Three Months Old!

"Baby Sweet Girl" as Maddox likes to call her is 3 months old! Maddox is still just as smitten with her as ever. He just loves holding her and "nuggling" her every chance he gets. Since there is not a 3 month well-baby visit, I'm not sure of her exact weight, but I'd guess it's somewhere in the 12lb range. She loves to smile and laugh and we all love making her do it too. She is still a good eater and has become much better about sleeping through the night. She is probably sleeping around 8-9 hours at a time most nights so I can't complain too much. If I remember correctly, she does seem to be a bit fussier and a little more high maintenance of a baby than her brother did, but that is probably to be expected for little girls so I should probably just get used to it, ha! 

And since her 3 month mark falls right around Thanksgiving I think it's important to mention how thankful we are for both of our sweet blessings from above. We are beyond blessed with the most amazing children and could not love them any more!

Two Months Old!

I can't believe our sweet baby girl is already two months old! At her two month check-up she weighed in at 10 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. "She's not the tallest one" according to Dr. Harmon so maybe she will be our little bit. We are working on getting on a better schedule, but right now she is pretty much on whatever schedule her big brother is on being dragged here and there. She is starting to smile more and more and that sweet smile makes my day. Maddox still loves her to pieces and is always looking out for her and wanting to hold her and "nuggle" (snuggle) her. I've said it before and I'll say it each and every day...we are so so blessed!

Storm Damage

As if life with a newborn wasn't crazy enough, it got a whole lot crazier labor day weekend. That Monday night, the power went out around 7:30 or so. Fortunately, Maddox had already gone to bed because he hadn't had a nap that day and he was exhausted. Shortly after the power went out, we heard a really loud crashing sound and immediately knew something bad had to have happened. After looking around in the dark, we found the culprit....a huge tree from behind our house had fallen on the side of the house and my car. We were very fortunate that the bulk of the tree fell between the car and the house because it could have been a lot worse than it was. We did have a little shingle damage, bent gutters, smashed fence in two places, and a fair amount of damage to my car and a little to Blake's as well, but we were very grateful that the tree fell where it did....a little further to the right or left and we'd have had a lot more damage on our hands. Our power was out for several days, so rather than trying to entertain a 2 year old and a take care of a newborn in a very hot house, we took over (baby stuff tends to do that) RaRa and Poppy's house for a few days. So glad we had someplace to go and family willing to take us in!

And after several visits from the insurance adjustors, the tree removal company, gutter repairmen, roofers, etc., and after a week with Blake's car in the shop and six weeks with mine in the shop, things finally seem to be getting back in order around here.

Family Pictures!

We had family pictures taken on the last week of September and I could not be more happy with them! Amanda did such a great job and they were better than I ever could have hoped for. I am so glad to have these pictures to look back on and remember our life beginning as a family of four. All of the pictures are posted at www.maddoxturner.shutterfly.com, but here are just a few of my favorites!

One Month Old!

I can't believe my sweet girl is already a month old! She is getting so big so fast! We went for her one month well baby visit yesterday. She weighed 8lbs, 14oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. Maddox is still loving his baby sister and wants to hold her every chance he gets. Here are a few one month shots, although if I'm being honest, they're really closer to 5-6 week pictures!

We just took Hadley to Mobile for the first time this past weekend. Meredith, a good friend of mine from high school got married. It was a beautiful wedding and it was fun to see some friends I hadn't seen in too long. We had fun showing Hadley off to family and friends too. There was no shortage of arms willing to hold and love on her!

Happy Birthday, Hadley!

We are so happy to welcome our newest blessing, Hadley Kate! She arrived on August 23rd at 2:57pm. After much anticipation (and a lot of family dying to know if it would be a boy or girl), we were so excited to find out that Maddox has a new baby sister. I think he was pretty excited too! Hadley came a little bit earlier than we were anticipating, although after our 36 week doctor's appointment, at which the advice of my doctor was to do nothing for the next several days, we kind of got the feeling she was probably going to make her debut a little early. I guess girls always love to make an entrance, ha!

