Consider it Joy.

new blog

2013-06-14T10:38:00.002-07:00

hey friends and family!

well, i am back to blogging again but had to get a new blog due to all the spam on this one.

You can follow me here:

http://mrsruth.blogspot.com

Looking forward to being in the blogging world again!

I have a 2 year old

2013-01-15T14:21:00.001-08:00

oh has it already been 2 years? tell me it isn't so. tell me that life really isn't going this quickly. wasn't is just yesterday that i was blogging about being scared to death of becoming a mom? and now here we are celebrating year number two with this daddy loving, ball throwing, furniture climbing, could live outside if his mommy would let him sweet handsome little boy. hudson is known to melt my heart and then 2 seconds later have me pulling my hair out. i often call him my sour patch kid...sweet then sour. he's got TWO written allll over him and i honestly am loving this adventurous phase. i am quickly learning that year number two is going to be filled with many teachable moments as he test his boundaries daily. hudson typically obeys very well, and if for some reason he doesn't there is usually a very good explanation why and as long as i'm quick enough to figure it out, melt downs can somewhat be avoided or at least maintained. he has a heart of gold in my opinion, loving and forgiving.

Hudson is still my sleeper. 11-12 hours at night with a 2-3 hour nap during the day, beginning with a 30-45 minute quiet/crib time in the morning. I am so thankful for his great sleeping habits and i think his well rested self shines through his behavior. He is slowly becoming less picky as I have become better at presenting foods and getting more creative with healthy foods. He is an excellent talker and a couple of my favorite phrases that he says are: "thank you mommy" "what are you doing?" "night night He (hampton)" "i want this mommy" "daddy trash truck!" We have just recently started letting him watch tv so typically either first thing in the morning or after his afternoon nap he gets to watch one episode of Barney, which has quickly become his favorite along with the Praise Baby DVD's. He has caught on very well to ToT School that I started a few months ago with him and finally is able to identify & match up his colors and almost all the basic shapes. Our next goal is identifying letters! His favorite color is red and his favorite shapes are heart & star. He loves lighting candles and singing "happy" (happy birthday), playing with cars, building with blocks and smushing play doh! He also is a big cooker, just like his daddy! he LOVES being in the kitchen and "cook"while up on his stool. He is slowly getting better at being a big brother, he calls Hampton "He" and always wants hampton to be close to him but then easily forgets to be gentle. He is gotten very good at apologizing ;)

Hudson, you are teaching me everyday how to be a better mom. you keep me on my toes and you keep my heart full. i am in love with the little toddler you are and little boy you are becoming. keep running, keep climbing, keep exploring my little guy...there is a lot to be learned;)

flu-ish

2013-01-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Like almost every mom out there, i'm a little on edge about my babies getting the flu, especially after hearing about two 6 year olds who died here in dallas recently. So, i've started doing my research, even checked with a couple of nurses i know and emailed my pediatrician for some more information on it. what i'm slowly learning is that the flu seriously makes you feel like you've been hit by a train and you literally feel like your dying. the closest i have come to feeling like i was dying was giving birth (kidding, sort of) other than that i can't relate too much. i dont get sick very often and if i do, it doesn't seem to last longer than 1-2 days (knock on wood). Apparently, I have a pretty good immune system as well as Danny and our two boys. Both have had one sick visit each, both of which was for RSV. For the most part we are all going to get sick but how often, how hard we are hit and how long it last really seems to depend on the immune system. I found a great article talks about how your immune system is weakened, its amazing that could all stem from the first few months of life due to an abundance of antibiotics (which just doesn't kill the bad stuff in you, it destroys the good as well). I've blogged before on ways to strengthen the immune system so instead of going into detail I will just list some big ones: ELDERBERRY- research has even shown that is stops the viral replication of the flu, Echinacea, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Briar Rose, and garlic (yes garlic is amazing;research all its amazingness!) Sometimes, I wonder why doctors aren't prescribing these to their patients...besides ours that is!;)

So back to the flu, I know so many people who are sick with the flu, just getting done being sick or their sweet little ones are sick...i have a feeling our time is coming! I've been praying for protection of their health and boosting those immune systems like crazy. And like i said, I emailed my doctor to see if she could give me some more insight on the flu and what we could do if I started seeing signs. She sent me some handouts that were exactly what I was looking for so I thought I would share some of the info on here!

-There is no cure for the flu, antibiotics do not work again viruses.
-fevers is not an illness, it is a defense mechanism of the body fighting off an infection therefor try to avoid taking a fever reducer (doesn't apply to newborns) so the let the body do its thing;)
-BUT- if longer than 3 days of 103 or higher do take a fever reducer, bc high fevers for a long period of time can cause brain damage, seizures and also cause the body to become weaker instead of stronger.
-to treat a cold or the flu, make sure your child rest, drinks A LOT of fluids
-use a humidifier to moisten the air in the room for nasal congestions
-natural treatments that can be used: Oscillococcinum (boiron), Influenzium (boiron), and Influenza-Multi Strain Flu Medicine (by King Bio)

All supplements and natural treatments can be found at places like Whole Foods, Sprouts or Online at sites such as Organic Pharmacy and Healthywarehouse.com (Nature Sunshine Products).

okay so thats my granola post for this flu season! If you know about anything else that I didn't talk about I would LOVE to know about it! Always open for new ideas on keeping my kiddos healthy the best way I know how!

waiting on the rain

2012-11-20T13:00:00.002-08:00

"Consider it joy my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds, for the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and let steadfastness have its full effect so that you may complete & perfect lacking in nothing. " James 1:3

I've heard this verse a thousand times but never has it struck me the way it has recently. I just finished Beth Moore's "Mercy Triumphs" Bible Study which covered the book of James. I can honestly say, it changed my life. Never has a bible study done this, sadly. One of the challenges of the study was to memorize the book of James... I was totally on board. However, I didn't quiet make it, not even close. But I did get the first chapter, all 25 verses memorized and that my friends has left the Lord to do some work. I've heard it, you've heard it, we've all heard it...memorizing scripture is so key in your walk with Christ, but the task, the time, the idea of seriously memorizing something is so daunting. I am terrible at memorizing, seriously, for instance I was trying to sing Away in Manger to Hudson and couldn't remember the words, same with Silent Night and Frosty the Snowman! I've always told Danny I'm terrified of getting early set Alzheimer's. But some how, some way I memorized 25 verses of James and these verses ring in my head all day long, especially the "consider it joy" part. I wrestled with this, still do. It's very hard for me to see past the not so glamorous moments in our lives...as you may see below:

Consider it joy when you get pregnant while you have a 9 month old. Consider it joy as your husband waits for some sort of promotion after 4 years, consider it joy when you live with your in laws for 8 months, consider it joy when you give birth to a baby without any sort of pain medication, consider it joy when the highest bill you pay is towards student loans, consider it joy when you run on 4 hours of sleep, consider it joy when you live in a 1100 square foot home & your not sure where the Christmas tree is going to go, consider it joy when your neighbors could possibly be a drug house, consider it joy when your 5 month old cant be within 5 feet of you, consider it joy when you can't go on lunch dates with friends because its just not in the budget, consider it joy when you can't go visit family because the tolls are too expensive, consider it joy that babysitters charge $12 an hour so date nights are clearly non existent, consider it joy when your car wont start (this is a new one), consider it joy my friends. James says,consider it joy... for these trials we face are the testing of our faith...

the year 2012 is only just a season and though these days seem dry, rain will come in abundance. and my faith will surely pass the test. ;)

a little change

2012-11-20T12:43:00.005-08:00

not to sound too 2008 obama sloganish but my blog is needing some serious change. I like simple...so i made it simple. whatcha think? i changed the title, which I will explain the reasoning behind that in later post!

so i know its been like forever since i last blogged but i have some good excuses! i've been super busy taking pictures, 25 sessions in the month of November alone...my pointer finger is even feeling a bit sore from all the clicking. My 2 under 2 have definitely been keeping me on my toes and outside of MOPS, play dates, bible studies & tot school... blogging has got booted to the bottom of my to do list. this usually always happens to me at the end of the year so hopefully after the holidays get through i'll get back to a good blogging routine!

dont go too far...

