Thanksgiving Break

I know, I know, it's not like I've been good at posting our little events and happenings lately. Alas, I've fallen into researching Dan and I's family ancestry online and have traced my family back to the middle ages so far. It's been so much fun that I can't seem to use my coveted "computer time" for anything else, such as blogging. Dan's parents are arriving in town tomorrow for an extended Thanksgiving visit so it may be a little while before I post pictures and stories of our time together.

But in the here and now, I sit, the baby sleeping peacefully in his bed wearing his new big boy, two piece pjs. He truly is a big boy now and at 9 1/2 months is able to walk from object to object within a room and just Sunday stood up without having to pull himself up on something. He often gets this crazy, "I'm hyper" look in his little eyes and will pick up balls only to throw them over and over while chasing after them. Just this week he also began showing his preferences quite definitively. He is a true outdoorsman like his father and is so content just to be outside sitting in his stroller while we water the plants. In fact, he enjoys it so much that if he sees a front or back door close he'll throw his head down and give the most heartbroken cry. I truly believe it breaks his little heart to miss an opportunity to be outside!
Lest you see only one side of him, he is also a little lover with a tender heart. Each day, the first time he sees a family member, he must immediately give them a hug. We all of course love this, all that is except for the dog. Each morning he chases her down and gives her a big ole kiss too, much to her dismay.

So, a little about the video. We took this last weekend while sitting on the back porch enjoying some freshly made banana muffins while the power company cleared the fence in the back yard. Dan was so proud when Hudson took his own pinch of muffin and lifted it to Dan's mouth to share. I quickly pulled the camera out in a vain attempt to catch it again but it was not to be. So, enjoy a little of our little guy eating breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning with his Daddy.

Catching Up

Oh boy am I way behind on this blog! I really have no excuse, only to say that I've had a sick baby for the last two weeks and as it turns out, my sick baby is a momma's boy when he doesn't feel well. My arms are sure getting a great work out, for every waking moment he wants to be held, and not just by anyone, by me. It's great to be wanted and loved, but at night I lay in bed laughing because my arms are sooo sore and fatigued. I can't imagine what life was like before the invention of modern medicine. I was so worried as Hudson's fever stayed at the 102 range, even with Motrin. So I did what any worried mother would do and called the doctor asking if they could work us in TODAY. I wonder how often pediatricians get calls like this, as they were so nice and within 30 minutes we were out the door and on our way to get antibiotics. So fast forward a week and a half and I'm just getting back to a normal routine and a less dependent baby. Ahh, that's much better.
I also learned something about my son that should not surprise me. I learned the he will eat anything that can be digested. We had two medications to give him and one of them tasted horrible. Nonetheless, he took it no problem as long as I let him hold the dropper. The kid even readily opens his mouth each morning for his bitter vitamins, that honestly, I wouldn't even take! Sometimes I wonder if he is a bottomless pit. At mealtimes I pretty much just get tired of feeding him or he just gets tired of sitting in his highchair long before he is full. Tonight for instance he ate 3 tubs of baby food, 1 container of infant yogurt, some pumpkin bread and a few cheerios. We had a good laugh as Dan told him he doesn't have to readily open his mouth for more food if he is full. Although he can ingest Cheerios as though his life depended on it. Every morning he looses himself in sheer excitement when I pull the box out of the pantry, shake it and say "cheerios, cheerios". He waves his arms in the air, shakes with excitement, and sticks his two bottom teethies out in a huge grin.
These are the moments that make the fatigues arms and long nights worth it.

Happy Harvest

Here are a few pictures from the pumpkin patch Becca and I took the boys to on Saturday. Hudson had such good time eating the Indian Corn and banging on the pumpkins. I really think he would have stayed there all day if I would have let him.

 

 

 

 

Time with Friends.

