What's The Deal?!? Is my baby teething already?

Mister Hudson has been in a mood the past two days.  I just can't figure him out!  He is usually a happy baby, but lately he is just so fussy!  I'm going out of my mind trying to figure out whats going on.  Is he not feeling well?  Is he hungry?  Is he tired?  Is he cutting teeth (he has been drooling A LOT and wants to gnaw on everything)?  Is he too hot? Too cold?  Growth spurt?  I just don't know! 

My guess... well, I think my sweet little baby might be teething!  Ahhhh You would think I would know more about this subject since I am a Hygienist, but even I had to Google Huddy Buddy's symptoms.  I'm so ashamed....  haha

• Irritable and Fussy --- check
• Drooling --- CHECK
• Biting behavior --- check
• Refusing food --- check (he just doesn't seem to want to eat as much or as often)
• Sleep problems --- check (not taking naps and crying out in his sleep)
• Gum swelling and sensitivity --- ? (I'm not sure....)

The Teething Guideline

	5 months (typical range: 4 to 10 months)	Teething begins. Your baby's gums may be swollen and red where the teeth are cutting through.
	8 months (typical range: 6 to 10 months)	First teeth erupt, usually on the bottom in the middle (lower central incisors). These two teeth arrive at about the same time.
		Fast fact: Lower teeth usually come in before upper teeth.
	10 months (typical range: 8 to 12 months)	Upper middle teeth (the upper central incisors) emerge.
		Fast fact: Girls usually get their teeth before boys do.
	11 to 12 months (typical range: 10 to 16 months)	Bottom teeth right next to the middle teeth (lower lateral incisors) make their appearance.
		Fast fact: Teeth usually emerge in pairs – one on the right and one on the left.

Well, Hudson has 5 out of the 6 major symptoms of teething!  According to my Google searches, most babies don't start cutting teeth until 4-7 months.  I guess we have an early bloomer on our hands.  OR I could be completely wrong, and my baby is just having a rough couple of days.  Only time will tell.  Either way, I just wish there was something I could do to help him feel better!  I want my little love bug to be happy!

In other news, we have started the transiting of moving Hudson from his Fisher Price sleeper to his crib.  Hudson would probably do just fine switching rooms, but because I am sentimental and emotional, this is a multistage process (I'm going to take all the time I can for each stage).

1. Start napping regularly in his crib during the day
2. Transition night time sleeping from inclined sleeper to flat pack n play (still in our room)
3. Every few days move pack n play farther from me us
4. Transition from pack n play to crib

TA DA!  That's the plan.  Last night was Hudson's first night sleeping flat in his pack n play.  He did pretty well!  He is even napping in his crib as we speak (or type).  Aside from him being 3 months old and needing to start sleeping in his own room that we decorated just for him,  I noticed that he is starting to get a flat spot on the back of his pretty little head from sleeping in the inclined sleeper every single night...  Hopefully once he starts sleeping flat he will be able to turn his head from side to side relieving pressure from the back of his head.  That's the idea anyway.  He is still too young for us to worry about it being a problem, but I'm going to be proactive and not let it get any worse. 

With that being said, the Fisher Price Sleeper has been nothing short of a life saver!  It is inclined at just the right amount to help with reflux and it is portable!  This is the one thing we could not have lived without!  Even though Huddy Buddy won't be sleeping in it at night anymore, we will still be able to use it when we visit friends and family, because the weight limit is 25 pounds (as of today Hudson is ONLY 16 pounds). 

3 months old today!

Hudson,

Three months ago today, you came into my life!  I have loved and cherished every second we have spent together (which is pretty much all of them seeing as I am with you 99.99% of the time).  You are changing and growing every singly day!  I really think you know who I am now.  If you hear my voice, you start scanning the room for me and when you find me, you smile!  It absolutely melts my heart!  You still love getting your diaper changed and still LOVE being naked!  During baths you have started splashing around like a little fish.  You get such a kick out of making the water go everywhere!  You chuckle and laugh ALL THE TIME!  I am in love with your toothless grin!  The other night when we went to bed (you are still sleeping in our room) you were not having it!  I fed you, changed you, swaddled you and put you to bed.  After I turned the lights off you stared "talking" to yourself (not crying or fussing, just happily chatty).  You talked for over an hour before you fell asleep.  I was laying in bed trying not too laugh too loud! 

