Long Time, No See!

In an effort to not be yet another yuppie "baby-blogger" I went on a long hiatus, but now I'm back because we have some damn cute pictures to show off and because I watched Julie & Julia last night and it made me miss blogging. Even if I don't get comments and I very well may be sending this off into cyberspace where only some misdirected Googler stumbles across it, that's okay.

Haddy is almost 18 months old and has just started walking within the past week or so. Yeah, she's a late bloomer in that arena, but it's mostly because she crawls at the speed of light and had no need to walk until she decided she was missing out. I've also read from many sources that it's not uncommon for the younguns to direct energy from one area of development, like walking, to another area, like talking. And man can she talk, so maybe that was her master plan all along.

She has many teeth with which to bite me when she becomes angered by my abilities to take things from her, much hair (which mom gave a trim one morning when I was sleeping--I was horrified that I missed her first haircut), and super-secret-baby-ninja punching talents. I swear, she knows the vulnerable parts of my body to pinch really hard (like underneath my upper arm when I'm on the computer), and uncommon, yet effective, areas to punch me really hard (like my collarbone).

She talks all the time. Today she was saying, "Oh, baby!" all day, and then when she fell backward off her tiny recliner, she sobbed, "Oh, babeeee!" It was at once hilarious and concerning. She says, "Dank yoo!" when there is an item exchange between us, when we ask, "Who loves Mama/Dada?" she says, "I do!" (When asked, "Who loves Sissy?" she just mumbles with her mouth closed. Thanks, kid.)

Also she has taken to saying, "Oh, shit!" when something unfortunate happens. Mom is embarrassed that she knows that so early, but hey, what else usually comes out when you knock a cup over or something? God won't smite her for mimicking something. He might smite me, though, I'm kind of smite-worthy.

We have prolonged putting up the Christmas tree, I think for a shared and unspoken fear that she will immediately pull it down on top of herself and be crushed to death by holiday spirit. Also she likes to steal things. I can picture it now, a secret nest, located underneath a couch, of shiny and useless junk, like Wall-E the robot. A single deadly shard of a red glass ornament will perch on the top of the pile, like a peasant king, just waiting to be inserted into an unsuspecting mouth.

Anyway, here's some cute pictures to hold you over for the next 5 months if I don't show up again.

When we went to take the pictures, I pulled out my phone to get a quick snap of the setup, and that photographer lady said, "No pictures in here." When she had her back turned I muttered, "Nobody tells me no!" and proceeded to take some anyway. Kevin laughed.

Crazy bathing baby!

A solemn child.

And a happy child! (ignore the over-loaded diaper)

Hangin' out in the backyard in our little red (cool) plastic (less cool) Radio Flyer wagon.

Nice Saturday morning cartoon setup!

First time in a swing. I think this is the one and only frame where she looks like she has the barest trace of happiness on her face. Right after I took this, she began wailing in fear.

I briefly considered arguing that she go as Gary Oldman for Halloween.

Some fantastic and creative soul decided to dress up as Santa Claus for a random breakfast at our local Cracker Barrel! Haddy was terrified, sure, but he gave her a candy cane and she didn't mess up the picture. Also, Kevin's one good eye.

That last picture was probably the most awkward experience of my whole life, too. I spotted him standing just inside when Kevin and I came back from the parking lot, and I said, "Hurry! Go get Hadley so I can get a picture!" I don't know what took him so long, but Santa and I stood there for the longest 60 seconds of my life just looking at each other. I had a huge, creepy grin on my face because he was just so awesome and come on it was SANTA. It was like a conditioned response for me to get involuntarily excited.

Haddy and the Jets

We finally have the first birthday behind us! It was a great occasion, complete with lots of friends and grilling and swimming and birthday cake. We didn't take any pictures, but we have lots of video. I'll be sure to post the links to the YouTube posts when I get the chance to edit them all.

Hadley is quite mobile now. She's become a crawling pro, and thoroughly enjoys pulling herself up on any and all surfaces, which has resulted in a few accidents already. (She's got a tough skull, don't worry.) Every decorative item holds interest, especially the fake trees and bushes. "Why, look at that lovely pot full of bark or moss! I will snatch some!"

