yard play

I was going to title this "yard work" but it looks like they're having way too much fun. Helping dad in the yard is always good times.

3 weeks

Gabe didn't want to be left out.

wash, fluff, and cuddle

MMMMM. Clean babies smell so good. Can you believe that hair? She is quite the fluff. Cuddling a clean fluffy baby has to be one of the greatest things we can do in this life. Don't you want to cuddle too?

feeding my baby to the wolves

Maybe it was putting her hair in curlers. Maybe it was because today marked a milestone in her adolescence. Whatever the reason may be I think she looks 10 years old in this picture. So with the feeling that she is way too little and I am way not ready I sent my baby off to Jr. High. You should see her Jr. High. It's huge. What if she can't make it to her classes? What if she can't open her locker? What if she forgets where to go next? What if the kids are mean to her? What if she misses the bus after school? It was not so much a lack of faith in her as a lack of faith in the job I did to prepare her for this day.

She had no such worries. She was fearless. She did awesome. She loves it. I am relieved. She made it. My baby played with the wolves and lived.

i love janie

This is my sister Janie. Isn't she pretty? She's always making me take pictures with her. She likes taking pictures. A lot. I am always posing for a picture when we are together. She really is pretty. I sure love her.

two weeks old

cornerstone ceremony-oquirrh mountain temple

Scott had the totally awesome opportunity to sing in the choir. Despite the fact that I have a two week old baby I decided this event was not to be missed. Scott took Hayley with him early and I got the three younger ones ready and arrived very late. There was no chance of meeting up with Hayley. She was in the front. I was in the back. I was able to squish into a place by the bleachers where Scott was standing.

There have been a few times in my life when I am in the same vicinity of the living prophet. Each time I am blown away by the spirit he carries with him. The air becomes almost electric with the spirit. He is a prophet of God.

The choir was beautiful. The prophet was funny. It was his birthday after all. The cornerstone was sealed. Again there was singing. It was a wonderful morning at the temple of the Lord. My only regret is not pulling Mariah and Jaden out of school to experience it.

enamored

The honeymoon is not over. The lovefest is continuing. It appears that this fascination with the baby is going to persist. I think I can safely say that Gabe is indeed enamored.

jungle princess

There are few people in this world who can wear turquoise leopard print and wear it well. Amelia appears to be one of them. Thanks to my Aunt Kelly for this hand made fashion forward outfit. Thanks Amelia for looking so adorable in it.

a little ditty

Mariah made up a little song for Amelia. It really is quite clever. Catchy too. All the kids are singing it. "A" is for Amelia, "J" is for Joanne, "T" is for Turner. Oh yeah.

hangin' shootin' and swingin'

"I want to go to the cabin," I say. " Are you serious?" says Scott. Yes. Yes I am. It has been quite the week. I gave birth, battled elevated bilirubin, endured nursing wounds, and didn't get much sleep. I needed to get away. My in-laws were going to their cabin for the weekend and I thought it was a brilliant idea to go along. I was right. It was just what I needed.

We hung out. It was awesome. The kids did some of the usual cabin fare. Swinging is always on the list. They went for rides on the 4-wheelers. I even managed to get a ride in. 10 whole minutes of freedom. Grandpa let them shoot his b.b. gun. How cool is that?

It was only for one night but made my week. Super.

bear pics, first bath, and gabe love

Well, she is one week old. I have a goal to take her picture with this bear every Friday. We'll see how it goes. Goals are good right?

One week old and it's time for her first bath at home. First bath with water anyway. I wipe her down everyday with bebe mustela. It makes her smell super delicious and is an excellent time saver. In fact the only reason I subjected her to the torture of a "real bath" is that her hair was dirty. Five kids stroking her head all day makes for some really nappy hair. Yikes. Her favorite part of the bath had to be when it was over.
One week later and Gabe still "lubs her". In fact, I don't think I've ever had a baby so loved by the toddler. He professes his love to her several times a day. First thing in the morning he runs to my bed to check on her. He loves to rub his cheek on her face. There is no sibling rivalry here. We'll see if that lasts when she starts drooling on his toys. For now I am loving this.

haylie bowler is a genius

It helps that my baby is beyond adorable but Haylie really is fantastic. We had two photo sessions since her newborn rash was taking forever to fix in photoshop. The bili lights turned out to be helpful in more ways than one. With her now perfect skin Haylie went to work. She really does amazing work. Wouldn't you agree?