Our friend Cori and her daughter Maya flew down from Alaska for a visit so we packed up our truck for a long weekend in the Dallas area. We stayed a couple nights with Dave & Becca and had a great time catching up and watching our little children play together. There is something quite special about a friend to whom you can say "remember when we were teenagers...." while you watch your kiddos play together on the floor. I had a great time just watching Hudson with Maya & Micah. He LOVED them both and would get so excited when they were around. Micah warmed to Hudson fairly quickly and they would play a game where Micah would sit on his walk n' ride toy while Hudson stood behind and pushed him down the hallway. I was so proud of all three kiddos for how well they played together. I have more pictures to put up but for some reason it kept dropping the last two here so I'll do another post tomorrow adding the others.

 

Dinner with Cori & Maya. Cori and I were pregnant together when we lived in Alaska - it was so wonderful to share the pregnant ups and downs with her!

 

Rebecca and Micah go every morning to see the "horsies" just down the street from where they're living. Hudson sure enjoyed them also!

 

Our three little hoodlums. Hudson (9 months) Maya (7 months) and Micah (18 months).
Here's a little bio on their personalities. Hudson liked to pull Maya's hair (I think it was his way of flirting and crawl around chasing Micah. Maya sat perfectly content the entire weekend like a little lady wondering why these boys were so crazy. Micah is the happiest little boy you'll meet and loved sharing his toys with the younger kids.

 

Like I said, he was fascinated with her head. He was continually pulling her hair, poking her ear and kissing her face (so sweet). He knows a great girl when he sees one.


I'll post more tomorrow like I said. I'm sorry this is so late in coming. I was just thinking about how crazy busy last week was but now I can't think of a single thing we did! Isn't that what motherhood is all about? Knowing you haven't a spare second but not knowing why. Gotta love it

Sweet Dreams

I just have to tell someone or I'll end up standing on the roof top shouting my joyous news to the poor unsuspecting neighbors. I slept in my own bed, without getting up for an entire 8 hours last night. Many of you would say, big deal, but ohh, it is. Hudson is not much of a sleeper and for the last 8 months I've been getting up at least twice a night. His schedule has been up at 2 and again at 5. I never intended to be in such a position, but with being on the move since he was 3 months old, we fell into a "keep the baby quite so he doesn't wake the house" survival mode. At the slightest squeak, I'd be up and nursing him right back to sleep.

This week, after a particularly bad night of being up from 2-4 then again at 5:30 and 7:30, I decided it was time for some serious baby boot camp as a matter of maternal sanity. So what did I do? Something I thought I'd never do, I let him "cry it out". Thankfully, being the good child that he is, he didn't really cry for more than a few minutes, and even then it was more fussing than crying. He sleeps so much better now, and is so much happier. Last night he again woke up at 2 and 5, only this time instead of crying he played happily for about 10 minutes before falling back asleep. Part of me now wonders if that's what he had been wanting all along.

So we are both free now, free to sleep through the night! Even now I am excited just thinking about it. If I had even the slightest degree of rhythm I'd be dancing.

A Day in the Life of Hudson

First we wake up and have to walk around the house behind his favorite toy. We spend much of our day touring the house. He has so much fun pushing it around that we had to improvise so that we could simply "guide" him around corners. I hate to admit it, but in order to save my back from hours of bending over, we clipped the dog leash to the front of the toy and are now able to give it a little pull at the right time to keep him walking for as long as his little heart desires - and that is a loooong time. He has fun but gets this look and I just imagine him saying, "I'd love to stay and chat Mom, but I have some important work to do. I've got to walk around the house for a long long time."

 

After breakfast and an outfit change, we're off to the park where we watch the ducks, try to eat some leaves, take a nice long swing on the swing set, then roll around on the blanket. I keep waiting for him to talk back to the ducks like the does to the cat.

 

A couple naps later, & after the loss of his shirt due to lunch, Daddy comes home from work and a great play time ensues. At the present, his favorite game is "try to eat Daddy's nose". It's one we hope he grows out of, but love in the meantime.

