He's one.

He turned one! And besides the part where we unsuccessfully tried to get him to wear the birthday hat (that my mother & I had so carefully crafted the day before), it was such a happy day. A really, really happy day full of lots of people we love & who love our little boy. I have the best intentions of posting more photos later, but Mike is traveling, Q had a little bit of a sad day, & my to do list is apparently never-ending. But still! What I really want to remember is that it was such a happy day where so many people showed us love. My parents flew in all the way from Washington, Erin & Matt drove from Dallas for the weekend, Noelle & Bruce came up from the city & we were happy to have a few other old (from college) & new (from our ward) friends come celebrate with us. Lots of people called & texted. All for Baby Q! It made our hearts so happy.

We started off his birthday with crepes, because that's what we do on special days. Erin & I got pedicures, & then we seemed to be in the kitchen the rest of the day. We had a nice party! It wasn't fancy, & I managed to not have a nervous breakdown (barely - thank goodness for Erin & my mother, with Fox being a trusty assistant in helping Miss Jam [Jan]). My parents were gigantic helps, we made really delicious food (pork tacos, corn salad, watermelon, Mexican Coke!) & Quinn's birthday cake was really pretty delicious. We kept tradition & sang the Hudson family Happy Birthday song. Q opened gifts, played with his friends & ate a bit of chocolate cake. By the end of the night, he was thoroughly exhausted. Exhausted! I was, too. So much so that I felt thoroughly hungover (I think?) the next morning. Two days later, I'm feeling a bit of recovery, but the happiness of the day is still simmering.

All week long I found myself trying to soak in our baby. I'd sing him his lullaby just a few extra times before putting him to bed, & tried to appreciate those sweet moments when he just wanted to cuddle with his mama. I spent a lot of time feeling really grateful for the sweet friends who have helped me to learn how to be a mother, & thought about some of my missteps along the way. I'm sure that these two trends will continue each birthday - the gratitude & the reflection + learning.

As much as I'd love him to stay a baby, it's so clear that he's growing up. He's wanting to walk, exerting his independence in various ways, & learning new tricks every day. So many changes! We really loved him a baby, but now he's evolved into this amazing little human with a full-blown personality, & we love him even more. All of the cliches about parenthood are absolutely true: it increases your capacity to love, it stretches you, it's challenging, & it all goes by far too quickly. I've learned so much this year. We all have. I am proud of our family. We've gotten to know each other a lot better, & we're figuring all of this out. Quinn is teaching us (humility, patience, & some more humility) & to say that he has made us better would be an absolute understatement. He has a far from perfect mama, but I am 100% confident in my ability to show him how much I love him. My own parents have always been so very good at this, & each time I'm with them I'm reminded about the kind of mother I'd like to be.

And now we have a one year old! He had his well check up today, & unfortunately he wasn't very well (his very first ear infection - sad). But he's growing! Kind of. 19 pounds (about 10th percentile), & 29 inches long. 13 pounds heavier & 10 inches longer than when we brought him home from Roosevelt Hospital in New York City one year ago. See. Lots of changes.

If you feel like getting emotional, you should watch this video again. 

Happy Birthday, Baby Q.