Christmas break

We had such a great Christmas break. First of all, let's talk about how we actually had a break! Colby and I were reminiscing how when we were working for Walmart, we only got Christmas Day off (unless we used vacation days) so typically worked Christmas Eve. It was great to have Colby out of school for three weeks. I quickly learned, however, that I really don't get time off from motherhood, but that's okay. My break I guess is having extra help from Colby.

We had three phases of our break: Colby spent the first week up in Northern California on the Tech Trek through UCLA visiting several Tech companies. I had headed out to Hemet to my parents with Hudson as there was no reason to sit in LA and wait for Colby. He joined us Friday after returning from Northern California. We then spent a week and a half at my parents, being there for both Christmas and New Year's. all of my siblings were there and it was great to all be together again for Christmas for the first time in four years, due to missions and us being in Arkansas. The last phase of our break consisted of us heading back out to LA and exploring our own area. While we have lived here 5 months, we haven't really taken the time to get out and explore. We went to the Venice canals pre tech trek, but hit up Hollywood, Malibu and Venice beach the last few days of break.

Overall, I really enjoyed the holiday season being with my little family and experiencing Christmas with Hudson. While he is definitely too young to understand any of it now, I can see how magical Christmas will become by having a child. I'm grateful for my parents for putting up with a full house and being so much fun. It really was great to be with the whole family this year!

4 months

I probably sound like a broken record, but I cant believe my baby is 4 months!  Time is just flying by.  There are moments i just want to freeze time, and then moments i just want him to be a toddler already so we can talk and laugh and go on the slides together. But then I remember that life with toddler isn't all just fun and games, and I am once again wanting to freeze time with my precious baby.

Hudson hit his 4 month mark over Christmas break.  I took him to the doctor for his 4 month check up and shots, which coupled with a cold made for a slightly unhappy baby.  But in Hudson's true form, he was a trooper.

With his 4 month appointment, we can start solids!  The doctor said we don't have to do so until 6 months really, but can start introducing it now to see how he does.  We tried rice ceral for a few days and he LOVES it.  I think I made it too think though and clogged him up a bit, so we have since taken a slight hiatus. With 4 months, I also made the decision to start sleep training.  With being at my parents house and with his cold, we decided to hold off until back in LA.

At Hudson's 4 month mark, here are some notable things:

• Growth Measures:
• Weight 15 lbs 7 oz (50th percentile)
• Height 25 3/4 inches (75th percentile)
• Head circumference 42.2 cm (between 50-75th percentile)
• Noticing his hands and feet more--still constantly has his hands in his mouth sucking and chewing on them.
• Much more interactive.  He no longer constantly looks around "mindlessly." We can almost see his little brain working trying to figure out different things he is looking at.  When I was holding Hudson and Colby poked his hear out of the shower, Hudson turned to look.  When Colby"disappeared" Hudson looked around for a few moments clearly trying to figure out where his Dad had gone--he was just there!!  It is so cute to see him try and figure these things out.
• With his cold, he has taken a step back on sleeping and is back to waking once each night.  I am still feeding him when he wakes, which will eventually change. 
• Loves the bath and loves the jumper
• Enjoys tummy time and has mastered rolling from his tummy to back.  If he decides he doesn't want to be on his tummy, there is no keeping him there.
• We got him one of the jungle gym toys where toys hang down from arching bars, and he love laying there.  There is one star that is this crinkly fabric, and he always finds that one, pulls it down and chews on it.  He is seemingly oblivious to the other hanging toys.
• He is gaining a few nicknames: Bud, Huds, Buddy

Of course, we love Hudson more and more and love having him in our home.  He is such a joy and is becoming more and more of a joy each day.

We did it!!

