Best. Christmas. Ever.

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas, just D, Hudson, Maddie and I. The boys went out shopping in the morning to pick up a few last things and I went for a delicious massage :) We met up for lunch and then headed home for naps, wrapping, and prepping supper. I cooked a small chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and roasted veggies and we opened our presents.

Hudson had no idea what was going on and wasn't interested in opening the gifts or playing with the paper even. Once the presents were opened though he played with Maddie's new dog dishes out of everything and he did play with his wooden puzzles a bit. Silly guy. We didn't go all out, just a few things he needs and a few other small toys we thought he like.

After that, we all got into our jammies and robes (Maddie has a robe too) and laid out blankets and pillows on the floor. We watched Love Actually (we do every year) and ate cookies and chocolates. Mr. Piggy (Hudson) ate way too much chocolate and kept stuffing his face with it so we had to put it away, lol. He was wired after that and ran around but by 8:30 he came down from his sugar high and was exhausted and slept 13 hours.

The whole day was just perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything more. I truly am one lucky girl.

Daddy helping open presents

Hudson giving Maddie her present

Me being very excited in receiving a steam mop (I know, I'm a weirdo)

Hudson playing with Maddie's new bowls

The best family picture I could get. Hudson will not sit still. Note the cheeks full of chocolate.

Snuggling with Momma

20 weeks and ultrasound

How far along: 20w
Total weight gain/loss: 10 pounds (ish)
Maternity clothes: Maternity
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: It's ok when I'm not getting up to pee, body pillow works great for hips so far.
Best moment this week: Last night, we had our little family Christmas. Best Christmas yet! Details to come in another post
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Milk
Gender: I don't have any idea
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? It's gross. It's out-ish and pokes out when I cough. Mostly due to the hernia though.
What I miss: Nothing at all :)
What I am looking forward to: Off to the beach in 4 days!!!
Milestone: Halfway point.

So we had the ultrasound on Friday. Everything looks great! Heart rate was 164 and baby was measuring 5 days ahead at 20w3d when I was 19w5d. We asked the tech to write the sex in a card for us which we'll open up Christmas morning. She said she was 85-90% sure of the sex and even though I tried to sneak a peek at the u/s machine, I couldn't tell anything. I definitely couldn't see anything so I have no idea. She gave us pictures too but she photocopied a bunch on paper so the quality isn't good and I can't post them. I'll stick it in the baby book for later though.

On another note, I've started to feel squirms in my belly at night. No kicks or thumps but just the baby swimming around. Not very often either but it's better than not at all.

19 weeks and George

Who is George? Well he can only be described as Hudson's BFF, a partner in crime, and the only one who can comfort Hudson when needed. George is a small blankie with a monkey head that Hudson has now become inseparable with.

At first, George would just sleep in his crib and be there for naps as the occasional comfort object. Now Hudson knows George by name (although he can't say his name yet) and insists that he takes him everywhere. Which is fine, as long as George doesn't need a bath or he's forgotten or whatever else could happen to a monkey. At least he's not huge and doesn't take up a lot of space and most importantly he comforts Hudson. I think George is officially here to stay for a long while.




How far along: 19w1d
Total weight gain/loss: 8 pounds (ish)
Maternity clothes: Maternity
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: It's ok when I'm not getting up to pee, body pillow works great for hips so far.
Best moment this week: Getting our house into the Christmas spirit!
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Chocolate and eggnog!!
Gender: I don't have any idea
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? It's gross. It's out-ish and pokes out when I cough. Mostly due to the hernia though.
What I miss: Not too much this week.
What I am looking forward to: finally feeling movement, I wish I could feel kicks already!
Milestone: Can't believe I'm halfway next week!

As for the pregnancy, I'm still nauseous and on medication. I haven't thrown up lately except for one bad day recently so that's good news. No movement yet which has me a bit worried, you'd think I'd feel something by now especially since I know what to look for now. The only thing that's keeping me from thinking bad thoughts is the fact that I'm sick and wouldn't be if something was terribly wrong with the baby. I know, awful to think but when you can't see or feel it, it kinda feels made up in my head.
My big ultrasound is this Friday morning!! And we've finally decided on a plan!! We're going to ask the u/s lady to not tell us the sex but write it in a card that we'll seal and open together Christmas morning if we want to know then. We'll have to look away when she's looking at the region down south because I'm convinced I'll be able to tell right away. And no way can D look and know without me knowing, lol. I'm still unsure if we're going to tell our families what the sex is or make them wait it out but we'll figure it out.
I can't believe that I'm already almost halfway through. It's gone by so fast and our lives seem like they are just so busy now that I hope I can slow down and enjoy things day by day.

18 weeks and another epoosode

Tonight Hudson pooped in the tub. Yes, one minute after placing him in the nicely drawn bubble bath, he pooped. At least D was kind enough to clean it out while I yanked him from the tub and diapered and pajamaed our dear boy. Apparently this won't be the last time this happens. No one said that this was one of the many joys of parenting. Sigh.

We (I mean me really) still can't decide if we want to find out the sex. There's definite pros and cons to both so I don't know. I guess I'll decide on the day. (10 days to go).

How far along: 18w1d
Total weight gain/loss: 6 pounds (ish)
Maternity clothes: Maternity is much more comfortable.
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: It's ok when I'm not getting up to pee, going to try the body pillow tonight though.
Best moment this week: letting loose as much as a pregnant lady can at both our Christmas parties.
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Chocolate and eggnog!!
Gender: who am I kidding, I have no idea.
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? It's gross. It's out-ish and pokes out when I cough. Mostly due to the hernia though.
What I miss: Alcohol, mostly when I'm at a Christmas party and everyone is drinking and I'm ordering ginger-ale.
What I am looking forward to: finally feeling movement, I wish I could feel kicks already!
Milestone: Almost at the halfway point.

17 weeks and the 4am monster

Hudson is still waking up at 4am (ish) and has a hard time getting back to sleep. I change his diaper, give him as much formula as he wants, and lie him down but he almost never goes right back to sleep. He'll maybe lie quietly for 15 minutes or so and then starts crying. So after 5 minutes we fix his bed, lie him down again and cover him up and have to do it 3 or 4 more times before he actually stops crying and goes to sleep. I don't know if he's going through a growth spurt or what but this is getting very tiring (for everyone in the house). I thought it was teething at first, and it likely was since he has new molars to prove it. But now I just don't know. He doesn't seem like he's in pain or that he wants anything. He's just crying to cry almost. I sure he grows out of this before the new baby comes. My biggest concern is that they will wake each other up night after night meaning NO ONE will be getting any sleep.




