Someday my house will be clean and my child will be on his best behavior. I will have woken up, showered, put on makeup, and done the laundry. I'll have gotten in a full days worth of chores, read 3 novels, alphabetically arranged the music collection, and sorted through the mail. I will have taken a daily jog, prepared dinner in a timely manner, baked a cake, remembered to feed the cat, gotten to bed early, and will wake up feeling refreshed enough to do it all again. And maybe someday I'll also remember to update this blog. But until that day happens, I will just sit in my cluttered bedroom with my baby and enjoy moments like this...




Love you kid.


I have a lot of videos and pictures to upload so stay tuned in the next few days...

To Everything there is a Season

Sorry for the delay in blogging, we've been so busy. I wrote this entry several days ago and apparently didn't post it. And it's more for my record keeping than picture fulfillment, but I wrote it anyway. But here it is and what we've been up to.



Ecclesiastes 3

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:


time to be born, and a time to die;


a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;


time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up;


time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance;


time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;


a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;


time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to throw away;


time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;


time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace.

We are moving...

And we are down to the last few boxes in our move. This move is not only a living situation move, but a life move. It is going to set in motion changes for our small family that we have been waiting for. One day about 2 weeks ago, opportunity knocked at our door and we bravely went and answered it. It was a kind stranger at the door who offered us promise and hope. So we gladly accepted change into our lives.





These changes may seem small to some, but are huge for us. For starters, Adam got a new job, one which will allow him more quality time with us and a better schedule for him. We finally found a family car we have so desperately needed. We found ourselves a rental home that is perfect in every way for a year. And Adam got a week off from work inbetween jobs that allowed us a much needed time together.





Y.A.Y.





And I felt "together" about every change coming upon us until this evening. Admist the boxes that crowd the corners of our small apartment, the hustle and bustle of feet up and down the stairs, and the light that shone so brightly through the windows of our new "spacious" living quarters as we made trips back and forth, I had an emotional moment. My child had a rough day as his schedule was not on key, so the evening bedtime rituals took a little longer than normal. We bathed, splished and slashed, wrapped up in a warm towel, and chit chatted while I put on a fresh pair of footed jammies. Once his jammies were on, he began to cry. Actually let me retract that. He began to bawl big elephant tears. And being his momma, I like to think I know everything about him. So I think, deep down in my heart, Hayden was begining to realize that he was leaving his first home. I scooped up my tear stained baby and began to rock him.





I don't often rock Hayden. He doesn't really seem to care for the act. Plus, I have developed a schedule that I feel is down to an art. My child falls asleep on his own the moment his head hits the pillow and I rather like it. This took me several weeks to develop after we brought him home. So rocking has been out of our routine since he was a newborn. As a matter of fact, I think one of the last times I rocked him was the night I brought him home from the hospital.





But tonight, on the eve of our last night in his first home, I rocked my baby. And he fell asleep in my arms. It was such a sweet moment. I had a lump of sweet baby goodness sleeping soundly against me as the chair swayed back and forth. A warm fuzzy head pressed against my cheek as deep breathes filled the space between us. I don't know why Hayden choose tonight to allow me to cuddle my sleeping angel, but I will cherish our last night in his first home for the rest of my life. As I sat there holding my little man, I remembered the anticipation arranging his baby furniture and the laughter that has filled the room from his changing table. What a crazy journey this last year and a half has been since I found out we were expecting Hayden. If walls could talk, they could tell you about all the tears (both mommy and baby), giggles, coos and ahhhhs, and just down right crazy baby talk. So thankyou, Room, for all the memories, all the stories, and all the love you provided. We will miss you.



P.S. His new room is WAY cooler....Just saying...


Byebye first home...

Hayden's 6 month photo session

Well, we are movin' and groovin'. It seems that seven months snuck up on us a little quicker than we anticipated. That pesky thing called time never really knows the appropriate moments to speed up and when to slow down. Lately it's been going all too fast. It hit me the hardest this week as I fed him his first green beans. GREEN BEANS!! You heard me right? It was *real* food. "Big boy" food. And honestly, I got weepy. You stupid green bean. You made momma get all teary eyed....


