What a Whirlwind!!!

Hello gang!  I can't believe so much has changed since my last musings on this Hood Life of mine.  I thought I had finally started settling into a routine.

Step 1: Sleep.
Step 2: Wake up, get unswaddled and let out a grimace-faced STTRREEEEEETTTTCCCHHHHHHH, complete with moans and grunts.
Step 3: (At this point as if on cue, Daddy seems to always stick his huge dome -right- up in my face to kiss me and call me one of a dozen nicknames...this week it is "Huddy Buddy"...where does he come up with these names - in the shower??!?!  Anyway, it always startles the bejeezus out of me!)  Mommy takes me to the back room to feed.
Step 4: Mommy gives me to Daddy for play time (which includes diaper change.  And when it's play time, I'm not sure Daddy knows what to do with me quite yet.  He might shake a rattle at me, or sing to me, or rap to me, but mainly he just looks at me smiling...until I cry.  He's got work to do!!!).  Then after a bit, Mommy might join the fun and we may even go outside for a walk.  After all that action it's back to...
Step 5:  Sleep and repeat.

After four weeks (yup!  I'm over one month old now!!!), I thought I finally had this "living the baby life" thing down.  I was getting the hang of it!   Then last week, out of nowhere, I was packed into the car with M&D and the dog, and before I know it, we are on a road trip and my entire schedule was put out of whack!   I HATE road trips!   Or, at least I thought I did.  It's not the trip so much as the car seat that M&D strap me into.  I have caused M&D many a grey hair with my griping while being strapped in the car seat!   But something happened on this trip...I'm not quite sure why, but I pretty much just zonked out for the entire car ride (well, unless it was feeding time).  Yeah, I was fantastic!   M&D owe me BIG time!!   When we finally got out of the car, we were in Ohio visiting Lolly & Pop!!  I recognized them immediately, and Lolly seem to know instinctively what each of my cries were all about.

"Oh Chris, that cry sounds like he's overstimulated." or "Hudson sounds like he needs to be burped." or "Chris, he's telling you he wants to be rocked."

Each time, I looked over to Daddy only to see an incredulous look on his face.  I overheard Daddy say, "How the heck do you know my son's cries already?!?!   They still all sound the same to me!!"  Daddy is running way behind on this parenting thing!!

Uncle Andrew and Aunt Shannon also came over to Lolly & Pop's house too!  But this time they brought along cousin Anderson!!   I was soooooo excited to meet him, even though he was kind of a wreck that evening and cried as much as I did.   But he was composed long enough to be fascinated by me and sat next to mommy Shannon as she rocked me to sleep.  Little cousin Anderson was even brave enough to kiss me on the head!!  I thought it was super manly of him to do that!  

The next day (last Saturday) began one of the longest weekends of my short life!!!  

We left Ohio and drove down to Louisville in order to meet Mommy's side of the family.  I've seen Daddy's side, and that was a bunch of people I thought, but Mommy's side is HUMONGOUS!!   When I got to Mimi and Pappy's place I was greeted by a TON of people!  In addition to all the great aunts and great uncles, I also finally met Uncle Brandon and Aunt Sam as well as cousin Hannah and cousin Nathan.  At first, I thought Hannah and Nathan were both 5 years old, them both being the same size.  But nope.  Only cousin Hannah is five.  Nathan is only 7 months old.   Say what?!?!!?!   He's only 7 months??!?! My thoughts on meeting cousin Nate....you are a BIG OL' strapping boy!!!    

Nathan and I ended up bonding though as we were forced to endure the muggy outside all evening.  It was awfully hot....too hot for both of us and Nate and I were taken inside the house where we cried it out together.  He's my crying buddy!   Love you cousin Nate!  After collecting my emotions, all I remember was being passed around...a lot.  But apparently, we took family pictures and Mimi and Pappy even threw me a baby shower and I got tons of awesome gifts!!   Thanks Wilsons!!  And according to Daddy, they all said I looked more like him than Mommy.

It was sad to leave, but the next day we packed up again and stopped by to see M&D's friends Abby & Rob.  They also had their first baby in May - baby Stella - and she was the first girl that I ever saw that was my age!  Also joining us were M&D's Lexington friends Jenny & Brad - who drove all the way to Louisville just to visit me & Stella!!!  Ahhhh,Stella...you could say I was smitten from the get-go.  But Stella?  I could tell she was ga-ga for me - it's a sixth sense I got from my Daddy.  I held back my nerves and told M&D to lift me up and introduce me as "Sugar Bear".   So Daddy held me up, while Abby & Rob did the same for Stella and let us have a little one-on-one time with each other.  We stared at each other in amazement; I spit my baby-game to Stella before ending our little rendezvous with a look in the eye that said "Stella, don't hate player, hate the game baby.  Sorry, I gotta go."   Emotions ran high...Stella broke down and cried, and I quickly followed suit.  It was exhausting for both of us, and we just wanted to get put down and go back to sucking our paci's, as the picture can attest!

Needless to say, I felt a connection and can't wait to see her again and shower her with Chicago Blackhawks memorabilia (Daddy says that Rob is a Red Wings fan and that there is no bigger doofus in sports than a Red Wings fan).  HAWKEYtown USA!!!!

After saying our goodbyes to Abby, Rob, and Stella, we then headed to downtown Louisville for a wedding for one of M&D's high school friends.  Mommy got her sling together and put me in it, and you know how that sling is akin to baby-Ambien...it knocked me out cold!   I love my sling!   When we all got to the reception, I was again passed around, but this time I sparkled BIG TIME!!!  I was even calm enough to have one of Daddy's friends, Tyler, feed me dinner!!  Mr. Tyler though, was quite awkward in feeding me and you could tell he had never done this before (he kept trying to give my bottle back to M&D before the bottle was empty, telling them "I think Hudson is finished".  Keep going buddy!!!  The bottle ain't done yet!!!).  

The next morning, we hopped back in the car...to go back to Ohio and see one of Mommy's best-est of friends - Bonnie!  Once again, I sparkled like it was nothing...although when Bonnie first held me I got a little scared and cried with all the strength in my lungs (which, to be fair, is anytime I cry - it's with every ounce of energy I got!).  I finally came around though, and Bonnie was a great cuddler (though I'm still a little unsure about things in this picture)!!!  

After Bonnie's, we drove full circle back to Lolly & Pops.  Whooooooooooohh!!!!!   That was the most hectic three days I've ever experienced in my life!!!   Back in Lolly's arms, I was a sparkling machine, and I only had to worry about Lolly and Aunt Shannon for the most part, since they were baby hogs the entire time and hated to share me....and given the prior 48 hours, was A-OK with me!!!

We finally got back to Chicago on Wednesday.....that journey wiped me and M&D out!!   We're still recuperating.  But I loved visiting everyone (especially you Stella!!!), and can't wait to do again....maybe not all at once, though!  Until next time...