She's also a crumb-snatching professional. She's amazing at managing to find anything. The floor can look spanky-clean and she'll find the one speck of a leaf or food and pick it up. It's great because she doesn't actually put things in her mouth; she just sits there evaluating it.

You can tell when she has something, she sits there very still with her head down, mulling over what she found. When you say "Haddy!" she'll squawk, start quivering, and flap her arms up and down in order to prevent you from taking it away.

She loves dancing to music, especially from her beloved NFL commercials. Right now while I'm typing (I'm actually turning my head to watch her, standing by an unsteady table, while I'm typing with my hands--thank God for my high school tech classes) she's standing on her tiptoes and shaking her little diaper butt to Rihanna. We were listening to Elton John earlier and she got the biggest smile on her little face.

I wish you all could see her right now. She's bouncing up and down while she's sitting on the floor to the new song: "Sour Cherry" by The Kills. And she absolutely loves the '90s techno song "Born to Be Alive". She likes strong beats and dance songs. It's hilarious to watch.

Well, I gotta go--I see she has now found a miniscule piece of a french fry from who knows how long ago. That is disgusting, Hadley!

2009: A U-haul Odyssey

As you may be able to tell, we are now the proud owners of a new, modern video camera. The very first one we had, back when Kevin and I were tots and the one that filmed 90% of our home videos, was an enormous, shoulder-mounted black monstrosity that ate entire VHS tapes. Our second one was better, one that ate only dainty, miniature VHS tapes, but it was still pretty big and couldn't connect to the computer.

Enter the awesome new camcorder. It's tiny and shiny and silver, you can hardly tell it's in my hand, eats no tapes (it stores data on the camera's hard drive!), and uploads to the computer. We can jack it to the TV, or burn DVDs of the movies we make.

The most awesome thing is I can edit it using iMovie on my iMac. At first I was pretty intimidated, since I know next to nothing about video editing, but Apple helpfully provides editing tutorials on their website for novices like me.

But enough geek speak. Here's the very first video I edited, just for you guys. It may not be very cutting-edge, but Hadley got so excited when she watched the final cut that she forcefully peed through her diaper onto me. I'm not even kidding. I just got back from changing my clothes. How many of you can say that YOU get that excited?

(I also humbly credit the awesome Brown's blog for the inspiration. Everyone wants videos of adorable babies...I can only blab to you so much before you open Solitaire!)

**NOTE: Before playing the video, tell CCR to stuff it. At the bottom of the page.

Happy Father's Day!

This is Hadley's first Father's Day, and her birthday will be here in a week, followed closely by Dad and Kevin's birthday. So much to celebrate!

I joked with Mom and Dad about how this is their last first birthday. (We hope)

Lots of love out there to all the daddies. You are the ones who we ran to when Mom didn't let us have our ways; the ones who danced with us at weddings or Daddy Daughter Dances at school; the ones who protected us and gave each boy we brought home a stern eye, and each girl a careful welcoming; you were our Papa Bears, with a pair of big, snuggly arms to nestle into.

I'll never forget the things my Dad did for my brother and I, and now Hadley. He taught us how to ride our bikes. He took us swimming and walking. He brought us to work in the summers, even though we were loud and often bothered him in his office. He let us bring home countless cats, dogs, rats, hamsters, fish, a tarantula, and one time even a chameleon. He grills steaks for us every Sunday, a cigar hanging out his mouth like a Mafia don.

He faithfully drags us to Cardinals games, even in horrible Sun Devil Stadium, and Phoenix Suns games. I still love his standard uniform of a sleeveless cotton shirt (in order to show off his massive arms), shorts, and white Nike sneakers with white socks, complete with a baseball cap and sunglasses. You knew when he laughed, because he didn't do it often, that something was really funny. He powered through bad grades and high school drama with Kevin and I, coached Kevin's recreational football teams, let us "dog-pile" on him and whack him with pillows even when we had gotten big enough for some serious damage, and got up many many mornings at 6:30 am to drive us to school.

