Hudson--4 Months Old

Hudson is already 4-1/2 months old.  It's about time I post about him being 4 months before it turns into 5.

Huddy continues to be a very happy baby.  He has had a few really great nights of sleep, his longest being 7:30 p.m. to 6:15 a.m, eating and then going back down for another hour.  Wish he'd do that every night, but he's still pretty good, and getting better all the time about sleeping long stretches at night.

At his 4 month checkup he weighed exactly 16 lbs.  (75th percentile), was 24.5" long (50th percentile), and his head had a 17" circumference (75th percentile).  He's a chunky little monkey!

Our baby is on the move, rolling all over the place.  The other day I'd laid him on a blanket in the kitchen with some toys.  I stepped to the washer/dryer about 15 feet away to do some laundry.  When I turned around a few minutes later, he'd completely rolled off the blanket and rug onto the wood floor.  He was still happy, just a little surprised, as was I!  He's also learning to sit up on his own, and can do so unsupported for about 10-20 seconds at a time.

Hudson has also recently developed a sense of humor, treating us to the occasional baby giggle.  It's still hard to figure what he finds funny enough to laugh at, but when he does giggle, it's about the cutest thing ever.  Can't wait to get that caught on video.

Hudson also recently went from sucking his thumb to more often sucking his fingers like this (just like his cousin Kate).  He also has started refusing the pacifier when going to sleep, preferring to chew on his hands/lovey.

There's that unmistakable "Hudson look" with eyes wide as can be, taking it all in.

Hudson has learned the joy of playing with toys.  He likes to figure things out though, not just play.

 Huddy has learned his name, but will only turn his head to "Hudson," not "Huddy," which surprises me because we call him Huddy more often than not.  He also knows Cooper's name, and will look for him when you say "Cooper."  Hudson also LOVES his Daddy.  Any time Daddy's voice or footsteps are heard, Hudson immediately starts looking for him.  He often does this when nursing too, which drives me nuts.  Actually, just about any sound or light will get his attention when he's nursing and distract him from the task at hand.  Feeding him is getting challenging.

 Here he is watching Cooper play outside.

The last month has been a challenging one for feeding.  For a solid two weeks I struggled to have enough breast milk for him, which was an emotional roller coaster for me.  I finally caved and started supplementing him with formula as I took drastic measures to regain my milk.  It was such an awful two weeks, being home bound, feeling like all I did was nurse or pump.  It took nearly all my time, but it was worth it.  The only residual from that is that now sometimes he refuses to nurse and wants a bottle.  He'll scream and cry and pull away when I try to feed him, but the minute I take him to the kitchen and pull out a bottle, he quiets and gets excited, watching intently as I make it, whether breast milk or formula.  He's too smart for his own good sometimes.

I've enjoyed the few hours we have alone together three days a week while Cooper is at preschool.  It's been fun to get to interact with Hudson one-on-one without a big brother crying or pestering for attention.  Hudson has seemed to enjoy it too.

We love this little guy!

Cooper Is Growing Up--Preschool and Milestones

Cooper is growing up so fast. Every day it seems he's doing something more and more grown up.  After we returned from our trip to Boston, Cooper started preschool.  The first day of school was actually while we were on vacation so he was a week late getting started.  I was concerned whether he would cry when I dropped him off, but neither he nor I shed a tear, a testament to how ready we both were for him to be in preschool.  He was excited to wear his new camouflage backpack,which hangs down to his knees, that he and daddy picked out.   I asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, and he said, "a worker guy."  I asked what kind of worker guy, and he said, "You know, a guy that goes to work, and does work."  Good 'nuff.  We'll leave his future career aspirations at that for now.

His favorite part of school continues to be handwriting.  Last year I tried and tried to get him to learn/write letters, and he refused to the point of throwing fits, throwing things, crying, screaming, and showing absolutely no interest.  So I backed off after several friends who are former teachers telling me that he'd eventually show interest and be ready.  It was about a month after Hudson was born that Coop started showing signs of being interested in learning to write.  But having a newborn and recovering from a c-section, I was not able to capitalize on that interest, but didn't worry too much, since I knew he'd be starting preschool.  Each week as they've learned a new letter, he's been excited to tell me and to demonstrate how to write the letter.  Yesterday he learned letter "D", and having learned "A" a few weeks ago, I showed him last night to write and sound out the word "DAD."  He was so excited to know that these letters he loves to write are also going to help him learn to read.

