Week 3: January 15th-21st

Sunday, January 15th: This is the beginning of couple very difficult days for us.  A year ago today, the events were set in motion that would lead to the injury of my placenta and the announcement of the passing of our daughter, Kylie Jeanne.  As much as I miss her every day, especially considering how much Hudson looks like her, I take solace in the knowledge that everything happens for a reason and we have completed our little family with the welcome of our little man since then.  I know she's watching over us and looking out for her little brother.

Monday, January 16th: Happy Birthday to my little brother, Blake, who is 15 today! Hard to believe how quickly the time has flown.  Seems like just yesterday he was a sweet, cuddly little baby and today he's an opinionated, sassy almost-man with facial hair and a deep voice!

Tuesday, January 17th: Shop 'til you drop!  No, really.  Mimi came to town today and we went to BJ's to do some grocery shopping for those few items that are more convenient to buy in super-size (for cost only, since space is always super limited).  It's been a while since I've done BJ's shopping and I guess I'm out of practice because Hudson and I crashed when we were done :)

Wednesday, January 18th: Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mommy - Mimi, I guess she is now.  Congratulations on another year of practice at being 29! (Though, I think you might have to start bumping that number up as I quickly approach the last year of aging myself :-P)

Thursday, January 19th: Today has been a not-very-relaxing day at home. Hudson's been feeling a little off since late last night - leading to lots of throwing up, crying, and cuddling time. As much as I love my little man, it's really hard on days when all he does is cry. :( Natalie spent the night at her friend's house this evening, and Nate's started his "tax time" hours and was working late, so Lyssie and I spent the evening watching girly movies!

Friday, January 20th: Well Hudson was a little better today - still napping lots, but not throwing up as much... bad news is that now I've got a case of the ickies: fever, chills, headache, body aches, shivers, exhaustion. That being said, we spent a TON of time snuggled up sleeping on the couch.  Glad we could make each other feel better and I hope that this doesn't last too long.

Saturday, January 21st: Still feeling a little under the weather today, so we aren't heading to Raleigh to celebrate Mimi's birthday party today, but we're going to postpone that to Tuesday evening when we're heading out there anyways.  Tons more snuggling going on today while we try to kick the end of our not-feeling-wells, and we're going for some comfort food instead of going anywhere on this drizzly, cold, nasty January day: chicken and dumplings.

Week 2: 1.8.12-1.14.12

Sunday, January 8th: Today we vegged out around the house and played video game with Daddy, munching on a delicious broccoli cheese soup dip for lunch :) Hudson is almost entirely in 3 month size clothes, so we're breaking out the adorable new clothes we got for Christmas - like this outfit from Grammy that says "Grandma loves my chubby cheeks".

Monday, January 9th: Look at that beautifully empty dryer! I finally finished getting all the laundry folded and put away... at least for a couple days.  Made a delicious (and simple) chicken rice bake for dinner tonight!

Tuesday, January 10th: Even though this was supposed to be Mimi's week to come to Greensboro, we ended up in Raleigh because she had a schedule conflict and couldn't make it out here.  We had lunch with Miss Jen and her adorable children Jordan, almost 5, and Joey, recently 3 - who are just smitten with Hudson.  After running around for a little while (including getting our new Moby Wrap that we haven't had a chance to try out yet and a new pair of cute flats for super cheap), we met Miss Joy for coffee.  Tons of lady loving for little Hudson today!

Wednesday, January 11th: Nate took the day off today (very rare that he actually gets to enjoy time off on his scheduled day away from the dealership due to budget numbers, staffing, etc.) to spend time with Hudson and I.  Not a whole lot of "productivity" occurred in our house, but we did get some nice cuddle time in!

Thursday, January 12th: Ah, a day to relax at home :) I spent some more time today going through Hudson's clothes to figure out what does and doesn't still fit him, so that I can eliminate the guesswork in the mornings when we're running late for doctors appointments or I'm running around with a cold, fussy baby.  Hudson enjoyed some time on his new playmat that Mimi and Pop gave him for Christmas, cooing at the animals, yarking up his lunch, and then snoozing during tummy time.

Friday, January 13th: As a side note, I love Friday the 13ths - that's the day Nate and I went on our first date... so when people talk about bad luck and darkness on this day, I have to just laugh at them, because the greatest thing that ever happened to me started on a Friday the 13th!  Hudson slept really well last night and today (130-6, 630-830, 10-12) and then we went to visit Daddy for a cookout lunch at DriveTime and then headed to WalMart to get a little grocery shopping done.  We tried out (and had the first successful positioning) our new Moby Wrap!

