A Monumental Day

Today was a monumental day in history. A day that I will remember forever, maybe everyone else will too. When Prince William and Kate first announced their engagement, I was super excited because I realized that I would be home on maternity leave! and able to watch the royal affair.

I was in eighth grade when Princess Diana died. My best friend, Hannah, and I became obsessed with the royal family. We read everything possible about the royal family. I specifically remember going to visit Hannah's grandparents in Pineville, Louisiana and I was so excited because my mom had bought me a new People magazine that was all about Princess Di. On the 8 hour car ride we scoured over that magazine, picking apart everything about the royal family. I wish that we lived closer together now so that we could have watched the wedding together. We would have definitely had a "wedding party."

John Turner was right on time with his feedings this morning! He woke me up about 4 this morning. I immediately turned on the TV, just in time to see the royal family arriving at Westminster. Together we watched the family arrive, Kate arrive, and the beginning of the ceremony (the most important part in my opinion). When Kate's brother got up to speak, I went to bed. Kate looked absolutely stunning. I had a feeling that she would be wearing lace. I loved how she wore her hair down and she looked so natural. You could tell that both William and Kate are in love and were excited about their special day.

John Turner then woke me up a couple of hours later. I rushed into the den to turn on the TV again to see the newly weds arriving at Buckingham Palace. I was able to see the first kiss... and the second. John Turner just had perfect timing today! Of course I recorded the wedding, and have already watched it again!

On Wednesday, we had a "monumental" day... not in terms of a royal wedding, but a 2 week check up. John Turner has gained 12 ounces in 2 weeks. So now he weighs 8 pounds 12 ounces. Dr. Barron said this was right on track. Babies are supposed to gain 1 ounce a day. They checked his eyes for cataracts, which he didn't have.  Dr. Barron put a special concoction on his umbilical cord and look what happened when we got home!

It fell off! Now John Turner has a cute little belly button! 

John Turner is a growing boy! I can't believe how much he has changed in 2 weeks! We are looking forward to what is to come! and best wishes to Will and Kate! 

This picture was taken on Wednesday... John Turner's 2 week birthday! 

Worn Out!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I have been singing my favorite Easter hymn all day.. .
" Up from the grave He arose! With a mighty triumph for His foes! He arose a victor of the dark domain and He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Christ Jesus He arose!

Growing up we attended Covenant Presbyterian. I would look forward to the Easter service... and singing this hymn. I am so thankful that serve a risen King!

My mom left to go to the beach Friday morning. Then she and the rest of the family came back today to celebrate Easter with us. They have just left and not looking forward to being by myself all day tomorrow, while Gunter is at work. But I have got to grow up sometime, right? I have got to figure out how to handle a new baby.

Therefore, this weekend we just laid low. Mom gave us "The King's Speech" for Easter. We watched that last night and ordered pizza. Gunter made a comment about how this is the first weekend ever that we haven't had plans and gone out and done something. We better get used to it! Our lives have been changed for the better!

How we spent our weekend! 

Happy 1 Week

I can't believe John Turner is one week old! My how this week has flown by... it's probably only a snapshot of how the rest of his life will be! We have technically only been home for 4 days... so that makes me a feel a little better... maybe it's not really going by that fast ...

This day gown is from a little girl in my class. 

I absolutely love it! 

We have found that wearing a day gown is much better for diaper changes

 than the snap-up pants outfits! 

He has changed so much since we brought him home for the hospital. Already is face has gotten so much chubbier! He is trying to lift his head up! and doing a pretty good job at it! He is getting used to bathtime (more on his first bath later). He still LOVES his little lamb chair and we have found that he sleeps much better in it than his really cute bassinet. He is opening his eyes a lot more now. They are really dark blue at the moment, but I keep thinking they will change to brown... like mine! 

Tomorrow is a big day for John Turner... he is taking his newborn pictures! I can't wait to see how he does! 

Homecoming

I just woke up from a long nap... in my own bed! You don't realize how much you miss something 'til it's gone. I have sure missed my pillow, bed, TV, and the list goes on and on.

We arrived back at our humble abode... with an extra person... yesterday around lunchtime. Dr. Barron came into our hospital room Sunday morning and delivered the good news that John Turner's bilirubin levels were down to 12. (They had to be at 14 for him to go home.) He felt like John Turner was doing really well. But sometimes, after you remove them from the phototherapy light, then their levels can jump back up. So we had to promise that we would return to his office Monday morning. We had already scheduled our 2 day check up Monday morning (when we thought we were going home Friday), so that worked out perfectly!

The nurse had to come back in a couple of hours to discharge us, cut off John Turner's security band, and go over a few helpful hints for bringing a new born home. By 11:30 we were ready to go! The nurse stopped in one last time to take our picture for the newspaper and we were released!

 John Turner and me being wheeled out of the hospital!

John Turner all strapped in his carseat for his first car ride home! 

Heath had been the topic of our conversation for so many days. We couldn't wait to see how he reacted to John Turner's arrival! 

Heath checking out John Turner! 

He gave him a good licking... and was really sweet. 

