I'm a big boy... 2-5/11

Hudson,

You are 2 years and 10 months old here, but you look 5! I showed your Aunt Shannon this picture and she was like, "He looks so much older!" You have always looked like a little man, since you were a baby. Look, you have one amazing head of hair, like your Daddy. You had a full head of hair at 11 or 12 months old, which made you look older. I look at some of your baby pictures and I wish I would have put you in more smocked baby clothes, because you always look so much older in all your pictures. You are growing so fast and I want to freeze time, because you are absolutely precious right now - MY BABY! You will always be my baby.

Hudson, you also have always been very physically advanced. Your Father and I are not the only ones who notice this. You grew fast, you had a mouth full of teeth quickly, you crawled fast and you walked fast. You were always at the top of the charts for height and weight. You have a friend named Coco, she is in your class. You met Coco when you all were about 8 months old in Kindermusik class, although you wouldn't remember, haha. You all were reunited at 2 years old at Saint Michael and All Angel school. Coco was always so small and dainty. I remember her in music class and she was learning how to crawl and she was so tiny. Her Mamma, Rachel, said to me the other day, "I remember Hudson in that first music class, he was like walking talking and had a mouth full of teeth and Coco was still tiny!" You have always bee physically advanced. We shall see what that means in the future.

I love you my love, Mamma

Ahoy Thar Matey! 2-6-11

Hudson,

We went to Anna Melihercik's 3rd birthday party today. You were precious! The theme was "pirates and princesses." I was not sure if you would dress up, but you were totally into it. You put on an eye patch, a pirates hat and a vest. You had a great time and walked around with your sword, showing off your cool outfit. Lately, you have been more into dressing up. This has changed as time's gone by. When you were younger, you did not want to wear hats and sunglasses, now you do. Also, just this October, you would not put your Halloween outfit on for your school Halloween party. You were the only one without a costume on. You threw a fit the morning before school and you would not put it on for anything. You wanted to be obstinate, which is common - your obstinance. You did finally wear your costume for trick or treating that night and you had a blast! You were a rock star (of course) and you can read all about this in a hand written journal that I wrote for you from 2009 to 2010.

Anyhow, you are into pirates. We play pirates at the park and you think it is a blast. We pretend the jungle gym is a ship and the sand is the sea. You are the captain of the ship (of course) and I am the second mate. We fight other pirates with fake swords (sticks) and we dig up treasure before the other pirates can find it. You say, "Let's bury the treasure," and we'll take it on the ship and hide it. The treasure is a pile of wood chips. One day I just started pretending I was a pirate and I did not know that you would be that into it - but you were. You played right along. We say things like, "Argggg," and "Ahoy thar matey." You are precious!

We've also read "How I Became a Pirate" for a long time now. We have read it over and over. It is about a little boy, Jeremy Jacob, who leaves his family for the day to become a pirate. Here is the amazing part - there is always something amazing that you do Hudson. This book is for older children. There are a long paragraphs and big words. You have memorized some of the lines and know the story well. You are not even 3. In the beginning, the pirates sing, "Hey ho, blow the man down." You were singing that part after the first few times we read it. Then, one day in the car, you kept saying, 'No, this is North Beach," and I was trying to make out what you were saying, and I finally got it. I could not believe it! This was like a year ago. You were so young! You had gotten that line from the book when the head pirate comes up to Jeremy Jacob and says, "Ahor thar matey, be this the Spanish main," and Jeremy says, "No, this is North Beach." Amazing you are Hudson Squires!

I love you my little pirate.... Mamma

Bye Bye Boppys 2/6/11

My Baby,
OK, this is a toughie. Mommy hurts for you. It is so very difficult to see you lose something so important and comforting to you. You love your "boppys." When I say, love, I mean LOVE. They are a source of comfort for you and they even make putting you to bed easy. You can't wait to get into your crib to get to your boppys. Lately, you have been calling them "boppas." You have been sucking on boppys since you were about a month old. I remember going to the drugstore and I bought like five different ones until you took to one style, and you did.