We, yes, we, survived the first quarter of grad school. While Colby was a rockstar attending classes, studying for exams, attending recruiting dinners, balancing being a husband and father and deserves most the credit, I think I deserve at least a pat on the back for enduring his endurance. Days of him leaving at 7 am and getting home past 10 pm were no fun and all too common. Thankfully, Hudson is a good baby and good company. There were certainly nights though that I would have to stop my chatting with Colby to take a drink to wet my scratchy throat. I could certainly tell the days I had lacked adult conversation. I have made some great friends here that help me get through each day and am quickly learning to love my new life. Colby really is doing great, but is so ready for his 3 weeks off school before hitting the books hard again.

3 months

I feel as if Hudson has grown up so much this past month.

For documentation purposes, here are his highlights:

*officially outgrowing the majority of his 0-3 month clothes.  I think he hit a growth spurt around 13 weeks and has grown even longer.  His footed pajamas have quickly been outgrown!

*He is much more alert, constantly observing things around him.  This will occasionally make nursing tough, as he is far more intrigued in his surroundings than his meal. :)

*He is sleeping 9 hour stretches at night.  Haven't started sleep training, but will start this upcoming month.  While he sleeps great, he is still dependent on me to get him to sleep. He is going to bed much earlier than before, now around 9:30.

*He laughs, and I think it is the most adorable thing ever.

*Still doesn't love his carseat, but is better.  If he is put in while happy, he will usually stay happy.  If he's crying, taking him out of the car, still strapped into his carseat usually does the trick.  I think he just doesn't like being confined alone to the backseat.  He likes interaction.

*He is consistently rolling over from his stomach to his back.

*He loves light.

*He still loves his baths and loves having lotion rubbed on him afterwards, especially on his little feet.

*He quit taking a bottle, but we're working on getting that back.

*Loves being sung nursery rhymes, especially Itsy-Bitsy Spider, with hand motions.

The DMV

I went to the DMV this afternoon.  For those of you who have gone to a California DMV, you would agree that I could stop with my first sentence and classify it as a horror story.  But, my story doesn't stop there, because I went to the DMV, in California, with an 11-week old baby. Yes, I am crazy, but I also have lived here for longer than I am supposed to without a California Driver's License, so I had to get it done.  Luckily, I scheduled an appointment, which sped things up a bit, but folks, its still the DMV.

Before heading out, I went to grab my passport because i had heard I would need it as a second form of identification.  Of course, after digging through 12 drawers, our files, and piles of papers, I came up empty handed.  Online I read a marriage certificate would serve the same purpose so I grabbed that and Hudson and I went out the door, surprisingly only 5 minutes later than planned.  He was fussy in his carseat, and I figured it was because he would not burp after I fed him, and was probably trying to calm his gassy tummy from eating. I took him into the DMV in his carseat attached to the stroller.  Once inside, he made it clear he did NOT want to be in that.  He was grunting while doing these little crunches, trying to break out of the straps.  Not wanting to cause a scene (let's be honest, everyone was already staring at me-- young white girl with a baby, and a wedding ring.  Rare scene.), I caved and took him out.  He was a perfect baby when I was holding him, so that's what we did--the. whole. time. So there I am, huge load of cargo and holding a baby while trying to fill out paperwork, etc.  At the second station, I was told that since I had already had a California DL, this should be simpler.  Good news.  Well, my first license was in my maiden name, so I would have to provide legal documentation of my name change.  Perfect, because I wasn't able to find my passport, which I now no longer needed, I grabbed my marriage certificate, just what she needed.  Things were looking good.  But then, as she was processing things, she said, oh, I guess I need a birth certificate or passport too.  The system wouldn't let her process it without it. Great.  I didn't have them with me. I didn't know where they were at home. so when she asked if I could come back later today with them I gave her "that look" while holding a fussy baby, and explained I didn't have them.  She was then able to process it without them. Hallelujah!