-amber

hampton oh hampton.

2012-10-04T11:09:00.003-07:00

lets face it, we all need a "moment." i need one. right now to be exact. i need a moment of silence while Hampton is having his moment #37 of crying. So i've decided to blog about about his latest activities that are driving us crazy during this "season."

hmm where to start...

He has been waking up 3 to 4 times in the middle of the night all week and has started he's days at 5. (not typical of my 10-12 hour night sleeper). He is crying all day unless I'm walking around holding him. All 4 of my baby carriers have gotten a lot of practice this week & my back is ready to sit out. His naps are about 45 min to an hour long leaving me to nurse him every 2 hours (this is not an exaggeration). I pumped mid early morning yesterday (8 AM) and got about an ounce. He has been like this all week, I'm hoping its just a growth spurt but i have a tiny little mommy itch that its not a growth spurt...its a hunger issue. And a hunger issue for this families budget can't happen. Hampton needs to breastfeed, hampton HAS to breastfeed.

poor little guy has been my constant high maintenance baby and it has really put a strain on all of us, especially me. oh i hate to admit that. no mom wants to admit that she doesnt have it all under control, and honestly i'm cringing over the fact that i dont. I'm not sure if i can even continue to blog about it without sounding like a horrible mom. so i guess i wont. We have our well check on monday so I assume when we gets weighed we will know for sure if its a hunger issue or something else. i know all babies go through spurts of being of unhappy...but were going on 5 months of unhappiness, not quiet sure if thats normal or not.

well guess i should go get my little screamer. ive pouted enough i suppose.

4 months

2012-10-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Oh my little Hampton.... whats there to say really?! Him & Hudson are like night & day...just complete opposites, at least as babies. The one thing they do have in common is they both are 12 hour a night sleepers! How i wish I could say that the car seat crying has stopped..it has not. he does have his good moments but the most part he absolutely hates his car seat. Which makes going almost anywhere...very difficult. We cant go out to eat, take walks or even go to the mall for a stroll. So frustrating, but what can ya do? I just keep hoping he will grow out if eventually, or danny may never let me have another baby.

At 4 months heres a little recap of what Hampton is up to!
- rolling from tummy to back
-will sit & swing around in the johnny jumper
-is now grabbing toys & shaking them
-drooling. a lot.
-likes to put everything in his mouth including his entire hand
-does great with tummy time
-loves being held
-has the cutest little laugh & the best smile!
-he isn't the best of nappers but its mainly because we have a lot going on in the mornings
-nurses great & for the most part we haven't had any trouble (complete opposite of hudson)

his 4 month check up is next Monday so I'm anxious to see how big he is! He is now in all 6 month clothes...such a big guy!

21 months

2012-10-01T06:47:00.001-07:00

Hudson is my constant and when i say constant I mean he is constantly teaching me how to be a parent on daily basis. He is such a sweet heart but his sinful nature has started to bloom. He's in to everything and loves testing his boundaries. Heres just a little glimpse of what Hudson is into at 21 months young! =)
-climbing. everywhere. on everything.
-he's favorite thing to say "no mommy."
-will talk in somewhat gibberish sentences for example he will say "i don wan dis mommy" (i dont want this mommy)
-has gotten soooo much better being a big brother! =) Loves giving hampton toys, swinging him, and getting down talking to him while hampton works on tummy time.
-Does the hand motions to "Wheels on the Bus" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
-Bowes his head, folds his hands and says "Amen" when praying.
-Loves sitting in his play closet reading books
-Enjoys "cooking" with us and plays at the kitchen counter probably 2-3 times a day.
-Is becoming a great helper by throwing things in the trash, sweeping up his crumbs and getting hamptons burp clothes for me when i nurse
-has started "tot school" with me at home and though we plan for an hour he typically only last about 45 minutes. So we finish the last 15 minutes after our nap usually.
-his favorite game to play in the car is sticking his fingers in his ears & having us talk to him
-his favorite foods are: bananas, green beans, dried cranberries, and any kind of "bar."
-He loves watching & waiting for the trash truck and recycle truck
-And his daily morning routine consist of him dragging our smaller laundry basket into our bathroom, flipping it over to climb up & stand on it so he can play with his toothbrush, my hair brush, bobby pins, make up brushes, dannys hair gel (this can get messy lol) anything that he can get his hands on. He usually imitates whatever were doing to get ready...its so funny!
-his sleeping is still great but definitely struggles whenever he is teething. He typically sleeps about 11 hours a night and 2 hours at nap .
I'm sure i'm missing some other things but nothing i probably wont blog about in the future! ;)

I cant believe he's almost 2! How precious these times are and though i may not always like his behavior we are so in love with the little toddler that he is!

D.C

2012-09-30T19:45:00.002-07:00

About a week ago or has it already been 2 weeks? Who knows! Danny & I went to Washington, D.C for 5 days! Danny earned a certain/specific certification in the Insurance world so for earning this we got to go on a trip which happened to be in DC! Pretty cool! We had known about the trip for months almost a year really and the whole time (after finding out we were preggo again) we had planned on taking Hampton because we knew he would be so young & I still would be nursing so leaving him wasn't every really an issue. But as the trip quickly approached and Hampton wasn't getting any easier about a few weeks before leaving we decided to not take him. It really ended up being the best decision but it was a very hard one for me to commit to. I was a mess the week leading up to it, which is really why i never even blogged about it. I was crying every day about leaving our boys for 6 days!! I had never been away from them for that long. The day I went to the hospital to have Hampton was really my first time to ever leave Hudson and I even saw him the next day...ha so not even 24 hours. So technically for the past 20 months I had not spent one day without having one of my babies with me. I'm a little attached to say the least.

If you people only knew how insane I was about leaving them, you probably would of wanted to prescribe me some kind of medication. Just a basket case really, and the day we left after dropping them off...i literally was bawling my eyes out in the car all the way to the airport. I had never been so sad about leaving someone. Anyway, they ended up being just fine and Danny & I had a blast! It really was such a sweet sweet time for us and it was like having "date night" every day all day for 5 days straight! We got dressed up everyday, had fancy dinners almost every night, held hands everywhere, enjoyed some room service, laughed and talked and laughed some more! We did all kinds of things while we were there! I have a friend that lives there so she was absolutely amazing at being my travel guide!! She told us all the great places to eat, which museums to see & which ones to skip and even fun places to get a cupcake! We were such tourist, but we tried our best to fit in as well. DC was soooo pretty...i loved everything about it except for one thing...the people. They just weren't friendly texans, yall. I'm a Texas girl through & through so when waiters would initially walk up to our table and just say "what can i get you?" would totally throw me off. We both would kinda giggle and just say "well, to drink I would like a glass of Merlot and some water with lemon" ... it was so strange. In downtown DC there were homeless people everywhere and rats! HUGE rats! totally freaked me out.

