Hadley is 9 Months!

Dear Hadley,

You are nine whole months old!  Two hundred and seventy three days.  In a mere 3 months we will have a one year old on our hands!  I just can’t believe how quickly this time has gone.  Your daddy and I have cherished every second. 

This month your personality has really started shining through.  You are sweet and loving (when you want to be), funny – with a slapstick sense of humor, outgoing – ALWAYS wanting everyone everywhere to pay attention to you, and STUUUUB.BORN (I have no idea where you get that from… must be your daddy).  ;) 

Our doctor’s appointment this month isn’t for another couple days, so I’ll have to come back and update with your stats.  Here are our guesses:

• Height: 29 inches
• Weight: 22 lbs
• Diapers: We have half a pack of size 4 left and are using size 5 the rest of the time.
• Clothes: 12-18 months mostly (there are a few 6-12 month things that fit, and one outfit that you’re wearing now is 24 months(!))

Your sleeping and eating habits are mostly the same this month.  Although, as far as sleep goes, you were all over the place most of the month.  I was about to go crazy with the lack of sleep we were both getting, but you seem to have gotten yourself back on track for the most part.  Our routine is still the same: Bedtime anywhere from 7-8p, up around 7-8a (I’d say about 50% of the time you wake up once to nurse sometime in the middle of the night.  It’s not at the same time every night, so I really do think it’s out of hunger – that or teething pain – rather than just habit).  You take 2 naps a day usually around 10a and 2p.  They average a little over an hour, but can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as 2 1/2 hours.  You’ve also started sleeping on your belly a lot more this month.  I have tried and tried to roll you over and you just flip yourself right back to your belly so I’ve learned to just let you sleep.  Your favorite sleeping position is still on your side.

You nurse 4-5 times a day – around 8a, 12, 3 or 4ish, and 7 – and then sometimes in the middle of the night, and eat solids 3 times a day, sometimes with a snack of cheerios or puffs in the late afternoon. 

Speaking of eating – you L-O-V-E cheerios and puffs.  I seriously think I could dump an entire container of puffs in front of you and you would just keep eating and eating.  I can’t blame you… the sweet potato flavor is really good!  Some other favorite foods of yours right now are: sweet potatoes, chicken, carrots, peaches, bananas (basically if it’s yellow or orange – you will eat it).

We started this month out in Houston for Labor Day weekend at Nana and Grandpa C’s house.  You went to your first Astros game while we were there and did lots of eating and hanging out!

You also were having such a good time playing there, that you just about lost it giggling when I sneezed at one point! 

Hadley giggling uncontrollably while I pretend to sneeze.

 

You now have three teeth!  Your second bottom tooth popped through exactly one month from the first day we felt your first tooth (9/15) and just two days ago we felt your first top tooth!  For some reason, it feels like it’s the top right corner tooth (your left), but you won’t let me get a good look at it, so I’m not sure exactly which one is coming through. 

You are really catching on to a lot of things these days.  One of my favorite things (that you’ve been doing for almost a month now) is giving kisses!  You first gave me a kiss on September 6th – just a few days after you turned 8 months old – but I wasn’t sure if it was teething related.  We were sitting in your chair talking and playing and I said to you “give momma kisses!” and you turned to look at me, then leaned in with your mouth wiiiiide open!  You were kind of stingy at first, but now you’ll give kisses just about anytime we ask for them!  I LOVE it! 

One of the first times Hadley gave daddy kisses

In addition to giving kisses, you’ve started really mimicking me when I talk to you in baby-talk.  You can be sitting there totally quiet while I’m reading you a story or something, but if I start babbling to you the way you babble, you look up and babble right back.  I guess you just need me to speak your language!  You get a kick out of it when people around you are laughing and almost always try to join in.  It takes you a minute to get it, but if we’re really laughing at something, you join in with this little chuckle/giggle.  It’s so adorable!  Also, when I get you up from bed you usually still have a paci in your mouth or hand.  I hold you there looking over your crib and tell you to “put your paci away” or ask you “where does your paci go?” and you toss it right back in!  Such a smarty! ;)

You’ve started “playing games” a lot this month, too.  One that momma is not much of a fan of is your “trust fall” game.  You will randomly decide to just throw yourself backwards from a sitting position.  Usually I’m there to catch you and you just squeal and giggle at the rush of falling, but you’ve done it once or twice on your changing pad when I’m trying to put a shirt on you and you are not so thrilled when you fall onto the changing pad instead of my arms! 

Hadley, even on the hard days (and sleep deprivation can definitely bring some hard days), you bring so much joy to our lives.  We are having so much fun getting to know the sweet little personality that God gave you – what a blessing to be entrusted with your life!  We love you little one! 

A Girl and her Swing

Last weekend Matt was in Tucson for a guy’s weekend visiting a friend.  Since he was gone, I asked my parents to come up to give me a hand with Hadley for a couple days (and what grandparent could turn down time with this sweet face…?

