Hadley- 7 Months

Hadley,

You are 7 months old today!  We have less than half a year until your first birthday.  Are you kidding me?!

You are officially a mover!  You are crawling all over the place, usually with the strength of your arms and pushing with your feet.  You are starting to get your knees under you and you rock back and forth, but then resort back to what you know gets you places.  I don't know why I'm so surprised with how fast you move, but I am.  You are still such a happy girl and are so inquisitive.  You want to see what everyone is doing all the time.  And you seem to learn something new everyday.



This month:

• You weigh 15 pounds 9.6 ounces and are 26 inches long.
• You wear a size 3 diaper.  
• You wear mostly 6 month outfits.  Very few 3-6 month outfits and very few 9 month outfits.
• We still work on sign language.  If we say "milk" and do the sign language for "milk", you smile and get all giggly.  And if you don't get it fast enough, you start fake crying.  Hysterical.
• You go to bed about 8 and are still waking up about 30 minutes later.  I'm trying to figure out what's happening, but I just don't know.  You nurse and go right back to bed.  You wake up around 5 or 6 am for a feed and then go right back to bed until 7:30-8am.
• You are still nursing every 3-4 hours.
• You get two "meals" a day.  This month, you've tried pears, apples, plums, broccoli, squash, and zucchini.
• We still give you one bottle a day and you still take about 6 ounces.  You also get 2 ounces of either pear juice or apple-prune juice to help keep things regular. :)
• You have 2 teeth!  Your two bottom central incisors are coming in.
• You babble all the time.  You love to talk. 

Likes:

• You love bath time!  You started trying to climb out of your baby tub, so we now have baths in the big bathtub like a big girl!  You love to splash!
• You like for Mommy to read books.  Your favorites are Oh The Thinks You Can Think, Baby Babble, and The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
• You are discovering body parts.  You love to play with Mommy's nose, mouth, and long hair.  You love to play with your ears, and you love to play with what little hair you have on your head!
• You love to chew on everything.  Sophie is still a favorite, as are the feet/hand chewies we keep in the fridge.
• You love to "dance" and stomp your feet.  It is so cute!
• You love to play with the tv remote and our cell phones.
• You love apples, sweet potatoes, and pears.
• Mommy.  All the time, it's Mommy you choose.  I love it.

Dislikes:

• Pooping.  You get really cranky until your business is done.  Then you are happy as a lark.  It's pretty funny!
• Teething.  Those things hurt sometimes!
• Sitting in your carseat!  You don't like being strapped down.
• Broccoli and zucchini.  We have to hide it in other foods in small amounts, haha!
• Getting dressed.  I think you would wear your birthday suit all day, everyday if you could.

I can't believe I have less than half a year until you turn one.  It's a complete blur, and I'm trying to soak up every minute!  Your smile is contagious.  I love seeing your personality come to life.  I love you, sweet girl!

Mother's Day

I became a Mommy 6 1/2 months ago.  Since then....



-I have been spit up on countless times.

-I have had throw up down my shirt more times than I like to remember.

-I have worn shoes that have been peed on.

-There are plenty of days I haven't showered, put make-up on, or done my hair. (Sorry, David....)



-I have cleaned poop off my own hands, off my daughter's hands, and out of so many outfits.

-I have examined poop way too closely multiple times.

-Some days I haven't eaten breakfast and don't eat dinner until 9pm.



-I've called the doctor so many times I know the number by heart.

-I haven't had a full night's sleep in a loooooong time.

-My house is never clean.

-I hardly get anywhere on time these days.



-I've wiped boogers away with just my fingers...onto my jeans.

-I've licked paci's that have fallen on public floors.

-I've learned to cook dinner with one hand.

-I have cried tears of stress, sadness, and anxiety about failing as a mother.





-I've also bathed my baby most nights of her entire 6 months of life.

-Watched her smile for the first time, grab a toy for the first time, laugh for the first time, sit for the first time, and crawl for the first time...amid many, many other firsts.



-I've cheered her on when she's concentrated hard on learning a new task.

-I've been the main source of nourishment for her so far.

-I've rocked her, held her, and comforted her in the dead of night when everyone else is asleep.



-I've kissed her multiple times a day, everyday.

