My Dearest Andy Rooney Griffith Carney

I don't think Andy even opened his eyes in all of the pics of Hudson in the green/blue p.j.'s. He is quite the dog! I'm so glad I bought him at a horse show this past June. My Sally is getting older so I thought Foxxy needed a new playmate so Andy came home with me. Casey and Will have his full sister and she is pschyco, completely and totally nuts! We're so glad we have the sane one!!

Two Posts in One Day!!

Oh yes, it's your day, I've posted twice so be sure to scroll down to the next post to see more cute pictures!

I'm usually the one behind the camera but Jason caught these cute pics tonight of him kissing Mommy! He is so funny, he grabs my face and pulls me to him puckered up the whole time. I'm just so happy he's learned to pucker up until a few days ago his kisses were with a wide open mouth, I would just close my eyes and hope for as little drool as possible :) !!

Puckered up!

Isn't it cute the way he hold my cheeks (there's lots for him to hold on to with my chunky cheeks HA!)

Picture me saying, "Where's Mommy?"

Then making some crazy sounding noise...

And him cackling the entire time! I love it!

Sunday

Hanging out with Aunt Casey

Playing with cousins Robert and Loretta

Starting him young! Although Dad says we need to find a play weedeater so he can get started practicing that since he'll spend more time riding the weedeater than mower :)

Hudson and Meemaw :) I spent so much time with my Meemaw and still do, it's so neat watching her ooh and ahh over Hudson. I wonder if she was this crazy over me!!!!

This morning Hudson and I went to Mt. Carmel (Jason was in bed sick). He was very good, I thought he was going to get a little loud a few times but Granny said he was okay so we stayed in the church service. I enjoyed getting to see everyone after the service but I don't feel like I got to talk as much as I would have liked. I hope I wasn't short with anyone, I ended up having to chase Hudson around, he was having a blast!

I have more to write and tell but it will have to wait until tomorrow, I have to go feed horses. So tune in tomorrow for a really awesome story and some cute pics of "The life of Andy Carney"!!

Us

So, there have been quite a few people asking how we are doing? Of course their first question is how is Hudson, but the next one is how are me and Jason. So I thought I would do a post to let you know how we are and what the past 21 days at home has been like...


I'm not going to tell a little fib, the first few days at home were really hard on me, I thought I was going to pass out from exhaustion. After 15 min. of sleep in 24 hours and only a few hours the night before then coming home with a baby, it was rough. The night we got home Jason started throwing up and continued to for the next 3 nights, barely getting out of bed. So I went at it by myself. Hudson would wake up during the night and I would be on my feet in .02 seconds. I thought I was a light sleeper before, but now any little bitty noise and I'm straight up in bed. Especially with the monitor on, I can hear him breath. So I've learned to cut the monitor off if I want to sleep for more than 15 min. at a time. Our house is only 900 square feet on the bottom and his room is very close to ours, I can hear him just fine without the monitor! Anyways, after 3 nights of this and Jason being sick, I told Jason I didn't know what I was going to do if I didn't sleep. So he prayed and said, "Lord, you told us to come to you and you would give us rest and we REALLY need some rest!" That night Hudson didn't make a peep and I actually slept!


Once Jason got to feeling better and I was sleeping more things were much better! Jason has been awesome helping me out at the barn. I have only fed 2 mornings since we've been home. He's really spoiling me. I really do have an awesome man, but don't ask me that when the trash has been needing to be taken out for 3 days HA! HA! It got to the point that I HAD to get out of the house! I had a horse come in for training and so now I HAVE to go out and ride and I'm LOVIN it! So I'm riding 3 horses every afternoon and it just makes things different for me, is that weird? I have to be outside. I can't wait til it warms up since Hudson enjoys it so much, too.


Jason has been working on and off. I love the flexibility he has in the winter but do not love the income! But I would much rather have him home more right now than working 12 hours a day. He is a great dad and Hudson thinks he's a big play toy. He LOVES his "Dada" and says his name constantly. It bothers Jason that he won't go to sleep on him or lay on him much, but he won't because he's so busy wanting to play with him. Jason is very helpful with him, too, and much to my amazement changes diapers and does some of the dirty work.


