New Discoveries

Hudson has discovered some new things over the last week or so.

You know he's already learned how to "talk". And he's doing it like crazy! :-)



But he's also discovered his tongue!

And he likes to stick it out every chance he gets! HA!

As well as his hands....
They're very tasty...sometimes he'd rather have them over his paci.


Another thing he just discovered the other day is his feet! But he seems to only notice them when he's in his car seat. I'll see him back there entertaining himself just looking at them, talking to them, and kicking them! I'll try to get a picture of that soon, it's so cute!

I don't know about y'all, but I am ready for a long weekend with my boys. It's supposed to be great cook out weather, so that's what we plan to do! :-)

Y'all have a fabulous day!

2 Month Must-Haves

I always love reading about the things that are considered the "must-haves" for other moms, so I decided I'd dedicate a post to ours thus far. There are several things that we don't use yet, since he is only 2 months old after all. Anyway, here are some of the things that we either absolutely love, use every day, or can't live without...or all of the above.

The Boppy Newborn Lounger
We have used this since day 1. Hudson absolutely loves laying on it. When we're hanging out on the bed, he just lays on it for the longest time right beside me. Sometimes he'll take a 20 minute cat-nap on it. I recommend this to any new mom!



The Boppy Nursing Pillow
We all know about these and it really is a great pillow for nursing. Hudson also falls asleep a lot after nursing, usually for just a few minutes, and it's really soft and comfy for him.



Medela Bra Pads
If you're breastfeeding, you definitely have to have bra pads. I use the Medela brand and they are great! They're thick and absorbent. They are a little pricier than some other brands, and I've never used any other brands so I have no comparison. I just know these are great.

Medela Pump In Style Advanced Electric Breast Pump
I wasn't sure if this would be worth the money we spent on it, but I can safely say I have gotten my money's worth already! I pump a good bit for a few reasons. In the beginning, Hudson was jaundiced and we were also concerned about him gaining enough weight, so this was a good way to make sure he was getting enough. I also like for Joseph to be able to feed Hudson, not to mention, give me a break every now and then to have some time for myself. Hudson does OK with nursing, but he is very much a grazer. He wants a little then he's done, then 30 minutes later he wants a little more, and so on. It gets old, and pumping makes it easier to deal with.

The First Years Drying Rack
For obvious reasons, I love this. It saves so much counter space and can fit tons of things on it for drying.



Pacifier Wipes
Awesome for the diaper bag, when you're on the go!



Mylicon Gas Relief Drops
Hudson can get pretty gassy and these are a lifesaver!




Newborn to Toddler Tub
We use this every time we bathe Hudson. It's convenient and he loves laying in it.




Graco Pack 'n Play with Newborn Napper and Changing Station
We use this in our room for Hudson to sleep in. He used the napper until a few weeks ago and he now sleeps on the mattress at the top level. The changing station is extremely convenient for diaper changes in the middle of the night, even though we hardly ever have those. This is definitely something we find invaluable!


Disposable Diaper Bags
I can't tell you how much I love these! I keep lots of these in his diaper bag for diaper changes on the go. They completely block out the odor so I'm not having to smell his diapers in my car until we get home! ;)



Chicco Travel System
We have been using this a lot more lately and we love it. The carseat is great...although it is a little heavy. It has a newborn insert but we just took it out since he's over 11 lbs now. It clicks right into the stroller and the stroller pushes and turns SO SO smoothly!

The Bumbo Seat
We've just started using this and are still getting the hang of it....we're almost totally able to hold our head up! ;) I have a feeling this will be as awesome as the lounger has been!
I've found you also can't have too many burp cloths, blankets, onesies for around the house, wipes and diapers of course, and Lanolin cream if you're breastfeeding. We've started using a carrier a little here and there and he seems to like it. We picked up a Moby Wrap the other day and I'm anxious to use it! Since Hudson is still in our room, we haven't used our monitors yet, but I have no doubt they will be priceless once we move him to his room. (We have a Summer Infant video monitor and an Angel Care movement monitor with 2 parent units.)

I'd love to hear about the things that work for you and your little one, no matter their age.

Have a wonderful day!!