I thought I would get rid of them by your first birthday. Everyone said it is easier early on, but your first birthday came and went and the boppys were still with us. Then, I said, "By 2, we have to let the boppys go." Your second birthday came and went. At this point and very early on, you only used them for sleeping. I would not allow you to take them out of your crib, so honestly, I saw no harm in letting you have them as your special comfort item and there was no harm. I would do it again. Babies have a natural tendency to suck. It's mother nature. So, as your life went on during your 2nd year, Daddy and I knew the boppys probably had to go by your 3rd birthday. The thought of taking them away was unbearable. You truly love them. You have always slept with two. You hold one and suck one and you will exchange them over and over. You would climb in that crib and they were like a drug! I kept saying to Daddy, "I so hope this takes its natural course and he gives them up on his own." Daddy has been mentioning the "boppy fairy" for months. We have told you that you are a getting to be a big boy and the boppy fairy comes and takes them to babies in need. Also, I had kept the same two in your crib for a long time. They were getting old. You had been wearing them out and biting on them. They were getting holes, which makes them less appealing.

.....and so, a few days ago, you completely tore a hole in one of them. I had put you to bed and you kept saying, "Mamma, Mamma (you do this every night after I finally say night night, I love you and leave)." I went in and you said, "Mamma, one of my boppys broke." I said, "Baby, I am so sorry. We don't have any more. These are the last two." You were not happy about this. I said, "Baby, you can hold that one and suck on the other one that works."

The next morning I walked in and we said good morning and you looked at me with the saddest, sweetest face and said, "You can have this boppy. It doesn't work." Oh, my heart broke!

The next night, we were reading books before night night and you said, "Mamma, I don't want the boppy fairy to come." Again, broke my heart. So sad!

You slept with your other one for a few nights and it was breaking. You were about to rip a massive hole in that one too. You said to me before night night, "Mamma, we can go to the store and buy two more boppys." Truly, it was hard not to give you one right there, but I held strong for you my love. We went in your room and you said, "Mamma, I am not going to sleep with my other boppy either." You sounded so defeated. I was so sad for you. I gave you a pep talk and told you that I knew how much you loved your boppys and I knew how hard it was, but that this meant you were getting to be a big boy. I also told you that I had boppys when I was younger and I loved them too, but I got to be a big girl and I did not need them anymore. (Mamma actually sucked her thumb until she was very old. Don't ask what age. Your Gidi and Siti put yucky stuff on my thumbs and I finally stopped sucking them! Poor me!).

My love, loss is never easy, however, it is a part of life. This was a major loss for you. Probably your first big one and so my heart was breaking for you. I know in my heart that it was the best thing for you and that you had to let them go. I was happy it happened naturally. Sometimes, you have to let the things go that you love. It is not easy, but it is the best thing for you. You always grow after a loss. You learn and you become stronger. I found a beautiful quote for you:

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." ~Kahlil Gibran

Kahlil Gibran is a Lebanese American poet, writer and artist born in 1883. He is chiefly known for "The Prophet," which he wrote in 1923. I want you to read this when you are older. It is a series of philosophical essays and it so beautifully written. Gibran is the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu and he was Lebanese, like you and your Mamma's side!


This was taken February 13, 2009. You were 10 months old. We were on an airplane, on our way to Colorado Springs. You looked like such a big boy already. You always looked like a little man. Your boppys were key on airplanes when you were younger!



This was June 27, 2008. You were 2 months old. Look at my baby! Beautiful, sweet, an angel from above. I remember that outfit so well. Your love affair with your boppys started early. You would fall asleep on the couch with your boppys in that position.

Daddy and Mamma love you so much my love.

Super Bowl Sunday 2/6/11 - You're my Super Bowl

Hudson,

Today was Super Bowl Sunday. One of the biggest days of the year. The Super Bowl was held here in the Dallas Fort Worth area, in Arlington, at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. It's been the buzz for a year now and it's finally here. Lots of Hollywood stars and big name athletes are expected all week. Super Bowl parties and tickets are hot. Daddy sold a lot of tickets to the Super Bowl and kept two tickets for himself and Mamma. Tickets were NOT cheap - we could have sold ours early on for $5000 ($2,500 ea). Who knows how much Super Bowl tickets will be by the time you are a grown man. Maybe $5000 will be cheap, which is crazy.

Super Bowl week did not start off well. We had a major snow storm - one of the biggest in the history of Dallas. This is very bad luck for the NFL and Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones. Both were banking on good weather. It's really sad because Dallas has very mild temperatures during the winter and it's one of the more positive things about this city. So, it was a big bummer. Ice, snow, plane delays, and road delays - a mess! You were out of school all week. It's nuts because it was 75 degrees one day and a blizzard the next. Can't beat mother nature.

