Erin Akin Carroll

Maybe next week I’ll get back into some posts that have a little bit of thought behind them, but for today, this is it!

1. I have yet to purchase anything new for our sweet baby boy, whose name I am always so tempted to just throw out there! That would probably be much easier. Anyway- I haven’t bought anything for him yet because we really didn’t need clothes since we already have tons of boy clothes. We don’t need a new nursery since he is moving straight into our current nursery and Hudson is moving out. But. But! Have y’all seen the new spring items from Shrimp and Grits, Ragsland, and Kelly’s Kids? My fingers are tempted to go on an online shopping rampage! Someone stop me! There are trunk shows going on all around me and I am trying so hard to be good!

2. Hudson is feeling much better. He had his last rocephin shot yesterday. His doctor said his ears were still infected, but we were making progress. We’ll go back for a re-check next week.

3. While he’s feeling good, my 31 pound-awesome eater- little boy is not eating. He’s playing with his food. Laughing about playing with it. And he’s feeding it to the dogs. Such a fun stage. (sarcasm)

4. I’m heading to decorate for tomorrow’ baby shower this afternoon. I’m just so excited. Baby colors, baby stuff, baby gifts, talking about baby names. It’s all so much fun and I can’t wait to celebrate with our friend.

5. I’m trying to plan one last trip to Dallas before I enter the third trimester. I only have a few weeks left where I’ll feel comfortable flying alone with Hudson and my mom and I want to drive to Louisiana (north and south) to see some family and friends– and eat. My best friend is having her baby at the end of February, so I may not get to meet the baby, but I know I’ll meet her soon. I just need to go ahead and get my ticket and get on with it.

6. The girls Bible study that I’m in is going to read Crazy Love by Francis Chan together and discuss it each week rather than doing a workbook and video study. I’m so excited to read this book and to have others reading along with me. Also, remember that in February the Book Beginnings and Bookends blogging book club will begin reading Ape House by Sara Gruen. Two great books in February!

7. I caved and watched American Idol last night. Eep! Megan sent me a text on Wednesday night asking if I was watching and she said that she was enjoying it. So I turned it on. I am not a fan of Steven Tyler. But I am liking J.Lo a lot. First of all, she’s super beautiful, but she’s also compassionate without being crazy annoying. I just miss the voice of reason from Simon. The one voice to say, “Hold up. That wasn’t as good as y’all thought it was!” But I fell in love with one of the New Orleans contestants last night and that’s usually all it takes to get me hooked. I need to root for one person to keep coming back. We’ll see!

1. Hudson is feeling much better and I really appreciate all of your well-wishes. He had his second shot of rocephin yesterday and the doctor confirmed that he still has the ear infection. We’ll go back tomorrow for one more rocephin shot– and if that doesn’t do the trick, we’ll be going to see an ENT. I had tubes twice as a kid and given Hudson’s family history, he may just need them, too. The good news is that he is acting like his fun, goofy, happy self and we’re happy to see him returning to normal.

2. I’m 23 weeks pregnant and feeling great. My glucose test is on Tuesday at 24 weeks and I just hate that test. I always get worried I’m going to get sick or faint because you can’t eat for so many hours. Thankfully they give you an early morning appointment so you can swing by Chick fil A for a chicken biscuit on the way home from your appointment!

3. Some of my friends and I are hosting a very special baby shower for a very special mama and her baby boy on the way. I’m having lots of fun working on it and can’t wait to see all of our creative efforts come together on Saturday. I’ll take pictures and post them!

4. Remember my post about all the TV I planned to watch for the 2010-2011 season? Well that didn’t really happen. I’m still staying true to my favorites like Mad Men, Damages, and Glee. And I can’t let go of the Housewives shows or The Bachelor. Speaking of The Bachelor… are y’all watching? You know I’ve already read the spoilers on Reality Steve, but I still love watching. I can’t say who my favorite is because I think my opinion is skewed after reading the spoilers. I’m not planning on watching Idol this year. I’ve always been a huge fan of the show, but I just loved Simon. And I think it’s weird to have a judge like J.Lo who is still working hard to have a film and music career.

