Are you ready for some football?

Hayley is, but only if it's good 'ol Denver Bronco football! We may live in Florida, but don't worry, her Momma intends to raise her properly. Courtesy of Grandpa, Hayley was able to start NFL season off right!

Hayley is 15 Months

It's been a while since our last update as we have been a busy, busy family! Mommy has been working with clients a lot lately, Daddy has had some out of town travel, and Hayley has had some busy days since ISR swimming started last week. Hayley's first swim lesson was last Monday. The class is a big committment as we have to attend a private lesson every weekday for 10 minutes. Of course Hayley was none to happy about being put in the pool and not being allowed to do exactly what SHE wanted. She's cried through just about every lesson (which apparently is normal for the first week or two). By Friday, the cry was pretty fake and she was actually smiling and laughing in between remembering that she was supposed to be mad. In just a short week though she's learned to hold her breath, open her eyes under water, and pull up on the side of the pool for air. We're excited to see Hayley progress through the lessons and are even more excited about the end result. We think Hayley will be thrilled to be so independent in the water.

Last Monday, before her first lesson, Hayley had her 15 month doctor checkup. The Dr. reaffirmed that she's still a little peanut. Hayley is STILL not even 20 pounds! She came in at 19 pounds, 12 ounces and 31 inches long. Luckily, the Dr. didn't seem at all concerned about her weight and she got a clean bill of health.

We got Hayley her own chair last week. So far she loves it! A fitting throne for our little princess!

There's a thief among us...

and the suspect completely denies any culpability. I spent a good hour today tearing the house apart in search of the remote control for the TV. We've been pretty good about setting the remote on one of our end tables, but now that Hayley has gained a few inches, I'm beginning to realize that perhaps that isn't the best idea. See, we have one of those complex cable, audio, tv systems that without a remote, you're dead in the water so I knew that finding this remote before Daddy came home to relax for the evening was a matter of life and death. I searched everwhere, pulling the cushions off the couch and looking under furniture. No remote, but I did find a significant amount of Hayley's toys and books stuffed under the couch... who would've thought??

All the toys Hayley had managed to stuff under the couch



I pleaded with Hayley to show me where the remote was, but she just looked at me like I'd lost my mind and went back to playing with her new found toys. I began to think like my Hurricane, tracing the steps to all her favorite hiding spots in our house. I looked under the dining room table, in her hamper, in every single one of my kitchen cabinets and drawers. I checked the office, scoured her room and finally headed off to the master bedroom. I checked the bathtub, under the bed, our hamper, our closet, the shower, all of our bathroom drawers... suddenly it hit me! Daddy had caught Hayley sticking one of her toys in my trash can (located inside the bathroom cabinet under the sink) over the weekend. VOILA!! The remote! It's always the last place you look, isn't it? :-)

The scene of the crime



Hayley still wouldn't fess up to the crime. She claims she was drunk on milk all day long... pretty weak alibi to me!

The suspect... trying to talk her way out if it

Category 5

Hayley picked up a few new words over the weekend. She now says boat (in reference to the raft that she floats around the pool in while yelling at Mommy to "kick"), and bawk for book. I've noticed a deeper connection between Hayley and Chloe and apparently now they are having full fledged conversations. If you ask Hayley what Chloe says she will tell you "Arf!"

Hurricane had a wonderful time at friend Luke's second birthday party on Saturday. She loved the toys, other children, and Luke's dog Satchley! Below are some pictures of our party animal!

Trying to climb into the school bus


Hayley insisted on being in the middle of Ring Around the Rosy


Playing ball with Satchley


Building with the boys!


Refueling... Looks like a hurricane has already worn Daddy out!


Time to play again


Hayley REALLY liked Luke's new toys


Hayley saying "Arf!"

Tiny Bubbles

I managed to wrangle Hayley's hair into pigtails this weekend. It was tough getting those few strands of hair into two different rubberbands, but she sure did look cute!




Now the after pigtails style does leave something to be desired!



Hayley has started to try to copy Daddy and blow bubbles in the pool!

