Happy 1st Birthday Haley!

I was starting to feel like "I'm just too terrible at keeping this site current so I should stop entirely" and then I went and read Kandyce and Kyle's blog about their brand new little man and I suddenly missed it! So, here I am. Big thanks to them for inspiring me to get back at this!

It's been two months. Wow. Still feeling terrible. I promise to keep it up! Haley's just too awesome to not share with the rest of the world out there!

Since April 23rd (last post date...let's not rub that in anymore), Haley has become a walking fool, babbles constantly, is little miss independent, and is such a sweetheart. She just adores her stuffed animals (namely her Panda, which has thankfully been already posted!), and her little doll baby. She's quite the little girly girl.

Today, June 22, is Haley's 1st Birthday! It's a little bittersweet...makes me a little sad knowing how fast it's gone by but also so excited by how much she's grown and the little person she's become. A couple quick things to note before I post some pictures to get you up to speed on 10th month, 11th month, and Haley's 1st Birthday!

1) Haley doesn't crawl...ever. She's a walking machine and usually ends up walking faster than her little legs can carry her and wiping out. Nonetheless, she can pick herself back up and keep going like nothing ever happened. She doesn't even have to pull herself up anymore, she can just stand up!

2) Haley has 6 teeth!

3) Walking and independence lead to stitches. Well, not in all cases, but in Haley's. I'll keep this tidbit short since Kyle is less than thrilled with the scars on his precious baby's eyebrows but on May 20th, Haley fell (under my watch - I'll admit since I was sitting right next to her and had my hand under her) and hit her head on the "edge" of a round coffee table - that had rounded edges. Somehow, she managed to slice her left eyebrow open enough to need two stitches. Way harder on Mom than on Haley! On May 22nd, yep just two days later, Haley fell again (on a toy this time) and ended up with three more stitches in the other eyebrow. I wish I was kidding but I'm not! Crazy little thing! Anyway, once again harder on the parents than on the baby!

So, on to the birthday girl (in backwards order of events since this blog isn't copperating with me today! Oh well, enjoy!

Big Month for a Big Girl!

Well, 9 months turned out to be a big month for Haley! I have lots of pictures and videos to share so here we go!

I told you about Roxie, Haley's new puppy, in the last blog post. She's not so new anymore but she's still a puppy and has made a great addition to the family. Her and Haley play, and then Roxie usually ends up playing too rough and getting in trouble! :) Nonetheless, Roxie's been a joy and Haley seems to really like her. During the day, Roxie is in her crate downstairs. Tina lets her out a few times a day but during the time she's downstairs, every once in a while, she'll cry to come up and play. Once Haley hears her cry, she looks all around and makes little sounds of concern for Roxie! It's really sweet! Anyway, here's a video of Haley and Roxie playing with a sock, and Haley getting a kick out of it!



Right around this same time, Haley had her 9 month pictures taken by our favorite photographer, Sylver. Once again, the pictures were absolutely awesome! Here are a few favorites, although hard to chose as always! This first one even made the photographer's website!



Haley also went to her very first Cubs game last weekend! Street level and in the sun it was a really nice day...in our seats (not anywhere near street level and not in the sun), it was freezing! Haley was dressed accordingly and was nice & bundled. Kyle and I, however, underestimated and were so cold! I held Haley the whole time we were there just because she was keeping me warm with her blanket and all her warmth! Nonetheless, we had a really good time. Kyle got the tickets from the USO and there were a lot of military people that Kyle knew sitting in that section as well. We lasted through the 7th inning and called it a day...still well worth every minute! Here are some pics from that:


Also during this 9th month, Haley's top two teeth finally broke through!! Haley regularly brushes her teeth now, with a little help from Mom, and actually doesn't mind...she thinks it's kind of fun! She knows just what to do when she sees her little purple Sesame Street toothbrush come out of the medicine cabinet! Anyway, they're still little nubs but they're definitely there! Here is an attempt at a couple pictures of her new teeth!


And the best for last...so, you'll remember that Haley got her first two teeth within days of starting to crawl. Well, two more teeth could only mean...WALKING!!! Yep, Haley took her first few steps just the other day. Thank God for the Flip 'cause Kyle was able to crab the camera and get it on video. We had taken a couple videos of her standing on her own from a few days prior to that but once we got the walking on video, it was all over...standing on her own was old news! Here's a video showing her doing both! Be patient, it takes her a bit to get moving! She's not a pro quite yet, just a few steps at a time, but she will be very soon I'm sure! We practice everyday and she's so proud (as are we)! [And, on behalf of Kyle, apologies for the sideways video...he feels the need to turn it sideways and I don't know how to fix it after its done!]

Tootlebug

There's not much new to report since the last post so I decided to just post a handful of recent pictures and cute videos of Haley over the past month. :) The only thing I should add is that Haley's Grandpa Leonard ("Pops") got Haley a puppy a few weeks ago...just to add to the Leonard chaos! We picked her out so she wasn't a suprise...but she's sure made things even more entertaining around here to say the least. Enjoy!

