Enjoying Every Moment

On May 15th, my childhood friend, Amber, lost her husband. He was murdered, leaving her with two small children and one on the way. My heart is broken for her. I can't imagine what she must be experiencing. Here is an article about it. I can't believe someone would kill someone over something so silly. I can't wrap my head around this tragic, unnecessary loss. In the days following, whenever I would get upset or cry, I would look at the donation site that was created for Chris' family. It was so re-assuring to see how our small town had so quickly come together and how generously people were donating money to help Amber and the kids. If you are interested in donating, here is the website.

On May 20th, my Uncle Rudi passed away. He had been quite sickly lately, so it wasn't shocking like my friend's husband, but it was sad nonetheless. My Uncle was somewhat of a unique guy, mainly choosing to keep to himself. He only joined us momentarily for holidays and it was usually when I forced him to be in the family photos. My brother Tyler said it best though when he pointed out that Uncle Rudi played a huge roll in shaping my dad. Uncle Rudi introduced my dad to boating, flying, motorcycle riding, and camping. When we take part in those activities in the future, I hope we will all remember Uncle Rudi and be thankful for the time we had with him.

Instead of sitting at home and crying, I decided that these losses were a reminder of just how fragile life can be and that we should try an enjoy each moment we have with our loved ones. I decided that I should worry less about how clean my house is, how long my to do list is or how stressful work is. What is most important is the time spent with the ones you love because you never know when they will be taken from you. So, Nic, Hudson and I went to Gymboree. There is nothing like watching the pure, innocent joy of a child to brighten your day. 

After Gymboree, we went to dinner at Islands. It was so nice to be out as a family, enjoying delicious food (I can eat a Hawaiian burger without cheese and mayo!) and great company. Hudson was so good the entire meal! He even posed for a family self portrait and gave Nic kisses! (His kisses are my second favorite thing in the world after his laugh!) It was just the evening we needed after a rather sad week. 

Visit from Kim

On May 19th, Hudson and I dropped Sabrina off at the airport.

We went to the park for a bit, but it was so HOT! We spent most of the time in the shade watching some big kids play.

That afternoon, Kim stopped by for a visit on her way back from Nor Cal. She got to meet Hudson for the first time and we got to catch up. :)

Nic Vegas

On May 18th, Nic drove out to Vegas to spend some time with friends visiting from Australia. It coincidentally fell on the 5 year anniversary of Nic's bachelor party. He celebrated by staying at the same hotel, Excalibur, where he got upgraded! 

He went to Mon Ami Gabi for lunch, played beer pong, and went to Hyde Nightclub at the Bellagio. It was a short trip, but he had a lot of fun!

Tara's Bridal Shower

On Saturday, May 18th, Sabrina,Hudson and I went to Tara's Bridal Shower. It was the first time a lot of our Acton friends met Hudson and they all loved him. He was really well behaved the entire shower even without his normal afternoon nap. I was so proud of him! The shower was really fun. They played a really fun game with underwear and we watched Tara open her presents and I mostly talked with friends that I don't see very often.

After the shower, Sabrina and I came home and got Hudson ready for bed. Sabrina fed Hudson, read him his bedtime story, and gave him his bath. It was nice that she got to spend some quality time with Hud.

That night, Brenda came over to watch Hudson while Sabrina and I went out to continue the celebration of Tara's upcoming wedding. I almost teared up when Brenda offered at the shower and again when I answered the door. It was so incredibly sweet of her to drive all the way over from Agua Dulce to sit around while Hudson slept! It was so generous of her and really meant so much to me!!

We had a great time out. It felt nice to not miss out just because I have a baby. I even had a margarita! ;) 

Meeting Lucy

On Friday, May 17th, Hudson and I went to West Creek Park to spend time with the Valencia North MOMS group. We always get there late because of Hudson's nap schedule, but it is still always nice to meet new people and let Hudson play for a bit. I officially joined the group this week so I am excited to hopefully become better friends with everyone and enjoy some of the fun events the group hosts. 

