19 Weeks

On April 16th, I finished my 19th week of pregnancy. I now weigh 140.6 pounds (16.6 pounds of weigh gain already!) I have been feeling the baby move a ton this week and I am finally starting to show a little. 

Easter Bunny Picture

On April 16th, I took Hudson to the mall to get his "official" Easter Bunny photo. He had a bit of a meltdown about waiting in line so I wasn't sure how it would go, but as soon as Hudson saw the Easter Bunny he was all smiles. He gave the bunny hugs and kisses and was mesmerized by him. The problem was that he wouldn't look at the camera. We tried everything to get his attention, but he was so distracted. He was pointing out Easter eggs and flowers and stuffed bunny rabbits. The photographer gave him the stuffed bunny Hud was staring at and I jumped around like an idiot to get Hudson's attention. This is the best we got. Didn't quite capture Hudson's love and joy for the Easter bunny, but it will have to do. 

Here is a comparison of Hudson's photo last year and this year. Can you believe how much he has changed in one year?!!

Here are the before and after photos of Hudson. Thankfully he was in a much better room after he met the Easter Bunny. 

Underwood Family Farms

On April 14th, I decided at the last minute to take Hudson to Underwood Family farms. I had seen so many friends post cute pictures from the farm and thought it would be a fun day for Hudson and I. Hud loved it. He got to meet the Easter bunny. It was so nice because there was no line and he got to spend lots of time with the bunny. Plus I could take as many pictures as I wanted, so I got adorable hugging and kissing photos of Hud and the Easter Bunny. 

They also had a giant Easter Basket with Easter eggs. Hudson had a blast playing with the giant eggs. I had to drag him out of the area so other people could take photos. 

After I got Hud away from the giant Easter eggs, he went on a pony ride! OMG! He loved it! He was so cute! I was so proud of him. The kid in front of us in line freaked out and had a melt down right in front of him. I thought that would scare him, but it didn't phase him at all. He was holding on with one hand and kept saying hi to me every time he came around. It was such a proud mommy moment for me! 

We also checked out the other farm animals, went down the tractor slide, and Hud pretended to drive the tractor. He was having a blast!

Hudson climbed up the hay pyramid all by himself, played on the wood train, rode the tractor with me and went on a train ride. He was cracking me up on the train! It was another thing he had to do by himself and he did great! He was smiling and making his OMG face. He loved it!! Then he went in the bounce house, which he liked for only a few short seconds before he got overwhelmed by the older kids.

The last thing we did was go to the animal show. As I watched Hudson sitting on the bench eating a snack I realized how he has just grown up seemingly overnight. When did my baby start riding rides all by himself, climbing on things without my help and just generally turn into a big boy?!! Hudson loved the show. The kids were invited up to pet most of the animals in the show, which Hudson loved! After the show, we left. It was way past Hudson's nap time and I could tell he was tired. He fell asleep as soon as we got in the car. We had such a great time, I think I will try to make this an annual thing!

Busy Weekend

April 11th-April 13th we were super busy and productive. 

On Friday, I cleaned the house, took Hudson to the park, ordered the baby's crib and cleaned the scrapbooking room while Hud napped. 

On Saturday, we filed our taxes, picked out paint samples, ordered our chair for the nursery and Nic began taping the nursery. I also ate eggs or the first time, which was very exciting!

On Sunday I filled Easter eggs and Nic painted the nursery. I  ate peanut butter for the first time in years (I had Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter crunch! Yum! Then I ate a few Reeces peanut butter eggs while I filled the Easter eggs). That afternoon, we met my dad and Sabrina in Agua Dulce to go for a helicopter ride. The poppies had bloomed so we went for a quick flight to check them out. Then we had dinner at La Cabana. 

I also stayed up late most nights working on two projects. The first project was a banner for Easter. It was pretty simple to make and turned out really cute.

The second was an album for Ruby. I had hoped to have it for Rachelle's shower, but between shower planning and my pregnancy exhaustion, it just didn't happen. Anyways, I knew I wanted to have it ready when Ruby was born, so I've been working really hard on completing it (especially since Rachelle's doctor keeps saying she will arrive early). I love how it turned out!! I hope I have a little girl some day so I can use all the pink and purple flower and cupcake scrapbooking paper! Here are a few of the details of the book:

18 Weeks

On April 9th, I completed my 18th week of pregnancy. I'm not sure how it happened, but we are missing the 18 week photos. :( I can't even confirm that we forgot to take them because we are missing a memory card that has photos from January through April on it. I guess I will have to blame pregnancy brain. 

