Child abuse?

My good friend Jodi saw these pictures and called them child abuse. I guess I could have emotionally scarred my son with these pics, but they're too cute for me to care!

"Uhhhh, Mom, the snowman is on BACKWARDS!"

"These pictures are going to come back and haunt me one day, I just know it!"

"Let me just smile and get this over with"

Our first hematoma

I have obsessively documented all of Hudson's firsts, from first foods to first steps. This weekend brought a new one...his first (and hopefully last!) hematoma.

On Saturday evening, after his bath, Ryan asked me to look at Hudson's gum in the back. There was a big purplish bump on it. In fact, it looked a little like this (disclaimer: this is NOT a picture of Hudson):

A bit panicked, I called the on-call pediatrician. As I explained the lump, she automatically diagnosed it as a hematoma due to his 12 month molars coming in. She explained that sometimes the tooth bursts a blood vessel before erupting through the skin and forms this hematoma and that it's nothing to worry about. She advised against her grandmothers method of healing a hematoma - rubbing the gum with a golden thimble (I have no idea why it was a "golden" thimble - I was too horrified by the thought of this to ask.)

It looks like a little molar is making it's way through now. After a few weeks of long, sleepless nights full of crying (usually by me...it was that bad, seriously!), I think we're on the road to quiet nights. After almost 13 months of multiple awakenings, Hudson only woke up ONCE on Friday night. Saturday night wasn't as good and Sunday was a step in the wrong direction, but I'm holding out hope!

The innocence of a child

I was coming home from school today and Silent Night was on the radio ('tis the season!). When I heard the lyrics "Son of God, love's pure light" I got a bit choked up thinking about Hudson for a couple of reasons.

1. I was just reminded that he (and all children) truly are miracles. I'm not quite sure what I did to be worthy of such a blessing, but I'm grateful every day. Being a mother (and wife) brings a fulfillment that is indescribable.

2. I thought of how simplistic items can bring him such joy (specifically, I was thinking about him being in awe of Christmas lights). This led me to think about his curiosity in everyday things and I was amazed by his development. I can't even begin to write how proud I am of him for learning his sign language. And that's just the beginning of his accomplishments. My train of thought caused me to think about all he will do in his lifetime and how he is the future of the world. It's almost too much for me to comprehend. Pride is an understatement to the emotion I was feeling when I looked into our future.

3. Lastly, I began to think of Hudson's innocence. He has yet to know what "hate" is. He doesn't understand "disadvantage". In his world, there is no such thing as "inequality" (unless you're comparing peas and cookies - clearly not "equals" in his eyes!). My professional work is in stark contrast to Hudson's world, where I deal with disproportionality on a daily basis. In Hudson's eyes, the world is full of love, a place where smiles and giggles are a part of everyday life. Everyone is a potential friend and playmate. I hope that I can take a cue from Hudson this holiday season (and all year through) and see life through the eyes of an innocent child.

Atomic chicken?

As I was planning our weekly dinner menu, I came across a recipe in my binder for Atomic Chicken. I honestly have no idea where this came from. But it had 4 ingredients and looked easy, so I gave it a whirl. It was pretty good. (Warning: it's a little sweet)

4-6 chicken breasts (I only used 3)
1/2 jar of Smuckers Apricot preserves
1 bottle of Wishbone deluxe French salad dressing
1 pack of Lipton's onion soup mix

Mix the soup, preserves, and dressing. Pour over chicken in a casserole dish. Cover and bake on 350 for 45 minutes.

I served it over couscous (with the sauce poured over it) and a side of steamed broccoli. It's a great simple recipe for weeknights.

Good, easy cold weather dinner

A bunch of friends were talking about this Stuffed Pepper Soup, so I decided to give it a whirl. It was super easy and super delicious!

Stuffed Pepper Soup
1 lb ground beef
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup cooked white rice
2 large green bell peppers, chopped
1 beef bouillon cube
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
mozzarella cheese for finishing (optional)

In a large pot, brown beef thoroughly. Drain grease and return to pot. - Stir in dry soup mix and heat thoroughly.

Add remaining ingredients (except rice) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until peppers are soft. Add rice and heat through.

Scoop into bowls and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Makes 5 servings.

A football-less Sunday!

