Life in the First Month

Hudson is growing and changing so fast...it's going to be hard to keep up with all the progress and changes on here! But, here are some pictures from his first month of life (some are from 5-7 weeks old):

He LOVES to be outside!! He loves the warmth of the sun, and the breeze in his hair. We've thankfully had a really mild summer here, and the weather has been perfect almost every day. We've spent a lot of time out on our balcony in the evening, and Hudson just looks around soaking it all in.

He's tracking things really well now, and definitely responds to voices and sounds around him. I think he definitely recognizes mine and Colby's voice, and it's so fun to watch him study our face. I love it when he locks eyes with you and stares directly at you...studying all of your features very intently. Such a smart boy! 

At first, bathtime wasn't much fun...but it's getting a lot better. As long as the water is warm, he's happy. He also loves to get his hair washed, which he's loved from day one. The first time we gave him a sponge bath, he screamed the whole time...but once we wrapped him up and then poured the warm water over his head to wash his hair...his face instantly relaxed and he totally calmed down. It's a very soothing thing for him.

The puppies have been really good with him. We were really nervous about that before he was born. If anyone knows Briley, they know she's a very nervous dog. She scares easily, and is pretty much a big baby...she shows her frantic side by spontaneously peeing in place whenever she gets scared or nervous. Neither her nor Mazie had been around kids or babies much...and the few times they had, Briley was not great with them...growling, barking, hiding, chasing and nipping. Ughh...

But, to our surprise, she's done great with him! Both the dogs were so curious when we brought him home...running to him any time he cried, camping out under his swing when he was in it, laying under my chair when I was nursing him...but they lost interest pretty quick, and now it's like he's always been a permanent fixture here. They still sniff at him and want to lick occasionally...but for the most part, they're uninterested. Which is fine with me! :) They've definitely started playing more together though, since they're not getting as much attention. Eventhough they're both 5 years old now, you'd think they were new puppies by watching them play!

Mazie & Briley standing guard over baby Hudson

We had our first outing to Forest Park this month. Hudson slept most of the time, and then when he woke up, he was mad and hungry...so it didn't last long, but it was still fun for us to have him out there, strolling him around. We'll try again soon, and hopefully get some better pictures with his eyes open! Forest Park is such a gorgeous place here in St. Louis...it was the site of the 1904 World's Fair. It will be a great backdrop for future pictures as Hudson continues to grow and change and have firsts...like crawling, laughing and walking!