Introducing: Hudson Michael Wheatley

One week ago, we welcomed our new baby to the family...Hudson Michael Wheatley. (Reese loves to call him and introduce him by his full name, which is adorable.) I had a scheduled induction...for a couple reasons. Firstly, I was induced with Reese and it went very smoothly. Secondly, since my labor and delivery with Reese went fairly quickly for a first baby, and because everyone says your second labor and delivery goes much more quickly, I would lay awake at night panicked that once I went into labor I would be unable to get Reese where she needed to be, pick Michael up from work and make it all the way back to the hospital in time to get an epidural. Maybe that is irrational, but hey, pregnancy hormones make you that way. Ultimately, my doctor scheduled my induction with about 4 weeks left, and I could finally sleep with some piece of mind.

Michael and I arrived at the hospital at 5:30am and on the way we were still trying to decide on a name for the baby. (We actually continued this conversation through the entire labor part of the morning, with nurses coming in and out of the room and all.) At about 6:30am, they started me on the Pitocin (but I was actually having contractions on my own). At 7:30, my doctor came to check on me and break my water...I was still dilated to a 4. Before he left, my doctor said he would be back around noon to check on me, or sooner if need be. By about 8:45am, the epidural was in place and the contractions were feeling less painful--hallelujah! And at 9am, I was fully dilated. My mom showed up about fifteen minutes later, after getting Reese off to a friend's house. I did a few practice pushes with the nurse, before the doctor arrived; and at 9:39am, Hudson was born. (Take that, "I'll be back around noon"!) Michael was so cute as he watched Hudson get all cleaned up...he was a little bit giggly and told Hudson what a good boy he was to come so quickly...so that they could watch the BYU basketball game together later that evening. He said, "I've never watched a ball game with my son before." If I hadn't had the chills from all the IV fluid (or whatever it was that did it), I would've been melting. After some skin-to-skin time with mom, they took Hudson to the nursery to be weighed and measured.
His stats were: 8 lbs 2 oz, 19 3/4 inches





Hudson is such a dream baby. For now he sleeps and eats like a champ, which I hope lasts. We've had two doctors visits since coming home from the hospital--poor baby had a bit of the jaundice--and at 6 days old, Hudson was back up to his birth weight. (The doctor says they usually allow 2 weeks for that to happen.) Reese is loving being a big sister. She loves to tell him in a very high pitched voice how cute Hudson's _____ (legs, hands, feet, etc.) are and if ever he does fuss, she will say, in a very soothing voice, "It's ok, Hudson. It's ok."

It's crazy to me to think that we are now a family of four! But I am so grateful to have this little guy in our family. Reese sometimes asks me if Hudson is going to stay with us forever, and even though she doesn't fully understand my answer, it is such a blessing to be able to tell her, "Yes, Hudson is going to stay with us forever."

baby shower

Last week my friends threw a fabulous baby shower for Hudson and me. The shower was scheduled two days before my induction date, which seemed like a good idea at the time; but after my doctor's appointment in which my doctor told me I was dilated to almost a 4, I started to get a little nervous that I would even make it to the shower! Luckily, Hudson was sweet enough to wait for us to have a party for him before he made his debut. It was such a nice party with delicious food, good friends and generous gifts. I mean, check out this spread!

red velvet cupcakes, strawberry soup, fruit, cookies, brownies, crackers and dip, and delicious soup

Reese was so excited to don her party dress and go to her first shower. Every time I go to a shower, she says she can go too since she is a girl and she was thrilled to finally get her chance! One of the guests even brought a gift for Reese so she wouldn't feel left out--is that the most thoughtful thing ever?!

such fun gifts and outfits for baby...just the thing to get me even more excited to meet the little guy

Reese getting a little practice at becoming a big sister.
It was the perfect party and the perfect way to get even more excited about the arrival of our Baby Hudson. Thank you to everyone who came and helped to put it all together!

Reese in the kitchen

Reese is a chip off the ol' block in more ways than one. But, one way that I love the most is how much she likes to be in the kitchen with me. Anytime she sees me in the kitchen, she asks me what I am doing, if she can help and, usually before I have had time to respond, she brings her stool over and sets it beside me so she can get right into the action. Our favorite things to make are desserts, naturally--it's way more fun to taste along the way, and a lot less chopping that mom won't let her participate in.

Reese also loves to watch the Food Network with me. Her favorite tv chef is Giada de Laurentiis...she especially loves the episodes that show Giada's daughter Jade. She has said so many funny things that I know she learned from Giada, and they always crack me up! She has a little play kitchen and lots of kitchen tools of her own, so she is frequently in her "kitchen area" making all kinds of goodies. It is so funny listening to her narrate as she works. She'll say things like, "I need to zest a lemon for my filling" or "Ooh, look at these! They look delicious...nice and golden brown, just what we want!" One night we were making brownies and I told her that we were going to spray some cooking spray in the pan so that the brownies wouldn't stick, and Reese said, "How about we use some parchment paper?" Hilarious!

Reese has recently become acquainted with a few of the Disney princesses and she cannot get enough! She has memorized just about every line to The Little Mermaid and Aladdin and frequently asks Michael and me to act scenes out with her. Whenever we miss or forget a line, she is right there to help us out; which, by the way, she also does when we read the books to her. You cannot miss one word in Aladdin without her busting you! My favorite is listening to Michael and Reese's bedtime routine...if they don't sing the Cougar fight song while marching to bed, then they recite the lines to the scene in Aladdin when Jasmine and Aladdin sing A Whole New World. It is hysterical! Reese gets really into it and totally has the intonation down!

One afternoon while we were sitting on the balcony, Reese broke into song and she started so softly that it took me a minute to figure out what she was saying. She was sweet enough to start over after I got my camera out; unfortunately, my battery died halfway through. It's still pretty cute, if you ask me.