-I've been the recipient of the sweetest, slobbery tongue kisses in the world.

-I've been the kisser of boo-boos.



-I've been the hugger of hurts.

-I've been the comforter when she's shy.

-I've been the source of her laughter; there isn't anything I wouldn't do to hear that baby scream with delight.



-My heart has soared with pride when she says, "mamama", "nanana", and "dadada".

-I have cried tears of joy, laughter, and love about becoming "Mommy" to the most wonderful gift I've been given.







Hadley Catherine, thank you for making me a Mommy.  Thank you for letting me share in your fears, your triumphs, and your budding personality.  I can't imagine being Mommy to anyone else.  I so enjoy watching you grow, learn, and develop.  You are the light in my life, and my goodness do you shine brightly!  Celebrating my first Mother's Day is so sweet because of you.   




*Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  I hope I can be half the mom to Hadley as you have been to me.  I know if I can do that, I'll be successful because everything I've learned about being a mommy is because of you.  I love you!

Just Keep Swimming!

This past Tuesday, Hadley had her first ever swim lesson!  This girl has loved her bath for a while now, so I had a hunch she would enjoy the pool, and she did!  We took a lot of pictures and in exactly zero of them was she smiling, but I promise she enjoyed it.  She was too interested in the other babies, toys, people, etc. to smile.  She was taking it all in!  But she did so good and I am so proud of her!

**As a side note, I am so afraid of water.  I'm not sure when or why it started, but I don't like going in the ocean and the only pool I'm really comfortable in is my grandparents!  Probably because I know it's well taken care of and there aren't lots of people and kids around.  We walked into the pool area (the pool is inside at the Y) and I leaned over to David and told him I was nervous!  I know, I'm crazy.  There is just something bout the deep end that gets me.  BUT, I don't want my fears to hinder Hadley at all.  And I'd like to teach her to face her fears, so in I went!

She wasn't afraid at all and really seemed to enjoy splashing around!  I can't wait for next week!

 * Wearing the bathing suit I wore when I was a baby!  It sure looks a heck of a lot cuter on her! :)

 *Learning to kick our feet in the water!

 *Learning to use our arms to swim!

 *Taking a break to chew on a toy turtle.

 *Mommy stealing some kisses!

 *Hadley stealing a look at Daddy!

 *Learning that the wall is the "safety zone".  And pretty much in love with the whole back of her.

 *Learning to climb out of the pool at our "safety zone."

 *Hadley was even brave enough to put her face in the water like Mommy!

*Exhausted after a fun swim lesson!

5 on Friday!

Let's just get right into it, shall we?! :)

1) One of my hopes for this sweet girl is that she learns how to be kind to everyone.  I want her to rejoice in the good things that happen to her friends instead of exhibiting jealousy and taking away the joy from them.  I have had the most wonderful opportunity thanks to my amazing husband to work PRN and stay home for the most part with our daughter while she's little.  For some reason, the people I consider friends at work have been so negative towards me and this decision.  It's so disheartening that they can't just be happy for me.  Even if you can't be happy for me, please don't say things just to hurt my feelings.  I know I'm blessed and I'm not taking it for granted.



2) Marley doesn't get much love on the blog anymore, but I promise he is still a huge part of our family!  He will come up when Hadley isn't looking and try to give her kisses on her hands and feet, but the minute she tries to touch him, he runs away!  I think we are making progress, though.  Little by little!  He does have a little sibling rivalry going on...when she's not in the boppy, he is!  It kills me.



3) Can I just take a minute to share how awesome my cousin is?  For a while now, Scott has been training and participating in triathlons.  I am so amazed that he can do this!  I'm so proud of him and wish I had the motivation to do something like this!


Courtesy of my Grandmom :)


Courtesy of my Grandmom


Courtesy of my Grandmom


Courtesy of my Grandmom

4) And I need to brag on my grandmother a bit, too.  She's always been the photographer in the family and has recently been taking a photography course.  She is taking some awesome pictures!  I can't wait for her to teach me what she learns! :)


Courtesy of my Grandmom: motion


Courtesy of my Grandmom: "panning" so the rider is sharp and background is blurred.