I don't know how much you weigh right now, but It is well over 15 pounds.  You are comfortably wearing size 6 month clothing!!!  Ahhhh at this rate, you will be wearing 12 month clothing in just another 2-3 months!  You are sleeping all night long (10-8:00am) consistently and have designated nap times during the day.  In the afternoons, I put you to sleep in your crib and you do great.  You never cry when I put you down for a nap.  You are awake at least 8-10 hours each day and we play most of that time.  You love playing on your activity mat now and will lay there listening to the music and grabbing the rattles for about 30 minutes.  You love looking at faces and will match the expressions people make at you.  Right now, your favorite noise is hooting like an owl.  Every time I look at you, smile and say "hooo hoooo" you belly laugh and say it back!  You seem to think mommy is the funniest person/thing on earth!

I am trying to to forget anything....  Your eyes are still a beautiful sea blue and your hair is finally starting to come in on the top of your head!  Your finger nails are growing like crazy and I have to cut them a few times a week.  Ooooo You can sit up really well as long as I hold your hands!!!!  It is so cute to watch you discover new things. 

Hudson you are the sweetest little baby.  Your personality is starting to show and I can already tell what a wonderful person you are!  We are amazed by you every single day!  We love you soooo much and look forward to watching you grow and develop into a little person.  

Happy 3 Month Birthday Huddy Buddy!

Married 3 years!

On January 3, 2011 we celebrated our 3 year anniversary.  Like I mentioned earlier, it kind of got put on the back burner because lets face it, we have an almost 3 month old baby (more on that later) and are just a little preoccupied these days.  On this very special day, we ordered take out from O'Charlies (because we had a gift card) and my sweet husband got me the most beautiful bouquet of red roses and a card!  I was blown away, because I have never gotten roses from Steve before.  Flowers, YES.  A bouquet of Roses, No.  As far as gifts go, we decided to forgo them this year.  I think Steve cheated with the flowers...  haha  I'm ok with that though.  They are just so pretty!  Anyway, we spent the evening curled up on the couch with our sweet baby watching the UK game.  haha It may not be the most romantic evening, but for me, it was perfect.  I know that we will not always spend our anniversary at home, on the couch, with a third party present, but for this season in my life I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I ended up not going out and buying a card.  Instead, I went outside on that frigid day and wrote a Happy Anniversary message with sidewalk chalk on our drive way.  This way he would see it when he got home from work.
 

It is unbelievable that we have been married for 3 years already.  In those three years, a lot has happened!  When I look back and think about our wedding day, it is hard to believe it was so long ago!  I remember it like it was yesterday!  Steve's parents threw us he most beautiful rehearsal dinner at Maggianos Italian Restaurant the night before our wedding.  On our actual wedding day I remember waking up feeling very calm and happy!  I laid in bed just thinking about the day ahead of me.  When I finally popped out of bed I ran around my parents house telling everyone that "Today is my wedding day"!  I remember getting ready with my mom and bridesmaids, seeing my dad for the first time, pictures, and waiting in our room at the church with the flower girls for the ceremony to start.  I felt pretty relaxed up until my dad and I were getting ready to walk through the doors at the back of our church.  I looked over at him and he looked so in control and calm.  THANK GOD!  I saw one slip of a facial expression and I started crying right as the doors opened and the string quartet started playing the wedding march. Yep!  I was that bride that cried all the way down the isle.  Pictures of this are not so pretty!  haha  When I saw Steve he was just smiling at me and I knew that we were going to be so happy together!  The ceremony was beautiful, but at the time it seemed so long!  All I wanted was to be married to my best friend and the man I loved!  The reception was a blur!  If you were there, you probably know why! haha o-well, at least I had a great time!  There was good food, dancing, drinks, pictures and toward the end of the night, tears.  I never wanted that night to end!  My parents gave us most wonderful and beautiful wedding I could have ever imagined!

 

Here we are three years later and we have a nice home, one cat (RIP Otis), one sweet dog, and a BEAUTIFUL little baby!  Today, I love my husband more than the day I married him.  I didn't know it would be possible, but through all the ups and downs we have become stronger and I love him more each day.  We met over 7 years ago and my life has never been the same!  Happy Anniversary Steve!

And because I can't help myself...

