I Miss Him

A year ago today I lost my first baby...Bruster.  Bruster was my rock, he had been there with me through out so many tough times and good times.  I rescued Bru at the very beginning of my 3rd year at ECU, he was always as big as a horse!  His original name was Buster but to me he just wasn't a Buster so I changed his name to Bruster...after the ice cream chain...long story.  Anyway he was just the best boy ever!  His favorite place in the world was in a car, he would hop into a trunk if left open!  He also loved to be at the river where he could run free and swim as often as he liked...I'm so glad I get to be at his favorite spot very soon!

We put Bruster down after he had 2 very scary seizures within 12 hours of each other, we had been told that he most likely had a brain tumor but even the vet was surprised at how fast it seemed to progressed.  That was the hardest day of my life.  I will forever miss him.

Bruster and Dixie

 Me and my boy in FL

 He was so handsome

 like I said...have trunk will jump

 chewing on my weights

Mack, me, and Bruster at the river

daddy and his boy

Bruster and Aston (who is also in heaven)

 Bruster at the river....he loved it so

this is the last picture of Bruster, he died 3 days later at the age of 8 :(

Bruster,

We miss you more than you will ever know!  Life doesn't quite seem the same without you, places don't seem the same without you too.  I hope you and Aston are sharing a big bed in heaven!

Love always
Mommy, Daddy, and Hudson

A Day In The Life: Our New Normal

I did a day in the life post awhile ago but since our schedule has since changed I thought I would update it!

6:30am Hudson wakes up and I let him stay in his room for a little bit before I go get him

7-7:30am Hudson has breakfast...if we don't go for a walk he usually has yogurt or cereal, if we do go for a walk he has a nutrigrain bar

On this particular morning H really wanted to go for a ride in Daddy's jeep so I strapped him in and drove around the neighborhood at about 7:30

8:30-9:30am Hudson painted

9:30am we watch Dinosaur Train on PBS

10:00am we went to the park and were the only ones there so Hudson got to play on both playsets!

11:30am leave the park and since I forgot to bring water/juice we stop at McDonald's for a frozen strawberry lemonade!

12:00pm Hudson eats lunch (PBJ, applesauce, and veggie sticks)

12:30-3:30pm Naptime!!!!!!

3:30-4:00pm After I get H up we read or color for a little bit

4:00pm Thomas and Friends comes on PBS and this is by far H's favorite show

4:30-5:30 or 6pm we play outside or go for another walk, this day we chased butterflies around the backyard

6-6:30pm Hudson eats dinner (chicken nuggets, happy baby squeeze veggies, bananas, milk)

7:00pm Bath for H

7:30pm start getting ready for bed, brush teeth, use potty, read in bed

8:00pm lights out

So this is our new daily schedule, our activity varies day to day but the overall time frame is the same for everything. 

Cooking 101

Here is another installment of Cooking 101!  This was from a couple weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting it! Enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice Casserole

 the ingredients

 cooking my 2 chicken breasts, rice cooking in background

 steaming the broccoli with the rice

 making the cheese sauce

  before putting it in the oven

 after, I forgot to take a picture until after I had already dished it 

 yummy yummy

Recipe

2 cups rice           

3 cups broccoli

5 tsp flour

1/3 c sour cream

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1tsp salt

chicken broth

2 chicken breasts, chunked

2 cups of milk, divided

12oz shred cheese, divided

1/2tsp pepper

1. cook rice per directions, substituting water for chicken broth, when rice has 5-7 minutes left add broccoli to pot to steam
2. meanwhile heat large skillet over med-high heat & cook seasoned chicken until done.  remove to plate 
3. turn heat down to medium and then whisk together flour & 1/2 cup of milk in skillet, gradually adding remaining milk while whisking until mixture is boiling.  turn off heat and add 8oz cheese and the sour cream, stir until smooth, season to taste and mix
4. combine all, pour into 9x13 casserole dish, top with cheese
5. broil until golden brown

Registry Items I Couldn't Have Done Without

I have a ton of friends who are pregnant for the first time so I thought I would share a few of the items that I couldn't live without!  All of the following images are from babiesrus.com!  Again these are my favorites and mine alone :)

1. The Miracle Blanket....best swaddle ever, some call it the baby straight jacket!



2.  A medela breastpump is the way to go....nuff said

3.  Get 2 mirrors, 1 for both cars

4. I love my video monitor, it was honestly the best money I spent on anything for H!


5. The Boppy will be your bestfriend


6. Dr. Brown's Bottles were my favorite


7.  The milk storage containers from Medela are awesome

8. Graco Car Seat, I like this one because if your traveling somewhere you don't have to lug the base around, it can be used with just the seat belt if need be


9.  Again 2 is always better so get a 2nd base for your husband or whomever will be traveling with baby

10. Baby Jogger City Mini. I do not own this stroller but if I had to do it all over again I would totally buy it. It  is almost lighter than my umbrella stroller, can be folded with one hand, and you can add a car seat attachment.  This is 10x better than a travel system and umbrella stroller put together.  It is not a jogging stroller though!


11.  So if you are an avid jogger the BOB is the stroller for you!


12.  Front infant carrier, whether you get the Bjorn or the Jeep one they are amazing!  I also like the new slings that are out.  I tried the moby wrap and it was uncomfortable and hard to put on by myself.


13. Graco Playard/Pack-N-Play:  When we moved to FL H was 3 months old, he slept in the bassinet part for almost 3 months!  I loved that the changing table was high up, some are low and annoying.  This is also great to use if you have a 2 story home, keep it downstairs.

14. Baby Einstein Play Gym

15.  Fisher Price Whale Tub

16.  Fisher Price Papasan Chair.....a lifesaver

17.  Last but not least you must register for an excersaucer....baby will have fun and mommy can take a shower while baby plays (please of course make sure you can see baby!).


So those are most of the things that I definitely could not have lived without when H was a baby.  There is so much out there these days that it can be overwhelming so I hope this helps any moms to be!