Ryan and I have considered counseling for our football addiction. Having NFL Ticket gives us full access to all of the games, so every Sunday is spent (read: wasted) watching football. Since the Steelers didn't play today, we decided to pry ourselves from the TV and have a great Sunday with Hudson. We went to a new restaurant for breakfast (Momma's on the Half Shell). Ryan enjoyed it a little more than I did since he had oysters, a bloody mary, and a seafood omelet (yuck). Afterwards, we did a little grocery shopping before getting Hudson home for a nap. Since our nights have been pretty rough (thanks Hudson!), we decided to also nap, so by 12p, we were all snoozing. When Hudson woke up, we got him some lunch and headed out for our fun-filled Sunday!

Our first stop was Storyville. We learned about Storyville through our playgroup. This place is amazing! It's part of the public library in the County. It has all of these different rooms to explore, learn, and play. (I can't really do it justice - check out the website for more details.). And amazingly, it's FREE! Here are a few pics of Hudson having fun:

"Rocking the boat" in the Toddler Bay

Doing some shopping at the Storyville Store

Playing with magnets in the Construction Zone

Pushing the trains around inside the clubhouse

Then we headed to Olly Shoes since Hudson is running all over the place and needed proper footwear. This place is pretty awesome. They have a scanning machine that scanned Hudson's bare foot in order to get him properly sized. The staff is very knowledgable and helpful in finding the right shoes. They have the basic brands (Robeez, Pediped, See Kai Run), but they also have tons of fun European brands that will be sure to raise Hudson to "hipster" status. I wanted to warn all Moms...shoe addictions will extend on to your children. Once your little one needs shoes, you'll be tempted to break the bank. I (well, maybe Ryan) cut me off after 3 pairs. Here is a pic of Hudson getting sized:

Hudson's reaction to learning that he's a size 5!

We were in Hunt Valley town centre (which is a nice outdoor mall)for Olly, so we walked around, got warm lattes, and enjoyed the Christmas tree they were decorating. Then we headed over to Wegman's to get some dinner to bring home. Hudson took a little snooze in the car. We got home and all ate (Hudson even enjoyed some of my meatloaf). To quote Ice Cube, "today was a good day'.

Hudson walking and conversing with Achilles

I thought I should post a new video of Hudson walking (he's even better now and this was only a few days ago). If you watch long enough (about a minute in) you'll also see him having a conversation with Achilles. He gets so excited when the cats walk by him (as you'll see).

A year in pictorial review

Here are Hudson's pictures from the 13th of every month....look how he's grown! *sniff*

Hudson's black and gold birthday

We celebrated Hudson's birthday with a huge Steelers-themed party at Pluma Restaurant in Irwin, PA on Nov. 8, 2008. The party was a huge success! My mom and Jack helped plan every little detail and we can't thank them enough. Here are a few pics from the party.......

Hudson's personalized jersey that my mom made

The cake table

The delicious Giant Eagle cake

The room all decked out in black and gold

The favor bags

Hudson's "year in review" pictures and scrapbook

The cake is smashed....the party is a success!

Happy Birthday Hudson (from Dad)

Hudson, you are now 1 year old. Congratulations! The past 365 days have taught me more than I could have ever imagined. As some day I hope you will be in my shoes, I will share some of those lessons learned over the past year.

1. Be patient. This is probably the best advice I ever received. If you can accomplish this, your job will be 90% easier.
   
2. Take a million pictures and videos. Your mother has been awesome at this and I'm so grateful. When I was doing your sideshow for your birthday, it brought tears to our eyes looking at all of your 1 month birthday pictures. To this day, we can't believe you were so little when we brought you home from the hospital!
3. Learn to relax. One thing's for sure: your life will become a lot more hectic and chaotic once you have a child. Make an effort to schedule weekends where you and your wife don't do anything but "hang out". Catch up on those movies you've been dying to watch but never had time. If you have family around to babysit, even better!
4. No one has the "right" answer. You always hear that parenting doesn't come with a handbook. While it's true, many think they know the right answer to everything from sleep training to feeding your child). Feel free to research others opinions for guidance but ultimately, it comes down to your gut feel on what's right and wrong and what works and what doesn't.
   
5. Be active in everyday activities around the house. When your wife is upstairs nursing your newborn, look around the house and see what needs to mopped or cleaned. Your wife will be so exhausted the first year that it's the least you can do.
6. Be bold and take the "road less traveled". You'll be amazed at how much your little one will pick up the first year of his life. For that very reason, when you get that sudden burst of road rage, scale it back and think about the message it's sending to your child if you scream to the top of your lungs at another person. Same goes for arguments with your wife. Even if she's acting irrational (which never happens ;) take a deep breath, and do your best to diffuse the situation as amicably as possible.
7. Stay in touch with friends and family. It'll be hard to do but when you have a free minute, pick up the phone and call a friend you haven't talked to in a while. Friends and family are the most important things in life and while they will understand your situation, it sends a special message to them that in your hectic lives, you're still thought of.

