Adventures of The Blake Home: Turning Point: Handsome Hudson is 11 months!

Eleven months may not seem like a milestone for many, but for me - a first time mom, it is everything. Adam and I have almost survived the first year of parenthood, some days/nights better than others, and we have a handsome little man to show for it. And at almost a year the emphasis is on "man" - where has the time gone? He is growing up so fast.

H is speed crawling everywhere and is just starting to stand on his own without support. He is great with his push cart toys, but isn't quite interested in walking on his own, which is fine with me. He loves opening and closing doors, especially the glass panel interior ones we have around the house. And if knocking through a wall from the kitchen to the living room wasn't single handedly the best design decision we made when remodeling, it is also one of little man's favorite parts of the house because he can make one big loop around the first floor.

Despite his long and lanky features - nothing like his dad, right? :) - he is not afraid to put anything unknown into his mouth. If he can get to dirt and leaves, he will go for them and act like they are dessert. Not sure what this says about my cooking, but I'm not taking it personally - chalking it up to him being a typical boy. His favorite foods are mac 'n cheese, avocados, strawberries, salmon and a veggie quinoa mix. He eats a lot of sweet potatoes, hummus, pitas, cottage cheese, and the occasional sweet roll or bite of birthday cake. He prefers to pick up his food on his own, but struggles with non-mussy foods since he still only has two teeth.

I've fallen into new parent mode and photograph and video just about everything. Sometimes I run into not having enough iPhone storage, which is always a bummer, but I'm pretty sure he has more documented than his future siblings will have combined. No matter how many pictures I take though, there is one I physically cannot capture: H as he drifts off to sleep in my arms. Those moments, sometimes minutes, are truly the best of each and every day. Since I can't capture his serene eyelids, soft breath, magical baby smell, and the most perfect way in which he curls up against me; I hold onto these details tightly in my memory every night once he has gone to bed.

Adam's two favorite times with Hudson are bath time, and the time that follows, rough housing on the bed. The rough housing use to just be massage time, but has since spiraled into all sorts of fun. Lots of giggles, climbing, peek-a-boo, tickles, and mama/dada love (kisses and bear hugs). There is a limited window for this burst of energy though and I have to manage a massage as well as putting on diaper, pajamas, and nighttime sack all before a sleepy meltdown. Somehow we manage just fine every night and count our blessings - H is such a joy.

Questions I often ponder - how did we get so lucky? How will we ever manage to add another baby into the mix one day? And, if we are blessed with more children, will our hearts (and my brain) explode? I know there is no more room in my brain for knowledge since I have terrible mom brain, but my heart, can I squeeze the overwhelming love for another babe in there? Very far-reaching, and as my brother would say, first-world mom problems, but seriously these are the things I worry about. I know the house will be a mess for the next few decades, and I will have frantic mom days, but that stuff is to be expected when you have one of the most challenging and rewarding careers. Being a mom is an honor whether it is just for my soon-to-be toddler, or for an entire brood of Blake children. So very thankful for the memories we've made as a family of three, and looking forward to what the future has in store for us.