 

Then it's off to bed around 8pm after a nice warm bath to degrime the layers of food. This he fights as though his very life depended on it. We've finally eased the pain of falling asleep just a bit by putting his stuffed bear in bed with him. He loves to feel it against his head and sleeps pressed up against it at night. Ahh, finally something to help the little guy relax. Each time I put him to bed I have the song "I'm a Survivor" running though my head due to his strong desire to not go to sleep. In fact, he falls asleep in stages, all the while fussing and groaning like an old car trying to start. The last thing to give in to sleep are his hands. He has to fall asleep fiddling with something. If you couldn't see his hands you'd thing he was asleep, but look down and you'll see him pinching, and turning over either his extra pacifier or running his fingers through the bears "fur". I know when the hands stop he is really out. Last night I guess he needed a little more snuggling than normal however. When I went in to check on him I found him sprawled out on top of the bear, giving it a great big hug. In a Mother's biased opinion, it was one of the cutest things I've ever seen him do (hence the great risk of waking him up with taking a picture).

 

It's an active life, a good life, and a life that I am not in a hurry to out grow.

To the Pond

First he noticed the ducks....


Then he wondered what they were and why they were so noisy...


Finally he decided they were quite funny and worth a good ole' nose wrinkle!



I love our daily trips to the little island at the pond. We stroll down to watch the ducks and swing on the swing set. He is so happy and content when we are outside, so am I for that matter.

Boys

Today was one of those days. It wasn't a bad day, just one of those days. As I sit here writing I stop periodically to massage my hurting left hand. It hurts because I gave it to Hudson to use as a chew toy while I tried to complete a task with my right hand. This is now a dangerous, and much to painful way to occupy him temporarily. I should have known better. I have already received three hickys from him - one of which was on my chin (very embarrassing), yelped during my Father-in-law's prayer when he chomped down on my finger, and gave him a very stern "no no" just today when he bit my shoulder. I never knew how hard it would be to keep a straight face while simultaneously having my heart break. I am amazed that someone who has never been in trouble before can know the second when they are. I gave him a slow, stern "no no" then tried my hardest to stand strong as he first laughed, seeing if I was serious, then stuck his bottom lip out and cried the most pitiful cry I've ever heard. I came to the horrible realization that I'd hurt his feelings, and went through the "new parent" emotions of wondering if he'd ever come to me for comfort again or laugh for me again. Thankfully my fears were eased when moments later he was happy again - phew! Boy, this disciplining thing is going to be harder than I expected. I've always prided myself as being a good disciplinarian and "redirector", but it's a killer to look into your own child's eyes and see they've had their feelings hurt by you, their protector and playmate! Oh boy, here comes the roller coaster ride of loving while disciplining.

On a lighter note, the other reason today was one of those days was that I took Hudson out for a little lunch date to Panera Bread. Most everyone there was on their lunch break and the room was filled with serious faced men and women. I thought it my duty to bring a little happiness and joy into their lives, if only briefly, and show them how much fun it was to have a kiddo. Unfortunately I failed in making them smile, but I sure laughed out loud, a lot. You see, while I sat there eating my sandwich, I also tried to feed Hudson. Things went great at first and I was quite proud of myself and my little happy fella. That is, until I felt something wet and warm running down my skirt. Comedy of errors, begin. What are the odds of having a diaper leak on you in public? I'd say fairly good when you are trying to look your best. Not to be dismayed, I laughed it off, acting like he spilled water on me. So we kept on, trying to convince the working world to be happy that I was now mismatched, Hudson thought he would do me a favor by knocking the sweet potato filled spoon out of my hand, all over both of us. He must not have wanted me to have something on my skirt without something on my nice white shirt also. At that point I gave up on the whole "look like you have it together" bit, and had a nice big, audible laugh. I couldn't help myself, we looked pretty ridiculous together all wet and covered in sweet potato. But we were happy, happier than anyone else in the room by all appearances.

I'm being rushed out the door by Daniel so I'll have to finish by saying children are a great way to keep you humble and keep you laughing!