Next stop, photo line. The line was a single file line crammed between two stanchions.  Not the best circumstance for me and my large stroller.  Oh well.  Here goes nothing. The man behind me in line kindly pointed out that my baby had spit-up all over his face.  Great.  Maybe that's why he had quit fussing a bit.  My thoughts as I wiped the stuff from his face (and my foot) were that he should be much calmer now and be fine with me putting him in his stroller.  As I put him in his stroller, he looked at me with the "mom, what are you doing?!?" look and started to cry.  Not happening.  He stayed in my arms. Thumb print taken. Signature signed (with my "e" looking like a "w", but we all know that wasn't worth requesting to re-sign...it will serve as my reminder of this wonderful afternoon). Photo taken.  I probably look like a crazy woman.  No I didn't want to see the photo. If I saw it, I would probably want it retaken--no time for that.

Next stop, written exam.  There were signs everywhere saying no talking, even in line.  Clearly this was not the place for a fussy baby.  I must have a smart baby.  He totally read the signs.  He was silent. :)  I passed the exam, missing 3, which was the limit! While waiting to turn in the exam I thought I smelled something bad.  I looked down at Hudson, still in my arms, and saw a blotch of liquid brown spreading across his back right above his pant line.  Great.  Dirty diaper. Is it on me?  Who knows? I was wearing black. phew. I look at Hudson who is chewing his hands now and see they are covered in spit-up. Again. Great.  Turn around and there is a large puddle of chunky spit-up adorning the black DMV rug. I try to wipe it out, but pretty sure it will be there for the next 20 years (because certainly, they won't be replacing the thing before then!).  I turn in the test, find out I pass, and with excitement ask, "this is it, right?"  With a smile the lady relies, "Yep, all done!"  Woo-hoo!

Out to the car we go where I set up my changing station in the trunk of my SUV.  Just waiting for a ticket citing me for indecent exposure in public, I proceed to completely undress and change Hudson in the parking lot.  Thankfully its a warm November day, so Im not worried about him getting cold.  He just sits and kicks, and laughs.  Yeah, hilarious dude. But really, I was laughing too.  I wasn't honestly frustrated through this whole things.  I just took it in, shaking my head and realizing life as a Mom is a new life.  Harder, but good.  I have endless stories now.  I changed Hudson and got us situated in the car.  Hudson started crying.  Then he proceeded to screaming.  I called Colby who informed me that Hudson isn't happy, as he could him him clearly over the speaker phone  :) True.  I looked at the clock and it was 4:21.  Holy cow, I was at the DMV for 2 hours?  I knew it was a while, but it didn't seem like that long.  2 hours of my life i will never get back, i thoughts. Once I got home, I pulled the stroller out of the trunk and peered over the seat to Hudson, who stared back at me quiet and wide awake.  I walked around to get him out and he was dead asleep.  30 seconds.  I'll take it. Did I mention that Hudson has slept all. day. long?  He has been awake 4 times today to eat, and hang out at the DMV, and has slept every other second.  I would have loved to play with him at home and let him sleep at the DMV.  I guess he just wanted that experience. :) As I called Colby back to tell him Hudson was now asleep, I saw it was 3:30. Ha.  I had been at the DMV 1 hour, not 2.  My car was on pre-time change time.  That was a relief.  I just got an hour of my life back.  The simple things, folks.

Well, there you have it.  My horror story at the DMV, expect I really see it more as a comedy than horror story.  I feel I take this all well and just laugh when nothing else works. Here's to at least 2 more years until I head back to the DMV!

Halloween

I have always thought babies look adorable in Halloween costumes and have looked forward to the day I had a baby to dress up. The reality though is its a lot of work! When it turned Halloween time, I had no clue what I was going to dress Hudson as, if anything. Thankfully, Sarah saved the day when I was in Hemet and let me borrow her pea pod costume. I was going to be lazy and have Colby and me go sans costumes, but the night before our party, I came up with simple, coordinating costumes for Colby and me.

