One Year Letter to Huddy D!

Dear Hudson,

Hudson you have been such a dream baby. You are my world and I cannot get enough of you. This last year has been a tough one but you have been such a pleasure through it all. You are my rock and you know exactly how to cheer me up. Thank you for being exactly what I needed.

The most frequent word used to describe you is chill. It is used by everybody. People who have known you a short time even use it. You have been so easy going and patient. At least up until lately, you have discovered that if you whine for it you'll get what you want faster haha. But for at least eleven months of your first year you have been the most chill baby I know. You hardly cried and just went with the flow.

You love people and you want to be included in everything. You're social and you give the biggest smiles freely. You love everyone and you have a favorite: me. You are definitely a mama's boy and I love it. I'm your person and you make me feel so special. I prayed so hard to get you here and was so blessed to finally get you. You are my miracle baby. At twenty weeks I saw that you were cuddled next to the umbilical cord and from that night on I prayed for your safety. I made your daddy pray for you too and I kept praying every night for a full month concerning the cord. Slowly my worries went away and out of my mind until I saw you being laid on me shortly after birth purple in the face. The cord was wrapped around your neck four times with a knot in it and I was reminded of all those nights where my prayers were specifically focused on your safety. You were surely watched over. I'm so grateful that you made it here and I'm forever indebted to our Heavenly Father for keeping you safe even after I had stopped praying and even forgot about that cord.

You have been the perfect addition to our family. You don't sleep through the night but I know that these years are limited so I'll try to embrace every moment with you that I can. Happy Birthday little man. I love you oh so much.

Wishes For Hudson

Huddy buddy is now six months old! He turned six months old on Friday and is now halfway to being one! He's getting bigger and stronger and I love his personality. I've been told by several people that he's just a chill baby. Even before I started getting those comments from others this was something that I already knew about him. It's almost like he knew he was going to need patience coming into a small family with a toddler. He spent his first four months of life being constantly sick but he was still full of cheeky smiles. Lately he's also started laughing at the things that his sister Addie does. It's really cute because you can tell how much he already likes her. He's doing really great with sitting up and he's trying so hard to crawl. He's not exactly crawling yet but he does get around. He scoots and rolls to whatever he wants and I have a feeling that he'll be officially crawling in the near future. Also one of my favorite milestones happened just a few days before he turned six months old . . . he says MAMA! I love it! It's his first word and it makes me so happy! He's such a sweet boy and is always smiling. Even when he's sad he'll still give you a little smile in between his little whimpers. Goodness I love this kid.

Hudson is easygoing and is finally sleeping great throughout the day. It turns out that he'd rather put himself to sleep. He self taught himself how to soothe himself. He lets you know when he's tired but he prefers not to be rocked to sleep, instead he just wants to be placed in his crib and left alone. It's bittersweet. It's what every parent says they want but now that we have it I miss the snuggles that come with rocking him. He does let me rock him for bedtime but there have been a couple times where even then he'll fuss until I put him down in his crib where he'll put himself to sleep on his own. This last weekend he did have a low grade fever so he shared some cuddles with me and is back to being his easygoing self. He's loved so much by our family and fits in perfectly. Hudson we love you and are so happy to spend the rest of eternity with you.

At six months old Danny and I both sit down and write down our "hopes" for our babies. One day I hope Hudson looks back on these with a smile.

HOPES FOR HUDSON FROM MOMMY

I hope that you – attract goodness.

I hope you aren’t afraid – to stand up for others. Be a voice that uplifts those around you.

I hope you love – your family. We already love you so much. Also if you turn out to be a mama's boy I wouldn't mind it. :)

I hope you laugh – at yourself. Life is easier to those who can learn to laugh at themselves and move forward.

I hope you never forget – God. He'll never forget you.

I hope you ignore – temptations. Life is full of them. Learn early in life how to ignore them.

I hope you become – the best version of yourself.

I hope you respect – your leaders. You will be asked to do difficult things in your lifetime. My advice is to respect, listen and heed the council of your leaders.

I hope you grow – up to be a gentleman. Chivalry is becoming a rare trait in society but I hope you embody what it means to be a gentleman.

HOPES FOR HUDSON FROM DADDY

I hope that you – treat your mother and sister with respect. Always.

I hope you aren’t afraid – of giving your best effort.

I hope you love – learning. I hope that at school you can soak in everything you can. I hope you enjoy learning and exploring the beautiful world where we live.

I hope you laugh – at farts. Or when you make mistakes.

I hope you never forget – the things your parents have done and will do for you.

I hope you ignore – when people say negative things about you or family members.

I hope you become – a missionary.

I hope you respect – all people.

I hope you grow – up.

Happy six months little man!

Dear Son

Hudson,

I wasn't exactly planning on a December baby when we first started trying for you. In fact I wanted you here months earlier but I can't complain because I'm just so happy to finally have you in my arms. You're my first born son and I'm so excited for the possibilities that is your future.

You are the answer to many of my prayers. You are also the answer to prayers I didn't know I needed to say. I had no idea that you were going to be tangled in cords or that there would be a knot in it. I would've been a wreck this entire pregnancy had I known so I'm thankful you were watched over.

You're ten days old so this next thought might be a little premature but I'll say it anyway, I have a feeling you're a mama's boy. I love it. You find comfort in my arms and I find comfort holding you. It would be nice however to lay you down at night in your own bassinet but I know this phase of sleepless nights won't last forever.

Your daddy and I will teach you all we can to help you grow up to be the best version of you that you can be. Our world is changing drastically year by year but we'll teach you that morals do not. I hope you turn out to be a fine gentleman with respect to others. I have no doubt that you are here for a reason and a purpose to fulfill.

Hudson I love you and I wanted you long before I knew of you. Your father loves you and your sister loves you. Thank you for joining our family.