5. Hudson and I got out of the house today for the first time since Sunday and ran some errands. I needed to go to Party City, the post office, and the fabric store. He was a dream child in the fabric store, but he was way too tempted by all of the Elmo and Mickey Mouse stuff in Party City. I always let him hold something in the cart and look at it and sneak it away before it’s time to check out. He threw a small fit in the post office that probably seemed to last an eternity to me, but really only lasted ten seconds. It’s hard because I don’t need to get a sitter just to run a couple of errands and he can’t go to “school” when he’s sick. But taking him with me to places that don’t have a shopping cart is pretty difficult. If you ever see us out, please either run the other way or just smile. Ha!

6. I went to the fabric store to pick up the fabric for Hudson’s big boy room. I can’t wait to share it all with you! But I don’t want to do any sneak peeks until it’s all put together.

I hope you’re all having a great week! Toodles, Poodles!

After a fun Saturday night out with some friends to a great restaurant, our weekend took a turn.

We had a rough day yesterday. We were on our way to church (why are Sunday mornings always so eventful and stressful before church?) and Hudson threw up in the car. He hadn’t been feeling great anyway but his ear infections were gone.

So we came on home and cleaned him up, did lots of laundry, and just held and rocked Hudson for a few hours.

Then he started getting hotter and hotter and I decided we needed to take him to the pediatric urgent care clinic. His chest was so rattly and I was getting really scared.

The doctor told us that his ears looked terrible- again- but also that the crackling sound in his chest was alarming. He wrote us a prescription for an x-ray and wanted to check for pneumonia. So we went to the emergency room and little Hudson had his chest x-rayed. I was struggling to fight back the tears as I held my sweet little boy. He just wanted to cuddle and go to sleep. He never complained. But it just reminded me that it is our job as parents to speak for them and always look out for them.

Thank the Lord, the x-ray didn’t show anything abnormal and Hudson doesn’t have pneumonia. He was also tested for RSV and doesn’t have that either. Just a chronic ear infection- again- and big time congestion. He got an antibiotic shot and I’m praying that it works quickly and Hudson is back to his happy self tomorrow!

After we got Hudson to bed (at 6:30! He was tired!) we settled in to watch the Golden Globe red carpet show and awards. I love awards shows. I decided to put down my favorites for best dressed from last night’s red carpet. Hopefully none of them show up on the Worst Dressed list!

While these are my favorites, I can’t say that any of them knocked my socks off. I love Dianna Agron’s hair and makeup- she looks flawless. I loved seeing Mandy Moore on the red carpet and in such a gorgeous color. Kyra Sedgwick always knows how to do color and accessorize. Claire Danes has the perfect figure for that simply gorgeous dress and I am loving her hair.

Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive’, Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta, Olivia Wilde in Marchesa, Mandy Moore in Monique Lhuillier

Claire Danes in Calvin Klein Collection, Kyra Sedgwick in Emilio Pucci, Eva Longoria in Zac Posen, and Dianna Agron in J. Mendel

And because I love a good baby bump right now, I wanted to show my favorite prego red carpet dress of the night! Jane Krakowski in Badgley Mischka. I love that she accentuates the bump.

How was your weekend? Did you watch the Golden Globe awards? Who was on your best dressed list?

Hudson and I will be laying low most of the week to make sure he is back to 100%. It’s so sad to have a sick baby.

I’m so excited to announce today’s giveaway from Southern Tots!

These adorable play cases are so unique!  These vintage suitcases are whimsical and modern with your child’s personalization.  They are made of corrugated cardboard and are available in Small (3″X8″X6″), Medium (3.25″X10″X7″), Large (3.5″X12″X8″) or can be bought in a set of all three!  They are great to store toys, decorate a room or as a baby gift. Please see case colors under information on the homepage.

Girls Play Cases

Boys Play Cases

You can choose from red, pink, blue, brown, or green play cases. You can also choose between many designs to fit the child’s personality. You can label the play case with the child’s name or with the contents of the play case.

Today, Southern Tots is giving away a small play case in your choice of style and color! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to be ordering one in every size for storage in Hudson’s big boy room and to carry on trips! What a perfect little gift for Valentine’s Day or Easter!