Hudson's First Birthday

To Hudson on your First Birthday,

I started writing you a sappy letter for your first birthday…the kind I read and get all teary-eyed on other mama’s blogs…but after a sentence or two…I had to hit the backspace button and delete delete delete. It just didn’t sound natural for me. It sounded like I was regurgitating all the typical lovey-dovey motherly things I am supposed to say. Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE YOU more than I ever thought I could love anyone. But instead of saying it in a letter…let me do a list of “100 Things about Hudson” instead.

1. You changed my life in every imaginable way possible
2. Almost all for the better (I do miss uninterrupted sleep and long showers, but you’re worth it)
3. You LOVE pointing your finger
4. You even do it in your sleep
5. Your first word was “DAT” (“that”)
6. You say this at the same time as pointing your finger at anything and everything (Dat…dat…dat!)
7. You HATE the word “no”
8. You cry when you don’t get your way
9. Really really loudly if you really really wanted to do something we didn’t let you do (like eat batteries or stick your fingers in the electrical sockets)
10. You always bite Papa’s nose
11. You have never bitten mine
12. You don’t like wearing socks
13. You don’t like wearing hats
14. You like piggy back rides
15. You kinda broke two keys on our keyboard because you like to imitate us typing
16. The “shift” and the “@” keys are now temperamental
17. You flip Bosco’s ears back and stick your fingers inside on a daily basis
18. You still like throwing things on the ground and making us pick it up
19. You clap your hands when you hear music (even if it’s just me singing)
20. You almost always wake up in a good mood
21. You always notice if there are flowers within view
22. You smile and wave at people often
23. The toe next to your pinky toe is kinda longish
24. I like it
25. You’re ticklish
26. You have an innie
27. You like eating apples and bananas like a “big boy”, taking bites rather than have them be all cut up in small pieces
28. You get mad and blame people by pointing at them angrily when you fall or get hurt
29. Even though it’s not their fault
30. You like brushing your teeth
31. You put the telephone to your ear, point the remote at the TV, put your socks and shoes to your feet, and your brush to your hair
32. You are obviously a genius
33. You share your food with Bosco
34. You love taking baths
35. You have natural golden highlights that I would pay hundreds of dollars at the salon to try to duplicate
36. You sweat when you sleep
37. You don’t have any birthmarks
38. Or freckles
39. Your favourite meal is breakfast
40. You like crawling on Bosco’s bed(s)
41. Even when he’s already on them
42. You have the uncanny ability to wake up from naps just as your mama is about to sit down to drink her coffee
43. You don’t have a blankie, use a pacifier, or suck your thumb for security or comfort
44. You use your mama
45. You notice and point to all the tiniest imperfections on our wood floors
46. You always kick off the blankets
47. You like to unfold clean folded laundry
48. You like to empty and reorganize the kitchen and bathroom cupboards
49. You like to pull papa’s body hair
50. You like it when he winces in pain
51. You like to use papa like a taxi
52. You always point in the direction you want papa-taxi to go
53. You’re bossy
54. You laugh when we chase you
55. You laugh in your dreams
56. You cry in your dreams
57. I would pay big money to know what you dream about
58. You cuddle your stuffed animals into your face
59. You like ripping the pages of mama’s magazines
60. You have caught your fingers in our dresser drawers more times than I’d like to admit
61. You cannot stand to have your nails cut
62. You are drawn to naughty things like pointy screwdrivers and breakable glass vases
63. You use fistfuls of Bosco’s skin and fur to help you stand up
64. You are in for trouble if and when you try this with a dog with less patience
65. You prefer drinking and eating things from our glasses and plates, even though it’s the same thing as in your own bowl and sippy cup
66. You are fascinated with turning on and off the light switches
67. On and off and on and off and on and off and on and off…
68. You like seeing yourself on video
69. Kids in costumes on Halloween didn’t scare you…but a cute “Snowman” stuffed animal did
70. You are always fussy when I show you off to my old coworkers at my old work (“old work” because I am now officially a SAHM)
71. I don’t know if they believe me anymore when I say “He’s not usually like this…”
72. So far you only have two bottom teeth
73. You often lose your sneezes
74. You love being praised
75. Your bum has cellulite
76. The skin around your eyes and eyebrows(!) turn reddish when you’re tired
77. The insides of your ears get itchy
78. You notice people’s “bling”
79. You’re fascinated with climbing in our dishwasher
80. And climbing up the stairs
81. You don’t like it when we wear hats
82. You insist on taking them off our heads
83. You like smashing things
84. Loudly
85. Just saying the word “boobies” makes you smile
86. You smile when you get caught doing something you know you’re not supposed to do
87. You love most fruit (even more “exotic” ones like pineapple and kiwi)
88. You spit out things you don’t like
89. You like sticking your fingers in our mouths
90. You like sticking your fingers in your nose
91. You like feeding us your cheerios
92. And so we humour you by eating them from your sticky fingers…even the nasty soggy ones
93. You let us know when Bosco is waiting to come in from outside
94. You have never liked being confined to the playpen, swing, bouncy chair, or jolly jumper
95. Your toes resemble baby carrots
96. Your toes get kissed multiple times a day
97. We force kiss you even when you squirm and wiggle to get away
98. Which is almost every single time
99. We vow to keep kissing you every day, even when you’re 30 years old
100. So when you need therapy later in life, you can blame us for loving you too much

Happy Birthday Baby Hudson...

I love you insanely...

Love,
Your mama