Present

I don't do New Year's resolutions. I don't like setting myself up for failure. However, I have been inspired by a sweet friend of mine. Each year she picks one word to focus on for the year. Not only am I stealing her idea, I'm also stealing one of her words, present.

I have said it over and over, I know, but my baby really is growing up so fast. I don't want to miss anything. Not. one.single. thing. My biggest problem is that I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of this life. I tend to let stress and worry consume me. I worry about things I cannot control, and I struggle daily with giving those worries to God. I find myself unable to relax, my mind churning. Because of this, I feel like I'm missing precious moments with my husband and my child. I don't want Hudson to remember me like this.

Another issue, is the phone. It's not just an accessory, it is my priority. Sometimes I find myself checking it several times in a five minute span. Ridiculous. This relationship with my phone is causing my husband and child to suffer. Many times at dinner, I'm checking Facebook instead of having an actual conversation with my husband. I'm so plugged into my phone, that I'm missing that personal connection with my husband. Other times, I find myself feeding Hudson, and guess what? I'm checking Facebook or Instagram. It breaks my heart knowing I have missed even one minute staring into those big brown eyes of my sweet boy, because I had to update my Facbeook status.

Therefore, my goal this year is to live in the moment. Be present.

I'm giving myself 15 minutes a day to catch up on social media. I have taken the Facebook app off of my phone. Okay, I didn't actually do it; Tucker did. He's braver than I am. He's also in favor of not having to share his wife with a phone.

To deal with the everyday stress of life, I'm going to continue to pray. I'm also going to learn how to say "No." My time with my family is precious. I don't have time, nor do I want to hang out with people I don't necessarily like. So, I'm going to be more choosy. Life isn't about how many friends you have, but rather the quality of friends you have. My best friends I can count on one hand, and I'm fine with that.

Finally, I want to spend as much time as I can with my family. Hudson and Tucker are the very best parts of my day, everyday. Thank goodness for my sweet husband. He is the ying to my yang. Cheesy, I know, but he really does balance out all of this crazy. Hudson gave a purpose to my life I didn't even know existed. My passion for being his mama is overwhelming. I thank the Lord everyday that he got his daddy's laid back attitude.

2013 was a wonderful year for us. I can only imagine what 2014 has in store for us, but we're ready!

7 Months

Hudson is growing by what seems like miles each day! Some mornings when I wake him up, I swear he grew some overnight. His rapid growth is bittersweet. I enjoy watching my baby grow, figure things out, and experience life, but it also makes me weepy, because time is so fleeting.

Unfortunately, Hudson has spent most of this month sick. Early in the month, he had a horrible stomach virus. Poor baby, it caused him to have the most awful diaper rash. He would scream every time he went to the bathroom, and it just broke my heart each time I had to change him. Then, the night before Christmas Eve, Hudson came down with the flu, even after having his flu shot. Thank goodness he had the flu shot, though. He ended up having a very mild case of it. Sadly, we did have to miss Christmas with our family and his friend, Cale's, first birthday party. Bummer. I hate when my baby is sick, but I have to admit, I do enjoy the extra snuggle time at home with him. 

At our last doctor's visit (last week), Hudson weighed 19 lbs. and 2 oz. He has also moved up to a size 4 diaper. If he keeps up this rate of growth, I'm afraid he will be wearing "Depends" soon. Ha! Hudson also tried avocado and pears for the first time this month. He liked them both, but sweet potatoes and bananas are still his favorite. We also found out that Hudson had been hiding some of his tricks from us. I went to pick him up from daycare early one day to find that he could hold the bottle all by himself. That little stinker had been holding out on us!

 

If you couldn't tell, I love this boy to the moon and back!

Amanda

Tis the Season

So I have come to the conclusion that Christmas is so much better when you have children! Being seven months old, Hudson didn't really know what Christmas was all about. He was more interested in the wrapping paper and the bows than he was about the gifts themselves. And because Hudson came down with the flu on the 23rd, we were able to experience his first Christmas all by ourselves.

We had plans to travel to the lake and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there with family. We didn't want to expose Mymama or little Prudence to the flu, so we stayed quarantined at home instead. At first, Tucker and I were bummed. We were really looking forward to spending time with our family over the holidays, especially Tucker. Tucker has been working long hours since Thanksgiving, and he was really looking forward to a little down time.

Being Santa's little helper was rough on Daddy this year. Most nights he didn't even get to see Hudson, due to him already being asleep when he got home. One night, he didn't get home til 10! Looking on the bright side of things, we realized how special it was that we would get to spend this very first Christmas with Hudson alone. We cherished every moment and started, what we hope to be, many new Christmas traditions.

 Merry Christmas from the Boswell's!

 Our little Christmas Eve dinner. 

Thanks to Shug and Big Al for bringing us groceries. This Mama didn't plan on her boy being sick! Lesson learned...we will now be prepared for anything and everything! I'm learning the hard way, friends!

 Hudson getting ready to open his first Christmas present from Santa!

 He was so excited about his Christmas jammies and book "The Auburn Night Before Christmas".

 Getting ready to crawl! 

My heart is full!

He was so into his book. I loved every minute of this! We will do this every year!

 Hudson checking out his loot from Santa!

Love his sweet expressions!

