Biker Baby

I am in trouble... he already thinks he can ride Grammy's motorcycle by himself...

Hudson and Friends

(Kaylee - 8 months, Kaylee's cousin Connor - almost 5, Hannah - 4, Charlotte - almost 1, Alyssa - 4, Hudson = almost 1.5).

17 Months Old & 7 Months Prego

My baby boy is now 17 months old. He is talking so much and his vocabulary and memory grow and get better each day. It is amazing to watch the development happen right before our eyes.
His sleeping has improved. I havent written about that in ages because the topic was starting to get to me - it was taking over my life. But I am happy to report that it has improved since I last wrote. He started sleeping through the night at 15 months (yes, all you out there that think you have it bad - there are those who have it worse - and those who have it even worse than me! I met a mom today at his gym class who's 3 1/2 year old still wakes up at night). We didnt do anything differently, one night he just didnt wake up - it 'clicked' as the doctor put it. He still wakes up a couple times a week but boy have we improved. And of course, he is still an early riser but we know it could be a lot worse so we are happy. The unfortunate and ironic part is that he basically started sleeping through the night when I started getting up multiple times at night to go to the bathroom from this pregnancy. So I still dont sleep through the night. But that's what it means to be a mom - at least Hudson's mom (and dad- JR does more than his part)! Naps are another story. He seems to think he doesnt need them. He has been down to just one nap a day for MONTHS now, and we have to fight him to get him to take that one nap (it is usually around an hour maybe an hour and a half - NEVER two hours). He is just not a sleeper (he gets that from both JR and I so we cant be too upset). What he lacks in good sleeping he makes up for physically and mentally. He loves trains, books, daddy's jeep, animals, water, and of course, his mommy and daddy. He is a happy, smart and active child and I cannot believe he is 17 months old and that soon he will be a big brother!!

Which brings me to the fact that I am now 7 months pregnant and officially in the last trimester. I am to the point where I realize I am pregnant in terms of slowness, weight, some lower back pain, out of breath, etc. I cant just jump up or jump in the car... all of that takes a little more time/care.

Here is a photo of Jess and I. Baby V is due Sept. 29 making her about 37 weeks (I am about 28 weeks). We are all ready for her little guy to make his big debut!!

S.A. Zoo

While I can still walk (though I feel like I am starting to waddle) I decided to take Hudson to the Santa Ana Zoo today (another great find with only a $6 entrance fee - kids under 3 are free). Keeping him busy and outside. We were the first ones there today and it was the perfect time to go. No one was there, it was still cool outside, and the animals were wild because they hadnt been fed yet. It made it easy for Hudson to find them all in their cages. And of course, the train. Which we rode twice.




He wasnt scared to feed the animals.

Labor Day Fun

On Monday I took JR and Hudson back to Irvine Park (I know, we are obsessed - it is so close to us!)






And on Sunday - BBQ time!

Irvine Park

I love finding fun little places to take Hudson. Irvine Park is right around the corner from us and it such a great place for Hudson. It satisfies his current obsession with trains along with having a massive park, multiple playgrounds, a small zoo (with bears and some other big animals), pony rides, boat rentals, and more. We went with cousin Gianna last week and rode the train and visited the zoo, and Hudson and I went this morning for a couple hours to ride the train and the ponies.

Gender Games

It is starting to become clear to me that we are going to have a boy in November. Here are the 'facts':
1 - I went to the tailor today (the tailor who guesses gender and is usually right. He was right when I was pregnant with Hudson). Today he said he was getting a "BOY" feeling.
2 - JR thinks we are having a girl now. Last time I was pregnant he thought we were having a girl. He was wrong before.
3 - The necklace does say "GIRL"
4 - The Chinese calendar is a toss up because we dont know our conception month (end of Feb or early March).
5 - All of you out there voting in the poll to the right are also a toss up. Pretty much 50-50. Which is different than last time. When I was pregnant with Hudson, everyone thought I was having a BOY.
6 - The gender prediction quiz (which said GIRL with Hudson) said we have a 75% chance of having a GIRL, based on questions that rely mainly on old wives' tales.
7 - My mom had a dream that she would have one granddaughter and the rest BOYS. (Well, she already has Gianna, so maybe the rest will be BOYS).

