Lovin' JetBlue

We headed up to SF this weekend for a little getaway. We are all assuming that it will be much harder for us to travel in a couple months and wanted to squeeze in a little vacation. Unfortunately, I only took a couple photos: the belly photos in the last post below and these:
Hudson was PERFECT on the flights - though I am not sure he would have lasted much longer. The 50 minute flight is about as long as he sits still - and that is REALLY good for him. I gave him all sorts of treats and activities to keep him busy. But you gotta love the JetBlue television - with animal planet and some cartoon channel on it.


And then there is this one - with the pretty background and me with the sun in my face, eating an ice cream. Interesting - note to self - take more photos so you have more to choose from.


Thank you Anthony Family for letting us stay in the condo and playing with Hudson!

30 Weeks

I am 30 weeks pregnant... Time just keeps flying by. I had Hudson at 38 weeks and if that holds even somewhat true for the second pregnany then I have about 8 weeks left. The baby currently weighs about 3 pounds and is about 16 inches long - he/she is kicking really hard to the point where my whole stomach shakes and looks like an earthquake is going on inside. I am feeling huge and warm most of the time even though most people say that my belly looks smaller than 7.5 months pregnant. I think that's because I am carrying a lot of this baby in the backside rather than the stomach this time around! I am measuring on schedule though - at my appointment last week, the uterus was measuring 29cm - corresponding to 29 weeks.

Punkin' Patch

Hudson and I were in for a nice little surprise today when we stopped by our usual hangout - Irvine Park Railroad. It is Pumpkin Season and along with the standard train and horse rides, they now have a hay ride, a pumpkin patch, a maze, a bounce house, a face painter, etc....

Introducing....

Jonathon Donald, aka Baby V, made his little way into the world on Saturday September 20th, weighing 6lbs, 12 oz and 20 inches long. Everyone is doing great and his first picture is one of the best I have seen - so cute and smiling already!

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!