Merry Christmas!

It was a wonderful Christmas! Haley actually opened most of her presents, with only a little bit of assistance from mom & dad. She peeled off each piece of paper, and handed them over to Daddy. As usual, she was more interested in the wrapping than the actual gifts, but she did eventually start to enjoy everything she received. At first the opening of the gifts didn't make much sense to her, since for the weeks leading up to Christmas, she wasn't allowed to touch the tree or the gifts. Now we're asking her to not only touch the gifts, but rip all of the paper off of them. Unfortunately this also led her to believe she was allowed to now touch the tree too (smart little monkey). Haley still only points and barely touches the ornaments, she hasn't tried pulling anything off the tree, I'm quite impressed.
Haley has sure got the hang of walking now. Her walk quickly turned into a run, and crawling has become a thing of the past. I can't believe how fast it all happens! A month before Christmas she was a very shaky walker, and now she walks everywhere! We went to the mall for a little boxing week shopping, she was quite happy to walk down the mall like a big girl. Of course she's still so tiny, it looks pretty strange to see someone so small walking so well.

She's walking!

It's been quite the month!

On November 2, 2010, Haley took her first steps. Only 2 or 3 at a time, but she did it! She was so proud of herself, it was adorable! She kept going from the coffee table to me, over and over again.
On November 16, 2010, Haley started to take several steps at one time. She was walking back and forth between Charlie and me. You could see the feeling of accomplishment on her face, what a happy little camper.
Now Haley is all over the place. She'll walk around for a bit, then crawl, then find something to prop herself up with and start walking again. Such a fun stage, but she's all over the place.
Her favorite thing to do (aside from walking) is climbing the stairs, specially when she's ready for a nap. She will grab her blanky, then head up the stairs to bed. What a fun age. I love my little monkey!

It's been a busy month...
On Sept 24/10, Haley started to furniture walk. She get's up so easily now, then just shuffles along. If you're sitting on the couch, she'll often pull herself up to standing, then rest her cheek on the couch cushion. She does it for the response, because when I'm sitting there I say "awe" when she does it. As soon as she hears me say that, she'll start doing it over and over. Sometimes she'll even copy me and go "awe" too, it's very cute!
The same week Haley got tooth number 3, she also got number 4 and 5, then a week later she got tooth number 6. Not a single complaint with any of them, we're so lucky. It's amazing how much it changes her look too. My little girl is growing up!
We went to Haley's friend Paige's 1st birthday at the beginning of this month. Paige's mom Candace liked Haley's skirt from her birthday so much, that she ordered one for Paige. So a couple of days after the birthday, we decided to take some photos of the girls in their pettiskirts, priceless :) It's so cute to watch the girls interact. Paige kept handing Haley her hair bow, it's a game she plays with Candace, where they just keep handing it back and forth. Of course Haley doesn't get the whole handing it back thing, so she would just keep it and Paige would get upset. Finally poor Paige would get her little bow back, but rather than just being happy and keeping it, she'd hand it right back to Haley and it would start all over again. Poor little Paige.

Her 3rd tooth

Finally after a month and a half, Haley has tooth number 3. I think it came through on Friday night, since she had about a 5 minute cry before bed (which isn't usual for her), although I didn't notice the tooth until tonight. It's another one on top, so now she has 3 on top, and none on the bottom, lol. The front 2 on the bottom are on their way though, I think one of them might actually break through by tomorrow, or at least in the next couple of days.
Looks like our summer is officially over. I had to dress Haley in a fleece one piece outfit to take her for a walk yesterday evening. Although it was sad to say goodbye to summer, Haley sure looked cute! We went to the park and she went on the swing for about 10 minutes, but then I was worried she was getting too cold, so we headed back home. Poor thing, her nose was all red by the time we got back.

New faces

Haley has been quite the little character lately. She's started making new sounds and faces. Her latest one is what I call "duck face", but Charlie likes to call it her "stink face". She scrunches up her nose, does a modified version of fish lips (while showing her 2 front teeth) and goes "new new new new new". It's so cute! I tried to get a photo of it today, sort of managed to :) Maybe one of these days I'll be able to catch it on video, but you know kids....they don't do anything on command!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Haley turned 1 yesterday, where has the time gone? Can't believe that it's been a whole year since our time in the hospital, when we left with our new little screaming bundle of joy :)
Yesterday we had a nice relaxing day, mostly just me and my little sweet pea. My parents popped in with a gift for her, a ride on toy, which she absolutely loves! When I'm not pushing her around on it, she's crawling and pushing it with one hand, it's so cute. One of her little friends came over too, since they couldn't make it for her birthday bash.
Today was a blast! We had a big birthday celebration for Haley, it was great! We were so exhausted after all the festivities, Charlie and baby took a 2 hour nap before dinner. Of course Haley was spoiled with toys, clothes and books. She seemed to like the cards the best though, lol. Balloons seem to be her new favorite thing, specially the pink ones. I blew up some extra ones this morning, so she pointed at them all day, and tugged them around for quite a while.
Tomorrow we're having Charlie's family over to celebrate with them. What a fun filled weekend for our little monkey!

