Hughes News

pics

2011-07-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

Around 6am...let the fun begin...

Made his arrival at 11am: 8lbs 4oz, 21in

Family of 4!

Checking out his new brother

Going home outfit my neighbor made

snuggled up at home

Noah playing with Grammy

Look again...Owen is actually smiling a huge smile as well.

Holding his baby brother

After his bath

First bath. Didn't cry at first, then decided he was done.

Baby Owen's Birth Story

2011-07-09T13:50:00.001-07:00

Baby Owen has arrived! My little firecracker was born on the 4th of July.

8 lbs. 4oz

21 inches

10:59am

Perfect in every way!

On the 3rd I began noticing regular contractions that began about 5pm. They were only mildly irritating and were coming every 10 minutes. We headed to a firework show around 7pm and I annouced that I thought I was in labor. Pete's cousin Jana and her husband Nii were with us. Nothing really changed during the firework show and we all had a good time. Noah really liked the fireworks after he got used to them. When we got home I began preparing to go to the hospital: showered (had to shave my legs, of course!), made sure all the bags were ready, made pete get his bag ready, and made sure we had a plan for Noah. Then I attempted to go to sleep. However, by this time (11pm), my contractions started getting more painful so I could only doze for a few minutes and then would be started awake by a contraction. During the night, I wondered from the bed, to the couch, played on the internet, watched TV, and breathed through the contractions that were growing more painful and closer together. When they were about 6 minutes apart (5am) I decided I was ready to go to the hospital. I let Jana know that we were leaving and they agreed to take care of Noah until other arrangements could be made. They were to head back to Austin on the 4th.

We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am. When we got to the labor and delivery unit the nurse asked me, "Can I help you?" I thought that this would be obvious due to my large belly and contractions that were taking my breath away every 4 minutes. Anyways, we were taken to a room where I showed to be dilated to a 4. I then labored for about 2 hours. I was dilated to a 7 when I was able to get my epidural. Not a moment too soon! It was starting to get intense for me! Things didn't really slow down after the epidural, thankfully. This epidural was not near as strong as the one I got when I had Noah, so I was able to feel a lot more. I noticed a strong urge to 'go to the bathroom.' Then it hit me that this feeling is a sign that Owen was getting close. We called the nurse in and she checked me out. Sure enough, his head was right there ready to come out. She called the doctor, prepped the room and told me it was time to push. Pete, the great husband that he is, was very comforting and encouraging! My parent's arrived right in the nick of time. I said hi to dad and he went to the waiting room while Pete and mom stayed with me. I pushed through one contraction and began the second when she told me to stop. We had to wait for the doctor. At this point, I could feel enough to know that I was very ready to push! The doctor came in about 5 minutes later and quickly got ready to catch. I pushed through 2 contractions and out came sweet little Owen already giving his lungs a workout. Pete cut the umbilical cord and then Owen was laid on my lap. I cried and kissed him. At that moment my heart must have gotten bigger because I suddenly realized I could love 2 little boys equally, and more than I ever could have imagined.

Our hospital stay was uneventful. We are happy to say that Owen's heart sounded great and there were no health concerns at all!! We were there 24 hours and then were released to go home. Noah loves his little brother and gives him tons of kisses. Owen has been an excellent sleeper the last 2 nights, only getting up to eat and then goes right back to sleep. Grammy has been staying with us and has made sure I've gotten plenty of naps, lots of good food, and has spoiled Noah and Owen. Pete has gone back to work and plans to take his paternity leave next week so his time off with overlap with his parent's visit. Papa Rock and Mimi will be here the 17th and we are so excited!

Summer fun in June

2011-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a pretty recent picture of me. I am currently not-so-patiently waiting on Owen. I have nested in every way I can imagine, our hospital bags are packed, plans are in place for Noah, Owen's room is completely ready....now we just wait. As of today I have 11 days until my due date and I am not currenlty dilated. Maybe something will happen soon!

Church activity. Our cell group rocked tie-dye.

Wearing daddy's hat and a sweet smile

This is about 35 weeks or so.

Noah was watching a storm blow in with dad and wanted to put his hands in his pockets like dad.

My dad's great neice got married in Oklahoma City. She was a beautiful bride and we were happy to welcome Sergio into our family! We used the opportunity to get together with all of my dad's family the following day. We have grown so much in the last 5-10 years!!

The 'original 5'

We took the kids to the water park near Sara's house. We all had fun. Mom was there too...she is taking the picture.

Ava and Noah seemed to have a lot of fun playing this trip. Ava is 1 year older.

Pete has been putting Noah to bed almost everynight! What a man. It is so sweet when he plays the guitar for Noah.

Noah lounging at the water park here in Little Rock. He loves playing in the water!

Easter and such

2011-06-05T12:01:00.001-07:00

Handsome man ready for church. He isn't a fan of smiling for pictures.

Hunting eggs. I was suprised that he knew what to do and seemed to really like finding them.

Easter bunny brought Elmo stuff...his favorie!

One of his last nights in the crib. He is in a big boy bed now and has done great with the transition.

Playing at the park. He loves being outside and climbing on everything. This kid has no fear.

It's a BOY!

2011-02-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

That's right. I am going to have another sweet little baby boy. No barbies, cabbage patch kids, or princesses will be found at this house. We will have a house full of legos, cars, balls of all sorts (wink, wink), and I need to start saving for my future grocery bills! OWEN REAGAN HUGHES will be such a great addition to this house. Why that name? Well, I really like the name Owen, and it means "little warrior." Of course, Pete says he will be a big warrior. Pete's favorite president of recent history is Ronald Reagan, so he wanted to pass on part of the name. Pete is quite the patriot. Owen is growing (as evident by my large belly) and developing perfectly so far. I have felt great in spite of the large gut I am toting around. I am still working out a few times a week, working 3 days a week, and keeping up with Noah (most of the time). I just felt little Owen kick as I am typing this! I have been feeling him kick quite a bit this week. I will be 20 weeks along on Sunday. It is so exciting to think about my sweet boys playing hide-n-seek together, going on camp-outs with dad, and attending high school together (maybe varsity basketball together??).

My sweet valentine Noah made mom some crafts:

being pulled by dad in 8 inches of snow:

Practicing wearing big boy underwear while watching Elmo goes Potty. He is currently obsessed with Elmo and Cars.

He LOVES bubble bathes! (his bubble bath has a pic of Elmo on it!)

Lots of videos!

2011-01-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Presents!

Peek-A-Boo with Grandaddy

Sledding in Alaska

Papa Rock: that baby whisperer

This one is for the grandparents. Some of his latest tricks.

Sledding in Arkansas

Christmas is here!

2010-12-21T11:27:00.001-08:00

While there were no tears, there was definitely no excitement either. He sat in Santa's lap and shook his head saying, "No, no, no." He was a cutie!

We are getting excited for the holidays around here. Noah has his Christmas party at daycare today where Santa will in attendance. I am supposed to bring frosting and M&M's... i think they are trying to give the kids a sugar rush and then send them home as payback for taking care of all of them at once day after day. :)

This weekend we will be going to my parents house in Emory. Sara and family and Leah and family will be there as well. I can't wait to kiss all my nieces and nephew!

After Christmas we will be going to Alaska where Pete's sister CLARA will be getting married! She is marrying a guy named Sam that Pete and I have only briefly spoken to via skype. We are excited to officially meet him and for Noah to gain an UNCLE SAM! pictures will definitely follow.

So this picture is terrible quality...i took a picture of a picture since we don't have a scanner. I'M PREGNANT! Whoohoo! Baby Hughes #2 will be due July 10. We found out the day before Halloween, but kept it a secret until Thanksgiving. We had so much fun listening to everyone's excitement as we told. Noah and the baby will be exactly 2 years apart. It sounds a little crazy to me too, but I am sure we will make it. I figure with all we went through the first few months of Noah's life that it it bound to be emotionally easier than that! Please join us in praying for a perfectly healthy baby....and you might pray for pink if you have time. :) I am feeling much better now. I had a few weeks of feeling nauseous most of the time, but i seem to have crossed over the hump. My belly is sticking out so much faster than it did with Noah! I am trying to embrace the beauty of preggo belly and not be self-conscious.

We are so thankful for this wonderful blessing!

Merry Christmas to you all! May God bless your 2011.

new photos!

2010-12-08T17:15:00.001-08:00

One year ago today...