How far along: 17w2d
Total weight gain/loss: 6 pounds (ish)
Maternity clothes: I'm not sure if I can wear my regular pants or not, haven't tried. Shirts are becoming more limited to maternity.
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: It's ok when I'm not getting up to pee or when the 4am monster isn't awake :)
Best moment this week: It's been a busy week in general but I got to spend some much needed quality time with D this weekend though.
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Anything with Frank's Hot Sauce or chocolate (not together).
Gender: Ok, I'm not crazy but I had a dream it was a boy the other night. Now I have no idea and it's making me want to find out the sex!!
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? It's gross. It's out-ish and pokes out when I cough. Mostly due to the hernia though.
What I miss: Beer and caffeinated beverages that don't limit me to only going to Starbucks to get a decaf latte.
What I am looking forward to: finally feeling movement, I wish I could feel kicks already!
Milestone: The weeks are flying by.

16 weeks and Christmas shopping

I think we're finally through Hudson's molar teething (knock on wood). He's slept great for the past couple nights and he's got some new chompers in his mouth. Let's hope this is over with for the next little while.

I'm slowly trying to get everything together for Christmas this year. For the past couple of years, I've hosted Christmas at our house since it's sort of the middle place for everyone to get together. Now that we're going away, I feel like a HUGE weight has been lifted and a ton has cleared up off my plate. I love having everyone over but it's just SO STRESSFUL. It'll be a nice change to be sipping virgin pina coladas on the beach, lol. Because I've not had to worry about putting a menu together and baking etc I've focused my energy on the presents. I go way overboard every year but I really don't mean to. It's just that I see things that I think the person would love and have to get it for them. Even if I've already bought their gift already. I know it's bad so I resorted to making a list of gift ideas for people for next year. If they will love them this year, then they should love them next year. With that said, I'm almost done shopping and only need to still buy for D's dad (we do a draw for their family) and my dad. Pretty good I think.
I'm just trying to figure out what to do with the gifts once their wrapped. We usually buy a real tree and decorate it a couple weeks before Christmas but I don't think there's a point this year. We leave on Christmas eve and by the time we get back the tree will be long dead with needles exploded all over our living room. Kinda a waste. And I don't want to buy a fake one.

So where do we put the presents...


How far along: 16w2d
Total weight gain/loss: 6 pounds
Maternity clothes: I can still wear my regular jeans!
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: It's ok when I'm not getting up to pee.
Best moment this week: This week's been a really great week. So much to love but I especially just love watching Hudson play and wonder what he's thinking.
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Anything with Frank's Hot Sauce or chocolate (not together).
Gender: I still think it's a girl but I'm pulling for team Blue.
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? It's gross. It's out-ish and pokes out when I cough. Mostly due to the hernia though.
What I miss: Beer and caffeinated beverages that don't limit me to only going to Starbucks to get a decaf latte.
What I am looking forward to: finally deciding on if we should find out the sex.
Milestone: We made it through molar teething!

Dropped like a bad habit

My drs appt was short and sweet. D was able to come and we got to listen to the heartbeat. It was 160. I also found out that I have an umbilical hernia that may require surgery after the baby is born. I thought it was weird, collecting fluid and even just looks weird so at least I know what's wrong with it. I thought I was feeling better nausea wise but I ended up puking twice yesterday. If it's anything like last time I have just over 10 weeks to go. Over half way, I can do it.

Hudson is getting his first hep A/B shot this afternoon. Because we're going to Mexico at Christmas and he's now over 1 so we thought that it wouldn't hurt. With his first year vaccinations and his 2 part fly vaccine this month as well, I'm setting this kid up to be terrified of needles! Poor little guy.

We're now down to 1 nap a day. Instead of taking a nap both in the morning and afternoon, he's dropped the morning nap and naps for around 2 hours in the afternoon. Sigh. Mommy time is becoming more and more limited.

15 weeks

Not much new at all this week. In fact, it's very similar to last week. Pregnancy wise, I feel the same. Still nauseous but I haven't actually puked in awhile which is good. My energy comes back in spurts so at least I can get some stuff done around here. Hudson is still teething and has 5 molars coming through. 2 have poked through the gums but I think we still have a long way to go. He's kinda getting me back into the habit of getting up at night except it's usually 3 times a night.
I have another Dr's appt on Wed so I'll have to write another update after that.


How far along: 15w2d
Total weight gain/loss: Not sure, I haven't been weighing myself
Maternity clothes: Yes some but just because they're more comfortable. I can still wear my normal jeans though.
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: Yes, when I'm not getting up with Hudson when he's teething or when I'm peeing 700 hundred times a night. Laying on my front is getting more uncomfortable.
Best moment this week: Making Hudson laugh. I love when he thinks I'm the funniest person alive.
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Milk by the gallon. And salty or sour treats.
Gender: I think it's a girl but really I have no idea.
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? It's in but barely. As soon as I started to show it's like it remembered it was out for a long time.
What I miss: Beer. Sigh.
What I am looking forward to: Dr.s appt next week.
Milestone: Made it through 1st tri.

Waivering and 14 weeks

A few nights ago I woke up with this overwhelming feeling that I didn't want to know what the sex of the baby was until he/she was born. It was very strange. Now the more I think of it, the more I think it's a great idea and I can just picture us waiting to hear the doctor say "it's a ..." and D going out to the waiting room to fulfill everyone's anticipation. That may sound a bit crazy but I think it might be nice not knowing. Why not try something new this time? Well D's not quite on board with that whole plan. I strongly believe that we either find out together or we don't but none of this one-person-finds-out-and-the-other-doesn't business. He's still on the fence about it and I guess we have a few weeks to decide (only 6 left) what we're going to do. We'll see. I just think it might be fun. Give me an extra bit that I need to push the baby out, lol.

Here's the weekly survey I started for baby #2.

How far along: 14 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Not sure, I think around 5 pound gain.
Maternity clothes: Yes some but just because they're more comfortable. I can still wear my normal jeans though.
Stretch marks: No new ones
Sleep: Yes, when I'm not getting up with Hudson when he's teething or peeing 700 hundred times a night. Laying on my front is getting more uncomfortable.
Best moment this week: My new outlook. I've been kinda in a rut.
Movement: Nope
Food cravings: Milk by the gallon. And salty, sour treats.
Gender: I think it's a girl but really I have no idea.
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? It's in but barely. As soon as I started to show it's like it remembered it was out for a long time.
What I miss: Beer. Sigh.
What I am looking forward to: Dr.s appt next week.
Milestone: Made it through 1st tri.

