Productivity...

Yesterday I made a 'To-Do' list.  I had about 11 things written down that I reeeeally wanted to get done.  Surprisingly, I got all but three accomplished.  Woo hoo.  {A second Woo Hoo to Hudson for sleeping most of the day so I could be productive!}
I not only made dinner {Mmm, spaghetti, homemade meatballs & garlic ciabatta bread!}, but I also laid out a 'menu' for the rest of the week AND went to Giant Eagle & got everything I would need for all the meals.  I don't think I have *ever* done that--we're more along the lines of "What do you want to eat tonight?"  kinda folks.  Needless to say, I am incredibly proud of myself.... and I think Tyler may have been a smidge impressed as well.
I also made Hud his very first {of many, I'm sure} appliqued piece of clothing.  It's an adorable little onesie with a polka-dot  'h' on the front.  {I ♥ monograms!}  I have it laid out for him to wear today when we go to visit Tyler at work.  Yay!  Oh, and I started working on the pennant banner {also appliqued!} for Hudson's baptism party.  It looks similar to this, except it's in baby blue, red & white fabric & spells out his name.  {And it didn't cost anywhere NEAR $56 to make!}
I wish I could post pics of these things, but the other day I went to visit my friend Trisha & her new, sweet little baby girl, Charlotte {aka Charli}.  I was so enamored with how tiny & adorable she was, I ended up forgetting my camera at the hospital.  Stink.  So, pics to come... eventually.
Today, we're off to Cranberry to hit up Babies-R-Us, Old Navy, visit Tyler at work & maybe even make a Gabriel's run.  If you aren't familiar with Gabriel's, pay attention.  It's the best store.  Ever.  Basically, it's merchandise that didn't make it to the regular retail stores.  It might be mis-sized, or have something on it {so you do have to search and check everything over}, but the prices are AMAZING!  I got a ton of Ann Taylor stuff there last summer.  I didn't pay over $7 for anything!  If you know me at all, you know how much I love a good bargain! 

Happy Birthday, Sadie Lou!

In celebration of Sadie's first birthday today, I figured I'd post some "Baby Sadie" pics. 

Growing up, I always loooooved the name Sadie.  I knew that when I had a little girl, that was going to be her name.  Welp, when Tyler & I got engaged, I realized that "Sadie McGrady" just wouldn't cut it... not for a human child anyhow........

When we started seriously thinking about getting a puppy, we considered several kinds of dogs, but we really wanted a golden retreiver.  We were so close to adopting a rescue dog in Tennessee--Tyler knows some folks down there & they found us a very cute, very furry dog whom we fell in love with as soon as we saw his picture.  We even went to Petco the day they said he was up for adoption, just to get an idea of what this whole "dog thing" would be like.  Sadly, just a few hours later, we were told that he had been adopted on the spot by a family.  Soooo, the search went on.  I looked online, in the newspapers.... nothing really caught my eye.  Then Tyler's sister called  me one morning to tell me she had found the perfect dog for us.  A lady had a whole litter of puppies for sale just down the road from her house & they were cuuuuuute!  I hopped in my car, drove to Worthington & checked them all out.  Yup, cuuuuuuuute!  The puppys' mom was a poodle & a collie mix while the dad was a yellow lab & golden retriever.  The day before our wedding, I picked out the cutest little wavy haired puppy & I already had her name picked out--Sadie.  She was ready to go home with us {complete with little pink bows in her fur} in early August.

Oh, and  she was soooo tiny when we got her!  She was also very well behaved.  We actually thought something might be wrong with her because all she wanted to do was sleep.  She would get up, walk to another spot, then lay down & sleep some more.  We couldn't believe how lucky we were to have ended up with such a well behaved puppy. 
....Then my parents "puppy-sat" for us over Labor Day weekend so Tyler & I could go to Hudson, Ohio.  Oh my.  We picked up a completely different dog.  Our quiet, well-mannered, adorable little furbaby morephed into a creature that barked, pulled on her leash & peed on the carpet.  Sigh...but we loved her anyway.  Sadie is the first dog I ever had & I spoiled her to pieces.  She had tiny little bows for her fur, a dress, a personalized food dish... and she got away with absolutely everything.  How could you get mad at that cute little face?
I'll tell you how-- when she eats your toothbrush, the legs off your kitchen chairs, innumerable pairs of underwear, three pairs of dress pants and food out of the garbage.... When she is perfectly capable of going to the bathroom outside, but chooses to do so right in the middle of our brand-new living room carpet.  No, Sadie is not the most well-behaved dog {she has earned the well-deserved nickname of "Monster."}  But, she is the sweetest.  She still curls up on Tyler's lap the way she did when we first got her & she still loves to sleep by us every night.  She's the best little {little?} Sadie-Baby we could have hoped for.  And we love her so much.

