Out and About

Hello Everyone,

Here is an update on my latest activities.  Two weekends in a row I have been traveling out and about.  On St. Patrick's Day we drove 450 miles to Hobart, IN, to visit the Warren and Hodge families.  I spent four nights at Nana and Papa Warrens and I did a lot of socializing!  We went to Indiana to celebrate Great Grandpa Warren's 85th birthday.   Grandma Warren who lives in a special care center for people with dementia came for the day and so did about 25 other Warrens and we ate Italian beef sandwiches, enjoyed a big birthday cake and partied late into the night.  Dad's side of the family is famous for big gatherings with lots and lots of family and lots and lots of food!  Even Great Uncle J who is in the FBI flew in for the party and he had been off doing special undercover training - pretty cool stuff.   We missed Great Auntie Deb this visit but did get to see second cousins Jessica and Justi. 

During the visit I also went over to see Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Hodge.  Great Grandpa cooked us breakfast his standard breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage patties and biscuits with homemade jam and Great Grandma took me to the basement to enjoy the porch swing hanging from the ceiling.  She thinks I'm a little prince and I know she is the queen.  I was also lucky enough to have Great Aunt Sandie and Great Uncle Ray drive all the way from Cleveland to make a spring visit.  They gave me some great Baby Einstein videos that I have been mesmerized by on the big screen TV - they are so relaxing and teach me all about classical art and music.  Great Auntie Peg also came to visit me.  She cuddled me a bit and brought me some new froggy pjs for spring. 

It sure was good to see Auntie Lisa again!  She was wearing a big sparkly engagement ring that she had just received from her now fiancee - Jim.  They will get married in a little over a year and I may get to be in the wedding  - I can't wait.  Auntie Lisa did a good job feeding me and cuddling me and spoiled me with a cool Small Paul onesie with a monkey smashing his guitar and a couple of other cute items from the boutique in downtown Hobart .  Of course, Uncle Matt was with me for the weekend too - he is "retired" now and I am really lucky he has days to spend with our family!  He and Dad were watching a lot of NCAA basketball and cheering hard for Butler (Dad's college) who is now on their way to the Final Four - go Bulldogs!

Nana and Papa Warren love me lots and lots and were thrilled to have me visit!  Nana Warren gave me a storybook all about my birth - she made it herself and it is really, really neat!  Papa Warren is a bit of an artist himself - he showed us the new tattoo sleeve he is working on for his prosthetic leg - he is going to wear a Johan Brickie "tattoo" on his leg - maybe if the Bulldogs win a national championship in basketball Dad will convince him to craft something with a Butler Bulldog on it too. 

This past weekend, I also got to see everyone on Mom's side of the family.  Auntie Nik and Cousins Max and Noah came to babysit me on Saturday night when Mom and Dad had a date.  Mom and Dad enjoyed seafood with Carrie and Scott and then to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at First Avenue.  They missed me but knew I was in good hands and enjoyed getting to see a rock and roll show - they wonder if I will go to rock shows at First Avenue someday.  I fell asleep in Auntie Nik's arms and went to my crib at 10:30 and had fun hanging out with my cousins - they're such fun, big guys!!  Sunday we all drove to visit Grandma Andy at Lakeview Ranch to celebrate her birthday.  She was having a good day and managed to say a couple of sentences about how cute I am!  Grandma looked so pretty and enjoyed the chocolate cake Grandpa Andy brought her.  Great Uncle Phil and Maureen also came for the party.  Even Sophie likes to visit Grandma Andy at the Ranch because she gets to run around the facility and gets a lot of love from all of the residents.

Well, I am almost half a year old now and I am doing lots and lots of growing!  You can see in my pictures that I also do lots and lots of sleeping.  I am now reaching out my arms to show Mom and Dad that I want them to hold me.  When I was in Indiana, I even reached for the arms of both Great Grandpas - I love the old guys and am a bit of an old soul myself.  I am now able to roll over from back to front with ease and I am eating lots of different foods.  I have tried real mashed potatoes and applesauce and also baby food with a bit of turkey in it - my favorite special treat is a little crumb of pancake with syrup.  Auntie Nik rightly predicted mom had already let me try pancakes and yes, I do like them.  My bottles are also now mixed cocktails (1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 formula) because the daycare girls said I was fussing when I was finishing my bottles.  I don't like the formula straight up, but I will tolerate it when it is mixed with a bit of the good stuff.