Our favorite things were: THE FOOD...we both loved eating out for every meal including snacks! I mean who doesn't like someone else cooking (& paying) for you?! Thanks to my DC friend we ate at some awesome places. But besides the food our top things were: The Holocaust Museum was pretty amazing, Ford's Theater where Lincoln was shot, the Smithsonian Zoo (were kinda zoo snobs!;), having dinner at Union Station, visiting the Arlington Cemetery, seeing the Lincoln Memorial at night, Air & Space Museum & going to the Washingon Nationals baseball Game. We also really liked riding the Metro everywhere...sooo cool! Oh and the Forever 21 and H&M stores weren't too bad either! ;)

We did got lost a couple of times but it always ended up being an adventure! And one day instead of doing any touristy stuff we decided to just go see a movie! Very random but in a way it was so perfect since we hardly ever get to go!

All & in all it was a great trip! By day 3 I had finally gotten a little less "sad" about missing my babies but by day 5 i was super eager to see them and not an ounce of me was disappointed about our vacay ending! I really had the best of both worlds! Danny was so sweet to me & did such a great job on balancing out time for just us and then hanging out with other people! I am so proud of how hard he worked to earn all of it! I didn't take as many pics as I had planned but heres a few!

I took a lot more pics with my phone but havent gotten around to organizing them! maybe they will just have a little post their own!

Granola Thursday, even though its Friday!

2012-09-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know... it is definitely that time of year. the time of year where everyone, and i mean everyone you know, especially the little people aka the children... start getting the sniffles, which leads, to the runny faucet noses, which leads to the coughing, then a fever, then a trip to the doctors office for an antibiotic because heaven forbid there be a runny nose. =)

I try to avoid going to the doctor at all cost, and with no pun intended the cost of a doctors visit is pretty much the main reason I dont like to go. Our pediatrician is a holistic doctor (and totally loves jesus- major plus!) so for the most part we share the same point of view when it comes to treating the body, especially the little people ;) So we love seeing Dr. Bain but like i said, I would much rather spend a $60 co pay on something else...hmm like maybe a date night! So in order to stay away from doctors office we try to strengthen & build up our immune systems as naturally best as we can!

Here is the basic list of what I give Hudson:
(Hampton is breast feeding so as long as I'm taking all my supplements he should pretty much be covered... because as you know, breast milk is only as healthy as the mommy is.)

Elderberry - HUGE for the immune system during seasonal change! So good for you! you can get in a children's chewable or in a liquid! Hudson loves the liquid because its so sweet but once we run out of it I plan on switching him to the chewable only because its less messy and more manageable! Our ped prefers the liquid only because any "chewable" can be bad on their teeth, which makes sense but sometimes as a mom you just take the easy way out. ;)
Here is where I order our chewable Elderberry : http://www.healthywarehouse.com/children/sh-elderberry.asp

Probiotic- I've blogged about taking a probiotic before so I won't really get into the importance of it so in a nut shell it strengthens the immune system and aides in digestion! Its a chewable but not a gummy so if you order this one make sure your child can chew pretty well! Hudson couldn't chew this up until about 18 months, up until this I would mash it up and either put it in his apple sauce or oatmeal. You can also get a probiotic liquid and can find it at any sprouts, whole foods, central market etc. This is where I get ours: http://www.healthywarehouse.com/children/sh-probiotic-power.asp

Vitamin D(3)- which is what we get from the sun, and during the winter we tend to be inside more leaving our kids not getting as much sunlight as the normally do in the summer. So therefore majority of children (and adults) are lacking in Vitamin D. Now Hampton does get Vitamin D drops because Vitamin D is not found in breastmilk, he gets about 5 drops every other day. Kids under 7 need about 800-2000 IU's every day during the fall/winter season. Hampton gets about 800, Hudson 2000. We get our Vitamin D3 from sprouts or whole foods typically. It has a lemon flavory taste to it so they usually like it! =)

Briar Rose drops- all natural remedy for runny nose and congestion! Strengthens the immune system and aides with all areas involving ears, nose, throat & sinuses. Dosage: The dosage for infants is 5 to 8 drops. Give children ages 3 to 8 years old 12 to 15 drops daily! When my kids actually start having signs of a cold I give this 2 or 3 times a day! It works great! You can order it here: http://www.drfeder.com/index.php?page=shop&action=viewProduct&itemID=123

So there you have it! Thats our supplement list! Danny & I take couple of other things such as FOUR, Echinacea and our probiotics! Most of these can be found at your local health food store or at healthywarehouse.com or naturesunshine.com ! And on a side note none of these things are going to "cure" your problem most of them are to "prevent" signs and side effects of the common cold/flu! Once your sick...your sick, these things will help in getting you well quicker but definitely will not be an over night fix.

Now to be on the safe side of things, I would definitely consult with your doctor before doing anything crazy just because some crazy granola eater mom blogged about it. =)

sleep

2012-09-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

as most of you probably know, i put "sleep" for my children at the top of my "Good Parenting" to do list. i may even go as far as saying that i pray for good sleep for my boys about as much as i pray for their salvation. hudson has always been my crazy, awesome, "are you sure he isn't sick" sleeper! Up until he was 18 months he was sleeping 12-13 hours at night, and then 3-4 hours during the day (divided into 2 naps). I even made a doctors appointment once to ask about how much he was sleeping and if that was normal. Oh the silly things we do as new moms. Always running to the doctor. Dr. Bain insured me that Hudson was normal but went ahead and tested his blood. Turns out...Hudson was fine and little did I know that my incredible sleeper would soon blossom to an energetic, sing myself to sleep, throw everything out of my crib, refuse to fall asleep on my own - sleeper. Hudson has chosen the craziest time to switch up his sleeping habits and though i'm well aware this is just a season...its still hot in texas & i may just need some earmuffs if the whining because he doesnt want to sleep doesnt stop. he's sleeping habits have really cramped my blogging too. for instance as i type he has already woken up and is yelling for me & banging on the wall...its 2:30, he was put down for nap at 1. The last 3 nights danny & have put him to bed around 6:30/6:45 only for him to not fall asleep till after 8! and then waking up at 6...which then wakes Hampton up at 6. the joys of a small house...everyone hears everyone. The waking up early doesnt nearly bother me as much as the not napping part.

i'm not tired. i'm getting plenty of sleep. i'm just not getting anything done around my house because thats what nap time is for... house work, dinner preparing, important phone calls etc. oh yeah and my blog. a girls gotta blog right?! I mean this blog is almost 4 years old, it was here before these babies were ever on a sonogram picture hanging on my fridge... it deserves some importance right?!

well, hudson has now banged on the wall enough to where i have 2 pictures that are hanging crooked... my poor gallery wall, i just hope none of them fall & break, I really cant afford another walmart frame.

-praying for good sleepers-

continued

2012-09-13T17:21:00.003-07:00

what a cliff hanger huh? my last post was almost 2 weeks ago and the last thing i wrote was "to be continued..."