Hudson and I headed up to the institute building alone and Colby was going to meet us after school things were done. Well Hudson fell asleep on the way up, so was without costume and Colby showed up late and wasn't sure it was worth it to go grab his costume. My dreams were forever shattered. But then Hudson woke up, I fed him and Colby happily obliged to wear his costume and help get Hudson in his. Hudson, having had shots earlier was kinda pouty. He looked so sad in all the pictures, but really was quite indifferent to the whole event. Clearly a Halloween for him to remember. :)

2 months

Hudson is 2 months old.  Once again I am asking myself, how has the time gone by so fast!  As I was snapping some photos today, i was looking back on the memory card and saw photos from when he was just weeks old.  He really has grown so much.  Like, so much.  He was just a scrawny little baby, and now he's definitely filling out and growing taller (longer??). People keep mentioning how much he has grown, but I honestly don't see it, except when putting on clothes that he used to swim in and realizing they should be boxed up now because they are getting too small.  It must be that I am around him so much.

Hudson is changing in so many more ways than just size.  He is becoming much more entertaining through his "talking," smiling, slight giggling and overall interaction with us.  It was fun to have Colby with him this past weekend.  For the prior 2 weekends, we had been around family, so Colby didn't have much one on one time with Hudson.  Since he is in school during the day, Colby has mainly only been with Hudson recently in the evenings when he is tired and a little fussy. When Colby was holding him this past weekend, he was blown away by how active he is and how interactive he is with those around.  He is so aware of surroundings, watching toys and especially lights.  He reacts to our smiles with big toothless grin back.  He loves to lay on the floor and kick like crazy.  He does this best in the tub and when on the changing pad.

We have his 2 month pediatrician appointment tomorrow and Im excited to see how much he has grown.  Im not so excited to have him get his shots, but I just have to remind myself its a good thing!

A couple more notable things about our little man:

• Growth stats:
• Weight: 13 lbs 1 oz (75%)
• Height: 23 3/4" (85%)
• Head Circumference: 41 cm (95%)
• he has become a great nurser.  While he has maintained his 6 or so feedings a day, he has cut back on how long he nurses each time.  I can get a good feeding in with only 20-30 minutes, where before it was more like 1-1.5 hours. 
• He is awake much more, and enjoys playing
• He has an amazingly strong neck, and can easily hold it up.  When he is laying on the ground and we pull him up with his arms, his neck stays aligned with his back instead of falling back.
• Thankfully, noise while sleeping doesn't seem to bother him unless it is a sudden loud noise
• Still hates the carseat.  Unless he is put in right after eating and is really happy, he screams in the car sear.  We have found that if we put him in, and swing the carseat like a swing before strapping it in the car, he is a little better.  
• He loves his swing.  He has discovered the mirror and mobile on the swing and will just stare at it.  I in turn stare at him because I think he is a genius.  Its cute to watch him swinging side to side and move his head/eyes back and forth opposite the swing to keep eye contact with the mirror/mobile
• Speaking of mobile, I finally made the mobile for his crib.  It's fun to go in in the late morning after he has slept and see him in the awake staring at the mobile and kicking his little legs.
• He is now in size 1 diapers, and size 3 month clothing.
• He has become an even better sleeper.  He went 3 days in a row this week sleeping 7.5-8 hours straight at night.  Unfortunately we are still working on getting him to sleep before midnight or 1, but that will come.  
• We are waiting for his discovery of his hands.  He is still completely oblivious to them.  He like when we hold toys for him, but has yet to reach for them or grasp them himself.
• He LOVES his baths.  We typically leave him in the tub for 20 minutes or so while he babbles and kicks and wiggles his arms around. He;s not a fan of us turning the faucet on while he's in the tub.  It clearly scares him.  This creates a problem though as we have to add warm water to the tub since he hangs out in the water so long that it gets too cool.
• Hudson has strong legs.  For several weeks now he "stands" on my lap if I lightly have my hands around his torso.  
• He has very cute faces.  Some of my favorites are the furrowed brow, ultra pouty face, big smiles, and his dream land smiles while sleeping.  I have yet to catch the pouty face on camera, but its hilarious.  Very sad, but equally as cute. 