2 Month Checkup

Hudson had his 2 month checkup yesterday. He got a great report from the doctor!! He weighs 12 lbs, 13 oz. (75th - 90th percentile) and is 24 inches long (90th percentile)! He is a big boy! :-) He looks great and healthy, and is growing right on track! The checkup went great....until it came time for the shots. I was dreading this visit because of them. I don't mind shots, but when it's my poor baby getting stuck and I know he's in pain, I can't handle it! It took a few seconds for him to realize that it hurt, then he fell apart. It was the loudest and highest decibel cry I've ever heard. It was one of those super-dramatic silent cries for a few seconds, that's how bad it was. He finally started crying and crying and when the nurse left, I sat down with him to comfort him and just cried with him! What in the world am I going to do when he gets hurt for the first time one day? It kills me to know that he is in pain, especially since I can't do anything to help him. After about a minute, we both calmed down, dried up our tears, and were ready to get out of there! I could have just held him for days, but I knew the doctor wouldn't appreciate us staying in his office that long. ;-) Once he stopped crying, he was smiling at me and talking to me again. When we got back in the car, he was just talking to himself and I'm pretty sure he was looking at himself in the mirror on the back seat. ha!

We decided to grab some lunch and take daddy some too, since he was SO busy yesterday, he didn't really have time to get anything. Once we were done eating, we headed home and took a really good nap.(about 3 1/2 hours for him, about 2 1/2 for me) It was lovely, especially since it started raining about the time we laid down. :-) He's been doing pretty well since the shots. I've been giving him some infant Tylenol drops every 6 hours just to try and keep the pain/fever at bay. He slept for about 6 hours last night, woke up to eat, then went back down for a couple more hours. Today we're taking it easy and resting. I'm hoping he continues to feel good, with no fever or achiness that often comes along with the shots.

Still able to smile after the traumatic experience! ;)


Nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby on your chest.


I'm so ready to get this hair chopped off tomorrow evening. I love the salon I found up here. They are open til about 8 Monday - Friday, and are open Saturday also. It's hard to find a salon around here that is open on Mondays, which I find weird. They have lots of great stylists and are a relatively large salon, and I'm glad I found a great girl to do my hair. I have had some really bad experiences with my hair in the past and I loathe having to find a new stylist! I went a couple weeks before Hudson was born and got it chopped off (like 11 weeks ago!), so it is definitely time for a trim...or another chop off, since it's grown out so much! It has gotten thick and long and down here in Alabama, Summer means humidity, which means mushroom hair for Lauren if it's not cut right! :-) Needless to say, after looking at a few pictures taken of me recently, it's time for a good cut and thinning out. ha! I hope y'all are having a good week so far. It's halfway over. ;)

2 Months

Hudson, you are TWO months old today, and BOY are you growing!?!?! You have changed so much over the last month and are growing like a weed. You are becoming much more fun and social and I'm loving seeing a little personality come out. You love to smile, laugh, and coo. You get so excited when you see mommy and daddy. Your face lights up and it melts our hearts! I could watch you all day long! You are the sweetest baby and I am convinced you are going to be a child genius! ;-)

• According to our home scale, you weigh about 12 1/2 pounds! You're a big boy, but you're not really chubby...you're getting long. I'm anxious to see your exact weight and length tomorrow at your checkup!
• You are wearing size 1 diapers.
• You are in 0-3 months clothes, but a lot of them are becoming too tight and too short. You can wear 3 months pretty comfortably, although a couple of 3-6 months outfits are very snug. I just put you in whatever you can fit into right now.
• You eat about 4 oz every 3 hours.
• So far we haven't found any allergies. Hopefully it will stay that way! Mommy drinks milk, eats peanut butter, and other common allergy foods and you've yet to have a problem with them.
  
• Your eyes are getting a little darker, but they're still bluish gray. They're beautiful!
  
• You have started sleeping in longer stretches and mommy and daddy love this! You're usually down around 10, sometimes 11, (we've got to work on falling asleep earlier!) and will sleep until around 4 or 5. After you eat, you'll usually go back down for a couple more hours.
  
• You sleep in your pack 'n play in our room, but we'll try moving you to your room once you're sleeping through the night consistently...especially since your room is on the opposite end of this large house. (I think mommy might have a hard time with this though!)
  
• You usually take either one good nap (2-3 hours) or two or three small naps (30 minutes) throughout the day. Y0u're not a real big napper.
  
• You are a very happy, content baby. You only fuss if you're hungry, gassy, or need your paci to soothe yourself.
  
• You laugh and smile socially now, but still do it in your sleep too. It's so cute! I'll just sit in front of you making you smile and coo for ever sometimes. I say "Hello Hudson" and "I love you" a lot, and it's almost like you're trying to mimic what I say. I LOVE the sounds of your "talking".
  