Where the Wild Things Are

Hayley almost got us kicked out of Barnes & Noble today. We stopped in to kill half an hour while we waited for another store to open in the same shopping center. I figured that looking at different books would be a great way to pre-occupy Hayley so we headed back to the children's section. When we arrived we were greeted by a little children's play area, complete with a train set and other children to play with. "This is not going to be good," I thought to myself as Brian set Hayley down. See Daddy hasn't seen Hayley "experience" a new, fun environment the way Mommy has. I do belive that after yesterday's experience Daddy fully understands why Hayley has been annointed with the nickname "Hurricane." There were two little boys playing with the train and a little girl who was quietly sitting on her Mommy's lap. We all made small talk and found each of the children were within 3 months of each other. Hayley began her usual project of hoarding every toy in sight, specifically the train cars. This did not make the little boys happy. She then adopted a stuffed owl that evoked a shriek if taken away. It only took a few minutes before the little girl became terrified of "Hurricane" and cried if Hayley went near her. After Hayley tired of the train set, she decided that running through the aisles yelling and carrying owl was the best way to spend her time. Suffice to say that Hayley was not happy once we caught her. Red faced, we exited Barnes & Noble leaving owl behind as fast as we could. I will say the one word that comes to mind when I think about my little Hayley now... determined.

Below is a video of Hayley running around the house the way she did Barnes & Noble. We have no plans to visit any libraries in the future and my apologies for those of you who end up on a plane with us someday.

You can count on Hayley's vote!

We think Hayley has been doing some sneaking around behind our backs. We're not quite sure if she has just been logging onto the Internet, or actually sneaking out of the house during naptime, but the other day we received a piece of mail revealing her secret activities. The letter was addressed to Hayley Roberts with a return address of "Tancredo for a Secure America." The salutation said "Dear Fellow Conservative." While we're pleased by Hayley's political activism (and relieved that the letter didn't say "Dear Fellow Liberal"... hey, we must be doing something right!), we can't quite figure out how Hayley's name has ended up on Tancredo's mailing list, particularly since Mommy nor Daddy received the same piece of mail! Looks like we may have a little Alex P. Keaton on our hands... she must get it from Daddy!

Another Thursday means another morning of PlayAway. This morning when we pulled in the parking lot Hayley started laughing and clapping her hands. She was apparently aware of where we were going and was so cute I just wanted to squeeze her!

Daddy just returned from a four day business trip and all his girls were excited to have him home. We sure do miss him when he's gone!

Daddy's Little Helper - Trying to show Daddy how to use the drill

A Trip to Marina Jack's

This morning Brian and I took Hayley to one of our favorite pre-Hayley places, Marina Jack's. It's a great park that jets out into Sarasota Bay with lots of grass, shade trees, and beautiful views of the bay. We used to love to just sit and read on a Sunday and watch the boats go by.

Now that we've entered our Hayley era, Marina Jack's is still one of our favorite places and I think it will probably be one of Hayley's, but for a different reason. After all, there are no lazy days, SITTING, and watching the boats go by anymore! (At least we can still enjoy the ocean view, right?) Not when there is a splash park and lots of room for a little Hayley to run around! I took a TON of pictures, but it is virtually impossible to get a non-action shot of Hayley at this point in her life.

Marina Jack's Splash Park

Hayley Boot Camp

Little did I know that when I gave birth to Hayley, I was giving birth to my own personal trainer. She gives me a good cardio workout all day long chasing after, and when I'm actually in the midst of a scheduled workout she's relentless. Hayley has always been fond of going for rides in her jogging stroller. She's made it quite clear that the faster I push her the better. For the past few months she's literally started yelling at me if I stop my run to take a walk break. I'm not quite sure exactly what she is yelling, but it doesn't sound very nice!

Since we're in the middle of a hot summer, I've started doing some workouts in the pool while Hayley is in there with me. I'll do pushups on the sun deck and count out loud. She thinks this is absolutely hilarious until I get to the end and she starts yelling at me to do more. I've tried to explain to her that they're hard and she should try some, but she won't take any excuses. After pushups, I stick Hayley in her swim boat and use it as a kickboard while I do laps in the pool. I know it doesn't sound hard, but believe me, it's harder then it looks (ask Brian) and really makes my legs burn. As I kick-push Hayley back and forth across the pool, she's now started yelling "kick, kick, kick" at me! "Yes Drill Sergeant Hayley!" Sheesh!

We've had a busy week as I've had clients in town and Hayley has spent time at Nana and Papa's. We did make it to PlayAway today. Hayley is starting to get a better feel for the flow of the class and is participating more in each of the activities. She absolutely loves bubbles right now. Despite being very active, Hayley is usually very sweet and gentle with the other children. Except for yesterday when that darn "Gregory" came over and started popping the bubbles that Hayley was going for. Gregory is about an inch taller than Hayley and he could reach the bubbles first. Of course Hayley didn't try to push or hit "Gregory," but if looks could kill... I'm afraid by the end of our class Hayley is going to let "Gregory" know not to mess with her!

