Go, Go, Go!!!

It's official....Carter is a walking machine! Carter has been walking around furniture for months now and taking a few steps here and there but this weekend he took off! Now that he's figured this whole walking thing out he's EVERYWHERE, and into EVERTHING, and completely wide-open and NON-STOP!!!! :) Although now I know that I will be even more tired in the evenings it's so cute and fun and just neat to watch him explore! He follows daddy everywhere and watches everything daddy does. Funny story - apparently he's taken note of daddy cleaning b/c as we were waiting in line for Santa this weekend he had a wet wipe in his hand, walked over to a decorative box thing and started wiping it off like he was cleaning it....too funny! Anyways, he loves wondering into the guest room (which is funny b/c there's nothing fun to do in there) and he's discovered the toilet paper roll in the bathroom! He never wonders into his room though...I guess b/c he thinks that's where you go night-night and that's not what he wants to do! He's such a smart little booger and so much fun....I could just eat him up :) I'll TRY to post pictures soon....I know i've been slack.

Mr. GQ

I've posted pictures (link to the right) from Carter's 9 month picture session. And yes, we did jump the gun a little and went ahead and did some Christmas pictures - ha! Enjoy!

9 MONTHS!!!

I can't believe that Carter is fastly approaching the 1 year mark! He had his 9 month check-up yesterday and he's still right on track and a very healthy all-american boy. He weighed in at 26 lbs (<97th percentile) and is 30 inches tal (95th percentile) so I really am starting to think that we might truly have a football player in the making :)

He's growing into such a fun little boy and not a little baby anymore (which is sad but mama's not quite ready for another yet - ha!). Carter has his mommy's patience and daddy's temper which doesn't always make for the best combination but he's also so so funny and silly and super smart and we're having so much fun watching him develop his multi-dimensional great personality (other than the whining which I have to admit is 100% from me - oops)! He stands all by himself and has the silliest dance that he does which makes us crack up every time (I'll try to post a video soon!) and he's walking like crazy around the furniture and trying so so hard to really walk. He'll take a few steps and then realize he's doing it all by himself and then plops down on the booty! He loves to play peek-a-boo, patty cake, and clap his hands - we're working on "touchdown" haha! Carter is so much fun, not to mention super cute, and we are so proud of him!
Recently as a family we've enjoyed going to the Dixie Classic fair (Carter rode the carousel with mommy and the choo choo train with Daddy but LOVED the petting zoo), the pumkin patch (in which Carter picked out the biggest/most expensive pumpkin to take home), and spending lots of time at the grandparents houses getting super spoiled!

I've posted more pictures (link in upper right) of 6-9 months - please enjoy!

~Heather

6 months.....ALREADY?!?!

It's unbelievable that Carter is already a 1/2 year old and how much he's grown and changed in such a short time! And when I say grown I mean REALLY grown....Carter has acquired the nickname "Tank". At his 6 month checkup he weighed in at 22 lbs and 28 1/2 inches long (>95%). The doctor couldn't believe what a chunky monkey he was but said he was extremely healthy and great! So it looks like we no longer have a quarterback in the making but a linebacker haha! Just in the last two weeks he's progressed so much. He's holding his own bottle (which is awesome), sitting up, and loves to stand up (with our help of course) and attempt to "walk". Still no "toofers" but we're anticipating seeing some pop through his little gums any day now! He now eats 3 meals a day in addition to his formula and can have baby meat which I know he's super pumped about! We're having his 6 month pics made on Saturday and I'll TRY to post them soon. However, I've posted pictures from months 4-6 on the link so please take a peek! Until next time....

4 Month Check-up

I'm a little late on posting the update but Carter had his 4 month check-up the end of May. The doctor said he was a very healthy baby boy and said it appeared he had the whole eating thing down pat! He weighed in at 18.1 lbs. and was almost 27 inches long....both in the 95th percentile. Rob says when he gets old enough he'll have to rough him up while he can because it looks like Carter will be bigger than him before we know it! We've incorporated solid foods (well "baby solid foods" ha!) into our lunch and dinner routines. He's a huge fan of oatmeal cereal mixed with fruit juice, however, he LOVES his veggies....especially carrots, which he must get from his dad because I'm not a fan of veggies AT ALL! Anyways, doc said for us to keep doing what we're doing and after our next visit at 6 months we could start incorporating meats....which i'm sure our growing boy will love! I'll try to post new pictures soon.....

New Pictures

I've FINALLY put pictures of months 2-4 online....click on the link to the right!

3 Months

We went and had Carter's 3 month pictures made and it's amazing how much he's grown and changed already. It's like he went from baby baby to little man overnight. He's growing into such a funny and precious personality and Rob and I are both convinced that he's already figured out to manipulate us. It's pretty funny now but I have a feeling that he's going to be a hand full in the future! :) We're also thinking that he might be growing into a good sized little fella....right now he's approximately in the 90th percentile for height and weight so we may have a little football star on our hands afterall!

I'm beginning to understand more and more what a true blessing and great responsibility it is to be a mother. I pray every day that Rob and I will be the parents we need to be to raise him to be a respectful young man with a heart of compassion who truly loves the Lord! We are so very very blessed!

Already 2 1/2 Months....

It's hard to believe that Carter is already 10 weeks old and I had to go back to work this week. I definitely miss the little guy during the day but it's nice too to start settling into a real routine and having adult interaction. The fact the Robbie's mom is our daycare makes it a little easier too b/c I know he's being loved and spoiled! :) He's becoming such a big boy and although the first month was extremely challenging I'm so proud of the good little baby he's becoming. Don't get me wrong...he still has his moments but he's so much fun now and loves riding the horsey with daddy, batting at his favorite toy (Einstein star), snuggling with mommy, baby talking, and looking around cooing and smiling. Not to mention that we've consistently been sleeping through the night (10 pm - 6 am) for a week now which is AWESOME and I'm extremely proud him!!! It's amazing to see him changing, literally, every day...I could just eat his face off and squeeze him to pieces :) We both love him so very very much!

