Happy birthday Hudson!

We had planned to take Hudson to the zoo for his birthday but the weather didn't quite cooperate.  So, instead we went to the Greensboro Science Center and I'm so glad we did!  Hudson had a great time and especially liked the aquarium section.  I think he liked being right up against the glass, especially when the shark swam by.  Because it was raining, we didn't spend much time outside at the zoo part but we will definitely go back and explore more.

We ended up going to the actual zoo on Easter Sunday with some good friends of ours.  Unfortunately Hudson wasn't feeling 100% (poor little guy had a cold).  We gave him some Zyrtec before we left home and he ended up sleeping a lot of the zoo trip.  But, it was still a beautiful day to be outside and since we have a year long zoo membership we are sure to go back soon!

 

 

 

 

 

A few pictures from our trip to the Asheboro zoo

12 months!!

Measurements: Hudson is 20 lbs 7 oz (34th percentile) and 28.25 inches long (4th percentile-still not sure who this happened!). Hudson is in 12-18 month clothes.

Eats:  Hudson is only really interested in nursing now when he first wakes up and when he's tired.  So, he's generally nursing 4x a day- morning, evening, and both naps.  He continues to love food although he really loves to play with his food, not always eat it.  He likes to try to use a spoon although it makes a huge mess so we don't do this every mealtime.  And, he definitely prefers to eat things out of a bowl rather than to have it placed straight on his tray. Some new favorites this month- Greek yogurt, pizza (oops...I guess that's what happens when he just eats what mommy and daddy eats all the time!), and cake!

Sleeps: Hudson is sleeping 12 hours at night most nights.  He's pretty easy to get to bed which I'm thankful for.  Naps are sometimes a struggle as we are transitioning between one nap and two.  So, there are days that he is just not tired for his second nap but falls apart early evening.  So, if he doesn't go down quickly for his morning nap I just keep him up a little longer and he just gets one nap that day.

Milestones: We have a walker!  Once he started taking a few steps he became a "walker" pretty quickly.  And last week he learned that he can stand up if he falls so he really doesn't crawl much any more. He still only has 2 teeth!  No new words- Hudson still says "mama", "dada", "hi", "no" (oops) and "bye-bye".   He understands so much and is starting to follow directions like "bring the book to mommy" or "give mommy a kiss" (my favorite one!).

Likes: Hudson loves to be chased!  We spend a lot of time going around and around the living room "chasing" him and he just laughs hysterically.  He also loves peek-a-boo, singing songs, and dancing to music.  He loved mommy and daddy's phone but certainly doesn't like having it taken away!  We bought him a basketball for his birthday and gave it to him a week early (I figured he wouldn't know the difference!) and he loves it!

Dislikes:  Hudson is still very much in a "mommy" phase and doesn't like me to be too far out of his sight.  He is not a happy camper if Chris or I are eating and we don't share.  I have a feeling I won't get to enjoy all of my food again without sharing for quite sometime.  He still doesn't love his carseat, especially if he's tired and thinks he is going to fall asleep.  I'm hoping he's happier in the convertible carseat but we haven't moved him into it yet (we are actually in the process of buying a new car so we'll just put it into that one).

Happy birthday sweet boy.  The past year has been so full of joy and Mommy and Daddy love you more than words can describe!

First haircut

Well, I finally broke down and did it...my baby got his first haircut.  I really wanted to wait until his first birthday but poor boy couldn't see and really, it was just time.  But, it was sad to see all that hair go.  Yes, it was a hot mess most of the time but I loved it!  Thankfully, my husband's step sister Jenna does hair so she cut it for us. I'm not sure I would have been as ok with it if a non-family member was cutting it!  Hudson was a champ, thanks to the lollipop she gave him!  She still left it a bit shaggy in the back per my request.  My sweet boy looks like a little man now! 

 

 

 

The back before the cut...

 

The back after the cut...no more rat tail!

