Best Friends

Hudson and I are buds. Really. The older he gets the more I feel like we're actually real friends and not just doting mother and adoring son (which we are as well, of course).

Today during Hud's lunch he insisted that he be able to have his arm around my neck with my cheek close to his while he ate. He cheerfully accepted forkfuls of chopped pear and fed himself chunks of cheese all with our ears touching. If I ever started to pull away he grabbed me closer and looked at me with a look that said, "Oh no you don't, you sneaky little mom you." This of course made me laugh which made him laugh and give me open mouth (which was full of pears) kisses on my nose and lips. I had to strain to reach his plate and fork (he hasn't mastered the art of feeding himself with utensils yet) and my neck and shoulders got a little sore but my heart sure felt good.

Later, between naps and after a Walmart run (which I usually love doing since strangers tell me how cute my child is and make funny noises and faces at him), we were playing in his room for an hour and it seriously felt like fifteen minutes. He kept impressing me with his soccer moves and yelling "ball! ball! ball!" and "uh oh!" We played a game where he hid in his closet and I'd slide the door over and "find" him to which he'd squeal and scream "uh oh!" while I feigned gobbling up his tummy. He also loves to stick his hand out from behind the door until I grab it and startle him. That chubby little hand warms my heart and makes me smile every time I see it creeping around the corner of the door, jittery in anticipation of mom's attack.

Sometimes we're laughing and wrestling and wiggling and yelling and he'll stop and just look at me with a smile before nestling in for a quick hug.

He started copying me today. More than usual. He was imitating my sounds and actions as we looked out his window and spotted kids, cars, and dogs. He loves to say "Hey!" after I do and sometimes he'll answer questions with "yeah." I don't know if he means to or knows what he's really saying, but it cracks me up.

"Did you find a leaf?"

"Yeah."

"Do you wanna go kick the ball?"

"Yeah."

I can't wait until we can have real conversations. I don't think it's possible to laugh even more than we do now, but I look forward to proving myself wrong.