My awesome friend Carissa writes a weekly post about her little boy that I really enjoy. She did a similar thing through her pregnancy which I thought was very wise.
I am shamelessly copying her idea by starting my own weekly update post. Since our family is getting bigger, I might have to divide it, but for now I will update each Monday on the happenings in our family. Developmental milestones for the kids, med school stuff for Ben, pregnancy updates for me, and general Turner family happenings.
Carissa has a very clever title for hers ("Wednesdays with Weston") but mine will be called boring Update Monday. Unless you have a better idea! (Please. I'm in serious need of creative help.)
Let's start with the youngest, shall we?
Andrew
My baby is getting so big! Each day I play with him and send a prayer of gratitude for my sweet little boy. He melts my heart with his precious faces.
He is now an experienced crawler. He is very speedy! Zipping after his sister from room to room, looking for new things to explore. He has started to stand up on furniture and is quite pleased with his new skills.
He loves to clap, cheer, and wave. It's kind of nice to have an audience who claps and cheers at everything I do!
His language is gradually becoming more advanced. He can repeat most sounds I make and really enjoys saying "mama" and "dada." As with Emily, he knows the difference. Yelling "Mamam!" when he wants me and "Dada" when he wants to play. As is normal, his receptive language is much higher than his vocal language. He knows animals, people, objects, and food.
Speaking of food, he loves to eat. He eats chicken, vegetables, fruit, bugs, dirt, and other random items off the carpet. At least he isn't picking through the trash yet.
Wait....
Just kidding. He just pulled something out of the trash. Correction: At least I can catch him before he eats food out of the trash can.
My little Andrew is such a sweet baby. He is calm, happy, and absolutely in love with his Momma. How could I complain?
Emily
My little busy bee is still...busy! I'll often lay on the couch and watch her zoom around the room chasing various objects. It's hilarious to listen in on her little conversations with herself (completely blanked on how Piaget defined this) as well as her commands to her brother (No, Andy! Here, toy, dog!)
Sometimes I'll come out and see her profile and take a deep breath. Her beauty catches me by surprise and absolutely captivates me. It is rare that I can catch it completely on camera, but I keep trying.
Her hair. Oy, her hair. It is darling and such a pain! Her curls are gorgeous but if they are not brushed, frequently, they become knots and tangles that are impossible to work with. OK. Confession. I only know this because Ben has told me. He does her hair 90% of the time. If left with me, I'll let her walk around with crazy bed head and not really think about it.
As my mom would say, "Do you want to look like a little Orphan Annie?!" I guess she does, mom.
Really, though, she takes after me quite a bit. Take her soft head, for instance. The minute Ben or I bring the brush out, she starts to cry. And cry. And cry. Poor baby. I can sympathize because I used to cry when my mom, the meanie, would try to do my hair. (Just kidding, mom.) It hurts, yo!
Her language is so awesome. She talks in full sentences now, having little conversations with us. She tells us exactly what she wants when she wants it (much to our chagrin). She actually reads books with us, finishing the sentences to her favorites. She can sing almost every song and really enjoys counting to ten (one, two, nine, eight, nine, eight, three, ten!).
While I think she is brilliant, obviously, it is her social skills that really impress me. She knows exactly when another child is hurt and will respond, instantly, with, "Are you okay" and a hug and kiss. She can read situations, knowing when another child wants to play or would rather be on his own. Yet, she has this desire to include everyone in everything. In many ways, it is hard to describe. But it makes me so darn proud.
Pregnancy: Week 4
If exhaustion could determine a viable pregnancy, mine definitely would. Holy cow! I am always tired! It doesn't help that Andrew isn't sleeping well, that I have to wake up multiple times to pee, and that my muscles hurt while sleeping. Still, fatigue is a good sign of a healthy pregnancy (I think) so I'm grateful.
I still haven't felt that sick. I'll have momentary bouts of nausea, lasting like a few hours here and there, but the overpowering nausea hasn't hit yet. I'm still giving my hormones a chance to catch up.
Emotionally, I'm a wreck. This has been compounded by the fatigue, but watch out! Do not argue, disagree, or do anything that I might deem inappropriate because I might bite your head off or start crying. I think Ben is secretly glad he works evenings.
Pelvic rest is hard! Once Ben is at work, I have to pick Andrew, Emily, and other objects that weigh more than a gallon of milk up. It's part of parenting. Still, I'm trying to keep this to a minimal by letting Emily watch little shows. By the end of the evening I am exhausted. Usually my lower abdomen and back are throbbing so I lay down and try to take the pressure off.
I will have another ultrasound on Friday to see how things are progressing. In the meantime, I am constantly praying that I will start to feel sick or something normal so I can feel more confident in this pregnancy.
Ben
He has an interview with Arizona at the end of this month. Besides that, most of the med schools are still processing applications. We hope to have more interview invites soon.
Ben really loves his job working with troubled adolescent boys. He is a great influence and example to them.
Besides that, Ben helps me maintain some kind of calm at home. He has really stepped up this past week by cooking, cleaning, and literally taking care of the kids. It has been really frustrating for me that I must place so much on him, but he hasn't complained. I'm so grateful for him!
General Family Stuff
To supplement our meager income, I have started baby-sitting out of our apartment. I watch 2-4 kids during the week and sometimes feel like our place is a zoo! We really enjoy the kids we watch, they are all pretty relaxed.
