Sweet and Stubborn Boy!

My baby is the most wonderful baby ever, except when it comes to sleeping in his crib. Our nightly routine is as follows: feed HH baby food, bath, lotion, pajamas, feed formula, and HH goes to sleep around 9:30ish. All is usually well until about 12 or 1am. This is when HH wakes up and realizes that he is all alone in his big boy room. HH lets me know my screaming that this is NOT okay with him. His very sleepy mother then goes into his room and picks up a smiling HH and brings him back to bed with me. He then rubs my face and arms until he quietly and happily falls asleep right next to me. Does he have me trained or what? The worst part is that I actually enjoy that sweet little baby boy cuddling up right next to me in bed!

6 months!!

I can't believe I haven't blogged in 2 whole months!! I have been so busy with Hudson this summer I have entirely forgotten to update this site. My boy is such a sweetie and a real cuddle buddy. He has become so much more animated over the past few weeks- it is so fun to see all of his new facial expressions. Now that I am back to work, it makes me cherish my time with him in the evenings even more! He still has not mastered sitting up alone but he is working dilligently on it. He is at the point where he becomes frustrated when he tries to do something and his little body just won't allow him to do it yet. Right now those irritated fits sure are cute, but I doubt I will feel the same way in a few months. We have even transitioned into letting Hudson sleep in his bedroom (in his crib) at night time. Most nights he sleeps from 9ish to 4 and wakes up for a quick bottle and ends up spending the rest of the night in bed with us...which I really do love for those few hours.

First Laugh out Loud

Last night as we were all getting ready for bed, I was playing with Hudson and gave me his first laugh out loud! I was so happy that Wes and I were both able to hear it together for the first time. Can't wait for it to become a regular occurance!

I am also happy to report that each day Hudson gets a little more comfortable eating his rice cereal. Half of it still ends up on his face, hands, legs, and clothes, but at least he does attempt to swallow most of it.

4 months!!

My sweet baby boy will be 4 months old tomorrow!! In just 4 short months Hudson has developed quite a funny little personality. Every day he is making us aware of his new likes and dislikes..Likes- being bounced around, his swing, bathtime, being held (especially by me..hehe), his baby Einstein activity mat, waking up from a nap, and his bottle. Dislikes- anything being pulled over his head (so all clothes changing), being taken out of the bathtub, air in his face, loud noises, and not being held..Most recently I can add rice cereal out of a spoon to the dislike list. We tried rice cereal today for the first time and he was not having any of it. Even though he was fussing, he looked so darn cute sitting there with rice and milk all over his face. Hopefully after a few days of trying it, he will begin to get the concept of eating with a spoon.

Sweet Dreams!

I just have to brag on my sweet boy... 4 out of the past 5 nights this week he has slept between 8 and 9 hours straight! Last night, he woke up hungry around 3 but was back asleep by 3:30 and slept until 8:30! His bedtime routine seems to be working well... between 8:30 and 9 he gets his bath, lotioned down, changed, and then fed. He is usually asleep by 9:30 or 10 at the latest. I just pray that he can keep this going!! Mama is so much happier when she gets 8 consecutive hours of sleep :)

Time Flies

I have not been near as dilligent at keeping up with my blog as I should be :( Between work, cheerleading, Wes and Hudson, job searching for Wes, and finishing up the school year I have been one busy girl! Hudson is almost 14 weeks and growing like a weed. Last weekend we celebrated several occasions- he was baptised in Moultrie (which went wonderfully) and we took his 3 month pics with Abby (which did not go so wonderfully...still have yet to see proofs on those). He also turned 3 months old last week! I dare say he is becoming a little bit more predictible in his moods, sleep, and eating patterns. We get about 5 good nights of sleep each week with him (8-9 hours straight. Yea!) and 2 not so great nights. HH is really starting to enjoy his Baby Einstein activity play mat and it can keep him entertained for up to 30 minutes or so. It justs melts my heart to see that big ole grin on that boy's face when he is happy.

