{apology} {blah,blah,blah}

{Yes, it has been an awfully long time since I blogged. Why? I'm not quite sure. Life, maybe?

Finn is doing much better. He gets a breathing treatment once in the morning when he wakes up and once before he goes to sleep. I no longer count his breaths like a maniac and focus more on his breaths than on the amazing and hilarious little babe that he is. I have tons of stories about him, which I will save for his SIX MONTH post. Six months!! Can you believe it? I can't, that's for sure.

Eddie is also hilarious, obsessed with basketball and other sports. He, I suppose, is like most other three and a half year old boys, except he's tons better because he's mine.

And for your patience, I present to you...phone dump. I really need to find a better way to do this....

{taken when Finn was still sick, but he was happily playing with his favorite bear}

{brother love}

{even more brother love}

{bored at the car dealer}

{Smoothie mustache}

{taking a nap at the restaurant}

                                                                              

{guess who loves eye liner? SURPRISE!!}

{Kisses for Finney}

Oh...and I died my hair brown. I know, I know, you're shocked. Don't faint! I have about a million things coming up this month and next, loads of showers (babies and bridal!), swim meets, etc etc etc. Let's see if I can keep up blogging in the upcoming craziness.

"ooohhh, look at me..."

Reason #128 why I love Kelle Hampton....

Want the satisfaction of feeling all adventurous-go-get-'em without really having to go get 'em? Make a bucket list of very doable things and then do them. Cross them off your list with a big fat red marker just for the heck of it.

Like...
Eat day-old birthday cake using my hands for a plate. Check.
Brush my teeth with Dora bubble gum toothpaste. Check.
Do a crappy job painting my toenails and don't bother to clean up the smudges. Check, check.

Ooooh, look at me, I'm knockin' off my bucket list.



Seriously. What's on my bucket list today?

- Blow bubbles in milk with Eddie (seriously, blowing bubbles in milk should be on everyone's list)
- Have an early morning dance party (while holding crying baby means bonus points)
- Throw shit to wind and don't bother putting in a nursing pad, leak all over self (livin' large!)


We're crazy over here, let me tell you. You have no idea how many times this morning I've giggled to myself, saying "oooh, look at me, I'm knockin' off my bucket list". What's on your list today?



{I suppose I should update, too. Finn is doing ok. We were in the ER Sunday night because his breathing rate was far too high and wasn't coming down with treatments, even when we would do them back to back. Ugh. So we went to the ER for a chest xray (it was ok) and to check his oxygen (which was ok too) and were sent home to continue with the nebulizer. It was a long and kind of silly trip since we were kind of at the bottom of the barrel for ER standards, but at least we got a chest xray and it ruled out pneumonia}

Finney update

Oh, Finney man. We're on a ride that I'd quite like to get off....how about you?

So my last update was that Finn was on breathing treatments. Then on Friday Finn was doing well....happy, smiling and laughing, so I posted this oh-so-adorable picture of him on facebook.

{squee!!! isn't he the cutest?}

But when I pulled him out of him jumperoo I noticed that he was really huffing and puffing. I let him lay for a little bit to calm down and his breathing just didn't slow down. When I counted his breaths per minute, he was at 65. Now, babies should be at 30-40 per minute. 60 is dangerous. 70 is very dangerous. Finn's count of 65 was BAD news. I called the doctor, they told me to rush in (oh, let's go ahead and note that it was snowing like a mo-fo and they had closed most schools 2 hours earlier than I was driving to the doctor, so the roads were horrible and terrifying) and I immediately put in a call to Erin to come over and chill with Eddie. Can I even tell you how amazing Erin and Keith are? Oy. 

So after about 20 minutes of trying to get an accurate oxygen level on Finn, we got one (it was okay-ish, then not ok-ish, then back to ok-ish), he was diagnosed with RSV (scary) and sent home with orders to up his nebulizer treatments to every 2 hours, even through the night. 

{poor baby, holding his mask at 4am}

Needless to say, it's been a long couple of days. My world is consumed with counting breaths, giving treatments, checking heart rates (giving him albuterol this often can raise his heart rate too much), wiping a button nose and nursing to calm cries. Finn is in good spirits most of the time, thankfully, and hasn't shown any signs of developing fever (knock on wood) which could mean the even worse and even scarier pneumonia. Please, no pneumonia. 

Eddie is kind of struggling with all of the attention on Finn, but we'll get through. He had a sleepover and Grandma and Grandpa's today so he could soak up all of the attention that he wants over there, so hopefully that will help. 

Fingers crossed we have some good vibes in the Turza house, we need 'em!

