Hudson - 3 months

Hudson is 3 months old today!  He is one very loved little boy.  The girls continue to smoother him with hugs and kisses and are constantly in his face.  He's growing like crazy and getting so big.  I feel like I'm starting to get a good idea of his personality and it's fun to see how opposite he is from both of the girls.  He is very laid back and although you really have to work for a smile from him, when he does flash one we all get giddy (and Handley usually runs to get her camera).

At 3 months he:
-is pretty strong with great head/neck control
-has a very flexible schedule throughout the day, but has a very predictable routine
-isn't a fan of riding the car when he is sleepy, but can fall asleep most anywhere with a little help
-still sleeps swaddled at night
-has been going to bed around 7:30-8:00 PM, wakes between 3-4 AM, and then goes back to sleep until 7:30/8:00 AM***
-is only interested in the paci when he is tired
-tries to get his fingers/thumb in his mouth, but isn't quite able to get them and keep them there yet
-is happy to sit in the stroller or bouncy seat and observe what's going on around him
-has started cooing and "talking" a lot to us
-usually has a very serious look on his face
-seems to react and smile at his big sister, Handley, more than anyone

***Last night he slept 7:30 PM - 7:30 AM!!!  12 hours!!!

Notice the Halloween stickers on Hudson's outfit below.  Every time he does something the girls deem worthy, they give him what they call a "reward sticker" for doing a good job.  He "earns" stickers for everything from smiling, cooing and holding head up high during tummy time.

First time sitting in the Bebe Pod seat.

Concentrating hard on the toy in front of him. 

Two "firsts" for Hudson

Hudson had two firsts today.  He went to bed last night at 8:00 PM and didn't wake up until 6:15 AM this morning - 10 HOURS!!!  He's been sleeping great at night all week and I'm hoping this is a trend that will continue.  This was his first time doing what I consider sleeping through the night.  I was very thankful since I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning working on making his cute little pumpkin themed outfit...for the second time.  That's right, the first one turned out absolutely adorable, but when I went to try it on him, it was too small!

The other first for day was that he joined us at the dinner table tonight.  My friend, Carrie, told me about her son doing this and I hadn't really thought to have Hudson sit with us yet.  If he isn't napping in the swing at dinner time, I usually put him in the bouncy seat right beside the table.  He seemed to enjoy being on our level though and the girls loved having him there with us.  They were actually arguing about who he should sit beside, so I have a feeling we'll be playing musical chairs until the newness wears off.

A Day in the Life - Tuesday

4:45 AM - Hudson woke up and I fed him.  He went back to sleep and so did I.

6:45 AM - Both girls woke up and within minutes of each other and climbed in bed with us.  Harper is always happy to just lay there, but Handley begs to watch cartoons.  Today I made a new rule that she isn't allowed to come in my room before 7 AM.  We'll see if that works tomorrow.

7:00 AM - I got dressed in running clothes and then got the girls dressed and ready.

7:30 AM - Hudson woke up so I got him dressed and then fed him while the girls finally got to watch cartoons then we all headed down stairs.

8:00 AM - The girls came downstairs and found a special surprise on our front porch.  Our good friends, Bryce and Sarah, delivered some pumpkins for each of the kids last night.  They were from Bryce's mom (who the girls have met a few times) who lives in Ohio.  The pumpkins were from a farm up there.  Since we aren't planning to go to the pumpkin patch for a few more weeks, we are happy to finally have some on our porch! A BIG thank you to Bryce, Sarah, and Mrs. G!

8:15 AM - Breakfast time for everyone while Hudson played on the floor and in his bouncy seat a little.  Today Handley and Harper were extra hungry.  After fixing Harper one waffle and Handley her normal two, both wanted another that's what they got.  I got Handley's lunch and school bag ready while they were eating.

8:40 AM - We loaded up and headed off to school to drop Handley.  Tuesdays is one of the days that Harper stays home with me.  She's usually not very happy about not being able to go to school because she just loves it so much.

9:15 AM - It started raining on our way home, so instead of going on our usual run/walk around the neighborhood I put Hudson down for his nap in the crib.  Harper wanted to help.  :-)

While he was sleeping I got working on Harper's closet.  On days Handley is at school Harper sticks by my side.  She read books and fixed her Barbie's hair while I worked.

