Happy 1st Birthday Haileybug!

Wow! We can not believe our little girl is One!

For those of you who weren't readers from the very beginning or for those who were and are just looking for a short trip down memory lane, click here to see how it all began.


I had decided months ago that Hailey's birthday theme colors should be pink and green, just like her room. A few weeks ago I happened to get a party supply catalog in the mail, coincidence? There on the first page was a theme done in pink and green ladybugs. It was perfect! So of course, I ordered it and Kevin and I started on the Happy Birthday banner and treat jars. I found this cute idea online for party favors - you take empty baby food jars and fill them with m&m's or other colored candies to match your theme. Kevin got really crafty and made labels using the ladybug design from the plates, and I tied matching ribbon around the lid. These also served the great purpose of anchoring all those helium balloons!

Here's a few pics of the decorations. Wish I would have taken more of just the decor, but we kept pretty busy...






She really liked her cake. It took her a few minutes to figure out what to do with it, but then again I think she was confused all afternoon as to who all these people were and why did they keep looking at her?





The party was a success! We had a great time and enjoyed visiting with everyone that came out to celebrate with Hailey!

Hailey's First (White) Christmas!

How awesome was it that our baby's first Christmas also happened to be a white one? When the snowflakes began falling Christmas Eve, I became giddy with joy. I don't believe I have ever seen that kind of snowfall on Christmas, and the fact that it was Hailey's first Christmas made it so special!



Like everyone out there, we stayed very busy over the Christmas weekend, and despite getting another double ear infection, Hailey was a trooper through it all.

We kicked off Christmas eve by going to Kevin's aunt Cathy's to decorate the Christmas cookies. It's a tradition that started when Kevin and his cousins were little kids, now its neat to see our children growing and getting to join in the tradition. We could tell Hailey was not feeling well and by the time we got home she had a 101.5 temp. I put her down for a nap and started getting ready for Kevin's family.

Hailey woke up just in time to see all of Kevin's family arrive at our house for Christmas Eve. When the snowflakes started we ran outside to get a quick pic of her white Christmas! It got a little loud and crazy around here with all those people here, but Hailey did okay and played a little with her cousins. The most special gift she received is a toy box made by her great-grandpa Lester. He put so much time and love into cutting and painting those letters to make sure it matches her room perfectly. We love it- it is such a treasure!



After opening her Santa gifts on Christmas morning, Hailey, Oliver, Kevin, and I braved the snow to head to Nana and Gramps for breakfast. I just love Christmas breakfast! Hailey didn't quite get the hang of opening gifts but she had fun playing with the paper and tape and we did get a few smiles and excited claps.



By lunch time, her fever was up to 103.2 and I was freaking out!!! We called the after hours nurse only to be told that we were pretty much SOL unless we wanted to take her to the emergency room and that we shouldn't be too worried unless her fever gets up to 105. Well, I was worried and I was mad because I was sure it was an ear infection and all I needed was for someone to get us a prescription for a little antibiotic to get us through the weekend. We were supposed to go to my aunt's house in NWA on Saturday and I wanted Hailey to be feeling better.

We got up first thing Saturday morning and headed to the walk-in clinic. It was standing room only and I felt like germs were just leaping onto us as we walked through the door. Kevin took Hailey back to the car and I waited for our turn. Three hours later the doctor confirmed that she did indeed have a double ear infection and we got our prescription. Finally!

Within a couple hours, the fever was coming down. We headed up to NWA for our third day of Christmas. This was Hailey's first long road trip, of course since she was not feeling well she ended up sleeping the whole way. Once again she woke up to open presents and play a little, then it was right back to dozing in Gramps lap.


Sunday was a much better day. We spent most of the day relaxing and Hailey is feeling much better. This Christmas was very busy and stressful, but we survived. All the hard work and running around was worth making Hailey's first Christmas memorable.

Santa - Take Two

Santa came by the daycare Christmas Party last week. Hailey has decided that she is not a fan!

Santa Claus

Is this not precious?