That afternoon, Hudson and I went to visit my friend Shannon and her 2 month old daughter Lucy. I was planning to bring Shannon dinner, but unlike me still, she has everything under control. So I brought her desserts instead. ;) I made rice krispy treats and allergy free funfetti cupcakes. Lucy is just too adorable for words and Hudson enjoyed exploring Shannon's entire house....pointing out to us all the baby-proofing she will need to do in her future! :) We had a really great time and hopefully we can get together again before Shannon goes back to work.

That night, I picked Auntie Beena up from the airport. She is visiting us for the weekend!! Yay!!

Hudson-NO

I took this video on May 17th. It makes me laugh every time I watch it. 

Park Play Date

On May 15th, we met up with our Labor of Love friends at the park for another play date. It was a beautiful day and the park we we went to was super cool! I will definitely be bringing Hudson to this one when he is older. It has a rock wall, a ropes course and a bunch of other cool things for big kids. We sat in the shade and talked while the kiddos played. I am really enjoying meeting up with my friends and exploring all the beautiful parks in the area. 

Thirty Eight Weeks

On May 15th, Hudson turned 38 weeks old. He weighed 18 pounds 5 ounces. Hudson loves to pull doors open and closed. He grabs the small knobs on his zany zoo and pulls the doors open. He pulls open drawers and doors (and pulls everything out!). He also loves to pull things off the top of dressers and desks. He knows what NO means, then most of the time he chooses to ignore it. He also responds to his name. He has also figured out how to put round shapes through round cutouts in his dog and in a rolling ball. He can't do the square or triangle yet, but he does the circle over and over again. He has also started putting his rings back on the stick. It's amazing to see him constantly learning new things. He has been singing along when I sing him his bedtime song, which is so sweet. He has also really been testing boundaries lately, which is not so sweet. He is exploring everything and trying to find out what he is allowed to play with, what he isn't, how far he can push me, and how much he can get away with. He has had apricots and blueberries this week (both combined with apple).

Pool Day

On May 13th, I took Hudson back up to the pool. This time he loved it right away! He was splashing all around, trying to crawl away from me and even put his face in. It was such a nice way to spend the afternoon!

My 1st Mother's Day

I celebrated my 1st Mother's Day this year! I still can' believe that I'm a mom!! I feel so blessed to have Hudson as my son. He is such a clever, sweet, cheeky, stubborn, determined, adorable little boy and I just love him to pieces!! I also feel so blessed to have such an incredible husband who always makes me feel special and re-assures me that I am doing a good job at being a mama. Both of my boys truly spoiled me on May 12th!! (heck, if I had known how awesome Mother's Day was, I would have had a kid sooner ;) ). 

I started my morning off with cuddles in bed (sort of) with my little man. Hudson is so not a cuddler, so the fact that he even spent a few minutes in my arms without trying to crawl away was a special treat. Then Hudson and Nic made me pancakes and brought them to me in bed! After breakfast, I did a bit more scrapbooking, then enjoyed a delicious turkey sandwich made my Nic. Nic also got me special gluten free vegan cupcakes that were delivered to our house! They were chocolate cupcakes with caramel sauce, frosting and sea salt. They were so delicious and tasted a lot like my favorite cupcakes from Velvet Cupcakes. Then it was off to my surprise afternoon at the spa!! I got a massage, sipped mimosas, sat in the hot tub, relaxed in the steam room and enjoyed a rainfall shower. It was heavenly!! They gave me a rose as I was leaving and wished me a Happy Mother's Day!! ;) 

That afternoon, Nic, Hudson and I went to the pool. It was such a hot day and a family outing sounded perfect. Hudson hadn't been in a pool since Hawaii so we figured it was a good idea to get him comfortable in the water. At first we tried dipping his toes in the big pool, but the water was slightly cold and Hudson was scared, so we took him in the kiddie pool instead. Hudson was a bit frightened! He kept trying to turn into us and climb into our arms, which is very unlike him. We gave him time to just sit in our laps and eventually he got curious and started reaching down and splashing the water, then he slowly inched in further until he was floating and splashing all around. Once he got over his initial fears, he loved it!! 

