My Baby Boy

My baby boy turned 5 today. And yes, I cried. I cried because he is growing up and I am not ready for it. Sometimes when I look at him, I can't believe how fast the last 5 years have gone by. He told me today that no matter what, he would always be my baby. I hope that is true.

Hudson is the sweetest child I have ever known. He loves to love. When he tells me I am beautiful (which is pretty often,) I feel like I have just won the Miss America contest. He is always ready to cuddle and always appreciative of gifts, no matter how big or small. I have never seen a kid get so excited about a plastic stool so he could reach the sink. When he's tired he likes to rub my ponytail and I love it. He is the reason I won't cut my hair.

Hudson loves to sing and listen to music. (He gets that from me.) Right now, his favorite is Jet - "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" but his recent playlist includes the Black Eyed Peas and The White Stripes. And of course, he loves Paul McCartney's Band on the Run. He knows the entire album. He plays a mean "air drum," just like his momma and don't tell anyone but he likes to dance with his sister. Hudson also loves to do crafts like me and has a new love of bedazzling. I love that he takes after me in some ways because other than these things (and a flair for the dramatics - we actually had to have a bedside vigil tonight when he scraped his leg; he is hoping he will be able to make a swift recovery so he can come on vacation with us tomorrow but as he stated "I can't control it!") he is all Travis.

He is a boy's boy. He loves sports and wants to play superhero (or as he calls it "action") all the time. He loves to fish and Travis is counting the days until he is old enough to take on the annual Alabama trip for the crappie run. He likes fart and poop jokes and when we wrestle he gives me a "butt face" which is exactly what it sounds like - he sits on my face until I tap out. It generally doesn't take me long.

Hudson is inquisitive (see my prior blog called Questions and Answers) and loves to know everything. He has asked me after I gotten home from work on more than one occasion, "So Mom, how much money did you make today?" He wants to know how everything is made and why your pinkie is called a pinkie and why I don't know a lot about space. He loves to do math and I am not positive but I am pretty sure he is starting learn how to read (I am not sure because neither Travis or I have taught him but he keeps "reading" things. He might be just guessing what the words are but if he is then he is a pretty good guesser.) He is always talking about what kind of school he should go to - fire school, chef school - he can't decide.

Right now, he thinks that I am pretty much the coolest thing ever. He loves to hang out with me and hates to stay anywhere overnight besides home. I fear that those days are quickly coming to a close. Hudson will soon be ditching me for sleepovers after basketball games and then shortly after that, he will be dating. He already loves the ladies so I am positive he will be quite the man around town. I hope that I will be able to teach him all the things he will need to know about girls and life in general because I don't want his future spouse to ever say "Didn't your mother ever teach you anything?"

Today, as we were talking about the future (he is so excited about starting school in the fall) he told me that he would always be my baby boy. He also told me that when the teacher said it was math time he would tell her that he already knew how to do "maf." (He is pretty good at math, though.)

I never knew how much you could love someone until I met him. Hudson stole my heart from the very beginning and I have never looked back. When I look at his face, it melts my heart every single time. I am excited for him that he is growing up; there are so many things that he wants to do. At the same time, though, I am scared and sad about all the things that he is about to experience.

Travis and I will no longer be the primary influences in his life, his friends will be. I won't be able to filter the things that he learns and hears from others. I don't want to lose him. I am dreading the day that he is too busy or embarrassed to give me a kiss before he runs off to play. I can only hope that he will always know how much I love him and support him. I will be proud of him no matter what and as long as he is happy in his life, I will consider my parenting a success.

Hudson Joseph Ellen (or Hudson Jophes, as he says) is my "best boy ever" and I hope he never forgets it. He is my smile, my heart and my love. He makes my world sparkle.