We love our Hudson so much and can't believe he's ours!  As I called the pediatrician to confirm his appointment, they referred to Hudson as "your son."  It was really strange for some reason.  It is totally normal to have "a baby" but "a son" seems to take on a different context entirely.  Its almost as if the "baby" is part of playing house, while "son" is more real-life/adult related.  It truly is crazy that Hudson is our son and ours forever!  We love him!

Rub-a-dub

While visiting my parents this past weekend, we attempted a bath in the bathtub with Hudson. When we had tried it at home a couple of times, Hudson wasn't really into it, and preferred being bathed in the sink. He absolutely loved baths in the sink, but would scream when put in the tub. That definitely changed this weekend. We put Hudson in the tub and after a brief moment of shock, he kicked, splashed, giggled and smiled and loved every second. We probably had him in there for 30 minutes because we were being entertained by him.

This has quickly become a part of the nightly routine. He loves it, gets his exercise, and is completely worn out before bedtime. Perfect in my opinion. Plus, he's absolutely adorable to watch.

Movin' on up

After a day of going through four outfits, I determined it was time for Hudson to move on up--move on up in diaper sizes that is. His little newborn diapers are just too small for his growing body and increasing appetite. We tried size 1 about 2 weeks ago and they were huge on him. It's crazy how fast that can change!

Hudson's big moves

Such an exciting day! At 5 weeks old, Hudson rolled over from back to front, twice, and I got the second time on camera. This was right after his first smiles and "talking". Such rewarding moments. I like to think it was his apology for only giving me 4 hrs of sleep last night. He's too cute! And yes, I realize I'm such a mom now, rejoicing in these little things and plastering them all over this blog. Deal with it. :)

Forgive my proud motherly squeals and baby talk.  That's not the focus of the video. ;)

One Month

One Month.

Really?!?

The time has slipped away so fast, and I don't think I like it.  Can't we just stop time for a little bit?

Hudson reached his month old mark on Friday and we can't believe it.  He is such a little angel and blessing in our lives.  While the time has certainly flown by, it also seems as if Hudson has been with us so much longer.  Funny how time can play little tricks on us like that.  We can't hardly imagine life without him.

Our love for Hudson grows each day and I constantly find myself whispering to him how much I love him and hugging him much more than he likes. I love how little he is right now and how precious he is when he sleeps. He has started eating more, which leads to nice filled out cheeks.  Its fun to see the changes, but it reminds me how he is changing each and every day, and one of these days I will wake up and have a kindergartener, high schooler, or college graduate rather than a sweet little one month old baby boy.

This first month has introduced us all to many new experiences and ways of life, including:

• eating food way faster than is healthy out of fear that hudson will wake up any second
• bouncing back and forth while standing, even when not holding Hudson
• feeling like getting to bed by midnight is early
• discussing new topics over the dinner table, such as spit up, bowel movements and other lovely things that come with babies
• showering at 6 pm for the first time in a day because it literally was to soonest I had a chance to
• changing outfits multiple times in a day because Hudson thought he should add some unwanted "accessories" to our clothes. 
• being entertained starring at this little human being for long stretches of time, thinking about how perfect he is
• sitting on the couch and watching video clips of hudson playing because he is sleeping soundly and we miss him
• understanding what love at first sight really feels like

We love our sweet Hudson.  He is seriously perfect.  He has the cutest little face, feet and hands, and even the cutest little cry (well, not so much at 3 in the morning...).  We love his little curious facial expressions and watching him calm down instantly at the sound of running water.  We love how he is a determined little one and will fight us so hard when he just wants to be awake and we want him to sleep.  We love his long, dark hair and how curly it gets when it is wet. We love his little noises, especially during those last 20 minutes of him sleeping. We love everything about him and wouldn't trade him for the world.

