5 months!

OK, so I know how cliche it sounds, but I am going to say it anyway...I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW FAST MY BABY IS GROWING UP! People say it all the time.."They grow up so fast." Gosh, it's so true and takes on a whole new meaning when it's YOUR baby.


5 months ago today, I was sitting in the NICU at University Hospital. It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I wanted to hold my baby so bad and take all of those tubes off of him. He's come so far and grown so much. This past month has been really exciting because we started him on baby food. He's tried all of the "stage 1" fruits and veggies, oatmeal, rice cereal, and juice. His favorite fruit is peaches, and he loves sweet peas. Actually, there's not really much that he doesn't love. He is serious about his food. He loves chewing on his toes too. He started rolling over a few weeks ago, and now he's all over the place. He's making more sounds and laughs all the time. He's such a happy boy, smiling all the time. I can't get enough of that smile. It lights up any room. I can only hope that he carries that happiness into his life as he continues to grow and learn more about his world.

Hudson, I want to give you lots of encouragement so that you learn to be confident. I will always be fair with you so that you will learn justice. I hope you always feel secure so that you will have faith, and I hope you always feel accepted and loved

I pray that you understand how much you are loved, and that you choose to show love to others, even when this crazy world disappoints you.

Happy 5 month birthday. Your daddy and I love you more than words can express. Thank you for bringing so much joy into our lives.

Spring Fever

Is it too early to have Spring Fever?

I LOVED the warmer weather at the beginning of last week. What a disappointment to have cold, rainy days on Thursday and Friday! It seems like we have had a much longer, colder winter this year. I like cold weather for all of about.....a week! I never realized how hard it would be to go anywhere with a baby during winter. Maybe that's why we just stay home most of the time these days. (besides going to work)

It will be so much easier to get Hudson ready when he can wear his Spring/Summer clothes. They are going to be so much more fun than the layers upon layers that we have to put on him now. I can't wait!

Claire and Hudson got outside for a nice stroller ride this week. I love it. Claire is so adorable and funny. These two love each other.

A little more adorableness for this post-

Gosh, I love that little boy!

B&B's Wedding Weekend in Asheville!

Last Thursday evening I sat down to make a list of things to pack for the weekend so that I wouldn't forget any of Hudson's stuff. It looked like this: 2 dressy outfits for events, sleepers, several regular comfy outfits, socks, a ton of bibs and burp cloths, dress shoes, Robees, diapers, wipes, mustella wash and shampoo, whale bathtub, towels and washcloths, Aquaphor, brush, q-tips, desitin, night time socks, Halo sleep sack, pack-n-play and sheets, portable swing, bumbo seat and tray, bouncy seat, toys, stroller, blankets, bottles (and all the parts that go with), draining rack, sterilizer, dish soap, bottle brush, formula, baby food, spoons, pacifiers, medicine,....That's when I decided to STOP!!! I looked at Dave and said "Why don't we just let Hudson stay here with mom?"

My mom planned to go to Asheville with us and take care of Hudson while we attended the different events for Beth and Brian's wedding. We didn't think we were ready to leave him overnight yet. The more I thought about it, I quickly realized that he would be better off here at home with Ra ra. He was still getting over a cold and the weather called for cold rainy days.

SO...off we went. Dave and I were heading out of town ALONE! At first we didn't know what to talk about and we just kept stating how much we missed our boy. We arrived in Asheville and checked into our hotel. It was so weird to not have a baby to care for and worry about. Don't get me wrong...I love that boy more than anything in this world, but it was really nice. We did a little shopping in the Biltmore Village that was right across from our hotel. The first thing I bought was an adorable outfit for Hudson.

The rehearsal dinner was lots of fun. I was so excited to see my friend Ashley. She's been living in Portland, and we have not seen each other in years. It was wonderful to catch up with her. We even got a "Coffee Time" photo with all of the original members.

On Sunday, Dave and I headed out to do a little exploring in Asheville. It's a beautiful place. We went to the Biltmore House, did some shopping, and had a nice lunch at a great restaurant.

