Month Thirteen

Today Hudson turns thirteen months old. I didn’t think I would keep this going past twelve months, but so much is changing on a daily basis that it seems fitting to keep a diary of sorts so I can remember all the little things. By the way, this post is brought to you by a toddler, wailing wildly while clinging to my right leg. He can’t stand the fact that he is not allowed to play with my laptop. Sorry, pal. Soon enough.

This month I have been amazed, yet again, at how quickly he’s grown and how much he’s developed. Hudson is now walking, which means he is all over the place at all times. He’s even attempted to run on a few occasions (usually doesn’t end well). He can point, wave, kiss, and giggle like nobody’s business.

The biggest change this month has been the fact that our toddler can now let us know exactly what he wants when he wants it. For example, he will grab a formula bottle out of the cupboard and pretend to drink from it, then whine about it. Translation: woman, I am thirsty, gimme something to drink already! Sometimes he’ll grab an empty metal snack container (because we are lame like that and let him play with empty cartons) and will bang on it while whining. Translation: woman, I am hungry, fill my belly with delicious carrot/potato/chicken mush NOW!

He still loves dogs more than any other animal. Live dogs. Stuffed animal dogs. Picture book dogs. As soon as we say the word, his face lights up. He also has shown quite a stubborn propensity to wear hats indoors. Some babies hate hats and take them off almost as soon as you put them on. Not this one. He can sniff out a hat a mile away, grab it and then insist on wearing all day. Better yet, he’ll insist that one or both of us will also wear a hat. For some reason this fact delights me.

Hudson’s stranger anxiety has returned. He now wants his mama to be in his line of sight at all times. Heaven forbid I ever need some privacy in the bathroom. If you heard him crying about it, you’d think I cut off his legs. Needless to say, this has been somewhat of a challenge and we are working on that.

He has become more aware of his bodily functions and now hides when he poops. It’s kind of cute in a strange way. I hope this means that he’ll be ready to potty train in a few months (yeah, right!). He sometimes will hide in his room and will even go so far as to shut the door because he doesn’t want to be found and/or disturbed.

Another new trick is whistling. Since daddy whistles all the time, Hudson is now trying to whistle and it’s so unbelievably adorable. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, so anytime he manages to get a good whistle, he acts so surprised and very proud of himself. I guess I better get used to the sound of whistling.

This month it’s been fun to watch Hudson figure things out (i.e. turning on the radio, closing/opening doors, flushing toilets, kicking a ball, climbing on furniture, etc.) — he always looks so delighted, surprised, and so proud of himself. These little mundane things seem to bring him so much joy and I can’t help but feel excited as well. I mean, when was the last time you got giddy over being able to grab and pull toilet paper off a roll for miles? Toddler-hood is amazing.