Thursday, September 24, 2015

Hudson turned 2

Foster was born about two weeks before Hudson turned two and in all the hustle and bustle of a new baby, and planning a small birthday party for Hudson, I completely forgot to write about it. Sorry Little Man!

Hudson is growing into such a little boy.

He's become very independent. He wants to put on his clothes and shoes by himself. He wants to get his own snacks in the afternoon. He wants to hold Foster on his own. Whenever he says "me, me, me, me" it means "I'm going to do it, don't help". Most of the time, he does a great job, and it's nice that he can do a lot by himself; however, every once in a while, it can become a problem challenge- like when the cereal box spills all over the floor, or he splashes water every where trying to wash his own dishes.


Along with being independent comes being strong willed. He is the definition of first child, type A, strong personality little boy. He knows what he wants, what he likes, what he doesn't, when he wants to do something, or doesn't. We're working very hard on being a good listener and following directions the first time they are asked, but it will certainly be a learning process for him and us.

He loves to laugh and make people laugh! He's always had a fun, humorous side, and it's such fun to play with him. One of his favorite games to play is hide and seek, and he cracks up every time we find him.


He still loves to be outside, and we get out as much as possible. He loves just playing in the dirt and collecting rocks, acorns, sticks, bugs, and dirt in buckets, adding some water and stirring it all up together! He loves kicking and throwing beach balls and footballs. He still loves going on walks around the neighborhood and every once in a while he's able to actually walk with me and not just ride in the stroller; he's very observant and notices birds, rocks, plants, bugs, anything!


He still isn't talking much. He does have a few clear words in his vocabulary, but mostly it's just one or two sounds from words and we have to act as interpreters. He also calls animals by their sounds - so a cat is "e-ow", a sheep is "baa-baa", a cow is "moo", etc. We're constantly working with him on making sounds and having him repeat after us. He'll catch on soon enough and when he does, I doubt he'll ever stop talking! He already has a lot to say!


He's very creative. He's really starting to create structures with blocks, or draw pictures. He loves making hand prints with paint, and anything involving glue!

He loves to sing, and sings all the time - again, mostly just the melody is clear, not the words, but you can tell the song he's singing by his tune. Recently it's been a lot of Twinkle Twinkle, Are You Sleeping, ABCs, Wheels on the Bus, and Itsy Bitsy Spider.


He is still a really good helper for Mommy and Daddy. He loves to help us with anything and everything - feeding Vance, planting flowers, making meals, cleaning, reading books, hanging bird feeders. He definitely likes having and participating in tasks.


He is an amazing big brother. Every morning and afternoon, he loves to help me get Foster up from sleeping. When Foster is in the swing, Hudson will run into his room and go right to him and say "hey" and start laughing and trying to play with him. When Foster is laying on the floor or doing his tummy time, Hudson will want to be right there with him, patting his belly, talking or singing to him, laughing with him, encouraging him, bringing him toys/animals. It's really sweet to watch him interact with Foster, and I can't wait to watch their relationship grow and really develop as Foster gets older and more interactive.


This little guy is truly a blessing, as I have said many, many times!

Happy Belated 2nd Birthday, Hudson Noah!

God Bless






Monday, September 14, 2015

One month...

... a little late.

Foster was one month... a couple of weeks ago. Sorry! It's a little harder to blog on a "regular" basis than I thought it would be.

However, I do want to keep some record and updates of this sweet little boy just like I did with his brother.

Retrospectively speaking, Foster has been a wonderful baby. He sleeps well, as well as any new born, is very attentive when he is awake, and likes to cuddle. He prefers being up right as opposed to cradled, but does enjoy being rocked. He hates being swaddled, but obviously still needs it, and sleeps better when his arms are tightly wrapped by his side. I'm hoping he will eventually just get used to it until its time to give it up. I don't give him a pacifier much, only when he's fussy, because I don't want him to become dependent on it, and so far, he's doing ok without it. He does not like baths! So basically, I just wipe him down with a warm wash cloth and a little soap. Again, I hope he learns to enjoy bath time - we have a lot of fun splish-splashing at this house! Hudson is doing great with him. He loves to hold him in his lap, rub his belly and head, and give him kisses. He really is a great big brother just like we knew he would be.

This has been a whirlwind of a month, but we survived, and each day we are getting more and more settled into our new normal. I've been waiting a long time for this role as a stay at home mom, and while it's harder and more challenging than anything I've ever done, it's also the most rewarding and brings more joy (and honestly sometimes tears) that I could have ever imagined. My prayer every day is that I can raise these sweet boys for God's glory and that I can be His light shining onto them.




God Bless