The Happiest Day

Almost two weeks ago, Tucker and I welcomed to the world our baby boy, Hudson Christopher Boswell. Although life is now completely different and always will be,we wouldn't take anything for our precious boy. Hudson was born May 16th at 12:46 a.m. He was 9 pounds 1 ounce and 22 inches long. Tucker and I went in at 7:00 on the 15th. Labor was long and tedious work. I didn't start pushing till 10 that night. At 12 the doctor said we weren't making any progress and recommended a c-section. Needless to say, we met Hudson not long there after!

 Tucker was one proud Daddy.

 

 Hudson

 

 On our way to the hospital.

 

 Tucker preparing for delivery.

 

 Our first family picture.

 

<3

 

Being a parent is exhausting work, but there is nothing that is so rewarding. I may rethink that when I'm up at 3 changing a dirty diaper. Ha! We love Hudson so very much, and can't imagine our lives without him. He completes our little family. We can't wait to watch him grow. He has already changed so much, and it hasn't even been two weeks yet!

 

Thanks to everyone who came to visit us either at home or in the hospital. We loved seeing you, and we appreciate the love and support you have shown. We also want to thank everyone who brought us food to eat these past couple of weeks. Tucker has never eaten so good! I hope he doesn't get used to it :) We are blessed with amazing family and friends.We love you all!

 

Amanda

Mother's Day Weekend

What a big weekend we have had! Not only did we celebrate Mother's Day, but we also celebrated Tucker's 29th birthday. Saturday, Phyllis, Al, Mymama, Kathie, and Kate came over to help us celebrate. We had a delicious lunch at Amsterdam's  followed by cake and ice cream at home. Tucker received so many gifts this year. He got new tennis shoes, golf shirts, a new golf club, and the Cam Newton Heisman picture to go along with his Bo Jackson and Pat Sullivan Heisman pictures. 

We also exchanged Mother's Day gifts Saturday. I was surprised when Tucker gave me an early Mother's Day present combined with my "push" present. He gave me two bangle bracelets. One is white gold with diamonds and the other is rose gold. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Tucker has great style, and he did a great job picking those out for me. Every time I wear them, I'll think of this special weekend. 

We were all really hoping Hudson would make his appearance this weekend, but he's just not ready yet. We are 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant. We go to the doctor tomorrow for a stress test and ultrasound. He said its routine for all women who go over their due dates. He also said we could discuss induction then. Hopefully, we will get to meet Hudson by the end of this week if not earlier. 

Being patient is not easy, but we certainly are trying. Tucker is on vacation this week, so that will be nice. We will get to spend some time quality time together  before the baby gets here. We will keep you all updated. Maybe next time I blog, I'll be blogging about Hudson's arrival!

Amanda

A Happy Surprise

Last Friday was my last day at school! I'm officially on maternity leave. When I was planning my maternity leave, I was hoping Hudson would be here already, however, he's as happy and content as can be in my tummy. State standardized tests are this week...yes, I'm a wee bit nervous about not being there, but I know how smart my kiddos are. They will do just fine! I just didn't think I should proctor the tests considering I'm 39 weeks pregnant. If you know anything about proctoring standardized tests, you know that you can't sit down; you have to be walking up and down the rows monitoring the entire time, and you can't just go to the restroom anytime you feel the urge. Sitting and going whenever I feel the urge are high priorities for this momma!

Friday, when I walked into my classroom, I had no idea what a happy surprise I was in for. I have to say I have the best parents and students! Hudson and I were once again showered with gifts.

 One of my sweet parents had this cupcake cake made for my last day. It looks like a cake on top, but it's actually individual cupcakes!

The same parent bought this precious bag and had it monogrammed with Hudson's initials. Do you think she knows we are Auburn fans? Ha!

One crafty mom  and son gave this to me. He wrote a sweet letter to me and taped his picture on the back.  I loved it so much, I had to hang it up right away!

The Auburn baby bag was filled with baby gifts. Hudson got an Auburn shirt, AU bloomers, AU hat and socks, even a tiger tail. It was also packed with baby necessities. Her daughter even picked out one her baby books to pass on to Hudson. So sweet! But the gifts don't stop there! Another sweet parent and her son got me a gift card to my favorite nail salon. This wonderful momma knows what a 9 month pregnant woman needs! I can't wait to relax and have my nails done later this week! I was also given diapers and many precious notes and hugs from my students. 

I have to say I already miss them so much! I had many big personalities, and they kept me on my toes and laughing. There was never a dull moment in my classroom, that's for sure. Like I said in a previous post, I knew saying goodbye to them would be bittersweet, and it was. These third grade "babies" will always have a special place in my heart. I can't wait to see them next year when they are "grown up" fourth graders!

Amanda

Hudson's Room

We are at 38 weeks! Only two more weeks to go, maybe one, if we are lucky. I go to the doctor again on Thursday. I'm hoping we have made such good progress that we will be able to induce next week. I'm so ready to meet my little man!

In the mean time, Tucker and I have been preparing for Hudson's arrival. Both car seats are installed. I went to Target this weekend to buy some of the last minute things we would need before he comes. I even bought some comfy, cute pj's that I can wear. I've been wearing Tucker's pj's to bed considering I can't fit into my own pj's. Ha! All bags are packed...we are just waiting on Hudson now!

A few weeks ago, we put the final touches on Hudson's room. We are really happy with how it turned out. We think our boy has the cutest room ever. Our theme is trains with a little Auburn mixed in. Our colors are navy, white, gray, light blue, and a little red. We got the furniture form Babies-R-Us, and the bedding is from Pottery Barn. It's the perfect combination of old and new!

