Birthday Week - May 25-June 1

Lily got her summer haircut on Tuesday. Alden kept saying “haircut, haircut” and thinking it was really funny. I think Lily feels a little embarrassed. She always seems down the first few days after her trim, although I can tell she is more comfortable being outside on walks in the heat.

Wednesday morning, we celebrated Alden’s birthday party at the park with our playgroup friends. We had Hungry Howie’s Pizza and a lard cake, and God mercifully held the rain off until we were pulling out of the park. Alden thought she was super-cool, and loved having everyone sing “Happy Birthday”. I think she realized that it was a special day for her. She can tell you that she is “two” if you ask how old she is, but can’t quite get two fingers up to show you. One highlight of the day was piling wet mulch at the bottom of the slide, and then getting it all over the car.

We had another doctor’s appointment that afternoon. Hudson has shifted so his head is straight down now. Hopefully, he will stay there until delivery. I measured 32 cm, and the doctor said that they will start doing ultrasounds at 36 weeks to check my fluid levels. It is hard to believe that we are getting close!

Matt had his interview with The Budd Group on Wednesday before the doctor. It went well, and hopefully, he will hear something this next week. They just got a few new big accounts, and need to hire 3-4 people by the 15th. It would mean staying in Charlotte for at least a few years, but could eventually mean we could move to Raleigh. As much as we would love to have my parents closer, we wouldn’t be disappointed about staying in Charlotte, and believe that God will put us where we need to be.

We drove up to Raleigh on Friday, the 30th for a baby shower and to celebrate Alden’s Birthday. Amber and my mom gave a wonderful shower for me, and made Hudson’s arrival seem a lot more real. Nana drove up from Charlotte, and spent the night with us. Alden slept about an hour in the midst of the excitement, and really enjoyed playing with Mendi’s son Nathan, who is 6 months old. She was very interested in all of Hudson’s new gear and toys, especially the Baby Einstein playmat. Sunday, we went to church together, and to our Sunday lunch spot, Smithfield’s BBQ. We had cake for Alden and opened her presents before Nana had to head back to Charlotte. Matt's mom even got to join us via the answering machine to sing "Happy Birthday". Alden loved the little bee on her flower cake, and learned pretty quick how to use the party blower thing. She got a new crab sandbox, which she had fun crawling on. I think she has soaked up the birthday attention like a sponge…and she loves icing. That afternoon, we all went to Pullen Park to ride the train and the merry-go-round.