Spring Snow

Today is the second day of spring and we woke up to several inches of snow this morning! It was 70 degrees two days ago and it is forecasted to be near 70 again in a couple of days - crazy Arkansas weather! We went out this morning to take advantage of what will hopefully be the last snow of the season.



Hailey wasn't too wild about the snow. She was okay until I put her down and she fell in it face first (wish I would have taken a pic of that). Of course the snow was nearly up to her knees, so it was hard for her to get around. Maybe she will enjoy it more next year. I was able to convince her to throw some snowballs at the dog.



And of course, the wagon rides with daddy were a hit! Look at that smile!



We're hoping for some warm weather soon. Hailey's got a closet full of cute summer clothes and mommy is ready for tank tops and flip flops. Bring on the sunshine!

Time Out!

Looks like we have trouble on our hands! Miss Hailey just turned one, but seems to be quickly moving towards her terrible twos.

The last couple weeks she has been throwing fits when she doesn't get her way. I'm talking lay in the floor and kick and scream fits. We try to ignore them, but there's only so much we can take. I hate to be too harsh with her, but I think if she's smart enough to act like that, then she's smart enough to know what punishment is. Anyone have any suggestions?

Friday morning as we were headed out the door, Kevin made her mad so she slapped him several times! I mentioned this when I dropped her off at school, but the lady told me she had not noticed it before. Sure enough when Kevin picked her up Friday afternoon, he was told that Hailey was sent to timeout!

Story goes....Hailey and a little boy were fighting over a toy. Hailey got mad and threw a toy at the little boy, but she missed (she's gonna throw just like her momma, poor girl!) So what does she do? She gets up, walks over and slaps the little boy in the face!

When Kevin told me this story I busted up laughing! I wish they had video of this - I play the scenario over and over in my head and it just gets funnier every time! I know I shouldn't laugh at this but it is a cute story. Looks like we need to get a handle on our wild child!

Things I've learned...

While reflecting on the past year of mommyhood, I've decided to share with you some of the things I have learned since becoming a mother - the good, the bad, and the ugly! Enjoy!

The bond between mother and child is instant. Even while she was still in the womb, Hailey and I had a connection. It was like I already knew her the moment she was born. And just when I think I can't possibly love her any more than I do in that instant, my love for her continues to grow with every passing moment.

Father-daughter bonds are a big thing too! Growing up a daddy's girl, I always hoped that one day my daughter would have a great relationship with her father. Let's face it, no need to worry about this one. Kevin and Hailey are gaga for each other! Her first word was DaDa.

Being shy and self-conscious goes right out the window when you have a baby. The moment you put that hospital gown on, its like you put out a welcome sign to any Tom, Dick, and Harry with a medical badge to come check you out. (This was probably one of my biggest fears prior to arriving at the hosptial.)

Speaking of the body, your body is never the same after having a baby. Sure, I weigh the same as I did pre-baby and wear the same clothes, but they do not fit the same! It just seems like everything is a little droopier. My sweet husband tries to convince me otherwise, maybe I should listen a little more.

Midnight feedings (and 2:00, and 4:00 feedings) are real pain in the neck, but just when you think you can't take it anymore, they figure out how to sleep through the night. Crazy as it sounds, I occasionally miss those middle of the night feedings of just me and my baby sitting in the recliner watching the same infomercial over and over.

Without fail, a baby will puke on your fresh, clean shirt just as you are getting ready to go out the door!

Dawn dish soap and a tootbrush are awesome at removing, puke, poop, or any other baby stain.

Yes, I'll admit I have picked my childs nose with my bare finger and used my own spit to clean her face! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

When they are first born, you just can't wait until they can lift their heads, support themselves, sit up, rollover, crawl, walk, etc...... Those days come WAY too FAST! Don't wish your days away.

We literally have thousands of pictures just from Hailey's first year of life. Ridiculous I know, but whenever I sit down to weed them out, I just can't bring myself to delete even the bad, goofy face ones. But, does overloading my computer memory really hurt anyone?

My priorities have totally changed since having a baby. Long gone are the days of spontaneous wardrobe shopping trips and late nights playing nintendo. Now I'm (usually) happy wearing the same old clothes I had last year, just window shopping, and staying up past 11 is unheard of.

The greatest lesson I've learned this past year is patience! It has taken me 28 years and a child to learn this virtue, but I think I've come a long way!

And probably the best of all...No matter how crappy my day was or how many tantrums Hailey threw, holding my baby while she falls asleep in my arms melts all my troubles away-and my heart too!

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!