New Hat

Laughing with Dad

First Pumpkin Patch

A Dog's World

Maybe it's not always a dog's world, but around here, it was at least a dog's weekend... On Saturday night, a couple neigbors and us were hanging out in the front and I decided to let our dogs out to run around. Their friend George (a dog) was already out running around. I opened the gate but only Jagger ran out. I called Maya and when she didnt appear, I went and looked for her. I found her, looking strange, and unable to move. I yelled for JR and told him something was wrong with her leg. She managed to walk toward JR but then collapsed on our front door step, peed herself and began seizing - BAD. I held her eyes closed with my hand and pet her while trying to get my hand in her mouth so she didnt swallow her tongue. JR grabbed his keys to take her to the Emergency Vet (yes, we have been there before when Jagger ate a sock and luckily it is less than a mile from our house). So JR and a neighbor jumped in the car and took off. To make a long story short, Maya ate some snail poison. When she was out earlier that day, JR saw her eating some dirt in a neighbor's yard. He stopped her, but she must have gotten enough... and the neighbor showed me the box of poison. On the front, in big red writing were the words "CAN BE FATAL TO DOGS" and "KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN." Hmmmmmm... there are 9 houses in our little area and 7 dogs and 6 kids that all play in the area where the snail poison was set... maybe you would get a more friendly snail bait???
Anyways, after $1200 and 15 hours in the ER getting her stomach pumped and flushed and who knows what else, Maya is home and doing well.

To make our weekend even more about the dogs, Jagger had an appointment at our regular vet on Sunday to get his ears cleaned. What should have been a routine $10 visit turned into a $345 visit because he has a major ear infection and needed an assortment of tests ran and 3 different antibiotics (though we are always skeptical of our vet and their tendency to try for the upsale, what are you supposed to do? Not treat your dog? Time for a new vet).

So needless to say we had an expensive weekend and JR and I didnt even do anything or go anywhere. But at least everyone is safe. And at least a child or baby didnt eat the snail poison first... And thank goodness I happened to go in the backyard one minute before Maya's seizure, otherwise, I am not sure the situation would have ended as well.

Holy Crap...

Literally, crap, as in poop. Hudson's poop now smells sooo bad since he started eating solid foods that JR and I need to do something. Breastmilk poop doesnt smell bad and so we have recently been shocked and totally grossed out by the new poopy diapers.
Some other things have changed since Hudson started solids (he is now eating bananas, avocados and today he tried sweet potatoes for the first time - all recommended as first foods by Super Baby Food). He now gets multiple baths each day. Literally, every time he eats he needs a bath. Which also means more dirty clothes and more laundry (my clothes also have food all over them). We have more dirty dishes. And solid foods have cost a lot more than before (breast milk is FREE). This is all part of baby growing up and Hudson seems to really be enjoying his new foods and it is fun to watch him try new things - we just have to make sure all diapers immediately find their way to the Diaper Genie.

6 Month Check Up

Hudson had his 6 month check up today and he is currently weighing in at 17.5 pounds and is 27.5 inches long! He is in the 50% for weight and 85% for height. He is as tall/long as cousin Gianna but she still has him beat by about a half pound! Maybe next month he will pass her!!

Introducing...

Charlotte Ryan Yadrick - aka Baby Yadrick - was born October 3 at 12:41pm and weighed 8lbs 13oz. She is 19 inches long and is beautiful and healthy -- and she has dark hair like her mommy! Congratulations on the new addition!!

Hudson and Charlotte on their first date - Charlotte is just five days old and Hudson is 6 months old. In fact, they are exactly six months apart, to the day! What a difference just 6 months makes - Hudson looks massive!

6 months old!

Where has the time gone? Hudson is 6 months old today and he has just recently had his first solid food (which really isnt all that 'solid'). I know lots of babies eat before 6 months but Hudson's pediatrician recommended that we wait until he was 6 months old and we liked his reasoning and agreed. So despite the fact that Hudson has seemed interested in food for awhile, we have waited. So up until now, he has had almost entirely breast milk. I say almost because a couple times we have tried formula and he has basically spit it out. I am actually very proud of the fact that he has only had breast milk because even though it is challenging and demanding for mom, I know it is best for him and his little body!!

