A few years ago, my sorority sisters went on a weekend getaway to Santa Barbara. We had such a great time and swore we would do it every year. Well, we didn't do it last year, but we did do it again this year. I love my sorority sisters so much and even though I don't get to see them as often as I would like, I always have the best time when I do spend time with them. I left on Friday to drive out to Palm Springs. I was planning to leave earlier, but Hudson had other plans. It was my first night away from him and I felt like he knew it and was stalling. He took the longest nap the nursed for way longer than normal!
I got on the road way later than planned, but still got there earlier enough to enjoy the pool with Rebecca, Rachel and Lauren before dinner. (I also pumped in the car while driving. It was my first time doing it and I was pretty proud of myself).
That night we went out to dinner somewhere in town then went to a bar for drinks after.
The next day, we went to the Viceroy to spend the day at the pool.
I had to leave that afternoon to make it home in time for my mom's 50th birthday party, so it was a short trip for me, but it was still worth it to spend some time with my girls!!
On top of all the deaths and funerals going on at the moment, our nanny gave us her two week notice. She was offered a full-time job that she couldn't pass up. She was on the verge of tears when she told me and so was I to be honest. Christine has been such a wonderful nanny and we are all going to miss her terribly. Hudson is always happy to see her and goes to her willingly. Not only does she play with him, but she practices skills such as crawling, standing, walking, etc. with him. She has also been great about teaching him boundaries. She is very strict, but still loving. In fact, one Tuesday, as Hudson was playing with the remote control, she told him, "No Thank You" then turned to me and said I don't know why he is touching that I taught him not to. I got a very guilty look on my face and told her we had been allowing him to play with it all weekend because we didn't realize it was an off-limits item. Ooops. It made me laugh because she was much better at setting limits and practicing skills with Hudson than we were. The best part of it though was that because she worked so much with him on Tuesdays and Thursday, I felt like we had earned the right to just play the other days of the week. Nic and I both benefited from that because we got to cut ourselves a break. Anyways, saying goodbye today was very difficult. We wish Christine all the best, but we sure are going to miss her.
On June 6th, Nic, Hudson and I went to my Uncle Rudi's funeral. Many friends and family came to pay tribute to my uncle. It was nice to see how many people came to support our family and show my Uncle their love. As I said before, my uncle's health hasn't been great the last few years, but it is never easy to lose someone. It was especially hard for Oma and Opa; I think it is always challenging for parents to say goodbye to a child. My grandparents really seemed to appreciate all the kind words spoken though. The highlight for me was when Tyler and Aubrey got up and spoke together. I was really proud of them and felt like they paid a really nice tribute to Uncle Rudi. My mom read the Eulogy and I thanked everyone on behalf of our family. It was a difficult day, but it was nice to say goodbye.
Here is a photo of my dad and Uncle Rudi that I posted on my instagram and facebook that day:
On June 5th, I took my little man to the park. He was very excited! Hudson just loves being outdoors. he enjoyed sitting on his blanket, watching the big kids play. He loved playing on the swing and truck, playing with his shadow and playing with all of his toys. It is always a nice way to spend the morning. :)
On June 5th Hudson turned 41 weeks old. Apparently, I have been slacking on weighing the little guy. Oops. Hudson has been standing on his own for really long stretches. He put a square, circle and triangle in the correct holes in his shape sorter. He started eating oatmeal/prunes this week.
On June 4th, I went to the Kings Game with Dave, Debbie and my mom. The Kings won 3-1 in this game 3 of the Playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks. We had a great time and it was fun for me to get out of the house for the night.
On June 2nd, my friend Pennee was up in my neck of the woods for a shower, so she and her family stopped by for a visit. Her little girl, Kiera, had so much fun playing with Hudson and all of his toys and Hudson, well, we all know he loves those older women. ;) It was so nice to see Pennee again; I'm glad she and her family were able to spend some time with us.
That afternoon, we met our friends Aaron and Hannah (along with two of their friends) at The Grove for lunch. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory, then got Sprinkles cupcakes. It was great to spend some time with them while they were here on holidays.
On June 4th, 2012, a childhood friend of mine left this world. A group of my dance friends got together to remember Erin and celebrate her life, but unfortunately I wasn't able to make it because I was on bed rest. This year, we decided to do something again. We all got together to enjoy some food and good company. We wrote messages on balloons and released them into the sky for Erin. It was nice to spend time with friends I don't see all that often as well and take time to remember a dear friend. Erin had the absolute brightest smile that could brighten anyone's day and she really is missed.
After the picnic, we went to Myka's birthday party. Myka is my cousin Nicole's daughter. It was our first time meeting her and she was just as cute as can be. She looks just like her mama! Hudson had so much fun playing with all his cousins. He played in a ball pit (his favorite!), sandbox, bounce house and got to ride a rocking horse. Sophie, my cousin Shelley's daughter, was extra excited to see me and Hudson. She was so sweet with him. We don't get to see our cousins very often so I am very happy that we were able to spend some quality time with them. It was a really fun afternoon celebrating Myka's 1st birthday.
