Play Date with Ashley

That afternoon (2/4) we stopped by to visit Ashley. We grabbed some Thai food and had lunch with Ashley while Hudson and Avery played. They were so funny together. Hudson is a few months older than Avery so he looked quite a bit bigger (although the size difference isn't as dramatic as it was at Homecoming). Hudson was rolling all around and touching Avery. She didn't seem to mind too much though. In fact they were both pretty entertained with each other. :) It was really fun for me to catch up with Ashley too!! Hopefully we can make these play dates a more regular thing. 

*On a side note, Hudson's outfit does fit him. He is just so active that it constantly rides up. I swear I don't put him in too small of clothes. ;)

Visit with Papa

On Feb. 4, my mom, Hudson and I went down to Dana Point to visit Papa Fred. He was leaving soon for Utah to have a kidney transplant so we wanted to spend some time with him before he left. He was so sweet with Hudson. He gave him tons of kisses and kept saying how sweet he is. Hudson loves Papa!! He thought he was very funny and loved all the attention. It was so special to watch the two of them together. It is pretty neat that four generations got to spend the day together and Hudson got to play with his Great Grandfather. 

Superbowl

On February 3rd, we went to Mark Weide's house for a Superbowl party. He is a friend of Nic's from Mailer's Haven. (This is the first year in a while that we didn't go to Lindsay's house-hopefully they had fun without us). We gave Hudson his football toy from Nonna before we left and he really liked it. He was so good. 

He loved hanging out and watching the game...and he sure wanted to take part in the beer drinking too. 

He got really hot (not surprising) so he spent a chunk of the party naked. The game was played by Baltimore and San Francisco. We decided to root for SF since they are from Cali, but Baltimore ended up winning. Beyonce put on a pretty good half time performance which of course was my favorite part of the game (and the commercials). The stadium power outage sort of threw our schedule off so Hudson got a bit over-tired by the end, but in general he was really good and we had a really fun time.

Twenty Three Weeks Old

On January 30th, Hudson turned 23 weeks old. He weighs 16 pounds 11 ounces. This little guy has no fear! He will dive bomb forward from sitting when he wants something. He scoots forward, sideways, and in circles. He can push up and slide back. While on my tummy he used my legs to push himself up onto his hands and knees. He still likes to grab our faces especially our mouths and cheeks and he tries to "kiss" our noses. He has gotten upset a few times when I've handed him to a stranger and he has cried a few times when I've left the room. 

Trains, Naps, Lunch Dates

On January 28th, I spent the morning with Donna and Zoe then took them to the train station. Later that day, Rachelle and Christine came over. Rachelle brought delicious chicken chili and I made corn bread and rice krispy treats. We had so much fun playing with Hudson and talking about motherhood (Christine is expecting her first little boy in March).

Hudson's Busy Sunday

On January 27th, Hudson and I went to Jessica's house for a baby get together. Jessica is from the pregnancy classes we took. A few of the other families from the class came which was fun. 

Straight from that party, we drove to Hudson's next social engagement. A friend from work hosted a Piggies and Paws party.We made a few really cute handprint art pieces that I can't wait to see. 

After that, we went to Staples Center to meet up with Nic, Donna and Zoe (Donna and Zoe are friends who were visiting from Australia) at the Clippers game. It was such a busy day, but Hudson seemed to love it!! 

Australia Day

On January 26th, we celebrated Australia Day. Normally I make meat pies and ANZAC biscuits, but since I'm on my super strict diet, we didn't have an Aussie meal to celebrate. We did take some adorable photos of Hudson though! Could he be any cuter?!!

Twenty Two Weeks Old

On January 23rd, Hudson turned 22 weeks old. He weighed 16 pounds 15 ounces. He is really enjoying blowing raspberries this week. He looks up at me constantly during feedings, which I love. He reaches out and touches my face and Nic's face a lot. He pushed his belly off the floor this week. 

5 Months

I know I say this every month, but I can't believe Hudson is already 5 months old!! He weighs 16 pounds 15 ounces. He is wearing size 3 diapers. He wears 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes. He is sitting up much better. He is able to lift his hands while sitting now. He loves to stand (with our help of course). He is still working on rolling from his back to his stomach. He has started to scoot. He is still obsessed with watching us eat. His personality is developing more and more. I just love him so much!

Katrina's Here!

Katrina Danielle Hicks arrived on January 20th!! She was 6 pounds and 18 inches! Aren't these photos amazing?!! The one of Will practically delivering her makes me tear up. It is such a special moment and these photos capture it so well.

