A Quick Update

I'm being slowly sucked into the phenomena know as social networking. I now have a Facebook page. Now there's six words I didn't think I'd ever say. However, since my cousin and his wife are missionaries in Honduras, I thought it would be the Christian thing to do to get my own Facebook page so I could read their updates. I'm proud to announce I now have 13 friends. Don't laugh. I think that's a pretty good start. And if you have a Facebook page you'll have to ask me to be your friend because I don't like asking people to be my friend. I'm afraid of rejection. Seriously! Well, anyway it's been so long since my last blog post I thought I would give updates bullet-style since I cannot just ramble on without writing in semi-proper grammar, which is just too darn time consuming and tiring at 1o:30 at night!

So, what has happened since Dec. 1 with our little family?

• I now have 13 friends on Facebook.
• Hudson has cut two teeth! The first one on Dec. 6 and the second one on Dec. 9. The only reason I'm including those details is because I haven't written it down anywhere and if I don't do so soon I'll forget (like the date he first rolled over, his first smile, etc. I know, I know...I'm a terrible mom!).
• My sister re-injured her back, was back in the hospital and is now home recuperating again. Still no word on the cause. All tests have come back clear, which is both good and frustrating. Please keep her in your prayers.
• We have eggs coming out the wazoo! So, if you want eggs, bring or mail me your empty egg cartons and I will return them full of real eggs from real live chickens. (And there's a whole bunch more words I never thought I'd say.)
• I just made a breakfast casserole with five eggs. Five down. Fifty more to go.
• We celebrated our first Christmas with Hudson. So fun!
• We had our first Christmas that featured a gunshot wound and a trip to the ER. Now that's sure to get some comments! (Our guest and gunshot victim (the same person) will be fine; it was just his index finger that was injured while he was shooting a revolver, and he'll have "minor" surgery on Friday. Please keep him in your prayers for a smooth surgery and speedy recovery. Really.)

I think that is it for now. Chris is bugging me to go to bed so I'll wrap it up. If I think of anything else exciting I'll let you know. And Nana, I promise my next post will be all Hudson pics and video. And a happy new year to my loyal readers and last but not least, my 13 Facebook friends.

"When you get to the gates of heaven...

...it won't matter whether your towels were folded."

I'm really liking that saying I heard on Focus on the Family more and more every day. I used to keep my house quite spotless, and when I fell behind I would stay up until midnight or later to get caught up. Now I when I have a quiet moment to myself like now (Hudson is in bed and Chris is snoozing on the couch), I just can't hardly get motivated to get up and do anything! Oh, my house isn't dirty. I mopped the kitchen and did all my laundry and cleaned the bathroom this weekend. Its the picking up that's the killer. I just can't get the whole house picked up at once. All my Christmas decorations are sitting in boxes in the kitchen. Instead of forcing myself to stay up late picking up, I think I'll try a new tactic of going to bed early and getting up early to do some housework. I'm going to bed at nine tonight, and, my goal is to be up by 6 a.m. in the morning. I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully posting it here will give me some accountability. We'll see.

Sweet Pea Doesn't Like Sweet Peas

Hudson Laughing at Molly

Back from a Break

Wow...It has been a long time since I've posted, but our lives have remained rather uneventful, at least in our little world. My sister, however, injured her back early this month and was in the hospital for a few days. All the tests revealed nothing, but her injury was significant, as at first she couldn't even walk. However, Jenny is slowly improving and should be back to work after Thanksgiving week. Please keep her in your prayers.

Hudson continues to grow and just gets sweeter every day. He is about to be able to sit up on his own and is starting to develop a little personality. He's still a very easy going and laid back baby...Chris and I still aren't sure where that personality trait came from. Maybe like in math where two negatives equal a positive, two Type A personalities can produce a Type B. I'm afraid what baby No. 2 might be like since I did get the "I hope you have a child just like you some day" curse, and Hudson is nothing like me or how I was as a baby.

