2.5 months old

Well, it is officially the holiday season - it's amazing how time flies!

Brady helped us celebrate our first Thanksgiving as a family of three. He sat in his swing during dinner, contently watching us consume gross amounts of calories. Poor thing was probably jealous of the great food we were eating...all he got was some milk, again.....

What the heck?

Sleeping with the Papa:

Talking with Murphy:

Passed out - - I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't get up.....

Happy Baby!

2 months

Brady's two-month birthday crept up on us awful fast. We can't believe it's been two months already. We went for his two month check up today, and our little boy is doing fantastically. His weighing in at 13.5 lbs (yikes!) and is over 2 feet long (double yikes). He's currently growing out of most 3-6 month clothes....ahhH!!! We think he might have gotten the DeLalio/Wyckoff giant genes....sorry Turzas.

Brady has discovered his hands this week. Apparently, they are quite delicious and interesting...he spends quite a bit of his awake time studying and eating them. It's quite cute, not gonna lie.

He also has been sleeping better at night, which Mommy and Daddy greatly appreciate. All in all, he's the perfect little baby (of course).

We also finally stopped giving Brady sponge baths on the kitchen counter and started him in his "big boy tub"....he doesn't cry, we think he still hasn't figured it out yet. Judge for yourself:

He also has taken to playing in his jungle playmat, he loves the lights and sounds it makes. Obviously, he is very intent on studying it:

And, here's a picture of Brady doing one of his favorite things.....He was awake, content in his chair, and when I turned around to see why he was so quiet....I found this:

Brady's 7 Weeks old!

Brian and I are now expert parents....we've successfully made it through 7 weeks, and Brady is still doing great! We are enjoying every second (well, maybe except those extremely poopy diapers......) of parenthood.

In Brady news:

Two weeks ago we figured out that our little man doesn't love dairy as much as his Mama. His little tummy wasn't taking to it too well....and since Mama eats dairy at every meal..you can imagine how upset it was making him. So, after talking to the dr., Mom changed her diet, no dairy (it's harder than you think) and we changed formula from a milk-based one to non-milk based. And, let me tell you, Brady is such a happy boy now!! He happily plays on the floor for hours each day - he's kicking, moving his little arms, and chatting up a storm. He has lots of stories to tell. He's also smiling ALL the time, it's the cutest smile I've ever seen!

When we went to the dr. two weeks ago he was already 11 + lbs....we go for our 2 month check up next week, I'm sure he's still "thriving" (as the dr. says).

He has also been Mom's motivator for getting out the door to "run", and by "run" we mean light jog....it's been a few months. So, he sits in his stroller, smiling away as Mom huffs and puffs behind him, trying to get those extra inches and pounds off. It's a long road to half-marathons....but, we are out there moving almost everyday.

So...onto the more important things - Pictures!

Smiling Away:

Supporting Dad's Mets:

Getting burped by Dad, look at those kissable, pinchable cheeks!

His First Halloween (these pictures were taken late in the afternoon....Brady was VERY tired...hence, the pacifier)

A well fed Brady is a happy Brady:

One Month Old!!

Brady is now 1 month old!!

He is doing fantastically - we went to the doctor yesterday for the one month checkup and he weighs 10 lbs 5 oz now! Obviously, that little lack of weight gain problem in his first two weeks is no longer an issue. He's an eating machine (and therefore, pooping)

He's starting to smile now...it's the cutest thing ever! His whole face lights up - and those cute as can be dimples come out! I've been trying to capture it on camera to show you, but it's a very difficult task. In the video, you can see the beginnings of his smile......I'll work on getting pictures of this little munchkin with his big ol' toothless grin.

We started "tummy time" this week. He loves spending time on his tummy (as long as he can still see/hear Mom and Dad). His works his little butt up into the air - it makes us laugh every time. He is working hard on his muscles to help support that big head of his...before we know it he will be sitting up - it amazes us how quickly the learning curve is. In the first month of his life he: 1. puts his cute little butt in the air; 2. smiles; 3. responds to loud sounds (like Murphy barking); 4. responds to our voices; 5. gives Mom and Dad cuddles like you wouldn't believe!; 6. makes our lives so much richer and happier!!

Murphy checking out the little dude:

His Puma's from Uncle Stevie - he wore them when we went to the day care center he will be attending in January to check it out....Brady needed to make a good impression on the ladies!

