MIA

I have a perfectly valid excuse for not blogging in a week, and it's this.

We were able to spend Thanksgiving week at Mom and Dad's this year in Miami. I have a special place in my heart for Miami; it was the start of the love affair and romance I have with my husband ♥ where Hudson will forever come visit his abuelos, and the very first place our baby put his feet in the sand.

Let me back track though, to the part where I almost threw an infant car seat at a flight attendant.

I won't go into too much detail about who/what/when/where other than the fact that this is a blog warning to you to NEVER REMOVE ANY WARNING LABELS FROM THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR INFANT CAR SEAT. Yes, those huge ones that come plastered all over the sides of all baby stuff with idiot warnings like: don't let your baby play with fire balls and whiskey.

Turns out there is a line this big at the bottom of one of the 4 stickers on ours, that reads: This car seat approved for all car and flight transportation. Really? Duh. Thank you. Mr. Sassy Flight kept threatening to REMOVE our car seat from the flight as it was deemed unsafe to fly because of a sticker. We had some rallying passengers on our side, but they too got sassed. We all got sassed. Each and every one of us. So, away went the car seat.

Very long story short about holding up an entire flight because of hissy/sassy flight attendant and one ANGRY Momma---he prevailed, we all got sassed {rallying passengers} , and we flew sans car seat. I turned all shades of pissy and stupid words were slipping out of my mouth, and was so grateful Bear can't spell out words yet.

*In our defense, this was Hudson's 6th flight with no previous "regulation" problems. I think his {FA} black patent leather lace-ups were on a little too snug that day.

I was told to bring it down and sit DOWN by my husband who thankfully was able to prevent us from getting kicked off the flight by fault of me. I pouted like a 4 year old the whole rest of the flight and I'm sure I GOT him when I eye-rolled refused a drink when offered by him. Take THAT.

To the A1A we made it, and Hudson had some verrrrry happy abuelos ready to show him Miami. He got them going around 7am.

This Zoolander face is what wakes them up every morning, and they LOVE it.

Upon making it downstairs, we set up shop and immediately the sand plagued Hudson.

From there, it was silly fun. Bear loved sand, so next was the ocean.

success.

and this is how we kept Hudson Bear entertained. Thanks, crinkly squeak toy.

Please forgive our milky appearance, it was our first day. I can assure my skin is a more toasty RED color today and I vow to you to never paste your eyes with this white-hued glow again. A picture of our family of three now. My family ♥

and perhaps my favorite pic of our boy child. Ever.

mint me please

I'm a mom now which means I must do many things I did not do before...in other words, lazy isn't going to cut it. The only human on the face of this planet who is not subject to my extreme bouts of laziness is Hudson Bear. He is exempt, because he's got a smile prettier than sunshine - and it makes me want to do everything for him. That's not even cheesy, because it's fact.

I speak now specifically about Christmas cards. I had no problem getting them done last year, but this year I come loaded with roughly one million pictures of Baby Bear to choose from, endless design options, and the extreme lack of desire to address envelopes. Ick. You letter loving fools need to pay me a visit, because I'd rather text you our holiday cards. Don't roll your traditional eyes at me...a shower a day + hair + makeup is still quite a feat at my house.

This sweet site has got me smitten though, with graphics galore and I've narrowed it down to two cards. I've totally got a crush, a web-crush.

I can't give you a sneak peek because like with all things, I cannot make a decision.

Christmas cards '09. Check.

Want one?

life is good.

bullets

• I could drink diet root beer til the end of time. All day, everyday. The possibility of this happening is very likely.
• I seem vain starting every sentence with I, but I will continue doing so. Judge me not.
• Our house is starting to look a lot like Babies R Us.
• I wish you earned frequent flier miles with every dollar spent at BRU.
• I'd probably be on my 4th trip to Italy by now.
• I'm not losing any weight. I have no loss to report.
• In continuation, I have flab that looks more like I belong in the frozen Pillsbury section of the grocery store rolled up into one of those pop-open cans. Dough ball.
• My husband tried to teach me how to do squats last night but Real Housewives of OC came on and the squats went awry.
• I was embarrassed to ever tell you I watched Real Housewives of Atlanta, but even more so admitting that I watch the OC one now, too.
• Pretty durn ashamed to admit too, that I thought squats and lunges were the same thing.
• I'm one step ahead of my a$$ though. One quick glance and you'll know immediately it knows no such things as squats or lunges.
• Sometimes I feel like I'm a man trapped in a Botox-loving, hair coloring, girly fool.
• If left alone to fend for myself I could eat mac n' cheese and hot dogs for days. Gross.
• I would never put up my laundry.
• Much less, do the laundry.
• I'd rather go buy new things, than wash what I do have. It worked in college.
• Finally stopped wearing bras from my pregnancy. Spare yourself the thrill and excitement...they're still the same size minus the nursing flap. Eeesh.
• I sing daily to my son knowing full well he will one day realize his mother sounds more like glass breaking than Mariah Carey. Until then, I will continue rocking it out.
• We dance, Hudson and I. I danced a lot pregnant and he LOVES music, so we now dance together {I dance, and he mimics me in his bouncy}. Probably one the cuter things of his time...
• His favorite song right now to dance to: Hey, Soul Sister by Train...and by his, I mean mine.
• I cannot stop buying Baby Bear more and more Christmas gifts.
• I assure myself that I do it only because it's his first Christmas.
• Next year though, I have a feeling I will justify because it will be his second and so on.
• He hates his car seat all of a sudden. This makes going anywhere about as fun as taking the SAT's 47 times.
• If I'm back there with him, he's great. Alone though, SAT's 47 times.
• My parents say it's payback, because they knew a little girl 26 years ago that did the VERY same thing.
• Payback's a B.
• I feel comfortable in motherhood, though. Like, we finally got our rythym and it feels SO good.
• He knows me, I know him.
• I don't remember much of life before him. Well, I do but this part is way better ♥
• I purposely want to wake him from his nap to try out his new Exersaucer :)
• and know I shouldn't do that.

