6 months: little love letters

I'm so behind on your 6 month letter, but that's a pretty good indication of how life has been. I feel like from Thanksgiving to Christmas time has flown by so quickly. You are changing so much every day. Learning new things every day. I feel like I can't keep up with it all.

-Growth: You had your 6 month well-child check up this month.
*You are weighing 15 lbs. 9 oz.
*You are 28 inches long.
*You are in the 100 percentile for height and 38 percentile for weight. The doctor said you "couldn't be more perfectly on the curve of development." Go baby, Go!
*You are wearing a size 3 diaper now.
*You are wearing mostly 3-6 mo size clothes. You wear the occasional 6 mo size.

-Eating:
*You are really starting to enjoy food. Actually, for a few days you refused to take a bottle. I guess you think you're too big for a bottle now? You got over that, thank goodness.
*Foods you eat regularly are: Peas, Broccoli, Carrots, and your absolute favorite - Sweet Potatoes!!
*You take a 6 oz bottle between "meals."
*We introduced you to your sippy cup. You aren't really into it. You would rather drink out of a regular cup. You do pretty well out of a big girl cup so I don't mind letting you drink from one - with assistance of course!

-Sleeping:
*You're still all night long :)
*You take a nap in the afternoon for about 2-3 hours, usually. There isn't a specific time of day you take a nap, though.

-Developments: I feel this this past month you've developed so much.
*You are starting to sit up better. Your little back is getting stronger everyday.
*You sat in a high chair at a restaurant today for the first time. You had some assistance with a coat wrapped around you for a little more support since your little body was so tiny in the chair.
*Just yesterday (12/22/2011) you started crawling. Well, your version of crawling. You get up on your hands and your knees. Then you push off with your feet. You are still a little bit wobbly. But it definitely gets you where you want to go.

-Play Time:
*Now that you are moving you biggest "interest" is exploring the entire house.
*You also enjoy just laying in bed with a few toys - mostly teething toys.
*Your absolute, most favorite "toy" is our dog, Copper. He is big so you can see him at your eye level. You think he is the greatest! When he walks by, or gets close to you, you giggle and kick with excitement!

-Events: Within the past month you've experienced your first Thanksgiving and your first Gibson Christmas.
*This past month we celebrated Thanksgiving with Mommy's side of the family. We were most thankful for you this year, baby girl!
*Thanksgiving was the first time you ate sweet potatoes.

*You're grandparents on Daddy's side has Christmas the weekend before Christmas. We celebrated that this past weekend (12/17/2011). You thought wrapping paper was the greatest thing ever! Since Daddy couldn't be there Saturday we celebrated there again on Monday (12/19/2011). You loved opening all your presents. You get so excited that your little body and hands shake!
*You met Santa Clause for the first time! You weren't too sure about that man. You didn't cry, but you didn't really smile either. Maybe next year?

-Funny/Cute Moments: This past month you've developed quite the little personality.
*You have started playing "Where'd Hadley Go?" (Peek 'a' boo) by yourself. When someone is changing your diaper you always grab a wipe and play while they change your diaper.
*When I carry you in your car seat you have started holding on to your diaper bag or the lanyard on my keys. It's like you're holding on for dear life!
*This month you discovered that people sit in the front seat and you sit in the back. Meaning: You've always heard people talk to you, but you would always just smile and look around. It was like you could hear us, but had no idea where we were. One day you turned around and saw me!
*One day you were playing with my keys. You became interested in the lanyard. Then you started to try and put it around your neck like a necklace to wear around. I don't know where you learned that, but it's pretty cute!
*You do this thing where you lean into someone slowly and touch them forehead to forehead. You do this with everyone, BUT me! Daddy thought it was because I was holding you. He picked you up, then you would lean into me, but then you would pull away really quick and start laughing! You little stinker!
*You saw me blow my nose so you picked up a wipe and tried to blow into it! I about died laughing! You're too smart!
*Since we've had our Christmas tree up you like to spend most of your days hiding playing underneath the tree!

Hadley girl, we have got our hands full with you...especially since you're moving all around now! But you're such a joy and we wouldn't have it any other way! :)

I'll love you forever and ever. I promise, sweet girl.

Love,

Mommy

Words of the soul

I had this theory that if I listened to a certain playlist of CD at the exact same time everyday (night time, before bed) that when she was born she would associate this music with sleeping. With every intention and every attempt... I failed! I never seemed to remember to listen to the music. Well, I shouldn't say never. I did sometimes, but never at the same time. Fail.

Since Hadley was born at night and I had been in labor all day, we decided to send her to the nursery for the night so I could rest up for the days to come. During the days, while I was in the hospital, we would keep Hadley in my room all day. We only sent her back to the nursery for night time. This meant that she took her naps in my room. So we started then.

I whipped out my cell phone and turned on her "Night Time" playlist. I know that quiet, classical music is peaceful and serene on its own, but I felt like she remembered. If she was ever fussy and/or started crying we would turn on her music and she would fall right to sleep. That is still true to this day, now five and a half months old.

A couple months ago, Hadley and I went to OKC by ourselves for a few different occasions. One trip we went with my grandparents. During this trip, there was a day that was extremely long. Hadley has a habit of not taking a nap (at least a good, long nap) unless we are at home and she is sleeping in her bed. Luckily, even without naps she never really gets fussy. She is usually just pretty content as long as there are people and kids for her to watch. She really enjoys people watching. And by people watching I mean people starring. She gets that from me :-/ Anyway, this day had been long. She hadn't had a nap. And by this point it was way past her bath and bed time. By the time we got in the car to head to the hotel she had come unglued. We were riding with my grandparents so I sat in the back with Hadley trying to soothe her and convince her we were headed to the hotel to go to bed. I talked to her. I played with her. That ten minute drive felt like ten hours because she was so upset. I had tried every everything. Nothing worked. So once again, I whipped out my phone and turned on her "Night Time" playlist. Once she quieted down enough to actually hear the music she was done crying. She didn't fall asleep. She just became calm. Everything was so new to her. New city. Car ride for two hours. Being at family's house all day. No nap. Her music was the only "normal" thing I could offer her and it worked!

