Fall Festival

Today was a big day for you little girl!!

You went to the nursery at church for the very first time and went to a fall festival!

To start our big day off, daddy made us a yummy breakfast of eggs and bacon!

It was soo good and you LOVED the eggs!!

We were hoping you would get a good long nap before church but you always have a way of surprising us!!!! Your nap was pretty much nonexistent this morning despite our best attempts!!

We headed off to church a little early and saw Grandbuddy before taking you to the nursery. You didn't want to leave him at all!

I was so nervous to leave you in the nursery because it's a new environment for you and I didn't know how you would adjust. We kissed you and left without you knowing. 

I sat in church clinching tightly to the pager so I wouldn't miss it's vibrating in case you needed us!!

After church we all headed to pick you up and you did pretty good. I could tell there were some tears and you were sooo tired. I think you gave your teachers a run for their money!! But it will get better each week and you will make some amazing friends!

After church we went to lunch with nana and buddy and had some more eggs!!

Then we headed to the fall festival at brookgreen gardens. We built a scarecrow and walked around the zoo. It was a lot of fun to be with all of our famy and celebrate your dad's favorite season!!!! 

We had a great day with you today and we look so forward to many more!!

(I haven't been updating as much as usual because you decide you like to sit up to fall asleep while I'm holding you and it's kind of hard to type on my phone without distracting you!!)

Walking Girl!!!

When we were at the lake a few weeks ago for my birthday, you took your first steps! You took about three steps in the basement and we FREAKED OUT!

Then took a couple more steps upstairs and we continued to FREAK OUT!

But you hadn't really taken anymore steps since then. 

Until today...

You just up and decided today was the day to WALK!

We were cleaning up in your room and without be prompted, you just started walking over to the chair! While holding a hanger with a dress on it.

We went over to nanas house and you continued to take some steps. Then this afternoon instead of crawling to get something you just stood up and walked to it!!!

I can't believe how fast you are growing!

Well, I guess we have to start wearing shoes now!

The night before your First Birthday.

Tomorrow morning I will wake up and be a mommy to the sweetest little one year old. 

I have no idea how that happened. I still think of you (and call you) my tiny little newborn baby.

On this day last year, at around 3 o'clock, I found out that you would be making your grand entrance tomorrow, August 30th. I was experiencing high blood pressure and the doctor told us to be at the hospital at 4:30 am to be induced.

I was excited, nervous, scared, panicky, and in complete shock! I thought I still had 15 or so days to prepare for your arrival. We left the doctors appointment and couldn't believe that we would be meeting you the very next day. On Labor Day weekend. Your daddy couldn't get over the fact that we had to be there at 4:30! I couldn't get over the fact that I would be delivering a baby the next day!!

We called all of our family. They all couldn't believe it and were so excited. Your Aunt Sis freaked out. She was in Charleston and immediately came home! 

We set up your bassinet, made sure everything was in our hospital bag, and tried to stay calm and focus on how happy we were to finally meet you. 

We barely slept at all that night. I slept for a little bit but I don't think your daddy got any sleep. The next morning, we had a light breakfast and headed off to the hospital. 

It's amazing how fast our lives changed that day. So many things happened before we finally got to meet you. But seeing you and holding you (no matter how brief) made all of the craziness of the day melt away. 

You have changed my life in more ways than I thought possible. You have made me the happiest and luckiest person in the world. Your daddy loves you with his whole heart and is always trying to make our lives the best it can be. You have changed us. Forever. You have made us parents. And that is our greatest and most important job. 

You have grown from this tiny, sleepy baby to a sweet little girl who loves to explore, climb and cuddle. You have learned so many things in this last year it's hard to comprehend what all you will learn in the next.

This past year has been the hardest, most rewarding, sleepless, greatest year of my life. This year has taught me patience, understanding, compassion, and so much more. I have learned so much about friendships and relationships. Your daddy and I have grown in our relationship in this past year.  We have learned how to forgive each other better and love on a deeper level. This is all because of you. You have already changed so many people lives in your short little 12 months with us. 