Haylie also whipped me up some super duper birth announcements. I couldn't pick so I sent out two. Amazing eh?

sun bathing

My O- blood type may be great for the blood banks but it turns out not to be so good for my baby's bilirubin count. There is some fancy word to describe this problem but I really don't remember what it's called. On Monday I took her into the doctor for a check-up and then spent way too long at the hospital to get some blood work done. I then headed over to my friend Haylie's for a photo shoot. While I was there the doctor called me. It always worries me a bit when I get a call directly from the doctor and not the nurse or receptionist. She said her bili count was way too high. So high that she could be admitted to the hospital. She was having some bili lights delivered to my house and she wanted the baby under them a.s.a.p. Post baby hormone levels and the news of my babies precarious situation was not the best combination. I was somehow able to keep myself together and headed home.

The lights were delivered and in no time at all Amelia was catching some much needed rays. She had to be in there at all times except when I fed her. When I took her out I had to use a special light blanket. Turns out she didn't like being in there so much. When I would take her out to feed her it would take me forever to get her settled back under them. By the second day her levels were heading down and her newborn rash had miraculously cleared up. One more day and night under the lights and her therapy was complete. Yay.

welcome home baby

Six kids under one roof. What am I going to do?

My mom kept things under control while I was in the hospital. My laundry was done and she even managed to make some bread.

As far as I can tell Amelia is happy with the house. She had a super welcoming committee. Grandma Judy and Grandpa stopped by with Grandma Turner in tow.

So far she tolerates all the love and kisses. The kids like her. Gabe came up to me, took my hand and said, "I lub her mom." Yep. She's a keeper.

our hospital stay

I love my two days in the hospital. I get to spend two whole days with my baby and hubby. With five other kids at home it's precious time for just the three of us. This is not to say that we didn't have our share of visitors. I love having people come to see me. Showing off a new baby at the top of my "favorite things to do list." With so many babies being born at the same time as Amelia they decided just to leave me in the delivery room. This made it extra roomy when people wanted to stop by, which was usually in large groups.

I was supposed to go out with my girlfriends on Friday night. We were going to get pedicures so my toes would look good during the delivery. You must have pretty toes whilst pushing. Because I had just given birth and was unable to venture out they decided to bring the party to me. They brought food from Zupas and a pedicure kit to fancy up my toes. They also came bearing gifts. Crocheted hats, frilly skirts, and leg warmers were amongst my favorite gifts. Shalynn even whipped up a yellow hat while we were chatting. Thanks girls. That was one of my favorite girls nights ever.

On her second day of life was another steady stream of well-wishers. Gabe loves loves loves the baby. He is already calling her "baby melia" The pic of him holding Amelia in front of the window has to be my favorite pic of the whole year.

The pics they take in the hospital have sure come along way since we had Hayley. They are actually cute.

We came home on Sunday and had a nice quiet morning waiting for the doc to come check us out. Amelia is developing a splendid newborn rash and has a bit of jaundice we're going to have to watch. I am in love with my new baby. I am not sure how I am going to handle six kids but they won't let me stay in the hospital any longer.

feelin' it

WARNING: Story about a baby coming out!!! May be TMI for some. Proceed with caution.

I am laying in bed. It's 12:30 a.m. and I've just been woken up by a mild contraction. This happened to me last night too. "I wish it was real labor," I think to myself. An hour later I am still awake. I can't wait to tell my friends how I thought I was in labor all night. I wish I could just sleep. It is early Friday morning and I am scheduled to be induced on Monday morning. I haven't packed yet.