Tummy Time!! Working his little butt into the air:

The cutie pie!

Here's a video of his morning smiling/cooing/checking out the lights - -which he delights Mom with every morning as she drinks her (decaf) coffee:

3 Weeks - Time is flying by!

Well, Mr. Brady is 3 weeks old tomorrow....and three weeks is such a short time, but we couldn't imagine life without him now. Ok, so maybe we can imagine those nights with 8 hours of consecutive hours of sleep...but he's worth all the sleep deprived nights.

We are all doing quite well. Brady is getting bigger by the day - last week at the doctors office he was his birth weight again (8 lbs 14 oz) and was a whopping 21.5 inches. We go back next week for his 1 month check up.

Oh, and he FINALLY lost his umbilical cord - - we have an innie!!!

Here are some of the latest pictures:

At Gt Power (taking over for Gramps):

After his bath (gotta get those "poochies" off):

Out for a stroll:

The awesome post-bath hairdo:

10 Days Old

Brady is now 10 days old!

We are having such fun with him. Granted, the lack of sleep isn't ideal, but it's all worth it when he cuddles up to you. He loves his cuddles!

He had his first pediatrician appointment this week. He is doing just fantastically, he was 8 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches long. The pediatrician was concerned with his lack of serious weight gain, so she has him eating on a rigid 2 hour schedule to plump him up. This week has been Project: Plump Brady Up. I find it hilarious that he needs to be forced to eat, what with parents like us who eat whenever and pretty much whatever!!

In addition to eating tons, Brady enjoys going for strolls around our neighborhood. Mom LOVES her stroller, and Brady seems to enjoy scoping out the chicas in the 'hood. He is quite stylin' in his orange stroller - all the other babies are jealous!

He seems to be an extremely content baby these days, he giggles, gurgles and makes all sorts of fun noises and faces. Here's a short video of those very faces - admit it, you are laughing....

Here are some pictures of this past week:

Bean's Arrival!!!!

Brady Everett Turza (aka Bean) has arrived!!!!

After a weekend in Cooperstown for Kate's cousin's wedding, where some serious dancing occured (not going to lie, Kate was hoping it would "jar" Bean lose). Bean decided it was time to come into the world exactly one week early (and on the day Kate picked as the "perfect day" he could come.

On Tuesday, September 14th, Kate woke up at 3:30am with intense contractions. She realized that her water broke, so she called the doctor, and was assured that labor was definitely underway. So, we gathered all our stuff and headed to Southampton Hospital. We arrived around 4:30 am and were whisked away to the birthing room. Kate was running a fever, so she was hooked up to all sorts of monitors and IV's in hopes to bring it down. Thankfully, the antibiotics worked and the fever broke around 7am, and Kate was dilated only 3 cm (long way to 10, which is fully dilated) The contractions began to get a bit more intense and rapidly increasing in frequency. Around 9 am Kate couldn't take the pain anymore, the contractions were back to back, so Kate requested an epidural. Well, actually, through gritted teeth she told Brian to get the doctor because she couldn't catch her breath. So, around 930 am the epidural was given. Around 10ish Kate was fully dilated and it was ready to push!! Well, after a half hour of pushing, Brady Everett Turza was welcomed into the world!!

Brady was a whopping 8 lbs 14 oz and 20.5 inches long. He is a complete cutie pie (granted, we are his parents). We stayed at Southampton Hospital until Thursday, then we brought the bundle of joy home. He is such a cuddler, sometimes it's hard to put him down! He's got such kissable cheeks.

Ok, we'll stop gushing and show you some pictures so you can judge for yourselves.

In the delivery room:

Look at those dimples!!

The proud Papa:

Stylin' in his "Going home outfit". Ladies, watch out!

His first car ride, Dad drove like a GRANDPA.....

Chillaxin' in the bouncy chair:

We are so excited to share the arrival of our Beautiful Baby Brady with you....more pictures to come!

Catch up & Bean's Pending Arrival

Well, after a VERY long haitus...we have decided to reinstate our blog. As most of you know, we have a new challenge that awaits us...Parenthood.

