Matt and Julee Turner

Playing with new toys!

2012-01-31T09:06:00.001-06:00

This weekend, we broke out some new toys for Preslee to play with! I think we may have had more fun than she did! :)

Matt's aunts got her this PRECIOUS pink car walker! Obviously, she can't use it as a walker yet but she sat up in it and looked so big! This is going to be such a fun toy!

This picture cracks me up!! She wasn't sure what to think the first time in the bumbo!

Achievement of the week= napping in the swing! Oh and loving on her baby doll! :)

She was trying out her first cell phone and purse before we went shopping yesterday!

She also tested out her jumperoo! I think this will be a really fun thing for her very soon! Right now she just sat and looked at us! ha!

This outfit is her first 0-3 month to wear! And she wore size 1 diapers today! She looked SO cute but who knew I would be sad about these 2 things?! I love that we have more outfits to wear but it makes me so sad that I am already packing away her newborn clothes!

My heart may explode! I seriously love her more every day!

Preslee's 2nd month

2012-01-29T10:42:00.000-06:00

Happy 2 months Preslee Bell Turner!

Things to remember about Preslee's second month:

You weigh 9 pounds this week! You are now gaining about an ounce a day!
You are still wearing newborn diapers and newborn clothes.
You are breastfeeding exclusively and doing much better. You take a bottle of breast milk very easily if we are out and about!
You are nursing for 45 min- every 3 hours during the day and but started sleeping 5-6 hour stretches in the 2nd month. And the week you turned 8 weeks you are only waking once in a 12 hour period at night! Momma is loving the sleep at night!
After you nurse, you are SO sweet!! You are talking so much and love to raise your eyebrows and try to make the noises we are making to you!
The day you turned 5 weeks old, we moved you to your crib! You still sleep on the nap nanny (incline) but inside the crib.
You are swaddled in the miracle blanket every time you sleep in the crib! You fight it for a few minutes but it helps keep you asleep since your arms like to be in the air!
You were diagnosed with reflux at 5 weeks and have been on 15mg of Prevacid a day.
We give you mylicon for gas, mylanta for reflux and gripe water for hiccups! You take all of it very well!
Your still fussy when your tired but I think your painful fussiness is a little better now!
You still don't always love the swing but you have taken a few naps in it. You really like your bright pink bouncy seat/rocker that has hanging toys. And you still LOVE laying on your changing pad! Thats where we do all our talking!
You try to swat/reach for toys on your bouncer and activity mat.
We still try to give you a pacifier but you just don't suck hard enough to keep it in your mouth.
At 7 weeks, you rolled over from your belly to your back! Nanny and Pop were here and LiLi just happened to be on FaceTime so everyone got to see it! Special moment!
You are getting to be so alert during the day and noticing so many things!
You have great neck control and hold your head up so well!
Your hair is growing and so far you haven't lost any!
You found your hands and have started to suck on your fist! I wish you would suck your thumb since you still don't love the paci!
You don't normally love your carseat but at 7 weeks old, you slept all the way to Arkadelphia and back!
You have found the living room big tv and will watch it for long periods of time!
You really enjoy your bath and sleep so good after your bedtime bath!
You have started to really smile at mommy and daddy! You recognize our voices and we just love when you talk to us!
Your 2 month doctors appt. was this week and you cried harder than I have ever seen when you got your shots but were quickly settled down by immediately nursing! I gave you tylenol every 4 hours and thankfully you had no side effects from the shots!

Cute ruffle booty and really crazy hair! :)

Preslee- This month has been so much easier for mommy! I have loved every day with you, even the fussy ones! You are my little doll and I love dressing you up even when we have no where to go! I love you more than words can say!

My two babies.

2012-01-28T11:27:00.001-06:00

Weekend with family!

2012-01-27T12:53:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, we traveled home to our parents house! Matt's grandparents got the stomach bug at Christmas so we didn't get to spend any time with them. They, along with the rest of our family, were dying to see Preslee again

I was worried about the car ride since its 3.5hrs but she did great!! We didn't leave until Matt got off work on Friday night so I gave her a bath at 11pm then nursed her at 11:30. She went straight to sleep before we got on the interstate and slept the WHOLE car ride home! Praise the Lord! :)

I got this precious outfit at a consignment store. I LOVE it and thought she looked so freaking cute in it!

I could eat her up!

Matt's G-dad was trying to hold her but she was a little cranky!

Sweet gram rocked her while she slept!

We all just sat around and stared at her all weekend!

She talked to G-dad and Gram before her bath!

Laying in the cradle that I slept in when I was her age!

Sweet girl loves her momma!

Blaise, Cabb and Jill Batson came over to meet Preslee!

We had so much fun seeing our family and friends in Arkadelphia! I am sure there will be many more trips home for everyone to see our baby girl!

January Birthdays

2012-01-26T10:24:00.000-06:00

Matt turned 32 on January 8th! His mom, brother and brother's fiancé came up to help celebrate. We grilled out and had a cute NBC news strawberry cake!

Preslee helped her daddy blow out the candles! I think she will enjoy his birthday much more by next year. :)

Then our nephew, Seth turned 2 on January 15th! He had a cutest cowboy themed birthday party!

Preslee got dressed up like a cowgirl to go to the party!

Love this pic of my brother and me with our babies!

Rachel does an amazing job with party planning! All the decor and food was too cute!

Pretty cowgirl trying to stay awake during the party!

Birthday boy blowing out his candle!

My mom found Preslee this cute horseshoe jacket and boots at a local farm supply store! Nanny to the rescue for cowgirl attire! :)

Seth had real ponies at his party for all the kids to ride! It was such a fun party!

Seth got this cute grocery cart for his birthday and it was small enough for Preslee to ride in it! Too funny!

Seth tried to push her in it! haha!

I foresee lots of fun birthday parties with Seth and Preslee growing up together!

Preslee's 1st month

2012-01-25T12:00:00.005-06:00

Getting closer to being caught up! Better late than never...

Things to remember about Preslee's first month:

You had trouble gaining weight this month but by 4 weeks you were a little over 7 pounds. You got down to 6.3 & stayed at 6.7 for over a week.
We had to supplement with formula/or expressed breast milk after nursing for a week because of your poor weight gain.
You had jaundice but after getting your bowels going, it went away quickly! :)
You started out in premie diapers and few premie clothes but within the first 2 weeks you were wearing newborn diapers and newborn clothes.
You are breastfeeding even though its a challenge. You are nursing every 3 hours during the day and every 3-4 at night. I have to wake you in the night to make sure that you are eating enough to gain weight. We are both very tired during those night feedings!
You sleep on the nap nanny (incline) inside the cradle, beside our bed! I hear all your noises so I don't sleep well.
You are pretty fussy baby and only have a few content times during the day.
You don't like the swing or bouncy seat but LOVE laying on your changing pad!
We try to give you a pacifier but you just don't seem to like it.
We think you have great head & neck control for such a tiny baby!
Your grandmothers have been helping with us all month and they love to rock you to sleep!
You made your first road trip to Arkadelphia.
We celebrated your first Christmas and New Years.
Your brother Romeo seems to really be ok with you being in our house. He doesn't like when you cry really hard and will come running in the room to look at you!

Preslee- You are the most beautiful baby girl we have ever seen! We can't believe you are ours and can't wait to see how you grow each month!

Childhood friends plus babies!

2012-01-24T15:53:00.001-06:00

When I was home for Christmas, some of my hometown friends got together to hang out and have a play date with all the new kiddos! It was so fun to see each other since we don't all live near each other anymore!

Katie and her fiance Kevin were in town from NYC and arranged this get together! I was so excited for Katie to meet Preslee! :)

Kristin and me with our baby girls! Elliott was only 5 days old here! I love that we are mommies together and can't wait for our girls to be best friends like their mommas!

Preslee woke up and wasn't happy at all!

Mommies trying to get their babies to take a pic... but it just wasn't working at all!

Two of my best friends had boys a year ago and then the 2 girls were born this year so we tried to take a pic of the 4 kids... this is how it went!

Seriously, I laugh so hard every time I see this pic! The girls are NOT happy and the boys are so confused!

Gus is over the screaming and just got up to leave!

There is a special love I feel for my best friends kids! I can't wait for more play dates when they are older and the girls are a little more pleasant! :)

Preslee's First Christmas

2012-01-23T10:10:00.000-06:00

I did a terrible job at documenting Preslee's first Christmas! I was just so sick that I wasn't myself. I barely took any pics! I just hate it but we did have a good Christmas with our baby girl! I didn't care if I got one present because Preslee was the best gift I could ever receive!

We spent Christmas morning with Matt's mom! It was a special morning as Preslee's first Christmas but also Matt's brother proposed to his girlfriend as we were opening presents!

Best thing about Christmas was my Papaw meeting his great-granddaughter! My Papaw means so much to me and has been so excited about me having a baby girl so I couldn't wait for him to see Preslee!

My dad's family also came to meet Preslee too! She met both her great uncles and aunts! She was very fond of my Aunt Ann! She slept on her all evening through lots of loud talking!

My childhood best friend, Tizzie came to meet Preslee too! I loved getting to see her and her family!

We didn't do much for Preslee for Christmas because she is so little and we knew the grandparents would do so much. But Santa did bring a special present... This rocking Polar bear is the cutest thing I had ever seen!! It's precious in her nursery and I can't wait for her to play on it!

Stockings for the babies at my parent's house!

Christmas with children is something I dreamed of and look forward to for the rest of my life!

Preslee got her first baby doll from Nanny and Pop!

Seth was such a joy to be with this Christmas! We were blessed with 2 kids entering our family this year and I can't wait for all the fun times we will have together!

Seth LOVED his drum set and knew exactly what to do with it! Future musician like his dad! :)

Sweet cousins!

Birthday twins--- Macy Boyles and Preslee were due a day apart but were born on the same day! It was fun to get the girls together while I was home for Christmas! Macy slept the whole time and Preslee fussed the whole time! Ha! Maybe our next playmate will be more fun for them! :)

Pretty girl at 4 weeks old!

New mom struggles

2012-01-20T09:19:00.000-06:00

I kind of fell off the blogging world since Preslee was born and I want to share why...

For 2 years, all I thought about daily was getting pregnant. I wanted it so badly and shed a lot of tears each month when the test came back negative. We had some pretty rough times throughout our journey, so when I became pregnant, I just assumed all of that was over and imagined the happy times we were about to have with our miracle baby!

The first days in the hospital were so special. Besides the fatigue, I was just in love with our baby girl! But when we got home, my extreme fatigue really set-in...especially after the first night of Preslee nursing and crying. The first morning home, I called my mom to come downstairs because I was bawling. It was uncontrolable crying and I didn't know what was wrong!

Everyone had told me about "the baby blues" but I guess I never thought it would happen to me. It's hard to imagine that you can go from crying about infertility for months or years and then have a baby -- only to start crying again. This baby is what I had been dreaming of for such a long time and I couldn't understand why I was so sad.