Hadley has always been very particular about the music she listens too. I go through phases where I listen to a specific CD for months. I never realized it, but about three months after Hadley was born I had been listening to the same CD's in my car since the day we brought her home. One day while driving down the road she started screaming. I turned the radio up louder because she has been known to cry if she can't hear the music. Louder didn't work. Turning it off didn't work. Talking to her didn't work. So I turned the radio back on and started the CD over. Instantly she stopped. This was the day I discovered she likes tracks 1-7 on JJ Heller's Pretty and the Plain CD. Anything after track 7 is no good for her, I guess. So picky!!!

Even though I never really tested my "theory" there is no doubt in my mind that she recognizes her music. Music is important to her and her little 5 months of life. She is a little girl after her Momma's own heart.

"I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.-Ray Charles"

Thankful Thirty

Many of my friends have posted a new "thankful for..." on their Facebook status daily for the past month, in honor of Thanksgiving.

I did not take part in this for 3 reason: 1) I know I would forget to post every single day. Then feel like a failure once I remembered. 2) If I did post daily I would probably forget what I had posted the day(s) before. Leading to... #3) I would inevitably just repeat myself daily :-/ Sorry people...

SO, here are my Thankful Thirty:
(In no particular order; Some good and heartfelt and some ridiculous, but I am thankful for nonetheless)

1. I am thankful for Jesus dying for me.

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." - John 19: 30 NIV

I'm thankful to know that there is a God, my personal creator, who loved me enough despite all my imperfections to send his one and only Son to die for me. With that, I have hope for tomorrow and faith that one day He will come back for me and wants to be with me for all of eternity.

2. I am thankful for my husband.

He is a man of great love, strength, determination whom I respect and cherish more than anything in this world. He works long hours everyday to provide for our family so I can stay home with our baby. He spends the hours he has home studying to finish school to obtain a better place in his career. Hadley and I actually don't get much time with him, but it's because he loves us and only wants the best for us.

3. I am thankful for my sweet sweet Hadley girl.

She is my joy. She is everything I wished for and more. She is the happiest baby with such a sweet calm spirit. Everything is so exciting to her and that makes our lives more exciting. She is so interested and so eagerly wants to learn about everything she sees or feels. I can't imagine my life without her. We are so blessed God has entrusted us with such a precious life.

4. I am thankful for my Mother.

She was the person who "never met a stranger." She was welcoming to everyone she came in contact with every day. She was a friend to many and so precious to hundreds. She showed strength in times of great affliction. She displayed hope when hard times seemed unending. She showed true honesty when she knew things wouldn't last or became grim.

Sixteen years with her will never be enough in the whole scheme of life.

But sixteen years was enough for me to know how to be a great mother to my baby.

Sixteen years was enough to know that I had the best.

5. I am thankful God has a plan.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

I am so thankful that God has a plan and that I do not have to worry about it. There are times in life that your world seems to be crashing down around you. There are also times when you feel like your are on the highest point of the tallest mountain. I'm so thankful that during either of those times, God knows. He knew where we would be at that very moment in time. I am even more thankful that as years pass and it almost feels like there was no point of that trial or little "glitch" - it's then that you see God's hand conducting your every move.

6. I am thankful for my grandparents.
It is no secret that I wasn't exactly a "planned" baby. When my Mom found out she was pregnant with me she moved back to Oklahoma and lived with my grandparents. We/I lived with them my whole life growing up. I remember one time when I was younger I was in the kitchen with my Grandma and I said something about how this lady (I honestly don't even remember who) "accidentally" got pregnant. She corrected me and said "No baby is ever an accident. Sometimes they are just surprises." It was then that I realized the same could have once been said about me. But I never once felt like an "accident" baby. So much so that I didn't realize what I had said about someone else. The point I'm getting at here, seeing as how I'm now rambling, is that my grandparents have given so much up for me. They raised their kids. But when I came along they went back to "parenthood." Then when my Mom passed away, they didn't have their own time to deal, process, and grieve accordingly. I was still there. I was still young. I still needed "raising." Once again back to "parenthood." I'm so grateful for having them. Sure, at the time, I took them and what they did for me for granted. But at the same time, although not an excuse, I was a 16 year old who just lost my Mother and didn't know how to cope, myself. Throughout my life, there has never, ever, been a time where I was lacking anything. They made sure I always had everything I needed. OK- they made sure I had what I needed and more. My Grandma will be the first to tell you I am a spoiled rotten brat and a half ;-) She told Lee one day, "It's ok. I know how it is when Heather has her mind made up. If she wants it there is going to be no other way." Oh geez. But to them I will be forever indebted.

