A new kind of Christmas ...

Ladies and gentlemen, Christmas as we know it has changed!

((Asia still has her jealous moments, but for the most part, these two are best buddies!))

With the arrival of Hudson this year, we have so many new and different things to look forward to! So far this holiday season, I have seriously enjoyed dressing him in ridiculously cute outfits! He is still too young for a lot of the traditions I want him to enjoy growing up, but they involve The Nutcracker, Harry Connick, Jr. (love that man), Christmas pajamas and lots and lots of reading and baking with Mommy and Daddy!

This year, Hudson met Santa three times and he loved him! He gave him a big smile each time (even though the second time he was sleeping)! He also got some pretty awesome gifts this year - from clothes and toys to books and Santa plates, I think it's safe to say that he was not forgotten. Haha! He is such a loved little boy!

((Hudson and Santa meeting for the very first time!))

For me, growing up, Christmas was absolutely magical! If we can give Hudson half the Christmas experience I had, I will be happy! However, as Christmas crazy as I am, I think we will surpass that! Hudson really is sweeter than buttermilk pie. I have said it before, I will say it again - we are so lucky to be his parents. Our first Christmas with him was pure joy!

We hope you all had a very merry Christmas!

RSV

I. hate. RSV!

Hudson is fine one second and coughing up a lung the next! It doesn't bother him, but I can't stand to see him struggling to cough like he is! However, I know it could be a lot worse and I'm thankful that it isn't. We are getting in a lot of cuddle time!

We have been to the DR three times in the last week. I can't help it! Every little thing I don't think is right, I call and they get us right in! They are awesome!

Hudson's DR is really nice! He likes Hudson and Hudson likes him! He turned to ask me how Hudson was feeling, if he had been extra fussy or something, then turned back to look at Hudson and Hudson was smiling at him. Well, I guess that answers that! =)

We have a sweet little boy, even when he isn't feeling well!

Meeting Santa!

Hudson met Santa this past weekend for the first time!


We had breakfast at a cute little Mexican restaurant near Lantana called Mi Sueno and Santa was there! Apparently he, like the rest of us, loves Mexican food! The restaurant had an animal balloon and face painting station as well as a train ride - it was really cool! We went with my cousin John and his family, which included his grandson Brendon! Brendon is fifty one weeks older than Hudson, so when we are around him, we get to see what we look forward to next year! He is so cute! And of course, they had to have matching outfits! Brendon wasn't too sure about Santa and was really curious about Hudson! Haha! =)



Hudson was more interested in the ceiling at first but finally took a liking to Santa! He smiled at him and then laid his head down on his shoulder to nap! That is a guaranteed spot on the nice list for at least the next year, right? Haha!

61 Days

A little late on this post, but ya know ... life happens!

It's only been 61 days since our little man entered our lives, but it feels like he has been in our lives forever.

((Ignore the poof of hair on the top of his little head, haha!))

This last month has been a (mostly) fun one!

He is really smiling now, like REAL social smiles! He is also laughing, not very often, but it happens - you know, that belly bouncing laugh (even if it's gas, it's the sweetest thing)! Speaking of gas, he has a lot of it. He is all boy!

He loves to be kissed! Unless he is really just not happy, if you kiss him on the lips, you'll get a big gummy smile out of him!

He has found his hands and fingers and loves to put them in his mouth! His latest and greatest past time is kicking noisy toys with his feet! He obviously can't stand up yet (ha!), but he can support the weight of his body on his legs!

He is a strong boy! Even the Doc said so because of how well he holds his head up when on his stomach! He loves the Christmas tree lights! And the sound of white noise!

He spends a lot of time playing on his play mat these days and he LOVES it! He kicks his arms and legs like CRAZY! If he isn't asleep, they are just a going!

He is the best cuddler in the world world! He and Asia have become buddies! I was taking pictures of them a few days ago and she came and kissed him on the arm and he smiled so big! I, unfortunately, did not get it on camera, though.

He is focusing on things with his eyes a lot! He loves the picture of Audrey Hepburn in our room and the vintage travel pictures behind our couch. He will focus on us every once in a while, but for now, it's mostly Audrey!

His favorite thing is bath time! He has always loved it but now that he is moving around a lot, he will kick his feet and splash in the water! It's the cutest thing! He loves the water like his momma! Now, he and I are just going to have to teach Daddy how to swim!

On the downside, he has been rather congested lately! This weather must have brought something in! We are forcing saline down his nose and sticking him in the bathroom while we shower for the humidity! He is also coughing this horribly pitiful cough! He sounds like he is really trying to push it out! I can't even explain it! It's sad and humorous at the same time!

He took his two month shots like a pro! It took seriously less than five seconds for them to inject the shots, put the band aids on and hand him to me. He stopped crying almost immediately after they handed him to me. But that cry he cried was really sad! It was more like a shriek! He had a low grade fever after, but nothing a little dose of Tylenol couldn't help!

He weighed in at 12.96 pounds and 23 inches long! The Doctor said that he is "growing beautifully"!

Two months old and this boy is loved more than ever!