Peace, Love and Happiness - Hudson

Spring Is In the Air

Hello Everyone!

Friday is almost here, spring is in the air and I am getting bigger (and more handsome) every day.  Last week I made my first trip to a steakhouse with Mom, Dad and Grandpa Andy - we went old school and visited Murray's during restaurant week  in Minneapolis - a belated birthday treat for Grandpa.  I hung out in my infant car seat the entire time - wide-eyed at first I soon closed my eyes and managed to catch some zzzzzs during dinner.  Grandpa Andy stayed overnight at our house because he was flying out to Florida to Twins' spring training in the morning.

Sunday night my fam went to an Oscar party at Mike and Mary's house.  I wore the Nirvana t-shirt you see in my photo above, Dad rocked the Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club and Mom sported a Rolling Stones t-shirt.  We wore our scullies and said we were the paparazzi - the party required either Red Carpet ready attire or movie-themed costumes.  We played movie trivia, cast our ballot to predict the night's winners, enjoyed a fancy spread of good eats and had a partied late into the night - 10ish.  A crowd favorite, I took home the prize for "Best Smile".

Dad left work early and picked me up from daycare right after lunch. It just so happened that when we got home, we found an Iron Maiden documentary on tv! Right now, my favorite song is "Run to the Hills," but there is plenty of listening left to do so that may change. Mom worked late, earning the bonus that she earned for all her hard work this past year, which included one of the biggest grants the University ever received.

This weekend we have a full social calendar.  Tomorrow night we are off to dinner at Carrie and Scott's for paella (a playdate for Sophie with Tucker) and Sunday we have another reunion with the families from our "Mom and Baby" class.  If we get a break from the rain, I hope to get a ride in my stroller with Mom, Dad and Sophie.  Next week we are off to Indiana - Great Grandpa Warren turns 84.  I think everyone will be excited to hear how much of a chatterbox I have become - it's so much fun to baby babble.

Ciao, Hudson

Mmmmmm......

Excuse the messy face - Mom, Dad and I are still working on this eating thing.  Notice in my picture that I get to hold my own wooden "practice spoon" during feedings.  Mom thinks this helps me feel a bit more independent and that it will help me figure out how feed myself someday.  I do manage to get the practice spoon into my mouth, but I still don't know how to get the cereal and apples on the spoon.  Hand-eye coordination is still a work in progress.  My favorite foods are still the fruits - pears, apples and bananas.  I think squash and peas are okay, but not as good as the sweet stuff.  Rice cereal and baby food are a nice supplement, but I still prefer a snuggly mealtime with Mom.

Yesterday we had company: Dad's cousin Charity and her boyfriend Steve and Auntie Nik and Cousins Max and Noah.  We all got together to cheer on the USA men's hockey team in the Olympic gold medal game against Canada. Although we exchanged high fives and jumped up and down when the US tied the game in the last seconds of regulation, we were slightly disappointed when they ended up losing in overtime as "Sid the Kid" Crosby scored one for the Cannucks.  Oh well, the US got the most medals in these Olympic Games - a record 37. 

One other highlight this weekend was getting to ride around in the new family car this weekend.  Mom and Dad bought a Subaru Outback "sport utility wagon".  The Subaru will replace Mom's 12 year old Nissan Altima which was hit 3 times while parked in front of our house in January.  All of the snow and ice this winter made for a bad year of on-street parking.   Our new ride is pretty sweet - for a wagon.  Now when Mom picks me up at daycare we won't get strange looks in the parking lot - the Altima was looking like a wreck with bungee cords holding up the bumper.   In a few weeks we will get to take our first long trip in the Subaru - we are going to Nana and Papa Warren's house.  I am especially looking forward to seeing Auntie Lisa - she is going to think I am big guy now. 

This week I am thinking good thoughts for Grandma Andy.  She had a long seizure this weekend and was in pretty rough shape.  We all love her and hope she feels better soon!  Mom may use a sick day soon so we can go visit her at Lakeview Ranch.   

Peace out - Hudson Elliott