First Snow and 2 months old.....

We had our first snow of the season yesterday, so of course, as proud parents what did we do????  We stuck Hudson out in it for some pictures!  (Well....we didn't really put him "in" it.....that would have been a bit harsh don't you think?)

It's been a fun few weeks as we've been through Thanksgiving and getting things ready for Christmas...the nieces (Anna, Meredith, and Paige) finally got to see their new cousin while everyone was home for Thanksgiving.....to say the girls were excited would be a severe understatement.  When Erin, Hudson, and I finally arrived to G and Da's house (Erin's folks), Anna and Meredith were standing at the door looking outside for us to arrive.  I'd like to say that they were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their uncle, but I'm alot smarter than that and anyone reading this knows better

The girls did so well with him while we were there.....in fact, within the first 24 hours, Hudson blew out a diaper (he's not exactly regular with that sort of thing) and everyone pitched in to help.  Anna caught me up to speed when I got back from the farm the next morning's hunt by saying it was a "diarrhea diaper"....get used to it sister, there's more where that came from!

Hudson loves his cousins.....he laughed with them, made them a part of his gassy pants experience, peed on the wall with them watching, etc.....it was a great experience for the girls

Hudson has been a trooper through it all.....he is such a good baby!  I know most parents will say that about their children, but we have been VERY fortunate so far in that he is a very pleasant little boy the vast majority of the time.  About the only time he gets upset is when he needs to be changed or when he's hungry (a trait that I still say came from his mama and his uncle)

With only a little more than a month before Erin goes back to work (time has FLOWN by!!!), we've begun the process of looking for someone to care for Hudson during the day.  I always thought I was protective of Max and Abby.....my protection level has hit a completely new high!

We know that the Lord will provide the right care for our little boy, and we're looking at ways that we can make some sacrifices to give Erin as much time with him....pray for her as the days draw closer to when she returns to work....she is dreading it......not so much b/c of work, but b/c she has absolutely fallen in love with this little boy and having the time of her life being a mama

Meredith and Hudson

Paige and Hudson

Anna and Hudson

"Listen here you crazy fool....you've
got a heavy jacket on and you stick
me out here with nothin'?!?!?!
What's up with that?!?!?!?"

Mama and her baby boy

"Now we're talkin'!  Off to
the snow!"

"Daddy and his little eskimo"

"Hey....who are you callin' funny looking?
You're just jealous because mama didn't
get you a hat like this!"

"These photo shoots are becoming
such a bore"

"Can someone please get me
a Dr Pepper.....or at least
some formula?"

"I told you....this IS my happy
face"

"How often do they make you
sit through these silly photo shoots?"

"Hey, hey, hey....watch the face....I just
had a bath you know"

"Yep....the white stuff looks
the same as it did last night.
Thanks for making me do
this all over again"

"Remember when we used to get
to go out for these photo
 shoots sister?"

"Okay...seriously dad.....I KNOW
I saw G washing chicken in this
same sink earlier!"

Long time coming

For those who have been waiting for updates for the last several weeks, my apologies......we discovered that taking photos was much easier while Hudson was in the womb

At his 5 week check-up, he weighed 12 lbs 13 oz and measured 23.5" long

So what have we learned over the last 7 weeks?

1. I never realized how little sleep I could really function off of

2. The ratio of poop output vs milk input is disproportionate (where does all that stuff come from???)

3. Babies can be sound asleep and the moment their head hits the crib mattress, they suffer from insomnia

4. When Hudson wants milk.....he wants it RIGHT NOW!

5. Whatever schedule you think you've achieved after a few days, he will remind you that you are not in control

6. As a daddy, you get real comfortable with bodily fluids being showered on you very quickly

7. Changing a diaper is like playing a game.....get the old one off and the new one covering the naughty bits before the timer goes off (in this case, the timer doubles as a "fountain")

8. Speaking of diapers, how come no one told us that dogs prefer to eat diapers over their own food?

It has been an incredible ride so far...many nights of frustration, but at the end of it all, he is so much fun to have around.  It's amazing how your perspective on life (and what is most important to you) changes in an instant.

We still get so many things wrong as we raise him, but what we learn through a comedy of errors while we spend time with him is invaluable.

Homecoming

As if the stress and anxiety of going through labor and delivery isn't enough, then the hospital staff tells you  that it's time to get ready to be discharged

"Wait a minute!!! You're telling me that I'm taking this child home with me?!?!?  I can't even remember to feed my dogs everyday at the same time.....what am I supposed to do with him????"

No test, no certification, no 20-questions......just wham, bam, thank you ma'am......labor, deliver, and back home you go.....why can't getting your driver's license be so quick???

So we left the hospital around 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon and headed back to Farmville with a little more "luggage" than we came with

We discovered quickly that we have good riding little boy....Hudson slept all the way home....in fact, he slept for a couple of hours even AFTER we got home (how's that for a homecoming present???)

Since we've been home, we quickly tried to focus on building a system that allows for Hudson's needs to be met but also for Erin and me to get as much rest as possible so that Hudson isn't lacking anything.....Sonee (Erin's mama) has been a HUGE help.....so much so that we've begun recruiting her to retire from teaching school to become a full-time nanny (now we'll see how good of a sales guy I really am!)