I lie in bed for another hour and then I decide I better pack just to be safe. I scurry around the house rummaging for a bag, charging the video camera, and gathering must haves for my hospital stay. The contractions aren't so bad. Every so often I have to sit down. At about 4 a.m. Scott sits up and witnesses the flurry of activity I am involved in. I have already told him several times that I am not in labor and to go back to sleep. He is suddenly not convinced. "I guess I better go shower," he says. I am still trying not to get my hopes up. I apologize for interrupting his sleep but allow him to shower anyway. Like I was going to stop him. Somehow he remembers our close calls better than me.

"I don't think her name is Lola," he says to me from the shower, "I am pretty sure her name is Amelia." "Okay," I say. I decide that it is indeed my favorite name too. Way too many songs about Lola being of questionable character. He hops out of the shower and I waddle in. I like to be clean before exposing my nether regions to strangers. I'm funny that way. I think we have a baby today. Funny. I have plans tonight to go out with my girlfriends. I really thought I had the weekend left to prepare. I should have known it was close when the day before I washed and put the babies clothes in her drawer and even ran to the mall to get some last minutes items. Should have known indeed.

I get out of the shower and sit down for a moment. Hmmm. These are really close. And regular. Shoot. I didn't get to do my hair. Then I panic. These are way too close and regular. "We need to hurry," I say. "I know," says Scott. He has been hurrying. We wake up Hayley and put her on the couch to listen if the little ones wake up. She is excited. We hop in the car. It's 5 a.m. Scott ran a few red lights. Delivering a baby in the car is not on his bucket list. Mine either. We call our parents and my sister. I feel bad waking them up. I hate not knowing when to call.

The hospital is down town. Scott made good time. It usually takes us 35-40 minutes and we were then in 25. The contractions are harder but at least the baby is still in the bulge. We whisk past admissions dropping of my insurance card and ask the nice lady to please to let us go. She is wise.

I walk into labor and delivery and announce, "this is my 6th baby and I would like some drugs please." I add that I shoot my babies out fast. I must have looked intense. They take me seriously. "I didn't take a photo of me super pregnant!" We wait for a break in my contractions and I pose. Retake. Pose again. Okay, back in bed.

They come and check me. It's 5:40 a.m. "Wow," says the nurse. "You're bags are bulging". She doesn't dare check if the head is down. She doesn't want to "burst my bubble" Ha. Strong sack=tender mercy. If it had broken in the car I would not have made it to the hospital. I am dilated to a 7. They call the doctor. She's already been to the hospital several times this night. The full moon is bringing out the babies.

I am doing good. This isn't too bad. Two seconds after I though this I am gripped with what could only be "transition labor". Ouch. Drugs now please. It's 5:55 a.m. I think I feel pressure. They check me, I'm a 8-9. Oh crap. I need drugs. My in-laws arrive. We give Paul the camera with instructions to video everything but not "anything." He is very discreet. My Mother-in-law tries to offer comfort. The next fifteen minutes are a blur. The "happy doctor" makes it to my room but there is not time for an epidural. They decide to do a saddle block. I have to sit up to to have it placed. The nurse lets me hold onto her. The urge to push is so overwhelming I begin making noises. Really embarrassing noises. I am scared. I hate the feeling of loosing control of my body. I am still making really awesome grunting sounds. No one is laughing. Thanks for that. Thanks also to Paul for turning off the camera.

It's 6:05 a.m. and the block is in place. Ahhh! My contractions don't hurry anymore. Wait. I can still feel pressure. Um. How come I can still feel stuff? At 6:10 a.m. Dr. Robinson arrives. She is waiting to break my water. Why is she waiting? She says she's waiting for my "bum to go numb." Come again? Well, I can't wait. The baby is coming. I have to push. I can feel it. FEEL IT!!! The baby's head is so low she's blocking the drugs from numbing me completely. So rude. Dr. R breaks my water and I begin to push. And scream. Oh yeah, I scream. And not just your every day scream. It's primal. I cannot control it. I think to myself, "I am screaming and I can't stop." Two pushes, her head is out. I scream, "PULL HER OUT". One more push and out she comes at 6:15 a.m. Ouch. That really really hurt. Cute baby though. Dang cute.

