My Happy Little Turkey

    Now that I have some time off of work, I can get caught up on blog posts!  Our little turkey had a happy first Thanksgiving in California. Grandma Cathy kept us busy busy busy seeing friends, and going out to eat; and Mom and Dad even got to sneak away to see Catching Fire.

     It is so sweet to see the cousins interacting now that they are getting a little older.  Gigi wanted someone to read her a book, so she crawled up next to Hadley on Nate's lap, and they both looked at each other the whole time instead of the book. Nola loved trying to hold Hadley, who was beside herself to be so close to such big-kid coolness.

     Thanksgiving is always going to be a tough holiday without my dad: he would have loved seeing the cousins playing together. But it seems like these happy new additions to the family add joy in the sadness.

Hadley and Grandma

Hadley and cousin Nola

Everyone loves Grandma's piano!  I play only slightly better than Hadley :)

Hadley, 9 Months Old

9 Months

Started crawling on December 1st.  When she saw that we were clapping for her, she stopped, sat up, and clapped for the first time, too!

     Is 18 pounds, 6 ounces and 28 inches tall

                  Wears 6-9 months and 6-12 month clothes

Communicates through pointing, shaking her head, and "talking"

                   Pulls up on everything! 

Favorite food:  pureed mangoes, peaches, and carrots

Distracted by the shoes.

First Thanksgiving, in California

Hadley got to put the star on the tree! 

Hadley, 8 Months Old

8 Months 

   Likes eating sweet potatoes, mango, bananas, green beans, and more. 

Shakes her head for "no". 

             Rocks back and forth on her hands and knees...but doesn't crawl yet!

Moves from her tummy to sitting position. It scared me the first time she did this in her crib! I couldn't figure out why I didn't see her stretched out in her crib! 

            Sleeps in 7-9 hour stretches, but sometimes wakes at night just to hang out with Mom and Dad. 


Loves to talk!  Her newest sound is "Blah blah!" 

         

She has never paid attention to her bear until now!

Fall with a Baby

I think this fall has been the most exciting time of the year that I've experienced with Hadley.  I've always loved pumpkin patches, dressing up in costumes, and looking at the colorful leaves, but now those things are more meaningful with a little girl who is seeing these things for the first time.

We took Hadley to a farm and pumpkin patch, and let her explore the animals, pumpkins, and people there.  She loved looking at the other children!

Today, we went "trick-or-treating" on Main Street in our town.  She didn't get any candy, but we really just wanted an excuse to put her in her strawberry costume!  She liked looking at the sparkly, feathery, and colorful costumes that we saw.

Hadley, 7 Months

7 Months Old!

Reaches out for people to hold her

             Loves feeding Kiowa her food

Plays on her Kick 'n Play Piano sitting up 

                    Is a mellow girl who loves people-watching.  She does great at restaurants and events!

           

                   

Hadley, 6 Months Old

6 Months

Sits up on her own

     Wears size 6-9 months clothes (just moved up...sniff sniff ) 

Has forgotten her good sleeping habits

               Wants to crawl but can't figure it out yet!

Has tried sweet potatoes, cereal, apples, bananas, squash, peas, and more...but really loves Mum Mums!

        Laughs when Dad kisses her face

Weighs 16 lbs, 5 oz and is 27" tall! 

Loves her doggy, Kiowa

Is this how I crawl, Mom? 

Sitting up! 

Mum mum mum!

The Cake That Changed My Life

There is a loaf of banana bread in the oven for our Bible study tomorrow night.  I have been relying on our nice friends to bring us treats so I didn't have to bake since Hadley was "baking". But, every once in awhile, I get the energy and motivation to make something special for us to enjoy.

And that burst of energy is what motivated me, at 8 months pregnant, to make the s'mores bundt cake that changed me life. 

I was in the grocery store on a Wednesday, buying cocoa and marshmallows for my cake, when I ran into a former student's dad.  He raved about his daughter's new school, and slipped in a promo:  "If you're ever looking for a job, you should apply to this school." It turns out that this dad hadn't been to this grocery store in at least two years. I had just updated my resume that week and was ready to start applying.

My new school has restored my love of teaching and has deepened my faith in God.  I come home happier, less stressed, and am learning about being a better parent to Hadley.  This is more than a cake can do. I am thankful that God brought me to where I am now. It makes me wonder where else a little motivation can take me.