I now weigh 136.6 pounds (12.6 pounds of total weight gain). I'm still having headaches. I've also had a sore neck all week that is now stiff and extremely painful. I'm starting to get some round ligament pain when standing. I'm also still exhausted. I am so ready for that to end because I'm not handling the lower productivity very well. Hudson has been waking up most nights so that isn't helping any. I literally fall asleep almost every night on the couch around 9:30 or 10. Then I wake up exhausted and feel as though I could sleep hours longer. 

I had a Dr. Nelson appointment on April 7th. Dr. Nelson couldn't find the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, so she did an ultrasound. Baby boy was moving all around, but his heart looked good. She told me she wouldn't have been able to give me gender info that day because baby's legs were close together and the umbilical cord was blocking the between the legs view. Dr. Nelson took a few pictures, but she didn't give me any and I forgot to ask. (What a difference from pregnancy 1 to pregnancy 2).

I'm definitely feeling the baby move more all of a sudden, which is exciting. 

Lauren's 2nd Bridal Shower

On April 5th, I went to Lauren's 2nd bridal shower at her future mother in law, Debbie's house. It was another beautiful event. They had so many cute chalkboards signs, a candy bar, desserts, delicious salads, amazing bread rolls, a mimosa bar, and beautiful decorations. We played a few fun games and watched Lauren open her presents. It was a really fun afternoon! I can't believe it is only 56 days until Lauren's wedding!

17 Weeks

On April 2nd, I completed 17 weeks. I'm weighing about 136 now (12 pounds total weight gain). I'm still getting the headaches, but also enjoying my excuse to get Ice Blended Caramel Coffee Bean drinks. Hudson has been so cute lately...he comes over to my belly, kisses it, then rubs it and says, "hi baby." He is going to be such a great big brother!

End of Nursing

After 19 months, I am officially done nursing. It is certainly bitter sweet (and to be honest more bitter than sweet). Breastfeeding takes a lot of energy, which is something I don't have a lot of these days so having one less baby relying on me for nutrients is a relief. It will also be good to get a break before baby number two comes. I can eat whatever I want after a long time of being on a very restricted diet and I will have a bit more freedom for a while, but in all honestly, it makes me sad. Hudson made this choice completely on his own. He slowly started dropping feeds and the last few weeks he has only done the morning feed, which has been getting shorter and shorter until I finally realized 2 seconds of nursing is silly. I had a very difficult start to breastfeeding and honestly didn't know if I would get to do it at all. Once Hudson and I got into a groove, I made it my goal to make it to 6 months of exclusively breastfeeding. Once we reached that milestone, I said I wanted to make it a year. After the one year mark, I assumed Hudson would quickly wean like many of my friends children did, but our breastfeeding relationship kept going strong. I secretly made a new goal to make it to two years, so I was a bit sad when he became less and less interested long before the 2 year mark. I really was starting to think I could be one of those moms who nursed both her children, but Hudson weaned himself, which is ultimately what I had always wanted: to breastfeed until he was ready to stop. 

This photo was taken at Hudson's 1 year photo shoot. I honestly never thought I would share it. It was for me to have to remind myself how challenging breastfeeding had been for me, but also what a joy and blessing it's been as well. I really feel that this photo captures that special bond between a  mother and child and reminds me of those quiet moments I got to spend cuddling Hudson while I nursed him. I worked really hard to breastfeed for as long as I did and I am proud of it. :)