Size 1

Today is my birthday. I'm 28 years old and the thing most weighing on my mind is how Hudson only has a couple of newborn diapers left and then we are switching to size ones. I'm ready for him to get a little bigger, you know - let his personality peek through a little more, start moving around a bit, but I'm not ready for him to be a big kid! And that, my friends, is where size one diapers leads to!

I am having a fabulous birthday so far!

A couple of years ago, a fabulous birthday would have consisted of sleeping in, waking up in time to get ready for dinner, going out to dinner, then going out for a wild night on Fry Street!

Fast forward to today and a fabulous party looks something like this - waking up at 4am to feed my guy, taking a nice long and quiet shower, going to my six week checkup (yes, I was actually really excited about this and if kathy delivered your baby, you would be, too), brunch with my husband and baby, coming home to write a blog with a sleeping baby on my chest, and hopefully a quiet dinner and a movie. Maybe we'll even go to bed early!

Ahhh, this is the life (honestly, no sarcasm here)! I couldn't ask for anything more!

Blessed ...

Having a place to go is home.
Having someone to love is family.
Having both is a blessing!

We are blessed!

((Asia was totally not cooperating, so I'm really glad she got this shot!))

((Admiring our precious little guy!))

Aftershocks!

So, last night as I'm going through the pictures and working on Hudson's birth announcement, I felt the couch shake. I thought I must have been going crazy, so I jumped up and went to look outside. I was thinking that maybe a big truck drove down the street and I just didn't hear it or something! No truck! So, I came back and texted my neighbors to see if they had felt anything while getting on to Facebook to find that I wasn't alone! There was apparently a 5.6 earthquake in Oklahoma and we felt some aftershocks from it! Nothing big, but enough to shake us around a little! Kind of crazy! Things like that don't usually happen in Denton! Haha!

And, just because - here is another picture! =)


And one more of the same pose, just for good measure!


This is what love looks like, people!! =)
Have a happy Sunday!!!

Yes, this is what I now spend my Saturday nights doing ...

google or facebook KT Photography!
we are impressed - simply amazing!

Handsome. He melts my heart! I love this little boy like you would not believe! That is all! =)

Time flies!

Happy One Month Birthday to our sweet baby boy!


I keep telling people how I can't believe it's already been a month, but the truth is, I can't remember life before him!

He smiles, he rolls, he coos, he makes the sweetest little dolphin noises, he poops (a lot), he cries, he roots, he eats, he stares, he makes silly faces, he sleeps - he is the sweetest and most perfect, precious one month old little boy that we have ever known! I feel blessed to have a life time of these moments and more ahead of us. I'm a lucky girl.

Kathy

Kathy deserves her own post. Not only her own post, she deserves a whole blog. She is amazing!

I'm one of those people who refer to Dr. Google when I feel like something may not be exactly right. Real Doctors, midwives and nurses aren't as amused by this as I am. For example, at my weekly OB appointments, I would always start off by saying "I'm a googler, and I looked up this symptom and it told me that this could be wrong, so is that true"? You would think that would get old after a while, right? Ha! I'm certainly not the easiest patient in the world and Kathy dealt with me quite well, to say the least.

Kathy is my midwife. Yes, midwife. When I say "my DR told me" this or that, I really mean midwife. I'm not at all ashamed that I am under the care of a midwife, it's just easier to say DR rather than explaining to everyone that I don't plan on delivering my baby in the bathroom of my home. People still think that about midwives and from my experience, it isn't true. I was in a hospital and I asked for the drugs! I would not have traded Kathy for the world. Instead of being absent all throughout my labor and just showing up when it was time to push, she was in and out of my room the entire time. She became much more than my midwife, she became my friend.

When I first found out I had gestational diabetes, I cried and she hugged me. When I was low on amniotic fluid for the first time and had to go to the hospital (I was pretty scared), she gave me her cell phone number and texted me back when I sent her a text asking her where to go once inside the hospital. That was the first of many texts! When we told her we had a 4D sonogram done and he was so cute, she asked to see the pictures. She genuinely cared about Hudson's well being and safety, as well as mine.

Honestly, when she came in the room and told me that I was going to be induced that Friday, I thought she was crazy! I asked her who would be delivering him and when she told me she was on call all weekend and that it would be her, I felt a huge sense of relief. Once we established a relationship (after like, one visit), I knew I didn't want anyone but Kathy delivering him. Luckily, she was there every step of the way for my labor. She told us he was a beautiful baby boy with lots of hair before we could even see him, she asked Mark to cut the cord and she handed us our beautiful baby just like we had hoped. I was so afraid of labor, but she made it seem so very possible - and it obviously was! It's strange to say that I had fun with Kathy and Jane (my nurse) in between pushes ... until the last five minutes or so. Haha!

I texted her somewhat recently and told her that I miss our weekly visits, and I really do. I mean, really - how silly is it that I am anxiously awaiting my six week checkup?!

Between Mark, my amazing mom, my mother in law Mary, my nurse Jane, the anesthesiologist (haha) and of course Kathy, I had an amazing support team during the entire labor process and could not have asked for anything more!

Hudson Thomas, you have our attention!

As I sit here writing this, I have a precious baby boy laying on my chest.