2010-11-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

November 2, 2009 Noah had open heart surgery. It was an aweful day for us all, but Noah did such a great job! He was so tough and healed very quickly. For me, it was the most challenging test of my faith. I was angry that my tiny little baby had to go through so much pain and I felt absolutely no control over the situation. That is when Pete and I learned that we REALLY have to give everything to God. We felt God's presence in so many ways:

1) peace that surpassed all understanding the day of the surgery
2) the miracle of his pulmenary valve being saved (thus decreasing his chance of future surgery greatly)
3) After Noah's chest tubes were taken out the doctors said there was a 98% chance they would have to put them back in...the following morning all the fluid in his chest was gone saving him from this painful procedure.
4) He had great color, and ate well for his condition
5) We had such kind doctors/nurses/techs
6) We were able to be surrounded by family
7) There were people all over the WORLD praying for Noah
8) Noah smiled 3 days after surgery
9) There were no complications
10) Noah had great behavior and patience thru tons of blood tests, urine tests, shots, IV's, echos, EKGs, chest x-rays, heel pricks, vital checks.

Picture of Noah after most lines had been taken out and he was taken out of ICU. THis was about 4 or 5 days after surgery.

Picture of Noah today. He insisted that his PJ's be taken off this morning so he could put on his shoes.

Sweet kids

2010-10-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

My grandmother is one blessed lady. Here she is with all her great-grandkids. We are all so lucky to have a heritage of loving the Lord passed down from her!

Noah is quite the character these days. He definitely has spunk that gets him into trouble at times. He seems to get rowdy with other kids and makes sure I know how he feels about everything. His mouth is getting full of teeth! He has for on the top and bottom in the front and just got 2 of his molars. He is saying several words and understands more and more everyday. While his kisses used to be open mouthed, slobbery things, he now gives almost normal kisses...and lots of them! That's my favorite. He loves playing in the yard with balls and beach toys and gets tons of attention from all our neighbor kids. One of the neighbor boys even comes over and asks if Noah can come outside and play at times. Noah loves making lots of animal noises, but is terrified of anything furry up close. He was even scared of a 3 lb dog on their first few encounters. He LOVES anything with wheels and can say tractor. He gets excited when we see a tractor or train while driving around.

Noah in his PJs riding a pink scooter. Why not?

Noah never took a paci as a baby. He found one in a cabinet and all the sudden he knew just what to do with it. That plug would have come in handy more than a few times in the early days.

The one benefit of bad diaper rash is cute pics of a naked baby.

August Recap

2010-10-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

We went to California for Pete's cousins' wedding. Sorry the pictures are lopsided, but the computer was giving me fits.

Four Generations

Roomie when I lived in LR the first time. She lives in CA now.

Six Flags:

BABY GRACE IS HERE! The highlight of the month was definitely the birth of sweet baby Grace to Leah and Kyle. She is perfect.

The proud Aunt

My parents and all their Grands

A shot of the new family

Passing time waiting on baby Grace:
Cousins having fun

Ready to hold Grace:

We were so happy to have a visit from our dear friends, the Browns. Noah loves TJ. Here he is giving a hug:

Handsome TJ

Alaska Trip

2010-10-21T17:22:00.001-07:00

The end of July we took a trip to Alaska. Pete's family were kind enough to host us, my parents, my sister and her family (Ava stayed in TX with her other grandparents). We had such a good time. Some highlights: saw my first moose and black bear, went on a sight seeing boat tour in Seward, the guys caught lots of fish, mom and dad went on a flight tour in Talkeetna, hiked the butte, walked on a glacier, had noah's birthday party, ate yummy food, reindeer farm, musk ox farm, iditarod sled ride, and lots more!

First hair cut and sucker:

July Recap

2010-10-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

Noah turned one! He ate birthday pancakes for breakfast and feasted on a cake at dinner. Mom and dad showered him with some gifts. His real birthday party was in Alaska a few days later.

4th of July Celebration. Running everywhere!

He loves brushing his teeth.

His best friend Maison

June Recap

2010-10-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

June was a fun month! We went to Galveston with all the girls and kids in my family. We enjoyed some time with the Polcar's by going to the zoo and river market. My parents kept Noah while Pete and I attended a lake side party hosted by the Richarts. Noah liked time at the park, waterpark, playing with friends, and making me chase him everywhere.

One year stats

2010-08-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

July 22:

Weight: 21 lbs- 25-50%
Height: 30 3/4in- 75%
Head: 46 1/2cm- 50%

Tall and skinny like always!

We're heading to get his shots today. His schedule is out of wack due to our Alaska trip, so we're going add some shots to the mix and see what happens.

ps- still dont know how to fix my blog. hopefully my sister will be able to look at it and getting it back to normal so I can add pics.

My blog is broken

2010-07-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

In case all my diligent blog readers (all two of you) are wondering where I have been...well, my blog is not working right. Every time I try to upload a pic it just puts a bunch of gibberish on the computer instead of my pic. Pete says that a blog without pictures isn't worth reading, so therefore, no blog entries.

However, here is a quick rundown:

Noah has been swimming in the ocean, lake, pool, and water park. He loves the water and is so fearless around water it scares his momma. He is walking all over the place and can even pick up the pace to a 'trot' when he wants. Today was his last day of daycare, so poor guys has to spend every waking moment with his momma now. He can point to his belly and ear, blow kisses (sometimes), sign all done and more (sometimes), gives tons of kisses and hugs, does this cute thing where he walks and claps, falls asleep on his own at night, takes one 2 hour nap and seems to be fading out the afternoon nap, eats all kinds of foods (favorites: cheese, yogurt, fish, goldfish, carrots, cereal bar), can mooo like a cow, makes an engine sound when pushing anything with wheels.

Consider this the ONE YEAR update! That's right, in only a few days he will be one year old. Can't believe it. We are going to do a small family-only thing at our house on his actual birthday, but his party will be in Alaska. My family is going to Alaska with Pete and I to visit Pete's family. Since both sets of g-rents are going to be there we will have a shin-dig there. Hopefully i will be able to post pics by then.

Hugs and kisses from the Hughes family!

And now for his latest trick....

2010-06-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

HE CAN WALK! (sometimes)

Cardiac Update

2010-06-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today Noah and I spent a few hours at Arkansas Children's Hospital for his routine check-up. I am extremely humbled every time I walk into a Children's hospital. In a place full of sick children real perspective can be revealed. The people working there are amazing and so inspiring!
The day started with an EKG. It took only a few minutes and Noah found all the sticky patches on his chest interesting. Then we went to radiology for a chest x-ray. This is where things got interesting. He was put on a seat built into a small rolling table. His legs hung below the table. Then one nurse held his arms straight up while another put a clear plastic tube around his body that was taped around him. It went from his fingers to his rear. At first he found it interesting, but his interest quickly went to outrage. They wheeled him to where his face was about an inch from the x-ray screen. He was less than impressed. Thankfully it was a short procedure then the cruel and unusual punishment (better known as an x-ray) was over. We then went back to the cardiac unit for an echo. This was the first time he was not sedated (besides when he was 3 days old, but he just slept through it then). With the help of cartoons, dim lights, toys, and a bottle we made it. Noah is one tough little man.
We then waited for the cardiologists. I am happy to say that the cardiologist reports, "I could not be happier with the repair at this point." Yeah God! Noah is healing and doing wonderful. Next check-up will be in 6 months. They are still watching his pulmonary valve that is a little leaky.
Thank you God for being the Great Physician.

Summer Fun

2010-06-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

Summer is here! We have been busy kicking off summer with trips, visits from family, and festivals. Noah and I have taken a road trip to Emory and Abilene while Pete stayed in Little Rock holding down the fort and working hard on learning his new plane. Then Grammy Shell came to visit followed by a visit from my sisters and niece and nephew.
Noah has had a few 'firsts' as well.
He took his first head dive out of the bath tub (he will be better supervised from now on)
Watch out mama...Noah is getting his two top teeth! (and has consequently bit his tongue)
He is now taking what I call a 'connecting step'. He takes one small step hands free between objects.
He has attended his first festival (riverfest) and sat on a lawn listening to his first concert (cross canadian ragweed).
He went to his first swim party and hung out in his floaty for the first time....and loved it!!
Rode the 4-wheeler for the first time. Did he like it? Lets just say he cried when his mean momma made him get off.

Abilene friend Emory. She is two days older.

Abilene friend T.J.

Also visited our friends, the Polcars, but didn't remember to get any pics. Don't worry, they are coming to visit us in LR so I will get a few then!

At the park with Grammy Shell:

Hungry and tired at Riverfest:

Fireman:

Checking out the water fountain with dad:

Carnival with mom, dad, Aunt Sara, Chase, Ava, Aunt Leah

Aunt Leah getting some practice before Grace gets here. She is a beautiful pregnant lady!

Cousin bath time!

Driving his John Deere in his cowboy PJs (the feet are to look like boots)

and now the other direction....

Why ride when you can drive?

He is going to be a hoopster like his dad (and mom):

He pushes his car around while making a motor sound with his mouth. really!

