Voila!

Just in time for his arrival!! We finished the nursery... well, almost! We are still waiting for the nightstand to come in, which is where the "L" lamp that you see in the pictures will actually go, along with his baby book. I really love it! It turned out adorable, and I can't wait for Lucas to enjoy his new room!

Tomorrow is D-Day (Delivery Day)

Well, tomorrow our family of 3 will become a family of 4! I'm so excited to see little Lucas! However, I'm very anxious about the surgery, so I ask each of you to say a little prayer for me tomorrow morning around 7:15. I'm just hoping for a smoother delivery than last time.

This morning, I went into the doctor and then to the hospital for my pre-op work. The doctor estimated by feeling around my belly that Luke will be about 8-8.5 lbs. However, I feel like he is going to be bigger than that based on how heavy my belly feels... we'll see!

I already miss Hudson!! Matthew's parents just picked him up to stay the night with them tonight. They will bring him up to the hospital in the morning to see his new baby brother. Although I know down deep that everything will be ok, with the complications that happened last time I'm more sentimental than normal with Hudson because I can't imagine the thought of never being able to see him again or him not having his Mommy anymore. I just can't wait until mid morning tomorrow when the surgery is all over with, and we can enjoy our two bundles of joy!

We'll keep ya'll updated and post pics as soon as possible!

Big Boy

We always call Hudson "Big Boy", and he will often call himself that too- He loves being called a big boy! Well, we decided that we need to start keeping track of how tall our big boy is getting, so we got him a growth chart. His first measurement was today at 19 months old, and he is 2 feet 10 inches tall.

I'm as tall as the elephant!

First Date

With Lucas on the way, I know that Hudson will have a transition period from being Mommy's spoiled little boy to having to share his attention with his new "buba" (although, after a while, I know he'll enjoy having a little playmate). I have to admit that this will be a transition for Mommy as well... I can't imagine not always giving my little man my undivided attention. In anticipation of this transition for Mommy and son, I decided to start a new tradition - Hudson and Mommy dates. My goal with this is to make Hudson feel special and also allow Mommy alone time with her baby boy. Especially when Lucas arrives, I think it will be important for me to spend some one on one time with Hudson, showing him that I'm still there for him and to give him some special attention. I plan to continue these dates all throughout Hudson's life growing up, and I'll eventually start taking Luke on dates as well (separately from Hudson).

Today, our First Date was at Chick-fil-A where we shared a chicken nugget meal topped off with a cup of ice cream and strawberry topping, which was a hit. Hudson enjoyed himself and ate VERY slowly, so we were there for a good hour. It was nice to spend some time with just the two of us!

All ready for my first date with Mommy!

My handsome date! I'm a lucky gal!

Mommy, Can I drive us there in my police car? Get in and buckle up, Mommy! I even snapped a couple quick pictures at Chick-fil-A...
I love the chicken!

19 Months

Well, Hudson is 19 months old today and about to become a big brother. Hudson's sweet personality and loving disposition will make him such a wonderful example for Luke. It will be nice for Hudson to have another playmate in the house (although it won't be for a while until they can actually play together). He will really enjoy another little guy to run around with.

Some things we will remember about Hudson at 19 months:

• Hudson likes to help Mommy put up the dishes and do laundry. When I am doing Hudson's laundry, I will separate out the colors in piles on the floor and then go start the washer before going back to get the pile. When I go to start the washer, Hudson will start bringing me the clothes to put inside. This is actually a huge help right now since it takes such effort for me to bend down. Also, when emptying the dishwasher, Hudson will hand me items to put up in the cabinets. He's such a big helper!
• Hudson says Bye to Mickey when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is over each time.
• Hudson is a very slow eater. He takes his time with every bite unless it's grapes or something else that he LOVES.
• Hudson has a new favorite word - Mommy! I'd be a rich lady if I had a dime for every time he says my name in one day!
• Hudson found his nostrils... I have caught him a couple times now with his finger in his nose.

Ballpark Birthday

Hudson, Lucas and I gave Matthew tickets for him and I to go to the Rangers game tonight. Although Matthew's birthday is not until next Saturday, I wanted to celebrate it early since we will be in the hospital on his special day. We had a lot of fun at the game tonight, and the weather was beautiful at the ballpark. It was nice to just get away, enjoy each other's company, and forget all of the craziness going on in our lives right now! To top it off, the Ranger's won!

Hudson spent the evening with Mimi and Papa, while we were at the game. This afternoon, I told Hudson that he was going to see Papa and Mimi. After I told him that, he was saying Papa and Mimi off and on throughout the day before we went over there. He was looking forward to seeing them!

Pregnancy Update

Well, only 9 more days until we meet this sweet baby boy! Today was my last doctor's checkup before the surgery next week. I am dilated 1cm and 50% effaced. More than likely, I won't go into labor before the scheduled c-section, since I didn't go into labor on my own during my last pregnancy. However, I wouldn't mind if my body decided to make a liar out of me and go into labor early.

