3 months!

Hudson was 3 months old on Saturday! He is growing so fast!

-I don't know his length or weight, but I would guess he's around 13 pounds by now
-He loves being around people! He's a very social baby
-He's very aware of what is going on around him - he's attentive and likes looking around
-He loves singing! When we sing to him, he'll often times sing back. Some of his favorite songs continue to be Old McDonald, The People on the Bus, 10 Little Indians, and The Ants Go Marching
-He loves to talk and is very vocal, even when he wakes up. He won't really cry to let you know that he's awake - he'll just start talking and making noises
-He's starting to roll onto his side from his back, and is about to figure out how to roll from his belly to his back
-He can pick his head up off the blanket when he's on his belly!
-He has the sweetest smile, and it melts my heart every time he smiles up at me
-He likes sitting up, and we practice as much as we can - I still have to hold his hands or his sides, but he likes being up
-He's sleeping in the crib more, which is great! He's been sleeping in his swing, and transitioning to the crib has been a long process, but he's adjusting and doing much better
-He still eats roughly every 2-2.5 hours, but we're working on spreading that out more
-Usually, he's only up twice a night to eat. Sometimes its more, sometimes, it's only once - it really just depends on how his day went and how tired he is
-He started going to "school". We are fortunate to have found a wonderful lady who runs a day care out of her home. It's small, and he's one of 6 or 7 that's there throughout the day. So far, we've been really pleased.

1 month

 2 months

 3 months

Happy Halloween!

Hudson continues to be the biggest blessing God could have given us. We are humbled and honored to be his parents, and pray every day that we can raise him in the love of the Lord. 

God Bless

It's Fall y'all!

We are enjoying fall around here!
We finally got to decorating the front of the house a little bit. George and Leah planted some pansies in the flower beds, we got some mums and pumpkins for the front porch, and I re-decorated the door wreath.
We've been able to take some nice walks, and we still love to eat out on the screen porch in the evenings.

We also took Hudson to Strawberry Hill Farm over the weekend. My class actually went there for a field trip, and it's so family/kid friendly, that even though he's so little, I still wanted to take him for his first fall! They sell pumpkins, various flowers, hay, corn stalks, foods and drinks; they have an amazing playground for kids, cows you can feed "candy" to, and two corn mazes (one for kids and one for adults). This past Saturday we just went to look around and to take pictures. Hudson was actually awake, and enjoyed looking around. I would love to go back each year with him, and really enjoy all that it has to offer.

Happy Fall!

God Bless

2 months old!

Hudson was 2 months on October 9th! 

This past month was a big month for little man -

• he weighs 12.2 pounds (50th percentile), and is 24.5 inches long (97% percentile) - so he's long and lean! 
• he is growing well and fast
• he is smiling and laughing, which we love!
• he is "talking" a lot more, making the sweetest sounds
• he still enjoys bath time, which seems to calm him before going to bed
• for a couple of weeks he would be real fussy before going down to nap, but over the past few days, he's started to go down without much fuss
• he is sleeping 3-4 hours at a stretch during the night, which Mama loves especially!
• he can hold his head up real well when he's up on a shoulder
• he loves to hold on to my thumbs and sit up while sitting in my lap - anything where he can practice holding his head up, and he loves to do it!
• he enjoys tummy time, and is starting to move his head from side to side
• he enjoys walks in the Baby K'Tan or in his Bob stroller
• he loves being rocked to sleep
• he is making eye contact and holding it, and will look at us when we talk to him
• I still think he looks like his Daddy, but he does have some Manning features

We treasure every minute we have with him! He is a really good baby, happy and content, and bringing so much joy to us. We are truly blessed to have him in our lives. We love watching him grow and change, and looking back at his 1 month pictures, its so neat to see just how much he is growing! 

1 month

2 months

   

God Bless

Back to School

Thank you for all your prayers last Thursday as I started back to school!