7. I am thankful for my in-laws.
My husbands family is so much different than mine. We are very much the same religiously/morally/how we were raised. I mean we are very different in the actually family sense. I was an only child to a single parent. Lee comes from a family of 4 with both parents. Learning how to function in a family with siblings has been completely mind boggling to me. It still blows my mind sometimes. [For example: (and I know I say this all the time to them) It is the craziest thought to me that to have a sibling means that someone else calls your Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad. Your Mom and Dad are not your own. CRAZY!] It has been interesting figuring that all out, but it has been so great as well. I have never known such friendship as the friendship a sibling brings. There is no disagreement, fight, distance, or anything that can ever truly separate them. They are blood. They will always be there. But I can't say in-laws without mentioning Lee's parents. I am so thankful Lee comes from such a welcoming family. There was never a time I ever felt "out of place" with them. They took to me as their own and I don't think they ever thought twice. There are times I laugh at things Lee's mom does or says because sometimes I honestly believe she forgets that I'm not really her daughter. I am because I married her son, but I'm not her blood. She forgets that because she has a heart as big as the sun and her love beams to every person she meets. (That was the corniest analogy I've ever made in my LIFE, but you get the point. PS- I hate corny!) 

8. I am thankful for the examples of marriage.

Lee and I have both been tremendously blessed to come from NON-DIVORCED families. This is so rare these days. My grandparents are still married (50+ yrs). His parents are still married (30+ yrs). His grandparents are still married (50+ yrs)...So on and so forth. This is such an example that this can be done!! With 1/2 of all marriages ending in divorce now this gives us (and should encourage most!) that marriage "Until death do you part" is attainable.

9. I am thankful to live in America.
I am so lucky to live in a country that we are free. Free to live where we want. Dress as we want. Eat what we want. Worship who we want. And the list could go on and on for days.

10. I am thankful for our house.
When we were first married, Lee's Great-Grandpa let us live in his house since he could no longer live there. This was the biggest blessing to us and probably for our marriage. It was cheaper on us so while we didn't have jobs or didn't have lots of money we didn't have to worry too much about finances. Don't get me wrong, we still struggled financially as any young married couple do. I just mean the roof over our head wasn't a big concern anymore. We were fortunate enough that after two years of renting the house, his Grandpa agreed to sell it to us.

11. I am thankful for my aunts.
I am thankful for my Aunt Marie and my Aunt Deanna. They, combined, remind me so much of my Mom and help to always remember things that I seem to forget about her.

12. I am thankful for Katie and Jenna.
They have been my friends for as long as I can remember. We grew up together in church. They have been my friends through good, bad, really bad, really good, and long distance. We have fought sometimes more than friends should, but we have never ever lied to each other either. Sometimes our honesty gets us in trouble, but I know I can always count on them for the truth. They keep me grounded in who I was and who I am now and how far we've come.

13. I am thankful for Kim.
Kim is Katie's mom, but was also one of my Mom's best friends. Kim is apart of some of my funniest memories growing up. But she is also apart of some of my saddest memories. But they are memories nonetheless. My point is, she has always been there. And when my Mom passed away she was still there. She stepped in as a Mother figure to me. She knows stories that I never knew that she can tell me now. She is the piece of my Mom that I will have forever.

14. I am thankful for Rachel.
Rachel has been my friend since we were four years old. She is my only friend who at times understands me. We have more things in common than we would like, but it was all apart of God's plan. It's crazy because we were best friends when we were little, good friends in high school. But when we graduated and went to college we never spoke again. Then there was sweet Angela Claire. That little baby brought our friendship back together and closer than it has ever been before. I will never forget the day Rachel told me her and her husband were expecting this little girl. I will never forget how I felt the first time I held that little girl and looked at her precious face. And I will always, always remember how happy I feel when I see OUR little girls together. 

15. I am thankful for a car to drive.
I am thankful that transportation from point A to point B does not have to be a concern. I am lucky to have a car that functions great (for now and hopefully awhile!!).

16. I am thankful for having been able to attend a Christian college.
I am grateful that I was able to attend a Christian college. I have my Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology. I know Psychology is typically a very secular subject. It can be twisted and turned every which way into being nothing good at all. I was able to see a "brighter side" and the Christian perspective to Psychology because of was taught by Christian professors.

17. I am thankful for our camera.
I am thankful for our camera so that we can catch the funny/cute moments of Hadley as she grows. She changes so fast every day!

18. I am thankful for food.
I am thankful that in America our biggest questions are, "What's for dinner?" or "Do you want to try that new restaurant?" Instead of other countries that worry about if and when they will get to eat again.

19. I am thankful for caffeine.
I am thankful for the boost caffeine gives the next morning when your bouncing baby girl wakes up in the middle of the night and is hungry and ready to play.

20. I am thankful for the Internet.
I am thankful for the Internet and the connections it gives us. With the Internet it is amazing how we can keep in touch with people...lots and lots of people! We've come a long way since snail mail!!

21. I am thankful for clothes/blankets.

I am thankful that we have clothes to wear and blankets to cover up with during the cold winter months ahead. Although, I'm thankful for clothes in all seasons and in all months ;-)

22. I am thankful for pictures.
I am thankful for pictures because they are physical, tangible pieces of the past. Picture really do speak 1,000 words.

23. I am thankful for grocery stores.
I am thankful for grocery stores when this lady right here forgets things or everything from the previous grocery trip. I am thankful Wal-Marts are open at all hours of the day.

24. I am thankful for the baby monitor.
I am thankful for the baby monitor so that I can sit here and write this while Hadley is in her bed taking a nap. I love that baby monitors now have the option of the video monitor so we can hear her and see her too! It keeps me calm.

25. I am thankful for a dishwasher.
I am thankful for a dishwasher to fully clean the dishes better (and probably quicker) than I ever could.