Saturday, January 14th: Pop and Auntie Megan came to visit today - and what that really means is that they're out to get some Hudson time.  We ventured out to a new place for lunch today (very hard to do with the picky eaters) - Mimi's Cafe.

New Year = New Approach 1.1.12-1.7.12

New Year's Resolutions:

1. Get back to pre-baby weight ASAP (no later than my birthday)... and if I can get back to pre-Nate weight, that'd be even better.
2. Get back into pre-baby jeans ASAP (they're the only thing that doesn't fit)... and if I can get back into pre-Nate jeans, I'd be ecstatic.
3. Dedicate time for blogging.  I just realized that the only pictures on here of my little mister are the ones on our Christmas card/baby announcement.  Bad Momma! 

So I've decided to change things up a little bit.  I'm going to set my blog to automatically post on Saturdays and I'm going to jot down things that happen during the week as they come up - that way I'm not struggling to remember a month later when I'm doing another famous catch-up post.  Also, I'm going to try to take a picture every day - or at least a few each week - to document the goings on of our lives... so when I go to fill the next collage for the wall, it won't be so difficult to find pictures to put in it.

Here goes.

Sunday, January 1st: Nate's sister Angie and her kiddos (Salissa - 18, Maddy - 14, Seiji - 11) came to visit for New Year's Eve.  We had a relatively uneventful time, but we were ALL awake at midnight when the ball dropped!

Monday, January 2nd: Nate had the day off!!  DriveTime observes Sunday holidays the following Monday, so he got a rare day off.  Since the girls are out of school, we all sat around playing Final Fantasy together.

Tuesday, January 3rd: Hudson and I trekked to Raleigh to visit the chiropractor (my old injuries have been flaring up again with the beating of being pregnant, delivery, and now the adjustment to toting around a quickly-growing little one all the time).  We got to run around town with Mimi and visit her co-workers, old friends, do a little shopping, and spend a few minutes with Pop, Auntie, and Uncle (plus the puppies).  Nate's car broke down on the side of the road on my way home, which terrified me, but he was able to get a ride home safely.

Wednesday, January 4th: After taking Nate to work in the morning since his driver had to be towed in, Hudson and I spent a glorious day at home.  He's been a little fussy lately - randomly going from being perfectly content and smiling to actually crying (as opposed to his pterodactyl squeal).  He's been sleeping differently the last couple days - stretching out feedings to 3-4 hours a couple times in a row then power-eating every hour.

Thursday, January 5th: We had lunch with Meagan and Ethan today at Applebee's.  This was one of the first times that Meagan had been out with Ethan and we were so glad that we got to spend time with them!  He's gotten sooo big since we saw them last (though I'm sure Hudson has too, since our last visit was when I was in the hospital).  The boys were very well-behaved throughout lunch, cuddling and munching a little, but mostly just relaxing.  Thank goodness we weren't "those" parents - you know the ones... screaming children, messy tables, distraught server, annoyed patrons around us.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the boys together this time (though I wish I had, since it was exactly a month after the last picture we have of them together, but maybe next time).  Later on, Hudson was helping me level my black mage in Final Fantasy XI so we could play with Daddy and the girls.

Friday, January 6th: What a busy day! Little man got up just before 8am to eat, threw up all over the place, pooped on me, peed on me (after we got out of the shower), and has been generally cranky today and didn't want to nap until 4pm!  Washed 6 loads of laundry, did 3 loads of dishes, scrubbed the counters, sink, and stove, did some cleaning out of our closet (still have a lot left to do there), cleaned our bathroom, organized the living room, had a lovely visit with an old friend/employer, and spent FOREVER making my "famous" lasagna.  Had to pick the girls up from school after they auditioned for all-state chorus, but spent the later part of the evening watching TV and playing FFXI... and Nate's promotion finally went through - he's officially out of training - sooooo proud of him!!

Saturday, January 7th: One good thing about him having his days/nights confused is that he sleeps all day and is a wonderful travel baby.  That being said, we had a crazy day of running around and still not getting anything done... how does this happen??  We spent 6 hours and $200 running around town to get (most of) the necessities - not particularly new/exciting/different.  But you know what is?  I was going through his outfits trying to find something for him to wear (this spit-up thing has us going through TONS of laundry) and started setting aside the outfits that weren't fitting well any more... and there were quite a few of them.  Hudson is wearing a 3-6 month outfit today :( He's so skinny that they're tent-like on him, but as long as he is, the rest of the outfits are making him all scruchy.  I'm sure that, since this outfit is a hand-me-down, it's shrunk at least a little, but still... 3-6 months already?!?!?!

