5 Months Old

Hayley is 5 months old today and yesterday we returned to the Pediatrician for her weight check. The doctor was pleased with her progress as she gained a pound and a half since her four month visit. She now weighs 12 pounds, 15 ounces and is 25.5 inches long. I think she's just meant to be a long and thin little baby as even with her good weight gain she is still in the lower percentiles for weight and the higher percentiles for height. She's also a very active baby and must do 50 crunches a day in an effort to situp. The gals at Little Nippers think she should lead an "Abs of Steel" class.

You can see a monthly progression of Hayley's changes by clicking here. Here are some of the things that Hayley has been doing the past few weeks:

• Chewing, drooling, and chewing (fingers are her favorite) but still no teeth in sight.
• She's found her toes and figured out how to get them in her mouth. When we go to get her out of her crib in the morning its a guarantee that at least one footsie of her pjs is soaking wet!
• Talking and making lots of different noises. She's learned how to let out high pitched squeals which she loves to make at the grocery store when there is someone ahead of us in the aisle who isn't paying attention to her!
• Can sit unassisted for almost 10 seconds before falling over.
• Loves it when we hold her in a standing position... you can tell she feels like such a "big" girl!
• Paying more attention to Chloe and is just thrilled when she sees Chloe walk by.
• Seems to be quite social and at this point has no problem with strangers. She smiles at everyone who looks at her and loves loves the attention.
• Still shops with Mommy and enjoys every second she is in the Baby Bjorn. We have to make an outing everday or she can get a little grouchy... Daddy's worried we may have a shopaholic on our hands!
• Grabbing for everything she sees (it's getting really hard to grocery shop with her little hands waving out in front of me)!
• Car rides are MUCH better and she seems a lot more content in her new carseat. We think she can see out the window now and enjoys looking at all the trees, etc.
• Still doesn't like being on her tummy but has begun to reach for items while she is on her tummy and then just roll over when she's had enough (usually after about 15 seconds).
• Loves it when Daddy "Zrrrbrts" her belly and Mommy says the vowels to her.
• Still enjoying every ounce of her cereal (she's had rice and oatmeal so far). We may start some veggies in a few weeks.
• Still going to Little Nippers each week and seems more and more interested in talking with and staring at her "little" friends.

These pumpkins ARE NOT for sale!!

We headed out yesterday to Hunsader Farms and the pumpkin patch. I think we will add this to the ever growing list of dumb things we have done as new parents! Hunsader Farms has a lot to offer in terms of activities for kids, but Hayley is not nearly old enough to enjoy the festivities. Basically, we paid to park, paid for admission, and then fought the crowd, only to take a few pictures of Hayley and Chloe at the pumpkin patch and buy ourselves a snow cone! Had I recovered the brain cells that I lost while pregnant by now I would have had the good sense just to go down to one of the church pumpkin patches and take Hayley and Chloe's pictures there for free. Anyhow, the pumpkin patch itself was of course full of other parents trying to photograph their little darlings. We tried to find a semi-quiet corner to begin our photo shoot. It didn't go as I had hoped. Within minutes there were people surrounding us gawking at our babies and asking if Chloe was a "real" dog. They had their cameras drawn and were taking pictures left and right. Chloe didn't know where to look and Hayley was more interested in trying to eat the hay which (as you can imagine) sent Daddy over the edge! I finally just accepted that with all the distraction I was not going to get "great" pictures of Hayley or Chloe, much less of them together. I WILL get my Pumpkins with their pumpkins pictures another day, mark my words! :)

While trying to de-stress over a snow cone, we met up with our friends Chris, Dawn, and Luke. Luke was showing off by eating Cheerios in front of Hayley. I would have given $100 to know what was going through her little head as he was waving those Cheerios in front of her face!

