10 months!

Better late than never, I guess!

Hudson was 10 months on June 9th! He continues to grow physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually! It's amazing to watch...which I am LOVING now that I'm home all day with him. We are having a great summer together, and enjoying every moment we get!

So my sweet baby boy...
-is FULL of personality! I've always said he has a strong a personality, and it's fun to watch shine through! He knows what he likes and what he doesn't like. He can be stubborn at times, and strong willed, but it's ok! But the majority of the time, he is a sweet, happy, laughing, fun baby boy!
-loves playing peek-a-boo/hide-and-seek. Whether with blankets, behind walls, or opening and closing doors, he just laughs and laughs
-is in a throwing phase. He likes to throw anything and everything. That's how we know he's done eating - he starts throwing his cup, his food, or his spoons.
-loves pushing toys - trains, tractors, cars, walkers, anything with wheels.
-is pulling up on everything and starting to cruise holding onto tables, couches, etc. He won't walk on his own yet, but he will stand independently for a few seconds
-enjoys walking all over the upstairs with his walkers or holding onto our fingers.
-eats like a champ! I've introduced dairy and eggs, and he's handling both fine! I've been hesitant introducing the "allergy" foods because I have friends and family with kids that have serious food allergies, and it just scares the you know what out of me! He loves fruit and carbs (bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles). I've also started putting homemade hummus on veggies to get him to eat those, and he likes it!
-loves being outside! We go out side every day for a walk in the morning, and just outside play time in the afternoon. And if he starts getting fussy, we just go walk outside for a little bit and he calms down
-loves bath time! He stands at the side of the tub and "dances" while he waits for the water to fill up
-loves "rough housing" - or as much as we can rough house with a 10 month old! He's a tough little guy and likes crawling over us, burying his head in us, being pulled up side down or flipped around. It's a lot of fun playing with him!
-talks, sings, yells, makes all sorts of noises ALL the time! He loves talking! I can't wait till he actually starts learning how to use real words - I'm so curious about what he's thinking!
-is starting to take better naps now that he's home all day. He did not nap well at school, so I'm glad that he's getting more rest

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. I'm trying to hold on to every moment that I can and make the most of the time that I have with him. These are precious days, and I don't want to take them for granted.

God Bless.

Ten Things We're Loving Right Now

As Hudson grows and changes and develops, his likes, wants, and needs also change, and rightly so! We're trying a lot of new things, whether toys, foods, or activities. Here's just fun, quick list of 10 things we're enjoying right now, in no particular order.

1. These cheese crackers. I've mentioned before that I'm trying to keep Hudson's meals as unprocessed as possible, so I've been pinning a lot of recipes for me to make for him to keep expanding his food palate. He loved these crackers! They aren't hard to make, but I cut them up really small (bite size for Hudson) before baking them, so that was a little time consuming.

2. waffles. These are great because they are "baby friendly" (no allergen ingredients), and they can be made into waffles or pancakes. I'll make a batch on Sunday, and let him eat them throughout the rest of the week for various meals.

3. Homemade hummus. I don't really have a recipe for this, I just kind of throw the ingredients into the blender and whatever I think it needs - we call this a "Bob Ross Recipe" in my family (you want some more lemon juice, add some lemon juice. You want some parmesan cheese, add parmesan cheese). I generally use one can of garbanzo beans, ~1-2tbsp of EVOO, some salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika. I blend it all together for a little bit, taste and adjust, and usually add a little water to make it smoother. Hudson loves it! I put it on some bread and vegetables, and he's good!

4. Zoli gummy sticks. He loves these! They're good for teething, and easy to hold. And since he just cut his two front lower teeth, they've been great! I just keep one with me no matter what, where ever I go!

This is an older picture but it has the Zoli in it (he doesn't sit in his bouncy anymore!)

5. Oball Car. This little car is great! He loves to hold on to the top and drive it around the kitchen, the house, wherever! He can grasp the top easily and move it just as he wants, often times simply back and forth, back and forth, back and forth!

6. These Munchin Sippy Cups. We love these for a number of reasons. One, they are easy for Hudson to hold on to. He can easily grip the handles and hold it himself. Two, they have a soil proof valve (which is good when your baby wants to bang it against his tray or drop it on the floor). Three, the mouth piece is rubber and is good for baby to chew on when he's teething!

7. These Fisher Price Stack and Roll Cups. Hudson loves knocking these over! I can barely get them stacked before he's come over and pulling them down. He just laughs and laughs! I'm sure this little game will get him in trouble at school when he knocks down all the other kids' towers, but oh well! We're enjoying it here at home! :)

8. Water bottles. He's always enjoyed just playing with water bottles for some reason. Still does. Leave a water in it, and he shakes it and watches the water move in the bottle. He's very observant.

9. Splish splash time! He loves being in water! I think we'll have a little fish. Whether it's in the bath tub or in a baby pool at Grammy's house, he loves being in water! We're going to the beach next week with the Manning family, so I'm excited to see how he'll do in a big pool and in the ocean. We bought him a float with a canopy that he can sit in and kick in while in the water.