We now have chickens plus a turkey hen. We do not have a bantam rooster, a bantam hen or a tom (male turkey). The little bantam rooster disappeared, the bantam hen was the victim of a chicken hawk and the tom (along with a few chickens) were given to Chris's friend, Adam. Adam was supposed to take the turkey hen as well, but she prooves to be quite the elusive bird to catch. Chris has a few scratches across his cheek to testify to that! Every evening Chris goes out to feed his chickens, let them out and collect the eggs, and they're laying about seven eggs a day! The best news is we don't have goats, which were going to accompany the chickens, but Chris (thank goodness) decided just to get rid of them on Craigslist. So, if you're in the market for goats, I can cut you a heck of a deal (free!).

That is about it for now. If I don't post again withing the week, happy Thanksgiving from our family.

Halloween

Well, Halloween just wasn't meant to be this year. I guess Hudson's ill-fitting costume was a bad omen. After spending two hours on Thursday night working on my field mouse costume to accompany my department's "farm theme" (I even did some sewing!), I woke up at 4 a.m. Friday morning with the stomach bug that has been going around. After my pregnancy I was used to going to work while puking, but I figured this kind was probably contagious and ended up staying home. Chris stayed home as well and looked after little Hudson, and them both of them ended up going to Bristow Friday night, giving me some much needed rest...I slept from 10 p.m. to noon the next day! I woke up Saturday morning feeling much better. Hudson, as you can see in the pic above, still got all dressed up in his Halloween gear to go to his Nana and Papa's. He his hat and booties featured bats, and his shirt said "This is my Halloween costume."

Here are a few more deer photos...

Bucks in the Backyard

These deer photos were taken by our game camera in our backyard. Thankfully these deer come out at night. Also thankfully they have me (Julie) as their advocate...The only way I kept Chris from sneaking out at night the other evening to shoot one (that's cheating!) is by promising I would scare them off before he could kill one.

Hudson in Bouncy

More Miscellany

I ordered Hudson a zebra costume online for Halloween. Needless to say, it was a bit too large (it said 6 -12 months in size!). I guess I should be glad his head doesn't fit into the zebra head. Don't get your hopes up...I won't be wearing the costume either. I always manage to look ridiculous anytime I dress up for Halloween, as this photo demonstrates so effectively. Well, if you cannot laugh at yourself...

Micellany

Auntie Jen got to attend a teacher's conference in OKC last week and had some quality time with Cowboy, as my mom has nicknamed Hudson. I think it fits him pretty well.

Tiny socks for tiny feet
Laying here and there
On the floor
Behind the door
Picking them up becomes such a chore

They fall away from piles, through basket holes
A precious reminder of that fat little soul, so sweet
Sweet little covers for those fat little feet

And some day, I imagine, I’ll loathe and abhor
All those big, sweaty socks he’ll leave on the floor
But for now I sigh, and smile, and pick up yet another

Of those tiny socks for tiny feet
Laying here and there
On the floor, behind the door
A precious reminder of that soul, so sweet
And his chubby, pink, perfect little feet

Life Just Got Messy(er)

If my I had a bumper sticker to sum up today (and it's only 3:10 p.m.) it would by the infamous "---- Happens." Literally. To be more specific, "---- Happens in Wal-Mart." I would imagine a lot of people could relate to that bumper sticker in more ways than one.

It started out as a good day. Hudson mostly slept until 8:30 a.m., and then I met a friend at a park in Edmond to walk (she too has a four month old little boy). I kept checking Hudson's diaper because I knew he usually had a BM in the morning, but it was clean.

After our walk, I headed to Wal-Mart to buy the week's worth of groceries. Everything was going so smooth! Too smooth I guess. Hudson wasn't even fussing about being in his car seat. Then, I heard a noise and looked down and Hudson's face was bright red! Then, I looked lower, and there by his little chunky thighs was a big (and growing) oozing pile of green baby poop! It was flowing out of his diaper like lava out of a volcano.

I B-lined it to the bathroom, but I didn't even know where to begin. This was one time I wasn't too concerned about laying him on the community changing table because I knew it was a lot cleaner than he was! There was poop on his socks, all over his car seat, on his clothes and even on my car keys that I so smartly layed by his legs on the way into the store! I just kept running in circles...grabbing paper towels, wiping (or smearing) up poop, rinsing off my hands, and doing it all over again.