Chloe is just now starting to warm up to Hayley a bit more and has started letting Hayley actually touch her. So far Hayley has been WONDERFUL with Chloe. It's almost as if she understands that Chloe is a dog and she must be gentle. Usually she tries to grab everything she touches (like our hair) but when she touches Chloe she generally just feels her fur and won't clench into a fist. Hayley laughs everytime she pets Chloe or sees her walk by. Hayley is also close to sitting up on her own. She seems to have the support she needs in her back to sit, but is still trying to learn balance.

Mommy's Little Sunshine

Daddy is once again in Atlanta this weekend at Army Reserve Drill, but that hasn't stopped Hayley and Mommy from having fun together (although we do miss Daddy terribly when he is gone)! We spent today doing some cleaning (which apparently Hayley thought was a lot more fun then Mommy did) before meeting up with some neighbors to head over to our neighborhood "Hawk Fest." (The name of the community we live in is Greyhawk Landing.) Hayley wasn't all too interested in the festivities, but for the older kids it was great. There was a fire truck for the kids to climb in, a police car for the kids to sit in, and one of the police horses that the kids could pet. The weather was absolutely gorgeous... hard to believe it is October. I've been a little homesick, particularly for friends and family, since returning from Colorado, so it helped to have a beautiful day here to help remind me of why we moved to Florida.

Hayley has turned into quite the little motor mouth lately. It's adorable to see her try so hard to get her "words" out. I'm certain that in her mind she thinks she is speaking perfect English. Of course I've also convinced myself that she is saying Mama! Anyhow, if her conversation level now is any indication of what's to come then Hayley probably isn't the best person to be telling any secrets to!

We have a trip planned to the pumpkin patch next Saturday and are hoping to get some cute family photos!

Back From Colorado

We arrived back in Florida from Colorado late Tuesday night (or should I say early Wednesday morning), as by the time we made it back to the house it was 1am. Hayley has jumped back into her old routine with no problem. Her Mommy and Daddy on the other hand are going to need a few days to recover! We had a very enjoyable trip and all things considered, Hayley did excellent travelling through the airport and on the plane. We kept fairly busy while in Colorado and the weather was beautiful the entire time we were there. Brian got some golf in and Hayley and Chloe both enjoyed all the extra attention. It was nice to just "get away" for a bit.

Hayley seems to have filled out/chunked up a bit while we were in Colorado. I'm not sure if it was the altitude or a growth spurt, but either way she was certainly enjoying eating. She's also turned into quite the conversationalist. She'd love to tell anyone who is interested all about her trip and will be accepting phone calls! Below are some pictures of our visit!

Six Years of Wedded Bliss

Six years ago today Brian and I were standing in Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas reciting our marriage vows to each other. At the time, we could have never imagined that in six years we would have lived in 3 different states, 2 different homes, and spend our sixth anniversary with our new little girl!

We are currently in Colorado visiting Shelley's friends and family. We left Florida last Wednesday and took a direct flight out of Tampa with both Hayley and Chloe in tow. Yes, we were that family that everyone in the airport saw and thought, "I hope they aren't on my plane!!" I have been stressing about this trip since the day I booked the tickets. Luckily, our flight was only half full and we were able to have the seat next to us for Hayley's carseat. We sat in the very back of the plane and although Hayley fussed a little, she did much better than we had anticipated. Hayley has been an absolute angel so far this trip and has adjusted to well to the time zone change and all the increased activity. We've got our fingers crossed that the rest of the trip will continue this way and that we will have a relatively "easy" plane ride home.

We traveled up to Frisco today to visit our dear friends Gerd and Becky at their beautiful mountain home. The weather has been wonderful since we arrived in Colorado and today was no exception. We had a nice lunch and Hayley got to meet her Gerd and Becky for the first time. We'll post some more pictures of our visit once we get back to Florida.