Fortunately, I only have 8 more school days left with the kids and then after a couple teacher work days, I am out for the summer! I can't wait to be home with HH every day for the next 9 weeks! We are also keeping our fingers crossed that Wes gets a good job in the next few weeks. He has several local interviews lined up for the next week and I pray that something good comes out of them.

3 months!

After I got my picture taken with the Easter Bunny!

First Beach Trip

9 wks

We went down to Amelia for the weekend and had the best time! The weather was perfect and Hudson even enjoyed being carried around in the Baby Sling while we explored. He had such a great weekend- slept 8 hours Friday night and 9 hours Saturday night. I guess the beach really wore him out. Unfortunately, Sunday night was really rough on all 3 of us. The poor boy had a tummy ache and screamed for 3 hours straight. Monday he was a bit better but he had to get his 2 month shots. He weighed in at 11 lbs 10 oz and was 23 1/4 inches long. Getting to be such a big boy!

Love these babies!

They make my heart melt!

2 months old!

I love bath time!

Today the pumpkin is 2 whole months old! We are starting to see a little more personality each day as he grows. On a bittersweet note, tomorrow I go back to work full time. Technically, I went back on April 1st, but it was just for one day and then I had another week off for spring break. I sure am going to miss my daytime activities with the pumpkin over the next few weeks before summer vacation. The past week or so, he has been busy learning to smile. He sure is cute when he shows off his gums in that wide grin. I have yet to capture a good picture of a real smile, but hopefully within the next few days I can get that shot. He has also been learning to sit in his Bumbo seat. Wes thinks he is a little young for it, but I have been putting him in it for a few minutes each day-basically until he gets annoyed and lets me know it is time for him to get out of it. Lastly, I have to brag on my boy..he has slept through the night at least the past 5 out of 8 nights. Even the nights that he does not sleep 7-9 hours he has been sleeping at least 5 hours. We have gotten into somewhat of a bedtime routine..bath (which he loves!), lotion (which he hates), pajamas (hates this part too), bottle and then swaddle. It seems to be working pretty good for us so far, so I guess we will stick with it for now!

Quick Getaway

Wes and I decided to take a quick trip to Jacksonville beach before I have to start back to work on Friday (tear..). We were able to meet Erin and Matt for dinner at a great local restaurant and it was so nice to be able to sit and catch up without having to worry about keeping Hudson occupied throughout dinner. My parents were more than happy to keep him for the night. However, they were not as excited about keeping the dogs overnight so they just left them at our house and made several trips over to let them out. Even though I absolutely love my job, I am already sad about returning to work. It will be a big adjustment getting back into a routine after four months of not working. Even though I have to go back on Friday it is not all bad...the very next week is Spring Break. At least I can ease back into work this way.

Hudson has been sleeping decent the past week. He has been going down for the night sometime between 11 and 1 and sleeping a solid 6 hours a night. However, he has been in a funky mood this evening and I am not too confident that we will get 6 straight hours tonight. Oh well, at least we got a great baby free night's sleep last night :)

Rolling Over!!

I can't believe I left this off of my last posting...Hudson is rolling over! Tuesday night while we were giving H some tummy time in his room Wes saw him roll over for the first time. I was in his room too but of course I was busy putting things away and missed it! Wes was so excited and wanted to make sure it was not a one time thing so he immediately put him back on his belly and we both watched him roll over for the second time. After that Wes ran to get the video camera but Hudson was totally over tummy time by then and was screaming his head off by the time he started recording. Needless to say, Hudson did not roll over for the camera that night. We will have to try it again this weekend when he is in a good mood.

6 weeks!