The Old Mill and NOAH CRAWLS! (take 2)

2010-05-08T16:13:00.001-07:00

My parents came in for the weekend and we have been busy! Pete and I had a garage sale this morning and got rid of lots of junk. Mom and dad watched Noah and spoiled him rotten...then he took a 2 1/2 hour nap! For lunch we headed to North Little Rock where we then went to a place called The Old Mill. It is literally an old mill landscaped beautifully with flowers, rocks, and waterfalls. We snapped a few shots:

We used my parent's camera to video Noah crawling. He has gotten so much better in the past 2 weeks.

First Zoo Trip

2010-05-07T10:12:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday Pete didn't have to go into work so we decided to make a family trip to the Little Rock Zoo. Noah's favorites were the flamingos, elephants, and camels.

They were walking the elephants around and having them perform tricks. Fun!

Farmer Noah. He is getting ready to help grandaddy on the farm.

Eating his stroller and checking out the pink birds.

They have an amazing monkey exhibit at the zoo. This is a HUGE gorilla peeking up at us.

We had fun pushing Noah around and seeing all the sights in the beautiful weather. Possibly one of my favorite days ever!

I got my running shoes on!

2010-04-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to post the video of NOAH CRAWLING!! He crawled for the first time yesterday, the day after his 9 month birthday. However, after getting into a big fight with the computer it seems that the computer is victorious....I cannot get the video posted. Well, you must take my word for it. He can crawl. Anticlimactic, huh?

Here are some pictures to make up for the lack of video:

Naked little baby

The reason i posted this shot (that Pete took against my will) is to show you the c-130 cockpit hanging on the wall in our bedroom in our new house. Nice.

Sleepy boy

This is an old picture, but i thought it was cute. He is getting a bath in the temp housing we lived in when we got here.

Easter and the big suprise

2010-04-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

Noah has been one busy little boy! He posed as a precious little boy on Easter and enjoyed a trip from the Easter Bunny. Then he 'hopped' on a plane to Alaska. While in Alaska, he met his great-aunt J-J, cousin Fletcher, saw his alaska aunts and uncle, cuddled with Grammy, and most imortantly, he suprised Papa Rock on his 60th birthday. It was a whirl-wind of activity and he got spoiled rotten!

I didn't get many pics of the Alaska trip because my camera broke!

Me and Emily waiting to suprise Rock (she was a suprise to him as well)

Waiting to suprise Papa Rock.

Getting spoiled rotten and loving it! (Great-Aunt J-J and cousin Fletcher)

The trip went really well, except Noah must have been overly excited at night and had trouble sleeping. But even though he wasn't sleeping well he was in such a good mood. Papa Rock and Fletcher babysat him one afternoon while us girls went shopping. He did really well on the flights. It was my first time to fly with him alone, but I think he handled it all very well. It was all worth it when Papa Rock said, "This is the best birthday I have ever had!" We love Papa Rock!!

EASTER:

OF course, he was more interested in the grass in his basket than the Easter Eggs

Smiles!

We have been visiting different Churches here in Cabot, but have been going the most to Grace Fellowship. A family there invited us to Easter dinner at their house. So nice!

Noah has just realized he can roll over in bed and stick his head up to see what is going on. He is crying here because he was mad that I was taking a picture instead of picking him up immediately. Of course, we lowered his crib the same day.

Sleepy boy (and mamma).

Noah's latest trick is not crawling...but standing up! He still doesn't crawl more than an inch or two, but he can now pull himself up on the couch, chairs, etc. AND I can clearly see a couple of bottom teeth just waiting to cut through.

Here he is having fun on an airplane that Grammy and Grandaddy got him for Christmas:

We've Moved!

2010-03-26T09:24:00.001-07:00

We are officially moved in to our new house! It is nice to be in a home again and have all my stuff back. Problem is I didn't pack the boxes, so I don't know where things are. There are a few boxes left to be unpacked and we are getting to them as we can. Noah prefers we give our attention to him instead. I have painted the living room and guest bathroom and will just leave it at that for now. In the near future I hope to refinish the cabinets and built-in shelving in the house. Crazy? Probably so...we'll see how my trial run goes first. I'll post house pics once it is more presentable. Our neighbors are friendly and Noah and I have enjoyed our walks checking out the new sights.

It is fun to be in Arkansas once again. We went down to the River Market to cheer on the marathon runners a few weeks ago. There is a beautiful park in North Little Rock that Noah and I love to visit. And hopefully we can take a trip to the museum of discovery today. We look forward to the zoo, camping, other lovely parks, and swimming in lakes this summer!

I love spring...it is my favorite time of the year! It is so amazing to watch all the beauty God gave us bloom into life. We have a tree in our backyard that is covered in bursts of white blooms. Noah and I like to sit on the deck and enjoy the blooms and sun. I am excited about the crepe myrtles getting color in late spring. In a few weeks I will be planting lots of flowers, hanging baskets, tomatoes, and herbs. Can't wait!

Here are some pictures of Noah:

He LOVES to stand by his exersaucer or coffee table and play with toys. Occasionally he even moves his hands for a second or two and stands on his own briefly. He never tries to crawl and gets mad if you try to make him. Little stinker.

Aunt Clara got him this dinosaur/lizard/dragon costume for fun. Since he was in the middle of pre-op stuff during Halloween we decided he needed to dress up now! I think I might put in on him during our next jog in the neighborhood and see if I get any strange looks.

The Face of an Angel

2010-03-09T17:20:00.001-08:00

People watching:

My boys relaxing:

This one captures his growing belly:

Well, we can't expect him to be an angel all the time:

happenings in LR

2010-03-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

It has been a very slow weekend around here. Noah has had a yucky head cold so I have been staying home with him and he has been sleeping so much! The last 3 nights he has been sleeping about 12.5 hours straight and taking long naps during the day. Hopefully he will be feeling better soon.

While Pete babysat, my friend Jackie and I went to a massive consignment sale this weekend and I picked up a few outfits for Noah and this hat:

We are still waiting to close on our house, but here is a picture of the front of it.

3 bed, 2 bath, 1750 sq feet, deck in the back, large living room. I LOVE it!

Last week Noah and I went to visit Leah & Kyle, and Sara, Chase & Ava in Oklahoma. We missed Preston as he was traveling around for work. Chase was so good with Noah and wanted to help entertain him. Ava scared him a bit with her typical toddler noises (see below), but she was sweet with him as well. Sara and Preston are in a new house with some extra space so we stayed there. We also went to visit Leah's kindergarten classroom where her students sang songs for Noah. So cute! And we got to see where Kyle & Leah live for the first time. While in OKC we ate at PF Chang's (my favorite!) and had a sister night at the melting pot where we ate our weight in chocolate. YUM! It was a fun trip to Noah's 6th state to visit. He did great in the car.

Chase asked me, "Amy, when Noah grows up do you think he will be 'Noah builds the Ark'?"

Noah is sitting up better and better. Here he is playing with his beloved caterpillar.

LR Air Force Base

2010-02-18T13:43:00.001-08:00

We made it to Little Rock after stopping at the Willis farm for some R&R. So much has happened since we have been here. We bought a house! It is a 3 bed 2 bath in Cabot and I love it! In about a month we will get to move in. In the mean time we are still in the temp housing on base. Pete's class has been delayed so he is doing a temporary job in his sqadron while waiting on his class to start. I am hoping to start a part time job soon...just waiting on my AR social work license to get processed. We found a great day care for Noah on Tuesday/Thursdays. I have some anxiety about leaving him, but I know it will be good socialization time for him and good for me to have a break.

Noah is doing really well. We took him to get his 6 mo shots since they were due in the middle of our move. He took 'em like a champ. He weighed in at 16lbs 9oz which means he gained about a pound in the last month. He is starting to get chunky lets and I love it! He can sit up on his own, but does not maintain it well. No interest in crawling yet and doesn't like tummy time. We will have to work on that. He is eating lots of different fruits and veggies and seems to like them all. For breakfast he gets baby cereal mixed with mashed banana's. Today he tried a baby mum-mum which was great for occupying him while I did a little house work. In the last few days he has found his voice again and has been talking so much.

Today I went grocery shopping for the first time without Pete since we have been in temp housing. We are on the second floor of the building and thankfully there is an elevator...on the other side of the building from our apartment. When we got back from the store i put Noah in his stroller, filled the basket of the stroller with heavy grocer items, had 9 bags hanging from my arms, diaper bag around my neck, and still managed to use the key card to get in 2 doors and an elevator and didn't break a singe egg. whew.

News:

My little sister, Leah, is pregnant...have I mentioned that? She is due in August!!