the start

...of a new venture. A nameless one, too. I've mentioned in posts before, my desire to one day start my very own photography business. The name though, swirls in my head and I can never quite settle on one.

Might I add, I am overtly amateur but simply love spending a couple of hours behind a camera helping capture those sweet moments that seem to pass so quickly.

If I don't start pointing the camera at other people, my son may quit his baby modeling for me. He may grow up to believe a neck strap is part of Mommy.

My first go-at-it, outside of Hudson Bear.

Have you ever met The Braly's? If you haven't, you should. They have been the greatest blessing to our family since our move to PA, and forever friends will they be. Brett and JR are man-friends and do man-friend things together {golf, golf, and golf}. Kyndal is my dearest and is always coupon-cutting for me, and my mommy mentor {she's one of the very best}, and Kaiser is Hudson's BFF. As beautiful as they are on the outside, they are on the inside. I'll let the pictures do the talking/writing...oh, and that babe of theirs...one of the most precious faces I've ever laid eyes on. Thank you Braly's for giving me some time with you, it was truly a pleasure.

Here's a small batch of my day with Brett, Kyndal, and Kaiser.

the quickest love

Hudson Alexander,

Today you are three months old. Never have I fallen in love so hard or so fast for anyone in the world. I get sad knowing three months of your life have gone by, and quickly at that, but I so look forward to being your Mommy for the next million more.

You have turned our life into a dream. You are a dream, baby bear. The happiest of all babies, you are a tiny chatter box and a smiling wonder. A strong little stink bug too...yesterday you decided you could stand up and from then on anytime we hold you, you think we're just giving you a lift so that you can walk away and play.

Cartoons are your favorite, and you are literally watching them and sometimes even "laughing" with your big sweet smile. You've watched soccer games with PaPa and football with Daddy. You still love being held by Mommy and Daddy and if I'm holding you while on the phone you'll stay there all day and listen to me chat.

Quite the social baby bear you are, and we love seeing how much you enjoy being around others. You sat with your friend Kaiser the other day, and gave him a big ol' cheesy grin. Toothless, ofcourse. That however, seems to be changing as we've been alerted that you are a very early teether already having turned into a drool box overnight and your tiny hands are constantly shoved in your mouth. We're hoping those teeth come soon, so we don't have to watch you suffer that toofer pain...

You are my doll, and forever will be the best thing that ever happened to our life.

My favorite book to read to you is one given to you by your Aunt Lu; On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman...and it goes like this:

On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, "Life will never be the same." Because there had never been anyone like you...ever in the world.

So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name. The sound of your name is a magical one.

It sailed through the farmland high on the breeze...

Over the ocean...And through the trees...

Until everyone heard it and everyone knew of the one and only ever you.

Not once had there been such eyes, such a nose, such silly, wiggly, wonderful toes.

When the polar bears heard, they danced until dawn.

From faraway places, the geese flew home.

The moon stayed up until morning next day.

And none of the ladybugs flew away.

So whenever you doubt just how special you are and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far, listen for geese honking high in the sky. {They're singing a song to remember you by.}

Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo. {It's because they've been dancing all night for you!}

Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind. {Listen closely...it's whispering your name again.}

If the moon stays up until morning one day, or a ladybug lands and decides to stay, or a little bird sits at your window awhile, it's because they're all hoping to see you smile...

For never before in story or rhyme {not even once upon a time} has the world ever known a you, my friend, and it never will, not ever again...

Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born.

Baby Bear, we love you to the stars and after that and after that and after that...

Love,

Mommy and Daddy