That evening, we had thai food for dinner and watched the season finale of Survivor. It was such a perfect day!!

I can't talk about Mother's Day without talking about the other two special Mother's in our lives. We skyped with Susan on Sunday to wish her a Happy Mother's Day and I made her this card.

My mom spent Mother's Day in Maui with her girlfriends this year, so Lindsay and I had special leis delivered on Friday.

I also made her a card and posted a collage on facebook. 

Nic and I are so lucky to have such wonderful moms (mums). We hope they had as wonderful a Mother's Day as I did!! 

Fabulous Saturday

After a wonderful Friday evening spent scrapbooking(one of my favorite things to do that I haven't found time for in a while) I continued my fabulous weekend by getting my haircut on Saturday morning (May 11th).  After the haircut, I came home and Nic and I made breakfast together. I made delicious (and easy) donuts by cutting Pillsbury crescent dough triangles in half, rolling them into balls, frying them in canola oil,and rolling them in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. They were so yummy!! Nic made delicious sausages and bacon as well!!

Nic and Hudson hung out downstairs and I spent the entire afternoon scrapbooking. It was SO relaxing to watch some movies, create some beautiful pages, and have some me time!

Play Date with Carter

On Friday, May 10th, Hudson and I went to the park for a mommy play date with the Mom's Club in our area. Then we came home to play for a little bit and Hudson surprised me by climbing up on his table to reach his zany zoo toy. I don't even think he realized how high up he was, he was just determined to get to his toy. It sure made me nervous though!

That afternoon, my friend from Canyon High School, Amber, came over with her son Carter for a play date. She posted about wanting to get together with someone on facebook, so I messaged her about getting together. I must say, that is one of my favorite aspects of facebook. I haven't seen Amber in so many years, but we have kept up with each other's lives through facebook and now we were getting together again because of it. We had a great time. Her son Carter is five months old, but was born quite a bit early, so he was tiny compared to Hudson. It is crazy when I realize how much Hudson has changed in the past few months. He is growing up so fast!! Hudson was really interested in Carter. He wanted to poke his face, put his hands in Carter's mouth and use Carter's head to stand up! I had to remind Hud repeatedly to be gentle. Hudson seemed to enjoy showing off though for his younger little buddy and Carter enjoyed watching Hudson zoom around him. Amber and I had a lot of fun too. 

Beaver Boy

We have a little beaver living with us!! I went to get Hudson out of his crib one morning and noticed teeth marks all over the sides of his crib, including a giant missing chunk!! Yikes! We always thought it was cute how Hudson moves to the sides of his crib...we did not realize it was because he was chowing down on the rails!! (Smart little boy doesn't like to chew on the long side that came with a plastic teething guard!!) I still don't understand why they only put the guard on one side of the crib. Parents are busy and exhausted already, why do they have to make more work for us? I ventured out in search of guards for the sides, but the stores only carry the stick on ones that,from what I've read, peel off and remove the paint with it. Since Hudson pulled the safety bumpers off our fireplace in about a day, I decided those weren't going to work for the crib. We ordered some from Amazon, but had to do something in the meantime because both Nic and I were disturbed by the thought of Hudson eating chunks of wood. We used our bumper as a make shift teething guard and I must admit it is working pretty well. :) Plus, it has given us an excuse to use our adorable bumper. (yes, I am the stereotypical first time mom who had to have the entire crib set even though Hudson would only really use the sheets).Hopefully beaver boy is enjoying his new bumper crib. ;)

Postpartum Update

So it's been about 8 1/2 months since Hudson was born and I haven't updated in forever on my postpartum journey. Since I've been on a special diet in order to continue breastfeeding I have cut myself a lot of slack in the exercise department. One of the benefits of the diet is that I have lost a ton of weight. I'm floating right around 123-125 pounds, so about 25 pounds less than I weighed pre-pregnancy. It's crazy to think that in 8 months I've lost about 54 pounds!! Unfortunately, I'm all flab. I have lost so much muscle. I have strong arms from holding Hudson and that is about it. On top of that I have no aerobic capacity. I'll walk up the stairs while talking and get out of breath! So, Nic and I decided it was finally time to start exercising again. After almost 2 years of hardly working out, I went back to the gym. Nic and I are planning to go every Tuesday and Thursday and I am happy to report I survived week 1. It was tough, but I already feel better. Plus it is nice to spend some time with Nic sans baby. Here is a lovely photo of me post workout. I'm hoping to get that baby belly of mine toned up, tighten up all over and just feel healthier in general.

