Hudson 10 Months Old!

My little brother keeps growing and amazing us each & every day.  Here's what he's been up to this past month:

• Continued to eat new foods and/or more textured foods; started 2nd foods on Aug. 27th.  Still not crazy about anything with texture but has done pretty good with cooked carrots, peas & green beans.  Slowly warming up to puffs & toast.  New foods he's tried this past month include beef, chicken, ham, mangoes, pineapple, oranges, corn and blueberries.
• He has worked hard to get teeth!  Got his first tooth, front tooth even, on Aug. 29th, the other front tooth & bottom tooth on the 31st.  Has continued to get a few more teeth & now up to 7!
• Got another ear infection starting Sept. 1st and continued to have it all month!  Poor guy...This included enjoying his first Labor Day with a relaxing, get well weekend at home.
• Watched first Iowa State over Iowa win on Sat., Sept. 8th; ISU 9 and IA 6.  Go Clones!
• By Sept. 8th Hudson has worked hard to crawl...kinda of gets on all fours and lunges forward but not much movement unless army crawls on tummy.  He loves rolling over and moving around as not much for sitting still.
• Does pretty good standing when holding on to someone and can move from laying down to a sitting position & vice versa.
• Hudson can play peek-a-boo, exchange gestures and "conversations" and loves playing patty cake.  Teaching him how to clap & wave bye-bye but doesn't do it on his own quite yet.
• First Farming of YesterYear on Sun., Sept. 9th so saw first old time tractor parade, first time on a pedal tractor, first threshing and pumpkin launching!
• On Mon., Sept. 10th has first combine ride in a John Deere 9770 with Grandpa Allen, Mom & me (Hayden).  We were at the trust farm harvesting corn and didn't get scared at all.  Loved grabbing the wheel and was ready to drive.  On Wed., Sept. 19th had first combine ride cutting beans and this time with Daddy.  Again, did wonderfully.
• On Wed., Sept. 12th said first word, "Mama"!  Still not babbling or talking too much but doctor thinks may be due to ears / infections...we'll see.
• On Sat., Sept. 15th first trip to Center Creek Orchard with Aunt Jenni, Cousin Hannah, Grandma Judy, Mom & me.  First time down an 80 foot slide & first horse-drawn carriage ride.
• Even with a month of ear infections continues to be a happy guy.  Wears 18 month clothing (*working in 24!), size 4 diapers, size 5T shoes and has a great sleep schedule.  Can go down at 7:45-8 p.m. and sleeps until about 7 a.m.  Still takes 2 naps a day and eats very well.  So blessed to have him!

Hudson Combines Beans!

Had a fun week at daycare playing with trucks, Lego's and learning about fall.  We even painted yellow, green & red apple trees with Q-tips on Wed., Sept. 19th.  Hudson is also really on the move now and loves to roll around, scoot, pivot & even almost crawl around.  On the 19th he seemed to roll into all his friends giving them kisses too.  Ms. Megan said he needs to charge $0.25 per kiss!

 

On Tues., Sept. 18th I had my second gymnastics class & I improved so much.  I even jumped, a lot, on the trampoline and wasn't scared at all!  Mom & Hudson cheered for me and Ms. Erica, my teacher, had a hard time getting me to take turns.  Getting so brave.  On Wed., the 19th Mom took Hudson & I to visit Daddy in the combine near our place and we got to harvest beans.  This was Hudson's first time harvesting beans and he did great.  Here's us men:

Here's Hudson taking a turn; he sat so well & we all love his tractor hat.  Very fitting: 

Here's my turn with Dad and he even let go...I was really driving for a long while!  For the most part I'm keeping it straight but nice to have Dad help guide me.  We had so much fun! 