We can't wait to see what Luke will look like!!! Will he look more like Daddy, Mommy, Hudson? I posted a poll (over to the right) for you to guess!

We are finishing up decorating the nursery and should hopefully be done this weekend. The bedding and curtains will arrive on Thursday; otherwise, I pretty much have everything else. All the clothes are hung up in the closet and the dresser is organized, which is what I was most concerned with getting completed before Luke arrives.

The carseat is belted in the car, Luke's bag is packed, and I'm almost finished with mine and Hudson's bags (Matthew will take care of his own), so we are pretty much prepared for the big day.

I have still been VERY tired and run down this pregnancy. I am often short of breath; although, it hasn't been quite as bad lately as Luke has dropped some. I have some indigestion, but it's not too bad, and my feet/ankles have swelled up a little towards the end. I feel like Luke is HUGE!! My belly is so heavy like it was last time, so I bet he will be a big baby like Hudson.

EGGcellent Easter

The Easter Bunny hopped by our house and left Hudson LOTS of goodies this year. Besides his Easter basket filled with candy, Hudson got his own personalized backpack, a Gas 'n Go Lawn Mower, a clock puzzle, light-up shoes, a Mr. Potato Head suitcase, sidewalk chalk, three light-up bouncy balls, three DVDs, a stuffed bunny, and a sand and water set for digging. (On a side note... I had every intention of getting Hudson an Easter basket this year but completely forgot until I realized it that night when I was setting his Easter stuff out. So, the basket we used is a little girly this year! I will have to get him an extra cool one next year to make up for Mama forgetting this year! Although, it's what's in the basket that counts, right?)

After church, we enjoyed Easter lunch with my family over at the Hood's house. The boys (Chase, Jaxon and Hudson) loved hunting for Easter eggs in the yard. Hudson got stuck on his first egg because when he opened it he found a hot wheels car that he wanted to play with. Eventually, we convinced him to collect some more eggs though. We spent a lot of the afternoon outdoors. Hudson loved jumping on the trampoline with the other kids!

In the evening, we visited Matthew's parents, so they could see Hudson in his snappy Easter outfit! He also had a sleepover that night with Mimi & Papa. Since they watch him while Mommy is at work on Mondays, we decided to let him spend the night.

Matthew and I were both EXHAUSTED at the end of the night, as we were on the go the whole day! We had quite a hectic weekend between working on the nursery and visiting family. We've been constantly on the go lately (hence the belated Easter post). I need to set some time aside to relax before Luke arrives!

Hope everyone had a Hoppy Easter!

The Easter Bunny was good to Hudson this year!!

Wow, Mom! This ball lights up!

Having fun with his new lawn mower

All ready to go!

Trampolines are FUN!

Look at the alligator Aunt Shirley gave me!

The gang

Wow, a hot wheels car!

Looking at Jaxon's eggs

The Easter Egg Hunters

I LOVE my car!

We're Going to have a Nephew!

Derek and Kitty came in town for Easter weekend, so we went over to my parent's house tonight to eat dinner with them. They are expecting their first bundle of joy in August, and they're having a BOY!! We are very excited to have another boy in the family, and it's going to be so great that he will only be a few months younger than Luke. Hudson enjoyed spending time with Uncle Derek and Aunt Kitty tonight. He sat for a while on their laps drawing on his Magna Doodle. We also spent part of the evening out in the cul-de-sac enjoying the beautiful weather. Of course, Hudson thought this was a blast and didn't want to come indoors. I'm sure we'll be spending lots of time outside in the gorgeous Easter weather tomorrow too!

These Molars are NO FUN!

It seems that Hudson's back molars are coming in. These teeth are unbelieveably painful for poor little Hudson. Teething has never really bothered Hudson very much until now, which is a different story. I've heard that these molars can be the most painful, and it's definitely true in his case. I felt so bad for the little guy. The first sign of this was Sunday night when Hudson woke up around 9:00 after being asleep for about an hour and a half, which he never does. He was crying hysterically and shaking... Mommy could tell right away that he was in a lot of pain. I gave him some Tylenol and held him in bed with me until the pain went away. Once the Tylenol kicked in, I put him back in his bed, and he was perfectly fine the rest of the night and next day. Today we met Jennifer and Emily for lunch. Hudson was his normal self throughout the meal (even begging Jennifer for the strawberries on her salad) until the very end when we were paying he started crying, which isn't like him, so we ended up leaving. On our way home, Hudson screamed and cried the whole way, and again, I knew this was a cry of pain. I held him when we got home as he was trembling, wimpering, and his face was bright red from crying. I felt so bad for him. I gave him some Tylenol for the pain and held him in my bed for a few minutes until he felt better. I love it when he snuggles up to me like that. He wanted only one thing - for Mommy to hold him tight. As much as I wanted Hudson to take a nap with me, I knew it was best for him to get some good sleep in his own crib, so I just put him down, and he is sleeping. Hopefully, he will feel better when he wakes up.