So Far So Good

Well, so far things are still going good with the pregnancy (knock on wood). No swelling or carpel tunnel this time around so far. I'm having a lot of congestion this time which is starting to turn into an earache, but other than that things are great! We have decided on a name for our little girl (will mention at a later time... to those who don't know yet). We've also started painting! I bought the bedding the weekend after I found out we were having a girl. So far we have one coat of paint on the pink walls. Just have to do one more coat and then we can do the green accent wall. We've been busy planning lately. We've got Joey's 2nd birthday coming up next month so we're planning his party for the 11th. He is in love with trains or "too too's" as he calls them, so his theme will be Thomas. I think he's really going to like it. Speaking of Joey turning 2... when do the terrible 2's end?!?! Lol. My goodness. One minute he is happy as can be and the next thing you know he's screaming and nothing makes him happy. He'll ask for a drink, you make him one and then he sceams no and gets in the floor to have a tantrum. Comical at times and quite frustrating at others =o). I definitely won't miss this phase lol. We've also begun making plans for the baby shower or sprinkle as we're calling it (since we have all the major stuff we just need the basics). A little early I know but I like to get things set in stone early... so does my mom... I think that's why we get along so well lol... we think a like. We ordered the decor and have thought of ideas of what to have for food. I think this time it's going to be more of a celebration/cook out style rather than an actual shower. We're having guys this time. Who knows... we may throw in a few games... especially if we can get the guys involved because that would provide a few laughs =o) I've got my next Dr. appointment on Feb. 13th so I'll post sometime after that with an update. Below I've got my belly pics so far and decided to post the ultrasound pictures because I realized not everyone has facebook! Enjoy!

~*~ 12.5 Weeks Pregnant~*~

~*~ 17 Weeks Pregnant~*~

~*~ 20 Weeks Pregnant~*~

~*~ 8 Week Ultrasound of Our Lil Gummy Bear~*~

~*~ 17 Week Ultrasound... It's a Girl~*~

New Year... New Commitment

Hahaha... well if you've read my last post I didn't keep my word. It's been almost a year since my last blog!! Pitiful!! That is my new commitment... to find time to do atleast one blog a month. I guess the important thing to do for this initial blog is an update for the past 11 MONTHS!!!!

For starters, our lil man is almost 2 years old now. Where did the time go? He started walking in May '11 and he's been running ever since. His vocabulary has grown tremendously and it's just a joy to watch him everyday. He is so smart. It amazes us how quick he learns new things and he's always trying to figure out how things work. Must get that from his daddy =o) Right now he's in the terrible 2 phase and has been for several months. He tries to be so independent and of course his favorite word is 'no'. Overall he stays pretty happy though and we couldn't ask for anything more.




We have also moved! We moved into our new home in April '11 and we love it. We have so much more space (land) and much more room within the home. We also have a pool which was an added perk =o) and a mother in law suite so my parents have their own place to stay when they come visit. So far everyone we have met has been super nice and we have neighbors with a son the same age as Cameron which is great for him. He used to get so bored with no one to play with.




Speaking of Cam... he's been doing great in school from what we've been told. He has made the honor roll this whole year. He's getting ready to start at a new school though since his mom moved so hopefully that won't get him off track. We still haven't been able to get him to pick up a baseball again yet but maybe one day we'll get him back on the field. For now he's happy playing with friends, riding his go cart, playing games, and being a big brother =o)




Frankie is still with Ace's Automotive (going on 2 yrs almost) and I finally found a job in Charlotte!! I started working at Presyterian the same month we moved. Needless to say, April '11 was full of many changes. I'm still on the night shift and I work with a great group of people.

I guess the biggest news we have thus far is our second pregnancy =o) Our little GIRL will be here in June and we are so excited. I've always dreamed of having 2 children, one of each and God answered my prayers. So far she is looking great on the ultrasound and mommy is doing good as well. Thank God we've got plenty of time before she arrives because we haven't been able to agree on a name yet... we do know her last name with be Hudson lol




I guess that's all the highlights so far. I'll write again next month... hopefully ;o)

I'm Trying

So... I did better this time that last... It's only been 3 months since my last post rather than 6. I'll get back in the grove... maybe. I swear working night shift messes with you so much. You don't know where you are half the time. And the rest of my time off is spent being a mommy =o)

Here it goes, the last 3 months in a nut shell.