As I'm rocking you to sleep on the night before your first birthday, I can't help but think of how I felt holding you when you were so tiny. I loved you so much then, more than I thought I could love anyone. But as I hold you now, I love you so much more and my heart is so full it could literally burst. I know as you start talking more and showing your sweet little personality, my heart will continue to grow and I will continue to love you more and more. It's so amazing what our hearts are capable of. 

I hope you have the sweetest of dreams tonight as you sleep. And even though you pretty much sleep through the night now, I won't mind it if you wake up so I can come rock my tiny little newborn again before you wake up in the morning and turn One.

I love you my sweet baby and look forward to what this next year holds for our little family. 

11 Months Old!!

On July 30th, you turned 11 months old!!

I cannot believe we are closing in on the one year mark. You have grown into the most beautiful, sweetest little baby. It's crazy to look back at this year and think how much has changed!

This month we spent Fourth of July at the Lakehouse and had so much fun with all of our family. They couldn't believe how big you were and they all love you so much. 

You have learned how to stand all by yourself this month! You don't do it often or for long, but when you do, mommy claps like crazy and gets soo excited. It probably scares you and makes you want to sit back down!!

You love to show off all your tricks. You will through your arms up in the air, "roll em up", give kisses and wave like crazy! 

It's soo cute! You love everyone and don't really know a stranger (as long as you are in mommy or daddy's arms!). You wave at EVERYONE everywhere we go!!

We have also been taking you to the beach and pool often. You love the sand and playing in the tide pools. We are so lucky to get to live right by the beach where we can visit whenever we want!

You weigh 19 pounds and are 27 inches long. You are still in size 3 diapers and where any where  from 9-12 month clothes. 

You are still breastfeeding about 4 times (sometimes more) a day. I don't really plan on stopping until you are ready to wean. But will cut back on the feedings at one year. 

You are eating three solid food meals a day and LOVE grapes, speggheti squash and turkey breast! You also love your water!

You are sleeping pretty consistently through the night. Recently you have decided that 5:45 is the time to wake up for the day......... I'm not sure how I feel about that!!

You have 4 teeth and they are soooo cute!! But we have to be very careful when we go to retrieve something you have eaten that you weren't supposed to!

This month has been so much fun and I love every single second of being your mommy. You are my greatest gift and my greatest adventure. I look so forward to all of the fun summers we will have on the beach, at the pool and at the lake. Your daddy and I are so thankful God chose us to be your parents because you have made our lives pretty amazing. We love you with our whole hearts and can't wait to see what this month has in store. (But maybe time can slow down just a little bit??? I'm not ready for you to be 1! You are my tiny newborn baby still!!)

Ohh, and you also gave me my first black eye by flinging your Paci!

Aunt Sis Day and a Dedication!

On Saturday we celebrated a day called Aunt Sis Day! It's like mothers day or fathers day but for Aunt Sis. She does so much to help with you that we thought she deserved her own day!

We woke and up and picked up a few presents for aunt sis and then she met us at home to rock you for your nap. She fed you a bottle and after some serous laughter you were out!

When you woke up we went to the park and then to Nana and Grandbuddys house.

We had your aunt sis' favorite meal of turkey and Mac and cheese. You had never tried turkey before and you LOVED it! You could not get enough and I was not feeding it to you fast enough either! 

We even had an Aunt Sis Day cake! 

It was such a fun day celebrating her and everything she does for you. I have no idea what I would do without her. 

On Sunday we had a church dedication for you. We already your big one at home but we still wanted to be a part of the church one. 

You were up on stage with a set of twin boys who were soo cute! 

He dedicated you first and you did not like him touching you! You squirmed like crazy! You were talking up a storm and waving and laughing at aunt sis in the congregation. Your daddy and I just kept laughing at each other! At one point I even had to put you on the ground because you wanted to explore. Then....the pastor almost stepped on you. I swooped in and saved you! It was so funny but I was so glad to be off that stage!!! 