We had such a productive weekend (although Hadley has once again proven herself to be the most stubborn child on the planet – I swear the girl decides not to nap just to spite me!).  My parents fixed a part of our fence that a storm had started to blow over, helped me pull all the weeds/grass in our back garden beds, which had been seriously neglected with the crazy summer heat we’ve had, put down some fresh mulch and a few new plants, and to top it off, got Hadley a swing for the back porch! 

Typically, Hadley cries or whines at anything new.  It just takes her awhile to adjust, so I assumed a swing would be the same way.  Not so.  Although she doesn’t have the longest attention span for swinging, she has been so content when I stick her in there.  Not to mention, the girl LOVES swinging high… it’s a good thing the swing we got has a strap to keep her in there! 

Hadley is telling me all about how much she likes her swing.

Day at the Arboretum

This is over a week old, but I just haven’t been making time to blog lately, so I’m just now getting around to posting these pictures. 

One of the great things about the class I signed Hadley up for at The Little Gym has been meeting and playing with other babies her age (and their mommas).  Two of the moms of girls from her class and I decided to take the girls to the Dallas Arboretum last Monday for lunch and pictures with the pumpkins.  The Arboretum does an amazing fall display, and although we didn’t get as many pictures of the pumpkins as I wanted because Hadley wasn’t having it, I’d still say it was a successful day. 

Playing with the girls after having their picnic lunch.

Not so sure about these big orange things momma made her sit on!

And the last two are from my iPhone.  The first one we took while the mommas were eating lunch.  It was a miracle – all three of us were able to eat our entire lunches while all 3 of the girls sat peacefully in their strollers!  No tantrums, no whining – seriously… a miracle! 

And the end result of our day at the Arboretum…

Understanding Christ Through Mothering

I realize I have fallen off of the blogging wagon yet again, and even though we’ve been keeping busy, I just haven’t come up with anything new or interesting to blog about.  So, I decided to copy another blogger’s post to share with you.  This post brought me to tears when I first read it, and hopefully it will touch someone else, too!  So below is a post from Rare & Beautiful Treasures.  Obviously, the pictures are my addition.  Enjoy.

There was a cold wet wind tonight.  Biting.  I wrapped him in a quilt, thick with flannel and a grandmother's love.  His hat was wool and his coat too, but still I held him tight against my body before walking out into that biting night air.

I remember how one year ago he was protected and warm inside of me.  And how I was grateful for that.  I was sure.
As we stepped outside tonight the wind blew damp and strong against us.
I held him tight and used my hands to shield his face. He wiggled and pushed against me, trying to break free.  Suddenly my hands that wanted to protect were a nuisance.  I used my arms to redirect his face away from the direction of the wind.  Again, he fought me.  If I wanted him to face West, he was intent on looking Eastward.
"Doesn't he know I am trying to protect him?"  I wondered, exasperated.
"Why is his fighting me?"


"Why doesn't he understand?"
"Doesn't he realize that I am placing my body in front of his to bear the burden for him?"
And suddenly it was no longer about a mother and her son. It was about a Father and a daughter.  A Father who used a cold December wind to speak to a daughter who is entirely unworthy.

A daughter who questions and pushes back, who fights and veers East when He says clearly, "Eden is to the West, my beloved."
"Don't you see that my body has suffered this for you?"
I kiss my baby's sweet cheek, damp and cold from his obstinance and I wonder what winds I could have been spared? 

Pinnable Me: Bridal Edition

I’m linking up with Stefanie again for Pinnable Me on Fridays.  In honor of my sister’s recent engagement, I thought I’d share some of my recent pins for her wedding board! 

This first one is just gorgeous.  They’re thinking late February or early march, so the outdoors probably wouldn’t work, but I love the burlap and unique texture in the flowers.

Source: 100layercake.com via Brittany on Pinterest

 

How cute is this idea?  Pies instead of a groom’s cake – I love the country, down-home kind of feel that creates.

Source: swanky-chic-fete.blogspot.com via Brittany on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: ritzybee.typepad.com via Brittany on Pinterest

 

She’s thinking navy, gray and yellow for her colors, and I’m secretly (or not so secretly now) hoping that these are our dresses…

Source: theneotraditionalist.com via Brittany on Pinterest

 

And last, wouldn’t this be so cute painted in white on a big scrap piece of wood?

Source: weddingbee.com via Brittany on Pinterest

 

With a style similar to this?

Source: aislewithstyle.blogspot.com via Brittany on Pinterest

 

I so wish Pinterest had been around when I was planning my wedding.  Between that and etsy, there are so many ideas I wish I could go back and add in to our wedding! 

8 Month Photo Shoot

Sorry… there’s a lot this month.  She finally has a tooth to show off, but I think its partner in crime is trying to break free, too, so she doesn’t have a lot of smiles for us these days. 

No mom, I do NOT want that dog in the picture with me…

YAY for clapping!! So fun! :)

Hmm, I’ll take this spatula, please… thank you!

There’s that tooth!

Umm… excuse me… did I tell you that you could take my picture??

Hadley is 8 Months Old!

Another month come and gone and now we have an 8 month old!  Hadley, over the past 8 months, you have given your daddy and I just a glimpse at the type of love that our Heavenly Father has for us.  I know I’ve said it before, but it is so difficult for me to imagine anyone being able to love you more than we do, and yet, He does… and I am so thankful for that. 

