Sunday, September 30, 2012

Coming Soon: Jesus Prom

Our church hosts a prom for mentally and physically handicapped people every year and it is about 6 weeks away and I am getting so excited.  Brian and I weren't able to help last year because it was 2 days after Hudson's birth, but we are pumped to jump back in this year.  We've served in different areas each time we've helped.  We have chosen to wait tables this year.  I'm nervous and excited - hopefully I don't make a big mess.   Seeing the joy in everyone's face always brings tears to my eyes.  I've read many different statistics and sadly, at least 50% of all babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome in utero are aborted and it absolutely breaks my heart.   
  Everyone is always so excited that they usually start showing up about an hour before.
This is a picture well before the prom was supposed to start
  On November 9th in Lexington, heaven is going to be looking down and smiling.  

"When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Luke 14: 13-15 

I love the song from Sidewalk Prophets - Live Like That  
Some of the lyrices are:
Was I Jesus to the least of us
I want to live like that
and give it all I have
so that everything I say and do points to You
If love is who I am
then this is where  I stand
recklessly abandoned
never holding back
I want to live like that
Am I proof that You are who You say You are
Is there evidence that I've been changed
When they see me, do they see You


Saturday, September 29, 2012

5K

This morning Brian and I ran our first 5K in years.  Actually, this was Brian's first ever 5K.  Last night at 8 pm I told Brian I was going to do the Refuge For Women race and he said he would do it with me.  I had been thinking about doing the race for the past month and then last night I finally decided to commit.  I worked out a couple days this past week on the treadmill, but would not call it training at all.  We started out walking, but then decided that we could run.  We maybe ran about half the race.  Poor Brian had to push the stroller - I need to find a cheap/used jogging stroller.  I'm not even going to list my time because it is terribly embarrassing - next time I am going to train for it.  The Refuge is a house that offers a new start to women leaving the sex industry.  It's one of the ministries of our church.  Women live in the house for up to a year and get loved on, mentored, counseled, job training, help getting their GED, bible studies, parenting help,..   It's a great ministry that has helped many women.  
After the race - Hudson survived his first 5K - It was about 60 degrees when the race started, so that's great running weather, but I was pretty chilled both before and after the race
Hudson kept pointing and waving at the CFA cow, but when he came over to get a picture with us, Hudson wasn't so sure about him anymore
Amanda, Chris, and Alex - Amanda did great - she didn't train at all 
A few of the ladies in my Mom's Group - Me, Kristin, Billie (Did Amazing - was in the top 5 for our age group), Sarah (35 wks pregnant- Wow!), and Amanda -- We had a lot more women from my Mom's group run the race, but I don't have any pictures of them.
It was a really fun race and supports a great cause.  I'm not sure how much money they raised, but I hope it was a lot. 


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Quick Trip

Yesterday we drove up to a suburb of Indianapolis (Lebanon) to see Brian's sister and her husband's new house.  They had a big cookout and invited Brian's side over.  We really wanted to see their house, so we got up early and packed Hudson's stuff and got on the road by 8:15.  It took us 3 1/2 hours to get there and that included a 20 min stop to let Hudson out of his car seat and play for a little bit.  We stayed for about 4 hours and then packed back up and drove back home.  Thankfully Hudson is a pretty good car rider and did great for the 7 hours of traveling.  We got home at 8 (little guy usually goes to bed at 7:30) and I could tell Hudson was really tired, so I fed him and changed him and laid him down, but he must have gotten a second wind because it was a little after 9 before we finally got him to sleep.  
Grandpa and Hudson playing
Hudson and Jaleigh exploring the kitchen
Great Grandma loving on Hudson
Hudson's outfit is a 3-6 months - his clothes are all over the place
Jaleigh and Hudson leaving finger prints and kisses all over Michael and Melissa's windows and doors
Sleepy baby - he did great considering his schedule was messed up
Hudson and Jaleigh hugging
Hudson really wanted Aunt Melissa's necklace
Grandma loving on Hudson
I didn't get any pictures of their house, but it was really nice and the exact style Brian and I would choose for ourselves.  They have a full finished basement with an air hockey table, foosball table, and pool table. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

First Time Out On The Lake

Sunday afternoon one of our neighbors let us borrow his pontoon.  All summer long, he kept telling us we could borrow it anytime we wanted and we finally took him up on it.  We have lived in our neighborhood for 5 years now and have never been out on the lake, so it was really fun getting to explore and see a new side of it.  I brought a bottle and puffs to keep Hudson occupied in case he was bored.  He did really well and seemed to have a great time, too.  It was 72 degrees - perfect!!!  We were only out for about an hour.  We can't wait to go back out.  


