Frankenstein

With Halloween coming up, Hayden should be Frankenstein!  I don't know why but I really think walking is one of the most fun developmental milestones thus far!  She knows she is doing something amazing.  Right now she still has her arms straight out for balance.  I just love watching her walk around.

She still has a really bad runny nose and I got sick too, so maybe it's not teething.  Maybe we're just both sick.  I'll be glad when we are both feeling well so we can enjoy the weather before winter comes.

More teeth coming!

Last night Hayden went to bed around 8pm and woke up at 10pm.  I waited a bit to see if she'd go back to sleep but she didn't so I went in and she was so congested.  She has a slight fever, really runny nose, so I think another tooth is coming.  Seriously, is she going to be like this for every tooth?

She is walking more and more everyday.  Her breathing definitely changes when she goes into walking mode.  She must be pumping herself up to do it!

Walking

Hayden's first official steps were on August 25th, but she hasn't done much with it since.  Well yesterday she finally kicked it up a notch and has been getting a little braver.  I took her to story time at our library and had a great time.  They have one for each age group which was perfect for Hayden.  At the end they let the kids play in hundreds of bubbles that come out of a bubble machine.  Hayden was so excited that she let go of me and just stood on her own and started walking!  We practiced throughout the day and when dad got home all she wanted to do was walk to dad.  I would try and get her to walk to me, but she would just hug daddy closer (I think I traumatized her trying to get her to take a nap!)

We did not get the best video because Paul was holding it and she kept walking to him but here's what we got. I love her breathing in the video, too funny.  Also she's naked because she woke up from her nap and some poop had escaped her diaper!

Here is a fun game to play with babies that I learned at the library:

Tony Chestnut knows I love you. (point to toe, knee, chest and nut=head, nose while saying words)
Tony knows; Tony knows. (continue to point for all versus)
Tony Chestnut knows I love you.
That's what Tony knows. 

I was a little slow at first, I kept thinking "who is Tony Chestnut?"

Nap Strike!

The last few days Hayden has just been all off! I could tell she was about done with morning naps, so we have been transitioning to one nap a day in the afternoon. Saturday night she got a rash on her neck and chest and I was worried because I just started giving her whole milk for the first time last Friday.  I still nurse her in the morning and at night and she has whole milk for lunch and dinner (I am really liking this new schedule).  Anyway so the rash was going on and then she woke up at 5 am Sunday morning and after checking to see if she had pooped and hadn't I made her go back to bed.  Then Monday and Tuesday she will not take naps!!! Tuesday we fought back and forth for 2 hours and she did not sleep at all, all day long!  I about lost it.  I started reading in a baby book that it is common for most babies to drop the morning nap around one year (fine, I was expecting that) but that some babies, "try" to cut out both naps.  That's where the book just stopped and my mind kept going, "tried" and succeeded??? "tried" and failed, "tried" and what???  I really started to panic.  I was so worried that she would never take naps again.  Paul was worried enough about me that he came home an hour early to make sure I hadn't completely lost it.  Then that night she woke up at 10 pm crying, but after getting out some gas went back to sleep.

Anyway, we found the rash is most likely due to washing her bibs with regular laundry soap (oooops better use the baby detergent a little longer) and today she is still sleeping and it has been 3 hours (better go wake her up so she'll sleep tonight). 

I really am a schedule kind of person.  I know that babies will not always follow one, but I start to go loopy if she deviates too far off.  Hayden, I hope the normal you is back! 

Mirrors

It is official, Hayden definitely recognizes herself in the mirror and she can't get enough of herself! Every time we pass by any mirror in our house (we have a lot in this small apartment) she cheeses it up big time. She loves looking at herself. I guess it would be neat to see what you looked like for the first time.

What I Can Do...

Here is Hayden's one year update

Loves...
1) flushing the toilet and opening the lid
2) reading books, her favorite is an animal peek-a-boo flip tab and her first animal book
3)playing with her eyelashes
4) picking at my moles, I swear one day she is going to tear one off!
5) playing patty cake and peek-a-boo
6) squeezing the back of my arms when we are walking together
7) having her back scratched by people or inanimate objects (She reminds me of Mowgli the bear from Jungle Book. She leans back on something and scratches away)
8) holding leaves only by the stem in her hands when we go on walks or runs (I once gave her a leaf without a stem and she looked at me like, "this is not acceptable!")
9) to lay on her back while we hold her feet and do sit-ups (She is seriously strong!)
10) climb in cupboards and hide
11) black people (She gives them the best smiles and stares, she gets so excited)