He supported both Mom and I when she became pregnant with Hadley. He quietly stressed for our future, wondering if Hadley would make it into this world, and if she would be whole and healthy. He worried that he wouldn't have enough love to give to her, that he couldn't split it one more time between the three of us. He drove Mom to the ER last Father's Day, late at night, because Mom was worried about Haddy; then, after spending hours there, he patiently left when she decided everything was okay after all.

He stood by me while Mom gave birth, and kept me from panicking with his cool attitude. (He'd been through this twice, after all!) He got up at 3 am and sat in Haddy's rocking chair, bleary-eyed and tired, and gave her the tiny bottles, and then got up 3 hours later to drive Kevin to school.

He adores Hadley. She truly is his little princess, the apple of his eye. He tickles her and holds her during NFL shows, kisses her and plays with her. He swims with her in her little floatie and carries her now extremely heavy carseats.

My dad is awesome. I love him so much. Hadley is lucky; she gets him all to herself while she grows up. I know I've given you some hard times in the past, Dad, but...I'll always be your little girl.

Happy Tuesday!

Doesn't that make you feel better?

:)

New Summer Pictures

A lot to report on! Hadley finally started crawling, and in about a day she became a crawling maniac, which confirms to me that she was just being lazy about it. 

She got her first real boo-boo as well, crawling and knocking her head on the coffee table. Crying, hysterical hijinks, laughing in about 10 seconds, etc. I called her egg-head for about 2 days because of the little lump on her forehead.

She also loves to show off her new trick: waving. It's so adorable sometimes I think one of my eyes will pop out or my hair will turn white or something. 

Yesterday was her 11-month birthday. Next month, on June 28th, is her real birthday! We'll have to plan it out...

Her little bunk in the cart while shopping. 

It's mattress-lowering time...

She's a giant!!! (first little chair)

Tropical baby

Bathtime baby! We tried to preserve most of your modesty, Hadley.

Hadley Says Her First Word

For a while, Haddy's been doing the kind-of babbling talking, when she latches onto a short word and repeats it. She's been saying, "Da da da da da..." for weeks now, and I never really put two and two together, until today. 

We were all in the TV room, watching a movie, and Haddy was perched on my lap. She was getting excited by the action on the screen and the music. Suddenly she turns toward my dad and shrieks, "DADA!" to get his attention. 

I was speechless! We all were looking at her, but Mom and Dad didn't look surprised or anything. Finally, I say, "Was that her first word?!" and they both said she'd been saying "da da" for a few weeks now. I knew she was doing it, but I thought she wasn't associating it with actual Dad. 

Both Mom and Dad were totally nonchalant about it. I'm sitting over here about to blow a lung with shock and excitement, and they were cool as a cucumber. Granted, they've been through it twice before. I practically wanted to have a party for her. 

Anyway, here are some new pictures! We've been swimming and she decided that she loves it. Also, she loves Popsicles. They make little mini ones for kids, and she gets one now and then if it's really hot.

Here's her first swimsuit. What a doll!

"Hmm...I should inspect this first before I make up my mind about it..."

Little bathing beauty!

She loves Gus! I think that thing was around when I was a tot, too.

She also really adores that hat. She goes everywhere with it.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

Wow, I hadn't realized it's been almost a month since I posted last. Sorry! 

PS: It would be very great if you could comment if you visit the site, since I'm starting to think only 3 people look at the blog...let me know you're here! :)

She just loves to type and bang away at a keyboard

If you've ever seen pictures of Kevin when he was a baby, it's truly astonishing how much she looks like him then, in this picture

Fell asleep in Dada's arms during movie night

She was so proud of herself, since we got just a booster seat instead of a high chair

After a struggle over toys, Lloyd the Llama killed Hadley.

New Spring Pictures

I kept getting this face every time  I looked over at her, during computer time...she's so funny!

Dad is starting the brainwashing early!

Silly rabbit, that purse is for Sissy!

This picture says two words to me: "help" and "me!"

They both have impish little looks on their faces

"Ready for sawing flesh..."

At least that's what Dad jokes, in regards to Hadley's brand-new teeth. She cut her very first top tooth a couple of weeks ago, the left one. Surprised the heck out of me since it was there 24 hours after I had just checked for toothage. 