Of course I really dont care what we have. If we have a boy, it will be easier in many ways. I already have all boy stuff, so no additional costs in that area. And Hudson will be great friends with his little brother and can show him the ropes. Plus, I know how to have a boy. So, I really dont care what we have, but I think for now I am going to prepare or expect to have a BOY! I love not knowing for sure what we are having! This is so much fun to not know, to guess, to hear what people think and then to have the surprise at the end! I know it is driving most of you nuts though... sorry. If we have another after this, we still won't find out!

Dance Moves Like Daddy

JR, Hudson and I were in the car driving home from downtown Disney. I was literally singing Hudson's new favorite song (or, what I thought was Hudson's new favorite song) "B-I-N-G-O" while some XM radio station was quietly playing in the background. All of a sudden, JR turned up the radio and said "Hudson loves this song." Hudson started dancing and singing the chorus. I managed to grab my camera and tape a few seconds of singing. The first video is just the singing. The second video is some dancing. And yes - he already dances like JR. Now I know what the two of them do in the car together when I am not around.





Another singing clip...

Beach Week '08

This year we set off for Pismo beach in a motor home. Once we got there, it wasnt really what we expected but as always, it is great to hang out with the family. And Hudson and Gianna had the best time - as long as they have each other, they were totally content with the pile of sand they played in for days.


I love that you can give kids anything and they can make it into a toy.




Hudson LOVES daddy's jeep. So off he went, in his carseat, slowly over the dunes (or at least JR said they were going slowly!)



I pretty much got over my 'dont like dirt' thing a LONG time ago (obviously because I had to with Hudson). So after about 10 face plants in the sand, each day, my mom gave us a trick for getting it off: baby powder. Now talcum isnt great for the face, but neither is sand in the eyes and with the baby powder, the sand came RIGHT OFF. Great trick. Anyways, here he is, with baby powder, sunblock, sand and home-made fruit popsicles all over his face.

Olympic Games

I love watching gymnastics, volleyball and swimming so the last couple days have been right up my alley....
And Hudson's. Here he is after watching some gymnastics. I am glad it resulted in just a somersault because for awhile he was running around and jumping and I thought he might hurt himself trying to copy the flips.



And this is my favorite face that Hudson is currently making. It is him saying "Ohhhh" and "Oooooh" and being really excited. This particular time it is in response to a Chinese gymnast's floor exercise.

Baseball and Basketball

In case Hudson turns out to be a professional athlete I thought I should tape him doing some stuff while he was young. He has picked up sports since he could walk (he was kicking a soccer ball all over the house when he could hardly walk) and now he can differentiate between a soccer ball, a golf ball, a baseball bat and so on... Like we have been saying forever - he is all boy. Here he is playing some t-ball and basketball (next time I will tape golf and soccer).

6 Month Bump

The Ball Pit - Part II

This video isn't as good as the first one but Hudson has come up with another way to get in and out of the ball pit (or rather to get the balls out of the pit). I dont know how he comes up with this stuff but he cracks himself up (and us too).

20-25 Pounds

I had my 6 month check up today and despite the title of this post, I have not gained 20-25 pounds - yet. The 20-25 pounds refers to the amount of weight my doctor told me I should NOT be lifting while pregnant. Hmmmmm. Interesting since Hudson is just OVER that amount AND he is in one of those stages where he wants to be held. By me. All the time. Meaning I am currently lifting him about 50 times a day. Up and Down. My doctor suggested that I sit on the ground and have him sit in my lap. Hmmm. That would be heaven if he (and I) both just sat. Sitting is great but I need to figure out a way to get Hudson to agree with that.

I have noticed though that when Hudson and I are really busy, where I get little down time, and when I am holding him a lot, those are the days that I get really crampy in the evening. Not good. But I know I am not the only one who has been pregnant with another little one at home that they carry around so I will keep in mind what my doctor said and try to watch my body but otherwise... carry on...

Who Needs a Double Stroller?

No need for us to use the double stroller that my mom has for Gia and Hudson because the cousins had so much fun sitting in the single stroller together.


They have so much fun together and this is such a cute age for them (Click to enlarge and see their faces)!


And here is the big boy at Chuck E. Cheese (Grammy and Papa took him - JR's parents). He is so big now!

