9 months

Yesterday Hallie had her 9 month check up. Can I say again how much I love having her drs office within walking distance from our house? So convenient! You know those days where it feels like everything bad that could happen actually does? Well yesterdays drs appointment wasn't far from that. In the past she's always gotten weighed before we go in the room, with clothes on. Yesterday they had me go in the room, strip her down to nothing, then go out in the hall. Well the scale wasnt working. So here I was holding a nakey baby when I start feeling little drips run down my arm. Yep, peed a little. When we got back to the room Hallie got her foot pricked to test her iron. She didn't even flinch, probably because she had her foot pricked several times a day for the first week of her life from jaundice. But, she DID cry when they put the bandaid on her and she couldn't figure out how to take it off. The nurse left and while we waited for the Dr Hallie was trying everything to get that dang bandaid off. She was so frustrated. In the process she was getting blood all over the table sheet. Guess thats what they're for eh? So then the Dr comes in and does his thing, and I notice the table sheet getting wet. Go figure, Hallie had a MAJOR blowout. It was everywhere. They had to scrub down the table and ya it was a mess. So then I get her changed and were walking back home and I notice her little cheeks are puffed up like a chipmunk and her lips are sealed. She looked so guilty. Apparently she had finally gotten her bandaid off her toe, and it was quite the struggle getting that bloody bandaid out of her mouth. Oh child of mine...

Hallie

9 months

19 lbs 2 oz

29 3/4 in.

I cant believe my little bug is getting so big. Even in the last month, she is not the same baby. Month 8 flew by soo fast. I can only imagine what time will be like from now on.

New skills:

-she's scaling across the furniture, sometimes getting brave and letting go to reach for somewhere else

-she's figuring out that the ground isn't miles away when she stands up, so she can now sit back down

-she loves standing up in the tub and pulling all the soaps in one by one and then sitting back down

-she crawls around whispering or hissing

-still no mama or dada

-when i tell her no, she turns into slow motion and does it anyway

-she LOVES playing with her puppies

-she refuses to lay down with a bottle now

-the last few weeks she's had to be rocked to sleep. we havent had to do that since she was a couple months old. Im really trying to be good at just living in the moment and not thinking about all the things I could be doing. I need to savor these moments

She is blossoming into such this fun independent spirit. I love watching her learn new things and be a little adventurer! Dr. told me next time we'll see him will be her one year check up, it's going to be here before we know it :(

This is kind of a side note, but I have to share this. To those who already do this, kudos. You should have shared this tip with me long ago. If you don't do this...DO! I found this tip in blogland somewhere, I don't remember where, but it has made my life so much easier. I always saved my laundry for Saturday either weekly or bi-weekly and it was so overwhelming having so many loads to wash/dry and then folding this mountainous pile. This blogger says do one load of laundry, start to finish, every day. So every morning this week I have put a load in, dried it, folded it and put it away. Now it's Saturday and almost all of my laundry is done. I get to spend it with my Hallie, as soon as she wakes up!

yay for rain

I absolutely love cloudy days. I just wish the rain stayed a bit longer than five minutes here in this wretchedly hot state. Hallie is finally starting to feel better, and is able to breathe again. She is becoming more and more mobile by the minute. Playing with her BFF really motivates her, I swear it. This week for Family Home Evening we went out for the night (I know that depletes the meaning of family HOME evening, but we spend so many nights at home that it's a nicer change of pace for us to go out). We went to our favorite place, Chili's. It seems whenever I expect Hallie to act her worse, she surprises me and is on her best behavior. She had no nap that day, so I was hesitant. Our waitress was awesome and accomidated to Hallie perfectly. H has found her love for chicken, she absolutely devours it. So our waitress brought her out a tiny piece of grilled chicken that we cut up for her. She also got her own cup of water, and then another waiter brought her some animal crackers. She was in heaven. I was so thankful they were so willing to help make things easier on me and Tyler so we could enjoy our meals (margharita-lime chicken is my absolute favorite)

After dinner, we took Hallie to Toys R Us to get some ideas of what we are going to get her for her birthday. Yes..birthday. I know, its absolutely crazy to me that we're already planning that. My little baby has grown up so much. Of course her favorite toy of the night was the expensive camaro that Daddy put her in. I'm afraid that Tyler's blood runs deep in my sweet little one. That's all I need..two car fanatics. Tyler was more than happy to see her naturally grab the steering wheel and have the time of her life. Maybe when she's a little older :)

I also found this super cute chair at Toys R Us. It would be so cute in her room, yet I know her room is bound to change, she's growing at speeds of light, and the chances of her sitting in this thing for longer than 30 seconds is slim..so I couldn't justify spending the $80. She looks so cute in it though!