Going back to work wasn't so hard after all. Haley has been having a great time with my mom, and it's actually been sort of nice getting back into a routine. Can't say I'm enjoying getting up at 5am, or taking the bus, but you do what you gotta do. The first day Haley and my mom spent together, my mom didn't quite realize how fast Haley can move. She took off to look out the window next to the front door, just like the dogs do. Never fails, when she's in a hurry, she tends to fall. Sure enough, she found the once small space of tile at the front entrance to go head first into. So day one I came home to a bruise, lol. I'm sure there are many more to come. She was almost bruise free, then she went head first into the hardwood last night, so we're back to black & blue.
The last 2 weekends we've gone to Haley's friend's 1st birthdays, they were both a lot of fun. So cute to watch all the kids crawling/walking around. I let Haley have a little ice cream (for the first time), she didn't like it at first. I think it was just too cold for her, so she was spitting it out, but after a little while, she got the hang of it.
Haley had her 1 year doctor's appointment today. They measured her at 28 inches and 17lbs 5oz (although she had just had a big meal and not gone to the bathroom before we got there). Based on that, she's in the 25th percentile for height, and not even on the chart for weight. The doctor wasn't overly concerned, just said we need to monitor to make sure she continues to gain weight. She eats a lot, and doesn't look too thin, so I'm not at all worried. She's a healthy active little one, she's never even had a cold!

Well...my maternity leave is officially over :( I head back to work tomorrow morning. It's been such an amazing year, Haley has grown and learned so much! Only 15 more days and she'll be 1 year old!
So starting tomorrow, my mom will be looking after my little angel. She loves Grandma, so it won't be a problem, I'm sure they'll adjust just fine (I might not though). I'm sure they'll have a lot of fun together! Haley loves going to the park and playing on the swings. Last time I took her there, both my parents joined us. We all had a great time, but especially Haley, she was laughing and smiling the entire time, so cute!
Of course she's been crawling up a storm, but now she's trying to walk a little too. If you hold her arms, she takes steps forward, and won't bend her legs if you try to get her to sit down. She's also standing holding onto the furniture, but she can't quite pull herself to standing without help. It's coming though, probably won't be too long.
Haley likes to sit at the top of the stairs now, throwing her toys through the railing to the lower level. I'm fine with it, as long as it's a soft toy. The trick is to only let her take soft toys into the upstairs hallway, lol. She's also trying to pull herself up on the railings and gate, she gets one foot on the ground, but can't quite get high enough to get the other one under her. It's coming....

Tooth #2

Haley got her second tooth yesterday! Now she has 2 on the top. It looks so funny when you can actually see them, not that you can very often. She sure doesn't like to show them, but I was finally able to get a shot! You can sure feel them though, and it hurts when she bites down on my finger, lol. It's pretty cute to watch her eat Baby Mum Mums now, cause she's figured out that she can bite pieces off with her new teeth.

Guess it's time to try out her toothbrush!

Fun in the sun!

Only 1 more week before I go back to work, so I'm trying to enjoy every moment I have with Haley.
Today we went over to my friend's parent's place, they have a pool. The weather was perfect for it, so we spent almost 2 hours in there. Haley loved floating around in the baby flotation device, she was kicking like crazy to propel herself. I don't even think she was ready to get out when I was, but she was once wrinkled little prune, so I figured we should go.
This week she's started something new when it's time for bed. She's figured out that she can crawl around and sit up in bed, and she loves doing it. We watch her on the video monitor, as she dozes off while sitting up, then falls over on her face. I don't see how that can be comfortable, but it doesn't seem to bother her. It's pretty funny to watch!

She's got her 1st tooth!

Haley officially got her first tooth on Thursday (July 29th), one of her top front teeth. I'm pretty surprised at how big it is! The ones on the bottom appear to have gone back down, can't really see them much now. There are still 3 more on the top that look like they'll come through any day now though. In fact, I think the other front top one is starting to break through. When her 1st one came through, she was totally fine all day. She did cry a fair bit right before bed, but after a little baby orajel, she went to sleep. I'm pretty amazed at how well she's doing, especially since they're such big teeth coming in!