One thing that I found really interesting about breastfeeding is how quickly opinions change in regards to it. When you have a newborn, everyone praises you for breastfeeding. I always wanted to be an open-minded mom and although I ended up being rather passionate about breastfeeding, I would never judge a mother for formula feeding. I certainly know first hand how challenging breastfeeding can be and I think that loving your child and making the best choices for your family are far more important than breastfeeding. I do however see a lot of formula feeding mamas being made to feel badly about making that choice (or perhaps being forced into that choice for one reason or another). Around 1 year though, the tables turn. Apparently there is some unwritten rule that you are a Goddess Mama if you make it to the one year mark, but if you go past this deadline, you are suddenly committing a social crime. I see mom's post all the time that the last day they breastfeed is literally on their child's 1st birthday and the very next day they switch to cow's milk and breastfeeding is over. As soon as Hudson's 1st birthday passed, the feelings and comments of praise quickly turned very judgemental. "Are you still breastfeeding?" "Jeez, are you gonna breastfeed until he's 5?" "Don't you think he is too old to be breastfed" "How much longer are you planning to nurse him?" (with a weird sideways glance that implies I should stop immediately). "When they can ask for it, you really should stop" "You know it is only beneficial for the first 6 months, right?" "Why haven't you stopped breastfeeding him yet?" The comments and questions were never ending. I didn't let them get to me, but suddenly my formula and cow's milk feeding mama's were the Goddesses and I was a freak! 

 I just don't understand why we as mothers need to tear each other down. I always had a really hard time defending my choice to breastfeed because the judgemental comments regarding my extended breastfeeding more often than not came from mother's who either formula fed from the beginning or didn't breastfeed for very long. I didn't want to give a laundry list of reasons for my choice that might make them feel bad about theirs. As I said before, we are all doing our best and that involves making choices. No choice is right or wrong, it is the choice that is right for your family that matters and honestly, I wish we as women could just support other mom's even if they make different choices than us. I really love this response to the Time Magazine cover with the mom on the front feeding her toddler with the title "Are You Mom Enough?" I couldn't agree with it more!

Papa's Birthday Dinner

On March 30th, we went down to Irvine to celebrate Papa's birthday with a dinner at Ruth's Chris. We had such a fun time. Hudson and Katrina were so cute together and it was nice to spend time with family. The food was delicious, as is always the case at Ruth's Chris and even Hudson was able to get salmon and french fries off the kid's menu! Papa seemed so happy, which was the absolute best part. He loved getting and giving kisses from Katrina and Hudson and he really seemed to be thrilled that we were all there to celebrate him. 

16 Weeks

On March 26th, I hit the 16 week mark. I now weigh 135 pounds (up 11, but at least the gaining has slowed the last few weeks). My belly popped all of a sudden, although it still isn't very noticeable.

Jayla's Birthday Party

On March 23rd, Hudson and I went to Jayla's 2nd birthday party and Scooter's Jungle. Hudson had fun climbing on all the equipment and going down a few slides. He did not want to go down the big slide this time (he must have remembered it from the last time we were there, haha). He also had fun playing air hockey with Brandt and playing kitchen with another little boy. The only sad part of the event was the lunch. Poor Hud couldn't eat any of the fun food. Everyone around him had chicken nuggets, pizza and corn dogs, while Hudson ate his food pouches. I could see on his face that he was dissapointed and it broke my heart. For dessert, everyone had cake and Hudson got fruit. Poor kid. I really hope he outgrows these allergies someday. For favors, Hudson got an elmo bucket and a few other sesame street things. He isn't really familiar with Sesame Street, but he now loves Elmo and takes that bucket everywhere. :) We had a lot of fun celebrating Hudson's friend Jayla. 

My friend Jillian got some cute photos, but I still haven't asked her for them, so I only have a few blurry photos that I took to share. 

19 Months

On March 22nd, Hudson turned 19 months old. Hudson is getting all 4 of his fang teeth. He has dropped his after nap nursing session, so he is only down to his morning session and the occasional over night feeding. He has started jumping into the pool at swim! He has also started kissing my belly and saying hi to the baby. Once my belly gets bigger, I will have to video it because it is the sweetest thing. At the park, Hudson ran up and down the basketball courts. He fell and skinned both knees. It was his first real owie and he didn't even cry. He really is becoming such a big boy! 

