Fittin' right on in.

It's hard to believe that Flash Flood is already four months old. He's already learning the wild ways of the Hudson Household.

My child who was the most active in-utero, has proven to be our wiggliest worm of all. He's also our best sleeper. Not trying to rub it in, but some nights Flash Flood will sleep 12-14 hours. Don't be too jealous. The rest of my children still keep me up... plenty. He flops around so much in his sleep, this is how we found him in his crib this morning....

He's so stinkin' sweet too. My sister-in-love, (sounds better than in-law, especially since I do love her so much.) Angie made the comment, "Funny how we Momma's define a baby's sweetness by how many hours they sleep." Very true, but Flash Flood is very sweet natured too.

He's so patient with his older siblings.



Flash Flood is pretty much happy as long as he can see everybody.

He loves to eat with the big kids. We started solids a couple of weeks ago, and so far he hasn't turned his nose up at anything.

He does like to eat, but I will say, he's not very efficient. From the very beginning, Flash struggled with breastfeeding. Sometimes he would nurse for 45 minutes to an hour. And then, after I just couldn't take it any more, and would think surely he had to be full since it had been ONE WHOLE HOUR, I would force him off and he would scream and scream like he was still hungry.

I couldn't figure out why in the world nursing him was hurting so badly, and why the usual (sorry guys) "cracking" that has occurred during the beginning of nursing all my other babies, could not heal and continued to get worse and hurt like a .......... (fill in your choice of expletives, 'cause those are the only words necessary here.) I'm talking excruciating pain. I cried every time he latched on. I would immediately feel a sharp, shooting pain running from my chest all the way up through my neck and into my head. After nursing him each time, I would have a horrible head ache for hours. Three hours later, when he would cry to eat, I would cry too. Seriously. It was that bad. Turns out I had developed a STAPH INFECTION because the wounds had been open for so long and gotten infected. GROSS! Sorry if that's TMI, but I'm just trying to help out any other mothers who may/have/are going through this.... After a prescription and switching to bottle feedings for every other feeding, to allow more time for healing, my gaping injury finally began to close, slowly but surely. Very, very slowly but surely.

So, one day Surrogate Aunt and pediatrician, Dr. Pepper, fed him a bottle for me and noticed that he was chomping down on it instead of sucking. He did eventually finish the bottle, but it took him nearly 45 minutes because he was so inefficient. The light bulb then clicked as to why my poor body had taken such a beatin'.

Every rose has its thorn.

After switching him to formula part-time, I realized that my sanity was not worth Flash Flood getting breast milk over formula. I weaned him to bottles full-time, and can honestly say that our bonding time has increased a hundred million trillion since I'm not crying the entire feeding any longer. Even still, I felt guilty about it at first. Why? I have no idea. It's what us Mothers do.... we know something is good for them, and that they will be fine with the alternative, yet still, we lay awake at night and feel guilty for all the things and ways we are potentially ruining their lives. Oh, the joys of Motherhood.

I'd be lying if I said I missed breast-feeding. I'm just not that type of lady. I know some gals who gush and love every second of nursing their children. I'm just not one of them.

I'd also be lying if I said my floor isn't usually this dirty (look under the couch in the pic below... There is no telling what lies beneath those couches).

I've mentioned before that Hail has a slight ear fetish. The other day I caught him doing this.....

When I asked him if he was sleepy, as this is Hail's tell tale sign he is ready for bed, Hail responded, "No. Just my beary is sweepy. See, just my beary is pullin' dose eaws." We may need to have Hail evaluated.

Yes indeed, these past four months have flown by. And while it's only been four months, it's seems like Flash Flood has been in our family forever. Just as Bert and I have felt with each addition.... we can hardly remember our lives before him.

Slobbery kisses to you!