Happy 1st Birthday!!!!

Of course I am late at posting pictures, but for any of you that have talked to me lately, you will know that I spent Hudson's first birthday in Beaufort Memorial Hospital for my third surgery. I woke Tuesday morning with a horrible pain in my back that radiated to my front. I woke Jeremy and called my mother immediately. My mom came over and took me to the ER where I found out that I had a HUGE kidney stone that was blocking my kidney. My kidney was three times the size it should be with lots of bacteria present. They did the first surgery that morning and placed stint #1 in my kidney. I went home and returned the following morning due to the fact that I was in SO much pain and running a fever. I was admitted and another stint was put into my kidney on Thursday. This stint was supposed to be less bothersome but didn't prove to do the trick. I stayed in the hospital on IV morphine for the rest of the week. On Hudson's first birthday my kidney stone was blasted into lots of tiny pieces and my stint was removed. I came home just in time to watch Hudson eat his cake and sing him a few tunes. We of course had to cancel his party, but I think that it upset me more than it did Hudson.

I think it is safe to say that Hudson loved his first taste of birthday cake, and all of the presents that he received.

Jeremy and I still cannot believe that it has been a year already. It seems like just yesterday that we found out that we were pregnant. This last year has brought so much joy to the both of us. We truly do not know what our lives were like before Hudson. He has made everyday so precious and worthwhile. His smile definitely makes any bad day we may be having better!! Thank you Hudson for this past year and all that you have done for not only us, but your grandparents, cousins, friends, and family. You have brightened the lives of everyone that you meet and we all can't wait to be there with you while you grow and change. We love you!!!!!!!!

11 months old

In these past 11 months it has been so amazing to watch Hudson grow and change. I often look at him now and wonder what happened to our little baby. These days Hudson is trying his hardest to walk, loves to talk up a storm, and can't seem to get enough of exploring and being outside. Jeremy and I are constantly amazed at the things that Hudson remembers day after day and week after week. He loves it when his father chases him around the house and plays hide and seek. He has been a great eater from the start and we have started the conversion to whole milk, and of course he seems to have no problem with it. I think that Hudson would sleep outside if we would let him, or in the bathtub. Either of those places it is hard to pry him away from. He has a fascination with cars, motorcycles, and wheels on just about anything that moves. He is very determined and won't give up on things until he has accomplished the task. He loves to eat whatever Jeremy and I are eating, no matter what it is. He still loves his passy and warm milk at bed. If we would let him, I think Hudson would live everyday in only his diaper and no clothes. He seems to be getting two more teeth on the bottom with four still coming in on top. That makes us up to eight teeth total. We still don't like naps that much and think that we are going to miss out on something if we shut our eyes for more than 2 seconds.

We have so much fun with Hudson everyday and truly marvel at the joy he has brought into our lives. We love to watch him grow but he is growing too quickly before our eyes. Here are some recent pictures...

Hudson trying to drive his dad's truck

Dad trying to teach Hudson how to walk

Hudson's favorite activity (playing with the pots and pans)

Hudson trying to carry some bait for his dad

Hudson, thank you for these last 11 months. We are so blessed to get to watch you grow and change. You have brought such meaning and purpose to the lives of your father and I. We can hardly wait for all that is in store, from now until eternity. You truly light up our lives with your smile and laughter. We thank God for the miracle he has given to us almost a year ago. We love you!!!!

On the Road.....

It seems like we have spent the majority of this past month on the road. Thank goodness Hudson has been a great traveler or we might be in trouble. My father was diagnosed with congestive heart failure along with other serious issues, so we packed up the car and drove through the night to KY for a visit. This was this first time that Hudson was able to meet his grandfather. We had a short trip but were glad to be able to visit with many close friends and family while we were there. The snow and the cold weather quickly reminded me of why I moved away from there. Here are some pictures of Hudson with his Uncle Jamie and grandfather.

Hudson wasn't so sure what he thought of Uncle Jamie's beard

Hudson and his grandfather

After a short trip to KY we were back in Beaufort for a week and then headed off for Florida with Nana and Papa. The home that we stayed in was beautiful, the beach was gorgeous, and of course Jeremy and I were sick our entire trip. I ended up with bronchitis and Jeremy with tonsilitis. Thank goodness that Hudson did not get it, because Jeremy and I felt pretty miserable the entire trip. We did manage to get a few photos when we weren't in the bed or visiting Urgent Care.

