3 little words...

You know those days where half way through - you knew you should have just stayed in bed like you wanted to? Well, today is definitely one of them. Maybe it's the rain and cold, but I really wanted to crawl in bed for movies and hot chocolate. Instead, I ventured to Wally World for a few last minute things for our Christmas weekend before leaving for Utah. Hailey and I were there for about an hour and a half, and when I finally got to the check out a lady 2 aisles over tried to get my attention. "Pssst, look down!" I totally figured it would be a disaster with Hailey, but no. Again she pointed to me "look on your leg". In my hurry to get dressed, I had forgotten to take the size sticker off my pants. That's right. I had just announced to everyone in walmart my large size for an hour and a half and no one had said anything until the very end! Needless to say, I tried to laugh it off-it happens, but on a day like today-it was pretty embarrassing. Hailey on the way out, dumped her tub of teddy grahams all over the floor, so the door attendant got a broom and watched me while I had to sweep up the mess, all the while Hailey was screetching for "Teddies!"
I was so ready to get home, feed Hailey and get her down for a nap-mainly so I could take one myself. I knew my patience was getting thin when she threw everything I offered her for lunch ended up on the floor. Finally, I found something she was content to eat and a few minutes later as I was on my last thread and preparing for the horrifying scream that follows her meal, I heard......
"Mommy... All done" A phrase I have been trying to teach her for the past week to use instead of screaming. It was quite possibly the sweetest phrase I had ever heard, and definitely changed my sour attitude. What an angel, I think she knows when I'm on the brink and not to push. Those 3 words made my whole day.

Thanksgiving pics

(2008)
We had Thanksgiving dinner with Chris at the fire station this year. It's crazy how fast Hailey has grown in a year. We have measured her by the giant firetruck tires at Chris' work.
(2009)

Chocolate. It's definitely a girl thing.

I gave Hailey her first little taste of chocolate milk...well I think the picture speaks for itself, I tried to take the cup back and she went into gaurding position! No way I was taking the chocolate from her! Then it started... she saw me put the cup into the dishwasher, and for the next 30 minutes she was banging on the dishwasher yelling and crying "more" and "pleeease!" Wow-this girl's chocolate obsession runs deep.

A day on the farm

One of the perks of being in the country is having so many farms around. Today we went to the Backyard Barnyard Petting Zoo down the road a ways in Danville. It was probably one of the most fun things we have done together! Hailey fell in love with the animals. No really-she tried to kiss the goats, the duck, and yes even the pig.
She had no problem petting and feeding them and I think scared the duck half to death chasing it around!



They took us on a hayride to see the "big" animals, and at first Hailey sat with her daddy, but not for long. We had to hold her in as she was jumping out of the wagon trying to wave to the horses, and loved feeling the breeze on her face. What a great day-and it was a beautiful, warm, fall day too.

Fall Day

We had such a beautiful fall day today. Hailey and I spent most of the morning outside playing in the leaves. I am not looking forward to cold cold days and trying to entertain her inside all day!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween. Hailey was such a cute tinkerbell. We stopped by a few friends houses to trick or treat then handed out candy the rest of the night. Nothing special, but we had a great night.

"The Chicken"

Hailey is learning her farm animals. Her favorite is the chicken and she runs around flapping and saying "bawk, bawk!" Of course, she doesn't do it on cue for the camera, but I was lucky enough yesterday to catch a quick clip of it, it's so adorable.
Have a happy halloween!

100 Years Apart...

We took a trip to Livingston this weekend. While we were there Chris' dad brought his grandparents up to see Hailey. Paw Paw will be 101 years old next month, and he is still going strong! Granny is just behind him at 90, and they loved playing with Hailey.
I added this short video clip of them playing-it is so sweet.

One year and counting...

Hailey-Day 1 - July 1st 2008, Crestwood NICU

Hailey-1 year!- June 30th, 2009

I saw a brand new baby at the store today. The poor mother obviously still recovering, riding in a motorized cart, while grandma held the new baby. I suddenly had this overwhelming sentimental feeling for Hailey, so I apologize, but this is going to be pretty sappy. I can't believe that we were there just one year ago. It is amazing at how much Hailey has grown in such a short amount of time. I took a picture of her asleep before getting her up on her birthday- sleeping just as she has since she was born. Only now she is a big girl! Today taking a sippy cup on her own like a pro!

Not only has Hailey grown-but I have to. Responsibility and unselfishness are now words in my vocabulary and in my behavior.

I've been trying to pack up bottles, since we are in full force sippy cup training, I laugh at how little I knew about them getting into this! I had no idea there were different types of bottles and nipples and that I needed to try a bunch to see what Hailey would take to. But the one thing I learned the most about-formula! I wish someone would have told me how to try new formulas and what might work the best for a cranky baby and that it is Okay to bottle feed with formula! Leaving the hospital we were told to absolutely do not give her a bottle! (Although she had been bottle fed in the NICU for a week!) It would have saved us a lot of uncontrollable crying. And it may sound simple but the thing I have learned most... not to listen to other people's bad advice against my own intuition!

