Hudson at 16 months

Hudson is 16 months old!  He now weighs approximately 21 pounds.  He is wearing more size 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  He now has 11 pearly whites and his hair is getting super long!

 

He loves the view riding this way through Target.  He thinks it is pretty neat sitting beside Owen and doesn't fuss at all :)

He enjoyed his first beach trip of the summer!
 

 

I'm happy to report that he now only drinks from a sippy cup!  After a few attempts to slowly introduce it we had to go cold turkey because he was pretty much attached to the bottle.  He is doing a great job!  He still LOVES meal time.  He is such a great eater and eats ANYthing he is offered.  I always cut everything into small bites but he often stuffs several into his mouth one right after another!  This month he tried tomato and corn on the cob.  New snacks include freeze dried fruit and teensy organic fruit gummies.  He often needs an immediate bath right after dinner :)

He outgrew his infant bath sling so we ordered a new fun bath chair!  This offers him just the right support but allows him to play and see what's going on.  He especially loves putting his hands underneath faucet to feel the water.

He usually sleeps well at night and prefers to be on his tummy.  He starts babbling around 7:00am and is usually ready for bed by 7:00pm.  He doesn't like being put down for naps and only cat naps during the day.  He often falls asleep playing with a stuffed animal and listening to lullabies.

Jaylon encouraged us to have him "stand" assisted to bear weight in his legs.  He loves having Emma at PT sessions over the summer!  She suggested having him measured for a stander.  This piece of equipment will essentially hold him in a standing position for long periods of time - which is great for his body and will offer him a brand new perspective of his world!  Unfortunately it is a lengthy claim process.  The new set of AFO braces he received were huge and unaccommodating so they were recently reconstructed.   They are solid blue because there weren't near as many pattern options this time!

 

Last month Dr Brindley inserted tubes in Hudson's ears.  For several consecutive months prior a tympanogram detected that his eardrums weren't moving as they should.  Our hope is that this drains the fluid and allows him to hear much better.  Our prayer is that this will improve his speech.

 

 
He has mastered the straw!  We now order him a kids water at restaurants and he loves it!  He is growing fast and has developed such a sweet personality :)



Happy Birthday America!

On the 4th of July the kiddos were excited to participate in the first annual Stone Creek Ranch parade in Big Daddy & Lita's neighborhood.  The day before was spent decorating a bike and wagon! 

 

 

At the end of the parade we enjoyed fellowship and met lots of nice neighbors.  We were thankful for a morning breeze!  They had refreshments, face painting and more.  We even honored our country by reciting the pledge of allegiance together.   

 

Emma won the "best decorated wagon" award!  She also had the most precious passenger, too!  :)

 

 

Cool shades

Hanging out with Uncle Sam :)

We enjoyed lunch with cousins and loved our visit as always!

The menu included red, white & blue deviled eggs and M&M flag sugar cookies!  The big kids and I enjoyed a little midnight baking :)

 

 

My three firecrackers :)

 

"The secret strength of a nation is found in the FAITH that abides in the hears and homes of the country."  -Billy Graham

 



Surfside Shennanigans

 Last month we enjoyed a few days of sun, sand and salt water in Surfside.  The beach house was right on the water which was nice. 

The balcony was peaceful with the sea breeze and sound of seagulls.

 

 

We only caught Hudson eating sand twice!  :) He had a good time but wasn't a fan about wearing his hat.

 

 



We loved being there with cousins!  The kids played together for hours.  They built sandcastles, tackled the waves with boogie boards and played board games.  They all slept well each night :)

They even took turns burying one another in sand!

 

 

For Father's day we ventured into Galveston to Pleasure Pier.  The lines for rides were relatively short and everyone had a great time!  We then enjoyed Rainforest Café for a late night dinner.

 

  

"A beach baby is a salty little sweetheart with sandy toes and a sun kissed nose" :)

 

Adios 3rd grade!

Our best girl has officially completed the third grade!  She has had a memorable year and was a trooper during the mid year move.  Onward to FOURTH grade {how can that be?!}

Emma is 9-and-a-half

Our Emma girl is 9-and-a-half!  Truth be told, I'm soooo not ready for the upcoming double digits!  She now weighs 95 pounds and stands over 4.5 feet tall.  She wears mostly size 12 clothes and women's size 7 shoe {it won't be long before we can share!}  

 

She enjoys riding her bike, playing softball, Barbies and board games.  She is overly competitive, is a talented artist and collects TY stuffed animals. 

 

She is a wonderful big sister and is very helpful with Hudson.  However, she often enjoys quiet/alone time (I certainly don't blame her!)

She often creates short movies on the ipad and gets very creative!  She gives relaxing foot rubs but requires payment :)

She has a great sense of humor and loves learning new jokes!  She finds the fun in life and makes those around her happy :)

 

She and Jarrod enjoyed the Father/Daughter dance in February.  She looked beautiful and they had a wonderful evening!  :) 

 

 

 Of course we had to be in style cheering Owen's team on this Spring!   

 

She has really enjoyed taking piano lessons this school year!  She has learned a lot about rhythm, hand/eye coordination and reading notes.  On Mother's Day she wrapped up the year with a patriotic recital and played 'Yankee Doodle Dandy'  and 'You're a Grand Old Flag'.  She recently started teaching Owen how to play :)

She really is growing up right before our eyes.  We love her to pieces!

 



Hudson at 15 months

Hudson is 15 months!  He weighs 20 pounds 8 ounces and measures just under 27 inches long.  His head circumference is 18.25".  He is small but follows his own growth chart beautifully.  He is still in mostly size 12 months but has started wearing some 18 months outfits.   He still wears size 4 diapers.  He has ten teeth total {6 full and 4 peeking!}

He has discovered his legs and feet and often examines them thoroughly!

PT is still once a week and is going very well.  Jaylon is very encouraging and has lots of ideas to build his strength and endurance!  He will also start OT soon.

This is the way we bird bath at the hotel!  Perfect fit :)

He still enjoys eating!  He eats small pieces of whatever we are having.  For breakfast he often has mini pancakes and fruit.  He recently tried donut holes and is quite a fan :)  His favorite snacks are Cheerios, cheese cubes and watermelon.  He does so well self feeding.  He drinks approximately 20 ounces of whole milk each day and is still working on the sippy cup.  He refuses to drink cold milk!

He still wakes up a couple times during the night and will occasionally take a solid nap after lunch.  He doesn't want his hands under the cover but does prefer to tuck them in when cuddling on my chest.  He now prefers to sleep on his tummy.

He decided to check himself out in the mirror while I shopped one day!

 

We have had quite a pacifier dilemma!  His favorite is the Wubbanub but he has chomped through THREE of them.  Unfortunately they are pricey so we cannot continue to replace them!  Below is my attempt at trying to interest him in a different kind.  It didn't last long!  Fortunately he isn't near as attached to them as his siblings once were and can actually fall asleep without one.  However, they definitely offer comfort so it's nice to keep one nearby. 

 

He loves swinging and thinks it's funny to feel the wind in his hair!