Hudson at 19 months

 Hudson is 19 months!  He now weighs 23 pounds and measures 27" long.  His 15th tooth is coming in and he wears all size 18 month outfits.  He is looking less like a baby and more like a toddler by the day {sniff sniff}! 

 

In the past couple of weeks he has made HUGE progress in mobility and motivation.  He has started the beginning stages of army crawling which has allowed him more independence and ability to explore his world.  We are now able to place him on the floor and watch him "ooch" around from one toy to another.  Instead of being interested in baby toys he is more motivated to move toward iphones, plants, balloons and books :)

On 9/23 he waved "bye bye" with his left hand when a cashier did it to him.  He hasn't done it since but he definitely did it then :)  He has really started to grasp the concepts of push/pull.  Instead of rolling himself in his Bumbo wheelchair he will grab on to something and pull himself toward it.  Smart little stinker!

 

We took the month of September off of PT for insurance reasons but Jaylon stopped by one day to attach kinesiology tape to Hudson's back and tummy.  Its purpose is to strengthen his core and help with balance.  It is very stretchy and lasts approximately five days before needing to be replaced.  The first day he seemed agitated by it but after that didn't seem to care.  We have noticed a small difference in his ability to sit up straight on the floor and in the high chair specifically.

Recently he tried a pop tart and pickle and loved both!  He wants some of anything we are eating and never seems full! 

 

 

His siblings enjoy reading to him.  He is a great listener but would really like to rip the pages!  In fact, he has managed to rip a few over the last couple of weeks (oops!)

 

 

He sleeps around ten hours each night but still wakes up 1-2 times.  He usually takes a short nap in the mornings and then sometimes another short nap in the afternoons.  On 10/5 he fell out of bed for he first time by pinwheeling his torso around and then flipping over from his tummy. 

 

He really enjoys exploring his legs and feet.  If his shoes are not on he removes his socks every time and gets upset when we put them back on!  He likes to examine our mouths and will often mimic our facial expressions.  He likes to lean forward in the stroller to touch things while we shop. 

 Hudsy is such a joy.  Our littlest pumpkin :)

Hudson at 18 months

Hudson is 18 months - happy (HALF} birthday, sweet boy!!  You are so loved.  He now weighs approximately 22 pounds.  He wears size 18 month clothes, size 5 diapers and has a whole mouthful of teeth (13 total)!  He is very good at being cute and lights up our world!

He thinks it is hilarious when Emma's ponytail brushes across his face.  He is crazy ticklish underneath his chin.  If there is a cell phone nearby he thinks he must have it {and it actually comes in handy for PT bribes}.  He loves to turn book pages, be held and bang on the piano keys.  He dislikes being buckled into the car seat, bedtime and tummy time.  He thinks his big brother and sister are pretty funny when they play fight or talk in silly voices.  He announces "light" each time he sees a ceiling fan and wants to pull the string!

 

 

He started the month off feeling pretty lousy.  He had a sudden onset of labored breathing and lethargy so I took him in.  Upon arrival his oxygen level was low and his wheezing was pretty bad.  After X rays and two rounds of breathing treatments it was determined that he had bronchilitis.  Dr Dewbre prescribed our very own nebulizer and steroids.  He did treatments every four hours around the clock that weekend but was back to his smiley self within about a week.

The bronchilitis led to a mean ear infection and he had to get his ears examined and cleaned out twice in one week.  At the later appointment they did an auditory test.  We sat in a sound booth while the lady spoke into various speakers to encourage Hudson to direct his attention toward.  He did very well which means the tubes are doing their job! :)  Before tubes he was at a 45 decibel and now he is below a 20 {which is exactly what we want}!

He still loves to eat anything and everything -- including sweets!  We recently moved him to 2% milk and he enjoys 4-5 sippy cups per day.  His usual lunch consists of cheese cubes, grilled chicken pieces, blueberries and avacado.

 

He doesn't like sleeping quite as much as he does eating.  Now that the big kids have returned to school he naps a little more regularly.  He is a very light sleeper and hears every little thing.  He still wakes up a couple times at night but seems to rest better when on his tummy.  Luckily he has had this puppy Wubbanub for a couple of months without biting through it. 

 

Bath time is lots of fun!  He enjoys playing with toys but doesn't like when the shower head sprays him on accident!

 

  

In PT we are focusing mostly on army crawling and sitting more independently.  He also has the balance ball to work on his ab muscles. 

 

He spends time daily in the stander and Bumbo wheelchair.  Recently he has started opening and closing drawers within reach.

 

Little Man's first haircut

This weekend we took Little Man to get his first haircut!  It had become rather long over his ears and eyes.  We joked that it looked very similar to Donald Trump's hair :) 

 

Hudson enjoyed sitting in the red sports car but wasn't so sure what was going on!

And just like that we had made it to the last first hair cut for the Smith kiddos!

 

Before & after photos to show the difference.  He looks so much older now - and the sweet curls are gone :(

 

First day of School 2016

We enjoyed Summer 2016 and kept the kiddos very busy!  We are sad to see it come to an end but look forward to what the new school year has to bring.  Both kids return to Woodway Elementary this year.  This summer we actually bought a house a stone's throw away and the kids are thrilled about walking everyday! 