No doctor’s appointment this month, so just a guess at your stats:

• Height: 29 1/4 inches
• Weight: 21 1/2 pounds (based on the Wii Fit)
• Diapers: Size 4
• Clothing: Mostly 6-12 month, some 18 month! 

This month was an exciting one for us all, because your aunt Katie got engaged!  Which means you’re going to have an uncle!  Before they were engaged, and after one of the first times Eric spent any time around you, he and your aunt Katie were talking about you and about their future.  Katie told me that he said “You know… I like Hadley a lot and I’ve only been around her a couple times, but if we get married… I’ll be her uncle.  That means that I LOVE her!”  He’s not even officially family yet, but I can promise you that he already loves you like he’s been your uncle forever.  You are one lucky little girl, missy.

In other exciting news, we officially have a tooth!  It took you 7 1/2 months to cut one, but it’s finally there!  I first felt a little pin-prick on your lower gums on August 15th, then on the 16th I felt a bigger pin-prick, and it is here to stay.  It’s your bottom middle-left (your left).  That’s the official name of the tooth. ;)  No sign of its partner yet, although I can tell your gums are still bothering you, so maybe it’ll pop through soon.  You have made it impossibly difficult to get a picture of it, but I finally got a picture where you can see it this past weekend.  Not the most flattering facial expression you’ve got there, but baby girl – I tried and tried and this is the best you gave me!

As of that same day that I felt your tooth, you decided you are too big for your play mat.  Our routine in the mornings used to consist of me getting you up, changing your diaper and nursing you.  Then I’d bring you into the living room and let your play on your play mat while I ate breakfast.  Now, I have to either put you in your exersaucer or lay a blanket down and let you sit with a basket of toys to play with.  No more of this lying down stuff!

You love to go outside – especially when you are fussy.  It’s too bad that it’s been 157 degrees most of the summer.  Okay, not really 157, but it has been between 100 and 112 for what feels like the past 3 months.  It has been a brutally hot summer, so we haven’t been able to enjoy the outside very much. 

You finally mastered the “log roll” this month, too.  Prior to now, you could roll both ways, but you had no interest in using that skill to get around anywhere.  And I was in no rush for you to become mobile in any way.  Now when I put you down, if there are toys within your sight, you will roll and roll and roll until you get to them.  No signs of crawling yet, though, which I am thankful for!  I’m not ready to be chasing you all over the house, yet!  You hate to be on your knees, so I think we’ve still got a few months. 

We’re still going to your class at The Little Gym and it’s touch and go for you.  Some days you are feelin’ it and others… not so much.  You, along with one other little girl who is a couple months older than you named Kelly, have become known as the resident drama queens!  You are both girls who know what you want when you want it!  You did a handstand in class this month, though, which was a big improvement (with momma holding your legs, obviously).  Before, when we’d try, you would just keep your arms up and wouldn’t touch the ground (such a little princess!), but not anymore!  You plopped those arms down and held yourself up while I lifted your legs over your head.  You were so proud of yourself afterwards!

You still love to be on the move.  I have never been more thankful for a car with working air conditioning than I have been this summer.  We have spent many an afternoon driving to Sonic to get momma a drink and to get you out of the house!  Speaking of driving, we are officially using your big girl car seat, now!  We went through 2 different ones trying to find one we liked the best.  The picture below is the first one we tried.  I’d say you were pretty comfy in there!  But we couldn’t get the recline right behind the driver’s seat, so we returned it and got a different one. 

You LOVE that spatula.  It’s definitely your favorite “toy” right now. 

This is one of my favorite pictures.  Look at that sweet face peeking over the edge of your crib!  You are sleeping really well at night.  We usually put you down around 7pm after bathtime and you sleep straight through until 7 or 8am (although occasionally you wake around 4, but I can either give you your paci or nurse you and you fall right back to sleep.)  You take 2 naps a day, usually around 10 and 2, although your naps are always a toss up.  Sometimes I’ll get 2 hours per nap, other times only 30 minutes.  But with the good nights, I’ll take some bad nap days. :) 

You eat 3 meals a day now, and have 4-6 ounces per meal.  I have yet to find a food that you refuse!  If I mix a little sweet potato or peaches in with something you’re not loving, you’ll eat it right up!  You also nurse 4-6 times a day, and still will not take a bottle!  We tried putting a tiny bit of apple juice (about 1/4 of an ounce) in a bottle for you, and although you will drink it from the bottle, it also makes you throw up every time you have it, so no more juice for you!  Unfortunately, you won’t drink anything else from a bottle. 

One of my favorite things that you like to do is cross your legs at your ankles.  You do it all.the.time and it cracks me up!  In your car seat, lying on your play mat, in your stroller, in your tub, and in your bouncy seat as seen below. 

And just some cute pictures from the past month…

Your soon-to-be-uncle Eric put his hat on you and you were not a fan…

Reading in the car.

It’s hard to believe that in 4 months we will have a one year old on our hands!  Happy 8 months baby girl!