The first weeks are an absolute blur! Matt went back to work at the TV station after the first week and my Mom stayed with me for two weeks. But when she got ready to leave, I just cried and cried.

I didn't feel like I could take care of Preslee by myself. It was the weirdest feeling but I still thought it was the fatigue that was getting to me! I was getting through the day but I had never felt so much anxiety. I was sick from it. I couldn't eat and I was losing a lot of weight. I was cold all day and cried non stop!

After getting over jaundice, I took Preslee to her 2 week weight check. I had been nursing every 3 hours daily and waking her up in the night to make sure she was eating enough and gaining weight! Well... at the weight check, she hadn't gained any thing for a week! I had a complete meltdown at the clinic! So my mom came back after only being gone 4 days. I started pumping after each feeding and we were supplementing with breast milk or formula after each feeding until we could get her weight up. I met with a lactation consultant and I started using a nipple shield. After a few more weight check appointments, we finally got her gaining and I went back to just nursing. Preslee isn't a good nurser. She struggles with latching and still does, but we are sticking it out and every day we work through it because I am determined to give her my milk for as long as I can!

Then we headed home for Christmas when Preslee was 3.5 weeks old. I was very overwhelmed with packing and traveling with my newborn. When we got home, I had our moms help but all I wanted to do was sleep. Every night around dinner, I started feeling terrible. I had flu-like symptoms and just wanted to get in bed and not get up! I stayed at my moms a few days after Christmas and after a complete anxiety attack one night, I told my mom that I just didn't feel right. This was not normal. It had been 4 weeks and I just wasn't happy!

I was very scared that I was never going to feel better or stop the daily crying. All I wanted was to feel normal and to enjoy my baby girl. I also felt SO much guilt. Guilt that I wasn't enjoying nursing, that I wasn't being a good wife or mom, and that I was missing out on the first precious weeks with my newborn.

Finally after encouragement from friends and family, I made an appt with my OB. I told her everything I had been feeling and she thought it was time for me to take some medication. So on the day that Preslee turned 5 weeks old, I started Lexapro. It took a lot for me give it a try but I knew if I was going to be a good mom to my baby, that I had no other choice! (Now I wish I had started it a lot sooner!)

On the same day that I started meds, Preslee also started prevacid for reflux. She has been a very fussy baby and now we know why. I am hoping she grows out of it quickly. But thankfully, my medicine started working and I finally feel like I can handle daily life with a newborn!

So all that said... this is the reason for my blog absence! But I am feeling SO much better so I wanted to be open with my new mom struggles. I have always shared all details during our infertility journey and I just wanted to share this with any others that may suffer from postpartum depression. It's a very lonely & scary feeling but with lots of family support & medication, I have gotten through it and hope to be able to support any one else that faces this unexepected struggle!

1st week with Preslee

2012-01-19T09:00:00.001-06:00

I am doing some major catching up on the blog so hang with me until I can get up to date! :)

Coming home from the hospital with our baby girl was such a fun thing! We had lots of family waiting for us at home and Romeo was missing us badly!

Daddy with his little doll getting ready to leave the hospital!

She slept through her first car ride!

Home sweet home!

Big Brother Romeo was waiting at the door to greet us!

First pic as a family of 4

The first week wasn't how I imagined. I don't really know what I imagined but on top of being so tired and sore, our baby girl had jaundice!
She left the hospital with bilirubin levels at 16, 2 days later is was 17.5 and maxed out at 18! After 3 trips to the lab for blood work, it finally started dropping and we thankfully didn't have to go back in for phototherapy!

She got her first bath!

Look at those curls! And now that I look back, I see she was so yellow from jaundice!

We were in LOVE immediately!

And we have constantly taken pics and video of her since was born! That is half the reason I am so behind on blogging, because I am overwhelmed on what to document! ha!

My dad came back up for the weekend and he had to split his attention 3 ways! :)

1 week picture

Much more of Preslee's first month coming up...

November 29, 2011

2012-01-18T17:00:00.001-06:00

I want to remember the details of Preslee's birthday so better late than never...

Monday, the day before my induction I went for my 39 week appt. I was dilated to a 3 and 90% effaced. I had been having lots of contractions but my doctor thought I would make it until I checked in to the hospital at 6am the next morning. My mom was in town and we ran a few errands after my appt. I remember having to stop in the middle of the aisle at Target to breath through a strong contraction!

We came home after picking up dinner and the contractions kept coming! By 9:30, mom was laying in bed with me and we were counting contractions! Matt's mom, Lisa was on her way to Fayetteville but my dad was going to get up early and drive up. By 10:30, I text Matt who was finishing up the newscast and told him that I thought we were going to have to go to the hospital because the contractions were getting so painful. He came straight home, showered and packed our stuff. We were getting ready to leave the house around 12:30 and my water broke! It scared me because it happened so fast! I changed clothes quickly and we jumped in the car. I had REALLY strong contractions all the way to the hospital that is just 10 min away.

When I got my room around 1:15am, I was dilated to a 5 and 100% effaced! I couldn't believe I was really in labor and was going to be actually having a baby!! And I wanted my epidural ASAP! We called our moms and they came up to the hospital. My dad left in the middle of the night and drove 85mph all the way! And my friends Jennifer and Jill also headed up to be with us at the hospital.

I was having VERY strong contractions and about 2-3 min apart! I went from a 5 to a 7 in a hour and the anesthesiologist was taking his sweet time! He finally got there after 2 hours of the most intense pain I have ever felt! I didn't take any kind of birthing class so I was just breathing through the pain any way I knew how! I couldn't talk to anyone and didn't want anyone to talk to me! ha!

After the epi, I was checked and was an 8+! I never wanted to feel labor pain. I planned to get the epi as soon as I could so I was in shock that I had just gone to an 8 without an pain meds! The epidural kicked in and I felt SO much better. The epidural slowed my labor down, but that gave my dad extra time to make it! :)

My brother, SIL and nephew also came up to the hospital in the middle of night to be with us!

Once it was time for me to push, my parents, Lisa and Matt stayed in the room. We had a big room so my dad could stand off to the side and video. I was so glad to have our parents in there with us to experience the long awaited birth of their granddaughter!

Quick pic with my dr before pushing! :) I was so thankful she came up to deliver even though she wasn't on call!

The moment I saw our baby girl is a moment that I will never forget! We all were so emotional and couldn't believe she was really here! Best moment of my life!!

I love this picture so much! Priceless!

Having our first mother-daughter chat! :)

My best friend, Jennifer getting to meet Preslee! I love that we have been with each other for the births of our kids and now get to be moms together!

I dreamed of this day all my life. I will not forget the sad days of infertility but I know after seeing my baby girl that every thing is for a reason and she is the baby God had waiting for me!

Our Christmas Card!

2012-01-02T18:13:00.003-06:00

Photos by: NW Photoworks
Card design: Leslie- www.girafficarts.blogspot.com

Meeting Santa

2011-12-20T11:07:00.001-06:00

Yes, I am the parent that took their 2 week old to see Santa! (Please don't think badly of me!) Ha! I really debated it for a while because of the germs and getting her out into such a public place like the mall, but I just couldn't let her first Christmas go by without a pic with Santa!!

I absolutely love the Santa photo we got!! Santa did this pose all on his own and I thought it was perfect!

We were getting ready to tell him what she wanted for Christmas! I think I should have sat down and asked for sleep! :)

I was so thankful we got to the mall and she wasn't having a meltdown! She didn't even wake up to talk to Santa!

I couldn't get a good pic of her pretty Santa Baby gown but she looked s0 precious!

After being such a good girl, it was time to eat... :)

Big Brother Romeo

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-06:00

We have been so impressed and SO proud of Romeo! Other than the few things he has stolen to try to get attention, he has adjusted very well to having a baby living in the house! He even seems to really care about Preslee and is worried about her when she cries. He will come to the other room and look at me like, "Aren't you going to do something about that baby screaming?" ha! I just love how sweet he is around her and when he laid down next to her in these pics, my heart seriously melted!!

Can't wait to see them be best friends! :)

Preslee's Friends and Family

2011-12-17T22:56:00.010-06:00

I am sorry I haven't blogged lately, but you mothers know how hard it is with a newborn! Please forgive me. We have been nursing every 2 to 3 hours around the clock. I didn't realize how tired I would be! So, my poor blog has suffered because of it. Hopefully, soon my energy level will return. Sleep would be nice, but we are really enjoying this time as a family of four.

We have had so many friends come by to see Preslee. It is so much fun showing her off. She doesn't fit in many of her clothes though because she is so little!

Sweet Brody really loves Preslee! He said, "Preslee is so beautiful!". It melted my heart!!

Melissa came over and bounced/patted Preslee while she cried! :)

Lucy, Mary and Jonathan Bost came over to see us and brought a basket full of goodies!

Aunt Rachel has been over a few times to love on Preslee!

Uncle Evan loves his niece! :)

My childhood best friend came all the way from Arkadelphia to see Preslee!! And she will be having baby Elliott THIS week! Can't believe our girls are only going to be 3 weeks apart!

Sweet Paula came to see Preslee and brought us a delicious meal!

Jennifer has been over many times of course, but Josh had to come meet Preslee too!

Some of Matt's family were here when we got home from the hospital! I am so glad they came.

My mom has been here all except 4 days I have been home. I could not have done it without her. In fact, she is helping me type this blog. My dad has also been here to help out getting breakfast and walking the dogs.

I wish I had time to add more and more pics of all the family and friends that have visited us in the last 3 weeks! We feel so blessed by all of them! Despite the whirlwind of fatigue, I am so happy to have this sweet baby in my arms!

iPhone pics of Preslee

2011-12-06T06:42:00.000-06:00

I will return to the blog soon, I promise! But until then... Here's some pics of our cutie from the past week!

Preslee Bell Turner

2011-12-01T14:27:00.000-06:00

Our wonderful blessing from God is here and we couldn't be more in love!!

She was born November 29, 2011 at 6:56 a.m.

She weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces and was 20 inches long.

We are so thankful to be home with our little angel! Many more pics and updates to come...

39 weeks

2011-11-28T11:03:00.000-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 39 weeks - LAST week of pregnancy! :)

Size of baby: 20 inches and about 6.16 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Weight gain: 22 pounds

Movement: She is only moving a lot during certain parts of the day. I know she will has no room! But she is getting bigger and stronger!

Sleep: Sleeping is just hard with a big belly, hips that are sore and bladder that always needs emptying! :)

Symptoms: Uncomfortable! Cramping and contractions but nothing regular or super close together. Low back just feels weak and sore! As of last Wednesday, I was still 2cm and 90% effaced.

Cravings: No cravings this week, just ate a ton of food during Thanksgiving!

