10 Weeks

And we're back!  From our whirlwind east coast tour!  We were scheduled to leave Pittsburgh on Saturday, the 22nd, but we woke up on Friday morning to snow, so we hauled out of the house fast, to get through the Laurel Highland mountains before we got stranded here.  Moving with a baby though, inhibits my expediency!  Billy wanted me to "move with a sense of urgency" but that is not easy, when you're trying to feed, change and dress a baby!  Luckily, we got out of here, and to Billy's grandmother's house in Maryland unscathed.  It's a good thing we left a day early though!

The next day, we went to Billy's big family Christmas party in DC.  Everyone got to meet Will - all of his aunts, his GrandPaul, great grantparents and his little cousin.  He was so good, and didn't fuss for anyone!  I think all of the noise was soothing to him!  There was NO shortage of noise!  Not with the Hudgins in the house!

The next day we traveled another 6 hours down south to visit my parents.  We were originally planning on only staying 2 days, but extended it to four because of MORE snow up in Pittsburgh.  It was so nice - in the 60s and Will got to go to the beach for the first time!  It was so nice to have help!  My back and arms got a nice rest and the food was soooo good!  In our house, we get whatever is quickest and easiest to clean up!

Christmas really is more fun with kids.  Not that Will had a clue what was going on, but everything is a lot more joyful and exciting with him around.  He received a lot of toys for Christmas.  It's a good thing, because he really had none!  Grandma also got him a playmat, which we have had fun with every day since!  Sometimes, I'm at a loss for what to do with him while he's awake, so this is great for us!

Our trip home was TWELVE hours!  We had to stop about every 3 hours to change and feed him, but other than that, he slept most of the time.  We made a little progress with the pacifier, and this baby is no match for the car.  He screams for about 2 minutes, and then is out like a light.

Our little guy is over 2 months old now and it seems like he's been with us for so much longer.  How can it be that I was in the hospital only two months ago??  He's also on the large side, so when I see other 2 month olds, he just seems older to me.  Large side...as in, in the 97th percentile for weight!  This baby clearly has never missed a meal!

He has started grasping things(intentionally or not?) sucking his thumb and entire fist, and lifting his head up a little during tummy time.  He also makes a lot more noises, especially when he's getting his diaper changed.  When he was first born, he HATED changing time, but now he seems to love it, and to look at the fish on the wall.

What has NOT progressed is sleep!  For the past 2 nights, I was up every two hours...or less.  I am thankful for coffee, and for nap time!  He is napping as I type this, and I can usually count on an hour or more in the mornings.

Nap time for the next week or so will be used for finishing up packing!  We're set to close on the house in WV on January 10th...so praying everything goes through!

Today is the last day of 2012 and it was a WONDERFUL year!  I don't think we could have asked for anything more!  Happy new year!!!

Eight Weeks

Will is going to be 2 months old this week!  He is such a different baby now and he has us laughing a lot!  He loves being on the changing table and squeals a lot...the other day it sounded like he said "ok!" and "hi!"

Last week I decided to be brave and take him shopping again.  Instead of lugging his giant car seat around, I put him in the moby.

I used it when he was a tiny baby, but now it is even easier to use since he can hold his head up.  The trip went pretty well and we got almost everything we needed.  Afterwards, we went to visit Melissa and Teagan, which was so nice to eat and relax!  I love that some of my friends have kids now!

I had to take him to work on Friday because the policy is that I have to work one day to keep our health insurance for the rest of the month if I resign.  So I packed him up and he was asleep most of the morning.  I ended up leaving around 3, when he wanted to be entertained, and I couldn't finish my work.  I went back with Billy on Saturday to pack up my office.  

I've been trying to give Will a pacifier, so he will use it at night, but that is a no go.  He rarely cries when he isn't hungry or needs a diaper change, so I don't know when else to give it to him.  When I try, he'll suck on it for a minute, then just spits it out.  Maybe he just sees me and would rather have the real thing?

