It's already been a month? Seriously??

It seems that time is already flying by here in the Howard home. Hutton turned one month old yesterday!! Everyone keeps telling us to enjoy this time while we can because they grow up so fast. We are finding that to be extremely true! Hutton did great sleeping this week. On average he is sleeping 4 to 5 hours each night between feedings! I couldn't believe it! To top it off, last night he slept for a solid 6 HOURS!! Talk about amazing!

Today Hutton and I went to visit our friends for a "Mummie's Day Out" as my British friend Annalise labeled it! It was a blast! The following babies were in attendance: Anna Grace, Aliza, Caleb, McKray, and Emma! We are going to be meeting every Friday, kind of like a mommy support group with some of my best girl friends here in Memphis. It was so much fun and Hutton loved playing with his buddies!

Tonight we took Hutton for his first swim. Since he loves taking a bath, we knew he would love our pool out back, as it feels like bath water! Here are some pictures of his first swimming experience!







Now here are just some random pictures of the sweet little boy so you all can see just how cute he is! I love my little Hutton!!

Happy 3 Week Birthday to Hutton!

I can't believe it's already been three weeks! Everyone keeps telling me that time flies when you have kids! Boy does it?!? I have to say it's been a roller coaster ride since Hutton arrived! Thankfully, we've had so much help, it's ridiculous! Our families and friends have been such a wonderful support system! We couldn't do this without them! Thank you so much for EVERYTHING!

My incredible husband has been more amazing than ever! His deep love for his family and desire to help where needed has been huge over the last three weeks! It's so fun for me to watch him interact with our new baby boy! He loves that baby so much and I'm so thankful to have him in my life! He is such a wonderful daddy! He has come home everyday this week for lunch and to spend time with Hutton! I love you more than you'll ever know Craig!



After two weeks of visitors and a tremendous amount of hands and help, Craig and I arrived back to reality on Sunday. We were on our own. For the first couple of days, we were pretty exhausted. Hutton was all mixed up and didn't know if it was night or day, which led to extremely long nights and days. However, we are now getting into a rhythm and he's doing much better about sleep more at night and being awake more in the day! We read this book, BabyWise, that helped US out tremendously! I realize that everyday won't be perfect and systematic, but it's nice to have a couple of days where there was a glimpse of hope for a small amount of rest! Here is a picture of him right before bedtime and the awesome swaddle daddy puts him in!



We took Hutton for his two week appointment on Monday. Dr. Hanson says he looks great and was extremely impressed with his neck control! He complimented what a strong boy he was! (Are we surprised? Have you seen my husband?) He weighed in at 9lbs, 8 oz and measured 21inches in length, both being the 73 percentile. Here are some pictures of him on the exam table!





Craig and I feel so blessed to be new parents! Yes we have discovered the challenges and difficulties, but they are so worth that feeling you get when you hold that sweet boy and know he's yours! We love our little man so much!! One last sweet picture of him sleeping peacefully in his crib!

Hutton is Here!

Hutton James Howard was born on June 3, 2010 at 1:50pm! He was 8lbs, 4oz and 20 1/2 inches long...Needless to say he was a good size! Craig and I feel extremely blessed to have a beautiful, healthy baby boy and have been overwhelmed with gratitude for this incredible bundle of joy!

We were scheduled to be induced at 4:00am on June 3rd and the delivery ended up being quick and almost effortless! The nurse started Pitocin in my IV at 5:25am to get the contractions going. Over the next few hours Craig and I rested and watched movies! By 9:00am my contractions were coming often and a lot more intense. My doctor arrived at 9:30am to break my water. It was at this time that I received my epidural as well! It was perfect timing because I don't think I could have handled more intense contractions! (I'm a wuss!)

Once the epidural set in, I could feel no pain. It was glorious. So wonderful in fact that I was able to take a 30 minute nap! The nurse came in to check my status and in that 30 minutes, I went from being dilated 3cm to 7cm!! Whoo hoo! In the next half hour, I went to 9 1/2cm! The nurse called my doctor who had gone back to her office to see a couple of patients. She told my nurse to have me start pushing, anticipating it would take at least an hour due to the fact that he was my first baby and that he was large. So we started pushing and Hutton started sliding right out! When my nurse realized how quickly he was coming, she ran to page my doctor. The doctor said to stop pushing and that she'd rush right over.