Funny enough, almost all of them are boys. Toddler boys. Poor Emily is outnumbered. Does that stop her? No way. She is probably busier than all of them combined. Ha!
We are really enjoying having Ben home more. As crazy as our lives are, with both of us working full-time, I feel very grateful that we have each other.
That's it from us!
Peace out,
He is now an experienced crawler. He is very speedy! Zipping after his sister from room to room, looking for new things to explore. He has started to stand up on furniture and is quite pleased with his new skills.
He loves to clap, cheer, and wave. It's kind of nice to have an audience who claps and cheers at everything I do!
His language is gradually becoming more advanced. He can repeat most sounds I make and really enjoys saying "mama" and "dada." As with Emily, he knows the difference. Yelling "Mamam!" when he wants me and "Dada" when he wants to play. As is normal, his receptive language is much higher than his vocal language. He knows animals, people, objects, and food.
Speaking of food, he loves to eat. He eats chicken, vegetables, fruit, bugs, dirt, and other random items off the carpet. At least he isn't picking through the trash yet.
Wait....
Just kidding. He just pulled something out of the trash. Correction: At least I can catch him before he eats food out of the trash can.
My little Andrew is such a sweet baby. He is calm, happy, and absolutely in love with his Momma. How could I complain?
Emily
My little busy bee is still...busy! I'll often lay on the couch and watch her zoom around the room chasing various objects. It's hilarious to listen in on her little conversations with herself (completely blanked on how Piaget defined this) as well as her commands to her brother (No, Andy! Here, toy, dog!)
Sometimes I'll come out and see her profile and take a deep breath. Her beauty catches me by surprise and absolutely captivates me. It is rare that I can catch it completely on camera, but I keep trying.
As my mom would say, "Do you want to look like a little Orphan Annie?!" I guess she does, mom.
Really, though, she takes after me quite a bit. Take her soft head, for instance. The minute Ben or I bring the brush out, she starts to cry. And cry. And cry. Poor baby. I can sympathize because I used to cry when my mom, the meanie, would try to do my hair. (Just kidding, mom.) It hurts, yo!
Her language is so awesome. She talks in full sentences now, having little conversations with us. She tells us exactly what she wants when she wants it (much to our chagrin). She actually reads books with us, finishing the sentences to her favorites. She can sing almost every song and really enjoys counting to ten (one, two, nine, eight, nine, eight, three, ten!).
While I think she is brilliant, obviously, it is her social skills that really impress me. She knows exactly when another child is hurt and will respond, instantly, with, "Are you okay" and a hug and kiss. She can read situations, knowing when another child wants to play or would rather be on his own. Yet, she has this desire to include everyone in everything. In many ways, it is hard to describe. But it makes me so darn proud.
Pregnancy: Week 4
If exhaustion could determine a viable pregnancy, mine definitely would. Holy cow! I am always tired! It doesn't help that Andrew isn't sleeping well, that I have to wake up multiple times to pee, and that my muscles hurt while sleeping. Still, fatigue is a good sign of a healthy pregnancy (I think) so I'm grateful.
I still haven't felt that sick. I'll have momentary bouts of nausea, lasting like a few hours here and there, but the overpowering nausea hasn't hit yet. I'm still giving my hormones a chance to catch up.
Emotionally, I'm a wreck. This has been compounded by the fatigue, but watch out! Do not argue, disagree, or do anything that I might deem inappropriate because I might bite your head off or start crying. I think Ben is secretly glad he works evenings.
Pelvic rest is hard! Once Ben is at work, I have to pick Andrew, Emily, and other objects that weigh more than a gallon of milk up. It's part of parenting. Still, I'm trying to keep this to a minimal by letting Emily watch little shows. By the end of the evening I am exhausted. Usually my lower abdomen and back are throbbing so I lay down and try to take the pressure off.
I will have another ultrasound on Friday to see how things are progressing. In the meantime, I am constantly praying that I will start to feel sick or something normal so I can feel more confident in this pregnancy.
Ben
He has an interview with Arizona at the end of this month. Besides that, most of the med schools are still processing applications. We hope to have more interview invites soon.
Ben really loves his job working with troubled adolescent boys. He is a great influence and example to them.
Besides that, Ben helps me maintain some kind of calm at home. He has really stepped up this past week by cooking, cleaning, and literally taking care of the kids. It has been really frustrating for me that I must place so much on him, but he hasn't complained. I'm so grateful for him!
General Family Stuff
To supplement our meager income, I have started baby-sitting out of our apartment. I watch 2-4 kids during the week and sometimes feel like our place is a zoo! We really enjoy the kids we watch, they are all pretty relaxed.
Funny enough, almost all of them are boys. Toddler boys. Poor Emily is outnumbered. Does that stop her? No way. She is probably busier than all of them combined. Ha!
We are really enjoying having Ben home more. As crazy as our lives are, with both of us working full-time, I feel very grateful that we have each other.
That's it from us!
Peace out,
2 comments:
Ha! I love the update!You'll love how you can look back and read over each week's updates. You'll be surprised how many things you will have forgotten - even just a few weeks after the fact! And your kiddos will love reading all about themselves once they are a little bit older.
Keep it up! Can't wait to read them!
I love your sense of humor! =) Sounds like you are doing well. We miss you guys! We still need to get together sometime when life is less crazy... Man I wish we were still neighbors, minus the bazar things you had to deal with in your apartment! Anyway, your family is darling! We miss you!
-Shan
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