By the way, this baby girl is 9 months old today. Wow. She goes to the Drs tomorrow morning so we will post stats and everything on another day. Love her so much!!

Sick baby

It's been a rough week here. Last week Hallie started getting a little grumpy, and when her nose started running I figured she was just teething again. But then things got worse, and one night Hallie refused to stop screaming. She was up till 11, slept for two hours, and then my awesome husband slept with her on the couch so I could get some sleep. Love that man! The next day she was still really cranky and started pulling on her ears. By the time we decided to take her in to the doctors it was past normal hours, but our pediatrician office is so great and they have after hours for no extra charge if you are a patient. So we walked over (we seriously live right next door) and got it confirmed that Hallie had a double ear infection. So she's been on amoxicillon and doing so much better. She still has such a hard time breathing, I feel so bad for her. I try to keep giving her saline spray and using the bulb syringe to get stuff out but she fights me. So we just propped up her mattress (so white trash ha) and do the best we can to keep her happy!

I finally realized this weekend that my little girl is becoming not so little anymore. I know she still seems like a baby to most, and there are still so many years and milestones to look forward to; but this weekend I got my first look at how big she has gotten in the last nine months. They have flown by. I havent been able to snuggle with her since she was about 3 or 4 months because she's been so active, but yesterday she was pretty clingy and I saw how she just doesnt fit the way she used to. She's walking along the furniture, she loves her independency being able to crawl into one room then into the next. She's just growing up so fast!

Yesterday we got family pictures done with Allisabeth Jackson Photography (go like her on Facebook). I am so excited to see them! Hallie, of course, was a little on the grumpy side and wouldnt smile much but I loved having our first family session and Beze does amazing work!

It is getting so.hot. here. I dont know what happened to spring, but Im not ready for summer. The heat is hard to handle when we ease into it, but its dang right rediculous when it shows up after winter and sticks around. Luckily the pool at our complex is newly remodeled and we're going to take full advantage of it!

Changes

Well...there is some major thinking being done at the Peel house right now. I'm putting it out there so that we can get virtual support during this time, and also because for some reason everything makes more sense in my head when I write it out. So...This cute man is ending his six year contract with the army soon. Can you believe it? Six years! And I've been through half of it with him already! We've been talking for quite some time now about resigning or not. Tyler knows how hard drill weekends are on me. So he's been saying he's fine just letting go. But I don't expect him to do that. For a few reasons. 1) he enjoys it, despite how much he pretends not to when it stresses me out 2) hes made it almost six years without a deployment, so in some crazy way he feels like his service isn't comparable to others 3)the money helps 4)health insurance rocks..and i want to have more babies 5)resigning bonus..and so on and so forth. So we've now been praying and considering whether to have Tyler resign with the national guard and have him continue with a civilian job, or whether to tie ourselves to the army completely and sign as active duty. There have been lots of things considered. We know that we will be relocated after Ty goes to Texas for 16 weeks of training (not sure if Hallie and I would go with him or stay with family). It breaks my heart to know I would be taking my baby away from family members who she loves and who love her. But both Tyler and I grew up away from our grandparents for quite some time, and if anything we know it just makes you the favorite :) My number one desire is to be able to give Hallie (and our other kids once they get here) what they need, and most of what they want. I want to give them the best life possible. And I have an overwhelming feeling that this path is what the Lord has in store for us. Nothing is set in stone yet, so if your reading this, don't get upset of the thought of us taking Hallie away (I know she's the only one who matters) but Tyler and I would appreciate the support as we make some big decisions of what will benefit our family the most.

