John Hudson's Summer in Photos

Life is going by oh so fast. I just want to take a quick moment to document some things John Hudson is doing! He is all boy, that's for sure. And talking so much,  Tonight he picked up his "cell phone" which is actually a television remote and said, "I texting GaGa (my dad)." I had no idea he even knew the word texting.

I love this sweet, sweet boy!

This is John Hudson cutting his food with a pretend knife. "Mama, look! Knife!!" he said.

And this is one proud little boy...wearing underwear! A few months ago, he was actually doing great with potty training. He was pooping and peeing on the potty regularly.  And then we went on vacation. And that all changed.  A typical conversation between us goes like this
Me: John Hudson, do you want to wear underwear?
JH: Yes!
Me: What do you need to do to wear underwear?
JH: Poo poo and pee pee on the potty!
Me: That's right! Where do big boys poo poo and pee pee?
JH: Potty!
Me: That's right! Are you a big boy?
JH: Yes! John big boy!
Me: Do you want to use the potty?
JH: No
Me: Why not?
JH: Cause....I want play.

So anyways, one day he begged me to wear underwear. And we agreed that he could as long as he used the potty. Didn't work. Oh well, I'm not rushing anything and just accepting that we're just not there yet. :)

This is "Binkut" (Blankie) under John Hudson's shirt making his belly look very big. He thought this was hilarious.

This is a few weeks ago when we were able to ride the train at Stone Mountain Park! John Hudson was absolutely thrilled and is still talking about it. Daniel had a great time, too.  We stayed for the laser show after our train ride, which was entirely too late for babies...but hey, we had a good time :)

This is John Hudson wearing his basketball shoes. He put them on all by himself and said, "Mommy, take a picture!"

Accessories. John Hudson has been cracking us up with the accessories he chooses to wear to church on Sunday mornings. One Sunday it was his rainboots, the next his ski jacket (in August mind you), and finally his bear "leash." He comes up with these outfits all on his own and we just love getting a front row seat to the show :)  *Side note: We don't actually use the kid leash. It was a hand-me-down and JH enjoys playing with it around the house. Not that I'm totally opposed to the kid leash. Just sayin'.

John Hudson is becoming quite the little helper in the kitchen.  He loves to stir and pour and wash.  We make personal pizzas some days for lunch. I whip up some paleo tortillas and John Hudson helps add all the toppings. Isn't is so fun to eat something you helped create? He also helps stir the kefir every other day, wash dishes, and put away the silverware!

Several weeks ago we hiked up Stone Mountain. We were prepared with two ergo carriers, thinking that John Hudson would get tired and need to be held. Nope. This little boy hiked straight to the top all.by.himself. We had to encourage him to keep going when we were almost to the top, but after a little pep talk, he made it!  I'm sure he was the proudest little boy in all of Georgia when we finally made it to the top. He kept saying, "Look! John did it!!"

In July, our sweet John boy had surgery for an inguinal hernia. I think it was probably harder on me and Michael than it was on John. He was such a champ! WaWa gave him his very own doctor kit to take to the hospital and he was prepared to help all the nurses. He was jumping around and playing with trains the same afternoon as his surgery. We are so thankful that the Lord protected our sweet boy and taught us another lesson is trusting Him with our children.

Finally, John Hudson spent a lot of time this summer splashing and jumping into his little pool. It has been a blast--both for the participant and the on-lookers.

Sweet John Boy, you are a joy to us. You are teaching us so much. Your zeal for life and excitement for the little things is truly refreshing. May God continue to shape you into a man after His own heart.

Daniel is Eleven Months Old

Well, since our Daniel boy will be one year old next week, I figured I should probably write his eleven month blog :) Oh, the days fly by and time for writing seems hard to find. But I know I will treasure these documentaries of our lives years from now. Today it seems like I could never forget these sweet moments with two little ones. But I know how time ages our memories and I know I will forget. So here's to writing down the little treasures from our daily lives.