6:20 my parents and Janie arrive. Janie is ticked. She went to pick up my parents. Ah well. They ooh and aaah. She really is cute.

introducing...

Amelia Joanne Turner

August 7, 2009

6:15 a.m.

7 lbs 7 oz

18.5 inches long

BSD lagoon day

What could be more fun than going to lagoon days before you are going to have a baby? I can't think of a thing. Luckily for my big belly the kids had school too. An evening at Lagoon was much better than having to be there all day. The kids still got there fill of rides and I didn't have to make dinner. It even rained while we were eating and cooled things off a bit. After dinner we split up. Scott, Grandpa, Lisa, Dallas, Mikayla, Hayley, and Jaden headed off to the "big rides". Grandma Judy (bless her soul. No way could I have managed without her), Mariah, Isabella, Gabe, and I headed off to the" kiddie rides". Because we split up I unfortunately I didn't get any pics of the older kids. You'll just have to imagine the looks of terror and delight upon their shining faces. The younger three had a wonderful time. Gabe loved all the rides except Puff the Magic Dragon. Grandma Judy didn't like it much either. Mariah had her first ride with a boy. Even though there were plenty of other airplanes to choose from he wanted to sit right down next to her. So sweet. She took it well and even managed to have a nice little conversation. We ended the night with a ride on the carousel and some "dippin dots". What could be better than that?

four kids down...two to go

Four kids in school. I can't believe it. Bella was so excited. It was torture for her to have to wait to start a week after Mariah and Jaden. Her school did a new thing this year. They each kid bring a parent to school with them for the first 15 minutes. We helped the kids find their coat rack, get there tote tray, take a picture with the teacher, make sure they knew where the bathroom was (very important in kindergarten), and get started coloring a picture. They then ushered us into the gym for a "boo hoo breakfast". We each got our own little pack of kleenex. I saw many more gleeful grins than actual tears. Yay! I think I'll go take a nap.

Mariah's Baptism

Mariah was baptized today. I can't believe I now have three kids who have taken the plunge. It always brings it home to me how much a responsibility I have to teach them what is right. She did great. She didn't stick her toe out of the water or anything. She even put on the fancy dress I bought her afterward. This is a big deal for Mariah. She doesn't like dresses so much. There was such a sweet spirit there as there always is when someone takes the first step on their journey back to Heavenly Father. Mariah is always smiling but this day her grin seemed even bigger. Good job Mariah, we are proud of you.



After the baptism we headed home to join the rest of our family for a baptism/birthday party for Mariah. Great Grandma Turner came up from St. George for the event. We also had Great Grandma Chalmers, Grandma Judy, Grandma Turner, Aunt Lisa, Grandmerry, Papa Taintor, Mystery, Faith, Jonathan, Aunt Janie, Uncle Ryan, and Elizabeth. All the regulars. (We miss you Adam & Danielle. Get your keisters back to Utah a.s.a.p.)

Having her Birthday the day before her baptism made this day extra special. She even got some double presents. Grandma Judy got her a super nice set of scriptures. Aunt Janie & Uncle Ryan got her a monkey CTR necklace. Who knew they made those? So perfect for Mariah. Great Grandma Turner and Great Grandma Chlamers gave her a little money also.



For lunch we ate Mariah's favorite food, pizza. We then gathered around and watched Mariah open presents. Mariah is a very unique little girl as can be told by the kinds of presents she enjoys. No barbies for this one. Her favorite present was the pirate costume that Grandma Judy got her. It's a awesome Grandma that will buy something she thinks is ridiculous because she knows you'll like it.



Mariah was so excited to get out of her dress and into something more fitting her personality. AAARRRGG!!!