Best moment this week: My family all coming to visit us for Thanksgiving, everything being checked off my to-do list but most of all knowing that I am going to HAVE A BABY THIS WEEK!!!!!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T13:35:00.000-06:00

Matt and I always travel home for holidays so this year since we couldn't travel anywhere for Thanksgiving so my family came to us! We really missed being with Matt's family and missed being in the annual family picture!! But next year we will be there and it will be extra special with Miss Preslee in it!

Wingfield family 2011

My parents and grandpa came to our house on Tuesday. I was so excited that my Papaw was coming all the way from Tennessee! I was wishing Preslee would decide to join us a little early so he could meet her but that didn't end up happening. But we had a great 3 days with him and can't wait to see him again at Christmas!

My dad fried the turkey this year! This was the first time we have done this and it was SO good! I want to do it that way from now on!

It was so moist and was seasoned with Tony Chachere! It was SO yummy!

Mom and I made pecan pie and banana pudding! I seriously could have eaten all that pudding myself! ha!

Papaw got to spend a little time with Seth too! He had met him back in May but he was in the hospital with his broken hip and barely remembered us being there! I thought this pic was super sweet!

We love our sweet nephew!

Caught eating before everything was done! Sharing this pic to remember how dang big I was on this Thanksgiving!

I really loved having Thanksgiving at my house this year, especially since I didn't have to do any of the cooking! ha!

The very soon-to-be parents! :)

Self-timer family pic that turned out pretty decent! :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family!

38 weeks

2011-11-21T20:39:00.001-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 38 weeks

Size of baby: 19.6 inches and about 6.11 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Weight gain: 21 pounds

Movement: She is still rolling around and I am trying to treasure all those movements because I know they are about to be over!

Sleep: I am barely getting any sleep now. Peeing at least every 2 hours and just can't get comfy! I am looking very tired! I guess I am just getting used to my new reality! :)

Symptoms: Uncomfortable! Cramping, Lots of painless but stronger contractions... I would say at least twice an hour if not more. Low back just feels weak and sore! As of Friday, I was 2cm and 90% effaced.

Cravings: I am just hungry all the time! Loving Sonic again, thanks to Prilosec helping with reflux!

Best moment this week: Matt's mom and aunt came up this past weekend and helped me decorate for Christmas then cleaned my house from top to bottom! I can never say thank you enough for all they helped me do! I am so excited to have Christmas decorations up before she comes!! I am so grateful that I have such a wonderful in-law family that loves us so much!

Preslee,

You can come any time now baby girl! So many people are excited to meet you and are praying for your safe delivery! We are all anxiously awaiting your arrival and can't wait to fall in love with you! Love, Mommy

Preslee's Nursery

2011-11-17T11:17:00.001-06:00

It's hard to capture the room in photos but we think it's perfect for our sweet girl! There are a few finishing touches (like more stuff on the hanging shelves) that may or may not happen before she arrives. We can't wait to make many memories with her in this nursery!

Nursery details:

Wall color- Benjamin Moore "Waynesboro Taupe"

Crib- Oeuf Sparrow Crib (ordered from totsnstyle.com)

Bedding- Oilo Taupe modern berries bedding set (ordered from poppyclementine.com)

Curtains- Solid pink panels (ordered from babybedding.com)

Glider- Best chair Hagen glider- fabric color "Pumice" (ordered from a local store)

Dresser & night stand- Bonavita Metro collection (ordred from a local store)

Armoire- especially made by my Papaw and Uncle

Lamps and cube shelf- Target

Cloth bins in shelf- Babies R Us

Mirror & hanging shelves- (ordered from homedecorators.com)

Name canvas- especially made by a friend

If you have questions about any other nursery details, please email me at julee_bell@yahoo.com!

The end is near!

2011-11-15T21:42:00.001-06:00

Tonight, I am sitting in bed thinking...

I can hardly believe that I will be a MOM sometime in the next 2 weeks!! What?!! I have dreamed about this for so long and it's coming so soon that I am almost in shock that it's really happening!

Tomorrow is my last day of work! How is it possible that it's my turn to take maternity leave???!

I have a nursery, baby products all over the house and a precious cradle next to my bed just waiting for a baby girl to come and LIVE AT OUR HOUSE FOREVER!

As hard as I try, it's just not possible for me to picture what she will look like. Will she have hair, will she be little or big, will she have my features or Matt's?? Obviously it doesn't matter but I just can't wait to put a face to her precious name!

My mind is racing with thoughts about labor, being at hospital and basically all of the unknowns but I know that it will all be perfect when I get to meet Preslee for the first time!

I absolutely can not wait to see Matt holding his little girl! I don't think he can even imagine how much he is going to be in love with her. And I feel like I may fall in love all over again watching him with her!

I'm just thanking God that my dream is about to come true! Oh My Goodness... I am about to be a MOTHER!!

37 weeks

2011-11-14T15:27:00.000-06:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Size of baby: 19.1 inches and about 6.5 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Weight gain: 19 pounds

Movement: Slow stretching movements and she still has a few active times of the day but there's not much room to move in there now!

Sleep: Getting up every 2 hours to pee but sleeping decently between the pee breaks. Trying to not take naps so that I can sleep good at night!

Symptoms: Cramping is a new symptom this week. Lots of braxton hicks contractions... I would say at least twice an hour if not more. Low back just feels weak and sore!

Cravings: I am just hungry all the time this week!

Best moment this week: My co-workers all went out to eat to Noodles for hangout/baby shower! It was fun to be together since I am about to not be around them everyday! I will miss knowing what's going on at the salon! :) I am very blessed to love my job and love all these girls (and boy) that I work with!

36 weeks

2011-11-08T21:03:00.001-06:00

Whoa! That is big ole' belly! And a very tired looking momma! :)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 weeks

Size of baby: 18.6 inches and about 5.13 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes everything is maternity except Matt's large tshirts!

Weight gain: 19 pounds

Movement: She still has a few active times of the day but I can tell this week that she has really started to slow down.

Sleep: As you can see from my tired eyes in the pic, sleep is not so good anymore! I can't sleep any longer than 2 hours, then I am up to pee!

Symptoms: Fatigue is here to stay! Having some strong but painless contractions, pains in my back, ribs and hips and many twinges, aches & pressure as I feel her getting lower!

Cravings: I am missing my sweets but this week I got some Twizzlers and finished off the bag tonight! :)

Best moment this week: Spending the past weekend with Matt! I know our time as just the two of us is almost gone so I really cherished the 2 full days together!

25 days until due date--- 4 days from TODAY I will be full term! Praise the Lord!

Weekend with the Shibas!

2011-11-05T16:12:00.002-05:00

Romeo's best friend Tucker is spending the weekend with us! We all LOVE having him here with us!

Romeo waiting for Tuck to arrive on Thursday!

They do everything together! :)

Tucker was waving at the camera!

Sweet boys! So similar yet so many differences!

This is how I found them on Friday morning! Loved this pic!

They play a lot but they sure need a lot of rest too! Tucker likes to cuddle and I love it!

I love Shiba Inus so much! I am not sure I can have any other kind of dog! :)

35 weeks

2011-11-02T09:47:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 weeks

Size of baby: 18.2 inches and about 5.6 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes everything is maternity at this point! And if you are really observant, you will notice I had on the same shirt 3 weeks ago in my weekly pic. I am running out of options and don't feel like buying anything for only a month!

Weight gain: 19 pounds

Movement: Poor girl has got to be cramped in my small torso! I feel her trying to stretch and roll around! She has active times of the day and from 12am-2am she moves the most of all! I am sure she will be a night owl like her parents! :)

Sleep: Besides the many pee breaks and normal aches in the night, I am sleeping decently!

Symptoms: Fatigue is getting worse, tons of braxton hicks contractions, pains in my back, ribs and hips and many twinges, aches & pressure as I feel her getting lower!

Cravings: Nothing new this week... I want many things (like mexican food) but have to go without because of the pain I would feel if I ate it!

Best moment this week: Starting my weekly doctor appts! But on that note, my least favorite moment was my first cervix check! Ouch!

31 days until due date--- 10 days until full term!!

Trick-or-Treating

2011-11-01T09:52:00.000-05:00

I went trick-or-treating last night with the cutest Robot ever!! This is my first Halloween as an aunt and I knew I couldn't miss seeing Seth!! I also had to make a special delivery of some yummy Halloween treats from my mom to her sweet grandbaby! :)

Seth with Pirate Jack

Family photo before going out to get candy!

Cute Robot playing peek-a-boo!

He really liked his Vampire Mickey that I got him! I hate this pic of me but it was too cute of Seth not to share! :)

Love seeing my brother as a sweet daddy!

I had a lot of fun with this litte robot and look forward to Seth showing Preslee how to trick-or-treat next year!

Our hometown shower!

2011-10-28T09:05:00.001-05:00

Matt and I were blessed with a hometown baby shower Sunday in Arkadelphia! Both of us had been looking forward to this day for quite a while. Matt's dad was the pastor of our church for 27 years before he passed away in 2005 after a battle with leukemia.

Over that period of time, we developed some very close relationships with many people at Third Street Baptist. And even though we haven't seen some of them in a long time, they showed up in big numbers to shower us with generosity.

And they weren't alone either. A lot of our family members and good friends from Arkadelphia also attended the shower. We had a huge turnout and were completely overwhelmed by all the gifts we received!

I guess they know how much I love sweets because there were lots of chocolate treats and some really tasty pink punch!

The diaper cake was too cute!! It was made for a Princess, topped with a tiara! :)

These were the cutest bloomers ever on the back side of the diaper cake!

Cute display of candies!

These cake balls on a stick were pretty much to die for! YUMMY!

I had actually seen this plate before and always thought it was so cute! It's extra special with that baby on top! :)

I thought this "Midnight Messages to Matt" was the cutest idea ever!

All the guests wrote special notes to Matt on Preslee's diapers.

Hopefully, these diaper messages will provide a laugh when Matt is groggy in the middle of the night on diaper duty!

Matt and his pretty momma!

She is so excited about finally getting a girl to spoil after having 2 boys!

I was so excited to see my sweet and long-time friend Kara! She coached me in cheerleading and gymnastics when I was in middle school!

She was also an EEE at Ouachita before I was, and she got Preslee this precious gown!! (The EEE sorority mascot is Mickey)

I'm not sure there are words to say how grateful I am for all these baby gifts! I was completely overwhelmed while opening presents for a full 2 hours! But it was SO much fun!

I mean come on....how could I not have fun opening cute things like this?!

Sweet Blaise was also there and helped me open a few gifts! She's excited about Miss Preslee coming and I can't wait to see Blaise and her brother Cabb with our sweet little girl!

My childhood best friends, Kristin and Tizzie helped host my shower! I love these girls so much and I never could have dreamed about the time we would all be mothers!! Kristin is due Jan. 9th with Miss Elliott and Tizzie is about celebrate Gus' first birthday on December 10th! I might cry when we finally get all our kids together!