I think i really only wrote that because the boys were waking up from nap and I couldnt think of any other way to wrap it up.

kidding. kind of. in my last blog i mentioned that i felt convicted due to my friend Amanda believing "i had it all together." that my friends, is far from the truth. i by no means have anything together, though i try and i try and i try. And i pray daily that the Lord spares my children & my husband from all my mishaps, sinful nature and simply my lack of imperfections.

ive never been a good actress, just really wasn't my calling. so when my sweet friend suggested i was mom of the year, i didnt know if i should laugh hysterically after embracing her with hugs or just continue on with my act. i guess i did a little bit of both. when i got to our play date that morning i was beyond stressed, left my house a mess, forgot to lay the chicken out to thaw, listened to both the boys cry the whole way & of course hated what i was wearing.

i suppose as moms thats just what we do...until we have too many kids (or margaritas) that we dont care what others think anymore. because i'm not going to lie...i really do try every single day to be super mom. I want to be super mom. Being a mom is my job... its what i do from sun up till sun down or in my case "son up till son down" ;) i want to be perfect at it, i want to get better at it, and i honestly dont plan on leaving my position anytime soon! =)

so i guess what i'm trying to say is, " i assure you i do not have it all together, i've just apparently gotten better at pretending like i do!"

a hot mess

2012-09-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning I was up with Hampton from 2 to 3 in the morning. First time this has happened since he started sleeping thru the night a couple of weeks ago. I could totally tell it was his tummy, and around 2:40 decided to give him some Colic Calm...kid was out by 3. Love that stuff. He started stirring again around 7:30 due to a really really stinky diaper. I got about a total of 4 hours of good sleep that night because then Hudson decide to awake at 5:30. That morning we had a play date with our friend Amanda & her sweet little girl, I had told Amanda I would be there at 9:30. Needless to say i didnt even leave the house until 9:35. Fail. Arrived at the play area at 10:03. Just in time to feed Hudson a snack & nurse the hamster.

How in the world was I late?I had been up since 5:30! Lets recap shall we:
5:40- realize hudson isnt going back to sleep & I really dont want him to wake up Hampton...
5:45- bring hudson to bed with us...he wiggles, a lot. and talks, & pokes us in the eyes, ears & nose.
6:00- hudson is somewhat quiet but not asleep. still wiggling & pretending the bed is a jungle gym.
6:10- i really need to nurse (all nursing moms know this feeling).
6:30- Make Hudson breakfast, bless the food, talk about jesus, pray for our family- he then eats.
7:00-Decide to pump. i pump 5 oz in 20 minutes
7:25- fight with hudson about changing his diaper & getting dressed.
7:30- get in shower. with hudson roaming around.
7:32- hudson throws a shirt in the shower.
7:34- hudson throws paci in the shower.
7:35- hudson drags laundry basket into bathroom, flips it over, climbs up to the counter & "brushes his teeth" with all of our tooth brushes.
7:37- i hear hampton waking on the monitor.
7:38- end shower with only washing my hair & face. no shaving, no bathing, no conditioner & definitely no relaxing.
7:45- get hampton up & change a very stinky blow out diaper, get him dressed.
7:50- nurse
8:00- burp, realize i dont have a burp cloth, clean up spit up, will need to change clothes. switch sides, nurse some more.
8:06- burp. sit him down to pack diaper bag for the day. he cries
8:07- shush hampton, offer paci, still crying.
8:08- give him his medicine.
8:10 - back to packing the diaper bag.
8:13- hudson wants a bar (to eat), just because he see's me making his lunch for the day.
8:14- hudson throws temper tantrum. (hampton still crying)
8:15- hudson hits mommy & we go have a teachable moment with the spoon.
8:18- back to finish the diaper bag. 2 snacks, 4 diapers, one cup of water, wet bag, nursing cover, burp cloths, wipes, wallet, phone, 2 pacis, & hudson a packed lunch
8:20- bring the boys to our room while i get dress.
8:25- hudson gets into dannys hair get stuff while i'm blow drying my hair. (hampton's happy listening to hair dryer)
8:26- clean up goop off of hudson.
8:30- back to blow drying my hair
8:35- make up
8:37- hampton crying; realizing i really cant hold him, i swaddle him up and put him back in his crib. he's not happy.
8:43- back to getting dressed.
8:50- realize i need to start the dishwasher
8:52- start dishwasher
8:54- sweep hudson's breakfast up under the table.
8:55- hudson wants to sweep. get hudson's little broom, help him "sweep"
8:56- hudson throws his broom in the trash and throws a temper tantrum because i take it out. spend the next 3 minutes explaining why we dont throw the broom away just the crumbs.
9:00- brush my teeth.
9:01- hudson needs to brush his teeth, i snap at him & tell him no were in a hurry (as if he knows what that means)
9:04- hudson has a poopie diaper.
9:05- change diaper which involved another teachable moment.
9:06- hampton is up & crying.
9:07- remembered that i had pumped before feeding him earlier this morning so he most likely didnt get a full feeding.
9:08- get a puzzle out for hudson, show him how to do it
9:10- nurse hampton. burp hampton. nurse hampton. burp hampton
9:22-start washing machine
9:24-put hudson's socks & shoes on
9:27- find my shoes to put on, put hudson & diaper bag in the car.
9:30- get hampton in car seat & then realize i never changed shirts from when hampton spit up on me. go & change shirt.
9:32- change shirts, turn off lights, turn up the AC, close the blinds, grab the car seat, lock the door
9:35- pull out of the drive way. with hampton crying & hudson's fingers in his ears.

9:42- realize i never ate breakfast & forgot to put my pumped milk in the deep freeze.

we get to the play area. hudson plays wonderfully, hampton his happy for the most part. Hudson only hits once but then chose to run out of the play area the moment i decide to start nursing hampton. (if thats not jealousy & attention seeking, i dont know what is). I run out of the play area with a baby on my boob to then motion hudson back into the play area.

...amanda & cadence show up a little later and upon arriving she says something along the lines of "you have it all together...i'm such a hot mess" it was then i was totally convicted.

to be continued....

breathing? check.

2012-08-30T19:34:00.002-07:00

I think all moms would agree that its hard not to compare. i look back and remember hudson doing so much more than hampton is now. Hudson was amazing at tummy time, holding his head up and even rolling over. Hampton is getting better at holding his head up but thats really about all he is doing. I dont do much tummy time with him since he sleeps on his tummy and honestly...there really isnt any time to work on it. Floor time is pretty non existent when Hudson is around and if Hudson is sleeping then momma is cleaning, cooking, doing errands, scheduling play dates, planning Village Mommy events, developing lesson plans, writing out to do list, paying bills, stuffing diapers, returning phone calls...oh and showering, but thats always the least of my priorities. so sadly, tummy time is rare. With Hudson i was pretty much obsessed with him reaching & mastering every milestone. With hampton, as long as he's smiling, breathing, sleeping & needing diaper changes... life is good. Its funny how our perspectives change. I look back now and think how silly i must of seemed to other moms with more than one.

Okay i'm rambling again and my battery is getting low & i'm too lazy to go plug it in so...we need to wrap this present up. (i came up with that all on my own(the present part)).

So heres a couple of pics of hudson & hampton at 3 months...Any similarities? They only thing i see is the same forehead & hair line.

Hampton on the Left, Hudson on the Right

no namer on top, frankie on bottom

Hampton on Top, Hudson on the bottom.

3 & 20

2012-08-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

{beware: tons of pictures}

three & twenty months that is. "17 months apart" seems to be something ive been saying a lot lately. Both of my boys are at an age where they like to make themselves known. hampton has been like this for awhile now. he still is having some major trouble in the car seat and for the life of him cant lay it in the right way. See Figure A:

This was us today leaving our little play date. I of course got many looks from people, for letting my child face plant himself into his car seat, but hey he was asleep & this rarely happens while in his car seat, so I just smiled & strolled along as if i really was mother of the year =)

Speaking of mother of the year check out this photo:

yes thats hudson sitting on top of the kitchen counter in between a bottle of wine & a coffee maker. (and a really full diaper =/)

Hampton is doing a little better about being in the bouncy seat or laying under the activity mat. His favorite spot is on the couch propped up. I think he mainly likes this spot:

because he can keep an eye on his big brother. who is never far behind...