At first he just stayed in between me and John Turner, but today he is a lot better. 

Whenever John Turner lets out a peep, Heath is on the scene checking him out! 

Finally home! 

John Turner snoozing in his Little Lamb chair. He loves this chair! 

Mom smocked the gown (not "dress" or "shirt" as Gunter calls it) that he wore home. 

Today we went back for our 2 day check up and John Turner's bilirubin levels were down to 8.8, which is lower than they were on yesterday when we left the hospital. He weighed 8 pounds, so he hasn't lost any weight! Dr. Barron said that everything was looking great! We are so happy to bring home a healthy little boy. Thanks be to God for His provision and care! 

Highs and Lows

Life is full of highs and lows, isn't it? Expect the unexpected. I am just glad that God is in control of our lives and already has a plan laid out for John Turner....

I will start with the lows... since that is not always fun. Early this morning we expected the best. We would get to leave Flowers Hospital today. But then the nurse called about 10 am and said change of plans. John Turner's bilirubin levels are high, meaning that he has jaundice. They are at 16.4, which is not real high, but because he has had other problems, Dr. Barron our pediatrician wanted to go ahead and treat it. They treat it by phototherapy, meaning in has to get under the bilirubin light for several hours. They will test his levels again at 4pm today, and we can know more about leaving the hospital. We definitely won't be going anywhere tonight.

This was a huge let down. We were thrilled about leaving the hospital and taking John Turner home... and most especially about introducing him to Heath! But God has another plan. John Turner will go home when he is ready. And I would rather him be ready... and us try to fix all of his problems here at the hospital, rather than having to bring him up to the hospital again later on to fix problems.

Dr. Nicholls just came by to discharge me. He was the bearer of some not fun news... My blood levels are low, meaning that I am anemic. He could have treated this with a blood transfusion, but said that he would rather not. This can cause some problems getting pregnant again later on. Therefore he is going to give me some iron supplements and I will have to deal with feeling fatigued until my levels get back up.

Highs! There are many!
 #1- We are getting to hold John Turner! He is so cute! I just can't stand it! Last night he had his first "escape" from the nursery and to our room!

Begin wheeled down to our room for a visit.

 #2 - Last night we got to feed him his first bottle. The nurse said that I could try nursing, but I had just pumped right before, so decided against that.

#3 - This morning I got to nurse for the first time and John Turner did really well! We nursed again about 11:30, but he was really sleepy, and not interested. Then the nursery called and said that it was time for his "boy procedure."  Dr. Barron called a few minutes ago and said that his procedure went well, they were going to watch him for an hour or so to make sure that there wasn't any bleeding, then stick him under the lights  for a while. I will try to nurse again hopefully in little bit!

More updates to come!

Welcome to the World John Turner

Yes, he is here! Here is a timeline of the events with pictures included. It was a very exciting day... I mean days!

Tuesday, 4:45 am.
I woke up with contractions about 10 minutes apart.

Tuesday, 8:30
I called the doctor's office to tell them that I was having contractions, but they were 10 minutes apart. The nurse said, "Honey, is this your first baby? Take some Tylenol and see if they go away."

Tuesday, 8:30 pm
Contractions get pretty bad and closer together. I got in the bath tub to see that would help ease my pain. My contractions started ranging between 4 and 6 minutes apart. I told Gunter we may be going to the hospital tonight...

Wednesday, 2:15 am.
I woke Gunter up and said pack your bag we are going to the hospital. My contractions were back to back. I was walking around the house crying and trying to pack the last few things in my overnight bag.

Wednesday, 2:30 am
We arrived at Flowers Hospital. Dr. Dozier was on call, so we had to wait for him to deliver a baby then he could come in and check on me. My blood pressure was really high, but I didn't have any protein in my urine. Dr. Dozier decided to go ahead and induce me and put me on magnesium for high blood pressure, and treat it like preeclampsia.

Wednesday, 5:00 am
Began the labor process. Dr. Dozier broke my water.
I continued to make good progress from there on out!
Got my epidural and I was feeling good!

Wednesday, 3:00 pm
I was fully dilated ready to deliver, but Dr. Nicholls (who just happened to be on call that day! Hooray!) was seeing a patient in the office. Then he got called away for an emergency.

Wednesday, 4:00 pm
The nurse came in and helped me begin the pushing process. When I got closer Dr. Nicholls would be called in.

Wednesday, 5:00 pm
Still pushing... John Turner was stuck behind my pelvic bone. Dr. Nicholls came in to try to help me. He suggested that we use the suction to help move his head. Finally after that we make some progress!

Wednesday, 5:47 pm
John Turner arrives! 8 pounds, 20 1/2 inches long

First picture with John Turner

Dr. Nicholls laughed and said "His cone head will be better by 

first grade."

With the miracle worker Dr. Nicholls! We love him! 

Notice the cup in my hand.... while we were finishing things up, Dr. Nicholls said what are thinking about. My reply was "how much I want a coke!"

The nurse rushed out to get me a coke... and I drank 4 more after that!  

 Kyle and Kelsey cam to visit!