Diarrhea since Easters

Well I've come to terms with how old I am. No Easter basket for me this year. I guess graduating, moving out, and getting married isn't what scares the Easter bunny off, its having a baby! Good thing she's worth the sacrifice :) The Easter Bunny did find Hallie. She got books, a movie, a stuffed animal, and a hollow chocolate bunny that she enjoyed for breakfast!

I hope you all had a nice Easter weekend. Ours turned out to be pretty hectic, surprise surprise. I swear one year Im just going to have all of the major holidays at home, and tell everyone else no. I love being with family, but holy cow does it get nuts. Saturday morning Hallie and I went to an easter egg hunt that the apartment complex put on, and Tyler got to meet us there since he was working. They had laid 850+ eggs out in the front lawn, and let everyone go for it. Seven of the eggs were camo and hidden very well; they had gift cards in them for the adults. We let Hallie pick up a few eggs on the ground and then Tyler found one of the camo eggs. Go figure that was the only one Hallie showed interest in. Screw candy, go for the money..she knows whats up.

After Tyler got off of work we went to my Dad's for an Easter dinner. Hallie was a super grump, so bedtime couldnt come fast enough. Sunday we had planned on going to our own ward at 8 am, but when we woke up I felt too stressed with the plans for the rest of the day and didnt end up going. We went out to Queen Creek and went to my mom's ward. Hallie looked SO cute in her Easter dress. I had found the dress at Target almost a month ago. I fell in love with it. But I had no matching headband (shocking I know). So Amy over at http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com changed the flower on the dress to match the new headband she made for us. It turned out sooo cute! Here's the original dress and flower. I'll post the new one a little further down.

After Sacrament, and after we got my grumpy husband some food (he turns into a monster when hes hungry), we went up to the mountains for the Porter Easter tradition. One Easter when I was younger, we somehow started the tradition of playing baseball with our colored eggs. It then turned into having egg fights (I hope yolk is good for the hair). Now that were all older it has turned into shooting the eggs. So we packed up all the family guns and went and shot eggs. Tyler and I took turns with Hallie up in a hill, inside the car, walkimg, etc. so she wasnt around for most of the big bangs (some of the eggs were filled with explosives! We're intense, I know). She enjoyed watching her Uncles out the window

After we were done shooting, Tyler and I were supposed to go over to the Picos for an Easter dinner. But of course, our karma ran true and Tyler got called into work for a flood emergency. So I stayed at my moms with Hallie and we ate dinner there. Today Tyler only had to work two hours this morning, so when he got off we took Hallie to the field and took pictures of her in her Easter dress. This is the finished product. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!!!

We got with the century...

And finally have internet!! How sad is that? Im actually a little embarrassed to admit it. For a while, and I mean 3 years, the internet hasnt been as much of a necessity as some other things since I had it on my phone. But I finally made Tyler crack. And it has made me feel so accomplished, so organized, and SO happy! Hopefully I'll be able to find out how to make this blog look a little better. I consider myself somewhat tech savvy, I can usually figure out how to work something with a little bit of patience. But with this 8 month old on wheels, I have no time to sit here and try to figure out this dang thing. So if anyone is familiar with designing blogs out there, HELP! I enjoy blogging. Ive realized the last couple posts that I write like Im expecting people to read this. Ha! If it so happens that you are reading this, thank you for supporting my efforts to stay connected with this world. And if not, well at least I get to write down my feelings and memories to be able to go back and relive. So speaking of no one reading my blog, guess what? I made a new one! And I dont know how to figure that one out either! Tyler and I have been counting our calories and so I have been having to come up with low calorie meals (tough). And then on Saturdays we get to indulge on whatever we want. So I felt inspired to have a seperate blog to write down my own recipes that I come up with, and the ones that I try out I'll write a review on them. I know there are tons of cooking blogs out there, and warning: this will be nothing like one. But its something I enjoy. So whatev. There's nothing posted on there yet. Like I said Im still trying to figure it out. But feel free to check back in a couple days if you are interested http://peelitwithme.blogspot.com/ (dont feel like you have to). I think I'll begin the blog with the recipe that I found for these sinfully delicious instant cavity brownies that I awakened myself with after taking a nap. YUM!

