A Boy and His Dog

Vinny and Hudson are fast friends. :) Take a look. Hudson also loves his Sophie Giraffe that Ashley, Daniel and Abby gave him. Thanks guys.

Cutest Blanket Ever

We got the cutest blanket for Hudson. We love it. Thanks Erin, Will & Colin.

Fifth Anniversary!

Brandon and I had our fifth wedding anniversary and celebrated in New York City with Nick and Katy (their first anniversary!) and Nicole and Scott. Here are a few pics of us as well as the restaurant and the bill that followed..lol...so much for Hudson's college tuition. Gotta love NYC.

New York

Hudson had a lot of firsts last week-his first plane trip to New York, first time in a pool, first baseball game (cousin Greg did so good!), first time to meet cousins Audrey and Molly and many more. Here are a few photos of Hudson in all his adventures, including four generations of Albano men and Hudson with his favorite BFF-cousin Kate. We had a great time!

Two Months Old :)

H-U-D-S-O-N

My Aunt Issy arranged for me to get several items with my name on them. I am so excited (as you can see in the pics) (my mom loves monogrammed stuff). Check out one of my cool shirts-along with some cool dinosaur baby legs. :)

Tomorrow you will be two months old...

Dear Hudson,

Tomorrow you will be two months old, and I can't believe it. You are so sweet and easy going-your daddy and I can't believe how lucky we are. As I write this post, you are sleeping in my arms, all warm and cozy wrapped in your blanket. I bet someday, this will be a distant but wonderful memory. Today, I am cherishing every second. Your daddy and I love you so much, you are just so darn cute, and you are so smart and strong. We can't even believe it. You are so lovable, and recognize us now when we are around you. You are holding your head up pretty well and also supporting weight on your legs when we hold you up. You still love small cozy places and you love music, lights, and sounds of all kinds. You like to be on the go too-you are happiest when we are busy!

You are a smiley, wonderful baby. You smile and laugh all the time and it warms my soul. I love you baby boy and can't wait to watch you grow (just not too fast)!

Love, mommy

2 Months Old (Almost)

Hudson will be 2 months old tomorrow! I can't even believe it. Because I want to remember and for those of you that are curious-I thought I would write a post on what Hudson is doing now and also what has/ has not worked for us so far. Hudson is so strong-he has his 2 month appt. on friday and I would not be surprised if he is 14 lbs or heavier-he is quite the eater. He holds weight in his legs, can hold his head and shoulders up for long periods while you are holding him on your chest and is starting to be very busy compared to his sleepy self just a few weeks ago. He coos, laughs, and smiles constantly. He is very happy. :) He is also sleeping through the night. Sometimes it is around 10 pm-6 am, sometimes 9 pm-7 pm, usually it is at least 7-8 hours. He then wakes up to eat and sleeps another hour or two. He is super relaxed and usually only cries if hungry or gassy. He doesn't even care if his diaper is dirty. He is very easy going. We are so lucky.

A few things Hudson loves. He LOVES his take along swing that Grandma and Grandpa gave him (We can fold it up and take it with us-we recently took it to Vail). Hudson loves to swing-it relaxes him and he naps in it. He LOVES his Sleep Sheep-for those of you who have kids (or will have kids soon)-the Sleep Sheep-a white noise machine that plays several different sounds for up to 45 minutes, is amazing. Hudson sleeps 7-10 hours per night every night, and I partly credit the Sleep Sheep for helping us to create a successful bedtime routine (Thanks Aunt Liz, Uncle Joe, Nanny & Pop Pop for the Sleep Sheep). We even found a travel size one to attach to the car seat for long trips. Other items that we love/ have been great over the past 2 months: Aiden and Anais muslin blankets (we use them for everything-sopping up spit up, swaddling (Hudson likes to be swaddled from the chest down with arms out), covering the car seat, etc., Gripe Water (miracle worker really) for occasional upset tummies, Dr. Brown Bottles (Hudson is exclusively fed breast milk so he isn't supper gassy anyway-but these bottles have always worked amazing for us to keep our little guy happy), Aquaphor Baby (any rash or irritation on the skin is literally gone in a matter of hours with this amazing stuff), Aveeno Baby Wash and Lotions-since we switched to Aveeno, Hudson hasn't had even the tiniest skin irritation, pacifier thermometer (an easy way to take his temp-Thanks Julie!), his Beco Carrier-an amazing baby carrier that Hudson could stay in for hours, and last but not least-his Moses Basket with Stand, Activity Mat, and Mobile from RH. Restoration Hardware Baby has super practical (very effective) baby items. Hudson LOVES his Moses Basket and has always slept great in it-it doesn't vibrate or do anything fancy like some bassinets, but it is simple, comforting and wonderful and he loves it. The RH products provide color contrast (black/ white) and he loves them. The RH activity mat also has lots of mirrors. Hudson is a happy guy laying and playing on his mat. He also loves his cow mobile-thanks Ellie Bubbie and could watch it for hours. We have also found that cloth diapers are good for everything and we have about 25 or so that we cycle in and out to use as burp cloths, etc.

We have had a really great two months with our little guy. He is so easy going and sweet. We are so lucky. :) I will post more pics soon!

Our Smiley (and very chunky) Baby Boy

He is such a doll. Check out our chunky monkey. How many chins can one baby have? I think we may find out..the kid can eat. He is also holding his head up and can hold himself up on his legs with very little support. Strong boy! He also laughs, smiles and coos ALL the time. So Happy! We love you.

Fourth of July

We spent the weekend in Vail-we just love it up there. It was relaxing and beautiful as ever and Hudson did amazing-even slept well while we were there. :) He has been sleeping 7-8 hours straight at night-please join me in praying that this continues. Here are some pics from Vail, including Hudson in the stroller (which is where he was most of the time). Also, I had Strawberry soup-no joke. It was awesome.

Hudson & Colin-Fast Friends :)

We had a visit from some friends of ours a couple of weeks ago-they have an ALMOST one year old named Colin. :) Hudson and Colin will be fast friends (even though Hudson may not know it yet).

Here are some pics.