Bumps and bruises

It's been a pretty good week, filled with play dates and fun times with Haley.
On Friday we went to the zoo for a lunch with my work. It was great to see some of the other little ones that we hadn't seen since the RSA Kids Christmas party in November. Man they grow up fast!
Yesterday Haley's friend Eva came over to play. They were both crawling around, when Haley lost her balance and bumped her head on the hardwood. She hit it pretty hard! First she was doing the cry with no sound, then it all came out. Poor thing, she was so upset! There was a bump and a bruise on her forehead. Then she was sitting on the hardwood, and one of the dogs knocked her over, so she hit the back of her head. She wasn't too happy about that one either. All in all, it was a pretty rough day :(
Today she was fine, just had a purple bruise on her head. She went through the whole day without hurting herself, until right before bed. She was crawling on the hardwood and got her knee stuck in her dress. Of course she went down again, and wouldn't you know it, hit her head in the same spot! Know it's not only purple, but there's a big goose egg too. We had to ice her little head before bed.
I know these things are going to happen a lot as she gets older, but it sure sucks when your little one gets hurt. I just want to cover her in padding to prevent these things, but I guess that's not realistic. So here's hoping tomorrow is a better day!

She's Crawling!!!!

Today was Charlie's birthday. This morning Haley decided to give daddy a present. After breakfast we were hanging out in the living room. Haley was trying to get Charlie's glasses, so he said "ok Haley, if you want them, you have to go get them". So he placed them a few feet away on the floor. She looks at him, turns around towards the glasses and crawls over to them! We were shocked! We knew she was going to start crawling soon, but it was just so funny the way she went and didn't seem pleased with herself or anything. It was like she knew she could do it, she just hadn't bothered before. Such a funny little girl.
Yesterday we went to a wedding. It was held at a campground, a very relaxed atmosphere. We were there all afternoon/evening, but Haley did great! She just loves the outdoors. No matter how tired she gets, she's just happy to be outside.

A Few Firsts

On the weekend Haley finally starting trying to crawl. She's only moved a couple of steps forward, but she goes backwards quite well, lol . She has perfected the bum scootch, so getting to whatever she needs is no longer an issue. Of course that includes the cat, who she now likes to throw herself onto and pull his hair and tail. Poor little guy, he's such a good sport, doesn't even try to get away.
Yesterday Haley experienced her first Stampede breakfast. She had a little bit of eggs, sausage and pancakes. Can't say she loved it, but she did eat a little bit of it. I wasn't sure how she'd enjoy all of the noise and crowds, but it didn't bother her a bit. She was loving looking around, and having the wind low in her hair. It was a great morning.
Last night when I was putting her to bed, I noticed that one of her front top teeth are coming in, FINALLY! You can see where all of her teeth are going to be, but none of them have broken through just yet. Looks like one is finally on it's way through!

Pool Party

Yesterday Haley and I went over to our friend's place, where we met up with a few of the girls/babies from our prenatal group, and a couple of her other friends. We put all of the kids in the pool, it was very cute. They all sat in there for a little while, then a couple of the crawlers decided to climb out. Haley was splashing away, playing with the toys, just having a great time, she loved it! When we went inside, we lined up all the babies and got a photo. It's pretty hard to get that many kids to sit still at the same time. Haley was good though, she was just sucking on her soother (which she doesn't usually take, but we're trying to get her to stop sucking her thumb). After a couple of photos, all the kids crawled off, other than Haley and Paige. The two of them just sat their quietly playing, they're so sweet together.

Busy party weekend!

Haley was a social butterfly again this weekend. Saturday we went to Sohpie's 1st birthday, this was the first birthday party Haley ever attended. She was great all afternoon! She sat quietly on my lap while Sohpie opened her presents. I gave her a piece of tissue, so that kept her busy for ages :) Who needs toys when you have boxes, bags and tissue?
Sunday Haley had another 1st birthday to attend, she was a good little girl there too! On the way home she was pooped. She was falling asleep, but we wanted her to wait until we got home, that way she could have a nice long nap in her bed. Poor thing, there she was dosing off, and we kept opening the windows and calling her name. The look on her face was priceless when the window first opened, she was just so exhausted. We made it home though, so she had a nice little sleep in her bed.

Family trip to the zoo

Yesterday we had our first trip to the zoo as a family, what an awesome day! When Haley woke up from her morning nap, we gave her lunch and off we went. I put her in the Baby Bijorn to walk through the Prehistoric Park, that way she could see everything really well, she loved it. She was kicking her legs like crazy as the animatronic dinosaurs moved and roared. Then back in the stroller she went while we visited all of the animals. The weather was awesome, but it was so sunny we couldn't get Haley to look at the camera, lol.
Haley has officially dropped 1 nap. Now she's only taking 1 in the morning, and 1 in the late afternoon. It actually works a lot better, we can go out for longer periods without her needing to go to sleep. Plus, I don't feel like she's spending most of her day sleeping, it's great!

Happy Father's Day!