26. I am thankful for a washing machine and dryer.
I am thankful for a washer and dryer because let's face it- we like anything that makes life easier for us. American fail...I know. But grateful either way :)

27. I am thankful that there are still kindhearted, decent people in the world.
I am thankful that during my mad dash to the store earlier (ya know, the store that I was thankful for earlier) a lady who had a cart full of stuff herself came over to my car and said, "Let me take that cart for you. I saw you walking and you have a little baby with you. I'll put the cart away so you don't have to leave her." Bless that sweet woman's heart. I'm not going to lie. I got in my car and cried for about 2.356 seconds. Some people still care!!!!

28. I am thankful for the willingness of family.
I am thankful for family that is so willing to help out. With Lee working so many hours, I spend most days alone with Hadley and it gets hard. There is always family around the corner (literally) to help out at any time.

29. I am thankful for hytech cell phones.
I am thankful for hytech cell phones because with Lee being gone most days and long hours cell phones keep us connected. We are able to send pictures, talk, text, and now FaceTime/Skype. My, my, how times have changed!

30. I am thankful for pen and paper.
I am thankful for pen and paper because I can't remember anything anymore! :) If I don't write it down, then it doesn't exist to me. I'm losing my mind.

5 months: little love letters

-Growth:
*You did not have a check up this month so I'm not sure how much you're currently weighing.
*You are wearing 3-6 month sized clothes usually. You can wear the occasional 6-9 months clothes. And sometimes I sneak in a 0-3 month top ;) My little baby!

-Eating:
*You are still taking 6 oz about every 5 hours.
*You've now been eating rice cereal for a month. You have really started to like it. You are even starting to recognize your bowl and spoon and get so excited to eat when you see it.
*Last week we introduced green beans. My Oh My. Green beans did not go over well at all. You didn't like them. In fact, you hated them! You hated them so much that not only did you spit every single bite out...You threw up, literally. I think the texture was a little different for you. We have decided to make your baby food instead of buying it. When making your own baby food the texture is always different that store bought. It's more grainy. After the terrible first experience I decided to add cereal and formula to the green beans to make it more familiar. Problem solved...almost. I mean, you take the green beans better than you did, but the first few bites are always a struggle. I'm hoping you'll like them eventually :-/

-Sleeping:
*You are still sleeping through the night most nights. Since the time change you've been waking up about 4 am to eat. Then after your bottle you go back to sleep until about 8:30 am.
*When you wake up in the mornings you don't wake up crying. In fact, you wake up not making any noise. You wake up, look around, then you laugh and play with your toy hanging on your bed. So usually you wake up at 8:30 am, but aren't ready to get out of bed and eat until about 9:30 am. You let Mommy get a few more minutes of sleep. Sweet baby love, you are!
*You are getting really regular about taking your afternoon naps. But typically, if we are out and about you refuse to nap. Luckily, you never really get fussy- nap or no nap.
*About 8 o'clock at night you're ready for you bath and to hit the hay. This has always been the part of your day that is consistent.

-Developments:
*You haven't had any major developments within the last month.
*You have started scooting around a lot more. You do an "army crawl." You use this crawl to get around where you want to go. By no means does it get you too far like crawling would, but you can "army crawl" to different toys if you want them.

-Play time:
*Within the last month you've become more interested in just laying on a blanket and rolling around. You like to be free of your "jungle play mat" and be free to roll and scoot every direction you want to go. You are more interested in practicing your "army crawl" than being confined to the play mat.
*Your favorite toy is your teething ring. There are parts on the ring that are a hard plastic. When you bite them you scream. It hurts your little gums! But when we give you a different and softer ring you scream. You only like this specific one!
*When we are out and about we carry your teething ring, a rattle, and your baby doll. You think you need to hold and play with all 3 at one time. It's funny.

-Events:
*You had your first Halloween this past month. You dressed up as a ballerina. You were the cutest ballerina I've ever seen! You were so excited to dress up in your tutu. It was so funny because you acted almost like you knew something was going on. You knew that wearing this outfit meant something special. You went trick or treating with your cousins Addy and Ally. The entire way we were driving to their house you laughed and squealed. You were so excited for this holiday!
*You experienced and slept through EARTHQUAKES this month!!!! This was the craziest thing any of us have ever experienced! I hope to never feel them again.
*We went to Kansas this month. This is the first time you've ever been out of Oklahoma. AND you got to meet lots of your family from Missouri. They were all so excited to meet you. You were so friendly and reached for everyone to hold you.

-Funny/Cute Moments:
*One cute thing you've started doing is when Grandma or Punkin hold you, you grab their face and you say "Awwww." You only do this with Grandma and Punkin. I don't know if you do it because you're mimicking what you hear them do or what, but it is so cute and sweet none-the-less.
*And one funny thing that has happened this past month happened just this week. Me and Daddy went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. You realized you had been left behind, alone, in the living room. Next thing we know you're crying. I look in the living room and you had army crawled your way half way to the kitchen. We both started laughing so hard. I'm sorry baby, but it was just so cute and hilarious!! You were just trying so hard to get to the kitchen. You just want to be involved.

My sweet sweet sugar bear, I love watching you change and grow every day. You really do seem smarter and bigger every day. I'm so privilege to get to stay home and care for you every day. Times get tough when you get fussy, refuse to nap, or are teething, but there is nothing that I would rather be or could imagine myself doing. You're my joy!

I'll love you forever and ever. I promise!

Love,

Mommy

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Pumpkin Patch Round 1:

This past Monday, [10/17/2011], we took Hadley to the pumkin patch after her 4 month check up.

Even though she got shots :( she did SO well.

We were so excited to take her and for her to see all the pumpkins and animals.

She was more interested in watching the other people (and kids) and the cars driving by.

Go figure!