Grammy Shell is coming to visit this weekend from Alaska

Noah and I are visiting OK next week

Noah is about to visit his 5th state

2010-01-31T21:06:00.001-08:00

Noah has visited Alaska, Alabama, and Mississippi, and has lived in Texas. He will now get to experience life in Arkansas as a resident for at least the next 3 years. We are moving this week and as a result, I believe our lives are about to get a little interesting. Both Pete and I have moved around a lot, but never more than a few belongings that fit in an apartment or dorm. Now we are moving a whole house full of things while trying to keep some sort of routine for Noah.
We will be staying in temporary housing on base in Little Rock until we can find a house. I am excited to house hunt for the first time! It will be fun to have some input on our future home.

Here are some pictures to enjoy.

6 Months old!

2010-01-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

Noah is 6 months old! Sometimes I wonder where the time has gone...and other times I can't remember life before Noah. Here is what has been going on with Noah:

Noah is constantly on the move until he crashes for a quick nap. But thankfully he sleeps through the night! He sleeps about 9pm-8am and occasionally gets up to eat in the early morning. He naps about 11am and then again about 3pm (we are still working on the nap schedule!). Around 4 mo we gave him baby cereal and he was not interested. Around 5 mo we tried again, and he still wasn't interested! In fact, he gags multiple times on the first bite of cereal. It is pretty hilarious. So we have moved on from cereal and have tried a couple of veggies and a couple of fruits. I make most of his baby food with a food grinder. His favorite is squash and he also likes prunes, bananas, and peas. I am still nursing him, but give him a formula bottle at night. Noah is very afraid of loud shrieking noises. If i am holding him when he hears these noises he will "crawl" up my face clawing me when he hears them, but if I am not hold him he cries frantically. The doctor calls this 'stranger-anxiety.' Noah loves to smile, eat his hands, laugh, roll over, eat, go for walks (in his stroller), play on his exersauser, take baths, play with his feet and grab anything he sees. He balls up his fist, turns red and squeals when he gets frustrated, rubs his eyes when he is sleepy, opens his mouth in a wide smile when happy, stares into space when content. Most importantly he has a perfect heart and is completely healed!

The last 6 months have been a roller coaster of smiles, squeals, poop, spit up, baby toys, hospital/doctor visits, crazy sleep schedules, giggles, growing, learning, tears of joy, tears of stress, and pure love.

He is still tall and skinny. Stats:

Wt: 15lbs 10oz = 25%

Ht: 26.5 in = 50%

It was too soon to get his immunizations, but he did get the seasonal flu shot and H1N1 shot. The boy did not cry one bit! He is tough like his dad.

Wearing his Tie (thanks Aunt Em!):

He likes to hold his own bottle:

Happy Boy:

His first swing at the park (wearing his basketball outfit grandaddy picked out):

Christmas '09

2010-01-01T14:38:00.001-08:00

At the airport heading to AK. He was ready for a nap!

Getting impatient to get off the plane with Uncle Ty

There was snow everywhere in Alaska! Noah liked it in short spurts.

Pete and I waited 3 hours at Sarah Palin's book signing. Got her book signed for her #1 fan, my dad!

Hanging out with Papa Rock and Great-Grandpa Gary. Not the best pic of any of them, but I didn't have a better pic of the men.

Worn out after shopping.

He got to try peas for Christmas. Doesnt seem that he is ready for solids just yet. We will give it a few more weeks.

Daddy taking him on his first sleigh ride

He was less than thrilled. haha!

Ready to come inside

Our family

With Aunt Clara

Noah and Auntie Em wearing their onsies

Openning gifts with Grammy

Four generations

Ringing in the new year with his buddy TJ in Abilene

Rolley Polley

2009-12-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

Big news in the Hughes House: NOAH CAN ROLL

Well, he can roll from his tummy to his back. Hasn't made it all the way around yet.

Christmas posting coming soon!

One more thing...

2009-12-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post Noah's stats from his 4 mo old appt.

13.9 lbs = 25th percentile
25 1/2 inches = 75th percentile

He is a tall skinny boy!

Thanksgiving, Popcorn, and Hotels

2009-12-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving:

We had such a fun Thanksgiving holiday with lots of family around. We went to Emory where we spent time with my whole family. And to make the holiday even better, Pete's 2 sisters, brother, and 2 cousins came to Emory to celebrate with us.

This was Noah's reaction when I told him about all the visitors he was going to have:

Here he is on the Willis farm watching all the men put together a big play fort for the kids. He was a little grumpy because he can't play on it yet.

This was the typical entertainment of the evening:

All of Noah's aunts and uncles in one place. What a lucky kid!

My little cowboy wearing his pearl snap shirt at church with Aunt Leah:

Popcorn:

We have been in Abilene over 3 years now, so the military tells us it is time to move. Off to Arkansas we go...but not before we sell our home in Abilene. The realitor came by and told us what we needed to do in order for us to get the best price: replace cabnet hardware, clean carpet, update light fixtures, touch up paint, de-clutter, clean yard, organize closets and drawers, and get rid of the POPCORN CEILING. oh dear! Our house is unrecongnizable right now with plastic, tape and white goo and powder everywhere! Thanks to all our friends who are helping out and especially Pete's brother, Tyler (aka: The Foreman).

Here is a small glimpse into the chaos:

That was once my living room. Guess who the clean-up crew is....ME!

Hotel:

A messy, dusty, cold house is no place for a baby, so Noah and I are staying at a local hotel thanks to our friend Amie for getting us a good deal. Pete and Tyler might have to sleep here a couple of nights, but mostly it is just me and NoBo. We are just practicing our adapting skills for when we move in January.

Noah is in the swing taking a nap:

This is just a bonus shot of Noah. Sometimes when Noah wakes up in the morning I lay him on the bed while I change, brush teeth, etc. He will sit there just watching TV like a big kid for a few minutes. Should I be worried that my 4 month old can already get glued to the TV? Thankfully his attention span is short.

I left Noah on my bed for a few minutes while I got breakfast and he became a chatter box, He was getting a little frustrated by the time I got the camera on him, but he gets happier in the end:

4 months old

2009-11-24T08:56:00.000-08:00

Noah is now 4 months old! Where has the time gone?

My little Martian Man

Sitting in his bumbo chair.

Sitting in his high chair for the first time. He thought he was such a big boy.

Not sure he was a fan of rice cereal. A couple of days later I tried again and he gagged several times. Maybe we will give it a little more time.

Noah is very excited for Thanksgiving. He will get to meet Pete's siblings for the first time and spend time with my family.

Follow up with Cardiologist

2009-11-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

Today Noah had a follow-up appointment with his cardiologist. Thankfully he was not stuck with a needle one time! They did an EKG and a quick echo. Both showed that he is healing very well and that all the fluid is gone from his chest. As of today he is on no more medication. Babies heal so fast. He is crying less and smiling more everyday.

Snuggling with mom

He LOVES listening to daddy play guitar. I think it is because Pete played for him while I was pregnant.

Not a quality picture, but you can see how big his incision is. Maybe I can get one in better light later.

He even decided to chuckle a little last night. Of course, by the time I got the camera out he was over it.

Noah is healing quickly!

2009-11-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have some catching up to do. We got back to Abilene yesterday afternoon and we are so glad to back home! What a crazy last two weeks we have had! Noah is doing so much better. He had a quick (but difficult to watch) recovery.
He was in ICU for 4 days because of fluid that had built up in his chest. The doctors told us that they were 99% sure they would have to put a chest tube back in (more pain for Noah), but after a night of praying he was significantly cleared up the next morning. Noah had blood drawn regularly, daily chest x-rays, a echo, and two EKG's while we were there. He is so glad to be able to sleep through the night without people waking him up to poke and prod him. Noah found time to smile even when the day was rough. He has his moments where he feels bad and he lets us know it is time for pain meds, but also smiles and plays with us. He has been through more in his short 3 month life than he ever should have to endure.

First time to be fed orally. Pedialite.

Cuddling with daddy. He loved to be rocked.

One tough little man.

On the cardiac unit we were able to take him on wagon rides, which he loved.

We had a post-op appointment on Wednesday before we were able to come back home. They took more blood, did a chest x-ray, took out his chest tube stitches and took the tape off his incision. He looks so good! It seems that all this has been a little traumatic to him (obviously) and he has been very clingy to me. In the past couple of days he has wanted to eat almost non-stop. At times nursing him is the only thing that keeps him from crying. He would get really upset when laid down on a bed or changing table. However, today seems to be better and I have gotten a little freedom back. We are so relieved this ordeal is past. After dreading it for the past 3 months it is so nice to know the worst is over. I think we will spend the next couple of weeks spoiling him just because we can.

Thanks to everyone for the countless prayers, balloons, flowers, fruit, cards, college fund money, clothes, ornaments, food, hugs, and sweet words. The Hughes family is blessed with amazing friends and family.