I woke up around 3:00 am on Tuesday morning with a few sharp pains, nothing too major or out of the ordinary since it seems like I'd been having weird random pains for a while now. I dozed back off to sleep and woke up again around 5:00. This time I couldn't go to sleep, but the pain I was having still wasn't just awful so I really wasn't sure if it was anything or not. I did start timing my contractions and they were starting to become a little more consistent, but it was nothing like when I had Maddox at this point so I still just wasn't sure what was going on. I call the doctor when the office opened at 8:00 and they told me just to come on in for my 37 week appointment since it was the next day anyways. We loaded up the car with most everything we would need just to be on the safe side, although I figured if we did this, they'd end up telling us to go home. We waited at least an hour (during which my pain started to become a lot more frequent) before I was called back. When I went back they checked me and I was definitely having contractions. The doc said I was 4-5 cm, which was progress so they said we were having a baby that day...woohoo!!

We called the family to let them know what was going on and headed down to Labor and Delivery to get checked in. Once I got hooked up to the monitors and they did all of the initial paperwork, IV, etc. the doctor came and broke my water. Once that happened the contractions became a lot more intense. Fortunately my epidural came soon after and then it was pretty much just a waiting game. Blake's family came to the hospital to wait it out and Poppy picked up Maddox from school and brought him to the hospital. He looked like a mismatched ragamuffin when he got there because some kid from his class had spilled yogurt all over him, but fortunately we had his super cute big bro shirt that Aunt Jess had made for him to wear. Things seemed to be going fairly slowly which was good since my parents were on their way from Mobile and Jessica, Jackson, and Bailey were coming from Atlanta. Fortunately they were still packed from their last trip to Trussville since they had just left the day before. I guess Hadley couldn't have made it easy on them and arrived a day sooner!

Once I had my epidural and they started me on pitocin, things started progressing much more quickly and before I knew it it was time to start pushing. After about 15 minutes (so much faster than last time) of pushing, Hadley made her way into the world. We were so surprised and excited to find out we had a baby girl! Part of me had a feeling it would be a girl, but I guess I just couldn't imagine it since I was so used to just having a boy. Hadley weighed in at 6 lbs, 7 oz., and was 19 1/4 inches long...such a tiny little miracle!

Maddox was the first person to come back to see his new baby sister. He was pretty smitten right away! He was also pretty excited about the present Hadley had brought for him, a cool talking Buzz Lightyear. At this point no one knew but us that it was a girl and they were all dying to find out. We sent Maddox back out to share the good news. When asked what he got, he first responded, "Buzz". Then he was quick to let everyone know he had a "baby sister". My parents didn't quite make it to the hospital in time since Hadley decided to come so quickly, but we still waited and let Maddox tell them the good news when they arrived. I never thought I would want to be surprised, but it really was so much fun not knowing. Sure it made things more complicated as far as planning the nursery, buying clothes, etc. goes, but it was definitely an awesome surprise and so worth the wait.

We are so in love with Hadley...God could not have made a more perfect angel if he tried! We are incredibly blessed with two beautiful babies and could not be more thankful for these amazing blessings in our lives.

Here are a few pictures from Hadley's birthday!

Last picture as a family of three!

Not a happy camper!

Dr. Woods and Hadley...unfortunately Dr. Heaton wasn't able to deliver Hadley either, but we couldn't have asked for a better back up!

Loving on our sweet baby girl!

Here comes the big brother!

Maddox meeting his new baby sister!

Family of Four!

The Cutest Ring Bearer!

We are so excited for Andrew and Heather! They are getting married next summer! I'm pretty sure Maddox already thinks of her as his aunt, but it never hurts to make things official. We love Heather and are so glad she is going to be part of our family!

Maddox is going to be a part of their special day too. He got his official (and super cute I might add) request to be a ring bearer from Uncle Andrew today.

First Day of School!

Today was Maddox's first day of 2K at NorthPark. We met his teachers, Mrs. Leahia and Mrs. Nora,  a few days ago and he is very excited about starting school. He is so ready to see his little friends again. I just can't believe how fast he is growing up and how big he is! Love this sweet boy!

Potty Trained!