11 months

Measurements: No official measurements this month.  Hudson is in 12 month clothes although some 18 month are starting to fit!

Eats:  Hudson is only really interested in nursing now when he first wakes up and when he's tired.  So, he's generally nursing 4x a day- morning, evening, and both naps.  Sometimes he'll eat another time...it's hit or miss depending on what we are doing that day.  He will still eat any solid food I put in front of him.  Some favorites this month have been blueberries, kiwi, and any kind of cheese.  I always know when he's had enough because he will start throwing his food on the floor.

Sleeps:  Little man is still taking 2 naps a day, morning and afternoon.  The times aren't super consistent, I just put him down when I can tell he's tired.  They both average about 45 minutes.  Sometimes nap time is a fight these days.  He used to nurse to sleep for every nap.  Now he's not doing that and we are having to cry it out for naps.  He's sleeping 12 hours at night most nights.  We still have a night every now and then that he has a bad night.  Like right now, he's screaming in his crib because the dog woke him up barking and he's refusing to go back to sleep despite me rocking him for 30 minutes.  Ugh.

Milestones: No walking yet, he's just not interested.  He will occasionally stand for a few seconds and today he even took a small step without holding onto my hand but he just prefers to crawl.  He still only has 2 teeth!  I guess we are slow in the teeth department.  He has acted like he's teething lately but I can't feel anything.  Hudson says "mama", "dada", "hi", "no" (oops) and "bye-bye".  Sometimes I think he says "dog" but maybe I'm hearing things ;)  He loves to point at things and can point out different things like "daddy", "Bailey", and the picture of his cousin Ava on the wall.

Likes: Hudson loves to be tickled, tossed in the air, and "wrestled" with.  He sure is all boy.  His favorite toy right now is his Meg Blocs dump truck.  He likes to dump all the blocks out so Momma has to pick them back up.  He still loves to look at books, although he has a preference for the ones with the flaps you can lift because he likes to do it himself.  He loves being outside and is enjoying rides in the stroller more and more, probably because most days we stop at the park on our run.

Dislikes:  Hudson does not like to be told "no" and can throw a good little tantrum when you do tell him! He doesn't like his diaper changed or to get dressed...I feel like I have gotten a full workout after running after him to dress him!  He's still pretty easy going though which I'm thankful for!  

How is it that my baby will be ONE next month??  It's so bittersweet.  I love watching him grow and learn new things but it's all going by too fast!

10 months

Measurements: No official measurements this month.  Hudson is in mostly 12 month clothes although some 9 month pants still fit (he has short little legs!)

Eats: Hudson nurses 5 times a day, usually about every 3 hours.  We realized, while leaving him with a babysitter to go out for the first time a few weeks ago, that he will no longer take a bottle.  He also can't get the hang of a sippy cup although I have tried 3 different kinds.  But, he doesn't really need one right now anyways so I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!  My good little eater will literally eat anything you put in front of him...I am so thankful that he's not picky (yet)!  We have stopped doing pureed stuff of any kind...he much prefers to feed himself.  This month he has especially loved carrots, goldfish, green beans, and macaroni and cheese!

Sleeps:  Naps are still great.  Hudson takes his first nap around 10am and generally sleeps 30-45 min.  He will go back down around 2pm and sleep an hour and a half to 2 hrs.  At our 9 month pediatrician appointment we once again talked about sleep training.  I was so hesitant because I just didn't like the whole idea of crying it out.  I know that it's not going to hurt him...I just didn't feel like it was right for us.  Well, after so many nights of not getting much sleep we decided it was our last resort.  It look a good week and a half before Hudson ever slept 12 hours straight.  And it's still not extremely consistent.  There are still nights he ends up in our bed in the early hours of the morning but I am fine with that....he will only be a baby for such a short time that I'll soak up every snuggle I can get!

