Happy Thanksgiving!

I barely made it - only 30 minutes left - but Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry that I have been gone for so long. Jamie took my computer in to try and get it fixed so I was without any communication with the outside world for 2 days. Okay, maybe not that bad, but it seemed like it at times!

Of course the computer didn't act up the whole time they had it at the shop so they couldn't replace the monitor like we thought they would but the good news is I have had it back since yesterday afternoon and it hasn't happened again. The bad news is that I tried taking my camera and the cord to plug it in to the computer over to my parents to download some pictures and post something on Tuesday and their computer wouldn't work and now I have lost the cord. So I have a week's worth of cute pictures of Hudson and pictures of the basement that I can't share with you cause I can't get them off my camera. I have searched my parent's house, our house and my car and can't find it anywhere, so I guess I'll have to buy a new one - hopefully I can find one!

But I do have some pictures to share with you! We are taking Hudson in 4 times his first year to get pictures taken and then I'm going to do a collage of some sort with them after he turns 1. So I just got the link for the photos from our second photo session. You can click here to view them. If you happen to be interested in purchasing one - the prices and contact info can be found here.

road trip

We went to Great Bend yesterday for Christin's basketball game. We left at 3:00 so I thought Hudson would fall asleep and maybe take a nap the whole way (it's about a 2 hour drive) or at least most of the way. Didn't happen. He fell asleep before we left town but was awake in 20 minutes. So we stopped in Hutch and I fed/changed him then we got back on the road. And he cried and cried. So we stopped outside of Sterling and I tried to feed him again. This time he was happier when we put him back in his seat and I was singing and talking to him and he was happy and getting sleepy. Then we had to pull over and talk to a not-so-nice policeman who gave us a speeding ticket and that made Hudson very unhappy. He cried the rest of the way to Great Bend. And of course fell asleep as we were pulling into the parking lot of the college for the game!
So the game was really loud and woke him up and he wasn't happy during the game, but wasn't too upset either. He doesn't like the loudness at the games (They had a band and 28 cheerleaders so it was pretty loud in there.). Put him back in his carseat though and the crying began again. He cried the whole way over to Jamie's cousin's house, but again was okay once he got out of his seat! So we hung out there and had dinner and Hudson and his cousin Daniel got to play together. Then he fell asleep pretty quick when I nursed him so we thought let's get on the road so he'll sleep the whole way home. Wishful thinking. He woke up while we were putting him in his carseat and this time cried for 30 more minutes before finally falling asleep and sleeping the rest of the way home!

However we did have a good time at Scott and Amy's home and Hudson and Daniel got to play together. Daniel is crawling everywhere and I think Hudson took some notes.... We set them down on the floor to play together and Amy warned to be careful cause Daniel can be kind of agressive, but it was Hudson who kept reaching over and grabbing Daniel's face and clothes! But they played together really well. We'll see them at Thanksgiving next week so that should be fun to have more time for them to play - plus there will be a few other cousins around too!

been busy

I'm back - things have been busy around our house which is why I haven't found time to post in a while. Papa and Binga came to visit on Saturday so we spent the day hanging out with them. Then I got sick, then Hudson got sick - now Jamie is sick. Then Jamie took my computer in to try and get it fixed - something weird keeps happening ot the monitor when it goes to 'sleep' - so they replaced the video card. But it didn't work. It still does the same thing when it goes to sleep - and now everything is all distorted on the monitor. Should have left it alone, I guess! Plus I've been trying to do some shopping to pick out carpet, tile and paint and other stuff for the basement, so it's just been a little crazy.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow to show the progress on the basement -it's really coming together. Most all of the sheetrock is up and they started mudding today.

