Turner's first laptop

I have very cool coworkers. I enjoy going into my office daily and many of them know that I hate working from home. On Monday, one of my cool coworkers, Lauren-Alice brought in an early gift for Turner; his first laptop! 

Apparently she saw ‘My first laptop’ on ebay and immediately thought of Turner and had to get it. Thank you Lauren-Alice for helping Tori and I get Turner exposed to technology at an early age!

Wait a minute. Upon further inspection of the keyboard I discovered that it's not QWERTY.  I'll get my glue gun and fix the order of those keys this weekend.

Thank you for voting

Friends and family, thank you for visiting our blog regularly. Special thank you to those of you who’ve subscribed to the RSS feed and leave comments on the posts. Thank you to those of you who have shared your thoughts on Turner Moore’s middle name. I think the poll will be open for about 1 more week and then I’ll be replacing it with a new question, quiz or poll. 

Home Renovations

Earlier this summer, a pretty bad storm with hail and hurricane winds came through our area and damaged our roof. We also lost power for about 2 to 3 days. With the roof damaged, rain got into our home and damaged a good bit of our drywall. All repairs were covered by insurance but we decided to take this as an opportunity to have some additional work done to prepare for guests that will be coming to visit Lil Moore. Our guestroom will move upstairs with my office and our recreation room and our current guestroom will become Turner’s room.

We contracted with a company to remove all of the walls from the upstairs of our home. Once the walls were down we had them update the electrical, phone and cable wiring. We also took this as an opportunity to get some energy efficient insulation

The majority of the renovations will be done this week. We’ve selected new light fixtures and will add a few decorations to really make the room look new / updated. The last steps of the renovation will be to replace some windows (also energy efficient) and for me to rebuild the handrail over the stairs so that it’s up to code.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking the same thing. This kid is already costing me a fortune.  On the bright side, I am looking forward to him getting older and rolling up his sleeves to help his dad with projects around the house. Better yet, he’ll be able to teach his son a thing or too about home repair while I sit in my chair and tell them both how they're doing it wrong - like a good grandpa.

How do babies really work?

It really helps to know mom's with babies and/or young children. In my previous post we thanked Julia and Suron for recommended reading. In this post, we'd like to thank two other close friends who've also been sharing useful tips, tricks and information about kids.

First up we have my friend and coworker, Kathy. Kathy didn’t lend me any books but I don’t hold that against her - not anymore. What she lacked in literature she made up for with lessons learned about ‘things you don’t really need” and humor about the adventures of parenthood. Kathy really knows the area and doesn't live too far. She gave me some great information about daycare and how she juggles pick-ups and drop-offs. Most recently she gave me advice on selecting a glider and where to get good furniture. So while a glider is cool and comfy, we probably won’t be getting one. We’ll get something a little cheaper that fits our existing living room furniture. Also - while the dresser that matches our crib is nice, we can get equally nice furniture at IKEA.

Next up, we have Tori's longtime friend Jennifer (Jennifer is secretly closer to me ever since we found out we were both Taurus’s and like cartoon movies). Jennifer is another local source for all things baby. Her beautiful son and our godson Sheldon recently turned 1. I'll save the topic of Sheldon for another day (and lengthier post) but he's a fun kid to hang out with; now back to advice. Jennifer is giving us the most ‘hands-on’ training to prepare for Lil’ Moore. So far, we’ve changed a diaper or two, helped feed him, played with him and watched him when he wasn’t feeling well. Now granted, I haven’t changed one of those ‘stinky’ diapers I hear about but I’m ready and willing when Sheldon is.

Thank you ladies and please keep the advice and information coming --- we'll need it!

Recommended reading

Neither Tori nor I knew too much about children prior to ‘passing’ the pregnancy test (technically Tori passed but you get the idea). Luckily, we have some smart friends who’ve recommended good books for us to read, answer our questions whenever we ask. Thank you Suron and Julia – we really appreciate your advice as moms of toddlers.

Julia told us about the Baby Bargins book and even brought her old one into work for me to look at. Several pages of the book have notes written on them. Some pages have sections highlighted – it was like a used textbook at the college bookstore. This book has been a lifesaver.

Tori and I have been reading reviews and rankings of all baby items and will be adding those to our registry (coming soon).  Granted, it’s harder to argue for the ‘cool’ baby stuff when you have the facts in front of you. 

