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Hudson’s FIRST Birthday was so much fun! He had a great time celebrating with everyone! I cannot believe he is already 1 year old,however, watching him grow is the best thing in the world! We are very lucky to have this little man in our lives!
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We LOVE you SO MUCH Hudson!
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Happy Birthday!!!
Hudson turned 8 months Friday, February 21, 2014. He is getting SO big.
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He is a talkative little observer and I love it!
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Some things he has been up to lately:
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He says dadadada (dada) but does not associate it…yet!
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He is ticklish under his arms and behind his neck! It’s so silly and cute!
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He can climb out of his bouncer. So, I had to put it and the baby swing away. He’s seriously a little MacGyver.
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He has been sitting up all by himself for a few months now, but he is pulling himself up onto things more and is standing for a few seconds (with a little assistance)
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He can crawl backwards and in a circle and he can scoot to where he wants to go. He’s so close to moving forward!!
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He is a champ at drinking from his sippy cup now.
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He went on his first plane ride to Tampa to see his Great Grandpa and Great Grandma.
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He gets really excited to play in his Johnny Jump Up! He Love to jump and walk in that thing!
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His two front teeth are almost in. He’s starting to look more and more like a little kid instead of my little squishy baby. 😦
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Oh and he has found his little man parts and he has to check to make sure they are still there every time I change his diaper. Every. Single. Time.
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Snow is an every 2 or 3 year event here in Atlanta, so I was very excited that Hudson got to experience it in his first year of life! . He usually does not like to wear layers, however he didn’t seem to really mind this time. I think he knew how cold it was. He really loved watching the snow fall, from inside. Once we got outside in it, I’m not so sure he loved it, but it was fun for his dad and I so it was all worth it!
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SNOW!!!!!!!!!
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His CAROLINA slippers were perfect and warm!
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I cannot believe my little baby man is already 6 months old. I am shocked at how fast time is flying by, but he amazes me more and more every day. I love watching him grow, learn, and discover new things. He has such a fantastic little personality already; it makes me just want to eat him up!
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Things he loves:
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His Momma!
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Food. So far, everything he has tried to eat, he likes! So, luckily he’s not too picky…yet!
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He has tried: rice cereal,sweet potato, avocado, applesauce, pears, peas ,carrots, oatmeal cereal, and prunes. We’ve had to calm it down a little bit, because he does suffer from severe constipation. (It SUCKS) We’re trying to get that under control, but the pediatrician said it’s totally normal. (It just really SUCKS!!!)
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He likes to be held, a LOT, still! Some days he does not want to be put down. I love my lil cuddle man!
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He still loves his activity centers and he loves to try to crawl! He can go around in circles, but he can’t quite get the pushing forward down just yet.
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He loves to talk/babble
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A few weeks ago he started to try and copy things I was doing. For example, if I lay on the floor and put my feet up to touch my toes, he does the same thing!!! It’s adorable! Now we have to really be careful of what we say and do!! Don’t want to teach him bad habits.
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He still loves his BFFF (best fur friend forever) Petie!
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Also, he has two bottom teeth AND I taught him to hive five!!! It’s awesome!
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He does not like:
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Change… He likes his schedule. We can break it up to go on trips in the car (pending a good mood), but he really likes to stick to his schedule.
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wake up around 8am
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First nap around 10:30am
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play time and maybe a car trip 12-2 or 3
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Second nap around 4
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bath time at 7:30pm
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and bed time around 8:00 or 8:30
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To be put in his crib (initially) for bedtime. This is a new thing and it’s really annoying. 🙂 It takes us an hour to get him down. Once we do, he will typically sleep 7-11 hours straight… as long as we have him in the night time diapers. We cannot forget or run out of those. For whatever reason Luvs work great for him during the day, but Seventh Generation diapers are the JAM at night! I swear by them. It really is a world of difference. Without them, he wakes up WAY too many times during the night!
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(Update, he suddenly stopped doing this and is back to normal. It’s great! He goes down right away. I love it!)
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He also does not like his dad to put him to bed… While I love that he needs me, I also get annoyed that I have to do EVERYTHING. I know it’s not Scott’s fault, but I wish Hudson would be a little more open to this bedtime option so that I could take a break!
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These past six month have flown by but I’m glad I get to enjoy every single moment with the cutest kiddo on the planet! I am one lucky lady!!