Daniel is movin' and a shakin' these days. He's crawling very fast and pulling up on everything. This little guy is quite mischievous.  Well, Michael says he's not mischievous, just curious.  Either way, he's into everything! Here's what I mean:

Pulling down every single book on the shelf

Throwing out every single piece of clothing in the laundry basket

Unrolling a whole toll of toilet paper while Mommy showers

Finding John's milk cup and drinking the entire thing

Crawling into drawers and screaming because he can't get out

Thankfully, Daniel has a big brother who keeps a good eye on him and alerts Mommy and Daddy when he finds himself getting into trouble. John Hudson is very into stacking all of his trucks and trains on top of each other in a very orderly fashion. Unfortunately, Daniel is very into knocking the entire structure to the ground. This causes much friction between the two brothers, but can usually be solved by distracting Daniel and convincing JH that we can build his toys back better than before!

Great news! Daniel is finally eating! And by eating I mean he's eating more than just chicken broth and bananas! Daniel's appetite has blossomed this month. He now eats pretty much anything I put on his place (except avocado). Chicken, beef, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, grapes, peppers, cucumbers...you name it. It's a relief that he's finally eating and he seems to be enjoying it himself!

Sleep is still up and down. On an excellent night, Daniel goes to sleep around 8:30 and sleeps until 4 or 5 without waking (an excellent night happens about once every two weeks). On a normal night, Daniel goes to bed around 8:30, wakes around 1, and wakes again around 4 or 4 (normal nights happen about 5 nights a week).  On a bad night, Daniel wakes too many times to count (Bad nights happen about twice a week and usually because he has been off his day time napping schedule and is overly tired). Overall, we are getting much more rest than before and I think we're all going to survive :)  Daniel naps wonderfully in the daytime, usually taking two 2 hour (or more) naps. He goes to bed super easily--we just lay him down and say night-night and he usually doesn't even say a word. Sometimes he's already laying down before we even leave the room.

Behavior-wise, Daniel is typically a very sweet boy.  Although he does get very angry when he is put down when he wants to be held. He usually responds to this by rearing back as hard as he can. Sometimes it's on the hard wood floor and sometimes he rears back into a table or something else hard. We're hoping this stage doesn't last long and that he will soon learn that this bucking thing really hurts! We have been training Daniel not to touch certain things (like my decorative balls conveniently placed at eye level for the little guy) and he is responding really well.  Many times we just have to say, "Daniel, no touch" and he will slowly back away. But sometimes (many times), we do have to thump his hand to reinforce our meaning. We have caught John Hudson trying to train Daniel too, but we have to remind him that training is for Mommies and Daddies, not brothers :)

Socially, Daniel doesn't really love being with anyone except us. He starts whimpering when we turn down the hall to go to the church nursery. But they tell me that he usually warms up and plays (so they say...). When Daniel meets new people or when someone talks directly to him, he will often just lay his head down on our shoulder and act super shy. It's quite adorable.

Daniel loves to play with balls. He can entertain himself for a good amount of time just chasing balls around the house. This often gets him into precarious situations (like stuck under the buffet or weaseled into a tiny corner he can't get out of), but he absolutely loves it. He says, "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba" while he roams around. 

Daniel LOVES sneezing. In any form or fashion. He loves when other people sneeze, he loves to sneeze himself and he especially loves fake sneezing of any sort. It is the funniest thing to see him imitating a fake sneeze, "Ah-ah-ah-ah-DA" is how he says it. Oh, this just makes my heart smile to no end!

One of my all time favorite things Daniel does now is crawl up to me (or the person he wants) and reaches his little arms up with all his might. He stretches so far that he falls over. How could you not just pick that precious little thing up? Daniel is also getting more and more excited when people he loves come home. One night, we were having Bible study at our house and Michael came in late. We happened to be praying when he arrived, but I had to get up and take Daniel over to him because Daniel was squealing and flapping so hard because he couldn't wait to see Daddy! Now that's something worth coming home for! 

Daniel has developed the sweetest scrunch-nose smile. I wish I had it on camera, but its one of those things I just haven't been able to capture. 

Oh sweet Daniel, our family would be incomplete without you. You are a precious masterpiece designed purposefully and wonderfully by the Master Creator Himself. We love you and we are honored to call you ours.

Ten Months

Daniel Thomas is ten months old (plus a few weeks by the time I'm actually writing this). His precious little face is a light in our home. We love this baby boy and are so thankful the Lord chose to give him to our family.

