Toddler Talk

Otherwise lovingly referred to as Hudsonisms in our home.....

Um yeah, so earlier this afternoon, I'm in my bathroom putting my makeup on while Hudson was in the bath right behind me. My mother in law was going to be coming over to visit and have dinner and we had been having a lazy morning and had just gotten around to getting ready for company. Like I often do, I decided to put Hudson in the bath to play while I quickly threw on some makeup before giving him a bath and then waking up Landon from his nap to give him his bath as well. All was normal as Hudson played and splashed in the tub. He insists on having tons of toys and I always *try* to be the nice mom and play along allowing him some fun time in the tub before it's down to the business of getting clean! Well, let's just say that after a few minutes the dialogue I begin to hear coming from the bathtub nearly causes me too pee myself (good thing I was in the bathroom I guess!) because it was truly downright comical! I didn't know what to expect or what in the world Hudson could have been talking about when I heard it, but once I realized the story behind his words it was just too stinkin' cute not to share! 

So, he's just started this thing where he talks to himself or rather to his toys and cars and plays out little imaginary conversations with them and this was just one of a few this week that made me downright giddy and just smile thinking of how much fun he was having just be creative and playing on his own. Little did I know how "creative" he could be.....

First I hear this....

Hudson in a high pitched voice -- "Don't eat me! Don't eat me!"

Then I hear this.....

Hudson is a raspy, growly voice --- "Rrrr, rrrr, I'm gonna eat you!"

Then this....

Hudson in a high pitched voice --- "Oh no, oh no! Please don't eat me! Please don't eat me!"

Finally, I decide to turn around and find out what the heck the kid is talking about because I'm pretty confused at this point and low and behold, I see him in the tub, Lightning McQueen in one hand and in the other, a big-arse shark toy to which he proceeded to imitate eating his hero, Lightning McQueen, lol!!! I immediately caught on to his hilarious imaginary scene and asked him what was going on even though I knew and he said, the shark is trying to eat Lightning and then just giggled. Ha!

Seriously, kids have the craziest imaginations, don't they? But then again, that's another amazing and totally fun thing about being a parent! I am constantly amazed at everything my child says and does and whether it's silly that makes me laugh or innocent and heartfelt that makes me my heart swell or something new and amazing that makes me proud, I just can't get over how terrific he really is and how much my love for him grows more and more every.single.day. Becoming a mom = priceless, best.blessing.ever

So....now I want to know, what's the silliest or most random thing your kiddo has said or done this week?

Divine Consign Haul

This past weekend I attended the presale for the Divine Consign consignment sale that is held twice per year in both Grapevine and Plano, Texas. This event specializes in the highest quality gently worn children’s and maternity clothing, toys, books, games, DVDs, baby equipment (strollers, exersaucers, etc.) and baby and children’s furniture and is filled with all kinds of awesome finds at a fraction of the cost! I actually signed up and participated in working a volunteer shift on Sunday in order to be able to go to the presale on the Saturday before and let me just say, it was definitely worth it! I'm gonna go ahead and admit that I'm am already a huge fan and can't wait for the next sale later this year!

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of Divine Consign or have been to the sale before, but for little ole' me, this was my first time to attend. Yep, I was a consignment sale virgin and now that I have experienced the greatness that is Divine Consign, I will go ahead and come forward and admit that I am already an addict! Now I know why it's called Divine Consign, it was simply DIVINE! More than that, it was simply awesome to find SO many great deals for my boys and I wasn't even in the first groups to be able to shop! There were at least a couple of other groups that were allowed to shop prior to the time slot that I shopped in and I was still able to find a ton of great stuff including tons of clothes for both my buddy and my punkin! (two of my terms of endearment for Hudson and Landon, dorky I know!)