My precious Hudson is 6 weeks old today!! It is truly amazing how much I love that little pumpkin! I have just been staring at him for the past hour while he has been sleeping away beside me in his bouncy seat. Speaking of the bouncy seat, it seems that he much prefers it to his pack and play or crib to sleep in. I think that he likes sleeping in something that has a little incline to it versus a flat surface. I know that eventually he will have to get comfortable sleeping in a bed, but right now this seems to work for us. I had my 6 week check-up with Dr. Strickland today and he was sad that I didn't bring the pumpkin in for him to see. I will definitely miss seeing and visiting him on a weekly basis but I am in no rush to have to go back there for a good long while.

5 weeks!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Hard to believe my little pumpkin is 5 weeks old today. He is changing so much each day. He is working so hard to have control over his head and he practices holding it up everyday. He was able to wear his little St.Patty's Day outfit tonight to dinner and everyone thought he looked adorable..which he did :) Even though I already had dinner in the crockpot ready to serve, we just had to go out because I got the best news today... my portfolio for my Master's Degree was accepted and I am now officially done with my degree! My parents were sweet enough to take us out to celebrate and then they came back over to get some baby love before we head out of town tomorrow. Yipee!! Love the idea of no schoolwork for awhile. I think this calls for an all weekend long celebration!

We are back on the road again tomorrow and headed to Moultrie. Wes's parents are so excited to see Hudson again and spoil him all weekend. Leigh and Matt will even be there and I know they are ready to see their nephew again after 5 long weeks without holding him. I hope to get a lot of pics this weekend with the family and enjoy some good quality farm time with my boys!

One Month Old!! Oh yeah, and our anniversary too!

My sweet precious Hudson is one month old today and I can't believe how fast it has gone by. It also happens to be our 4 year anniversary today. Unfortunately, Wes spent the day away from us (he was in Atlanta interviewing for a job) but he is flying in tonight. I was a little nervous about spending the night all by myself with Hudson so I got my parents to spend the night with me last night. It was so nice having my mom here at 5 AM when I needed to pump and get a little sleep. This afternoon Hudson had his one month check up and the doctor was happy that he gained about an ounce a day over the past two weeks-bringing him up to 8 lbs 13 oz. I am kinda sad though because he has almost outgrown the "newborn" clothes he has. I just love those sweet tiny clothes with footies and mittens! While at the pediatrician, I asked him about supplementing with formula on an occasional basis. I feel like I am barely producing enough milk to keep up with Hudson's feedings. I always seem to have just enough, but not any extra. With Wes and I headed to Hilton Head tomorrow, I knew that I will need to send some formula with him because I surely don't have enough stocked up to last over a day. While I am super excited about getting away with Wes for the night, I am sad that I won't have my little pumpkin head with us to cuddle with tomorrow night. However, I am sure his grandparents will be more than happy to get a little cuddle time in with him. In dog news, I wish I could have gotten a picture today of Mason (the boy dog) in Hudson's pack and play. I stepped out of the room for two seconds to grab H's bottle and the next thing I knew, Mason was in the bed part of the pack and play and Hudson while Hudson was happily laying on the changing part of the pack and play. While it was super cute, I don't like the idea of my dog jumping in H's space. Maybe I should move the pack and play a little further away from the bed... Anyway, Happy One Month to Hudson and Happy Anniversary to my sweet Wes!

Sweet Boy!

Four years ago today I was dancing away with my groom!

Home

After spending a week in Moultrie we sure were glad to get home Friday night. We had a great time, but it is always nice to sleep in your own bed...even if you get a limited amount of sleep. I only wish the cleaning fairy would pay a visit to our house because it sure is messy. I knew we would go through a ton of laundry with a baby but I had no idea how much he would spit up, pee, and poo on and how baby items would completely take over our house! The dogs also seem to be glad to get back in their environment and I am happy to report they seem less interested in Hudson by the day...especially at night!