Poor little lungs

Poor Finn. He caught Eddie's bug and his little lungs were just not able to fight as hard an older child (or even a baby without lung issues) would have. I took him in yesterday to get checked out - we were always told to be very cautious after he was born with lung problems - and Dr. P said he was doing ok, but to bring him in if anything changed, mainly if he started breathing close to 60 times per minute or if he had trouble swallowing. This morning I noticed he was breathing quite a bit and they were very gunky...he was wheezing with each breath. When I started to count I was getting 56 or 58 times per minute. Waaay to much. So I called, drove over (this is when I love that our pedi is less than 10 minutes from our house) and Dr. P counted 54 breaths with lots of squeaking and wheezing. Poor babe :( That lead us to this...

Poor munchkin's first breathing treatment. He did much better after and was back down to 37 breaths per minute. (and yes, I took a picture. babies love mirrors, right? well, when you're trying to calm down your baby and attempt to hold a mask to his face, the forward facing camera on the iphone works perfectly as a mirror!) And now the little man gets to have breathing treatments ever 4 hours. Dr. P said that it will be a couple of weeks until he can be off of the treatments all together, so hopefully Finn will learn to love his little mask. 

Sledding 2012

After our super-awesome fun sledding trip last year, I think all of us have been looking forward to sledding this year. My parents found some good sleds and we had ourselves a mini little outing to the side yard.

{finn was thrilled to be in the sled}

{but thankfully decided it wasn't that bad and slept through the rest of our adventure, snuggled up and away from our sled paths!}

{i love, love, love this picture. when we were outside i couldn't even see that i got my parents in it and was so happily surprised to see them!}

{also, eddie ran right over my foot about a second after i snapped this}

{cute}

{racing momma}

{and yes, i was going right for him so i ditched into the fence}

{geez, daddy didn't stand a chance!}

{i <3 my dad}

{he couldn't keep a serious face for long}

{so now not only is my parent's house the perfect summer house, it is the perfect winter house, too!}

{and leave it to my mom to fancy-fy chicken pot pie (its in a puff pastry)...it was deeelish!}

Even though our hill was smaller and we were missing some fun fellow sledders, this year's sledding trip was super fun. And man, it was so convenient to just walk in the house and get warm! oh, and I didn't break my ass this year, even though i fell square on it the first time i walked up our little baby hill.  so graceful :)

just roll with it

Some Finney updates....

*drooling, finger chewing Finn is rocking 2 little bottom teeth tooth buds. Could it be? I remember we could "see" Eddie's teeth for a long time before they popped up, but these boys are just about as opposite as you can get, so who knows.

*Finn got his first hair cut today!! Random, I know, but this monster was born with a head full of dark red/auburn hair which all decided to fall out. Well, all except about 12 hairs on the very very top, which were about an inch and a half longer than the other stuff. So today they finally drove me crazy enough that I snipped 'em. And they officially made the cutest my-momma-is-neurotic-baby's-first-haircut photo ever.

{aw, see ya crazy little hairs!}

*Finney Goo is also using rolling as his main mode of transportation. Can you believe it? I am officially back to my love/hate relationship with these wood floors. So far Finn loves to play on my yoga mat, so he rolls to one end and then I start him back to the beginning. If I let him go, though, he would easily roll across the house. Maybe now I can convince Frank to get a huge rug to put in the living room! 

{step one: to the side}

{step two: rock the belly}

{step three: smile at Momma}

And of course, we can't leave out Eddie. While today he has a pretty good cold going, he is freaking out over our big snow storm (well, first real one of the season at least) and yesterday he got over his fear of the big slide at swimming lessons!

{it took some convincing and me giving Coach Ryan the ok to....ahem....give a tiny little encouraging push....but he did it, loved it and hopefully won't look back!}

These boys. Gotta love 'em. 

Terrific Tuesday

Today was seriously the best day. It started wonderfully from the beginning - Eddie meandering into our room as I fed a still sleepy Finn, the smell of Frankie brewing coffee wafting up the stairs. A trip to Barnes and Noble meant playing trains and ooohing and ahhhing over every digger and truck book in the place, accentuated by an impromptu trip to the cafe for a quiche and hot chocolate next to the motorcycle magazines. While fielding questions like "Momma, why is there a girl in a bikini on the motorcycle magazine?" - which, good luck answering THAT ONE without opening a can of worms - I snuggled a sleeping Finn in the ring sling and realized that we need to do that more often. It was pretty fantastic.

{oh yes, a tall hot chocolate put Eddie into toddler heaven}

A trip to the Y (let the kids care ladies deal with Eddie's sugar high....lol!) to work out, a yummy lunch and a good couple hours playing in our GORGEOUS January weather? Goodness, this day could not get any better. We had only planned on a quick walk and a little bit of playtime outside, but the sun was shining brightly and my warm little cheeks inspired me to let Eddie skip nap and break out the stomp rocket. 