Hayden will now...
1) drink whole milk at dinner time from a sippy cup
2) eat eggs, cheerios, goldfish, applesauce, yogurt, rice, non cooked carrots, ice cream, and small bites of some of our food
3) often try a new food a couple of times and then reject it later on (oatmeal)
4) stand on her own and take a few steps but then crawl
5) crawl normal because we have carpet (every once in a while she will go back to her scoot, but not often)
6) dance anytime music comes on
7) roll balls to us back and forth
8) throw temper tantrums and hit herself in the head when we take things away (this one worries me a lot!)
9) go to sleep at night without crying at all

Birthday Celebration

The night before Hayden's big day Paul and I set up the gift she received from her Papa Steve and Grandma Anne. She opened up a lot of her presents while in Cheyenne from my mom and dad and my sister Michelle and Jared and friends. So we wanted to save some gifts to make the day special for her. This picture is a big deal. Paul and I used to talk about how fun it would be to put together toys the night before important events before we were even married! We have finally arrived! It was fun and exciting. In fact when Paul got up to get ready for work I had a hard time falling asleep again because I was so excited about her birthday.

We also set this all out the night before. Our friends the Cahoons always decorate a lot for birthdays, it is so special to their boys (and now girl) so I wanted to have the house decorated for when she woke up.

Here is Hayden the morning of her birthday checking out her new toy. She approached it very tentatively and just looked at everything before jumping right in. Smart girl!

After her morning nap we went to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis which is only about 15 miles from our house. We spent most of our time in the playscape area. Hayden loved the sand.

It took me forever to get these yellow things out of her hands, she REALLY liked these. Climbing through the tube.

Harvesting (that one's for you Michelle) carrots, potatoes, and other foods.

Playing in the heavily chlorinated water. She was not quite tall enough to really reach in so I sat her on my knee.

This was the only picture I managed to get of the 2 of us, not a very good one, sorry!

When we got back dad was home from work and so we ate dinner and started opening the presents from us! We got her a lot of Melissa and Doug toys, we love their stuff.

Playing with her puzzle, really likes pulling them out, just not putting them back yet!

Playing with her blocks

Cupcake time! Since I did a big cake for her pre-birthday and because it was just the 3 of us I decided on cupcakes. I tried Red Velvet Cupcakes and they were, "good, not great."

Hayden did not go quite as crazy as last time, again she approached it very tentatively, but she still had fun making a mess of her cupcake. She definitely loved the frosting.

After she had a much needed bath! Happy Birthday Hayden, we sure love you.

Overall it was a great day. Hayden seemed quiet, but I think she was just taking it all in. It was nice to spend the whole day with her. For her party I felt like I was preparing food and decorations all day instead of spending time with her. Her real birthday was all about her!

Sorry for all the videos, wanted to make sure family got to see. This is Hayden way more fascinated by a thin strip of paper than her actual toy.



Hayden's first real sign of excitement over a present



Eating Birthday Cupcakes!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!

Dear Hayden,

Today is your 1st Birthday! I can't believe that I was in the hospital with you one year ago today. Before you were born, I was nervous about whether I would like being a mom and was talking to a friend about it. She told me her mom said that once she was in the car driving home from the hospital she simply could not picture life without her. We had a bit of a rocky start, but I can truly say now that life without you would seem so bleak. You have forced me to grow immensely and you have brought so much joy into my life. My favorite part of our day is when I come into your room in the morning. Thank you for always being so excited to see me and for giving me such good hugs and slobbery kisses. I love you so much and hope you like everything we have planned for your birthday.

Hayden,

There have been so many changes this past year but none compare to everything I've seen you do. You have grown from such a tiny, dependent little girl to a still tiny and much more independent version of yourself. By far my favorite thing is being able to come and get you after your naps to find you jumping in your crib! Your smile overcomes all of the monotony and stress that daily life can drum up. I miss being able to stay home with you, just you and me. You weren't always cooperative but you will never hear me complain. Most of all I want you to know how much I love you. Your Mom has given me an opportunity to be your Dad and friend. I know that both need to be earned and, just so you you know, you are more than worth the effort!

Happy Birthday!!!

Baby Hayden September 2009

Hayden September 2010

Lunch Date

This afternoon I got to meet up with a friend from my past. Liz was my freshman year RA. So I had not seen her since 2002. After I wrote on facebook that our new home was Carmel, IN she sent me a message saying she lived 5 minutes from me. We met at Panera for lunch and I really had a great time. Hayden loved her and just had fun interacting with someone besides me! You know those people that you haven't seen for years, but then you get together and it's like no time has past at all? She's one of those people. We had a great conversation and it was greatly needed as I have not had good adult conversation with anyone other than Paul in a long time. I am excited to meet her boyfriend Phil and get to know her better while we are here. Today is a much better day!

On a funny note, I picked up balloons for Hayden's birthday tomorrow and they kept floating to the center of the car. So I would groan and swat them away so I could see the cars behind me. Hayden thought this was absolutely hilarious, so I kept on doing it. I have never heard her laugh so hard ever!

