Excitement!

I ordered my Beaba Babycook last night! I'm excited to starting making Hadley's baby food. I've talked to a few people that used this and love it! It steams and purees so I'll only have to clean one dish which is a plus!

I haven't decided if I'll start now or wait till she's 6 months. My pediatrician said I could start now or could wait and that it's really up to us to decide. I've read that now they are saying to wait till 6 months to start solids, so I think we will wait. This will give me time to perfect my baby food making skills! What have you other moms done - start at 4 months or wait till 6 months?

Trying new things!

So a friend recommended "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" (thanks SB!) and I've been reading it the past few days. I love the book so far. What's crazy is that most baby books I read before Hadley was born and shortly after all say you can't spoil a baby in the first 3 months and do whatever they need and so on and so forth. And I sure did! And then magically when the baby is 4 months it seems they need 'tough love' (at least that is what is seems like to me). So I'm working on getting Hadley to sleep (at naps and at bedtime) without having to be rocked into a deep sleep before I put her down. She definitely associates me holding her close with her falling asleep. We are working on putting her down drowsy but not asleep. The past few days have been hard letting her cry, but I know she needs to learn to soothe herself. When she starts Goddard School in April when I go back to work, I doubt they will rock her like her momma! We've also been trying to put her down a little earlier and not rushing to her at the first peep she makes in the night. Tonight when I put her down, she just cried for maybe 1 minute and then did manage to get her self to sleep without crying. HOORAY! Naps were not as successful today, but hey, I'll take what I can get right now!

We also tried a little rice cereal yesterday and today. Yesterday she had no idea what to do with a spoon in her mouth and what to do with the rice cereal. It really seemed as I would put one bite in and about 2 bites worth would come out of her mouth! So I thought I would try once more today and if she did the same thing I would try again in a couple weeks. Well tonight she did so much better! Opening her mouth for the spoon and swallowing it. She actually finished what I had prepared for her (1 tsp rice cereal and 4 tsp breastmilk). I'm going to try some baby food in a few days. I heard try green veggies first, but I'd love to hear what you other mommys have done with your babies. I am thinking I may make her baby food (seems easy enough and I'll know what she's getting). Doing a little research and trying to figure out what I need to buy in order to make it properly....I'm no chef!

Hanging out in my Jumparoo

Riley is starting to like his sister!

My little chunky monkey!

The monkey pictures were taken about 5 minutes prior to her pooping out of her diaper, into her pants, all over her shirt, etc. It required an emergency bath!

4 Months!

Today my sweet girl is 4 months old! I can hardly believe it's already been 4 months! We went for her monthly check up today. She got 3 shots and one oral vaccine....she did SO good! She cried for just a minute, and smiled as soon as I picked her up. Her smile melts my heart!

Hadley's stats...

• 25 inches (90th percentile)
• 14 lbs 13 oz (80th percentile)
• The pediatrician said that she's 'advanced' in her motor skills. Go Hadley!
• Loves to look at the "baby" in the mirror. She smiles at that "baby" the instant she sees her.
• Intrigued by Riley, although he's not interested in her whatsoever! She stares at him and smiles. She was cracking up at him yesterday - it was so sweet!
• Putting her weight on her legs when you hold her up. She loves to stand up like a big girl!
• Reaching for toys, Riley, and mommy and daddy's faces when they are close to her. Waiting for her to reach for us!
• Loves to put things in her mouth
• Cooing and laughing (finally!)
• Eating about 4 times a day (8a, 12p, 4p, and 8p) and usually once in the night
• Takes 3 naps a day (morning, afternoon, and early evening)
• Wearing 3-6 months clothes
• Not a fan of the hair dryer when I get ready. I think it scares her! She used to like it, but the last few weeks she cries when I turn it on.
• We think her hair is starting to grow in a little bit. I can't wait to put a bow in her hair!
• Enjoys watching mommy do dishes and cook while she watches from her bumbo seat
• Doesn't hate tummy time as much as she used to. She might even go close to 5 minutes without fussing!
• Likes getting a warm bath before bed
• Can roll from her tummy to her back
• So incredibly sweet when she wakes up in the morning and from naps
• Working on sleeping through the night (in our own crib with minimal wake ups/ intervention). I talked with the pediatrician today about her sleep. He said we should let her cry 20-30 minutes. 20-30 minutes....really?! I thought I was mean last night when I let her go 5! I did just let her cry for 10 minutes when I put her down for her nap. We shall see what tonight holds....every night it's a suprise when she'll wake up!