Joey is now 11 months old! He is crawling and pulling up. He gets into EVERYTHING! And we finally broke him of sleeping with us... yay! It was so hard at first to look at that sad little face that would fill with tears as we left him in his crib but he does great now. We are even able to put him in there for his naps. He seems to have grasped the concept of his crib quite well. Not to mention he now sleeps almost 12hrs!!! When he was with us he would try to wake us up and start playing at 6:30-7:30 in the morning. Now he's good until almost 10:00! Oh... and he's not eating baby food anymore. He loves "big people" food lol. He doess yogurt, veggies, meats, waffles, oatmeal, and his favorite snack is graham crackers.

We had our first Christmas with little man and it was wonderful. We took him to my grandparents the week before Christmas and it was so nice to spend his first Christmas with so much family. He loved tearing into the paper but obviously wasn't into the actual gift itself lol. He got so much stuff it was ridiculous.

Cam didn't do too shabby on Christmas either. We had to do quite a bit of de-cluttering to accomodate his new stuff. As many of you know, his room looks like Toy's R Us.

We have recently put our house on the market as well. It has been for sale for about a month now. We have a bid in on a house that we love. Hopefully things work out. Only time will tell.

I am still working in Gaffney and still love my job. I have tried finding something closer to home but have had no success. Maybe something will turn up but for now I love where I'm at (minus the drive).

Frankie is coming up on almost a year with Ace's. It was a scary transition in the beginning (after being at a place for 15yrs) but things there are great as well.

Hope to post something each month, especially next month since our little boy will be turning 1!!! I can't believe it's already here... where did the time go?


~*~9 months~*~







~*~10 months~*~







~*~11 months~*~

What A Slacker I Have Been

My apologies... It has been oh... 6 MONTHS!!! since I have posted any new blogs lol... I promise to do better. So here is a short version of our lives since June (which will explain the lack in posts)

I got a job!!! YAY!! I started working in Gaffney back in June on a Med-Surg/Pediatric unit doing 3rd shift. I really like it there and I have met some amazing people along the way. I have to drive an hour (one way) to work which gets to be a bit much but I love my job. The one draw back is not seeing my husband and baby as much as I would like. I usually work 3 nights in a row which means I will see them the morning of my first night when Frankie leaves for work... then I won't see them again for 3.5 days until Frankie gets home from work after I've completed my last night.

Frankie is still working at Ace's and he really likes it there. He and the guys in the shop get along great which keeps him happy. He rarely comes home upset from work... which was an everyday thing with Pep Boys.

Cam started new school this year but he really seems to like it. We haven't heard any complaints with kids picking on him like we have the past couple years. It's a nice change =o)

Now for the major update... Joey lol. He is 8 months old now!!!! Hard to believe. He is growing up so fast. He is now sleeping through the night, rolling over, sitting up, eating baby food, and feeding himself his bottles. Foods he likes include: carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, apples, applesauce, bananas, peaches, & apples w/raspberries. He has yet to crawl =o\ I think he may be like me. I've been told I didn't crawl. I rolled... and then began pulling myself up on objects which led to walking. Joey rolls over great and is real good about sliding around the hardwood floors on his butt... guess he's not too worried about crawling right now. His first word was mama =oD Not sure how happy daddy was about that considering daddy sees him more than I do. Now it sounds like he's started to say bye bye. It's amazing to watch him change everyday. I can't believe he will be having a birthday is less than 4 months now. Time flies.

Other than being parents we live at home lol. We spend time with our friends occassionally (not as much as we'd like) but we do our best. We spend weekends with Harkey and Steph on a regular basis and occassionally hang out with Shane, our old neighbors, the Vargos (miss you guys) and the nursing girls. We recently went to Kerri's wedding and it was nice to have all the nursing girls back together again. It has been a while since we've all been together like that.

Hope to post more often now... can't make any promises though... I can promise to provide updates tho lol... Below are some pix to catch up with!

~*~ From June~*~



~*~ From July~*~



~*~ From August~*~



~*~ From September~*~



~*~ First Halloween~*~




~*~ Kerri and Jamie's Wedding ~*~

Life's a Beach... And Another Year Older

So I'm definitely slacking when it comes to having regular posts but I'm doing my best. My last one was 3 weeks ago so I'll try to update.

We went to the beach with my parents and we had a blast! We took Joey out on the beach the first day and he slept most of the time. We decided not to anymore because of the wind. Scary when they stop breathing =o) It was so nice there... just to relax was great. Joey did get to have his first experience with Barefoot Landing, the Boardwalk, and the strip (starting him out young haha). He got to do a lot of bonding with my parents as they were trying to give us a break from the 24/7 life of parenthood. The last night we were there Frankie and I got to enjoy a day at the pool, shopping at the Tanger Outlets, dinner at the Giant Crab and a round of putt putt.