We are glad to be home and on the upswing of getting everyone better. We are looking forward to next month and turning the big 1.... it is still hard to believe that it has almost been a year!!!!

Still Here....

We are still here I promise. Life has been a little crazy lately and blogging (as always) has been on the back burner. We had to make an emergency trip to KY to see my dad who is very ill, went to Florida for vacation, and have had the entire family sick in the process. I promise to post pictures in the next couple of days. We hope that the sickness is going away and that we can all settle back into our routine.

Hudson's First Christmas!!

I think that I am the only mom out there that has a blog and has not posted pictures of her child's first Christmas!!!! I keep saying that I am going to get better at this, and I just seem to be getting worse. I should have made it my New Years resolution to take the time to try and blog each week. For all that have been patiently waiting, I apologize.

Christmas has come and gone, and all went well at the Stansell household. I am sure that Hudson had no idea what was going on, but I know that Jeremy and I had the best time getting ready for Christmas morning. We had my mom, Michael, and our neighbor Jerry over for breakfast (after we opened our presents of course) Here are some of the highlights from all of the gifts that Hudson received.

The Leapfrog Learning table was a big hit

We love the rocking dinosaur as well

It took Hudson a while to figure out the lawnmower but now we love it

Nana and Hudson enjoyed sitting in Hudson's new chair

After breakfast we headed to Huspa for Christmas with the Stansells. By the time that we got home from all of the festivities, Hudson was ready for his own crib that was for sure. We had a great day and we all got way too many presents (especially Hudson)

After Christmas we headed to Mississippi for New Years with The McElhinney family. We had a great week there, and of course the bad mother that I am, took no pictures while we were there. Kate, Shannon, and Hudson had the best time playing together. We can't wait for our trip to the beach with them this summer.

Since then, we have been getting back into the swing of things. Hudson is talking away, and very ,very very, close to walking. He loves to climb the stairs these days and push his grocery cart around the house. He is into every cabinet we have and is constantly on the go. It is hard to believe that in 2 short months we will be celebrating his first birthday....where has the time gone????

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!!

These days you can't take your eyes off Hudson for a minute because who knows what he will get into. We had to finally put a gate around the tree or else I am sure we would have made a trip to the hospital because Hudson had a hook sticking out of some part of his body. He stills trys to grab at the ornaments even though we have the gate up. It is really amusing to watch.

He knows that he is not supposed to grab the ornaments, so when you say his name, he looks at us and laughs.

This is how his father found him the other night while mom was at work.

Hudson under our bar stool

We want to thank Aunt Joan for our Christmas hat. Hudson loves to wear it and doesn't even pull it off. We are glad that Pickney's head was a little too big!!

We are very thankful for talented family members, because I know that I will never be able to sew like that.

Getting ready for Christmas!!!

I think that I win the award for the worst blogger ever. It seems to get tougher and tougher to find a minute to sit down and blog these days, and I am sorry to everyone that has been awaiting new pictures of Hudson.

So much has changed in our home since my last post. Hudson is crawling and pulling up on everything these days. His top two teeth are coming in and he would love to walk if he could figure it out. I think that walking is not far off in our future. We have had a lot of firsts this past month...our first Thanksgiving at the Stansells, our first Christmas tree, and our first visit with Santa Claus. It is amazing how much fun everything becomes once a child is in the picture.

We got our Christmas tree a couple of weeks ago, and ever since then all Hudson wants to do is pull all of the ornaments off and feel the tree. Here are some pictures of our tree outing and decorating.

We went last Friday night to night on the town and Hudson got to sit on Santa's lap for the first time. I was sure that he would cry, but he actually surprised us and just stared at Santa wondering who he was. We are glad to say that no tears were shed and I am sure that next year Hudson will have a little better idea of who Santa really is.

We also love the bath these days. We love to splash and play in the tub. Here is how I found Hudson after his father had given him a bath.

I do not think that we have a problem in the hair category. He definitely got that from the McElhinney side of the family. We hope that everyone is getting ready for the holidays and having as much fun as we are.