Yeesh, it's h-o-t.

Ick.  With 90 degree temps & rediculous humidity, it's nice just to be inside where ther's A/C & fans.    Everytime I step outside, I feel like I'm walking into someone's mouth.  Yuck. 

Since it was so warm today, I took Huddy outside for his first "swimming" experience.  I filled his bathtub up & put him in his {adorable} little swim trunks.  He loved it!  He kicks his feet & was actually much more pleasant than he was indoors.  The only complaint I had was that I couldn't hop in the tub with him!

Today Cruise-A-Palooza is going on downtown.  Seriously, one of my most favorite Butler things to do.  Unfortunately, I don't even want to set foot outside, let alone drag myself along the asphalt to look at the cars.  I swear, it's always too hot or too rainy when the car shows come to town.  When Tyler & I started dating, we went to Cruise-A-Palooza and got caught in a torrential downpour.  It was as if the heavens opened up & just let it all go.  We were both drenched.... but it was a fun & very memorable day though!  {Also the day we "officially" became boyfriend/girlfriend!}

I still can't believe Hudson's over a month old.  His peditrician appointment went really well.  He weighs 11 pounds, 9 ounces (95th percentile) & he's 22.5 inches long (90th percentile).  he also did really well with the shot.  He screamed like a banshee for about 10 seconds & then he was set.  No problemo.  I called Tyler after the appointment to let him know how everything went & he wasn't exactly sure what the whole "percentile thing" was all about.  I said, "Think of it this way.  If you stuck Hudson in a room with 100 other babies his age, he'd be heavier than 95 of them & taller {longer?} than 90 of them."  Tyler's response?  "That's my boy!"

Here are the scrapbook pages I made for Huddy's one month {yep, still very much considering starting a little business with this digital stuff.  I'm working on a website.  We'll see how it goes!}:

It's been a month already?!?! Really?

{Hudson at one month old}

It's hard to believe it... but our little guy is one month old!  Hudson already has *quite* the personality. He's pretty laid back, but gosh, when he's hungry or needs changed, he wants it to happen NOW! And he'll let you know all about it. Hud gets the hiccups at least twice a day-and they last fooooorever. He has a favorite song-- Raffi's "Baby Beluga" {which I might add, has NOT left my brain since first playing it for him....} He grunts constantly. And squeaks. It's adorable... really, it is. I promise.
Surprisingly, he will sit still & look at books with us {he really likes it when Tyler reads the Star Wars board book & makes the Chewbacca noise!}  He is SUCH a car-baby.  As soon as we get him in his car seat & turn the key in the ignition, this kid is out.  He's the same way in a stroller or a shopping cart.  {Needless to say, I think he realizes that his mommy is a shopper & his best bet is to just snooze...}
Yesterday, my mom & I took him for his one month potraits.  We went to Wal*Mart & I can honestly say, I was pretty impressed.  The photographer was really good with Hudson & got some really cute poses.  I just *had* to have a "nakie-baby" picture so that when Hud gets his first girlfriend, I can whip out these pictures & embarrass the crud out of him.  :o)   We ended up choosing poses number 3 and 6 {and my mom is thinking about also getting pose number 7-- all because of that little pouty lip!} 

Today is Huddy's one-month check up at the pediatrician's office.  He has to get a shot... and I'm nervous.  He had a lot of heel pricks at the hospital due to his jaundice levels, but I only watched one of them--and I think I cried more than he did!  I'm going armed with an ice pack & some baby Tylenol.  I might also need to take some Kleenex's for yours truly.

Happy One Month Birthday, Huddy Buddy!
We love you!!!

Oh, how things have changed...