I almost can't remember family life without her and I have loved watching all of her new explorations that happen everyday! We have made it a year and we celebrated BIG! I've heard a lot that she wouldn't remember her first birthday party-yes, I know that. But there were days I wasn't sure we would ever get here, and I remember. I remember multiple doctors telling me that it would be almost impossible to get pregnant without help-if at all. I remember being so miserable all the time but telling myself it would be worth it if I could get pregnant. I remember being so scared as my baby was rushed to NICU after an urgent c-section. I remember the first time I saw her, I couldn't hug or hold her, I could only touch her little pinky for a few minutes while she struggled to breathe. I remember staying up every night with her for months while she cried uncontrollably, walking the one short hall in our house-over and over, worried sick because there was nothing I could do to make her feel better and sleep well. I remember all of the days with little or no help, sleep deprived and emotional.

But occasionally... I remember her falling asleep on my chest or in my arms, it was the only time she would smile for the first few months. I remember being so proud of her as she found her toes, learned to crawl, and took off walking! I am proud of her today drinking from a sippy cup like a big girl... But she still talks to angels, and it is a reminder of how perfect she is and how lucky I am to have her. So here's to us and our first year as a family!!!!

Ducks, Doc, Shots, & Spots!

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind! We celbrated Hailey's first birthday on June 27th so that we could accomodate family, although she actually turned one on June 30th. We had a rubber ducky themed party including a ducky-bath tub cake and a ducky pinata! We had a lot of fun and it wore Hailey out completely!
This past week she had her 12 month check up appointment. She weighs 20 lbs 3 oz and is no longer in preemie measurements! She is well within range of "norm"-whatever that is. No more 5th percentile for this girl! According to the Denver Developmental scale she has learned all of her 12 and 15 month skills and a few 18 month ones too-Now if only she would take a freaking sippy cup!!!!!!
Also at this visit she had a few more shots-including the chicken pox vacc that has given her spots all over her! Doc said they aren't contagious, but they sure don't look comfortable! Thank goodness for Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal bath soak!

30 + 1! Happy Birthday Chris!

Chris turned 31 yesterday! He somehow had the day off, but we didn't do much during the first part of the day. Last night I invited some friends over for cake and ice-cream to surprise him. I made him a fire truck cake with working lights too! His big gift is a brand new Ruger .380 (gun) from myself and the family. He was so excited about it-so thank you to all of you who pitched in!

Hailey took her first steps alone today!

This girl has been trying and trying to get the courage to go off on her own. Today she has finally started taking steps on her own! Oh-boy I thought keeping up with her now was a challenge! Thought I'd show you what she's been up to.

Helping with laundry

She ate her first cookie and smeared the rest.

Hurricane Hailey strikes again!

Scrapbookgoldmine.com-it's finally mine!

MY WEBSTORE IS FINALLY ONLINE!!!!

www. scrapbookgoldmine.com

That's right-after a few months of prepping, my scrapbook store is finally online. Right now it's full of clear stamps and the new cricut expression mostly, but I'll add more as I can find suppliers.

SO SPREAD THE WORD! Tell all your friends and anyone who likes to stamp and be crafty to check it out! I'll send out coupons soon- so have everyone you know go to the site and enter their email address.

www.scrapbookgoldmine.com

Our Saint

Well-it's been a long emotional day for us. We put Saint down this morning and have spent the day burying him. Chris' brother and his wife let us find a beautiful spot for him on their property, and poor Chris is awful tired from having to dig a very big hole. Saint has been such a great dog and wonderful friend to us. We love him and I know some people think it's cheesy to be so torn up over a pet dying- but he really was more than a pet, he was family and we have loved having him in our lives. I've included some pictures that we love of Saint, and of his last day and his beautiful resting place (for all you mormons-it kinda looks like the sacred grove-don't you think?)

Into Everything!

I think I've already mentioned this, but Hailey really is into everything! She mastered crawling and pulls herself all the way up by herself and now wants to walk! That might take some time to learn, thank goodness. We tried to baby proof her room (try being the key word here), but it just amazes me how she can find even the smallest piece of lint to chew on. We took everything off the bottom shelf of her changing table, and today, she decided to crawl onto the bottom shelf to play. We put a gate in her doorway and now her room is referred to as "baby jail."

Easter

This week Hailey has mastered crawling and decided she is ready to pull up on everything! Last week she had to go back to all bottles and some pedialyte because her belly was having some major troubles. But-starting yesterday we have slowly started introducing some cereal back into her diet-again. Maybe one day her belly will catch up with the rest of her.
Chris had to work on his 24 hr shift on Sunday-so Hailey and I had the day to ourselves. She looked so cute in her new spring dress, and we took dinner to the fire station that night.
I used a new recipe for ham and it was awesome! I'm not a big fan of holiday rubbery, can't cut through it with a plastic knife, hams. But I found this on allrecipes.com and everyone loved it.
Here's the recipe:
Glazed Ham

Ingredients:
1 (8 lb) bone-in shank ham 2 TBSP liquid smoke flavoring
4 cups water, or as needed 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. honey 1 pinch ground cloves
1/2 c. brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Place ham in a roasting pan. Pour in water to a 2 inch depth. Cover with a tight fitting lid.