Daniel is learning so many new things. He can now say "Choo-Choo" "Ma-ma" "Bye Bye" and "Ball". It is the sweetest thing ever to see him waving and saying, "by-by-by-by-by" And of course, we're constantly trying to get him to say Choo-Choo, which he pronounces "Too-Too" Unfortunately for us he does not preform on command.

On July 25th, just a few days after turning ten months old, Daniel started pulling up! John Hudson went in to see him after a nap and came running out saying, "Da-Da stand up!!." We all ran in to find this:

He is pulling up on everything now. And please note the precious pointer finger. He still points at everything--all the time. He especially loves to touch someone else's pointer finger and then pretend to blow up.  Thank you, Daddy and JH for teaching him that fun trick!

For about a week now, Daniel has been sleeping an 8 hour stretch at night. Its been pretty consistent and I am just praising the Lord! Sleep is such a sweet gift--one that I took for granted during my pre-mommy days. So, for the last week Daniel has been sleeping from 9pm-5am and then after nursing, sleeping until around 8.  Our daily schedule has been going something like this:

8:30- Daniel wake up for the day
9:00- John Hudson wake up
9:15- Eat breakfast (Jh loves oatmeal and a banana, and Daniel eats a mashed banana with coconut oil and kefir...which he actually loves!)
10-12- Daniel takes morning nap
10-10:30- Mommy and JH do Blanket Time where JH plays quietly on the floor and Mommy reads her Bible and journals. I'm so thankful for this time!
10:-30-12- Playtime and morning chores for Mommy and JH
12:15- Lunch
1- After lunch tidying and preparing for naps
2-5- JH naps
2:30-4:30- Daniel naps
5- Prepare Dinner
6-7- Eat and clean kitchen
7-8- Evening walk or play outside (since its too hot during the day)
8- Bath time
8:30- Family Bible time
9-Boys to bed!
10- Mommy and Daddy's goal to be in bed reading (rarely happens...)
11- Good night world!

I'm enjoying this routine, but also know that with little ones it is subject to change daily. All we have is today, and for today, this routine is working well.

Daniel is also eating a lot better! Like mentioned above, Daniel eats half a banana with coconut oil and kefir each morning. Sometimes he has lunch (other than breast milk) and sometimes not. Today he had a little chicken broth and some sweet potato with coconut oil.  He also likes butternut squash, summer squash and zucchini. He does not like pureed chicken, avocado, chicken liver...or really anything else other than what I mentioned above.  I'm glad he likes broth because I know he's getting good nutrients from that, and I try to smother his food in coconut oil to get those good fats in. He certainly doesn't seem malnourished!

Daniel Thomas loves to play! He spends a lot of time daily just crawling around and playing with toys. He entertains himself very well to be such a little guy.  Right now he loves balls and chases them all over the house. He always crawls right to the bin of balls in John Hudson's room and dumps them all over the floor. He can throw and catch really well! Clapping. He's also clapping all the time! He picks up on excitement in voices and then claps accordingly.  Daniel is also enjoying the tupperware cabinet, which I've just allowed him to discover. It makes a huge mess, but is great entertainment while supper is being prepared!

Daniel got another hair cut this month (August 8). It is a little shorter than I maybe hoped for...but its the best I could do with a squirming little one at bedtime. He's a handsome fellow!

In July, we were able to visit with my family at our annual reunion on the Tallapoosa river.  It was a wonderful time of relaxation and fun. The boys did amazingly well considering that it was over ninety degrees with no respite from the heat and they didn't get to take naps for three days in a row. Both of them thoroughly enjoyed the dirt and getting to play with their cousins. It will only get better as they get older and can know what to look forward to!

We praise the Lord for giving us another month with Daniel. He is a joy and a blessing in more ways than we can count!

Eight and Nine Months

I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for forgetting to write Daniel's eight month blog. The days fly by too fast and this sleep deprived mama just can't keep up sometimes. So, here's to trying to remember all the highlights of the last two months!

Obviously not in the mood for pictures. This is the best one we got! 