On January 21st, Sabrina, Hudson and I went down to San Diego to meet Katrina and congratulate Aunt Susannah. Hudson was so good on the drive down!! We were so excited to meet Katrina and I was excited to see how big Hudson would look next to Katrina. Unfortunately, Hudson wasn't allowed to go in so we had to wait in the lobby. Will was so nice though, he came down and watched Hud so Beena and I could watch Aunt Susannah open the presents together. We also got to see our cousin Shelley and she got to meet Hudson for the first time. Katrina was so itty bitty and so precious!! It is always so special to hold a brand new baby in your arms. I can't believe my Aunt has a little girl!! I am so happy for her and excited to have a new cousin!

Lady Gaga Concert

On January 20th, Rachelle, Kelly, Sabrina and I went to dinner at Granville and then went to the Lady Gaga concert. It was so fun!! It wasn't as good as the first time, but Gaga was still amazing!! She is such an inspirational performer. (Sabrina took the photos so I'll post them when I get them from her)

Sabrina Visits

On January 19th, Sabrina came to visit. She went to the opening Kings game. She wanted us to go, but because we had just started Hudson's sleep training, we didn't want to mess him up. So instead, we had him take a picture with Beena in his jersey before she left and we watched the game on tv. 

That night Auntie Beena helped Hudson with his bath. Bath time is always fun!!

Why Won't You Sleep?

I think I have been asking Hudson this question since he was born. He has always been a terrible sleeper. Sometimes he would sleep for only 10 minutes before waking and crying. I would consider myself lucky if he slept for 40 minutes (usually in my arms). I got in the habit of doing whatever I could to help my little guy sleep, which meant occasional naps in the swing with me frantically trying to get something done before he wakes up or more often than not Hudson sleeping in my arms.

I love looking down at this face in my arms!

Hudson has been growing fast and the dreaded day of him getting too big for the Rock n Play arrived way too soon. We moved him to the pack n play and I simultaneously decided it was time to start getting Hudson used to his room. He had an adorable room and he had barely spent any time in it.

We began putting him in his crib for naps in December. He really struggled with it. I would let him cry for a few minutes, then go in and pick him up and settle him down, then place him back in the crib. Picking him up seemed to make him more upset, so I started placing my hand on his chest, patting his back, or rubbing his face. As soon as he would fall asleep I would slowly try to sneak away. Sometimes I was able to escape, but many times I would end up holding him in the rocker for the entire nap. Once I spent the whole nap hovered over him with my hand on his chest! :/

With just a week to go before Christmas I postponed the crib training and just embraced the cuddly naps in my arms. I knew it wouldn't last much longer so I cuddled Hud on the couch and watched Christmas movies. It was heaven!!!

Nights weren't as heavenly though. Most nights I was getting up every 1-2 hours to nurse Hudson. He didn't nurse to sleep, but couldn't fall back asleep until after he'd eaten. He went down great at night, but just couldn't seem to get himself back to sleep unless he ate. Once he ate though, he wouldn't cry anymore. He would get himself to sleep once he had a full belly and some mommy time, which was great for him, but not so great for me and not so great for Nic either (Hudson was still in the pack n play in our room). We tried making him wait when he woke up. After a period of waiting we would give him the pacifier, then Nic would try to comfort him back to sleep (as soon as I grabbed him he wasn't settling for anything, but food). It was exhausting!!

At Hudson's 4 month appointment the doctor told us Hudson wasn't ready for cry it out because of all his stomach problems. He did say to make sure we put him down awake, which we were already doing and Hudson was great at putting himself to sleep so we felt all proud of ourselves. As I was getting up for the 4th time that night though, I knew we weren't fooling anyone with lies that we had a naturally good sleeper. 

At 4 1/2 months our doctor said that Hudson did not need to eat overnight and was manipulating us. She advised us to transition Hudson into his room first, then try a sleep training method. We agreed that it was hard at the moment because as soon as Hudson woke up he could see us and I felt like he was always thinking, "you're right there, why won't you help me." So we made it our mission to get him into his crib. By that point he was taking his naps in his crib (he was doing much better) so we only had to switch him at night. 

The first night I cried during his bedtime routine. Sleeping in his big boy bed overnight meant he was growing up! It felt like it was going too fast and I liked having him right there next to me. I loved listening to him breath at night. I loved rolling over and checking on him. I knew I was going to miss him. January 9th was his first full night in his crib. That night (Jan. 9) he slept 2 hours, then 3, then 2 1/2, then 2 1/2. We were so proud of him the next morning!! 

