11 Months

Hadley,

Today you are 11 months old! I cannot even begin to believe that you are almost a year old. These past 11 months have been absolutely amazing (and tiring), and so much fun! If it's possible, I think I love you more every single day. I can't wait to see your smiling face each morning, and I can't wait to get home every day and see your excited face as you crawl towards me. Your sweet toothy smile and your cute laugh light up a room. And your precious kisses (and "forehead kisses") melt my heart.


Every day you seem to be learning more new things these days. You are now standing on your own, without holding onto anything, and you are getting better and better every day at walking while holding onto things (the table, the wall, our hands, etc.). I am convinced that you will be walking any day now, and while that is exciting, it is also kind of scary at the same time. I guess mommy and daddy need to get busy Hadley-proofing more things in the house!


These days you have two great loves...Mickey Mouse and Murph. The Mickey Mouse thing is not new - you have been a big fan of his for a while now. But one of your new favorite things to do is "play" with Murph through the back door. You will stand there and look for him, and then when he comes, you just laugh and squeal with delight. Someday you two will be best buddies!


You are still a really good eater, and we are trying more and more finger foods in place of pureed foods. While that seems to make you happy, it also makes a huge mess!! But, everything is washable, right!?!

Recently you have discovered lots of things that have buttons for you to press, and you love that! Some of those discoveries include your books and toys, and some of them are things you don't need to be playing with (like the computer keyboard and the dvd player).

You were sick for a week this month with (another) ear infection and the flu. We kept you home for a week, and spent lots of time cuddling with you. Luckily, you got better quickly (your case of the flu was very mild) and returned to your happy self.


Oh, my sweet beetle bug, I love you so much. Thanks for making every day an adventure, and for keeping mommy and daddy on our toes. I love you to the moon and back!

Mommy

My life...according to facebook

Since I have not been very good about updating lately, here is a quick glimpse into the past month or so via facebook status updates...

Hello Friday afternoon - I've been waiting for you all week!

Tonight's plan: supper, bathe Hadley, bottle for Hadley, put Hadley to bed, and then play some Wii with Eric, Karah, & Doug.

Mandi is looking forward to a day at home tomorrow (laundry, playing with Hadley, making more baby food, etc.)

Last week at NCTC

Mandi has two more days working at NCTC and then I'm back to a school district (yippee!!) - not teaching (by the way).

Mandi is in Wichita Falls today getting my fingerprints done for the new job...you know-make sure I'm not a criminal or anything!

Dear Hadley - Mommy & Daddy got you a surprise at Toys-R-Us today and we can't wait to see your face when we give it to you!

On this day, terrorists attacked my country. On this day, thousands of our citizens were murdered. On this day, I will not forget......

Mandi is starting my new job on Monday (and I promise I'll give more info about it soon)

Mandi had a very productive day...5 loads of laundry, baby food made (green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes), and spent lots of time playing with Hadley. (Oh, and did I mention that Eric was gone all day? So that means I did all that by myself!)

Mandi is starting my new job tomorrow!

Mandi is going back tomorrow for day #2. (In other words, it was a good day.)

Happy 40th Birthday, Kim and Tim!

cough...cough...good grief!

Mandi could really use a Sonic happy hour break right about now.

Sore throat, ears hurt, snuffy nose, headache, coughing...bleh!

Mandi is watching football but the nyquil is kicking in...

Last load of laundry going; steaks cooking on the grill; and a happy baby swinging on the back porch. What a nice life!!

Mandi is listening to Hadley and daddy playing and laughing. Makes my heart happy!

Mandi is not a fan of thunderstorms

I wish I could get over this yuckiness I am feeling (without passing it on to anyone else at home).

Almost bedtime (for everybody in this house!).

Dear Hadley'S Immune System - Please stay strong and keep fighting off all the nasty, mean, sneaky germs swarming around my sweet boy right now. I will be unbelievably thankful if you could comply with this one request. Thanks! Hadley's Mommy

The verdict is in from the doctor...bronchitis...nice.