Laughter

When I was in 7th grade one of my friend's mothers told us "Be sure to marry someone who makes you laugh". I never forgot that advice and have to agree with it. Laughter is medicine. It can rejuvenate a tired body, ease the pain of hard times, and even smooth over frustrations. Just the other night while laying in bed I kept interrupting Dan while he was reading to relax, trying to enjoy those precious moments of quite. Somewhat frustrated he said "I'm trying to read", then with a slight smile said "shut your mouth". When you're tired you can find things funnier than they are so I replied in the most serious voice I could muster while trying to contain a laugh, "Shut your face". From there it was all over and we went to bed giggling like little kids. I can't imagine life without my wonderful husband who ensures I'll have laugh lines all over my face when I'm older! Even in the hospital hours after Hudsy was born, Dan and my brother Daniel had me laughing so hard our poor newborn was bouncing in my arms as I shook trying to keep the laugher in so as not to wake him. Who knew recaps of your labor could be so hilarious!
Given such, I should have known our little boy would be jolly. My favorite time of day, or night, is when Hudson gets giddy. You never know what will tickle his funny bone either. Every day it is something different, so each day is a game to see who can make the baby giggle. Last week I had a little bit of a cough and each time I would cough or clear my throat Hudson just lost it. This week it seems that spitting causes him to double over in laughter.

The video is from last month, when he heard a dog bark and decided it was just about the funniest thing he'd ever heard. Of course we had to join in the fun... It's amazing what grownups will do to make a baby laugh!

Birthday

 

We celebrated Hudson's 8 month birthday this week. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. Part of me is excited for each new milestone while part of me is sad, realizing he is less and less of a baby each day. As I sat watching him play with his toys, happily chewing and banging each, I wondered, if given the choice I would keep him as my little baby. It's a good thing God doesn't give that choice though, because half an hour later my head hurt. It was a fierce debate between wanting to hold him and cuddle him just as he is; and my desire to see him run, play, and tell funny stories at the dinner table. Ah, there is just nothing that can prepare you for the love and fun a child brings into your life.

 

I took this picture just a few hours ago as I was getting him ready to go for a walk outdoors with his Grandpa. I was laughing so hard at him sitting there with his beenie turned up at the ears. I had to take a couple pictures before I got a keeper because I was shaking so hard I couldn't hold the camera still enough to get a good shot. Never one to miss a good laugh, Hudson joined in thinking whatever I was laughing at must be pretty funny.

 

Bath - his favorite time of day! I truly believe he could sit in his little tub, splashing happily without a care in the world for hours if I'd let him. After dinner we go upstairs for the evening bath. As soon as I get his diaper off he starts kicking his legs in excitement, laughing and just about dives into the bath.

On the move

 

Oh boy do we have a little bundle of activity on our hands! The other night we were joking that we need to buy a baby helmet and mouth guard (he has two little teethies) for Hudson as he is quite determined to climb just about everything in sight. I have no idea where he gets it from [Dan]. Oops, speaking of, I'll be right back, I have to pull my son off of the coffee table he is trying to climb up onto...

He is focused solely on two things - walking and climbing. He is however, decently curious also and just yesterday found out how to open the cabinet doors in the kitchen. He cannot leave a bowl upright or a cabinet closed. He pulls to a stand, reaches up to the knob, wobbily pulls it open, then peers around the door to see what treasures await him inside. Another milestone from this week is that he learned to climb the stairs - and can climb both flights! I'm not sure he realizes he is a little baby though as he would rather walk up the stairs, lifting each foot at the proper time step by step, being steadied only by Dan or me. "Who taught him this" I keep thinking to myself as I have to pull him off of chairs, stairs, coffee tables, you name it. I also keep thanking God for being healthy and young to be able to keep up with him. To give you an idea of how active he is, in the morning (or middle of the night) when he begins to wake up, before his eyes are even open he instinctively rolls over to his tummy, pushes up onto all fours then begins walking his hands up the crib wall until he is standing. Only then do his eyes open to see a sleepy Mom coming in get him - and he is nothing but one big grin, with a nose wrinkle in there for good measure. Even early in the morning Dan and I race to get him. All I can think of is "little stinker" then silently laugh at this bundle of personality. If someone would have told me I'd spend most of my day holding the hands of my 7 month old as he walks around the house inspecting every piece of furniture, for hours on end, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have believed them. But I wouldn't trade my little fireball for anything in the world. He is the happiest kid in the world. I say "world" because I can't see how one could be happier. From sun up to sun down he is nothing but smiles, nose wrinkles and the occasional joyful yell.