Jordan's Surprise Birthday Party

On March 21st, Hudson and I went to Jordan's surprise birthday party. Yesenia and Christy hosted it at Yesenia's stunning rooftop. On my way out the door, I realized that my phone battery was low, but I knew I could charge it in the car, so I didn't think much of it. I pulled up the directions, started google maps, plugged in my phone and off we went. At one point, I looked down and noticed that my phone hadn't been charging. I figured I plugged it in wrong or the cord wasn't pushed in enough, so I double checked everything and then continued on my way. A few moments later, as I was waiting for my next driving direction, the phone died! I frantically pushed the cord in hoping that I could get it charged. It seemed like if I held it a certain way, it would charge, so I tried that praying it would turn back on quickly. I had no address so I had no way of finding where I was going, plus I knew once I got there I needed to call to be let in. I couldn't just stand on a street corner of the apartment complex, wait for Jordan to arrive and ruin the surprise. At first I got off the freeway and drove aimlessly to see if I could get the phone charged. When I realized it wasn't working, I decided I needed to make a pit stop at the Glendale Galleria. Hud and I ran in and I charged my phone in the store while I purchased a new car charger. I had just enough battery to text Yesenia that I was running late as I ran through the mall. Luckily I was only a few minutes from Yesenia's place and I got there before Jordan arrived. My phone died again shortly after we got to the party, but at least I was able to charge it and have a phone on my drive home. Christy, so kindly took photos that night and shared them with everyone, which I am grateful for because I am usually the one to take tons of photos. The party was a lot of fun and even Hud and a good time. He was dancing and entertaining everyone with his "mean face" Christy especially loved it and said he should be a model, haha. It was a dramatic night, but it all worked out and we ended up having a wonderful time. Happy 30th birthday Jordan!!

15 Weeks

On March 19th, I hit the 15 week mark. Thankfully I weigh 134.4 this week, which means only a slight gain since last week. I swear I have been feeling occasional flutters. Other than that, nothing new to report. 

St. Patrick's Day

On Monday, March 17th, I woke up and realized that it was St. Patrick's Day. I wanted to make it special for Hudson so I winged it. Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand for pancakes. I just added some green food coloring and free handed clovers. I dressed Hud and I in green and forced him to take a few selfies with me. We had to go to an allergy doctor appointment that day in Santa Monica, so I didn't have tons of time to create a special dinner. I grabbed a few things from the grocery store and whipped up green tortellini (pre-packaged) and added peas, mushrooms and my favorite creamy pink sauce. I also made some rice krispie treats with Lucky Charms in them. Everything was delicious, required very little effort and still made the day feel special. 

It's A Boy!

On March 16th, we had our gender reveal photo shoot with Jade. She did a fabulous job as always. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the shoot. To see Jade's post on the shoot click here. Oh and I'm sure everyone already knows this, but It's A Boy!! 

The gum popping photo collage is what we posted on facebook to announce the news. We wanted Hudson to pop the balloon so he could be part of the announcement too, but he was scared of the bubbles and kept running away crying every time we blew them. 

Lauren's Bridal Shower

On March 15th, I went to Lauren's bridal shower. As a bridesmaid it is normally our duty to throw the shower, but Lauren's wonderful Aunts hosted instead. I offered to help, but they had it totally under control and they put on a wonderful event. Lauren and her sister, Katelyn are both getting married this year, so the shower was for both of them. We played fun games about how well we know the couples and watched them open up their presents together. It is so neat that the two of them get to go through such a special time in both of their lives together.

14 Weeks

On March 12th, I completed my 14th week. I weigh 134 pounds. I'm already up 10 pounds!! Yikes! Not much has changed in the past week, except my weight. I am still getting headaches and I'm still tired. I had a doctor appointment this week and don't have anything exciting to report with that, which is a good thing. :) I've started to think that I can feel little twitches this week that I think are the baby, but Nic thinks its too early. I'm sure soon enough I will really be feeling the baby move, but for now I will just imagine the twitches are baby.

12 Week NT Scan and Magic Playground

On March 7th, I had my 12 week NT scan with Dr. Devore. Kids aren't allowed, so Nic watched Hud in the parking lot, then went to work after the appointment. Everything looked great with the baby and the doctor told me I was off the a great start! He knew I had done the Panorama test instead of the standard test and I could tell he was happy with that decision. He told me not to tell me what the gender was. Then he made his guess based on the ultrasound and he was right. So along with the 98% accuracy of the blood test, the doctor also confirmed the gender. What a precious little cutie I've got in my belly!!

After the appointment, Hudson and I went to the Magic Playground with Vivian and Leah. Hudson and Leah had a blast. They didn't spend a whole lot of time playing together, but they still had a great time. :)

We grabbed lunch at Lemonade with Vivian and Leah. On our way home, I decided since Hudson's nap was doomed for the day anyways, we might as well stop by and visit Oma and Opa.Hudson was so sweet with both of them. He held Oma's hand and gave both Oma and Opa lots of kisses.