After 9 wonderful months, we are nearing the end of the pregnancy of our first child (a boy!). We named our baby "Bean" early in the pregnancy, and it has stuck. Don't worry, he will get a "real" name when he is born, but until then he is Bean. It is now week 39, so hopefully he will grace us with his presence in the near future!!

Here's a look back at some pivotal moments of our pregnancy:

Our very first ultrasound - that little squiggle is the beginnings of our "Bean"

Our second ultrasound: The Gummy Bear Bean

The third ultrasound: Bean saying "Hey there, Mom & Dad"

The fourth, and last ultrasound picture, when we found out he was a boy!:

Our latest ultrasound was at 37 weeks. We didn't get any pictures from it, but Bean was estimated to be at least 7.5 lbs at the time, and had all his necessary bits and pieces. Kate asked if "he was still a boy" - and the technician assured us he was DEFINITELY a boy. So, his little blue nursery and all his boy clothes will not disappoint.

Here are some pictures that have been taken of the "bump" - we won't disclose how big the bump really is now....let's just say it's borderline colossal!!

Those pictures were taken on July 31st, at the shower Nana (Kate's Mom) threw for Bean, around week 31.

And, two weeks later B-Ma (Brian's Mom) and Aunt Missy (Brian's sister) hosted another shower for Bean (he is a VERY loved baby) - look how much the "bump" grew!

Now, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Bean.... Hopefully, the next post will have pictures of Bean. Keep your fingers crossed that Bean doesn't keep us in suspense too long, and comes into this beautiful world soon.

Until next time......

Week 9 - Excused

Well, after discussing our dilemma with the competition...the Elrod's graciously let us postpone our half-marathon until we are both able to partake. AND...due to the "legit-ness" of our excuse for withdrawal, we do not lose by default. It looks as though our chilibean will be named something other than Elrod. Sorry, we aren't divulging any names here...but odds are we will be staying away from "Elrod" (not that it's a bad name....)

Other than that...our training is no longer. Kate is now on a "pregnancy" regimen, 3-4 days of cardio (which, right now is still running) and 2 days of strength training and "lower abdominal exercises". This is all in an effort to ease the potential delivery...and to make a determined effort to keep the baby weight to a healthy minimum.

Brian, still basking in his "I'm going to be a daddy" glow, has decided to take it easy as well, although he is still playing his roller hockey on Sundays.

As for being pregnant, Kate is feeling much better. She is closing in on the end of her first trimester, so keep your fingers crossed that the nausea is no longer, and some energy starts to return. The baby bump is still baby bloat, and Kate is now living in stretchy pants, sweat pants, and her always forgiving, "fat pants".

Other than that...we are going along life as usual for us, Turza's. We are anxiously awaiting our next appointment with the dr to see "Bean" again. We will let you know how that all goes.

Week 8 - Hiatus

So, week 8 had the potential to be a great week....no snow/rain/ice, plenty of days to run. BUT, there has been a slight change in our plans.....

On Wednesday, Kate went to the doctor for a follow-up visit to her "lady" doctor....and we have a confirmation of some fantastic news.....We are expecting a little Turza on Sept 21st. We had known for some time about this, but we weren't putting off running until we had gotten a second confirmation ultrasound, which we did on Wednesday. We are nine weeks along, almost out of the first trimester (thank goodness)! The doctor cautioned against Kate doing the half marathon, K can still run, but the lengthy distances might be a little too much for Kate's prego body to handle. So, there will be no long runs for Kate anymore....3 and 4 miles a couple times a week until it becomes "too much" aka Kate gets too big to do anything resembling running.

Brian has also put his training on hiatus, apparently....the first trimester blahs effect him as well. Exhaustion, nausea permeates the Turza house.....Running has dwindled to a measly three or four (on a good week) days a week for Kate & Brian.

Now, this poses a bit of a problem for us. Will our poor September baby be named Elrod due to default? Kate thinks pregnancy is a valid excuse for withdrawal....... We will let you know what our competitors think...I mean, it is their niece/nephew we are discussing here.

We will keep you posted on all updates on Bean (aka Baby T) and our new challenge....pregnancy & parenting.....

Week 7

We can't believe we've been training for seven weeks already, that only means one thing....we are seven weeks closer to our race!

This week was the week of snow and ice here on Long Island, as if we didn't have enough. We were limited on our running days, as we are too cheap to join a gym to use a treadmill if there is inclement weather. So, due to the ice, we were limited to three good running days. Hopefully, the snow and ice stays away, we can't afford gym memberships to train!! We need the free roads at our disposal.