Hudson has fallen into a pretty predictable schedule so far....eat for 30-60 minutes, sleep for 2-3 hours, then back to feeding for 30-60 minutes.....changing diapers in the midst of feeding (not WHILE he is feeding, but during the "switch" seems to make his transition back to the crib or bassinet smoother).  In most cases, he's asleep before he finishes eating

We had our first doctor's appointment this morning which required us to pack the diaper bag for the first time.....all this and we were only 2 minutes late to the appointment (we're not even that on-time to church WITHOUT a baby :-) )

The doctor said he looks great and is very healthy which we were excited to hear.....we had noticed a little yellowing in the corners of his eyes and with his skin tone....the doctor wasn't overly concerned about it saying that with his feeding schedule and the number of diapers he was producing that he was most likely forcing the bilirubin out of his system....he went ahead and scheduled us for labs this afternoon

Went to the hospital after lunch and were quickly back for Hudson to have blood drawn for the bilirubin test......to see your 4-day old little boy cry so hard that he can barely breathe completely breaks your heart.....but he did so well and we were back on our way home in less than 30 minutes.....dr office called later and said his levels were in the "low-risk" category and that they'd see us early next week to re-evaluate his progress

4 days into being a daddy and I find myself mesmerized by this little boy.....you find that you can't take your eyes off him, nor do you want to....I always figured that we were called to be an aunt/uncle couple (we were always gonna be the coolest ones too!), and that was a role we were content with if that ended up being our calling......but now, less than a week along this journey of being a parent, I already can't imagine my life without Hudson

Max has done AWESOME...of course
he had to check things out as soon
as we got home

"Hey ladies.......welcome to my crib!"

Hudson and Gigi

Hudson, Gigi, and Gandy

Hudson talking to his Gram and Papa
in Ukraine
(See Dad....now the title is public knowledge! ;-) )

Recovery Day(s)

After a long Sunday night and Monday, Erin's doctor's decided to keep her Tuesday and part of Wednesday before discharging her


Monday night (our first night as being parents) ended up being not too bad....Hudson fed a few times throughout the night, but actually slept a total of abt 6 hrs (including one 4 hr stretch)


Erin's other sister came by Tuesday to see baby Hudson....if you didn't know any better, you'd think Hudson was more her child than Erin's


Tuesday night????  Well that's another story.....he just was not interested in eating more than abt 20 minutes at a time and sleeping for 30 minute intervals....the nursing staff was a big help to us on this night and allowed us to regain some of our sanity

Hudson and Kellee

Down the stretch

Thankfully, the epidural worked and gave Erin some much needed rest (she was gonna need it)


Dr Haskins came back in and check her progression at 7:15 Monday morning.....Erin was at 5 cm.....we were getting closer to the finish!!!  While Dr Haskins was scheduled to be in the OR for a few hours in the morning, she was confident that we would be delivering a baby by sometime in the afternoon


Erin was doing so well fighting through her contractions and staying focused on the goal


11 am: Erin is at 8 cm (in the not-too-distant future, we're gonna be pushing!!!!!)


1 pm:  10 cm....time to start pushing


And push she did.....for the next 2.5 hrs, Erin pushed w/ every contraction....Dr Haskins checked on us every hour or so to see how things were moving along


Within the first hour, we got our first actual glimpse of baby Hudson when Erin managed to push him to the point where we could see the crown of his head......and this baby had a FULL head of dark hair!!!


By the time we got to 3 pm, the doctor decided that she would use the vacuum to help move him through the birth canal while Erin still had plenty of strength.....this baby was holding on to his cocoon of warmth and not ready to come and see his mama and daddy


When the decision was made for the vacuum, we ended up w/ a crew of folks in our room.....went from the doctor and the nurse to several doctors and several nurses all waiting to do their thing with a healthy baby


Once Dr Haskins got the vacuum on the baby, and with a few more pushes from mama, Hudson Cree White finally arrived at 3:29 pm


And boy did he arrive.....21.75 inches and 9.39 lbs......we had a VERY healthy baby boy!!!!!


Mama and baby are doing very well....in fact, as I write this at 3:45 am, Hudson is feeding/falling asleep w/ his mama.....we have managed to get a few hrs of sleep tonight already.....though he may not be asleep in his bassinet, he has been alert from the word go....this child has so much to see and figure out and it appears he trying to do it all at one time

Mama giving her new boy some lovin'

The next several hours and the next few days will be a huge learning curve for mama and daddy (we've already had our first wet diaper.....still waiting tar-filled changing experience that is we know is headed our way at some point)


Tuesday will be a big day for Hudson w/ screenings and circumcision on his agenda (I am so thankful that some life experiences are done so early that I have ZERO chance of remembering the unpleasantries)

Dr Haskins and family

First family photo (seriously....isn't it a little early to be performing for a camera???) 

"Okay....so it's not so bad under this
heat lamp!"

"Can you say 'healthy' baby?"