Bake for 6 to 8 hours in the preheated oven (all day or all night). Remove from the oven, pour off drippings and reserve. Debone ham, removing any excess fat as well, and return to the roasting pan.

Skim fat from the top of the drippings, and discard. In a small bowl, mix one-cup of the drippings with honey, brown sugar, liquid smoke, worcestershire sauce and cloves. Pour this over ham, cover and return to the oven.

Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I cheated a little bit. I bought a pre-cooked, pre-smoked, pre-sliced, 8 lb ham on sale and had it in the freezer. I thawed it in the fridge for 2 days. Then I put it in a roasting pan with about an inch of water and baked for 1 1/2 hours at 250 degrees tightly covered with heavy foil. Then I poured off the drippings, keeping one cup, and made the glaze as directed (it's pretty runny, and I didn't add cloves for my preference) Then I baked it for another 45 minutes - hour and it was done!

All the guys at the station loved it and I even thought it was pretty good, considering I'm not a big fan of ham. This is so easy and next time you have to do the holiday ham I suggest you try this. According to others who made this-if you make this from a raw shank ham it turns out more like bbq- it just falls apart. Mine was a pre-cooked ham and it fell right off the bone the way I cooked it too.

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday, I added a few pics of Hailey in her spring dress, and because there was no one to take a family photo of us- I snapped a pic of Hailey and me with one hand-not great but kind of funny.

Tornado Season!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnSHkgT-uKU

Seriously click the above link and watch this, it's only less than a minute-this is the storm that went over us earlier in the day that kept Hailey and I in the bathroom for a while. Thankfully it wasn't quite that strong yet. We also had 2 tornadoes close to us and a lot of damage around here! I have never seen golf ball size hail before today-some people reported softball size hail! I don't know why Chris always seems to work the days there is crazy bad weather. There are always idiots out in the middle of it trying to watch, rather than trying to be safe keeping the police and fireman super busy.
Anyway that's our excitement. No really-have you ever tried to keep a 9 month old busy while trying to hunker down in a bath tub? Not so easy.

If you want to see some sweet pictures you can go to www.whnt.com (our local news) click on April 10 photos.

Who needs socks?

Hailey always starts the day with two socks on- but rarely makes it past lunch with even one on. We have lost more socks in stores and find them in the car on a regular basis. Today Hailey found a new use for them (since they aren't supposed to be on her feet). They make great teethers! What a weirdo! Definitely her daddy's girl.

Hailey had her 9 month check up yesterday. Dr. J was impressed that she hasn't had any "sick" visits between her check up appointments- we have been lucky that way. There weren't any shots at this appt thank goodness- but I was warned that her 12 month appointment is full of shots and finger pricks. Sounds like her daddy needs to go to that one! Hailey weighs 17 lbs 12 oz and has made it to the 14th percentile in weight and 40th percentile in height. She is steadily growing and getting more active -and loud- by the day!

It Finally Happened....

Yep- I had to buy a mama bag. I don't like to carry our big LLBean diaper bag into the stores, but I have had to run out to the car too many times before I'm done shopping to get it. So I finally broke down-turned in my little clutch bag for a bag with enough room for my stuff and Hailey's "emergency" kit (which is not small). So now I'm prepared and we look like a band of gypsies everywhere we go. I guess that comes with the territory.

Hailey has 3 teeth popping through right now-so she gets super grumpy at times. I don't care what people (some dr's) say she gets a fever from teething and yes, tylenol helps. She's suddenly hit a growth spurt and I think caught up to the "norm". She went from 3-6 month clothes to 12 months in a month! Now I have to go find a new car seat-what a pain in the butt! You never really know which one will actually work properly if you get in a wreck. Anyone have any suggestions? Alright- I know I update on Hailey probably more than most of you would like, but she's my world right now. I seriously need some adult interaction!

Only 25 days until March for Babies! Hopefully the weather will be good, and Hailey will cooperate in her stroller. Thanks to all of you have donated something! If you want to donate you can go to my website www.marchforbabies.org/4_Hailey.

I don't have a good redneck story today, but let me tell you about this...
One of Chris' days off we were cleaning out the garage. We had Hailey out in her sit and spin thing until she got too tired to handle it. So I took her in for a nap.. well since it was empty and we had so much junk out in the driveway we seriously had ten people stop and ask if we
A. were having a garage sale
B. throwing out the exersaucer, if so they want it
C. Is there going to be anything else for sale
D. How much for the chair (the folding chair I was sitting in) and the baby stuff (the only baby stuff was the exersaucer.
I guess I would not be brave enough to stop at someone's house and ask how much for the junk out front. I didn't realize there was such a demand for junk for sale. I guess when we do have a garage sale we should do pretty good.
I love the redneck life! Not.
Yes, we are still thriving in the Utah win over Alabama. Go Utes!