Hampton at 3 months really isnt doing much i suppose...he plays with his hands a lot:

and when he is awake always wants to know where mommy is! his eyes are so big and they are always wide open looking for me (or so it seems!):

He nurses in about 12 minutes flat around every 3 hours and is sleeping 7:30 to 7:30 every night. yup i have two amazing night sleepers. thank you baby wise.

sadly, hampton seems to have "silent reflux" for which we started him on meds this past week. i havent seen major changes but each day he seems a little better.

I havent quiet totally figured Hampton's personality out yet, he's a hard baby, yet a great eater & a great sleeper. He's always so serious and seems to get scared a lot. He will smile back at any one who smiles at him and has started cooing a lot.

Hudson at 20 months has become a the toddler i never thought he would be. he's social, quick tempered (its just a season i know;), & dramatic. Yet still easy going & such an observer... he never misses a thing.

he loves being a big brother but easily forgets to be "gentle."

He is slowly becoming a great little helper with getting diapers for me, throwing things away, finding hamptons paci or helping do laundry.

He's really into dressing himself (with everyones clothes):

and CLIMBING! he loves to climb and finds things to drag around so he can climb higher!=)

one thing that hudson has always been so great at is imitating. he will mock practically everything danny & i do! heres him being mommy:

and the second danny gets home from work he grabs a ball and does this:

so though hudson may throw his food, at least he says "thank you," "all done" "more please" and waits to say "amen" before eating. he's even getting better about waiting till the entire prayer is over before diving in. And though he may say "no mommy" 83 times a day, hearing him say "love you daddy" just once makes up for all of it. And though we have many teachable moments with the spoon (spankings) at least he still sleeps 12 hours at night, takes a 2 hour afternoon nap and has an hour quiet/play time in his crib every day.

These two boys keep me on my toes for sure, but i can't imagine a day without them.

what was i saying?

2012-08-16T18:53:00.003-07:00

i'm on roll arent i? 3 post in 3 days...seriously?!? get outta town! whats crazy is I usually know what i'm going to blog about before i sign in, this time, strangely enough i do not. i just clicked on that little icon that represents "create new post" and started typing away with out a thought in the sky. I took some pictures of the boys today to represent ham's 3 months and the stud's 20 month milestones...this activity only happened because i couldn't think of anything for them to do during our morning routine. I also discovered that hampton really likes sitting on the couch, propped up with the pillows around him. Hopefully in another month or so we can start sitting in the boppy, even though yesterday i just read about how they are being recalled due to multiple head traumas. seriously. I think they are going to add straps to them which would then make it more like a booster seat i suppose. Is it me or does it seem like almost every day some baby item is being recalled? And my question is how are we suppose to know the difference in all these cribs that are so "unsafe?" They really all look the same to me.

Anyway, I feel like we are now on a time crunch on getting our house fully put together. Even though people keep telling me theres no reason to get in a hurry, I highly disagree, unless we just want to hide out and not ever have anyone come over ...i think its a very major priority to get our house all in one piece as soon as possible. Because lets be honest, no one wants to come visit a half put together house and I really dont like showing my half put together house to people. I want it clean, organized & cute before visitors arrive to see our new dig. And like I said were on a time crunch, because come September the calendar starts getting busy. I am organizing & leading the play group events for our church, The Village, for the Moms that live over here in our area so that has started taking up a lot of my time here at night. I also will be starting a weekly bible study and MOPS as well! And on our days at home i'll be starting TOT school with Hudson (more to come on that!) So this next year should be busy busy busy but oh so exciting! I am so ready to see what the Lord has in store for me, I have been in constant prayer about all these new happenings & ready to dive in to it all. BUT would really like to get my house in order first! =)

ok yall this is totally random but i must share just because its my blog and well..i can. So danny's main priority since we've moved in has been setting up the tv & working on his storage shed. We moved in 3 weeks ago and he is still as we speak outside working on his storage shed, something with adding a deadbolt to the door. he is so paranoid that someone is going to break into his shed (as if we have gold mine hiding in there) I told him i anointed it with oil so it should be fine...

to sleep or not to sleep

2012-08-15T12:47:00.001-07:00

Today the ham is officially 12 weeks old, on the 23rd he will be 3 months. Like all moms say, I seriously cannot believe how fast it is going. The 3rd month with Hudson was the hardest, I mainly think it was so hard because thats when he started sleeping his 12 hours at night & it was difficult for his little body to adjust to a day time schedule of being awake so much & only taking 3-4 naps instead of 5. The same is probably going to happen with Hampton also, This past Sunday our sweet little cry all day-er slept his first 11 hours straight and like his brother hasn't looked back. Apparently we make good sleeping babies...oh but dont roll your eyes just yet, just because hamster is sleeping so well at night lets not forget about our days. Today I was reminding Danny how crazy month 3 was with Hudson after he started all through the night and he responded with "but hampton's been difficult since the day he was born." This is true my friends, very true. Even in the hospital we both were like "umm isnt he suppose to be like super sleepy? instead of crying so much?" Hampton by far, is my more challenging baby. I think I said that in my last post and if you have had a conversation with me at all in the past 11 weeks you have probably heard me say those words as well. This baby cries. and he cries. and he cries a little more. He doesn't like the swing, he doesnt like the bouncy seat, he doesnt like the floor activity mat, or the boppy or the stroller and seriously do not get me started on the car seat. What does he like you ask? well he likes to be held in a very particular way mind you. And everyday, more than 5 times a day I look him & say "Hampton, mommy loves to hold you & if I could I would hold you all day...but I just cant." This usually makes him scream even louder because its in the process of me walking away after putting him down. Oh the joys of learning about your baby. Do they really know what they like or do we just teach them what to like? woah pretty deep huh? thats like the whole chicken & the egg thing.

So ya know how I said last night was hamburgers & headboard night? well we didn't find any fabric that we liked to cover our homemade yet to be made headboard, super fail, but the hamburgers were amazing=)

blogging

2012-08-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

At one point I had a blog, I had a blogging family, blogging friends, followers & accountability bloggers...and yes at one point I even thought "maybe I could make money through my blog" ya know like Kendi Everyday, or the famous MckMama with 5 kids all named after a McDonalds food... oh to be so creative. Yah, I guess I forgot that sometimes I prefer to sleep instead of blog, or have a baby or move to a new house and not have internet for over 2 weeks. 2 weeks is a long time in internet world. I feel as though I have no idea what is going on in the lives of so many people and missing out on so many new bloggers! Yes, you heard me right... new bloggers! Which is so so very exciting to me! I love reading about other peoples lives, its like you dont have to think "oh to be a fly on the wall in that house." the blogging world is the newest trend, especially if your a mom, even more so if you are a stay at home mom. Its extremely therapeutic if you use it to vent, explain, explore, brag, complain (completely different than venting), just documenting whatever it may be. I believe blogging can even save marriages, no more ranting to your hubs about how your 19 month old refuses to have his diaper change even though he just leaked out all over his new bedding or how your 11 week old only wants to be held, like a football, tummy down allll day long. No the hubs definitely does not want to hear about how while you were nursing on the left side you forgot to put in a nursing pad on the right side so the bed sheets & your clothes got covered in b-milk which then lead to wasting an hour of the day taking the sheets off, washing them and then having to put them back on (not to forget about the half ounce of milk you waisted). See, blogging is a great place to talk about almost anything, I say almost anything because you also have to think about your audience. For instance, almost all of my family reads my blog including dannys family. So I have to try to really be on my best behavior when blogging & keep anything concerning our "alone time" off the records. SEE your minds have already wandered!

oh the rambles of my blogging, anything to ignore the fact that hampton just woke up from his nap 45 minutes into it. babywise would call this "the 45 minute intruder" catchy right? Technically I'm suppose to give him 15 minutes to see if he will magically put himself back to sleep. This my friends will not happen. Hampton is definitely my more challenging baby & maybe even flirting with the line of, dare i say it, colic. He is very persistent in his crying & needs so much more attention then Hudson ever did. More on his crying later.