Daddy and I went to a Super Bowl party on Saturday night at the Crescent Hotel. Daddy ran into some of his friends. We had fun!

The day of Super Bowl rolled around and Mommy bailed on Daddy. It might sound crazy Hud, but I knew it was going to be a mess. Jerry was trying to break the record for most people at a Super Bowl. It's kind of like when you live in New York City, you avoid Times Square on New Year's Eve. Plus, I have been to a Super Bowl, so I was OK watching at home in HDTV and letting Daddy go have fun, although I was kind of wishing I was there a time or two while watvhing it at home on the couch. Oh well. I'd be OK. Hudson, my life sure has changed. In the past, I would never have given up Super Bowl tickets. I have loved sports my whole life and love these kinds of events. Now, I am happy to stay home and get to bed early. Mother hood does this to you. I used to be just getting started at 9:00 pm. Someday, when you are a Father, you will understand. You realize Super Bowls, parties and staying out late are not what make you happy and that sleep is precious.

I was sad that I was going to miss the Black Eyed Peas, who were playing at half, with Usher! Daddy had a great time and I was so glad that he went. He had great seats too and ended up sitting by his dear friend, Tom Beusse. The lines were hours long, but somehow Daddy avoided them and walked right in. Studly Daddy! Our neighbors said they waited two hours to get in. Jerry sold standing tickets outside. You could pay $400 to stand outside of the stadium and watch the game on a big screen. Can you imagine? Who does this? To each his own. Some people REALLY wanted to be there. It definitely made for more chaos. Jerry Jones likes everything bigger, but remember, pigs get slaughtered. There ended up being lots of controversy - 800 paying fans had there seats taken from them because the Fire Marshall randomly declared the seats unsafe...and Jerry didn't even end up breaking the record after all that.

While Daddy was at the Super Bowl, you and I walked to one of our favorite parks, Teddy Bear Park, and explored the trails. We had a great time throwing rocks into the water and talking to our favorite teddy bear statues. When you woke up from your nap, we played, laughed and wrestled on the bed. You were so truly sweet. You told me you loved me while we were snuggling, and I thought, "You're my Super Bowl."

I love you amore mio, Mamma

Sports Note: The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV (45). Aaron Rodgers, 27, was the QB for the Pack and the MVP. Ben Roethlisberger, 28 was the QB for the Steelers.


While Daddy was at the Super Bowl, we explored the trail along Turtle Creek and threw rocks.





This was a testament of the huge snow storm that occurred before the Super Bowl. These giant icicles were still underneath the roots of this massive tree a week after the storm.

Daddy had fun at Super Bowl 45... Yay for Daddy!

Daddy's friend, Tom Beusse, is on the left, and Matt Wood (Head of the Olympic committee in Dallas) is on the right of Daddy.


Daddy had great seats.


Oh those famous cheerleaders...


Packers vs Steelers


Daddy and Mommy at a pre Super Bowl party at The Crescent Hotel.




Daddy brought you an awesome Super Bowl jersey. You wore it to school the next day. You were so proud of it!

Snow Day # 4 - 02/04/11

This morning we woke up to lots and lots of snow. It looked like a winter wonderland. You woke up and I said, "I have a surprise for you." We went and looked out the window and it was beautiful. Everything was covered with fluffy, white snow. You were so excited. This has been a crazy week weather wise. It was almost 75 degrees here 5 days ago and today it looks like a ski town. This is the worst week for this to happen because the Super Bowl is here in Dallas. I am sure the NFL was hoping for beautiful, mild weather, which is very possible in Dallas during the winter, but the weather gods were not having it. I am not sure the NFL will choose Dallas again to host the Super Bowl!

After breakfast, we all got geared up and took a walk around the block with the doggies. You ran outside and grabbed the snow and threw it exclaiming, "snowball fight!" Your little hands were so cold when we came inside, I was worried! I put a big blanket on you and gave you some hot chocolate. You were so excited about the hot chocolate.

Later in the day, we went sledding. There is a great hill close to our house. There were lot of kids sledding. You had an absolute ball. Daddy and I took turns going down the hill with you. You were not quite ready to go alone. After you would go down, you would say, "Again, again!" It was so much fun! Happy snow day. xoxo Mamma




















Hot chocolate lips. You had just spilled your first hot chocolate on the couch and mommy made you sit at the table for our next round. Look how beautiful your lips are!