On Thurs., Sept. 20th poor Hudson woke from nap with a temperature of 103.8!  The highest either of us has ever had.  He had is follow-up doctor appointment with Dr. Morris at 4 p.m. for his past ear infections so Mom just came a bit early.  Unfortunately, we found out Hudson still has a double ear infection even after two rounds of antibiotics.  Poor guy.  He's now had ear infections for a month straight & if you count singly this would be his 5th.  After some testing & exams he's now been referred, even though only 9 mths, to my ENT, Dr. Pearson in Mankato on Oct. 8th.  Most likely a tubes candidate but we'll see.  He got put on a new round of meds & unfortunately it's taking a bit to work.  He's continued to have mild fevers since Thursday through today but he seems to be feeling better.  Hopefully he'll start sleeping better soon.  As Mom says at least we have a game plan now to help him like they did with me.  Mom & I were very brave at the doctor though and got our flu shots.  Hudson has to wait until better but I'll hold his hand when it's his turn.  Praying for you Hudson.

 

Up next Great, Great Grandma Doris 100th birthday party! Happy Birthday Grandma!

Spiders

Hudson & Hayden's Mom here to document a cute little story.  This summer Hayden has run into a couple of large spiders, well, large to a 2 year old, and has been a little nervous about them.  During bath time tonight he got up to our sink to brush his teeth & goes "Mommy, Mommy; SPIDER!"  I looked down and there wasn't a spider but a piece of my long hair sitting on the counter which he thought was a spider.  Made me giggle a bit and explained what it actually was as that's where I do my hair.  We cleaned it up and I thought all was well until later when he climbed into bed he asked about spiders again.  I said they were all gone & Kato chases the rest away.  He seems to be fine now but so fun to see the world through a child's eyes!

Center Creek Orchard: 2012

On Wed., Sept.12, 2012, my teachers told Mom a funny story about me she asked me to document.  At lunch we had chicken patties and I thought mine was shaped like a piece of pizza so I told all my friends my discovery.  Before my teachers knew it all the kids were calling their chicken patties pizza too!  Hudson was funny on Sept. 13th too as in between his long naps, must have been sleepy, he kept showing off his new teeth to everyone in the room, especially the fire tuck he liked playing with (*or chewing on!).  Must be pretty excited about his new teeth! 

 

On Fri., Sept. 14th Hudson finally got his 9 month pictures taken by Mandy of MCreations; 3rd time is the charm.  Poor guy has continued to be plagued by ear infections.  We also had fun Friday night putting out all our Halloween decorations & preparing for fall as well as being outside enjoying our fall weather.  My favorite part was putting up all the window clings!  On Sat., Sept. 15th we got a special treat with Uncle Jared in the morning on his way to the ISU football game and then picked up Grandma Judy to meet Cousin Hannah & Aunt Jenni at Beantown in Fairmont for lunch.  After a wonderful lunch we headed to Center Creek Orchard for a fun day outside.  The Toupal's do an amazing job and there is so much to offer we didn't get to everything!  Guess that means we'll need a second trip...hint, hint Mom & Dad.  Here's us cousins posing for a fall picture:

We had fun checking out the orchard & here's Hannah & I being apple trees! 

They have a petting zoo and my favorite were the kids, well, baby goats.  They came right up to us to let us pet & feed them.  They were really cute. 

The weekend we went to the orchard was there annual Cinderella Carriage ride weekend.  Hannah & I kept Grandma busy while Hudson, Mom & Auntie Jennie waited in line by checking out the hay pile, the different mazes, tire horse ride and I even found a "vacuum" well, that's what I called it as I had never seen a walk behind mower before.  Can you tell I'm a farm boy!  Here's me enjoying the mower; I covered a lot of ground they should be in good shape for awhile. 

We also got to ride the "train" while we waited and I got the caboose with a pig on the side.  Hannah's had a rabbit on the side.  The best part of the ride was they have a little bell the driver takes us by and stops long enough for each child to ring it while he drives through.  It was so much fun we had to go around twice!  I loved ringing the bell.

Finally, the carriage ride!  This was Hudson's first carriage ride (*I had mine in Duluth) and the carriage is beautiful as well as the two large horses you can't see.  Their names were Dixie and Daisy.  A whole lot of pretty princesses and a couple of fine looking princes! 

Us cousins all rode on one side with Mom.  Another family rode along too. 