NOTE: I was thinking about adding another "lesson learned" where I was going to encourage you to invite your parents over to see your son/daughter every weekend but I think that may be pushing it ;)

We love you Hudson

Love,
Dad

Happy *1st* birthday Hudson!!!

The birthday boy is fast asleep listening to his personalized lullabies (thanks Grams and Pap!). And I just finished crying my eyes out as I rocked him to sleep. When did he get so big?? I sat with him, looking at my little angel fast asleep, and tried with all of my might to remember every detail about his precious face before I blink and he's 2. I want to memorize every hair on his head (there aren't many!), every eyelash on each eyelid, every movement he makes as he smiles while he's asleep.


It's hard to think back one year and remember Hudson as a newborn. Sure, I have pictures and videos, but my arms can't recall what it's like to cuddle a 7 lb baby, my hands forget the motions of swaddling a little burrito, and my body forgets the struggles to begin breastfeeding. While each day still brings new adventures, the uncertainty of being a first time parent has now been replaced with a new level of confidence. Instead of questioning each decision, such as is he hungry, is he tired, why won't he sleep (well, we still ask that one!), we've found our groove. We've learned to trust our instincts, to take Hudson's cues, and to do what works for the three of us. It amazes me how naturally parenthood comes. Before Hudson arrived, I was worried that I wouldn't "get it" and just "know" how to be a mother. Now, I can't imagine myself as anything but a mother. As if my special time tonight with Hudson wasn't enough stress on my tear ducts, I also saw a message from my dear friend Jess. She told me how proud she was of me and called me a "wonderful mommy". That brought tears to my eyes. Being a mother is my greatest of all my life's accomplishments.


In an attempt to remember my monkey when he was my little peanut, I decided to make this post a "year in review".


We've survived labor and delivery, breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, and jaundice. We've celebrated 12 "birthdays", a first tooth, a first "word" (da-da), and a first step. We've been pooped on, peed on, and puked on. We've made tons of new friends, attended playgroups, enjoyed "Mother Goose on the Loose". We've introduced cereal, tried lots of fruits and vegetables, and found our favorites in Baby Mum Mums and Spaghetti with Cheese baby food. We've played, we've read books, we've swam, we've "scored!". We've bought toys and learned that only ones with wheels will work. We've met Rachel, Alex, and Leah and learned how to sign. We've welcomed Hudson into Steeler Nation. We've questioned some decisions, we've had faith in others. We've taken advice and we've learned when we need to be our own experts. We've endured vaccines, a cat bite, and bumps on the head. We've reveled in the excitement of a first Christmas spent with loved ones and ached in the moments that we couldn't share with our families. We've smiled, we've giggled, we've cried, we've grown. We've become a family.

Happy birthday Monkey Man!

Time to get induced!

One year ago today I was induced! The day went like this.....

It was a Monday and I was 39 weeks pregnant. I got in the shower that morning to get ready for my weekly doctor's appointment and asked Ryan if he wanted to come with me today since I was getting so close to my due date (Ryan went to almost every doctor's appointment with me. When I started going weekly to get my urine checked and get weighed we decided that he didn't need to come). He said no and that he would go next week if I didn't deliver by my due date (11/19). So I packed up my things for the day (after my doctor's appt., I was off to a meeting at school and then to pregnancy boot camp class) and headed to Hopkins.

The doctor's appointment started like every other one. I peed, was weighed (up 50 lbs to 191!!!), and led into an exam room. I saw a group of doctors and was meeting with a doctor I had never met before. She was really nice.....until she asked me the baby's name. I told her Hudson and her reply was "wow, that's my dog's name". Uhhh, thanks.

She felt the baby and said that she thought his head was down, but just wanted to check so she brought in the basic ultrasound machine. After looking at him, she was a bit concerned since my amniotic fluid appeared low (it should be a 5 and I was a 4 - I have no idea what measurement that is!). She explained that if the fluid is low, they may need to induce. Whoa!!! She dropped a bomb on me there! She said this ultrasound machine might not be completely accurate and she sent me over to the 3-D ultrasound tech.

I went over to that tech and she saw me right away. I had the strangest feeling while there. Of course, I wanted to make sure that the baby and I were safe, but at the same time I was hoping that my fluid was low so that I could meet my little peanut! After a quick look, she determined that the fluid was low and sent me back over to my doctor.