Daddy and Hadley



Mommy and Hadley



Our little family :)



Hadley and Nammy

She wasn't too sure about sitting on that hay. It felt especially funny with a skirt on and no sockies.

Pumpkin Patch Round 2:

On Thursday, [10/20/2011], Aunt Launi and Uncle Dan & cousins Tatum and Titus came into town. We went to the pumpkin patch with them in hopes to get a few pictures of all of them together.

It was a little too bright for them

Cousins- Tatum and Hadley; I love this one!



little booger baby ;)

I can't wait for Halloween this year. I normally am not a "halloween lover," but I'm so excited for Hadley to get to dress up and experience all her "first holidays!" Love that little baby girl and all her cuteness!

4 months: little love letters

Hadley girl, Hadley girl,

Oh my how time is flying and the days are getting away from me. You're growing up so much and so fast! I can't get over the little personality you're developing every single day. You have the sweetest spirit, the cutest laugh, and the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. And with that sweet spirit, cute laugh, and beautiful smile you already know how to use it! Sometimes when I am trying to put you down for a nap or at night, and you have other plans to stay up, you have this very hateful crying/scream that you will use. You screamed at me once while I was rocking you and I got on to you and told you in a stern voice that "that scream is unacceptable, Hadley Ruth!" You then looked at me with your big brown eyes, smiled, grabbed my face and laid your big slobbery kisses all over my face. It took everything I had to not start cracking up. You already know how to get what you want! I foresee this being a problem in the future :)

You went to the doctor on Monday for your 4 month well-child check up. Here is where you are at these days:

-Growth:
*You are now weighing 13 lbs. 8 oz.
*Me and Daddy forgot to ask about your length. But that's ok. We know you're getting bigger and growing everyday. It's obvious in your clothes.
*You are now wearing 3-6 month old clothes comfortably, but sometimes I try and force you into 0-3 months :)

-Eating:
*You are now taking 6 oz every 4 hours.
*Last week we introdued rice cereal consecutively. You've had cereal a few other times, but now we are trying to feed it to you right before bath and bed time bottle. You don't really seem to like it, but you like trying to feed yourself. You make a terrible face every single bite, but you love that spoon! You will only take a bite if I let you help feed yourself.

-Sleeping:
*You are still sleeping through the night pretty well. Last night, you woke up at 2 am, but I think that is because you slept most of the day yesterday. At 2 am you were hungry and ready to play, but thank goodnesss you went back to sleep quickly and peacefully without a fight. Mommy needs lots of sleep :)
*You have also been doing better about taking afternoon naps. You get tired about 1 or 2 o'clock and take a 2 or 3 hour nap.

-Developments: Within the last few weeks 2 big things have happened.
*You cut your first tooth Sept. 23, 2011.
*Then cut your SECOND tooth Sept. 25, 2011.
*Then on Oct. 7, 2011 you officially rolled over. Daddy even caught some pictures of it! Now your a pro-roller-over!

-Play Time:
*You still really enjoy playing/kicking/rolling on your jungle play mat. You're really starting to explore all the toys and colors hanging from the mat.
* Recently, you've become pretty interested in your bouncy seat. Always before you've hated the seat. But now that you've started to really notice and reach for toys you enjoy sitting there chewing on the monkey. You laugh when we turn on the "vibrate" on the bouncy seat. I guess it makes you feel funny all over.

-Events:
*For the first time (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) you were without Mommy. I'm sure it killed me more than it did you. I went out of town for a friends wedding. Aunt Dee Dee and Cousin Sierra spent the night and came over to take care of you while Daddy worked. You did so well and I was so happy to see you when I got home.
*We took you to the pumkin patch on Monday (Oct. 17). You were more interested in watching the cars drive by and watching the other people than you really cared for the pumpkins.

-Funny/Cute Moments:

*You are now so intested in everything around you. You are especially interested in wipes. When you lay on the changing table the first thing you do is reach for the wipes. Then when I get the wipes you want to hold the wipe and wipe your face until I need it. Then as soon as you give me the wipe you start reaching behind you to get another one. You just love them!

*Side Note: This is the hat you wore when we announced your name. Your head is officially big enough to fit it!*

You're becoming such a little ball of fun each and every day. I can't wait to see how you develope in the coming months and during the holidays! :)

I'll love you forever and ever. I promise!

Love,

Mommy

do-over.

I like pictures. Actually, I love pictures. The last few nights I've had a hard time falling asleep at night. At night I've been laying in bed looking at pictures on my phone, over and over. I find myself looking at these pictures and trying to remember the emotions of that day. I try and replay what all happened over and over. I find myself wanting a "do-over." Not a redo, but a do-over. Redo implies I want to change the way it happened the first time and that is not the case. I literally want to do certain days over. And over and over and over. I want to live certain days for more than the 24 hours they were allotted.

I would love to do this day over:

I love weddings. I loved our wedding. I want to get married every day over and over again. Obviously, to Lee ;) To me, it was so fun. Everything about it. Planning it. Buying stuff for it. Seeing your vision all come together is just exciting!! Lee on the other hand...well he is a typical boy. He hates weddings. He is just ever so disappointed  (complete sarcasm here!) when he has to miss a wedding because of work. I guess our wedding was alright, to him, but he definitely wouldn't do it over and over.

But our wedding was a day that our lives began. We had our lives together. From that moment on it was about us. It was about us and us as a family. Our own family. It was the most magical day of my life.