• I think you're going to be a mama's boy (or already are) and that's just fine with me!
• I have this feeling you're going to be crawling and walking early. You are constantly pushing up with your legs, and when we stand you up, your legs are really strong.
• When we put you on your belly to sleep (supervised), you move around like crazy!
• You can hold your head up like a pro! It hardly wobbles at all anymore. You're almost ready for your Bumbo seat!
  
• I'm also afraid you'll be getting teeth sooner than later. You have been chewing on your hand a lot lately, wanting your paci more, and I've been noticing a lot of drooling going on! They say it can start as early as 3 months....uh oh!
• Your eyes are very expressive. They give away how you're feeling, especially your eyebrows.
• You have started grabbing everything!
  
• You love being rocked to sleep, and your favorite place to fall asleep is on someone's chest.
• You do not like sleeping on your back at all, especially on a flat surface. If you do, it has to be somewhat inclined, like in your Boppy Lounger...but then that only lasts for about 30 minutes. Your grunting has decreased a lot!
  
• Bath time and diaper changes are no big deal to you anymore. Most of the time you're smiling away during a dirty diaper change. HA!
  
• You love tummy time, but haven't yet started playing with the toys on your activity mat.
  
• You look a lot like mommy did in her baby pictures. There are a lot of times you look a lot like your daddy though.
• You're becoming a pro at traveling. You go to Gadsden a good bit, and go on errands with mommy and daddy quite frequently. You do great! You love riding in the car.
  
• You are one loved little boy. I hope one day you'll understand just how much we love you. We think you hung the moon! You're also loved by aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, cousins, etc. Everyone is so crazy about you!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Now stop growing up so fast!! :-) Mommy and daddy would do anything for you, little man. You are our world!!

(Mommy)

Father's Day

Today we celebrate our fathers. I happen to have the best father in the world...just sayin'.

He has been there for me in every part of my life. He believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, supported me throughout the big and small decisions in my life, and loved me no matter what! And he still does! He taught me what it is to be kind, loving, compassionate, thoughtful, and Christian, for he is a great example of all of those.


And he is one fabulous grandfather. He loves that boy with all of his heart and I love seeing them together. I cannot wait to watch as they make memories throughout Hudson's life.
People often tell me that I am just like my dad. I take that as an amazing compliment! If I can be half the person my dad is, I think that'd be pretty awesome. He has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever known. I am honored and blessed to call him my father, my daddy!

I love you more than know, dad!



Today, I also celebrate my wonderful father-in-law. I am so blessed to have him in my life. He is one of the kindest people I know. He loves everyone and has a great big heart. He is an amazing example of a Christian father.


Thank you for being the man you are, and for raising your son the way you did!

Speaking of his son......



Today is my sweet hubby's First Father's Day!
Seeing him with Hudson makes me fall more in love with him every day. They are so sweet together and it melts my heart to watch them interact. I cannot wait for Summer vacations, birthday parties, Christmases, and field trips with these two. They are my world!

Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers in my life!


And because we didn't take a picture on Mother's Day....


I hope you all had a fabulous day!!

Rae Kimberley Machen

We said goodbye to one of the most amazing women I've ever known yesterday.
My sweet grandmother, Rae Kimberley Machen, went home to be with her Lord on June 14, 2011. There is no more suffering where she is...only rejoicing. She has been made whole! Knowing this is comforting, but I still want to be selfish and have her back, if only for one day. It was a lovely service and memorial for a wonderful lady. There were so many people who loved her and came to pay their respects. Some of my sweet friends came and that meant SO much to me! My dad spoke and did a beautiful job and honored her wonderfully. I know she was smiling down on him.

After the service we went up to my parents' house to eat lunch that my mom had prepared. My Uncle Tommy and Aunt Betty came also. It was delicious as always. We looked through tons of old pictures they found and it brought back so many sweet memories. It was nice to reminisce. There were a lot of "Rae Rae" and me. This is one of my favorites.
I was probably around 8 or 9 here...and crazy tan!

We went back down to my grandfather's ("Fatdaddy") apartment to spend a little time with him. He enjoyed getting some more time with Hudson.
Such a sweet picture. He just lights up when Hudson is around, and that does my heart good. We'll be taking a trip to see him every couple weeks or so! :-)

Before we headed home, we made a stop by my Cornutt grandparents. Hudson and Papa had some quality time together.
Making silly faces!