Best. Feeling. EVER!

((Snuggle time!))

I had written out a highly detailed version of Hudson’s birth story, but when I re-read it, I realized how long it was! So, here is the breakdown of events as I remember them. If you aren't interested, just scroll to the pictures! =)

Friday, September 30

1:00 PM – Regular 37 week DR appt and sono with Kathy & Co! Amniotic fluid levels down from 13 to a dangerously low 4.5 in a week! Off to the hospital for our weekly visit - ha!

2:00PM – Checked in to hospital to receive what I thought would be bags of fluids to get my levels up!

2:15PM – Kathy walks in the hospital room and tells me we will be inducing TODAY! Hudson is safer out than in at this point (my amniotic fluid levels, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia mixed together = no bueno)!

2:16PM – We freak out and start making calls!

4:00 PM - Cervidil is in, fluids have begun and the waiting game is in effect!

Saturday, October 1

4:00AM – After practically no sleep, Cervidil comes out and I’m dilated to a 2 and 75% effaced. I take a shower, do my makeup and try my best not to freak out. I couldn’t believe I would meet Hudson soon!

4:30 AM – Pitocin begins!

((This is when the time gets a little fuzzy!))

10:30 AM – Contractions are pretty intense and I’m “a 3”, so I relax with Nubain!

12:00 PM – Woken up by the nurse telling me the anesthesiologist is coming in for my epidural. I began freaking out again – the epi was my biggest fear! It was NOTHING but greatness! I’m a happy (but dizzy from Nubain) pregnant woman in labor! Kathy starts moving me around to get the meds running through my body.

12:30 PM – I was feeling nauseous so Kathy told me I was likely dilated to a 6! You should have seen her face (and ours) when she checked me and said I was “a 10”! Kathy goes to get ready while I start practicing pushing!

1:31 PM – Our precious, beautiful 6lb 4oz, 18in long baby boy, Hudson Thomas Moore, is born (with a head full of hair) and lets out a loud scream. We thought that was a good thing but he had inhaled some fluid on the way out, which led to difficulties in breathing, along with the fact that his lungs were immature and he was lacking surfactant (which also contributed to his breathing difficulty). We had some skin to skin time before they took him to see if they could regulate his breathing.

((My first few moments with my boy. Excuse my crazy look - I had just delivered a baby, ha!))

Sometime fairly soon after he was born, they decided to transport him to the Med Center of Lewisville because he had a spot of what they thought was pneumonia from the inhalation of fluid. They brought him to me in an incubator and on a stretcher hooked up to a breathing tube, feeding tube and all sorts of other wires ready to be transported in an ambulance. This was when things became very real and I think everyone broke down. He was so tiny and helpless. I will never forget seeing him like that. It broke my heart like you would not believe. Mark and his parents and aunt and uncle went with him. I asked to be transported to Lewisville, but it was too much trouble, so staying in Denton to recover was best.

((Our sweet, sweet baby still hooked up to all of his tubes!))

Monday, October 3

10:00 AM – After having to stay for an extra day because of some issues, I am released from the hospital! Mark and I leave and head home to change and shower, then head to see Hudson. At this point, he only had oxygen in his nose – he was doing really well! Before we left, they actually took the oxygen off and he was breathing completely on his own. It was so good to see him. Two days old and I was truly meeting my son for the first time.

((Hudson just hooked up to oxygen!))

The Med Center of Lewisville gave us a courtesy room so that we could be close to him, so we went down for all of his feedings (every three hours)! We were able to spend quite a bit of time together, which was nice. It's okay that I missed his first bath, his first bottle, etc because he was alive and getting better and that was all that mattered. Still, I was an absolute wreck. We both were.

Hudson would be in the hospital for nine days (seven for the antibiotics and two extra because of a breathing complication earlier in the week).

Monday, October 10

11:00 AM – We complete the discharge papers, hug all the wonderful nurses and take our baby boy home.

((Buckled in and home bound!))

The nurses told me that they enjoy having babies like him in the NICU because he wasn't a worst case scenario baby - compared to all the others, he was big and healthy! Many different nurses told us multiple times that he was just making sure that he had our attention. That, he most definitely does!

Well, hello there! Long time no see ...


That is a very poorly uploaded picture, but can you see it? It's a baby - more importantly, OUR baby at 12 weeks! Yes, we are expecting ... as if you didn't already know that! :)

I was 15 weeks as of yesterday! They can now tell the sex of the baby and all that fun stuff! We haven't yet decided if we are going to find out sooner than our 20 week sonogram or not! If you know me, you know that I am the most impatient person IN THE WORLD, so how I am going to make it to June 1st, I do not know. But, we shall see! :)

So far in this pregnancy, I have experienced morning sickness (however I have found that it's certainly not limited to the morning), fatigue and headaches! I've been a bit emotional, too, but we won't go there! Ha! Other than that, I have been pretty darn lucky - knock on wood!

It's very surreal that we are going to be parents and Asia will be a big sister! :) We both have our fears and hopes and dreams for this little human I'm busily baking, but if there is one thing I can be sure of, it is that s/he will be the most well loved baby!

Only 174 more days to go ... :)