finally feeling like I can function normally again and I will try to blog more often! I would love to answer any questions or humor you in any way so please feel free to ask me anything you want to know!

Thanks for hanging in there with us! I can’t believe we survived!