Life As We Know It: Two weeks!

Wow - two weeks have never flown by faster! I cannot believe that Hudson has already been here with us for that long, but at the same time, it's weird to think of him not being here. Our family feels so complete now! I was going to do a 1 week post as well, but to be honest, that first week was a blur! We started out with a couple of rough days as we all adjusted to our new normal. Sleep was rare and I feel like all I did was feed the little guy. When we went to the pediatrician for the first time (we came home Tuesday, went to the pediatrician Wednesday), Hudson had dropped down from 7 lbs, 10 oz to 6 lbs, 13 oz. Because this was a little more than 10% of his body weight, they wanted us to get on an aggressive feeding schedule to get his weight back up and to hopefully help bring in my milk supply. We had to go back the next day and show improvement, or else they would have possibly needed to admit him back into the hospital. I had to feed him every 2 hours (start to start), and we also supplemented a little formula as well. Talk about stressful - I don't think Kyle or I have ever worried so much. I guess that's what happens when you become a parent! When we went back in on Thursday, he was up to 6 lbs, 15 oz. That was a start, but they wanted us to keep going and see us back that Saturday. By Saturday, he was back up to 7 lbs, 7 oz! Finally our little man was getting the milk he needed and was gaining weight. The doctor was very impressed, and said we could spread out the feedings a little more at night to get some more rest! Thank goodness!

Since then, we have been able to get into a pretty good "routine" - I use that word loosely because no day is ever the same, but he's at least been pretty consistent with his feeding and sleeping schedule. He eats about every 2-3 hours now during the day, and goes about 3-4 hours at night. We are all sleeping better, and have been enjoying lots of family time the past two weeks! Kyle was able to take off work the first week, and then worked from home last week. It was so nice to have him around to help out and to spend time together. I know it may sound pretty cliche, but after seeing Kyle as a Daddy, I love him that much more! It is so sweet to see him interacting with Hudson - I just know Hudson is going to look up to him so much! We just can't get enough of our little man! Sometimes we just look at each other and comment about how handsome or cute he is. I know we are a little biased and all, but we just think he's the sweetest baby boy!

At his 2 week check-up today, our little chunkster weighed in at 8 lbs, 9 oz!! Even the doctor said he was too big for his britches ;) No, really, she said Hudson is just the healthiest little boy and that she is so impressed by his weight gain. Most babies gain 1/2 oz - 1 oz a day, but he has gained about 2 oz a day. He is definitely getting plenty of Mama's milk now! We are just so grateful and feel so blessed to have a healthy little man! We love him so much!

Hudson, here are a few of the highlights from your first 2 weeks:

- You are a perfect blend of both Mommy and Daddy - most people say you have Daddy's eyes and hairline and Mommy's nose and lips. You change every day, and are so handsome!
- You are wearing newborn outfits, but I feel like you are going to grow out of them any day now. You are almost too long for them big boy!
- You love to be held, and we are happy to snuggle with you! You love falling asleep on Mommy's chest, and Daddy is very good at calming you down and getting you to sleep when your tummy is bothering you.
- You have the sweetest smile! I know right now it's more of just a reflex, but when we see that smile, it just melts our hearts!
- You are a happy boy for the most part. You have had some tummy issues that have caused you to cry, but it's only for a short period of time each day.
- You have had lots of visitors come to see you in the hospital and at home. You are loved by so many of our friends and family! Your grandparents come by often to get their Hudson "fix", and are just totally smitten with you!
- You love your car seat and going for a ride in the car. You love the light and looking out the window, and you eventually fall asleep while we're driving.
- You love the outdoors! You can be fussy, but as soon as we take you outside you calm down. We went on your first walk around the neighborhood last week.
- You had two sponge baths before your umbilical cord fell off - one was planned, the other not so much....you just happened to pee all over yourself, so we had to bathe you again :) You screamed pretty much the whole time!
- You also had your first real bath and seemed pretty comfortable - you didn't cry until the end when we washed your hair.
- You have peed on Mommy and Daddy, not to mention countless outfits, changing pad covers and even in the tub! We do at least 2 loads of your laundry every day.
- You have also projectile pooped and spit up on Mommy - all we could do is laugh about both incidents! You are definitely keeping us on our toes!
- You make lots of noises with everything you do! You grunt, squeal, scream, snort and moan in your sleep, while you eat and even when you're alert and looking around. You are very vocal!
- You have such a strong little neck already - you are constantly trying to lift up your head on your own. We have tried tummy time a couple of times, which you are not a huge fan of, but you are getting better!
- You love to have your hands by your face! We tried a couple of different swaddles, and you broke out of all of them! Now we have you in a swaddle sleep sack so that your arms are free, but your body is still wrapped up tight!
- You also love to suck on your hands and fingers - but your nails are long, so we have to keep your hands covered so you won't scratch yourself. You will take a pacifier sometimes, but you are not attached to it. I'm wondering if you are going to be a thumb sucker!
- We've been calling you all sorts of nicknames: Buddy, little man, baby boy, handsome, sweet cheeks, cheeks, froggy, stinky boy and chunky monkey.

And now, for picture overload!