23 months

Dear Hudson,

This will be your last monthly post before you are 2 YEARS OLD! Wow! That's still so hard to digest. Last year this time we were preparing for your big surgery and obviously your first birthday. These 2 years have gone by wayyyyyyy too fast. I am so proud of you and the person that you are becoming. You are a great kid and we are blessed beyond measure to have you as our son.

I've enjoyed being home with you for the past 2 months. It's almost time for me to go back to work, and it's going to be VERY hard to be away from you all day after being with you all summer. I'm ready for us to get back into a routine, but that does not make it any easier. I've watched you grow, learn, and change daily. You are becoming so independant, and need me less and less with each day. You want to do everything all by yourself. Your vocabulary and communication skills/language development resemble those of a 3 year old more than a 23 month old.

You remember everything, and I love listening to you play with your cars and trucks or drive your bus around. "Beep-beep, watch out, vroomm, vroomm, and other sounds are so cute coming from you. When we are driving in the car and I apply the brakes, you always yell "watch out!". I guess you hear me telling your daddy that all the time when he's driving.

We have been working on potty training but I have not gone all out yet. You do wonderful and wear your underwear and potty all the time at home, but I am not brave enough to take you out of the house without a diaper yet. Even though you can climb out of your bed faster than a greyhound runs out of the gate at a dog race, I just can't bring myself to turn your crib into a toddler bed...YET. As long as you are in your sleep sack you don't climb out and we watch you on the video monitor when you are in there sleeping.

Your eating habits sure have changed this summer. You have become quite picky and don't eat as much as you used to at all. You still eat enough, and I know this is just a phase that is common for toddlers, so I am not worried. You have grown 2 and a half inches and lost 2 pounds since March, but you are by no means malnoursihed. You weigh 30 lbs, and are wearing size 2t clothing and size 8/9 shoes. You still LOVE to play ball...all kinds, and if you see a ball, you tell us what kind it is right away. Even though you are extremely strong willed, you know all about time out and it seems to work for you. You will walk over and sit down when we tell you that you have to go.

We are excited about your birthday party in a few weeks. You get excited about birthday parties that we go to, and love singing "Happy birthday to you". I can't wait to see your face when we sing to you and you get to blow out your candles. Hopefully you won't be shy and get embarassed by all the attention and push your cake on the floor like your mother did at her 2nd birthday party.

Thanks for being such a fun kid. I love you so much!