It was a long and tough day, but I wouldn't have missed saying goodbye to my Rae Rae for anything. We got home around 9:15, and I was sure that Hudson wouldn't sleep too well after sleeping a good bit yesterday, but evidently all of the passing around, getting in and out of the carseat, etc. wore him out. He slept about 6 hours straight last night!!! (And the night before) We also went back to sleep for about 4 hours after he got up and ate. Mama was tired and needed that, and I guess Hudson was too! I can't believe his sweet little self will be 2 months old in just 3 days!! Unreal! We have his 2 month checkup...and shots (yikes!) on Tuesday and I'm anxious to see what his stats are now. :-) NOT anxious to get those shots though. Poor baby. :(

I hope y'all have a beautiful weekend!!!

27

Yesterday I turned 27! It's hard for me to believe I'm that close to 30. Sometimes I have to remind myself I'm not 21 anymore. HA! It seems like just yesterday I was 22 and getting married and here I am now, 27, married for 4 1/2 years and a mother to a precious almost 2 month old!! WOW!! Time flies by and the ride is amazing...at least is has been so far!

Joseph had to work so I got to spend my birthday with this little guy! :-)
We went to visit daddy at work though and ordered some Steak-Out for lunch. Their grilled chicken salad is really good. Joseph got their burger and it was delish! I was surprised!
Joseph gave me my birthday present, which included the sweetest card, and this......

The entire Grey's Anatomy series!!! (except for this last season obviously, since it just ended) Here's a little known fact....I have the entire series on DVR!! Yes I do! Needless to say, our DVR space has been limited. ;-) They show reruns on Lifetime so that's how I've been able to record the whole series, in case you were wondering. :) I'm so excited! Now we have tons more space on our DVR and I have the whole series, including deleted scenes and other features. Awesome! He also got me an iTunes gift card! Thanks babe!

After we ate lunch, Hudson and I went for a quick trip to Target. I still can't quite fit into my pre-pregnancy pants and shorts, so I picked up a couple pairs of shorts to get me by until I can lose the rest of the weight. I also got a couple tops and dresses and some pretty turquoise jewelry. I LOVE turquoise! ;) After our little shopping trip we headed home. We went out 4 out of 5 days this week! Go us! Monday we had my postpartum appt, Tuesday we went to Gadsden to see my grandmother (more on that in a minute), Wednesday we went to Publix, and then yesterday we had that outing! I've been apprehensive about going out with Hudson by myself, but he's done great, so now I know we can get out of the house a few times a week! :) For dinner, Joseph brought home Ruth's Chris take-out...oh yes he did!! We can't exactly take a 7 week old to Ruth's Chris, so he brought Ruth's Chris to us! :-) We had delicious steaks, potatoes, asparagus, and desserts. I would've taken a picture but it was gone too fast! HA! Joseph made my birthday very special!!

My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years back and she has been declining ever since. Seeing her decline like that has been the hardest thing ever. Without going into too much detail so I don't get too emotional and cry on my keyboard, she is at the end of her struggle with the disease and it won't be long until she's with her heavenly Father. We're expecting it to be any day now. I went to see her on Tuesday and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. It was pretty much a saying goodbye visit and it was very emotional for me. It was also the first time I had taken Hudson to see them. My grandfather, AKA: Fatdaddy, loved him. He sang some of the same songs he used to sing to me and Hudson really lifted his spirits. It did everybody's hearts good. Rae Rae is not in the condition where she can talk to him or hold him, but she was able to touch his foot and try to kiss him. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and me. I like to think it was because she knew who I was, and who the sweet baby I had was. I told her, but we'll never know if she knew or if she just liked seeing a baby. Either way, I am so glad I went, even though it was incredibly hard. It was always very important to me that all of my grandparents have the chance to meet their great-grandchildren. That's one reason we decided to start trying last year. I'm so blessed to have all of them with me still, and I so wanted them to meet my children. And even though she wasn't the Rae Rae I knew when she met him, it blesses me to know that she got to see him and touch him. It's going to be extremely hard to say goodbye when the time comes, but we know she'll be in a better place with no more suffering. That gives me some peace. I ask that you keep my family in your prayers over the next couple weeks. It's going to be hard on us, especially my grandfather. Thanks in advance!

I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend. It's SO HOT! I sat outside for 30 minutes to get some sun and had to come in. Yikes! ;)

Wordless Wednesday