Before Hudson {even when I was enormously pregnant with Hudson}, I still had a pretty predictable getting ready routine.  It normally took me about 45 minutes to an hour to get completely "ready."  My hair had to be just so: mousse, volumizing spray, blow dried, hot rollers {for extra volume--I have flat hair!  Don't judge me!}, then straightened {to get out any kinks}, then hairsprayed like mad so it would all stay in.  Then came make up.  The works.  concealer, eyeliner, blush, mascara-- even if I was just going to Wal*Mart!  I also spent a LOT of time figuring out what I was going to wear.  I had a closet full of clothes to choose from & often, I thought it was "reeeeeeeeally hard" to pick something out {especially when it came to maternity clothes!}.  I always complained that nothing "looked right" or that I didn't have anything to "go" with something. 
Fast forward to today.
Now, I'm happy if I have time to dry my hair before my baby starts screaming {I swear he knows exactly how many minutes my hair needs to stay in a towel before it goes all wonky}.  I'm lucky if I get my teeth brushed before going out the door--let alone have a full face of make-up on...  {I had to do my make-up en-route in the car today--don't worry, I wasn't driving!}.  Now, my everyday wardrobe consists of "Anything That Hasn't Been Spit Up On Yet," "Stuff That Is Finally Starting To Fit Again," Tyler's t-shirts, and sundresses {which--unfortunately, as versatile as they are, sundresses can not be worn everywhere...}.  Ugh. 
I suppose that in the four short weeks of motherhood that I've experienced, I've learned one very important thing.... {and my husband's eyes will probably roll out of his head if he knows I said this because he's said this for yeeeeeeears.}  It's not all about how you look.  If my kid is happy, comfy, has a full belly & a clean diaper, I'm thrilled.  Yup, that is probably baby throw-up on my shoulder.  Yes, I realize my hair is completely out of control.  Nope, I have not waxed my eyebrows since who-knows-when.... and yes, I  know they look like caterpillars.  And honestly, I'll get to it... as soon as I'm done snuggling this baby of mine.




PS: With that said... I  am looking for a new hairstyle.  Something that's easy to fix & still has style to it.  Any suggestions?  Please?

Oh, Happy Day!

What a fantastic day today was!  Not only was it Father's Day {Tyler's first as a daddy!} AND my little sister's 21st birthday {woo woo!}... today was the first day I wore my pre-pregnancy jeans & my wedding rings! I was thrilled!  I still have a few {okay, 10} pounds to go until I'm back to what I was pre-Hudson, but hey, I'll take it. 
Today was a pretty fun day-- we headed to my parent's house for a Father's Day/Birthday cookout.  {The birthday girl wasn't feeling too hot, however... hah.}  Lots of good food.  Lots of good times.
Huddy wore his "Daddy is my Hero" onesie and gave Tyler a "This is what a cool dad looks like" t-shirt and the Star Trek DVD {yes, Star Trek...} he's been dying to have.  I made him a mini scrapbook page for him to put on his desk at work. 
Speeeeaking of which... I haven't mentioned that I've recently become obsessed with digital scrapbooking.  When I can't sleep at night, that's what I do now.  {Luckily we ended up with a very good baby who sleeps about 6-7 hours plus each night... It's just too bad his mama can't manage to do the same!}  I'm actually thinking of trying to start a little business with the digital design thing.   I designed our entire wedding invitation suite, several friends & family members' bridal & baby shower invitations & a ton of other bits & pieces.  I think I'd like to see how it goes.  We shall see.
As for Hudson, he's fantastic.  He eats.  He sleeps.  He poops.  Everything a good baby should.  Haha...  I just can't stop changing his clothes!!!  He has so many adorable outfits, I just want him to get a chance to wear all of them before he grows out of them.  He helps me out every once in a while by spitting up all over himself, so at least I have a good excuse to put him in a new outfit!  :o)
Our "Little Man" will be a month old this coming Friday.  I can't even believe it.

Wow... two weeks already?