Family visit to the doctor yesterday. Here are the results: Eric-cough/cold/congestion, Mandi-bronchitis, Hadley-nothing (yet!)

C'mon 4:00 - hurry up and get here!

Mandi is off work and going to get my hair cut - two excellent things!

At home...hanging out with my two favorite people...feeling much better (maybe we have run the germs off!)

Mandi and the boys are messing around in Sherman today - fall clothes shopping for H, Sam's Club, etc.

Went to a JBF sale today (kids consignments) and got 6 longs sleeve knit shirts, 3 long sleeve button up shirts, 2 sweatpants, 5 jeans, 3 sweatshirts, and 3 jackets all for $70! That averages to around $3 an item in case you're wondering. Very nice!!

Mandi and Hadley left the house before 7 - ugh!

Mandi needs to go to bed...but instead I'm on the computer

5:30 is going to come really early in the morning!

*yawn* It's too early *yawn*

Mandi left my bagel sitting on the kitchen counter this morning...grrr

Mandi just loves when Hadley is cuddly at bedtime - makes my day!

Mandi is working on bond ammortizations - doesn't that sound like fun??

Mandi is playing with Hadley while Eric fixes supper - nice!

xnrcxud, Tazsb hsg (that's what Hadley has to say)

Just had our first bleeding accident w/Hadley - bumped his mouth on the coffee table...think his little teeth jabbed his gums. Scary (for mommy & daddy) but he's okay now.

Mandi is headed to Frisco for two fun filled days of investment training. Good times

I could watch Hadley for hours while he's sleeping. He has my heart.

Mandi had fun with my boys today at the mall in Frisco...got Hadley's halloween costume, got some work clothes/shoes for M & E, and Hadley rode a carosel for the first time...fun day!

Dear Cleaning Fairies - Please come clean my house this week. I have missed you very much lately and can't seem to get ahold of you, so I am resorting to this very informal, but hopefully effective method of communication. I will gladly bake y...ou cookies or even a meal in exchange for a thorough cleaning. Thanks!

Hello? Cleaning Fairy? You didn't come to my house today. Are you ignoring me???

Mandi is home with a feverish Hadley today

Another ear infection...poor Hadley.

Mandi is home with Hadley again today. Ear infection #4 for him. Thank goodness for Amoxicillin (sp?).

...and now you are up to date! :-)

Lately...

Things are going as usual around here...busy with work and chasing Hadley around. He is growing and changing every day and we love it!

Messy face! (This is after eating/playing with a biter bisquit - yuck!)

Hadley *hearts* Mickey Mouse!

Swingin'

Somebody please let me go outside!

10 Months

My Hadley,

Could it really be that you are 10 months old? You are growing up so quickly and I am trying to soak up and remember every single thing you are doing as you grow.



Lately you are busy, busy, busy...crawling (very quickly) everywhere and pulling up on everything. You have even walked your way around the coffee table a few time lately. You try so hard to stand up on your own (without pulling up on anything) and you have done it a few times, but I think it was just luck each time. You like to play chase with me and daddy, and you just laugh and laugh when you catch us or you think we will catch you.

Your laugh is my absolute favorite thing to hear - it just makes my heart melt.

You have become an expert at blowing bubbles/spitting/making noise with your mouth, and you do the cutest thing with your fingers and your mouth (can't really explain it in words and haven't captured it on video yet, but I will keep trying).


Mickey Mouse is still your favorite, and you love anything and everything with Mickey on it. Every time you see any of your Mickey toys or books you give him a big kiss. In fact, you have started kissing lots of your toys, especially the mirrors. So cute!




You are still eating really great, and have become better and better at picking up stuff and actually making it to your mouth (crackers, puffs, etc.). Sometimes I try to give you lots of finger food at meal time just so you can practice picking it up and chewing it. However, YoBaby yogurt is still your favorite (and I think always will be!).