So, the goal is to get back to blogging, now that our house is looking less & less like a storage unit with each day that passes and now that we have internet thanks to AT&T's amazing timeliness. Hope you caught the sarcasm that I threw out. But seriously, that whole mess deserves a blog post all on its own.

Hamburgers & headboard night has officially been declared for tonight in the Ruth home. Meaning, we will be eating hamburgers and making a headboard for our bed. I might even post some pictures of it...

-amber

Hampton Grey

2012-07-03T18:21:00.001-07:00

Hampton's Birth Story

2012-06-01T11:10:00.003-07:00

Wednesday morning, close to 8 AM, after hearing Hudson's sweet voice over the monitor letting us know he was awake... I felt as though i might of maybe... pee'd on myself or just a lil trickle if you will. I went straight to the bathroom and thought nothing of it and went on with my daily morning routine. Every 15 minutes or so, I felt myself needing to go to the bathroom. I went downstairs to tell danny's mom what was going on and we both sort of thought that maybe it was my water breaking? but really wasnt too sure and i was pretty certain it was not my water. By 11 o'clock i was still "leaking" and texted a couple of my friends who are L&D nurses and both said to call the doctor...so I did. After talking to Dr. Holt's nurse, she said "girl, i'm looking at your file and your dilated to a 4, go ahead & get your little body to the hospital." Shocked, i said okay,got off the phone, said a quick prayer, and went into the game room where danny was working for the day to break the news.

When i walked into the game room, danny was on the phone, I looked at him and mouthed "we need to go to the hospital." Whoever he was talking to quickly learned our news as danny stopped talking and changed the subject to "well, my wife just walked in and it looks like were headed to the hospital."

So we got dressed, packed our bags, put Hudson down for a nap and headed to Baylor Medical Center in Frisco. Danny stopped at quick trip for a red bull... he was now in full "coach" mode for me. On the way to the hospital we both sort of thought how nice it was to not be in some big panic to get to hospital, it was sunny outside, 12 noon, I wasn't contracting (or so I thought), we both had showered and got all of our stuff together without feeling like we were forgetting something. Makes sense why people have scheduled inductions/c-sections.

We arrived at the hospital close to 1 PM. When we got there they did a test on me to determine what the substance was that had been "leaking" all morning, after 20 minutes the nurse came in and said "well, it looks like your staying, your water has definitely broke!" I looked at danny & said "we're going to have a baby today!"

I changed into the extremely attractive & awkward fitting hospital gown, while Danny started to prepare the room for my all natural labor & delivery. Dimmed the lights, started my play list, & started reviewing the relaxation techniques of the Bradley Method. The nurse came in to check how far I was dilated and hook me up to the fetal monitor and start my IV. Once I was all hooked up, the screen was able to tell me that I indeed was contracting about every 5-7 minutes. I was still dilated to a 4...almost a 5 at the time.

About an hour later, Dr. Holt came to check me and then had to fully break the rest of my water...an infection can occur if you wait too long. The nurse informed me that once the water is fully broken there is a high chance that the pain will get very intense. I knew this already, as it did with Hudson, the pain after my water breaking with him was awful...and I even had an epidural at the time. I started to get a little scared, but quickly responded with confidence that I didnt want any pain medication, I was ready to do this...I was mentally & spiritually prepared.

My water was broken and yes the contractions started to get a little uncomfortable. I was unable to walk the hospital halls since my water had broke...the staff really wanted me to stay in the bed since "i would be leaking everywhere." But laying in the bed was not going to get this baby out any faster...so I devised a plan. I would just say I need to go pee every 10 minutes...and thats just what I did. I got up & down out of the bed probably 50 times up until I was fully dilated I was still walking around. I would sometimes do squats once I got to the bathroom and i would even "push" once I sat on the toilet. My friend, Alex, told me to do this...so I did it. haha. I think it really helped.

Around 3PM I was dilated to a 7 and then 30 minutes later an 8. The contractions were at this point unbearable. Danny was massaging my back pretty much the entire time. The pain in my back was so intense. My nurse was incredible. She was very supportive in my all natural delivery and had even had 2 of her own. She was knowledgeable of the Bradley Method and knew the positions and techniques to help danny help me. Danny never stopped "coaching" me. He was amazing. Feeding me ice chips, Constantly encouraging me, telling me how proud of me he was, and most of all reminding me that I was not going to die. ;)

Around 4:30, I was done. Meaning I was so done with having to deal with the pain. I had never felt more excruciating pain in my life. Nothing I did made it go away. Nothing relaxed me. I was losing faith of being able to really do this. I starting thinking "who am I kidding?! I am such a wimp!" I looked at danny and told him I couldn't do it, I needed some medicine. I started crying. I was definitely losing it. This is the time that danny really stepped in, I had dropped my head into his chest and just started crying. He quickly told me to look around and showed me how all the nurses were bringing in all the delivery stuff for the baby. "its not going to be much longer, they are getting the room set up for Hampton," he would say. I felt extreme urges to push and asked to be checked. When my nurse came in, before she checked me, she asked if I wanted medicine, i played the cool card and said "no" this was during a 60 second rest period of not contracting. Another contraction came and I blurted out "i changed my mind, I want something... please give me some medicine." She started messing with my IV...ahh I was getting some meds...or was I?

I couldn't be still long enough for her to really check me or so I thought. Turns out, I was fully dilated & 100% effaced. Well no wonder I had the urge to push. I knew baby was ready. I could feel the burning of him getting closer and closer to coming out aka "the ring of fire." Everything in me was needing to push this baby out and my nurse & danny are both telling me to NOT PUSH! I was so frustrated! Who tells a pregnant woman not to push! Thats the whole reason I'm here..to get this baby out of me! Dont tell me not to push... crazies! I'm the one with the baby in my vagina & I need to push! My nurse got in my face, started breathing very very quickly with me trying to get me on a rhythm and then said "your baby wants a doctor here...you have to stop pushing!" i wanted to smack her. of course I didnt, but in my head i was thinking "my baby doesnt know what he wants and I'm in charge here lady!!" I seriously was out of control people. Pain makes a person do some crazy things. I was grabbing the hospital bed, shaking (yes my body got turrets again), trembling, breathing uncontrollably, & literally thinking with each contraction...when is this medicine going to kick in that she gave me. Turns out Nurse lady never got around to getting me any meds and since I was fully dilated...I couldn't have anything anyway. she tricked me on purpose! (now thats a good nurse).

Dr. Holt walked in with a smile on her face and said "you did it!" I had never been so happy to see her. I said out loud "oh thank you jesus!" She was getting her gloves on and what not on & another contraction started for me...I said..."i'm pushing" meaning...whether you guys are ready or not...i'm pushing. They stuck an oxygen mask on my face, which was nice because I could tell I was getting light headed. Danny was so sweet during this time, he kept moving my mask down for me because it kept covering my eyes.