Hutton did not want to wait on the doctor. Each time I would contract he would slide a little bit more, without any pushing on my part. My nurse literally had to push him back in and hold my knees together! This definitely made Craig and I anxious! So we just sat and all looked at each other as we waiting the doctor to arrive. Finally, she comes sprinting in the room, put on her gear, and within minutes Hutton was here. A total of 15 minutes of pushing!!

Seeing his face for the first time was one of those moments that I will never forget. Craig and I were overwhelmed with emotion. I couldn't believe that after 10 months of anxiously waiting, Hutton was finally here! He was absolutely perfect and I loved him more than I ever thought possible!

We have been so blessed to have our families visit and take care of us. I couldn't have done this without them. Nana, AKA my mom, has cleaned, cooked, and helped during late night feedings! Seriously, where would I be without her? It makes me sad to know she and Aunt LaLa are leaving in only a few short days!

Thank you so much for all of your love and support! We are so excited to be parents and look forward to watching our son grow over the years! Please continue praying as we begin this journey of learning...Lord knows we don't have a clue of what we're doing! Here are a few pictures of our sweet baby boy!

10 Weeks Later...The Crib Arrives

The wait is finally over! Our crib is officially here and assembled!! We were getting pretty anxious about it, but no more!! We absolutely love it! I was a little nervous about Craig putting it together, but once again, he proved me wrong! He did a fantastic job and it only took him 2 1/2 hours. Now we just need a little baby to place in it! Here are some photos of the lovely crib and beautiful bedding!!

Time is crawling, but everything is coming together!!

I feel like my tummy is continuing to grow each day. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to walk without waddling and don't get me started on the sleep aspect! What sleep? I guess it's the Lord's way of preparing me for the sleepless nights ahead! The good news is I only have a few more days of work left! I'll have a few weeks to rest before lil Hutton arrives! (Unless he comes super early that is!)

The nursery is coming along beautifully!! Aunt B was here in Memphis visiting last weekend and she was a HUGE help in getting us organized! She cleaned out my attic, my closets, and was even dusting my baseboards! What a great sister she is!! Hutton's nursery is a few more steps ahead because of her help! Our crib FINALLY arrived today! Craig will be spending the weekend assembling it! I'll post pictures of the final product when he is finished!! Here are some pictures of the current status!






We are almost there! Just a few more weeks! Can't wait for the cute little guy to be here! He's spoiled already!

Baby Stuff, Carrie Underwood, and the Easter Bunny...Taking Over Pike County

At 30 weeks pregnant, Craig and I made are way back to the hills of Eastern Kentucky for one last visit before Hutton arrives. Anticipating several stops on the eight hour trip, I was shocked to only need one pee break! Can you believe that? As soon as we crossed the line into Pike County, we hit the ground running. On Friday, we celebrated my parent's 29th wedding anniversary at Pikeville's new Japanese steakhouse...And it was GOOD!! My father attempted to eat sushi for the first time and LOVED it! Shocking!

Saturday consisted of golf for Craig, and baby shower stuff galore for me and the gals!! First of all, let me say that I have never been to a more elaborate and detailed shower! My beautiful sisters, Lauren, and Rachel Webb, all did a PHENOMENAL job of planning the most perfect baby shower I have ever seen! Here are a few pics just to give you a little taste!








So after good food, hilarious baby games, and opening up the cutest gifts ever, you would think we'd take a rest...Oh but no! Carrie Underwood had made her way to the mountains of Appalachia for a quick stop during her tour! It was now time to slip on our cowboy boots and head to the Expo Center to see my favorite musician of all time!! Here's a pic of all the girls before we left!



Her concert was everything I thought it would be! She is AMAZINGLY talented! We had a blast dancing and singing as Rachel and I were the only ones standing in our section! In one of her songs she rode in a truck on cables across the top of the Expo Center, starting out like right in front of us. I would make the claim that she waved at me!!

The weekend came to an end on Easter Sunday. We all put on our Sunday best and headed to church! Afterwards, the whole family came over for a cookout! Then it was time to hit the road again! (We made a lot more stops on the way back this time!) The next time we see our families, we will have a new baby!! Pretty crazy! Thanks for a great weekend! I love you all so much!