 The view from the door. 

 Changing table/dresser

 Our friend, John Watkins, made the whale above the chest. 

Tucker's grandfather made this shelf. It and the train were in Tucker's room when he was a little boy. 

"You can't get to heaven in a red canoe... because God's favorite colors are ORANGE and BLUE." This was made by Tucker's Aunt Kathy in 1981.

 Tucker made these for Hudson to hold all of his books. I saw this on Pinterest, and we both loved it.

 This is in Hudson's closet. As you can see, he has tons of books!

 His little crib...too bad he won't sleep in this for quite a while. We have a cradle in our sitting room that he will be sleeping in for the first few months. 

 I can't wait to rock my sweet baby!

Hudson's first Auburn picture! He will inherit many others!

Hudson will be here before we know it! I'm trying very hard to be patient, but it's so hard. I'm trying to get lots of rest while I can. This Friday is my last day at school, and I have to say, it's going to be bittersweet. My class has been awesome this year. I have the sweetest and smartest class in all of third grade :) It's going to be hard to say goodbye to them. The next time I see them they will be 4th graders! Please say a little prayer for my little growing family and my kiddos at school. We will all be making big adjustments!

Amanda

One Last Roll

This weekend we celebrated the last time to roll the Toomer's Oaks. Tucker and his dad went to the A-Day game while Phyllis and I enjoyed lunch and some shopping in Opelika. We met up after the game and headed downtown to enjoy the festivities. There were so many people there that we didn't stay long. We got as close as we could, but this 9 months pregnant momma started to get a little claustrophobic. Tucker and I decided to go back later that night to get some pictures and say our final goodbyes to the oaks.

We really wanted to document the last roll for Hudson. He will never get to roll the original Toomer's oaks, and that makes us a little weepy. We wanted him to know that he was there; he was just still growing in his mommy's tummy :) I ordered him the most precious outfit! See below. Yes, I ordered my child an outfit to wear to an event that he isn't even here to see. Call me crazy if you must, but I just had to have something with his name on it to take down to the oaks so I could take a picture with it. The pictures turned out a bit dark, but at least we have documentation:)

 37 weeks 

 It looks like snow!

Us in front of the Toomer's Oaks.

Tomorrow they will take the trees down. Many say that this is a time of mourning, however, I think it is a time for Auburn fans to show their strength and resiliency. Rolling the oaks at Toomer's Corner has always been a time honored tradition at Auburn, and that's never going to change. We may not roll the original oaks, but we will roll regardless. Harvey Updike thought he was in some way weakening our pride and strength, when in fact, all he did was make it stronger. 

Amanda

School Friends and Shower

Sorry for the delay in blog posts, friends. Things have been a little crazy around here lately. Last weekend, Tucker and I went to Reese and Jenifer's wedding. It was beautiful, and the bride was absolutely stunning. It was an outdoor wedding, and the weather could not have been more perfect. Tucker was one of the groomsmen, so we had a busy, fun-filled weekend full of wedding festivities. We truly enjoyed sharing that special day with two of our closest friends. We wish them many years of love and laughter.

This week my coworkers at school threw a baby shower for us. I know I say it a lot, but Tucker, Hudson, and I are blessed to have such wonderful and caring people in our lives. I could not believe all the gifts that we were given. We got so many things that we needed, including an infant car seat. We now have all the car seats we will ever need! It's such a relief not to have to worry about that. Tucker, Hudson, and I are so grateful for everything we have received! It was so fun to take it all home and go through all the gifts all over again. Finding a place to put it, on the other hand, not so fun. Babies require a lot of stuff!

 I adore this outfit and burp cloths! They are way too cute to get spit up on!

 I'm loving the sleeveless onesie!

 Hudson's first pair of blue jeans! Precious!

 Ummmm.... Daddy enjoying Hudson's hoody towel a little too much!

And the car seat! Yes, it is already installed and ready to go!

This morning, Tucker and I are heading to the lake. The lake renovations are finally finished, and we are moving in the last of the furniture today! It looks amazing! I can't wait to see how it looks when we complete the finishing touches! I will be on babysitting duty...I can't wait to get my hands on sweet little Prudence Rae!

Tucker will also be getting the boat ready for this summer. I can't believe it's almost here, which also means our little guy, Hudson, will be here soon as well! 4 more weeks, friends!

Amanda

Showers of Blessings

This past weekend, Tucker, Hudson, and I were showered once again with gifts. Have I mentioned lately how lucky we are? We are beyond lucky; we are truly blessed with amazing friends and family! This shower was thrown by our family. Katie Rae, Kathie, Kate, and Emily did a wonderful job organizing and preparing everything. Katie Rae was so sweet to host the shower at her house. Aunt Kathie was battling a nasty virus, but she did an awesome job of supervising from afar. We certainly missed her! Prepare for picture overload!

 Me with the hostesses Kate, Emily, and Katie Rae.

 Tucker and Kate- great friends and cousins!

 Emily and I

 (Yes, I know stripes were a terrible choice...)

 Tucker was so excited about the baby carrier that he had to try it out right away! 

Poor Pru! :)

 My adorable niece, Prudence Rae

Tucker getting in some good practice.

Phyllis, Al, and Mymama bought Hudson a car seat! Yay! We were a little worried about how we were going to get him home;) We are so appreciative! That's one huge purchase we don't have to worry about! Tucker wanted to install it right away...

 It's more difficult than it looks. Good thing I was there to supervise :)

 We did it!

Can you believe in 6 1/2 short weeks Hudson will be riding in this?

Amanda