Time for Real Food? Maybe not....

At Hadley's four month appointment, her pediatrician told us she should try some solid food before her six month appointment. She suggested starting with rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas or sweet potatoes. So far, Hadley hasn't shown much interest in food. This week however we have been at Tina's house each night and Hadley has watched Sadie Kay chowing down on some oatmeal and she appeared curious. Last night, after Sadie Kay ate, we put Hadley in the Bumbo and gave her a few bites of banana flavored oatmeal (gross). She wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first, but she ended up swallowing five or six bites. I don't know that she loved it, but she was a clean eater and wasn't unhappy at the end/ We may wait a few more days before trying something else, but it was fun to see her try something new. I can't believe she's at this point!

This week, Hadley has stayed at home with my mom twice.  My mom keeps saying she is in "Mimi Heaven" getting to spend time with three of her grand-babies. I love that she is getting quality time with the girls and it is fun to get pictures throughout the day. My mom sent me this precious picture yesterday and it may be one of my favorites of her - I think she looks so sweet!

5 Months!

Our little Haddie Bear is 5 months old today! Time continues to fly by faster than I want, but we are trying to enjoy as much time with our little lady as possible. I know I'm biased, but I have seriously been blessed with one the happiest and easiest babies in the world. She is always in a good mood and quick to smile and laugh. She reminds me on a daily basis to take a step back and try to see the world in a different way.

At 5 months, Hadley:

 - loves scooting around and trying to keep up with her cousin Sadie Kay

 - likes taking baths 

 - loves being outside, especially taking walks in the stroller 

 - is still a great sleeper - anywhere from 9-11 hours overnight 

 - is a little piggy, eating 6 oz at a time and is almost ready to try some real food 

We have not found much she doesn't like with the exception of the pool (she was not a fan of that cold water, but I can't say I blame her!) She brightens each and every day and we could not love her any more. I can't wait to see what adventures the next month brings! 

Not your typical Father's Day...

Poor Jason. For a lot of reasons, my husband deserves a big ol pat on the back. Or a large shot of whiskey and a three day cruise. Maybe all three. It's been a rough few weeks at the Whittaker house as we prepared to move and, for those that know me, it will come as no surprise that the stress of the situation did not bring out the best in me. I am easily overwhelmed (something I hope Hadley does not inherit!) and have a hard time making decisions when I am feeling stressed. And my poor husband takes the brunt of my anxiety when the horns come out. After several years together, he manages to take it all in stride, usually with a reassuring word or two (though sometimes even he reaches a breaking point and I see him drinking straight from the whiskey bottle). With a lot of help from my sister and brother-in-law, we were able to move over the weekend. Things are still a bit of a mess, but we are making slow and steady progress. We were able to buy some new furniture to get us started in the new house and that was a fun, if pricey, break from packing and organizing.

Our First House in KC 

When we planned the move for this past weekend, it did not occur to either of us that it was Father's Day weekend. Jason's first Father's Day was spent moving, unpacking and cleaning...every guy's dream, right? For only the second or third time in our relationship, I was able to get him a gift that he didn't correctly guess what it was before opening it. I ordered the Amazon Tap for him and he was genuinely surprised and pleased. Success! Thank goodness - after making him work non-stop all weekend, it was important that I got the gift part right.

Growing up, I always said I wanted to marry a man that was like my dad. In a lot of ways, this did not happen. My tall, outspoken, agnostic Yankee husband does not immediately bring to mind thoughts of my short, reserved Southern Catholic father. Look a little deeper though, and you can see what drew me to Jason. Like my dad, he has a great sense of humor and is honest and sincere (sometimes to a fault). Most importantly to me, he puts his family first. He works hard every day to take care of me and Hadley and I can't imagine tackling life without him by my side. I know I don't tell him often enough how much he is appreciated so that is something I need to work on. In the past five months I have loved watching him tackle fatherhood with the same easy going personality and sense of humor that is his trademark. Hadley does not yet know how lucky she is, but she will soon!

No Hair Don't Care

For those who know me, I don't think I would be described as very girly. I like having my hair done, nails painted, and wearing beautiful jewelry but on any given day you are more than likely to find me in unflattering sweats, no bra and a dry-shampooed ponytail on top of my head. So when I found out we were having a girl, I shocked myself when I became obsessed with all of the cute clothes and accessories that are available for girls (seriously, what will I do if we ever have a boy?!)

