Hadley Does Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I admit I am a bit of a romantic - I love a good rom com, a Nicholas Sparks novel, a sappy love song and the stories of fate and decades long romance can always bring me to tears. Despite my affection for all things lovey-dovey, I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day. I am lucky to have a very thoughtful and considerate husband who cooks dinner nightly and brings flowers home regularly. He also has great taste in jewelry and spoils me on my birthday and Mother's Day. Because of this, I sometimes forget the hoopla that surrounds Valentine's Day.

This year though, I realized I now get to celebrate through Hadley and you know what that means....a new decorative dress and homemade Valentines treats were a necessity! We found her cute dress on sale at Old Navy for $9 dollars. We paired it with black tights and of course a bow and she looked as cute as can be.

Over the weekend we went shopping and I found mini mason jars. I decorated them with stickers and ribbon. We used the picture of Hadley that we got for her birthday as the tag for each gift.

The teachers had jars of Hershey kisses with a tag that read "Here are some kisses especially for you, thank you so much for all that you do!"

The kids had jars of goldfish with a tag that read "I'm so glad we are in the same school!"

I'm not the most creative person in general, but I had a good time and I think they turned out pretty cute. I am sure the other kids in her class couldn't have cared less about anything other than eating the snack, but one day I hope she will appreciate the effort! 

And.....another one bites the dust!

Well, it's not actually "another one" - it's the same one. Hadley returned to school on Tuesday and by Wednesday afternoon I got a phone call that she had a low grade fever, wasn't eating or drinking and had not had a wet diaper all day. Fearing she was dehydrated, we took her to the doctor to learn her stomach flu has now morphed into an ear infection. She is now on an antibiotic and a probiotic and we are hoping for the best. I'm so ready for her to be healthy for a stretch of time so we can get into a stable routine and enjoy the family time we get together. It's not much fun when "family time" consists of stripping dirty sheets, administering meds and begging your child to drink fluids.

The weather in Kansas City is supposed to be great this week - sunny and in the 60s. We are hoping to be out and about all weekend enjoying some time together. Fingers crossed we can make it happen!

Down for the Count

We have been home from Atlanta for a couple of weeks and we have struggled since getting back. The day after we got home, Hadley started in the toddler classroom at a new campus - Innovation Kids. This transition has been very difficult. On top of a new center, new classroom, longer commute and new teachers - she has an entirely different schedule that only includes one nap. This is proving to be a challenge for our little sleeper. For the first week, Hadley sobbed each time I dropped her off and was usually crying when I picked her up (the teachers assured me she did not in fact cry all day and I'm choosing to believe them).

Hadley's First Day in the Wallaby Classroom...This face pretty much says it all 

At the end of her first week, we went to see Dr. Brown for her one year check up and shots. I can't believe it's been a year, and she has definitely grown! She is almost 29 inches long, weighs almost 22 lbs and that big ol head of hers is still in the 99th percentile. Just look at those rolls (this picture is proof she still doesn't understand the words "time for your shots.")

Over the weekend, Tina and Justin were battling the flu so we took the girls for the day. It was exhausting, but so much fun. By the end of the day though Jas was swearing we are "one and done!"

On top of all the recent changes, Hadley has also been introduced to a whole new set of germs! She is currently battling the stomach flu and it has been....disgusting. We called the doctor on Friday who told us to bring her in tomorrow if she had not gotten better and I'm afraid that is where we are heading. She is managing to keep very small amounts of liquid down but she has not eaten in two days and she is very lethargic, fussy and listless. I'm hoping she's on the mend soon because I miss my sweet baby!

This week is another busy one for Jason and I, and he is about to start traveling again. Prayers that our little lady feels better soon and we continue to make adjustments to our new schedule so we are all a little less cranky!