Courtesy of my Grandmom: "motion with a purpose" to get the "ghost" image

5) I can't believe it's May.  In less than 6 months my baby is going to be ONE.  Are you kidding me???  As a planner, I'm already starting to think about her first birthday party, and I need some ideas!  Please help!  Minnie/Mickey Mouse party and Children's Book party have already been done by 2 of Hadley's other friends, so I need something other than that!  Do you have any ideas??!! (She was born October 19th...I'd rather not do a halloween/costume party, as I'm sure she will have plenty of those growing up!)

                                                                                     OandD Etsy Shop

Happy Friday, everyone!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

It's That Time of Year...

It's that time of year.  I'm sure you've all heard about the tornadoes in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama the last few days.  Tornado alley seems like such a scary place to live this time of year.  I don't actually live in tornado alley, but I do live in the south and we get our share of scary weather this time of year.  In fact, the storms that have caused such tragedy this week are headed to us now.  According to our weather team, they should be pretty bad about midnight tonight.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather not wait until midnight to start running around getting things together if we need them!

When I was younger, I was so scared of storms that during the summer, I would keep a bag packed with all of my "special" things that I could easily grab if I needed to get somewhere fast so I wouldn't lose them.  I'm pretty sure it was a tad ridiculous and over the top, but hey...I've always been a little high strung, ha!

I overcame my fear as I got older and quit packing a bag, but now that Hadley is here, I have more to think about than just myself.  So today, with bad weather looming and probably coming and going for the next few months, I set out to make "Preparedness Bag" on the off-chance that we need it.  Here is our "plan" that I put together (because David is just laughing at me!):

[one] Find a safe place.  Luckily we have a basement so that is where we will head should bad weather head our way.  The bags Iv'e packed sit at the door to the basement because some of the things in there we use regularly so we need to be able to access them.



[two] Chicco carrier.  Here is where my crazy comes in.  I don't want any tornado winds ripping my daughter from my arms.  Hopefully having her attached to me will decrease the odds of that happening.  That's probably the most ridiculous thing I packed.

[three] First Aid Kit (red box).  I already have this box that I usually keep in my car for emergencies, but I've taken it out to use for our preparedness bag.  It's pretty well stocked so I just went through to make sure dates hadn't expired.

[four] Tissues, Hand Sanitizer, and Motrin.  Self-explanitory if you ask me.  I'm a nurse, I live on hand sanitizer and you never know when medication will come in handy.

[five] Diapers, Wipes, Sanitation Bags.  Having a baby still in diapers, these were crucial products.  The sanitation bags are arm and hammer and I put her dirty diapers in these to decrease the smell.

[six] Blanket, Pacis, Burp Cloth, Socks, Lovey, and Toys.  All essential things for Hadley's comfort.  The toys are just extra in case we get "stuck" for some time, but pacis, lovey, and blanket are definitely worth packing.

[seven] Flashlight and Extra Batteries.  Self-explanitory again.  Assuming the power goes out, we need a light source.

[eight] All-Purpose tool.  Scissors, exacto knife, etc.  You never know when a tool like that will come in handy.

[nine] Waters.  Drinking water will probably be nonexistent in an emergent weather situation, so I've packed two waters.  Two for David, two for me.

[ten] Snacks.  Again, if we were to be stuck for a while, we would need something to eat.  Added bonus: peanut butter has some protein. (David laughed at me for this.  To which I replied that he's going to really wish he got to eat some of my crackers and peanut butter when we need them!  And he's going to wish he didn't laugh at me!)

[eleven] Shoes and socks.  If there is broken glass around, these will be crucial to preventing injury.

[twelve] Cat Food, Dog Food, Fold-up Water Bowl, Water, Leash.  I can't forget about our sweet fur babies.  I've packed them food and water, too.  Marley's leash is packed for the same reason I packed the chicco carrier.  Hopefully being attached to one end will prevent us from losing him, although one of us would be holding him. (Crazy, I know.)

I did pack a blanket for David and myself that isn't pictured.  Also, if Hadley were taking formula I would have that with plenty of water to mix it.  Luckily, she is still nursing so that isn't a problem for us.  Am I missing anything? :)

I know this seems ridiculous, but I  don't want to be caught unprepared, especially with Hadley.