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We started Hudson on real food November 22. I am pureeing organic veggies instead of buying yucky baby food and at first everything was fine. We started him on rice cereal, he seemed to like it, he was pooping like normal, everything was great. Then a week later, we introduced him to Sweet Potatoes. YUMMY! He liked them, and again everything was great. Same reaction as the rice cereal… until Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, I gave him some sweet potatoes. He didn’t have a lot of them, maybe a teaspoon. Friday, everything seemed ok. I think he pooped once. I mean, before he was going like 6 times a day, but I knew that it would probably change with the new diet, so I was not too worried. Then Saturday… no poop. Sunday… no poop…. He was acting fine. He didn’t have gas and he was peeing as usual. I was getting a little worried, but i figured I would give it some time. Monday…. still no poop. Now, I’m freaking out that when he does go, it will be monstrous!!! Tuesday, he started to get gassy and not baby gassy anymore. I’m talking this kid had LOUD and SMELLY FARTS! Nothing on this EARTH can prepare you for that kind of smell…. NOTHING! /.
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Start at 1:13…
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FINALLY, Tuesday afternoon, he pooped a little and OMG did it SMELL (oh the agony, the pain, the tears in my eyes). We were in the car and luckily I had some fresh air because that smell… OMG it was the WORST smell I have ever experienced in my life. And boy it was an experience! Thank God it was not a gigantic one, or I would have had to leave my car in the parking lot of the Fresh Market for someone to just take (if they were brave enough). I was not prepared for anything more than what he did. And I really REALLY was not prepared for that either.
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Unfortunately since it was a small poo… he still had MAJOR gas. I had to give him gas drops, cause the kid was struggling. Then Wednesday (12.4), if you lit a match in our house, I’m pretty sure it would have blown up! He was the smelliest baby EVER! He was passing gas ALL day. And then finally… he dropped the doozy on me. He got it all out. All 4 days worth. I had to take him straight into the bath, and then I needed a shower. I was up to my elbows in a poo nightmare. I’m pretty sure it will give me nightmares. I’m also certain that smell will never go away. We may have to sell our house to escape it. Diaper Genie ain’t got nothin’ on this!
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So, no more sweet potatoes for this kid for a while. And from now on, I will be changing his diaper while sporting my gas mask, or a hazmat suit!
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Hudson got his first helping of rice cereal on November 22, the day after he was officially 5 months old! Needless to say, I think he liked it!!
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The day BEFORE Thanksgiving!
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Wednesday, while everyone was frantically traveling to go see family, Scott and I decided to go to the mall. Now, it has literally been FOREVER since I have stepped foot in a mall and I was kinda nervous that it would be packed (I HATE SHOPPING because of the crowds. Let’s just say me and Black Friday are NOT friends), but the place was pretty empty. We went to buy a suit for Scott, and left with a new outfit for Hudson and SANTA pictures instead!
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First off, the reason no one goes to the mall the day BEFORE Thanksgiving is because there are NO sales… like NONE. We should have known. But hey, I’d rather pay a little more for No Crowds than deal with the Madness Black Friday brings anyway. It really wasn’t a big deal because we only got Hudson an outfit and actually Gymboree did have a sale.
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So,as we were walking the mall near some super nice store I had never heard of (Von Maur???? The name is weird but who cares?!! These people are my new FAVS!!! They have a Mothers Room and it is SWANK! Best place in the mall to change your kid’s diaper AND they have a nursing area, it is pretty AMAZING. Shop there, give them all your money because they are about the ONLY place I have been to that GETS MOTHERS!)…. sorry long middle tangent! Anyways, as we were walking, we saw Santa’s area and it was EMPTY…. NO ONE was in line…. Scott was like, “Hey, we should have dressed Hudson up for Santa and got his pictures taken today.” And I was like, “Let’s do it!” So, we went to Gymboree, bought Hudson a brand new little outfit, then changed him in Von Maur (in the spa-like area for moms) and then we went and got those Santa pictures!! Easy, breezy, and painless!
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Hudson did great. Santa said we had one chill baby! He smiled for the girl, but every time she went back to the camera, he stopped. It was funny, but he was still super adorable! All in all this was one great mall experience! I would do it again next year, but prepare in advance with the outfit!
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Hudson is 5 months old today!
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Things he loves to do:
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Smile :). He loves flashing his big gummy grin. He smiles a lot and has started a small giggle. He’s not laughing out loud too often; he has more of a little snicker. It’s pretty funny to hear.