**Note: Sorry for the delay in this post.  My calendar on my computer was set incorrectly, which means that the auto-posting was messed up.**

One Month Update

I can't believe Hudson is already a month old - oh, how the time flies when you're sleep deprived and covered in breast milk, spit-up, and baby poop.  So what's been goin on in the last month?

Hudson is around 8 pounds (he was 7 pounds 14 ounces at the doctor a little less than a week ago) and around 22 inches long (he was 22" two weeks ago and only 21.5" at abovementioned appointment, so all measurements are guesstimates).

He LOVES to eat!  Some feedings are 3 hours apart and some are 45 minutes apart; sometimes he nurses for 10-15 minutes and sometimes for nearly an hour.  No matter the specifics, he is the happiest and most calm while attached to the breast.

What goes in must come out... and boy, does it!  Almost every diaper is both wet and stinky at this point, but hopefully that'll change when he's older and we start to introduce solids.  He's at the brink of growing out of newborn size diapers.  The Pampers Swaddlers that we've loved so much are a little snug to wear to bed (when the changings are stretched out a bit), but when we tried to bump up to a size 1, they came most of the way up to his armpits!  He doesn't like having his diaper changed, and this is one of the few times we hear him cry.

While I haven't started going through his clothes yet (on next week's to-do list), I've started putting Hudson in some 0-3 month size clothes along with the newborns.  We'll be searching out bigger outfits soon as I can see him growing before my eyes! The couple preemie outfits he had look like doll's clothes against him now!

His sleep schedule's a little wonky: out most of the day and up a couple times during the night, but he loves to cuddle, so we can "Monkey Up" (when we lay him on our chests, he snuggles down between my breasts or into that comfy spot between pecs and shoulder on Nate, drapes one leg and one arm around our sides, and grabs ahold of our shirts below the armpits) as his daddy calls it, when he's awake and we'd rather not be.  He hasn't made it to his crib yet since he eats so frequently, and isn't too fond of the bassinet, so most of the time he sleeps on/with us or in his car seat with his "white noise simulator" (read vibrator, lol).

Hudson is very personable, loves to travel, and will cuddle with anyone.  He loves sitting and playing video games with daddy, and snuggling up to watch tv or read with me. 
I can't believe how much our lives have changed since his arrival (and because of it) and I never thought I'd be able to love him this much!

Happy one month, Monkey!!

**Note: Sorry for the delay in this post. My calendar on my computer was set incorrectly, which means that the auto-posting was messed up.**

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Today

• My son is 8 days old - I don't know what surprises me more: that it's already been 8 days or that I have a son (not son versus daughter, though there's a touch of that in there too, but mostly I've come to terms with it, but more that I have a child; I'm a Mommy now. The girls are wonderful and I consider them as much mine as Hudson is, being that I'm helping to raise them too, but they're mostly grown. They don't need me like he does. It shouldn't really make a difference (and it doesn't in terms of love) but wow, I have a son!
• Nate went back to work today. That was the quickest week off that we've spent together. We didn't get to do much relaxing, but it was absolutely beautiful to see the two of them together. Hudson is a great baby and loves to cuddle... especially with his daddy. Nate just has the touch! I was worried about how we'd make it through without him today, but as of now, we've survived. Maybe just the honeymoon period, or maybe I can handle it, but I definitely miss having him around.
• I: am wearing my wedding/engagement rings (have been for a couple days) again finally, am dressed entirely in non-maternity clothes (the jeans are Alyssa's that had shrunk and didn't fit her bigger hips, but are still too big for me, so I enjoy them when I need some roomier/comfy jeans) with a belt, straightened my hair before leaving the house (granted I didn't put on any makeup, but I wear it so infrequently, I would've spent more time looking for it than applying it), have 12 pounds left to lose before I reach my pre-pregnancy weight!
• I have accomplished: getting baby and myself ready to leave the house within an hour and a half of waking up (though we still ended up missing his doctor's appointment because he was marathon feeding - over an hour!), 2 loads of laundry, taking Nate lunch/dinner, eventually making it to the doctor (he's gotten the all-clear on his jaundice, by the way), read half of the blogs that I follow and have missed in the last week (will finish the rest shortly since he's down for a nap) and almost finished reading the book I started right before being admitted to the hospital, and ran to Babies R Us for more pacis/paci holders/breast pads.
• I have still not crossed off my to-do list: finishing my thank you notes from my shower (okay, okay, I WILL DO THEM TOMORROW, promise!), look at Hudson's baby book to see what milestones we've already hit - don't want to get too far behind from the get-go, write up his birth story so that I'll remember everything for years to come, finish unpacking from the hospital (so that we can stop tripping over bags laying around our bedroom), tidying up the house a bit, refilling the baby wipes at the changing station in the living room, finishing up our Christmas/baby announcement cards and the address list that goes along with it (I need to get those ordered TOMORROW so I can get them out ASAP, though with facebook, everyone knows all about him already), get frames for our newborn pictures that arrived today, finish laundry, take out the trash, restock our oven-ready meals, plan for Nate's work Christmas party (it's Wednesday - I don't know what we're bringing food-wise), go through my emails (every time I get a new one, it pops up the total unread on my phone - I think we're sitting around 127 right now), figure out travel arrangements for the girls Re: Christmas travel, and get the material finally picked out for the sling I'm having made for my cousin Cassy who also just had a baby (okay, it was like 2+ weeks ago and I've been fighting with her baby shower present for nearly 2 months - Target sent me an email saying it had been shipped out, then, 2 weeks later, that there was a problem with the order and it had been cancelled, and at that point, I decided to do something that didn't require technology).

