It is obvious that Hudson knows a baby is coming. Hudson has never ever taken a pacifier because he has always sucked his thumb. But when I was sterilizing and washing pacifiers the other day, Hudson decided he wanted one. I decided the most drama-free way to handle it would just be to let him have the paci and kind of ignore him. The only time he wants the pacifier in his mouth is when he wears this silly Halloween glasses that he got last year! It’s his “costume” and he runs around with the glasses and this pacifier at least once a day. Pretty sure he knows a baby is coming.

We decided to do a really fun, special weekend for Hudson this weekend. We live in Columbia and there is a wonderful zoo and a great children’s museum, but because I’m not getting around all that well these days and it’s already flipping hot, we decided to do something different.

We wanted to give him a fun weekend since he’ll be a big brother soon and even though he won’t even remember not having a brother, TC and I want to cherish this time with having just one child and hold on to him and his baby-ness as long as possible.

Someone suggested we take Hudson to Build-A- Bear. I had never done Build-A-Bear before, but I thought he might like it. I also wondered if he’d be too young to really get it. But we went. Hudson was pretty mesmerized when he saw all the bears and other stuffed animal options on the wall!

As soon as we got there, the salesperson gave Hudson a sticker. And boy, was he proud of his sticker. He really didn’t want to pay attention to anything else other than his sticker the rest of the time we were there. She could have given him a page of stickers and he would have been absolutely content.

Despite trying to talk Hudson into getting a stuffed puppy, he chose the stuffed monkey. He loves those monkeys!

He did pick out a heart for the monkey, but wasn’t interested in finding the monkey anything to wear. We walked around for a long time looking at all the different outfit options, but he just wasn’t into it. Todd and I kept joking about how we’d come to Build-A-Bear to build ourselves a monkey because Hudson couldn’t have cared less!

He ended up seeing a black “Save the Animals” t-shirt for the monkey to wear that had a panda on it. He loves pandas and kept saying “hey, panda bear” over and over again. So, we got a “Save the Animals” t-shirt for the monkey and named the monkey “Panda Bear.” He loved the part at the end where he got to play on the computer while TC and I made a birth certificate for the monkey. I forgot to take a picture of Panda Bear the monkey.

After the Build-A-Bear experience, we went to Chick-fil-A to pick up lunch and took it to the park near our house to have  fun picnic and let Hudson play. He and TC played for a long time on the fun jungle gym until Hudson could barely walk he was so tired.

We had a great weekend and just soaked up as much time with our baby boy as we could!

My dear Hudson,

You turned 22 months old on April 5. The next time I write one of these letters to you, you’ll be a big brother! But that doesn’t mean you have to grow up any faster.

I love that you assert your independence as an almost 2-year-old, but still ask me to hold you and give you kisses. This age is such a fun age with you. I know I say that every single month and it does seem like each month only gets more and more fun as you learn to do more and say more.

You are so observant and I am still convinced that you have some kind of photographic memory. You have the entire book Goodnight Moon memorized. We hear you reading it to yourself in the monitor at night after we’ve read it to you. You almost have all of Green Eggs and Ham memorized, too.

The entire cast of Sesame Street are your absolute favorites. You love to name them all and talk about them. The giant Elmo that KK gave you has to be right next to you in bed every night and sometimes you drag him around the house talking to him. The other day you said, “Did Elmo poo poo? Elmo need a change?” I thought it was hilarious.

You still love your ABCs and love to call out letters when you see them on street signs, license plates, and signs on buildings. Your favorite, though, is H-U-D-S-O-N.

You are still going to school two days a week and your favorite time at school is circle time when you all sit in a circle and sing songs. You get in the car every day singing “Twinkle Twinkle,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Jesus Loves Me”, and “Wheels on the Bus.” You also love to sing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song and the Hot Dog song. You really are a happy kid.

You are one hundred percent boy and love cars, trucks, tractor, fire trucks, garbage trucks, and any other heavy machinery. You love being outside and climbing things.

You have recently really started loving to color. I got you a big sketch pad and some twist top Crayons and you will sit and try to write your letters and draw pictures of the dogs. You love naming all of the colors and saying, “Do you see the green?” Or “Do you see the pink?”

I am afraid you have a bit of a bossy streak. You are always telling the dogs to hush and get in their kennels. And yesterday at school you were telling one of your friends to stop crying while he waited for his mommy to get there.

This month we’ve talked a lot about Easter, the Easter bunny, and Easter eggs, but we’ve also told you about Jesus on the cross and how much He loves you, Hudson. I hope that you always know how much He loves you and that you continue to grow to love Jesus, too. That is my biggest prayer.

I am so excited about watching you become a big brother to sweet little Hayes. I can’t wait to see the things that you teach him and show him. I can’t wait to see how different the two of you will be and see your similarities.

We love you so much and are so proud of you!

Love,

Mommy

Clothes: 2T shorts, 3T shirts, and 3T John Johns and longalls

Diaper: Size 6 (time for potty!)

Shoes: Size 7

Weight: 32 pounds

A few days ago, I got a comment that asked why an almost 2-year-old like Hudson needs to go to school and the commenter suggested that I am a SAHM so he doesn’t have to or need to go to school.

So I thought I would talk about it here. Why Hudson goes to school, the benefits of going to school for him and for me. If you can even call three hours a day, two days a week “school.”

thanks to Emily and Cate for the “I Heart Tulsa” tee shirt!

When I first found out that our church offered a week day program and it started for one year olds, I was so excited. Two days a week for three hours a day, Hudson could go play with his friends, sing songs, do crafts, and get some socialization. And I have never regretted that decision for a second.

As a stay-at-home-mom, I understand my responsibilities of raising my child(ren), maintaining the home, etc. I also have found ways to keep myself plugged in with the community and involved in church while maintaining friendships and other responsibilities. These things are good for me. Just like going to school and seeing his friends is good for Hudson.

I want him to be prepared for kindergarten even though that’s a ways off. By going to school twice a week, Hudson knows the names of all of his friends. He knows how to line up and walk down the hall single file. He knows how to follow directions and do what is expected of him. And, to me, those are all wonderful little lessons to learn.

One of the most important things is that getting out of the house, listening to another “authority” figure, and getting a change of scenery and some interaction makes Hudson appreciate things at home more. He is so happy on school days. He isn’t bored at home or bored with me. He loves his toys and loves playing with me.

I’m not saying that the days that we don’t have school are rough. But we get really creative with how we spend our time in order to drag out fun activities and keep things interesting.

I want to teach Hudson things and play with him and be the loving, supportive mommy that he needs. But I also know that he needs to get those things from other adults, too. He needs to know that teachers care about him and want to keep him safe. He needs to know that he can trust other adults and have those experiences other than just on Sunday mornings in the nursery.

Hudson is adaptable because of school and I just love to watch him wave goodbye to his friends and call them by their names.

While Hudson is at school, I have an opportunity to run around and take care of some of my chores, answer emails, return phone calls, take care of some of my volunteer responsibilities, and take some time for me. If Hudson wasn’t at school, I’d be trying to sneak these things in during our day at home. I want to be able to give him my undivided attention when he is at home, so having a few hours where he is well cared for and having fun gives me an opportunity to get some things done.

If you are a stay-at-home-mom and have an opportunity to send your child to a Mother’s Day Out type program or a preschool where they go for a few hours a week, I highly recommend it. I can’t say that Hudson is going to be the smartest or the brightest because of this decision, but I know that for right now it works wonderfully for us and he is a happy little boy.

So, unapologetically, I am a stay-at-home-mom who sends my child to “school” for six hours a week. For his benefit and for mine.