5 Months Old and Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's only been 5 months! I feel like I've always been your Mommy. This past month has been a whirlwind between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We really enjoyed being able to spend time with family for both holidays. I'm so glad you were old enough to travel around to all the parties and get-togethers. You've had your first head cold over the last week. You were very snotty and had a pitiful little cough but you seem to be much better now. Other than that, you've been healthy. You are eating great and sleeping great as well. You are even starting to enjoy tummy time. You are rolling from your tummy to your back all the time now. You are so mobile now. Even though you aren't crawling yet, you can move all around, rolling and twisting to where you want to go. You sit pretty well for short periods of time. You get really interested in your feet and then tip over to the left or right. You've started doing the "Scarecrow" - anytime we hold you or carry you around, you stretch your arms out wide and hold them there forever with the funniest look on your face. Your favorite toys are: your hands and feet, Sophie, anything that crinkles, anything that makes music, and anything that lights up. The look on your face first thing in the morning is the best thing in the world. Your whole body smiles at me and my heart melts. Daddy is going to start working day shift in January and we will be able to spend much more time with him. We are very very excited about this!

Rolling over:

First Foods:

Rice cereal - 11/27/11

Bananas - 12/30/11

Butternut Squash - 1/2/12

You wear 3-6 month clothes with some 6-9 month boutique brands. You are still in size 2 diapers. You eat at 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, & 10pm - give or take 30 minutes. Now that we've introduced some real food, you have been eating less formula. You have eaten up to 4 ounces of food (butternut squash/bananas/rice cereal) and then followed that with 4-5 ounces of formula. Usually, you eat food at 10am, 2pm & 6pm. We are introducing new foods every 3-4 days to make sure you aren't allergic to anything. I am making all of your food now. That may change as your appetite increases but I want to stick with it as long as I can. Aunt Rachel gave us a GREAT starter kit of apples, carrots, pears, and sweet potatoes for Christmas! 

It's Christmas!

To our baby, on your first Christmas,

Praise God for the joy that you have brought to our lives. As we read from Luke 2 this morning, I prayed that you always understand that Christmas is about Jesus. It's about giving to others out of love just as He has given to us. It's about showing Jesus to others. It's about enjoying time with your family and friends.

Hudson, we have enjoyed the last 5 months more than we ever could have imagined and we are so excited about what the rest of your first year will hold. It's so exciting to see you develop and learn new skills. You are truly an amazing creation. When I think about how you grew in my womb and how we could feel you move, I am humbled. I am humbled that God chose us to be your parents, that He chose us to bring you into this world and take care of you.

You are the sweetest baby I've ever met. You really do have the best demeanor. You don't feel so great right now. You have your first cold and you're full of snot, but you are still so sweet and happy and cuddly. Mommy has the same cold. Let's just say that you are handling it much better than Mommy!

Merry Christmas sweet baby. I can't wait till next year to see the wonder and amazement in your eyes.

We love you,
Mommy & Daddy

Balancing Act

I'm really struggling with finding the time and content to write about. I work - feels like all the time. When I'm not at work, I'm feeding you, changing you, playing with you, cuddling you, or putting you to sleep, spending time with Daddy, doing chores, running or errands.

You and Dede (and Pawpaw when he's in town) have so much fun together during the day. I check in often but I really can't think about it much. It is bittersweet. I miss you so much. I miss you right now and you're in the other room!

You are growing up so fast. I am really trying to soak up each moment with you and enjoy each and every little thing about you at this age. It's hard not to wish for a time when you can talk to me and tell me what you want or how your day was, or to wish for you to have more mobility so that you can explore all the things you stare at now. I really don't think I'm ready for you to be mobile or talk yet. I love the little ball of joy that you are right this minute... staring at your hand as if it's not even yours, catching the glimmer of a light (any light) and "talking" to it as if it were calling your name, smiling bigger than my heart can hold at the very sight of someone you know, studying with pensive eyes the people you don't know, laughing... oh the laughing brings me to tears.

I pray that I'm able to appreciate and deeply experience every stage of your life. I don't want to wish it away.

You had your 4 month check up Friday, December 9th.  Dr. Quizon said you were very healthy and precious. We already knew that. You weigh 15lbs (44th percentile) and are 24.5 inches long (22nd percentile). Short and wide... like mommy and daddy :). Your hair is still very reddish in the sunshine. Your cheeks are ruddy too because of your eczema during this cold weather.

I'll try to put some pictures up later this week...

4 months

HuddyMan!