But with that time has also come a whole new perspective. I remember feeling so lost when I brought Hayden home from the hospital. I was convinced that my life as I knew it was over. And of course, life "as I knew it" was over. But I never anticipated the life ahead of that and all I would learn. For instance, the knowledge I would aquire knowing that if he stops dead in his tracks from a happy nonchalant playtime into a massive screaming fit around 10am, he's ready for a nap. The childlike curiosity I would remember from watching him in the tub reach for the water stream from the faucet to ensure that, for the hundreth time, he can still put his hand through it. The innocence he exhibits when he pulls every piece of paper off the coffee table onto the floor and then proceeds to flash a big proud grin combined with a full hearted belly laugh. Or learning that love is so deep, that he can be almost passed out asleep on my shoulder at night, but instantly wide awake in awe and smiles when he hears his daddy walk through the door from work. And all those moments far exceed the life I lived before.



All that in a short 7 months. I love this kid.



So I celebrated this passing of time and the first half year of his life by taking him to get his pictures taken. The photographer will never exactly understand what she has given me, but it's such a precious gift. It's a moment in time that I will never forget.


So here's to half a year, and here's a few samples from his day:



Hayden's business casual






My little bear





In his Aggie overalls that daddy got him





Just missing his cup of coffee and a news paper (yes, that's me behind him)





His first album cover (c:





Mommy, pa-pa-pa-lease.... (Sure, whatever you want!!)

Haybear

You got a little something right..there...

The Easter Bunny is coming!

Who needs long lines at the mall when you can find the Easter bunny right in your home? Hayden and I had a little impromtu photo session the other day. I found these oversized Easter eggs at Michaels and a pair of bunny ears at CVS and wha la! Instant bunny! It's like sugar, sparkles, and rainbows all exploding at once! (Warning: This bunny is known to cause giggles, squeals, and smiles. Use at your own risk. Eggs sold seperately)

We have also lately discovered a new joy. This joy is called Bath Time. Hayden LOVES to splish and splash. I had to stop using his infant tub because he would get so excited about the water, it would require a half hour of clean up after the event was over. So we have started using the Big Boy tub. He loves his bath toys and splashing everywhere.

And let me tell you, this kid is not lacking in the bath tub toys thanks to his Auntie Em. He has duckies, whales, seahorses, frogs, dolphins, and even a tug boat! YES! A TUG BOAT! And in the words of his daddy, "You can't have bathtime without a tug boat." Although, the tug boat and I have a love hate relationship. It had a 4:30am port time the other morning waking me straight up from a deep sleep. I guess the makers of the Bubble Bath Express Tug didn't think to make a muted horn. And for the record, if the tug boat has an offshore disaster and dissapears, I had nothing to do with it...

Irish baby!

Kisses to all the Irish babies! No pinches! Love, Hayden

L.O.V.E.

In the world of "Mommyhood" I am learning that some days/weeks are easier than other. It's a vicious cycle, but definitely continuous. The one constant thing in parenthood is knowing nothing is constant. (Chew on that Pluto...I mean Plato...) But every once in a while, there is that moment in a restaurant when your child is performing his *famous* blood curdling scream while everyone around you is staring and your waitress is out back taking 45 minutes to chop down the tree that she will use to make the paper on which your check will eventually be delivered to your table by mail courier that is hits you. I.DON'T.CARE.

Because the person in the booth across from you giving you the stink eye was NEVER a screaming child in a restaurant. Ever. They were perfect.

And either way it doesn't matter. In a short while, you will have left the restaurant and somewhere between the emergency diaper change, the drool covered hand that landed right on your eye, and the injured foot from the baby toy casualty in the middle of the hall way, your baby flashes you that smile....Oh that smile. It's a golden smile. One that is so genuine and pure, you can't imagine loving anything as much as that baby in that moment right there. Glorious little chubby cheeks and beaming eyes that are all for you. All the restaurant hoopla is such a distant memory. It's just you and your baby loving each other.

And that magical moment sustains you. It recharges you.

Even though you are exhausted...





Sometimes I wonder if it's harder to be the baby or the parent...

Videos!!

I know what you're thinking. How can you leave me this long without a Hayden update? It's sad I know, but we have been busy! Regardless, Hayden is still growing so fast and his little social life is getting full. We dart here and there and play all day long. I am loving this new phase in his life. 6 months is an amazing time. Being a mommy is so fulfilling and I just love hanging out with my little man! Here's a few videos of Hayden in the past couple of days.

Hayden thinks his Uncle James is hilarious!



Hayden being an "Assistant" at my moms office. He's so handy with the paper work.



We promise a real update soon! But for now, nap time is over and we must get back to playtime!