This little boy LOVES bath time!  When Billy gives him a bath, he'll let Will float by just holding his head.  I'm not that brave - he's a slippery little thing!  Hopefully he'll love the water just as much when he's older and gets to go to the beach!

We finally got our Christmas cards in and in the mail!  I love sending and receiving them!  Luckily, we got a redo from our first attempt at the picture.  When Patton learns how to sit and stay when using a self-timer, he can be in the picture!

I love our little family!  And I'm glad I have this documentation to look back and see what Will was doing each week and how much he changes all the time. 

I tell Billy that I am the manager of Will's bum.  I am happy to report that the rash is GONE and Grandma El's rash ointment is made of miracles!  It cleared everything up in a day and I am so thankful!  We're back to cloth diapers and a happy baby bum!

7 Weeks

I have a feeling that I am going to be late for life for the next year or so.  Between getting myself ready, the baby fed and changed, and taking the dog out, getting out the door is proving to be a challenge.  Will is also sort of like a ticking time bomb, so as soon as he eats, I race around to get everything accomplished, before he wakes up and wants to eat again.  Which leads me to be hot and sweaty, even in 30 degree temperatures, with carrying around his large car seat.  With his large body!  This seven week old is 13.5 pounds, in size 2 diapers, and growing out of some of his 3 month clothes.

In the past week or so, he has started to smile some, grab on to my hair and drape his arm around my shoulder when I'm holding him.  He has also been starting to self-soothe, which is so helpful!  He eats his hands(yum!) and is ok being put in his Rock-N-Play without anyone rocking him or entertaining him.

We've also been battling a diaper rash, so I've had to use disposable diapers, since I'm still waiting for Amazon to deliver my rash cream that is approved for use with cloth diapers.  A little disappointing  because for this month, I'm using a cloth diaper service, that I received a gift certificate for and have to use before we move in January.  

I don't get this little guy dressed too often...unless we leave the house.  He is either in his fleece PJs or no clothes at all.  Sometimes, he feels like a tiny furnace  so I don't think he wants clothes on.  Other than that, with as often as I need to change his diaper, it is just a nuisance to put clothes...especially pants on him.  Here is a rare picture of Will with pants:

We're gearing up for our Christmas travel next weekend.  I hope he learns a few more tricks, to impress all of our family members before then!  :)  

6 Weeks

Six weeks in now and a few thoughts...

I need a drive-through grocery store!  Sometimes, I just need milk and the thought of lugging the giant car seat in, is enough for me to skip the milk.  

My command center during the week is in our bed.  I have a nice set up of the iPad, my phone, the baby, the remote controls and my planner.  Unless I need to eat, shower or change a diaper, I am pretty much fine hanging out there.  Billy asked if I was getting bed sores.  Answer: no.  We did go for a long walk with the stroller for the first time yesterday!  It was almost 70 degrees...in December...in Pittsburgh!!

Will always falls asleep in the car and so I just lay him in his car seat by the front door when I get home.  Billy saw that the other day and said I was treating Will like a pair of shoes.  No need to wake a sleeping baby!!!

Being a mom is really awesome.  So much better than I ever thought it would be!  I never knew how to interact with other people's kids...and I probably still don't.  But I know how to handle my own baby, so that is a bonus.  As of tomorrow, I will be a full-time mom.  I'm resigning from my job which is a little sad because I really liked the people I worked with the job I had.  It's been the best out of my working adult life, by far.  But I also can't imagine what a wreck I would be if I had to give him to someone else for 8 hours/day.  So for now, we'll tighten up our budget and make it work for us.

I went to visit Lisamarie and her baby this week.  Anders sleeps through the night, and I only get 2 hour stretches.  Part of me makes me want Will to speed to that stage, but I also don't want to rush any of my time with the tiny baby stage.

We tried taking our Christmas picture with a self timer this weekend.  What a disaster.  We had pending rain, a 5 week old and an easily distracted dog.  Maybe we can try again this weekend...but if not, Patton will get a separate spot on the card just for him!