Haley helping Daddy put handles on the kitchen cupboards...little helper!

A random picture of our sweet little angel, taken by Tina, our nanny, who has been wonderful!

Haley with her new puppy, Roxie...learning to "pet nice!"

Easter Sunday visit from Pops! Her Easter basket included these bunny ears (which she somehow didn't fight us to leave them on!) and a huge bunny stuffed animal that's about twice the size of her, and which she absolutely loves!

Kyle and I figured out one day that Haley understands what it means to kiss so if you ask her for a kiss, she'll give you one! And it's just the sweetest thing ever! Here's a video of Haley giving Mama kisses (her way, of course!).

Haley's appearing to be days away from walking...here's the latest progress (which she just loves and has been doing for a couple weeks now). I took this video right when she started doing this and I couldn't stop laughing because her little legs are so funny in motion! Nonetheless, this is a video of Haley pushing her little doll stroller around the house. And if I could throw in a disclaimer: this video is not recommended for those who get sea-sick...sorry :)

Yeeehaw!

So, on a quick personal note, this whole blog thing is a fantastic idea but I sure do wish someone else would keep this updated for me! I think that someone is called an assistant! I have this huge cloud of guilt when more than a couple weeks go by without posting anything as if my life (or someone else's) might depend on this!

Anyway...since I'm a good month behind, we have lots of updating to do. I'll do little talking this time though and get straight to pictures.

Just a few things...1) Haley still has only her two bottom teeth. We think she's getting her top teeth about every other day and then we change our mind so God only knows when we'll see some more pearlies! 2) Haley is a crawling fool...she loves her new-found freedom and she's also doing a great job pulling herself up on things and walking around furniture while holding on! She seems so tiny to start walking already but we can't be far off! There will definitely be an immediate blog post for that event! 3) The three of us went to Texas for a little vacation a few weeks ago and had tons of fun! It was Haley's first flying experience and, as terrified as Kyle and I were that she'd scream the whole time, she was actually wonderful both ways! While we were in Texas, we went on a wine tour, San Antonio Riverwalk tour, spent a day at the rodeo, and did lots of other fun stuff. Haley even got her own little cowgirl boots (called "Cowbabies") from the rodeo!

I'm including some recent pictures of Haley: a couple Valentine's Day pics, some pictures from Texas, as well as two pictures of her in her boots. Enjoy!

On the Loose!

Well well, how quickly our little angel is growing! Two major milestones to report this time! In order of occurence, and without further adieu, Haley has TWO teeth AND is crawling!!

Haley's first tooth was her left bottom tooth, which broke through around January 6th. Kyle and I didn't even notice until one day I just decided to fish around her mouth for teeth and I'll be damned if there wasn't one in there! Then, no more than 2 weeks later, a second one popped through right next to it! She is super cute with two little pearly whites to add to that precious little smile...as if she wasn't super cute before! We're pretty certain that she'll be getting an upper tooth, or two, pretty soon. Her drooling is extra excessive these days and she's been a little crankier than usual. Nonetheless, here is a picture of Haley with her two little teeth:

And then, only a couple weeks after her first teeth, Haley finally figured out how to crawl...FORWARD!! She was doing a pretty darn good job of pushing herself backwards with her arms; and then one day, I put her on the bed while I was doing some laundry and she just about crawled off. I most certainly was not expecting that to happen so I plopped her down on the floor, and there she went...clear across the living room floor! The best part - I got the very first forward-crawl on video! She's pretty wobbly on this video (and still so proud!) but by now, she's a little crawling machine! Even already noticeably harder to watch her since she's officially on the loose and after everything in sight! Anyway, after the video, I attached two pictures of her from tonight crawling/cruising around like a little pro.

Uncle Brandon, Aunt Katy, Jess, & Unkie (and everyone else who follows along)...thanks for being patient with my blog-slacking! More to come soon!!

Dada...dadadada

Well, I was going to wait and post this one in a few days, after the haircut had a chance to sink in...but I just watched the video and it's too funny to put aside! Haley just recently discovered that she can use her tongue and mouth for speaking and making different sounds. Her favorite is "dadadadadadada" which just happens to sound a little tiny bit like she's saying "Dada." She's most definitely not - Mama will come first, of course - but Kyle likes to think so I'll just let him believe what he wants for now!

Here is the video of Haley talking (and Kyle really excited about it!). This was the first day she started doing this and she is still 6 months old in this video. A couple weeks later, she's still doing this (and "babababa"), but now it's pretty much all the time! No complaints; she's precious!