Hailey had her first encounter with Santa Claus last weekend and it went surprisingly well. I was afraid she would scream the moment I sat her down, but she was more curious than anything. In fact, it made her mad when it was time to leave because she was having fun running her fingers through his beard.

I'm so happy that we got some good pictures. Santa is coming to daycare next week. Let's hope she still finds him entertaining.

Christmas lights!

We go to Creekmore Park every Christmas to enjoy the lights in the park. We started this tradition the first Christmas we were married. Back then our dog, Oliver was only a couple months old. We all braved the cold and went out for a stroll. Something about the crisp winter air just helps me find my Christmas spirit. I decided that first year that this is something we need to do every year -Me, Kevin, dog, future babies, everyone!

Last year I was 37 weeks pregnant. The temp really was freezing that night and my coat wouldn't zip over my big belly, but I was determined not to skip out. I remember being so excited- knowing that the following year we would have a little girl to bring with us.

Tuesday night we took advantage of probably the last not too chilly night we will have before Christmas. We got Hailey all bundled up and off we went to the park. Of course, Oliver went too! It's part of the tradition.

So little time

Does anyone else feel like there's just not enough hours in the day? Seems like there is always something to do, somewhere to go, or housework needing to be done - I just can't seem to keep caught up! I realized today that I haven't blogged in almost 2 months. I missed writing about Hailey's first Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Hailey was a 50's girl for Halloween, and she looked adorable! I can't wait until next year when we can actually go door to door around the neighborhood.




Hailey really enjoyed Thanksgiving. Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, pies - you name it, she loved it.
The girl loves to eat!





Now that Christmas is here, the days seem even shorter and crazier. But I always have my camera in hand to capture her first Christmas memories. Keep checking back for updates about all the Christmas excitement. Yes, I promise to post again before another two months go by.

Hailey says Momma!

I have been waiting for this for what seems like forever - Hailey finally said "momma" this afternoon!

She has been saying da-da for several weeks now and has even said da-deeeee (yes she has that southern accent already) We've been trying to teach her the mmmm sound for some time now, but she would just look at us and say da-da. Yes, it was cute when she did that, but I was getting a little disappointed that she wasn't saying momma yet.

When I picked her up from school today she started saying babbling what sounded like momma momma all the way home, but I didn't want to get excited just yet. Then this evening she clearly said momma several more times.

Woohoo! I'm so excited. She just melts my heart!

First Ear Infection

Hailey has her first ear infection, or should I say infections???

It all started last week after she went to the doc for her 9 month checkup and flu shot. Dr. Chris said that the shot may cause fever for a couple days so when Hailey got sent home from daycare last Wednesday I was certain it was either the shot or teething. We gave her some tylenol and she was fine Thursday and Friday.

Over the weekend, the fever came back. When I gave her tylenol it seemed to get somewhat better, so once again I just thought teething. Well, it got worse.....

I could tell the poor little girl wasn't feeling too well when I dropped her off yesterday, but she didn't have a fever. An hour later I get a phone call saying that Hailey has a temp of 101.6 and that I needed to come get her. I immediately called the doctor's office to have her checked out. Fever off and on for a week is not good and I was really worried that she was getting the flu.

It was 9:30 and all the sick child appointments were already taken! I felt helpless! When the nurse called be back, I explained the situation and told them I really wanted them to see Hailey the same day. The nurse said she would see if Dr. Chris could work her in.

A little later, she called back and said come on in. Dr. Chris was sweet enough to work her in before his after lunch appointments showed up. If anyone is looking for a good pediatrician go see Dr. Chris at Pediatric Partners, he is so nice and is really good with Hailey!

Anyways, she has an ear infection in both ears! I feel horrible, how could I have not known she was hurting so bad? We got some antibiotics and came home to rest. Her fever got so high I stripped her down and put cold washcloths all over her. It scared the heck out of me! Other than being awake at the Dr's office and to drink her bottles the poor baby slept for over 24 hours. Now that's a sick baby!

Good news is that her fever broke over night and she woke up this morning a happy girl. She has been playing and dancing around. Its nice to have my sweet girl back.