 

Emma is in fourth grade.  She is a big kid on campus as this is her final year of elementary {I simply can't believe it}!  She is excited that her BFFs are in her homeroom class.  Mrs Grygar seems wonderful and I know it's going to be a great year :)  

   

 

Owen is in first grade.  He is such a great kid and enjoys making new friends!  Mrs Echols is a sweet friend of mine and will be his teacher this year.  I know he will learn and grow a lot!

 

 

Owen at Meet the Teacher

 

 

Little brother will miss those two but we plan to keep busy!  Our prayer for this school year is that E & O are kind and accepting to their peers, helpful and respectful to their teachers and that they learn so much about themselves, their world and their studies.  We pray that they share the love of Jesus with everyone they interact with and that they stay safe, healthy and excited about school days :) 

 



The Wild 2016

Both big kids went to camp the first week of August!  This was Emma's 4th time and Owen's 1st!  This year Emma was in the tiger cabin again and Owen was in the zebra cabin, just as Emma was her first year.  They really enjoyed being there together and loved having cousin Anaiah there too.

Drop off:

Patriotic Monday

Tie die Tuesday

 

Wild animal Wednesday

Jersey Thursday

Florescent Friday

Practicing their mighty tiger roar:

Testing his skills on the putt-putt golf course

 

Splish splashing with sweet friends at The Ocean water park :)

One last upstairs zebra group prayer before departure

Both kiddos zip lined!

At cabin awards Owen received the "friendly" award.  His Bible verse was Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  -Luke 6:31.  Emma received the "I am Third" award.  Her verse was Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.  -Philippians 2:3-4

 

What a fun week!!  We were so glad to pick them up and are so thankful for the adventures and experiences that only a camp like CCCC can offer!  Owen enjoyed his first time and had dozens of stories to share.  It was Emma's favorite week of the year as usual :)  See ya next summer, CCCC!

Hudson at 17 months

Hudson is 17 months!  He now weighs 21.5 pounds and measures 27" long.  His head circumference is 18.8".  He is wearing all size 18 outfits and just started wearing size 5 diapers.  He has a mouth full of teeth ~ a dozen with a couple more coming in.  He is as cute as can be! :)

 

This month has been full of medical appointments but he has been quite the trooper (as always!)  First, he saw Dr Brindley for a post surgical follow up.  The right tube looked great but the left one was clogged and therefore not doing its job.  Dr B was able to unclog it and wants to follow up again in 3 months.  Next, he visited Dr Recko for an opthamology follow up.  He was able to determine with his prisms that H's eyes haven't worsened so we will follow up again in 4 months.  Last week we made the long trek down to Texas Children's for two full days of appointments.  He had sedated MRIs of both the brain and spine, two routine urological tests and met with five different specialists {developmental pedi, neurology, urology, dietician and orthotist}.  These days are utterly exhausting for everyone involved.

 

Hudson is such a hearty eater!  Recently he tried shrimp, salmon, Craisins and red beans & rice.  He has enjoyed lots of fresh fruit this summer {mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries...}.  He eats very quickly and isn't a happy camper when his supply runs out.  He also loves turkey or chicken bites, cheese squares, avocado pieces and macaroni & cheese.  The only thing he occasionally turns his nose up at is apple sauce.  He is still doing well with the sippy cup and drinks approx. 4 cups full of whole milk and 1 cup full of juice per day {apple or cranberry}.

 

 
We snagged this pre owned Squiggles stander from another local SB family.  Their kiddo is right at a year older than H so it fits very well.  Right now we want him to spend an hour in it twice a day.  Eventually that time duration will increase.  The next one will have wheels but this one will certainly get him used to being upright.  This position is especially great for his bones, digestive system and weight bearing.  He loves being hands free but tends to get antsy after being in it awhile!  :)  In PT we are focusing on weight bearing in his legs, army crawling and sitting without arm support.  He works hard but gets angry after awhile.  We also got him a balance ball.

 

His most recent word is "light".  He wakes up saying it and loves to pull the string on the fan.  He also constantly says "bup" but we haven't yet determined what that means!  He babbles a lot so hopefully he will start talking more soon.



Barrett-Smith beach bash 2016

Last month we made the looong trek to South Padre Island.  It was about 9+ hours with kiddos and frequent stops.  We met Big Daddy & Lita there.  We were so relieved when we finally saw the welcome sign that we had to pull over and take a family photo!! :) 

 

The water was very clear blue and beautiful.  The kids enjoyed it very much!  Owen's favorite activity was boogie boarding.  He did a great job and stayed at it for hours.
 

Hudson enjoyed playing and being with the big kids.  He was extremely determined to eat the sand and continued to shovel it into his mouth on purpose (yikes!)

He even snoozed in a beach chair :)

Emma made a gorgeous sand mermaid!

We built sand castles and other creations....

 

 

We visited Sea Turtle Inc which is a local conservation.  Their mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured sea turtles.  The kids love turtles and enjoyed the up close experience.  It was very educational and enlightening.  There was even a 38 year old turtle named Gerry who once appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson!

 

We had a wonderful trip!!  We enjoyed eating seafood, playing board games late at night and spending time together.