Teething

It's been a long week for us. Hudson is getting his first molars in (3 of them) and he's not sleeping well at night which also means we're not sleeping well either. The first night the poor guy cried for 2 hours straight. We've been giving him Advil but it doesn't seem to be doing that much. At least in the day his teeth don't seem to be bothering him and he's not grumpy or sore and he naps well so momma can also nap then. I don't know what I'd do if I was busy with work right now or worked a 9-5 job with being drained from the pregnancy on top of it. Hopefully the teeth will work their way through sooner than later.

So far this pregnancy has been the same but also different than the last. I'm still sick and puking almost everyday but smells don't bother me as much as they did last time. My heightened smell hasn't kicked in yet so I don't know if it's still to come or not coming at all. I crave vinegar or grapefruit juice (not pink grapefruit, the real strong stuff) instead of sweets. The stronger the better. I'm tired like I was last time. This time it's much worse though because I can't just take a nap whenever I want. Plus Hudson's teething and up at night so I'm pretty much counting on this to be what life will be like when the baby comes. We have my mom plus D's mom recruited for a week or so to help out (by that I mean let me sleep) when D's at work. D's also got some time off saved up that he can use too so I should be good (hopefully) for 3 or 4 weeks. I don't do well on little or no sleep, I never have even as a little kid so as long as I can get some napping in I will be good.
One major difference for me in this pregnancy than last is the fact that I haven't seem to gain as much weight or protruded as much. By this time last year I could no longer wear my regular jeans. I was in maternity pants or sported the bellaband by 12 weeks. I'm 13w now and my jeans fit fine.

This fact alone makes me convinced it's a girl. I think D is really hoping for a girl (although he would be just as happy with a boy) but I'm the opposite. I think another boy would be great especially since Hudson and the new baby will be so close in age. Not to mention the fact that it's easier with all boy related clothes, toys, etc. If it's a girl, I'd be just as happy. As long as their healthy and happy.

Only 7 more weeks til we find out, lol.

Halloween

Hudson dressed up as a little dragon! Even though we didn't go trick or treating, we stayed home and handed out candy to the kids. I can't wait until next year (maybe) when he 'gets' it and starts to get really excited.

Dr appt

Monday I had my NT scan. I haven't been able to hear the heartbeat or have had an ultrasound yet so I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, D couldn't make it due to other work obligations, so I invited my MIL to come and help with Hudson. It was a long wait, the Dr was delivering a baby that morning, so luckily my MIL was able to come. Hudson was quite restless.
We finally got called and the ultrasound was so great! The baby was measuring 3 days in advance and had the hiccups which made the whole body jump! So cute! You could see the hands and feet and it's cute little nose. The results were good and chances are very very low for down syndrome.
Now I'll have to wait 8 more weeks until my next ultrasound. Much too long, lol.

Party time and a walker

The birthday party on Saturday was fantastic! Everyone had a great time! We ate, we played, and we watched the football game. Hudson got spoiled with gifts and now can't possibly be bored at home. Our living room is beginning to look like a toy store so we're going to box some up and bring them to my inlaws so he has new toys to play with when they babysit him.
The football theme was great, everyone wore their jerseys and I made football and helmet cookies and the decorations were all in the theme as well.
Hudson enjoyed his cake, he didn't eat much of it though, mostly just the icing! He smacked his cake and squealed with delight!
He was a little trooper that day, with only one short nap that day, he made it right til the end with a smile on his face. No grumpy moments at all.








Last night, Hudson took his first steps! He has been walking between furniture for awhile and he'll take a step or two on his own but last night he walked between D and I taking 10 or so steps at a time. He was so proud of himself, he was grinning ear to ear! We did have to stop a couple times so we could calm down a bit (we were just as excited) and Hudson could regain his focus. I'm sure he'll be running around in no time!

What a busy last couple of days!!

A Year of Hudson

We made this video for Hudson and we're going to play it for everyone at his party on Saturday. I've watched it over a dozen times and I still can't watch it without getting teary eyed. Enjoy!

His birthday

Yesterday was a great day. When Hudson woke up I sang Happy Birthday to him, which he loved btw. Then we continued our day as normal but I tried to add in more play time and a walk in the wagon. Hudson got a few phone calls from family wishing him a Happy Birthday as well. When D got home from work, we had a picnic supper on the living room floor complete with party hats (which Hudson actually wore!) and chocolate cake! We sang Happy Birthday to him (since D missed out on the first one) followed by a nice long bath with daddy. All in all, I hope he had a great day. We bought him a wooden sled that I know will come in handy this winter. Now on to trying to get things ready for Saturday!!

Happy Birthday

Dear Hudson,

Today you are one. You are no longer considered a baby but now a toddler. Your age now isn't measured in months but rather in years. You are rapidly getting closer to experiencing certain milestones such as your first day of school. And I couldn't be happier for you.

Last night I was a bit sad. Sad as I rocked you in my arms as I put you to bed on the eve of your birthday. Sad that my days of rocking you are numbered and soon you will think I am the embarrassing mom who tries to steal a hug or a kiss when you are with your friends. But I woke up this morning grateful that I had such a perfect year with you. I was able to stay home every day with you, watching you grow and teaching you new things. Those memories are ones that I will treasure always.

You brought so much to your father and I in this last year, we thank you. You gave us an immeasurable amount of joy, and a wholeness that I can't explain. It's hard to imagine what life was like before you.

I'm looking forward to what lies ahead, to your future. This is just the start of the journey you will take and I can't wait to be apart of it. The world is in your hands, always remember that.


Happy birthday my sweet boy. Thank you for the best year of my life.


Love always,

Momma

Update

This weekend was Thanksgiving and we spent the day at my aunt's house with my family. It was nice to visit with everyone but even nicer that I didn't have to cook or host everyone :)
The news about baby #2 is out, and I have to admit I'm feeling kind of relieved. I find telling people very awkward and wish they just automatically knew somehow so now I'm sure word will spread. I've been feeling good for the most part except I'm still throwing up around once a day. I upped my dosage of diclectin (as per the pharmacist) and it's taken away the all day nausea feeling which is the worst part for me. I can handle puking once a day if that's what that means. I did throw up so hard that I pooped a rib out and had to go to the Chiropractor. I've never gone before but I instantly felt better.
Hudson still isn't walking but he's getting closer. He's scared of trying it on his own and when he realizes that he's standing by himself he immediately sits down. It'll be soon though. He also has been getting into the cupboards underneath the sink (which houses the cleaners etc). Not good so we put on a safety latch so he can't get in. Except he was able to take it off in 3.5 seconds and there goes that plan. I'll just have to keep a close eye on him.
His new thing is that he LOVES dancing. We turn on any music and he starts bobbing his head and shaking his hips-too cute!!