Kind Act

The past 3 weeks have been exciting, but at the same time kind of lonely. I chit-chat with adults when I run errands, but other than that it's me and Hayden alone all day. Everyone works during the day at our apartment complex so that's out. I've really tried to get to know people at church, but it seems like everyone has a lot of kids and when they find I only have Hayden I am no longer an option for them. Maybe that's just in my head, but it just seems like they think they are at a completely different life stage than I am. Anyway, there is always one woman who talks to me and she is definitely different. She is even kind of strange with Hayden. But I can tell she is trying. I guess I shouldn't be the judgmental when I'm the one without any friends. Well this morning I here a knock at the door. Hayden was pretty shocked because we never get knocks at the door. I answered it tentatively and to my surprise it was her! She said she called the bishop to get my address, but he didn't give her the apartment number and so she found Paul's number and called him to find the right one. In her hands she carried a couple pieces of pie. How very thoughtful. Here I don't think she is my kind of friend material yet she is the only one who has been so kind to me. She stayed and talked for a bit, but had a busy day of nursing school to get back to. Hayden beamed from head to toe at having company and showed her all her new tricks. She took a few minutes out of her day, but it meant the world to me. Thank you!

Really???

Dear thief,
Please return our GPS so that I may navigate my new surroundings. Why did you think you had the right to dump you coffee and cigarette ashes all over our car and then take our GPS? I hope that because we never updated our maps that you get lost many times over!!! Seriously, how can you live with yourself day in and day out using something that you STOLE from someone else?
Sincerely,
The Pratts

So yes, our GPS is now gone, what another blow. I took Hayden up to get her ready for bed and feed her and Paul went to return a movie. Upon getting home he unloaded the boxes of diapers and other Target purchases and headed up the stairs. He says he set everything down and then went back out on the porch and locked the car. So within a matter of minutes the thief had made a mess of our car and had taken our GPS. I guess we are lucky we had nothing else of value in the car. But doesn't it just make you so mad that people do this? Sad that people justify doing such mean things.

Missing out

It's begun, we are now missing important events in Cheyenne and it makes me sad all over again. I knew this would happen and tried to prepare myself, but it's still hard. Last Sunday Emree Cahoon had her baby blessing and this Saturday Landon Eastman had his first birthday party. Wish we could have been there and a part of these special events. Someone moved into our home yesterday so it is definitely official that Cheyenne is no longer our home.

We did make the best of today and went to the Farmers Market in Carmel. It is a really good one and we were sad we already ate breakfast. Next week we intend to go with empty bellies. We bought most of our produce that we needed for the week which I was excited about. We also found a base commissary about 15 miles away and took advantage of the lower prices!

Poor Hayden has a bit of a fever, I can see her 6th tooth, it is almost through!!!

What we've been up to...

We have been in Indiana for about 1 1/2 weeks now although it feels a lot longer! The weather is really beautiful right now. You can barely feel the humidity and the sun shines with a cool, crisp breeze in the air. Hayden and I haven't met anyone yet to play with but that's okay, we keep busy.

These are 2 of Hayden's favorite places to be. She always tries to sneak under our computer desk to play with all the cords and the printer. Paul hates when she gets under there. She also loves the pantry and always goes straight for the "browning sauce." I don't know if it's her age or just being in a new place, but Hayden loves exploring here. She never really did that in Cheyenne and did not like to be alone in a room. The other morning I could not find her anywhere and I really started to panic. Then I heard her giggling and located her in a cupboard in the bathroom. She loves crawling in there and hanging out.

We have also enjoy a trail here called the Monon trail. It is really beautiful with trees that line it and it goes all the way to downtown Indianapolis. It is the busiest trail in the nation apparently from a recent study and I believe it because there are always people walking, running, roller blading, and biking on it. The only problem with this is at times it is packed with people. Paul and I went biking on Labor Day and at the very end of the ride a little boy kept going right out in front of us which resulted in major road rash for me! Not fun! Paul couldn't figure out why I was smiling in this picture, but I always look goofy in pictures if I try to be serious or sad.

We go to our little apartment swimming pool a lot also. Paul got to join us on Labor Day. It is fun to have a pool so close, the only problem is that the water is FREEZING. Seriously, they don't heat it at all. This sadly does not stop Hayden at all. She loves getting in the water and splashing around. It's funny people always try to warn me before getting in with her that it is too cold and she will not like it. I always reply, "I know, but she likes it anyways." They are always shocked that she gets in and enjoys herself. Most recently she likes going up and down the steps in the water.

We have also gone to about 3 new parks in search of the best one in our area. Hayden continues to love swinging and has started to branch out to some of the other attractions. This little toy was crazy, we would spin her around in it and she held on and giggled.

Here is a pictures of Hayden at our local library. She really enjoyed playing with all the toys and letting me read her a few books.