Hayley's 4 Month Checkup

We survived Hayley's second round of shots and Daddy even stayed in the room without causing bodily harm to the needle wielding nurse. Hayley actually did very well with this set of shots and just cried a little (who can blame her?) rather than the blood curdling screams she let out two months ago. Overall she had a good checkup and is hitting all her milestones, but as I suspected, the Dr. is concerned about her weight. At 4 months she is 24.5 inches long and weighed 11 pounds 9 ounces which is a significant drop from the 25% range that she had been weighing in for her previous checkups. The Pediatrician seems to think that perhaps my milk is not "fatty" enough and has asked me to start giving Hayley about 8 ounces of formula a day. We go back in a month for a weigh in to see if Hayley's weight has gone up some.

Heads or Tails?

Some of you (Mimi) have been very concerned about Chloe's "lifestyle" now with all the recent change of a new house and Hayley's arrival. While I know that Chloe still doesn't understand why we have to keep the new "Bebe," Hayley certainly hasn't cramped the pampered life that Chloe is used to living. While Hayley was napping over the weekend, I went to work straightening up clutter and getting a meal ready. As I walked into the great room, slightly out of breath from a day of non-stop running around you can imagine how relieved I was to know that the work I was doing in the kitchen was not disturbing Princess Chloe! Chloe's got a big kiss for the first person to identify which end is which!

Hayley is 4 months old today and tomorrow we are headed to the Pediatrician for her 4 month checkup and shots. Daddy will be coming with us for this appointment and I'm certain I will have to send him to the car when it is time for Hayley's shots. I'm armed with a list of questions for the Dr. and am anxious to see where Hayley is at in terms of growth at this point! I'll post the results of our visit in my next post.

They're GRRRRRRReat!

Well it wasn't Frosted Flakes, but Hayley got her first bites of rice cereal today. Our Pediatrician suggests starting cereal between 4-6 months and I'd tried to hold off as long as I could but I just finally got tired of the nagging feeling that my little girl was hungry. I feel even worse about her being so hungry after seeing the way she responded to cereal. After about three bites she figured out exactly how this eating thing is done and couldn't get enough. We started off with just a teaspoon and ended up giving her 2 more teaspoons. She was not happy that we cut her off after that, but we felt it was best to see how she responded to this small dose first. By the second bowl of cereal she would start shaking with excitement when she saw the spoon coming towards her mouth! She'd even wipe her mouth with her bib after each bite! Talk about a southern lady! :) Below is some video of her first few bites.






Hayley was not happy when the cereal was gone. Here's an "after" picture as she was fussing for more!



I finally got a little bit of video of Hayley laughing.

Let's Eat!

I think I've mentioned this before, but our sweet, little Hayley can be awfully demanding when it comes to food. While I wouldn't say she's exactly "laid back" about everything else, she does handle other uncomfortable situations (such as a dirty diaper) without much fuss. However, when it comes to her food she wants it when she wants it or somebody is going to pay. Brian and I can't help but laugh each evening (when she seems to be the hungriest) about the little tantrum she will throw over getting her milk! She'll be happy and playing one minute and within seconds, with no warning, she will turn to an all out rage until she gets that bottle in her mouth.


This second video shows her rolling over. We were trying to get her to laugh but she wouldn't until we turned the camera off!

Fish Feast

Brian's old Army roommate, Trey, came to visit us over Labor Day weekend. The guys kept busy with a round of golf and a deep sea fishing excusion on Saturday morning. They had wonderful weather for their fishing trip and I know Brian really enjoyed the experience. Here's a picture of Brian's "big catch!" Just kidding, before heading out into the deep water they stopped close inland and caught some bait fish. (Kind of cruel, don't you think? Guess I'm just not so fond of the whole food chain concept, even though I'm at the top of it.) Brian didn't catch any fish period, not even a single bait fish! However, Brian's brother David and our friend Bob each caught a Barracuda. That left me with the challenge of figuring out how to cook Barracuda! We had a huge feast on Saturday night. We grilled the Barracuda and topped it with an avocado chile salsa. The fish was actually really good... it is very similar to Mahi Mahi. Anyhow, we had plenty of fish leftover that we froze and will enjoy our second Barracuda feast in the coming weeks. Below are some more pictures from the fishing trip.