Hudson was dancing in this picture

I wanted a turn driving it, too

I love the weeping willow tree in the background -they're one of my favorite trees

We only saw 2 other boats out on the lake - we pretty much had it to ourselves 
Such a fun day!  

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Happy 10 months


~Hudson~

You are 10 months old today.
You weigh a little over 20 lbs

Pictures were really difficult this month - you're just too busy

You are still saying da da da da da da,  na na na na, mum mum mum, ba, ba, ba, ro, ro, ro, and no, no, no.  You make several other sounds that I'm not sure how to describe.  We love hearing you jabber. You still  yell out in excitement.

I tried giving you some puffs, but you wouldn't look at me.

We love watching you wave and dance - so...cute!  You love dancing and anytime you hear music you bust out your moves.   You love waving.  You wave really easily and at everyone.  You play patty cake and shake your head back and forth (you're not saying "no", it's more of a dance move).  You make a cute "scrunchy" face.  You point at things and point and wave and say, "No, no, no."  -Apparently I say the word No a lot.

 You are still wearing 6-9 month clothes mostly.
You are still figuring out how to give hugs and kisses. 
You are still eating a lot!  You are still taking 4 bottles per day - approx 18-20 oz.   You are eating cereal in the am and a fruit and vegetable and cottage cheese at lunch, and a fruit and vegetable and cereal in the evening.   I am still preparing everything.   You are eating avocados, sweet potatoes, bananas, carrots, peas, green beans, peaches, apples, pears, spinach, broccoli, pasta, and puffs.  I added spinach, brocolli, and blueberries this past month, but I think you may have had a reaction to blueberries, so I stopped giving it to you and will wait a while longer to try it again.  You are doing much better with the sippy cup.  You still really like water.

I tried again a while later, but you still didn't want anything to do with getting your picture taken

You are still wearing a size 3 diaper, but I have just started putting you in a size 4 at bedtime.  Diaper changes have actually been better lately.  You are starting to listen to the word, "No."
Some of the toys you played with this past month was a lady bug that lights up and talks, scooter type toy, balls, and Elmo.  Still, your favorite thing by far was crawling around and pulling yourself up.  You are even walking around the furniture.  You haven't let go on purpose, yet, but I can tell you are thinking about it.  Sometimes you will hold our hands and walk.
You didn't show any separation anxiety last month.  In fact, you go to people pretty easily.  The nursery attendants say you have a great time during church and they always say how much they loved playing with you.

I tried getting Dad's help, but you wouldn't stand up - such a little stinker

Your eyes look a little more blue and a little less grey.
Your hair is blonde.
You definitely know your name, the word, "No", and know Peyton.
You keep getting more and more fun.

You are sleeping about 11 1/2 hours per night.   You go to sleep pretty easily, thankfully.  You stay awake 2 1/2-4 hours at a time now.  You are back to sleeping through the night.  Naps have been much better lately.  You usually give me an hour nap two times per day.  You have dropped your 3rd nap.
You have two teeth on the bottom - and I can you are close to getting 2 teeth on top.
You are usually a pretty happy baby.  You are quite the ham - you love having everyone's attention and you smile at everyone.   Everyone comments how happy you are and how long your eye lashes  are.

Finally a decent picture

You are definitely more interested in playing these days

You are our sweet, precious gift from God.
We love you!  Happy 10 months

Friday, September 14, 2012

Just A Few Pix

Hudson has started hugging when I say, "Awwwww! Awwww!  Awwww!"  It's so sweet and cute!  
Love this sweet little face
Loving on the bear again
"Anyone up for a story?"
Hudson loves my pots and pans.  Every chance he gets, he opens the doors and starts pulling stuff out.  


Monday, September 10, 2012

Happy Birthday!

Brian,

Hudson and I want to wish you a Very Happy Birthday!  We love you so much!  Thanks for all your hard work.  You're an awesome husband and father.   You're such a wonderful blessing.  We hope you have an amazing day. 

Love, 
Hudson and Me

The weather was great this past weekend so we walked about 4 miles on Lexington's Legacy Trail.  It was so peaceful and beautiful.  We passed a lot of walkers and bikers.  Hudson was so cute and waved at nearly everyone. 
Pretty flowers lined part of the trail
There are a lot of neat bridges along the trail

I love horse farms and barns!!  We could see this farm and barn from the trail.
We are loving the cooler temperatures! 