2 weeks!!!

My baby will be a toddler in 2 weeks. AAAAHHHH!!! Cue the cries.

No, really, I'm taking this quite well :). It's just crazy to think a WHOLE YEAR HAS GONE BY. Holey crap time flies.

Birthday party plans are well under way. We are having a football theme party with the family. Nothing too extravagant I would say. I'm making football and helmet cookies, vanilla cupcakes with green icing (the color of the SK Roughriders) and other goodies that one would consume while watching football. There is a game on the day of the party (we picked the day because of it) and we'll order pizza and everyone can stay and watch the game. Pretty mellow, just an excuse for the family to get together really.
I made some decorations in the theme as well which I'll have to post pics of later.

Here's the invites:



Cute, hey? It's an actual ticket to one of the games but reworked for the party.

A plan

We have one. YAY!!

We talked about the mealtime issue last night and I think we came up with something that's going to work for us. We decided that we're going to put Hudson on a meal schedule and prepare the portions on Sunday so it'll be a no brainer for me during the day. I just follow the schedule and feed him according to it. It didn't take us long to portion everything out last night for the week so that's good news.
Breakfast was a success so far. Hopefully the rest of the day will follow.

WOOT WOOT

Mealtimes

The time of the day I dread. Mealtimes are a HUGE source of stress for me and something needs to be figured out for all of our sakes. Hudson just isn't a good eater. Or at least I don't think he is. He excels at most everything else but eating is not his forte.
And I think that it is mostly because of me so I need to change what I'm doing, now.
Right now he's at an in between stage. He no longer wants to be fed or will eat purees, he wants to feed himself. Well fine but giving him a spoon to feed himself a puree or oatmeal or ... well, it just ends up in a huge disaster. Fine, no purees. But then what do I feed him? The poor kid can't live on Goldfish and cheese. He will sometimes eat cooked frozen peas and carrots, and I steamed and diced a sweet potato that he'll eat. But that certainly isn't a balanced diet.
I know most of his nutrition is coming from his formula anyways but he's soon to be 1 year and needs to be weaned off. I can't rely on the formula to do the job that I can't much longer so I need to figure something out. Especially when mealtime ends with one or both of us frustrated and sometimes crying and me with my blood pressure rising, counting down the hours I have until the next mealtime. I know he doesn't leave the highchair full but I don't feel like I should keep giving him a random assortment of things to try instead of a meal. Or is that what you do until he learns how to use a fork and spoon?
When should I stop trying to give him different things because he won't eat so he'll realize I'm not a short order cook? I mean I know that at 11 months old he doesn't know the difference but am I teaching him it's ok to be picky?
Who knows, maybe this is all okay and I'm over thinking it all but I need to know one way or another.

1/2 hour til the next meal, sigh.

Week in review

It's been a long week. All 3 of us were really sick with an assortment of fevers, sore throats, runny noses, diarrhea, congestion etc. Let me tell you: being sick yourself with a sick kid is horrible. The days were long and tiring and not being able to take any drugs to help just made things worse. I'm so glad that's over with.

Pregnancy symptoms have attacked in full force. They started at 6w2d with the nausea. Morning sickness and flu pukiness feel very different so I know that's not what I had. I even started taking diclectin in hopes to curb the MS but nope, it's returned. Mostly in the late afternoon/evenings is when the actual puking happens, the rest of the day I just feel sick to my stomach. I almost forgot how wonderfully awful being pregnant can be.
I also feel like I have a fog covering my head. I feel dazed and just not myself. Not to mention the sleepiness has kicked in so poor D, I'm headed off to bed at like 9pm. As horrible as it sounds, I'll just have to get used to feeling terrible until May because there's nothing I can do about it.

I cleaned out my closet (literally) and dresser and made room once again for the maternity wear. Upon review I noticed that most everything was geared toward summer and won't do for the winter months. So I went shopping and ordered a few things online and I *think* I won't need to buy anything else. Of course a dress for Christmas parties and such is in order but I'll worry about that later.

We told D's family this weekend. After supper I changed Hudson into his Big Bro t-shirt and D and I waited. We waited and waited. It took them FOREVER to read it and process what it said. I even tried to keep mentioning the shirt ('Is his shirt dirty grandma?') but FINALLY D's brother J said 'Big Bro, does that mean you're pregnant?". It took awhile to sink in but after everyone was excited at the news. I wanted to wait until after supper to make the announcement in case J & J had one of their own but she was drinking so it was all clear. I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty that we had such great news and they didn't have any. I mean, they've only been married for like 2 months but I know that kids are a huge priority for her especially and I wanted to make sure to be sensitive to that fact. I could tell it bothered her a bit so I did feel bad. I'm just hoping they will have news of their own soon.

My parents are on holidays and we won't see them for 2 more weeks so we will tell them then. It feels good to get it out in the open.

11 months

Dear Hudson,

Today, little H, you are 11 months old. Next milestone you will graduate to a toddler and like that, my baby will be gone. I'm trying to hold onto memories of you as a tiny baby but it's hard when I so look forward to what's ahead. So much will change in even a few months from now. You will be walking and talking and learning to mimic even more. In just a few months you will be a little person, more independent than ever. I hope you never forget and that I never fail to tell you how important and special you are to me. I love you little H. Please don't grow up too fast.

Love always,

Momma

Goodbye.

Dear Grandpa,

You were the only grandpa I knew, the only one that I called mine. I have many fond memories of us together from trying to make some money selling your old hats to staying up late and helping you roll your coins while you checked your lottery numbers. You loved your garden, your dogs, and you loved a good deal. I will miss the bear hugs you gave me, rubbing your belly to tease you, and the joy you expressed when you held Hudson. You won't be forgotten and I love you.

Goodbye.

6 weeks

Today marks 6 weeks. Last pregnancy this also marked the day in which I began puking my brains out for the next 20 weeks. So far, so good (knock on wood). So far my symptoms have just been a bit more hungry, not ravishing and if-i-don't-get-food-now-i-will-eat-your-face kind of hungry but my body knows when mealtime is and I best be sure not to miss one. I've also been peeing a lot more, like every hour or so. At night it's every 2 hours. Other than that, I get the occasional stitch kind of cramp in my ute when I'm trying to get comfortable in bed (I forgot about those).