My next mission was to figure out what sleep method to use. I know sleep training is somewhat controversial and I must admit before having Hudson I thought I would be super strict, but after Hudson arrived I practically went the complete other extreme and wanted to cater to Hud's every whim and use the no cry method. What I finally realized one day after picking Hudson up out of the crib and spending about 30 minutes with him crying in my arms I realized crying is inevitable. He cried no matter what I did and because I was inconsistent, I think I was making the situation worse. Once I decided that I could do CIO, I went to the library and checked out as many sleep books as I could find. 

We settled on the Sleep Easy Solution. A friend had recommended it. It was a really quick read and I liked that it had a night weaning plan. (Even though our doctor said he didn't need to eat over night, I knew he was getting a good chunk of his daily intake at night and didn't feel right just cutting him off cold turkey. We read the book, bought Hudson a few breathable security blankets and came up with our plan.

This is why we had to buy breathable security blankets! I was having to sneak in and pull this off Hudson's face once I thought he was asleep!!

We began Sleep Training on January 16th.The first night was horrible!! We took Hudson's pacifier and swaddle away and quickly realized that him going down easily at night was an illusion. We were prepared for crying and not sleeping overnight, but we were not prepared for crying right off the bat. Hudson cried for 53 minutes (I cried a ton too). It was torture!! The way the night weaning works is that you have to chart your baby's night feedings then wake him up to feed him before he would normally wake up. You feed him the max he eats normally, then cut it down by two minutes each night. That way you can consistently have him put himself to sleep when he wakes up. Since his waking patterns aren't consistent I ended up having to do a lot of feedings. I did night feedings at 10pm, 12am, 2am and 4am so I was exhausted. He did pretty well after the initial struggle until around 5:30am the next morning when he cried for over an hour!!, It was physically and emotionally exhausting! Then because we had taken the pacifier away the naps the next day were a nightmare. Hudson was so overtired all day and screaming/crying and it was just me home by myself trying to stay strong and stick to the program. 

On night two, he only cried for 14 minutes. Can you believe the difference? After the night feedings he cried for less than 5 minutes each time! We were pretty impressed, but didn't want to get too excited. 

By night three, Hudson only cried for about 8 minutes and only cried at for a few minutes at 4:30am and 5:30am. 

On January 19th (night four), Hudson slept from 8pm to 7am with one dream feed at 10pm!!! We couldn't believe it!! The book promised results in less than a week, but we didn't actually believe it. We were pretty impressed and it felt amazing to finally be getting sleep again! We also noticed an improvement with Hudson's mood during the day. After a few nights of sleeping well, we noticed he was a lot less tired during the day and generally happier. It was a win win and even though it was extremely difficult and heartbreaking to do, it was totally worth it!!

Twenty One Weeks Old

On January 16th, Hudson turned 21 weeks old. He weighed 16 pounds 12 ounces. Hudson's nanny Christine started this week and even though it has only been one day so far, he seems to really like her. His rash is still really bad. He is still working on trying to roll from back to tummy. He is getting better at sitting up on his own. He can still wear 0-3 month clothes, but mostly wears 3-6 month clothes. He is in size 2 diapers. Since his rash isn't improving, I have decided to go back on my diet in the hopes that it will help.

UCI Homecoming

On Saturday, January 12th, we drove down to UCI for Homecoming. Nic and I try to go every year.It is tons of fun for us both. I catch up with my sorority sisters and visit the sorority house and Nic catches up with all his basketball buddies. We met at Gina's for some food before Hud and I went over to the Tri Delt house and Nic went to Steelhead to meet his b-ball friends. I got to meet Ashley's little girl Avery for the first time!! We were laughing so hard as we were heading through AV with our matching strollers thinking how much times had changed. 

Hud and I met back up with Nic at the street festival before heading into the Bren to watch the basketball game. UCI won!! They didn't have the usual special event for basketball alumns so we just caught up with a few more friends, then left to head home.