The whole eating thing has been EXTREMELY rough. Hudson is having texture issues and they are not fun. It got to the point that my stomach would be in knots everytime I was going to feed him. I thought it was a battle of the wills at first and he was NOT going to beat me. I've backed off now and thing are more relaxing and less stressful on the two of us. It really helped me the other night when I was reading about biological children having this problem and the moms were all encouraging one another telling others who were going through it that it will take time. Same thing the dr. told us. So I guess I can't control everthing and am going to have to let him take his time. What was funny tough is when Jason was telling me he didn't want me to stress out about it and make a big deal about it. Fine, I said, you feed him. When Jason got done he was stressed, too, and I haven't heard anything out of him about me relaxing over it! The Dr. said give it a few months and if if isn't any better then we will see a specialist. They may have to send me to a specialist, too :)


After 5 1/2 years of marriage, 5 1/2 years of just us, it's been so different these past 3 weeks. We were so used to talking all the time (at least 10x's on the phone and then lots at home) and used to going wherever, whenever. Finally the other night we stayed up late talking and wrestling, and just being us. I needed that. I need the old us and the new us. This past week has felt the best for me as far as mine and Jason's relationship goes. Don't go thinking crazy things, it wasn't bad the past few weeks, just different. Now we are figuring out how to balance a 17 month old, evolve around nap time, potty time, eating, and find time to communicate with each other.


There are a few things I need in my day. 1. Quiet time with my Lord, which I wasn't doing up until this week when I realized nap time is perfect for it. 2. My man! 3. The Cosby Show which also comes on during nap time. 4. Being on top of a 4 legged beast and feeling the wind against my face! Praise God, we're getting there. I'm sure there will be great days and not so good days, but we'll get there.


This is definitely not the easiest thing we've ever done, but we didn't go into it thinking it would be. But there's nothing in this whole entire world sweeter than your own child laying on your chest and falling to sleep. Or lighting up when you walk into the room and reaching out for you. Or walking up saying "Lala" (aka Larry from the Veggie Tales), handing you the book then wanting to sit in your lap while you read it to him, even if you are trying to type a mile long blog post!

Too Funny

He was having a hard time balancing on the bed, he would stand and this was his face right before he fell, pretty funny (he thought so, too)!

This is his favorite book, Veggie Tales. He was so cute babbling, reading to himself.

Update

Just thought these pics of Andy and Foxxy are too cute. He is definitely attempting to say their names I think I'm the only one who understands him, though! He walks around the house calling them in the same pitch of voice that I do.

He is quite the cutie in his camo hat!

Last Friday his nose started running some and I think he probably picked something up when we went and had his TB test read (on Thursday). There were lots of sick kids coming in and I didn't let him down but while I was trying to talk to the receptionist he watch touching EVERYTHING! It seems to be getting better today and last night he slept the best he had in the past 3 nights.

Still struggling with the texture issues, please pray for us about this.

He is really gaining speed while walking. I think he'll be running before we know it. He's also really trying to say new words. He holds stuff up to his ear and says hello. He tries to say the dogs names. I ask him "Where's Mom's...ears, mouth, nose, eyes", and he points to them. He knows what the light, bath, water is. He's really understanding a lot more. He likes to hang out with me while I cook and he loves to go "bye bye". Sometimes it feels like he's been with us forever.

First Ride

Waiting to catch the ball.

Catching the ball, look at that face :)

Finally got out of the house yesterday and my baby on a horse. He loved it, although Zoe doesn't look too thrilled does she! He thought trotting was fun which didn't suprise me the way he likes to bounce around and dance!

It's getting cold tonight, 2 degrees. Soon Jason and I are going out and putting blankets on all of the horses. Hopefully our little shack will stay warm through the night, too!