Hairey Caray

Being my child, it came as no suprise that Haley was born with a full head of hair. It never fell out but just continued to grow and grow. She even grew what Kyle referred to as a "rat tail." I stupidly did not take a 'before' shot so you could see said "rat tail" but nonetheless, Kyle always said he was going to cut it off one day while I was at work. My response was, "please don't, I'm not ready!" Finally, I got really afraid that he would butcher her precious little head of hair so I agreed to beat him to it. New Year's Day was doom's day. Okay well it wasn't that bad! Of course, the whole entire event was video taped and photographed! Below is the video that was taken by a friend of my mother-in-law, and he was most definitely not messing around!

Haley's first haircut at 6 months old:

Dear Santa, I Want Wrapping Paper for Christmas

Christmas with a new baby is so awesome. Haley was very overwhelmed in many ways but the rest of us had lots of fun with her and buying her lots of cool toys, books, and clothes. Christmas was also very busy. Right after Thanksgiving, we took Haley back to Sylver for Christmas pictures. Again, the pictures were absolutely wonderful and Haley did great. Here are a couple favorites from that.

A couple weeks before Christmas, we went to Kyle's Christmas Party at his work, which is 100% geared toward the kids. This is where Haley met Santa and Mrs. Clause for the first time! Here is a picture:

The week of Christmas, we started in Michigan with my Dad's side of the family; several of which Haley met for the first time! Then we came back to Indiana to Grandma Leonard's and then to Kyle's Mom's in LaPorte. Then, the next day, we hosted Christmas with the rest of Kyle's family and my Mom and brother. Busy week but lots of fun! Lots of time for Christmas outfits too! Here's 2 of 4-ish Christmas outfits that Haley sported over the weekend!

Haley got lots of nice things from everyone. Although it wasn't the toys that she was so excited about, it was the wrapping paper that the toys came in! Once the gift was unwrapped, she'd look at it, and go back to playing with (or eating) the wrapping paper! Here's the proof:

As Christmas wound down and all of our guests left, Haley was wiped and just plain passed out! Not sure what I mean? See below (Haley and Unkie)!

More to come soon, I PROMISE!

Turkeys & Doggies

First, I apologize for the lacking posts over the past month. This holiday season has been nothing short of busy! Here are two posts to make up for it...first one starts Haley's first Thanksgiving! After a classic Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma Leonard's, we hosted Thanksgiving with the rest of the family at our house. Haley was great. She was a little tired of getting passed around by so many people but she did fine. The highlight of Thanksgiving for most people is the delicious turkey dinner. For Haley, it was her introduction to Hunter the dog! Kyle's brother Brandon and his wife Katy brought their dog Hunter with them over the Thanksgiving weekend. You would not believe the fascination Haley had in this dog! I have included some pictures of Haley, Brandon, and Hunter to prove it! Also included in the Thanksgiving pictures is a four-generation picture of Haley, her Daddy, her Daddy's Mom, and her Daddy's Mom's Mom (Mema)!

Additionally, and as a quick update, Haley is doing fantastic with her cereal each night. We're mixing it with a baby veggie or fruit and she doesn't seem to dislike much of anything so far! She loves being in her high chair and loves to play with the empty bowl and spoon when we're all done. Below is another great picture of Haley making a huge mess of herself at the "dinner table"! Also, Haley is now getting baby Oatmeal each morning and is doing great with an added meal per day!

I guess it's pretty sad when I can't remember what I've posted and what I haven't at this point because it's been so long but just in case I forgot this part, Haley is now rolling over! I've finally witnessed this event but still haven't gotten it on video camera yet. We're working on it; it doesn't happen very often! On a similar note, Haley is doing great sitting on her own for a short period of time and will be crawling and moving around before we know it. She just has to figure out that her knees need to go under her, not behind her!

Let's move on to Christmas! :)

Cookie Monster

I'm just 2 weeks behind but this post is so worth it! We started feeding Haley baby cereal every night and video-taped her first attempt at eating from a spoon. Since she loves to put everything in her mouth, she seems to get kind of excited that the spoon actually belongs in her mouth and doesn't taste like plain ole' plastic! She even tries to help hold the bowl and feed herself - but she usually just ends up shoving the spoon against her face making a huge mess...reminds me of Cookie Monster! We were putting her in the Bumbo for cereal time and just yesterday, we put her in her high chair for the very first time and she did great! Her first spoon-feeding video is below, and also some pictures of her in her high chair!

Another huge milestone that Haley reached last week...she rolled over on her own for the first time! It was two weeks ago this Tuesday that she was playing on her back, Kyle turned around to answer the phone, and when he turned back around, she was on her stomach! Back to front first! And then the next day, she rolled over twice for Peggy from stomach to back! I, unfortunately, haven't seen it yet and we have yet to have any successful attempts at capturing it on video but it still happened and I'm so proud! :)

Aside from these things, Haley's doing great. She's such a happy baby; smiling back at people and laughing! It's still my favorite thing when she laughs! She's making lots of sounds and lots of times, they're very loud! No idea who she gets a loud voice from! Just kidding.

Coming up next...Haley's very first Thanksgiving!