The Wiggles Teach Dance Moves

The Wiggles sang "Turn Around" and Gianna thought they said 'Run Around'... and Hudson is actually doing some of the moves (from swaying his arms back and forth, to clapping and singing la-la-la-la). Haha.

'Party Police' ??

I just read an article in Cookie Magazine (a parents magazine) and the article was titled "Party Police." The article discussed parents who throw parties for their children while placing 'increasing demands' on their guests. What increasing demands? ASKING THIER GUESTS TO NOT BRING A GIFT. The author states this is done because the parent is controlling (not to mention mean because what kid wouldnt want gifts?, she asks). Well, it just so happens that I threw Hudson a 1st birthday party and wrote on the card that Hudson was lucky to have plenty of toys and to please not bring anything (I went on to state that if you felt you had to bring a small toy, we would happily donate it to a local charity). Now, no one is going to deny that I can be controlling. But that is not why I wrote 'no gifts'. I wrote 'no gifts' because I felt that every time our group of friends gets together these days there is a gift (and therefore money) involved. I had a wedding recently, a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, TWO baby showers...not to mention birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries. Most of these events involved wonderful and generous gifts for us. It just started to seem that every time I saw my friends, I was 'asking' for a gift. Well, I wanted to throw Hudson a 1st birthday party WITHOUT people HAVING to spend MORE money on him/us. Hudson has no clue he 'missed out' and some people still got him a gift (to which we were very appreciative and thankful). I thought it worked out GREAT, but apparently I messed up the 'unspoken contract between planner and guest.' Our friends and family have been MORE than supportive over the years and we felt it RIGHT to throw a party without receiving/expecting something in return.

Jump

Never Leaving the House Again

I think we have been pretty good about taking Hudson with us to places and havent totally made ourselves home-bound just because we had a kid. However, that may soon change. I took Hudson to the OC Fair this week and he was a maniac. He was totally overwhelmed, overstimulated and totally over listening to mommy. It was hot. I was sweating. Hudson was running. And running. And finding places to squeeze his little body into that people werent supposed to be. We found a sand pit with toys for kids to play in and I thought I might be able to stand still for one minute. Until I saw Hudson digging dirt between his legs like a dog and getting a bunch of nearby adults all sandy. At one point I found Hudson behind a little fence kicking at large electrical plugs. Great - he probably almost turned out the power for the whole fair.
Part of my exhaustion and frustration from the fair day stems from the fact that he is running and moving like a much older kid (and has been for awhile) but he listens like a baby (or a boy - same thing). I am sure this is just another 'phase' but let's just hope this phase is at least better before this next baby comes or there is no way I will be able to leave the house alone with both kids. Unless I want to put Hudson on one of those leashes (which I dont - I used to make fun of people that had to use those and called the moms 'lazy' for not chasing their kids. Haha. Little did I know that I would have the poster child for that darn leash).

5 Month Bump

20 week belly photo! And I didnt cheat this time. This photo was taken right after I ate. I cannot believe we are already halfway there!

Faux-Hawk

Ok, I am pretty sure Hudson doesnt have enough hair for a mohawk or a faux-hawk, but Hudson did get a cool new hair cut. It is actually pretty much identical to the haircut/style JR has, so I need to get a picture of them together. But here are some photos of Hudson's cool new hair do.
(If you click to enlarge, you can see Hudson's new fat lip from running and hitting the cement in the backyard yesterday- sounds bad but it honestly happens daily around here as he gets faster and faster and refuses to slow down or be careful. He is ALL BOY.)

So you think We're Having a Boy...

The results of the voting poll (to the right) are showing that more people think I am having a BOY than a GIRL... and it looks like the Chinese Gender Prediction Calendars are in agreement.

That is, IF the November due date is correct (because that would mean a conception month of February), the calendar shows BOY if we conceived in February. However, IF we conceived in March (and the due date is closer to the first ultra-sound prediction of December 4) then the calendar predicts GIRL.

JR and I both think we are having a BOY.

But the 'necklace' (which many of you swear by) predicted a GIRL.

So there you go.... does that help? The wait to know continues...

Introducing....

Isabella Victoria Spaulding
Born July 3rd at 6:58 pm, weighing 8lbs 2oz and 20.5 inches long.
Isabella is finally here after 40 weeks of waiting! She looks like mommy with a hat on and daddy without the hat on!
I got to hold her this morning and she is perfect! The whole family is doing great!