The Past 7 Months

I have been so horrible at getting on here since Hudson was born! That should give me more of a reason to hop on + document everything! Here is a recap of the past months since our little guy was born!

February 2016

Of course the major highlight of this month was the arrival of our cute little guy! I posted his birth story in the previous post if you haven't checked that out already. Hottie Jon also had a birthday this month - I feel like a bad wife because I slacked big time in celebrating his birthday. Hudson was born two days before his birthday + I was dealing with some major hormonal issues along with adjusting to life with a newborn babe. I know.....excuses excuses....I do plan to make it up to him though :)

My mom helped us out a ton the first couple of weeks + we so appreciate her for that. She even went out + got Jon a birthday cake + ice cream. She's one heck of a mama - love you!!

We really appreciate all of the help we received this first month that we had Hudson with us. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi, who brought us meals + those who even just sent us texts or congrats through social media. Thank you!

Fun side story....my dad thought the beanies they put on the newborns at the hospital looked pretty girly so he went out + bought Hud some baby clothes + beanies that looked more manly. Haha - he's a great papa! 

Those newborn days go by so quickly....some days I wish I could rewind + hold this little 7 lb babe again.

March 2016 - One month old

I was just going to choose one picture for each month to put on here but it was too hard to choose just one! March was a good month - we got more into the swing of things with this little guy + we started to get more + more smiles + personality out of him. 

We went on weekly walks with my friend from school + her little girl. 

This cutie pie + his love for bath time! :)

Hudson's baby blessing was also this month. Jon did such a great job - he put so much thought into it + the spirit was so strong. I looked forward to the day Jon would bless our baby long before I was even pregnant. I am so grateful for all of the men in Hud's life + for the examples that they will set for him. 

April 2016 - Two months old

Jon accepted a job at Bingham High School as a school counselor this month! This month Hudson started sleeping longer stretches throughout the night + that helped him mama out so much!!! We also confirmed with the doctor this month that Hud had an umbilical hernia (a belly button that sticks out pretty far). His belly button was pretty scary looking + to be completely honest it was gross. You could press down on it + it would make these gurgling noises. But thankfully after a couple of months his belly button was back to normal! Jon was the baby whisperer this month - I feel like everytime he held Hudson, Hud fell asleep within seconds. I love watching Jon with our sweet little guy - he is such a good dad!

Dad already starting some strength training! ;)

My little bear cub <3 td="">

May 2016 - Three months old

Jon + I graduated this month! Jon got his masters in Counseling + I got my bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. We also moved in with my parents for the summer at the end on this month. We sadly had to say goodbye to Cache Valley. Hopefully we will call the valley home again in the future!

This month Hudson started laughing a little bit here + there + more often then not he was smiling. Our little guy is already making an impact on this world - he makes everyone smile! In May he also became a little wiggly fella + he started to really like tummy time + would try so so hard to roll over!

We experienced the 4 month sleep regression right around this time + it was no joke!!!!! We could not get this kiddo to go to sleep + stay asleep for more than 15 minutes! He was struggling big time in learning how to go to sleep on his own. So we let the little guy cry it out. It was SO HARD for us. I never could have done it without Jon by my side. I thought that letting your little babies cry it out was awful + I really did not want to do it but we were at our wits end + seriously I would probably do it again with our next baby. The first night was awful - he cried for about 1 + 1/2 hours. We checked in on him every 10 minutes (without picking him up...just soothing him by putting our hand on his chest + talking to him for a minute or two). Eventually he fell asleep + he slept almost through the night, just waking up once! The second + third night he cried for about 20 minutes + then fell asleep on his own + then after that he became such a champ when it came to bedtime! YaY!

Jon's favorite picture of Hud <3 td="">

Goodbye retro yellow kitchen!

June 2016 - Four months old

Hudson got to start eating some baby food this month! This month he started putting everything he could get his hands on in his mouth! He was still smiling like crazy + loving bath time! This month he also started to roll from his back to his stomach - every time we set him down he would automatically roll over! We got pretty well adjusted to living with my mom + dad during this month. We sure do love them!  

This month Jon also got to go to Chicago with a couple of his brothers. He had a great time! He ate at some yummy restaurants + visited a lot of popular sights! Hudson + I sure missed him when he was away! 

We took a trip to Logan for my sister in law, Jenny's, graduation

Mornings out on my parents patio

4 month old pictures taken by my Mama - so cute!

First time in the little kiddy pool!

Jon at the Chicago skydeck!

Hud was all tuckered out from his first Lagoon trip!

Photo bomber!

