My Little Me

Hayden turned 9 months old on the 16th this month. She has become quite a little mimic! When I bounce up and down she will bounce while standing too! She likes waving bye bye to people after they wave to her and she will mimic when I turn my head side to side as well. Kind of fun! She also finally got her left front tooth in. Her bottom teeth came through in February and she hasn't had any more until now. She is a terrible teether! She doesn't sleep good, drools a ton, runny nose, diarrhea, elevated temperature, and wants to be held all the time! She has a lot more teeth to go so hopefully it gets better. Hayden has been a true test of my patience. This past week I feel like I have been so impatient with her. It makes me sad that I acted this way. Oh well, I'm not perfect, I just have to keep trying!

Walking....kind of

Yesterday Hayden was standing up holding on to the washing machine and side-stepped her way to the dryer! I am excited about this, but wish she would crawl. She just has no desire to be on her tummy. She will creep forward if she really wants to get something but other than that nothing! I guess she really might walk without crawling which can be bad for brain development I read. We'll see I guess. It was fun to see how proud she was of her accomplishment.

The rest of our trip

From left to right: Grady, Tylie, me, Hayden, Emily, Tate, and the twins Maizie and Maren

Hayden loved holding onto the poll on the merry-go-round

This is a great picture because throughout our whole time in Utah, Hayden loved eating Grandma Anne's face!!!

It was so great to be able to spend 2 weeks with family. As always, it was not enough time to see all the people we would like to see while we are there. After Shannon's wedding we spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at my house. Hayden continued to enjoy Sasha, but was careful to cover the back of her neck when she was behind her so as not to get a wet nose on her neck. Hayden also liked hearing my mom sing old songs and playing with my dad. We went out to breakfast several times and also got to watch Shannon and her husband Marcus open up wedding gifts. It's always fun to see all the kitchen gadgets and other gifts.
Then on Wednesday Paul, Hayden and I went to Provo to see my chair professor Dr. Leslie Feinauer from my master's program. I had not seen her since my wedding day, so it was so great to see her and catch up. She was excited to meet Hayden and it was fun to talk to her about my current job as a therapist. On the way back we stopped off at a friend's house and spent the night at my high school friend Kim's home with her family. She is a great cook and it was a fun evening. On Thursday Paul's mom came into Salt Lake and we went suit shopping for Paul since he is in need of a professional suit. Then we spent the next week at his home. We got to see Emily and Scott and their 5 children and finally spend some quality time with them. We also went to the zoo which was fun. I have not been to the zoo in years, it has changed so much. I am sad to say they no longer have the ant eaters, which was a childhood favorite of mine. Hayden's favorite animal seemed to be the giraffes but probably because she could actually see them and we think she liked their fur! One night Paul went to his Grandma Joye's house to deliver something for her and left Hayden with her. She started to fuss a bit and Grandma Joye started singing to her and she immediately stopped and listened. Grandma Joye visited her every day that we were there and really loves how much she likes music.
Probably the most special part of our trip was being able to go through the temple with our friends Seth and Sarah. We went to their endowment on Tuesday and got to see them sealed as a family on Thursday. Even as I write this I start to tear up! I felt the spirit when Paul and I got married in the temple and I have felt the spirit at other sealings. But there is something about seeing a family sealed for time and all eternity that is really powerful. I am so grateful for the friendship we have with the Eastmans and for their example! They have strengthened my testimony so much as I have witnessed Sarah get baptized, endowed, and now sealed. I am so grateful that I get to be with my family for eternity. I think I take this for granted to often, it is crazy to believe that many Christian religions believe you will no longer be married to your spouse after you die, and you will just be fellow brothers and sisters. I am so grateful to have the knowledge about where I came from, why I am here, and where I am going.

Trip Home

Shannon and Hayden at the reception center

My brothers Sean on left and Ian on right

My sister Michelle and her husband Jared (aren't our bridesmaid dressed cute!)

Hayden sadly couldn't eat the lamb at Lamb's grill, but she enjoyed her own lunch!