Aches and Pains

Wow. Today was definitely not the best day! Hudson and I came to Hemet yesterday because I have had a toothache and came to have Dr. Gray, my favorite dentist, look at it. My appointment was this morning at 10, and I went in anticipating a filling or 2. Turns out I actually need a few fillings and a root canal. Nice. Dr. Gray started to drill my tooth for a filling, and found it would need a root canal. He started the root canal, and has referred me to an endodontist to finish it. I then had my teeth cleaned and came home. As the novocaine has worn off, which I was grateful for initially because I hate that numb feeling, pain set in. Because I am nursing Hudson, I cannot take that prescription pain meds, only ibuprofen and Tylenol. It isn't quite as strong as I would like to say the least. I go to the endodontist tomorrow for the rest of the root canal. It will be good to have it taken care of, but I'm not looking forward to the pain, or the numbness, again!  


The main point of all of this is that I really am grateful that i was able to come into Hemet to have this taken care of.  I know I would have figured it out in LA, but it sure is nice to be able to come here where my Mom can watch Hudson (twice) while I am away, since I have never left him alone wiht anyone. Also, I am glad i can go to a dentist that I have a history with, who I trust, and who has a professional relationship with my Dad.  I'm afraid if I went to a dentist in LA with pain in one tooth and was told there was nothing wrong with it so they would work on another, only to find out that one needed a root canal and then that i needed to go to a specialist to have it taken care of, that I would have not trusted anything they said.  I am glad I 100% trust the things my dentist told me and that we are able to get things taken care of. While I'm not excited about the root canal tomorrow, I guess the pain of the root canal will be better than the pain of my toothache I am still experiencing. When Hudson is older, I can let him know part of his entry into this world included a nice toothache for me.  A sacrifice totally worth it for him!

Beach Time Firsts

With Mom Heiner here, we wanted to attempt to do a few fun things, especially before Colby started school.  We decided a little trip to the beach would be the perfect thing.  

This was Hudson's debut trip to the beach at a ripe 2 1/2 weeks old.  When someone at the beach asked how old he was, I said "about a month."  I am pretty sure he thought i was crazy to have a baby that young at the beach.  Little did he know Hudson isn't really about "about a month."  I was hesitant about taking him at first, but figured it would be no different to sit at the beach than to sit outside at home, so we went for it.  He was in my arms the whole time and seems to have loved it. ;)

Mom Heiner had a first at the beach as well.  While she had been to the beach before, years ago, she had never been in the water.  She didn't want to go swimming with Colby, but made sure she stuck her legs in the water.  So glad we could witness this first with her.  She also was introduced to sand crabs by Colby, a discovery that he made just a few weeks ago.  I love living 10 minutes from the beach and having this fun place to get away to.  We only stayed an hour, but with it only being a 10 minute drive, its so worth it!

Grandma Heiner

We just dropped Grandma Heiner off at the airport, and we were sad to have her leave.  She arrived last Saturday, and was here through today.  She was able to be here a few days before Colby started school, and then for the first days Colby was in school where I would have otherwise been home alone with Hudson.  It was great to have an extra set of hands and ears around with Colby in school.  She was great to clean, cook, change diapers and hold a crying (and occasionally not crying) baby, and great to chat with.  I can see just from the few hours I have been home with just Hudson that it is going to be lonely without anyone else around. 

We all greatly appreciate Mom Heiner for coming down to be with us.  Hudson already loves his Grandma Heiner, I know, and we look forward to many more visits from Grandma in the future. ;) 

You can see their sweet bond in the below pic.  Just look at those smiles. :)

Big Day

Hudson slept from 11:15 to 6:11 last night. Once again, 7 hours. We love this! Maybe our little guy knew it is a big day for his dad today so wanted to let him sleep. After over a year of preparing, Colby starts grad school today! It's crazy to think back to the days of studying to take the GMAT, having letters of recommendation written, pondering schools to apply to, filling out applications and writing essays upon essays, we are here. His orientation at UCLA starts today and goes nearly 2 weeks before he starts real classes.

