someone's listening

My friend Manda gave me a cd of some children's songs about Jesus. I've been playing it in the car while Hudson and I run errands. I know that he loves music, but I discovered today that he's actually listening to the words. A song came on that talks about all the animals and guests that were in the stable where Jesus was born. One of the lines says, "Baa, baa says the sheep. Baaaa!" Hudson heard that line and then started saying, "baa, baa, baa." Later on a song talked about the flowers that God made, and he made the sign for flower.

Turns out that someone's actually listening to what's going on, not just idly sitting by. Guess I'm going to have to make sure that my words are constantly edifying!

rainy day

Today we had a morning rain shower. It was a perfect opportunity to introduce Hudson to rain. I try to teach him signs to use until he's capable of speaking, and he picked up the sign for rain pretty quickly--probably because he was experiencing it! It's funny, rain is normally something that makes me feel kind of mopey and melancholy, but this rain shower made me feel so invigorated. I guess you forget how invigorating a rain shower can be when you don't take time to play in it.

I'm glad that so far I'm letting Hudson learn by experiencing things. I don't want to hold him back just because it might get messy. I guess this kind of goes along with the idea that we want to be "safe." Jesus doesn't call us to a "safe" life. I really want to be completely spent up at the end of my life because I've been passionately pursuing my God. I hope this for our son, too.

playing ball

This was written two weeks ago:

Last night Kyle and I had the joy of playing catch with the football with Hudson. Kyle had worked later than normal, so we let Hudson stay up a little later. We had him pass the ball back and forth between the two of us. He laughed and smiled and clapped for himself the whole time.

There's something so incredibly fulfilling just playing with your child. I never knew that tossing a little sponge football could be so entertaining. God has truly blessed us with this inquisitive, busy little boy.

copy cat

Today I noticed that when I opened the fridge, Hudson looked in and bent over, put his hands on his knees, and peered inside. I thought that this was really funny. I mentioned my observation to Kyle and Lana, my mother-in-law. They both laughed and told me that I do that when I look in the fridge. I guess Hudson's progressing just like he should be. Check mimicking parents' actions off the list!

After a cold and windy weekend it was so nice to be able to play outside with Hudson today. We walked out the front door, and as we were walking away, Moses started scratching at the window. I decided that Moses should be able to enjoy the front yard, too. So Hudson and I went inside and grabbed his leash. I never expected Hudson to enjoy this so much.

I'll add pictures later, but it was absolutely priceless. Hudson held onto the red handle and laughed and laughed. He was practically running down our sloped driveway. I must confess I was a little nervous that he was going to fall on the pavement. He did, but that's okay. He has a little bump and scratch on his head, but he's tough. He cried for a few seconds, then he got back up and started running with the leash again. Moses was a good sport. We'll see if Moses' patience continues, because I'm sure that Hudson will want to do this again.

flowers, learning, and growing

A couple of weeks ago I cleaned out the front flower beds and planted some pansies. Yes, I am aware that pansies are cool weather plants and we're headed into warm weather. They were 75% off, and I am terrible at keeping plants alive. So, better to try something cheap then blow a lot of money on something that I'll kill. Anyway, the pansies are thriving quite nicely. I even remembered to water them today. Shocker!

As I watered the pansies, Hudson watched from his view from my hip. We were both still in our pajamas, so I didn't want to put him down on the sidewalk in just his sock feet. I love that Hudson has learned his sign for the word flower. He crinkles up his nose and sniffs. It's really cute. Most days when we walk out the front door, he bends over with his little bottom up in the air and proceeds to sniff the flowers. I enjoy watching him do it every time. I think I'm even a little disappointed if he doesn't. So I guess being a stay-at-home mom has encouraged me to "Take time to smell the flowers." Bad joke, I know.

It's so amazing to watch children learn. They're like little sponges just waiting to absorb whatever is surrounding them. I loved these sponge/light bulb moments as a teacher, and obviously as a parent these moments are even more thrilling. Today when Hudson and I were looking at one of his picture books I asked him, "Where's the flower?" He in response signed, "Where?" and then his eyes scoured the page. His little hand reached up and tapped the picture of the flower. He's done this before, but it was such a blissful moment for me as mom/teacher. I could ask him about several objects, and he could identify them all. Well, at least until he got bored with that page and needed to move on. That's okay, though. I enjoyed it while it lasted.

We had several "growing up" moments today. I told him that we needed to wash hands before he ate lunch. We walked back to the bathroom, his little hand in mine. He dipped his own spoon into his container of applesauce at lunch. He can go look for his shoes when I've told him to get them so he can go outside. He talks to me all the time, even though I have no idea what language he's speaking. (I think the language is derived from the letter d, though.) He's truly a little toddler now, not a baby. What a precious gift and great responsibility, to experience life with a moldable human being.

That child-rasing responsibility can be scary and overwhelming sometimes. Kyle and I pray that Hudson will grow to love God's Word. As I study the book of John is BSF I am reminded over and over again that if you love God, then you'll love and obey His Word. But how can I love and obey His Word if I don't spend time studying it? And how can I expect my son to love God's Word unless he sees it reflected in my own life? Yes, Hudson is a precious gift because he brings us joy. But he also has been a part of the awakening for the need for abundant Scripture in my own life.

So, hopefully we'll have many more days like today. Days where I see learning happening. Days where I see my son growing up. Days where my son causes me to reflect on glorifying God in my own life. I love being home with Hudson. It's absolutely worth it.

Reason to blog

Hudson's first birthday was Sunday. Most people say things like:

"I can't believe it's been a year!"

"Time has just flown by."

"It just doesn't seem right that he's already a year old."

Kyle and I smile and acknowledge these comments. There is definitely truth behind them. Time has flown by, and it's hard to believe he's one year old. But, we've seen a lot of growth in Hudson this past year, and it would be odd if he wasn't one year old!

As I rocked him to sleep the other night, staring at that precious face and sweet little mouth, I reflected on the various events of the past year. And I must confess I became a little sad and guilty. Not because I want him to be a baby forever. Not because I miss him being a little "wad" that curls up in my arm (even though I do). I was sad because I didn't remember as much of it as I wanted to. Everyone tells you to take pictures and record video so you can remember. And most new parents think, "That won't be me. I won't ever forget what this new baby is like." And then it happens to you. You don't remember each little sweet sound that comes out of that precious mouth. You don't remember where or exactly when each "first" took place. You become the parent that you thought you wouldn't be.

So after thinking about this, I decided that I must become a more active blogger. Not for the world to read about my precious little boy (even though he's quite amazing), but for me. And for Kyle. We need to document these seemingly insignificant moments because they have brought us so much joy.

So, here's to more blogging. Here's to remembering. Here's to chronicling our lives as we now know them so that we'll have something to refresh our memory when we're old and gray.