It's supposed to snow on Thursday.....could winter really be here by the end of the week? I'm going to miss my 53 degree January days! 

We disagree

My boys and I, we disagree.

Eddie feels like he should be able to eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants. This kid is having a hard time getting back on a non-holiday diet....thank you, advent calendar that gave my child chocolate everyday. Such a fun habit to break!

Finney feels that he can only nap while being held. Heaven forbid Momma wants to put him down to sleep on his own.

And while we're on sleep? Eddie thinks 6:30am looks wonderful. I know for a fact that Frankie disagrees on that one!

And worst of all? Finn thinks biting nipples is fun. I really, really, REALLY disagree.

{we do, however, agree that riding bikes outside in JANUARY when it is 50 degrees out is awesome}

{and we can all agree that Finn is adorable}

{and both of these boys can agree that their new chair from Jim is awesome}

{but Eddie and I disagree on sharing with Finn.....he had his first Finn-related freak out!}

5 months

Oh, Finney Mac. Baby boy, you're a whole 5 months old today, and like I say every month, you're growing up so fast. Just a couple weeks ago we put you in your jumperoo for the first time and had to put a pillow under you feet so your teeny little toes could rest on something. And last week, suddenly, you didn't need the pillow anymore. Could it be? Could you really be growing that fast? Sigh.

And speaking of your jumperoo, you love it. As much as you love me, easily. You jump and giggle as the lights flash and the music sings....the only thing that makes the jumperoo better is when Daddy or Eddie or I cheer you on and then? Your eyes light up with smiles that overtakes your whole being.

You still have smiles that make you burst with happiness, when an added giggle escapes your tiny mouth, but those are fewer now. Instead, you mostly smile with your eyes twinkling like I've never seen in any other baby and a tiny sigh escapes. As if you're saying "finally, you see me" even though we can make you do this for hours on end. If you are being held while two people are having a conversation, you randomly smile and sigh and the conversation stops, whoever you've caught the eye of just has to talk to you to get more of the smiles. They're addicting and as much as you need me, Finn, I need you and the smiles and sighs. (they tried to make me go to rehab and I said 'no, no no'....)

So a little more about you. The jumperoo you love, the bumbo seat you're not impressed with (and always wiggling to hang out one side of), but most of all you love to stand. Holding onto the ottoman or the couch or just holding onto our hands, you looove it. We're working on sitting, and so far you've got the tripod sit down most of the time. You usually hate tummy time, but yesterday I laid you on my yoga mat to entertain you while I did some poses and you loved it! You can inch worm along on it and the last couple of times I've tried to put you to tummy time on your blanket you yell right away, but tolerate it on the yoga mat. Daddy tried to help you inchworm last night and you promptly pushed your little legs straight and face planted. I don't think Daddy is going to help you with that again :) OH! And you're currently having a love affair with your toes. It is so funny to watch your pure joy when you grab them and notice what you've caught...its like a surprise every day!

You've started eating solid food, and even though I promised to make your food just like I did Eddie's, I went to the store and got a jar just to try it, and walking out to the car I realized just how much easier that was. Sorry buddy, no homemade food for you! I promise to get organic, though. And also? I promise to breastfeed you longer than I did Eddie. That makes it even, right? We haven't tried many different things, but so far your favorite thing is pears, which you gobbled up with such desperation that you think you hadn't been fed in days. You were absolutely insane for them!

You are wearing mostly 6 month clothes and just moved you up to size 3 diapers after a whole day of poo explosions (which was awesome, trust me). Your naps are still a little wonky, but I suppose that is the life of the little brother who spends most of his time being dragged around to big brother's activities. You are sleeping through the night, though, and that is all that matters to me as far as sleep goes.

Finney Mac, you're cute, you sweet and I love you to bits. Could there be anything else?

Popular Posts of 2011

Instead of doing the yearly quiz I'm going to do something different this year, mainly because I don't want to answer if I'm fatter or thinner this year. Do you even realize how many times that question pops up in different forms in that quiz?!?! (yes, maybe I'm trying to avoid something. leave me alone!)

So. I'm going to take a trip down memory lane and post the most popular posts of each month. I went into the archives and found what days got the most pageviews per month, and if I didn't agree then I chose my own....lol! Enjoy our 2011 review!

January

A small picture review of our New Year's Eve party last year, where I had to quietly decline champagne and try and make it not so obvious that I was pregnant. I failed miserably, wound up telling everyone and then that night also found out that my neighbor, Mariana, was pregnant too. SO FUN. Of course, none of that is in the post, but there are some ADORABLE pictures of Eddie rocking a tie. Win!

