more playdate

Laura and Ellie, the HUD and me, Finn and Bethany

Play date

This morning Hudson and I had a play date with some of my old friends from the DSO, Laura and Bethany and their new babies, Ellie and Finn. Ellie is the darling little girl in pink, and adorable Finn is pictured with Hudson in green. Finn and Hudson share the exact same birthday! It was so much fun to see the babies together and to see how different they all are, what they are all doing, how much they are growing and changing and to catch up with some old friends, too! Rachel who also worked with us at the DSO (pictured holding Hudson and Ellie) also came by to visit with us and the babies. She's in Dallas for just a short amount of time on vacation from her work in the Peace Corp in Africa. So much fun seeing everyone today!

bathing with visitors

I must apologize for the quality of these images...I often take them with my phone, and as such they don't turn out great. Especially given the fact that Hudson is never still, so there's always movement which further complicates things. Oh-well...you get the general idea...Hudson still loves his bath, and he gets especially excited when he has a visitor from the cat or one of the dogs. These were taken last night when kitkat came to say hello. She didn't stick around long though, when Hudson saw her he splashed so big she got all wet and I am certain vowed never to return again!

Mr. Blue Eyes

yummy Sophie

bathing

I'm still REALLY into sticking my tongue out.

for you hipstamatic fans

morning time

hangin' out with Dulce

Hudson loves CARROTS!

thoughts on the helmet

We're halfway through our second week in the helmet. Hudson's doing great with it and honestly doesn't seem to even notice that it's there. He's so young that I know he'll never remember wearing it, but I've got to tell you....it's breaking my heart. Over the weekend we made a few stops around town and in my observations I've come to one conclusion and that is- people don't like the helmet. It makes them feel uncomfortable, awkward, curious, sad. Which makes me feel really SAD. We used to get lots of compliments, comments, questions....."oh, what a cutie!", "how old is your son?", "What a mellow and happy baby!"...etc.,...I'm such a proud mommy I'd talk to anyone who wanted to talk about my beloved little boy. Now I just get stares. Looks of confusion. Awkward glances. People staring at Hudson who immediately look away when you catch them staring at him. No one says hello. No one wants to talk to Hudson or tell me how adorable he is anymore. It just breaks my heart. What I've really learned from this whole experience is how incredibly difficult it must be for those parents that have children with real disabilities. How difficult it must be for them and how sad that makes me. I get that when you don't understand something and don't know what to say, you just don't say anything. But maybe we should. Just a smile goes a long way. Thankfully, this is only something I'll have to experience for a few months. I think about those parents that have to go through this their entire lives and my heart goes out to them. How strong they must be... how my perspective has changed. How thankful I am that Hudson's helmet is only temporary. And what a beautiful baby boy I think he is...helmet or not.

wrap buddies party

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

(yes, somehow Hudson managed to scratch himself on his face right before we had to go meet 14 other babies and their parents....)

discoveries

Hudson had his first "adjustment" to his DOC band this morning. This just means they look to see where his head has grown or changed since his last fitting and make adjustments to the helmet as needed. We'll go every two weeks from here on out. They seemed very pleased with the progress he's made in just one week. Yay, Hudson! We still have a long way to go, but we're off to a good start. I snapped these images while we were waiting in the clinic. He must get tired of me taking his picture all the time, but I can't help it. He makes it so easy! You might have noticed that he's sticking his tongue out in a few of the pictures. He does this a lot lately. We think he discovered recently that he has a tongue and now he likes showing it off to everyone. Fortunately he's at an age where he can get away with sticking it out at people and they think it's cute. That won't last for long. Expect to see a few more pictures of him sticking his tongue out, he's REALLY fond of this recent discovery. Tomorrow is a big day for the HUD. We're getting the helmet wrapped in the morning. I'll post some images once it's finished, but for now here's a hint of what you might see on the helmet....hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle....

thank you grammy and grampa M!!

Yesterday Hudson received a package from grammy and grampa Meiburger, and boy did he love it! Thank you grammy and grampa! Hudson's had a rough week, and the package came just at the right time! It really cheered him up. He's still battling his cold, but we think he's on the up and up. He's been sleeping with a humidifier which has helped quite a bit. Sleep has been difficult this week, though. Adjusting to the helmet isn't easy. He's been a bit needy at bedtime and had a few midnight wakings. I don't mind a little extra cuddle time with my little love-bug even if it is at 3AM. I know this hasn't been easy for him. Exciting news, though...Hudson is getting his helmet "wrapped" this week. There is a company here in Dallas called 360 wraps which decorates the DOC band for FREE! Today we're heading over to choose our design and Friday his helmet will be "wrapped" at the wrap party. There will be 14 other babies there also getting their helmets wrapped, so this should be fun!! We can't wait to show off the new helmet and we'll post photos once it is finished. Stay tuned....

wiggle worm

Sunday brunch @ Kozy Cafe

time for an upgrade

Someone is outgrowing their infant carseat at an alarmingly fast rate.