Then our family turned into this:  

My heart nearly explodes every time I look at these pictures. I will never forget how I felt the moment I laid eyes on this little girl. I want relive that moment over and over again. Even though, it was the most miserable, painful, and longest day of my life -- that face, with her every smile and giggle, was worth all eleven and a half hours! Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not convinced that I will ever have another baby. Those eleven and a half hours were horrifying. But what I am saying is that if I never have another baby, Hadley will be enough. She will always be enough. She has exceeded my every hope, dream, and expectation. I can't imagine my life any differently.



the brokenhearted

Life has been quite a whirlwind these last couple of weeks/weekends. Not necessarily in a good way either.

About three weeks ago I was sent news from a college friend/classmate that one of our teachers from college had passed away. She was my favorite teacher. One of my favorite people in life. She taught 95% of my Psychology classes while I was earning my degree. I would have her classes back to back for four to five hours every two or three days. I spent nearly all of my college days and hours in her class. The majority of my Psychology degree was under her instruction.

The reason I believe the crazy things I do, are because of that woman. She was a mentor, listener, counselor, and a woman of great faith. She was never shy to say that I was her favorite and in her eyes I could almost do no wrong. The most "wrong" I ever did was text message too much in class. We held the same views, opinions, beliefs in certain theories and theorist. My friend (and fellow Psych. classmate) Kelly, always laughed and said that the reason I liked Dr. Simmons so well is because we were like the same person. This may or may not be true ;)

Of all the hours that I spent in her classroom, under Dr. Simmons instruction, one thing so vividly sticks out in my mind. One thing she always said was, "Hate the sin. Love the sinner. Until we can learn to separate the sin from the sinner, we will never reach people for Christ." She taught us so much, yet what I remember is that she most importantly wanted us to learn to love people. All people.

That was all three weeks ago. Then two weekends ago, Labor Day weekend, my husband's cousin passed away tragically. We will never know exactly what happened to Ja, but what we do know is that as the preacher said at Ja's funeral, "Can you really think of anyone more ready to go?" I only met Ja one time. He was a nice, polite, young man. From what I know, he was a wonderful husband who loved his wife more than he loved himself. He was an outstanding father to his beautiful little girl. But most importantly he was a child of God who he passionately loved and lived for. Oh how my heart aches, for his wife and daughter. My heart aches for his little girls future of never getting the chance to really know her daddy.  His death has left so many questions and so many broken hearts. No one has the right thing to say. No one knows the right thing to do because nothing that is said or done will make his wife, parents, and brothers feel any better. I can't even imagine how any of them feel. Yet, I pray I will never have to know. Situations like this make you want to squeeze your child a little tighter at night and never forget to tell your spouse how much you love them.

I found this quote and I've scowered the internet trying to find who said it or if it is written in a book or poem somewhere. I can't find who said this, but I love it nontheless:
"Sometimes God calms the storm, but sometimes He lets the storm rage and He calms His child"

This quote reminds me that in all things and in all situations, God is there. We may think we are all alone. We may wonder why something is happening. We may question his plan for our life.
But in all things God will be glorified.

As the days, weeks, months, and years pass & we lose loved ones - Heaven seems to get a little bit sweeter every day.

(her eyes were closed- it was very bright outside!!)

"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

- Psalms 34: 17 & 18

With these crazy last 3 weeks I'll leave you with this crazy picture of me and Hadge:

Teddy Bear Growth Chart

I stole this idea from Erin and I'm so glad I did. I'm sure I will be so happy to watch her really change throughout these pictures.

8 weeks

12 weeks

3 months: little love letters

Oh my dear little Hadgey Padgey,

You are getting so big!! You are, also, developing quite a little personality. It has been so fun watching you change and grow. I can't imagine doing anything else in my life. Today you are 12 weeks old. You don't go to the doctor today, but I'm still going to attempt to write for you 12 week letter.

-Growth: Since you don't have a doctor's appointment today I don't know your current, exact, weight or length. But what I do know is that you have gotten longer. And chunkier! :) We have had to lengthen the belts in your car seat 2 different times now. Once we had to lengthen it for an actual length purpose. Then I swear it was the next day we had to make the belts bigger again because they were a little tight around your chunky belly :)

-Eating: You are now taking 5 oz every 3 hours during the day. Right before bed time you take 6 oz. This past month we have had a hard time getting you figured out in the eating department. One day we decided to let you try some rice cereal. You do not eat this on a regular basis. Actually, you haven't had it since the "taste-testing" day.  I think you hit a growth spurt because you were wanting to eat all the time. Instead of deciding to permanently introduce cereal, we opted to bump you up to 5 oz of formula. This has done the trick...for now. Here are a few pictures of the "cereal taste testing" day:

You were really excited to try the rice cereal

....then you weren't so sure about this stuff

-Sleeping: You have been sleeping pretty well. During that growth spurt, you kept waking up at 3 am every night. That was miserable for everyone, but you seem to be doing really well again. Also, you have started taking naps. For the past 3 weeks, I've been laying you down for an afternoon nap about 1:30 pm/ 2 pm. You will usually sleep until 5 or 6 if I let you. This past week, though, I've started noticing you don't sleep in as late as you usually do (until 10:30 am). You have been waking up around 8:30 am or 9 am. Then you will take a bottle and play for a little while and then you want to take a nap around 10 am or 11 am. Today you got up and ate around 9:30 am and stayed awake and watched tv with Daddy. Then you played for a little while and about 11:30 am I noticed you would not stop crying for anything, so I decided to lay you down. That did the trick. You were sleepy! I think you're starting to develop and work into your own little schedule.