Today was a really nice day. The weather was beautiful, perfect for spending a little time outside. My parents came over for lunch, so we all sat outside while Charlie fired up the BBQ. Then we enjoyed a lovely lunch together.
After my parents left, Charlie's parents and sisters came over for a visit. Haley was her usual happy self, she's such a good girl.
All in all, a really nice 1st Father's Day for Charlie.

Haley's fist photo shoot

I decided to get some professional photos done of Haley (if Superstore counts as professional), which was going to be our Father's Day present to Charlie. I got the photos back today, of course I couldn't keep them a secret. Charlie really liked them! Haley was in such good form yesterday, it was the perfect time to have her picture taken. She smiled through the entire thing! At one point, a couple of girls stopped at the window (where you could see into the photo studio). They kept saying "she's so cute!". I swear Haley could understand what they were saying, cause she looked up at them and just started to smile even bigger.
The whole day was amazing yesterday. After Haley's photo shoot, we went to visit Daddy at work. She was a good little girl there as well. When we got home it was nap time, she was pooped, so she took a 2 hour nap. We had some shopping to do after dinner, so we all went to Costco. Haley sat in the shopping cart (with her shopping cart cover). As we pushed her around, she smiled at everyone, and even waved at a few people. This age is so fun! LOVE IT!

It's been a busy week, full of play dates once again. On Tuesday we had a few of the girls over from my work, who are also on maternity leave. The youngest baby is Kyndal, she's 4 weeks old. The second youngest is Kyra, she's 4 1/2 months. Haley is 9 1/2 months and Kingston is 10 1/2 months. It was so neat to see how different they all are. I can't even remember what it was like when Haley was as small as Kyndal, and I barely remember what it was like before Haley could sit (like Kyra).
On Wednesday I had a couple of my other friends over, with their little ones, Sophie and Benjamin. They're both about 2 months older than Haley, and extremely mobile. It made me tired just watching those to cruise around the house and up/down the stairs. Can't say I'm in any hurry for Haley to start crawling.
I tried to get a photo of the three of them together, but Sophie kept crawling away, lol.
We had such beautiful weather this weekend! It was perfect for spending a little time in our back yard. I love just hanging out on the deck, enjoying the sun with my family. Haley really likes being outside too.
Haley has been really funny all weekend. We tried to give her cheese again, she still doesn't like it. So far it's the only food she won't eat. You put it in her mouth, and when she realizes what it is, it come right back out. She's also started making new noises. Charlie and Chuck always growl at her, so today she was growling back. We went to Wal-Mart, she even did it there. I think she scared the two older women standing next to us, cause they sort of jumped when she did it, then went to another isle, it was pretty funny.

Waving monkey

Haley is at such a fun stage now! Charlie's dad stopped by yesterday, followed by my parents. When Chuck was leaving, we said "say bye to Grandpa Haley". She looked at him and waved frantically. She's been waving for a while, but never so intentionally and with such enthusiasm. Then when my parents were leaving, she did the same thing. Waving away, the cutest thing ever!!! Of course she doesn't do it when I take out the video camera. Maybe one day I'll be able to catch it on tape.
Still no crawling, but she does seem to be trying more and more.

Haley and her friends

Second photo, from left to right: Eva (11 months), Fiona (14 months), Victoria (11 months), Haley (9 months)
Yesterday we had the Hydoqual (Charlie's work) babies over. They're all at such different stages! Haley is the youngest, but only by about 7 weeks. She did get picked on a little, poor thing. When we lined them all up, Eva put her arm around Haley, pulled her over, poked her in the eye and squeezed her face. Poor baby!!! I felt so bad for her, she was very upset (as you can see from the photo). After that, we had to separate the two of them, lol.
Today Haley and I went over to my friend's place for a play date. Haley and Paige played so nicely, it was very sweet. Such a different scene from yesterday. Paige would have a toy, Haley would take it from her and put it in her mouth. Paige is so easy going, she just sat back and watched Haley play with her toys. Once it came to nap time, I attempted to put her down in Paige's crib.... Key word "attempted". It didn't go so well. Haley hasn't had a full on cry in ages, but she did today. I felt terrible!! I ended up going to get her, as I'm pretty sure she was scared by the unfamiliar surroundings. She just didn't want to sleep anywhere, so we ended up going home. Of course she fell asleep in the car, no surprise there. Guess I'm gong to have to start letting her nap in different surroundings to get her used to it. At the moment she'll only sleep in her crib, car seat or stroller. She's a particularly good napper at the mall, go figure :)









Paige: "mmmmm, Sophie the giraffe"
Haley: "I'll take that, thank you"
Paige: "oh well"
Haley: "mmmmm, Sophie's foot"

Check out the weight update... I think Haley has actually had a bit of a growth spurt!