After I cleaned Hudson up I laid a blanket on the bathroom floor and had no choice but to put Hudson there while I cleaned up his car seat. But he just laid there...kicking his legs and watching people walk in and out of the bathroom as if this was something we did on a regular basis. He didn't make a peep the entire time.

I finally got everything clean (mostly), though I wouldn't recommend visiting the ladies' restroom at nondisclosed Edmond Wal-Mart until the cleaning crew paid a visit. Hey, I did the best I could. Really.

Anyhow, we came home and Hudson took a nap and then he had a bath. Now, would you ever guess this little guy could make such a mess?

Live from Orlando

So, today begins my three day stint in Orlando. The hotel that our meeting is in this week is the Doubletree Orlando right outside of Universal Studios. There's nothing like going on a business trip to Orlando that gives you the feeling that every single person is on vacation except you. I've always been the one to save money and spend it on home improvements or something like that rather than a vacation, but a vacation is looking more and more attractive. I can't wait until Hudson is bigger so we can go to places like Sea World. I'm hoping next summer we can at least go somewhere, though I won't be taking him on a plane.

Because there are so many "family friendly" spots in Orlando, the kids on our 2 1/2 hour flight out numbered the adults two to one. But, don't worry, there was only one unruly child on the plane who was hitting her mom, thowing her toys on the floor, and repeatedly shouting "No." And this was before the plane took off. And yes, that child was sitting next to me. Oh, don't worry. Her mom threatened to spank her about two dozen times, but empty threats they were. I was getting pretty close to giving that kid an evil look and a menacing growl when her mom wasn't looking, but lucky for both of us the child finally fell asleep. Southwest was recently in the news for kicking a mom and her four kids off an airplane for being too disruptive. Honestly, though, I cannot blame the airline.

Of course, I know I'll never have to worry about that because my Hudson is such an angel. He would never ever act up in public or swing on the clothing rack in Wal-Mart, tip it over and require stitches like his father did.

Missing My Baby in Nashville

Yes, that is the most creative title I could muster. A friend from work had a really cute title for one of her blog posts based on a song title. So, I thought, Oh that's a great idea...I'm sure I can find a great song title about missing my baby. So, I googled song titles and clicked on a few websites. Turns out there aren't too many song titles about missing your baby, and since neither "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" and "She Let Herself Go" applies, the title above is all my not-so-creative and very-much-so tired brain could conjur up. To clarify, my baby is not in Nashville. I am. We're 698.28 miles apart.

But tired I should not be. I've gotten more sleep in the past 24 hours than I normally get in about three days. And the irony is I'm on what used to be one of the most exhausting business trips of the year - SALES Summit. SALES Summit is comprised two whirlwind weeks of sales meetings that Express HQ hosts for its franchisees. Many of us who put on these meetings typically travel Wednesday - Sunday two weeks in a row. However, after little Hudson has entered my world, I will return home caught up on some much needed sleep. Yesterday (which is typically a day dedicated for traveling and ensuring our shipment had arrived) I took about a five-hour nap, and then I slept from about 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. without moving. I'm pretty sure I could have slept 24 hours straight.

However, I've gotten pretty used to being tired, and it's quite worth it. It turns out that after a few months of motherhood, the lack of sleep and farewell to Sunday afternoon naps isn't so bad afterall. I'm much rather be rocking my little guy to sleep than sitting on a towel in an office chair in my hotel room (I never touch any furniture besides the bed in any hotel room, if possible.). I'd much rather wake up to him "talking" in bed at 4 a.m. than the shrill ringing of a wake up call at 7:00. And a PB&J because there's no time for cooking sounds just as tasty as the tilapia I had for dinner tonight. Travel does seem glamorous, and I'm so thankful for my job that although requires a bit of travel, is normally part-time. But I'm still missin' my boys back home, and I can't wait to get back.

Like Father, Like Son

They look alike, and apparently they even sleep alike. Boy am I gonna have my work cut out for me! Ha!

Mr. Smiley

Nana Time

After attending the birthday party of Chris's friend Trey's son, Ty (who turned one), we stopped by Jenny and Alan's for quick visit. Dad (or Papa) stayed home sick, but Hudson and Riley enjoyed some quality time with their Nana.

