Friday, August 28, 2009

And what a great beginning it has been

People always warn you when you're expecting your first child that it will be the end of your social life once the little one arrives. I was under the impression that we'd never again get to have a Game Night with friends, go to the movies, go out to dinner or do any of the other things we enjoyed doing when it was just the 2 of us. Well, as of last night I think we've done everything on that list- and more.


Last night Geoff and I took Hayley to her first movie. Out local theater chain offers a Date Night once a week where they play a recent movie with lowered volume and dimmed lighting specifically for parents and their children. Last night's movie selection was The Time Traveler's Wife. Hayley was pretty good during the movie, about as good as you'd expect a 6 month old to be.


I think all those people offering advice on life with a new child have it really wrong. Hayley has added so much to our lives that I feel that we do even MORE now that she's along for the ride. Now we go to the park in the evenings and enjoy the evening as a family while Hayley giggles on the swings. Now we wake up early on Sunday mornings and stroll along the local farmer's market. Now we plan play dates and meet new people, make new friends based on our common bond: our intense love and pride for our newest additions. Now we go to music class demos and Gymboree class demos and try something new all to Hayley's delight.

I argue that, in our case, our lives together certainly didn't end but rather truly began with the birth of our little love bug.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Another progress report

Today was Hayley's 6 month check up with our pediatrician. Geoff and I were anxious to see how much our girl has grown and we were happy to hear Hayley weighed in at 19lbs. 2oz (a 2lbs. 10oz. gain from 2 months ago) and is 27 inches long. This means she only has a few more pounds and/or inches before we are forced to move her into her larger car seat- wow!

Hayley had 3 shots this visit and I must say, she took them like a champ. There were a few seconds of crying after each shot but that's it. Last time she had shots it took her a few days to be back to her regular self so I decided it was best for me to take the entire day off of work to be with her but aside from a long nap this morning Hayley's showed no difference in her demeanor. This kid never ceases to amaze me.

The pediatrician said she looks absolutely perfect so whatever we're doing seems to be working.


I can't believe how fast she's growing and developing!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Monday, August 17, 2009

Major (minor) milestones

On the verge of turning 6 months old, our little girl has experienced some more firsts. Last week, Hayley ate her first fruit in the form of applesauce and the week before that, she had her first carrots. As you can see in the video she was not a big fan of carrots, but subsequent feedings changed that. Hayley's repertoire of solids now includes three different foods!



Last night, we tried putting Hayley in a real high chair for the first time. We went out to Chili's for dinner and brought along her chair/shopping cart cover. I was a little nervous about doing this, but it turned out to be a rousing success. She was happy and well-behaved for the whole meal and she never even came close to falling out.




Here's a first I am a bit sad to mention, as it represents a lost parenting battle. Miranda convinced me that it was okay to paint Hayley's toenails. I am generally of the opinion that things like nail polish and ear piercings are not appropriate for babies, but apparently Hayley has been staring quite enviously at mommy's and gramma's painted toenails, so here we are:



For those keeping score, this does NOT mean she gets to have her ears pierced any time soon. Anyway, something else happened recently that isn't really a milestone, but is nonetheless interesting and fun to see. She's had some toys that hang over her bouncy seat for a long time now, the middle one being the only one that is held up by velcro. I guess Hayley has been lifting weights in her crib, because the velcro is no longer sufficient to prevent her from yanking the toy right off the loop.



And finally, a milestone that is of great importance to me personally. Last week, we realized that Hayley can't be swaddled any more at night, since her rolling skills have blossomed. This has been quite a challenge, since the swaddling was so instrumental in helping her sleep through the night. The first 3 nights, we had to bring her into bed with us about halfway through in order for Hayley to continue sleeping. Then last night, the impossible happened. Not only did she sleep by herself in the crib with no swaddle until morning, she slept longer than me! I have never once gotten up without being awakened by a murmuring or crying baby. And it wasn't like I got up early. It was so refreshing to wake up of my volition and start my day on my own. Of course, it only lasted about a half hour, but it was still amazing. Enough so that I felt it deserved a picture:



Side note: it seems Hayley is taking after her mommy and actually prefers to sleep on her side/tummy. Perhaps this will be the key to consistently longer, more sustained sleep.