Brothers: 17 Months Old

Hudson

 Luke



Happy 17 Months!

Luke is 17 months old today! What we will remember about Luke at 17 months:

• He is wearing 12-18 month and 6-12 month clothing, size 5 shoe and size 4 diaper.

• When he went to the dentist last week after his fall (see "breaking news" section of the previous Arnold Weekly post), he told me that Luke has 8 teeth left to come in, and his canines are next.

• He likes to say "tickle, tickle, tickle".  I've heard this about the second, and it seems to be true for Luke- That a second child will often skip saying many single words and go straight to short phrases/sentences.  I've noticed that he is doing this.  His vocabulary includes many short phrases.

• Luke loves to sing along with songs as well as dance.  Two of his favorites are "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Old McDonald".

• He loves to kick the ball around!  Ever since Hudson started soccer, Luke has begun kicking the ball around the house, and last week he was kicking it all around the field during Hudson's soccer practice.

• He is learning how to catch, and is able to catch a large ball.

• Luke is very mischievous.  He loves to explore and get into things.  On a daily basis, I can catch him in his room (with his door closed so nobody can see him), throwing all of his diapers, lotions and anything else he finds in his changing table into his hamper.  We've also found his shoes in our kitchen trash a few times this month.  It wouldn't surprise me if those ever end up thrown out and we never see them again.

• He is now a picky toddler and doesn't eat nearly as much as he used to, but he loves to snack!  His favorite things still include fruit, vegetables, cheese and yogurt.  Like his brother, meat is usually the last thing eaten.  He also doesn't like chocolate milk but loves regular.

• After becoming very familiar with time outs, Luke is starting to be more obedient and making large strides toward eliminating his screaming.

In this picture, we are singing The Wheels on the Bus, and Luke is singing "TOWN"

Here's Luke dancing to Wheels on the Bus

School Party

Today was Hudson's school party.  I made Skittle cupcakes to share with his class for the party.  They were less messy than regular cupcakes and something each child could bring home to enjoy later.

Hudson felt extra special when I showed up early to his school with candy cupcakes to celebrate him!  He arrived a little late this morning because we were at his well visit appointment.  We were welcomed with a sign posted on the classroom door wishing Hudson a Happy Birthday!  When Hudson walked in, the class was sitting in a circle on the reading carpet.  Ms. Maureen asked Hudson to come up to the front with him.  She wished him a happy birthday as she placed a ribbon sticker on his shirt.  For his party, I arrived about 20 minutes before 2:00.  The class was in the hall taking a water break, and Hudson was very excited to see Luke and I walk in.  He got back in line and met us in the classroom.  We sang Happy Birthday to Hudson, and you could tell he was a little embarrassed standing up there while we sang.

Then we enjoyed the Skittles cupcakes!  We poured a few Skittles in each child's cup with the rest for them to take home.  This was a huge success as the kids thought it was pretty neat.  I heard each child share their excitement about Hudson's birthday and their Skittle cupcake with their parents at the end of the day.  This also made Hudson feel extra special!

Sitting with his friends and his brother by his side while enjoying his Skittles

 Some more of his classmates

 Showing off his Happy Birthday ribbon sticker



3 Year Well Visit

This morning was Hudson's 3 year check-up.  Dr. S said that he looks great, and is a sweet, healthy little boy!  She also took note on how much he talks!

Hudson's measurements at 3 years old:

Height:  3 feet 4 inches (95th percentile)
Weight:  33 lbs (68th percentile)

Hudson's 3rd Birthday

Our little Hudson is 3!  Although he jokingly likes to tell people he's 4 or 5.  He thinks its funny to say he's older!  It goes without saying that time seems to fly by quicker each year he gets older.  Before we know it, Hudson will be a young man!  I feel like he's already turning from a toddler into a little boy.  Although I wrote Hudson a letter in his journal as I do every birthday, it cannot be shared because this is only between me and him.  This journal that I started for him before he was born is something I write in occassionally and will be for him to take with him when he leaves our home for college.  At age three, Hudson is:

• Hudson is a very polity little boy!  We are told this all the time.  He rarely ever misses a Please, Thank You or Excuse Me.  He recently learned to say excuse me when someone is talking.

• Hudson is still an incredibly loving and affectionate boy.  I love this!  He likes to sit on our laps, cuddle, and it's not unusual to get a number of kisses throughout the day followed by and "I love you".

• He's still not a fan of getting dirty.  When he gets something on him, he immediately wants me to clean it off.  I'm trying to teach him that boys can get a little dirty!

