growing up

In less than a month, Stella will be 1 1/2 and Hudson will be turning 4. It's hard to believe my 1st baby is turning 4. What a weird thing to feel. Anyway, it seems only necessary to talk about who they are right now, cause they are totally amazing people.

Hudson has been going through a bit of a challenging phase, pushing limits and testing me whenever possible. He's been practicing saying the word "no", and i would say he's gotten pretty darn good at it. We had a couple rough weeks, and he now seems to be coming out the other side a bit. Thanks to some great advice from some good moms who've been there before, I changed my tactic (as did Andy - we are a team, after all) and Hudson has responded pretty well. He did have a few rough time outs, but there's been a noticeable change so that is a victory! Otherwise he is such a phenomenal person. He loves to play, and his imagination is the highlight of all. Everything he does and/or plays with takes on a life of it's own, and he loves making up stories and characters. He's also begun to love playing with Stella, which is fun for me! He's still learning how strong he is (especially compared to her), but he wants her to join him often during play time, and certainly keeps track of where she is if she's not near him! When I pick he and Stella up from the daycare at our gym (we are lucky enough to go to a nice gym/club) the ladies watching them are always telling me how nice the kids are, how sweet hudson is with Stella, and how great they both are in general. So i guess he's just always going to be great when i'm not around! No, he is a good kid around me as well. Very sweet, sensitive, considerate, kind and gentle (when he wants to be). He does have a lot of energy, but hey, HE'S THREE. :) His vocabulary is astounding, and he loves being around people very much. Very social, outgoing, happy, and boy does the kid get tan in that sun!! We have been spending a lot of time outside, and he has the gorgeous tan to prove it (even with the 50 sunscreen he ALWAYS wears). He's wearing mostly size 4T or 5T, size 12 shoes, and sleeps from about 7:30 - 6/6:30, plus a nap in the afternoon. There are definitely days i need a break from him, but there is never a day i don't want to be without him. He's my guy, and I Love him to the moon and back, over and over.

Stella is changing almost every day it seems, and is our beautiful, sweet princess. She has such beauty both inside and out (just like her brother), and her demeanor leaves you wanting to hug and kiss her all the time. OK maybe i'm her mom and that's why i feel that way, but I just love this girl. She and her brother could not be more opposite in some ways, but they are alike in others for sure. The last couple weeks she seems to be changing into a toddler - acting more like a terrible two in some ways, but different than what we saw with Hudson. She copies him a lot, and it's hard to ask Hudson not to do something because then Stella does it. So we're navigating that, and will continue to see how she changes in the coming months. She is pretty much running now, and wants to do all the big boy stuff she watches. Just the other day Hudson was diving into the pool (more like sliding into the kiddie pool, but don't tell him that), and Stella tried to do it as well. Only she stepped into the pool, put her face in the water (just a little), then stood up, looked at me and clapped for herself. Yea, it was cute. And yes, i clapped too. She is continuing to expand her vocabulary, and is saying more things clearly. She now says please and thank you, and you can hear her copy many words once big brother says them. There is never a question of what she wants, and that has been the case since the beginning. She somehow has a way of letting you know exactly what she does or doesn't want. Right now she's sleeping from about 7pm to 5:30 or 6am (yes, i know, I'm exhausted just writing that), and she'll take about a 1 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon, and maybe a cat nap in the morning. She is eating more these days, and loves things like avocado, goldfish, watermelon, and cheese. She's true to her size, wearing 12-18 month clothes, size 5 shoe, size 3 diaper. I have to say she looks adorable in everything we dress her in, and has a saunter about the way she walks that just makes you smile. She's a doll, despite the toddler behavior i see coming out more every day. :)