And moms of girls, of course, there was EVEN MORE stuff covered in pink ruffles and bows for all of you! I am certain that should I ever have the joy of having a daughter that I would have a excruciatingly difficult time showing ANY self control if faced with shopping for a precious little girl. I mean, I might just have an all out shopping problem, no, scratch that, I would most certainly develop a severe shopping addiction should that ever happen. And oh, how I do hope that I do get to have myself a little daughter to experience and share in all of the girly girl things that mommy loves so much, but I digress, yet again an entirely different story altogether....maybe it will have a happy ending though? Hehe! If not, then I will be totally and completely content with be surrounded with handsome boys and eventually men for the rest of my life!

Okay, now I've gone off on a carzy tangent (so totally typical of me!) and need to get BACK ON TRACK! Back to the sale, so I have yet been able to have time to take any photos of my stash, BUT I am just so giddy about all of the great stuff I snatched that I wanted to go ahead and share a brief summary of all of the items that I just could not leave behind!

So, get ready....

Get set.....

Here we go!

First I will start with the not so fun part, how much I spent....pre-tax I spent a total of $ 331.00, but wait, before you think I need to attend shopaholics anonymous just check out all of the loot I got for my hard earned moolah. 

Fisher Price Baby Gymnastics Bounce and Spin Zebra - 

paid - $ 22.00 | retails new for $ 59.99

Fisher Price Gobble & Go Hippo -

paid - $ 6.00 | retails new for $ 39.99

Step 2 Push Around Buggy with push handle - 

paid $ 20.00 | retails new for $ 44.99

Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Crib Toy -

paid $ 5.00 | retails new for $ 45.00

Fleurville DJ Style Diaper Bag - New and never been used, including diaper changing mat, wipes case and other accessories - 

paid $ 29.00 | retails new for $ 90.00

Fisher Price Peek-a-Boo Piano - New and in box, never been used

paid $ 15.00 | retails for $ 32.99

Leapfrog Letter Spinning Spider - 

paid $ 1.00 | retails for $ 14.99

Fisher Price Little Super Star Classical Stacker - 

paid $ 4.00 | retails for $ 14.99

Disney Pixar Cars Remote Control Mater

paid $ 3.00 | retails for $ 14.97

The rest of my finds were all shoes and clothes -

(3) pairs of Stride Rites for Landon 

(1) pair of brand new Pedi-peds for Landon

(1) pair of Stride Rite leather sandals for Hudson

And can I get a drumroll please?????

(74) pieces of clothing total for both boys!

This was the most amazing thing, I simply could not believe that I was still able to find SO much clothing items that not only were in great condition, but were styles that I liked and were quality clothing brands mostly consisting of Gymboree and Gap, but also some Janie and Jack, Lucky Brand and topped off with a good bit of items from Osh Kosh. Then there were a few sets of Carter's pj's I picked up just because it was SO inexpensive. I'm talking like $ 3.00 for three or four sets of pajamas, so I could totally justify getting them because it was definitely a steal!

I also got cute little layette set from Little Me that had the tags still on it and even better, I bought another adorable outfit that was new with tags, but I didn't recognize the designer (C'est la Vie), however I went online to look it up and it turns out that it is a boutique brand and the outfit retails for over $ 50.00! Definitely an awesome find! 

I am still going to *try* to snap some shots and post pics later, but just couldn't resist sharing the awesome finds with all of you so for those of you who've never gone to Divine Consign or any consignment sale in general, could see how much value can be found at these types of sales. I'm even considering going to the Plano sale this weekend, but I missed the boat on getting a volunteer shift so I'd be having to go during the normal sale hours open to the general public instead. Although, I've heard that the sale is SO large and has far more items available for purchase and not only that, will also be having a large amount of additional items added to the sale after the pre-sale so that it will be a lot more likely to still be able to find some great stuff at the public sale even after all of the pre-sale shoppers have already picked over the inventory. I will definitely post an update later on my finds should I decide to go this weekend. 

For those of you that did go to the Grapevine sale, I'm curious to know what your best finds were and overall, how you felt you did in general with your purchases from the sale? And for those of you that go to the Plano sale this weekend, please do come back here after the sale and feel free to share what treasures and steals you were able to find as well!