Debra is in town, having arrived Saturday, and it will be good to have her here the next few days to ease me into Colby being gone. It will surely be an adjustment for it to eventually just be me and Hudson at home. This is the first time sine I went to kindergarten that I wasn't heading to school or working during fall. I am so happy to be able to stay home with Hudson but it will be a big change. I could not have had a better experience working in corporate America, and it's tough to give that up and retire, but I know that's the best thing for my little family right now.

I'm grateful for being blessed with such and amazing man as my eternal partner and husband. I wouldn't want to be starting this crazy adventure with anyone else. Unfortunately, because I love him so much, I know I'm going to painfully miss him today. Wish me luck!

Record breaking

World, Hudson has set a new personal best record! We put him down at 11:30 for the night and he slept until 6:30. That's 7 hours!! We will take that every night! Way to go, Hudson! Keep 'em coming...

Hudson's First Neighborhood Walk

We attempted Hudson's first walk yesterday, knowing that he loves being in the carseat, stroller, etc.  Colby brought the stroller in from the car and we put sleeping Hudson in it, wrapped up in a blanket.  Well, we made it to our mailboxes, about 100 feet away before Hudson was screaming, I was holding him and Colby was pushing the empty stroller back to our apartment. Colby kindly let me know that that was how he saw this outing ending.  I guess I was the optimistic one who was thinking we could walk around the neighborhood across the street and I could get a little exercise in. Ha. Our word of the month is still: adjustment. :) We will learn.

Of course I was hoping for the perfect "first walk" photo.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  We do have a nice video of his screaming his lungs out when we got home though. Maybe we'll get that photo on his second first walk. :)

Number 72

Hudson is the 72nd great-grandchild on my Mom's side of the family.  72. How crazy is that.  We haven't counted the other sides of family, but we know that Hudson has many wonderful relatives. While Hudson has a lot of heritage to live up to, he also has a lot of support and family who loves him dearly.  I am grateful to have brought Hudson into this world with so many people from both mine and Colby's family that do love him and us so much. I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue to expand these families and help create even more rich heritage and traditions to pass on.

 Great-Grandma Tibbitts and Hudson

Great-Grandma and Grandpa Tibbitts with Hudson

4 generations: great-Grandma Tibbitts, Mom (still not used to that title), Hudson and Grandma Jergensen

Welcome sweet Hudson

Hudson Kelly Heiner

Born August 21, 2012, 9:29 am

8 lbs 20 1/2 inches

at St. Johns Medical Center, Santa Monica, California

We couldn't be more excited to have welcomed our little one into the world earlier this week.  He is such a blessing in our lives already and we are do excited to watch him grow and change. He truly is an angel and it's beautiful to think of how recently he was up in heaven. His middle name is after Colby's father, who recently passed away, and I continually find myself thinking of the time they had together in heaven before his arrival.  I sure hope Kelly helped prepare him well for this world! 

Hudson, we love you more then we knew possible!

Final nights of freedom

As excited as we are for our little boy to join us in the next few days, we sure will miss our relatively easy date nights. Colby suggested that we take advantage of our "last Saturday" and go out. With packing, moving, and unpacking, it's been awhile since we've had a date, so his idea was perfect. Colby had found that there is a cafe rio about 10 minutes from us, so we jumped in the car and headed down the 405. My mouth was seriously salivating. We ordered our favorites: cafe rio pork salad for me, pork burrito enchilada style for him. They were just as we remembered from back in our Utah days.

From there we ventured into trader joes to check out the goods and escaped empty handed. We finished up the evening driving along the coast back watching the sunset, eventually ending back at our place. Final touches of the date included finalizing my hospital bag through a load of laundry. All in all, it was a perfect, low-key date I think we will both treasure.

Now, little man, we really are ready for you to join us. It's better out here, promise. :)