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!