Mega Swagbucks Friday

I know some of you are familiar with Swagbucks, but for those of you that aren't, now is the time to join and search and win! It's basically a search engine that you use in place of Google and you can randomly win Swagbucks that you can then save and exchange for prizes or gift cards, which are my absolute fave! I've only been a member for a couple of months tops and don't really even search very often, but have earned enough Swagbucks to have already purchased (2) $ 5.00 Amazon gift cards. These are my favorite prize to be honest since you can buy SO much on Amazon and not only that, you can get amazing deals and most often times even free shipping by shopping there. The $ 5.00 Amazon gift cards ONLY cost 450 Swagbucks, which honestly, if you use the search engine fairly frequently then you can earn them pretty darn fast!

AND Swagbucks has just revamped their entire website and system and added new features, increased potential to win even more bucks than before and so much more! So it seems that things will be even more exciting in the months to come. And of course Fridays are my favorite and the absolute best day of the week to take advantage and do your searches because it is Mega Swag Bucks day, which basically means that instead of winning smaller denominations of Swagbucks, they are all mega-sized and you have the potential to win anywhere from 30 to 1,000 Swagbucks on just one single search! Increasing your earning potential drastically and allowing you to potentially earn bucks so much faster to go towards the prize of your choice. Awesome, right???

If you haven't joined yet, you can sign up here.....and once you do and try it out, let me know what you think! I'd love to hear what fun prizes you have your eye on!

Recipe - Spaghetti & Meatballs

This oh-so-yummy homemade spaghetti and meatballs recipe is actually courtesy of the one and only Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, one of my favorite cooking divas! This was the first time I had ever made this meal, but let me just tell you, it was SO delicious! Ree's recipes rarely disappoint in any way, shape or form and this recipe was definitely no exception! The meatballs were my favorite part about the meal, but the sauce was certainly super yummy as well and even better than all of that, Hudson even ate it too! AND he even made "Mmm, mmm, mmm" sounds while he was eating, that my friends is music to my ears and makes me SO happy since he often times does not want to eat what mama and daddy are eating and thus, we have to make something entirely separate for him and unfortunately, it usually isn't something I would prefer for him to be eating, but that's an entirely different story altogether so I will spare you the details at this particular juncture and won't go off on a tangent about that right now. ;)

In any case, this was my first stab at homemade meatballs and all-in-all, I think I did pretty darn good! I did use a cookie dough scoop to aid me in my meatball making, but I had to rush to put it all together so they weren't as uniformly shaped as I would have liked, eh', tasted mighty good though so I'll forgive the slightly ill shape this time around. So, I want to know, what's your favorite Italian recipe??? Drop me a line and let me know because mama loves her some Italian and I am now always looking for new things to cook and try out too!

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• ¾ pounds Ground Beef
• ¾ pounds Ground Pork
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ¾ cups Fine Bread Crumbs
• 2 whole Eggs
• ¾ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan
• ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Splash Of Milk
• ½ cups Olive Oil

• Sauce:
• 1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
• 1 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
• ½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional) - I used white
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• 8 whole Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade (optional) - did not use
• 2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente

Preparation Instructions

To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a mixing bowl. 

Mix together well with hands. Roll into 25 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. 

Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.

To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside. 

In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and wine, if using. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. 

Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer. 

Just before serving, stir in basil if using.

Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan.