Thursday is a big day for us. First of all, sweet Hudson will be a month old Thursday!! I am so glad to be feeling better and enjoying getting out with my boy. Second, our four year anniversary is Thursday. We are going to celebrate by going to Hilton Head Friday and spending the night...without Hudson. I better get busy pumping for that hungry boy! Lastly, Wes has a job interview in Atlanta Thursday. Say a prayer that things go well and that he is once again gainfully employed. Don't know how I feel about moving to a city like Atlanta but we will see where we end up. Wherever it is, I am sure it will eventually feel like home :)

First Trip

Wes and I packed up Hudson and the dogs and headed over to Moultrie Friday afternoon. It was almost comical how much stuff we ended up packing in the car. By the time we finished packing, there was barely room for us and the dogs. We were very nervous to see how H would do during the 3 hour car ride and we were so excited when he slept the entire way! I am sure we won't be so lucky when we go back home tomorrow. We have enjoyed spending a few days in Moultrie and I have really appreciated having Wes's parents around to help out with the baby while I try to take care of myself a bit. I almost hate to have to go home tomorrow but I know that my parents are more than ready for him to be back in Brunswick.

Well, Hudson's umbilical cord finally fell off Saturday night...it only took 16 days for it to happen!! I can't wait to get home and give him a real bath in his little bathtub versus just sponge bathing him off. We are scheduled to go back to the doctor next Thursday (March 10th- our 4th anniversary :) in order to check his weight again. As of this past Thursday he was still not quite back up to his birth weight. He weighed in at 7lbs 12 oz, so hopefully he will be over 8lbs by next week. I have definitely noticed an increase in his appetite and now that I am pumping I am able to monitor exactly how much milk he is drinking throughout the day. Even though I was a little intimidated by pumping, I have to say that it has made life much easier the past few days. I am actually able to leave the house and I don't have to worry about finding somewhere to go and nurse him. Luckily, he still seems pretty laid back and he does not seem to mind drinking out of a bottle. All in all, I have to say this little boy is pretty special and I love learning new things about him on a daily basis.

Wish us luck on our journey home tomorrow! Fingers crossed for a sleeping baby!!

Hudson Day 12

My sweet Hudson is now 12 days old and I have so much to say about this beautiful little baby. I am so thankful to have this precious baby boy here with us and out of my belly!! I know that some women truly love being pregnant, but I unfortunately am not one of those women. Anyway, the past 12 days with Hudson have been wonderful. I knew that I would be completely in love with him the minute I saw him but I am such in awe of this tiny person that I could just stare at him all day. Next, I have to brag on my husband, Wes. He has been so incredible with me and the baby the past few weeks. Due to the fact that I had a c-section, I spend most of the first week in bed and he took care of Hudson almost completely. The only thing I was good for was breastfeeding the little guy. However, now that I am feeling better I have been trying to give him a break and take on more of the baby duties, especially at night.

Hudson had a big day yesterday, Abby came over and took his newborn photos at the house. She wanted him to be asleep for the photos so that it would be easier to pose him but he had other plans... He was awake almost the entire shoot-which was 2 and 1/2 hours. It was only at the very end that he finally fell asleep and we were able to get the sleeping shots that she wanted. I just can't wait to see how they turn out. I am sure I will have a hard time deciding on which photos to use for his announcement!

Now for the meaning of the title of my new blog, Three Dogs and a Baby. I guess it is pretty self explanatory.. we have three dogs (mini-dachshunds) and now we have a baby. Our three dogs have always been like our first children and we love their big personalities but over the past few months we have become a little nervous about how the dogs will react to their new little brother. Before we came home from the hospital we decided to introduce the dogs to Hudson one at a time, mainly because I was feeling so weak and tired from surgery. Both my parents and my in-laws were sweet enough to each take a dog leaving us with only one to keep the first few days with Hudson in the house. By the end of the week we had all three dogs in the house with the baby and we soon figured out that 3dogs and a baby are A LOT of work. Both of our girls have been interested in Hudson but they have been manageable. However, Mason, our boy dog, was overly interested in Hudson and kept jumping in H's pack and play so on Monday we sent him back to his grandparents house for another week or two until things calm down around here. Anyway, I know that I have left out so much of our first 12 days but it will have to wait until a future post because I have a baby that needs to be fed.