Everyone we meet wherever we go people are struck by her eyes. Seriously I get comment after comment about what beautiful, striking eyes she has. They always say, "she must get the blue from her daddy." They are surprised when I tell them he has green eyes. Anyway, Hayden draws in a crowd wherever we go and loves smiling and flirting with everyone around her. We have also enjoyed having tons of fun stores at our finger tips! I am so spoiled now. Yesterday I went to a Nordstrom that was only 4 miles from our house!!! I used to have to drive 2 hours to the closest one. They have such fun restaurants and shopping here which is always a good way to kill a few hours of the day.

New Place

This is our new little apartment. It is 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and it has a dining room, kitchen, and patio.

Wish we had some cuter patio furniture, but our bikes will have to do

Hayden loves getting under the computer desk and playing with the printer, this really aggravates Paul!

Not the cutest comforter I have ever seen, but it works! It has been quite the adjustment going from a king to a queen.

Treck East

This was my first time driving so far east and I don't think I have ever seen so much corn and soy fields in my life! The first day we stopped in Lincoln, Nebraska which was about 6 hours away. Hayden struggled for about an hour during the ride and cried off and on, but for as long as she was alone in the back seat she did a good job. I wish I could have had someone drive with me to keep her company and hand her toys. It was really interesting handing her snacks and toys from the drivers seat!

Hayden and I unpacking the back of the pilot waiting for dad to catch up to us. He was about 45 minutes behind us because he was pulling the Uhaul trailer.

Hayden did not sleep very good during the car rides or at night in the hotel rooms. This was the night she decided it would be fun to stay awake from 1 am to 5 am! I'm sure it was a combination of all the change, the newness of the room and the fact that I drank 2 Dr. Pepper's and I haven't had any caffeine since I was pregnant with her! Since we settled here in Indiana she has been sleeping a ton, probably making up for all the sleep she missed out on.

Our second day of driving we stopped of at Adam-ondi-Ahman in Missouri. On the way there we got to see the boyhood home of JC Penny. This picture really does not do it justice. It was beautiful. Hayden finally fell asleep in the car and we didn't want to wake her up, so Paul and I took turns staying by the car and going out to see the view. Apparently, this is where we believe Adam gathered all of his posterity and gave them his final blessing before he died. We also believe that this was the center of the Garden of Eden and that this is where Christ will appear prior to his second coming. I can picture it because it was absolutely beautiful.

We then went to Far West which was not too far. Here is a little history of Far West:
The cornerstones for the Far West Temple were first laid at a patriotic celebration on 4 July 1838. In October of that year, the infamous extermination order by Governor Boggs initiated the forced expulsion of the church from Missouri. Far West was virtually abandoned when the apostles gathered here on 26 April 1839. They re-laid the temple cornerstones on that occasion.

Hayden had fun stretching out her legs here and looking at the 4 cornerstones. She also liked hitting the glass. We were also close to Haun's mille masacre, but we didn't think Hayden could handle much more driving. All in all we drove about 9-10 hours that day.

That night we stayed in Hannibal, MO where Mark Twain grew up. It was a small, quaint town and by the time we got there all the restaurants were closed except a home town favorite restaurant, I can't remember the name now. I got a fried tenderloin and it was terrible. I kept dry heaving, so Paul being the good husband that he is ate it and I ate his chicken strips (which were also not too good, seriously how do you screw up chicken strips).

The next morning we woke up and headed for Carmel, Indiana. We got here around 3 pm but it was really 4pm because we are on Eastern time. Sadly we live on the 3rd floor and we (but mainly Paul) had to carry all of our things up the 3 flights of stairs. He was drenched in sweat by the time we were finished.

I will post pictures of our new little place and what we have been up to since getting here.

Paul's 1st day of work

Paul's first day of work at Bastian Material Handling was on August 30th. I had planned to wake up when he was showering and make him a special breakfast, but that didn't happen. He went to the gym, came home, showered and I didn't even hear him. He woke me up to say goodbye, so I was sad I did not make it more special for him. But this is a picture of him with his new company laptop after work. I found a Marshals out here and got him a fun shirt and wrote him a card to congratulate him when he got home from work. He felt pretty overwhelmed by all the new terminology his first day, but by the second day he was already feeling a little more comfortable. It is so weird seeing him go to work in "normal" clothes instead of his flight suit. That will definitely take some time to get used to. Also I am use to him either being gone on alert for over 24 hours or home, so this 8-5 is all new to me too.

Hayden's walking

Hayden took her first steps on August 25th. She has not taken anymore since, but this is Hayden's normal pattern. She does something new, like pulling herself up, and then does not do it for awhile after. So we'll see when she decides to walk again. This was our last night in Cheyenne and Jason captured it with his camera. She only walks at the very beginning of the video: