Throwing in the Towel

What's worse than having one child with an ear infection??? TWO kids with ear infections. The ears have won--we are throwing in the towel here! I'm one frustrated mama.

Friday was Hudson's post op appointment at the ENT. We started out with his hearing test, and unfortunately, it couldn't be done because one of his ears was completely clogged. The nurse practitioner told us that it was infected, which I was a little surprised by because the ear never drained. Fast forward to today at our pediatrician's office. I took Hudson with me to Harrison's appointment so that Dr. C. could look at his ears again and see if the drops were helping, and lo and behold, one of the tubes is not in the right place and is on its way out (hence the reason that the ear never drained to begin with!). We didn't even make it two months--it was a lot of money down the tubes too (pun intended!). Dr. C. is going to check it again next week to see if it is really out and then we'll decide what to do. I'm praying that they will re-do it at no cost to us, but I'm sure that won't be the case. Whatever we have to do to get Hudson well is what we'll do though.

Harrison finished up the last of his antibiotic from his last ear infection on Friday, and then Saturday night at 11 pm, he woke up and we could not get him back to sleep. He was hysterical. We would get him to sleep holding him and then put him in his crib and it was just the end of the world. He was in such pain. We tried Tylenol and numbing drops, and it just didn't do anything! Joel got him to fall asleep for a couple of hours, but he was back up at 3 am. I was able to get him to fall asleep on my chest, but of course, that meant I couldn't sleep. So, we got no sleep Saturday night at all. I wanted to wait to see our doctor because he knows our situation and of course he was out of the office on Monday so we didn't get in until today, but sure enough, double ear infection. This is our last try. If this new antibiotic doesn't work, tubes it is.

Despite all of this, we still had a fun weekend. It's getting to be that time of year where we have tons to do on the weekends and it's great.

Friday night, we headed to Mt. Laurel and let Hudson play at the park for a while before going to Area 41 for dinner. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Hudson ate pizza like a big boy for the first time (we didn't have to cut it up--woo hoo!).

Harrison learned to clap on Friday as well! It is so cute!!! It's nice to see those hands not clinched up in a fist all the time!

Saturday morning, we had Caroline's 3rd birthday party at McWane. It was such fun! I think we might have to copy that idea one year.

They started out showing the kids several animals and they all loved it. They had cake and ice cream after that and then it was time to roam McWane.

Hudson and Hunt--Hudson is obsessed with Hunt. He has to do everything Hunt does!

One of Hudson's favorite things about the party was the slap bracelet that was in his goody bag. It is hilarious. It takes me back to junior high when slap bracelets were the fad! And no, I'm not concerned that my SON likes a slap bracelet at all. :)

Saturday night, I went with some friends to celebrate Kristen's birthday at Chuck's. The food was delish and it was so much fun to spend a few hours away with friends! Of course, had I known we would get no sleep that night, I might not have stayed out so late!

Sunday morning, we were all zombies, but I had to teach in Hudson's Sunday school class. No rest for the weary! I love it though, so it wasn't too bad. We came home after Sunday School and Hudson took an early nap (Harrison stayed home with Joel and pretty much slept the entire day!). Once he and Harrison got up, we all headed to our Sunday school class Easter egg hunt! Hudson was pumped about it. We had practiced the day before, so he was ready! He definitely "got" it and got a bunch of eggs--so much so that we were begging him to give some to the smaller kids that were just learning how to hunt eggs. That was us last year and I got so mad at the big kids for taking all the eggs. Now, my kid is the big kid taking all the eggs and I feel kind of bad!

Harrison was feeling MUCH better by the afternoon.

I'm pretty positive that he ate most of the candy that was in those eggs before we left the park! Oh well, what fun it was!

I hate that there is a glare right on my face! We tried to get a family pic...

Harrison and his girlfriends, Katherine and Lillie!

After the Easter egg hunt, we headed to the Reed's for dinner. It really was a fun weekend. I'm frustrated with the ear thing, but I say it time and time again that it could be a lot worse.

Feeling Better!

We had a really fun weekend! It didn't hurt that the weather was absolutely beautiful too!

Saturday morning, Hudson and I went with some of his buddies and their mamas to see The Little Engine That Could at the Children's Theater. I got an email about it a couple of months ago and just knew I had to take Hudson because that is one of his favorite books! We asked Hunt and Haines to go with us and just had a ball! We all thought it was going to be in the real theater, but it was actually in the Wee Folks theater and was aimed for preschoolers. There were little stairs for all of us to sit on and the stage was literally right in front of us. The boys loved it! It was only an hour, which was perfect for 3 year olds and it was really laid back. They could talk and laugh or even run around if they wanted to (they were too mesmerized to do that though!), so it was great. We will definitely be back to see other things!

Afterwards, we got to meet all the characters and got their autographs. You know how Hudson gets with people in costumes, so he wasn't interested in getting too close, but I was proud of him. He went up to each one and gave them his program. That's progress, people!

I took a picture of Megan and Hunt next to the girl that played the little blue engine and Hudson just had to go hop in Megan's lap to take a picture too. It was hilarious!

Megan and I decided to trade places!

We all went to Chick Fil A for lunch and more playtime afterwards and it was just a really fun morning out! I can't speak for Hunt and Haines, but Hudson took a 3 hour nap! Then, it was outside time for the rest of the day until the sun went down!

We found out that Harrison LOVES the little car toy. He would ride in it for an hour at a time. It was so funny because he just put his hands on the steering wheel like he knew what to do!

Hudson did really good pushing him around! I was hesitant to let him do it, but he was sweet.

Check out those chubby cheeks!!!

Hudson has FINALLY learned how to pedal.

Sunday, we played hookie from church and enjoyed the beautiful day. We were literally outside ALL day. It was awesome! Harrison worked on his sitting up skills and was very happy just taking it all in. He loves being outside.

We got out the bouncy house and Hudson had so much fun. He was flat worn out by lunchtime, then took a great nap, then went and jumped some more. While the boys napped, I got to go on a 4 mile walk with Cameron! It was great, although I'm pretty sore today!

It was a great weekend and I'm glad that everyone was feeling better. Now, it's spring break and the boys are getting extra spoiled from the grandparents this week since daycare is closed. If only I could have taken spring break--I picked the wrong profession for that! I'm so envious of all those at the coast this week. It's normally cold and rainy, but this year, it's killing me not to be at the beach! We'll be there soon enough, though!

Here we go again...

It appears that the antibiotic Harrison was on for his ear infection didn't do its job, so we were back at the doctor today with one sick little baby. He was so pitiful and in so much pain. It was terrible. I think we just need to make the tubes appointment because clearly, our kids have bad ears!

He got a shot today and we'll start on a stronger antibiotic tomorrow so hopefully, he'll feel better soon! He has been extra snuggly, but I'm ready for my happy baby to be back!

Interview With My 3 Year Old

I did a little interview with Hudson on his birthday and here are just a few things about him at age 3 (and I'm writing them down exactly as he said them!):

1. Favorite color - Red, because I have red on my shirt. And blue and green.
2. Best friend - Caleb is my best friend.
3. Favorite movie - Lion King
4. Favorite cartoon - Toy Story (I guess Toy Story is a cartoon!)
4. Favorite snack - Peanut jelly (short for peanut butter & jelly--not snack food around here, but oh well!)
5. Favorite drink - Red juice
6. Favorite thing to eat for breakfast - silly bar (cereal bar)
7. Favorite thing to wear - underwear (what???)
8. Favorite toy - Remote control (again, what???)
9. Favorite food - Strawberries
10. Favorite book - Crocodile book (not sure what that one is, maybe something at school?)
11. Favorite animal - Tiger (we've taught him something right!)
12. Favorite animal at the "zoof" (this question was per his request) - Elephant (I take the previous comment back!)
13. Favorite dessert - chocket pudding
14. Favorite thing to do at the lake - Drive Pops' boat
15. Favorite thing to do at the cabin - play with my train
16. Favorite thing to eat at a restaurant - lemonade
17. Favorite song - "Mommy, don't like that" (obviously, we were through!)

It was fun interviewing him! I'll have to ask him the same questions next year and see how things change. I was hoping he would answer the song question because this boy LOVES him some music. He loves to dance. He has to have music on in the car and he dances the whole time. He knows what the "head bang" is. He used to "play" the guitar too. Right now his thing is the drums. He's always playing the drums. He asked for drums for his birthday, but I wanted to maintain my sanity. Sorry buddy. Maybe when you're 21 and on your own (although that makes me really sad to think about that!)!

While he does love music, he can also hit a ball on the fly with a bat! I am so impressed. Forget the tee. He can hit it if you throw it to him. Not every time, but hey, for 3 years old, I couldn't believe he can do it! Now I've just got to teach him how to be a pitcher since he's a lefty and we might have a major leaguer! :)

Hudson is also recognizing his letters and wants to know how everything is spelled. He thinks most everything is spelled H-U-D-S-O-N, but he's been known to add a "Y" also because he's heard me spell "Mommy" a time or two!

He wants to what everything is that we pass. Sometimes, I just have no idea so I make something up and he's just happy as a clam! I love being in this stage where anything I say is right! Ha! If only Joel would start believing that! :) He's starting saying, "You're right, Mommy" and I think it's hilarious.

If he's resisting bedtime, he'll put himself in timeout. What do you do?!?!

He knows how to work the Ipad. It's crazy how much he knows what to do. It's just weird hearing him say, "Ipad!" He can pick which apps he wants to do, and he somehow has figured out how to watch train videos too! Although tonight, we realized that we need to start monitoring his use of the Ipad. Somehow, he had found his way to things that no 3 year old should see! Oops! Good thing he really had no idea what he was looking at, or hearing for that matter.

Hudson is really starting to pay more attention to Harrison and it really makes my heart happy! It's this indescribable feeling watching them interact. I can't wait to watch their relationship progress as they grow together.

Eating--Hudson has starting eating veggies!!! Cue the Halleluja chorus right now! There is still some bribery there to get him to eat them, but he will eat more than one bite now and sometimes, I think he actually likes them! His favorite is okra...fried of course!

Potty training--SOON! I have the book on the 3 day boot camp method and if this method works, then it must be good! Hudson still has NO interest in using the potty. He still cries when we talk about it. And apparently, there's monsters in the toilet. He's (and WE) are about to be in for a rough few days, but I'm determined to get it done. It's time. Now, if I could just get 3 days in a row to stay home and have nothing to do...

Ok, I just felt the need to do an update on Hudson at 3 years old. I'm also adding some pictures of Max's third birthday party at the Oak Mountain Petting Zoo on Saturday. What a beautiful day we had!

Big Day for Harrison

Yesterday was a big day for Harrison! He sat up by himself all day and did great. No falls, nothing. He played with his toys and I think he loves his new view! And, I loving that he's becoming more stable! I am still not to the point of not putting a pillow behind him, but he's definitely doing it on his own!



Then, last night, he got to try rice cereal for the first time with a spoon. He took it like a champ. I am so glad that I waited an extra month to start with him because I really think he was ready.

He definitely knew what to do. He did gag a few times, but I would gag too because that stuff is pretty gross. I'm sure he will like real baby food better!

He got a little distracted by big brother, but overall, big brother was an excellent teacher!

Love this face...

Overall, it was a very happy experience and I can't wait for him to try some other things!

To top it off, after we put him in his crib for the night, Joel and I were watching him on the monitor and he was trying so hard to roll over. He almost did it! I love watching him reach all of these milestones!

The Fire Truck Party

The big party was Saturday morning. Of course, it didn't happen without a little bit of chaos the day and night before! We were expecting terrible storms on Friday--so bad that they closed all the schools at noon. I had been worried all week about it raining at the party, but by Friday, I knew the party would be fine as long as we could all get there!

