Princess Audrey Grace Turnell Has Arrived!!

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made
~ Psalm 139:14 from NKJV

The Princess is here!! That's right! I was born on November 28, 2011 at 9:12pm at Baylor Frisco. I was 7 pounds 11.6 ounces, 20 inches long, and scored really well on my APGAR scores (8/9). I am so glad to be here for Christmas so I can meet all of my friends and family!!

"A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world."~ John 16:21 from NIV

The Chain of Events:
Mommy's due date passed on Thanksgiving (November 24) and she had an appointment with her OB on Monday, November 28th to see how I was doing. The night before her appointment, Mommy noticed what people in the baby business call the bloody show. Mommy got really anxious and couldn't sleep at all (starting at 11:00pm Sunday night). Little did Mommy know, but Cici was having dreams about me being born Sunday night, too, so she came with Mommy to the Dr. appointment (at 11:00am).  The Dr. checked my heart rate, which was normal, but when she checked the amount of amniotic fluid in my house (Mommy's uterus), she didn't like that the amount had gone down. So... the Dr. told Mommy to head home, grab her hospital bag, and meet her at the hospital. Mommy was so excited and anxious because she realized I would be there that day!
Daddy had been carpooling with a buddy from his Fire Academy and today was not his day to drive, so Mommy had to call and text him, Cici had to call him, and since they couldn't get a hold of him, Mommy had to call the Academy and tell them that Daddy needed to leave and meet her at the hospital because they were having a baby that day! Daddy got a ride from Grandpa Jim, then the car broke down, so they had to switch cars, and finally made it up to the hospital.
Mommy and Daddy made it to the hospital around the same time, they checked in, and headed to the labor and delivery room. The nurse started Mommy on Pitocin to get things going around 1:30pm. Mommy's contractions got worse and worse, around 7:00pm, Mommy asked for the epidural... and by 8:00pm she told the nurse she was having pressure in her lower back, so the nurse checked Mommy's cervix and said... "Well, that's because you are ready to push!" So she called the Dr. in and Mommy started pushing. I arrived at 9:12pm. The umbilical cord was loosely wrapped twice around my neck, so the Dr quickly unwrapped it. No harm was done though.
Then Dr. Obey placed me on Mommy's chest. Mommy was so happy to see my face, hear me cry, and was feeling a tad bit of pain, so she had a ton of emotions going all over the place. She laughed and cried and was in awe all at the same time. Then, the nurses warmed me up, took my APGAR scores, took my vitals, and weighed and measured me. During all of this Mommy was getting stitched up and Daddy was taking lots of pictures, while falling in love with me. Shortly after I was born and had my vitals taken, the nurses put me (in my diaper) on Mommy's bare chest for some skin-to-skin time. I was a superstar, because I started rooting for my food almost immediately, shocking Mommy, Daddy, and the Nurses. After I ate my first meal, I shared some skin-to-skin time with Daddy. Mommy and Daddy just gazed at me and fell in love immediately.

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
~ Psalm 127:3 from NLT

Around 11:00pm, Cici and Grandma Jennie came in to meet me, by this time, I was hungry again, so they didn't get to hold me right away. Shortly after, the Army of family and friends came in to meet me: Grandpa Jim, Grandpa Rodney, Grandma Karen, Aunt Ashley, Uncle Shane, and Cousin Erin. Unfortunately, Uncle D and Grandpa RB didn't get to meet me until later that week because Grandpa RB had to go out of town and Uncle D had Basketball tryouts. Uncle Dave was also unable to meet me because he had to go back to Pittsburgh the night before.

Grandpa Rodney

Grandpa Jim

Cousin / Shopping Buddy, Erin

Uncle Shane

Grandma Karen & Aunt Ashley

Cici

Uncle D

RB

Uncle Nate

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father
~ James 1:17 from NLT

 
 The first couple of weeks were pretty rough on me and Mommy. Getting the food in was an experience (one that left Mommy not really wanting or able to breastfeed me, so she's been pumping so I still get those nutrients and antibodies from her), then getting it out was kind of scary at first... pooping was scary because I've never really pooped before, but I have the hang of it now--just ask Daddy (I've already popped on him--haha)! We also had to figure out the sleeping thing. Mommy went kind of crazy when she spent two days where she only got 30 minutes to an hour of sleep at a time. Thank goodness for Cici, who spent the first week with Mommy and me and then came to the rescue a couple of times when Mommy needed serious help!

I had my 2-week screening, which Mommy was more scared about than I was. It went pretty well, I didn't cry or anything...  I think Mommy was more hurt by it than me!

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
~ John 1:16 from NIV   

At about 3 weeks, I started sleeping longer and went from eating 3 ounces to 4 ounces per meal. I also lost my umbilical cord which meant I got to have my first REAL bath, which I love, especially right before bedtime... so relaxing. I also became more alert, noticing the mobile on my swing and the plaque above my changing table. I've been smiling more often, with my whole face, in response to Mommy and Daddy's smile.

 

Favorite Daddy Quote: "Audrey... Princesses aren't supposed to cry..." -- Matt "Daddy" Turnell

Favorite Song Mommy Sings (The Good Morning Song): "Good morning to you! Good morning to you! You're my little Princess, and I love you!" -- Amber "Mommy" Turnell

Monday, December 12: Umbilical Cord Fell Off
Tuesday, December 13: Two Week Heel Stick Screening
Wednesday, December 14: First Real Bath
Sunday, December 25: 1st Christmas

Mommy says I already have a 'tude!