Baby's 1st Christmas

such a camera hog!!

filling the coffee table with presents from the aunts and grandmamma

McLean family shot

testing out the new puppy dog hat from aunt Noel

there were a few gifts from mom and dad

he always enjoys a good book

overwhelmed by all the gifts that kept coming and coming

with his great aunt Sandy

with his great aunt Carolyn (Charlie) and Uncle James

testing out the new wagon

There are literally hundreds of pictures documenting Turner's first Christmas, and you know me, I had a hard time just picking out a few to upload. But here's a random sampling from Christmas Eve with the Shewmakes, to Christmas morning with mom and dad, to Christmas day with the McLeans.

Bathtime before

Arthur took this picture of Turner in the bathtub days before Christmas, so we'll have to call this the "before" shot. Arthur and I bulked up Turner's supply of bath time play things for Christmas, so he'll need to take an "after" shot now for you to see the new toys. We tried to get him new towels since he's pretty much outgrown most of his infant towels. Our order placed through Sears had to be refunded because they lied and really were out of stock of the $5 bargains. His bear hooded towel is the perfect size for him right now, but most of the ones we've found like it are outside of our price range for towels. I found instructions on how to make hooded towels yourself but I guess I'd need to learn how to sew! :) Let me know if you have suggestions on what to do during the in between stage--too big for infant towels but not ready for grown up ones! I'm sure Arthur will be getting some pictures up from Christmas on here real soon! Turner got plenty of great gifts from friends and family and is loving them all!

Santa Claus meets Turner

Turner was sick with a high fever the night of the Downtown Stroll, so we were pretty disappointed we couldn't get a photo of him with the Santa we had at the photography studio that night. But we happened to find out that Santa would be at the D'Andrea's house Wednesday night, so we loaded Turner up and headed on over.

Turner wasn't too sure about Santa to begin with, but he warmed up after a few minutes.

Rudolph sighting---at 120 Second Ave

Tried to get some pics of Turner in his Christmas pajamas with his very own reindeer tree. It's hard to keep him still these days for photos. About 2oo shots are blurred or of his backside and about 3 of them turned out well enough to use. He'll be embarrassed one day that I put antlers on his head and painted his nose red, but I thought it was hilarious and took advantage of being able to get away with it while he's still too young to protest! :)

more christmas/fall

Turner's first Thanksgiving

Hubby here. We've got a lot of Turner pics from the studio and in the yard for fall yet to put up, but I thought I'd post some pics from Turner's first Thanksgiving with Bridgett's family and mine before we get to Christmas.


With my mother "grandmother" and his Aunt Lynn.

With Bridgett's mother "Nanna".
Stop: Bottle Time.
PawPaw Warren.

christmas shoot/fall pics

Just a few pics that we took last week during Thanksgiving break...Arthur still needs to edit for me to be able to show you more. Don't worry; we didn't use all of our ideas yet. We needed to save some for other outfits! :) I probably should be giving some details of Turner's first holiday feast, but you know I'm too tired after being back at school today to begin.......

Poor, Poor Turner

Turner started running a fever today, so I went ahead and took him back to the pediatrician's office (since we've never gotten over the illnesses from the last month!). His ears actually looked better but they did some bloodwork and decided he has a viral infection. Nothing we can do about it except wait a few days with the hopes that it will go away. He actually didn't have an appetite today, so we knew there was something wrong with the boy! And he has slept so much today that it's scary thinking about how little he'll sleep tonight!!! I don't have to take him back for a 9 month check up now, since we've been in the doctor's office twice in the last two weeks. So, we'll go back for a 1 yr wellness visit, or more likely---the next sick visit will come first!! He's smiled through the other sicknesses, but today he was not a happy camper and you could tell he did not feel good for once. It breaks your heart (or at least it does mine) to see him hurting so much......

pooping in the bathtub (sung to the tune of smokin in the boys room)