9 months old

Hailey is 9 months old! I just cant believe it! I know I say that with every passing month, but my gosh time does fly.

3 weeks old












And today at 9 months old







At 9 months, Hailey weighs 19 1/2 pounds and is 28 1/2 inches tall. That puts her in the 50-75% range, so she is still a little taller than most kids her age, but like I've said before, I expect that. I can just see the elementary class pics now - Hailey will always be on the back row and towering over all the little boys. Ahh that brings back the memories!


Here's what Hailey is doing at 9 months:
Stands while using very little support. She has let go a few times, but usually falls after a couple seconds. It's just a matter of time before she figures it out.

She is into everything! Cabinets, drawers, purses, anything!

Can feed herself finger foods and use a sippy cup. While at school she's been eating real food like chicken nuggets, spaghetti o's, corn, peas, cookies, and crackers.

Hailey can say dada and bye, still cant get her to say momma - don't think I haven't tried every day since she was like 4 months old!

Waves bye and blows kisses occasionaly. However, she never fails to conveniently "forget" how to do these things when we are in front of people, making us look like total liars.

She's finally getting teeth! Her first tooth broke through on September 25th. She now has another that has almost made it.





This little girl has brought so much joy to our lives. I never before imagined the amount of love a parent feels for a child. And the awesome thing is that it continues to grow day after day. She never ceases to amaze us or make us laugh, and she's getting quite a personality.

We're enjoying this cooler fall weather and are looking forward to celebrating all her First Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays. If time keeps flying by, they will be here before we know it!

Girl in the Bubble

We just got back from our friend Autumn's 8th birthday party and boy did we have fun! It was at Eastside's Adventure Zone, which is basically a huge jungle gym play place. Even I grabbed some socks and took Hailey up in the maze. She loved it!





Up in the Bubble


She loved looking down at all the people!




This pic is a little blurry, but look at that smile!

Bye Bye Baby Room

Today was Hailey's first day in the toddler room at daycare. I must admit I have been so nervous about this, that a sense of dread came over me as I drove her to school this morning.

When they told me last week that Hailey would be moving rooms, I politely smiled but burst into tears as soon as I reached the car. She's only 8 months old! She can't walk! She still drinks her milk from a bottle! I felt like I was tossing a piece of steak into the lion's den. Those kids are much bigger than Hailey. They all walk, have teeth, and climb all over each other!

We all loved Ms. Judy and Ms. Cara in the baby room. Hailey has been with them since she was 6 weeks old. I am not familiar with the other ladies there. I am sure they are all nice and that they would not be working for Ms. Margaret if they were not good people, but those who know me, know that I do not like change.

I dropped her off this morning and they assured me that Hailey would be fine. In fact she seemed happy because she got to see all her buddies that had previously moved up. Her little friend squealed with delight and threw her arms out for hugs when she saw Hailey! How cute to have such a good buddy at only 8 months old!

Anyways, I survived the day, but could not wait to go pick up my Haileybug. She played so hard, she was one tired little girl. I now realize that I had nothing to worry about really and that most of these feelings were probably me being a little overprotective and the fact that I don't want my baby to grow up so fast, but I guess I will have to work on that.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Kevin celebrated his 30th Birthday last week. Although I haven't reached that point yet, haha (I just love to remind him of that) I think that turning 30 is a big deal, so I wanted to make it something special.

I planned a surprise party at the skating rink. I thought it would be fun to try our skating skills and listen to music from back in the day. We celebrated with family and friends and had a great time! The little kids were thrilled to have a chance to skate and us big kids had fun re-living the old days. Luckily no one got seriously injured, just a couple falls and some bad bruises. I must say I don't remember skating being such a workout when we were younger!

Hailey loved being pushed around the rink


Hailey and cousin Addison


Hailey helped join in the surprise by sporting a "Happy Birthday Daddy" "My Daddy is 30" onesie to the party. Mom and I made it using our computer and iron on transfer paper. I was surprised that it turned out so well, and Kevin was surprised to see Hailey wearing a special birthday greeting.

Special Birthday Wishes