Today is also a special day because one year ago today, I found out I was pregnant. I'll never forget that day! I was working at a client (Regal Entertainment Group) and it was the first day of busy season. Took a test there in the bathroom because I couldn't wait till I got home a 9 or 10 to take it! Needless to say, I didn't get much work done that day! What a special and blessed 365 days it has been! Going to celebrate 28 years of life with my hubby tonight at Melting Pot!

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Caught in the act!

I mentioned in an earlier post that Brandon saw Hadley with her thumb in her mouth the other day when he got her up from a nap. Well, yesterday I caught her in the act! Saw it with my own two eyes :)

We're switching up Hadley's bedtime routine....it now includes a warm bath each night just before her lullaby music and last bottle. I had to snap a few pictures of her bath time last night. Have you ever seen a cuter wrinkly butt?

28 and counting!

Today is my 28th birthday and I'm feeling OLD, haha! I woke up to the sweetest thing though...a smiling baby! When Hadley and I walked downstairs this morning, there were roses, a DVD, and a sweet card from my wonderful husband! As an added bonus, Hadley slept well last night!

I am beyond blessed! I know this year will be a special one :)

New milestones!

This morning we were loving on Hadley and she finally laughed!!! We've been waiting and waiting for her to laugh at us....tried all sorts of silly things....and she finally laughed today! We couldn't get her to do it again, but hopefully she will start laughing everyday now!

Also, Brandon just got Hadley up from her nap, and she had her thumb in her mouth! She usually has a random assortment of fingers in her mouth :) I don't want her to be a thumb sucker, but it's so fun watching her figure things out!

Here's a quick picture I took right after her nap this morning. Think she looks like her daddy??

Alert the media!

Hadley slept TEN hours in her crib last night! WOOHOO!

This was her best night's sleep in nearly a month. She slept great until around 12 weeks, about a week after we moved her into her crib. Since then she usually wakes up around 4-5 hours after we would put her down (usually just needed a pacifier back in her mouth or a quick rock back to sleep) and then would wake up 2 or so hours after that. We would normally put her in our bed at that point, because we needed sleep! But I want desperately to get her to stay in her crib all night. So yesterday I tried my best to keep her up as long as possible. She ended up napping around 3 or 3.5 hours total yesterday. I also increased her milk intake by a couple ounces. She got a warm bath around 9, lotioned up, and then Brandon fed her and put her down around 10. She was rousing around in her crib around midnight and I went and stuck a pacy in her mouth. Same thing around 5 and Brandon put the pacy in her mouth. Didn't move again till 8!

I seriously feel like a new woman!! Keep it up, Hadley!

Being a Mom

So last night I watched the video Brandon took in the hospital the day Hadley was born...I sat in the kitchen watching while Hadley was asleep and Brandon was watching the bowl game....and I boo-hooed. I thought about that day and the past 3.5 months of my life since then....I've felt so many emotions since that day...

