We wish you a merry Christmas!

I know some people don't like Christmas "newsletters," but I'm a fan. It's a good way to recap the year and share news with people we don't talk to very often. Here's our Christmas card message:

We have had a very exciting year! Our biggest and happiest news is that we’re expecting our first child! We are anxious to welcome our little girl in April 2008!

We’re still living in Lexington (near Columbia), South Carolina, with our very sweet and cute Yorkie, Reesey. She had a tough year-with 3 surgeries to correct a condition in her legs, a weekend in the hospital after eating raisins (which can cause kidney failure in dogs), and recently getting a chunk of her ear cut off by the groomer! She’s a trooper though and I think most of these things were harder on us than her. We know we’re capable of unconditionally loving a child!

Brian was unexpectedly recruited by FN Manufacturing and began a new job in February. He is still doing mechanical/manufacturing engineering and loves his new job making barrels for machine guns! FN is the main contractor for military machine guns. The new job provided a much more regular schedule, so Brian has enjoyed a lot of fishing and hunting (not with machine guns!) on the weekends.

I still love my job in Admissions at the University of South Carolina as Coordinator for Outreach and Enrichment Programs. This fall I had the great opportunity to teach two classes: a transition class for freshmen and a leadership class for upperclassmen. The classes and my 34 fantastic students proved to be both a challenge and a joy!

Another huge excitement of the year happened within the last few weeks: I was called by Wheel of Fortune and we took a whirlwind trip to LA to appear on the show! Make sure to tune in on February 22 as I make my television debut!

We wish all of you a happy holiday season and a great new year!

We’d love to hear from you! Email Susan at susanhhudson@gmail.com or Brian at brianhudson04@yahoo.com.

Although the date looks like this is way in the future, it's actually from December 15 on the Pacific Coast Highway during out trip to LA for Wheel of Fortune!

Here's a picture of me at 21 weeks with big sister, Reesey!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

IT’S A GIRL!!! We found out in our ultrasound December 3! We're so excited! We went on Monday and bought a little pink and white dress - so cute!! It's gonna be so much fun shopping for a little girl!! My mom gave us a pink blanket, so we have 2 "girl" things. And thanks to the Disney souvenir onesie from Brian’s mom, we have 2 outfits so far! I think we're gonna go to Target and Babies R Us to look at all the stuff we need and get registered this weekend. And I'm gonna start looking for ideas for the nursery! It definitely seems more real!

I was a little disappointed with the ultrasound b/c my mom and Brian’s parents were only in there for a few minutes. But it was helpful to have them in town to help around the house and with the huge raking project! And at least they got to see the hospital where our little girl will be born!

My appt was good after the ultrasound. We went through all the other pictures they took of all the organs and body parts. Everything looks great, which is most important. I was wondering why I'm not feeling more movement at this point. Our midwife thinks it's b/c the baby is turned in a weird position, which is also why the pictures are so bad. She said they are in the 20th percentile of bad pictures she's seen! :) My poor baby is as unphotogenic as her mother! But our baby is BEAUTIFUL of course, just bad pictures! I think the baby got the message about moving more, b/c I'm feeling it more and even felt some kicks on the outside! Brian hasn't felt them yet though, but I'm hoping he does soon.

They said the baby is 12 oz, which is on the petite side of normal at this point, but is totally ok. Normal is 12-15 oz. I've only gained 3 lbs! She said normal right now is up to 10, but most women have gained a minimum of 5 lbs at 20 weeks. So, more protein for me! And now I don't have to feel guilty about my ice cream indulgence! My next appt will be the first week of January, so I'm sure to have gained by then b/c of all the yummy holiday food!

I don't think we're gonna tell the name until she’s born... of course, we're so far from having a name picked out, that it'll probably take the remaining time to settle on something! Remember it took us more than a week to name Reesey... and then Brian’s mom was really the one who named her! I'm not very decisive about those things.

Gotta go – I have soooo much to do before leaving for LA next Wednesday!!

Here's a picture of us after the ultrasound with a new PINK blanket:

WHEEL -- OF -- FORTUNE!!

November 29, 2007
Dum, da, dum [drumroll]... I'm really gonna be on Wheel of Fortune!! They called tonight and invited me to come tape the show on Thursday, December 13. Two weeks - yikes!! I've got to practice!! It's a take-it-or-leave-it offer; I tape on that date, or I miss my chance. So, Brian and I are heading to LA!!!
I emailed our director (my boss) tonight because the date falls during our "no leave" time -- it's a crucial time of year where we're busy processing and reviewing applications, so normally no one is allowed to take vacation. But he responded, "Of course you should go." I figured that'd be the response -- I can't imagine the regret I'd feel if I had to miss this opportunity!
We're planning to fly out Wednesday evening, December 12, and stay until Sunday, December 16. I'll be busy with the show all day on Thursday - they said 7:45 AM until 6:00 PM - but we'll have all day on Friday and Saturday for sightseeing. Brian luckily had two vacation days set aside for after Christmas, which now he'll have to work, but it's just good he had them at all! We will have to miss his much-anticipated work Christmas party (where he could have won a $100 gift card or even a gun as a door prize -- but my winning potential is a little higher!)
They are taping 6 shows that day. Five of them will air the second week of January and the sixth won't air until February. I should probably wait to make sure I don't embarrass myself before I spread that info too widely!! (Yes, Amy, you will probably end up saying, "You're a dork" at some point during my debut!)
I was VERY excited they called b/c I'm a year into my 18 months of being in the contestant pool and I was worried I wouldn't be able to travel or tape the show as time progresses closer to the middle of April! Haha... I'll have to get a Wheel of Fortune or Hollywood baby outfit (like a souvenir tshirt) -- and in just a few days I'll know if I should get it in pink or blue!! This is all so exciting!!!

Leaves, leaves everywhere

November 28, 2007
Brian’s parents and my mom are coming down this weekend because we have our ultrasound on Monday. Brian is hunting Sat morning with a guy down here and then we are decorating the house. We didn't get to it last Sun b/c Brian was sick and it's easier to do when it's light out, so Saturday's the first day we can do it. We'll prob get a tree tomorrow night and decorate inside the house, or I should say I'll decorate inside.
Our yard is COMPLETELY covered with leaves (you can barely see the grass!) so we have to rake this weekend. Brian said he was gonna wait til all the leaves fell b/c last yr we raked about 6 times. Almost all the leaves have fallen now so we will prob rake on Sunday. I told Brian that's good b/c then maybe Doug can help. :)
Brian doesn't know it yet but I also thought maybe Doug could help move some of the furniture around to clear out the baby's room! We're prob gonna put the extra bed and dresser in the spare room where the desk and shelves are. We'll have to store the futon somewhere else though b/c there won't be room for everything. I’m busy cleaning and organizing closets, rearranging, and trying to get rid of unnecessary things (which is really hard for me!).