Romper Room

This morning I added an extra scoop of protein powder to my usual morning smoothie, dressed Hayley in one of her sweeter, more innocent looking outfits, put a girly pink bow in her hair, and we headed out for another adventure at PlayAway. There were a lot more moms seeking toddler entertaining refuge from the summer heat this week, and our class was packed with about 20 babies. As we walked in the front door, Hayley took one look and nearly lept out of my arms. Unable to contain her, I set her down and "Flash" took off across the room, yelling. "Hurricane Hayley" likes to make an entrance you know, much to her introverted mother's dismay.

Luckily, Hayley seemed a little more interested this week in the group songs. However she was certain to embarass me with her new found desire to steal all things round and being enjoyed by another child. Yes, Hayley has developed a strong fondness of balls. She runs around our house playing soccer now and despite the fact that there must be over 50 different balls at PlayAway Hayley wasn't about to let any other children enjoy the balls. I was mortified as she kept walking off and taking balls out of the hands of the floor ridden crawlers. I chased after her, apologizing to the victims mother and I know they were thinking, "that woman needs to get her child under control." And believe me, I will, just as soon as I can catch her!!

Hayley ran up to two of the 18 month old boys who were playing with a ball. They were bigger than her, but definitely not faster. And intimidated she was not. She snatched the ball right out of Gregory's* hands. (*names have been changed to protect the innocent) He looked at her, yelled "mine," and promptly snatched the ball right back. Hayley stepped back stunned, gave him "the look," and attempted to take the ball back which led to a Hayley and Gregory tug-of-war match. By that time I had reached my little thief and directed her attention elsewhere. I'm pretty sure Hayley would have ended up with that ball had I let the tugging continue. She might be little, but boy is she tough.

All in all, we had a good hour of organized play and arrived home in time for lunch and a few rounds of "Chase Chloe with the biscuit" before naptime. Speaking of biscuits... I'm not sure who enjoys eating them more at this point, Chloe or Hayley... but that's a whole other story!

What am I in for?

Hayley is creating quite the reputation for herself and I'm not certain it's a good one! Today was the second time someone mentioned the term "hurricane" with my daughter's name behind it! Of course by this point I've realized that "Hurricane Hayley" is a little busy body, which was why we decided to try a class at Play Away today, a gym for the little ones just down the road from our house. It's a lot like Gymboree, but they offer a lot of fitness and dance classes to the preschool and elementary age as well. The facility is great because there are mats everywhere and tons of things for the kids to play on. Hayley obviously loved all the equipment, so much so that she pretty much refused to participate in the class! Oh she'd come to the circle and join us for a second or two (literally) before running off to find something new. I tried to make her sit in my lap and sing songs for a bit, but of course that only made her mad which was actually more embarassing then just letting her run wild around the room. And below are the answers to the standard question that every mother asks me upon observing Hayley for a few moments:
1.) Is she always this... energetic (wild is what they really want to say)? Yes
2.) Does she only have one speed? Yes, extra fast
3.) What age did she start walking? Hayley never walked, but she did start RUNNING at 10 months - Yes, it's been 5 months now that I've been trying to keep up with Speedy Gonzalez here. I'm considering getting myself a trainer because it's becoming obvious that I'm going to need more than a few protein shakes to keep me one step ahead of my little speed demon.

So in light of Hayley's adventurous attitude, lack of fear, and speed, we've determined it necessary to enroll Hayley in ISR classes. As we've mentioned before, Hayley loves the water and has no hesitation about jumping in our pool. Scary. Luckily, we have a great instructor close by that teaches these survival swimming lessons for 6 month to 6 year olds. It's amazing because this program really teaches babies to first survive and then swim. Basically, the babies learn to swim - back float - swim. It's a very big committment as we have to attend a lesson every weekday for 10 minutes for a period of 4-6 weeks, but the peace of mind will definitely be worth it. We start class at the end of August and are looking forward to the new skills Hayley will develop.

In an effort to help teach Hayley the sounds that each animal makes, I bought her the magentic Leap Frog Fridge Farm. Little did I realize that not only does this wonderful toy make animal sounds, but Farmer Tad also plays the banjo. The good news is that Hayley loves this toy so far. The bad news is that Hayley has decided that she isn't interested in the animals and would much rather hear Farmer Tad play the banjo all day. I'd like to personally thank the creator of this toy!!