Well, I finally had to face my fear Sunday night. I knew it would happen some day, but I still wasn't prepared for it. Arthur and I had joked about it many times but there's nothing you can do to get ready for the big moment. We even laughed while he was making bubbles in the tub, while unbeknownst to us, there was more than just pooting going on down there! Arthur didn't believe me at first when I said "I think the water's getting murky." After a few more swishes of the washcloth across Turner's body, he commented, "Um, I think you're right. The water does look murky!" So, I yank Turner up out of the tub and sure enough, there's a brown log hanging out in the bottom of the water there. I grab the towel and head to Turner's room to clean him up while I yell to Arthur--"You have to be the one to clean up that mess!" Not a job anyone wants to be responsible for, mind you. We may laugh about it one day, but we've been pretty nervous the last few nights every time we put Turner in the tub. Just one little grunt and we're jerking him up saying "No pooping in the bathtub!!!"

Developmental stages

Turner's development is accelerated when it comes to some areas. For example, he's smart enough to figure out how to climb on stuff already. My mom has an empty plastic tub that used to hold wipes that now holds rattles and other toys Turner plays with. The boy dumped out the toys, pushed the tub to the couch, and stood up on it in order to climb up on the couch. He's already letting go after he pulls himself up to stand and taking a step before he loses his balance and falls. I firmly believe he's going to be an early walker. But then there are areas where his developmental milestones seem delayed. He took forever to finally roll over. And he's taking forever now to learn to use a sippy cup!!! I think I've already given up on him ever holding his own bottle. Just goes to show you that every child is different and that they don't all fit the mold of "they should be able to do this by such and such time". I don't know how to teach him that he doesn't have superhuman powers though. You're watching him and think there's no way he'll get hurt doing this and BAM! he's done something crazy and now has a bump on his head. My mom thought it was just me last weekend, but after he got hurt twice this week at her house, she realized it wasn't just me not paying attention. Arthur is threatening to buy him a helmet to wear.....

halloween day

These were just some random shots Arthur took during the day on Halloween. Nothing fancy. Nobody's dressed up--we didn't have any themes or concepts for a shoot. Just normal ole picture taking by a proud daddy, with a normal ole mom trying to avoid the camera!! :)

Turner's Christmas Wish List

Well, if you ask Turner right now what he wants for Christmas, you probably won't be able to figure out what he's talking about. But since people are already asking Arthur and I for ideas on what to get him, we decided we would make a list for what we think he would like. And the easiest way to share this list with those interested is through the internet, so all of you can browse if you would like or skip over this if you're just waiting for the next set of cute pics to show up on here.

Turner's Christmas Wish List (As Mommy Sees It)

(My parents say I’m doing this just because I hate surprises and have always wanted to know what my Christmas presents were ahead of time, but if you get something for Turner, it would be great if you would let us know what you got, so we can make sure he doesn’t get duplicates of items.)

Bounce and Spin Pony (the most expensive item on the list, so I’ll put it first—this is the one that can connect to the TV to teach him letters/numbers/etc and is around $80)

Bat and Wobble Penguin (he loves to hit stuff and I think he’ll get a kick out of this coming back to him for another hit) (around $20)

Any Learn and Groove products, particularly the alphabet drum or the counting maracas (around $20 for most items) (Someone’s already taken care of getting Scout for him, so he doesn’t need the puppy anymore)

Since Arthur’s a photographer, I think it would be neat if Turner had one of the little play learning cameras (like Vtech’s Light up Learning Camera, or Fisher price’s Fun 2 Imagine Pocket Camera—not a real digital camera, just one that teaches something when you press the buttons—probably in the $10-20 range)

Turner’s about to outgrow his infant tub, so he’ll need more bath toys when he graduates to the big tub—for example, I really want the letters that are made to stick to the side of the tub. He’ll also need a container to put some bath toys in—such as the Boon Frog pod. ($5-35)

He loves to play with remote controls. I saw a toy one the other day that played songs and said letters/numbers that would probably be great for him to play with (instead of the one that goes to our TV). (around $10)