Bumps and Bruises

It is absolutely crazy to me that Hallie has only been crawling for a little over a week. Her mobility has doubled over the last few days. When she first started crawling she would only inch herself along a little ways and then cry until someone moved her to where she wanted to be. Now, I'll put her down in the living room and walk into the kitchen and she'll be pulling at my legs by the time I'm pouring milk into my cereal. She has gotten so fast. And getting into everything. She's not pulling herself up to a standing position yet, but she'll pull herself up to her knees, which is enough for her to get what she wants. Bath time has become...interesting. It's become more like a battle trying to clean her off while she's crawling around and pulling everything off the sides of the tub. And today, after laying her down in her crib for her nap, I walked back in a few minutes later because she was crying and found her sitting up in the corner. So now we play the lay down/sit up game when it's nap time. It's been so fun watching her develop into this little busy bee. It's extremely tiring, and she's already gotten a few head bumps (dang bathtub) but its rewarding to see how proud she is when she accomplishes something!

The best dollar ever spent

Hallie and I needed to get out of the house last week, so we went to one of my favorite places..the dollar tree. I always expect to spend around $20 in there. The things you can find in there are endless. But this trip I ended up with one of my better finds. We were scrolling through books that Hallie might like when a title of one caught my eye. "How to have your second child first". Whaaat? I was so intrigued I put it in the cart. I figured it was a dollar and since I had no time to find out what it was about while in the store with a busy 8 month old, I'd read it at home. Once Hallie was down for a nap I picked it up and skimmed through a few pages. Next I know I was 100 pages in. Now let me tell you, this was the best dollar I've ever spent. Seriously, every person who is expecting their first should read this book. It is a bunch of tips gathered from experienced parents who look back on how they did things with their first that were wasted time or money. It covers everything from what to not waste money on buying because you will never use it to how to spend the first few weeks after bringing home baby. (one couple said the dad had a few weeks off for paternity leave and they were so bummed with their first when they just sat around while their newborn slept. With their second, they used his paternity leave to take the family to Hawaii, they were able to play on the beach while the newborn slept in a play pen next to them..how awesome is that?) But most of all, this book has given me the clarity and reassurance that I have been so desperately needing.
I'm convinced that being a mom is the hardest job there is. It may not be the most physically demanding occupation but it is very tough emotionally. You are always seen as a mom, and people watch you. They watch how you racy with a screaming baby, they watch what you will do when a pacifier falls on the ground, they watch how you play, what you feed them, how you hold them. Everything you do is watched and judged, because for some reason every person feels like they have a job to see that the baby is being cared for properly. Now here's my dilemma..I have found out having hallie that I am not the typical first time mom. Ive never been a germ freak, and I am extremely low maintenance on everything. But I had doubts about my style of parenting. What if I am not playing with Hallie enough, what if she doesn't have enough toys, what if I don't clean off her pacifier right away, and lots of other things. It was hard to not compare myself to other moms. But when I did, I felt like I was a failure.
Then comes this book. It has helped me in so many ways know that I am not a failure. I'm doing nothing wrong. I am providing and loving and teaching my daughter in my own style. I may be laid back, but I am not ignorant. My baby is cared for in every way she needs to be. I may let her chew on things that she probably shouldn't (see picture) because they're dirty, but if it's the only thing that is keeping her happy, I'd rather have a little germ in her system than to have both of us stressing because she's unhappy. I may not constantly play with her all day long, but I've come to find joy in watching her play independently, and being able to entertain herself has been a blessing a handful of times. She may not have all the latest baby toys, but she likes my kitchen stuff better, and it saves us money. Back to the point, this book has helped me to feel better about the way I parent. These parents have given advice about things they wish they would have done, and I have done them since day 1!
So..I highly recommend this book! For those who feel like they have the same laid back parenting style as me and need some reassurance, or those who are going to be expecting baby number 1 ( or 2 or 3 or...) and want to get a little insight on some great tips to spend less, worry less, and have more time. This book is great!!