I really enjoyed the way they did the baby dedication. We had to come up with 3-5 words that describe how we want you to be when you grow up. Our words were:

Considerate

Hard Working

Compassionate

Giving

We also had to choose two special people to pray over you and we chose your Nana and Grammy.

After the dedication we went to the nursery with you since it was your first time in there. You had fun playing with everyone and did really good! (I'm still a tad worried about the whole germ thing....but I need to get over that!!)

We went to Pine Lakes for lunch and you did great! You were the perfect angel at lunch and it was such a great way to end a fun weekend celebrating you. We love you with all of our hearts and can't wait to watch you grow in Gods love and see the amazing girl you will turn out to be. 

TEN Months!!

Happy TEN MONTHS Hadley Marie!!

On June 30th, you turned 10 months old! I cannot believe how big you are getting and how fast this precious time is going. When you are in the seasons of sleepless nights and then keeping a constant eye on what you are getting into, it feels like time is going soo slow. But looking back on these past 10 months, it has gone by in the blink of an eye.

This month we went swimming, to the beach and mommy and daddy went to charleston to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. 

You love the water once you warm up to it, but bathtime isn't your favorite time of day! We are still working on it though!! 

Your schedule has changed slightly and it's only changed because YOU changed it!!

You wake up at around 6:30 now and nurse. Then we have some play time and have breakfast at about 8:00. 

For breakfast you normally have something fruity puréed, followed by whatever fruit I have on hand to eat with your fingers. 

Naptime starts at about 8:30 (or around two hours after you woke up). On a good napping day, it last for about an hour and a half. 

When you wake up we have playtime or run errands and you nurse at 11.  

Lunch is around 12-12:30.  You eat something orange or green! Whatever color you don't have at lunch you have for dinner.  I also have been mixing a multi-vitamin and probiotic with your puréed lunch. You are a master sippy cup with straw drinker and love water! 

We follow lunch up with puffs or another little finger food snack. 

Your second nap is about 3 hours after you woke up from your first nap and it lasts about an hour and a half as well. I have picked up the habit of nursing you before nap time.

The afternoon is when we normally go out and do something fun. Like go for a walk, go to the park, pool, or go visit the grandparents! You nurse again at 3. 

Between 5:30 and 6 is dinner time. It's normally little lighter than lunch. We do whatever color veggie and fruit you didn't have for lunch and maybe a couple grapes or something with your sippy. 

Bathtime is around 6:30. You don't really enjoy the bath!! We got a giant inflatable rubber ducky bathtub to transition out of the 4moms tub. You didn't really enjoy it. But it's great for travelling. 

So we then tried out a bath seat and you like that a lot more! Now, this seat isn't sold in the US so I had to order it on amazon from some crazy country but I literally watch you like a hawk and even hold you in it sometimes. I never leave your side or really let go of you so it works for us! 

I nurse you to sleep after your bath and you are normally asleep by 7! 

You are still in size 3 diapers and wear 6-12 month clothes. The 12 month clothes are still a little big on you! You weighed 18 pounds and 10 ounces (I think) at your last doctors appointment and are in 50th percentile for weight and height and 70th for head circumference!

You pull up on everything and try to climb up and down whatever you can! You have taken steps while holding our hand and have stood by yourself for a second!!

You love to eat and tried chicken and noodle this month!! You love them! But your favorite food is puffs...of any flavor! We have to hide them from you at mealtime or you will freak out until you have them!! 

You can say "Ma Ma", "Da Da", "Na Na" really well! You try to say "Doggie" and "Banana" when you see Sadie or a banana! 

This phase of your life has been so much fun. You are learning something new everyday and playing so well by yourself and with others. It's so much fun to watch you grow. We love you so much and are so so proud of you.