Hayley: One Year

Happy Birthday to my little miracle! Time is going by so much faster now that we have a kid, and I don't know about Dan but sometimes I do not feel old enough to have a one-year-old. Telling myself I'm the Mom of a one-year-old does things to my mind. And at the same time, it's the greatest thing ever! I love our little Hayley and I am so grateful she came into our lives and made me a Mom a year ago.

Hayley is really the most entertaining little child ever. She has the biggest personality for being such a little thing. She brings me such joy! To say I adore her is an understatement. Her top two front teeth finally pushed through her gums and it looks like the next two on the top are going to be coming through too. She officially took her first steps on June 27. She can only take a few before falling, so not walking yet but that's ok with me. She will start walking on her own, without someone holding her hands, just by using some object to get herself up. She is getting better at standing for longer periods of time. She can stand up using just about anything to help her but has only done it once by herself with no aids. Anytime she sees flowers she scrunches her nose and sniffs, and she has to put her nose on them. Her 9-month clothes still fit but I've busted out her 12-month ones too because they're cute, even if they are a little big. She loves going to Cherry Hill, we've gone on days that Daniel has had to take his practice MCATs. She loves being in the water and will only tolerate her floaty for a little bit at a time. She laughs and kicks her legs when we go down the blue slides. Aunt Nikkole got a pass too and comes with us. We all love it! Hayley has started humming and "singing". She absolutely loves to crawl up and down the stairs. I don't know if it's because we don't have any but she often makes her way to them at both Grandparent's houses. It's pretty funny when turns around and backs up to go down the stairs. She's like a little dump truck doing a three-point turn and reversing. She started taking morning naps again around 10:30/11:00. She has started making this new face where she scrunches her nose and it makes us laugh. She surprises me all the time with how smart she is. One of her balls rolled under the couch so she got down on her tummy and stuck her hand under to grab it, she kept trying until she got it. She always wants to eat what we're eating and if you have food she will come up to you like a little puppy and just point at it or just stare 'til you give her some. I stopped breastfeeding her about two and a half weeks ago. It was like she didn't even notice because that was the end of it. She has made things so easy for me. She spoils me too. She has gotten a little better about drinking milk but still doesn't seem to like it. Hopefully, she won't take after me with this and learn to drink it up. I was ready to be done nursing sooner but because she wouldn't take a bottle we had to keep going and the only thing I'll miss about it is her being so close. She's not much of a snuggler but when she was nursing I could hold her tight and soak her in! She fell asleep in my arms yesterday and I loved it. I have to cherish those moments a little more now because they are few and far between. She has no sense of height and will try and dive off the couch and bed like it's nothing. The only time she isn't pretty happy is when she is teething, but who could blame her? Especially when she's getting 4 teeth at once! She says hi to everyone, even without being prompted by someone. She loves little kids and babies. It's fun to see her interact with them.

First time trying the pigtails.

Picnic with friends.

At our favorite place, Cherry Hill.

Sleeping mask anyone?

Swimming at Grandma Susan's.

Enjoying her birthday Slurpee.

We celebrated her birthday with friends and family on July 9 at my parent's house. Her birthday theme was Up, Up, and Away. I had tons of fun putting it all together. Maybe when I grow up I could be a party planner ha. We are certainly blessed to have such amazing family and friends who love and spoil Hayley. I am so grateful for all the people Heavenly Father has placed in our lives. We had burgers and hot dogs and other treats along with cake, of course. It was fun! Thank you to everyone who came and helped out! As always, a big shout out to my parents, Dan's parents, Aunt Nikkole, and Uncle Mike for all their help, it would not have been possible without you. Hayley took a nap after she had some cake and our families played some volleyball while she was sleeping. Once she woke up she opened her presents. You would've thought she'd done it before because she was so good at pulling the tissue paper out of the bags and reaching in for the good stuff. She got some cute, new clothes and awesome toys. She was pretty excited.

Today we played with her new toys when she woke up. She had a Doctor's appointment at 2:00. It makes me cry every time I hear her cry when she gets her shots. But she got a sucker and that seemed to make things better. Plus we got Slurpees on the way home too. Her head is almost 18 inches, 67th percentile. She is 28 inches tall, 37th percentile. And she weighs 18.8 lbs, 34th percentile.

Cake Smash photos done by Alexis Foust Photography.

Cake Smash cake done by Kiss Me Cake.

Balloon photos done by Moments by Ally Photography.