Daddy and Hayley after the SOCOM Change of Command

Uh oh, Cheerios!

Our good friend, Army Rob, was in Florida last week and drove down to visit Hayley (and Mommy and Daddy) on Friday night. Hayley was quick to introduce Rob to life with Hayley and amazed him with the amount of food she can eat.

So this morning Hayley was finishing up her morning Cheerios and just babbling away all the while. I grabbed the video camera in hopes of getting some of her talking on video. The second I turned the camera on, she started dropping Cheerios from her high chair. This food dropping trick has been going on for quite sometime and we've been trying to let Hayley know that dropping food on the floor is a no-no. We're certain she knows that dropping food is a no-no, and this video proves it! We haven't used the term "uh oh" for much other than just trying to get her to make sounds, so were surprised that she related "uh oh" to something she knew she wasn't supposed to do!

Keeping Cool in the Pool

Of course we spent part of the weekend in the pool! Here's some video of Hayley's new found trick of jumping in the pool. This baby has no fear!

Thirsty Girl

Two weekends ago we headed out to Lowe's in search of some supplies for our latest project, the guest bath. A new Jamba Juice had just opened up in the same shopping center and much to our delight they were giving out free smoothies. Brian and I each got one and were excited to share some with Hayley. Knowing that this was Hayley's first experience with a straw, we figured she wouldn't know what to do. You can imagine our shock when she immediately stuck the straw in her mouth and proceeded to suck down half of our smoothie like she's had all the practice in the world! Of course the next day I headed out to buy the sippy cups with the straws in them and Hayley can't get enough.

As we swam in the pool this past weekend, we set her straw sippy on the side of the pool. Hayley would walk off the sundeck and Daddy would swim her across the pool and back (what we call a "Hayley Lap"). Once she was back up on the sundeck she would immediately walk over to her sippy and take a big swig like she'd just spent the past five hours running a marathon with nothing to drink! Apparently "Hayley Laps" are very strenuous in this hot Florida sun!

So, at this point in time, Hayley just can't get enough water to drink. I'm not sure how long the novelty of the straw will last, but for the time being Hayley is
well hydrated and we're allocating a little more money towards our Pampers budget!

As far as our guest bath goes, we're pleased to say it is almost complete. We have just a few decorative finishing touches to complete over the next week and we're still planning to frame the vanity mirror, but here is a picture of what we've completed so far. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a before pic, but those who have visited us know that this is a BIG improvement! :-)

Eye Surgery Update

Hayley's eye surgery went very well this morning and we thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. Mommy and Daddy were a little nervous about the whole thing, but luckily Hayley was a champ. We arrived at the surgery center at 7am, quite apprehensive about Hayley's attitude since she wasn't allowed to eat anything before the surgery. Luckily, she met a little boy to play with in the waiting room which seemed to keep her mind off food until we had to take her back for the procedure. She did great with the doctors and seemed very comfortable with the anesthesiologist... she didn't even cry when her took her from us and carried her off into the surgery room. Of course when she woke up from the anesthesia, it was a different story and she was sure to introduce all the nurses to the power of her lungs. The nurses told us that it was normal for babies to wake up from anesthesia very upset, however they still seemed shocked by the sheer strength of Hayley's vocal cords. After about 15 minutes, a cup of juice, and a few Cheerios, we managed to get Hayley calmed down and we were ready to head home. She napped for three hours once we got home and was ready to play hard the rest of the day!

Her eye already seems to be so much better. We think this is the first time we've ever seen her right eye look "dry." Because of the excessive tearing the blocked tear duct caused, her eyelashes were always clumped together. The next few days will tell whether the surgery successfully opened both eye ducts, but so far so good! What a relief to have this done!

We bought Hayley a water table to play with out on the lanai. She loves to splash in the water and we thought this would be fun for her to play in without us having to get into the pool all the time. So far she has had fun playing with it empty! Seems like a good toy purchase so far!

Here's some video of Hayley saying "ball!"

Loving on Dabin

Hayley knows who Dabin is, she named him after all!

Hayley is "SOOOOO BIG!!!"

Here's a video of Hayley holding her arms out to show how big she is!

Pictures

We had a fairly uneventful week filled with the usual errands, playing, and work (for Mommy of course). Hayley is scheduled for eye surgery next Friday. She has had a blocked tear duct since birth and usually these clear up on their own, but Hayley just happens to be in that 2% that requires surgery to open her tear duct. The actual procedure will only take about 5 minutes, but she will be anesthetisized so the entire surgery will take about an hour. We aren't looking forward to this, but are looking forward to not having to deal with the recurrent eye infections that have plagued our little princess. Here are some pictures from the week.