After the shower, we packed up and headed home with a car full of goodies!! I was so exhausted but couldn't wait to get everything into the nursery!

I loved reopening all the gifts and reading through all the notes on the diapers!

This one really made me smile! :)

I almost don't want to use these diapers because they are just so funny!

It was the perfect baby shower that I had always wanted and we'll never forget it! Going "home" is always special but after the seeing all the sweet details of the shower and feeling all the love and support from our Arkadelphia friends, I'm really just so grateful for growing up in such a great town!

34 weeks.

2011-10-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 weeks

Size of baby: 17.8 inches and about 4.14 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes everything is maternity at this point! And those skinny jeans that I was so excited about last week, well... they aren't so comfy! :(

Weight gain: 18 pounds

Movement: She is is still doing lots of moving. Not as many kicks, more just stretching and moving around. I feel her at the top of my stomach all the way down... Crazy feeling!

Sleep: Besides the many pee breaks and normal aches in the night, I am sleeping decently!

Symptoms: Fatigue, tons of braxton hicks contractions, pains in my back, ribs and hips. After the weekend car ride, I am having some sciatic nerve pain as well! I never could have imagined how much pregnancy takes out of your body!

Cravings: Applesauce and still eating lots of Special K cereal!

Best moment this week: Traveling to our hometown for the last time before Preslee comes! We went home for my 10 yr reunion and our hometown baby shower! Many pics coming from the weekend!

39 days until due date--- 18 days until full term!!

Video suggestions please!

2011-10-21T09:24:00.000-05:00

With our baby girl's arrival coming up, we are in the market for a video baby monitor and a new HD video camera!! If you have one that you absolutely love, please let me know which one it is so I can research it! It's overwhelming with so many choices so any info you have to give, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!!

My 2nd baby shower!

2011-10-19T19:37:00.001-05:00

Some of my best friends from college threw me a shower in Little Rock this past Sunday. We all went to college at Ouachita Baptist University. Most of them live in Central Arkansas so it was so fun to get together with everyone I don't get to see near enough!! I seriously had so much fun and loved all these sweet details they thought of to make my day so special!

My good friend, Stefan made this wreath! She has been so crafty lately! This wreath is now hanging on the nursery door and it just looks precious!

My roommate in college, Gracen, was so generous to host the shower at her house and she made this cute diaper cake! We had elephant decor in our dorm room and apartment in college so the gray elephant was such an appropriate decoration at the shower! :)

They know how much I love chocolate! And I just love seeing my little girl's name and initials on so many things!

My cousins, Suzy and Alex came to this shower and I was so excited to see them! They got Preslee her exersaucer which I am sure we'll be using a ton!

Emily and I don't get to see each other enough because she lives in Fort Worth! She is having a sweet baby girl at the end of December! (Luckily for her, my belly is totally covering hers! ha!)

My childhood friend Lauren surprised me with the Nap Nanny, which is SUCH a nice gift!! She said they wanted to do something special because I got stuck in the elevator at her wedding! Ha!

Matt later asked if they make Nap Nanny's in adult sizes because it looked so comfy! :)

Some of my pledge sisters! I wish we got together more often!! I have SO many wonderful memories with these girls!

How cute is this onesie??!!

Love this monogramed bib and bloomers! Our sorority colors were black and red so it was only appropriate for Preslee to get some red and black things along with all her pink stuff! :)

It was so good to see Kimbo and Jessica! I haven't seen either of these girls in over a year!

I am so thankful to have such sweet friends that already love Preslee so much too!! I had the best time putting away all the goodies I got from the shower!

We are blessed with so many friends and family who shower us with love before Preslee arrives! And we even have one more shower in our hometown! I am so grateful for all these sweet gifts for our baby girl!

33 weeks

2011-10-18T09:29:00.001-05:00

(Romeo wanted to talk to me while I was trying to pose for the pic! I thought this was so sweet!)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 33 weeks

Size of baby: 17.2 inches and about 4.7 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes and I am excited about my new skinny jeans and fall clothes I can wear this week since it's turned cool!

Weight gain: 18 pounds

Movement: She is moving all around my whole stomach!

Sleep: The last few nights of sleep have been better. I have been limiting the water intake after dinner and Tums right before falling asleep seems to help a little with the reflux pain!

Symptoms: I might be starting to waddle! ha! Mainly because my back feels so weak. Having many stronger braxton hicks throughout the day but nothing painful. I have had a little bit of swelling in my feet and also my wedding rings are off!

Cravings: Rice Krispie treats!

Best moment this week: Having my 2nd baby shower! My college friends were so sweet and I absolutely loved everything about the shower! Pics coming tomorrow!

46 days until due date--- 25 days until full term!!

Check up!

2011-10-13T19:08:00.000-05:00

I went to my 32 week appt today! All is well and I am measuring right on track! I can't believe I just have one more appointment in 2 weeks then I start going weekly in November!! It's so crazy that baby time is getting so close!

Also I just have to share that yesterday, I got a good check-up by "Dr. Brody"! You have to go see these pics on Brody's mom's blog!! They are just too precious! Click HERE!

I have my second baby shower this weekend with my college friends and I absolutely CAN'T WAIT!! Mainly, I am just so excited to see all these girls that I don't get to see often!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Maternity photos

2011-10-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

After we got pregnant, I knew we had to take maternity pics this fall! I looked at a few websites of photographers in the area but knew immediately that we wanted to use our talented friend Alicia, at NW Photoworks to take our photos! I also knew I wanted our "first baby", Romeo, in some of them! These are such special keepsakes of the pregnancy we've dreamed about for so long! Just wanted to share a few of these with my blog friends who have prayed for us throughout this journey!

You can see a few more on her site! We're so thrilled with how they turned out! She's only shown us a sneak peek of the whole session, but after seeing these few pictures, I can't wait to see the rest!!

32 weeks

2011-10-11T20:22:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Size of baby: 16.7 inches and about 4 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes and lots of Matts big tshirts! :)

Weight gain: 17 pounds

Belly Button: It is OUT! And it has been showing thru all my shirts! ha!

Movement: I really love feeling how strong her movements are. Makes it seem more real that she is growing and getting closer to coming out!

Sleep: This week I can't sleep on my sides because the reflux pain is so bad. So I am propped up on pillows on my back all night. Its not so comfy and I think I am getting pregnancy insomnia this week. I miss my sleep but maybe this is just getting me ready for what is to come!

Symptoms: My daily energy level is much better, especially at work but my body can't keep up! (If that makes sense) Also having stronger braxton hicks and the peeing is getting out of control! ha! The reflux meds help the burning in my throat but do nothing for the burning in my stomach & back! :(

Cravings: Lots of chocolate! But trying not to eat much because of the refulx pain! Eating a lot of baked potatoes and bland foods to try to get some relief!

Best moment this week: Taking maternity photos! I can't wait to see them, especially the ones with Romeo! :)

Speaking of Romeo, he has been such a sweet boy! He let me practice with him rocking in my new glider! :)

I was sick last week and I really hate that I missed the 31 week update/picture! Only a few more weeks of the updates so I am going to make sure I don't skip another one! I feel like I am growing rapidly and don't want to miss documenting this last special part! (Even if I am feeling too big to take a pic! ha!)

iPhone pics

2011-10-03T20:54:00.002-05:00

I think one of the best features on the iPhone is the camera! And mine is full of Romeo pics just waiting to be shared!! Here are a few of my favorites from the weekend!

I love that he sits on the stairs to look out the front door! His nose through the bars are just too cute!

This one seriously melts my heart! He was watching Matt mow the yard and he was just barely tall enough to look out the dining room window!

This morning, he took his nap on the couch and this was just one of the many positions he was in as I walked by!

I love this sweet boy and can't wait to take many, many iPhone pics of Preslee and Romeo!!

Things I am loving...

2011-10-01T20:19:00.003-05:00

My heating pad! I spend every night laying on it in bed after work!
Matt's large t-shirts, my loose sweat pants & sports bras!
Candy! - Up until the 3rd trimester, I just really didn't even care for my normal favorite candy but now I want to eat chocolate and sweets constantly!
Going to the doctor every other week! It's making this part of pregnancy go by faster!
Feeling Preslee's big movements and trying to figure out what body parts I am feeling!
But most of all... Matt talking about Preslee. He is just going to be the sweetest daddy! He wants her room to be perfect and goes in to look at it everyday! We sit in the glider together some nights and just dream about her being in there with us! We are getting SO excited about her arrival!!

Today marks 3 years of blogging! I love that I have all these memories and thoughts written down! I never thought I would stick with this blog for this long but, I am so excited that I did so that I can share the next chapter of our lives on here! Only 63 DAYS (or less) TO GO!!

30 weeks

2011-09-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 30 weeks

Size of baby: 15.7 inches and 3.3 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes and I even got a few new shirts this week to try to get me through the next 2 months!

Weight gain: 15 pounds

Belly Button: It is OUT! I had an outie as a child and it feels weird to have it back! ha!

Movement: I love feeling all her big movements! I am really starting to be able to tell her awake periods of the day!

Sleep: Sleep is getting more uncomfortable this week. I am able to sleep but just not as long as I usually do!

Symptoms: I think the new iron is helping!! I didn't even take one nap last week which hasn't ever happened! Also having some more braxton hicks, peeing ALL the time, reflux and back pain!

Cravings: My sweet tooth has come back and I am loving desserts again! :)

Best moment this week: Having my very own baby shower!!

Shower pics part 2

2011-09-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

This is a long post but just wanted to share pics of my friends and the precious gifts we received at our shower!

My best friend Jennifer who worked very hard on planning this shower and making sure it was perfect!

My long time college friend Devin helped host as well! She has two precious girls so she will be one of my go-to people to help with all the raising girls stuff I need to know about! ha!

My precious hometown friend Renee, who I absolutely adore also hosted! I hope Preslee and her daughter Sallie will be good friends!

I was so happy that Kelly and Hollis came down to help celebrate Preslee! Hollis squealed during the time I was opening presents so I think she approved of all the cute things we got! :)

I definitely approved of my first Sheshemade gown!!!! I actually got 2 gowns and an outfit and I just LOVED them all!

Her LiLi got her this precious outfit with a bow and socks to match! She already has many cute summer things to wear!

Matt's aunt Kathy saw these on Pinterest and ordered them immediately! I can't wait to take her pic in them asap!

Honee gave her this sweet suitcase!! This will be great to take to "Grandmas house"!

I am obsessed with gowns! She may live in them the first couple of months!

Cousin Seth got Preslee her first Bible with her name on it! What a wonderful keepsake!

Jill, Melissa and Jennifer watching me open presents! Love these girls!

My sweet friends that hosted the shower got my pump for me! I was super excited about having this for when I go back to work part-time!

My friend Michelle was so sweet to come to my shower! She has been struggling with infertility and has been pretty open about it on her blog! Please pray for this sweet girl and her journey to motherhood!

