College Football Confusion

Between Roll Tide Roll and Gig Em' Aggies, Kaelyn is experiencing college loyalty confusion. Thank goodness Alabama and Texas A&M aren't in the same football conference or we'd be at odds all the time! We dressed Kaelyn in her Aggie dress and her Alabama dress to kick off the football season this past weekend. Mimi and Pawpaw were in, and Kaelyn finally got to meet her uncle (he's actually her second cousin, but more like an uncle) Jordan from Houston. Aunt Lisette and Uncle Bentley were also in attendance for the big event. We celebrated the Labor day holiday with shopping with Mimi and Lisette during the day on Saturday and the Bama game that evening with all the guys. Kaelyn got lots of new clothes for the fall since she is quickly outgrowing her small wardrobe. She is already a great shopping partner! The weekend was lots of fun, but Kaelyn was worn out from it all and slept for 7 hours on Sunday night! Yeah for Mom!

Kaelyn's First Photo Shoot

We took Kaelyn to have her first set of professional pictures made and received the pictures last night! She was 5 weeks old when they were taken! She was such an angel while the photographer put her in many different poses. I can't believe she slept through most of it. We are going to have to keep the boys away for sure! I've posted a few of my favorites!
I love my pink hat!

I Love Mommy!

Such a Daddy's Girl!

6 Weeks Later

Kaelyn is 6 weeks old today and she is growing more and more each and every day. Aunt Karlene moved out this weekend and came by to visit us today. She couldn't believe how much different she looked in just 2 days. I've already had to pack away some of her newborn clothes that she has outgrown already and it made me extremely sad. I am loving my new job as a full-time mother, and I am finding time during Kaelyn's naps to do some much needed house cleaning. Kaelyn and I definitely miss Robbie now that he is back at work, but we are thankful he had 4 weeks off to spend with us. It was such a special time! We are headed into Longview this weekend to meet the rest of the family and show Kaelyn off at Alpine on Sunday. I took a few more pictures yesterday, but Kaelyn wasn't wanting to be without her WubbaNub pacifier and you can definitely tell in the last picture. Oh...sweet baby girl! It's only for a second!


Daddy, we promise that we really do love you even though it doesn't show right this second. I'm just mad at Mommy for putting me in this bow without my WubbaNub!

Kaelyn, Kaelyn, and more Kaelyn

I thought I'd update the blog with the latest with Kaelyn since I haven't updated in a couple of weeks.

At three weeks of age, we took Kaelyn to SeaWorld for our first family vacation. She slept most of the time, but Robbie and I enjoyed ourselves. We've figured out that it will probably never be as easy as it was at 3 weeks to take a vacation since she was so great! Too bad she missed the dolphins and Shamu!

The last weekend in July (the weekend after our trip), my family (KK, Pop, Keeton and Kylen) came into town for Dad's 51st birthday and a trip to the lake. Kaelyn got all dressed up in her swimsuit and sunglasses and enjoyed Saturday and Sunday at the lake. It was so wonderful to be out with family and friends and enjoy skiing since I hadn't skied all summer long. I took it easy and wake surfed and two-skied to get my legs back under me. Kaelyn didn't much care for the water, but we definitely tried. We have to beat the record and have her on skis before she is 18 months old, so she must learn to like the water. Kaelyn also went to church for the first time on Sunday with the whole family as well.

Last week, Kaelyn and I were busy with doctor's visits, SYTYCD party plans, VBS preparation, and various errands. I went back for my 4 week doctor's visit on Tuesday and was released. Then, I took Kaelyn back to the pediatrician last Friday for her 4 week checkup (I can't believe it's she's already 1 month old). The nurse had to weigh her twice; she thought she'd made an error the first time because the scale indicated that Kaelyn had gained 2 lbs. in 2 weeks. The scale was right! Kaelyn is healthy and isn't having any trouble with nursing. We go back at 2 months to get 4 shots! I'm going to need reinforcement and tissues for sure. We spent a couple days at the church helping with VBS decorations, and then all day Wednesday, I worked hard to get the house and food ready for our "So You Think You Can Dance" (SYTYCD) party. Robbie and I were really excited to watch the finale with friends, but it was a bummer because Robbie got stuck at work and missed the entire party and results of our season-long competition. Late Friday afternoon, I took Kaelyn to watch my old cheerleaders perform at camp. We got to see Mrs. Gladden, Kristen A., Rachel and other old friends. The girls were excited to see her and maybe even a little excited to see me!

On Sunday, we took Kaelyn to get her 1 month photos taken. After getting pooped and wet on, we survived the 2 hour session. The photographer, Jennifer, loaded a sneak-peek on her blog today and we can't wait to show her pictures off. She is so photogenic and of course beautiful! I can't believe she allowed us to put her in so many positions while she was sleeping.

Today Kaelyn is 5 weeks old and we are helping each morning this week with VBS at our church. She is such a great baby and lets me cart her all around town without even fussing. She does love her Wubba Nub pacifier though. We can't leave the house without it, but we love our little Kaelyn and are thankful for her.

Celebrating 5 Years of Marriage

Robbie and I celebrated 5 years of marriage today, July 17th! We decided to go out to eat since we are suffering from a little bit of cabin fever, but couldn't leave Kaelyn at home. Mimi and Pawpaw were in town for the weekend, so we made our anniversary a family event with Aunt Lisette and Uncle Bentley too. The past 5 years have been amazing! Robbie couldn't be a better best friend, husband, and now a perfect father! I didn't think I could love him anymore than I did, but watching him with Kaelyn is priceless and makes me love him so much more!