We decided that it's probably not the most appropriate thing to tell my parents quite yet. With everything going on with the passing of my grandpa, it just doesn't seem right. I don't know when we'll tell them (or when we'll even see them next for that matter) but a 'hey, guess what' after a funeral doesn't seem tactful. We're still planning on telling D's family likely this weekend as his dad gets home tomorrow.

I'm not going to start any weekly surveys as of yet, not much is changed and to be honest-I don't really feel much different. I do feel like my gut is hanging out though but I'm not sure if I'm starting to show early because I started to show so early last time. This is the beginning of the awkward 'is she pregnant or has she just been eating too many doritos' phase. I forgot how much fun this phase was. I just hate being self conscious. Bleh.

And the winner is...

Not us. He just sat there. He sat at the start line and looked around while I yelled his name trying to coax him with a soft drink. Sigh.

Oh well, there will be lots of time to cheer him on at other events. Oh my little Hudson.

And we're back

Back from holidays and smacked in the face with reality.

First, the holiday was so amazing. We all had a blast. Got to visit with some old friends and got to relax which is what we wanted. Waking up at 4am to be at the airport makes for a long day. After the 2.5 hour flight we then had to get all our luggage, get Maddie (who did very well btw), and pick up the rental car. After a quick stop for breakfast we were off on our 3 hour road trip to our destination and a long nap was needed after that. Hudson did surprisingly well with his sleep, except for the first night where he was so extremely overtired that he couldn't sleep. Both mom and dad were exhausted too and patience was at a minimum that night. We made it through and as long as we made sure he got his naps in, all was good. The wedding was gorgeous. It was on a beach at a lake in the mountains. After the couple said their vows, they both jumped in the lake which was very them. I've known them for close to 10 years, D has known the groom longer. I'm just so glad we went and got to share the day with them.

After a few days we left and headed back to the city that we flew into so we could visit with D's family and sight-see. Hudson and his great grandma met for the first time as well as his uncle from the Philippines (and his partner). We had so much fun with them, I just wish we could have spent more time with them. We also met up with D's aunt and some cousins.

Our anniversary was the 9th and we celebrated 4 years of being married. I got a call early that morning that my grandpa had passed away. He was battling cancer and was sick for awhile but he peacefully passed with my mom and grandma there by his side. The funeral is Monday. I miss him and I hope that he knew he was loved. I'll write more about this after we get back on Monday.

The baby crawl is in T-2 hours so wish Hudson luck!

ROAD TRIP!

3 more days and we're off on our first family vacation! Well we did go to Mexico in March but we went with my parents then. This is the first time it'll be just with us all (Maddie's coming too!) We are flying and renting a car instead of renting an RV, there's far too much stuff we need to bring that won't fit in my car for the 6 hour drive to go get the RV. So we're flying instead and saving about 1/2 the cost, YAY for that! We leave bright and early Saturday morning (we have to be at the airport at 5 or so) so hopefully no one is too grouchy, mom included! I can't wait, it'll be a nice week hanging out just us, some much needed family quality time.

The day after we get back we found out there is a baby crawling contest so we entered Hudson! We've been busy practicing but I think when the time comes he might get distracted by everyone else that's there. We'll have to find something to coax him down the lane with, lol. It's his first big race and we've already got a few people coming out to cheer the little guy on.

We also plan to tell everyone the exciting news when we get back from our vacation. I'll be 6 or 7 weeks but D's dad will be home from work then (he works out of the country for long periods of time) and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep the news in, lol! D's parents always have a get together when his dad comes home with all the family so we'll tell them then. I made a cute shirt for Hudson to wear, D thinks it'll take awhile for people to get it but I think they'll all get it right away. We'll also see my parents the weekend of the baby crawl so everyone will know in about 2 weeks!

Yesterday's epoosode

Yesterday afternoon I hear that Hudson is awake from his afternoon nap so I go upstairs to retrieve the baby. What do I find? A little boy in his crib, diaper ripped off, with poo smeared all over his body, grinning ear to ear. He somehow managed to take his diaper off and thought it was a neat idea to take his findings and smear it in his hair, on his body, all over the crib, and also EAT IT!!! He had a 'piece' in his mouth that he was chewing like bubblegum. Off to the bathtub he went. What a little monster.

Hudson has also found a few new toys in the house-toilet paper and Maddie's food and water. He loves eating Maddie's food and also the toiletpaper and he will happily sit and splash in her water dish. We thought after trying Maddie's food he would leave it alone however now you'd think we feed her straight chocolate. He can't resist. Poor Maddie now has to let us know when she wants to eat and we have to keep him distracted while she does.

Differences

I know they say that every pregnancy is different, just like every baby is different but I have to admit that I was kinda thinking that when it did happen again it would be very similar. I mean it still could be, I'm only 3w5d now but the start has been different.

The first time, I knew I was pregnant even before a test could have said positive. I was really tired, like unable to move tired and I had feelings of my ute stretching etc. This time-nothing except for the fact that I have this crazy insatiable thirst. That's it. Without that, I would have never have tested. And I wasn't even going to test but something kept nagging me to poas.

I'm due May 8th. I'm looking forward to being pregnant over the winter since I normally run hot as it is. I'l have to pick up a few warmer clothes though since last time I only needed warm weather clothes.

It still feels unreal. Like it's a dream that I'm going to wake up from any minute. But the digital I took yesterday still says YES (I had to check again this morning) so here we go again on the best rollercoaster ride ever.

Chapter 2

Who knew that my heart could grow even bigger with each new family member the world brings.
Who knew that I would be as excited and nervous and just so over the top thrilled as I was the first time it happened.
Who knew that when my little boy was 10 months old, we would be expecting another.

I am overjoyed at the news but in the same breath a bit anxious and nervous. How is this going to change us? How is Hudson going to react? Hudson will only be 18 months when the new baby comes- is he going to be jealous, how will I make him still feel special? Will I still be able to work much with 2 little ones in the house? What does this mean for our new house?

I have a million thoughts running through my head but the one that is the clearest and the loudest of them all is that I already feel so much love for this baby. Nothing else matters.

Life

Fall is already starting to set in here. You can tell by the chill in the air in the evenings and mornings. So sad. I feel like this summer has flown by and with all the rain we've been having, we haven't had much of a summer to begin with.