I was so happy to see Haley and her cute son Porter! My MIL held Porter during the shower and loved him! I think all his hair really reminded her of Matt as a baby! :)

I am truly blessed to have all these friends in NWA and I can't wait for Preslee to meet all of these special people!

Our first baby shower!

2011-09-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had my very own baby shower! It was such a surreal but wonderful feeling knowing that it was finally my turn to have a baby shower! I have always loved to help host and attended so many of my friend's baby showers but I always dreamed of what it would be like when it was MY shower!

I have to say that it was the most perfect shower!! My friends went out of their way to make sure that there was no detail spared! I truly felt so special and loved every minute of the shower!

The front door had a cute little sign welcoming everyone to Julee and Preslee's shower! Also they had my growing belly pics along with some ultrasound pics hanging in the frame for people to see as they walked in!

The invitation along with all the signs had the crib bedding pattern on it! It all matched and looked so cute!

The wonderful hostesses that I am truly blessed to call my friends!

Emily Richardson, Devin Bertram, Jill Shumard, Jennifer Francis, Renee Morris, Leslie Duffield and Rachel Bell.

Just a few weeks until we meet Annabel!! Emily at 36 weeks, me at 30!

I was so happy to have my Mom and Matt's mom at the shower today! They are going to be the best grandmas and Miss Preslee is completely spoiled by them already!

Jennifer made these precious banana pudding cups! She used food dye to make the pudding pink! These were so precious and tasted amazing!

Along with the cake and banana pudding, we had fruit kabobs, veggies with ranch, pita chips with cheesy spinach dip, and a delicious dessert called Death by chocolate!

This set-up was so pretty! The mirror is actually from Preslee's nursery so it really tied the theme together!

Once again, Rick's Bakery out did themselves on the cake! Perfect!!

I have talked about it on the blog before, but I LOVE cotton candy! The favor for all the guest was this yummy pink cotton candy!

The cotton candy table was just too cute! The sign on the table said Thanks for celebrating Sweet Preslee.

The guest had coffee punch, Peach tea punch or water to drink with all the yummy foods!

We received so many sweet things for our baby girl!! I am going to share more pics of those gifts along with more pics of friends that were there to help spoil Preslee this week!

Happy Birthday Jillian Kate!

2011-09-24T12:00:00.001-05:00

I am still catching up on my blogging and last Saturday, I got to help celebrate Jillian Kate's 1st birthday! Her momma, Jennifer did such a great job with all the little details and it made me excited about planning birthdays for my little girl!

Because of the weather, the party had to turn into a inside/garage party! The garage had kid tables with kiddie food and the adults had breakfast finger food inside! It was all so cute and yummy!

I got to see one of my favorite little boys, Grayson! His momma, Melissa is having another baby in March and I am SUPER excited about it. I am secretly hoping it is a girl so Preslee can have another little pal close to her age! :)

Bow is off and birthday girl means business when she eats!! :)

Birthday cake time! She loved this cake so much!

And wasn't too happy after Jennifer took it away!

Big brother Brody was really excited about all the new pink presents that his sissy was getting!

And birthday girl was even more excited about all the presents! She was so sweet sitting in the middle of all the presents!

I love this little birthday girl and I am so excited that she and Preslee will only be about 14 months apart. Hopefully they will be best friends like their mommas! :)

Stroller

2011-09-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

I have had the hardest time deciding on a stroller that worked best for us! I think I have decided on the Bumbleride Indie for these few random reasons...

I wanted something with a good size storage basket! I have a bigger diaper bag and need room for shopping bags at the mall! haha! :)
We are not big exercisers but we do walk Romeo and wanted something like a jogging stroller that would be a smoother ride than your traditional travel system stroller or umbrella stroller.
Matt really liked the look of a 3- wheel stroller and it seemed easier to maneuver in crowds.

I am getting a Graco infant carseat and the snap-n-go stroller for the beginning while she is still so little. So this stroller will be for when she is sitting up in the stroller but if we choose, her carseat can go on this stroller too!

If you have this Bumbleride stroller and can give me any insight on it, that would be much appreciated!! I got to see it and push it at Buy Buy Baby and really liked it so hopefully everyone that has it likes it too! Any of you that want to know more about it can read more about it HERE.

Fun weekends.

2011-09-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

I am so behind on blogging but I had two really fun weekends that I wanted to make sure and blog about! First was Labor day weekend in Branson with my family...

Matt and I headed over late Friday night! Romeo was VERY excited to see my parents and Kota but especially his Peepaw. He seriously has an infatuation with my dad and I'm pretty sure he loves him more than me! My dad is super sweet and walks him multiple times a day when they are together so I think that is where the love comes from! He wanted my dad to stay up with him even though it was 2am! :)

Kota and Romeo loved going to out on the balcony to people watch! We stayed at the Hilton Landing right over the outdoor mall! It is a very cool place to stay and even better that they allow dogs!

We were so glad to spend the weekend with our nephew Seth!! His adoption is finalized NEXT WEEK, then we won't have to put that silly heart over his face anymore! Yipee! That means, LOTS more Seth pics will be shown on the blog! :)

This pic makes me smile! When we ask him what is in JuJu's belly, he knows to say Baby! It's so sweet! We can't wait to see him with Preslee!

Fun times in the choo choo train with Dad!

Matt is obsessed with Seth! He wants him to come over all the time! He says he can't wait to teach Seth to play sports since he is going to have a girly girl! :)

Then the next weekend, Mom and I headed to Tennessee to spend the weekend with my Papaw! Sept. 11 was his 89th birthday and my cousin Shawn's birthday too! We also were going over there to pick up the armoire that my uncle and Papaw made for the nursery!

As soon as we arrived, they were very anxious to load it up! So this is me, backing up the uhaul for the first time with the help of Papaw of course! :)

This is the beautiful armoire they built! When I opened it up there was the sweetest little white smocked dress. My papaw said that he wanted to buy the first dress that was going to hang in there for his great-granddaughter! Sweetest thing ever!!

I love him SO much!! I can't wait to see him hold MY daughter! He said from day one that he hoped I was having a girl and his dream is coming true! And now she has the most special piece of furniture made by him (and my uncle) that she will have for the rest of her life!

Building furniture is a new thing for him, his main love is building guitars! While I was there he was showed me the steps he was working on for this particular guitar. I don't know how he has taught himself how to do all the things he does!

Saturday night, we celebrated their birthdays by grilling steaks at my uncle's house. We missed many of our family members but I loved getting to spend time with my family that I don't see very often!

Most importantly, I think Papaw had a great birthday!! And I am so glad I could be there to help celebrate!

29 weeks

2011-09-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 29 weeks - LAST week in the 20s! CRAZY!

Size of baby: 15.2 inches and 2.14 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Running out of options with non-maternity clothes so YES almost all maternity now!

Weight gain: 14 pounds

Belly Button: It is OUT! I had an outie as a child and it feels weird to have it back! ha!

Movement: There is some serious movement going on! I have to tell her to settle down some nights! :)

Sleep: Still sleeping decent but takes more to get comfy!

Symptoms: I am still anemic so I am on prescription iron twice a day. I am hoping this will help my fatigue! Also having some braxton hicks lately, peeing ALL the time, reflux and back pain!

Cravings: I am just hungry ALL the time!!

Best moment this week: Passing my glucose test!!

28 weeks

2011-09-14T19:35:00.001-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 weeks

Size of baby: 14.8 inches and 2.9 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Oh yeah! :)

Weight gain: 14 pounds

Movement: All day I get to feel her sweet kicks and movement! Love it!

Sleep: Getting a little uncomfortable this week when I get out of bed and have to change positions a lot in the night.

Symptoms: Same ole aches and pains... I know she will be worth ever pain and symptom! :)

Cravings: Eating more sweets than I had been and just basically eating a lot!

Best moment this week: Seeing Preslee on 4d ultrasound! AND getting her armoire and the glider for her room! (Pics coming soon)

Sweet cheeks!

2011-09-12T14:24:00.000-05:00

This morning, we took our moms and Matt's gram to our 3d/4d ultrasound in Little Rock! We were all so excited to see Preslee but she didn't feel the same about seeing us!

The first half of the appt, she covered her face with both hands. We finally agitated her enough to get her to move them but this pic cracks me up! She looks so annoyed and just wanted to sleep! I know if we had gone at midnight, she would have really put on a show for us! :)

We fall more in love with this sweet face every day! Seeing her and hearing that she is perfectly healthy makes our hearts almost burst with joy! We just can't wait to kiss those baby cheeks in 12 weeks or less!!!

*My 28 post will be up in the next day or so. Just returning from a long weekend and haven't taken this weeks pic but the good news is our internet is finally fixed!!

Books lately...

2011-09-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

My pregnancy tiredness has hurt my relationship with my kindle! ha! But I have been given many books on pregnancy so in the last few weeks, I have been reading some of those. I am sure many of you have read these but if not, these are the 2 faves so far!

Jenny seriously tells it like it is! I laughed all the way through it! Her humor really helps you laugh about even some of the most not-so-fun things you experience during pregnancy and delivery! I enjoyed it so much, I could read it again! If you are pregnant, you should pick up this quick and funny book!

A few weeks ago, my mom brought me The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. If you don't know me well, my mom is a HUGE breast-feeding advocate! She has helped many of my friends with tips during their first weeks of nursing. I know I am so lucky to have such a huge wealth of knowledge/support to help me try to succeed at breast feeding! I have started reading this book and can already tell that I will be using it as a guide and also a reference if I start having issues after Preslee is here!

Let me know of any other books I really need to read in the next 12 weeks!!

27 weeks

2011-09-06T18:55:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 27 weeks--- Entering the 3rd trimester this week! :)

Size of baby: 14.4 inches and 2.3 pounds

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes for all bottoms and still wearing a few non-maternity shirts if they are long enough! I used to think when pregnant girls said they were ready to wear their normal clothes again that they were crazy but I am almost to that point! I am need variety and I have none with maternity clothes!

Weight gain: 11 pounds

Movement: Her movements have been so much stronger and more frequent! I feel her moving positions all the time. It's the craziest and best feeling ever! I felt her have the hiccups twice this week too!

Sleep: Waking up more in the night but can go back to sleep easily.

Symptoms: Still lots of back pain, not a lot of energy and getting out of breath easy!

Cravings: Just eating a lot of everything! I am snacking more than I did in the 2nd trimester.

Best moment this week: Making it to the 3rd trimester! I am so ready to meet our sweet girl!!

(Sorry for the lack of blogging in the last few weeks! The only way I have internet is to sit on the floor next to the cable jack coming out of the wall and that isn't very comfy! I am working on a labor day post from our family weekend in Branson!)

A day at work with Dad!

2011-08-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

The anchors and their dogs had a photo shoot for the local humane society yearly calander! So this meant Romeo got to go to work with Dad!