Here is his first time eating:





This is his second time - he is already grabbing the spoon because we cant get the food to him fast enough!




First teething cracker - messy little suckers:

The Cars

Gianna and Hudson got new license plates for their cars! So Cute -- Thanks Grandma J!!





And here are more photos of Gia and Hudson. They are definitely more interested in each other.



And mommy and happy Hud:

Laugh Out Loud

Sitting Big

Hudson is getting good at sitting on his own like a big kid!!

Though he still tips over...

Another Day in Big Bear

Our little family packed the car and headed to Big Bear on Friday night after Hudson's went to sleep - JR, myself, Hudson, Jagger and Maya. It was definately colder this time than it was just a few weeks ago and we all need to get warmer clothes for next time. It was a typical weekend for Hudson -- he drove around in his car, went on a swing for the first time and had lots of fun!

Kickin' Back

Hudson likes to hang out on his side now. You can tell that he is trying to balance in this position and not fall onto his back or his stomach.



And he is definitely very interested in the dogs. When he is in his walker, he inevitably scoots right over to where the dogs are and gets as close as he can. Our dogs are really good with him. In fact, they arent all that interested in him. They usually sniff him and then go lie down and forget about him. I still keep a close eye on Hudson when he is around our dogs (I read that 50% of kids are bit by their dogs -- Parenting Magazine) because you just dont know (and Maya is a little cracked out).

Sleep Update

Well, I must say that I am touched by everyone's comments on my recent sleep (or rather, lack thereof) post so I decided to write an update. After getting through some of the Pantley book I got some tips (which were directed for those of us who breastfeed their babies to sleep - which, I admit, is me on many/most occasions. Especially on those occasions when I am TIRED). Here are the tips we implemented immediately:

1. No more nighttime bath. Pantley actually recommends night baths to calm and relax your baby. But Hudson does not come out of the bath calm. He LOVES his bath but it is MAJOR play time in our house. So we moved those to mornings since I think it works him up in the evenings.

2. Bedtime needs to be much earlier. Hudson was going to sleep between 8 and 830. He is now going to bed between 7 and 730. I think we were missing his tired 'window' which caused him to be overtired and harder to put to sleep later.

3. Naps are important. Hudson was a bad napper. Pantley suggested basically doing whatever it takes to get your baby to take two scheduled naps (two at his age anyway), whether that be in the carseat, or in the stroller or in someone's arms. Daytime sleeping positively impacts nighttime sleeping and is important for baby to get a good night's sleep.

4. Get Hudson to play in his crib during the day so it isnt just a nighttime/alone place but a place of comfort and safety that he knows and enjoys. He never really goes in his room during the day (except for naps) so it really is just a sleep place. Maybe I need to make it a fun place that he knows when he is awake so that when he does wake in the night, he will be comfortable. Maybe this is a stretch but it is not a difficult idea to try out.

5. Remove the boob before baby is asleep. OK, so this one was obvious but it is really hard when you are tired in the middle of the night and you know it makes him fall asleep and all I want to do is sleep...

On Monday, he slept 7 1/2 hours straight. On Tuesday he was up 5 times. On Wednesday he only got up once. To be honest, the nights Hudson seems to sleep the best are the nights JR puts him to bed (which also means Hudson is not, obviously, falling asleep on my boob. In my defense, when Hudson is with me, he knows he can get the boob so he freaks out more with me until he gets it.) So basically, Daddy has a new job... and he is good at it. I hear him singing songs (songs that he makes up about the dogs and Hudson) and it seems to work!

I do also believe that Hudson goes through stages that affect his sleep. Some nights are better than others and there doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. I think we are at a stage right now - a few stages actually. I think he is getting his third tooth. I think he is growing. And I think he is also starting to get 'attached' to me - which I am not saying is a bad thing, but just maybe he misses me at night :). I understand that I might not have the baby who ever sleeps 12 hours straight and that is ok. But I know he can sleep 7-8 and I will keep trying to get that to be more consistent in our home.

It is good to know that there are others out there in the same/similar boat and I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. I do wish great sleep for all!