Noah's got "Heart"

2009-11-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been very eventful for our brave little Noah. We had pre-op on Friday, spent the weekend at the Willis farm with all four grandparents, mommy, and daddy. Stayed at a hotel again on Sunday night and had a 6:30am show for surgery on Monday. The surgery was very successful and Noah is healing faster than average. His heart was corrected without causing more damage. This will hopefully mean that he will not have to undergo further surgeries in the future. These pics start with the night before pre-op.

"Mom, are you kidding me with these huge swim shorts?"

"That is one huge bath tub"

"Get me out of here!"

Ahoy Matie.

His Halloween costume. Next year we will go all out.

Mommy's pirate doing some tummy time.

Getting ready for Church

Noah is wondering why he had to get up so early, but then quickly decided it was worth it to be spoiled by all his grandparents.

"Um, excuse me mommy. Did I hear you say you were taking me to the hospital?"

He tired and hungry but still looked cute in his hospital gown.

This was what he looked like when we first got to see him.

I wanted to hold him so bad!

Noah has been steadily improving. He has drank pedialite and has most recently had some breast milk. At times it seems that he is hurting pretty bad so we hold his hand and stroke his face until he calms down again. When he feels pain he jerks his arms around which makes him hurt worse. He is on a good bit of pain meds and sleeps a lot, but even when he sleeps he squirms around. He looks considerable better today and most of the lines/iv's/etc have been taken off him. He would have been taken out of icu today, but there were no beds available on the cardiac unit. We don't mind having another day of one-on-one nurse care!

Thank you for all the prayers. God answers!

Pre-op at Childrens

2009-10-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Noah had his pre-op appt at Children's. It was a busy day and Noah did well considering the circumstances.
I was told not to feed him after 5am since they planned on doing a sedated echo (this was a great option since they take so long). So he ate at 5am and we were at the hospital by 8am. First off we had to strip him down to weigh and measure him. This is when he realized he was hungry. At this point he had patches stuck to each arm with numming medicine and a bag stuck to him to catch his urine. The rest of the morning he was in his diaper only for all the tests. We then had to get his chest X-rayed and blood drawn. He did not appreciate either and did not like us taking the patches off his arms either. He would fall asleep between each procedure only to be have us wake him up for another uncomfortable procedure. They then fed him yucky tasting medicine that thankfully made him fall asleep since he was not happy with us at all. They did the echo on him and I was able to feed him before they did the EKG. All confirmed Tetralogy once again. Then we met with the nurse practitioner and the surgeon. Both were very positive, personable, and helped educate us on what to expect on Monday. It was difficult to listen to all the details, but it was important to know what was going to happen to our baby.
Noah was a trouper and only got upset when he had good reason. He even tried to smile between tears at times. I don't think I will ever be 'ready' for him to have heart surgery, but I guess we are prepared to deal with it. This weekend we are going to hold him, love on him, and enjoy every second! He is surrounded by his parents and grandparents so he is getting plenty spoiled!
Thanks for all the prayers. I will post updates on here and facebook as I can next week. The main thing I do know is that God is always good.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

We took Noah to a pumpkin patch for pictures. It was so incredibly windy and it was very sunny so it was difficult to get a good picture. He didn't seem to enjoy the trip very much, but we had fun posing with him!

Our squinty family picture. I didnt realize I was hiding Noah. Oops.

Noah and dad getting ready for church

Noah meeting his Papa Rock for the first time and getting love from his Grammy Shelley.

My sweet pumpkin

Here's what people are saying...

2009-10-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

Here is a list of things people are saying about Noah these days:
- look at that big smile
- He is so alert
- look at all that hair!
- He is so tiny
- He is so big
- He looks just like Pete
- He moves so much
- He is going to be big like his dad

My dad said Pete and Noah are Pete and 'Re-Pete'
A lady at a restaurant came up and said, "Well I didn't see him on the menu. I looked, but I couldn't find him."
A man told me he would buy Noah for $50

Noah has taken on a big interest in Baby Einstein and toys with lights. He loves the toy Aunt Leah and Uncle Kyle gave him that lights up. When he is really happy he squeals and even gives a short chuckle sometimes.

One more picture...

2009-10-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is Lucy. Her proud parents are our friends Michelle and Jamison. Lucy noticed that Noah was getting so much attention laying on his back, so she decided to do the same. So cute! It's hard to believe that Noah is that much bigger than Lucy when he is only 11 weeks old!

Surgery Date Change

2009-10-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

Noah is now scheduled for surgery on November 2. Pre-op will be the previous friday, Oct 30. Please pray for: healing, comfort for all of us, wisdom for doctors, and safe travels for all the family.

Here is another picture for viewing pleasure:

Time at the Willis farm

2009-10-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Noah and I have spent some time at the Willis Farm with my parents lately. Noah has adjusted to Emory quite well. He is thoroughly spoiled by Grammy every evening, gets to visit Grandmother Rice and his great-great aunt Sis, snuggles in Grandaddy's big arms, and is made to feel like a Hollywood star due to all the cameras flashing. He sleeps in a closet to keep the noise level down and seems to like that as well. He wishes mom would let him check the cows with grandaddy on the 4-wheeler, but mom insists that he get a little older first.

Snuggling with mom

Noah showing off his cute outfit. My friend Kristen made it for him. She is so talented!

Grammy and Grandaddy with their grandkids all ready for bed: Ava, Noah, and Chase.

Enjoying the day rocking with Grammy

Bath time. He loves soaking in a warm bath.

Tid Bits

2009-09-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today started out great with Noah and I spending some time playing and cuddling....but then we had to go to his two month check-up. The poor little guy had to get several shots and I cried along with him. But he actually handled it better than I thought he would. He slept the majority of the day after that (not sure what that means for tonight). It was sad that he did not seem to feel good today, however, with him snoozing I got so much done around the house. That was sure nice!
Here are some pictures from this morning:

Doing some "push-ups" during tummy time.

Smiling at mom

I was able to get a video of him "talking" to me. He has become so much more vocal in the last few days.

RANDOM PICS:

This is my side of the family (minus Pete...he was at AF training). We are posing at my dad's booth at the chili cook off at the Rains County Fair. He one FIRST place!! Yeah, he's pretty awesome.

This was from a couple of weeks ago. This is my friend Kami's daughter, Emory. She was born 2 days before Noah.

Heart Update

2009-09-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Noah is already 2 months old! He is growing so much. We went to his appt with his cardiologist today and he weighs 11lbs, and is 24 inches long. He smiles so much during the day and is still an awesome sleeper. Most nights he sleeps 7-8 hours straight and I am super happy about this.

Noah had another EKG done today and he didn't even cry during the procedure. Dr. Day didn't mention any change in the test results. We also picked a surgery date...November 5. We will go in the day before for pre-op stuff. They said the surgery would take most of the morning and then he will be put in ICU for 3-4 days and then the cardiac unit for another 4-5 days. Pete and I are ready for this to be behind us! Thankfully Noah doesn't have a care in the world. He had a great check up and has been doing great in spite of the heart issue. Please keep us all in your prayers.

Noah and I went to my parents for a week since Pete is at a training. I will post some pics from the week later. Noah had a great time cuddling with his grandparents, aunts, and uncles. His grandaddy and Uncle Preston and Uncle Kyle even babysat him for an hour or so!

Visit from Grandmother Rice

2009-09-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend my mom and dad decided to make a last minute trip to Abilene and brought my grandmother to meet Noah. Grandmother got to see our house for the first time as well. It was a quick, but fun trip. I loved getting to show off Noah again and his Texas grandparents loved all over him. Pete had Friday off and gets Monday off as well so we are enjoying a slow weekend of family time.

Four Generations.

After our guests left Pete and Noah watched some football together.

Tidbits and Smiles

2009-09-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my 6 week checkup with my OB-GYN. Noah had to come with me since Pete could not get out of work. The appt went fine and afterwards the doc wanted to hold Noah. He picked Noah up and was cuddling with him. I looked over at them and noticed that Noah had an explosive diaper and it was running down the doc's pants and shirt. I pointed it out to the doc so he laid N0ah down beside me on the paper on the examination table. The doc finished telling me the last bit of info and this gave Noah time to roll around in his own poo for a minute. Great. Finally the doc left so I could get up (i was only wearing a sheet at the time). In order to keep the sheet I was wearing from getting in the poo I had to take it off. So there I am in the buff, stripping down Noah, cleaning up his arms, legs, the table, etc. and he got so cold so he starts screaming. I had to bag his diaper and his clothes. Thankfully I had a change of clothes for him in my diaper bag. Whew. It was an interesting mommy moment.

