10 months

Hatley-Grace is 10 months old.  Only two months until her first birthday, and I can not believe it!  Time sure does go by faster and faster each month.

Stats:
Weight: 17.2 lbs. (unofficial bathroom scale)
Clothing:  9 months, transitioning into 12 months
Hair/Eyes: Light brown/ blue, green, with hints of brown, who knows where they will settle :)
Diapers:  Medium length, 4 snaps in
Teeth: 5 in one month, 5 teeth!  2 bottom, 3 top

Sleeping:
Hatley-Grace is sleeping from around 7/8pm-7am.  She has been much better about going to bed later depending on our evening commitments.  She takes two naps a day, typically around 9-11 and 1-3.  She seems to be tired around 4/5 every day, yet will not nap so we have tried quiet crib time when we are home.  This is usually just HG rolling around in her crib eating the bumper until we go in and get her :)

Eating:
HG is nursing 4 times a day, around 7, 11,3,7.  We offer her breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Some meals she eats more than others :)  Breakfast favorites right now are oatmeal with cinnamon and roasted apples, and yogurt with fruit.  Lunch and dinner favorites include all roasted vegetables, chicken, sweet potatoes and black beans.  She still loves avocado and yogurt any time.

Motor Skills:
Hatley-Grace is on the move!  She still does not traditionally crawl on her hands and knees, but will quickly get across the room to chew on anything and everything.  She inch worms, scoots on her belly and face, rolls, army crawls...any combination of moves.  She can stand on her own while holding onto a couch or handle.

She also uses her feet to grab things now as well.  She is using a pincher grasp on all small objects right now, like she is practicing using her thumb and pointer finger.

Fun Stuff:
-  Hatley-Grace giggles so much now, sometimes completely out of the blue she will start to laugh.
-  She is obsessed with crinkling her nose and making a smirk face.
-  HG hasn't met a stranger, when we are out and about she gives big smiles to everyone that comes up to her.
-  She loves being outside.  Going on walks and feeling the breeze is one of her favorite things.
-  Her favorite "toys" are books.
-  Teething has been the theme of the month, and because of that everything is in her mouth!
-  She can say Mama, Dada, bye-bye, she has also mimicked us saying bird, dog and more
-  HG is getting some sweet curls
-  There is a small gap between her front teeth that is adorable

Dear Sweet Hatley-Grace,

This month I have started to call you Hatley-Grace more, and I am not sure why.  You are settling into more of a Haltey and less of a Hattie in my eyes.  Maybe I am just seeing you grow up before my eyes.  Last week, you took a bottle and went to bed without me and showed me that you are becoming more independent with each passing day.

We went on a trip to Atlanta a week ago, and you really struggled to sleep.  As I was up with you in the middle of the night, it reminded me of our first three months together.  The many hours that I spent nursing you in the middle of the night seem so long ago, yet Atlanta was a sweet reminder of that time with you.  It also showed me how much you have grown and changed over this year.  You don't need me in the same ways anymore.  You can sleep all night, you are eating real food, you are moving around, you have preferences, you have a stubbornness shining forth, you love to play in the nursery at church with other kids, you call out my name when you are hungry or tired.  Sweet girl you are so smart and I can just see you making new connections every day.

I know you are quickly approaching the toddler stage, and I am cherishing every ounce of this baby stage with you.  You are a gentle sweet soul and I am excited to see what new things we can learn together in month 11 :)

Love,
Mama

Taking pictures of a 10 month old is hard work!

43 weeks

Marty's parents were with us this week.  Hatley-Grace was loved on so well by them and enjoyed their company in our home.

Big news this week!  Hatley-Grace took a bottle and went to bed while I was out with friends.  This is the first time that I have not put her to bed...in her whole life.  It feels wonderful to know that my little girl is getting bigger and can take a bottle and go to bed without Mama.

HG now has 5 teeth.  Two top, two bottom and one right top tooth.  Naps and nighttime sleep has been disrupted by these silly teeth.  I feel like she started teething and is just popping out new teeth left and right!

I made some teething biscuits to try to help with her discomfort.  I got the recipe from a friend, Amanda's blog.  Check it out here.  HG loved chewing on the biscuit, and made a big mess as well.

New teeth= new foods here.  HG tried some pancakes with BB and Paw Paw, whole green beans, pear, red potatoes, and pork this week.  She is getting better at feeding herself, yet it takes forever to eat such a little bit!

 HG's legs are getting much stronger and she is able to stand up holding onto something on her own.  The dresser with swinging handles is a fun spot for her to stand now.

42 weeks

Whew, this has been a busy week.  We had a fun visit from my grandparents.  Hatley-Grace has met them, yet she was only 3 months old at their last visit.  She enjoyed Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop reading Brown Bear to her the most!