Matt and Romeo, Neile and Phong, Tom and Diesel, Laine with Ozzie and Jazz

Getting all the dogs to look at the same time was a bit difficult! I was shaking a bag of treats like a crazy stage mom! :)

I think Romeo had a fun time! He always loves to go to the tv station and gets lots of love when he is there!!

26 weeks and baby shower

2011-08-29T17:05:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 26 weeks
Size of baby: 14.2 inches and 1lbs 14 ounces- Will be 2 pounds this week!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes for all bottoms and still wearing some non-maternity shirts if they are long enough! I am ready for a change and to wear fall clothes!

Weight gain: 11 pounds

Movement: Everyday I feel my sweet girl and I just LOVE it! Matt loves to feel her too and when she kicks, he points to where he felt it on my belly. I think he forgets I feel it even more from the inside! ha! I love that he gets to feel her so regularly now!

Sleep: As long as I have my pillows in the right spot, I am sleeping great!

Symptoms: Back pain, not a lot of energy and getting out of breath easy!

Cravings: Just eating a lot of everything! The whole pregnancy I have eaten a lot of Special K cereal but now I am up to 2 times a day!

Best moment this week: Getting Preslee's closet organized with the help of my mom! I love to go in there and look at all her sweet things!

_________________________________________________________

Yesterday, I helped host a baby shower for my good friend Emily! We are childhood friends and both live in NWA now and we are so excited to be pregnant together and due only 6 weeks apart!

Emily and Annabel at 32 weeks- Preslee and me at 26 weeks

Emily got so many cute things, including lots of cloth diapers! I love that we are such good friends but so different too... Emily- cloth diapers and no epidural... Me- Disposable diapers all the way and bring on the BIG needle with the drugs! Ha!

It was a Sunday afternoon shower so we just had a few light snacks! Cucumber sandwiches, hummus dip with carrots and pita chips, fruit salad, strawberry cupcakes and some really yummy punch!

The theme of the shower was a bicycle because Emily's husband loves to ride bikes. We had a cute antique bike outside my house with flowers in the front basket but I forgot to take pic!

Mommy-to-be with all the girls that hosted the shower! We had a great turnout and I think Emily really enjoyed her special day! Annabel is a very loved little girl already!

25 weeks

2011-08-23T09:20:00.001-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 weeks
Size of baby: 13.6 inches and 1.10 lbs

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes for the most part!

Weight gain: 10 pounds

Movement: I can't believe how hard she is kicking the last few days! And it's all over my belly now. Sometimes when she moves positions, it almost takes my breath away because it feels so weird!

Sleep: No complaints other than the crazy dreams & waking up to pee!

Symptoms: The lower back pain along with reflux pain is rough most days! And I get tired very easily and find myself needing to sit down more throughout the day.

What I miss: Just the energy that I need to get through most work days!

Cravings: Nothing in-particular but the appetite is growing daily!

Best moment this week: Seeing my belly moving either from kicks or her moving positions! It's the coolest thing to see!

Hotel pro

2011-08-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

Romeo has only stayed at a few hotels but he really loves it!

This past weekend we stayed at one on Friday night and it had a great view!

Matt made him a window seat and he LOVED it!

He knows how to get comfy on a king size bed too!

He had the couch to himself! He was sprawled out all night!

Before we checked out, he had to watch out the big window again!

He was either bored or not ready to go home!

I love that our sweet boy is such a good traveler!

24 weeks

2011-08-16T21:16:00.004-05:00

The week with no internet hasn't been good for blogging! And since I haven't been blogging, I forgot to take my 24 week pic! I am sad to have missed a week but I am a day away from 25 weeks so it doesn't seem right to take one now. And we still don't have internet so this is from my iPhone!

But because this is my way of remembering things about the pregnancy, I wanted to go ahead and post the weekly update just no pic. :(

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 weeks
Size of baby: 11.8 inches and 1.7 lbs

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes for the most part!

Movement: It's the most amazing feeling ever! I love having the reminder that she is with me all day!

Sleep: No complaints other than the crazy dreams- (Lastest dream was that I forgot to feed Preslee for a day! It was horrifying!!)

Symptoms: Still having bad pain during the day on my right side and in my shoulder blades. My lower back is feeling very weak too. This week the dr called in prescription meds for the reflux and referred me to physical therapy for my back! Hoping both of these things help!!

What I miss: All I can think about is Preslee getting here, so all the things I miss seem irrelevant! :)

Cravings: Last week it was Nilla wafers with cool wip. ha! Also, I am loving Taco Bell!

Best moment this week: Making it to viability week!!!!! Along with her room being painted and her crib is put together!!!

No Internet.

2011-08-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

We are having Internet issues at home and don't have any service today so my 24 week post will be postponed until we get that fixed!! But I had to share this pic...

Matt put together Preslee's crib last night and I absolutely love it with her bedding!!!! The painter came this morning and her room should be completed tomorrow so we can move it in there and see how it looks!!

Happy Monday everybody!!

Elevator Nightmare & Wedding Fun!

2011-08-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

A childhood friend of mine got married in Little Rock last weekend. I drove down to the wedding and met my parent's at the church! After a beautiful ceremony in downtown LR, everyone hopped on trollies to go to the reception at the groom's parent's high-rise condo!

My parents and I, along with at least 200 guests, all waited for 3 elevators to take us up to the 17th floor. When it was our turn, 18 adults and 3 kids filed onto the elevator. We were all very excited to see the bride and groom and escape the heat since it was SO hot outside!

Well.... the elevator door closed but nothing happened. After pushing the buttons to go up -- we sat perfectly still. After a few seconds, we pushed the buttons again to re-open the doors...but quickly discovered that they wouldn't budge!

I can't even begin to tell you how hot it was in that elevator! We were standing shoulder to shoulder with so many people -- and there seemed to be NO air supply!

The first 5 min, I was kind of freaking out inside. Obviously there was no real danger of me going into labor at 23 weeks but that was my first thought as I realized we were going to be there a while. We yelled and banged on the door but it seemed like no one could hear us, so we waited for about ten whole minutes! Finally, someone outside the elevator told us the fire department was on its way!

After 40 minutes of sweating, worrying and praying for freedom... the doors FINALLY opened up!!

In order to open the doors, the firemen had to go to the rooftop and turn off electricity to the elevators. Once they did that, they used a crow bar to open the door! We were finally free!

And to my surprise, one of my guy friends from high school was one of the firemen that got us out of the elevator!! I have never been so happy to see Jesse!!

We finally made it to the reception where we got some food, water... and of course CAKE!

My sweet friend Jessica was there and I was so glad to get out of the elevator to see her!

LOOK at these amazing shoes that this fabulous bride wore!! Seriously, they were to die for!

Lauren was seeing my belly bump for the first time! She was cracking me up rubbing and talking to Preslee in the middle of her wedding reception!

So happy for this sweet girl and I will go ahead and say that I will NEVER forget her wedding or missing 40 min of her reception while I was stuck in that dang elevator!!

Happy Birthday Honee!

2011-08-11T12:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mom, Romeo's "Meemaw" and most importantly Preslee's "Honee"!!!

Thank you for all that you do for us and the never-ending love you always have to give! We are ALL blessed to have you in our lives!

Matt, Romeo, Preslee and I LOVE you so much!!! Hope you have a wonderful birthday and can't wait to celebrate next weekend!!

The nursery!

2011-08-10T10:11:00.002-05:00

Before I got pregnant, I dreamed of designing a nursery for my future baby! Then it was finally time do that and I have struggled making decisions and figuring out what exactly I want to do! But Preslee's nursery is coming right along! I finally was able to make some decisions!

First, I chose the crib and bedding! Those are the only two things that have come in, and I love them both!! The simple modern bedding is exactly what I wanted. I plan to bring in some pinks with the accessories!

This is a pic of the bedding but in Christina Applegate's nursery! I love how clean and simple it looks!

This past weekend, I found this dresser and along with a matching nightstand that had feet, similar to the crib so I went ahead and ordered those along with the glider! The glider color is about the same color as the bed skirt (taupe/gray).

I had a hard time with gliders because I really wanted a super modern one but they are so dang expensive!! I ended up choosing this one because it was a much more reasonable price and still had a little modern style too it. (This is the glider just not the same fabric.)

My uncle and Papaw are also building me a armoire! The room we are using is an office and it actually doesn't have a closet so the piece they are making will have double hanging rods and a big drawer at the bottom. They are almost done with it and I can't wait to go to Tennessee in September and pick it up!

I am going to use the extra hall closet right beside her room for extra stuff. Also, I think that Matt's grandpa is going to make her a bench for a window seat/toy storage! I thought the bench with baskets in the is a cute idea and would be more storage for toys and books! I plan on making it really cute with pillows and pink baskets!

Now the hardest part is finding stuff for the walls! I am getting the room painted a darker taupe color (similar to the bedding) and I just can't decided how and what I am going to accessorize!

So that is all I have for now... I am hoping to get the nursery finished by October so I can enjoy putting away her things after my showers and so it will be perfect for our princess whenever she decides to arrive!

23 weeks

2011-08-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 weeks
Size of baby: 11.4 inches and 1.5 lbs

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Maternity Clothes: Yes for the most part!

Movement: Feeling her move every day! Feels like I am popping popcorn in my belly some days! :)

Sleep: No complaints other than the crazy dreams!

Symptoms: I got a gallbladder ultrasound and it looked fine! Which is a great thing! I am still very anemic so I am switching to prescription strength iron and also taking Zantac for the pain that comes after I eat. My dr thinks it is probably bad reflux/indigestion. Hopefully the zantac starts helping and I can go back to eating more of what I want!

What I miss: This week I missed my french fries! Ha! I had so much pain after I ate them so I tried to stay away this week.

Cravings: It's more that things don't sound good than actually having cravings!

What I am looking forward to: Getting all of the nursery furniture in so I can get her room finished!

I plan to share some of the things I finally picked out for the nursery this week!

And lastly, wanted to show the comparison of what can happen in 2 short months! The first pic was taken June 5th and the second was August 6th! I can't even imagine what the next two months will show! ha!

Preslee's goodies!

2011-08-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

I WON Preslee some bows!! I entered a blog giveaway and won these cute bows from Misssy Prissy Bow Boutique! You should all go check out her website www.missyprissybowboutique.com or go LIKE the facebook page!

I told her just to make something for Christmas and this is what she did for me!

Love this red and white bow that she can wear for Hog games as well as many other things!

But I seriously love this Christmas bow and newborn hat!!! I can't wait to see it on my baby girl!

Thank you so much Missy Prissy Bow Boutique!!

And go look at http://www.missyprissybowboutique.com

Also, I wanted to share this sweet present that Preslee's uncle Andy ( Matt's brother) got me this for my birthday!

