Hudson Nineteen and Twenty Months

Hudson, you catch me off guard and you know it. You get a smirk smile that comes across your face, even when trying to be serious. Or sometimes you throw me a knowing glance and then shoot your expression straight back to stone cold. Nothing with you is straight forward or overly logical, instead you toss out the curveball and then bring on the grins. I can rarely guess what you want to do or what you are about to do next. You test limits -- your own strength, how hot something is, how far you can jump or fall. I love the adventurous side of you, even if it keeps me constantly jumping to save you. Over these past two months, your risks have had better endings. Less falls, more victories. You are proud of that.

You still love everything electronic, metaphorical buttons as well. Talking on the phone is one of your favorite activities. You perk up when you hear the phone buzz or ring and often walk around pretending, soundlessly to talk to the imaginary phone you have pressed to your ear, head tilted and all. Throughout a phone call on speaker, you will repeat high at least once for every word someone else tries to say. You enjoy face-timing with faraway family, but often the iphone camera on reverse tricks you well enough.

You now say cheese and make the accompanying face whenever you see a phone or camera pointed in your direction, often preemptively "cheese-ing" before anyone even thought of taking a picture. As exemplified in the pictures below.

Communication is a strong suit of yours. Perhaps its your stubbornness, or maternally gifted desire to control, but words are few and far between. And yet, you communicate extremely well. I often joke you communicate without words better than most well-spoken adults.

The words you do say, even if rarely, include:

Hi, Hi, Hi (always when greeting passing people, but this also means "I'm hungry" for you)
Shhh
Cheese
Mom
Da (Dad)
Bye
Yeah, yeah, yeah
That
Hot
Dog
Up (you've only said this once or twice, preferring to head butt our thighs until we lift you)
No

We are actively working on Off, Up, and Please, but you flat out refuse.

You enjoy using the duster and sweeping, a cleaning streak that comes from your big brother and dad for sure. I am so grateful you and Behr clean up about half the messes you make. And boy do you like to make messes. If it can be dumped or poured, you do just that. As I start to make dinner, you begin taking items out of cabinets, unloading the dishwasher, or out of baskets, covering the kitchen floor with dishes and bowls, as if you are expecting a feast. A subtle, yes I am hungry, don't forget to feed me too. Come dinner time, you yank off your still-clean-bib the bite before you spill your food down your shirt. You cleverly open your leak proof cups and full plates of food get flung around the room, only for you to happily sweep it up later. A bowl of dry cereal or crackers is your favorite thing to dump. Sometimes I can't decide if you make the messes because you know it makes me twitch or if its because you want the chance to clean it up.

Not that I would ever stop loving you, but you work your charm and win me over again and again. On even the best days, you will find me and warm my heart again. It reminds me of one of my favorite hymns, Come Thou Fount -- the second verse is "tune my heart to sing thy grace" -- as you remind me of my own love for you, I am reminded that the love of God is even greater. We don't have to win the favor of God, but we do need him to help us be in line with him. Hudson, in ways that I cannot seem to describe, you point me again and again to the everlasting love of God. You help, tune my heart to sing of God's great grace.

"Cheeeeese!"

with squinted eyes and everything

My little one and a half year old, you are moving too quickly towards full blown toddler. You will be two before we know it, but I am cherishing these wild and crazy exhausting days.

You can see more monthly updates and posts about Hudson here.