10:30 AM - Hudson woke up and I fed him then we heard a delivery truck and I just knew it had to be my new vacuum.  Ours was not working very well and the past week or so it had totally stopped working.  With a big dog that sheds a lot, I was about to go crazy with the dog hair!  I got a Hoover that Consumer Reports rated as the top bag-less.  I put it together and gave it a whirl.  So farm I love it! And the best news was that it was only $99 from Wal-Mart.

11:15 AM - The rain finally stopped for a little bit so we decided to brave it and go for a quick run around the neighborhood.  Wouldn't you know that as soon as I got the furthest distance from the house it started raining.  Thankfully it was just a light drizzle and Harper and Hudson didn't know any different because they were under cover. Hudson fell asleep during the run and ended up having a short nap.

12:00 PM - Harper and I had lunch and Hudson woke up so he joined us at the table.

12:40 PM - We left to pick up Handley at school and Hudson ended up staying away until we got back home, although he was fussing because he was tired.  Handley sits right beside him in the car and it's so nice when she is with us because she is SO good with him.  She'll talk to him, give him the paci, hold his hand, and keep him as calm as possible.  She's such a little mommy.  Hudson ended up falling asleep on the ride home.

1:15 PM - When we got home the girls noticed all of the leaves that had started falling in the front yard.  They were so excited to play in them a little bit and love throwing them in the air! Next we came inside and Handley showed me all of her school things.  This week they are studying community helpers and they had a real police man come to their school today so she was excited to tell me all about that.

1:30 PM - I put Harper down for her nap and then quickly came down to feed Hudson who had woken up, then he was ready for his nap.

2:00 PM - While Handley had her rest and the other two were napping, I got showered and dressed.  Then I put away laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and packed dinners (to take with us to cheerleading practice).

3:00 PM - Hudson woke up so I fed him and then we woke up Harper around 3:30 to get ready for playgroup.  We love Tuesdays because it's playgroup day and the girls are always happy to go play with their neighborhood friends and I'm always happy to visit with my friends too.

4:00 PM - We went to playgroup at Sheila and Addyson's house and it was extra fun today because the girls got their faces painted.  Sheila did the face painting and it turned out so cute!

We usually have to leave playgroup around 5:15 to head to cheerleading practice (from 6-7 PM) but this evening we got word that practice was cancelled due to the rain so we got to stick around a little longer.  I was glad we didn't have to go tonight.  It was cold, wet, and just easier to be able to come home to have dinner and get everyone to bed on time.

6:00 PM - We ate leftovers and when I was done I fixed their lunches for school tomorrow.

6:30 PM - I clean up the kitchen and dishes while the girls play and then Hudson wakes up.

6:45 PM - I help Handley finish practicing her letters and number of the week.  She does this every week at school and brings it home to finish.  Harper practiced writing her "H" while I was helping Handley.

7:00 PM - We head up to get the girls ready for their baths and Robby gets home just in time to help.  He  kept Hudson happy while I got the girls ready for bed and then they went off to play with Robby while I bathed Hudson and got him ready for bed.

7:30 PM - All 5 of us sat in Handley's bed to read some books and hang out before bed.  It was a great way to end our night.

7:45 PM - Both girls were in bed and I fed Hudson and got him to bed.

8:15 PM - Hudson was asleep so I did a quick alteration to one of Hudson's outfits.

8:30 PM - Time to relax!  I'm able to watch TV, check emails, and blog. :-)

***Just a quick note about my days.  I usually try to run errands and get stuff done away from the house on the days the girls are both in school so I don't have to drag everyone with me.  Right now Hudson is easy to take along.  Also, I like to get all of my errands and chores out of the way while they are at school or napping so that when I have them home we can do fun stuff like go to the playground, play with friends, etc.  I feel like Handley is never home since she is in school 5 days a week, so I really value the time she is at home with us!

Videos of Harper at 2 1/2

Look at me...posting twice in one day!  I wanted to note that today Harper is officially 2 1/2.  She is SO much fun right now and just radiates happiness.  She always has a smile on her face and loves everyone.  I always call her a tornado, because she doesn't walk anywhere...she is constantly running, falling down, bumping into things, and causing destruction... just like a tornado.  It's all because she is so happy though and bouncing around with excitement.  She also loves to sing and does it non-stop.  I wish I could just freeze time right now because I love her at this age. :-)

Below are a few links to some videos I took of her tonight.  For some reason I can't get my videos to show up here anymore, but the links should work. 


