365 glorious days later...

To all of you who may not be too keen on  mushy-gushy writing about how much I adore my son (i.e. Mallory and Kalie), here is your forewarning to go straight to the pictures and skip over the words. :) After all, this blog started in an effort to maintain better memories of my early days of becoming a mom, and therefore, I will write whatever I want. :)

Hudson,

I just got done tucking you into bed for the last time before you turn one tomorrow. A few minutes later I heard you jabbering away on the monitor, so I snuck back in for one last chance to hold you and rock you while you're still officially a baby. To my surprise, instead of trying to play and be crazy and toss and turn in my arms refusing to be held, you just put your little head on my shoulder and let me rock you (until you lifted your head and clonked it into my face causing an immediate fat lip, but hey, we were having a moment!).

My heart aches with how much I love you. I remember anxiously awaiting your arrival. I was so excited to see what you looked like and learn what your personality and temperament were like. I'll never forget how just a few hours after you were born the hospital pediatrician came in to check you out. After examining you he turned to us, wiped his brow, and said, "Phew. That is one fiesty baby!" In my hormonal state I honestly felt a little offended with the comment and didn't quite know what to make of its meaning (more on the fiesty-ness later :)) I remember it taking me a few days to completely come to the realization that you were really truly mine. After celebrating your birth at the hospital with lots of family and friends, we brought you home ecstatic to begin the great task of parenting (sorry that you are kind of our guinea pig!).

 

Our first night home with you was honestly pretty miserable. You cried for most of the night, and we chalked it up to you being uncomfortable from the circumcision. After a few nights of the constant crying, I remember bursting into tears after one of your wake-ups because I didn't know what was wrong with you or how to fix it. At the hospital where you were born, they make all the parents watch this video so that no one shakes their baby to death. In the video, they explain all the signs of escalation that could lead to such an event etc.. As I'm crying and you're screaming your head off, your sweet dad leaned over and hugged me and told me to just calm down, it was all going to be okay, and reminded me that I might feel like I wanted to shake you. Ha! My reaction was not as nice as it should have been. I kept crying, and only wanted to shake him!

After lots of guessing and trying different things, we FINALLY figured out that I was making you miserable by eating foods with dairy and soy. Two weeks of a dairy and soy free diet made you totally different baby. Although you were never any good at sleeping, and we almost went crazy with bouts of you waking every 20 minutes through the night, we survived and at 9 1/2 months and a little of us forcing you, you finally slept through the night.

We have done so much with you in the past year; taken you on lots of trips, car rides, airplane rides, football games, church services, outreaches, and lots and lots of walks. It is so wonderful to see all the new stages you pass through, and the new things you are able to do. At 5 months, we thought you were so lazy because you refused to roll over. Instead, you'd just become furious and scream your head off. But once you finally got started moving, you went from one milestone to the next very rapidly.

Awhile ago, I read the book, "Shepherding a Child's Heart". One night, as I was reading, I turned to your dad and said, "I'm only 37 pages into this book and I already feel like I can't do this!" The book was great and all about how to raise Godly children and mold and shape their heart to grow into the kind of people God wants them to be. Ug. Tall order! Lately, as we have seen more and more of your fiesty-ness and strong will, I'm understanding a little more of what that doctor must have seen in you at a very young age. I'm also feeling less and less capable of doing a great job at this whole parenting thing! The truth is, left to ourselves, your dad and I wouldn't stand a chance at raising you right, but the good news is God is involved to help us along the way. And with Him, we can do anything!

It is safe to say that you are the light of our lives. We love and adore you so very much. Your BIG personality, crazy faces and noises make our home such a happier, more joyous place. I am so very thankful to be your mama and feel forever grateful to God for blessing us with sweet little you.

We love you fiercely and cannot wait to see all that God has in store for your little life! 
Thank you for the greatest year of our life to date!

¡Feliz cumpleaños cariño! y que tengas un día increíblemente especial, tal como tú. 

Te quiero con todo mi corazón.

Mamá 

july: a wild ride

The month of July has been pretty crazy. We started it off by celebrating Uncle Taylor's 21st birthday.

(This is Auntie Alex in the picture, not to be confused with Uncle Taylor)

The next day, we headed off to celebrate Hudson's best buddies' 1st birthday! If you are wondering why there are no pictures of the birthday boys it's because I was a major slacker. You'll have to check out Naomi's blog to see all the adorableness that the construction-themed party involved!

The following Monday, Garrett and I headed off to Arizona to attend a church conference, and Hudson got to stay back in Oregon and be spoiled rotten by all his grandmas. Garrett and I missed our boy tons, but had a wonderful week away! Thank you to the grandmas who helped us out!

After Grandma Kris and Uncle Nick flew with Hudson to Phoenix, we met them at their house and hung out for a few days. This kid is a FISH. He loved playing in the water and threw a big fit when we tried taking him out!

This picture makes it look like we weren't watching him, 

but for all you concerned readers out there, I promise he was well supervised. :)

Uncle Nick is HILARIOUS!

He appreciated his floaty toy that Uncle Drew and Uncle Casey picked out for him 

much more on this trip!

After spending a few days in Phoenix, we got a new rental car started on our journey from Phoenix to southern California.

 Hudson really wanted to be the co-pilot.

or the driver.

or anything that didn't involve the car seat!

He was actually a dream in the car! He is such a little trooper when we travel!

Sunscreen hair!

We finally arrived in California, where we spent the week while Garrett began his training to receive a service dog. 

Hudson was the king of playing on the bed.

By day two of the training, we knew that the newest member of our family was officially added: 

meet Coal.

Even if I am not an animal person, it was amazing to watch all the things these dogs can do, and see how quickly they have impacted the lives of their new owners for the better.

Coal, meet Hudson. 

Hudson, meet Coal.

Hudson was a little nervous at first, but by the next day (which I have no pictures of) 

he was excited to pet him and be around him.

It made me very happy to see my husband so happy. Although the new dog will be a big transition, I think that over time (hopefully not decades!) Coal just might be able to break through the many layers of my rock-solid-frozen-over-animal-hating-heart. :)

We had a very nice week as a family, but as it came closer to the end, 

it became obvious that a little normalcy and routine might do us all some good. :)

Oh, and did I forget to mention, that in the midst of all the craziness, and to his mom's sadness, Hudson decided to start walking! Video coming soon!