Hudson isn't as mobile as Hannah or I but he still had a fun day.  Here he is lounging in his stroller all full of giggles!  Silly baby: 

In addition to enjoying their trike roads with tractors & gas station and all I LOVED all their bouncy houses/castles.  I would run from one to the other, go down the slides or into the ball pits or just enjoy falling down.  So much fun.

We also got to experience their 80 foot slide!  Here's Hannah, Mom & I going down it.  Hudson got to go down too but was so fast hard to snap a photo!  By the end I was a pro so I actually went down the slide & climbed up the hill a couple of times all by myself. 

What an amazing day; boy were we ready for our naps!  After naps we headed to the Oswald's for a play date with Ava and dinner.  I had fun playing dress-up with Ava (*princess crown, ruby red "slippers" or high heels and all).  Here's me, Dr. Princess Hayden, getting ready to check-out Hudson and nurse Ava is comforting him.  We were all worn out by the end of the night.  Such fun memories. 

Today, Sun., Sept. 16th we woke up to find Uncle Jared at our house again; what a fun treat.  We were excited to know that ISU is now 3 - 0 as they beat W. IL on Sat., the 15th 37 to 3.  Can't wait to go to a game.  After church we had fun going to the park as a family & even did pre-lunch snack time there.  It was nice to have Daddy home!  Up next...Hudson's first combine ride cutting beans...

Gymnastics!

Today I had a great day at daycare although I missed out on the silly putty unit as I told my teachers I was too busy playing with the trucks to pay attention.  Mom says I have a one "truck" or track mind!

After DC I had my first gymnastics lesson at the Blue Earth Gymnastics Center and had a blast.  We did warm-ups, coordination activities and then trampoline time.  We're really trying to focus on listening, taking turns, following directions and of course our physical coordination.  Here I am with my teacher, Ms. Erica, warming up doing the butterfly.  Erica's daughter is in the picture, Kayla, with her Grandma who I know both from ECFE.  It was fun to see my DC friends Shea & Ava as well as my swimming lesson friend, Pete.

Here's me doing the climb & slide although my favorite activity was the rolling pin which you lay on your tummy, roll through & into a forward tuck roll.  My tuck roll isn't great yet as I have to rememer to keep my head down but I think it is so much fun.  Mom said I was very brave for trying new things and did pretty good at listening.  I was a little timid swinging on the high bar and jumping on the trampoline.  I'm sure I'll warm up next time as Dad says I'm fearless when it comes to loud, noisy tractors!  It was really cute my friend Ava even offered to hold my hand & jump with me on the trampoline but I wasn't quite ready yet.  Very nice of her!  I did go on it with Mom at the end so watch out for next time I'll get there.

Up next...Center Creek Orchard with my Cousin Hannah!

Hudson's 1st Combine Ride & Hayden Starts Pre-school!

Today, Sept. 10, 2012, I started Pre-school, well, I started my first day in the Lil' Explorers or the pre-school room at Little Giants.  I'm rather young yet but since a lot of my older friends are moving up they thought they'd let me try with one day a week to start & see how I do.  I loved it & did great!  I had so much fun exploring everything, trying new learning styles & units and loved the big kids playground.  Most of our routines are very similar to the Lil' Sprouts room except now we take our naps in the room & our feeding schedule is slightly different.  Both rooms we continue to work on potty training and basic skills such as listening, self control, sharing, patience, etc.  This room marks that I have new teachers & they told Mommy I did really good for my first day.   I can't wait until next Monday!

Today also marks the first official day of fall as the tractors are now in the field.  Grandpa Allen & the men were harvesting at the trust farm right by our home farm & so we were able to sneak a ride.  We got a special treat as Daddy was delivering a truck when we arrived so all four of us Prestegard men had to get in a picture.  Here's us with Grandpa & Daddy entering the combine:

For Hudson's first time in a combine he didn't do too bad.  Didn't get scared of the noises or size or anything.  Just like his brother!  He was really taken with the bright, shiny sliver John Deere logo on the steering wheel & actually was able to twist it off - smart guy!  He also liked watching the corn & kept looking around at everything.  Here's rookie driver Hudson with Grandpa Allen:

By now I'm an old pro at climbing up the ladder to the cab and taking the wheel (*well, I do my best at driving straight).  I love watching & learning about everything.  Here's me with Grandpa Allen: 

What a special treat to ride in the combine with Grandpa & hang out with Daddy.  We always miss him this time of year as he's super busy working but cherish these moments:

Another special treat was the Hansen's came out & Addison got her first combine ride too.  I was a little bummed I couldn't go again & drive with her but there is only so much room in the cab.  Happy we were able to share harvest time with them.  Maybe again but in beans!