One of his favorite bands is the Ramones and he wears a similar shirt like this all the time! I really don't even know any of the Ramone's songs, but it just reminds me so much of him!! I am going to get her a cute pink bow and they are going to have a photo shoot with their Ramones shirts!

Also, my sweet blog/twitter friend Ting, who happens to be Shio the Shiba's mom, sent Preslee and Romeo the sweetest gift box a few weeks ago! She sent Preslee a cute newborn pj set, a cute pink blanket and one of her first toys! AND they sent big brother Romeo some yummy cookie treats! I forgot to take a pic of them before he ate them all up! :) If you all love my post about Romeo then you would love to see all of Shio's adventures in New York and his super cool website! www.shiotheshiba.com

I feel so blessed by all the gifts that we are receiving for our little girl!! Now she just needs to get here so I can take pics of her in all these cute things!

22 weeks

2011-08-02T09:06:00.007-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 22 weeks
Size of baby: 10.9 inches long and around 1lb 1 ounce- WHOO HOO! Love that she finally weighs a pound!
Weight gain: 9.5 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yes! All bottoms and a few maternity tops mostly for the length! Mom got me new jeans for my birthday and I am looking forward to Fall so I can wear them! :)

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Movement: Feeling her move every day! Our moms have gotten to feel her little thumps and Matt LOVES that he can feel her all the time now! When she moves, it makes me think more about her even more than I already do and sometimes I even talk to her when she moves a lot! I hope she is comforted by my voice!

Sleep: Sleeping really well and don't need quite as much of it!

Symptoms: The (what I think is) gallbladder pain, isn't getting much better. I have a hard time with a low/no fat foods. I need to do better because I have noticed its a little better when I don't eat fattening stuff.

What I miss: I have dreamed of being pregnant for so long, so I can't say that I am really missing much because ALL OF THIS is what I have been wanting! I will be glad to not have the aches and pains but even those are being embraced for my little girl! :)

Cravings: Nothing particular especially since I am in pain after I eat, but I am wanting to drink lots of cold water!

Best Moment this week: Her crib and bedding came in which is so exciting! But honestly just the daily reminder that she is really in there with her movements are the best moments for me!

What I am looking forward to: Moving through the weeks and enjoying all the craziness of the next 4 months until she gets here!

__________________________________________

This weekend, my parents came up to celebrate my birthday with me and also to help move my brother and his family to town! I requested an ice cream cake but mom couldn't resist getting a Rick's cake too!!

Isn't this cake so cute??!!

We ate the cakes after moving my brother into his new house! I was looking lovely after all that non-moving I did! ha! No one would let me lift anything but my nephew, Seth! :)

Then on Sunday, my wonderful but very tired parents and husband, moved everything out of our office to our bonus room and now we have a cleared out room for Preslee!!

New and improved bonus room! I call it the overflow room for all our family that will be coming to visit when Preslee gets here!

Her room needs to be painted then we will be filling it with precious girly stuff!!

I had a wonderful birthday and can't believe that I will have an 8 month old by my next birthday!

Davidson Campground

2011-07-29T09:41:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I said we were without internet service but this is where were were... Davidson Campground! We go to a very old church camp every July! I have written about it the last two years HERE and HERE if you want to read more! This year was a quick visit for us but with me being pregnant and it being so hot this summer, it worked out for the best!

Our cabin that we hang out at all weekend!

The camp falls during my birthday week every year! This year it was the weekend before but we still had cake!

My MIL had this banner up for my birthday! It was pretty funny!

And that poem is all so true!! :) We talked all weekend about Preslee and how different next year will be!

Romeo had a good weekend too! He got good practice being sweet with all the kids!

We can't wait for Preslee's first camp meeting next summer!!!

21 Weeks

2011-07-28T08:46:00.001-05:00

*This is picture is actually 21.5 weeks and taken late last night after my nap!

Also, I feel like I am getting so big but I have to remember that I am only 5'2 so there isn't much of a torso! ha!*

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 21 weeks
Size of baby: 10.5 inches long and around 13 ounces
Weight gain: 9 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity shorts, capris and a few maternity tops mostly for the length!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Movement: Feeling her move every day! Matt loves feeling her thumps and I LOVE that he can feel her too!!

Sleep: No complaints as long as I have my body pillow! I am still taking naps some days after work, but seems less frequent!

Symptoms: I may be having some gallbladder issues. I have pain after lunch on my high right stomach that goes into my back. I think that is causing most of my back pain now that I am researching it. So I am trying to change my diet to stay away from the pain! I have been more hungry lately too!

What I miss: Same as weeks before- Not missing much right now except Mexican food- salsa makes me sick! :( Also, this is probably too much info but, I miss my "smaller" chest! ha! The girls won't stop growing!

Cravings: Loving ice cream A LOT right now!

Best Moment this week: Getting to see our sweet girl in 3D!

What I am looking forward to: Starting to work on her nursery!

This week I took some pics with our little boy. We can't wait for Romeo to meet Preslee! We talk about her to him all the time and try to get him used to hearing her name! We are so excited to be a family of 4!

Thank you!

2011-07-27T14:41:00.002-05:00

I can't thank you all enough for your continuous support and prayers! I was so thankful for all the comments and emails that I receieved after my last post! I would never want anyone to have those scared thoughts, but it made me feel better that so many others have gone through this too, especially after going through infertility!

We have been out of town since Saturday with no internet or phone signal so I am just trying to get all caught up and back to the real world!! I will post my 21 week post hopefully tomorrow! Better late than never... :)

Preslee's crib bedding came in yesterday and I love it! AND her crib should be here tomorrow! I think I may get started cleaning out her room sooner than I thought because I just can't wait to see it all come together!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Take it away God!

2011-07-21T10:35:00.001-05:00

I am being very honest when I write this post...

I can't shake the feeling of, "When is something bad going to happen?" I realized this week that I'm tired of these random, negative, scared thoughts. I'm supposed to be enjoying every single second of this pregnancy that I've prayed for, so I'm now praying for God to take those negative thoughts away forever!

I know it's Satan trying to ruin this joyful time and it makes me angry that these thoughts have arrived when I know God has shown himself so clearly by giving us this precious baby.

When I was struggling to get pregnant for those 2 years, I dreamed of what it would feel like once there was a baby inside me. I could only imagine the happiness I would finally feel!

Please don't get me wrong...I FEEL SO HAPPY...but these stupid negative thoughts keep popping-up in my mind. But all that's over now because I'm sick of it and really don't want to feel this way for the next 20 weeks as we wait for Preslee to get here!

Yesterday, my sweet 88-year-old Papaw was looking at Prelee's 3D pictures and said, "You show me someone who doesn't believe in God after seeing that miracle and I will show you an idiot!" We laughed at his intensity, but he's exactly right!

God has answered many prayers for this miracle baby and I'm determined to push Satan away any second he tries to make me experience worry or doubt about God's plan.

I just felt the need to share these thoughts and get them off my chest and I know I'm not alone when it comes to these feelings. I recently spoke to two of my best friends who have felt these same emotions. I hate that Satan can try to weasel his way into something that God should be getting all the glory for!

So if you're also having these thoughts, even if they involve a different aspect of your life, I'm asking you to stand up against Satan with me and PRAY those negative thoughts away!! Please feel free to comment if you can relate so we can all pray for each other!

Finally, here's a POSITIVE note... I JUST ORDERED HER CRIB!!! I can't tell you how excited I am that it's finally MY turn to pick out a crib! I've looked at them for nearly 3 years and dreamed of which one would be in our house one day! Picking out nursery items is one of the things I've looked forward to the most and I'm going to ENJOY every minute of this from now on!! :)

*Sneak peek at the first item for Miss Preslee's nursery!*

Hope everyone has a GREAT Thursday!

Seeing her sweet face!

2011-07-20T09:55:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we had our 20 week checkup/ultrasound! Most importantly, we got more confirmation that Preslee is doing great! She is measuring right on track and is looking perfectly healthy! The ultrasound tech measured everything then got some 3D shots! She estimated that she weighed around 13 ounces and her heart rate was 150bpm. We couldn't be more excited about all we got to see today! She will be putting on fat from now on so I am anxious to see her again in a couple of months and see how much she will change!

I can't wait to kiss this sweet face everyday!

Look at her boney little shoulder! She looked very cozy and comfortable in there!

Love those little legs and those sweet fingers!

Sucking that thumb just like her momma did!

We are seriously so in love with her and are praising the Lord every day for our healthy miracle daughter growing inside me!

20 weeks

2011-07-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks- HALF WAY!!
Size of baby: 10 inches long and 10.6 ounces
Weight gain: 7 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity shorts, capris and a few maternity tops mostly for the length!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Movement: Feeling her move at least a couple of times a day! I LOVE IT!

Sleep: No complaints as long as I have my body pillow! I am getting used to getting up to pee at night and can just fall right back to sleep!

Symptoms: My back feels like it's not going to make it through this pregnancy! I have even contemplated getting a back brace for support! ha! Standing all day at work doesn't help the back pain either! But other than that and some occasional fatigue and heartburn, I am feeling really good!

What I miss: Not missing much right now except Mexican food- salsa makes me sick! :( Also, this is probably too much info but, I miss my "smaller" chest! ha! The girls won't stop growing!

Cravings: Anything salty, cheesy and ice cream! Also I really like cold foods! (maybe its just the heat making me crave cold stuff)

Best Moment this week: Making it to the half way point and feeling my little girl move around more!

What I am looking forward to: My 20 week appt tomorrow and hopefully getting her bedding in this week!

Weekend with Seth!

2011-07-17T13:15:00.000-05:00

I never got around to blogging this... but last weekend we had a special visitor at our house!! Rachel, Evan and Seth stayed with us and we enjoyed being with our nephew so much! We played outside, chased Romeo around the house, ate at Shoguns and even went to the drive thru safari!

(We still can't show Seth's sweet face, but hopefully the adoption is almost final so we can share tons of cute pics of him!)

Matt loves his nephew! We can't wait for them to move up here so we can spend more time with him!

We went to visit Brody and Jillian! Brody wanted "Seff" to see ALL of his toys! :)

Matt is used to playing rough with Brody and Seth so he thought he better get some practice with girls! :) Jillian is seriously so sweet. I just hope Preslee is that sweet too!

Sunday afternoon, we went to the Drive thru Safari!! Its one of my favorite things to do! Seth got to ride a camel with his momma!

We got to see these cute monkeys and one of them even stole Evan's glasses off his face! ha!

It's amazing that all these animals are tame enough to take food out of your car! Especially a deer!

Seth got scared when the animals basically got in the car with us! Poor guy may be traumatized by this trip!

Our family is loving the quality time we get to spend with this precious boy! We look forward to making many sweet memories with Seth and Preslee!

Hey! It's Friday!

2011-07-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

Romeo is very happy about the weekend!!