And of course no post would be complete without a new picture of Miss Hayley. Here she is fresh from the tub and in all her glory!

Creative Problem Solving

I've really been enjoying the jogging stroller I purchased and Hayley seems to enjoy our walks/jogs almost as much as me now that she can sit up like a big girl and see all the trees, clouds, and people. However, I couldn't help but feel bad as we would head out the door and I would see little Chloe's heartbreak that she wasn't invited on our outing. The problem is that Chloe poops out fairly quickly and I don't get much of a walk in if she is with us. Knowing that Chloe is pretty adaptable, we developed a solution that seems to keep everyone happy (and give all the neighbors a good chuckle). Chloe will even let me jog while riding like this. I think she enjoys being up so high and feels like the spoiled pooch she's always been! I know people must think I'm nuts, but I sure enjoy getting some fresh air with my two girls!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

So it seems our little angel has found a new way to keep us up at night. Hayley's new found skill of rolling over has created a little bit of a dilemna for us as she has been rolling to her tummy in her sleep and waking up quite vocal about her dissatisfaction. Tonight we put her down to bed on her back like usual. Within seconds she was on her tummy protesting so we just let her fuss for a few minutes. Before long she was sound asleep with her little thumb in her mouth just sucking away. Brian says he hopes he's going to be able to sleep at night without worrying himself sick. We're both a little nervous knowing that she most likely will end up sleeping on her stomach. I keep reminding myself that we survived sleeping on our stomachs as infants so certainly Hayley will manage just fine.

Daddy's Little Girl

In case you haven't thought this already, Hayley looks just like her Daddy. The proof is in the pictures below. The first set is Brian at 8 months (courtesy of Aunt Amy!) and Hayley at 2 months, the second set is me at around 3 months and Hayley at 2 months. Oh well, hopefully Hayley will have my witt and charm! :)

In the past two days Hayley has managed to master the art of rolling over on a consistent basis. She has been rolling from tummy to back, but mostly from back to tummy. Once she gets over onto her tummy she gets so mad and frustrated because she still does not like being on her tummy. Seeing how much she protests tummy time I never figured she would be rolling from her back to her tummy first. She's also started to give us a good laugh. I can usually get her going by blowing raspberries on her neck. I'm hoping to get some of her giggling on video soon so I can share.

We brought out a new toy for Hayley this weekend. It is the Jumperoo and so far she is a big fan!

Party Animal

Our little party animal attended her first birthday party Saturday evening. In fact, between the beach on Friday night and the birthday party on Saturday, Hayley has been partying hard and stayed up past her 7pm bedtime two nights in a row. Fortunately, she has handled the deviation from her routine much better then we expected. Maybe she's going to like partying a little too much!

Hayley's good friend Luke, the son of Mommy and Daddy's good friends Chris and Dawn, held his "first" birthday party. To celebrate, Luke got his very own cupcake and Hayley got... to watch Luke eat his very own cupcake! Here's a picture of Chris, Dawn, Luke and doggie Satchley from our trip to the beach on Friday as well as a picture of Luke "after" the cupcake!

Hayley turned 12 weeks last Thursday and is acting like such a big girl! She laughed for the first time last week as I was changing her diaper. Daddy happened to be standing at the changing table as well, so luckily we both got to hear her! She has a favorite toy now. It is a 5 senses cube and she has gotten so good at reaching for it and grabbing it when I set it out of her reach. In fact, she even rolled over once in an attempt to get to that cube. She still is not a big fan of tummy time, but is tolerating it more and more each day. She's been drooling up a storm and the second she grabs anything with her hands it goes straight to her mouth. We are most proud to say that Hayley is consistently sleeping through the night now. We are still having to swaddle her for daytime naps, but at night we just wrap the blanket around her legs, leaving her arms free. It seems to be that she just doesn't like any part of her to be bare or uncovered while she sleeps.