If he’s going to continue to get sick and have dry skin problems, then I guess we need to invest in a humidifier. We had looked at one before but had never gotten it because we had not needed it yet. The Crane humidifier that comes in different animal shapes is the one we liked best. They have penguins, and elephants, and all kinds of fun designs to choose from. Plus, it’s filter free so we don’t have to spend lots of money replacing filters every few weeks. (around $30 at Target)

We also need a new monitor. Ours has developed way too much interference. We have checked out the new Vtech Crystal Sounds DECT 6.0 and are interested in it. (only around $40 at WalMart)

Soon we will need safety products to childproof the house. For example, outlet covers, cabinet locks, drawer latches, etc. They even make toilet and TV locks now! ($2-30)

(I know some of these products are not necessarily for Turner’s enjoyment, but they are things that we could use that relate to him!!! You can give those as gifts to Arthur and I if you’d rather not put Turner’s name on them!!! )

If you interested in clothing, he’s still hanging in there for 18 month sizes right now. He’s really slowed down on the weight gain, so I’m hoping we’ll stay in this size at least through the cold months.

And of course, you are more than welcome to get anything that’s not on the list. I am all about any educational toy they make, and Turner can learn from and play with anything you give him. I was just trying to give people a few ideas of things I think he might be interested in at this time. I can’t wait to see how he reacts to everything that goes on during the holiday season as he celebrates his first Christmas!!

MADSTU

Mothers Against Daylight Savings Time Unite!!!!! It's never been that difficult for me to adjust the two times a year when we move the clocks, but now that I am a mother, I have a totally different opinion on the whole ordeal! Turner finally seems adjusted, but that first day or two was rough---just let me tell you!!! So, I have decided that all mothers with small children should join forces and boycott Daylight Savings Time so that it will be much easier on our babies. If you're interested in joining the cause, just let me know :)

So, for those of you who didn't know, Turner ran a fever for a day or two and had a runny nose the weekend after we conveniently had him in daycare for one day and out socializing in the night air for two nights. (But this was also after I had been fighting a running nose during the week! and of course Arthur caught it too last week) You get so many different opinions on parenting your child--through books and people--til you don't know what is the best course to take. So, the path I chose was to wait and not run to the doctor at the first sign of a snotty nose. Well, after 9 days of him battling it off and on still, I decided to call the pediatrician's office to see what they recommended. The nurse who called back didn't even know if I needed to bring him in or not!!!! But since we were due for his second flu shot anyway, I went ahead and made an appt--if he was too sick for a flu shot then we at least got meds to get him well and if he wasn't sick, then we got his shot! Turns out we got both visits accomplished. He has an ear infection in both ears and a mild case of eczema, plus he was well enough to get his flu shot. So, he's on antibiotics for 10 days to clear everything up and we'll be greasing him up with Eucerin lotion to see if we can clear up his dry skin patches. We'll see if we try daycare again next week! ;)

Ladies Man

Hubby here with a quick pic of our ladies man. Took Turner out in the neighborhood "Trick or Treating" but really just showing him off in his bear costume to our friends in the neighborhood and visiting a bit. He didn't really know what to think of the whole deal and was ready to get back home after a while. But he draws a crowd whenever he's out. What can I say? The girls love him.

just monkeying around

Turner's Aunt Noel just couldn't resist this swim "set", and since she got an employee discount on it after it was marked down for clearance, even if he can't wear it next summer we at least got some cute pics out of it to make it worth her cost. So here's the chunky monkey goin bananas in his stylin swim trunks and wetsuit shirt (with some pimpin' shades to boot) chillin in da crib!!! :)

can you "bear" seeing some more pics?

Again, let me remind you, that before you turn me in to DHR, we really were not feeding our child honey!! But he does look like he got caught red-handed a couple of times with his hand in the honey jar!! So, here are at least a couple more of the ideas we tried out during our photo shoot--to help our little bear fit into his environment. Enjoy!!!