19 Months

My intention was to post an update on Hudson and Brooklyn when they turned 18 months. That date has come and gone and here we are at 19 months already. I truly can't believe how fast time is going.

We are in the midst of some crazy times right now. This past week H and B dropped their morning naps. I tend to be a little abrupt in  my schedule changes. I usually decide one day to drop a nap or a feeding and then just do it. I've realized though with 2 schedules to change I need to be a little less drastic. So they still have a nap 2-3 mornings a week, especially if we are home. It is amazing how much I miss that 1 hour break in the morning. It has been an exhausting change for me and the kids. I suppose it doesn't help that Kevin is in the middle of golf season, which gets him home at 5:30 2 days a week and after 6:00 the other two. I am totally spoiled that he is usually home around 4:00. I just wanted to share some pictures of Hudson and Brooklyn and give a little run down about each of them. (for our memory mostly) They are both so precious and sweet and exhausting all at the same time.

Ethan really does a great job with both Hudson and Brooklyn. He loves having a little brother to run around with and I know that will improve more and more as Hudson gets older. He still gets very frustrated when they cry and scream, but that is getting better.

Morgan is an amazing big sister. She does a great job as well. However, as Hudson and Brooklyn are getting older they are getting more opinionated about what they play with and do so they don't go along with all that Morgan wants as much as they used to. That leads Morgan to get more frustrated with them.

Brooklyn is our little sweetheart with quite the independent streak. She will give you sweet smiles and lots of cuddles, but if you dare take something away from her that she wants she will arch her back and scream. She does not like to share, but when she gives you something she (and Hudson too) says "bank you". Brooklyn is a girly, girl and loves to wear people's jewelry. She was our last walker. Finally 2 weeks shy of 18 months she decided to walk more than crawl. She is still quite a bit slower than Hudson, but she is doing great. Brooklyn tends to get distracted when she is walking, so since she is pretty light I end up carrying her a lot more than Hudson. Brooklyn loves to play with her sister. They both have the same tendencies to quietly find trouble, get covered in dirt in the sand box and find boxes and bags to fill with stuff. Her taste buds are a little less picky than Hudson's. Brooklyn loves to join in the after dinner family dance parties and she does most of the motions to the songs and rhymes at the library. She is still slower to smile than Hudson, but is pretty willing to go with anyone who wants to hold her. 

Hudson is 110% boy. He loves his golf clubs, balls, being outside, food, trucks and people. He loves to say "Hi" and "Bye" to anyone he sees. Shooting noises come quite naturally for him. Hudson is inquisitive like his brother, but he lacks the caution that Ethan has. So that means I am constantly taking things away from him, moving things out of his reach and taking him off the kitchen table. Hudson gets quite frustrated when he doesn't get his way and dissolve into tears rather quickly. He is getting better about not standing on chairs, he now climbs up and says "sit, sit" and will actually sit for quite a while. Hudson runs most places and will take off down the sidewalk saying "bye" and walk right up to our neighbor's house. He loves to see their dog. Hudson's verbal skills are a little more developed than Brooklyn's at this point. Hudson loves to read books, especially ones about trucks and animals. While he exhausts me, he wins me and everyone else over with his charm. He has quite the little personality.

Both Hudson and Brooklyn have several words they can say and animal noises they can make. A few of their words are: mama, dada, Brookyn (Hudson), Eth (Brooklyn), MoMo, Papa, Nana, Opa, Oma, Auntie (Brooklyn), Rich (Hudson, Rich is our neighbor), sit (Hudson), ball, no, yes, "eese" (please), cheese (for pictures), "bank you", "ack" (Hudson for snack), sock, shoe, walk (Hudson), book, "yuv oo" (Brooklyn). Just to name the major ones.  Hudson and Brooklyn will attempt most words we ask them to repeat. While this is a tiring stage, I love to listen to their language and Independence grow. They are both great at following directions and when one of them is crying the other will go to their bed and get their binky and bear to comfort them. The other day Hudson walked into the kitchen saying "Uh Oh". He grabbed a towel and walked to the hallway so I followed him and he was trying to clean up some water that he had spilled. It is just so fun watching them mimic us. They both love to help, especially emptying the dishwasher. This independence is fun to watch, but it also makes things very challenging. Both H and B have their own idea of what they want and they have some communication skills, but not enough to always convey their desires. We still have a lot of yelling and crying that happens especially at dinner time. Hudson is quite they yeller when he doesn't get what he wants. We're working on it and already see some improvement. Overall Hudson and Brooklyn are happy, content babies and we are so thankful for that. 

Hudson and Brooklyn we love you so much. You bring so much joy and laughter to our house. Right now mama is pretty tired most days, but I can't imagine life with out you.

I'll leave you with a video I took the other day when I let them have some playtime in Hudson's crib.