On Friday night we watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics, and have been glued to the TV screen since. We are inspired by some of the athletes that are competing. The team USA spirit is contagious, if only we were stellar athletes! In an alternate universe, if we were winter olympic athletes, Brian would want to be on Team USA for Ice Hockey, and Kate would love to be a downhill skier.

This week, thanks to the Olympics, we will be using the olympic spirit to jump start our training.

Week 6 - Catch up week

Sorry for not updating last week, we just haven't had any exciting stories!! We are both still running, training for our half marathon. Brian has taken up Roller hockey on the weekends in order to help his physical fitness. His training has suffered a bit, due to the cold weather and hockey consuming his free time (and considerable energy) on the weekends. BUT, we are both still planning on winning our child the right to have a normal name in April!

Since we started training and have been telling people about our plan, we seem to have inspired a few (ok, one) person to join our quest for half-marathon splendor. Mike, Kate's brother, has also joined in the training. He's hoping that he will be able to take time off work for the race, but that's still up in the air. Keep your fingers crossed for him!! The more the merrier, actually, the more to beat the Elrod's, the better!!!

Today was supposed to be Brian's first ever official race, a 5K, in Southampton. Due to a winter weather advisory, and a blizzard that never came, our race was cancelled, much to our dismay. Brian, Kate & Mike were all planning on competing. Yesterday, when we got the e-mail that it was cancelled we were all quite perplexed. The snow accumulation was less than a quarter inch, and was melting at an amazing rate. Apparently, the race coordinators didn't want to hedge their bets against Mother Nature. So....now we need to find another race to do in the next couple weeks to get Brian warmed up for Race day.

Despite not having our race today, Kate & Mike (Brian had roller hockey) went for a nice 4+ mile run. It was freezing and we decided to run by the beach (great idea, Kate). With Kate sucking serious wind trying to keep up with Mike (we're talking one word answers to any long winded question Mike posed to K), we both finished it. We went to the Diner to reward ourselves for a job well done (Thanks Mom and Charlie).

Despite not having joined Mike & Kate on their run, Brian played roller hockey and "won the game singlehandedly". So, either way...run or not....the Turza's had a spectacular physical activity day!!

Now we plan on sitting on our slightly large butts on the couch and watch the real athletes compete in the SuperBowl!

Week 4

Week 4 came and went quite quickly. Brian and Kate both completed their training goals for the week. Brian ran 2 days this week AND played roller hockey this morning. Kate completed 4 days of running, today wasn't one of them, the couch has been quite comfy....everyone needs a day off, right??

In addition to training physically, we decided we need to start training mentally. Among our mental training techniques this weekend was playing Yahtzee. What a rigorous game! Brian won, Kate thinks he cheated. We had some serious screaming matches, Murphy was sitting in the corner rolling his eyes at us (or at least, he would have if he could have). We are both very competitive, even when it comes to board games. Goodness knows what our marathon will be like, we will be competing against each other the whole way. Screaming, elbows flying, the usual Turza competitiveness will be going down, I'm sure.

Our weight loss has come to a bit of standstill. We had been feeling quite good about ourselves this week, which resulted in the consumption of: one WHOLE large NY style pizza in one night (between the two of us), Greek food, and Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake (no dinner, just the cheesecake). We would like to thank the Elrods for the Cheesecake Factory gift certificate, although we are now thinking it was a ploy to thwart our training.

Wish us luck this week, hopefully we have more luck resisting our food temptations this week.

Week 3 - Slightly less tough going

Another week has passed, 2010 is flying by. We can't believe how quick time goes. We have both successfully trained for at least 2 days this week, which is an increase from last week. Brian is holding steady at a 13.5 lb weight loss.

Rumor has it that the Elrod camp has also been training well. A little birdie told us that at least one of the Elrods has been diligently running on the track to prep for our April competition.

Yesterday we both went for runs, separately- since last week's "together run" didn't work out so well. Brian ran the farthest he has run continuously, yet. We are very proud of it. Needless to say, we were both a little tired and sore today, so we went for a 2.5 mile rigorous walk in the freezing rain. Now, that's what we call dedication!!