Suron gave me two books for Tori. One was useful and the other was cute and funny as she put it. Actually, I can’t remember what she said about the second book but I do remember thinking to myself – “Ok, don’t read that one”. You know what, I don't even know where that second book is.  Hope she doesn't want it back.  I’ll spare you the details of that book but share the title, What To Expect When You're Expecting and link to the one that we did read.

Thanks ladies, we really appreciate the information!  If anyone else has some recommended reading please share.

The name game

We were eager to learn the sex of our baby partially for shopping reasons but mostly because of the name game.  While dating Tori mentioned that she wanted to keep her maiden name Turner 'alive' after marriage since her father didn't have any boys.  I thought that was kind of cool but wasn't really fair.  So once we were married and revisited the subject we determined that if it was a boy, she's pick the first name (Turner) and I would pick the middle name.  If it was a girl, I'd pick the first and the middle name (with some input from Tori).   I thought it was a great deal but quickly realized how hard it is to pick a girls name.  I do have an extensive list prepared for baby #2 though.

So, ladies and gentlemen, our son's name is TURNER 'Something that starts with an A' MOORE.  The poll for the middle name is still open.  Will he get 'Anthony (Tony)' or 'Alexander (Alex) from his father's name?

Here's some information to help with your decision:
Tony's full name is "Tony Alex Moore" and Tori's is "Tori Turner Moore".

Turner:
The boy's name Turner \t(u)-rner, tur-ner\ is of Middle English origin, and the meaning of Turner is "wood-worker". Occupational name. "Turning" was a term for the use of a lathe, which was used in the 16th and 17th centuries for decorations on furniture. Painter J.M.W. Turner.

Anthony:
The boy's name Anthony \a-ntho-ny, an-thony\ is pronounced AN-tha-nee. It is of Latin origin. English form of the old Roman family name Antonius, probably of Etruscan origin. Mark Anthony (82-30 BC), Roman triumvir and general, sat on the throne and had a tempestuous political career with Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. Saint Anthony (third century) was an Egyptian hermit monk who founded the first Christian monastic order and is traditionally renowned for his resistance to the devil.

Alexander:
The boy's name Alexander \a-lexa-nder, alex(an)-der\ is pronounced al-ek-ZAN-der. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Alexander is "man's defender, warrior". From the Latin form of the Greek name Alexandros. The name was probably coined originally as a title of the goddess Hera, consort of Zeus. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) conquered and ruled the greater part of the known world before his death at the age of 33. History describes him as a man of high physical courage, impulsive energy, and fervid imagination. It was a royal name in Scotland.

Moore:
Our last name Moore \mo(o)-re\ is of Old French, Middle English, Gaelic and Celtic origin, and the meaning of Moore is "swarthy, dark-skinned; bog; noble, great".

So, what are we having?

Well will you look at that.  After weeks of nervousness we learned we are having a BOY!  Apparently the world needs a little moore Tony (or a little Tony Moore - get it?). Personally, I knew it was a boy as soon as the nurse told me the heart beat was 151 bpm - take that 'Chinese Baby Calendar'.  I was told by the nurse I couldn't take pictures.  I told her 'Don't worry, I'm taking video' - she then proceeded to read some policy statement and I had to put my camera away.  She felt sorry for me and printed out about 20 pictures along with some 3D images.   Here are some of the pictures we received:

He started out as a nice kid and gave us a kiss:

Then we got a nice side angle and realized he has a big head like his father.

The nurse finally checked for his 'twig and berries' and proved that it is a boy. 

Apparently, he wasn't a fan of the screaming and cheering so he tried to cover his ears.

Our son is currently 10inches and 12oz.  One of the doctors came in for a second look and told us that, "Your son has a beautiful brain".  Being the genius I am, I asked, "Does that mean he's smarter than other babies at 20 weeks?".  She stopped talking to me after that.

We wrapped up our ultrasound visit with a victory dance in the room. We are beyond excited and happy to have a baby boy on the way.  Stay tuned for more adventures in parenthood.

Welcome to 'A Little Moore'

Welcome to 'A Little Moore'. My wife, Tori and I created this blog to keep our family and friends informed about all the latest happenning with the pregnancy.  This is our first child and we have a lot to learn.  I think we'll be posting our lessons learned here.  I'm sure those of you more experienced with kids will get a good laugh from our adventures in parenthood.   With that said, please check back regularly as we'll be posting news and announcements as we prepare our home to welcome 'Lil Moore' into the world.