Food For Thought

 Look how big Hudson has gotten!  He is growing up so fast...too fast!

I was looking forward to starting a new womens bible study this morning.  I planned ahead and had everything ready to go so that when I woke up, I wouldn't be scrambling to get ready.  However, last night was a sleepless one.  Between Hudson being restless and waking up at 4:00am and me not being able to sleep, I came to the decision that we would have to skip this first week to catch up on rest.  Hudson (and God) had other plans.  At a little after 8:00am Hudson woke up and was determined not to get any more sleep.  I felt like I NEEDED to be at church this morning so I rushed around, got Hudson fed, changed, ready to go and off we went!

 This is what I woke up to today!  Yes, we were in a hurry, but he was just so cute and happy I had to stop and take some pictures!

We arrived right at 9:00am (if you are a mom, you can understand how impressed I was that we got ready in only an hour).  I took Hudson to the nursery.  This was the first time he had EVER been watched by anyone other than Steve or myself.  As I got closer to the door where I was supposed to drop my love bug off my heart started racing.  I almost did an about face and ran!  It was a good thing I didn't!  The ladies working were so sweet!  As soon as they saw I had a baby they melted.  I all but sat his carrier down and they had him unbuckled and were cuddling him and rocking him in their arms!  I was immediately at peace!  I knew my baby would be well cared for over the next two hours!

Once I got to the classroom where bible study would be held, I got my book and was warmly welcomed by many women!  This class was not just made up of twenty something women, there were women of all ages (I love that).  We went over what this study would be abut and then shared prayer requests.  I wont give details of this but it was impressive how knowledgeable and faithful these women were!  All I could do was listen and take it all in.  I know that I will learn a  lot from these women.  At one point I felt that God wanted me to be right there at that moment.

One women shared a touching and powerful story about her job as bereavement counselor in the labor and delivery unit of a local hospital.  She shared an account of two christian parents who were going to go ahead and carry a baby to term and deliver her even though she would not survive more than a few hours.  There was much more to the story but what I got from it was that:  a) God has his hands in every situation and is watching over us even when we feel alone.  b) Children are not a right, but a privileged and truly gift from God. I should never have complained (jokingly or not) while pregnant about backaches or lack of sleep.  How selfish was I?!?  Hudson is a miracle and I will never take it for granted again!  Bring on more sleepless nights and crying babies!!!  I will take it gladly and with open arms because I do not deserve the blessings God has already given me.  c) You should not take family, loved ones, or life for granted.  It (life) is so delicate and fragile.  d) when obstacles and problems stand in our way, give your burdens/problems/fears to God.  We were not meant to be burden bearing creatures.  I was brought to tears and wanted nothing more than to run to the nursery, pick up Hudson, then go find Steve at work and hug them both in the biggest bear hug imaginable.  I am so thankful for my family and friends and need to do a better job showing my loved ones how much they mean to me.   

This bible study is going to be good for me and I am really excited to be a part of it!  After it was over, I went to get Hudson.  When I got to the room I found both of the caregivers sitting on the floor around Hudson who was laying on a blanket.  They had fed him, changed him, and loved on him the whole time.  I was so relieved and what anxiety I was hanging on to had vanished!  Hudson had done great and was grinning and laughing when I walked in!  His first time away from us (his parents) was a success! 

Yep, I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be in life.  I am a wife to good man who provides for our family so that we have shelter and always have more than enough food on the table.  I am a mother to the most loving baby boy.  I am a daughter, sister, friend, and most importantly, a child of God.  He is guiding me every day, and every day I am learning more about who He wants me to become.

The loves of my life!

Playing Catch Up

Well, we are home, family is gone, daddy is back at work, and things are finally back to normal.  Hudson is catching up on lots of missed sleep and I am just now getting a chance to update the blog.  It has been a busy few weeks, but totally worth it!

To Grandma and Grandpa's house we go.

Grandma Smith holding the best Christmas gift I have ever gotten!

