Happy Valentine's Day

Move over Daddy, Mommy's got a new Valentine this year.

It's 2009 already?!!

Opening presents with daddy on Christmas morning (Thanks for my cool new chair, Grammy & Grandpa)

Hudson's first visit with Santa (a.k.a. Grandpa)

Thanks for the toy, Santa!

Going for a ride on my new horse, Oreo! Thanks Gigi & Poppy!

Whew! Opening Christmas gifts is hard work.

Avacado.....mmmmmm!!

Taking advantage of a mild December day in the park.

Wow! Where did the last 2 months go? Or should I say six? Hudson is well on his way to turning 7 months old already! Ryan and I have really enjoyed watching Hudson learn new things about himself and the world around him. He's got quite a sense of humor and continues to achieve new milestones. He's sitting up on his own and eating solids! We started with avacado....ambitious of me but it was a success! I've also given him sweet potatoes and that went just as well. I hope this means he'll be a good eater rather than a picky one but who knows. He's very persistent about grabbing the spoon and feeding himself....I'm not sure I'm ready for him to be such a big boy. :)

2008 was a very special year for us as a family and we are looking forward to all of the wonderful blessings God has planned for us in 2009! We pray that God will bless your 2009 as well.

First Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was extra special because we had Hudson to be thankful for.....our biggest and most precious blessing of all! We enjoyed good food and good company. Although Hudson's Grammy could not be with us on Thanksgiving, the cute little pumpkin she picked out for him during her visit reminded us how grateful we are that Hudson's grandparents love being a part of his life. Now we are looking forward to creating Christmas memories as well.

Roll, baby roll

This past week marked another milestone met....Hudson has been rolling over consistently for the past several days. YEAH!!!! He showed me that he could perform this skill a few weeks ago but then decided after a couple days of it that it wasn't important to him anymore. Thankfully, he rediscovered the usefulness of it.

We want to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!!

Not so little anymore

Two weeks ago Ryan and I took Hudson to the pediatrician for his 4-month check-up. He weighed in at 13 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 26 inches. In just 4 short months Hudson has almost doubled his birth weight and grown 6 inches! I love to go back and look at pictures from when he was just a few days old. It's my attempt at holding onto every peice of him because I'm realizing how quickly he's growing up. His new favorite thing to do is use his tongue to make bubbles....it's so cute to watch but definitely a slobbery mess to clean up. He also loves to talk to himself in the mirror while riding in the car. His conversations often sound very "matter of fact." His grasping skills are improving which is usually a good thing but not so much when he gets a hold of my hair. This happens often. Ryan and I are not typically big Halloween participants but this year we decided why not....baby costumes are too cute to pass up. I don't think Hudson shared our enthusiasm. Oh well. :)

Out and About

Jetton Park - Cornelius, NC

Blowing Rock, NC

Hudson's cousin Vivian

Wow, has it really been 2 months since my last blog? One of my blogging friends kindly reminded me that I need to update Hudson's page more often. She's got a point. So here's my most recent attempt at keeping up with this. :) I titled this blog "out and about" because we've recently been taking advantage of the nice fall weather. I'm including pictures from one of our local parks and the mountains.

Hudson's personality has really been evolving over the last several weeks. He's very curious about the world he lives in and enjoys studying people's behavior. He's bashful on occasion but I've never seen him turn down a compliment....he flashes a smile every time. The first time he giggled, Ryan and I laughed so hard we had tears in our eyes. It was truly "music to our ears".....sappy I know but there really isn't anything sweeter than the sound of laughter coming from your child. Last week he discovered his toes and this week he discovered splashing during bath time. He's so much fun!!!

2-Month Checkup

Today Ryan and I took Hudson to the pediatrician for his 2-month checkup. He weighed in at 11 pounds (45th percentile) and has grown to 24 inches (90th percentile). He had his first round of vaccines, one oral and one injection. Hudson was a champ....a couple of tears and then he was fine. Thank goodness because otherwise I would've shed some tears of my own.

Hudson is interacting with us more than ever these days.....lots of smiles, giggles and cooing. He's also picking his head up to look around whenever he gets the chance. We're really excited about his development and can't wait for him to gain even more independence.

By the way, for those of you who have little ones at home, I've started including links to some neat websites at the very bottom of Hudson's blog page. When you have some time, check them out. They contain some really great information and ideas.