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He loves to play and stand in his activity gym and Johnny jump up. I put him in his Johnny Jump Up a few weeks ago! I think once he realized he was standing, he really liked it. You can’t put him in it when he is tired (AT ALL), but when he is in a good mood, he likes to hang around in it. He likes the activity gym as well, but he can’t reach the toys yet. You can tell he is concentrating on how he will eventually get to them. He’ll figure it out soon enough! He has to figure out that it’s ok to lean forward. Right now he likes to lean WAY back! LOL
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Trying to figure out how to crawl! He has figured out the inch worm approach, he just cant push hard enough yet to really launch forward! He wants to crawl SO so bad. He just gets really frustrated when he can’t. He gets mad when he can’t go far enough.
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Listening to poetry. When we wake up each morning, I read him a few Shell Silverstein poems while I drink my coffee. I know he likes them because he listens and smiles. When I read him anything else, he will listen for a minute and then he starts crying.
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Watching me eat! He’s been ready to try food for a while now. The other week my mom gave him a small taste of her graham cracker and cool whip treat… Then he stole mine right out of my hands. So, we are starting his purees this weekend! I wanted to wait until he was 5 months before I started him on real foods, just to be sure he was ready. He has definitely made it clear that he is eager to eat! Right on time since Thanksgiving is next week!! Sweet potatoes here we come! YUM 🙂
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Sucking is fingers all day every day. He takes his paci out every time now, throws it and then sucks on his fingers… I hate it, but at the same time I suppose it’s good that he can self soothe… for now.
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Watching the dogs. Now that he is more familiar with his surroundings, he really pays attention to the dogs. He tries to pet them when they get close. I think he knows they love him.
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Cuddling! Some days he won’t let me put him down. He particularly loves to fall asleep on me. I’m sure I have somehow created this habit, but I wouldn’t considerate a bad one! I love cuddle time. The more, the better!
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Swinging. Now that he is a little bigger and a little more beefy, I feel I can toss him around a little. By toss, I mean swing him in my arms while doing squats. He LOVES this! He also loves to play airplane!
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He does not like:
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Being in the car for TOO LONG. (does anyone?) But, this kid really HATES it! He does this bizarre scream/grunt thing and it’s almost impossible to console him once he has hit the peak of his tantrum. We went on a trip to SC and on the way home it was just Hudson and I in the car… I pretty much felt like the worst parent EVER, since there was NO WHERE to pull over after Augusta. (Why are there NO gas stations for like 75 miles after Augusta?!?!?! WHY???) Oh, and he can cry for AT LEAST an hour straight… no such thing as crying it out for this one.
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Also, he is cutting a tooth on the bottom… it’s not out yet, but I can see it has started. He also keeps grabbing at his lower gum line. I had to give him tylenol this week for the first time ever. He doesn’t dislike his teething toys, but his attention span for them is like 5 seconds.
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til next month!
Hudson hit 4 months on October 21st! I cannot believe October is already over.
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We started off 4 months with a visit to the Pediatrician.. I have not found a new office, yet. However, they managed to “squeeze us in” with a doctor that they originally told me was booked through December.
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He did pretty well at this appointment. He weights 13.9 pounds and is 24.75 inches long. Since he is 100% breast-fed, the doctors said he is growing perfectly but he may seem smaller than a formula fed baby. I still feel like he is a little giant!! He feels heavier than 13.9 pounds too!
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Here he is after the visit:
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Notice, I put him in an “I love Mommy” onesie! That way he remembers that even though I made him get shots, he still loves me!! 🙂 hehehehe! He HATED the doctor, but took the shots like a CHAMP! When he’s older I’m sure he’s going to say “thank you” to the nurses, like I did after shots when I was a kid.
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The week after his 4 month check up, it was HALLOWEEN!
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!! So, of course I dressed lil’ man up for his very first BIG Holiday! I found his adorable little pirate costume at Babies R Us. I liked that it was a little different. I feel like a lot of babies go as a pumpkin for their fist Halloween (I’m pretty sure I did). Instead, I opted to skip the traditional pumpkin and I am glad I did! He was such I cute pirate! And we got to dress up as a family, which is 100% a new tradition that we WILL do every year until he’s 12… or 18…or 92!!! 🙂
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“ARG!!! Surrender your sleep!”
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I am proud of myself that I actually found time to decorate the house! It’s got to be bigger and better next year though!
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My attempt at the pirate pumpkin LAST MINUTE! (It is Literally impossible to try and carve a good-looking pumpkin with a baby in the house… So, y’all should seriously be impressed… I’m just saying!)