We're off on our holidays soon. 2 weeks from yesterday. I'm so looking forward to leaving and just going on a holiday. It feels like we haven't had a vacation in a long time (I think Mexico in March was the last other than long weekends). I hope we can make it count. We decided to not rent an RV this time. We would have to pack all our stuff, baby stuff, and camping stuff and fit it into the back of my car for the 6 hour drive to pick up the RV. Just too much. And a really good seat sale came out making the whole trip about half the cost of just what the RV rental alone would cost. So now we're flying (we're taking Maddie with us too), renting a car, and staying in hotels. We thought we've save the RV trip for one summer when the kids are older and will appreciate it.

Other than that, we're just trying to decide when we should start to build and getting the lot ready. Our driveway will be done while we're away so when we get back it'll look like a proper lot with all that's missing is the house. When to build is our new dilemma. I know we said before that we're going to wait until next year but I'm not sure what to do now. There is a clear advantage price-wise to start building this fall. Foundation people are looking for work and it'll be much cheaper to do it now vs waiting in the spring when they are in high demand. The problem we're having is the builder wants about $40,000 to start as a deposit. We don't have $40,000 in our bank account. We do have the equity in our house that we could take out or we could take it out of the lot but the lot hasn't been transferred to our name yet (another thing we're waiting for). I don't know, it's just all a bit scary, lol. I feel like once we say yes, go ahead-it'll start the snowball rolling. I think we need to decide if we can afford the new mortgage payments when we take out the deposit and if we can, I can't see what reason we would have to wait besides being terrified, lol. I'll likely still be scared next year and I don't want fear to influence our decisions.

It's just a big step. Building our dreamhouse, the last house that we will ever live in. I just want to make sure we do it right the first time.

10 Months

Dear Hudson,
Today, you are 10 months old my son. 10 whole months have passed in which you've given me the gift of being a mother and every day I have cherished you. You fill me up with so much joy and contentment, words cannot express. You continue to teach me new things everyday-things about you, about myself in which I never knew, and about the importance of things in this world. For that, I am ever grateful.

10 whole months have passed since you were born and you have changed so much. In those few short months you have gone from being completely dependent on your father and myself to becoming more and more independent with each passing day. You are happy to play by yourself most times, can give yourself a bottle now, and can easily move yourself around and get where you are wanting to go. You enjoy feeding yourself now and prefer solid finger food to purees at this point.

You are swiftly learning how to maneuver around furniture and practice walking and balancing whenever you get the chance. I don't think it will be long before I have tears welling in my eyes as my baby boy walks with arms outstretched towards his momma for the first time.

I also don't think it will be that long before you say your first words. You are constantly babbling (you are like your mother in that regard) and say dadadadada and mumumumum quite frequently. It won't be long before my heart melts again when you look at me with your big blue eyes and say 'momma' and actually intend it.

You are growing up my darling little boy but I know this is just the start of it. The start of me being so very proud of you whether it's because you take your first steps unassisted, score the winning goal in a game, or just because you have found happiness in this life. I see how proud you are of your accomplishments already, no matter how small, and I am equally as proud. I hope that you continue to keep making yourself proud, that is an important lesson in life. Because I know, no matter what, you already have the proudest momma in the world.


Love you always,

Your momma

Sleep Regression

:::lightbulb goes off:::

Makes perfect sense after I read up about it. Hudson is pulling himself up on and walking around furniture and we've been helping him practice walking with the walker on his own.


Relief.


Thanks to Misa for the suggestion!

Bedtime(s)

I'm not sure what is going on with Hudson lately but the great and easy bedtime routine is slowly going downhill.

Usually it will take me around 10 mins to get him to bed. I rock him and feed him and when he's finished his milk I put him in his crib, cover him up, and close the door behind me. 11-12 hours later, he awakes and our day begins again. Not lately. For whatever reason, I get to the point where I put him in his crib and leave but he wakes up and cries after 30 minutes. He doesn't want any milk, isn't teething (or have given him advil already just in case), isn't in any sort of pain, and doesn't want anything as far as I can tell. I put him back in his crib, he falls asleep and then wakes up again. This happens 3-4 times a night at the beginning of the night. 2 nights ago he did it right until 1am (and we put him to bed at 8pm). I just don't get it. It's not like he's wide awake and wants to play, he's tired. And he doesn't seem to want anything. Very strange.

Stairclimber

We finally finished prepping our lot!!! We staked out where we want the house (which is extremely difficult to picture when you are out in a open space btw), trees cut down, and stumps removed. Next step is to get a driveway put in and we're still waiting for the subdivision approval (don't worry, we're not doing this work for nothing-it will be approved). We have a plan pretty much ready to go and other than those things, we just have to save up enough cash to make it happen!

Work has been somewhat busy. Last week and the week before was a gong show but this week isn't too bad. I've got houses for sale and clients actively looking for another so I can't complain. I've got to make sure that I keep things in the pipeline though so I don't run into too much of a lull.

A few days ago, I went to load up the car so we could go somewhere and I came back in and there Hudson was. Sitting on the second stair. THE SECOND STAIR! Apparently he can now climb up the stairs but only does it when I'm not around. I was in the other room, spying on him if you will, and he went up a couple until I went over and held my hands under him-ready to catch him if he fell. He climbed up to the landing and sat there, very pleased with himself.
Guess we need to put a baby gate up.

Mealtimes are getting much better with him. I've learnt not to take it personal when he refuses to eat something I slaved over making (I know it sounds ridiculous and it is, I can't help it though). I've also learnt to take my time with him and sometimes he doesn't feel like gobbling up his food so I shouldn't rush things. Much less frustration. Sorry Huddy for taking so long to learn these lessons but at least I did, right?

Other than the stairs, he's happy climbing and moving all over everything. He loves to stand and pulls himself up on anything he can. He can walk around furniture no problem but only when he thinks you aren't watching him, lol. His balance is still pretty weak but we practice standing by himself everyday. Daddy also practices with him everyday but he tries to get Hudson to say 'dada'. Lol, I think it'll be awhile before he says that and besides he is going to say 'momma' first, I just know it.

Here's a picture I took a couple days ago, playing in our backyard.

Best weekend!