Noah's Heart Update

2009-08-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Noah had his first appointment with his new cardiologist in Abilene. This new Doctor, Dr. Day, is part of the same group of doctors as the first cardiologist we saw at Children's. Seeing Dr. Day will allow us to do these routine appointments in Abilene instead of Dallas. Yeah! He had a great check up. His oxygen level continues to be in the upper 90's, he has had no blue spells, and his heart rate was good. Also, he weighed in at 9lbs and 2 oz!! I am not suprised since I spend a good part of my day and night feeding my growing boy. It is great that he is eating well and gaining weight. We discussed a surgery date with the Dr. He says that as long as Noah continues to do so well and gain weight he thinks the surgery will be performed when Noah is 3 months old. He will be 3 months old on October 21. So we are to talk with our families and see when the best time would be. When we see the doctor in a month we will give him a date range that looks convenient for us and he will schedule the surgery.
Praise the Lord that Noah is doing so well! God is always good. Please keep praying for Noah's healing.

Noah update

2009-08-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Well, today I experienced my first explosive diaper with Mr. Noah. He ran out of newborn diapers so I put size 1 on him since it said they are for 8-14 lbs. However, they were too big for him so that created a mess. First he leaked pee and had to be changed, then at wal-mart where we were getting more newborn diapers he had an explosion. So now he is on outfit number 3 and so far so good.

Also, I learned a new trick. While in shower I put Noah in his car seat outside the tub. When he starts getting fussy I yell out different noises (ex: monkey sounds, animal calls, and other sounds) and this seems to get him to focus on my voice long enough to forget he was getting mad for a few minutes. So if any of my friends stop by and hear strange sounds, you know what is going on.

he is not so in to baths any more

sort of a smile

with his Alaska Grammy. I just realized i never got a better pic than this with the two of them. He was not so happy.

One month old!

2009-08-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Noah turned one month old! He has become more vocal (by that I mean he cries more often), stays awake for longer stretches during the day, and has become slightly more aware of things around him. He has loved his Alaskan Grammy visiting him this weekend (pictures to come later). Thanks to Pete and Grammy I got 8.5 hours of sleep last night! Whoohoo! Noah slept about 6 hours in one stretch. Most nights he sleeps pretty good. He has still had no outward symptoms of Tetralogy and has another appt with a cardiologist next Thursday.

Hanging out in his swing.

Snuggling with his big, strong daddy.

A pic of his night clothes

Getting ready for a walk with mommy (He loves his stroller. Thanks Hooten family!)

3 weeks old

2009-08-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today Noah is 3 weeks old. Here are a few things he has been up to:

He loves going for walks in his stroller
Not a big fan of the pacifier
Stays up late most nights before he is ready for sleep
When he does sleep, he sleeps 5-7 hours straight at night!!
He likes the worship time at church
He has a big appetite
Doesn't cry much at all...just grunts and whines when he needs something
Stays awake about 4-5 hours straight during the day then naps off and on
Likes taking baths...hates getting out of the water into cool air
He will nurse or take breast milk out of a bottle with no problem
Likes sitting on the back porch with mom
He seems to enjoy nursery rhymes and kid songs
He will focus on mom or dad's face for a few seconds
Knows mom and dad's voice

Follow up at Children's Hospital

2009-08-08T19:56:00.001-07:00

We had a follow-up appt at Children's yesterday for Noah. Once again we got up early and headed to Dallas. Noah has been great in the car so far...all he does is sleep! Noah got a good check-up. The oxygen level was 98 in his blood (95-100 is normal), his blood pressure was good, and he seemed to be very healthy. He has gained a pound since birth and has grown almost an inch. Thankfully our next appt will be in Abilene with a cariologist that has a remote office he attends occasionally. My mom had been staying with us and followed us to the appointment. She did not come back to Abilene with us so we are on our own. We are so thankful she was able to spend almost 3 weeks with us to help out with Noah!!

Aunt Leah met us in Dallas. She came to lunch at Joe's Crab Shack with me, Pete, mom, and my friend Kristen for my 27th birthday. Leah just got a job teaching kindergarten.

My long-time friend Kristen met up with us so she could meet Noah.

This is Noah after his 2 week appt with his pediatrician. Poor thing got his heel stuck again! He is a brave little guy.

One night he was a little fussy so Pete found a position that made Noah happy. Noah loves cuddling with his dad!

Pete's cousins (and mine) stopped by to visit on their cross country drive. Noah loves his cousins Nii and Jana. It was great to have them visit.

Noah's first week

2009-07-29T19:50:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from Noah's first week

His little feet

Enjoying his first bath at home

Tetralogy of Fallot

2009-07-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

Giving birth to Noah was one of the greatest moments of my life and such an emotional time for Pete and I. He is so beautiful and every moment with him is such a gift. Along with the high of welcoming our new baby we were also given some really tough news. Noah has been diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot. He was given an EKG at the hospital after the pediatrician heard a heart murmur. She told us of her suspicion and referred us to Children's Hospital in Dallas. Pete and I were devastated and very scared of the unknown. It was such an emotional roller coaster.

We were sent home that day and the following day I made an appointment with a cardiologist at Children's. We then had to go on base to get Noah on our insurance, etc. Then the following morning we got up really early and headed to Dallas. It was very reassuring to speak to the doctors about his condition and hear how positive they were about his future.

Tetralogy of Fallot is characterized by 4 hear abnormalities. One of the problems is that he has a hole between the chambers of his heart where the oxygenated and unoxygenated blood can mix. We are to watch and make sure he is eating well and to watch for tet spells. This is where he could turn blue due to the unoxygenated blood entering his body. If these spells do not occur (they are hopeful they will not) then he will be scheduled for a surgery when he is around 3-4 months old. Pete and I feel that he will be in good hands at Children's.

After meeting with the cardiologist they decided to keep him overnight to observe him. We were not prepared for this, but the hospital social worker made sure we had everything we needed. I spent the night in Noah's room. They monitored his oxygen level, which was great and had me weighing his diapers to make sure he was not dehydrated. He checked out well, so we were sent home the next day.

Finally we were able to be home and enjoy time with Noah. He has been eating very well and has been content most of the time. He seems to enjoy sleeping during the day more than the night. Thankfully my mom has been here and has been so helpful in making the transition into parenthood easier. Pete is an amazing father and even changes poopy diapers!

God is always good! We know that God has already gone ahead and is in control of everything. We are continuing to pray for miraculous healing, but are believing that God can use doctors to heal him as well.

Noah in his hospital bed at Children's

His blood pressure cuff.

Noah's arrival!!

2009-07-29T10:58:00.001-07:00

*Warning: the following blog contains some icky details

Monday July 20th started like any other normal day. While the carpet was being cleaned that morning I went to walmart and target to get some of the last things I wanted/needed for Noah. I came home, organized his room and washed his newest clothes. I then had a doctor's appointment at 12:50. I was about to eat lunch and get ready for the appt when I discovered I was bleeding. Knowing this was not a good thing I quickly packed a bag for the hospital just in case, threw on some clothes, and left for my appointment early without eating lunch. I called Pete and told him to meet me at the Dr's office and called my mom to alert her. Once I got to the Dr he checked me out and decided to send me to the hospital to be monitored. They did a sonogram and we waited to hear from the doc. When Dr. Thompson arrived he said that he did not know why I was bleeding, but that the sonogram showed low fluid so he felt it was best to go ahead and induce labor.

Pete ran to the house to get my bag and change clothes and while he was gone the Dr broke my water (I was suprised at how it did not hurt at all). They gave me pitocin threw my IV to start labor. I felt a few contractions, but nothing too painful. We sat there for a couple of hours and discovered some things we forgot at home. When my friend Amie arrived Pete decided to go home again to gather a couple of things. Contractions got harder so they decided I could have my epidural. Luckily Amie was there with me because Pete had not made it back yet. Pete walked into the room seconds before he inserted the needle so I was glad to have Pete to hold on to.

After the epidural I had more visitors and felt great. My mom arried from Emory and my dad, sister and brother-in-law arrived shortly after. I progressed really slow at first, then at about 12:15am the nurse told me I was 9 1/2 centimeters and it was time to push. They called the doc to come back up, got the room ready and I was pushing in no time. Thank goodness I had gone to the birthing class 3 days earlier! After about an hour of pushing little Noah arrived. The labor and delivery was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be thanks to the awesome epidural. Pete was a great coach and offered a lot of encouragement.

This is Pete loving on me during the early contractions.

Noah's first few moments. It is crazy how I thought he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and was brought to tears even when he looked like that!

Arrival time: 1:29 am

Date: July 21, 2009

Weight: 6lbs 12 oz

length: 19.25 inches

Our new family of 3 moments after delivery.