• Amazement when she was born. I couldn't believe she was finally here after 9 months of waiting on her and praying for a healthy baby. She had the sweetest little cry. She had my nose and she had Brandon's beautiful blue eyes. She was perfect.
• Exhaustion the first few weeks at home, running on little sleep and trying to figure out what we were doing. I remember one night, Hadley was just a few weeks old, my mom came over. She knew how tired I was and she came to watch Hadley after work so me and Brandon could sleep for a couple hours. This happened to be the night they were rescuing the Chilean miners. When she left, she told me, "when Hadley wakes up, just think of what # miner they are rescuing and see if you are right when you go downstairs." She's been such an encourager.
• Complete joy when Hadley smiles at me and Brandon. She smiles alot, especially when she wakes up from naps, when she plays, and when her Daddy comes home from work. I think she's pretty excited to see someone else after being stuck at home with mommy all day :)
• Sadness when Hadley is crying or fussy and I don't know what is wrong. I'm very much looking forward to her being able to communicate with us! Also sad that breastfeeding didn't work out like I had envisioned (for now Hadley gets breast milk in a bottle - I pump 5-6 times a day!).
• Love when Hadley looks at me with those beautiful blue eyes. Love when she holds my finger with her tiny hand. Love when I snuggle with her for an afternoon nap. Love when I see her gazing at her daddy.
• Excitement as we see Hadley growing and learning new things. She's discovered her hands (not quite reaching yet, though), knows what her bottle is when she sees it (she opens her mouth like a little bird and moves her tongue, its so cute!), can hold her pacifier (although she hasn't mastered getting it in her mouth the right way yet), can hold small toys (holds them and then puts them directly in her mouth). Excitement over seeing her grow is sort of a double edged sword, as I can't believe she's growing so fast! Part of me wishes she would stay little forever. I put up most of her 0-3 month clothes yesterday. I think I shed a little tear! Also, excitement when I get to put my breast pump away!! Pumping 5-6 times a day isn't fun!
• Worried that Hadley is eating too much (not too little because this girl loves to eat! she's in the 75th percentile for weight and 90th for height right now), or that she's getting enough tummy time, or that I'm helping her develop good sleep habits, etc. I've read many books for new parents (Babywise, Happiest Baby on the Block, and Baby Whisperer) and each tell you to do something different.
• Hopeful that I will be the best mom I can be. God has entrusted us with this precious life, and I want to raise her the way He has planned. I want to be a Godly wife and mother.

The last 3.5 months have been the most rewarding and challenging I've ever experienced. Being a mom is the sweetest, most wonderful job I've ever had. I know we will experience many of these emotions and many more as Hadley grows, and as we grow in our role and parents and our marriage.

What's Cooking?

We woke up to another beautiful snowy morning! I can't believe how much snow we've gotten so far this winter! We took the opportunity to have a nice, leisurely breakfast. Even Hadley helped daddy cook!

It's cold outside! I can't wait till Hadley wants to go play in this stuff!

Happy Monday all!

First snow of 2011!

I looked outside a couple of days ago and saw this!

I didn't even know it was supposed to snow! That's Knoxville though...if they says it's GOING to snow, it won't!

It was a pleasant surprise :)

End of 2010!

Hadley turned 3 months old 4 days before her first Christmas. She weighed 13 lbs 3 oz (75th percentile) and was 24 inches long (90th percentile!) at her checkup! She is so long! The doctor assured me she would be taller than me, haha!

She's really discovered her hands now and loves to put them in her mouth! Preferably all 5 fingers at once! She's been cooing up a storm and "talking" to us which is probably the sweetest sound I could ever imagine! She's been sleeping in her crib for about 2-3 weeks. The first week she did great! But the last 10 or so days she's been waking up 2 or so times in the night - not crying or hungry - just wide awake and ready to play! She smiles SO big when I go to pick her up at night, like "yay, mommy is here to play!"

We spent Christmas Eve with Brandon's family - had a delicious dinner and opened gifts. Hadley's longest car trip yet, all the way to Jefferson City!

We woke up to a white Christmas in Knoxville which was the first one in decades. We enjoyed breakfast at our place with my mom as well as my dad and stepmom and opened Hadley's gifts. Next year she'll be a little more excited about the whole opening gift thing :) Then we headed to my aunt's house for lunch and more visiting! Hadley was a trooper throughout her fun-filled, busy first Christmas!

Here are a few other pics from December...

My new hat from Etsy.com!

Christmas Eve
I walked in her nursery the other day and saw this - melted my heart!

2010 was such a memorable and wonderful year for us. We are so blessed to have such a loving marriage, great jobs, wonderful family and friends, and the sweetest girl we know! We are excited to see what 2011 has in store for us!