This weekend was the best weekend we've had in a long time. Not just because it was a long weekend (but that helped) but because we filled it with fun stuff all weekend and very little other 'responsible' stuff.
On Friday we took D's mom out for supper for her birthday and then walked around the Fringe festival (it's an outdoor street festival). D won tickets to a Rider football game so on Sat we headed to Regina and dropped Hudson off with my dad and enjoyed the day at the game (we won!) and went for a walk and saw a movie afterward. So nice to spend the whole day with just D. Then Sunday we drove home, unpacked and did a bit around the house cleaning wise and I ended up having to work a bit Sun night and sold another house. D had supper almost ready when I got home late and we ate and enjoyed wine out on the deck. And if that doesn't sound like a fun filled weekend enough, we went to the Forestry farm and zoo yesterday and saw the animals and relaxed in the evening. We also had to put Hudson's crib down to the very bottom now. He's easily able to stand up in there now.

Awesome weekend!!!

Life

What a busy week! I thought things would start to slow down but it's been quite the opposite!
I'm busy with work, getting our lot ready, house plans, and life in general. We've got the fence up around the lot and now all we pretty much need to do is cut down some trees so the road builders can build a road for us next month. After that, it's more of just finalizing a plan (which I LOVE btw) and saving up money so we can pay for things cash. More money we have saved up = less of a mortgage and a happy set of people. We've talked about delaying the build until next year, which I'm fine with, it just would be nice to be in it tomorrow if we could :) I'm not so good with waiting.

Hudson is crawling a lot and loves to be mobile. He would rather be walking with someone's assistance though but it'll come soon enough. He's pulling himself up on the furniture and today I caught him standing and leaning over his crib. Guess it's time to move it down to the last notch. He walks around holding onto furniture but doesn't have great balance yet. He'll reach out to grab something and forget that he needs to be holding on and fall on his bum. He'll get the hang of it soon.

Last night he did the funniest thing!! We were all sitting on the couch after supper and he was holding his bottle (he can drink from it himself now, only about half the time he doesn't need help) and he tried feeding the bottle to D! It was so cute, I LMAO!! He looked very sweet about it too, like he noticed his dad was thirsty and thought he'd help him out. What a funny little boy.

I can't wait for this weekend, being that it's a long weekend. I know it sounds weird since I don't work 'typical' hours and I'll be at home anyways, D does and it's nice to have him around for that extra day. I think we're planning on going swimming and maybe a football game if D gets tickets from work. Maybe we'll also get some trees cut down and the deck stained but we'll see about that.

9 months and a wedding

I feel like I'm behind in my posts, so much has happened in the last few days I'm having a hard time keeping up!

J & J's wedding was Saturday. We had the rehearsal and decorated Friday and went out to the inlaws for supper. They had a tent set up outside for everyone in case of rain. Well rain did it ever, it poured and I swear the eye of a tornado went right over top of us. 9 guys were outside trying to hold the tent up because it was about to be blown away any second. D said that all he could see was a lime green sky. The girls were inside grabbing towels and bowls because water was leaking in several spots in the house.
What a night!

Saturday was a great day! The sun was shining and I spent the day with J getting ready for the big day as I was a bridesmaid. D got ready with his brother, also J, and took Hudson over there as well to get ready for his big job as a ring bearer, which he did very well I must say. He was a good boy all weekend and wasn't crabby with even missing some sleep. He sat in his little car wagon and was good for the whole day. Momma was very proud. Because I was a bridesmaid I didn't take any pictures that whole day and so I've only got these 2 of Hudson so far. I know there will be more to come and the photographer took a nice family picture of us so hopefully I'll get that soon. In between and throughout the day, my dad came up to take care of Hudson. He shuttled him around, brought all his stuff, changed diapers, put him down for a nap, fed him, and basically watched him all day while we were busy. I couldn't thank him enough. My dad and mom were both invited to the wedding but unfortunately my mom couldn't make it. She's in rehab right now and it's been a hard pill for me to swallow. I've just been so angry at her and now I'm just getting to the point of sadness. I don't really know what to do about it. Anyways, she missed out and everyone was asking where she was but all we could say was that she had a prior commitment.

Sunday, after a very exhausting couple of days, we had the gift opening and a bbq again out at my inlaws. Sunday was also the day that little Hudson was officially 9 months old. He's getting quite good at crawling now and is getting quicker. He accidentally fell off the bed at the farm, D turned away for a second and down he went. He bit his lip and there was a bit of blood but he was fine in the end. He only had a fat lip that afternoon and he's recovering nicely, lol. D felt horrible I know, and still does, but he's a boy and this is the first of many owies to come.

He's started to eat cheerios now, I'm trying to get him used to chewing and finger foods. He's doing great with them and so I think we might have to try some other foods. He's also often trying to pull himself up on furniture, people, whatever he can grab hold of. He's getting pretty good balance and I think it won't be too long before my guy is walking.

T.R.O.U.B.L.E

This is the scene I came back to yesterday:



and in case you can't really see, here's a close up:



My son, emptying his bottle on the floor and sitting in a puddle of milk while Maddie was licking it up. She ran away when I got my phone out though, perhaps she didn't want any evidence?

These two are trouble!!!

Weekend recap

We had such an awesome weekend this weekend! The sun was out, it finally stopped raining (it's been raining almost everyday here which is very unsual) and we finally had some sun!! On Saturday, we got a few little things done around the house that we've been putting off followed by a great Rider game in the evening. Well I was told it was great anyways because I was much too tired to be paying that close attention.

Sunday we decided to have a fun day outside! We went out for lunch at our favorite little cafe, then we headed to Kinsmen Park where there is a great playground, spray park, merry go round, and a train ride. Hudson loved the rides!! He rode both twice and even grandma and grandpa came for a bit and took him for a train ride. We didn't end up going to the spray park but we were outside playing for most of the day. Then we headed to the inlaws for a bbq and a nice visit. They're getting their house ready for the rehearsal dinner that is out there this weekend.

We got home late and worn out and all of us were ready for bed by 8pm!

Failures and successes

So hiding the veggies is not going as well as originally thought. He now purses his lips and refuses to eat. Oh my little boy. Neither D or I are picky eaters but I predict he might be a handful. Mixing isn't really working either although sometimes I get lucky and it does. For example, this morning I made a delicious breakfast of rice cereal and pumpkin. No good. I added a bit of cinnamon. Yum? Nope. Then I added a mixture of avocados and bananas I took out for his lunch. Nope. As a last attempt I then added a fresh plum. Epic fail. I know it sounds gross but the 'experts' say that babies don't know what goes together and what doesn't. Le sigh. Perhaps we'll try and see if he'll eat it for lunch and if not, I guess I'll have to figure out a new plan.

