Four Weeks!! (and an attempt at political correctness)

Four weeks that we have survived so far! I can't believe it has gone by so quickly, and I hope that the next four will, too. We had a really great weekend. We went on our first family hiking trip, well, almost our whole family. Lily stayed home since it was too hot for big, hairy, black dogs. We went to Umstead Park, where I hadn't been since the Brownie Day Camp days. Alden got to ride in the trusty backpack again, which had to be adjusted since she has gotten a lot bigger since June, and Hudson rode in the Bjorn. Alden kept saying how she had a "Cute hat" and that we were all "hi-ing". We will definitely be back to Umstead again. It was a lot of fun, and much closer than I realized.

Saturday night, my mom brought Alden some new hairclips back from the store. You know, the old-school Goody kind with the butterflies, cat and the fiddle, ducks, and flowers that they made 30 year ago?? We tried one, and that just wasn't enough...Alden wanted them all in her hair. She looked like a little black (excuse me, African American) child. She wanted to wear them all again to church the next day, and I had to put my foot down. We kept two in. We also tried a new church...it was ok...kind of that big auditorium, mega-church, almost-commercial type feel. The pastor was ok, but it was very praise-musicky, and not exactly our cup of tea. We did run into Jenny and Chris Cockerham, my old YL leaders, and t now the area director in Cary. They said they really liked it there, and they had come from a more traditional church in Chapel Hill. That is encouraging. Hudson has been so much more alert lately. He also is starting to smile! Matt got the first one on Saturday, and since then, Hudson has been flashing them around a lot. He is also starting to try and make little baby noises, and really enjoys "talking" to Alden. Still, you will notice that most of the pictures of him are when he is sleeping, because if he is awake, he is most likely fussing, or has a passy in his mouth.
However, he is STILL not doing a good job of falling asleep during the day. Yesterday morning, he got up around 8, slept from 10-11 (after much coddling and re-passying), and then, basically cried off and on until 2. AHHHH! In that time, I had to put him down to do some useful things, like SHOWER, GET GROCERIES, and GO TO THE BATHROOM. Add that to Alden having a "Poo Day" (where she whines for hours about having to poop, and then finally goes), and we just had a STELLAR morning.

Today was about the same as far as Hudson goes in the morning. I am going to buy a sling to wear him in, because it would be a little easier than Bjorning him. And then, maybe, I could get some things done.

Alden is still on her Peter Pan kick. She likes to put a blanket around her shoulders and be Tiger Lily (Ti-her Yiyee), and today, Auntie Ashley even made her an Indian (excuse me, Native American) headband with a feather in it. Big hit. She also kind of learned to go jumping jacks. Funny.

Auntie Leigh sent us a package with a Little Mermaid bathing suit for Alden, which she LOVES. She wore it around the house yesterday afternoon, and wanted it back on again right after nap today.

Alden likes to "Cheers" things lately. This started with Matt, cheers-ing corn with Alden at dinner, and has evolved into cheers-ing any things that are the same...passys, things with Peter Pan on them, animals, Little People, hairclips, etc. I don't know what her teachers are going to think at school next week...maybe that we do a lot of drinking in our family?? Or just a lot of toasting?

The highlight of the day is joining the Y! Hooray! It will be so nice to have a place to drop the kids and workout again...although Hudson isn't allowed to go on his own for another couple weeks. I tried to take both kids on a run today. MISTAKE. They were good for, oh, about 15 minutes, and then Hudson cried and kept needing re-passying, and then Alden wanted to walk up the greenway, and threw a fit. It was a mental workout more than a physical one.

I have mentioned before that Alden is not a good eater. However, the past two nights, she has actually asked for turkey for snack. Specifically, "Aun-hie Ash-ee's tur-hee". I am just thankful that she is eating something besides goldfish. This is turning into a stay-up-later game, because even as I write this, she has escaped from her room, run downstairs and proclaimed, "Eat, eat...more tur-hee!" Hmmmm.

Ashley brought her a new book that had stickers in the back. As you can see, they didn't stay in the book very long.



Alden was kind enough to share her Noah's Ark animals with Hudson. He doesn't seem that impressed.

Three Weeks...and a few days

This has been a busy week - here are some bullet points of what we've been up to:

- Grandpa and Grandma came to visit from Ohio. Hudson was excited to meet them! Alden had fun flying like Peter Pan with Grandpa, and showing off for them at dinner.

- Hudson had his first tub bath! He liked the water, but not the getting out afterwards. Alden was very interested in helping "wash bee-bee".

