Now for some pictures.....

We started out painting some Christmas ornaments and then things took a bit of a different turn.



These were taken before we left for the Christmas Eve service.




Christmas Day

Christmas Review (with pics to come later)

Well, I'm not sure how to describe this Christmas. It was definitely different than anything we had thought or planned for. On Christmas Eve we went to the 5pm service at church and then headed home. Just before church I started to not feel so great and that just kind of continued all through the service. Although from what I can remember, the service was beautiful and served as a great reminder for the what is really important as well as it has challenged me to strive for more. After service, we came home and Christian's sister, Tiffany, and her fiance came over for dinner. By this time I was unable to even look at food and was having to leave the table every so often to throw up (I didn't make a very good hostess, sorry). With this pregnancy I have had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, so I really don't think too much of them any more. Although, as I continued to throw up I realized that I was having these minor contractions every 5 minutes and sometimes closer.

Around 9p, after Tiffany and Justin, left Christian and I decided that we should probably call the dr. and talk with the hospital on call dr. about what was going on. The dr. wanted me to go ahead and come in to make sure that I wasn't dehydrated. Apparently dehydration can sometimes send you into labor, which for me at this point wouldn't be a horrible thing. By the time we left for the hospital around 10p my "contractions" were about 2 minutes apart but they weren't painful at all. We had some friends come over to watch Hud until Christian's parents could get here. All of the sudden it became very clear that we could possibly be having a baby and to be honest I was not quite ready for that - so many things that still need to be done. (ex. carseat is still in the attic).

We get to the hospital and I get put in the triage Labor and Delivery area and they start me on some fluids and check to see if I have progressed at this point. I had not progressed since my dr. appt so I wasn't in labor. They also decided to do some blood work. Some of the results came back and my liver enzymes were off and so was my kidney function. They send me upstairs to get an ultrasound to see if something is going on with my liver. By this point it is past midnight, so officially Christmas. Not how I expected to spend my Christmas. It was an hour or more before we got the rest of my blood results and the the ultrasound report. When the blood results came back is when things really began to change. My ultrasound was ok, but my platelets were extremely low which indicated I could have something called HELPS syndrome. HELPS is similar to preeclampsia, but more severe. They brought in a couple anesthesialogists and some nurses and we were getting ready for an emergency c-section where I would be completely out and Christian wouldn't be allowed in the room. I forgot to mention, that by this time Christian is now sick and struggling to stay in the room. We begin to pray and send out messages to let people know what was going on. They order more blood tests. The dr. were still a little confused because my blood pressure was still extremely low (normal for me) and that usually is not the case with HELPS. This time it took only 20 min or so to get the results. Amazing how things change when the "situation" gets more serious. This time my blood work was normal. Praise the LORD. So, for the time being the C-section was on hold because now we are going to do a 3rd set of tests to see which one seems to be the correct one. The 3rd set also came back normal. The doctors and nurses were all in shock as to what was going on, but we knew that God had been gracious to us (thanks to all of those that labored in prayer for us, especially in the middle of the night on Christmas). We ended up staying at the hospital until 730am so that I could get more fluids and rest and then we were released to go home.

Christian's parents stayed at our house until Hudson woke up and then they took him over to their house. Christian and I came home and slept for a couple of hours and then headed to their house to spend Christmas with his family. It was an unusual Christmas for us, but we were able to experience the presence of the Lord in a way that we never thought we would this Christmas and for that we are extremely thankful.

Hudson enjoyed opening his presents and getting to play with his new toys. He loves his train table (I will post some video soon-Christian got me a Flip mino HD-so fun). So I guess next year we will try to instill some of our own Christmas traditions with our family since this year God had some different plans for us. We are now all healthy and recovered from a nasty stomach virus, hopefully it will not return. We continue to wait for Parker's arrival, I can't believe how soon it is coming. I'm still able to try for a VBAC, so please continue to pray that we will have a successful VBAC.

~34 week Belly Pic and Pregnancy

I'm now 38 weeks and much bigger! I'm not sure if there will be any more shots of the belly taken:) Everything is going well at this point. I now go to the dr. weekly. I'm starting to progress, very slowly - well actually not a whole lot since my 36 week appt. Today we set up an amnio induction (breaking my water) on the 14th if she has not arrived yet and seeing if that will help initiate labor. We are praying that I will go into labor naturally before that. I had a C-section with Hudson and it is our prayer that we will be able to have a VBAC with Parker (any prayers are very much appreciated). We will keep you posted as we know more of what is going on.

