The Life of a Little Princess

For the first post on this blog, Haley is 3 months and 1 day old! I just went back to work one week ago today and we're both doing just fine despite! We have a very good friend of Kyle and mine, Peggy, coming over to take care of Haley everyday. She is so great with children and we are very lucky to have her. I miss Haley a lot during the day but I sure don't have to worry about her...she's in great hands! (And I know they have lots of fun because Haley sure is wiped out when I get home!!)

Well, if we start from the beginning, Haley was breech for my whole pregnancy and was a scheduled C-section. Our appointment was at 8:30 on a Monday morning and she was born at 8:44...no time wasted! Recovering from a C-section was a lot harder than I thought it would be but I have to say, I still think I prefer that over "the other way." I really can't imagine that's any better. She was born with a full head of dark hair (contrary to both Kyle and I!) and very dark eyes (actual color still hard to say - sometimes dark blue, sometimes hazel, sometimes brown...)!

Haley was supplemented with formula from Day 2, and then fully formula fed starting at about 6 weeks. Now, 7 weeks later, we've been through 4 different types of formula and 4 various attempts at medication! Around 5 weeks, her pediatrician diagnosed her with acid reflux; a very common problem among infants and something they generally grow out of around 12 months old. Haley's is considered a "silent" reflux because she never spits up, essentially making it worse since the acid-stuff just sits in the back of her throat and never comes out. To spare you a very long story, she now eats hypoallergenic, pre-digested formula (Alimentum) and takes an acid reflux medication twice a day. Already proving to be a very high-maintenance little child! It took us a good 9 or 10 weeks to figure this combination out but better late than never and it's been working! She went from a relatively fussy baby to a very happy little thing (usually)!

Haley was sleeping for 6 solid hours during the night starting around week 5! She moved into her crib just shy of 8 weeks, and has been sleeping through the entire night since 9 weeks! She goes to bed around 8:30 and doesn't wake up until 7:30! I realize we got very lucky...but, she gets her sleeping "talents" from her Mom!

The latest and greatest is that Haley now smiles on command (or in response to other smiles), babbles and coos like nobody's business, loves to stretch out her arms and kick her legs; and we're bracing ourselves for a real laugh and rolling over...both coming very soon! She also hates pacifiers, loves to eat (eating "talent" comes from her Dad!), and absolutely loves her hands...mostly in her mouth!

I have attached a video of Haley from mid-August when she just started "talking" to us. Be patient, the video is a little less than 2 minutes long and she doesn't say much until after about a minute...she gets camera shy! I have also attached a couple of my favorite pictures to date.

I will try to update her blog at least weekly with a few pictures, maybe a video (Grandma Jan got us a sweet little video camera!), and an update on any new cool things she's doing! Pictures are typically a daily thing in our house so it should be no problem to keep this current! This blogging business should be really fun...hope you enjoy it too!

Before I publish this post, I feel the need to add a note about Haley's acting skills as Daddy's Puppet! Our defenseless little baby is such a trooper when Kyle entertains using Haley as his little puppet! The cowgirl picture has puppet-tendencies but below, I've included the real thing...it's cute, and hilarious for her audience! Disclaimer: no babies were harmed during the filming of these pictures! :)