February

So posted above is the most popular post, the one in which I announced my pregnancy. This was most popular because I posted it on my facebook, and then my mom and best friend shared it, so it went way up in views. Speaking of my bestie, I shared her engagement pictures here, which was one of my favorites. And then I had to include one of my favorite winter memories ever, sledding with my family. I will never forget how much fun Eddie had, some of which I missed because my dad and I ran around to 5 different stores trying to find better sleds. 

March

Oh March, you kinda sucked in the beginning. Pregnant with Finn, I was hospitalized with the flu and then told that because of the tamiflu Finn would have birth defects. I still hate that doctor. Not a very fun memory. But there were good times, too, including one of my favorite memories of Eddie watering my baby belly. 

April

April brought Easter, one of my favorite holidays with Eddie, mainly because he ran around looking for Easter Eggs proclaiming 'silly bunny!' when he would find one. And how can you not love the shirtless egg dying pictures? But I think the very best post of April was when we went to Uncle Mike's firehouse! Eddie loved that day so much, it was hard not to include it here. 

May

Some of my favorite pictures of Eddie in that post above, but other May highlights include Mother's Day, where I remember feeling so incredibly beautiful and perfectly pregnant. Also? I laughed hysterically when I read this post from my disastrous day meeting Jen at the Shedd. Funny to think that is also the day that I let it slip to Jen that I knew that we were having a boy, when we were still telling everyone that we didn't know what baby was. 

June

We did a lot of things in June...the fly in breakfast, pin stripes, the boat races....but all of that is trumped by what happened at the end of June, preterm labor with Finn. Reading that post now, one that I've purposely stayed away from, was hard. The feelings come flooding back.....calling my brother and crying that Finn was too small to come, the post I put on facebook asking for prayers and announcing that it was a boy and his name was Finn. In that moment, I was so scared, terrified down to my soul and the only thing that I could think was that I needed support. I needed all the help I could get, because up to that point medicine was failing me and I was failing Finn. And then, remembering that the support and the prayers, they worked. THEY WORKED. That in itself has changed my view of God. On the helicopter, my contractions slowed and then stopped. The pictures of the helicopter ride don't bother me  much, but the pictures in the hospital do.....trying to make things appear normal for Eddie, trying to make him laugh, I'll never forget that. And even though I don't remember much of the visit, my brother and Amy driving up and saying hello, a 4+ hour drive, to stay for around an hour. My brother was so my rock in this...he stays remarkably calm no matter what, and time after time with Finn's troubles I turned to him. Ever wonder why Finn's middle name is Matthew? There ya go :)

July

Overall July was great. The post above has some great pictures of Eddie in the sprinkler, which will always remind me of this summer...Eddie was constantly in a suit in my parent's yard. Other fun was our accidentally perfect 4th of July when we found that the DQ was the perfect spot to watch fireworks. (also I'll never forget the text from Jen that followed that post saying that she'd gladly paint my turquoise toes. hater.) You've got to love Eddie in a tie, which is why this post gets on this list. And, of course, Jim and Michelle's wedding has to be up here. 

August

Oh, August. You were not at all what you were supposed to be. Above is the first post of August, were I note that I was off and then back on my Procardia. The post is funny for me to read in that whole "if you only knew what was coming" kind of way. And by funny I mean that I wanted to kick my own ass when I said I was nesting and cleaning. Would things have been different otherwise? Of course August was bombed with posts about Finn and the NICU. His birth story here, a wrap up post here and of course lots more. (can you believe his hair? So much, and so dark!! It has almost all fallen out and what is coming in really light) And Eddie's birthday post is one of my favorites ever. 

September

Aw, Eddie's first day of school post is above. I remember being so nervous leaving him there. And now? I run out of the building :) Just kidding! kinda. And goodness, how could I not include Eddie's birthday party and the screw that went through my Dad's leg? 

October

A pretty boring blog month overall. Some cute pictures from our town festival up there, but that's about it. Lots of fun things happened, but I posted them in November. They include Oktoberfest at the lake and our cousin halloween party. Oh, and Halloween!

November

Plain and simple: one of my favorite posts, ever, above. Our instagram thanksgiving is great, too. And, of course, real thanksgiving (posted in December).

December

Love that post about Eddie. But my favorite day has to be the trip to Navy Pier. Eddie still talks about it and asks to go back! And of course, our wonderful Christmas and Christmas Eve. 

Phew. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings us. We've got lots of weddings, babies to be born, big parties to be planned. Can't wait!