Thirty Seven Weeks

On May 8th, Hudson turned 37 weeks old. He weighed 17 pounds 15 ounces. Hudson has had broccoli and bananas this week. He has had an ear infection for the past week. Hudson has started throwing tantrums when he doesn't get to do what he wants. I definitely thought this was something that would start way later which makes me nervous for what the future holds. He mainly throws tantrums if I take away something he shouldn't be playing with, take him away from something he shouldn't be climbing on or any time I have to change his diaper. In addition to whining and crying he has mastered the noodle/limp body move and the arch back making it extremely difficult to pick him up or set him on his back for diaper changes. Either this means he is very smart or he is a major punk. ;/ Hudson has also become really fascinated with my hair. He pulls on it while nursing and pretty much any other time he can get his hands on it. Hudson also constantly has a cheeky smile. He is so fast at crawling and is always getting into things he shouldn't be. He always looks back at me as if to get my approval then when he doesn't get it he gives me a cheeky grin and does it anyway. Or if he knows it is something he shouldn't be doing, he just looks back at me straight away with the cheeky grin. Even though he is exhausting right now and quite a little stinker, he is a total crack up and keeps us on our toes. We are loving the constant entertainment our little man provides. 

Playground Fun

On May 8th, we ran into Lindsay, Brooke and Gracie at the playground. Hudson and Gracie went on the swings together. We walked part way home together and Gracie picked us some flowers before we said our goodbyes. It was fun to get out of the house, get some fresh air and spend some time with our friends. Plus Hudson got to enjoy the swings: his favorite! 

When we got home, I put him down for his nap, but he just kept crying. I finally went into his room, picked him up and let him fall asleep in my arms. When I placed him in his car seat so we could go to the pediatricians for his ear check-up, I noticed I had blood all over my shirt! Hudson's ear was bleeding quite a bit!! When I got to the doctors they said it seemed like he had ruptured his ear drum. I felt horrible for him. Luckily, when they checked it, his ear infection had healed up and all the bleeding was caused by a cut inside his ear. We were given a prescription to prevent an infection and sent on our way. Thank goodness!!

Michelle's Baby Shower

On May 4th, I went to Michelle's baby shower. She is a family friend from Dancin' in Acton. She is having a little girl named Lucy in June. We had a wonderful time playing shower games and eating lunch. Michelle got so many adorable outfits. Since I only focus on boy clothes now, it was fun to see all the cute girly stuff. 

Play Date at Jessica's

On May 3rd, Jessica hosted a play date at her house. I hadn't seen Kaia (Jemma's little girl) and Sage (Jessica's little girl) in forever! They have both changed so much and are looking really grown up. Jessica has a carpeted room as the "play room" which was perfect for Hudson. He loved crawling all around and standing up on anything he could find. At one point Kaia rolled over onto him and he was so cute about it. He looked less than thrilled at first and turned to me on the verge of tears, but I smiled at him and he almost shrugged as if to say ok I'm cool with this. Then he saw Kaia had a cool toy, so he grabbed that, then he tried to play with her foot. He eventually rolled over and crawled away. They were both super mellow and easy going about the whole thing and absolutely adorable together. Sage and Hudson were cute together too. He went over to check out Sage while she played with her piano. I love watching Hudson learn to interact with other babies. It is fun to watch him learn and as always it was great for me to socialize with other mamas. 

Nonna Visit

On May 1st, Nonna came to Gymboree with Hudson and me. I think she had fun and it was nice for Hudson to spend time with my mom. 