While waiting for the doctor to see me again, I knew that I was probably going to be induced, so I called Ryan. Well, I tried to call Ryan. While I was in my appt, Ryan's dad had called me to discuss the crazy Steelers-Browns game from the day before. I accidentally pushed talk and called his Dad back. I tried to nonchalantly discuss football, but I was dying to call Ryan! I finally called him and he was headed home and would meet me there.

I went back in to meet with the doctor. I really wanted to meet the baby, but I also was afraid of induction. In my mind, the baby would come when he was ready and I didn't want to evict him if he still needed to bake for a while longer. I asked the doctor to explain my options to me and she said that I could go without the induction, but I would need to come in every two days for tests and there was also a risk of "in-utereo death". Enough said! Hand me some pitocin!

I was able to come home and gather my things. It was really nice to have that hour with Ryan before our lives would change forever. We packed up our things and I squeezed in a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats. We took pictures, said goodbye to the cats, and headed to the hospital.

On the way, we called our parents. I was calling my mom and her phone kept going to voicemail. I teased her that she should ALWAYS have her phone on when her daughter is approaching her due date! I was able to get in touch with her soon after and she was jumping in the car and headed to Baltimore.

Ryan called his parents and I don't think his mom believed him at first. She also jumped in her car and headed down.

We got to the hospital around 12p and I was given pitocin around 3p. They were going to start me on cervadil, but I was 100% effaced at that point. Now it was time for the fun to begin....

Ryan's mom got to the hospital first, followed by my mom. They told me I was having contractions, but I didn't feel anything. My mom was watching the monitor and was like "do you feel that?" and I didn't. But that didn't last long...

The rest of the evening is pretty blurry. I'm going to guess that it was around 8p when I started to feel the contractions. Then they hit me like a brick. I felt like I couldn't breath. I was squeezing the bedrails with all of my might. Ryan was talking to our moms and I couldn't even talk with them - I was in my own world at that point. Ryan's dad arrived and I didn't even know that he was there. I was trying to breathe through each contraction, but it didn't help. I had to do all that I could to take my mind to a "happy place". I was thinking about the Steelers winning the Superbowl (I am a true Pgh girl - thinking about the Steelers during labor!), putting my Christmas tree up, and Brett Favre (I have NO idea why I was thinking about him - I mean, he seems like a great guy and all, but he's not my favorite). This is also the point when I vowed to remember this pain and never have any more kids (everyone says that you forget the pain once the baby arrives, so I figured this was an important step). I was begging for drugs. Much to my dismay, the anaesthelogists were all in the ER with c-sections, so I had to wait.

When the anaesthelogist finally arrived, I was a bit shocked to see a woman, mid-thirties, that looked like she just stepped off of Haight-Asbury. She was wearing tie-dyed. And this woman was going to insert a huge needle in my spine?!?! And just then another contraction hit and I realized that Doogie Howser or Drake Remore could give me the drugs at that point for all I cared. I'm a bit of a freak and have this weird phobia about my spine being touched, so I wasn't sure how this was going to go. In addition to that, I was told that I had to sit extremely still and I wasn't sure how that was possible once a contraction would hit. After alot of squirting blood (according to Ryan), the epidural was in and man, did I feel good!

Oh no! That didn't last long! I started to feel contractions again! They had to adjust the epidural. Now, it was time to sleep.

Ryan and I napped for a few hours while our parents just hung out. I don't remember when exactly I woke up but I'm going to guess that it was around 1am. I was okay for a while, but then I started to feel some pressure. The pressure wasn't painful, so I was okay. Then I started to feel really sick. The nurse gave me this tiny bed pan and I knew that wasn't going to cut it. I had Ryan grab a garbage can and I rested my head in there and proceeded to dry heave. Since I hadn't eaten, there was nothing to throw up but stomach bile. I had no idea how I was going to continue with labor in this state. The nurses were happy since puking is a sign that your body is preparing to push. At 4:20am, they said it was time to start pushing and I shot up out of my garbage can and said "let's do this!". I had suddenly become a new person - I was about to become a mom!!

My OB was training another OB, so I had 2 sets of hands in my crotch. In addition to the doctor's there was about 8-10 other people in there (nurses, aides, etc.). My new cheery personality came through as I asked how the party got to my room and offered to get everyone a drink (I guess the drugs were making me loopy).

The pushing went well. I didn't feel it which was great. I don't mean to brag, but the OB said I was one of the best pushers she had ever seen (if that's something to be proud of). They asked if I wanted to have a mirror to see the baby and I said sure. BIG MISTAKE. One look was all I needed to shout "Take it away!".