In the meantime - Athena got her hair done today and she looked too cute to not share it with you. They cut her a little short for winter time though, so I think she'll have to wear her coat to go outside! (Jamie will remove the bows and scarf as soon as he gets home so I only get to enjoy it for a little bit. She looks so cute!)

finishing our basement

We are finally finishing our basement! We are so excited. When we bought our house in February 2005 it was Jamie's intent to finish the basement within the first year and mine was within the first 5 years. So we see who won that one. (Although I am not sure I should brag about winning that one.) I took some pictures Sunday night before they started and meant to post them Monday but am just now getting around to it. And they are making such quick progress I took some more tonight to show you all the framing that is done. It is starting to look like a real basement instead of just a bunch of concrete!

Corner where we will be building a mini kitchen.

Wall the built in entertainment center will be on.

Looking back into the bedroom and my new laundry room (which I am SO excited for)!



The framing on the kitchen - it will just have a tiny fridge, sink and microwave - but will be great for entertaining.

The framing for the entertainment center - there will be shelves and cabinets on both sides, and an electric fireplace on the bottom center with the TV above.

My new laundry room - many have warned me I will hate having the laundry in the basement, but I will sacrfice that for all the extra space. My laundry room now is just a small hallway from the garage to the house and I am looking forward to having a place I can put the ironing board up and leave it out instead of putting it away every morning.

The new hallway back to the guest bedroom (on the right) and laundry room (on the left). Straight back is the new closet they framed in the guest room. It's huge so it will be nice storage!

They start sheetrock and plumbing tomorrow - they say they'll have it finished in 3 weeks! I am going tomorrow to start looking at carpet, tile and paint colors (the fun stuff!).

Happy Half Birthday Hudson!!

Today Hudson is 6 months old! I can't believe how fast the first 6 months have gone and how
much he has grown and changed. The other day I found some newborn diapers I had packed after Hudson outgrew them and they were so tiny! When he was newborn those diapers were too big for him and now I can't remember him being that small!

To celebrate Hudson's half birthday I threw him a little party - cake and everything....and no, I didn't let him play in it!

sweet and cute

No other explanation needed!

mohawk

Hudson's hair has started growing in more but only on the top, not the sides. The other day Jamie fixed it in a mohawk. It stayed that way most of the day!

sweet potato

Hudson had his first vegetable today - sweet potatoes - and he loved them!

naptime

Starting Hudson on cereal has not helped his sleeping patterns at all. He still fights naps all day long, and then wakes up once or twice at night. The night times I can handle - it's the skipping naps that is starting to wear on me. I can spend all afternoon trying to get him down for a nap - and never win!

Yesterday I was over at my parents and let my mom try. She rocked him for 15 minutes and then came upstairs and said "He is stubborn!" And he never took a nap yesterday.

Today I rocked him for 10 minutes like I normally do. And he screamed for 10 minutes like he normally does. So I decided to try the "let him cry it out" approach. It's not working... We started naptime at 3 pm. 10 minutes of rocking and crying. Then we went for 31 minutes of full out screaming and crying in his bed. I went in every 10 minutes or so and wrapped him back up, comforted him a little, then would go back out. Then I thought he was going to go to sleep because he had about 10 minutes of just moaning a little. But as I started this post the screaming began again.
Oh wait - it stopped - nope, there he goes again.

So how long do you let them cry it out? (It's taking longer than 10 minutes Cecil!!) He's gone on for long enough now that it's time for him to eat again....it's an endless cycle!

I don't hear him now - could I have won the battle??? Nope.

Mommy's coming Hudson!!

jack-o-lantern

Hudson really likes to watch candles burning so I thought he would like to look at a jack-o-lantern so Jamie carved one for us last week. Hudson didn't really seem to care though. But Jamie did a good job on the pumpkin. I didn't get a picture of it but he also used the rind he cut off to make horns for it and stuck them in the top of the pumpkin. One of the trick or treaters we had thought it was pretty cool.

Hudson is starting to sit up really good on his own now and can even pull himself up when he is reclining back on pillows to a sitting position and can hold it for a few minutes usually.

Trick or Treat

Hudson was a sock monkey for Halloween - I'm not sure what Jamie was...