July 2016 - Five months old

Hudson started making lots of cute noises + would babble quite a bit this month! It was so stinking cute! He also learned how to roll from his tummy to his back so he became a rolling machine! He loved eating pears, sweet potatoes, + prunes. He also loved to suck on watermelon, apples, + peaches! Whenever we went outside Hudson would go quiet in an instant + would look around at everything - this kiddo loves being outside!

This month we looked around at places to live in Utah County + we found a condo in Saratoga Springs + signed our contract in the middle of the month! We moved all of our stuff in near the end of the month but we didn't officially start living there until August! Geesh, it was a crazy summer + Hudson was such a champ with all of the changes!

Happy 4th of July!

Sitting up on his own for the first time!

Hud the water baby! My mom + I took him to the pool a couple of times over the summer + he LOVED it!!!
And this floatie was so much fun for him!

Hudson's first cabin trip + four wheeling ride

Hud + his cousin Graham....only 3 weeks apart!

August 2016 - Six months old

Hud the stud turned half a year old this month! It's so crazy how fast the time flies by with a little baby around! He makes our life so much sweeter. This month he started sitting up on his own + he started army crawling around like crazy - he became such a wiggly little fella over night! My days at home with him are anything but relaxing - haha - I am constantly chasing this kid around! :)

We officially moved to Saratoga Springs this month + have enjoyed our start here! Our condo is quite an upgrade from our little Cache Valley apartment!

At the end of this month we went up to Cache Valley again + went to Bear Lake with Jon's family. It was a fun little weekend away!!

Sitting up all on his own!

Visited Dad at his work! We had to see his office with his Lebron James poster up on his wall! 

We live on the third floor at our new place + Jon has been determined to not make more than one trip up those stairs with groceries....his hands are so full!!!!!!! I just try not to think about which bag has the eggs in it!

Time for a new TV stand!

Bear Lake! So pretty!

September 2016 - Seven months old

Hudson had been one crazy kiddo this month! He has been hating having his diaper changed. As soon as we put him on his changing pad he rolls right over + is up on his hands + knees! We have had to get creative in how to distract him! He graduated from army crawling this month + is now a crawling champ on his hands + knees. He pulls himself up on everything around the house + he is just barely starting to walk around the furniture slowly as he holds on to things. Hudson is such a smartie! He wakes up 1-2 times at night + is crazy grumpy until he gets food haha - I feel bad for our neighbors!

When he learned how to stand up in his crib on his own, Hudson would not go to sleep during naptime or at night! Oh my goodness! We had a three day stretch when we were up with him almost every hour throughout the night - it was ROUGH! But once he mastered this skill + realized that he could do it after he woke up he decided that he would sleep haha. Thank goodness! I did some research on why this happens + it's just something babies go through when they learn new skills! 

Hudson likes his exersaucer for other reasons than actually sitting + bouncing in it!

Most of my pictures these days are blurry - this kiddo is always on the move!

What nap time looks like more often than not!

Heart eyes for dayssssss! <3 td="">

Hud's first Bingham High Football game! Gotta support Dad's school!

If you made it this far - thanks for sticking it out + catching up on our life lately :) I sure do love my little family!

Hudson's Birthday in Pictures

Hudson's Birth Story

Hudson Jon Wilkey was born on February 1st, 2016 at 8:02 am. He weighed 6 lb 8 oz and was 20 inches long! He has changed our lives for the better and we love him like crazy!!

His due date was January 23, but the little guy was just too content in my belly to make his big debut on time! At one of our doctors appointments a couple of weeks before our due date our Doctor mentioned the possibility of me going over my due date and we set up an appointment for the 25th. I thought for sure I wouldn't make it to that appointment....but little did I know! My due date came and went and the little guy still hadn't joined us yet. Jon and I kept going out to dinner and we went to a couple of movies - each time thinking it would be the last time we went out before our family of two became a family of three! So anyways we ended up going to our appointment on the 25th. Nothing had changed for me - I was dilated to a 1.5 and effaced 70% (I think our Doctor threw in that .5 to just make me feel better haha). But at our appointment we set up a date for me to come in to be induced - Sunday, January 31st. 6 days away! Again I thought, "oh he'll come before then, I don't think I'll make it that far past my due date." Little did I know again!

As the 31st got closer and closer I was getting so anxious and nervous! The day before Jon and I ran a ton of errands and we went and saw Creed to get me pumped up to give birth haha. The next day Jon and I just relaxed and enjoyed our time together as we anxiously waited for 3:00pm to roll around so I could call the hospital to see if they had room for me. We watched a movie, went for a walk, finished packing our bags, made a yummy lunch full of carbs to help give me energy, and we cleaned up a little around the apartment. I thought that I would be more nervous, but thankfully I was at ease for almost the whole day...until I made the call! So I called in at 3, but they were pretty busy and the lady told me to call back around 5 to see how things were going then. 2 more hours of waiting!! I was so bummed and even more anxious and nervous at that point. I may have shed a tear or two - I had waited 8 days past my due date, I didn't want to wait two more hours! Haha... Ok so 5:00 came around and I called again and they had room for me!! Finally the wait was over! Jon gave me such a sweet blessing in our apartment and then we got our stuff together and left for the hospital!