Of course the weather wasn't the end of it. Friday afternoon, I tried to get Harrison down for a nap several times, and he just wouldn't have it. He was so fussy, and it was just getting worse by the hour. He would not take his bottles either. I knew something was not right because he is always so happy and easy and never turns down a bottle! At about 8 that night, I decided that I needed to take him to the after hours clinic to get his ears checked because we weren't going to be sleeping that night if I didn't go. I did check the weather before I left to make sure everything was ok (and it was, it never got too bad here at all thank goodness!). Sure enough, it was his ears. We got some antibiotics and some numbing drops that would help him sleep Friday night, and thankfully, they worked like a charm! He woke up starving at 2:30, which I had expected, but after a quick bottle, he was back asleep.

Anyway, I was glad we were able to get a few doses of antibiotics in him before the party. He still wasn't himself, but it was a lot more tolerable than it would have been I think. And, thanks to Migi for loving on him the whole time. We could not have put on this party without Migi taking care of Harrison and without Carrie and Andres getting there early and helping us set up, and helping throughout the party too AND with the clean up! We owe them big time.

Now, for the pictures! We started out at the fire station.

The kids had so much fun climbing in the fire trucks.

The fire men gave them hats and they all loved that!

I love this picture...it just makes me happy to see those kids run with those big smiles! They were all giddy and it was too cute!

Come on boys, smile! Ha! The three H's, Hunt, Hudson, and Haines!

There was no way all those kids were going to look at the camera at the same time. There were some that absolutely would not get up there too. So funny! This is just what you get and I love it!

After a little while at the fire station, we headed down to Overton Park to play and then have lunch and cake.

These two boys are like brothers. They love each other one minute, and are fighting the next. They made a big scene towards the end of the party over sharing a ball (imagine that!), and I was absolutely appalled when my child pushed Caleb down in the mud. I was so embarassed and felt so bad. It was awful. But, apparently, that's what they do, and after some tears and some apologies, they were back to playing again with smiles on their faces.

Ellie Belly and Hudson in the swings.

I didn't get a good picture of all of them eating, but I was shocked that they all sat at the table at the same time and ate. They were all so cute. We just did Chick Fil A nuggets, chips, cheese, and fruit, and then of course, cake. It was easy.

Margaret and Lindsay and sweet Sarah, who was born just 11 days before Harrison!

The birthday boy blowing out his candles!

I forgot to take a picture of the cake before we started cutting it, so this is the best I could do. Pops took one, but I can't seem to get it off the IPad right now. Anyway, I had Publix do the cake and they did a great job! I was impressed with the fire truck!

I had to take this picture because Hudson is crying because he fell in the mud. All the boys were out in the grass playing and one by one, they took a dive in the mud. It was funny to watch them all go down and get dirty! Most of them didn't care, but mine was so upset! He did get over it quickly and fell down a few more times after this. I guess I just need to get used to the mud with boys! :)

I realized after the party that I didn't get a single family picture or a picture of both boys in their cute shirts, which was one of my inspirations for even having this party! I saw these shirts last spring and I said back then that I wanted to do a party at the fire station! Everyone was exhausted, so none of these turned out very well.

We quickly got Hudson in the bath after this picture because he was so muddy, and after that, we opened all of his gifts. We didn't do it at the party because I thought it would just be too much for a bunch of 3 year olds. Hudson had a blast opening them and he got some awesome new things! He was so excited about it and I think he really felt special! Migi and Pops came over shortly after that and brought more gifts! Pops made Hudson (or me, rather!) this adorable bookcase! I just love it and it is exactly what we needed to go in his room!

And after all of that, this is what happened...

Zonked out for three hours on the floor! :)

It was such a fun day and Hudson is still singing Happy Birthday to himself. I'm not sure how make him get that it's over! Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with our sweet Hudson! Turning three has been pretty good for this little guy!