As lame as this post is, we have no exciting training stories or news to report as of today, hopefully next week we will have more stories!

Wish us luck on another week of this training, which slightly resembles hell.

Week 2 - Rough going

It's been two weeks since we have started our training to beat the Elrods in April, and this week seemed longer and much harder than the past ones. As last week, the weather has been frigid - but we have been bearing the elements.

Now that the holidays are over, we are both back to working full time. This has made training difficult for us to do. Kate goes running during her lunches at work and stinks up the office in the afternoon with her sweaty musk. Brian hasn't been able to find time during his work day to run, as it is dark when he leaves the house...and dark when he comes home. Kate is seriously thinking of getting him a really cool head lamp for running, so he has no excuse not to go when he comes home from work :-) Who's that weirdo out running in subzero temps at night in Center Moriches? That would be Brian...Brian Turza.

Yesterday we decided to go on a four mile run together, which would be our first ever run as a couple (yes, we know...slightly dorky). Kate asked Brian if he wanted to go for 3 or 4 miles together. Brian agreed that he could do 4, so we decided our route and set off. As we were going out the front door Brian told Kate to go her normal pace, he would try to keep up with her, but she was not to stop on his account. So, we headed out into the 15 degree weather for our first 4 miles as a couple. About a quarter mile down the road, Brian was already falling back. Kate kept her pace, hoping Brian wouldn't get discouraged, but he DID say to maintain her normal pace. Every stop sign Kate turned around to make sure he was still there. At the fourth stop sign (about a mile into the run) she turned around and Brian was no where to be found. Kate decided to heed Brian's advice and to continue at her normal pace....BUT, there was a slight glitch in that plan. Kate had the only keys (that she know about) to the house. So....as any dutiful wife would do, she turned around and sprinted back to the house. She was so afraid that he would be stuck outside freezing his buns off! Well, she showed up and the front door was already open (apparently, Brian thought ahead and planted another key outside) and Brian was inside, in the heat. With some serious coaxing from Kate, we set out on a 1.5 mile walk together to try to meet the 4 mile goal. We finished a 3.5 mile run/walk together, the longest that Brian has done so far. Needless to say, Sunday was a rest day for some of the Turzas, while others went for another 4 mile run (despite the freezing temps).

Brian's weight loss has been quite remarkable, he has lost a total of 13 lbs since we started. Kate hasn't quite lost that much (or any at all), but she is maintaining her beautiful physique quite well. Go Brian!!

For Kate's birthday (we aren't going to mention how old she is), Mike (Kate's brother) entered the three of them (Brian, Kate & Mike) in a local 5k in February. Brian will be debuting his amazing new running skillz! Watch out 5kers...Brian Turza is in town (with Mike & Kate in tow)!!

Wish us luck this next week!!!

Week 1 - Finished!

Well, Brian and Kate have successfully finished their first week of training! We are both extremely proud of ourselves, and we lost a combined 11.5 lbs to boot.....

The weather has definitely put a bit of a damper on our running. It has been unseasonably cold (like single digits) and uber windy. But, that doesn't stop us Turzas --we went out and bought some warmer running clothes. Not going to lie, we look a little silly when we go out for our runs. Today, Kate wore two pairs of running tights, ski socks, three shirts (including one turtleneck), ear warmers, ski cap, AND gloves - it was still freezing. Because Brian was lacking warm running attire (don't worry, we hooked it up today at Modells), he opted for some serious Wii training. Nice job, Brian!!!

It was brought to our attention, that if you aren't a follower you can't view comments on our posting. So, we wanted to make sure the playing field was level and post some of the Elrod's comments on our first posting. Missy wrote: "Missy and Brett are both amazing athletes and that is all anyone needs to know. In fact, Missy woke up early (8:30 am is early for some people) and headed to the gym (so what if it was the first time in months) and had an intense workout! Brett has been busy with work but as soon as we get him some new sneakers (we Elrods don't need any fancy heart monitors!) his training will begin. I cannot wait to welcome to the world baby Elrod Turza!!!!"

Now, we don't know about you, but it sounds like this might be a seriously close competition in April, what with the Elrod's amazing athletic ability and all.

Happy 2010, hope it's happy and healthy for all!! Guess what our resolution is? That's right, getting fit. And, we figure if we run more then we get to eat more (which, is definitely our favorite pastime).