Returned to the Homeland

Frosty.

Well, our holiday travels are over and we are all snug back into our home heated by currently overworked clothing washer and dryer. Christmas time was, for lack of a better word, magical. Hudson’s face Christmas morning was priceless. His behavior with numerous houseguests and miles traveled was first-rate, beyond his age, and even polite. (I did not prompt him to tell family, “Thank you for my prez-sents,” as we left their homes; he did that all on his own.)



Already an ace with the tools.



I just love this one.

Bedhead (mostly on Papaw) Christmas morn.

And boy did he get the gifts! As the first born grandchild to six grandparents [kinda] he was dotted upon. I jokingly described bring home his loot akin to living with the Toys’R’Us giraffe, Geoffrey. It really isn’t that bad, but some gifts are moving to straight to the top of the closet for at least a couple of weeks. The newness of everything is overwhelming even to me. Everyone really outdid themselves and we received everything we could need. Even little fig-sized Cletus the Fetus received necessary diapers and an unnecessary, but absolutely breathtaking baby quilt. I am weepingly aware of how wonderful next year –and every year after that--is going to be with two little faces beaming a “Chris-lights” and helping ice Santa’s cookies.

Cars with Grandma Ka'hy

What really stands out to me about the past week is not just the verbal changes and articulation of little man, but the perceptible cognitive developments he has made. He is impossible to trick or divert anymore. For example, no longer can I seem to be able to trick him into thinking something is “all gone” when it is not. (I can say goodbye to my oversized cup of holiday drink, a Harris family favorite, which Hudson calls, “Christmas juice.” The kid has some keen radar for the stuff it is in the room.) We promised him a Handy Manny video during one long ride once he took a nap. After over an hour, he woke up for all of six seconds, looked at Josh, and said, “Video?” and immediately fell back asleep. You can actually see him thinking, processing, and judging what you tell him. And it scares the crap outta me.

No fear. (Mama had enough for both of us.)

Two final things regarding our Christmas time, Hudson demonstrated his true dare-devil instincts with his new sled. He showed no fear going down the hill in his toddler one and wanted to go down alone on the adult sleds too. He was racing (leaning into it and everything) his 27 year old uncle. Oh, and he threw up for the first time too. Two nights in a row. At the dinner table. Speaking of laundry…