The Sunday after we got home was Cameron's 10th birthday!!! It's hard to believe he's already 10. He was 2.5 when Frankie and I started dating. Time flies. I made him a dirt bike cake and we all enjoyed an outing at the park. The kids spent time riding bikes, flying planes, and playing with water guns. Nothing like a birthday party that's free =o)

Last week Frankie ripped his earlobe... yes you read correct... he ripped his earlobe. He was getting ready to leave work and was backing a car out. His earring got caught on the top of the door as he was getting in the car and when he sat down the earring ripped out. Needless to say we spent three hours in the ER and he got 7 stitches. I don't think he'll be putting them back in... at least that's what he says for now.

This past Sunday we became members of our church and we are so happy. It took us a while to make a decision on what church we wanted to attend. We knew we wanted a baptist church that wasn't too big. We decided to attend the church our good friends the Vargos attend and we are so pleased. The people here have made us feel so welcome and we love the preaching staff. We feel at home and are thrilled to be raising Joey in the church... not to mention we have introduced Cameron to it as well.

And a final note... I have an interview on Monday!!! I really hope this one works out. I will have quite a haul to work but I have to take what I can get =o) I have waited so long to put my nursing degree to good use. Fingers crossed!!

2 Months Old Already

Time flies... I'm not blogging ask frequently as I would like but at least I'm still doing it =o) It's hard to believe Joey is 2 months old!!! He turned 2 months on Mothers Day (awww). I received the sweetest card from him. I'm thinking about doing like that commercial on TV where the mother has all her cards in a box and is able to look at how the hand writing has changed over the years. Mother's day was relaxing and we were able to get professional pictures made. I'm glad I will have that memory to look back on.

Joey had his 2 month well visit last week and he is doing well. He is now a whopping 11 lbs 6.5oz. and 23.75 inches. He's gonna be a tall one. Not sure where he got the height... must be a Barnard thing because my cousin Rich is a tall one =o)

He has started sleeping in his crib which is wonderful! The first night was scary for me because I'm used to being able to roll over to check on him. It's nice having a monitor to calm the nerves. And Joey now LOVES diaper changes lol... what a difference from a month ago when he would scream his head off. He gives the biggest grins during the diaper changes now. I've noticed he also giggles a little whenever he poots with his diaper off lol. Must feel different or something. The best thing is he takes a binky now!!!! Yay!!! My fingers were literally getting blisters on them so I'm so glad. My mom and I went to a jewelry party at a friends house and her son and one other little boy were sucking on soothie pacies (the ones they give you at the hospital... we didn't get any). I decided to go to Walmart and buy some... Joey took to them right away.

Things around the house have been about the same. Frankie worked all week to get our new bathtub in and get the sheet rock done. It looks great! Now it's my turn to work. I have to mud the walls and start painting. I can't wait to see the finished product. The project took longer than expected b/c of the way the piping was done when the house was built. Frankie had to re-route most of it in order to get the new tub in. He refuses to take on another project like this in the future lol.

Below are some of Joey's 2month pictures and some of him with his new friends =o) These are some girls I met during our child birth class and we all had boys. We are hoping to keep in touch so that our kids can grow up and play together =o) The top picture is Thavy/Braylon Lori/Jared and me/Joey. The next one is me/Joey Nina/Leo and Lori/Jared.

Getting Big

Things with Joey are going great! He still has his fussy moments, but nothing someones pinky can't cure (he refuses to take a binky). He is still on his every three hour feeding schedule and occassionally that will stretch during the night to about 4-4.5 hours. He has started oohing and ahhing which is really cute to hear. He has also found his hands (which he loves to stick in his mouth). Frankie celebrated his 32nd birthday this past weekend. We went out to Shane's house and hung out. We cooked out, played pool, the boys had some drinks, and the kids had a blast playing together. It was nice. The next day we went to dinner with his parents and the boys. We also found a church that we love! We have been wanting to go for quite sometime but we knew it would be hard with Frankie working every other Sunday. With his new job he is off every Sunday. We decided to attend a church that our good friends the Vargos attend. We had such a great time we plan on becoming members =o) It's nice to know that Joey will be brought up in the church. Nana and Pawpaw are here for a few days. Joey has found a new resting spot on my dad's belly and he loves it =o) We've also discovered that my dads trick of singing/humming in a deep voice seems to work. Every time my dad does it Joey quits fussing. Wish I had the ability to do that lol. We are excited to take Joey on his first vacation in a couple of weeks. We will be going to the beach with Nana and Pawpaw... I can't wait! Below are some of Joey's one month photos and a video of him smiling =o) If you tickle his mouth with your finger or a cloth, he gets the biggest grin. I love seeing that everyday.