Happy Halloween

Hayden has amused many today by wearing his monkey costume to work. He is so cute in it, it is hard to not smile at him. He loves the attention and readily smiles back.

He makes an excellent monkey...although the growls are more fitting for a bear! - Maybe next year.

Tough Week Of Work

Hayden had to come to work with me everyday this week as poor Kaila got sick and was unable to look after Hayden. He has a hard time at work...women fighting over him, being cuddled and being loved. Poor thing.

The store has been closed the past two days due to the end of the fiscal year, inventory, cleaning and decorating for the holidays. We had a work BBQ today to wish a co-worker well as she leaves us and moves to Albuquerque. Hayden had a great day. He was held by everyone, which he loves, and everyone remarked how happy and sweet he is (in fact, the top pictures of him smiling were taken at work today). Of course, this much attention is exhausting for anyone; so, he took a good, long afternoon nap this afternoon.

One Year Ago Today...

...Shane and I found out we were 6 weeks and 6 days pregnant. Whoever knew that the year would go so fast and we would have a nearly 5 month old baby?!!

The picture of me was taken at my April Baby Shower (so a good 6 weeks before Hayden even decided to show) - I got a lot bigger!! Despite being very big and uncomfortable toward the end...I loved being pregnant. Loved every minute.

What Year Was I Born In?

Oh yeah, now I remember.

For Jamie

This blog is for Jamie, my sister. She has been upset because Hayden has not been wearing any of the clothes she gave him when she was here earlier this summer. Well, he is big enough now (at 4.5 months) to fit into the 6-9 month old clothes that she got him. So here he is modelling some of the clothes.

He has been feeling much better the past couple of days. His nose is still running quite a bit, but he is breathing much, much better and is not napping all day long like he was while he had his cold. Thank goodness.

Hayden has a new noise. It is a Grrrrrrrrrrr sound made at the back of his throat...this noise makes him, and everyone else around, crack up laughing. He has decided that 4:30am is the perfect time to party and play...we are woken up by his talking "Ahh-yaa-yaa" followed by growls "Grrrrrrrrr" followed by a giggle. It is adorable. He and I have been playing for about an hour and a half every morning before going back to sleep. It is making the days very long!!

Snuffleupigus

Hayden has caught a cold. He has had a rough couple of nights...which means, of course, that Shane and I have had a rough couple of nights. Being sick has, however, made him appreciate the swing that up until now has only been a cause of upset. I think being able to sit upright a little and the constant movement has helped him breathe and relax enough to sleep.

He has had a few happy play times between the more frequent and much shorter naps. Even though he is unwell, soaring high in the air above our heads seems to always put a smile on his face...and a dollop of snot on Shane or my forehead!! Ahhhhh, the things we do for a happy baby!

These pictures were taken last night after a bath but before bed. His grip and hand-to-mouth co-ordination has improved so much. He is able to see what he wants, reach for it, grab it and bring it to his mouth where is gets a well-deserved slobbering.

Lots Of Fresh Air

Shane replaced our front door today...Hayden was able to sleep through some of the banging and drilling; however, he woke up at 3pm after a 40 minute nap. He was not necessarily happy about being awake, but he tolerated it pretty well.

Hayden and I spent most of the afternoon playing in the front garden in the sunshine with Boone and Cookie (my friend Vanessa's dog). Hayden has got to the point where he likes to be held high in the air as if he were an aeroplane. He giggles - it is so much fun!!

Boone and Cookie took one of our pumpkins hostage and seeing Shane and I do not negotiate with terrorists, we lost a good one. The white pumpkin became puppy chow.

Pumpkin Patch

Shane and I took Hayden over to a Pumpkin Patch in Fall River today; however, Hayden was ready for a nap and was not willing to oblige with the photo opportunity we had given him. So, we had to wait until he had a little sleep and then we took some pictures of him, with our new pumpkins, in the front garden. These pictures turned out a lot better!

A Superhero Day

Well, it has been a mixed bag week. Hayden had a rough day on Tuesday (the day after his vaccinations). He had a fever and had very little appetite as well as being a little on the fussy side. At one point, Shane and I were debating taking him to the hospital; but, we stayed home and alternated the Motrin and the Tylenol. That seemed to do the trick. By Wednesday morning he was much better and he stayed home with Kaila while I went to work. He had a great day with Kaila. Kaila said she read to him from a book she has been reading and when she stopped, he talked and talked and talked. In fact, he talked so much that he talked himself to sleep!!

He went to work with me yesterday and today. I took his jump-jump to work with me and it is hard to tell who had more fun...Hayden in his jump-jump with so much to look at or the women of the office watching Hayden! It kept everyone occupied.

I have attached five pictures to this posting. The top four were taken today while Hayden was in his car seat before we left to go to work...Hayden was sporting his superhero attire. The last picture was taken June 21st when Hayden was just three weeks old. I attached it as a comparison picture so you can all see how much he has grown in his 4.5 months!!

Second Round Of Shots

Hayden had his 4-month doctor check-up yesterday. He is in the 50th-percentile for both his weight and height. He measured in at 25" (he has grown 5" since he was born on June 1st) and weighs 15lbs (more than double his birth weight). He does not weight as much as I anticipated; but, he is certainly big enough!

He was very good during the appointment and tested his amazing grip on the roll of paper the doctor's office had over the bed...he just kept pulling and pulling and pulling paper off of the roll. The nurse said she hasn't seen such a grip on a baby this age!! The shots were not as traumatizing as the last lot (for me, at least)...Hayden still cried and screamed, but I did a lot better!! Hayden slept the remainder of the afternoon away and had another dose of Tylenol before going to bed last night.

As you can see from these pictures, he is starting to figure out how to get up onto his knees when laying on his belly. He can move himself backwards and, without realizing it, he can 'scootch' himself around. Early signs of crawling already!!

Boy In Camo

Sunday morning playing in the sunshine.

Hayden woke up about 4 times during the night last night; but, when he woke up at 8am, he woke up happy. He and I played for an hour and a half before he went back down for a nap.

This Week...

...sorry I have not published anything all week...batteries died on the camera and I just have not had the time and/or energy to publish anything. Hayden has had a week where his night-time sleeping patterns have been messed up. He has started waking up between two and four times a night. In fact, on Thursday night, we was up every two hours - just like he was when he was a newborn. As a result of this, and the fact that when he is up every two hours...so are we, I took Friday off of work. Thankfully my work is very understanding and allows me to be flexible with my time - thank you McArthur Farm Supply!!

Well, Fall/Autumn has finally arrived. It did not get above 50 degrees Fahrenheit today (brrrrrrrrr!) and it was windy. We have the wood stove cooking every night for the past four nights and the leaves have started to fall from the trees. The colors are beginning to get spectacular and I hope to get some pictures of them this year before it is too late. Wish us luck...tonight it is supposed to get down to 22 degrees Fahrenheit!! - Let's hope we don't have a baby popsicle in the morning!!

Miss Kaila

Here is a great picture of Hayden with his babysitter, Kaila. She is absolutely wonderful.

Kaila took this picture herself and it turned out so great, I had to put it on the blog.