Recipe - Russian Chicken

Makes 4 - 6 servings

This is such an easy and yummy chicken recipe and has been one of the tried and true meals that we've made for many, many years now. To get started, you will need the following ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 package Lipton onion soup mix

1 - 8 oz bottle of Russian dressing (or half of a larger bottle size)

1 - 8 oz apricot preserves

Fresh ground pepper blend

Directions ---

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rinse chicken breasts and pepper lightly on both sides with fresh ground pepper blend (I also add a little sea salt as well)

Combine Russian dressing, apricot preserves and Lipton onion soup mix in mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. (I'm a bit of a freak and for some reason add about 2 tablespoons of KC Masterpiece bbq sauce to the sauce as well....it's not part of the recipe, but I feel like it gives it a bit more oomph and more of a smoky undertone to the flavor. Just my personal preference though)

Place the chicken breasts in a casserole dish and pour the dressing mixture over the chicken covering entirely and evenly throughout the casserole dish.

Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil, but do not cover too tightly. It works best if it is a bit looser and if you kind of create a domed effect with the foil over the dish.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

****I always serve this atop white rice and then with a side such as green beans or broccoli, but just about any veggie would complement it nicely. 

 

Today is our first official Menu Plan Monday and I am so excited to be sharing our weekly meals with you along with recipes for some of the meals planned for the week! Since I know I have quite a few friends and followers that are frugal like I am and especially when it comes to the household grocery shopping, I also will be sharing my weekly savings from my frugal grocery shopping trips each and every week with my Super Savings post. Hopefully, I will be able to pass on some savings to others in the process and help you save your family a little extra dough while still having a pantry filled with everything needed to create a tasty meal for the entire family! Wouldn't that be fabulous???

Now onto this week's menu plan....

MONDAY 2.22 (tonight!) - Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Garlic Smashed Potatoes

TUESDAY 2.23 - Russian Chicken over white rice with steamed brocolli - recipe to follow 

WEDNESDAY 2.24 - Spaghetti & Meatballs with garlic toast - recipe to follow

THURSDAY 2.25 - Tortilla Soup - recipe to follow

FRIDAY 2.26 - BNLTA's - our version - bacon, no lettuce - ha! - tomato - add avocado :)

SATURDAY 2.27 - Cajun Chicken Pasta - recipe to follow

SUNDAY 2.28 - Grilled rib-eye steak with loaded baked potato 

So, what are you and your family eating this week???

Coming Soon - Menu Plan Monday.

One of my short-term goals is to get this blog back up to date and to keep it current moving forward and that includes a handful of virtually completed posts that I am behind on from the past few weeks that just need to be completed. I will, I will, I will have these posts from the entire first half of February completed within the next week or at least that is the definite plan!

But now for the good stuff! That's what you want to know about, right? I have decided to spend some time on this blog sharing some things that I have come to love and to be quite passionate about as of recent and will be covering a couple of different regular topic segments with my readers on a weekly basis. One of these fabulous weekly segments will be menu planning since I have recently taken up doing a lot more of the cooking in our home and amazingly enough, I LOVE it! I don't love it everyday and certainly get weary of cooking a meal at times, but not usually because of the actual process, but rather because I often have very little left of me to give by the end of the day, so I am trying to take that in account and plan my meal plans accordingly. In other words, plan meals that will be enjoyable, achievable and non-complicated or overly-time consuming especially on those days that I am home alone all day with the boys. 

This is where Menu Planning Monday comes in and besides my menu plan for the week, I will be sharing recipes for many of the meals as well.  I know I always enjoy reading about what others are cooking and eating and even better when they share a recipe, right?? I mean, I don't know about you, but I love it when I cook a meal, like it so much that I feel compelled to share the recipe with family and friends and then they also love it too! I feel a sense of accomplishment just by the simple fact that I shared something that I loved and truly enjoyed with another individual and when it brings some type of joy or satisfaction to their life, isn't that the ultimate compliment and make you just feel all giddy inside? I would also love to hear about what you are cooking and how you do your menu planning for the week or maybe you plan two weeks at a time, whatever works best for your family is key, but I'd love to hear your thoughts and tried and true methods as well not only since I am fairly new to this, but because I just love to know what works and doesn't work for others and why or why not certain things work for them when it comes to menu planning, cooking, shopping, etc. It's something that I think I can still improve on greatly and learning from others experience and ideas will definitely play a key role in developing the best plan for your own family as well. 