Wednesday

He's really started to pick up speed when walking, this is him hustling to me last night.

Playing Peek-a-boo

Here I am, greasy hair and all (don't worry I'll take a shower today :)!!

Concentrating on the dozier.

I snapped a few pictures last night of him before bed time. Yesterday was a success on the nap time. I loved it! He skipped his morning nap. They therapist said to feed him lunch when he would be napping and he would want to stay up longer. He stayed up til 1:20 and then napped for almost 3 hours. He was not exhausted last night. He normally doesn't want to lay down in the afternoons and then at night he is ready to go to bed at 7. He went to bed a little after 9 and slept until a little after 8 this morning which is right up my alley!

Two night ago he bit Jason twice and last night he bit him twice again. He tried to bite me and I bit him back, you would have thought I had done the worse thing in the world, but he didn't bite me again!

Our social worker came yesterday morning. The visit was very good. Chris has been awesome over the past few years, I don't know what we would have done without her. She is definitely the highlight of our experience with Bethany. While she was here yesterday he was running around playing. He loves to go in our bedroom and I was sitting in the living room floor watching where he was going when he disappeared in the bathroom. After a few minutes I got up to see what he was doing. The little stinker was in the bathtub just hanging out. It was pretty funny!

I am determined to ride a horse today. The most I've been outside since we've been home is a little over an hour. That's the only thing that's really getting to me. These bones of mine weren't made to be held in by four walls! I NEED to be outside, I think I'll have spring fever much worse this year than ever before. Hudson loves to be outside but I just can't get him out in this cold of weather. But let spring get here and I'll attach him to my hip and take off!

Vanderbilt Adoption Clinic

Sleeping in the car today, when he gets good and to sleep his two fingers fall out of his mouth and his little lips pooch out!!

Laughing at Dad

I wish I had sound effects for this picture. He puts his face underwater and blows bubbles. I think he'll be ready for the swimming pool this summer.

Hudson and his buddy!

Rockin' out with Granny and the guitar!

So today was a very long day! We left this morning for Vanderbilt at 7:15 and didn't leave there til almost 1:00. Everything was great until nap time came! Unfortunately nap time was the time they did his TB test and drew 7 of those tubes of blood-NOT FUN! The doctors were fantastic. We spent almost an hour with each dr.

First we saw the developmental pschycologist. She was very happy with him and said he seemed to be attaching well. He never went to her or the other lady and constantly came to one of us to be held. Once he fell and bumped his head and started to cry and came to me. She said to keep doing what we are doing and stick to him just being with us for a while. I have noticed him really preferring us and not wanting to be held near as much by everyone else. Twice over the weekend when we have let him sit with family members he has screamed for me back. She also said we need to go to one nap a day in the afternoon, they sleep too much in the orphanage.

Second we saw an occupational therapist. She helped us with the texture issue and said she thinks it is not that bad and gave us some suggestions. She said his fine motor skills are good. He stacked blocks with her but got a kick out of knocking them over and he did other things with her.

Third we saw the pediatrician. She was awesome. He has gained almost a pound since Dec. 30 so that puts him at 23lbs. and he is 32 in. long. His height was 54% and weight 14% so he has some catching up to do on the weight end but we're working on it. His head size was also very good, I can't remember what it was though.

We will get his test results back at the end of the week and each doctor will also get us their evaluation of him. We were very very impressed and happy with the Vanderbilt Adoption Clinic. Each doctor answered all of our questions (and you know me, there were lots!) with great detail and patience. We just can't say enough about it, if you are adopting definitely take your child there when you get home, the Carney's give it 2 thumbs up!

Tomorrow is our first post placement visit. Our social worker, Chris, will be coming out and visiting at 8:30. Should I have warned her I am not a morning person :)

Oh, and I'm lovin' my new washer and dryer. When the guy brought it and I had to sign the paper I told him I have never been this excited about washing clothes. He said, "Don't worry it'll wear off after 3 loads." He was right, but I still think it's awesome I can put that many clothes in a washing machine.