One year ago today

One year ago today I went to my doctor and found out I was pregnant! Now one year later I have my beautiful 3 1/2 month old daughter, could I be any luckier?

A whole new world

When Hailey was first born people kept telling me that once she got to 3 months she would start changing so much developmentally and how much fun it would be to see her grown and learn. Now that she's hit that 3 month milestone I really am finding out how very much she is changing.

It seems like every day she does something new - her latest is this cough/laugh she does when she thinks something is funny. She loves using and exploring with her hands; she can spend a long time sucking away on her fingers, but also likes to touch things and feel different textures.

Hailey is in such a good mood in the mornings, usually after her morning bottle she likes to sit on my lap and stare at my face while she chatters away about who knows what?! It's the cutest thing to watch all her expressions and hear the different sounds she is learning to make.

Oh, and she is getting to the stage where she doesn't want to miss anything and is always busy looking around every which way. This makes getting her to sleep a little difficult because she fights sleep because she's so afraid she will miss something happening while she shuts her eyes! But eventually she does get tired and sleep well. She actually plays with toys now and really seems to enjoy all the stimulation of various colors, sounds, textures, etc. - it really wears her out!

Getting so big:

Mommy and Hailey busy on their laptops:


Crashed out with grammie:


Trying out her new jumperoo:


Clearly the jumperoo is exhausting:

Hailey's nicknames

I've been meaning to write a post with a list of Hailey's nicknames so we will always remember, so here is the list so far!

Hailey Bear
Babykins
Baby Pants
Love
Love Muffin
Muffin
Screamy Pants
Poopy Pants
Cranky Pants
Fussbucket
Princess
Munchkin

I know there are more, but I can't think of them right now. And I'm making an effort to call her by just her name more often now so that she won't get confused and will hopefully begin to respond to her name soon!

3 months old!

Yesterday Hailey turned 3 months old! It was her second day with the babysitter, and when she got home she was so tired that there was no way we could get picture out of her, so here is her 3 months + 1 day picture!

And here she is hanging out with her new as-yet-unnamed friend.

My little cutie is getting so big!

First day back to work

Here I am almost at the end of my first day back to work after 14 weeks of maternity leave (yes, I'm blogging from work - shhh, don't tell!)

The morning was a little rough, but I'm doing a lot better than I expected I would (figured I would be crying all day!), and I've managed not to shed a single tear since I've been at work.

The hardest part was leaving her with the babysitter this morning. I actually had to wake her up to eat and she did NOT want to get up so early! But she was so cute and cuddly in her jammies, it was so hard to hand her off to Miss Sandy knowing that I wouldn't see her again until 5:30 tonight. I had a really good cry on my way to work, and I called Sandy a couple times throughout the day to check on her, but other than that I feel like I'm coping really well.

From what I can tell Hailey did really well at the babysitter's house. Everytime I called Sandy she was either napping (in the crib even!), or playing with her and the girls. Anthony got off early from work and picked her up about 3 p.m.; he was so excited to play with her and have some daddy/Hailey alone time, but she was so pooped that she passed out in her crib as soon as he got her home!

I've got to make it about 30 more minutes here at work then I'm going to race home so I can snuggle Hailey all night long!

Today wasn't fun, but I survived and I'm sure each day will get a little easier from here on out. And the best part is that I've been able to cut my work hours to 4 days a week, so I will be off every Wednesday to spend with Hailey, I'm so excited and grateful for this opportunity!

So now I know what it's like to be a working mom, and it looks like I CAN survive a whole 8 hours without seeing Hailey; I'm sure it will be really good for both of us and make the time we do spend together that much more special.

Letter to my daughter

Dear Hailey,

The past 3 months, the first 3 months of your life, have been some of the most special and unforgettable experiences of my 27 years of life. I know you won’t remember any of it, but I will always lovingly remember this special time we have spent together, as I have watched you change from a tiny little newborn, so helpless and needy, into a 3 month old baby who is so strong and already has such a personality.

I have also grown a lot over these three months. I started out as a new mommy with no experience and questioning every decision I made about you. Now I feel like a confident and proud mommy who knows everything about you and how to make you happy and healthy.

I was so lucky to have 14 weeks of maternity leave to spend so much time with you. We spent so many days cuddled in the recliner, both in our jammies, just making faces at each other or watching the Price is Right. I loved nothing more than to hold you all day long, even when you were sleeping I could hardly bear to put you down, even if the house needed cleaned or I was in desperate need of a nap. And during this time we were lucky enough to celebrate so many of your first holidays: first Halloween, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas.

I still can’t believe how much you have changed in just your 3 short months of life. You were such a tiny little fragile thing when you first came home; daddy and I were scared to do too much with you because we were afraid you would break. Now not only do you look a lot different (your whole body is filling out – you have the cutest, most kissable chubby little cheeks – and I’m starting to see glimpses of what you will look like as a little girl), but you are not nearly as fragile as you used to be. Your head and neck are so strong and you love to look anywhere and everywhere as I hold you. The rest of your body is strong too and you try to kick and move away as you want to go play and explore the world already. Your personality is really started to emerge, as you get so excited sometimes, and have the cutest smiles and funniest little expressions.

On Monday mommy has to go back to work for the first time since you were born, and the thought of being away from you for over 8 hours is absolutely terrifying. Except for a few hours here and there, I’ve basically been with you every moment of your life and to think about being away from you for so long is heartbreaking; I think it will be much harder for me than it will be for you!

But I’m sure the time apart will be good for us both. It will make the time we do spend together that much more special, and I just can’t wait for the happy smiles and excitement I’m sure you’ll have when I come to pick you up after work.

Hailey, I know you’ve only been here a short 3 months, but I already can’t imagine my life without you and I am just so thankful for the amazing blessing I’ve been given by having such an amazing and beautiful daughter. You are such a good little baby and I feel like the luckiest mommy in the world. I never realized how much I could love a person until you came into my life, and my heart literally bursts with love every time I look at your sweet face.

I know the next few days and weeks will probably be hard on us both, but I promise after I’m done with work I will love and snuggle you so much you’ll never even remember I was gone.

It’s been a truly amazing 3 months, and I’m so excited for the next 3 months and more.

I love you always and forever,

Mommy