 Many things have changed since the last blog post. Not only is Daniel boy going from laying down to sitting up all by himself, he's also crawling everywhere! Starting just this past week, he can officially leave the room whenever he pleases! He is quite pleased with himself and is pretty happy most of the time just crawling around and getting into things he shouldn't. We're having to train him not to touch wires, outlets, and big brother's potty. Fun days ahead :)

Sleep is a struggle. We have hard nights and harder nights with a good night thrown in the mix every now and then. Daniel still wakes up every 2-3 hours, leaving this Mama very exhausted. He goes to sleep very easily at the beginning of the night. We just lay him down awake and he falls right to sleep. But during the night he just seems restless and wakes often. After nursing, he goes right back to sleep though. He's usually awake for the day between 6:45-7:45 am.  I'm still not sure what to do about this except cry out to Jesus for strength and pray he sleeps better soon. Thankfully, he naps really well during the day. This week he even took a four hour nap one day (which is longer than he sleeps at night, go figure!).

Daniel is still not into food. At all. He might take one or two bites of something, but after gagging and sputtering a few times, he knocks the spoon out of my hand. Little goober! He will drink chicken broth from a bottle occasionally, but other than that he is strictly a mommy-milk baby! I keep offering food, and he keeps declining. Thankfully, I know he's getting the nutrients he needs by nursing. He seems happy and healthy so we'll just keep on keepin' on for now! I do wonder if this is one reason he doesn't sleep well at night though. Maybe because he doesn't eat solids, he really is hungry at night? Who knows!

John Hudson and Daniel love taking baths together! They've been taking baths together for awhile now, but when Daniel started sitting up, I wasn't sure how safe it would be. Thankfully, I remembered something I'd seen on pinterest a while back...

A laundry basket! Brilliant! Both boys love it and I feel much better about letting them take baths together!

Daniel has really mellowed since he was a newborn. Other than the occasional fussy spell, he's a pretty happy baby! He smiles constantly and loves to babble. Ma-ma-ma-ma and Ba-ba-ba-ba are his favorites. Another new thing is pointing. He points at everything and says "ooooh." Its just so sweet! He was loving to sit in boxes and play, but now that he can crawl, that is so last week.

Daniel still adores John Hudson, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. John Hudson loves to "wrestle" with baby brother...and we have to remind him quite often to "be gentle"...although Daniel doesn't seem to mind the roughness one bit! One of my favorite parts of having two boys so close together is seeing their friendship form. They love each other so much. John Hudson will often say, "Mama, Da-Da play? Da-Da play?" Meaning, "Please put Daniel on the floor so we can play together!" God knew they needed each other!

Oh, and Daniel has a lot of teeth now! Four on the bottom and almost four on top. The top ones are barely through, but there nonetheless! No wonder the kid doesn't sleep! Lots of teefies coming in! We've begun brushing his teeth each night and he loves it.

Daniel got his first haircut a few weeks ago. Initially, we just cut the really long strand that stuck out on the side of his head. But then we decided to go ahead and trim the top too since it was hanging in his eyes. It was a small trim and he looks very handsome with his new 'do!

In June, we had the privilege of dedicating Daniel Thomas to the Lord during a sweet ceremony at our church. It was a special time of publicly offering our boy to the Lord and vowing to raise him in the fear and admonition of Yahweh.

Daniel, we pray that you will grow into a mighty warrior for Yahweh. May He strengthen you for every task He calls you to. May you believe that He is faithful and all-powerful and may His spirit dwell in you richly. We love you, sweet boy!

Mr. Hudson

I just wanted to write a quick post to document all of the adorable things our Hudson boy is doing these days. He is an absolute joy to be around--filled with compassion, joy, and happy songs.

John Hudson loves to sing. He hums constantly--playing with his train, eating dinner, reading books, you name it. He has recently starting singing songs that he's heard all his life. Its so rewarding to see that he's actually been listening! Hah! Currently his favorite songs are Jesus Loves Me, Praise Ye the Lord, Jesus Christ is the Same, and Good, Good Father. It brings such joy to our hearts to hear his pure little voice belting praises to our Father. I know it delights our Father's heart as well.