We have some really busy weekends coming up, so we plan to just relax with this cutie this weekend!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

19 weeks

2011-07-13T09:30:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 weeks
Size of baby: 6 inches long and 8.5 ounces
Weight gain: 6 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity shorts and capris!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Movement: Just a little bit of movement but nothing consistent! I am ready though!

Sleep: Sleep is pretty good as long as our room is really cold! And tylenol pm helps on the nights that I am not feeling comfortable.

Symptoms: Lower back aches and some afternoon fatigue but feeling pretty good!

What I miss: Not missing much right now except Mexican food, which I have decided is best if I just don't eat. :(

Cravings: Still love anything salty, cheesy and ice cream! Still loving Sonic!

Best Moment this week: Ordered her bedding and love planning all these sweet things for Preslee!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing our girl at our 20 week ultrasound next week!!

What will Preslee look like?

2011-07-11T14:11:00.000-05:00

As a newborn, her daddy had TONS of hair and dark blue eyes...

Her momma had very little hair as a newborn...

... but grew a head full of hair by 6 months and always had blue eyes!

We can't wait to see who Preslee will look like, what features she will have and whether or not she will have a head full of hair??! Either way we will think she is perfect! :)

My 19 week post has been delayed because I forgot to take a belly shot this weekend! Hopefully will be up tomorrow or Wednesday!

House for sale in Little Rock!

2011-07-08T11:15:00.000-05:00

My brother recently got a job in Northwest Arkansas so he and his family will be moving close by!! They are trying to sell their cute house in Little Rock! So please take a look and share with anyone in the market for a house in West Little Rock!! Thanks!

To see a link to the house info with many pics, click HERE!

Surprise peek at our girl!

2011-07-07T10:40:00.000-05:00

We got a surprise ultrasound last weekend while home for the 4th of July! The Elkins are longtime friends of both Matt and my families as well as my childhood best friend's parents! We have been friends with this sweet family for most of our lives. I know that Dr. John probably has a hard time seeing me even old enough to have a baby! :)

(These pics were taken with my iphone)

Dr. John was so sweet to do a ultrasound for us on his weekend but I think he enjoyed it as much as we did! I was so glad that my dad got to see our sweet girl since he didn't get to come to our last ultrasound!

(She was waving at us so that is why my our moms are waving at the screen! ha!)

We were so excited to get to see her again and verify that she was still a HER! :)

I am so thankful for Dr. John and Mrs. Lisa for all their support they have given me during our struggle to get pregnant! I trust him a lot so it was so reassuring to hear that our little girl was doing good and growing perfectly!

Seeing Preslee just makes us even more grateful and excited for December!

18 weeks

2011-07-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 weeks
Size of baby: 5.6 inches long and 6.7 ounces
Weight gain: 6 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity shorts and capris!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Movement: I feel flutters when I am laying flat in bed late at night and few little tiny thumps. I am ready to feel her more!

Sleep: Sleep is still ok! I wake up a few times at night to pee but can go right back to sleep. Love sleeping on my left side and a little on my back!

Symptoms: Last week, I had a lot of fatigue but still feeling pretty good. Mornings and most of the days are good, just uncomfortable after work! Having round ligament pains at night especially after standing all day at work!

What I miss: Feeling mostly back to normal, besides the fatigue!

Cravings: Still love anything salty & cheesy! Still loving Sonic!

Best Moment this week: Shopping and dreaming about our little girl!

What I am looking forward to: Starting to feel Preslee move more and seeing the weeks come and go!! Ready for December!

Best buds!

2011-06-29T09:58:00.002-05:00

We dog-sat Tucker, our friend's Shiba last weekend! Romeo loves him so much and we loved him so much we didn't want him to go home on Sunday!

They slept a lot this weekend...

but they also love to play!

Made me almost wish I had a second Shiba... But then I remembered I am getting a newborn instead!! :)

17 weeks

2011-06-27T19:18:00.000-05:00

(The shadow is back but I didn't like the other pic that didn't have it. We will do better next week!)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 17 weeks
Size of baby: 5 inches long and 5 ounces

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing maternity shorts and capris because my pants dont button and the bella band moves around too much!

Gender: A GIRL!!! Preslee Bell Turner

Movement: I feel flutters when I am laying flat in bed late at night. I am ready to feel her more!

Sleep: Sleep is still ok! I wake up a few times at night to pee but can go right back to sleep. Love sleeping on my left side and a little on my back!

Symptoms: I had pretty good week but at night my body just really aches! I had a few headaches and a few days of heartburn but nothing too bad.

What I miss: My energy!

Cravings: Anything salty & cheesy! Still loving Sonic hot dogs or basically anything from Sonic!

Best Moment this week: Finding out about our sweet girl!! We are so attached to her already!

What I am looking forward to: Starting to feel Preslee move more! I can't wait to have that reminder that she is in there growing and moving around! Also I am ready to get the nursery stuff picked out! It is overwhelming me! I will be happy when its all ordered and then I can just start organizing her stuff!

Girl stuff!

2011-06-24T10:32:00.000-05:00

I still can't believe I'm going to be able to shop for girl stuff!! I can't wait to have my own real-life baby doll to dress up everyday! Preslee already has a growing closet and I'm sure by December, it will be quite ridiculous just how many clothes this little girl will have!

Her sweet grandmas (who will more than likely be called Honee & LeLe) got her these precious things! They all say either I love my daddy or Daddy's princess, so I know what I will be shopping for... MOMMY's girl stuff! :)

I love this little frame and can't wait to see my little princess' picture in it!

Jennifer and Brody came by Tuesday night to bring Preslee some girly stuff! Cutest story ever-- Brody saw that frame at Hobby Lobby and said, "Look mommy, that is like Julee's baby!" Then he asked if they could get me that frame! How sweet is that??!! At the time, we didn't know what the gender was, so after we found out it was a girl, Jennifer took him back so he could get the pink one for us! I will never forget that story and absolutely love the frame!

Thank you so much Francis family! I can't wait to see her in those cute clothes! I hope Preslee is as sweet as Brody and Jillian are! I just love those babies so much and can't wait to see MY little girl play with them!

I am trying to make myself not go crazy buying clothes because I know our family and friends will shower us with so many cute things. But when I see cute cheap stuff, I just can't resist!! As I walked through the baby section yesterday, I just thought she NEEDED these cute newborn ballet slippers! :)

And I thought this would be a cute dress for next summer! I am a sucker for tutus!!

I have dreamed for so long about getting to buy my own baby stuff and I can already tell that this little miss is going to break my bank account for sure!! :)

Our sweet little girl!

2011-06-22T11:03:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was one of the most amazing days in my life! I still have trouble believing that I am even pregnant and now I can say that we are having a daughter!!! She is truly a gift from God. We are praising him even through our struggle of infertility, that he always knew what was best for us and SHE is THE baby we have been waiting for!!!

I guess it worked out for the best also because we only had finalized a girl name! So we would like to introduce you to our sweet little girl...

PRESLEE BELL TURNER!!!

She already knows to face the camera and smile! ;)

My doctor first looked and when she said she it was a girl, I was speechless! I seriously thought she didn't know what she was talking about! Then the ultrasound tech came in and she verified that she was indeed a girl!! All of us in the room were so shocked but SOOO happy! Here was the first crotch shot.

We have compared these pics to about 1,000 gender ultrasound pics online!! Matt's worst fear is that she will be a he at the next ultrasound! ha! I think this is a pretty clear shot that there is nothing between those legs!

Preslee was a name that I saw before I got pregnant and thought was really cute! I had always liked the idea of using a name where I could pass down the "ee" part of my name! Bell is my maiden name. Growing up I was always called by my first and last name -Julee Bell, so we thought it would be sweet for her to have that name too! Matt loved her name from the very beginning and actually never said he LOVED another name during the whole naming process! We think its perfect for her!

On Sunday prior to the appointment, Mom and I went shopping. She wanted to buy something boy and girl, so here I am before the ultrasound, wondering which one our sweet baby would be wearing soon!

One of my childhood best friends is my nurse and I am so glad that I have Emily taking care of me!

Mommy and Daddy after the shock of finding out she is a girl!!

Our moms went with us to find out what their grandchild was going to be! Matt's family hasn't had girl in 32 years and mine it's been 22!! As if she wasn't going to be spoiled anyway... She will really be spoiled by both sides!

Very proud parents!

COME ON DECEMBER!!! We can't wait to meet our baby girl- Preslee Bell Turner!!!

It is a...

2011-06-21T17:08:00.004-05:00

GIRL!!!

OMG!! We are so shocked and so excited!!!

Pics and more info to come.... :)

16 weeks

2011-06-20T09:03:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 16 weeks
Size of baby: 4.5 inches long and about 3.5 ounces

Maternity Clothes: Starting to wear maternity shorts and capris because the bella band moves around too much! Regular pants will no longer button or if they do, they are very uncomfortable!

Gender: Hopefully finding out Tuesday!

Movement: In the last week or two, I think I have felt some flutters! It's when I am laying flat in bed late at night when I have felt this little movement. Also felt one little tiny thump on my left side on 6/17/11 while doing hair. It made me excited for more little thumps to come!

Sleep: Sleeping is ok when I can get comfortable and stay asleep long enough. Love sleeping on my left side and a little on my back!

Symptoms: Headaches were bad last week!

What I miss: My energy and motivation to do normal things!

Cravings: Anything salty & cheesy! Real healthy stuff like Hot Dogs, cheese sticks and french fries! :)

Best Moment this week: Starting to really get a more noticable belly bump!

What I am looking forward to: My appointment on Tuesday! And then starting to shop for baby nursery stuff!

What is Baby T going to be?

2011-06-18T17:50:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine blogged these Old Wives tales a few weeks ago before her ultrasound so I stole the idea and wanted to share my results!

Morning sickness: They say that little girls make their mama's sick and I only threw up once and only had mild nausea which I think indicates BOY!

Soft or dry skin? Mine has been extremely dry which indicates BOY!

Are you craving citrus? NO!! Orange juice has never tasted so awful! BOY!

Have you felt glowing or less than beautiful and had lots of breakouts? I have had no breakouts whatsoever but I normally have very clear skin so I don't know how to take this one! But little girls are supposed to cause breakouts so... BOY!

Heartbeat indicator: Both our heartbeats were in the mid range (153 then 149) but it did go down both times which is said to be an indicator of a BOY!

Craving fruit or meat?: This is hard because I haven't eaten a lot of either but I would have to go with fruit which is an indicator of GIRL!

Pendullum test: I did this quite a few times and it always says BOY! I wonder if it means I am having all boys?! ha!

Dreams- Some people say whatever you dream about is what you are having. Others have said that you have opposite of what you have been dreaming about. I had a dream that we were at the ultrasound and it was a GIRL! Matt dreamed very vividly about a BOY though!

My guess is BOY... What are your guesses??? Be sure to vote in the poll on the left side of the blog before Tuesday!