The wedding was so awesome. The ceremony was gorgeous, in a place called Homewood. The reception was held at the Grand Bohemian. We had so much fun. I've never been so happy for two people to get married. Brian and Beth are so perfect for each other. They were meant to be together. Congrats, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Simms!

I'm so glad we were able to be there for Beth's special day. It was so nice to see and visit with old friends, but on Monday Dave and I couldn't wait to get home to our boy. The drive was so pretty.

Who wouldn't be excited to come home to this preciousness? Thank goodness I have today off. Hudson and I are going to go outside and play in the warm weather.

Oh...and we plan to make a return trip to Asheville....SOON!

First Cold, Freezing Temps, Family, and Friends...BUSY WEEK!

WHEW! What a week! Dave and I went back to work after being off for a great Christmas Break. Thank goodness for Winter Break next Monday and Tuesday!

When I picked Hudson up on Tuesday afternoon, he seemed a little stuffy. As the night progressed, he continued to become more and more pitiful. I felt so sorry for him. His little eyes were running water, and he was so congested that he couldn't suck his paci. It's an awful feeling to see your baby sick. I just wanted to take his cold away and suffer it for him. He stayed in good spirits the whole time, smiling, talking, and laughing. I was very concerned and worried because this was his first official cold. Dr. Donahoe (Hudson's ped. urologist) does not want Hudson to get any type of illness due to his kidney. An infection of any kind could be bad. I stayed home with him on Wednesday. It was bitterly cold and I just couldn't justify taking him out in the weather. He stayed inside and stayed warm. He rested, and ate good all day. He was much better by Thursday morning. Lots of our dear friends and family were praying for him to get better, and we are so grateful that he did so quickly. We are very fortunate that he is over 4 months old and this is the first time he's had a cold.

The weather called for a 60% of rain, sleet, and snow on Thursday night. We tried not to get our hopes up, but of course we wanted some snow. It didn't happen, but I did get an hour delay for work on Friday morning. Not sure why..It wasn't any different than any other morning of the week, but I didn't complain.

We spent the weekend visiting with friends and family. We went over to Erin, Jarvis, and Ila's house on Sat. night. Ila is 10 weeks older than Hudson, and let me tell you...she's precious. Erin and I went through our pregnancies together, and we want our babies to be close friends.

Sunday was filled with birthday celebrations. We had lunch at Mac. Grill for my Granddaddy's birthday, and had dinner at Matt and Trish's house for Matt's (Dave's bro) birthday. Hudson had fun playing with his cousins Joshua and Owen. Owen is 9 weeks younger than Hudson. Those two are going to be something else in a year or two.

My big boy is really enjoying his food. So far he's tried rice cereal, oatmeal, green beans, peas, bananas, pears, and applesauce. He loves it all.

It's hard to believe that Monday is already here again. We'll be traveling to North Carolina next weekend. Hopefully we will get to play in some snow! Stay tuned...

As always..I leave you with a recent picture of my handsome boy. Enjoy!

Happy 2010!

2009 was an amazing year. We rang it in with best friends in Charleston. We celebrated our 29th and 31st birthdays, visited family in Alabama several times, enjoyed our beach trip, made it through a complicated pregnancy, welcomed our son into the world, lost my grandma, took our son on his first road trip to Alabama, enjoyed Hudson's first holiday season, and ended the year right here at home with best friends and my brother. It will definitely be one of those years that stands out in our minds forever.

We had such a good time with our friends that came to visit. Lori came from Fla., Laura came from South Ga, and Jeanna came from Charleston. Our time was mostly spent shopping, visiting, cooking, and catching up.

Dave and I both go back to work tomorrow. Back to the Daily Grind! Uggghh! I'm not ready. I will never be ready. That's life though, right? These past few weeks have been so much fun. It's been great to be able to spend so much time with Hudson AND Dave. I know Hudson will be glad to see Claire this week. I am excited about seeing her too. It's been a while, and I know she's changed and grown too. My mom will be glad to get her babies back on routine, but I sure am going to miss that little boy.

Happy 2010 to you and your families. I hope it brings much joy and many blessings.
I leave you with one final picture...just because it's cute.