Hatley-Grace is still loving her jumperoo.  She is getting around quicker on her own by rolling and inch worm "crawling".  She is trying lots of new foods now, and eating more too.  She is finally on a true 4 hour schedule, where she nurses 4 times a day with 3 meals.  She is normally awake for 2 hours before her morning and afternoon naps. 

 This week we took a big trip to Atlanta for a youth pastor's conference.  Hatley-Grace did great on the car ride there.  We stopped twice on the way for feedings and diaper changes.  She had her first lunch date at Zaxby's on the way there.  The first night in the hotel was kind of miserable since HG doesn't sleep well in the pack n play and she was teething.  We were up until 10 before she fell asleep, then she got up at 11 and went back down at 12, then was up at 2 and slept on my chest until morning.  I was a paranoid Mama, and couldn't sleep with her on me, so the next day we were a little tired :)  After the first night she slept fine, waking only once.  We learned our lesson...HG will be naping in the pack n play often from here on out.

 The best part of the trip was having another friend there with her sweet little girl who is only a few weeks older than HG.  It was great connecting with another mom and youth pastor's wife.  On the way home, HG had her first taste of Chipotle and loved everything in our burrito bowl.  The cilantro rice was a hit, along with the chicken and beans.  I think we have another Mexican food fan in the family.  

Despite the lack of sleep, missed naps and thrown schedule, HG did beautifully and adapted well.  We have been home two days now, and she has slept in both mornings and taken 2+ hour naps each nap...resting up from all the fun.

Bath time cuteness

Babies in the bath are just precious!

41 weeks

On Wednesdays, Hattie-Grace has a "play-date" with a friend while her Mama's in a meeting.  The girls are a month apart, and they are just now being able to parallel play.  It is fun to see them interact together, and HG loves to squeal at Iva and grab her face. 

Thursday was the first day of Spring.  To me that means...free Rita's!  We have a Rita's in the county south of us, about 45 min. away.  I just started working for the student ministry at church, and we were running low on snacks and drinks.  This was the perfect opportunity to score my free Rita's and do a big Sams Club run in the same trip.  HG was a sport helping me shop and watching me enjoy my free chocolaty treat.  I had in mind to get her a free cup to enjoy myself as well, but chickened out at the last minute.  I didn't want to look like the Mom that fed her child sugar at 9 months/ or that wanted to free cups :)

HG experienced her first girls softball game this week!  A few of my small group girls are on the team, and we enjoyed cheering them on.  HG wasn't sure about all the cheering in the crowd at first, but warmed up to it pretty quickly. 

 I feel like HG is doing new things everyday right now.  This week she fed herself some chicken, cheese and beans off her tray.  Most fell on the floor, but it is fun to see her involved in eating as well.  She even had some cheerios in a hopeful attempt to keep her silent during a wedding...it worked marvelously.  We are still feeding her mostly purees, but she likes whole foods as well.  She also had some kale this week.  Plain whole milk yogurt, and oatmeal have become new favorite foods.

She now has 4 teeth, two bottom and two top.  Says Mama from her crib and when she is hungry and says DDD more intentionally for Dada.  She has started to sign "all done", so at least understand what it means.

HG has some new faces she likes to make.  She sniffs and smirks at the same time, and likes to mimic us smacking our lips.  When the camera is out, she is a ham and gives us lots of big smiles.

40 weeks (isn) and family visiting!

This was a busy busy two weeks for us!  We had a set of Grandparents, Mom, Aunt, Uncle, cousins, and a sister visiting with us.

My sister, Hattie-Grace's favorite Auntie, was here for a few days before the rest of the family came to town.

Bethany lives in NYC, so naturally she teaches us all about the upcoming fashions and how the best sunglasses for our face structure.

 Twinsies at church

 We hit the pool.

 Hattie-Grace loves her Auntie B.

Next, we had my Grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and their two children, and my Mom here with us.  We enjoyed many sunny days by the water.  This is Kings Bay, at one of our favorite local seafood restaurants.  

 The kids helped me make a Pinterest inspired sensory toy for HG.  Just hair gel, sparkles and links in a ziplock bag sealed with duct tape.  She has enjoyed squeezing it lots, yet we have to keep a close eye on her so she doesn't eat it :)

 Fun times with Mimi.

 Hanging out at Hunter Springs.  They canoed with the manatees and we met them for a picnic lunch and swimming!

We had a few nice pool days, but this was the first time HG has really spent time in the pool.  At first she was a little hesitant, yet once she warmed up to the idea of it she was splashing and kicking.  I think she is going to really love the pool soon.  

Hattie-Grace loved all our family visitors.  She especially took to my Grandfather, always smiling from ear to ear when he would talk to her.  She loved playing peek a boo with him and enjoyed his soothing voice.  

We were so blessed to have family with us, and loved having the extra hands around the house.  What a fun visit!