Up next...my first day of gymnastics!

Farming of Yesteryear...

Today Grandma & Grandpa Vogel came up for a visit and we took them to meet Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard at the 29th Annual Threshing Festival: Farming of Yesteryear at Kiester, MN.

We had a great time checking out the pumpkin shooter, threshing, sawmill, country store, gas engines & of course all the older tractors.  They had the tractors, of all kinds & all years, lined up prior to the parade for us to walk around and inspect.  I was really interested in the orange tractors as you don't see them very often and of course the green, John Deere ones.  Here's me, Grandma Judy & Grandma Dawn checking some out:

Here's Daddy, Grandpa Allen, Hudson & Grandpa Mark checking out some Oliver's:

One really neat exhibit was the world's slowest tractor "Fourtrans" which moves one foot (12 inches) per hour in the lowest gear!  Take a long time to get anything done with it but as Mom kidded Dad it is a Ford!  Here's Hudson & I with the world's slowest tractor.  Pretty fun we've seen the world's largest & now slowest tractors this year!

Here's Hudson checking out one more his size; he grabbed right on & kept trying to reach the pedals...maybe next year!

At 1:30 p.m. they held a tractor parade; I was so excited!  We had seats right up front and enjoyed some interesting deep fried food during the parade.  There was deep fried Twinkies, cookie dough and Oreo cookies.  Let's just say the only one that tasted good was the Oreo one.  Here's one of "my" orange tractors going by...I wish all parades were just of tractors (*oh, & fire trucks!)

After the parade we got to visit the Children's Barnyard and I got to feed the Mama cow called "18".  Yes, that's right her name was 18 and her calf's name was Daisy.  I kept saying, "Here Mama Cow" and give her some hay and she'd come right over and eat it!  I even got to feed her a scoop of corn which she liked way better than hay.  It was so much fun hanging out with her and seeing all the other animals.  I really liked the horses too. 

 We had a fun filled day & even had wrestling practice with Grandpa Mark after we got home!  After bath time we had special story time in Dad & Mom's room and Hudson & I got the giggle fits as you can see here.  Feel so blessed & loved for our family.

Up next...Hudson's first combine ride.  They will be picking corn by our home farm tomorrow so we're hoping to hitch a ride!  Can't wait!

Weekend Update...

On Wed., Aug. 22nd Mom wanted me to report a cute story about me! On the way home I was pointing out & telling Mom about a really big truck. Mom replied it was "gigantic" and I said, "No, Mama, it's enormous!" Mom was impressed my vocabulary has continued to grow and I continue to surprise her everyday, even with new words!  On Thurs., Aug. 23rd we continued practicing cutting with scissors & our shape of the month, circle.  Here's my circle which we turned into a cookie with "Cyclone" paint and learned the song, "Who stole the cookie form the cookie jar!"

On Sat., Aug. 25th we visited the shop where I got a tractor ride with Grandpa Allen & Hudson got a forklift ride with Daddy. The next week Daddy was gone to Des Monies for work so it was just Hudson, Kato & I with Mommy. Hudson surprised Daddy with another front tooth when he got home Wed., Aug. 29th!

Here's Hudson on the forklift:

We've been blessed the past couple of weeks to spend time at home & outside enjoying the beautiful, & not so hot, weather!  Here's some fun outdoor shots of us from Sun., Aug. 26th:

Big brother helping to push! 

Digging in the sand & one happy puppy - "my Kato!" 

Hudson loves to stand & hold on to things.  Here he kept taking the wheel when we were playing pirates in our tree house. 