• Although we tried to eliminate his naps because he didn't want to go to sleep at night, this didn't seem to work because Hudson was constantly tired.  So we transformed to occasional naps, which seems to be the answer!  Now, he is well rested and will go to bed around 8:00 each evening.  Since Tuesday is such a busy day with school and soccer practice, this is a for sure nap day.  He takes one when he comes home from school, and then we have dinner and are off to soccer practice.  And he usually has a nap on Fridays and one weekend day, if possible.  I also think Meme and Opa give him an occasional nap on Wednesdays if he seems tired.  He's like me- although not needed every day, a few naps a week makes all the difference!

• Hudson has a sensitive palate.  If food is the slightest bit warm it "burns" his mouth, and he often doesn't prefer to eat cold desserts such as ice cream or popsicles.

• After Hudson enjoys a meal he says"There's a party in my tummy!"  He will sometimes say this when he sits down to eat and likes what he sees on his plate.

• Hudson likes to play Angry Birds on Daddy's phone.  Mommy doesn't even know how to play this game, but Hudson will pick up Daddy's phone, navigate to the game and play likes it's no big deal!

• He is very imaginative and enjoys to pretend play.  Some of his role are cooking imaginative meals, going shopping, or picking up Luke from preschool in his car.  He will also pretend play at the dinner table, such as showing me his imaginary notebook that he's writing in.

• Hudson has recently become fascinated with playing his guitar, and as a result, has become obsessed with The Wiggles since he can play along with them as he watches.

After Hudson fell asleep last night, we decorated his room with balloons galore.

He originally woke up around 5:00 that morning to go potty (which is not normal, so we didn't expect this), and the balloons frightened him in the dark, and he started crying.  After I took him potty, I brought him back in his room and explained to him that Mickey Mouse filled his room with balloons for his birthday.  However, I didn't turned the lights on because I didn't want to ruin the surprise or the full effect colorful balloons.  I explained that he could go back to sleep and when he woke up he'd have a fun birthday surprise.  This was fine for the tired little guy, since he wasn't frightened anymore.

I think he was excited for his surprise because he woke up earlier than normal, around 7:00.  The balloons were a hit.  He woke up with a huge smile on his face, and jumped around the balloons squealing with delight.  This woke up Luke who quickly joined in on the fun.  These balloons were a big deal- all day long, he called it a party in his bedroom!

Look at all of these balloons!

 Party in my bedroom!

 Not long before Luke joins in on the FUN!

In this picture, they are running around squealing with delight and kicking the balloons all over the place!

 Laughing at Daddy, while he is talking in a helium voice!

After playing with the boys in Hudson room for a little while, Daddy watched the boys while I went down to our favorite donut shop and surprised the boys with giant sprinkle donuts for a birthday breakfast, along with choclate milk (Hudson's favorite drink). They both thought this was a real treat, which was worth Mommy mopping up sprinkles all over the floor!

After some more playing, we ran a couple errands, which included our main errand- Shopping for Hudson's birthday gift. He chose some super fun laser guns to play with Luke. The trigger is still a little tough for Luke right now, but Hudson is enjoying running around the house shooting things!

Since this was Hudson's day, he was able to do whatever he wanted, which included drinking chocolate milk all day instead of regular, taking a nap with Mommy, playing with his balloons instead of sitting down for lunch when Mommy wanted. Let's just say that Hudson had a blast and felt absolutely special all day long!

Happy Birthday to my 3 Year Old Stud!

The Arnold Weekly

Read the latest in entertainment, sports, relationships, education, travel, family, reviews and the occasional toddler meltdowns in

The Arnold Weekly

Issue Date 9/24/11

BREAKING NEWS:  Last Sunday evening , Luke had quite a fall.  He only fell onto the tile from running, so it wasn't a far fall, but he hit his face just right where he was bleeding a lot.  It was scary for me because of all of the blood coming out of his mouth.  He wouldn't let me look in his mouth easily to check his teeth, which is what I was worried about.  His lip was cut and bleeding as well as his gums around his two top teeth, but they weren't loose as much as I could tell with the split second I was able to get my fingers in his mouth.  His upper lip quickly turned into a fat lip making him look like quite the bruiser!  He was fine the rest of the day evening, and I fed him peanut butter with Nutella for dinner since it is soft in case his teeth were hurting.  They didn't seem to bother him though, until I brushed his teeth that night.  He's usually really good about letting me brush his teeth but it was obvious they were hurting him because he would scream when the toothbrush touched them.  The next morning, Mimi told me that he had blood on his sheets when he woke up, so I made an appointment with the dentist for that morning.  After checking his teeth, the dentist said that he tore his frenulum, which is the skin connecting his upper lip to his gums.  Surprisingly, he said that this is a good thing.  Evidentaly, his was too low which is not uncommon, but often kids have to get this surgically cut when they get older if it doesn't tear away on it's own.  It's similar to the tongue tie he had as a baby where the skin connecting his tongue was too close to the end, but this was the skin connecting his lip, and it was connecting on his gum all the way through his two front teeth, which was causing them to be separated.  Therefore, the dentist said that this could actually help those two top front teeth to grow closer together closing the gap without needing the surgery.  He said that because this tore is why there was so much blood, which explains the gory scene the night before.  So, all in all, this was good news, and Luke surgically removed his extra frenulum himself!