- Hudson had his two week doctor's appointment. He weighed in at 9 lbs 1 ounce, up about 19 ounces from his birthweight. Amazing that they can grow like that on milk...although he does eat ALL the time. The doctor said he looks great and that his goopy eyes are probably because of clogged tear ducts and it isn't a big deal.

- Alden woke up one morning when Matt was at work. She asked where he was and I told her...she says "Poor Daddy, no play with you". Then, she says, "Mommy play with you!" ("You" refers to herself...we still don't have pronouns figured out.)

- We signed Alden up for preschool. This is a huge prayer request answered because preschools fill up in February around here. I am super excited about where she will be and that she starts the Wednesday after Labor Day! I asked her if she wanted to go to school, and she says "Read books, color, playdough, park?" I think she will have a great time. Her class is Monday and Wednesday from 9:15 - 11:45.

- Both of the kids look so much bigger this week. Alden seems so much taller and her face looks thinner. Hudson looks bigger almost every time he wakes up!

Hudson is generally a pleasant child. However, he does not like to be put down if he is awake. He is not a big fan of the Baby Papasan, or the swing, or the Baby Einstein thing. This has thwarted most of my efforts to be productive in any way. His favorite things to do are to sleep on his tummy or sleep in the Bjorn. I am trying to keep it in perspective that at least he is not colicky!

He was pretty consistently sleeping 3 hours at a stretch there for awhile, and last night went 5, then 4 hours between feedings at night! Hooray! Amazing the difference between 3 hours and 4 hours of sleep at a time!

- Alden has started calling my mom "Bay-bay". She can't quite say Grammy, so lately, its Baybay...or Bebe, if you are french.

- We finally got out the baby swing. Hudson likes it ok, but Alden really enjoys pushing him in it. She tried to get in one time, and fell out. Luckily, it has been enough to keep her out of it.

-We met some new friends at the park! Kim, and her kids, Kayla and Gavin. They have recently moved her from New Hampshire and we have gotten to hang out with them a few days this week.

- Alden has been a good helper, for the most part, with Hudson. She will give him his passy if he needs it, and wants to "Hold bee-bee" a lot. Sometimes, I think Hudson looks at me and thinks, "Mom, make her stop!"

- Alden loves playing with the sticker books Grammy got her at BJs. Basically, you just match the stickers to the outline on the pages. One day, that wasn't fun anymore and she decided to put them all on Auntie Amber's legs...and her doll boots on her toes.

- Alden has enjoyed the baby gear a lot...here's a shot of her in the bassinet, which she can climb into by herself, and enjoying the Baby Einstein gym with Baby Brother.

Two Weeks!

Whoa...trying to update the blog is a lot harder now...(like I needed any other hurdles to my delinquent posting). Especially, since this is one of the first days that I haven't taken a nap while Alden and Hudson were sleeping in the afternoon...but this is the most peaceful, useful time of day, so I am trying to cram a lot into these couple hours.














It is hard to believe that we have almost made it through 2 weeks! I feel like I have been mentally checking off the days in my head, knowing that things are going to gradually get better (meaning, Mom will be getting more sleep). Hudson is VERY grown-up today, as he woke up this morning and his crusty, dried raisin umbilical cord had fallen off. Thank goodness. Not that it was a huge deal, but diaper changes were seeming very complicated with the applying of the alcohol to the cord and vaseline application to the circumcision site.
















We have had a busy last week. We were able to spend some great time with Debbie, Jessica, Miles, and Lydia while they were in town, and Alden loved having kids to play with. Jess and I met our friend Colleen and her daughter on Wednesday morning for brunch at Carolina Cafe. I was childless for the morning (AWESOME!) and enjoyed time to catch up and to see Colleen's daughter Mary, who is almost 1, and SO cute.

Nana was up from Tuesday-Thursday and was the official Baby Rocker. Hudson got very spoiled from all his time snuggling with Nana in the rocking chair, but we have to cram in as much time into our visits as possible. After all, Alden got to live with Nana for 6 weeks when she was little! Nana gave Hudson his first bottle, too, which he took like a champ. It was so great to have Nana here. We really miss our time with her now that we aren't in Charlotte.

This weekend, my mom went to our house in Charlotte for a work-on-the-dissertation retreat, and we were on our own at home. It was a very relaxing weekend, and the weather was SO pleasant. We took Alden and Hudson to Bond Park Saturday morning. Hudson really enjoyed falling asleep in the Bjorn with Matt.