I'm on the look out for sharks! 

Playing following the leader, Hudson in the Cozy Coupe, me on the Radio Flyer & Kato bringing up the rear.  Mom helped push Hudson but he is an excellent driver 

On Mon., Aug. 27th was the only day Husdon & I both went to daycare as daycare was partially closed this week due to the holiday.  On Monday Hudson showed off his scooter skills to the teachers and was never in the same spot twice!  He even found his way into one of the on-the-floor toy shelves.  On Monday we got to play with BIG paint brushes and use water to paint houses outside.  So much fun using our imaginations.  On Tues., the 28th I was at daycare while Hudson spent the day with Grandma Judy.  My friends and I had a ton of fun as we rolled a huge sheet of paper out on a ramp & then rolled paint balls down the paper.  It made some really fun designs.  On Wed., the 29th I spent the day of fun with Grandma Judy & Hudson at daycare.  Grandma Anne even came up & spent the day with us on Thurs., Aug. 30th.  We got spoiled all week!  On Fri., Aug. 31st Hudson had his 9 month check-up with Dr. Morris and we found out he's grown!  Yep, Hudson is now 2 ft. 6 inches or 75 cm at 85%.  His head is 47 cm and weight is 24 lb. at 94%.  He's still in size 4 diapers and just about wearing 18 month clothes exclusively.  He still takes about 4 - 5 bottles a day & still eats 3 meals a day too.  With all his teeth coming in this past month he's even started brushing his teeth (*with help of course).  He goes to sleep on his own, still does 2 naps a day and is now busy into everything as you'll see below.  He's also not shy and like me hasn't experienced stranger danger - just a happy, content little man.

 

Unfortunately as of Sat., Sept. 1st night Hudson began to have a temp of 101-102.  He barely slept and even with meds his fever didn't break.  As soon as Urgent Care opened the next day we were there.  Hudson had a right ear infection and upper respiratory infection.  They were worried he may have some stuff in his lungs so he got meds for both his ears & his lungs.  While Mom & Hudson were with the doctor Dad & I went to the park and I learned to skip rocks (*or maybe more kerplunk!)  Here's me "skipping rocks":

Hudson seemed to be doing a little better by Mon., Sept. 3rd, Labor Day, as his fever was gone, however, as the week wore on he just wasn't himself.  On Fri., Sept. 7th Daddy took him back to the doctor and sure enough the neb treatments & meds helped his lungs but not his ear.  He now had a double ear infection!  Poor guy.  So new meds for his ears & by today 100x better already.  Hopefully now on the mend.  He goes for a follow-up on the 20th so we'll see what is our next course of action as now up to 4 ear infections!  Seems to be following in my footsteps unfortunately.

 

On Tues., Sept. 4th I had a great day at DC with my buddy Aiden which we played trucks and pretended the art easel was our "garage".  We even practiced more circle cutting & made ice cream cones...here's mine:

To demonstrate how "busy" Hudson is now Tuesday night while Mom & I were making dinner Mom placed Hudson on a blanket with some toys & within 5 mins he had move over 2 feet to the toy basket & dug everything out!  Here's our little mover:

On Wed., Sept. 5th we did the coolest art project ever; we drove a truck through black "mud" or paint and made tracks on paper.  I got to try all different tires to see what type of tracks they made.  On Sept. 6th I am happy to report I went most of the day dry at DC!  Getting better at the potty training thing during the day.  We also painted turtles as part of our pond unit, we painted frogs at the end of last month, and here's my pretty turtles:

In addition to Hudson feeling better the other good news this weekend is Iowa State beat Iowa!  Rough game but still a "W" which I learned is a win.  I had fun cheering & dancing during the game and of course I loved seeing Cy.  I was a little sad after the game when he was gone.  After the game we made dinner & while we were cleaning up I played peek-a-boo with Hudson - he loved it!  Here we are Cyclone gear & all!  My shirt is extra cute it says, "Cy's, my hero!"

Up next Grandma Dawn & Grandpa Mark are coming up tomorrow for Keister's Farming of Yesteryear with Grandma & Grandpa Prestegard too!