Hudson's Top 3 Tricks

Hudson LOVES this red toy. It is the first toy that actually has peeked his curiosity. It rolls, rattles, is colorful, flexible and even light-weight! We get a kick out of watching him concentrate as he motions his fingers to grasp it. Look at me go folks!

So when did this little man decide he wanted to start growing up too fast???! Ask Thomas, I am always telling Hudson to SLOW DOWN! Tom just keeps telling me to have another baby... Oh that Thomas is funny:)
Hudson found out he has 2 hands! And since then, they are rarely apart. He holds them together, plays with his fingers, stares at them, and uses a team effort to pick up small objects. 

This is a stuffed giraffe my cousin's wife, Emily made (super cute). Hudson is fascinated by this guy! As  I was singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" (animal version) I couldn't figure out what noise to make for the giraffe... Hudson quickly chimed in "Aaaaaaaa" after my long pause. So for all of you who didn't know, giraffes say "Aaaaaaaaa" :) Thank you Hudson.

We Are Considering Paying People To Come See Us---Think About It.

We made a trip to the beautiful Chicago temple (Steve's 3rd new temple trip after just receiving his endowment a few days previous). Ash was a good sport and watched Hudson while I went through a session for the first time since having Hudson. So wonderful to be back!

This pizza is deliciously sinful!!! Hudson was eyeing it for a taste.

It was so fun to have Grandma Lisa come out to Chicago and be with us for a few days! We hated to see her go...

Aunt Ashley had him totally mesmerized. Hudson had such a hard time falling asleep the night they came into town because he didn't want to miss a thing. What a little party animal:) We loved having everybody here in our little apartment! 

Our trip into the city---in front of us is a big Marilyn Monroe statue of the air vents blowing her skirt promiscuously... Although it's "cute" we decided to NOT take a photo of that to put in our records.

The three of us are going to soon be spread all over- Steve in Brazil (on his mission), Ash in D.C. , and Syd in Chicagoland. It was a treat to be together for one last hoorah!

Uncle Steve decided he liked being an uncle and did a MORE than FABULOUS job at it!

We took about 500 pictures to see if Hudson would eventually look up at the camera... Nope. They sure look cute together though! 

We tried to maximize time by eating whenever Hudson needed to eat. I've never had so much great food all packed into a couple days! 

The Discovery of the Mouth, Hands, and Fingers

This is consequence of ALWAYS wanting to put his hands and fingers in his mouth these days. He sometimes gets his hand in so far that he gags! Wow he's ambitious! We use the binky to switch things up a bit. He looks like a victim, but really he's a happy kid:) 

Exhibit A: The intense concentration as he gnaws on the finger. "Why do they taste SO GOOD?!!!" He can't put his finger on it... okay that was lame grandpa joke. Hudson is constantly figuring out how his hands work, taste and feel.

Exhibit B: If it's not the fingers, it's the fist. Mmmmm Mmmm. He just loves the taste of Johnson's baby lotion.

Exhibit C: Even his little collar made it into his mouth. You'd think we starve the poor guy.

Caught in the act of pulling out the binky to replace it with his little finger sausages:) What a fun discovery for Hudson! Oh the excitement that awaits him when he can put little objects in his mouth to taste test: bugs, lint, dirt, crumbs... you name it!

Our First Visitor Since Being In Chicago: Spencer!

The Wendella Boat Tour through downtown Chicago in 90 degree humid weather... Nothing like a good sticky sweat!

Hudson was a champ on the boat. He just happily looked around like he actually knew which building the tour guide was referring to.

Call me lazy, but I highly recommend going the shaded boat tour route to see the city (hot day or not, but ESPECIALLY on a hot day!)

We walked down the "Magnificent Mile" on Michigan Ave. stopping at: Tiffany's & Co. (Spence was awesome to pose as my "fake hubby" for the day since Tom was at school, I couldn't ask him to buy me some "bling" too), Neiman Marcus , Nike Town, going to the 95th floor of the Hancock building, and eating Chicago-famous deep dish pizza at Giordano's off of Superior and Rush (totally worth the stop!)

Bonding with Uncle Spence at Lake Michigan beach in Lake Forest 

While downtown, (and after nearly missing the boat tour even though we pushed it back 3 times...) Spence learned how our schedule revolves around our little guy:) We had to frequently and strategically stop to feed and cool down Hudson... Spence went the extra mile to read a book to Hudson in the "ritzy"Trump Hotel during one of our stops.

I put Hudson in this ducky outfit thinking he looked fit for the beach. Although he had to think about it for a little bit, he really did enjoy our trip to the beach. He particularly loved the pebbled sand granules between his toes!

Documenting the 3 amigos at the Hancock building. Hudson insisted not only on being apart of this picture, but on being front and center.

Spence tried to get Hudson into the water without him YELPING. He really didn't like it at first (Lake Michigan isn't the warmest body of water), but he eventually warmed up to it. "Look Mom, just chillin' in Lake Michigan" :)