While it was a very difficult day for me, and I cried probably more than I should admit, I felt God's hand of peace and comfort all day long. I had so many texts from friends and family wishing me well and offering words of encouragement, as well as prayers. I am so grateful! Plus, my sweet husband surprised me with flowers delivered to the school! The power of prayer is amazing, and what an awesome God we serve who can comfort us when we truly need it!

This is going to be a good year at school! I was able to jump right back in and get settled quickly. Since the lead teacher (aka LT) will be out a couple hours each day for Reading Recovery, I have a little work to do with the kids (my long term sub didn't have much management I don't think). Thursday and Friday we got to know each other. Tomorrow the real work begins! We have a few boys who will give us a run for our money, and a few girls who will probably talk our ears off! So far, though, they are all really sweet kids, and since LT and I worked together last year, I think this will be a great year for us! While I hate leaving Hudson, at least I'm doing something I enjoy in an environment that supports emotional, young, new mothers with lots of hugs and encouragement.

First day of work - saying good bye to my little man. I kept this picture on my phone and looked at it all day!

Friday afternoon I came home to smiles!

This will be our first full week apart. Again, prayers would be appreciated. Leaving for two days was one thing, five will be hard, especially after being with him all day Saturday and Sunday. I don't think it will ever get easy - just easier, at some point.

I hope everyone is enjoying fall! I know we are!

God Bless

Happy Fall!

I cannot believe it's already October! These past weeks have flown by way too fast, and now we're into October and fall is in full swing! The leaves are turning colors and falling, the air has a slight crisp and chill to it, and pumpkins are every where! I love this season, not as much as spring, but it's definitely my second favorite.

Hudson continues to grow and change every day. He is more alert when he's awake, and in the past couple of weeks he has really started to focus in on things. My favorite is of course when he focuses and holds eye contact with me! I love seeing his little eyes stare back into mine! He has also started smiling and laughing! Its just a little giggle, but it's so sweet. He is still a very active baby! He is always wiggling and moving. I have a feeling we're going to be chasing after him as soon as he's mobile!

This past weekend we took our first adventure away from home. We went to Charleston to visit and stay with my parents. He did really well all weekend, and had a great time with Gigi and Papa.

Please say a little prayer for me when you can. I go back to work on Thursday, the 3rd, and I'm not really looking forward to it. I have LOVED every minute I've been with this sweet baby boy, and it's going to tear my heart to leave him. He'll be in good hands, but they just won't be mine.

God Bless

One month old

Hudson is one month old today!

It is so hard to believe he's already been here with us for a month. He's growing and developing each day, and is a pleasure to watch. Adjusting to a newborn has not always been easy, but it's worth every minute. I could sit and look at him, and hold him all day.

How he's growing:

He loves to be held and in someone's arms
He either loves his swaddle, or hates it and fights to free his arms
If he is propped up on someone's shoulder he can hold his head up really well, and loves to look around
He is making eye contact and can hold it for a few seconds, which is so much fun
He loves to be outside, especially rocking in the front porch rocking chairs
He is starting to sleep better and longer during the day
He is doing better sleeping at night, but still wakes up every 2-2.5 hours to nurse
He loves being sung to - we sing "Jesus Loves Me", "You are my Sunshine", and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" at night, and a whole bunch of livelier tunes during the day
He spends time each day on his play mat, but has yet to really pick his head up during tummy time
He now loves baths!
He is probably going to be out growing all his newborn clothes real soon, and fitting into 0-3 month
He is generally a very happy and content baby, bringing so much joy to Paul and me

We are so fortunate to have all the support and love of our family and friends. Hudson is blessed beyond imagination to have so many wonderful people in his life. Thank you!

Hudson's 1st Photo shoot

Jana Candler came a couple of weeks ago for a photo shoot with Hudson, and we just got the CD with all the pictures! She did an amazing job, of course, and captured Hudson so wonderfully! We are so grateful to have these pictures of this sweet little boy.

Thank you, Jana!

God Bless