Sit Ups

Hudson now does 'sit ups' constantly. He lifts his head when he is on his back, almost like he is trying to sit up. I was getting his bath ready today and this is what I looked back and saw:

Jumper

Hudson's first time in his new jumper:

10...2...5

Ferber Schmerber. Ok, I cant really throw Ferber under the bus because I never finished the book and never read what he said to do when a baby wakes up in the middle of the night. After talking to some people about him though, I think I was supposed to let Hudson cry himself back to sleep checking on him in the increasing intervals, like I did when I put him to bed. Now, I was ok with the small amount of crying at bedtime because I knew that he was full, tired and had a clean diaper. When he wakes up at 2am, I am not sure of any of those things and I was not comfortable letting him cry without finding out if his needs were met. It is hard to know if a baby is full, tired, in pain from teething and sitting in a clean diaper without picking him up -- so out the window went the Ferber method for me. I was not going to let him cry if he was hungry or wet or teething... I am not sure if it was a fluke that he happened to sleep the first few nights we did it. Somehow though, on night 4 he started waking up and now continues to wake up at 10pm,2am and 5am. He is usually really hungry during one of those times (2am) and usually has a dirty diaper at one of those times (usually 5am, sometimes 2am) and he is probably teething during all of those times. Now I am back to square one. There has to be other ideas out there that fall somewhere between "cry it out" and "mom just has to get up because babies never sleep"... This idea has lead me to Elizabeth Pantley's book called No Cry Sleep Solutions. All my eggs are in this basket right now - I am trying to read as fast as I can.
The other thing I realized during all this is that many people's babies do not sleep through the night during their first year -- in fact, I would say MOST do not sleep through the night. I have read a lot of books recently on this subject and talked to a lot of friends and I think it is the norm to have a baby that doesnt sleep through the night. The book that I mentioned above promises a little more sleep than I am currently getting and that is all I am looking for!!

Hudson's New Car

Grandma B got Hudson and Gianna new cars and they LOVE them!! I thought he would be too small, but he is holding himself up great! Here he is cruising around:



Love this one with one had on the wheel and one hand hanging out the side:

Lots of Cousins, Lots of Fun!

This weekend we babysat our two nephews and our niece (Zachary, Austin and Ana) and we all had a great time! With four kids we had to keep busy and by the end of the day everyone was tired and everyone was in bed by 8pm (yes, even us!).



Lots of jumping!!

Decorating cakes!


Thanks to Auntie Tracy for all her help!!

First Beach Day

Hudson's first beach day was last week on Balboa Island. There were lots of other kids there and Hudson seemed to like it. I know he wanted to be able to do more though, like run in the water and crawl on the sand.

Islands

I cannot believe I havent written about this dream of a restaurant yet... it is a place we never frequented pre-Hudson but now go to up to once a week. Islands. Yes the chain restaurant and I am not afraid to admit it. They are incredibly baby friendly, lots of stuff for kids to look at like plants, lights, birds and televisions, and no one seems to mind if your kid is screaming because practically everyone there has a kid.

Here is a photo of 'the nets' that they have. I have yet to see these at any other restaurant though they are fabulous and very useful for pre-highchair babies.


They really dont care if your kids are on the table at Islands....


Or sitting on their wall looking around...


And here is a cute photo of Gia and Hudson at dinner.

5 Months Old

Hudson is 5 months old today... Where did the time go?? He is getting so big and can do so much more than he could just a few weeks ago. It is amazing how fast the time flies... He gets up on his knees and scoots around pretty well (not crawling yet though!) We also had to lower the mattress in Hudson's crib today because here is what I saw on the monitor the other day when he was supposed to take a nap...
Here is my first attempt at uploading a video... I just figured out that my camera takes videos and then I finally figured how to get them on to the blog. So here is my first clip - nothing really special but you get a little taste of Hudson talking...

Ferber Update

Night 1: Hudson slept 8 hours and 15 minutes straight. He cried for a total of 12 minutes before falling asleep, with me going in there to calm him down (and calm myself down) twice. He went back to sleep for two more hours after he woke up and ate and got a diaper change.

Night 2: Hudson cried for a total of 7 minutes before falling asleep and slept 5 1/2 hours. It sounded like he had a nightmare when he did wake up so I soothed for a couple minutes, then left the room and he fell back asleep on his own.

Night 3: Hudson did not cry at all when I put him in his crib. He slept 8 hours straight, woke up ate, got a diaper change and went back to sleep for 2 1/2 more hours.

Maybe this is working... we will see!