Our little booger celebrated his very first Christmas this year (we call him booger because he is so congested every single morning when he wakes up and at night before bed.  I have gotten the worlds biggest baby boogers out of his little nose!  Poor baby can hardly breath sometimes.)!  Everything was completely different, but so wonderful!  The Thursday before Christmas we headed to my parents house. We went to one Christmas Eve service two days before Christmas and another on Christmas eve.  We usually go to the candle light service, but decided with a baby we would go to the early service...  It was not what we were expecting at all!  haha we are accustomed to a very reverent sermon, beautiful hymens, and  time to reflect.  Well, this early service was geared toward kids.  There was talking and screaming and a very animated version of the Christmas Story.  There were two brothers in the children's choir that were fighting (hitting, shoving...) so their poor mother had to go sit with them to make them behave.  Then, there was one little boy, who in the middle of a scripture reading, got up and started slowly walking up the isle saying " I just want this to be over!  I want to go home now" over and over!  It was hilarious!  All you could do was laugh!  I guess we have much more of that to look forward to over the next few years!  It wasn't the service we were expecting, but it was sort of perfect in it's own way. 

It is funny how after having a baby, the Christmas Story takes on new meaning.  I have understood and appreciated the story of Jesus's birth, but never felt such a connection to Mary as I do now.  After having a baby myself I feel more sympathetic and understanding toward Mary and her situation.  I mean after singing the songs O Holy Night and Silent Night I was in tears.  Her bravery and faith in God were truly amazing! I wonder how I would have handled the responsibility of carrying and raising Jesus.... 

On Christmas Day we opened Santa peasants.  Hudson made out extremely well!  All of his new toys are covering the floor of his room because I have no clue where we are going to put it all!  What a lucky little guy!  Later on, we drove up to Fort Wayne, Indiana to visit my Grandma and dad's side of the family.  Hudson got to meet his new little 2nd cousin Landon.  It was fun seeing my cousins.  One is getting married in a few months and another just had her baby!  There was A LOT to talk about!  After a nice long visit we headed back home where we spend the evening watching White Christmas, eating Chex Mix, and putting a puzzle together!  IT WAS PERFECT!

Hudson after all the Christmas festivities!  He was pooped!

The day after Christmas we got together with our family friends!  We always have such a good time when we get together!  We ate, drank, and played a really fun game called The Game Of Things!  We laughed so hard we cried. I look forward to our evening together every year!

Wednesday after Christmas, we left my parents house and drove back home.  That night, Steve's brother's family came in from out of town and we got to celebrate Christmas all over again!  For the next almost week we got to spend a lot of time together!  It was so nice getting to hang out and relax with family.  John and Andrew (Hudson's cousins) LOVED him!  They opened all of Hudson's presents for him and showed him all of their new toys!  It was so sweet!  Hudson LOVED seeing his cousin's too.  Every time they smiled at him he would smile and laugh!  I just know they are going to have fun together when he gets older!

 Andrew and John, Hudson's cousins.  They are so sweet to him!

Andrew (9) holding Hudson (12 weeks)

John, who just had his 7th birthday holding Hudson at 12 weeks

 

John and Andrew made little crowns for all three of them so they could be "little princes".

We rang in the new year cuddled up in our bed with Hudson! We talked about this past year and what we hoped to accomplish in the coming year.  We watched Dick Clark's New Years Rockin Eve.  Just before the ball dropped, Huddy Buddy started crying and  that is how 2012 started!  haha I hope it isn't a sign of how this year is going to be!  He calmed down immediately, it was just bad timing!  I can't think of a better way to end the best year of my life and start a new one!  2012 has a lot to live up to. 

Now here we are and everything is back to normal!  Hudson did great with all the Holiday festivities.  He was completely out of his element and even though his routine had out the window, he was a happy little baby.   The past few days though he has been catching up on much needed sleep.  Bless his heart!  We took all of our Christmas decorations down and cleaned the house this weekend (I hate that part).  Today is actually Steve and my 3 year anniversary.  Neither one of us remembered until last night when I was looking on my calendar!  hahaha  That just goes to show you how busy and out of it we have been!  Now I have to go make a card or something for my husband and try to come up with something good for an anniversary dinner!  Happy New Year!

 Me with the kiddos.  I love all these boys!

 Hudson in one of his many Christmas outfits.  He looks so much like my grandpa (my dad's dad) in this picture!

 NAKED BABY!  Hudson LOVES to be naked these days!  It seems he is at his happiest when we are changing his diaper or letting him go without clothes! haha We may be in for some trouble down the road with our little nudest!

I received my first blog book in the mail the other day!  I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!