babymoon

You might think that a babymoon is a trip you take with your spouse before the baby comes...one last hoorah, if you will, while you still have some freedom. I took my babymoon with my baby--a couple days with just the two of us.

My grandmother passed away last week and Hudson and I traveled to Ohio for her funeral. When my mom first talked to me about going, she said she figured I wouldn't be able to go since I had a new baby and a three year old. I know she was trying to make things easier on me; but, luckily, my twin sister called me to tell me that I really needed to come--that she wanted me to come, so she could see me and meet Hudson, but also that I would also really regret not being there. Bless her. I needed someone to tell me that. So, I set up some playdates for Reese with some of my very supportive friends and booked my flight. Reese was sad for about 2.5 seconds when I told her that I was going on a trip without her. It went something like this:

Me: Reese, Hudson and I are going to go on a trip for a couple of days and you are going to stay home with Dad.

Reese: But, if you go on a trip, I will miss you too much.

Me: I know, but I set up some playdates for you while I am gone. One day you will go to Haley's house, and one day you will go to Liberty's house, and one day you will go to Julia Karen's house. You are going to have so much fun!

Reese: I love it when you go out of town!

I know she was just trying to make me feel less guilty.

So, after a delicious Easter dinner, made by my in-laws who were passing through town, Hudson and I headed to Ohio. Hudson was a dream traveler! And, although the circumstances were very sad, it was so nice to get to Ohio and see my parents, all my sisters, my brother and my two nieces (I love my nieces to pieces!)

all three baby cousins...olivia, blair and hudson

grandpa and blair

four generations once

hudson and kim

olivia and blair. apparently olivia likes to suck on her own toes, and she thought she would give blair's toes a try. the most hysterical part was that blair sat completely still and let olivia do it!

four generations twice

dean, dean and kim dean

Every one of my cousins was there for the funeral and it was really good to see and catch up with them. It had been ages since I had seen many of them! It was nice to be able to share stories and memories of Grandma with all of our cousins and aunts and uncles and to celebrate her life. She will be dearly missed.

It's hard to believe that Hudson is already three weeks old! I'm starting to understand what mom's mean when they say time goes twice as fast with your second baby. I've hardly taken any pictures, sadly. But I blame that more on the age...I mean, don't get me wrong, I think Hudson is about the most darling baby I've ever seen, but that doesn't always capture well with my camera. Either he has one eye open and one closed, or the flash causes him to make a funny face, or the camera just doesn't take the picture fast enough to capture the moment...so most of the pictures I take are of him sleeping.

(don't mind Reese's lips...she had been slathering on the lip gloss!)

Reese LOVES being a big sister. She loves to greet her baby Hudson first thing in the morning. She loves to hold him...and has only once tried to pick him up by herself (luckily Michael was close enough to stop her before anything bad happened). She is usually very soft with him, but I am constantly having to remind her to NOT touch the baby while he is sleeping. I know, it is so tempting! If Hudson is ever fussy (which is rare), Reese calmly and lovingly says, "I know, Hudson, I know." or "We're almost there, Hudson. It's ok." And only a couple times has she said, "Hudson, stop whining!" And, best of all, slowly by surely she is learning to be more patient when I am unable to drop everything to do what she asks.

When Hudson was asleep, Reese decided to share her lovey Jeffrey (or Geoffrey, as Michael likes to spell it) with him. How thoughtful!

After a very fast week, and almost a full week early, my mom was called away by a client. Talk about the saddest day ever! I realize that the day your mom has to leave after a baby is born feels like the worst day ever whether it is after a week or after a month, so I tried to suck it up and put on a brave face. (How many babies do you have to have before that feeling goes away?) One of the worst parts about her leaving so soon was that due to my seemingly never-ending cold, I was sick the entire time she was with us...which meant we really didn't get to do anything fun. Of course it was so nice to have her take care of us when we all needed it most, but it made the thought of doing all that she had been doing after she left feel that much more daunting. And we didn't even bake one thing! Blast!

Luckily, a few days after my mom left, my dad came through town on his way to Georgia. It was so fun to have him here and to show him around town. Reese, naturally, loved having the extra attention!

There was just enough time the day that my Dad was going to leave for a quick trip to Birmingham for lunch at Flip Burger Boutique. I've been talking up Flip Burger to anyone who will listen, especially any potential visitors. I originally planned to meet my dad in Birmingham when he flew in, but he arrived too late at night, so I thought we had missed our chance. But after running a quick errand in the morning, we decided to head to Birmingham for the most delicious burgers and liquid nitrogen milkshakes. As we drove, we both agreed that it was the farthest either of us had traveled for a hamburger; I certainly think it is worth it, and after tasting everything, my dad did too. We are so spontaneous!

too much fun left Hudson completely tuckered out

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!