I just love him. Who knew you could love something so little so much.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

 

 

 

 

We took Hudson to the playground just down the path from the Bittle's house on Saturday as we thought it was time we introduced him to the wonderful world of slides and monkey bars. A great time was had by all. Dan and I enjoyed the slides and Hudson enjoyed eating the rocks. Let me tell you, that kid is quick. We were astonished at how fast he could go from innocently playing to having a mouthful of rocks. Thankfully Dan is good with the fingersweep method, being able to get the rocks out equally fast. But I have to say my favorite part of the outing was listening to a family play with their little 3 yr old girl. What made it so irrestibly fun was they spoke French, and until you've heard a little girl count to 3 in French then slide down a slide you have not fully comprehended the meaning of cute. Dan and I sat there strategically placing Hudson near her just to listen to her talk. Oh, she was soooo cute!

One last thing - just a quick clarification on where we are and what in the world we are doing. For those of you who know your geography, you know that we moved to Texas recently and yet the pictures you see have mountains in the background. Well, we decided to take a break from the job search and come visit Dan's parents in Alberta for a few weeks. We'll be headed back to the Lone Star State in a week or so and soon enough you will see us in shorts & t-shirts with glisten of sweat on brow.

Hope you are all well and enjoying your own adventures! Kristi

Food for thought

I used to listen to mothers talk about how messy their child got during a meal and think, "Oh, they just need to be more careful with how the go about it." Well I have now determined those mothers must have had boys, and I am no better than they when it comes to feeding. This morning for instance, a typical morning, I had a nice little bite of cereal ready and on it's way to Hudson's mouth when suddenly out of nowhere a little hand came flying up, knocked the contents of the spoon onto his tray and before I could respond the same little hand spread the cereal all over the tray. Not to be content with this he had to wipe his face with the same hand immediately after. All I could do was laugh and try again to get the food from point A to point B. Ah, and to think bath time is not for another 10 hours. I decided to give him a teething biscuit, a nice and solid food item, taking a break from the game of dodgeball, thinking that would be safe for a few moments. It was safe, for a few moments, then once it was nice and soggy he began a game of throwing it across the table onto the nicely waxed wood floor. He recently discovered how to throw toys and today decided to expand that to food also. We repeated this for a while, all the while I am quite thankful my inlaws are still sleeping soundly upstairs unable to witness the mess their precious grandson is creating downstairs.

It is only 8 am and I left to wonder what other adventures are in store for us today.

A Walk in the Park

It was a very good day here in Canmore, AB. Hudson and I enjoyed a day in the park here sitting under the warm sun, listening to the Bow River rush by across the trail. It was one of the best days I've had in a while watching my little boy crawl around discovering leaves, then trying to eat them. At one point he locked eyes with a seagull then took off in a full speed crawl trying to catch up with it squeeling with delight the entire way.

 

 

 

 

 

The Adventure Begins....

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."

Well this year we've experienced both with the addition of our first child, Hudson, born late January and a move from Alaska to Texas. Nothing changes your perspective on life like having a child of your own. I've found that I was completely unprepared for how much I would love this little boy. The last 7 months have been the adventure of a lifetime with each day bringing about new discoveries such as Hudson learning to climb the stairs much to my dismay or seeing him squeal with delight as his Daddy enters the room knowing a good romp on the floor will soon ensue. It makes each day worth getting up for, even worth getting up early for, and that happens often these days. I never would have guessed that Dan and I would race up the stairs, tripping over one another in hopes of being the first one to pick him up after a nap. It has been a blast so far, and perhaps some of that is due to the fact that I am seriously sleep deprived and things are so much more fun when you are functioning with half of your sanity!