So, my first Menu Plan Monday will be this upcoming Monday, but for now i would love to know what do you do in regards to menu planning? Do you plan on a weekly basis? Biweekly? Monthly? How do you prepare yourself for your shopping trips and what does that consist of? I cannot wait to hear all of your great ideas and methods and of course, to share all of mine with all of you as well!

Rewind - Maternity Photos 2009.

So, kind of ironic I guess, but I never got around to sharing my maternity photos that Sara with Little Ones Rock took for me back in, oh November! I wanted to at least share a few of my favorites even though little Landon is already here and going on three months old already!!! I know, I cannot even believe that my newborn is about to be one quarter of a year old! YIKES! Before I know it I will be planning his first birthday party and getting ready for his second Christmas, big crocodile tears coming on just thinking about it. :(

Whew...okay, past the emotional stuff for now....so on with the pics! I want to frame at least one if not a couple or few, which ones are your faves?? Being the overly-analytical one, I just can't decide and always have problems making decisions especially on things like this...thus, why there's a huge stack of Aaron Brothers frames still sitting under the entertainment center in my office | the playroom because I have yet to be able to sit down and decide on which photos to have printed to frame in each one. Le sigh. I guess I need to work on that too.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

Landon Jacob - Two Months Old.

 

Landon - you are TWO MONTHS OLD!!!!

What are you up to these days?

• You are growing so fast my little one! We took you for your two month checkup with Dr. H and you already weigh a solid 11 lbs 1 oz, up exactly three whole pounds from your birth weight! You definitely can seem to be growing quite quickly and are starting to get the cutest chunky little legs and some little chubby cheeks too! I call you my chunky monkey and you just smile and coo and gurgle and even almost giggle when mama talks all silly to you!
  

• You are still wearing a size 1 diaper, however they are a bit large on you and you'll probably continue to wear them for a while which is okay with mama since I don't want you to grow up too, too fast!

• You are also still wearing all newborn clothing and while some things are a little snug or seem a bit short on you, most of the newborn items you should be able to wear for at least a little while longer. Although, who knows since you seem to be such a fast growing little boy!

  

• You are still nursing exclusively and your mama is so proud that you have done so well and that I have been able to nurse you as I had hoped I could. I keep holding my breath waiting for something to go wrong, a problem to arise, but no, you have done amazing and luckily, mama hasn't had any significant setbacks either. I am hoping that our luck will continue and that I will be able to continue nursing you until you are at least six months old if not for a full year, but we will take it day by day and take whatever comes our way.

• You still resist pacifiers and bottles, BUT will accept them on occasion. Of course, you prefer mommy to either one, but sometimes daddy has to improvise!

  

• You are sleeping for at least one long stretch at night usually lasting for 5 or 6 hours on average, but have slept as long as 9 hours at a time. Then you will usually wake after two hours or so for a feeding and then again for your morning feeding. You often times take a nap in the late morning and then another in the early to late afternoon. Although, there have been many occasions recently to where you have only taken ONE nap all day long and have only slept for 2 hours or so. Hopefully, this is just temporary though and you get back to taking at least two naps a day for two-three hours a piece.
  

• You definitely know what you want and what you need and always take no time in letting mama and daddy know! A very vocal baby and while you do cry a bit more  than your I recall your bigger brother did, you do not seem to cry out without reason unless it is because you simply just want to be held and to have that interaction which of course, is absolutely, totally and completely normal. You are a baby and that's what babies thrive on and need, to be held and loved and to have interaction and a connection with those that love them and that they love. So, although you do cry and do so regularly, you do so in a normal, healthy manner as I discussed with Dr.H at your recent appointment. And you are indeed a very, very happy baby nonetheless! You LOVE for us to talk to you, sing to you, act silly and smile at you and play with you and you just smile and coo and your eyes light up in a way that I simply cannot even begin to describe. It makes my heart melt and my spirits soar when I see you smile and laugh with such innocence, it's simply one of the best feelings I've ever felt and yet, so difficult to put into words in a way to describe enough to do it justice. It's truly indescribable the way you make me feel when you smile and those gorgeous deep blue-grey eyes light up and you light everything and everyone else up when you do so as well. You are just SO loved! 