Milestones:  Hudson is now an expert stair climber!  Just the other day I went upstairs for something and assumed Chris was watching Hudson.  Well, when I walked back downstairs, I found him halfway up the stairs!  We put him back at the bottom and watched and, sure enough, he can climb the entire flight with no problem at all!  Hudson walks behind everything he can push, but hasn't gotten brave enough to let go yet!  He waves all the time and to anybody who will look at him.  He is still not saying any words except Mama and Dada but he obviously knows what those mean now.  When I walk out of the room he follows me saying "Mamamama".  Hudson also went on his second airplane ride this month!  He's an awesome traveler.  I am so thankful!

Likes: Hudson still loves Bailey, bathtime, and books.  He has a fascination with appliances- refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, and (to my dismay) the toilet.  He loves to pull all the spices off my lazy Susan and tupperware out of the cabinets...I just have to teach him to clean up now!

Dislikes:  Hudson is so easy going and happy...except when I decide I need to leave his sight.  Let me tell you...this boy loves his momma (not that I'm complaining!).  Our separation anxiety hasn't gotten any better this month, in fact it may be worse!  If I'm in the room Hudson wants me to be holding him, or at least he wants to be touching me like holding on to my leg.  It makes it difficult to get things done at times!  But like I said before, he will only be a baby for so long so I'm going to soak it all up!

I can't believe in just 2 months my baby will turn a year old!  It's so bittersweet.  Part of me wants him to stay a baby forever but I also love seeing him learn new things every day.  So, I'll just keep cherishing every moment! 

A great weekend!

This past Friday Hudson and I flew to Boston (the crazy NC weather didn't mess up my plans thank goodness!) to spend some time with my family and meet my cousin's sweet baby girl who was born on Feb 7th.  Can I just say yet again how incredibly thankful I am that Hudson is such a good traveler??  I had 4 different people tell me how good he was on the flight there...I was one proud mom! 

So, I arrived Friday just to be greeted by yet another snow storm in Boston.  Our original plan was to go to Maine to meet baby Emelia on Saturday but we postponed because of the weather.  So, instead my mom and I went and got pedicures while Hudson and his Bubs had some good quality time together.  We came home to find them both asleep on the couch...so sweet.  Hudson got to "play" with his cousin Ava that evening (although Hudson doesn't get to play much since Ava hasn't quite learned to share).  It is so special for them to be so close in age and hopefully they will grow up to be great friends. On Sunday we spent the afternoon with some more of our extended family at my aunt and uncle's house.  They have an indoor pool so we took all the kids swimming.  They had a blast! We finally made it to Maine to meet the baby on Monday and oh how adorable she is!!  I don't even remember Hudson being that little although I know he was.  I am so happy for Erin and David, I know they are going to be awesome parents.

I was suppose to come back to NC on Tuesday but surprise, surprise there was another snowstorm! So, I delayed by flight until Monday morning which none of us complained about.  I will always take a little bit more quality time with my family!  I am already looking forward to my next trip in June!

Here's the weekend in pictures:

 

Future pianist?

Someone had some major bed head!

Fun afternoon swimming at our cousin's house!

Ava, Johnny, and their daddy's

This is the best we could do to get all the kids in one picture

Like my paci?

Bubs is already teaching him how to drive!

Sweet Emelia! 

Cuddling with his Lalla

Hudson is not a great sleeper in a pack-n-play...so this is how we ended up every night

Playing a duet already!

Hanging out with Uncle Jamie

Watching the cars go by...

Have you ever seen anything so sweet?

Discovery Place

NC moms, if you haven't checked out Discovery Place in Huntersville, you must! We took Hudson to celebrate his friend Noah's first birthday and we all had a blast! There is literally something for every age. We spent about 2 hrs there but could have stayed much longer...we didn't nearly see everything.  We can't wait to go back!  Here's some of the fun that Hudson has:

There were tons of good sensory objects for even young babies, Hudson played with this squishy flower for a long time!

The water table was a hit...of course he thought he was suppose to chew on the toys

Playing music with daddy

I think I'll try the music by myself!

Already driving a tractor!