The whole not-wanting-to-lay-on-my-back-while-I-get-my-diaper-changed is causing mommy to prematurely loose her hair. For now we have resorted to taking off and putting on the diaper while he is sitting. This is a very difficult thing to do especially when he's got a diaper full of #2. My goodness, Hudson, the things you make your mother do for you. Oh, and this has also spilled over into naptimes and will now only take his bottle sitting up where he then drifts off sitting up while I'm rocking him and to recline him causes him to instantly wake up and cry. Once he's vertical, he's great again so at least it's good news that he likes to sleep on his belly.

Hudson is now a crawling machine!! He's getting quicker too and it's funny because when he gets to his desired location he looks so proud and so happy at his accomplishments. Twice now, I've turned around and he's gotten D's Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King off the bookshelf. He also gets on all fours and looks Maddie right in the eye and grins. I think he's waiting until he gets fast enough to strike!

He's getting pretty good at pulling himself up too, although he must pull and hang off our shirts to do so.
He's a little monkey that guy!

Trickery

The weekend was great. It was exhausting single-moming it for the weekend but we did have a lot of fun. It's funny how a 10 minute break and asking D to take over makes such a difference and resets me. I definitely missed that this weekend and was very glad to see D return after a very long 3 days!

Hudson is growing like a weed! He is rapidly outgrowing his clothes faster than he can wear them. We're almost through most of the clothes given as gifts and to be honest I haven't really had to purchase much because we've had so many. Looks like momma is going to have to go shopping soon though.

He's also now entered a phase in which he will not lay on his back to get his diaper changed or put clothes on. He instantly rolls over and wants to be on his front. If you try and turn him over and hold him still, he'll do everything he can to flip back over. Even distractions no longer work. I've had to resort to an indian leg wrestling type hold and change him on the floor. I sure hope this phase is over quickly.

Momma's learned a few tricks too. He still won't eat anything but sweet potatoes (only sometimes), and fruit so I've been mixing whatever fruit mixture I'm giving him for that meal with whatever veggie mixture he's getting. It may sound gross and trust me it doesn't look appetizing but babies don't know what is supposed to go with what and what's not so it has been working. I've also been mixing a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin in with his cereal and the veggies if needed and he gobbles it up.

Now to just find something to make him stay on his back for diaper changes....

Bliss

D's headed off to the lake this weekend for J's bachelor party (they decided there wasn't enough time or resources for them to go-I'm glad they came to their senses) so it's just me and the peanut. I think we're going to go to my grandmas house for a night, their town is celebrating their 100th birthday this weekend. There will be lots of family and good times.

I've decided that to keep my stress levels down and my sanity intact, I need to stop contact with my mother until she goes and successfully completes treatment at a facility. After that, I'll reassess what I think is best for my family and D and I will make the decision on what to do. I'm just tired of the constant drama (she's been drinking every weekend and my dad leaves the house because he doesn't want to be around her and this weekend her dog went missing, long story short, I found him posting a profile of him on a website and to be honest I don't even think she cared or my dad for that matter.) That's another story for another day though. It's just DRAMA. And as easy as it is to get wrapped up in it, I don't even care anymore. I've got a great thing going on here where I am with my family and they can be dramatic without me. I don't need it.

On a much happier note, I have a baby that is having an afternoon nap for the first time in 4 days and I'm feeling pure bliss right now. He's been taking his morning nap but has been skipping his afternoon nap and going to bed 1/2 hour early lately. During the morning nap, I clean the house, or make his baby food, work, etc and then I like to take the time he naps in the afternoon to do what I want to do. Like nap if I'm tired, watch TV, blog etc. and I've been missing not being able to do those things so right now I'm going to take full advantage :)

Crawl baby crawl

On Tuesday night, Hudson crawled for the first time. He didn't just use his arms to army crawl forward, he actually used his legs and knees and propelled himself forward to reach a remote control. He did it over and over and over again and I missed it.

I was working and gone for around 2 hours and when I got home D excitedly told me the news. I was so happy but so very sad at the same time. My little boy was growing up and all I kept thinking was that I missed it.
I would like to make myself clear and also say that I know that as impossible as it may be, I was kind of hoping that D and I would both be present for all of his firsts. I know it sounds ridiculous but we were both there when he first ate solids, when he sat up, and we both discovered his first teeth together. I realize with D only being at home and awake for 4 hours out of any given weekday, he's going to be missing a lot of the other firsts and I am glad that he was able to see and marvel in the wonder that is our ever growing boy.

Hudson now practices his crawling everyday and although he's still not crawling a lot or very far, he feels very accomplished when he is able to reach whatever his destination is. Even if it's 3 inches forward to grab hold of Maddie. He now has red knees from rug burns and the hard floors but I've been putting BabyLegs on him and they really seem to be helping. D hated them and said that no son of his will wear leggings but now they have purpose and D's just going to have to suck it up :P

Terrible 8's?

Is that such a thing? The terrible 8 months?

I wouldn't necessarily describe Hudson as terrible but I do think he's going through some kind of growing pains or something. He's become more independent, wanting to do things on his own and not wanting you to help him. He's gotten a bit of an attitude lately as well, not wanting to wait for anything or anyone and want what he wants right now. I'm sad to say that he reminds me of myself in this regard :)

He's also decided that he doesn't want to eat his cereal in the morning, as well as not eating any of his vegetables for lunch or supper. It's such a fight to get it down and most days I just give up and he ends up with only a liquid lunch of formula. Of course he'll eat his fruit though because it's sweeter (I'm assuming) but god forbid he eat his cereal that has fruit already mixed in. Go figure. I even try to sneak in the veggies and mix them with the fruit, or put a little banana on the end of the spoon so he'll think it's all banana, or alternate veggie fruit veggie fruit spoons but it's been getting harder and harder. And today it took us 45 mins for lunch. Already my 8 month son has the attitude of a teenager. Oh my.

D and I try to keep a solid amount of quality toys for him to play with although we don't want our house ending up looking like Toys R Us threw up in it. I think it's inevitable and some people are just better at hiding it than others but we do our best and try anyways. We have a 1 outfit/1 toy maximum in our house for gift giving-any more and it goes back home with you for him to play with there. I'm getting off topic here. Anyways, we have all these great and wonderful toys. Does he like playing with any of them, not really. He'd much rather play with my old cell phone, the remotes, and anything else he's not supposed to. It's like a game, the more off limits an item is-the more he wants it. He'll squirm and reach for whatever it is when you're not looking and if you take it away or he can't end up reaching it, he makes this whining noise like a wounded puppy. Our hands are going to be quite full when he starts walking.

I love my little guy but I'm hoping this little phase will pass before I know it.