Photoshoot

Before my camera broke, I took some pictures of Hudson for his 3rd birthday.  I saw a picture on the internet with the #4 next to them in chalk and thought that would be so cute for his 3 year old pictures.  So I drew a 3 on the ground with sidewalk chalk and took Hudson outside to take his pictures. 

Evidently when you turn 3 you don't have to cooperate for pictures anymore.

So I dusted him off and tried again...


After much pleading and begging on my part, I finally got these out of him. (Only because Jamie distracted him.)

A little more stubborness...

And finally, 2 good - well, passable anyway - shots:

Tate Update

Well, he did it.  He was exactly 14.5 pounds at his 6 month checkup!  He gained 11 ounces in 4 weeks.  He's in the 5th percentile for his height and weight for 6 months, but is 50th percentile for his adjusted age.  The pediatrician assured me that he is doing just fine and not to be concerned about his weight gain.  He's also, sometimes, nursing longer and on both sides.  But still gets distracted very easily if it's too noisy. 

He rolled over once last week, but hasn't done it again since.  He is actually starting to *kind of* sit up.  If we prop a few pillows behind him he'll pull himself up to sitting but it only lasts a little bit before he falls over.  But he is getting stronger.  He loves holding his toys and chewing on them, but gets very frustrated, very quickly, when he can't get it in his mouth they exact way he wants.  He still loves to watch Hudson, and he is starting to notice his little cousins now and "talk" to them a little bit.  It's going to be so much fun watching those 3 grow up together!  Tate and Ashley are going to have to get with it though - "little" Carver outweighs them by several pounds, is already rolling over both ways and is starting to scoot! 

Tate hates riding in the car.  And we are taking our first trip to Iowa to see Papa and Binga this weekend, so that should be interesting. 

He caught his first cold this last week and that hasn't been fun.  He hasn't been too fussy but just has been pretty snotty and stuffed up.  Hudson had the cold first and his was pretty nasty too.  Tate hasn't been sleeping through the night this past week but I think that's because of his cold.  So hopefully he'll get back to that once he's all better.  He's been just getting up once around 3 am, so it hasn't been too bad (a little harder on the nights I don't go to bed till after 1 am though!).
 
Tonight, Tate got his first - of what I am sure will be many - "boo boo".  Hudson hit him in the face with a barbie doll.  No, it wasn't his Barbie doll (it was Callista's - and technically it's Rapunzel, not Barbie) and YES, it was an accident.  Who would have known he could throw the doll all the way across the room and manage to hit little Tate? But still he's got a welt by his eye and a few scratches.

Hudson still doesn't seem to understand the word "gentle".  No matter how many times we say it, explain it, yell it and he gets sent to his room for not doing it.  He is definitely ALL boy (despite the fact he was playing with a Barbie).

Hudson has discovered he can climb into the crib with Tate.  Now he loves to get in there and "take care" of him.  One morning, I got out of bed to find him in there already!  "Tate was crying Mama."



Poor Tate.  Big brother loves him so much!

     

ConGRADulations Aunt CJ!

My baby sister graduated from college last weekend.  That makes me feel so old.  I can remember when she was born!  Chrisin graduated from Central Christian College in McPherson with an elementary education degree.  She still has to do her student teaching in the fall (5th grade at a school in Andover) and then she'll really be done.  She has moved back into my parents' basement and has her dorm stuff strung all over the place.  Mom's planning a garage sale soon!





And what's a party these days without cake pops?!?  These were made by Christin's roomates sister.  Their little graduation caps - aren't they cute?   And red velvet cake too!  Yummy.  I also made 90 cake balls (with yellow and blue sprinkles - school colors) but I didn't get a picture.  BECAUSE I BROKE MY CAMERA!  I am so mad.  A bottle of water spilled inside the diaper bag and got my camera all wet.  Now it won't even turn on.  :(

Blessings

 “What if his blessings come through raindrops…what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near…and what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights, are Your mercies in disguise?”

I have a new song on my blog playlist (you are probably listening to it right now). It’s called “Blessings” by Laura Story. I first heard it a few weeks ago and it really spoke to me about Tate’s time in the NICU and how that affected my life, my faith. Without a doubt, that is the hardest thing I have ever been through in my life. While he was in the NICU, every day seemed to take forever, every hour drug by, nights were long, but sleep was short. It seemed like it would be forever before he could finally come home. Scripture, prayer – and family – is what got me through those weeks. Yet now, looking back, it’s just like a little “blip” in our lives. I hardly remember it. It’s almost like it never happened.

But, it did change me. The weird thing is – I’m almost glad it happened. I wouldn’t ever choose to have it happen again - if I can be so picky! – and I wouldn’t want to put Tate, or any other baby through that, but it taught me so much. About patience, God’s love and prayer. I think back on all those prayers I uttered standing over Tate’s isolette, when I couldn’t hold him, couldn’t touch him, praying for his “heart to beat steady and strong, his lungs to breathe deep, his ears to hear, eyes to see, muscles to grow strong.” I’d start at the top of his head and pray my way down his little body, every time before I would leave him. I don’t think there is a time when I hold him now that I don’t utter a little “thank you” prayer to God for allowing me to be his mom and to have him here to hold. So yes, although I would have never thought so at the time, I would say Tate’s premature birth was a blessing in my life. It has made me so much more mindful of how precious life is. And reminds me to “stand still” every once in a while and enjoy my blessings.