You are 4 months old and growing like crazy. Your doctor's appointment is tomorrow at 1:30 and I can't wait to see how much you weigh, but especially how long you are. Everyday you amaze me. I feel like you grow another inch while I'm at work.

Stuff you can do:

• Stand up with balance help
• Sit up with very little support
• Sit up without support (if I get you in the perfect position)
• Raise your head and neck and look around while on your belly
• Coo like crazy
• Laugh and giggle
• Visually track anything
• Anticipate events - you start laughing before I tickle you, you freak out when you see your bottle...
• Smile and play, engaging in eye contact
• Cry in different ways to express hunger, sleepy, pain, etc...
• Reach for toys with one hand - only occasionally but I see it improving lately.
• Bring things to your mouth
• Put yourself to sleep
• Sleep through the night

You are still wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. You eat 5-7 ounces every 3.5-4 hours and nearly 8 ounces at 10 pm. You are meeting all your developmental milestones! You are amazing and a huge blessing in my life.

Love,
Mommy

1st Birthday Party

We went to your first birthday party today! Your BFF, David, turned 1. "I can't believe it's been a year..." I don't know how many times I've said that over the last week. This time last year... I was pregnant with you and didn't know it yet. David was 1 day old and his future with his Mommy & Daddy was unsure and very scary, but we knew that God had His hands all over it!

Mommy & baby David

Mommy with baby David

Here we are, a year later, totally in love with 2 new boys in our lives (you and David). Oh my, how our lives have changed over the last year!! I've already started thinking about your 1 year old birthday party. I'm sure it will change a thousand times before it gets here but I'm so excited!

Week 15 & 16 in pictures :)

Happy Birthday Dede!! (Nov. 6th)

Photos by Dede :)

Making a box for Operation Christmas Child

Naptime with Mommy

Peek A Boo with Aunt Rachel

Dede brought you by the office one afternoon when David was there too. 

Homemade dough ornaments with your little bitty hands and feet

You like to read...

...and think

BATMAN!

"To the bat cave"

Go!

Sweet turkey!

Lunch date with Mommy & Aunt Rachel

You are so kissable!

Mama Amy came to see you

Crafts with Dede

YOU CAN SIT!!! Wow!! 

Sleepy Boy!

You slept through the night 11/18 & 11/19!!

too cute for words

party in the back!!

Roll over!!!

Hey Hudson! You are getting bigger by the minute :). You talk like crazy and it is so cute.

You love to sleep on your belly! Monday morning, you were in bed crying while I was fixing your bottle in the kitchen. Suddenly you stopped crying and I could hear you "talking". I figured your Daddy was in there talking to you. When I finally got your bottle fixed and came to feed you... You were laying on your back. Daddy was downstairs. I asked him if he had rolled you over. Nope. You did it yourself!... And you haven't done it since :). Notice in the picture that your left hand is through the slats. We've gotta get some breathable bumpers!

This week... like all the weeks since I went back to work... has been very very busy. A typical weekday (this week) goes like this...

• 5am - wake up - usually happy - which is a nice change from the crazy screaming that you used to do.
• 6/6:30 - eat 4-6 ounces - you don't like to eat first thing in the morning.... me neither... also, if your bottle gets cool before you finish it, you won't drink it. but if I heat it up again, you'll finish it.
• 6:45 - you sit in the rocker chair in the bathroom while I take a shower and we talk to each other
• 7:00 - you start getting fussy and sleepy so you go back to bed while I finish getting ready.
• 7:15 - Daddy gets home from work and gets a shower
• 7:30 - Dede comes to get you. We are rarely ever ready when she gets here but she's very patient with us :)
• 8:00 - I run into work barely clocking in by 8:00.
• While I'm at work, you and Dede and Pawpaw are busy with eating, playing, sleeping, crafting, and cleaning. I call and check in every chance I get... probably too much. Dede is careful to not make it sound like too much fun so I won't be sad :).
• 12:00 - I go to lunch - sometimes with you and Dede and anyone else who is available.
• 4:30/5pm - Dede brings you to my office. We are very blessed to not have to worry with travel time. This way, we are able to get home by 5:05 so that Daddy gets to see you for an hour before he goes to work. 
• 5-6 - cook dinner, eat, play with Daddy
• 6 - get bath and play in the tub
• 6:15-7:30 - play until you get sleepy - then go to bed
• 9-10 - wake up to eat
• 10:30 - I go to bed, asleep by 11. You are still waking up between 2 & 4 to eat. 

Here's some cute pictures I got this week...