A SUPER BELATED BIRTHDAY POST

So, I have this little boy. His name is Hudson. He's my favorite boy in the whole universe. And a couple of months ago, he had a birthday. And not just any birthday...it was his 5th birthday. I got him an Indiana Jones cake just like he wanted. I took pictures to remember the day by. We got him lots of presents and had people over to party. And then, while knowingly (and perhaps intentionally) putting off a birthday post for a couple of weeks, I failed for several weeks to dedicate a post to my little man. And so, with a large cloud of guilt looming over my head (soon to float away) and feeling grateful that Hudson will just be excited to see his picture on my blog, I write a list of things that I love about my boy:

• He sounded like a donkey when he was born...cried so loud and low that my doctor even commented and kind of laughed about it.
• He has always been social and absolutely loves people. It started when he was a baby and hasn't ever changed.
• When I go in and kiss him goodnight and tell him that I love him before I turn in each night, he'll often mumble back, "I love you, too." in his sleep.
• He's a great helper. Whether it's emptying the dishwasher, bringing clothes to the laundry room, or cleaning up messes that he didn't make, I can almost always count on him to pitch in without complaint.
• He used to say "barries" for "batteries" and "buzzies" for "berries"...very confusing at times.
• He simply loves broccoli. You should see the looks on other shoppers' faces when he squeals with delight, "Mom! Broccoli is on sale!"
• He's very smart (both good and bad...try spelling words to keep things secret from a little kid when that kid can read).
• When someone else is hurt or obviously down, he's quick to show concern and empathy.
• He finally learned to consistently sleep through the night when he was 3 1/2 years old. Claire was only 3 months old and was sleeping better than he did until then. This may not seem like a good thing but I'm just beyond grateful that he finally started doing so.
• His imaginary friend, Seventy, brings a lot of smiles to my face.
• He is easy to feed...he loves his fruits and veggies, grains, meat, dairy, etc. He'll try anything at least once and likes almost everything. I wish that he could somehow teach his little sister to get with the program.
• He loves music and enjoys singing and dancing along with whatever is playing.
• Speaking of which, one of his favorite songs is Toto's old hit, Africa. He lights up whenever it starts.
• He still holds my hand and hugs and kisses me in public...I'm going to hang on to that as long as I can.
• As a toddler, he called himself "Sonny". No matter how we tried to get him to say his name, it always came out the same.
• He loves a good trip to the mall. Yes, seriously. When I say we're done, he'll actually ask that we go to "one more store." And then I reluctantly oblige.
• No one loves to cuddle like my boy. He wants to snuggle to get warm in the middle of the night, he loves to sit on my lap for no reason at all (this is great but he's getting a touch heavy at 55+ pounds), he'll hug just about anyone...he just likes to be close.
• He has outgrown his fear of owls and bats (absolutely no idea when either came from), thereby giving us many nights of uninterrupted sleep.
• Just like his mommy, he's a big fan of having breakfast foods for dinner.
• He thinks the word "butt" is funny. I said it in the car the other day and he laughed like no child has ever laughed before. There's just something about "potty talk"...
• He likes it when I wear my hair in a ponytail (when it's long enough)...how could I not love someone who prefers that I be lazy with my hair?
• He's quick to forgive and loves me in spite of the fact that I'm a bad mommy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SONNY!

Like the gum sticking out through his teeth on the side? I asked him to keep it hidden for the picture and this is what he did. That's my boy!