Harper singing Jesus Loves Me

Harper doing Hokey Pokey 

Harper doing some of Handley's cheers (you may not be able to understand her, so the words are below)
*Blue and White let's W-I-N
*Bang-Bang Choo-Choo train. Come on Upward do your thing. Get it, get it, got it, got it. Whoo, and let it roll.
*Big Blue is here to rock this house, score six more

A Day in the Life - Monday

As promised, here is the first of my "a day in the life" posts.  Today was busy, but productive.  Reading this makes me laugh though because Monday is usually our low-key day.  It will be interesting to see what the rest of the week holds.  :-)

3:45 AM  - Hudson woke up and I fed him.  During the night he usually goes right back down after I feed him so I was back in bed by 4:15 AM. 

5:30 AM - Harper woke up and needed to go potty.  I took her and then just had her climb in bed with us to go back to sleep.  

6:30 AM - Handley woke up and needed to go potty.  She went and then climbed in bed with us, but never went back to sleep.  I finally turned on cartoons for she and Harper.  

6:45 AM - Hudson woke up for the day.  Thankfully Robby was just on his way out to work so he went to get Hudson from his room and brought him to join the early morning party going on in my bed. :-) After he was awake I couldn't stay in bed any longer so I got up and got dressed quickly while the girls "babysat" and continued watching cartoons. 

7:15 AM - I feed Hudson.

7:30 AM - I got Handley and Harper dressed and fixed their hair while Hudson did some tummy time then I got Hudson dressed and ready for the day.  

8:00 AM - We all came downstairs and Hudson started fussing because he was getting tired again so I put him in the swing while I fixed the girls breakfast (chicken biscuit for Harper and Lucky Charms/waffles for Handley).  

While they ate I got their lunches and school bags ready and grabbed a quick bite myself.  To save time I have an extra set of toothbrushes in the downstairs bathroom for the girls before school.  

8:30 AM - I transferred Hudson to his car seat and he stayed asleep (Hallelujah!) and we loaded up to head to school.  I made a quick detour to a neighbors house to drop off the flier I created for our neighborhood Fall Festival.  

9:00 AM - Dropped the girls off at school and headed to the grocery store.  Mondays are my grocery store and cleaning day.  Loads of fun. :-)  Hudson usually sleeps through the store, but today he woke up and thankfully was happy to look around and I stashed turkey and strawberries beside him in the cart.  

10:00 AM - Got home and fed Hudson again.  Then he played on his play mat while I put away the groceries.  He started getting fussy again so I put him down for a nap in his crib around 10:45.  While he slept I got to work cleaning the house and putting away laundry.  

12:00 PM - I ate a quick lunch and then woke Hudson up so I could feed him before leaving to get the girls.  It was a little earlier than he needed to eat, but if I didn't go ahead and feed him he would have probably woken up and wanted to eat right at the time I needed to get the girls, so I've learned it's easier this way.  

12:40 PM - Leave to pick up the girls from pre-school (they get out at 1:00).  

1:20 PM - We got home and both Handley and Harper were eager to show me the things in their folders (various artwork, notes from teachers, etc.)  Then I took Harper up for her nap while Handley "babysat" Hudson as he played on his playmat again. 

1:45 PM - I put Hudson down for his nap and then started to help Handley with her homework.  Their letter of the week is "G" so she had to find an object to bring to share (she picked grapes from their play kitchen) and she also has to cut out pictures from a magazine that starts with the letter (she cut out gingerbread men and a picture of a grilled cheese).  

2:15 PM - I turn on a show for Handley to rest.  Hudson's schedule was a little off today, but it worked out nice because all 3 kids were napping/resting at the same time.  This usually doesn't happen though.  I took advantage of the time and put away the girls bags from school, ironed a few things, and then did a few alterations on Handley's Halloween costume.  

3:00 PM - Hudson woke up and I fed him.  Then he played in the bouncy seat while I finished the ironing.  

