Turner Family Chronicles: Empire State of Mind

Where in the world are the Turners?... New York! Yep, we're no longer Texas residents. As of this past August, we packed our bags and moved our family to New York in pursuit of a new job for me. I won't go into all of the sorted details of my job search, but know that I accepted a job with an e-commerce company called OpenSky as the Sr. Beauty Buyer. It's very exciting, high paced and lots of fun. We've settled into a small apartment in Brooklyn in Ditmas Park which is just south of Prospect Park. The move has not been without it's challenges but we are a strong family and we're not afraid of a challenge. This post could get really long if I went into all of the details of our move, but I would rather talk about the kids and what they're up to. Hopefully now that I'm catching up a bit, I plan to keep up with the blog more frequently so we can let our family and friends know what we're up to.

Our sweet Lucy is still a wee little one and has many milestones to track. I already feel as if she's gotten a little short changed being the second child. She is a few days shy of being 8 months old and she has to be the cutest baby on the planet! We like to call her our little Lucy Lou Who from Whoville because she does have some similar features to Cindy Lou Who. At her 6 month check up, she was weighing in at 15 lbs which is in the 50th percentile for weight and she's also in the 50th for height. This was pretty exciting for us since we had so much anxiety about Amelia's slow weight growth. It's looking like Lucy will have no problem eating or gaining weight. Let's keep our fingers crossed on that one. She's crawling and sitting up but oddly has not cut a tooth yet. Lucy is also proving to have a more calm and laid back personality. She likes to sleep through the night (something she's done since she was about 6 weeks old), she hardly ever cries unless she's hungry or tired, and she can amuse herself for long periods of time. She babbles a lot now - mostly saying "Ba ba ba" or "da da da" or "ma ma ma". Overall she's the sweetest and cutest baby.

In July, just before we moved, Amelia celebrated her 3rd birthday! I cannot believe it's been 3 years. She is not breaking any records for height or weight (unless it's for being small) but she's growing up nonetheless. She has an amazing vocabulary for her age and has funny conversations with us and her friends. Amelia has loved moving to NY - mostly because of the subway travel and the awesome playgrounds. The subway passes right below her bedroom window and I catch her at night, when she's supposed to be sleeping, looking out the window waiting for the next train. I was really worried about taking her out of her social setting at school and leaving our home and how it would effect her. But, surprisingly, she has taken it so well. Daycare has not come easy for us and we're still working out a permanent situation but it will happen soon.

New York is an exciting place to be. But it has been a bit of a lifestyle adjustment for us. We live on the third floor of a house that was converted into an apartment. Cute place but small and we have to climb two sets of steep stairs to get there. We have lost some of the comforts we're used to like a dishwasher, permanent parking space in our driveway, and a washer and dryer. We kept one car but use the subway most often. Martin took a job with a brokerage out in Long Island, which is a bit of a trek each day. Needless to say, getting around and doing our normal day to day chores take more work and planning now. It's been two months and I'm slowly getting used to it. And while I am enjoying aspects of it, I am home sick for Austin. I know it will take some time but this move has been the hardest for me. I am trying to keep everything in perspective and remember that this is an adventure. There are lots of fun things in store for us here and we'll make lots of great memories. We are growing stronger as a family. And even when I get sad, I try to look at my glass that is more than half full with a wonderful husband, two beautiful and healthy children, and friends & family that are only a phone call away.

Here are some photos to enjoy! I need to find a good online photo sharing site that I like. So far, I haven't been happy with most. Let me know if you have any suggestions.