It's hard to believe my sweet boy is 2 and there's so much I don't want to forget about this stage. So, this is a long post mainly so I can look back and remember all the little details! If you don't stick with reading it I won't be surprised or offended whatesoever ;)
Age: Well 2, of course!
Books: Hudson LOVES books. He even has a few memorized and it's so fun
to have him "help" me read them! Some of his favorites are his books
about Thomas the Train and Elmo, Goodnight Moon,The Little School Bus, all Dr Seuss books, and
Berenstain Bears. But, his very favorites are any type of Bible story
book (Jonah and the whale being his favorite story)!
Colors: He can identify most all colors- blue, green, yellow, red, pink, purple, gray, black, white, brown.
Dislikes: Like most toddlers, he doesn't like being told "no", especially when it comes to food! If he's really having fun playing, he hates to have to be redirected to something else. Often I feel like diaper changes and putting his clothes on is a wrestling match, he just doesn't like it! Oh, and broccoli, he doesn't like broccoli.
Eats: Everything and anything...except broccoli. Seriously, there is very little that Hudson won't eat. For breakfast he generally eats either oatmeal with fruit or scrambled eggs. Turkey and cheese or chicken nuggets are his lunch favorites. He never cater to him for dinner so he eats whatever we eat. He loves carrot sticks, raisins, pretzels with peanut butter, or fruit for snacks. And, oh my, does my little man love dessert!
Fears: Just recently Hudson has started showing a little bit of fear towards things. He didn't like getting too close to the Chick-fil-a cow or Lennie the Lifeguard (a giant frog that showed up at storytime). He's also not a fan of being too close to his Daddy's weedeater or leaf blower...I think it's the loud noise.Yesterday, a man was running a chain saw right outside Hudson's window and he refused to nap because it was scaring him. As soon as the chain saw stopped (an hour and a half later) he fell fast asleep.
Going to: Preschool in the fall! We decided to do preschool for a lot of reasons. He is very attached to Mommy and the socialization will certainly be good for him. Since I have started working PRN, it will give me a chance to work on a semi-regular basis. On the days I don't work, I'll get to spend quality time at home just with baby brother while Hudson is in school. So, I think those 3 mornings a week will be very good for both of us.
Height: 34" as of 4/23/15. This puts him in the 47th percentile which I am thrilled about! He had been holding steady down near 10% so this is good news :)
Interests: Like all little boys, he loves tractors, dump trucks, fire trucks, etc. But he also love animals, especially ones you find at the zoo. He doesn't watch a ton of TV but does like Curious George, Daniel Tiger, and Jay Jay the Jet Plane. I try not to make it a habit to use screen time as a "babysitter" but he has been coming to all of my doctor's appointments with me so I need it to occupy him for a few minutes.
Junk food: Like all kids, Hudson loves it. I really try not to give him too much but I have a hard time telling him no if I'm eating it. And, if I do say no, it causes a major meltdown! I would say that about 90% of his tantrums are food related...he wants something and I won't let him have it.
Kid friends: I am so thankful that Hudson has lots of friends to play with and I have lots of Mommy friends to spend time with. Hudson has lots of play dates with his friend Noah. He loves the times he gets to play with his buddy Gray and often asks about his cousins Blakely and Logan.
Left or right handed: Right now he predominantly uses his left hand. But, we will see if that sticks!
Milestones: Hudson consistently counts to 10 and actually counts items now. He can spell his name (although he only actually recognizes the H in his name). And he no longer cries when we drop him off at the church nursery...I consider this a major milestone!
Nicknames: We feel pretty strongly about no actual nicknames (since we named him Hudson, we would like him called Hudson!). But, of course we call him all sorts of things- little man, pumpkin, babycakes, booger...all that good stuff :)
Overall disposition: Hudson has such a sweet and funny personality. I find myself laughing at things he says/does all the time. It takes him a while to come out of his shell around new people but once he's comfortable, he wants to be your best friend! I am so thankful that he's such a happy toddler. He does throw his share of tantrums although we generally just ignore them and they are very short-lived.
Potty training: Not yet. We have a potty and he loves to sit on it but he has actually only peed a few times on it. I'm going to wait until he's good and ready to even start.
Quirks: Hudson is funny about his clothes. He's very particular about what he wears and doesn't like things to be "wrong" with his clothes like if one pant leg is slightly pulled up, his shirt sleeves are too long, or the seams on his socks aren't in just the right place.
Repeats: Everything. We have to be very careful what we say around Hudson because he's a little sponge. The other day I called him "Mr Particular" (see the "quirks" section) and he walked around for a good hour after sing-songing "I'm Mr Particular".
Sleep habits: Hudson has never been the greatest sleeper. He still wakes sometimes at night and there's no getting him back to sleep in his crib so once in a while he sleeps right in between Mommy and Daddy. But, 9 out of 10 nights he sleeps 7:30pm-6:30 or 7am. Thankfully he's a great napper. He takes one afternoon nap, usually around noon that lasts anywhere between 1-2.5 hours. He started napping in his big boy bed on April 19th, just a few days after he turned 2. I was afraid it might be a struggle to get him to stay in bed but he did great! Although, I cried because he looked so little in that big bed (ok, it's a twin so it's not that big...but he's growing up too fast!). I guess after a few days of successful naps we may try him overnight in it.
Talks: NON-STOP. Hudson wasn't necessarily an early talker but once he started he didn't stop. It amazes me the things he says, he sounds just like a little man sometimes. I get a lot of comments like "he talks so much!" or "he's so smart!" and while I'm grateful for the comments, I really do think it all comes from his love of books and not so much anything I have done!
Understands: Pretty much everything we say to him. He's very good at following directions and likes to "help" Mommy when I ask. I think he's going to be helpful when baby brother is born!
Vacations: Hudson has proved to be a champion traveler. He has been to Boston several times by car and many more times by plane without any trouble. He took his first beach trip last August and I cannot wait to get back this summer/fall.
Weight: 25 lb 7.5 oz at his well check on 4/23/15. This puts him in the 19th percentile.
X-rays: (Obviously I struggled with an "x" category!). Actually yes, he had to have a chest x-ray right around his first birthday during our trip to Brenners when we thought he might have pneumonia. But, we found out that he actually has asthma (but his pediatrician thinks he will grow out of it).
Zoo animals: Ok, I got a little desperate for the letter "z" too but it seems fitting as Hudson does absolutely love the zoo. His favorites are the zebras, giraffes, and baboons (which make him giggle because of their red bottoms)!