3:30 PM - Handley's "rest time" was over so she came upstairs with us and played with Hudson on the floor in his room while I put away his laundry and also got out some of his fall clothes in his closet.  

3:45 PM - Harper woke up and we all went downstairs for snacks.  

4:15 PM - We all went back up stairs and the girls played in the playroom while I started working on getting out Handley's fall/winter clothes.  Hudson was happy to lay on her bed and talk to me while I worked.  I left out some warm weather stuff too though because the weather is still so back and forth and I know we will still have some warm days ahead.  Her room is kind of a mess right now, but it's just a transition phase as far as her closet and clothes go, so I'll just have to deal with it.  

5:00 PM - Hudson was ready for his evening cat-nap so I fed him real quick and then put him in the swing downstairs while I got dinner started.  Thankfully we still have some meals frozen from when people were bringing us dinners so I didn't really have to do much tonight.  While that was cooking I went back up to finish up in Handley's room and found her admiring all of her new clothes.  She has become SO picky about what she wears so I was happy that she liked everything she was seeing in her closet.  Then I helped the girls clean up the playroom. 

6:00 PM  - The girls and I came downstairs to check on dinner.  It was taking longer than expected to cook so I got out some play-dough for the girls to do while we waited for it to finish.  Hudson woke up so he hung out with the girls.  I took advantage of that time to pack Handley's lunch for school tomorrow.

6:30 PM - Dinner was finally ready so we ate and I held Hudson during dinner because he was starting to get tired/fussy.  For the girls' dinner I always give them what we are having, plus a few extras that I know they like and will eat. (Tonight was apples with peanut butter and yogurt - with sprinkles.)

6:45 PM - We had an impromptu Hokey Pokey and also did some of Handley's cheers.  I would normally have cleaned up the kitchen at this time and done the dishes, but Hudson was not about to let me put him down so I had to leave it all until after I got the kids in bed (something I can't stand doing...I like cleaning as I go, but sometimes you just do what you have to do).   We did have fun though and shared lots of laughs.  Much better than doing dishes. :-)

7:00 PM - The girls helped me give Hudson a bath and get him ready for bed.  Then it was their turn to get baths while Hudson was swinging in the little swing we have upstairs.  It kept him happy long enough for me to get Handley and Harper in PJ's, brush their teeth and then he was ready for bed.  

7:45 PM - I told the girls to read books in their rooms while I put Hudson to bed, but just after I started to feed him I heard the garage door open (meaning Robby was home) and the girls went running down to see and play with him. 

8:15 PM - I read Harper's books while Robby read Handley's and then both girls were tucked in and ready for bed.  

8:20 PM - Harper needs to go potty again. 

8:22 PM - Handley needs a drink of water. 

8:30 PM - Everyone is finally in bed for the night so I put on my pj's and come downstairs to clean the kitchen, do the dishes and then around 9:00 PM sit down at the computer for the first time all day.  I'm so thankful that I have an iphone and I'm able to see emails, etc. during the day because getting to the computer just doesn't happen until later.  Robby and I finally have a chance to sit down together on the couch, talk about our days and watch TV.  

It's now 10:00 and I'm trying to upload some videos so I'll be up a while longer before heading to bed.  I'm a night owl and feel really productive at night when everyone is in bed so I tend to stay up late trying to get stuff done.  That's all for today!

Another week with no blogging...

Well another week goes by with no blogging. I'm not quite sure exactly where the days and weeks go.  I feel like we stay really busy, but I don't like not documenting what we have been up to.  I really enjoy blogging and I love sharing with our friends and family.  On Friday morning I realized it was the end of the week and I couldn't believe I hadn't taken any pictures (except a few I snapped with my phone).  A few blogs I follow have recently done "a day in the life" posts and I really enjoyed reading them.  As a fellow mom of young kids I loved reading about their daily schedules and being able to relate the similarities with my days.  I think I'm going to do something similar next week.  Not only will it help me to see how my days are filled, but I know I will enjoy looking back at it years from now and seeing how these days with very young children were spent.  Definitely some of the busiest, as a mom, but also some of the best.  :-)

This past week Handley's class was studying the Wild Wild West.  On Friday they got to dress up like cowboys and cowgirls, enjoy a special outdoor cowboy lunch and play cowboy games.  She was excited to dress up and Harper wanted to match her.