Wow, that to-do list definitely outnumbers the have-done list, but I think that getting anything done is an accomplishment, and need to just remember that I'll never get this time back... so I intend to enjoy every feeding (even the frustrating ones), ever diaper change (even when I'm getting peed on), every coo, babble, and smile because I'm realizing that it's true: it all goes by so fast!

i can't believe i lost another two weeks since i blogged last!

It's been two weeks already?? Ugh! So much has happened, I don't even know where to start!  I guess I'll start now and work backwards.

Well with D-Day right around the corner, my to-do list has certainly started to look a little (ok, ok, a LOT) more ominous!

D-Day you ask? Yes! We got the all-clear yesterday that we're having little Hudson this weekend! On Tuesday, I went to my normal appointment (still making slow progress: went from a fingertip dilated to a fingertip and could feel his head to 1 cm, 50% effaced and "soft") and then to the specialist appointment for the BPP - but the day before, the specialist had agreed to bump the amnio up from next week's appointment to this one's.

So then yesterday I went back to my normal doctor for the results (which weren't in) and the Rhogam shot (since we didn't want to wait another 2 hours after the amnio for it) and was told to come back today for the results. And then I got the best call yesterday afternoon.  My favorite nurse called to say that the amnio came back, his lungs are mature, and we're going in at 7:30pm Saturday to start the induction!

Well, I guess that means it's time to step it up when it comes to my to-do list, since "before he gets here" is now only a matter of days away!

• clean entire house (like major clean - vacuum, mop, sweep, dust, put away unnecessary crap, tie off unsafe cords, scrub bathrooms)
• rearrange our bedroom (got to have somewhere to put the pack-n-play until he's ready to go in a crib in his own room, the lamp, and the humidifier)
• finish making foods to stock up our freezer (oh yeah, I guess that means I need to grocery shop!)
• get all of the Christmas presents together, make sure I've gotten everything, get them packed up to send to Mimi's house for wrapping
• buy my sister's birthday present (party next weekend that I'm helping chaperone?)
• get Natalie's outfit for her chorus concert
• figure out the travel schedule (especially with the girls) for Christmas
• wash/dry/fold/hang clothes (why does this seem never-ending??)
• finish thank you cards from baby shower (yes, I've procrastinated!)
• finish our Christmas/baby announcement cards, get the labels printed, order cards, get stamps, get ready to send out BEFORE time this year
• finish getting everything ready at work for me to be out and get my boss' s wife trained on how to be me on a daily basis - all in a matter of a couple hours at lunchtime today, because that's probably all the time I'm going to have to spend up there!
• repack my hospital bag - I've been putting this off because I knew that I'd want to have a rudimentary system in case I went into labor sooner, but since it's planned now, I can take the time to pack the stuff I really want to take
• shave my legs - haha, I don't even know why I'm bothering; it's going to take forever to reach them and they'll probably be splotchy, but it's the thought that counts, right?