Tuesday, April 27, 2010

It's a process

First she rolled, then crawled, pulled herself up and stood, cruised along furniture and eventually developed the unusual skill of knee walking (which she has since perfected). Over the past month, Hayley has thankfully taken a real interest in walking on her feet. She has yet to take more than a single step without holding on to something or someone; when she does have a hand, she is pretty much unstoppable.



The latest step in the process came this week when Hayley began standing on her own for more than 2 seconds. Her little legs are getting stronger and her sense of balance is coming along nicely.



At the end of the day, Hayley always resorts to knee walking, but she will outgrow that. It's only a matter of time before she is happily running into true toddlerhood.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Wonderful Ones

Dear Hayley,

Today you turned 14 months old. I know I sound like a broken record, but I must say this past month has by far been the best yet. I am just so appreciative of every single moment I have with you, with our little family. Daddy and I still have moments where we look at you, then look at each other, grin and say, "Can you believe that we were lucky enough to get HER for a daughter?" And you know what, Hayley? I really can't.


This past weekend we removed the rain battered "Baby on Board" sign from our car and it was quite symbolic for me because this past month I have come to terms with the fact that you aren't my little baby girl anymore- and that's truly ok because I just adore the little kid you're developing into.


You are starting to show interest in standing and walking more and more everyday. I think your cautious nature is really whats hindering your ability. You prefer to risk taking a tentative step unassisted on the cushy couch or our bed where you know the fall will be soft and gentle. You actually seem to rather like the falling part and often stand just so you can fall back down on purpose. Sometimes we can distract you with some beloved toy (or, most likely, my iPhone) and in your hurry to grasp the object you abandon all hesitation and take a few quick steps. Might you actually learn to run before you walk?


Daddy started taking you to Gymboree this month in an effort to get you some play time with other kids your age. You're gradually warming up to it but you still like to stay close to Daddy. I understand- he's awfully comforting, isn't he? That's kinda why I chose him for us. You do love when the teacher blows bubbles, though, so we bought are own to use at home. Just as in class, you always seem to catch a few in your hair.


Work has been difficult for me the past few weeks but the thing that gets me through every rough day is knowing that when I get home, we'll all three lounge on the bed for some family bed time. We grab a few toys and tell each other about our day. It's when I hear all about the neat/funny/weird/silly/impressive things you do while I'm away and you happily demonstrate the new trick you learned. The time is filled with lots of hugs, kisses and renditions of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and for those 10 minutes, everyday, I feel completely blessed.


So, no, you may not be a little baby anymore, but you're still my Sweets.


Love,
Mama

Thursday, April 8, 2010

The egg is calling for you


It's weird to realize that we're celebrating holidays for the second time with Hayley, instead of the first. St. Patrick's Day and now Easter have happened twice since she was born. The former was pretty low key for us, while the latter was a bit more eventful. Easter doesn't hold any religious significance for our family, but it's a special day nonetheless, especially now that Hayley is here.


We dressed her up in an adorable new outfit and headed out to grandma's house in the morning. First order of business: Hayley's Easter basket! Miranda put together another great little basket of gifts that Hayley genuinely seemed to enjoy, for the most part. There was a pair of sunglasses and a bunny ear headband that she really didn't want to wear (surprise!). Luckily, grandma didn't mind putting them on for the camera.


Afterward it was time for Hayley's first Easter egg hunt. We wanted it to be fun for her; as you'll see in the video, we made the eggs easy to find since she's only 13 months old. Also, Miranda got this cool electronic egg that calls out to the person trying to find it:




We spent the rest of our time there just hanging out and eating a delicious lunch together. We went back home in the afternoon so we could watch the opening night of the baseball season (Yankees @ Red Sox!). Easter and the start of the MLB season don't usually coincide, but that's how it worked out this year. It was actually a really great game and a very nice way to cap off the holiday.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Friday, April 2, 2010