Noah trying to figure out what just happened while at the Nursery. Pete got to go help get him ready. They did not make it back to the recovery room with me until about 5 am. During that time I was moved to our new room and given a check up and cleaning. The most painful part of the whole experience is when the nurse pushed aggressively on my stomach (she said to keep me from clotting) after my epidural wore off. Ugh.

The next day we had a lot of visitors, took a lot of pictures and worked on recovering. Noah latched on easily and nursing has been a good experience for us both. He seems very content and usually whines when he needs something instead of full out crying. I can't count how many times I have kissed his face and my new favorite hobby is staring at him. Pete and I can get choked up so easily just talking about how much we love him. Noah already has Pete wrapped around his little finger. I love looking at Pete hold him. My two favorite boys!

Baby showers and time with friends

2009-07-29T10:41:00.001-07:00

My friends in Abilene through me a great shower. Noah was spoiled rotten!! I never got a photo of me with the hostesses, but a special thanks to: Diana, Melissa, and Amie for making the party so special.

Our church friends threw us a couples baby shower at Fran and Billy's house. It was so fun to hang out with everyone and they got us some great necessities. Here is Pete with some of the boys.

This is me with the hostesses. They are so creative and make the evening feel really special. We are so blessed to go to an amazing church with amazing people!

This is two days before Noah's arrival. Pete and I went bowling with some friends. I didn't actually bowl, but i did use a ramp they have for kids to drop the ball on. I bowled a great game and beat most everyone because the ramp was pretty accurate. I may start bowling like that every time!

We also had a 'cyber shower' with Pete's family. We had people representing just about every time zone across the US. We had a phone conference set up and Pete and I were streaming live so people could see us opening gifts. It was a lot of fun to talk to many of his family members we don't see very often. I married into a phenomenal family who shower us with love and support!

Belly Pictures

2009-07-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

Pete and I had some pictures taken with my big belly. Mandi Scoggin, a sweet and talented girl from our church, took them. I highly recommend her if you live in the area.
If you would like to check out the pics follow the link:

http://www.mlynnphotography.net/index2.php

Go to clients and the password is noah. I think she did great!

Noah's Painting

2009-07-17T14:04:00.001-07:00

This is the painting I have been very excited about getting. A girl named Emilie at our church painted it for us. She did an amazing job and was so creative!! I love the Bible verse: "Noah did everything just as God commanded him" Genesis 6:11. I will be praying that verse over our Noah!

Fun times with friends

2009-07-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

This month has already been fun hanging out with friends.

Amy, Emily, Amie

Amie and I handed out programs at our friend Emily's wedding. It was beautiful!! Her wedding colors were black and white and the ceremony was at a Ranch in Abilene. Let's just say it was a little hot...and Amie and I are both pregnant!

The pregnant Amy and Amie. And there was another pregnant girl there named Amy...no really.

Amie and Tomio invited Pete and I to the lake on their boat. It was lots of fun and the water felt great.

Belly pic

Laura, Kami, Amy, Rachel....2001

Kamie, Rachel, Laura, Amy

Some college friends came to Abilene for a visit. This is us taking a walk through ACU. Kami and I are both due in the next couple of weeks and Rachel and Laura have little girls. And Laura just found out she is pregnant again! Congrats!

They brought Kami and I baby gifts and we had a good time talking about what was to come with motherhood. It was great to see them.

I am still feeling great. Noah continues to move around, I have multiple Braxton Hicks contractions daily, my hips are a little sore from spreading. I stay indoors mostly thanks to 105 degree weather, but have been full on nesting since my days are numbered. I have even tried my hand at making granola, homeade bread, homeade muffins, and from scratch pancakes. Pete is enjoying this new hobby of mine. Today my friend Jessica is coming for a visit!

The countdown begins!

2009-07-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

I had a doctor's appointment today and we had a great check up. I am dilated 1 1/2 centimenters. I realize this is not much, and doesn't really mean much, but it told me that things are starting to happen down there. Dr. Thompson sat down and talked to Pete and I about delivery options. As luck would have it the doc will be out of down during my due date. Since Noah will officially be considered 'full term' (37 weeks) on Friday and he seems to be growing and doing well we decided to induce labor the day before the doctor leaves (I will then be 39 weeks). So his birthday is July 30 unless he decides to come sooner on his own!! It feels so real to have an end date. Pete and I have 17 (or less) days to prepare for the little one. Everything crucial is already complete, but now I can focus on nesting and getting everything really organized. Ready or not, here he comes!!

June

2009-07-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

I think it is safe to say that I am a little behind on posting. Well, June was a very busy month for me. I started out by going with my mom and sisters to New York City. Only my oldest sister had been before so she planned an awesome trip for us. I came home for a day and then left for Poland to visit Pete. It had been almost 2 months since I had seen him so it was great to spend some time with him. He seemed amazed at how big my belly was. He had to work, so this was a very relaxing trip with lots of good food. I then stopped off at Ireland to visit a college friend, Kelli. We did as much sightseeing as we could in 2 days. She was a great host. Upon returning to the US I went straight to my parent's house for my sister's wedding. whew. Now I am back in Abilene just waiting patiently on Noah's arrival.

Rockefeller Center

The bull near the stock exchange

We saw Mamma Mia! and it was great!

The hotel where pete lived while in Poland

Belly shot in the garden behind our hotel in Poland

The street in Gniezno, Poland

Kelli and I on our country side tour outside Dublin.

Guiness brewery in Dublin.

Having some relaxing time before the wedding

The cute couple

Off to the honey moon

When i returned to Abilene I went to the doctor and he said that everything looks good. My belly is measuring the size it should and all my vitals looked good. I have an appointment again in 2 weeks. The baby's room is almost ready, so when i get the rest of it together i will post some pics. I had hoped I would be ready to finish the nesting process, but since I have been back I have been pretty lazy. Maybe next week...

Bitter-Sweet

2009-05-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. I am no longer employed.

Pete and I decided for me to be a stay at home mom for little Noah. I am so thankful that this was an option for me. Being a mom will be the most important job I do and it will be nice to dedicate myself to it completely.

On the other hand, I will miss my amazing co-workers. I worked with some great people who love the Lord. It was very rewarding to work with kids and spend my days trying to help others. I was working at the local MHMR facility doing counseling for kids diagnosed with things such as depression, adjustment disorders, and PTSD. My duties were counseling, intake assessments, diagnosis reviews, and case management. My kiddos I worked with will be missed! It will, however, be nice not to hear so much negativity everyday. Most of the kids I worked with had some rough lives, made some poor decisions, or were doing poor in school...or a combination of all of these. All I can do now is pray for them. Praying is probably the most useful thing I did for them anyways.

As I close one chapter of my life I look ahead with great excitement and anticipation. As of today I am 30 weeks pregnant. Noah will be here in about 10 weeks!!!

Leah's Wedding Shower

2009-05-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

Leah had a wedding shower this past weekend, so I went to Emory for the event. It was lots of fun getting to know her fiance, Kyle, better. He is a great guy and really lives his live for the Lord. I am so happy for them! They got some great gifts that will help them start out their marriage in style.

While in Emory we kept busy. Kyle, Leah, and myself help mom plan a bunch of beautiful flowers in her beds by the house. I went with mom and dad to a movie. And of course we ate great food from dad's ribs, to the best biscuits and gravy at Ya'll Come Back Cafe, to my best friend's family restaurant, Chubby's. And one of the best parts of the weekend is that my sister and her husband came with their sweet kids, Chase and Ava:

I continue to feel great! Here is what I look like these days:

3rd Trimester!

2009-05-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

It's official! I am in the third trimester. Time has just flown by! I had a doctor's appointment today (he sees me every two weeks now) and I got a good report. Noah's heart rate was 143 and by belly measured appropriately. He has been moving so much and I can feel his tiny arms or legs poking me at times.

Here is the latest from Baby Center:

Your pregnancy: 28 weeks
How your baby's growing:By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I have been having some Braxton Hicks contractions, which apparently is a good thing. My body seems to be 'practicing' for labor. Also, today I pre-registered at the hospital and signed up for a class at the hospital. Everything seems to be going well!

Today was spouses day on base so I went with some friends to fly a C-130 Simulator. It is supposed to be what it is like to fly the aircraft Pete flies. I did pretty good, and only got a little nauseous. Not bad for a pregnant lady.

Work Baby Shower

2009-05-17T17:09:00.001-07:00

First of all, I work with some of the most amazing people! I work at a state ran Mental Health/Mental Retardation center and incredibly all my coworkers are wonderful Christian people. God really had a hand in placing me there. Three of my co-workers: Jenni, Nicki, and Amy, threw me the sweetest baby shower. They went above and beyond to make it special for me by decorating in Noah's colors, playing creative games, and having yummy food. It was a small group, but I got some great things for Noah such as: cute outfits, bottles, paci's, baby scrap book, bath toys, washclothes, and bath products. They were so good to me! This coming week is my last week to work with them and I will miss them all so much! What a blessing they have been.