Paul and I actually woke up at 5:30 am on Friday morning and we were on the road by 6 am. Hayden did great the whole drive to my surprise. I was nervous because Paul and I drove separately and I knew I could not entertain her at all for the whole 6 hour drive. She slept until about 9:30 am and then we stopped for breakfast and to feed Hayden her breakfast. Then about 20 minutes after we left Sonic she was asleep again until we got to Park City. Anyway, I'm grateful the drive went so smoothly and that she is such a good baby. She has been doing great with all the new faces and being off her normal routine.
My sister Shannon's wedding went great. She looked beautiful with her hair all curled, makeup done, and dress. They had their wedding luncheon at Lamb's Grill which is the oldest restaurant in Salt Lake City. Paul and I had never been there, so it was a neat experience. We walked to the restaurant from the Temple and got caught in a crazy hail/sleet storm with about two blocks to go! It was freezing but Hayden was just laughing as Paul sprinted her stroller across the streets. That night the reception was at Le Jardin which was an indoor greenhouse. It was also beautiful. They had Cold Stone cater the dessert. Paul and my brother in law Jared went to town that night!
The next morning we met all my cousins and grandpa for breakfast at IHOP and visited with them until they went back to Southern Utah. Unbeknowst to me, Hayden had her first taste of whipped cream thanks to my grandpa! Once I realized why she kept trying to get to him it was too late. But I guess that's just the paranoia of a first time mom. My 92 year old grandpa has had problems with his heart recently and everyone was worried he would not make it, so I was so happy to be able to see him again and having Hayden play with him.
Today it SNOWED!!! We escape Cheyenne, Wyoming, only to be met with frigid weather here! I hope it gets warmer so we can get outside more. Hayden loves my families chocolate lab Sasha and jumping on the trampoline.

The Scoot

Today Hayden has finally starting MOVING! I don't think she will be a traditional crawler which is weird because both Paul and I were. She puts one leg bended in front and the other bended in back, goes down to here belly and scoots forward. She doesn't go far, but at least there is some progress.
We leave for Utah tomorrow morning hopefully at 6am for my sisters wedding. Hayden usually enjoys car rides, but I have never tried a 6 + hour car ride, so wish me luck!

8 Month Update

Hayden is 8 months old today and I made a list of all the things she is doing and enjoying, hopefully she'll enjoy reading this someday! Sorry, but I will probably be using the word "loves" and "likes" a lot.

1) Loves to sit, but now instead of falling backwards when she gets tired, she will go to her tummy and then flip to her back where she is comfortable
2) Still basically immobile, refer to #1. If there is a toy out of reach she will just chalk up her losses and go for one she can get. Although she does scoot backwards sometimes
3) Likes to growl and arch her back like she is about to fight
4) Not a picky eater at all. She will eat anything I give her and loves playing with her spoon when she is done eating
5) Sleeps about 11 1/2 to 12 hours at night now
6) Although #5 is great she always wakes up about 45 minutes to an hour after she first falls asleep screaming bloody murder. We wonder if she is having a nightmare. Anyway, we have to go calm her down and then she is out for the night.
7) Loves splashing, standing, and sucking on her wash cloth in her tummy tub
8) Just recently started saying "da, da, da, da"
9) Loves playing on our bed and looking at the sheets
10) Just like her daddy, she likes moving her feet in a circular motion all the time. She also giggles when I pretend to eat her feet
11) Likes all kinds of straps and tags
12) Loves to be standing and holding on to things
13) Hates the aspirator, but what child doesn't right?
14) When I nurse her I cannot talk on the phone or read. She will pull at my book until I stop and not eat if I am talking to someone. She wants all the attention on her!
15) Likes to sleep with a lamp on all night. If I try to turn it off she wakes up
16) Loves grocery shopping, seriously I think it's her favorite thing to do during the week. I carry her in the baby bjorn while she looks at all the cool stuff. She also usually has a produce bag in her hand. If I stop too long in one location she gets antsy and starts kicking her feet and whimpering
17) Likes looking at new people's faces. In church today she got bored with me in Relief Society and wanted my friend next to me, when she got bored there she went to the next woman and kept going down the row. She also loved their jewelry, especially the shiny stuff.
18) Obsessed with hair and mouths. Wants to grab them ALL the time
19) Likes grabbing Paul's whole head and pulling it down
20) Enjoys listening to any kind of music, it always calms her down as well as walks, jogs, bike rides, and the vacuum cleaner.
21) Still thinks her hands are awesome. If I catch her looking at them in awe she usually stops and looks at me like, "what, I wasn't doing anything."
22) Started sticking her lower jaw out and exposing her two little teeth.
23) Loves paper
24) Her head sweats like a champ

It is so fun to see her little personality coming out and to know that she has preferences now. Love you Hayden!

Graduation!!!!!

Paul finished his last final yesterday and he is now officially done with his MBA from Colorado State! He took the final yesterday afternoon and our internet was being so slow, so he was a little stressed out, but it all worked out in the end. He did not want me to do anything to celebrate, but getting your masters is a big deal, so I invited some of our base friends over for dessert to celebrate. He did not want to walk in the graduation, so I told him we had to do something. I made one of my new favorite recipes, it's called "Hummingbird Cake" it has toasted pecans, bananas, and pineapple in it as well as a delicious cream cheese frosting. I also made some cupcakes for the kids. I gave him his graduation gift a day early because he was having a bad day. He got a white G-shock watch that he has wanted for a long time now. I am so glad he has this done and he no longer will have to do homework at night. I am so proud of him for being dedicated to his education and completing this the past 2 years. Now we just have the student loans :)