On our way over Jon and I were so calm, it almost didn't seem like we were just about to go have a baby! Once we got to the hospital we went up to the second floor, checked in, and we were brought to our labor and delivery room. They started my IV, set me up on the monitors, checked me to see if I have made any more progress (I hadn't), and then they started the process of inducing me. When they got me all set up on the monitors I was surprised to see that I was having contractions that were coming on pretty strong and they were consistent! These contractions just weren't doing anything for me though, they weren't painful or uncomfortable - I just felt a lot of tightening in my stomach. So anyways...my doctor had made the plans for giving me a pill (cytotec) that will soften my cervix and then later on starting me on the pit. So the pill was put in place and they gave me a shot of terbutaline to stop my contractions so I could start everything fresh.

After they gave me this pill and shot they had to wait for a few hours to see if it had made an effect and to start the next step so we just waited and had family come to visit for a little bit. At first it was a really laid back night - Jon got a couple of little naps in and I just kind of waited and took it easy! The first few hours passed by and they checked me again. I was now dilated to a 2 just barely and my cervix had softened. Before they started me on the pit, they needed to give me another shot of terbutaline because my contractions had started back up again. This second shot did nothing - my contractions were still there and they were coming on stronger and more consistently. The second shot was given to me around 11pm and from then until 4am my contractions became more painful and definitely noticeable! It was bearable at first but by around 2, I was in tears through each contraction. So my nurse gave me a dose of some pain medication that made me super loopy and it only lasted for about a half an hour and then there I was crying again because of the consistent contractions! I was really not prepared for the contractions that came my way. I thought that I would get little breaks in between them but they came in back to back only giving me a few seconds to prepare for the next one in between each. It was crazy intense. So I asked for more of the pain medication and requested an epidural soon after. At 4am the anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural - it was amazing. I am so glad I got it....seriously best decision ever. Haha...

When I got the epidural at 4am I was still dilated to a 2. About an hour later around 5am I was dilated to a 5. By 6am I was dilated to a 7. At 6am the nurses had a shift change and our new nurse came in and checked on us and told me that she would be back in about a half an hour to check on me again. A minute after she left I felt a TON of pressure down below - it felt like our little guys head was making its way down the birth canal! This pressure was not very fun and it made me go into the fetal position. In my head I was thinking this is it, the nurse needs to get back in here before I give birth without her! Little did I know you have to push for a little while! Anyways, seriously a minute after our new nurse left our room I told Jon that I wasn't going to last for another half hour and I called her. She came back in and checked me and I was dilated to a 9.5! Our nurse seemed surprised! After checking me, she called our Doctor and told him I was getting close to deliver and she started setting up our room for the delivery of our little babe. All of this happened around 6:40. I started pushing at this point at every contraction. Boy oh boy did it feel good to push! My epidural worked miracles when it came to pain management, but I was still able to feel things and I was still able to move my legs somewhat. I am so thankful that the epidural didn't completely numb me - it felt so great and empowering to push and work to get our little guy here. Between each of the contractions and pushing, Jon and I would talk with our nurse and we were just getting so excited to be so close to meeting our little guy! (Side note - all of the nurses that helped us out were AWESOME! Jon and I both agreed afterwards that we felt like all of them were now part of our family haha)

So I pushed until about 7:40 and finally our babe's head was crowning. At this point our nurse called our doctor again and told him that he needed to come over to deliver our baby and all of the other nurses came in to assist. Our doctor came within about 10 minutes and I was able to push in full force. I only had to push a few more times and Hudson's head was out then our doctor told me to push one more time, so I did and our sweet babe's little body followed. The nurses wrapped him up and put him right on my belly and Jon cut the umbilical cord. It was the best moment ever to finally see and hold our sweet little guy. I was a big baby - crying and smiling like crazy and Jon was just giddy, laughing and saying hi to our Hudson. The doctor finished up everything down there, taking care of the placenta and stitching up a small tear I had. (I was pretty worried about tearing, but with everything else going on down there I didn't even notice or feel it happening - thank goodness!) The nurses wiped down Hudson while he was on my belly and then they took him to weigh, measure, and check out our little guy. We were so surprised to find out that he only weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. A week before at our ultrasound, the tech had told us that our guy was weighing about 7 lbs. 12 oz. (haha he was just a little off!).  After they took care of our little guy I was able to do skin to skin with him and then breastfeed. Another really sweet moment! I love doing skin to skin!

