My Little Albert Einstein

Hudson can have some wild hair when he wakes up. Sort of "Albert-like" don't ya think??

He may not be developing any scientific experiments but this little Einstein is all about discovering these days... Our 16 month old baby is constantly on the move and is constantly learning, experiencing, trying, touching, pulling, grabbing, licking, climbing, falling, hugging, tripping, drooling...and almost any other "ing" verb you can think of! He is so fun.

I really have loved each stage of my nearly 8 years of being a Mom but this one that Hudson is in is really a special one for lots of reasons... (if you are just here for the pictures, scroll down, you will find some!)

I LOVE to watch the development of communication through sweet little word attempts, but also the grunts and the non-verbal pointing and expressions - amazing how they can get their point across! It seems like in all the grunting and pointing, all of a sudden a real "almost-word" comes out of his mouth. Everyone in the family has our ears tuned in - and we all celebrate and announce anything that sounds remotely like a real world. It is funny. His current vocabulary (that we understand at this point) includes: "da da", "hiiii", "hola", "ball", "more", "byebye", "hooray", "yay", "doo-dah, doo-dah", "nana" (for banana) and "ceewal" (or something similar to cereal). Hudson can be a noisy little critter - especially at the table.

He is all about creating a mess at his high chair - food is not so much about eating as it is about playing with. If left alone for a minute he has that plate of food on his head and is smearing its contents all around. Or stacking his bowl on top of his cup. He is crazy about wanting to hold utensils - has a special fondness for forks (but not the fun colored plastic ones) - oh no - he points and screams for the real fork. He loves to jab and stab his food. I have finally learned that the most effective way to get one away from his is to teach him to throw it in the sink - something about the combination of throwing and the noisy clang of metal that make it almost as fun as the dangerous poking motion. He LOVES to drip out the contents of his sippy cup and then either slurp it up like a dog or splash it all around.

It almost seems like a small miracle that Hudson has become a great sleeper, considering how he started out his first months of life. I never would have believed it - but he sleeps GREAT! I simply lay him down in his bed, sing him a little song, say prayers with him - he twirls his hair and goes to sleep. His hair twirling is so sweet because he used to twirl and play with mine before he had any :) Now, when he gets sleepy, he starts twirling his own. He still uses his paci at night (gasp!!) and when he is in his car seat (gaasssppp!) But he is right on track with how his older brothers were raised. I have taught him to "throw it away" when I lift him out of the crib - and he smiles and does it (again, that whole boy - throwing fun!) At times there is some reluctant hesitation, but he does it. He naps well and hard and long - some days twice but he is beginning to transition to just one. Sleeps from abotu 8pm to 7:30am and jumps up and down in his crib with a huge smile when we open the door to come see him (which is a daily fight with his big brothers - they want to get him immediately and I prefer to give him a little alone time)

The simplest things make him happy. Really. An empty milk jug and a few little game circles and he is entertained - walking around, picking them up and dumping them out. A tupperwear container and something to put into it and carry around. A plastic bag to drag behind him. A mini hockey stick and a ball. He loves to play!

My favorite thing right now is that he is really becoming aware of his affect on people. He LOVES to hug - and he will walk around with his arms wide open and hug anything and everything while making this sweet little "awwwwwwww" sound. He is sweet. I mean really, heart-breakingly, adorabley sweet. He pats my face or rubs my shoulder. He is so full of love and happiness. I know it sounds cliche - but I seriously cannot imagine my life or our family without him. He is my amazing gift and I am forever thankful for him.

the simple things = so much fun!

so sweet!

the beloved fork...

yayyy Hudson!