Warning: One of the benefits of having our own private pool is the option to swim sans a suit. Hayley is exercising her right to swim topless, so if you are offended by baby nudity, do not scroll down!

Hayley's "space girl" pajamas

"What's for dinner?"

A sponge bath in the sink after dinner before heading out to the pool

"Get this back float off me!!" (And wipe the dinner off my face while you're at it!)

Proof that Hayley says "duck!"

A little update

We've kept busy the past few weeks with several miscellaneous projects around the house. Over the Memorial Day weekend my wonderful, handy husband installed some cabinets for me in our laundry room. I spent the following week painting and putting the finishing touches on my beautiful new room! Other exciting projects have included toe kick lighting under our bathroom vanities, painting the office and guest bath, and installing various hooks for hanging "things" throughout the house. Most of these are simple projects that we intended to do after moving into the house, but Hayley put a little kink in our schedule last year and so we're getting around to some of these items now. I did learn a valuable lesson that trying to paint a room with my little Picaso on the loose just isn't smart.

Laundry room cabinets

Of course in our free time, Hayley has kept us pleasantly entertained. She's a busy little bee and a handful to keep up with! Trying to snap a picture of Hayley is like trying to catch a jack rabbit! I have lots of pictures of her backside as she runs away! Hayley has always been a babbler (okay, she's a downright chatterbox), but she's now saying things that we are able to make out as actual words. Her favorites are "duk" (duck), dee-dee (Daddy), Hi-da (Hi Daddy), bah (book), baw (ball), and dah (dog). She knows the sign language for several things, but still isn't real big on actually doing it herself. She gives me "five" on command and we're slowly learning to give Mommy "ten." Hayley is not one to sit still, but she is absolutely enthralled with books. She'll go into her room by herself and sit for minutes (an eternity in Hayley time) looking through all her books.

It's funny to drag Dabin through the house!

Hayley's Austin Powers pajamas!

Having fun with good friend Pooh

I told you Mommy... blow more bubbles!

I LOVE reading my books!

One Year Checkup

We visited the pediatrician for Hayley's one year check-up today. She measured in at 29 inches long and 17 pounds, 14 ounces. She checked out just fine other then the doctor's concern about her weight as she's barely in the 5th percentile now. The fact is that Hayley can practically out eat Daddy... it isn't a lack of food that is causing her svelt figure, but rather the inability to sit still is what I suspect to be the culprit. If she isn't moving (like when I've strapped her in the carseat), her mouth is moving. Suffice it to say that this baby is an active little handful! I'll be upping her daily dosage of avocado and will try mixing some olive oil into her meals to see if we can't "fatten" her up a bit! Unfortunately, Hayley received three shots which she protested quite loudly. When I say that Hayley screams, I mean literally, she screams. It isn't just a loud cry. It's a blood curdling scream. After Hayley was done shocking the nurse, the nurse turned to me and said, "Wow, she's got quite the set of lungs! She's louder then our five year olds!" Yes, Hayley is VERY advanced!

We're finally getting some much needed rain here, but it sure makes for a gloomy day that causes us Floridians to mope around and complain endlessly. It's all I can do to keep myself from wanting to spend all day laying in bed. I don't know how people who live in places like Seattle function! Anyhow, we braved the rain this evening and headed out to the Mexican restaurant down the street from our home for dinner. Much to Hayley's delight, the live Mariachi band was there. Brian and I usually spend our dinners out with Hayley alternating spoons. We each take one of her spoons and alternate feeding her from our plate. As simple as this sounds, it really is a complex manuever that we have perfected as Hayley DEMANDS a continuous and rhythmic motion in order to keep the entire restaurant from hearing her dismay. It takes a lot of skill (and practice) to time our bites in between hers. As relieved as I am to not have had to cook a meal, eating out is far from relaxing at this point in our parenthood adventure. Which is why dinner this evening was so enjoyable as Hayley was absolutely enthralled by the Mariachi band. She'd never seen anything like this group of guitar yielding, tight (and I do mean TIGHT) white pant wearing, shiny shoe singing Mariachi men! She laughed, she danced, she tried to sing, she yelled Arriba (okay, just kidding), and she really checked out their shoes. I'm kicking myself that I didn't have the video camera!