I am so so so pleased to announce that we are officially potty trained in our house!! Yay! I am enjoying these few months of no diapers before they make a reappearance in our house in a short few weeks. Maddox has really done an awesome job so I can't complain too much. Sure, those first few days and on a few random days in those first few weeks I wanted to pull my hair out, but overall it wasn't so bad. Before we started, we talked about the potty a lot and even sat on it a few times. We went to the store and let him pick out some new big boy underwear so he was excited about that. He already had some Thomas underwear that Gigi had given him a while back, so he picked out a pack that had his new favorites, Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

The first couple of days were filled with accidents because we ditched the diapers and went to underwear cold turkey, but it didn't take him long to start letting me know when he needed to go. We made a big deal out if it every time he made it in the potty...lots of praise and even rewards (like suckers and popsicles) made him excited about it. We even promised him a new tricycle once he became a big boy and could use the potty everytime. He's had his eye on a new tricycle for a while so he seemed pretty excited about that.

We are happy to announce that we have been accident free (even on road trips) for a while now and we are now the proud owners of a shiny red Radio Flyer tricycle. Let's just hope that this all continues and we don't have any major setbacks once the new baby arrives. We are so proud of our big boy!!

Helping Daddy Recover...

Blake had his wisdom teeth removed yesterday or as Maddox says, "They fixed Daddy's teeth." He did really well and as always was quite funny when he was coming off the drugs they used to sedate him. Against my advice, Blake insisted on messing around on his phone on the way home and we discovered later that he somehow managed to delete all of his contacts, etc. off during that time. A lot of jello and mashed potatoes were eaten and of course there was a lot of napping too for a good bit of the day. Maddox even got in on the action and took a nap with his daddy to help him feel better. I just couldn't resist snapping a quick picture on my phone.

Welcome Bailey!

Our beautiful new niece arrived on Saturday, June 25th! We got word that morning that she was on her way, so we loaded up the car and headed to Atlanta! Sweet Bailey Reese arrived at 1:25 pm weighing in at 6 lbs 12 ounces. She is a tiny little thing and she just perfect! She also looks a whole lot like her big brother, Jackson! I know everyone is excited that there can finally be pink frilliness and bows on a Turner baby now...hooray!

It is safe to say that Maddox was completely smitten with her. When we had to leave the hospital room for a bit for the doctor to come in, he cried because he wanted to go back in to see her. He also enjoyed holding her and loving on her and didn't really want to give her up when asked to let someone else have a turn. When we weren't at the hospital he kept asking to go back to "see Bailey" too. I just hope this is a sign of things to come when his little brother or sister arrives!

Our trip to Atlanta was short, but sweet! We enjoyed getting to spend time with family and Maddox and Jackson had so much fun playing together and building forts and tunnels. We are so thrilled for Scott, Jessica, and Jackson and can't wait to see our sweet little niece again!

End of the Year Party!

Maddox's class had a fun luau-themed end of the year party. They had a picnic lunch with hot dogs (although Maddox only at the bun part) and pretzels and grapes (both of which Maddox ate more than his fair share). After lunch they ran around playing in the water. There were beach balls, a few swimming pools, and a water table. Most of them ran around like maniacs having a great time. We were very fortunate that the rain held off too. Most of the morning didn't look too promising, but it wasn't until they were heading inside that it began to sprinkle. They ended the party with popsicles too, which are Maddox's favorite. All in all it was a great way to end a great year. Maddox has loved his teachers and classmates and I know he will really miss them over the summer! 

Jackson's 3rd Birthday!

Yesterday afternoon, after our Baby Sprinkle, we celebrated Jackson's 3rd Birthday. His actual birthday was on Easter Sunday, but we celebrated yesterday since they were all in town for the weekend. Everything was super cute (as to be expected when Jess is planning something) and everyone had a great time.

The yummy cupcakes Donna made...

 There were even a few canine party guests. This one was a good sport...

 The birthday boy blowing out the candles...

 Maddox stuffing his face with cake...

 Water fun...

 Right before present time, we amazingly got them all to sit in a row...

 Jackson's new scooter (which I am pretty sure Maddox has already added to his wish list)...

 More water fun in the front yard...

I can't believe that Jackson is already three! Can all of these sweet babies really be growing up this fast and if so, what can we do to stop it?