How precious are you in your long johns!

Snow Day #3 - 02/3/11

Hudson,

Today is February 3, 2011. You and I have been together every hour the whole week. It has been freezing all week, school was canceled and there is a sheet of ice over Dallas. It's all crazy because it was 75 and sunny just 5 days ago. The weather here is nuts. I thought the weather was crazy in Oklahoma, but I am finding out, it is nuts here too. Hot one day, freezing the next. We have had a fun week. It has been challenging at times because we've been stuck in the house. I have cabin fever. We have not been able to get out much and you tire Mommy out. I am your playmate. You say, "Mommy, come play" all day. If I am not playing with you, you say, "I need a friend." Oh, it breaks my heart. I love love love playing with you and spending so much time with you, but I need more breaks than you. You are a robot. You go non stop. You have so much energy my love. You wake up ready to go. It's no wonder I am so skinny! We have spent a lot of time in your music room, listening to music, playing guitars, banging on drums. We have listened to U2, the Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson, Enrique Iglesias, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Lady Antebellum, Justin Bieber and various other artists. We bundled up and played in the back yard - we broke ice cycles, dug for dinosaur bones, played pirates and chopped up the ice. We ate lunch at the Highland Park Pharmacy two days in a row. You got bouncy balls and gum balls, your favorite thing to get there. We really needed to get out of the house.

I told you that I really wanted the sun to come out so that it would be a little warmer. You said, "Why Mommy? It's the winter time. It's suppose to be cold." You said this to me! How smart are you? You are only 2 yrs and 10 mos old. How do you know how to say all this? Using the word "suppose" and telling me what winter is like. You fascinate me. You smart, smart boy.

Tonight, I needed a little break and I really wanted to go to yoga. So, We went to the gym. The gym has a kid's play area where you can stay while I workout. You were not happy. You cried and you were mad. You did not want to stay in there. I felt so bad, but I knew you would be OK. I came to get you after yoga and the girl that worked there said you were fine right after I left. She did say you wouldn't take your coat off and you kept saying, "Mamma is going to be right back." You sweet, precious baby! I always tell you that I am never far away, that I will always always be there to take care of you and that I am always close by. This will always be the case my love.

After bath time tonight, you were singing a song, and I said, "You are a beautiful boy," and you said, "You are a beautiful girl, Mamma." OH GOD! I love you. You are my heart and soul. xoxo Mamma




The ground was covered in ice and you were taking the shovel and breaking it apart. You said you were digging for dinosaur bones.

"It Ain't Me Babe" Johnny Cash 02/2/11

Hudson,

We listen to music and dance everyday, as you have already read a hundred times. We "jam" out. I try to expose you to all different genres - hip hop, rock and roll, country, techno, ethnic, and so on. We have been listening to a lot of the late great Johnny Cash. You like him so much! So does mommy. I taught you how to hold the guitar like he does, and I will say, "Johnny Cash" and you will hold it like he did. Let's remember you are not even three! Amazing, you are Hudson! He was the nicknamed "The Man in Black" because he always wore dark performance clothing. He was known for his deep, distinctive bass-baritone voice and the boom-chicka-boom freight train sound of his Tennessee Three backing band. I love Johnny Cash because he had empathy for life's underdogs, as I do. He might have been one of the coolest guys ever. I like his themes of sorrow, redemption and moral tribulation, because we all experience these themes throughout life. We are all human. No one man is better than another.

The lyrics in his song "Man in Black" explain why he wore black -

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, But is there because he's a victim of the times.

How about "A boy Named Sue." Great song. A rather funny, but dark song. "And he said: Son, this world is rough and if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough..."

We also listen to "Folsum Prison Blues." Cash performed the song at Folsum Prison itself on January 13, 1968. The song was history after that and it become one of his signature songs.

We also listen to "Walk the Line," "Jackson," "Ring of Fire," and other classics.

We were listening to "It Ain't me Babe" written by the immeasurable Bob Dylan in 1964. Dylan and Cash admired one another, and with Dylan's blessing, Cash recorded the song with June Carter in 1965. You were playing the piano, singing the lyrics verbatim, "It ain't me babe, no, no, no, it ain't me babe. It ain't me your looking for, babe." It's unbelievable. You are 2 yrs and 10 mos old. You have a gift Hudson. I love you amore mio, Mamma