Luke's fat lip healed up rather quickly (a couple days), and I forgot to get a picture in that timeframe, so I don't have a picture of his fat lip, but it was pretty cute!

This week in ENTERTAINMENT

Wednesday, September 21st- My mom took Hudson on a little date to see The Lion King.  Hudson thought this was pretty special, and he loves going to the movies so it was a nice treat.  My mom said that he really liked the movie, especially Simba!  Luke and Opa had one on one time and played while the other two were at the movies.

Thursday, September 22nd- Matthew had dinner with his buddies on Thursday night, so my friend, Jessica, came over.  Since it was such a nice evening (and we want lots of steps for our work challenge), we took the boys to Bear Creek Park for a walk.  I pulled the boys in their wagon, while we walked.  After the park, we went to Chilis for dinner.  I laughed at the end of our meal because Jessica looked beat!  Taking those two out to dinner is exhausting, especially for someone who is single (now engaged) and not used to the chaos.  She loves kids though, and she is Hudson's favorite babysitter!  After dinner, we came back to my house and took another stroll around the block (more steps!).  We had Misha this time, and Luke wanted to walk her, so we slowly walked around the block to keep in pace with Luke.  Now that the weather's been nice, we've been taking Misha for more walks because she needs it!  She's gotten a little belly with all the food Luke throws down on the ground for her.  She did this when Hudson was in that stage too and slimmed back down after he grew out of it.

Friday, September 23rd- Friday morning was incredibly beautiful outside!  Jill and I met at Parr Park to let the kids play and enjoy the weather.  It was a perfect morning!  We decided to continue this while the weather lasts, so I'm sure we'll be back out there next week.

Saturday, September 24th- After Hudson's soccer game, we ate lunch with Mimi, Papa, Andy and Megan at one of Matthew favorite local restaurants.  It is next door to his old office, and he knows the owner who is still a client of his.  I have to say that the food was outstanding, so we'll be back soon!

This evening we went on another walk.  Luke walked Misha and Hudson pulled the wagon.  We were walking around the block with the wagon, but nobody was inside! Towards the end of our walk, both boys decided to get in, so we were able to pick up our pace a bit.

This week in SPORTS

Tuesday, September 20th- Hudson did outstanding at soccer practice this week.  It was obvious he was trying harder to get the ball and did excellent when he was playing against his opponent to kick the ball in the goal.

Saturaday, September 24th- Hudson was HILARIOUS on the field today!  Everyone on our team as well as the opponent team knew who Hudson was.  For some reason, each time a play ended, Hudson felt that he needed to fall dramatically on the ground like he just played a big football play or something.  It was so funny that he even had the parents on the opposite team laughing as well as the referee!  I think he enjoyed someone giving him a hand to pull him up and then wiping his hands on his shorts.  Papa even made the comment toward the end of the game, "Well, Hudson will sure look like he played hard with all the dirt on his knees!".  After three quarters of doing this, I asked Hudson to not fall down after every play, and he did just that.  Although it was hilarious, he stopped doing his act for the last quarter.

Today was my day to bring snacks, and I couldn't help it... I had to add a little personal touch!  I had some stickers left over from Luke's party, so I picked up some purple take out boxes and decorated them for each player, personalized with their jersey number.  This was fun for the kids, and they enjoyed getting their snack with they number on it at the end of the game.  Here are Hudson and Kelsey's:

Each box was filled with a pouch of Cheez-Its, a strawberry Nutri-Grain bar and a soccer napkin.  I gave the kids a Capri Sun Roarin' Water for their drink.  At halftime, I served grapes.  It seemed to be a hit!

This week in EDUCATION

Hudson is doing very well in school!  I love to see all of the crafts he comes home with each day and what Bible verse he is learning every week.  He seems to be developing friendships as he is talking more about his friends after class.

This week in TODDLER MELTDOWNS

Our little Luke is quite the strong-willed little fella!  We are working on teaching him how to handle situations when he doesn't get his way.  We've had a couple, "battle of wills" episodes this week, but he is making some progress.  He is doing better with his screaming and using his words instead.  All in all, he's making progress.

Hudson is learning not to tease or evoke his brother, but other than that, he has been quite pleasant this week!

Dinner with the Baxters

I was excited when earlier this week my friend, Jennifer, invited us to come over for dinner last night.  We don't get to hang out with them as often as we'd like since we live across the metroplex from each, so it's quite a treat to see them!  Us adults enjoyed visiting while the kids played.  Emily even shared her jewelry:

Emily and Hudson wearing jewelry together

All of the kids were dressed in their Red Raider gear to support the team!