After the class, my mom came over for dinner. She read Hudson his bedtime story that night and gave Hud his bath. 

After we got Hud to bed, my mom and I went to Amanda's house for a Stella and Dot party. We had fun meeting some other moms and mom-to be's and it was nice to be out of the house without Hud. 

My mom stayed the night Wednesday night and Thursday night. On Friday she watched Hudson for me for a few hours while I ran some errands. It was great to be able to get things done quicker and have some me time to do a little shopping. Hudson was really good for my mom and it seemed like they both had fun together. Maybe Hudson's good behavior will entice her to babysit more in the future! ;) Thanks Nonna!!

Park Date with Scarlett

On May 1st, we met Scarlett and her mom Amanda at the park by our house. Hudson and Scarlett went on the swings together, then rode the bouncing cars. We tried to get them to sit on one together, but Scarlett is an independent woman and wanted to sit on her own. They were smiling and waving at each other from their cars. They were so adorable together!! It was sort of like a first date. ;) Amanda and I had fun chatting as well. 

Walking with Laundry Basket

Hudson likes to use things like his rolling puppy dog and our laundry basket to practice walking. This video was taken on May 1st.

Thirty Six Weeks

On May 1st Hudson turned 36 weeks old. He weighs 17 pounds 11 ounces. Hudson hasn't been feeling well this past week. It started with the fever last week, then after 3 nights of fevers and a doctor visit where they confirmed it was viral with no ear infection and no uti, he seemed to be better. On Saturday, Hudson started to act fussy again and by Sunday he had a cold. On the 1st, his snot had turned yellow and at our allergy appointment, the doctor confirmed what I was already thinking: Hudson had an ear infection. I have seen numerous friends post about cuddling with their babies on the couch when they are sick, but not Hudson. He has been fussier than normal, clingier than normal, eating less than normal and not sleeping as well at night, but overall, being sick hasn't slowed him down much. Hudson has still been crawling all over the place, standing up on everything and cruising along the furniture. Hudson likes to pick up rugs (or edges of large rugs)and look under them. He also loves to pick small clumps of lint off the carpet. This week Hud has had prunes, mangos, and apple rice cakes.

More Family Time

On April 28th, my mom, Tyler and Justin came over again. My mom brought Hudson some new foods to try. We put Hud in his high chair and gave him some apple rice cakes. He was amused by it and enjoyed playing with it, but didn't really like the taste. It was entertaining to watch. We gave him his sippy cup to try again too, but he still doesn't get it. 

Family BBQ

On April 27th we gave Hudson a sippy cup with water for the first time! He loved it!! He didn't take a single sip of water, but he held it correctly, chewed on it, and banged it around. He thought it was the best thing ever!!

That morning we took Hudson to a music class at Gymboree as a make-up since we missed the Wednesday class. They got to hit a drum, shake maracas and bells and Hudson's favorite part was getting kisses from Gymbo! After class we grabbed some food at Whole Foods where we ran into Hudson's friend Ellie.

That afternoon, my mom, dad, Tyler and Justin came over for a family BBQ. We made beef burgers, turkey burgers, hot dogs, zucchini, squash, peppers, mushrooms, and potatoes. My parents also brought macaroni salad and potato salad so we had quite the feast!! For dessert I made rice Krispy treats! We had a lot of fun together and everyone enjoyed spending time with Hudson!

We ended the day with Hudson's usual bath. Hud and Nic decided to goof around and give themselves matching hairdo's. ;) Gosh I love them!!

Gymboree Free Play with the Fam Bam

On April 26th, my mom, Tyler and Justin met us at Gymboree for free play. (Nic and I take Hudson every Friday night-I know, we spend our Friday nights at Gymboree-we are So Cool!). Hudson had fun showing off all his skills to my family and they had fun playing with the little guy! I love when he gets to spend time with his Nonna and Uncles and I think he loves it too!