After about 5 minutes of pushing, Dr. Holt looked at me and said that I was probably going to have to have an episiotomy. My biggest fear. I had one with Hudson and it was awful, the recovery part of it. I looked at her and said "really?! Nooo..." in a really whiney, exhausted voice. In my head i just thought, this next push I gotta get this baby out... "Lord, please deliver this baby!" I started getting very woozy at this point. I sort of felt like I was in a movie. I remember looking around the room, with my head bobbling, eyes opening & closing, sweating yet freezing at the same time and everything was just in slow motion and everyone was just staring at my vagina. And I thought "well, this is really awkward."

Another 5 minutes went by, Dr. Holt put both of her hands on my knees and said "Amber, stop pushing & look down at your baby!" I was so caught up & focused on pushing I hadn't realized that he had come out. I knew his little head has passed but I thought I had to keep pushing his body out. Going on all natural...you feel everything!

I looked down at Hampton, then at Danny, who had tears in his eyes... "i did it!" was the only thing I could say. They immediately gave me Hampton and I once again, was in awe of this precious little miracle.

On Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012 @ 5:15pm, we welcomed Hampton Grey Ruth into this world, weighing 6lbs 5oz, & 17 in long. Mom, Dad, big brother Hudson and baby are all doing well!

baby time

2012-05-23T12:59:00.004-07:00

so here i am, in the hospital bed, waiting to meet our second son. my water starting breaking at 8 this morning, made our way to the hospital around 1 and now its almost 3 in the afternoon and my water has fully broke! I am dilated to a 6, 80% effaced and having contractions about 4 minutes apart! the lord is definitely working in my favor in making this delivery simply amazing. my contractions are starting to be a bit painful but obviously not to the point to where I am unable to blog about it! =) the majority of my pain is in my lower back which is different from when i labored with hudson. the hardest part so far has been getting the IV...it took 2 different nurses and 4 tries to finally get my IV in. Apparently i have some crazy veins.

danny has been great! as of right now he's going through the pages in my Bradley Method book to know how to manipulate my positioning and help me relax. were watching the ranger game and listening to a little old school dave barnes tunes.

i feel completely at peace and am leaning on the fact the Lord is this baby's deliverer! I have no fears, no anxiety and totally calm as of right now. I will try to continue to update my blog as things change or progress! =)

caving

2012-05-08T09:41:00.003-07:00

life is such a whirl wind right now. i'm not even sure how to put it all into words without sounding whiney, ungrateful or even "unblessed." Because really i am beyond blessed...if thats even possible. if you read my blog a lot then you might have noticed how I used a lot of the same wording or same phrases to describe things. I catch myself making a habit of saying the same type of "sayings" over & over. my vocabulary isn't very extensive to say the least or maybe i just dont spend enough time thinking about what i'm going to write. Anywho, one thing i say a lot in person when things seem to be going a little south is "if its not one thing, its another!" its the pessimistic in me. i see tons of break lights and i automatically assume i'm going to be stuck in traffic for at least an hour. i avoid eating at places ive never been due to be scared of not liking anything on the menu. my phone rings and i cringe thinking " i really dont have time to talk for 30 minutes, can you just text me?!" Like i said...i'm somewhat of a pessimist.

Despite my the glass is half empty attitude, somehow the Lord has soften my heart these past few months with all the crazy unplanned changes/events that have taken place. Danny & I really are beyond the normal stress levels.... i think were in some kind of robotic state. It all started with danny going on interview after interview, taking test after test and not moving positions as quickly as he hoped. We then we learned once again we were pregnant..surprise!?! We moved in with Danny's parents in order to save up for a down payment to buy a home, hoping it would be just a couple of months. Were on month 7 now. Almost all of our belongings are in storage and the only clothes we have are for winter. Hudson has outgrown almost everything he has here. It's merely impossible to get into the storage due to how jam packed it is...its really a 3-4 person job. Did i mention that all my nursing gear & newborn stuff is in storage as well?! No breast pump, no nursing pillow, no swaddling blankets, no baby onsies, no newborn pacis, no newborn jammies, no colic calm, no bottles, no newborn bathtub, no babywise books (yikes!!)....okay i need to stop or i'll have a panic attack. I'm starting to regret not having a baby shower because now i'm having to buy things i know i have...its just stuck in our storage unit thats merely impossible to get into until its time to just take it all out at once to move. Speaking of, we've made bids/contracts on 3 different houses and all have fallen through for one random reason or another. The market is insane right now! So anyone who has ever gone through the buying a house process knows just how stressful this is in itself. With that said, were still house hunting which makes it difficult when your an hour away from the area you want to look at houses. Danny has started a new job, finally, but again...a new position, with new responsibilities doesn't come easy but i have to admit he's doing a great job & I couldn't be more proud of him.

so there you have it: pregnancy, living with parents, buying a house and starting a new job... who wouldnt be stress? Oh & one last thing...we had to give our sweet dog Murphy to a rescue westie center yesterday morning. All the stress of moving & so many changes in his little environment became way to much for him to handle. He had started growling and even biting a couple times, so it was time for him to go before baby #2 gets here. I really cant stop crying about it. so thats all the details you get! Eventually i'll dedicate a post to him once i'm not so emotional about it. =/

Had my 36 week appointment yesterday and learned that I'm dilated to a 3!! My cervix is still pretty thick and baby hasn't seemed to drop yet...so i think we still have some time before baby boy gets here! However...I was quickly reminded of the night i went to the hospital with Hudson I was only dilated to a 4! haha...so ya know never know I suppose! Baby's heart rate,movement & breathing are looking great! I go back to the specialist next week to check his growth again!

Today i'm spending time packing our hospital bags & arranging our room to bring home baby to! I cant believe in any day we will be a family of 4! Crazy! I'm so very thankful that danny's parents house is soooo "baby" friendly! Besides bringing home baby to our own home, I really cant think of a better 2nd place to come home to. They have been so gracious to us and probably are just as ready to get rid of us as we are to find our own home! haha! We all just have to keep reminding ourselves "its just a season" a very long season i might add...but still just a season!

so with all that rambling...thats our life in a nutshell and like i said "its not one thing, its definitely another." i wonder what curve ball we will get thrown today?! Good thing I married such a good hitter ;)

16 months

2012-04-23T15:08:00.002-07:00

Here we are at 16 months...possibly the last "month" that hudson will be my only baby. its bitter sweet. if i think too much about it, i will most definitely end up in tears. so....were not going to go there! Yesterday was such a beautiful day, that after hudson's afternoon nap i decided to do a 10 minute photo shoot with him. I'm amazed at how much planning I have to do in order to make 10 minutes somewhat successful. As most moms know, once your child is "moving" getting them to still in one spot is nearly impossible. But I'm pretty happy with how these turned out even though once again theres not one where he's looking at the camera smiling, I think I may need an assistant for that. ;)

At 16 months, hudson is very very busy! He is climber, a runner, a furniture mover, and ball throwing machine. He loves being chased, hiding when he's up to no good, pretending daddy is a jungle gym and diving on pillows! He also is a great talker, in my opinion at least! This is something that I have been very surprised with...considering he is his fathers child ;) Hudson has about 20 words, his favorites & most said are: "frankie," "dog," "momma," "daddy/dada," "up," "hi," "bye bye," "callie," "ball," "close!" He's great at repeating and mocking almost any sound you make! He loves looking at books,sitting in chairs, pretending to talk on the phone, dancing to music, being outside for any reason whatsoever, and sleeping haha...yes this kid still loves his sleep! Hudson now sleeps from 7ish till 8 in the morning! has a morning nap & an afternoon nap! While he is still such a joy, i will say we are in full toddler mode which includes major independence and those awful things called temper tantrums! yes my little hudson brownleee had his first and definitely not last temper tantrum just this past week. Grant it, it only lasted for maybe a minute I was still in complete shock. My first thought was "i need a new parenting book!" He still hasn't learned to say "no" which I love but is great at shaking his head "yes!" With all that said... here is our little soon to be awesome big brother!!