The Story of Miss Kaelyn Elizabeth

Kaelyn Elizabeth Hudson joined our family on Monday, July 6, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19 3/4 long. We had an interesting journey getting her here, but couldn't be more delighted to finally have our precious little girl.

The doctor had scheduled for us to be induced on Thursday, July 2nd, but as we arrived at the hospital, my cell phone rang and the nurses asked us to stay home (little did they know we were sitting out in the parking lot since we were supposed to be there 8 minutes later) because the hospital was full. They gave us every indication that they were going to reschedule us for later in the day, but about an hour later, I received a personal phone call from my doctor (never a good thing since the nurses usually call) letting us know that she put us on the schedule for Monday instead because the hospital was so busy. Needless to say, Robbie and I were disappointed and frustrated. All of our families had planned to be there with us (and were on the way). We knew it was going to be a long weekend since our only plans were to spend time with our new little girl. How could you replace that with anything worth while? We trusted God and knew he had a plan for us and boy did he! When Robbie's parents arrived (they were already in Dallas when we called with the news), they brought an extra surprise passenger, Robbie's Memaw from Little Rock. We spent Friday looking for Memaw a place to live in Frisco and were successful. This would not have been possible without the delay in Kaelyn's birth and we are all anxious to get Memaw closer to us! She will be moving to Frisco in mid to late October! Kaelyn will be so excited to have her GiGi (Memaw) close by!

We spent Saturday resting up and went to have a steak dinner with the Hudson clan at Bentley and Lisette's house to celebrate the fourth of July! I began having contractions very consistently on the way over to their house. Robbie began keeping track of them, and we ended up missing the dinner because they were consistent enough for us to head in to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 9 p.m. and they hooked me up to the monitors. I was dilated between 3 and 4 centimeters and they wanted to monitor the contractions and my progress for several hours. Around 11:30 p.m., the nurse came in and we had not made any more progress. We had two options: stay at the hospital for a couple more hours to see if there was any change or head home and come back if anything changed. We decided to head home to the comfort of our own space. Another little set-back, but we knew God had a plan.

Monday morning arrived and I called labor and delivery to make sure we were on the schedule and wouldn't arrive and be turned away again! Good news, they were ready for us! Robbie and I arrived at the hospital at 7:15 a.m. and they set us up! My doctor was going to deliver us (which I'm thankful for) and the nurse was the sister-in-law of my friend from school, Andrea Sciano. Everything looked great! The nurse set my IV up and hooked us up to the Pitocin to induce contractions. I was dilated to a 4 already and was progressing quickly with the Pitocin. My doctor came in around 8:30 a.m. and broke my water. Boy, did that increase the intensity of the contractions. It wasn't long before I'd had enough of an experience being a tough mom trying to go the natural way (I just wanted to experience REAL contractions for a bit) and was ready for the epidural. Around 10:00 a.m. I had my epidural and was pain-free. I was able to relax a bit and Robbie went out to greet the family. The family was 20+ strong in number and everyone was anxious to meet Kaelyn! Shortly after lunch time, the nurse came in to check me again and I was dilated to a 7 (progressing a little more rapidly than planned), but decided to increase the Pitocin. About 10 minutes later, the nurse came back in and was concerned because Kaelyn's heart rate had dropped. She checked me again and I was dilated to a 9.5. I had dilated 2.5 centimeters in 10 minutes! She quickly turned off the Pitocin to increase Kaelyn's heart rate. They monitored us for another 2 hours and then called the doctor because Kaelyn's heart beat was still lower than what they would like it to be. Her heart rate should have been between 120-160 beats per minute, but was getting as low as 40 bpm. Kaelyn's head was so low that the contractions were squeezing her head, suffocating her. Around 3:15 p.m. the nurse called for the doctor because things were getting worse. A c-section looked like the next step. The doctor arrived around 3:30 and wanted to try to get Kaelyn out naturally while the operating room was prepared. She quickly called for a full team and about 11 nurses arrived in the room. The doctor tried to use a vacuum to suck Kaelyn out, but it kept slipping off because Kaelyn had so much hair on her head! The doctor told me to keep pushing (whether I was having a contraction or not) to try to get Kaelyn out as quickly as possible. I think I pushed about 6-8 times before I had her in my arms. All the NICU nurses were there to check her vitals (since we'd had a scare) and everything looked okay. Kaelyn was healthy and I was okay too! Praise the Lord! Robbie was so great throughout the whole process. He definitely kept me calm and focused (though he later told me he was the most scared he had ever been).

It all seems like a whirlwind now, but we thank God each day for how everything turned out on Monday. After delivery, Kaelyn fed well for the first time! All the family was excited to meet her, and Robbie and I just couldn't believe how lucky we were to be parents to this beautiful little angel.

Kaelyn's Room

We've finally finished the nursery and it's ready for Kaelyn's arrival! Thank you Mom for all your hard work and to both families for helping us outfit the room with all the cute bedding, curtains, etc. Robbie and I are very proud of it and feel it fits our little girl perfectly. Now let's just get her here! I go back to the doctor on Friday for another check-up and hope we have some news. If not, July 2nd isn't far away and we'll meet her then!