Back to Square One

Well, last night marked the second night in a row that I ended up getting up with Hudson to feed him. Prior to that, he sleep for a week all night. He would squeak and sqwak some, but I would just put his pacifier back in and he would eventually fade back off to sleep. But, these past two nights he has woken up around 2 a.m. Last night he keep dozing off until 4 a.m. when I finally decided just to get him up and feed him. He has went back to sleep both times, but I was really hoping he would keep sleeping through the night. I think tonight I'll try to feed him five ounces at bedtime (if he'll eat it) and see if that helps. I'm also going to try to keep him up most of the evening, since last night he napped from 8 - 10 p.m. (but so did I). We'll see. Any other suggestions?

Baby Talk

Back to Work

I really should be going to bed right now, but I just finished off my fourth or fifth caffeinated drink of the day, so I'm a bit wired. I really need to get back off the caffeine since it messes up my bladder (TMI?), but after not being able to drink it while pregnant and then breastfeeding, I'm really loving being able to drink hot tea, Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke without the guilt that it might be affecting the baby. Not to mention that it's been a necessity with Hudson's sleep schedule of three hours at a time.

Well, today I returned to work! It was like the first day of school, except that I had to put on panty hose and heels (and after 10 weeks of house shoes and flip-flops, that was no easy task!) and I really like all my co-workers. Hudson stayed with his new babysitter for the first time. It was not easy leaving him...I thought I would be okay but I started crying as I had to turn around and leave him! Being away from him is not nearly as hard as the physical act of walking away from him.

I did okay once I got in the car and drove to work, but then the babysitter called at 10 a.m. and said Hudson wouldn't go to sleep! (He was really tired and usually takes a long nap in the morning.) It turns out she was just wanting to know if there was anything she could do to help him go to sleep. Besides having his momma pat his little bottom and rock him to sleep? That was really hard, and I got a bit upset again, but then she called back less than 10 minutes later and said he had fallen asleep. What a relief! At 3 p.m. my phone rang again and I saw it was the babysitter and I thought, "Oh No! What's wrong now?," but it turns out that he had fallen asleep at 1 p.m. and it was time for his 3 o'clock feeding and she wanted to know if I wanted her to wake him up to feed him or if she should just let him sleep. If she wanted to let him sleep that was just fine with me, so I think she did. So, I think his first day at the sitter went rather well, and I'm sure each day will get a little easier.

I'm so thankful that my employer is supporting my part-time schedule. I just cannot imagine getting home at 6 p.m. and having to immediately worry about dinner and start getting ready for the work day. I feel like my part-time schedule is allowing me the best of both worlds of having a "career" and being a mom.

Another Baby in the Family

In addition to the addition of Hudson, we have another baby of the four-legged variety that has finally decided to make its debut. The doe who we've been spending a generous amount of dough on this summer in the form of corn (of which prices have skyrocketed thanks to ethenol) decided it was finally safe to allow her little baby out in the open for a snack and a few photo opps. They usually arrive in our backyard each evening around dusk.

Almost One Year Later...

Well, I thought I might take a stab at blogging again since nearly one year has past since my last blog posting. I will try to post a bit more frequently in 2008.

To say that our little family has underwent a few changes this year is an understatement. The biggest and happiest change has of course been the addition of a little Claggett, Hudson Neal.

I still haven't ordered announcements yet, so I may just let this blog serve as an informal announcement. It took me eight-plus weeks to get out thank you cards for meals and gifts after he was born, so I'm afraid the announcements might not make it out until he's six months old...

So, now you've guessed Hudson is the real reason I've decided to revive this blog. He was born on May 28, 2008 weighing 8 lbs., 5 ozs. and measuring 21 inches long. Today was his two-month appointment and he now weighs 11 lbs., 12 ozs., and measures 23 1/2 inches long. He is perfectly healthy and very, very sweet. He's a happy little baby who only cries when he's hungry or has a bit of colic in the evenings.

Those commericals are right when they say "Having a baby changes everything." Our lives now revolve around this little guy, and after nearly seven years of it just being "us," Chris and I are perfectly happy with this new normal.