And Happy Birthday to Chris, also!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Praying For Your Child

At my Mom's Group last week we were given several pages of prayers to pray over our child.  I pray for Hudson daily, but this will help me be more specific and help me to better pray scripture over Hudson.  I'll list a few. 

Lord, "Let the morning bring Hudson word of your unfailing love, for him to put his trust in you.  Show him the way he should go."  Amen   - Adapted from Psalm 143:8

Lord, "Therefore, as God's chosen children, holy and dearly loved, help Hudson clothe himself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Lord, help him bear with others and forgive whatever grievances he has against others.  Help Hudson forgive as You forgave him.  And over all these virtues, help Hudson put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."  Amen  - Adapted from Colossians 3:12=14

Lord, "I pray that Hudson will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but will be transformed by the renewing of his mind.  I pray that Hudson will be able to test and approve what God's will is- Your good, pleasing, and perfect will."  Amen  - Adapted from Romans 12:2

Then we were also given 31 Days of Prayers for Children.  Each day has a different topic here are a few- faithfulness, mercy, wisdom, passion for the Lord, and courage.  

Last week Brian's mom came down here and stayed with us.  It was so nice having her here.  I actually worked a few days and she watched Hudson.  Hudson wore her out!! 

Then last Friday night, Brian's dad came down to spend the weekend.  They left early Sunday morning. 

Thanks, Mary!  We loved having you here and I know Hudson loved all the special attention he got. 


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Bad Momma Award Again and Payback

Caution - this post is not for the faint of heart.  Brian's parents were here for the weekend -Brian's mom had been here the previous week to help me out (another post).  So, Hudson and I had a great time at my Moms group on Thursday, but Friday night Hudson woke up about 9 pm and cried for a minute, but stopped.  I could see him on the monitor sitting and sucking on his pacifier.  I kept seeing him fall asleep while he was sitting up and he would jerk awake and fall back asleep - he did that for a long time before I finally saw him fall over.  In the middle of the night I checked the monitor again and he was once again sitting and asleep.  He wasn't crying.  I thought maybe this was a new position and didn't give it much thought.  Well, the next morning Brian's mom knocked on our door and told us Hudson had gotten sick in the middle of the night.  Poor thing - he had vomited on EVERYTHING!  No wonder he didn't want to lay back down- there wasn't any space to lay down.  What broke my heart even more and made me feel even more awful was what a good mood he was in and super sweet.  I stripped him down and I gave him a bath and Brian cleaned his bed.  He was actually fine the rest of the day, but had diarrhea a day later.  Turns out, another baby in Hudson's room got sick after Mom's group, also.  So I'm guessing one of the babies in Hudson's room was sick and passed it on.   
 Well, now for the payback (Can't say I blame Hudson for passing on the flu given the fact that we let him lay in his own vomit all night)

One of my fears about having a baby and being 250 miles away from our family came true, unfortunately.  Hudson passed the flu onto Brian and me at the same time.  And, oh, wow were we sick. (Sadly, Brian's parent's got sick, also)  Hudson is so...busy and wants to crawl everywhere and we just didn't have the strength to keep chasing after him and picking him up, so we made this awful looking pen.  Brian was more sick than me, so I probably played/watched Hudson 65-70% of the time. I grabbed my pillow and blanket and laid on the floor and prayed and prayed until nap time.  Anyone who knows me knows that I like a clean, organized house, but in this case, I didn't care. 
Just so you know - I have cleaned and disinfected my house.  I washed sheets, blankets, towels, clothes (8 loads) all in 1 day.  So I'm back to having a nice, orderly clean house. 

I really hope that Brian and I don't get sick at the same time anymore.  It was a rough 40 hours. 

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Outfit of Shame

Life has been crazy busy the past 2-3 weeks.  Hopefully I can get back to regular blogging soon.  Thursday I had my first Moms group meeting at our church.  I had a great time and it was so fun meeting other moms.  I think it is going to be a fun year.  When I went to pick up Hudson from the nursery, he was wearing this outfit.  Apparently, he took a nap and when he woke up he was all wet, so they had to change him.  Poor little guy!  His shirt and his pants said, "SCC." (Our church Southland Christian Church)
The onesie is a size 6 months and stretched out to fit him and the pants are size 12 months.  
Are these genie pants?
I think I would also be crying if I had to wear this home. 
Hudson has started pointing and waiving his index finger non-stop. 
Like I said, Outfit of Shame.