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Scott went as a chic pirate in his fancy french cuffs!
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He was interested in the pumpkin, but he didn’t know what to do with it!
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ahhhh Happy Halloween! Love, Hudson (the CUTEST baby EVER!!)
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P.S. He has been sleeping pretty much 7-9 hours a night for the past few weeks now!!!!! We had a few random days a few weeks back, but he has been back on track, so mom is feeling good! Hopefully with this additional sleep momma will be gaining a few more brain cells back… however, until I am getting a consistent month or two of 8 hour nights, you can continue to expect me to show up ANYWHERE as part zombie/cave man. I apologize in advance if you find I am less than stellar about anything going on in the outside world, but all my brain is saying right now (STILL) is “me hungry… mmmm… baby hungry… must feed…. baby…. poop…….mmmmmm……. must change diaper…..”
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I missed updates for months 1 and 2 because honestly they went by in one sleep deprived blur…
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So, to catch you up on how Hudson is doing now that he is 3 months old, here are a few things about him now:
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– Hudson still LOVES bath time! He quiets down and relaxes in the warm water. It’s our night time routine and it really helps to get him to sleep… initially.
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– He is getting great at tummy time! If I hold my hands behind his feet he scoots himself across the play mat. We are getting closer and closer to at least belly scootin’, and if he could skip the crawling stage and go straight to walking, he would!
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– If we hold him under his arm pits, he tries to walk. If we end walking time too early he gets upset. He may be walking by Christmas (haha)… we shall see!
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– In the early mornings, between 6:30 and 7:30 after he eats, Hudson loves to snuggle back to sleep on mommy’s chest. He’ll sleep an extra hour that way and I can’t resist the cuddle time!!
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– In the mornings once we wake up and move downstairs, he really likes to sit in his rainforest and play! Now that he can reach the bird and little monkey, he really has a lot of fun!!
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– He is also smiling all the time now! My heart melts every time 🙂
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– He sees our reflections in the mirror! When he sees us, he gives me this huge grin. When I say “who is that?” his eyes light up, he lifts his eyebrows, and smiles! Not sure he can totally recognize who the reflections are of yet, but it’s still very entertaining!
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– He absolutely loves to be outside; typical little boy! He loves to go on walks or runs in the Bob. I try to take him to the river a few days a week. He is very alert on our walks and is looking and listening to everything!
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– He has now found his hands and feet. He always has his hands in his mouth and he now likes to grab his toes. (especially during diaper changes, and that kinda drives me nuts.. but it is really cute!)
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– When he gets a bottle, he can almost hold it all by himself. Such a big boy!
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– I’m not 100% sure, but he may be teething… dun dun dun! He recently started drooling and blowing bubbles A LOT!!! I dread the teething phase, so I hope it’s just baby bubbles.
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– He went on his very first Vacation to Destin, Fl, right after he turned 3 months! We took him to the beach a few of the days and he got to meet his Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Byrom!! It was not AS stressful as I thought it would be, but I think I will be less stressed about the BLAZING sun, when he is a little older and can wear sunscreen. We had him in a tent the ENTIRE time we were outside, but I was still a little paranoid! Any red on his skin and I was freaking… just a little. But y’all know me and WebMD go WAY back so my paranoia is kind of a given!
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– Recently Hudson found his little baby voice! It’s awesome to hear him gab. He talks some days NON-STOP! Sometimes it sounds like he is trying to say “MA”, “mama”, and even “I love you”. It’s probably more wishful thinking on my part, but I think he’s getting there! We have baby talk conversations a lot now! It’s great to have someone to talk to during the day again! LOL
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– Lastly, my little giant has upgraded from size 1 diapers to…. GASP… size 2! I don’t know why, but this depresses me a little. Oh wait I do know why, it’s because he is GROWING SO FAST!!! He is no longer my little 6 lb peanut. He is getting SO big… and HEAVY! I am pretty sure I almost threw my back out in the store the other week trying to carry him in his carseat. Those things are already heavy, add a 13-14 lb (or heavier) baby to the mix and you can pretty much forget totting that thing around without a stroller. When he grows out of the Baby Bjorn, I am SO SCREWED! When I have time (hahahahahahahahaha, that’s a funny thing to say now… time. What’s that???) I should really look into weight training! LOL
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I promise to update you all more on little Hudson, so stay tuned!!!
the simon adventures 