Dear Hayden,

For the last several weeks, a hummingbird has been nesting in the palm tree in front of Nana and Papa’s house. This is totally amazing to me, because it gives us the opportunity to see nature so intimately. Seeing this bird every day has made me realize a couple of things that I know now because of you. I know now that little things like this are worth stopping to look at — there are so many little amazing things that happen that I can’t wait to tell you about and show you! This bird has also reminded me of the lesson I’ve learned about how a mother’s love is never ending. No matter how windy, hot, or scary it gets around that little nest, that bird is there for her little eggs.

Love you,
Mama

Mama hummingbird in her nest!

Dear Hayden,

You are 7 months old today, and just like your little sundress says, life is good! You are cutting 2 teeth on the bottom, and you are very close to crawling! You weigh 18.5 lbs pounds and you are 28.5 inches tall. You are growing so quickly!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

Today you took Daddy’s phone right out of his hands and started pressing buttons on it just like he does! It was too cute not to take a few pictures. You are also starting to sprout two teeth on your bottom gums, which I will post pictures of just as soon as they are in enough to see! By the way, as I type this blog entry, Dad is reading you a section of Investment Portfolio Management. How excited are you for him to finish that MBA?! You and me both!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

Today is the end of an era. Today we officially finished moving out of our house on Behrend. This is the first home Dad and I shared, and it is the home we brought you home to! We’re so excited to move into the next house, but we are a little sad to leave such a special place – a place where Dad and I discovered time and time again how happy we are that we chose each other to spend our lives with, a place where we regularly celebrated and shared special times with friends, a place where we have created holiday traditions and memories together, and most of all, a place where we prepared a special spot in our house and our lives for God’s greatest gift to us – you. Perhaps what causes us the most sadness is that you will not remember this place where we spent your first precious months.

I will always remember rushing into our master bathroom from the middle bathroom to let Dad know he was going to be a daddy… and the first night we spent with you here, not knowing what to do with you, honestly… and sitting on the couch in the living room – looking at your sweet little face, begging God to help me do right by you… and rocking you to sleep those first couple of months in the glider in your pink and green room… and your first Christmas here, hanging a third stocking, and including you in all of our traditions… and using our kitchen to make your first baby food… and sitting at this desk in our office blogging every new thing you do.

So, this house is a special place, because as a family we made it a home… which is what we will do in our new house, for sure! We sold this house WAY faster than we anticipated, so, you, Dad, Turbo, Zoom and I have moved in with Nana and Papa until our new house is finished in October. This means that 4 adults, 2 cats and 1 baby (that’s you) are sharing 1 roof (plus you’ve had the stomach flu since we got here!). Rock on. The time we spend here will be worth remembering, too!

Love you,
Mama

House on Behrend

Living Room

Kitchen

Mama and Dad’s Room

Your Room

Backyard

Our Family and Our Home

Sold!

Dear Hayden,

Today Dad had to come home from work early as a complication of his carpool. This meant he was home working on his computer all day. This was very fascinating to you! Some girls get to bang on their dad’s guitars. You, my love, will have a lifetime of banging on your dad’s computer.

Love,
Mama

Looking at Dad’s Computer

Keyboard Located!

Typing Away!

Dear Hayden,

Today you had your first swim lesson! You are a “Little Snapper 1” at a swim school near our house! It’s important for you to know how to swim — it is a life-saving skill. So, today we started! You really liked the water, but you are NOT a big fan of going under the water, even for a second. Your teacher says you will get used to it, but that was definitely your least favorite part of the lesson.

We got to the school and put you in your suit: (Mom is a little paranoid about sun exposure, so you wear a suit with a rash guard like a real surfer! This is less of an issue at swim school because it is indoors, but it’s a cute suit anyway!)

Then we got in the water and got used to it:

Then we sway-swam so you got used to moving in the water:

Then you went under the water for a nanosecond, which freaked you out, so here you are after you calmed down a bit:

Then we practiced floating:

Then we practiced swimming toward a wall (This is the best way to get out of a pool!):

Then we had 5 minutes of play time (Your favorite part so far!):

Then we got out and dried off:

On a side note, there is a very cute little guy in your class named Aristotle and today was his first lesson, too! Dad and I are very proud of our little snapper!

Love you,
Mama