At 5:25am, Hudson made his appearance. He came out crying and that was the sweetest sound to my ears. They handed him directly to me and I had 3 thoughts:
1. He's definitely a boy
2. He has curly hair
3. He doesn't have any toe nails (they were so thin that it looked like they weren't there).

I tried to nurse right away, but it didn't work, so the nurses took him next to my bed to get cleaned. Our parents were DYING outside of our room, so they peaked in to meet their first grandchild. Seeing Ryan and our parents over there with Hudson made me so sad. I had just done all of the work and they were getting spend time with him while I was stuck delivering a placenta.

After I got stitched up, Ryan looked over and said:
"It looks like Vietnam in here" followed by "Hey, that looks like a roast" (referring to the placenta). That's my husband.

It's hard to believe that one year has passed since that glorious day. We can't wait to celebrate our monkey's birthday with him tomorrow!

A mélange of posts

So I have SERIOUSLY been slacking on the blog front. Hudson's birthday party turned me into Colin Cowie (Oprah's party planner) and didn't leave much time for anything else. So let me get everyone caught up...

The Pumpkin Patch

Ryan and I took Hudson to a pumpkin patch on 10/18/08. Ryan insisted that we navigate this 3-mile corn maze (this is no joke - that's really the maze!):

Hudson was proud of his Daddy for finding all 12 check points:

After the maze, we went on a hayride, picked out some pumpkins, and had Hudson pose as a kernel of corn:

Hudson walks!
I'm not sure that this is really news, but Hudson has been teasing us with a few steps here and there for quite some time. I was able to get some on video:

While he can clearly walk when we wants to, the mood doesn't always strike him.

Hudson's path of destruction

I just wanted to show everyone what Hudson does while I cook dinner:

Halloween!

Our little monkey man was, well, a little monkey man for Halloween :)

Our development had this great little happy hour/get to know your neighbors event on Halloween, so Hudson was showing off his costume there. Once cute Isabelle came over to him, he was too cool for the monkey hood:

Hudson preparing for GQ:

Hudson was really strutting his stuff and workin' the vest, so I had to include these pics:

I swear, this kid gets cuter by the minute!

SCORE!

In addition to walking, Hudson's other new trick is putting his arms up as if to say "Touchdown", "Field Goal", or "the extra point is good". He now does this on cue....we say "Hudson, what do we do when Heath gets in the endzone?" He throws his arms up and we shout "SCORE!". I'm sure that other people teach their kids that this means "so big", but we drool black and gold, so "SCORE!" it is!

Here are some more SCORE! pictures:

This one is really an ode to Big Ben scoring a touchdown. Do you see the way he's pointing to the sky just like Ben? Also, not related to "score!", but equally as cute are his crossed legs. He always sits like this.

Hudson "scoring" on his 11 month birthday.

Hudson is a free man!!

We have escaped the ugly reign of daycare!!! Hudson's last day was 9/30. We had to make our case to the director, but long story short is that we were able to break the contract and get our security deposit back. We are currently looking for a nanny (i.e. Hudson is home with Mommy and Mommy is getting ZERO work done).

This pic is from Hudson's first day back at home. He looks pretty happy, huh?

Look out world!!

Hudson is walking!

Well, let's say he's "stepping". He's taken a few steps here and there. This all started 2 weeks ago when I was at a meeting and Ryan was home on Daddy duty. Apparently, Hudson saved his tricks for Daddy and took his first steps right after I left. Since then, he attempts to walk and one of two things happens:

1. He gets so excited that his upper body moves before his lower body and he face plants. Or...

2. He knows that he can get places MUCH faster by crawling, so he drops to his butt and crawls away.

We have yet to record any actual steps, but here's a picture of him standing:

There's nothing sweeter...

...than a Steeler victory. Against Baltimore. On Monday night. For 1st place in the division.
Wow - that felt good!!!

In preparation for Monday night's game, Ryan was dressing in black and gold for work. I was afraid to put Hudson in Steeler's garb, especially given the problems we've already had with his daycare (see my previous post). As I was putting his arms into a green shirt, he gave me a look that said:
"Mom - I was born to be a Steelers fan. I don't care if we live in Baltimore. I am proud to be part of Steeler Nation. I drool black and gold. If they decide to not feed me or change my diaper today because I'm wearing black and gold, well, that's just a risk I have to take."

Who am I to deny that? So here he is rockin' his Big Ben jersey:

And here he is doing his best Big Ben impression: