Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Hudson at 6 months

Happy HALF birthday, sweet boy! 


Hudson is officially six months old.  He weighs 14 lbs 13.5 oz and measures 24.5 inches long.  His head circumference is 17 inches.  He is now in all size 6 month outfits and size 2 diapers.  It's amazing to compare photos from March.  Here he is with the blue bunny his siblings gave him in the NICU. 

 
 
Hudson sat in his high chair for the first time at breakfast on Sunday 8/16.  He was so glad to be up at our level :)


We introduced baby foods this month and decided to make our own.  It was pretty easy with the Baby Bullet and the big kids enjoyed helping with the first batch.  He has tried butternut squash, pears, sweet potatoes and apples so far.  We allowed four consecutive days for each new food, just in case of an allergic reaction.  He enjoys his food and opens his mouth wide like a little hungry bird when he anticipates the spoon!  He has started babbling with each bite which certainly creates some royal messes :)

   
A few weeks ago Hudson was fitted for AFO {ankle/foot orthotic} braces.  Right now they are mostly to help with his dorsiflexion and to prevent foot contractures.   


Hudson was {mostly!} patient during the molding process.  The big kids were very helpful and even got to choose the design {camo}.

 
This set is expected to last for approximately six months and must be worn for a total of ten hours each day.  This sweet boy loves to accessorize :)


He now does physical therapy once a week.  Jenna is pleased with his progress and provides us with great strength exercises to do.  He still despises tummy time but his head/torso have become much stronger.  He is able to sit up unassisted while holding on to his feet for a short few seconds.


Our little man is very verbal and has recently started exploring a few labial consonant sounds {most often M and B}.  He often grins at strangers when we are out and about and really enjoys their attention.  He admires himself in the mirror and looks back and forth to be sure his reflection is still there!  He stayed in the church nursery for the first time on Sunday 9/6.  Weeks prior he seemed to either hiccup or 'chat' very loudly during the sermon :)



He continues to sleep very well at night and to mostly cat nap during the day.  There have been a few times recently that he has napped for a few hours.  He prefers to snooze in my arms opposed to his crib {which I don't mind at all}!


Rub a dub dub; he still enjoys the bath tub.  It seems to make him calm and content and starts his bedtime routine.  He especially likes having warm water slowly poured onto his tummy and isn't always sure about having his hair washed.   

 
We love this sweet boy! 


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

First day of school 2015

We were all smiles for the FIRST day of school!  Both kids are at Lansberry Elementary this year. 
 

We are thrilled to have two of our favorite teachers.  Emma had Mrs Meredith in first grade and she moved up to third!  Owen was very familiar with Ms Thornton because she was Emma's kinder teacher :) 


I made these spiffy supplies cakes for both teachers.  Hopefully they will come in handy soon {thanks Pinterest!}
 
 
Emma is in third grade.  Time flies!  She has lots of familiar faces in her homeroom class.  This year they switch classes and her teacher for math and science is Mrs Smith.
 


At Meet the Teacher Ms T gave each student a gift and instructed them not to open it until the night before Kindergarten.  It was magic confetti to sprinkle under his pillow.  He was thrilled :)
 

Of course we read 'The Night Before Kindergarten' at bedtime.....

 
The next morning this guy marched into the Kindergarten hall like a pro!  He even requested that I not walk him in from the second day on {sniff sniff!}


Kinder is such a bittersweet journey but we are excited for Owen as we know the many adventures that await him!

 
We pray that these two have the best school year yet! 
 

Galveston 2015

In July we enjoyed a few days in Galveston with Big Daddy and Lita.  Uncle Joseph, Aunt Natalie and cousin Tessa met us there.  Our beach house was right on the sand and the kids had such a fun time.  We got just the right dose of vitamin 'sea' :) 
 
We spent time taking walks on the beach...
 
 
 
Building beautiful sand castles and creations....
 

Searching for the perfect shells...
{he even brought home a huge collection!}


 Burying one another in the sand....
{this way he stayed still for at least a few minutes!}
 
 
...and making lots of salty memories :)
 

Our sweet beach babies :)

 
We explored the strand on our last day there.  We watched them make taffy at the confectionary, shopped, ate at Fisherman's Wharf {our fav!} and took part in a guided dolphin tour.   Arrrrrr!!  My favorite pirates on the strand!

 
Goodbye Galveston!  See you next year!
 

Monday, August 31, 2015

Summer 2015 Highlights

The Smiths had a full calendar of events this Summer!  I knew ahead of time to fill our schedule with as many fun activities and camps as possible.  Emma and Owen often drive one another bonkers if they are home together for very long :)  Here is a chronological run down of what kept us busy!
 