After the delivery and we got to hold John Turner for a few minutes the nurse noticed that we was making a grunting noise when he was breathing. She wanted to get that checked. It turns out that he has fluid on his lungs. This is apparently common in white boys. So... he has stayed in the nursery since I delivered him. He was placed under a little bubble so he could get some extra oxygen.

In the air we breathe, the oxygen is at 21%. In John Turner's bubble the doctor can lower and increase his oxygen. We are working toward getting him to breathe "room air."

This afternoon around 1:00 they took John Turner out of the bubble. Once he has been breathing "room air" for a few hours then he can come down to our room and spend some time with us! Gunter and I did just walk down to the nursery for a visit and got some family pictures. This is the first time and we have held him since the delivery! 

The Price family! 

I had good intentions of blogging and posting pictures yesterday, but they took me off the magnesium from my high blood pressure. When they did that, I got really sick! and felt terrible! I had a good night's rest last night and feeling much better today! 

Nursery Update: A Few More Additions

Everyday I keep thinking... could this be our last day as a family of 2 ...plus a dog...

When I saw Dr. Nicholls last Wednesday he said that if I am making good progress then we could talk about induction this week! I go back for another visit on Wednesday. But I have got to hold off until then, because he is on Spring Break right now! Of course Gunter wants me to hold off until the end of tax season. All I can say is that John Turner is going to come when he wants to. And lately I am feeling like that may be sooner than later. Definitely been having some contractions over the last few days....

On to the nursery. Gunter and my mom told me that I couldn't put anything else in the room, but of course I found a few more things to add....

At Gunter's office shower we were given this Bla Bla mobile! 

I think that it looks so good with the picture that Kelsey painted for the nursery! 

On the corner cabinet I have some of John Turner's keepsake items displayed. 

There are new additions - the silver engraved cup and spoon on the right. 

These were gifts for John Turner from Brittany, Amy, and Christina. Thanks girls! 

Heath is wearing a little "golfers" hat that John Turner got in the mail today from a 

friend in Birmingham. 

He said that he can't wait til his brother gets here! 

Couples Shower

On March 12th, our sweet friends threw a couples shower for us. It was so much fun! Not to mention we received really great gifts for John Turner!

The sweet hostesses...minus Alicia, she was on bedrest. 

Sydney, Erica, Me, Blayne, Tracie, Leah, and Janna

I promise the boys were there somewhere. I didn't get a single picture of them! 

Beautiful flower arrangement compliments of Sydney and Blayne! 

Diaper Cake! Compliments of Syd! 

Now it is sitting in the nursery and looks so good! 

Opening Gifts! 

This gift was a mini-Sophie the giraffe chew toy from Eli (John Turner's girlfriend! 

Syd and Will's little girl)

We received a swing from our hostesses, stationary for John Turner, a bathing suit, a Boppy, some books, and a ton of other great items! 

Kyle and Kelsey came to the shower too! 

Thanks to our terrific friends for a wonderful shower! We had a great time! 

A Little Scare

On Wednesday I had my 37 week appointment. I was hoping to get some good news.... like I was dilated or making progress. When I got to the doctor's office, they took my blood pressure as usual. It was high.... 160/90. The nurse sent me to my room and told me to lay on my left side. After laying down for a while it got better. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and waited for Dr. Nicholls to come it.

When Dr. Nicholls got in the room he told me that I had traces of protein in my urine, high blood pressure, was very swollen (which I have been for a while), and then asked if I had a headache. Yes, I had a headache for the past 2 days. He told me that we was very concerned that I may have preeclampsia. I went first to get an ultrasound then I would head over to labor and delivery for a while, for them to monitor my blood pressure.

First stop... ultrasound. The tech measured everything. Amniotic fluid looked good - 16 centimeters of that.  Placenta looked good - Stage 2 with some calcium spots. Then the tech said "Lets see how much he weighs... Wow! He is a big boy!" Already John Turner is measuring 8 pounds and 5 ounces! I still don't believe it... not til I see an 8 pound baby. At this rate (and according to the tech), I could have a 9 and a half or 10 pound baby! The tech then said, "Let measure his head and stomach. You know, I like to see a big stomach, but not a big head. A big stomach can be swished down if needed, but not a head." Well low and behold, John Turner's head is already measuring at 40 weeks! Very large! And so is his stomach! This boy has not missed any meals. She turned on the 4D and we got a cute picture of him!

 Gunter thinks now John Turner looks like me! 

We will see in 2 weeks! 

We then went on to labor and delivery. I sat there for 4 hours where they did blood work, another urine sample, and monitored my blood pressure, all of that good stuff. I sent Gunter back to work, then I got a little quiet time to myself. I finished reading The Island, which I really enjoyed, and started reading Water for Elephants. It is really good as well, and will be coming out in the theaters in April, with Robert Pattinson and Reese Whiterspoon! 

Everything turned out very well! They checked me the hospital I was only dilated 1/2 a centimeter. But that is better than nothing, I guess! 

I go back to see Dr. Nicholls on Wednesday, so maybe I will know a little more by then. 2 weeks exactly from today is my due date!