Hudson Brownlee, you make 16 months look so good! We are so proud of the little boy you are slowly becoming! You are going to make such a wonderful big brother!

a lot

2012-04-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

its exactly 4 o'clock, time for hudson to wake up from his afternoon nap, but instead he just fell asleep 15 minutes ago. Tonight should be interesting. He has a new tooth coming in, which he loves keeping his tiny little fingers on. I feel like he's getting better with this whole teething thing, or maybe I'm just getting better at realizing it sooner. this will be tooth number 6! Our sweet boy turned 16 months yesterday, i really should take some pictures of him but I may wait till he gets a hair cut & this new tooth thing is all settled.

i have so many pictures i want to put on here that are on my phone but i have seem to misplaced my cord to upload them and i'm too lazy to figure out this whole icloud thing for the iphones soooo once again this will be a picture-less post. sorry for all you picture book readers. And I promise a Easter post is coming too!

we've been super busy with house looking/searching/bidding and still not having much luck. everything keeps falling through for one reason or another. However, we did, for the 3rd time, put in an offer yesterday for a home in Mckinney! I'm a little nervous about it, mainly bc after making the offer I realized theres no pantry in the kitchen and theres no shade trees in the back yard. 2 big negatives in my opinion. however danny ruth has assured me if we do get the house he will find solutions to both =) Hello covered patio?! =) My husband is such a servant, I just love him to pieces.

I wasn't going to blog about this just yet, but I figured its a good way to get some prayers from my fellow blog readers. This past Monday I had another doctors appointment along with another sonogram (make that sonogram number 8 or 9, but who's counting?!) and was given some unsettling news. Baby is very small, weighing maybe 3 pounds when he should be weighing over 4. He is in the 3rd percentile right now. Dr. Holt, (OB) diagnosed him with IUGR which is In-uterine Growth Restriction. She's been concerned with his size and growth for the past 2 months now as he continues to drop in size. All this was a little shocking for a moment, mainly because 2 weeks ago when I went in, my tummy had grew 7 cmm so we were all thinking/hoping baby had caught up in size but unfortunately that isnt the case. IUGR is caused by several factors one being the placenta just isnt working properly, meaning baby isn't receiving enough nutrients and/or oxygen. Which means regardless of how much I eat or what I eat...its still not getting to baby. This coming Tuesday we will be going to a specialist that will do a more thorough sonogram that can tell us a lot more along with some other test. As far as we know baby is perfectly healthy, he just seems really small. Everything else seems to be functioning properly and looks great. Soooo...with all that said! If you could just send a few prayers up for us in hopes that when we go to the specialist that everything looks great & theres nothing to worry about...except finding horses for my 2 small jockey's that were raising. ;)

picky eater {granola thursday}

2012-03-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

so my child will not eat a vegetable for the life of him, his picky-ness is worse than mine. i'm starting to believe these terrible eating habits are from a generational curse and i seriously refuse for this to trickle down to our kids. healthy eating is a must, it ranks right up there with good sleep and following jesus. as most of you probably know i'm a sleep nazi with hudson and now i'm slowly becoming a food nazi as well. lately ive been finding recipes and even coming up with some of my own in order to sneak veggies into Hudson's food. I still continue to offer whatever vegetables were having but they usually end up on the floor with our dog getting more nutrition than my baby. and yes my 15 month old is still a baby, he is by no means old enough or smart enough to know what foods he should be eating therefore i get to pick what he eats. The other day I asked danny when we should let hudson have his first cookie, or ice cream, or candy etc....and we both came to this conclusion: "why now? why give him sugar filled processed food that does absolutely nothing for his brain, heart or anything else regarding his tiny little body." People try to offer hudson sweets all the time and typically try to make danny & I feel as though hudson is "missing out" but in my opinion i dont mind him missing out on sugar highs, empty calories, stomach aches & cavities. If someone would give me would give me one good reason why my child needs to know what a cookie taste like...maybe i'll change my mind...but right now this kid is beyond ecstatic with bananas (brain food)!

Okay so back to how i'm sneaking veggies to his food! I really was in denial about this and really really didnt think I would ever have to hide food, considering he had almost any kinda of veggie as long as it was pureed just a few months ago. but now he will only eat items that can be picked up by hand or fork...this is where even his morning oatmeal has become an issue some mornings because he hasn't quiet mastered the spoon & i'm just not in mood to clean up oatmeal every morning to let him practice regulary. Anywho...heres some of the recipes ive been doing in case your having the same problems as I am!

Sweet Potato Grilled Cheese (easy & a favorite)
Sweet Potato cooked & pureed
mozzarella cheese (or any kinda cheese you want)
2 slices of bread
the original recipe I got calls for a some butter too...but i never use it.

Cook Sweet potato, once done cut in half to scoop out the mixture. Spread puree onto the bread, sprinkle some cheese (i try to make sure the cheese is close to the crust part so it will seal like a normal grilled chese). You can add butter to either your bread or even the potato mixture and then cook like a normal grilled cheese!

Spinach mini pizzas (so easy!)
1/2 cup of baby spinach leaves
mozzarella cheese (or whatever you would normally use for pizza)
spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce or any kind of tomato sauce you want to use
mini pita bread slices (i use those whole grain wheat thin sandwich things)

steam you spinach for about 5 minutes or so, puree it up or chop (depending on your picky eaters awareness haha). Spread spinach onto bread, then layer the sauce then sprinkle with cheese. You definitely could add other toppings if your kid will go for that...mine wont lol but I'm thinking of trying ground turkey on top next time. After you got your toppings on, stick in at 350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted! All done!

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
handful of cauliflower cooked and pureed
one potato (peeled, unless your child will eat the skin then thats great!!)
milk
butter (probably could use some yogurt if you wanted to get really healthy)
salt & pepper

Boil your potato just like you would for making normal mashed potatoes. Mix everything together just like you would normally! I always think milk & butter are based on personal preference with the thickness your potatoes so have at it! =)

Pumpkin Oatmeal (so easy)
Oatmeal
Can of Puree Pumpkin

cook your oatmeal as usual and just add some pumpkin to it! this is sooo easy bc all you have to do it open the can of pumpkin! you can also sprinkle some cinnamon on top which is a great antioxidant!

The Ultimate Easiest Breakfast Ever!
Okay so I found this idea on Pinterest, i've modified it a bit and at first was a little skeptical of it...but the greatness of this breakfast idea is beyond me!
1/3 cup of oatmeal
a few berries of any kind or half of banana (hudson's favorite)
one egg
cinnamon
splash of milk

Put everything into a coffee mug, mix it up real good, microwave for 2 minutes and your done!! Hudson will not eggs or blue berries by themselves so this is a great way for him to get those two things! The best part about it this meal is it comes all together like a big muffin...so you can chop it for the little person in your life to eat with their hands! Instead of spoon feeding oatmeal!! ahhh a life saver! Now I realize this recipe didnt have any veggies in it but it does have egg which is great protein and i usually add flax seed to his as well!

okay now i have a couple of muffin recipes that have squash & carrot in them but I really cant remember the recipe without going back to the source and I have a couple of mac N cheese ones too but they aren't as easy to make as the above! tonight i'm going to attempt to make hudson some "chili" with carrot, onion, spinach & pepper in it...hopefully it goes well!

okay so hopefully theres no typos (haha yah right) because i gotta get started on this chili while hudson naps...;)