University for Young People at Baylor University - Emma was accepted to attend the first week of June.  The class created a pretend town and she was voted as co-mayor!
 
 
The kids enjoyed swim lessons in Big Daddy and Lita's neighborhood evenings after UYP.  Their instructor was amazing and they learned a lot! 
 
 
UMHB Lil Cru Football Camp - Owen enjoyed a morning of drills and fun at Crusader stadium!  The camp was well organized and he had a blast.
 
 
Father's Day - Hudson's first!  The kids are so fortunate to have such a devoted, playful and fun daddy!  I'm soooo thankful to have this guy beside me in this crazy parenting gig :)  He got to choose where we enjoyed lunch - Outback Steakhouse of course!
 
 
Jarrod had the first two weeks of July off work.  We certainly made the most of every minute!  We spent the first week in San Antonio.  We enjoyed Sea World, the Witte Children's museum, River walk, Natural Bridge Wildlife Safari and even spent a day in Gruene. 
 



On the 4th of July we enjoyed patriotic pancakes for breakfast!  That evening we went to Huntsville for fun, food and fireworks.  The kids enjoyed rock climbing, bouncy houses, balloon animals and snow cones.   
 
  
Emma and Owen did great at both Tiger basketball and football camps! 
 
 
We took the kiddos with us to THSCA coaching school this year in Houston.  Their favorite thing was hanging out with the Rhoades girls and playing Bingo each afternoon!
 
The last weekend of July was spent in Salado with family.  We did a lot of swimming, eating, visiting and even canning grape jelly!
 
 
The kids took part in an art day camp at the Wynne Home in Huntsville.  They enjoyed pottery, paper mache and plants/gardening.  They made all sorts of fun masterpieces including bird feeders and drums. 
 
   
 
Last but certainly not least, Emma enjoyed another full week at Carolina Creek Christian Camp.  She counted down the days all summer and was thrilled to finally go!  This year she was in the tiger cabin and received the compassionate cabin award.  Owen looks forward to attending with her next year :) 
 

Owen enjoyed junior golf camp at Elkins Lake in Hunstville.  His best buddy from Pre K went too. 
 

 
We were sad to see Summer go but we are looking forward to the new school year and all that Fall has to offer......

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Hudson at 5 months

Hudson is five months old!  He weighs 13 lbs 15 oz and is 23.5" long (both in the sixth percentile).  His head circumference is 16.9" (25th perc).  He is between size 3-6 month outfits and is quickly outgrowing size 1 diapers.  It seems like just yesterday he was teeny tiny in his car seat and this month we raised the shoulder harness to the next height level.  It was rather tricky to take his monthly photo because he was grabbing the sticker with his busy little hands and was trying to put it in his mouth!
 
 
His head/neck control is improving every day!  He still favors looking toward the left but is a good boy and works hard.  He has physical therapy twice a week.  Sometimes Ms Jenna lets him watch a "baby movie" on her dvd (in order to bribe him to look to the right).  He visually tracks things well and especially likes toys that play music and/or light up!  His newest "trick" is grabbing our fingers and using his head to sit up from a flat position.  He often tries with all his might to sit up when in his car seat or during a diaper change.  It's only a matter of time, sweet boy!
 

 
 He especially loves to coo, eat, swing, bathe, be held and watch his big sis and bro.  He often protests about tummy time, long car rides and being hungry.  He has recently started clasping his hands together and often chews on the left one.  His baby blue eyes melt my heart!  He loves the attention when strangers talk to him and usually smiles and flirts. 
 
 
 He is extra smiley and chatty in the mornings.  He is exploring his voice and acts like we should know exactly what he is saying.  He is ticklish near his neck and even belly laughed for the first time on 8/8.
 
 
He visits the Spina bifida clinic at TCH every three months his first year.  His most recent visit was this week.  Clinic days are long and exhausting for all of us but it's nice to get everything addressed the same day.  Conveniently, we stay put and each of his physicians rotate in to check on him.  We saw representatives from neurosurgery, urology, orthotics, the SB pediatrician and a dietician.  Urology was pleased with the healing progress from his June procedure.  He also had head and renal ultrasounds which both looked stable.  Everyone was impressed with how content and smiley he was :)
 

 
He sleeps like a rock star at night and seldom wakes up.  He usually sleeps ten hours straight.  Most nights he manages to break his left arm free from the swaddle blanket.  Because he sleeps so well at night he only cat naps during the day and is often awake for long stretches of time.  He often snoozes with his eyes open.

 
 We sure love this little guy and love to watch him grow and progress!  He adds an abundance of joy to our lives and makes our family complete.