Another picture from the Flagstaff escapade

This weekend Haddy, Mom and I are up for a quick jaunt to Tucson to visit Grammy and reconnect with the band entourage...Mom's high school band, that is. Wish us luck, and a fuss-free trip!

Spring Pictures

Sitting outside with mom and Sissy...it's chilly out!

Rudy likes to hang out with baby Hadley

Playing with Sissy in Home Depot...Mom is in the background!

Haddy loves Sissy's new fish...the cats do too!

Return to the Scene of the Crime

I'm just back from feeding Hadley lunch...oatmeal with banana orange medley baby food. You know, you wouldn't think that "fully ripened bananas, mangoes, oranges and pineapples" would smell like dumpster fodder, and you'd be wrong!

Anyway. We've just returned from a little trip up into Flagstaff, the very same place that we took Haddy when she was just a wee 5 weeks old. (What were we, crazy??) If you remember, the trip was...not very pleasant. Hadley was pretty fussy up there and seemed to hate everything about it. 

Well, this time, I'm glad to say, was a lot better! She was too little to play in the snow this year, but she did have a fun time grabbing the icicles that Auntie Katelyn held for her, and she slept like a log. 

Trying to be inconspicuous about eating her carseat on the way up

Sitting up like a big girl in Mama and Dada's bed!

Another Tooth!

Hadley officially has two front teeth. On the bottom, that is. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures...sometimes I imagine it would be like one of those photos with the guys pulling open the shark's mouth for the camera... 

Haddy sticks her tongue out and chomps up and down when you try to get a look at her pearly whites.

In other news, she's finally getting more hair! She's not a little baldy anymore! Can't put any bows or anything in it, but at least the Rogaine is starting to work. (I'm joking, people!)

She also loves to eat oatmeal mixed with pureed fruit. Her favorite baby food is apples and cherries. And I caught her transferring a tiny basketball from one hand to the other yesterday. It seems like she's developing by leaps and bounds these days!

Lots of New Things

First, you may notice that you hear the tune "New Soul" by Yael Naim...Mom says it's Haddy's theme song. Listen. 

Another new thing is...drumroll please...Haddy's first tooth! It made its first tiny, white appearance on Saturday, January 24th. It is slowly poking its way through...I'm excited! A real, live tooth!

Haddy in the shopping cart with Mom and me

I'm a new soul

I came to this strange world

Hoping I could learn a bit 'bout how to give and take

But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear

Finding myself making every possible mistake

New Pics!

Having tummy time in the TV room

Enjoying the Christmas tree with Daddy

A baby butt!

Little Suns baby!

BEFORE (startled while eating lunch!)

AFTER (happy baby!)

Give Thanks

I know that Thanksgiving is usually the time when everyone is supposed to reflect on what they're thankful for, to count our blessings and only wish that our good fortunes continue and that our bad ones fade into the background. But as a new year dawns, I can't help but think of the things I've been blessed with this year. 

Hadley is the most obvious! It feels like so many months more than six, when she finally made her long-anticipated arrival in June. This time last year, at the birth of 2008, we were just embarking on our adventure of an unexpected, and eventful (to say the least) pregnancy. 

But it has been six months, and will soon be seven. In a way I'm sad to see her getting so big and tall; "standing" on the table with me holding her for longer and longer, until my arms get tired; making new sounds and trying to talk every day; and the way that I can no longer hold her cradled in my arms like I did when she was a newborn makes my heart ache in an almost tangible way. 

When I walk through the door after being away from her, she is the first one I want to see; I can feel my lips stretch into a giant smile and a need to hold her in my arms. She is so beautiful that sometimes I feel like I could shed tears for it. I could kiss her round and rosy cheeks forever, if she didn't try to push me away after she's had enough. I could run my fingers through the soft and downy fuzz covering her head until she falls asleep, and then some. I could die for her. 

This year will be amazing, and like no other. There will be crawling, walking, new solid foods, splashing in the pool, birthday candles and summer vacations spent on the beach with her.  I will collect shells for her and help build sand castles. I will kiss bruises and bumps when she falls while learning to walk. I will count new teeth and brush new hair. 

I will love her.