Thanks for making each day an adventure and an absolute joy. It just keeps getting better!


I love you always and forever.
Mommy

New Job

So tomorrow is a big day...the first day of my new job as the Director of Accounting for Sherman ISD. I am getting more nervous the closer it gets. I am excited about the job and am looking forward to it, I am just not looking forward to being "the new girl" again. Hopefully tomorrow goes well and I like the job as much as I think I will.

To be continued...

Baths

Hadley has always loved bath time and is so fun to watch splish and splash. Lately he has figured out that smiling for the camera (or for mommy & daddy) is a cute, fun thing to do as well.

Picnic

Saturday we went to the Eisenhower State Park in Denison and had a picnic - Hadley's very first picnic. And...guess who forgot to take the camera! So there are no pictures from the fun day at the park (sorry Nanny!). But the Burger King (mommy & daddy) and sweet potatoes and cheerios (Hadley) were very yummy, and I think Hadley had a fun time.

9 Months

Hadley Max,

Today you are 9 months old...9 months!! This age has seemed so far away and so "old", but now here we are. Daddy and I have had you to hold and cuddle and kiss for the same amount of time now as you were in my tummy. That's just crazy to think about.

This past month you, once again, learned lots of new things and seemed to grow and change so much. You are an expert crawler now, and you can get anywhere you want to go. Gone (for the most part) are the days of scooting on your tummy, because you have the hands/knees crawl down. However, you do a bit of a bear crawl sometimes on one foot - super cute! Pulling yourself up to standing is no problem for you at all, and you do it ALL the time. Sometimes it scares us because you seem to have absolutely no fear at all! We have also noticed that you are very trusting, and will lunge off of things or out of our arms trusting someone will catch you. Again - very scary for mommy and daddy!

This is mommy's view of you most of the time lately.

This past month you continued to be a really great eater, and you are now eating even more different things. We finally gave you some meat, and you gobble it up just like everything else. You have gotten' quite a few new fruits lately too. But, your favorite it still YoBaby yogurt; you just devour that stuff! You also really love "puffs" (snacks) as well. We get pretty tickled watching you eat those sometimes. Usually you still want us to put them in your mouth, and you beg like a little baby bird for them. But you did manage to get some in your mouth a couple days ago (maybe just luck - who knows!), so hopefully you will get better at that. We sure give you lots of practice! You are an expert at drinking from a sippy cup, and you always want it. Until this past week all we had given you was water, but we did give you a little watered down juice the other day and your drank it like it was the best thing you had ever tasted!

As far as teeth, you now have three. You got the two on the bottom last month, and this now you also have one on the top. You're not quite sure what to do with those little teeth yet, but I'm sure you'll figure it out soon.

You make the silliest faces sometimes, and I have tried to capture some on the camera. Sometimes you're too quick though, so I'll just have to keep trying.

The latest funny thing you are doing that absolutely cracks me and daddy up is your sudden interest in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on tv. Whenever you hear the music to that, or hear Mickey talking you perk up and just stare at it like it is the most amazing thing you've ever seen. I'm not sure what it is about that show, but you LOVE it! So funny!

Here you are watching Mickey!

You still love bath time and just splash, splash, splash in the tub. We tried taking you swimming in a big pool while we were in Lubbock, but you weren't too sure about that, and you wouldn't let daddy let go of you at all. We even got you a little floaty, but you didn't want anything to do with that. (You do love playing with the box it came in, though!)


I could go on and on about the things you do that make me smile, Hadley. You are the best gift daddy and I could have ever asked for, and we love you more every single day. Keep growing and learning new things. Daddy and I promise to keep teaching you things, and keep doing our best to raise you in a home full of love and laughter.

This is what you do every night when you are supposed to be going to sleep!

Love forever and ever,
Mommy

Our lives lately

Apparently I have not done the best job lately updating my blog. So I will try and give a (somewhat) brief update on each of us...

Hadley: Hadley is growing and learning new things every day, it seems. He has two teeth and another one (or maybe two) coming in. He has started pulling himself up on everything, which is fun but super scary at times! He can pull up to standing, and is trying to stand on his own without anything to pull himself up on, but just can't quite figure it out completely yet. He still crawls mostly on his tummy, especially if he's in a hurry, but he can crawl on his knees if he wants to. Last week he got to spend a few days with Nanny and Papo, and I know they all had a really fun time. It's hard to believe that he's almost 9 months old - time goes by so quickly! A few things I want to remember that he is doing right now include: always propping his feet up on something (a table, a toy, my leg, whatever); always crossing his legs (usually right over left) when he is in the car seat or just laying in my lap relaxing; his new discovery of spitting/blowing bubbles/making funny noises with his mouth; how much he loves baths; how he peeks at us through the slats in his crib; how he throws his binks out of his crib.

Eric: Eric has spent most of the summer working up at the school either getting ready to, or actually moving into the new ag shop. (There's lots more to the story on the ag shop, but I'll let you ask him about it if you're really interested!) The first part of July he spent a week in Dallas at the State FFA Convention, and then last week he took us all to Lubbock to the state Ag teachers conference. Other than work and work trips he has kept himself busy at home getting things done around the house during his "summer vacation".

Mandi: I have spent the summer working. That's it - just working. (Sounds fun, huh!) I did enjoy my vacation last week in Lubbock at the teachers conference with Eric. We got to enjoy a little time with just the two of us while Hadley was having fun with Nanny and Papo. I have been doing Weight Watchers this summer, and have lost 13.2 pounds so far, so hopefully I can keep that up.

So there you have it - a quick update on our family. And here are a couple videos to entertain you as well!

8 Months

Sweet Hadley,

8 months!! It seems like I was just writing about you being 7 months old, and now here you are turning another month older. Slow down!!

This past month has been a fun one (mostly) with some new milestones for you. First, you now have 2 teeth! We knew you were probably getting at least one tooth, and one morning we woke up and there they both were, poking through your gums like little weapons. I know you were in a lot of pain for a couple weeks, but I think now you have passed the worst part. We watch every day as a little more of those cute little teeth are visible. No more sweet gummy grins, but now I think your little 2-tooth grin is even cuter! One funny thing about the teething that I don't want to forget is the silly face you have been making where you stick your bottom lip up over your top lip. Daddy and I crack up every time we see you do it!


You also experienced your first July 4th celebration this past month. We had a house full of people that day for you to entertain, including PaPa, GiGi, Aunt Karah, Doug, Mitzi and her dog Raider, Toni and her girls Ashleigh and Kayla, and of course mommy and daddy. You didn't make it for the fireworks (way past your bedtime) but you had a fun day anyway.


You got to celebrate your first Father's Day with daddy this month as well. You have the absolutel best daddy in the whole wide world, and he loves you more than you will ever know!


You got to see lots of mommy's family this month as well when we went to the Hays family reunion in Forsan. I know you enjoyed seeing Mema and Poppa and Nanny and Papo, and they all were so happy to see you as well. Uncle Tim and Aunt Dina let us stay at their house for a couple nights, and you got to play with Bailey and Emma and meet your newest cousin, Seaver.


These past eight months have been so much fun, and I can't believe how quickly you are growing and learning new things. You have totally mastered the scooting/army crawl thing and I'm sure it's only a matter of days before you figure out how to crawl on your knees. You try it all the time so we are just waiting for you to take off! I had to lower your crib mattress this month because you are starting to pull yourself up on everything! You have also mastered the laying down to sitting up thing, and you are so proud of yourself every time you do it. The steps in our house have presented you with somewhat of a challenge, but you try your hardest to climb up them. We haven't let you do it completely by yourself yet, but I'm sure you probably could if we let you. Going down in another story though! You also love bath time these days. You love to play with toys in the tub and splash, splash, splash!


Hadley, mommy and daddy love you so much. Thanks for making our lives so much fun.