On our trip to Boston, Cooper slept in a twin bed at Nana and Grandpa's house without the use of side rails.  So when we got home, we removed them from his bed.  "Now I have a BIG BOY bed for real!" he exclaimed.  He's only fallen off a few times since then.  I love having the rails removed too.  So much easier for him to make his bed, and for us to put him to bed.

One night I went to get Cooper from the bath, and he was proud to show me that he'd taken all the bath toys and sorted them into piles, separating by color.  This was something he did completely on his own.  It was pretty cute.

Massachusetts Trip: Boston Family Dinner

After spending the day in the city, and having juggled kids in restaurants for more meals than I'd hoped, it was wonderful to get to enjoy a delicious homemade meal prepared by Nathan's Aunt Eileen and Uncle Peter in Stoneham, MA.

We enjoyed the beautiful evening in their backyard, which Cooper loved because of all the giant rocks to climb and explore.

Cordelia wanted to play with Cooper climbing on the rocks, and Delia kept her on the porch with a little mommy's leg deterrent.

I was preoccupied with an overly tired, fussy baby (which made me even more thankful to be at Eileen's house), and didn't get many more pictures taken. Coop played with my phone while I was in the other room with the baby, and took a bunch of pictures. I liked this one of the glasses on the table.

Cooper and Cordelia.

It was wonderful to get to see some of the family one lat time before we left tvr next morning. Thank you, Eileen and Peter, for your hospitality and the deliciousn dinner! Wonderful way to end a great vacation!

Boston--Aquarium and Quincy Market

After spending 5 days with Nana and Grandpa, we drove from Cape Cod to Boston to spend one day in the city before heading home. During the drive I was sitting in the back sest with the boys, and Cooper reached over and without saying anything, grabbed my hand and held it while looking out the window. So sweet.

We arrived in Boston a bit late, and were hungry. We wanted to try someplace new, and Nate had researched a few local places to eat near our hotel. One was a pizza place that sounded so good, but we drove there and while the pizza looked delicious, there was no place to sit with a family and eat, besides the fact that the neighborhood was a tad bit "sketchy", being out by the airport. I was disappointed, since pizza had sounded so good, since I was hangry.

So we headed to restaurant #2, called KO's that supposedly had great food, including the most amazing pot pies. It was in Chelsea, right down in a reclaimed part of the city. As we drove there, the GPS lead us to an old shipyard. Very strange. We entered through the gates, and drove ahead, wondering whether this could be right. It was like a place you see on tv where dead bodies show up. It was totally dark except for a few nearly burned out lights, and I was nervous and beyond hungry, and so annoyed that Nate refused to just order the pizza to go from the other place and take it back to the hotel. The kids were tired and hungry. Cooper was whining, Hudson was screaming because he was tired of he carseat, hungry, and tired. It was NOT a great time to be wandering around an abandoned shipyard. Then suddenly we saw some inviting lights, a bunch of outdoor tables and people eating. They were all young hipster-types, and the place was very geared to that. Nate went to check it out, and we decided to give it a try. It was to chilly to eat outside with the baby, and I was VERY thankful that we were the only ones eating inside. I felt all eyes on me as I dragged a crying baby and a cranky preschooler inside. I felt like a fish out of water. Nate ordered a lamb pot pie, and I ordered some chicken that came with a spinach salad, since I jist wanted something healthier at this point. The food ended up being AMAZING. I ended up going to the car to nurse the baby halfway during dinner, and witnessed two sketchy altercations under a dim light on the far side of the parking lot next to a building that was missing windows. Then I watched as a group of about 10 people came out of another building, dressed to the 9s, and getting into expensive cars. Overhearing their conversation, they'd just come from a party in an art galllery. Such a weird place! But I'm glad we gave it a try, despite the surroundings, the kids, and feeling out of place. The food really was great.