After class, we went to do some shopping. Nonna thought Hudson looked so cute in this hat, but Hudson wasn't really feeling it. :)

ANZAC Day

On April 25th, we celebrated ANZAC day. The Aussies celebrated on the 24th, but since we didn't get the game until 9pm we had to wait until the next night to celebrate. Nic avoided social media all day so the game wouldn't be spoiled. Hudson got to wear his tons of Essendon Bombers gear that so many of our friends have generously purchased for him. He looked adorable!! I made ANZAC biscuits and meat pies and Nic enjoyed some Boags. Oh and Nic brought me home flowers just because! Isn't that so sweet?! Nic and Hudson had fun watching the game together and I loved watching my two favorite boys spend the evening together. 

Thirty Five Weeks

On April 24th, Hudson turned 35 weeks old. Hudson now weighs 17 pounds 11 ounces. After working on Nonna with Hudson, he has been saying nanana nonstop. He has been a bit fussy and clingy this week and not napping well. We discovered it is because he wasn't feeling well. Hudson had his first fever (102) on 4/23. Poor little guy! Hudson has had peaches and apples this week. Now when he is done eating, he closes his lips and turns his head away from the spoon. He is getting really good at climbing up stairs and he is still pulling himself up on everything! 

8 Months

Hudson is already 8 months old!!! Hudson weighs 17 pounds 11 ounces. Hudson is still mainly wearing 3-6 month clothes although he fits in 9 month pajamas and some 6-12 month shirts. He is also still wearing size 3 diapers. *Interesting note: He has worn the same white onesie in every monthly photo. It is getting a bit tight (I wouldn't have him wear it otherwise), but it does still fit. 

I so wish I could freeze time!! This is my favorite age so far! Hudson has been so happy and fun!! He seems to constantly be discovering new things which is so exciting (he is now a champion crawler), he is more interactive (waving bye bye and giving us kisses to name a few), he is napping and sleeping overnight well, he is eating well and he is just in a good mood in general. He is just loving to explore new things and we are loving watching him learn. He has such a fun personality and we love him so much!! Hudson is sort of becoming a mama's boy. He whimpers when he sees me from a distance or when I walk away and he puts his arms in the air for me to pick him up. He knows daddy is who to go to though for fun. His eyes light up when Nic gets home from work and Hudson loves to play ball with his dada. Nic tosses the ball to Hudson and Hudson waves his arms around and actually catches the ball more often than not. Hudson squeals with delight and then they practice dribbling! It is so cute and special for me to watch their bond grow. They have the absolute best time together! Every night, after our bedtime routine, which includes a feeding, a book (which Hudson is just finally starting to enjoy-Moo, Baa, La La La!, Snuggle Puppy and the Going to Bed Book are his favorites), his bath (which he loves!), putting on his diaper (which he hates!-He cries, flips over and tries to escape!), his lotion application (we chase him around while he crawls and stands on everything!), and putting on his pjs (this is like putting on the diaper-a huge battle), we turn down the lights, turn on the sound machine and say night night to dada. As soon as the lights go down Hudson turns to his daddy and starts waving. He gives Nic kisses and a hug, then keeps waving until he can't see Nic anymore. It is so sweet and one of my favorite moments of each day. Once Nic leaves, I rock Hudson and sing to him before kissing him goodnight and placing him in his crib. 

On another note, it was a huge battle to get photos this month! Hudson refuses to sit still!! Within one second of me turning away, Hudson crawled off the settee! Nic had to fly across the room to catch him in mid air!). Hudson kept pulling off his sticker, eating and crumpling it up! He kept rolling, crawling, and standing, and almost fell off the settee about a zillion more times! We were exhausted by the time we called it quits!! I;m sure this is just the beginning too!!

8 Month Photo Shoot

After Pennee's shower, Hud and I drove up to Burbank to meet Nic for some photos. We did newborn photos, 3 month photos, 6 month photos and I wanted to do 9 month photos, but our photographer was doing mini sessions and we couldn't pass up the deal so we did 8 month photos instead. Jade always takes amazing photos so we can't wait to see them!!! Here are a few photos I took of my boys before we left.

Attending parties and baby modeling are tiring!!!

Here are the photos Jade took. We love how they turned out!