Are we there yet…

I could eat this little fella with a spoon…he may not wear bows or pretty smocked dresses like his big sister, but he has definitely stolen his mama’s heart.

We had a photographer come out last week to capture a few pictures of the kids; here are some shots that we piggy-backed on. We cant wait to see how the professional pictures turned out! Hutson was 9 days old when these pictures were taken.

Because the little man is much easier to photograph than his big sister, he is on a constant, around the clock, photo shoot.

Here are a few pictures of Hutson at two and a half weeks old…

And finally, as promised, here are a few pictures of our trip to Athens last Saturday. We decided last minute to pack up the car and head to Gran C and Big Daddy’s to get in one last visit with Julie and the cousins before they moved to Virginia. The day couldn’t have been any better! We visited with my newly engaged cousin, sat poolside while the kids played in the swimming pool, and grilled hamburgers and fish with Gran C, Big Daddy, Julie, Bill, Nene, Boss, Anna Bea, and Uncle Brother and Cook.  

The “not so twins” strike again…

Minus the sleepless nights and 40 extra postpartum pounds that I am carrying, I am slowly but surley feeling like my old self again. G returned to work today and MR has gotten reacquainted with the house rules that were “bent” during our time of transition. Each of us continues to be smitten with the little man. He feeds every 2-3 hours and seems to be pretty laid back, although I know this could change at any time. The last two weeks have been busy with family, friends, neighbors, a trip to the polls, and a day spent with Gran C, Big Daddy, and the cousins in Athens. Life seems to be passing us by so fast; I pray that I can enjoy and not rush these late nights and early mornings with MR and Hutson.

A big thanks to Gran C and Big Daddy for being on call during Hutson’s arrival. After several days in the hospital, we were welcomed home with flowers, a blue bow on the mailbox, and a delicious Honeybaked ham.

Believe it or not, these sweet cousins are 11 days apart. Their size difference has earned them the nickname of the “not so twins”. Thankfully, our little man continues to grow. At his second pediatrician appointment, he had surpassed his birth weight and had gained a pound in a week.

Shortly after saying goodbye to Gran C and Big Daddy, we welcomed Meme and Papa Joe and Cook and Uncle Brother.

Once again, we were spoiled with home cooked meals and a few extra pairs of hands.

The last two weeks have also marked many firsts for our little guy.

First bath,

First trip to the pediatrician,

and a trip to the polls.

Now that Im back in action, I hope to do better with my blog. I’ve got several pictures from our weekend in Athens and a  few of MR and Hutson at the Marietta Square to share. Catching up has never felt so good!

Unlike his sister, baby Hutson arrived a week earlier than his scheduled c-section date at 38 weeks and 3 days.  Big sister Mary Reese arrived 10 days after her due date and tipped the scales at 8 pounds and 15 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long. Little brother weighed in at 7 pounds and 6 ounces and 20 inches long. He’s a peanut, but a precious one at that! He’s got a head full of dark hair and is already stealing the hearts off all that come in contact with him.  He looks like his daddy and I pray that he will act like him too.

Because of previous complications with the vaginal birth of MR, we were advised to do a C-section with baby Hutson. This picture was taken right after the C-section. Breathing problems caused our little man to stay in a transitional nursery for 10 hours after the surgery. We were thrilled to have him in our arms again early the next morning.

Gran C and Big Daddy brought MR up to the hospital a few hours after Hutson’s arrival. And although they had to look at him through a glass window, they could tell that baby Hutson was the mirror image of his daddy (with his mama’s dark hair). Two days later, MR and Gran C got to meet the little man in person.

Hospital vistitors included big sister Mary Reese, Gran C, Big Daddy, Uncle B, Aunt B, Danny, and Uncle Bill.

Poor G has been working non-stop to satisfy my nesting needs. Over the last few weeks, he has assumed the role of a plumber, electrician, yard man, carpenter, designer, and husband to a very large and demanding wife. He rarely complains and always strives for perfection. God love my sweet, sweet husband! Here are a few of the projects we have been working on…

Hutson’s nursery is still a work in progress…We chose Top Sail by Sherwin Williams for the color on the walls; the pie-safe was a hand-me-down from my sister, and the flags were sewn from scraps of fabric in my sewing room.

Hutson will use the same crib and changing table from MR’s room; the rocking chair was handed down from my grandmother; the pelmet boxes are made from foam board, fabric, and bias tape (the tutorial can be found here). JuJu Bea has kindly offered to purchase a custom name print to go between the windows.

My wonderfully talented sister-in-law painted this mural for the nursery (we plan to hang it as soon as we find a side table for the room). G has his private pilots license, so as soon as I found out we were having a boy, I knew I wanted to incorporate aviation. We have also ordered this sweet airplane mobile to hang above the changing table. 

And while sweet Hutson had absolutely no say in the design of his room, MR had everything to do with hers…a few weeks ago, I took her to my favorite fabric store and let her pick out fabric for her new curtains. Much to my dismay, she stuck her nose up at the cost-effective lavender gingham that I had picked and instead chose a much more expensive pink floral design. We have yet to paint her big girl room, but hope to do so this fall.

A large blank wall in our breakfast room proved to be the perfect spot for a magnetic/chalk board. G taped off the area and painted several layers (6 or 7) of magnetic primer; followed by a few layers a chalkboard paint. Picture molding purchased from the hardware store completed the look.

Look closely…a bed full of weeds was no match for sweet G. He spent all day (yes, all day) on Saturday digging up weeds and laying down 50 bails of pine straw!

Before… 

After…

Before (side bed)…

After…

Finally….my ribbon is now in one place! G helped me transform an old shutter into the perfect ribbon holder for my sewing room.

The playroom is by far our favorite room in the house. Right off of the kitchen and living room, it stores all of MR’s toy’s. A few months ago, I had G transform an old filing cabinet into a reading cubby for MR and Hutson.

Believe it or not, this was me last August (a far cry from the 60 pounds I have gained over the last 11 months)…behind me sits the old filing cabinet. Wish I had taken a true “before” picture, but at least this picture is a reminder that one day I will be back into non-elastic jeans, fitted shirts,  and cowboy boots.

 G removed the drawers and the metal brackets, sanded the cabinet, and painted it. It was such a easy transformation and has proved to be a great storage solution for the playroom.

In the two weeks since my last post, we have embarked on several home improvement projects, visited with family from Griffin, Cumming, Athens, and Waycross, welcomed the arrival of sweet Anna Bea, watched the fireworks in the Marietta Square, cheered on the Braves at Turner Field, and counted down the days and seconds until Little Man’s arrival…as of today, we are down to 14!!! And while our to-do list and social calendar is growing smaller, I am most definitely growing larger.

John Thomas’s  first birthday celebration in Griffin

Reynolds and Mary Reese

Waiting to welcome Anna Bea

Sweet Anna Beatrice (Anna Bea)

July 2, 2010

 8 pounds, 8 ounces; 20 inches long

Four precious cousins

The July 4th weekend included fireworks in the Square, a visit from Danny, and a trip to Turner field to cheer on the Braves.

G, Danny, and Aunt B

MR and Uncle B