Hadley's "Onederful" Birthday Party

When we first began thinking about Hadley's first birthday, Jas thought I was crazy when I told him I wanted to go to Atlanta and have her party at my parent's house. It took a little convincing, but he eventually agreed (even though I'm pretty sure he still felt it was a crazy idea). It was important to me that she have the opportunity to celebrate with both sets of grandparents, as well as her great grandparents and godmother. My entire family is down south, with the exception of Tina, so it made sense that we take the opportunity to go home and ring in the big "1" with as many friends and family as possible.

It was quite the undertaking trying to plan a party long distance, but thanks to a lot of help from my mom, little sister and best friend - it all came together. We had a great time and appreciate all who came out to help celebrate our little lady! Huge shout out to my Aunt Loretta who made all of the baseball tees, my cousin Renee who took pictures of the day and my Aunt Alison who flew in from Portland to surprise us!

Many thanks to everyone who has been there with us since we learned we were pregnant. I know she will never remember her party, but it meant a lot to me to be able to share the day with our family. As any parent will tell you, surviving the first year is a bigger accomplishment for the parents than for the child. I am proud of how far Jason and I have come as parents, even while recognizing how much work there is left to do. As everyone tells you, parenthood is a complete game changer and we have learned a lot about ourselves, and each other, over the past year.

 So cheers to an amazing year and here's to many more birthday parties in the future!

Happy Birthday Peanut! (a day late!)

What. A. Year. On January 22, 2016, I was anxiously awaiting the moment I would finally meet my baby. We had been looking forward to that moment much longer than than the nine months I had been carrying her and it did not disappoint. At 7:12 pm, my life changed forever when this tiny, precious human landed on my chest. Without a sound she curled up and took over my heart. For those first few weeks our lives were a blur of diapers, bottles and shockingly little sleep. But we found our pace, became diaper changing wizards, and soon remembered what it felt like to sleep longer than 2 hours at a time. Faster than we could have imagined, we watched this little person grow and change a little every day into the beautiful, silly, sweet and sensitive soul that lights our lives. Hadley, you make me want to be a better person and I can guarantee you have taught me more in our time together than I have taught you. I look forward to what comes next and I wish for you everything that is good in this world. Happy birthday Peanut! We love you! 

Well....

It took all of 36 hours into 2017 before Hadley spiked her first fever and I now have a cute and cuddly - if not very helpful - assistant for the day. We were all home yesterday and Hadley was acting a little out of sorts. She was more clingy than usual and wasn't eating as much as she normally does. She took a short afternoon nap and when she woke up I knew something was wrong. Those rosy cheeks told a story of a fever higher than 102 and we settled in for a long and tiring night. She was up once an hour and maintained a high fever through the night despite being medicated. She seems to be feeling better today and her fever is lower, though she still isn't eating very much. She also must be pretty tired because she's going on hour three in her morning nap.

Today was to be my first day back in the office but now I'm working from home and feeling a bit overwhelmed. I recently started a new role at work and it is proving to be more challenging than I anticipated. I have found it difficult to balance work with my home life and it's one of my goals for 2017 to try and find - and maintain - a better balance of the two. It's important to me that I do well at work, but it's more important that I am the kind of mom that Hadley deserves. I am sure this is something that I will continue to struggle with as long as I am a working mother, so hopefully I'll find some better coping techniques soon. For today though, I'll work on un-burying myself from my overwhelmingly full inbox in between cuddles with my personal little heater. Praying that she feels better soon and we can get back to our normal routine tomorrow!

Happy New Year! (almost)

2016. What a year. For so many it was a year of loss, fear, illness and struggle. It is a scary time in our world, and we were not immune to personal struggle. Making it here, together and with a smile on our face, makes me all the more grateful for what I have been given. This has been hands down the most rewarding - and challenging - year of my life. I can only hope that 2017 will bring double the laughs, half the tears, triple the sleep, all of the wine and at least the same amount of love. I am forever thankful for the gift of my little family. Cheers to 2017 and all that it may bring!