  

•  You continue to be innately aware of your surroundings and all going on around you. So much so that you seem to act like you know what's going on or at least want to make sure you are included! You often cry when I am out of your sight for a minute or say if you are in your swing in the living room and we are all in the kitchen getting dinner together, so we now know that you just want to be included too! We just bring you into the kitchen so you can be part of the action as well or supervise I will say, lol!

• You are still a swaddle lover and continue to ONLY sleep very well when swaddled although you fall asleep all of the time without it. It's just that you sleep SO lightly that it seems like without it you move your arms or legs when a noise might startle you and you wake up much easier while with the swaddle you are more contain and seem to sleep much, much more soundly and noises and other distractions seem to not bother you much at all.

  

• You seem to like to be the center of attention or at least prefer it when someone is cooing all over you! You have become quite the smiley, happy baby when you want to be and love to just smile and make all kinds of funny little noises! You look like you are trying your best to repeat sounds or to babble, although I know it is FAR too early for that, I think you are determined and have something to say though!

• You are still napping in your swing or in your Papasan bouncer most often and occasionally nap on mama or in your pack n play. You've napped so more in your crib, but those naps seem to not last quite as long. We are looking to move you to your room at night before too, too long, so hopefully you'll start liking your crib more soon and hopefully, the transition won't be too difficult.

  

• You definitely have become more comfortable with your baths and even seem to enjoy them quite a bit! In fact, you act a bit scared or hesitant at first, but after just a minute or two, you start cooing and smiling at mama. I think it just takes a minute for you to feel safe and then you're good to go!  You still HATE to have a dirty diaper and definitely let out some of the loudest cries in order to make sure we know you need your diaper changed and FAST!

• Bailey is FAR more interested in you, than you are in him, but that's okay. He has become a lot more interested in you in the past few weeks and often comes up and starts wagging his tail and sniffing all over you whenever we are on the floor doing tummy time or playing on your play mat. I think he's just nosy really!

• Hudson is still as smitten, if not even more so, of you too! He is always trying to play with you and show you both your toys and how to play with them along with his cars too! Of course, he's gotta teach ya all about Lightning McQueen, Mater, Chick Hicks and the Hudson Hornet!!! You usually just stare at him or smile and laugh, but it's always adorable to watch the two of you together. I just can't wait to see how cute you are together once you are older! For now, Hudson has become quite the helper bringing mommy the boppy or a blanket or your swaddle, diapers and wipes, whatever mama needs to help take care of Landon. It's absolutely adorable I tell ya!

  

• Your hair is still fairly think and dark, however you do have quite the funny little bald spot on the back of your head! Actually, mama was pretty sad and unhappy about it and cannot wait for the hair to grow back in. I even asked Dr. H about it at your last appointment and whether or not I should worry about it and he chuckled and assured me no, the hair will grow back, DO NOT worry! Whew! I hope so because it's definitely not the best look for you even though you are about the cutest baby ever! 

• Your eye color hasn't seemed to change much since birth, you have gorgeous dark grey-blue eyes and beautiful LONG eyelashes to boot! Dr. H. did say at your last appointment that he didn't think he could see any color pigment in your eyes, but couldn't be certain and that he would check at your next appointment at four months. He did indicate that if he had to guess, he thinks you'll end up with mama's eyes just like your big brother, but I am going to hold out a little hope that you keep your pretty dark blue ones!  You still have the prettiest, softest skin and seem to rarely, if ever, have any type of skin reactions to anything and have never had cradle cap or any kind of diaper rash whatsoever. SUCH a difference from Hudson when it comes to those two things. Hopefully, I am not speaking too soon! 