Just as a testament to their great qualities, my coworkers have been very supportive. They have gone to movies or out to eat with me when Pete is deployed, have invited us over for cookouts, Nicki's husband, Mathis, is mowing my yard currently and refuses payment, and Lloyd took me to pick up my crib recently. What a great place to work!

Leah's Graduation

2009-05-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

So I am a little behind, but a couple of weeks ago I met my family in Portland, OR for the college graduation of my little sister, Leah. It was fun to hang out with family. Leah is graduated and officially has her teaching degree. Now she is planning a wedding to Kyle Beard in June. Oregon is beautiful and it was nice to see real spring weather. I also met up with my college roommate, Lacey, who is in med school there.

hot weather!

2009-05-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

It is only the beginning of May and already it has felt like July. The last two days we had temps over 100 degrees!! Getting in and out of a car all day at work, in the extreme heat, while pregnant was interesting. Then i realized...i am only getting bigger and we will only have more of these hot days. I might move to Alaska with my in-laws for the summer. :)
The weather man must have heard my cries, because today it is only 70 degrees...thankfully. I guess this buys me some time to find a pool to soak in this summer.

Baby Shower

2009-04-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Emory for my first baby shower. We had it early because Leah will be graduating, having a wedding shower, and then having a wedding so I worked out better to do my shower now.

The shower was at my parent's church and it was great!! Noah got lots of great things including plenty of monogramed clothes, burp clothes, and assessories. My aunt Joyce and friend Kristen are great at making things personalized. Noah got his bouncy chair and musical play mat, so hopefully he will be entertained. The big gift I got was the travel system (car seat/ stroller combo). It was from my Hooten aunt, uncle, and cousins. Thanks guys!!

It was also fun to hang out with my parents, sister Sara, and her kiddos Chase and Ava.

The things people say...

2009-04-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

While at a restaurant today I had a conversation with the lady behind the counter that went something like this:

Her: When do you go to the hospital?
Me: Huh?
Her: You know, when are you due?
Me: Oh, not until August.
Her: WOW, you are HUGE!
Me: (awkwardly) Yeah, I am growing straight out.
Her: You are so big already!

Hmmm...

Baby Bedding

2009-04-10T14:30:00.001-07:00

This is bedding little Noah will have sweet dreams on. I got it from Target. The darker color is Navy, not black. My plan is do to lots of patterns instead of an actual theme. A college girl from my church will be painting a Noah's Ark scene (of course we have to have at least one Ark element) to hang on the wall. Right now I am in the process of cleaning out the babies room and figuring out where to put all pete's military gear!

Growing belly

2009-04-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Everything is still going well. My belly is growing, Noah keeps kicking, and I feel great. I went to the doctor today and got a good report. Here is a belly pic for those interested. People have started asking me when I am due, how far along I am, etc. It is official...I look pregnant, not just overweight. I LOVE people asking me and I don't mind at all when people want to touch my belly.

I had to post this picture for my Alaska family and friends. I fried up some halibut Alaska style...and it was good! You guys would have been proud.

He has a name...

2009-03-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

And the name is:

NOAH

We put a lot of thought and prayer into his name. We like how obedient Noah was in the Bible and how he chose to follow God even when it was hard. I mean, he built a massive boat in the middle of land at a time when it had never even rained before! We pray that we can raise a son to be obedient and faithful like his name sake. He doesn't have a middle name yet, but we are working on it.

And, I have failed to mention an important detail. For the past 2-3 weeks I have been feeling him move around a lot. He likes to kick me in the evening when I am reading. It is so amazing to actually feel him.

It's a boy!

2009-03-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

IT'S A BOY!!

The handsome baby boy Hughes!

I love this picture of his leg. Pete thinks he will be a power forward or tight end. I will make a great cheerleader at his games.

It was so fun having the sonogram performed. He was moving all over the place and kept 'waving' at us. It was very clear that he is a boy, but for the sake of modesty I decided not to post those pictures. After taking several pictures of him they reported that everything looks good and is developing as it should be. We don't have a name picked out yet, but are thinking on it. God is so good!

March Doctor's Appt

2009-03-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

First of all, today is our actual anniversary. Pete had to get up early this morning, but I woke up to discover he had gotten up especially early to make me breakfast. He made the best omelet I had ever had and some yummy pancakes. He is such a good husband for a million reasons! I am so thankful that God hand-picked us to be husband and wife to each other.

Secondly, we went to the doctor yesterday! Everything is looking great. The baby's heart beat was 147 and it was so special to share the experience with Pete for the first time. We scheduled our next sonogram for next Thursday (the 19th) where we will hopefully be able to find out if it is a boy or girl!!! And my mom will be in town for her spring break so she will get to come with us. So fun!

And finally, I have officially quit my job....well, put in notice anyways. My last day will be June 19th. Why June 19th? Well, my sister is getting married the 27th so I am going to go early and stay late to help with all the festivities. Who wouldn't want a large, pregnant, hormonal woman helping ease the wedding related stress? They are so lucky to have me. :) Then i will have about a month to relax and prepare for Baby Hughes. However, I did offer to stay at my job 2 days a week if they needed me. And I am exploring the possibility of doing private practice so I could make my own schedule. We'll see what happens...

Anniversary and random

2009-03-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Pete and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary this past weekend. We went to Fredericksburg, Tx and stayed at a bed-n-breakfast. It was called the Chuck Wagon Inn and was ran by a rowdy old cowboy and his wife. Pete loved the southwest breakfast they cooked up, but it didn't seem to sit so well with the baby. We spent the day shopping the the touristy down town area. It is a well-kept town with lots of German influence and is surrounded by vineyards. We had a great time! Pete bought me a beautiful hand-crafted bracelet while there. In the first photo I think my eyes are kind of shut, but I wanted to include my baby bump.

About a week ago Pete and I went to a thing called Dittos for Kiddos. It is a massive resale for babies and kids. We didnt see much that we couldn't live without, but we did pick up the baby bath I already knew i wanted and we got some books and educational DVD's. It was so crowded and we had to wait in line forever to check out. Pete managed to hang in there. We are also buying some diapers randomly to help absorb some of the cost of buying lots of them later.

How life is different already:

1. I can't sleep on my stomach anymore

2. I have a battle with my closet everyday trying to find clothes that fit

3. I can't run very far

4. Getting up and down from the floor is more challenging

5. I either feel full or hungry

6. Pete seems more protective of me

7. I look forward to going to the doctor

8. Buying diapers is a thrill (for now anyways)

9. I love looking at my stomach and love that it is getting bigger

10. I stutter more often and forget common things throughout the day

2009-02-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Exciting News!!

Pete completed his last flight today and is now officially an Instructor Pilot!! I am so proud of him. He gets to come home to me and baby tomorrow. God was really taking care of him through all of this.

baby bump

2009-02-14T19:02:00.000-08:00

As you can see I have a bit of a baby bump these days. I went to the doctor on the 9th and had a good check up. Listening to the baby's heart beat again was amazing...but they couldn't get an accurate heart rate because baby hughes was movin' and groovin' in my belly.

I have gotten some sweet baby gifts from both grandparents. And we picked up the Florida T-shirt the day we found out we were pregnant.

Pete is still in Little Rock, but will hopefull be wrapping it up in the next few days. He is really excited about getting to be present at our next doctor's appoinment. I can't wait to see his reaction when he hears the baby's heart.
Over the weekend I went to Dallas and got to do some maternity shopping. I can't button most of my work pants so I decided it was time to pick up some materntity pants. I knew I had arrived at the right store when there was a woman puking in the flower bed outside the door. Poor thing.

Pictures

2009-02-01T17:54:00.001-08:00

Here are some more pics

We're having a baby

2009-02-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

We're having a baby so that means it is time to start a blog. Everyone else is doing it.

November 28 Pete and I discovered we would be welcoming a baby into this world. We were on our last day of a cruise we were on with Pete's family when we saw two pink lines on the test. It was fun to get to tell our Alaskan family face to face (we then waited until Christmas to tell my family so we could tell them in person as well....torture!). Since then we have been getting used to the idea that we will be parents. It has been such a blessed pregnancy so far with no sickness and little queasiness and fatigue. I have been to the doctor twice and had a sonogram and everything looks great!

Pete has been gone since mid-December, so me and the baby are anxious for him to get back. I can't wait for him to get to hear the tiny heartbeat. Pete is in Little Rock at instructor pilot school and will hopefully be back at the end of February.