I can't even believe it's already been two weeks since Hudson was born.  I suppose it's time to finish "Part 2" of his arrival....
Welp, after Tyler met my mom & I at the hospital and we were in the birthing suite {around 2:30 pm or so}, my contractions stopped.  Yup.  Stopped.  Again.  The very same contractions that had me unable to speak & walk had completely and entirely stopped. 
Thinking once again that we were going to leave the hospital without an "outside baby," we asked the nurses if we were going to be sent home.  "Um, probably," said one super nice nurse, "but if you want, you can walk around & see if it helps."  So.... walking we went.  I think we did at least 30 laps around the maternity ward.  We'd walk past the nursery and joke about how *someday* maybe we'd have a baby in there too.  As we walked, my contractions started back up, but they weren't 'timeable' and they weren't as intense as before.
Then it happened.  My water broke.... during a fire alarm.  Faaaaaantastic.  We were shut in our room while the lights flashed and alarms sounded.  {You can't make this stuff up!}
After the excitement died down, we were informed that I was going to be admitted.  Finally!  It was really happening!  We were having our baby!
I had to sign a lot of papers.  Thankfully the nurses were patient with me & waited until I was between contractions {which were now back with a vengeance!} to talk to me.  They took my fingerprints and kept asking me if I wanted any pain meds.  "Nope."  That was always my response...until things got even more intense.  When I was at 4 centimeters, I decided that I'd see how the next two contractions went.  If they were really bad, I'd go ahead & consider my pain med options.  One {insanely painful} contraction took place and I looked over at Tyler and said, "I. Want. Drugs." 
With that said, an angel sent from above the anesthesiologist came in with his little cart full of goodies.  "The Epidural Man," as I called him, explained all the horrid side effects that could POSSIBLY happen to a human being {death being one of them...} but added that they were all listed under a "Less than .99% chance of actually happening."  Yet another {somehow even more painful} contraction struck as he was talking and I grabbed the clipboard and signed up.  The actual epidural installation part wasn't bad.  Not even as bad as having an IV inserted into my hand.  I was told that the effects would happen within 10 minutes.  Hah.  Try three!  By the time my next contraction rolled around, I was ready to tell "The Epidural Man" that I loved him.  I managed to go from 4 cm to 8 cm in less than an hour.  Woo!
The thing that impressed me the most about the whole "birth" process {other than a brand new life being brought into the world}, was how quickly the birthing suite {which was set up much like a living room-- couch, rocker, TV, etc} turned into a sterile, surgical place where medical things happened.  Blue paper was thrown over tables, tools {too scary to peek at} were laid out, gloves were on... and it all happened so fast!
Once I was at 10 cm, things started rolling.  Dr. Konda arrived & within a half hour, our little bundle of BOY was finally here!  When Hudson was born, he was blue {it scared me to death, but I remember thinking how much he looked little a little smurf} and he wasn't crying.  Tyler didn't get to cut the cord on account of these two things.  But, once he was in the warming thingy {?}, he was screaming his little lungs out and turning a nice pinky baby color.  Wow.  Tyler & I were absolutely floored.  I don't think either one of us could believe what had just happened.  Tyler's very first words about our firstborn: "He looks just like my Uncle Russell."  A comment I will never forget. 

Hudson's Arrival {Part One}

Our little man is already one week & one day old.  I can't even believe he's ours.  He's the sweetest little boy you ever did meet.  ♥  Last week was a whirlwind to say the least, but here's how we ended up with our little guy:

Monday: I woke up feeling as though I had been hit by a truck.  I just didn't feel right at all.  I tried calling my OB, but the line was busy every time.  Luckily, I had a 10:00 appointment for a Non-Stress Test {NST}, so I figured I'd just tough it out until I got there.  I started having 15 minute-apart contractions on the way to the OB's office {yup, while driving}.  Fantastic.  There I was driving down 422 breathing in--1, 2, 3.  Out-- 1, 2, 3.  My sister met me at the office & my contractions seemed to slow down. 
During the NST, they hooked me up to a machine that registered the baby's heartrate, movement & any contractions I might be having.  Yup, I was having contractions alright.  But the baby wasn't moving around as much as they would have liked.  The nurse used a buzzer on my belly to startle the baby... and we quickly realized that this was one laid-back baby.  Without seeing the movement they were hoping for, I was taken upstairs to have an ultrasound.  We quickly realized why Baby McGrady wasn't moving around very much!  The poor kid was wall-to-wall in there.  We couldn't even see the face because everything was so jam-packed.
Dr. Konda decided to examine me since I had been having some pretty intense contractions... and I was thrilled when she told me I was 2 centimeters dialated!  {Not a lot, I realized, but it was WAY better than hearing, "Nope, no progress." at every other appointment!} 
After I was finished at the OB's office, my mom, grandma & I went for lunch at Pizza Hut.  I don't know if it was the banana peppers on my pizza or what... but I started having MAJOR contractions.  At one point, I was keeled over in the parking lot just praying that my baby wouldn't be a segment on the evening news...  {I never wanted to be one of those moms who were featured because they delivered in a strange place.} 
So, with contractions coming about 5 minutes apart, we decided to do the only logical thing.... and go to my school so I could get my report cards & finish them before school was out.  {Yes, most would have gone to the hospital... but I am obviously not most people.}  I stayed in the car while my mom ran in {literally, ran...} into PCA to get all my stuff.  I sat in the car huffing & puffing... all the while being cheered on by Debi, the fourth grade teacher & Julie, the mom of two of my former students.  With report cards in hand, my mother exited the school & we were off once again.  This time to BMH.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that my mother was driving my Explorer.  And she couldn't figure out how to adjust the seat.  {Keep in mind that I am 5'8" and my mom is 5'3".}  Every time she would try to hit the breaks, the car would do this jerky-lurchy move & I was convinced my baby was going to end up on the floor mat.  She was also trying to get me to do 1980's breathing exercises and focus on something.  At one point, I looked over at her and snapped, "Would you just SHUT UP!?!"  I think she realized right then that yes, she probably should just shut up.  I called Tyler & through clenched teeth told him that he needed to meet us... now.