About two months ago, our neighbor came pounding on our door around 9:30 am. We were (embarrassingly) still in our pajamas. Her request? To come outside and see the firetruck that was out checking the hydrants! We scurried outside. The firefighters were so kind! They let John Hudson sit in the truck, try on their helmets, and even blow the siren. At the time, JH seemed very shy and unsure. But its been two months and he's still talking about it..so I'd say he secretly loved it.

John Hudson loves his Blankie. He affectionately calls it "Binka" and she is a girl. John Hudson is her Daddy. Binka loves to play and JH will often set her on the floor with some toys for playtime. She also loves to jump in Daniel's bouncer. Sometimes Binka cries and her daddy asks me to hold her. Binka also gets boo boos from time to time and needs special kisses. One day, John Hudson called me from the living room to tell me that Binka was hungry and wanted mommy milk. I came in to find this:

John Hudson was giving Binka mommy milk with my nursing pillow. We've since had conversations about how only mommies can give mommy milk, and daddies have to give bottles (haha!). Oh, and Binka also takes naps. JH will put her in his crib, turn on the fan, and close the doors. The whole family has to be quiet while Binka sleeps.

We were blessed to go to the beach in June. John Hudson loved the beach this year! His favorite part was having endless room to run, I think. He also enjoyed building sandcastles, jumping the waves, and meeting new friends. We had a blast.

John Hudson LOVES trucks, trains, and anything else that moves. He can entertain himself for a long time playing with his cars and trains. He loves to stack things on top of his trucks and see how far he can move the truck while balancing the various objects on top. This can also be a source of great frustration when the objects fall. Since Daniel is crawling now, he likes to grab John Hudson's trains and trucks, which is also a source of frustration. We're trying to teach John to be patient with baby brother, and trying to teach Daniel not to destroy John's hard work. Mr. Hudson loves to line up his cars and trucks and trains while he plays.

Since summer has hit, we've been enjoying the kiddie pool. John Hudson loves to get a running start and cannon ball into the water. He splashes and splashes and squeals with delight. I love how easily little ones can be entertained. Speaking of summer, we are thoroughly enjoying having Daddy home with us. John Hudson is delighted when he wakes up in the morning and Daddy is here. They have been able to get some good playing time in these past several weeks. What a blessing!

Socially, John Hudson has become much more self aware. Meaning--he is shy in public! Before, he would warm up to most people instantly, but now it takes much longer and he often hides behind our legs and whispers, "Mama, hold you!" when we're around people. I'm sure this is only a stage and once he does warm up, he's not a bit shy. His two best friends are Stephen and Joseph, both of whom we get to see often. Its sweet to watch these sweet boys grow up together.

Unfortunately, we found out a few weeks ago that our sweet boy has a hernia that needs to be repaired. He is scheduled to have surgery on July 21st, which makes for an anxious Mommy and Daddy. The hernia isn't dangerous most of time time, as long as it is able to be pushed back in. However, we did end up in the ER one night because JH was writhing in pain and the hernia would not budge. It was scary, but the Lord was ever gracious. After only two hours, some pain medication and a skilled doctor, we were able to go home. Being at the children's hospital reminded us just how thankful we are to have healthy children. It's a blessing that can be taken away at any moment and something we do not want to take for granted.

Mr. Hudson is talking a lot. Some of his most-used phrases are, "What doing, Mama?" "What happened?" "Shirt go?" (Where did your shirt go?) "Law home" (Lawrence (our neighbor) is home) "Da-Da wake!" (Daniel is awake!) "Boo Boo all better!" "Tilerd" (I'm tired) "LES!!" (Yes)" When asked what his name is, JH says, "John Hudson Schulte!" and when asked where he lives, JH says, "Stone Mountain, Georgia" One day a few weeks ago, we walked into the house and John exclaimed, "Mmmmm, smells good!!"

Oh, and John Hudson loves to stuff things in his pockets. And by things, I mean a lot of things. Sometimes his pants fall down when he's running because of the weight. When we go to friends' homes we have to watch him closely because he will stuff their toys in his pocket and bring it home on accident! We've had to return a few toys to the church nursery because of this as well. The other night, I emptied John Hudson's pockets at bedtime and found all of the treasures below (minus the wedding rings). He also stuffs crayons, small trains, quarters, and pens.

We are busy, indeed. But we wouldn't trade one single second. We love you, John Hudson!