What a sweet and special Christmas, friends! And as always, we remember the true reason for the season, Jesus' birth. Not only do we thank him for giving his life selfishly for ours, but we also thank him for our most precious gift, Hudson. He has filled our hearts with joy and our home with laughter. We couldn't have asked for a better gift this holiday season.

Merry Christmas,

Amanda

A New Tradition

This year we started something new, and I hope it becomes our new family tradition! We went to Lanett, Alabama to Gilbert's Tree Farm to get our Christmas Tree. Growing up, we always had a real tree. When I got old enough to decorate my own home on Christmas, I always went with a fake tree. In my opinion they are so much easier, especially if you have one that is pre-lit, and they aren't near as messy. My obsessive tendencies makes having a real tree an anxiety ridden experience. However, this year Gilbert himself helped us get a Leland Cyprus, and the best part is, it doesn't shed! It's the perfect compromise. Tucker gets a real tree, and I don't have to spend time stressing about the tree shedding it's needles on the floor.

We took Hudson with us, and he and I picked out the best tree in the field. When we had picked the perfect tree for us, we informed the guys at the tree farm, and they went over and cut it down for us. Our tree is gorgeous, but it is slightly too big. It didn't look near as big in the field as it does now in our living room. We even had to trim the top just a little bit. Going to the Christmas Tree farm to pick out our tree will be a tradition that we will look forward to year after year.

Merry Christmas!

6 Months

Hudson will be 7 months old in a week and a half. I can't believe time has passed so quickly. Six months has been good to Hudson. He had so many firsts this month!

At his 6 month check up, he weighed 17 lbs and 14 oz and was 27.5 inches long. He's in the 56th percentile for weight and the 83rd percentile for height. Dr. Johnson said everything looked great. He also said we could begin solid foods with Hudson. I was thrilled! I could finally put that Baby Bullet to good use!

I was determined that I would make my own baby food. I still have so much guilt for only breast feeding Hudson for 3 weeks. I know it doesn't really make a difference, and I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but I really wanted to breast feed. I did all the research and went to all of the classes. I was so gung-ho on it that I asked my poor husband to miss a morning of golf to go to a breast feeding class with me! That being said, making Hudson organic, nonprocessed baby food is my way of making it up to him for not being able to give him what he needed so early in his life. 

Surprisingly, I found that making my own baby food is quiet easy! In fact, I love it! So far, I've made sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, and bananas. Hudson loves sweet potatoes. They are his favorites. He's not a big fan of carrots or squash. He gagged when we fed him those, but we will keep trying. We tried bananas for the first time tonight and he seemed to enjoy them although he wasn't sure about it at first. It's so much fun to see him experience new foods! 

Hudson also has two teeth! We didn't even know he was teething! We expected fussiness and fever, but other than excessive drooling, there were no signs. We introduced a sippy cup this month. He mostly plays with it, but he does hold it and drinks from it occasionally. Hudson can also sit up all by himself! This makes bath time so much easier. He loves it too! He loves to splash and play with his rubber duckies. We went to the grocery store this week, and he got to sit in the buggy like a big boy! 

Hudson spent the night away from home for the first time this month. His Shug and  Big Al picked him up the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and took him to Honey's house in Wetumpka. We missed him so much! I didn't know what to do with myself! His daddy took it worse than I did. Tucker said it may be a while before Hudson gets to spend the night away again!

We took Hudson to visit Toomer's Corner after the Iron Bowl. We went Sunday after church. He got to see Auburn win the Iron Bowl and now the SEC Championship! We scared him and Prudence, but one day soon they will understand! 

So many firsts this month! It seems the older he gets the faster things are happening. I just want time to slow down. I want to live in this moment and love every single ounce of my sweet baby boy. 

Amanda

Five Months

My boy is 5 months! Well, technically he's a week and a half shy of 6 months. Where does the time go, and how do I always get so behind in everything I do? 

Hudson weighs about 17.5 lbs. He's growing and doing new things everyday. This month he learned to shake his head no, eat his piggies, throw toys, and squeal. His favorite toys are his ladybug shaker and a fabric book one of my kiddos from last year gave him. It was her toy when she was a baby, and she wanted Hudson to have it. How sweet is she!

He is also a champ at rolling over, and we think he's well on his way to crawling. Earlier this week he was laying on his tummy, and he put his legs up under him and was sticking his bottom in the air. He was trying to get somewhere, but he's just not there yet. Hudson is also sitting up on his own! We are so proud of our sweet boy!

He takes 8 ounces of formula every 4 hours, and eats some cereal morning and night. He's so funny! He opens his mouth like a baby bird. We are excited to start some solid foods soon! He sleeps through the night, and he has finally made the transition to his crib upstairs. He should have been up there sooner, but this mommy just wasn't ready yet! 

My heart be still! Time is flying by, and I'm just trying to keep up. One thing is for sure, this boy has my heart forever. 

Amanda

Halloween Sweets

I'm a few days late, but I just had to share some pictures of Hudson and Prudence in their Halloween costumes. They were the two best treats all night! 

Hudson was a skeleton and Pru was a flamingo! Emily made Pru's costume! I give her mad props on her craftiness! It's original while being absolutely precious at the same time! Totally Pinterest worthy, if you ask me! 

Hudson wore his costume to daycare. They had a Halloween parade. Halloween night he helped me pass out candy to trick or treaters. 

On another note, it's November! Thanksgiving is around the corner, and Christmas will be here before we know it. It's another reminder that my baby is growing up! 

Amanda