You still wake up all smiles and as happy as ever! :)

-Play time: Now that you are getting bigger and staying awake more you are really starting to enjoy toys/playing. We were giving a wonderful exercise play mat that has a jungle (literally) of toys that dangled and make noise. Your favorite part is the lights on top that flash different colors. You weren't too sure about the play mat at first, but you love it now! You have never been much of a "hold me all the time" baby. In fact, you don't like to be held too often at all. So now that you are bigger you really enjoy laying on the mat and looking at the toys/lights and looking all around the room. You have even been able to accomplish grabbing the toys hanging about your head. You get really excited when you get one! It's cute!

Playing on your jungle mat

This is your laying on your mat, but trying to roll over to watch tv! And Copper wasn't too sure about this contraption either. He doesn't seem to mind it now.

-Strength/Movement/ Tummy time: You are getting very strong. Your "new thing" is that you like to be held up to you can stand on things. This is good, as your legs are getting stronger every day! We bought you a tummy time mat that came with a pillow with attached toys. I thought this was going to be a great thing because the pillow keeps your face propped up so you don't lay right down on it. Then with the toys attached to the pillow they will give you something to reach for and play with while laying there. Well, I was wrong! I wouldn't have been wrong except you figured out how to push up on your toes and push forward (like crawling, but instead on your knees you use your toes) and push yourself head-first over the pillow. Bummer! This makes you super angry, which I can understand because it does not look comfortable at all. In fact, you hate tummy time in general. But you've got to keep trying to you can figure out how to roll and crawl one day. But at the rate you're going you may figure it all out sooner than later!

Laying on the tummy time mat and pillow

Pushing up on your toes and rolling over head-first. Oopsie!

You figured our how to get off that pillow and wiggle off the mat. There she goes!!!!

-Events: Two weeks ago you went shopping with me and Nammy at JBF. I wanted to go buy you some pants and a coat for the winter. We were in and out in an hour and a half, which I thought was good. Come to find out, you hate shopping! You whinned and some what cried the whole time we were there. We will have to work on this later. We can't be having this "shopping-hating" attitude! But your biggest experience was your first road trip this past weekend. We (just me and you!) traveled to OKC. We traveled during your afternoon nap time so luckily you slept the whole way to OKC and the whole way home! You did so well.

-Funny/Cute Moments: The absolute cutest thing that you've started doing is that while we are traveling in the car somewhere, you have started talking to the elephant on the top of the mirror you look at. You talk and laugh at the elephant the entire time we are in the car. I'm so glad that you are happy in the car and don't cry the whole time. You only start crying if we stop at a stop sign or light. Or you start crying if you can't hear the music...OR if you don't like the song! Oh geez. You already have very strong options. Another thing I never want to forget is how you first started laughing when Daddy would hold you and kiss on your feet. You thought this was hilarious. When he would stop you would extend and hold out your legs as far as you could to put them on his mouth. You loved it! Here is a little video of me kissing your feet and you laughing out loud. We love your little laugh! It is the sweetest sound I've ever heard!

I'll love you forever and ever. I promise!

Love,
Mommy

Sleeping Beauty

I finally feel like I'm really starting to figure my baby girl out. I'm starting to just naturally know what each of her different cries mean. For awhile, about once every day, I would get to a point that I would feel so overwhelmed because she would cry for what seemed like no reason. She wasn't hungry. She wasn't dirty/wet. She wasn't too cold or too hot. Sleepy? I always thought that was not the case because you see, my baby girl wasn't really too much of a napper. Even from her earliest days she never napped. Ever!
I don't know what made me think to try and get her to nap one day, but that was the problem. Go figure, right? Now thinking back on it, the random crying for no apparent reason, was at the same time every day. 1:30/2pm. About that time every day Hadley girl needs her one and ONLY nappy!

One nap a day, for a 11 week old, is the craziest thing ever!! I've worked in daycares and was even a Nanny to a precious, wonderful little boy for the last 2 years before I had Hadley. I've never seen a baby this young not take 2 naps a day! BUT I guess, there is a small explanation for it.

You see, my little miss has been sleeping through the night since she was about 5/6 weeks old. She will sleep until about 6 am and get up to eat. Then she will lay back down and usually sleep until about 10:30 am. Most little babies (that I've been around, at least) wake up really early and stay awake then take a morning nap about 9 or 10 am. So I guess Hadley would take 2 naps, if she didn't sleep in all morning. But I'm NOT complaining. She likes to sleep in...just like Mommy! :)

Now that I have my little love figured out she usually takes her bottle about 1:30 pm and is laying down by 2 pm. She will usually sleep for a few hours. Like right now for example: I laid her down at 2 pm and it is now 4:43 pm and she is still sleeping away. This makes for a Happy Hadley.

Last week, I think she was going through a growth spurt because my little lady kept waking up at 3 am every night!! This was so unlike her that I knew something was up. She always was eating more than normal so growth spurt had to be the answer. Luckily, that only lasted a few days and my little sleeping beauty is back to her normal sleep patterns.

This weekend me and Hadley will experience our first road trip. And this trip will also be just the 2 of us. No daddy! I'm realllllllly nervous. I worry she will cry the whole way there because she hates sitting in her car seat. She hates it because it makes her so hot and sweaty. She is naturally so hot natured that sitting in her seat for too long makes her extra hot :-/ Poor baby. But I pray she just sleeps the whole way there. OR I would be ok if she talked to and laughed at her Elephant mirror because that's pretty cute too :) Wish us luck...

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Hadley sleeping throughout her days:

sleeping at Nanny's about 2 weeks old

First picture I got of her smiling...and it was while she was dreaming

Snug-bug cuddlin' with Mommy

She can't sleep without wearing her "Swaddle Me," but while she is sleeping she somehow manages to get her arms out.

8 weeks pictures (little late!)