  

• Besides all of your new vocal skills, you also have gotten even better at holding your head up and have become a crazy little wiggly worm! Kicking and squirming and just moving around like crazy. You've started to drool an insane amount as well and have most recently decided that you love to suck on your hands. And LOUDLY too! Your daddy and I just laugh listening to you suck and suck on your hands / fingers and you do it sometimes right after you've been fed so it's not done out of hunger, but I guess it's just you exploring and also just that it might be soothing to you.

• You've experienced a couple of other firsts in the past month including your first play date out with mama and big brother. Hopefully, mama can get you some play dates set up with some other babies in your age range before too long so that you can make some new baby friends! The first two months have definitely FLOWN by far too fast, but although makes mommy kind of sad that you have already grown so much, I am even more excited for what is ahead! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us and to see what fun things you'll be up to next little one! We love you!

 

Hudson Three-Year Checkup - Severely Late.

Only 3+ months late, but we finally took Hudson for his three year checkup with Dr. H. and luckily, the appointment went off without a hitch! Honestly, I wasn't sure how things we're going to go, especially since Hudson had initially been acting out quite a bit after Landon's birth, but he's since calmed down and oddly enough, acted like a complete and total gentleman the entire time we were at the doctor's office. He behaved SO well and seemed very receptive to everything his doctor had to say to him. We discussed many things from his sleep patterns to eating patterns, exercise and motor skills to social skills and behavior. We discussed our desire to have him participate in some type of Mother's Day Out or similar in order to get more socialized and prepared for pre-school to which he agreed and of course, we discussed the fact that Hudson is NOT yet potty-trained and has very little to no desire to even attempt to move from diapers to big boy underwear. Dr. H. said that we could wait a little longer if we wished before we aggressively moving forward with potty training since we do have a newborn on our hands, but was very honest about the fact that it is something that we will need to focus on and have plenty of time and energy to do as he suggested basically skipping pull-ups or any other type of training product and instead just ditching diapers completely when the time comes and replacing with undies. He states that this technique seems to work much better especially because typically toddlers do not like to have (pardon the tmi!) urine or feces to run down their legs and so if you start them off in underwear and just bring them to the potty frequently and consistently throughout the day, it is far more likely that they will catch on quickly and be able to train faster skipping the entire pull-up or training diapers phase. There was more detail to it than that, but that's the basic jest. I'm embarrassed that he turned three in October and still isn't potty trained, but honestly, I had no energy or time for it myself towards the end of my pregnancy and then once Landon was born, well, between nursing and just taking care of a newborn in general, we decided that we would hold off a little bit before trying again with Hudson. Although, we are still talking about it constantly, frequently offering him to go to the potty, etc., but Hudson is just NOT interested. I think we will have to do what Dr. H suggested and just stick him in underwear and face the music once we are prepared to do so. It shouldn't be much longer as I can't take two in diapers for a lot longer anyway and hopefully, things are settling down enough with Landon to where between myself and David, we will have the time to focus on potty training a bit more.

Mothers of boys, what age did your sons get potty trained? I've always heard that boys take a lot longer and that being over three and not being potty trained is actually fairly common, but I still worry about it and can't wait for my little boy to finally just want to use the potty! If you have any tips or tried and true methods / suggestions, please feel free to share them! I'd love to hear what did or did not work for you.

All in all though, the appointment went very well and Hudson's stats were impressive as well. Oh, and he also got a couple of his immunizations and let me just tell you, he didn't like it too much! Poor litle Hudson, I felt so bad when he started crying and definitely had not seen those shots coming! He was fine minutes later of course, but definitely wanted a sticker for all of his pain once we checked out from the doctor's office, lol! At least it all went very well and I am proud to say that we've got us a couple of very healthy and cute little boys on our hands here! 

His measurements / stats were as follows:
Weight - 34 lbs 8 oz (75th percentile!)
Height - 37 1/2" (60th percentile)