Thank goodness this thing only
 has 3 snaps....otherwise you'd spend most
 of your early life runnin' around naked

"I've probably had as much sleep as I'm
 gonna get for quite some time"

The 13th hour

We're been here for 13 hrs so far and the journey continues

3:15 am: Epidural is administered by anesthesiologist....Erin did so well handling the discomfort (her words) that went with that process......I knew the size of that needle and couldn't handle it.....felt like I was gonna pass out thinking of what that must have felt like

3:30-6:30 am: Contractions are coming more regularly but the epidural is certainly helping

Three things I've already learned in this continuing 13 hour marathon:

1. Labor experience is never really an appropriate comparative conversation to have....no two are the same....differing levels of pain threshold, varying body types that prolong or shorten the labor period, etc.

Maybe it's a woman's way of sharing "war stories" (I know guys do the same thing w/ cuts, bruises, broken bones, etc)......but watching what a woman goes through to deliver a baby gives a complete new perspective

2. There is absolutely NO WAY that I could be a doctor.....it's never a good thing when, as a spectator and minimal participant, you get more queasy and light-headed than the mama-to-be.....needles and the thought of the pain that your wife is enduring is all too much for me to experience on a regular basis....I'm so incredibly grateful and appreciative to the doctors and nursing staff (our nurse Katie has been wonderful all night long) for the care they've given Erin

3. It's impossible to understand until you finally get into the labor process, but it's incredibly emotional even before the baby arrives......you become extremely protective, proud, and amazed by your wife for enduring something that would drive me to literally shoot myself rather than go on.....I'm now more convinced than ever that if the task had been left to men, the human race would go extinct

Erin has done so incredibly well through this long night....even though we have (in all likelihood) a long day ahead of us, we're excited to see baby Hudson face to face

Now if he would just stop being ornery (a character trait he no doubt inherits from both of his grandmamas) and decide to come on, we'd all be much better off!

The time has finally come....

After suffering through several days of incessant itching (a symptom caused by a condition known as cholestasis), Erin's doctor decided to go ahead and admit her for induction since we only had 4 days until her due date


We arrived at the hospital on Sunday, 3 October at 5:30 pm, got checked into our room, met our nurse(s) and met w/ Erin's doctor (who happened to be on call this weekend)


He inserted a catheter to "ripen" her cervix and help the labor process along....fortunately, she was already 1 cm dilated prior to the insertion of the catheter


Though not a pleasant experience, Erin managed through the process well and before long, contractions were increasing with regularity and intensity


After a couple of hours, the pain was becoming difficult to bear and she received her first round of pain meds to help deal with the pain


1:30 am: Second round of pain meds administered.....Erin is hanging in there and doing great!


2:45 am: Dr Gay's (Erin's regular doctor) shift ended earlier tonight and Dr Haskins came by to check on Erin.....after speaking with her, she decided it was time to break Erin's water and schedule the epidural (at Erin's request)....Dr Haskins said it was a perfect time to administer the epidural so that it could take effect before labor progressed to a greater intensity....after breaking Erin's water, Dr Haskins confirmed that she was now 4 cm dilated and progressing perfectly


While we wait for the epidural, the contractions continue to get more intense but Erin is doing well fighting through the pain....it's a humbling experience to watch your wife endure suffering....suffering that you know you played a role in causing and suffering that you cannot take away no matter how badly you wish it was you instead of she in the bed


This little boy is taking his mama for a ride.....what he doesn't know yet is that she can outlast his antics any day.....here's to hoping for a speedy progression through labor and some much needed rest for Erin (thanks for the prayer Gavin!)

38 weeks

And the time draws nigh......


Can you believe it??? 8.5 months down....2 weeks to go


Mama is ready to have this baby.....she is growing more uncomfortable by the day and Hudson seemingly manages to find every nerve in her lower body to press on


After our doctor appointment last week, everyone is ready for Hudson to make his grand entry.....calls are coming in several times each day w/ "Have you had that baby yet?"


I don't think we're far off now.....my guess is by this Sunday we'll have a new mouth to feed

"Please tell me I'm not being replaced..."

37 week Ultrasound

Since Erin was measuring 4 weeks ahead, her doctor wanted to do an ultrasound to get a better idea of just how big Hudson is

Not wanting to induce unless absolutely necessary, he wanted to see if we were dealing w/ an 8.5 lb baby with large amounts of amniotic fluid or if Erin was carrying a baby that was pushing 10.5 lbs (you should have seen her eyes when that number came out!)

As the ultrasound commenced, we discovered that our son (WOW!!! That sounds crazy!!!) has a long femur (confirmation that he is from these parents), a large big toe (gets that from his mama.....ha ha ha ha......mama says that comes from his daddy), and he was very comfortable and relaxed in the womb....heartbeat was mid-130s

They said he is very healthy and everything is progressing well.....the tech estimated him at 8 lbs 3 oz

At this point, the doctor said (tongue in cheek) for us to make an appointment for the upcoming week but to plan on canceling it :-)

The contractions are beginning, but at this point they're infrequent

Mama and daddy are both ready for this boy to get here so the sleepless nights can begin!

37 weeks

37 weeks.....Do you think people can tell that I'm pregnant yet?