10. Walking with his walkers. He loves being up and walking, as long as it's with the walker. If we try to stand him up by himself and entice him to walk on his own, he doesn't like it! But I really think once he learns how much quicker he can get around by walking rather than crawling, I'm going to be getting my daily 10,000 steps by lunch time! He's going to be off, and I'll be right behind him!

Needlesstosay, we're having a great summer and playing all the time!

God Bless

It's summer!

We're just hanging out and having fun! Hudson has been having a great time cruising around, exploring everything, and even starting to take some steps! He's become such a little boy, even at 9 months, with a sweet/stubborn/strong personality!

We went to Charleston a couple of weekends ago to visit my parents. Hudson loved spending time with Gigi and Papa. You see him eye-balling those steaks?! Definitely Paul's son!

This is Ms. Scottie, Hudson's teacher at school. He's grown so much this year, and he loves going to school! They are wonderful with him, and take very good care of him. He'll still go to school one day a week over the summer just so he can stay familiar with them, and enjoy the socialization. 

This was my first and last day of school. It was a good year, and we had a great little class, but I am so glad it's summer. 

This is what I see when I look in the rearview mirror while driving around town! His feet keep him quite entertained. 

 We have started taking morning walks after Paul leaves for work. He has to have his spoon with him!

 TWO TEETH!! Yah!!

 And those teeth are great for eating homemade cheese crackers! YUM!

 I love this sweet little face. I still can't get over how big he is getting and how much he has changed. I can't wait to see what this summer holds!

God Bless

9 Months

My sweet baby boy is 9 months old! 3, 6, and 9, always seemed like milestone months to me, so for him to hit that next milestone month is crazy! Where has the time gone? In 3 months, he'll be a year! Oh my!

This has been a fun month! He has a strong personality already and is such a fun baby boy.

-he can go from sitting to crawling to sitting quite proficiently, and will jus randomly stop and start crawling I think just to practice the transition!

-he can balance upright on his knees on his own

-he still pulls up on everything to standing, and has become quite adventurous and will let go with both hands, but doesn't quite have the balance yet to stand independently - but he's trying!
-he loves to stand up in his crib! i'll walk into his room after naps or in the morning, and he'll be standing up and waiting for us!

-he can "walk" with support, and enjoys walking! we'll hold on to his hands and he'll walk across the room, but only with support!

-he LOVES opening drawers, doors, and cabinet doors! we really have to watch him closely - he doesn't understand that he can shut the doors on his fingers. he hasn't tried pulling things out of cabinets, yet, he just likes opening and closing the doors

-he likes crawling with something in his hands - a block, a pen, a toy car, etc. i think he likes the sound it makes on the floor - the louder, the better!


-he will push toys and cars/trucks across the floor with a purpose - it's not just accidently pulling something with him, he knows what he's doing, and likes making the trucks go

-he loves being outside! if he starts getting in the early evening, we'll go sit outside on a blanket in the yard and play, and he's in a better mood instantly. i can't wait to play outside with him all summer!

-he still puts anything in his mouth, and by the grace of God, I've caught him and been able to pull things out! it scares me to think about him swallowing foreign things - flower petals, small pebbles, things on the floor, etc.

-on the other hand, he is eating more and better! i finally introduced wheat and some dairy (butter and greek yogurt) - i was hesitant introducing the allergen foods (wheat, dairy, and eggs) and have yet to give him eggs. i am trying to keep him on "real foods" - no processed foods, and it's going well so far! i'm able to make him oatmeal waffles, fruit muffins, etc, plus lots of fresh fruits and veggies
-a while back, i was able to rearrange his "schedule" so he nurses around 5:30, and then we can eat dinner together as a family around 6:15 or 6:30 (as opposed to him nursing at 6:00 and then going to bed, and us eating after he was asleep). he likes sitting in his high chair and eating with us! plus it's fun for me and Paul and a good time to interact with him.
-he's staying up later now too. he's going to bed around 7:00 or 7:30, and then getting up somewhere between 12:30 and 2:30, some nights, only once, some nights, twice (again at 4:30).
-we've started going out to dinner with him more. he really likes being able to watch other people and see new places. and it's nice being able to go out as a family

-still no teeth
-still no real words (although he talks all the time)
-he has a fun, sweet, happy personality, but can also get mad upset when he's tired or hungry. he's got a strong personality, and can be stubborn at times (got no clue where this came from!) - he knows what he likes and what he doesn't like. and he doesn't like being told "no" (- tough luck, kid, it's going to happen!)

I loved celebrating my first Mother's Day with this sweet little boy. He has brought so much joy and love into my heart. I am blessed to be his mama! 

Lunch at the Drake House - YUM!

Happy 9 Months, sweet boy!

God Bless

"all boy"

Hudson's is "all boy", even his teacher has told me a few times that he's "all boy"! He's very active, doesn't like to sit still much anymore, loves to play around (even rough house a little!), climbs on or in anything, and has even tried to kiss one of his little girl friends at school! :)

why sit next to it, when you can sit on it?

 personal man-cave

 this gets flipped, pushed, pulled, hit, and played on

rough housing with bunny

 even diaper boxes and genie refills get some play time

 he loves Paul's old tractor

 and...his girlfriend! you're too young son!! 

Despite growing up in a female dominated house hold, I love having a little boy! He has stolen my heart and keeps me on my feet! It's so much fun!

God Bless