The next day we went into the city, and Cooper got to take his first ride on the T. He was excited to ride on a real subway train, as he callled it.

We started with an early lunch at Legal Seafood, a place on the warerfront where  we have so many fond memories.  It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed eating on the patio.

Next stop: the Boston Aquarium!! My first time ever visiting downtown Boston, Nate took me and my family to the Aquarium. It was fun to take Cooper.  He LOVED the penguins.

He also really liked the hands-on exhibits where he got to touch various sea creatures.

 

The sea turtle swam right in front of us in the big tank.

This was Cooper's other favorite--the really colorful fish, like Mommy and Daddy had in their aquarium before Cooper was born.

Hudson was wide awake the whole time, and wouldn't even stop to eat. He was taking it all in!

Coop also liked looking at the sea lions.

Petting sting rays = awesome!

After the aquarium, we strolled around Quincy Market for a bit. There were so many other places in the city I would have loved to have visited, but we just didn't have enough time. Have to take another trip.

The boys were exhausted.

We stopped to watch a street performer who first balanced his unicycle on his chin.

Then he played the bagpipes while riding the unicycle, and then juggled knives while riding, amongst other things. His show lasted about 45 min. It was a fun way to end our time in the city. Only regret not having more time (like several more days) to enjoy the city I love so much.

Great Nana and Great Grandpa Gunning

It was an absolutely special treat to get to spend five days with Nathan's Nana and Grandpa Gunning, and much of it one-on-one. Our boys are fortunate to get to know their great grandparents. Cooper absolutely LOVED spending time with them.

Every morning we enjoyed breakfast on the screened-in porch.  Cooper and Nana had some long talks, including one he'd repeat about how when he got big he was going to ride his bike with no training wheels all the way to her house. When she said it was pretty far, he said then maybe he'd drive one of those cars with no top--a vertible--so he could come visit her in Massachusetts.

Cooper also spent a lot of time with Grandpa one-on-one. They played out in the yard, Grandpa showed him the basement/ cellar, which became his favorite play place, and at a restaurant they went for a walk to take a break. They also spent a few hours together running errands. Their grand adventure took them to the post office, the bank, the landfill, and the grocery store, where they bought some flowers for Nana and I. So sweet. Cooper loved hanging with Grandpa.

Hudson also had his time with his great grandparents. We went to eat dinner at Marshside one night.  This is Hudson and Nana in the foyer.

  The boys and their great grandparents.

Hudson and Granpa in the same pose as a picture of Nate with his great grandfather Gunning. I'll have to do a comparison post later on.

One night we stayed in and Grandpa cooked us dinner and some delicious chicken on the grill. He's somewhat of a grill master.

We were so lucky to get to stay with them on the Cape, and get to spend so much time with them.

Cooper can't wait to visit Cape Cod and Nana and Grandpa again.  We had a really great time.

Massachusetts Trip: Finally--The Beach!

After several days of rain and weather too cold for enjoying the beach, the sun came out and we were able to enjoy hours of sand and surf.  Being afte Labor Day, all the public beaches had plenty of parking, so we decided to try a new place, Corporation Beach.

Cooper was in the water before we could even get our gear set down.

The water was FRIGID, and Cooper was the only one on the beach in past his ankles. Here's our fearless little ocean swimmer out in the ocean all by himself, enjoying his new kickboard.

Hudson and I were enjoying the beach too.

Hudson was ready to get out of the sun for awhile, so we sat under the umbrella while Nate went fishing and Coop played in the sand.

Cooper made friends with the little boy next to us. Soon the boy's older brothers ventured back, and they helped the two little guys find crabs and such to fill their beach buckets. Cooper had a blast.

I had a few minutes to enjoy the view from my beah chair.

Hudson made good company.

What's more fun than one beach? Two beaches!! We decided to go beach hopping and headed to Chapin beach to explore the tide pools.

Cooper happily ran all over the place searching for crabs, minnows, and the like, to catch with his net.

With no one around to take our picture, this is a shadow of Hudson (in the baby carrier) with me.

It was a fantastic beach day!