Hudson 2 yr photos and some family photos

These were taken just before Thanksgiving by my (Erin) cousin Kim. She does a phenomenal job and we are so blessed to have capture some pictures for us.

1st Haircut

On Wed we decided to get Hudson's hair trimmed. We didn't get much cut off, but we did have it trimmed so that his hair is a little more manageable. The "nest" in the back is much better now and doesn't get quite so tangled. He was definitely not a fan of getting his haircut, but he did enjoy his lollipop. After his haircut we went to the mall playground and he enjoyed playing for a little while, although he was not a huge fan of the crowd (who could blame him:)

Thanksgiving

We went to The Woodlands this year for Thanksgiving to visit my (Erin's) family. We had a great time hanging out and enjoying everyone's company. Unfortunately, Christian was sick the whole week so he was pretty much out of it. Thursday morning Hudson and I did a 3 mile walk with my mom, my aunt Sue and my cousin Kim. It's always good to get some exercise before you eat your weight in food. After the "Run thru The Woods" we all went to my Uncle Pete and Aunt Sue's house for a late lunch. It was 80 degrees in The Woodlands so we spent a good amount of time hanging out outside before eating. It was a fantastic day of good food and great family time.
Thanksgiving preparations
Family Bocci Ball
Hudson playing Bocci Ball
Hudson and Pierce enjoying their cupcakes

Hudson's 2nd Birthday Party

Last weekend we celebrated Hudson's birthday with some friends. We had a great time just hanging out and watching the kids play around. Hudson is extremely blessed to have so many people who love him and care about him. Here are a couple pictures (unfortunately we didn't take a whole lot).

Hudson Love His Soccer

Running downhill is hard, especially while dribbling a soccer ball at the same time. We like to think that Hudson is super-far advanced in hand-eye coordination, but when you have nothing to compare to, you're not sure. Regardless, we're always amazed at his athleticism.

Absolutely beautiful

Tonight as I was putting Hudson to bed I had one of those moments where the beauty of raising children was magnified. Ever since Hudson was a baby we have been singing Amazing Grace. In the past few weeks, he has decided that he cannot go to bed without the song. Well now he knows most of the words and he loves to sing along. To hear his sweet little voice sing words that speak so much Truth is so encouraging to my soul....I feel like I have heard the angels singing.

Halloween

This year Halloween was a little different for us (not that we have any traditions at this point). Christian's oldest brother, Chip, got married on Saturday so Friday we had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. Hudson wore his costume and was a champ at keeping it on. He got to wear it several times during the week so I think he began to get excited about getting to wear it.

Long overdue

About a month ago we went and had a 4d ultrasound. It was so neat to get to see Parker in action. She had her hands around her face the whole time, so the pictures didn't turn out great but there are a few good ones. She looks very similar to what Hudson looked like in his 4d ultrasound. Hudson's jaw looked a little more round than hers but I'm not sure if that was because we did his a month later and he had more fat or if she will have a different jaw structure. Either way we can't wait to meet her and hold her. We have truly been blessed throughout this whole process. I can't believe that she will be here in about 9 weeks. The time has just flown by.

Becoming a big boy

Today we decided to transition Hudson into a big boy bed. He loves beds and was very excited to see the bed being put together and even loved playing in it. Actually going to bed was a little more difficult. He has been having a hard time lately going to bed, tonight was a little harder but not too bad. So now we wait....hopefully he will have a great night of rest.

Fall Festival at the Dallas Arboretum '08

Last saturday we went to the Dallas Arboretum. This is one of our favorite places to go. Hudson always loves to run around and it was a beautiful morning outside.

New joys for Hud

Hudson now loves to climb on our bed and read or pretend to sleep. Anytime we go to our room for anything he must climb up on the bed and hang out for awhile.


He also had really been into books lately. He has even been sleeping/cuddling with them at night. Most of the time he will also use his feet to help hold the book close.

Some new pictures and a short update

Well, not a whole lot has been going on lately. On Monday we go to get a 4d ultrasound of Parker. I can't wait to see what she looks like and to see how Hudson will react. We are taking us with him to the appt, maybe he will begin to understand what is going on.

Last weekend my (Erin's) mom came in town to babysit Hudson. Christian and I decided it would be a fantastic time to get away and enjoy some alone time. We went to the Gaylord Texan, a fabulous hotel. It was a great time of fun and rest. My sweet husband got me a one hour massage at the hotel spa and it was so great.....I wouldn't mind going weekly if I had to:) Thanks mom for babysitting. Before we headed to the hotel we went to the Ft. Worth zoo with my mom and Hudson and had a great time hanging out.

Enjoy the pictures!