Acceptance...

So I like many other new mothers I'm sure was concerned that Hailey wasn't crawling yet. I know I shouldn't be comparing her to other kids but my friends kid was 6 months and already starting to crawl. Granted it's probably because I haven't been as vigilant with getting Hailey her tummy time. She would just cry and scream and some days I just couldn't mentally take it.

But since we are finding her on her tummy in her crib I decided to try and really make an effort to get her time on her tummy.

Today she was on her belly and I was able to read a few stories to her without her crying or rolling over. I consider that a success! She is trying to move her arms and legs a little bit and I know she'll get there at her own pace. So she may crawl...or army crawl or just skip it all and just start walking. I've accepted that and am thrilled with the progress we're making on her belly. I can tell she's wanting to move but she just hasn't figured out how to make it happen yet; I have a feeling I'll be running around all over trying to keep up with her once she starts moving. She is standing really well, at times she can hold onto her table without help, she even pulled herself up to her table with very little assistance from me yesterday....we're getting close!

Hailey spends most of her time sitting up and very little time on her back. I was thinking back the other day to when she would spend most of the day on her back. It's so much easier now!

I was actually able to get stuff down today and Hailey was content to sit on the floor, watching and playing with what ever objects I gave her. Her recent favorite is a book with pages she can try to suck on or rip or any light switch. She gets so excited she nearly jumps out of my arms to touch the thermostat each time.

So another day goes by and I've once again cherished all my time with her...yes I'm tired and ready for her to go to bed :) but she's so much fun. The highlight of my day was we were laying on the ground side by side and she was just looking up at me smiling while I was rubbing her big cheeks. That smile was enough to make my day.

Christmas

So we decided kinda last minute to do a Christmas card this year with Hailey. I attempted to do a photo shoot as Brad calls it, with her in front of the tree but she wasn't as excited as I was to take her picture. I was lucky I even got one good picture. I think next year I'll actually plan ahead and be more creative :)

She got her 6 months shots on this past Monday. I know we're a little behind...but she had to get three shots and drink something. I am too big of a wimp to be in the room with her when she's getting it done so Brad bravely substitutes in for me. I could hear her crying out in the waiting room. I felt so bad. The tears were still sitting on her chubby cheeks when she came out of the room.

All this week she was not sleeping very well. Which was very discouraging since she was consistently taking a morning and afternoon nap each 1-2 hours long. I felt awesome, I was getting to work so much more. Then this week she decided she'd only sleep 30-40 minutes at a time. Some times she'd only get 1 1/2 hours all day. I KNOW she needs way more then that. So I seemed to spend all day each day trying to coax her to have a nap. It took me 5 tries one day! I had to pray for an extra serving of patience that day. I just wish she'd trust me that I know what's best for her - lots of sleeping! I think she is sick too, just not sure if it's from her shots or not. I feel so bad for her when he nose is running and she's coughing plus she's in the mommy mood more often then not.

She's still eating really well, enjoying everyone kind of food we give her. With every first bite of each meal being the same, tongue comes out and she purses her lips, testing to see what it is. It was so cute yesterday, I was feeding her peaches which she's had many times and each time she took a bit she'd shake her head.

Bath Time

I feel that we are so lucky that Hailey loves her bath time. I remember being so scared the first few times when I bathed her on my own. I was so nervous, I didn't know how to hold her or comfort her if she started to cry. Now I look forward to bath time, she loves being in the water (must be from her daddy) and loves to play with her letters. I attempted the big tub a while ago but she's a slippery wet noodle so I figured I'd go back to my safe, sink tub. I'm sure she's ready to be in the big one but mommy can only transition so fast.

So I was doing my best not to stress about something but I feel one of my gifts is stressing out :) I thought I was going to have to wean her off nursing soon and I was dreading it. The past month I have been reading up on how to do it and each time I read about it I was praying I wouldn't have to. It's kinda funny because when I was pregnant I already committed to nursing not even knowing how challenging, painful, stressful, tiring...but amazing it was. I was so nervous, scared and a little weirded out by the whole thing to be honest. I was really struggling with the idea and felt foolish for it. So many people were telling me it was the most precious thing you could do with your child and it was so beautiful but I just wasn't on that same train of thought.

Once Hailey and I got the hang of it and the pain lessened and the feedings were more then 2 1/2 hours apart I actually found myself enjoying it. I started to look forward to our quiet time together when it was just us. It is such a precious time that we are able to share. I really feel that I have gotten to learn more about her personality more by nursing. I do consider myself blessed that I was able to nurse and that I still am. I do not take for granted this time or the fact that I'm able to continue to do so. When the time came to introduce solids I tried to put it off as long as possible...I kept telling myself she wasn't ready but the whole time it was me who wasn't ready.

So I have learned to enjoy our special time together, I am trying to soak in all her little smiles and sighs as much as I can.

Hailey is growing so fast and progressing faster then I'm emotionally ready at times but it's such a joy to see her grow, develop and just to watch her learn is incredible.