When Hadley was born, she had a head full of fine, dark hair. As a cue ball baby until the age of 2 myself, I was pretty shocked to see all the hair she had. I shouldn't have gotten too excited, as most of it fell out within the first few months. She kept a ring of hair around the nape of her neck, resembling the cul-de-sac look common to balding old men. She is starting to get more hair on top, and it is coming in very light and fine. All of the beautiful hair bows will have to wait a while. In the interim, she will happily rock a headband. This morning, I put her in a onesie Jason got for her when he was traveling, and of course I put on a matching headband.

As a matter of fact, I do have a bow to match every outfit!

Birthday, Brunch and Baby

Yesterday was my birthday and I am now officially staring down my 30's. Last year I was 6 weeks pregnant and was unable to fully celebrate my "Dirty Thirty." Thanks to having a four month old and being in the middle of packing for our upcoming move, this year was not much of a change. I was able to spend the morning with some of my best friends celebrating at brunch. It was nice to toast with a real cocktail this year! Once I was home, the day felt like the rest of our days lately - a mixture of cleaning, organizing and planning for our move. We officially move this Saturday and despite all of the work we have done, I feel we are still a bit unprepared (to say the least). It was nice to get a bit of a break for a while yesterday, and Jason and I are planning to celebrate with date night when my parents are in town later this month (because, let's be honest - they really only want to see the baby and we can give them lots of quality time with her!)

Looking back on the past year is a bit overwhelming as I think of all the big changes, small differences, and many changes yet to come. Thanks to Hadley, 30 was my best year yet and I am looking forward to what 31 may bring. Bring it on!

Spirit Week

This week, Cerner Kids hosted "Spirit Week" at school, with each day having a new theme. I have to admit, I may have had a little too much fun dressing Hadley up each morning. It helps that she is super easy going - and can't share her opinion - so I was able to do what I wanted. And I think she looked great every day!

Monday, Day 1: Favorite Sports Team. She had to represent for the GA Bulldogs - we owe them enough money!

Tuesday, Day 2: Favorite Character Day. While I would have liked to dress her as a ballerina or a princess, we made Grandpa Bill proud and rocked our Baby Trekkie gear. 

Wednesday, Day 3: Mismatch Day. This one was fun! And she seemed pretty happy to look ridiculous...

Thursday, Day 4: Crazy Hair Day. This proved to be a challenge as Hadley is nearly bald so we had to get creative and we chose to go the Crazy Hat route instead. We used the cute Elephant hat that Jason's cousin made for us when I was still pregnant. Pretty precious! 

Friday, Day 5: Pajama Day. This was the easiest morning (maybe because we only have two sleepers that fit Hadley at the moment!). And she looked so sweet as a little bumblebee! 

We had such a fun week and I can't wait to do it again next year. I'm looking forward to a busy, and hopefully productive weekend. We are in the middle of packing for our move next weekend, but I'm planning to take Sunday off to celebrate my birthday. Hard to believe all that has happened in the next year and I'm looking forward to the fun that's to come! 

Memorial Day Fun

After a difficult week, I was looking forward to a long weekend and some quality time with Jason and Hadley. We've been having some really gross weather lately, but luckily the weekend was nice and sunny. We spent Saturday running errands and house hunting. On Sunday we tried a new church (which we loved!) and went to see a house we liked in Prairie Village, KS. My sister and her family live in PV, affectionately called "Perfect Village" by the locals (I have to admit, it does have a bit of a Pleasantville vibe) and the house we looked at was just two blocks away. It is fun to imagine being so close to my sister and nieces and having Hadley grow up so close to her cousins, at least for the next few years. Mickie has really enjoyed being an older sister to Sadie Kay, who she calls "Sissy" and a big cousin to "Baby Hadley." She is always asking to hold her, but this past weekend she said "Oh, no Jason, Hadley too heavy. Her too fat now." Ha! She keeps us laughing!

On Sunday afternoon, we met some friends at a pool for a barbecue. It was sunny and warm, but thanks to the weather we have had the past several weeks, the pool was freezing! We had Hadley try it, but she was not a fan! I snapped a few cute pics before rescuing her. She looked so cute in her swimsuit and hat, but she ended up peeing on Jason and throwing up on me before dinner so she ended up wearing a onesie instead. Oh, the glamorous life of a parent!

Here are some pics I took over the weekend of my happy girl (well, she was happy until we tried to put her in the pool):

This week we will be keeping busy as we begin cleaning and packing. All of the houses we have looked at are considerably smaller than the place we are in now (looks like the housing market has improved a bit since we moved three years ago!) so we will be downsizing and we are making decisions as to what we can sell, donate, throw away, or store for the future. I am not a fan of moving (I mean, who is really?) but I am excited to find a new place to make our own.