Poo Explosion

On January 12th, we went into Hudson's room to find a nice surprise! Hudson had a huge poop explosion over night and it was all over his crib!! YIKES! Oh the joys of parenthood. ;)

Twenty Weeks Old

On January 9th, Hudson turned 20 weeks old. He weighed 16 pounds 12 ounces. Hudson has discovered his man parts and his belly button. He slept in his crib overnight for the first time this week. He does a really good job of going to sleep by himself, but he wakes up constantly at night  (every 2 to 3 hours)! His rash has gotten significantly worse in the last two weeks since I went off my diet. We had his follow-up doctor appointment (he weighed 16 pounds 9 ounces at the doctors) where they confirmed that he has atopic dermatitis (or eczema). They tested a bunch of his stools and while they looked foamy (usually a sign of a dairy allergy) they were all negative for blood. I knew immediately that I wanted to go back on my diet, but our doctor said we should try to treat with more traditional treatments first to see if they would help (especially since the diet is so restricting). She recommended that we stop using anything scented, including our Johnson's baby products. She said Hud didn't really need soap when being bathed, but if we felt it was necessary, to only use cetaphil. She also recommended using Cetaphil lotion and switching to free and clear detergent. As much as I wanted to go back on my diet, I also hate the diet, so I figured we would try these other things first to see if they helped. 

Lindsay Babysitting

On January 7th, Lindsay watched Hudson for a few hours while I went into work for an interview. The girls had so much fun with Hud! Lindsay sent me these adorable photos she took while I was gone and she took another cute one when I got there to pick Hudson up. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend and a neighbor as well. :)

Lakers vs. Clippers Game

On January 4th, we went to the Lakers vs.Clippers game. Nic met up with some of his college basketball friends and Australia buddies before and after the game so Hudson and I came separate. Hudson was really good, just like he always is at basketball games. He even slept a bit in the 4th quarter. It was really nice to get out of the house and feel a bit normal.

Nineteen Weeks Old

On January 2nd,Hudson turned 19 weeks old. He weighed 16 pounds 5 ounces. After 4 1/2 weeks of waking every 1-2 hours, Hudson finally had one night of a 5 hour stretch (thank goodness!) He is really moving around in his pack-n-play in his sleep. We keep finding him at the bottom of the pack-n-play sideways. He has started scooting a little on his tummy. When he is on his back he spins around. He is constantly moving these days. He is rolling from side to side and really reaching for toys. He is especially motivated to reach for phones and he loves grabbing faces. He sat up for a minute on his own and moved his hands to hold himself up. He was pretty good at the "tripod"

New Year's Day

We spent New Year's day enjoying a delicious breakfast of sausage, pancakes and hot chocolate while watching the Rose Parade. Hudson was so funny. Nic was holding him on the couch and he was diving for my food. He wants to try food so bad!! 

We also took some more photos out on the balcony and let Hudson experience snow one more time. He grabbed it and put it in his mouth (just like he does with everything) then he realized how cold it was and got upset. 

We flew home (Hud was great on the flight again) and went home after a really fun weekend!

New Year's Eve

We went to Tomi and Ron's house to bring in the New Year. Nic and I made pigs in a blanket when we got there, which were a huge hit! I also made Candy Cane Crunch Krispies from my favorite blogger Picky-Palate and Peppermint Bark Rice Krispies from Our Best Bites. Tomi's mother in law made delicious chili, my mom's friend Angela made delicious cornbread and Tomi made amazing honey butter. YUM!! We watched the Dick Clark Rockin' New Year's Eve Show and rang in the New Year in NY time. Hudson was really good the whole night and seemed to even like the poppers. :) I think the best part of the night was kissing our little man!! I love him so much and I have a feeling 2013 is going to be a fun year for our family!!

Weekend in Mammoth

On December 29th, we left for Mammoth. My dad flew us up there. What a spoiled little boy Hudson is getting to fly privately at such a young age!! He absolutely loves flying. He was checking everything out during take-off then hung out for a little bit before falling asleep. It was a beautiful flight!! Nic sat up in the front with my dad and my dad decided to let Nic land!! As you can see, I was a little nervous about that. It sure was beautiful though, landing with all the snow around! This trip was Hudson's first time to Mammoth and first time to see snow!! 

We spent the first day taking Hudson out on the patio to check out the snow. He was way more interested in eating his snow suit. He didn't seem to mind the snow too much, and he liked sliding down the slope. He was not overly thrilled when it started snowing and when my mom sprinkled snow in his face. It was fun to see him experience the snow for the first time though and overall I think he liked it.

That night we went to the village for dinner. After dinner Uncle Ty and Uncle Jus hung out with Hud.

The next day we went up to the Mountain. We took the gondola up to the very top with Hudson and got some photos. Then we met my dad, Tyler and Justin for lunch at Parallax. On the way back to the car we stopped and got our photo with Wooly!

That afternoon, the boys went snowmobiling while my mom and I played with Hudson and did some baking.