Jon was seriously the best throughout everything - gosh, how did I get so lucky? Instead of telling me how to breath each time a contraction hit, he would start breathing deeply to remind me what I needed to do. He was right by my side throughout the whole night and he was just so supportive. Multiple times I told him that I was a big baby and that I couldn't handle the pain, but he kept telling me that I wasn't a baby and that I was doing such a great job. He always knew what to say! Geesh, he is such an awesome husband and now dad.

While we were still in the labor and delivery room, my mom and Jon's parents came in to meet their new grandson. Throughout the delivery, they were anxiously waiting out in the hallway! It was so sweet to see them with our little guy. Hudson is so loved by all of our family and friends! Jon and I are so thankful for all of the love and support our little family has been given.

We stayed in the hospital until Tuesday night and then we headed home. That first week with our sweet son was the hardest week of my entire life. With a newborn at home, you have to adjust to so much while worrying about every little thing. Now every day gets better and better and we are settling into life with our Hudson. We love him so very much!    

Looking Ahead...

It has been awhile since I have actually sat down and wrote a post about life and everything going on with Jon and I. Let me just start by saying that last year was awesome - definitely one for the books! Jon and I grew so much closer together as we went on a few trips, found out that we are expecting our first child, and as we finished school at the same time. I am so lucky to be married to such a wonderful guy - he constantly makes me want to be better and more selfless. Jon is going to be one heck of a dad, I cannot wait to see him with our little guy - it gets me emotional just thinking about it! Below is a picture recapping how our year went....Jazz games, silly moments, hot dates, Seattle, Missouri, announcing our pregnancy, and preparing for our little guy! Of course family and friends made our year so much happier and we have been so blessed by all of their love and support!  

If you haven't been able to tell from all of my posts and such....I am pretty stinking excited for our little guy to join us! I am super anxious and it is all I can think about lately. 

Even before I was pregnant I knew that I wanted to have all of our babies naturally. Now at 9 + months pregnant, I still feel the same way. My plan is to have our little guy naturally but I am also open to an epidural or anything else that will help get our little guy here safely.  

With my mind and thoughts set on having this baby naturally, I have read many things and have looked into a lot of techniques and such that will help me accomplish this desire. Again...keep in mind if it comes down to it and I am just dying in pain and am exhausted I might just resort to an epidural but the plan is to go natural. I think it is important to be open to whatever may come! As I have been preparing and studying, my all time favorite read has been this book...... The Gift of Giving Life

No matter what your birth plan is....natural, epidural, c-section....READ THIS BOOK! I always feel such peace and comfort after I read this. This book focuses on empowering women and connecting birth and motherhood with the gospel. Here are just a few thoughts from this book that I have loved and read over and over again.....

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

"The power of love can provide the ability for a mother to endure as she gives life to another."

"Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to angels." - President David O. McKay

"Cast they burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Psalms 55:22

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out all fear." 1 John 4:18  

"My mother always viewed birth as a rite of passage, a spiritual transition, an initiation into a new realm. She firmly believes that a woman must put her blood, sweat, and tears on the line for the child she is birthing; it is an opportunity to demonstrate that she has the strength to be a mother. It is not a time to avoid pain, because motherhood is painful at times. It is not a time to seek comfort, because motherhood is not comfortable. It is not a time to shrink back, because motherhood requires that a woman reach deep inside her soul and show what she really stands for. It is in birth, my mother taught me, that a woman must show her trust in herself, her trust in God, and be consciously involved in a deliberate act of creation by giving her heart, might, mind, and strength to what is before her." pg. 253

There are so many other thoughts and stories that this book provides that I just love...please do yourself a favor and read it! 

I know that I cannot give birth to this baby naturally alone. That is why I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have of my Heavenly Father. He is going to be there right by my side through it all and he knows exactly what I can and cannot handle. I am also just so thankful for my sweet husband and his love and support and also the support from our family and friends. I know I am not alone in this!

Alrighty I will get off of the giving birth naturally kick now and fill you in on other details! 

Jon and I have two names that we love for our little guy. We plan to just wait until we see him to decide which one we will use! It will either be baby boy P or baby boy H :) For some reason it has been so hard for us to come up with a boy name that we are 100% sure about. But we do love both of these names - so we will just have to wait and see which name suits him better!

In other news...Jon and I are both DONE with school!!! Jon will more than likely return to school in a few years to get his Administrators Certificate but we are seriously done for awhile and don't see ourselves returning to school anytime soon! Since we are done, this means that Jon is starting to send out applications!! We love where we are right now and ideally we would like to stay in our sweet little town but who knows what will come our way. 

Big and wonderful things are coming our way this year and we are so excited!