I've been wanting to update my header for a while now. We actually are a clan now and I figured it was about time Hudson be included in the photos. Plus the first header I made wasn't exactly what I wanted and now that I am getting better at the CM Storybook Software I figured I should give it a try (you know because its not like I'm 3 months behind on entries with plenty of free time on my hands ;)). Here is our original Header:
Here is our new header:
I still don't have the transparency thing down, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I did it pretty quickly too! (Much quicker than the first one which took forever and caused me a lot of stress) As I get better with this program, I can't wait to see what I'll be able to do to customize my blog. :) Now, back to work on getting caught up....
On June 1st, Nic, Hudson and I went to the 1st Time Mommy Group Picnic.The 1st Time Mommy Group is a facebook group that my friend Vivian invited me to join when I was pregnant. Coincidentally, I also know the founder of the group, Masae, from college and a few of my co-workers are members as well. It is a really great group because everyone is supportive and its drama-free. :) The group decided to host a picnic for all the So Call mommies and it was really fun. Hudson had fun playing with his girlfriend Leah, meeting our co-worker's daughter Sofie and making some new friends too. They had a crawling relay. The babies were all lined up then one parent stood at the finish line a good distance away. On go, none of the babies moved. The parents eventually had to move closer and suddenly Hudson took off. It looked like he was going to win until everyone started rooting for him. When he heard all the "Go Hudson's" and cheering behind him he stopped and turned around to check it out. At that point Sofie passed him up, but then she stopped as well and a kid at the other side of the line won. It was hilarious to watch!! The event was catered, they had a professional photographer, and they even had tons of cool prizes for all the games and goodies for everyone in attendance. It was a blast and I'm already looking forward to next year's event.
On May 31st, we went to Kisho for dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday. Hudson loved it! He was fascinated with the "show" especially the fire. His favorite part of the night though was the "High High" song (it's the Japanese version on If You're Happy and You Know It, but instead of clapping your hands you throw them in the air). This restaurant makes going out to eat with a baby so easy because he gets entertained the whole time.
On May 30th, Hudson took his first step. When I got home from the gym, our nanny told me to sit on the couch. She stood Hudson up a little bit away from me then let go. I started freaking out, thinking this is it he is going to walk to me! My eyes filled with tears as he took his first step, then plop. I honestly thought he was just going to take off walking, I was nervous and totally unprepared for it to happen so soon. I was somewhat relieved he only had enough balance for one step, but I was still so proud of him. He did it over and over again for Nic and I that night. It may have been only one step, but it was our little man's first and it was a very exciting moment for us.
On May 29th, we went to our Gymboree class. During the class, they blow bubbles at each of the kids. Most kids love this and smile and reach up at the bubbles. Hudson is much more serious during the bubbles. He watches them, almost studying them, as if trying to figure out how they work. He reacts (twitches) every time they are blown in his face, but then reaches out for them once that initial blow is over. It cracks us up to watch him every week.
Ever since Hudson started really moving, his weekly photos have become a bit of a challenge. He hates to sit still these days, so the second he is placed on his chair, he tries to dive off and crawl away. One week I caught his head inches from it smacking the floor. Because of that, I've had to start taking his photos on the weekend when Nic is home. Nic tries to distract Hud so I can capture a picture while standing close by so he can also try to catch Hudson as he flings himself out of his chair! Now Hudson has mastered the dismount, but he still bails and crawls away as quickly as possible. Here are a few of my favorite out-takes from weeks 32-40.
On May 29th, Hudson turned 40 weeks old. Hudson is letting go and standing on his own quite a bit and he walked holding on to me with only one hand. He tried to bite me for the first time while nursing. He also pinches, bites and pulls hair! He claps his hands, but hits the top of one hand with the other hand. We have no idea where he learned this. Hudson went on his first water slide this week and loved it! He also really loved the pool. He was kicking, splashing, smiling, squealing and putting his face in. He is really getting good at communicating his likes and dislikes through smiles, squeals and mini tantrums. He is still wearing mostly size 3-6. For this photo we put Hud in a 9 month onesie and it was very baggy on him. Hudson started spinach with pears and mango and spinach with peas and pears.
Even though we had a huge room, we still stuck poor Hud in the bathroom. ;) We wanted to be able to enjoy the fireplace, tub, and tv after he went to sleep so the bathroom was still the best spot.
On our last morning, we had breakfast on the balcony.
We packed up while Hudson napped, then met Ashley, Andre and Avery at the pool.
We hung out with them for a while, then did some swimming and enjoyed the slides some more. We even took Hudson down the biggest slide and he liked it!
We had the absolute best time and we were sad when the weekend came to an end! It went by so quickly, we didn't even have time to enjoy the spa facilities or jacuzzis, so we will have to come back!