Saturday afternoon, I went to my friend Elizabeth's bridal shower. It was a great opportunity to celebrate Ellie and Dan, who will be married in January, and a fun impromptu reunion of the college friends before the Lake James Weekend Extravaganza in September. I really enjoyed getting out by myself for a few hours, and Matt did a great job wrangling Alden and Hudson solo. Auntie Amber came over that night, and snuggled Hudson for a few hours. It is so nice to have people take him. So nice.

We used the opportunity to take Alden and the dogs on our nightly constitutional. Alden started off not wanting to ride in the stroller, and fell down in the driveway and scraped her knee. For the ENTIRE walk, she was pitching a fit...sometimes about wanting to walk, sometimes about just wanting out of the stroller, sometimes about the boo-boo. AHH! Our neighbors heard her going and coming, and actually came out to try and distract her. We were pretty disruptive. I ended up carrying a thrashing, screaming Alden up from the greenway. Then, Matt took her outside again to hunt for lightning bugs, which seemed to calm her down some. Although she was upset, Matt and I couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Maybe that is a bad response.

Sunday, we played hooky from church again, and met Courtney and Tom Bogan and their kids Avery and Cole for lunch at Smithfields. Alden and Avery had such a fun time together, and it was great to see Cole, since the last time was when he was in the hospital!

We walked the kids down to the park last night, and Alden ran off a lot of energy on the way home. No tantrums, so that was good.

Hudson has been holding his head a lot this past week. He is getting so much stronger. His MO lately has been to sleep a lot off and on during the day, and then is VERY awake from about 9-midnight. Last night was the first night he was up around dinner time and went to bed around 11. Then, he slept til 3!! That 4-hour stretch is our longest so far! I know it doesn't sound like much, but I was excited!

Alden and I went to the last story time at the library this morning. They take a break to plan and prepare in August before school starts. Now, without our Y membership starting up yet, and no library, we will have to get creative about distractions.

Aunt Kitty Scott and Cousin Elizabeth had graciously sent a TON of clothes down with Nana for Alden. Alden LOVED playing dress up, although her dress/pants/shoes ensemble didn't quite go together.

She's really been enjoying playing with her blocks, and made this great tower..."As tall as you!"

First Few Days

We have made it through the first few days at home with 2 kids. Wow...2 kids. Is this really us??

Thursday night, we got the new stroller out, and took Hudson and Alden for a spin. Hudson, of course, fell asleep, and Alden, of course, just wanted to get out and walk.

Our first night, we were up a lot. Hudson had slept most of the day after the trauma of his circumcision, and wanted to make up for it by eating a lot that night. Friday morning, Jessica and Miles came over to visit. Alden and Miles have such a good time together. They got out all the Little People stuff in her room and had a blast.

We took Hudson for his first doctor's appointment that afternoon. He had gained a couple ounces from his discharge weight of 7 lb 8 oz, to 7 lb 10 oz...a good testament to his hearty appetite the night before. The nurse and doctor said he looked good and to call with any questions. It feels a lot better to sort of know what to expect this time...although penis care has Matt and I both a little daunted. Alden came with us to the doctor, and was excited to get a lollipop for being a good big sister, and thrilled to see a picture of Peter Pan in the lobby. When we got home, Alden practiced some of her doctor skills on her baby brother.

We all took a LONG nap that afternoon, and walked Alden down to the park at the pool. My mom watched Hudson for us, and it was fun to have some time with just Alden. She walked all the way back, announcing when it was "break-time" and wanting to alternate walking both the dogs. Luckily, on the way back, both dogs were tired, too, and weren't going to pull her down.

Friday night was hard, too. Hudson gorged himself on milk, and ended up with a tummy ache. He cried and was pretty uncomfortable until he got some good burps out. Matt and I were awake until 2:00 before we all settled down. I have to keep reminding myself that this is the worst part and it doesn't last forever...

Yesterday, Matt and Alden went to the "New Y" to go swimming. They had a really fun time, and Alden surprised Matt by doing some of her best swimming to date, and jumping of the side backwards. I think one of the highlights of going to the pool for her is snacking, because Matt said they took breaks to eat a few times an hour. "Alden do you want to go to the big pool now?" "Eat?" "You want a snack?" "Alright."

We went on a short walk last night with dogs and kiddos, and then took Alden to a "New park". There were some "bad boys" there throwing mulch and sand, and we didn't stay a long time because of the bugs. As we were leaving, Alden was saying "Bye-bye park, I love you!"

Our night last night was much better. We still were up every few hours, but got some rest in between. Hudson had his first "bath" last night, which he took like a man, without any tears. It was good he was due for one, as he spit-up on himself a few times yesterday. He just doesn't know when to stop eating...