Beach Bar-b-que

Last night we took Hayley on her first trip to the beach. We had a bar-b-que with our small group from church down on Siesta Key and took the opportunity to let Hayley stick her toes in the Gulf of Mexico for her first time! Of course Hayley got to wear her new bikini! It was a beautiful evening and we really enjoyed the white sand, warm water, and beautiful sunset!

Hide the Checkbook!

Today we headed off to Target again so I could pick up a few "necessities." In fact I even had a list of the "necessities" that I needed to get. I make shopping lists for two reasons. One, so that I won't forget what I am there for (which happens more often then I'd like) and two, so that I only buy what's on my list and thereby keep myself on a budget! One of the things on my list today was a swim diaper for Hayley. Luckily, I was able to quickly find a swim diaper. Of course this is where my "it's not on the list logic" sets in. As I placed the diaper in my basket, I thought to myself, "I can't very well just buy bathing suit bottoms and allow my little girl to run around topless." Good thing there were tops to match the swim diaper and into my basket they go. "But wait, I can't let her be in the pool without sun protection. Oh good, a matching hat!" And into my basket it goes. As I look into my basket I tell myself, "I'll just take them home and show Brian and then maybe I can return the hat or the top," knowing good and well that once I get home and put this on her there is NO way I'm taking them back. And so, Hayley now has a full swim set and is ready for a dip in the pool at all times! Reasoning while shopping, particularly while shopping for Hayley is going to be very, very dangerous for me!

Some Saturday Pictures

A cute outfit for a breakfast out and some relaxing time in the pool make for a great Saturday!

Daddy's Homecoming

Hooray!! Daddy is finally coming home today! Brian has been gone for 11 days and I'm not sure who is more excited to see him; Hayley, Chloe or me! His trip originated as a business trip with GE to Canada and he spent the past 6 days in Atlanta at Army Reserve Drill. He was honored on Saturday during his promotion ceremony and we definitely wish we could have been there. Of course he picked a splendid day for air travel! :(

I know I'm definitely worn out. I honestly don't know how single parents do it! I've made a point to get out each day, even if it is just to the grocery store. Chloe and Hayley aren't always much for conversation, so it has helped to have even limited interaction with adults and I get a good excuse to dress Hayley up in one of her cute outfits! I'm still working on getting Hayley to sleep consistently through the night. We are having issues with "The Swaddle." She keeps busting out of it and waking herself up. I'm taking this as a sign that she is ready to retire "The Swaddle," yet she just doesn't sleep as good yet without it. Last night was our first night of the weaning process and she was up a couple times. I've heard that it generally takes about 3 nights to get over this, so I'm praying that it's one down and two to go!

Drama Queen

I mentioned in my last post that Hayley can be a little bit dramatic. Here is just a sample of the increasing drama that she provides us with on a daily basis. She's just had a bath (which she loves) and it is getting close to bedtime. What's interesting is how fast she can turn it on and off. Note the well timed use of the bottom lip... she knows that Daddy can't handle the bottom lip!

Almost Famous

Hayley had her two month Pediatrician check-up today. She will be 10 weeks tomorrow and weighed 10 pounds 2 ounces and was 23 inches long. So far she is in about the 25th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for length. This would explain why her 0-3 month clothes fit her lengthwise, but anything with pants or shorts falls right off of her... she's a long, skinny little thing! Can you be skinny and still have rolls?

Hayley seemed to be enjoying herself for most of the checkup until... it was time for her shots. I know the entire office heard each of the three shots. She was fine once the nurse was through, but was very happy to be back in Mommy's arms. As we were checking out, a lady came out of one of the waiting rooms with her little boy who looked to be about 2. The lady asked me if that was my little girl who made all that noise. I said "yes" and the little boy's eyes got big and said "that sure didn't sound like a little baby!" Hayley's going to be very famous one day... she is going to be a good actress because she is already so dramatic and with pipes like hers she ought to have one heck of a singing voice!