Last night Gigi and Papa came over to babysit all three kids for us.  We went out to dinner to help my brother celebrate his birthday with some friends.  I was really looking forward to an evening out and it was so nice to be able to dress up, eat a good meal and have some adult conversation.

However, I'll admit that after we got home I was looking forward to Hudson waking up during the night so I could see him.  The girls had SO much fun with Gigi and Papa.  They brought over pumpkin sugar cookies to bake, a new book and Halloween goodies, too.  I shouldn't be surprised that Handley and Harper were very disappointed when they woke up this morning.  They were both pretty upset when they realized Gigi and Papa weren't here this morning.

One other thing to note is that car rides used to put Hudson right to sleep.  Well that is not the case now.  It takes a lot to get him from this (happy in his seat before we leave to take the girls to school)

To this (sleeping soundly after getting home from dropping the girls off).

What I don't have pictures of is him screaming and crying his little head off until he finally calms down and goes to sleep.  Makes for really fun rides. Ha!  I feel so helpless when he is like that and this may sound harsh, but he's going to have to learn to get over it because we have places to go and he has to come with us. :-)  Over all he is still really good and laid back though...it's just the car rides when he is sleepy that he's not a fan of.

And one last picture to share, although it looks kind of weird because I took it with my phone...this afternoon we went over to our friends Jen and Justen's house to "tailgate" before the UGA game.  They had a lot of friends over and it was so much fun to visit with friends and watch all the kids play.  Since it was a late game we came home after dinner time so we could put the kids to bed on time and watch it at home, but it was still fun to be there for a few hours.  

The kids with Aunt Stefanie and Uncle Trey

Boy crazy

Our weekend started off playing in our backyard with some of our neighborhood friends on Friday afternoon.  I feel so lucky to have great friends for the kids and myself in our neighborhood.  It was a very last minute thing, but I treasure these friendships so much and every chance we have to get together.  While the big kids were playing together, Hudson and his buddy, Emerson got to hang out too.  They are just over a month apart and I know they will be fast friends as they get a little older.
 

Saturday after Handley's cheerleading (where she appropriately earned the spirit star award) we came home for a quick lunch, outfit changes, and then headed out for back-to-back birthday parties. The girls were so funny getting dressed.  Since we had cooler temperatures this weekend we had to bust out some of our fall clothes.  Harper looked at what Handley had chosen and told her, "ooooh, that's cute!"  Then she asked her, "You like my outfit?"  And of course, Handley responded with, "Yes!  Harper that is darling."  Ha!  I can just see them as teenagers helping each other pick out clothes.

I took the kids to the first one while Robby got some stuff done and then I took Harper and Hudson to the second one.  It was for one of the little girls in her class and she just loved getting to go to a party by herself.  I loved watching her buzz around the party and interact with her friends.  Most of the kids in her class were there, including her crush, Parker.  She followed him around most of the party and he honestly hardly pays any attention to her, but she doesn't let that stop her.  They hugged goodbye when the party was over and he even kissed her.  It was too cute and she was so happy.  That girl is going to be boy crazy when she is a teenager. :-) Handley was excited to have some one-on-one time with Robby and she informed me that the ice cream truck made another stop by our house.

Today we met up with Jen and (baby) Parker at a new park we'd never visited before.  We all had SO much fun.  Both our husbands were busy with work stuff so we made a day of it...we had a picnic and let the kids play.  The girls loved all of the new playground equipment.

Before that we made a quick run to Party City to try to get a little inspiration for Halloween costumes.  It was all fun and games until Harper spotted someone trying on a scary mask.  She started crying hysterically and backing away as she told me, "Me no like that mean mans.  That's too scary!!!  That's too scary!!!"  I had to carry her the rest of the time we were in there and of course she then spotted every "scary" thing in the store.  Needless to say, we will not be going back to Party City anytime soon.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening at home playing.  Hudson has been super fussy all day and I'm not quite sure what's going on with him.  The girls tried to cheer him up by putting on a little concert for us as I was getting him ready for bed.

The girls were off to bed right after Hudson and were worn out from our busy weekend.  When I reminded Harper that she would be going to school tomorrow and seeing all of her friends, she reminded me, "Parker kiss me." Oh my word! Told you she was going to be boy crazy...