The kids enjoyed playing on the swingset before dinner.  Shawn and Jennifer served some excellent fajitas and southwestern black bean salad, along with outstanding guacamole dip.

It's Gameday!

And the fun begins!  I've always wanted to have a boy, and this is why!  What is cuter than a little boy running around in his oversized soccer jersey chasing after the ball?  I am so excited that all of these fun sports activities are now beginning.  Our schedule has become insanely busy, and it will only be getting busier with a second one not too far behind. But I can't get enough of this!  It's so much fun to get up in the morning and think:  It's GAMEDAY!

Hudson rocked his first soccer game!  Over the past few days, we've been going over and over with Hudson on what he needs to be doing (and not be doing for his big game):  1)  Listen to Coach Eric by looking him in the eyes and obey what he asks, 2) No water breaks until Coach Eric says it's time for water, which means no running off the field asking for a drink, 3)  Do not pick up the ball, only use your feet, 4) Run fast and kick the ball hard, 5) Most importantly HAVE FUN!  He did every single one of the things we asked, which I was astonished!  He had a blast out there, and I have to say that it was not only precious but hilarious watching those kids try to figure out the game!  Hudson was so excited that he was often screaming with delight while he ran... too funny!  In fact, when his Uncle Justin was walking up at the beginning of the game, he said that he could hear Hudson screaming excitedly.

We played a team who was quite a bit larger than us, and when Jill talked to one of the moms before the game she said that most of the team was 4.  We thought they were going to run circles around us, but I think we won the game!  They don't keep score, but we definitely scored more goals than them, and they even scored a couple for us!  At first, all of the kids just ran around not knowing what they were doing, but after the first half you could tell them they were beginning to understand what to do.  This was also when you could tell the older kids from the younger ones.  The older ones would chase the ball and kick it in the goal, where the younger ones (including Hudson) just ran around.  At one point, I think Hudson was even running alongside the ball looking into the sidelines.  In fact, today Hudson was so in awe and distracted that everyone was there (most all of our family showed up) to watch him that he kept looking at the sidelines.  I think once he gets used to that (next game or the one after) he will pay more attention to the ball.  With that said, Hudson almost scored a GOAL!!  He was dribbling the ball towards the goal and just a few steps away when he was about to kick it in, one of his teammates kicked it away from him.  He was right there and would have made it!  Either way, we were very proud of him.  Some of those kids will just stand there or won't even get on the field (which is understandable for such an overwhelming event).  As long as Hudson was running around having fun while somewhat chasing the ball, we were very proud parents!  I have a feeling that after a few games he will get much better.  He just needs to forget about all of us cheering for him on the sideline and run after the ball.  In fact, that will probably be one more suggestion that we will add this week:  "Keep your eye on the ball and chase after it".

I can't wait for next week's game!!

Practice Drills before the game

 Checking for shinguards

 Saying the pledge

Shaking the opponent's hand before the game

 

And we're off!  Here's the group after the sound of the whistle.  Hudson (#6) is running towards the front. 

 The other team scores the first goal, but that doesn't stop the Frogs!

Hudson's jersey came untucked at some point during the warm-ups, so it swallows him up even more! 

 Hudson throwing the ball in from the sidelines

 Good throw, Huds!

 This picture cracks me up!  Look where the ball is, and look where half of the players are running.

 Uh oh!  This is one of a few falls for Hudson.

 No tears though.  He just shakes it off and jumps right back in the game.  That's our sport!

 You can kinda see Hudson screaming with delight in this one!

 Waving to one of his spectators on the sideline

 Throwing the ball in again

 Good play team!

Enjoying his after game snack

 Hudson and Kelsey

After the game, Mimi and Papa joined us for ice cream at Braum's (Meme and Opa weren't able to join us for ice cream this time).  We were so proud of Hudson for doing everything we asked and for having fun out there!  Hudson ordered a chocolate sundae with bananas.

 Luke ordered his own cone too

 Sharing with Papa

 My friend, Jill, and I ordered some Frogs shirts to support our little players.  They turned out cute!  I have to admit that I do love the colors purple and black!

 I had asked Matthew last week when I saw a perfect "horned frog" shirt for him what size he wanted, and he told me that he didn't want a shirt.  "Matthew, you will be the only one in our family not wearing purple- Are you sure?  Yes, I don't want a horned frogs shirt because I didn't go to TCU.  Don't get me one."  As I kinda expected, on the morning of gameday Matthew all of a sudden wants a shirt, but we had to be at the fields at 8:15, so that was impossible.  Let's just say that next time he's getting a shirt without me asking!  I went back and grabbed that shirt, so he now has it for the next game!

  I have to say that it's kinda nice because horned frog items are easy to find in this town.  I found this cute little shirt for Luke on sale for $3, so he could support big brother!

 A couple more pics with my soccer stud after his game