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know the pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise

6 months

Tate goes in Thursday for his 6 month checkup so I'll update you then with his height/weight stats.  But I will say we are a little worried about his weight gain.  I took him in for a weight check 2 weeks ago and he was up to 13 pounds, 13 ounces.  Good considering how tiny he started out as but it was a gain of 11 ounces in a month, which is on the low side for an average weight gain.  The nurse said not to be too concerned yet and we'd see where he was at at his 6 month checkup.  So we are hoping he will be up to 14 pounds 8 ounces.  That's what the nurse thought the doctor would like to see. I have been concentrating more on his nursing, trying to get him to eat longer each time.  Sometimes he'll just eat for 2-3 minutes and be done.  And he doesn't fuss or act hungry till 2-3 hours later.  But I have found that if we sit somewhere quiet (i.e. - keep Hudson out of the room!) he does nurse much longer.  So he just can't have too many distractions.  I guess watching Big Brother is more important to him than filling his tummy!

Happy HALF Birthday Tate!!

Yesterday was Tate's 1/2 birthday (6 months old!).  To celebrate, I made cake pops (of course!) and Tate and I took them up to share with his NICU nurses.  It was a lot more emotional than I thought it would be, driving back up the road to the hospital, parking in the lot and going in.  But this time with Tate in my arms! 

Unfortunately, there were not very many of the nurses working that took care of Tate.  We did see a few and one of the neonatologists but we'll have to go back again and try to catch some of the others.  But those we did see were all amazed at how big he is.  And such a flirt!  He smiled at everyone!

The cake pops I made that we took up to the NICU nurses.

The picture I put with the cake pops so that those who weren't working yesterday could see how big he is.  What a cutie! 

(And yes, that is a CLOTH diaper he's wearing.  That's my newest adventure.  So far, I'm loving it.  We've only been doing it for a few days so I'll post more about it once I have done it a little longer.  But I do know they just make me smile each time I change his diaper - such cute prints and colors! Who knew diaper changing could be so much fun!)

I can't believe my baby's 3!!

My Mother's Day

My day began with breakfast in bed:

Then cuddling with my boys:

My Mother's Day card:

Hudson was quick to point out that he wished he could have breakfast in bed and a big card.  I told him that could be arranged for his birthday.  But unfortunately, he woke up about 45 minutes earlier than he usually does so I didn't have breakfast made yet.  He did get his big card though!

My Mother's Day cake:  (This might look suspiciously like leftover golf cake from Hudson's birthday. But that's me in the middle with my boys on each side!)

Since the house was already clean for Hudson's party, we invited everyone back over for Mother's Day dinner.  We had a BBQ and hung out.  We tried to take a picture of all the mom's and the kiddos...

Huson's Par-3 Partee!

Whew!  You might have noticed an absence from the blogging the last few weeks.  That is because I was busy getting ready for - and then recovering from - Hudson's Par-3 Birthday Partee!

Jamie came up with the idea to do a golf party with a little miniature golf course and I took it from there and ran with it....I had lots of fun coming up with ideas (few of my ideas are original, I found most of my inspiration online!  The party on How Does She was my main inspiration.) and then creating everything that I had come up with.  And, I'm proud to say, the party was great.  All my ideas worked out just like I had imagined - except for maybe the exception of the golf cart.  Jamie couldn't get it running at first, but an hour into the party they figured it out, so everyone got rides on the golf cart too!  The weather was beautiful!  Just a little wind and plenty warm.  I don't know what we would have done if it had rained!

(If you click on the pictures you can see a larger version of them so you can see the details.)

The Invites: I actually had several different versions because I couldn't pick just one.  Hudson had a fun time going out to the golf course to shoot the pics for the invitations. 

St. Hudsons:  The front yard was the driving range and then the mini golf course and the hole-in-one game was set up in the back.  Hudson "helped" me make all the flags and the hole-in-one board too.  Hole #1 was pinwheels and a box with a pinwheel on it for the hole.  Hole #2 was the gator hole, complete with sand traps.  Hole #2 was the swinging log hole.  They had to hit the ball through the croquet wickets and then past the swinging log.  Jamie made the swinging log.  And Hole #4 was the water hole - with a sprinkler, of course! The hole-in-one game was a beanbag toss.

More details:  The golf ball pinata that Hudson, Mimi and I made!  I couldn't find a golf ball one at the store so I decided to make one.  I am glad I did because it turned out so cute, but not sure I'll ever make another one.  It was messy!  The "3" flag on the driving range, "Quiet Please" sign on the golf course, "Clubhouse" sign on the back deck, "Caddie's Corner" for the kids to get snacks and take a break, and a "3" that Jamie drew in one of the sand traps on the golf course.

 

The 19th Hole:  Drinks for everyone.  Water bottles with handmade labels, Iced "Tee" or you could make your own Arnold Palmer!

The cake:  I think I am most proud of this.  I had several different ideas in my head but  finally decided to go with this one.  I wasn't sure if the cake could hold up the bucket and the "balls" but it was fine.  I am starting to love making cake balls -(bakerella.com) they are easy and you can do such cute things with them!  This turned out exactly how I had envisioned it - I love it when that happens.  Hudson got his own little cake with a golf ball cake ball on a tee.  When I asked him after the party what his favorite part was it was the fact that he got his very own cake!

Everyone enjoying the party:

The spread: Golf CLUB sandwiches (with tees in them, of course!)

Opening Presents:

Smashing the pinata:  The little goodie bags, the stickers say "Thanks for playing a ROUND with me!"

And the aftermath:

And, of course, Tate enjoying the party.  He slept the first 2 hours everyone was here.  I think people were thinking we weren't letting him come out of his room.  But he finally woke up and got to come out and enjoy the sunshine!

(Thanks to Bruce and Mary for letting us borrow the golf cart for the weekend, to Doug and Kerry for taking lots of great pictures, to Celeste for helping with the cake and to Mimi for helping me get ready for the party!)