Hadley had her 8 weeks pictures done....2 weeks ago! She is 10 weeks now. UGH, I know! I'm running so behind and wished I had posted them sooner. Due to crazy circumstances I'm just now finding the time! Here are just a few of my favorites :) Enjoy! (sorry, I do not know how rotate them! Someone please inform me how!!!)

2 months: little love letters

Hadley Ruth,

You are getting so big!!! I think you are starting to look more and more like your Daddy. I think you look like him, but with my nose and chin. Oh, and, we also think your eyes are starting to change colors. You see, everyone in my family has brown hair and blue eyes. Your cousin, Grace, and I are the only ones with brown hair and brown eyes. I just knew that with my luck you would have brown hair and blue eyes. Daddy hoped that you would have blue eyes, just to pick on me! But against his better judgement, I believe they are turning brown :)

You had your 8 week check up yesterday with the doctor. You were so happy and smiling when we got there. Poor girl, you had no idea what was coming. You had to get 3 shots, but you handled it like a champ. Well, for the most part! The first 2 shots, you barely cried. You squealed for about 3 seconds then you stopped. But that third shot, it was a doozy. You got so upset. You cried so hard. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. I wish you never had to get a shot again. Really, I wish you never had to get a shot period! I didn't cry. I was strong for you. That was until Daddy was holding you and one of your band aids moved and he had blood on his shirt. You had blood on your leg. You had blood on your diaper. Then I lost it! When there is blood that means its a true "injury." Oh sweet girl, I felt so terrible for you. But luckily, once we left you fell asleep. When we got home you took a bottle then took a three hour nap. You woke up so happy and giggly. That's the sweet girl I was hoping to see. I was worried those stinky shots would cause you to run fever and be fussy. So far so good!!!

-Growth: Yesterday you weighed 10.2 lbs. You measured to be 23 inches long. The doctor says you are right on track! You are starting to out-grow most of your newborn clothes. Actually, you are just out-growing your newborn sized onesies. You are mostly wearing 0-3 month sized onesies. You seem to have broad shoulders like your Daddy, but a super skinny waist. You are also wearing size 1 diapers now. Once again, they are pretty big around the waist, but your little cute chunky thighs were barely fitting into the newborn size. Also, the you having grown a couple inches in length we have had to extend the straps on your car seat so you fit properly and they aren't digging into your little leggies! You're moving up, big girl!

-Eating: You are taking 4 ounces about every 3 hours. When you are sleeping you can go longer stretches in between feedings, but it better be ready as soon as you wake up! You're a hungry girl!! You are taking Gerber Good Start "Gentle." This has seemed to solve your tummy problems you were having before. You are no longer needing gas medicine. You are, also, now taking your bottles with a medium flow nipple. You get so angry with the slow and fast is way, way to fast. It is so fast it all just runs out of your mouth. Medium seems to be doing great, so far...

-Sleeping: YOU ARE SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!! Woooooo!! You are doing awesome! You start getting ready for bed between 8:30 pm and 9 pm. You take your bath -- which is your favorite time of day -- Then you take a bottle. You usually lay down about 9:45 or 10. Then you will sleep, usually, until 5 or 5:30 am. Then you get up and take a bottle and you go back to sleep until about 10:30 or 11 am. Last night you slept through the night until 7:10 this morning!!!! You took a bottle and went back to bed until 10:45. I was surprised you did so well last night since of your shots yesterday. I was kind of expecting you to have a rough night, but actually it was your best night yet! You don't really have too much of a day time schedule with naps, but I'm ok with that since you do so well at night time. I figure you will get yourself into somewhat of a day time schedule as you get older.

-Play time: Most of your play time includes laying on a blanket on the floor "pedalling" your legs like you are on a bicycle. You also love to spend time with all your cousins. You love to watch them play and listen to them talk. You're pretty nosey!

-Strength/Movement/Tummy Time: You're holding your head up pretty solid now. You prefer to be sitting up so you can see everything. I try and lay you on your tummy more now. When I do, you dig your toes into the ground, pull your knees up and push around. You can scoot yourself off the blanket if you want to bad enough. If we keep working on tummy time, I have a feeling you will be crawling in no time!!!

-Events: Your biggest events so far have consisted of Mommy and Daddy being brave enough to leave you with people to go somewhere. So far you have stayed with Grandma and Punkin for a couple hours at a time. You have stayed with Nammy and Papa Brian a few times. You stayed with Nanny Wanda and Papa Ronnie once. And even cousin Shelby has got to watch you a few times :) You are really starting to recognize people now. When we get to other's houses you look around for a minute then you start to smile. You smile like you remember being there once before. You have also been to the doctor again. That wasn't a great experience, but you did pretty well.

-Funny/Cute Moments: You are still clicking your tongue all the time. You even did it once "on command" for Nanny Wanda! That was hilarious! Your newest "funny" thing when we are riding in the car you are happy until we slow down or stop. When we stop you scream your head off, but as soon as we start moving you are happy again! You also have become pretty particular about the music we listen to while driving. There is a certain JJ Heller CD that you like. BUT you only like the first 7 songs. The last few songs are too slow for your likings. I discovered your preference one day when you were screaming and I couldn't figure out why. As soon as I change the song you stopped crying and you never cried again. You already have your opinions and you're very vocal about it. Boy, we have our work cut out for us.

You are such a happy baby!! Sometimes I get overwhelmed when I don't know why you're crying, but you really are such a wonderful baby. You giggle so much and you're always smiling. You couldn't be happier! And we couldn't be happier to have you!

I'll love you forever and ever. I promise!
Love,
Mommy