Mr. Chubby

It's hard to believe that Carter is 2 months old already. As you'll notice in the pictures he does not struggle in the eating department and is quite the chubby fella. Over the past month we've really tried to focus on settling into our routine and during the day I'd say we're pretty close to mastering it - 3 hour routine of eat, play, and nap! However, nighttime is definitely presenting challenges. Carter can be classified as a "high maintenance" child you could say and when it comes to time for bed he just wants to snuggle. As cute and loving as it is I know that I can't just snuggle him at night all the time; I'm scared I'd end up with a 5 year old who has to sleep with mommy and daddy. Each night gets better; he cries less when we put him down and sleeps in longer intervals. Hopefully by the time I go back to work in 1 1/2 weeks we'll be moving closer and closer to easy and peaceful nights on a consistent basis!

He's getting to be so much fun with his grinning, cooing, and baby talk - I could just eat him up! It really is amazing how quickly they grow and change; one thing is certain though and doesn't change and that's that he looks just like his daddy! I tell him every morning "Why don't we try to look more like Daddy today, Carter!" haha. Such a cutie though...enjoy the pictures!

Carter's 1-Month Photo Session

We took Carter to Studio 1 to 1 in the mall to have his 1 month pictures taken. I was quite nervous b/c I know how fussy he can be but he actually did pretty well....except for pee pee-ing on their back drop...oops! haha :) It was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy the slideshow of some of the pictures from the session!

Happy 1 Month Birthday Carter!!!

It's hard to believe that Carter is already one-month old today! He's already grown and changed so much. He's over 10 lbs. and if we would feed him we're pretty sure he would eat NON-STOP! He's really started coming into himself too and he definitely is his daddy's son...looks and personality....well maybe a little bit like me b/c he can be quite the drama-king, haha! :) The past month has definitely had it's challenging moments but overall the whole "becoming parents" experience has been an amazing and blessed ride so far. We've made progress - Carter's already sleeping in his big boy crib...most nights we can put him down about 10:30 pm and he's only up once during the night which is a HUGE improvement from the getting up every 2 hours to eat phase. It's so funny how our schedule is already setting itself. Bed at 10:30, up to change and eat at about 4 am, up at 6:30 am (but then snuggle with mommy & daddy in bed til about 7:30), then we eat every 3 hours or so, nap on and off all day, daddy time beginning at 5:30 ish until bedtime, then mommy feeds and rocks him to sleep in his room! He's already holding his neck up really well and using his legs....he's a very active little fella! He definitely knows his mommy and daddy (mommy especially) and is really looking around and noticing voices and starting to follow faces/objects. He also has his fussy times which we refer to as "Hudson boy" moments (his alter-ego) - haha. He's so precious though and I fall more and more in love with him everyday. I could honestly just hold him and kiss on him all day. I can't wait to see what the next month has in store as he continues to grow and develop....I can totally agree with the whole "they grow up so fast" statement already. I try to remind myself when I get frustrated to just enjoy every moment b/c it will all fly by so fast! I've attached some more pictures from Carter's first month and hope you enjoy!

Playing with Daddy

Showing off my "kicks"

First day at church and he got a candy bar!

First 2 weeks...

Carter will be 2 weeks old tomorrow (Saturday); it's crazy how fast the time is already flying by! He's absolutely precious and it's amazing how much love you can have for such a tiny little human being. I still catch myself saying to myself "wow, i can't believe he's actually MINE". Rob and I could not have been blessed with an any more perfect child (of course we are probably pretty biased - haha). Don't get me wrong, we're definitely having to adjust to life being totally different but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Poor Rob is slowly trying to catch up on sleep but he has been absolutely amazing. The evenings are his time and I love to just watch him and Carter together! Beginning mid-week Carter started sleeping better at night and I actually only have to get up with him once which is AWESOME! During the day Carter and I just hang out or he sleeps while I attempt to get housework, etc. done or we run errands. He absolutely loves his carseat and riding which makes getting out pretty easy for me which I'm so thankful for b/c I would go crazy if I had to remain couped up in the house all the time! Every day more and more of his little personality shines through and it's so fun watching him grow and develop. His 2 week follow-up appointment is next Thursday and I'm curious to see how much he's grown since he's a little horse when it comes to eating! I'll try to do better to keep the blog updated....for now enjoy some of the loads of pictures from Carter's first 2 weeks!

Carter's Here!!!

Carter Hudson decided to join us Saturday afternoon at 4:47 pm. He's came into the world at a healthy 8 lbs. 4.6 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long. He's absolutely perfect and we're extremely proud parents. Thanks to everyone already who has come to visit us in the hospital! We get to go home tomorrow and I think we're all very ready! I'll post pictures soon!

Anxiously waiting....

I had another weekly check-up today and everything looks good! Although I'm ready for Carter to be here I know I need to be patient and just be thankful of how blessed Rob and I are and how fortunate I've been to have such an easy pregnancy and healthy baby growing inside! The doc says that based on feeling on my stomach we're gonna have a pretty good sized baby....thank goodness for drugs! haha! I just can't wait to hold him and see what he's like and looks like, etc.... Anyways, I'm progressing a little and I'm 1 1/2 centimeters. If I don't go by my next appt. on Monday, the 19th, we'll schedule being induced! It's so exciting to know that I have a final countdown!