Dear Hayden,

You and our cats usually just coexist. Neither of you pays much attention to the other unless you are crying. When that happens, Zoom will come and sit next to you. He doesn’t touch you or anything, he just kind of sits there as to say, “I know I can’t fix it, but I can at least sit beside you and be your friend.” Well today, Zoom was sleeping and Dad set you down next to him to practice your sitting up and you found Zoom and petted him! He hardly moved and you were so gentle — you smiled like crazy!

Love you,
Mama

You and Zoom!

Dear Hayden,

I decided to document our daily routine because someday it will be fun for you to see what we did together during this early time! So here is a day in your life:

You wake up:

You eat:

We go to Stroller Strides, or the grocery store, or to MOPS, depending on the day:

In Your Car Seat

(On a side note: Mama just donated a bunch of hair to Locks of Love — they make wigs for kids with cancer who need them!)

Stroller Strides

At the Grocery Store

We play at home:

You eat:

We read:

You nap:

Nap Time

You eat and then we play, go to a play group, or go for a walk, depending on the day:

Our Play Group (I am taking the picture, so you are with Erin!)

Daddy comes home and you have Daddy time — which is sometimes playing, sometimes reading your books, and sometimes you listening to him read fascinating MBA material like a case study from his Global Economics course:

Then we do the bed time routine: (Bottle, Bath, Book, Blessing, Bed)

Bath

Bedtime Book with Dad

Bedtime Prayer

Nighty – Night!

So, that’s our typical day. We’re having a good time!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

Today at playgroup, you got kissed! I caught it on camera — so here it is. I told Dad when we got home — he’s not crazy about the idea of you hanging out with boys, but we agree that if it has to happen, Chet is a great little guy! By the way, while we were there, you rolled over back to front! Nice work!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

There is a club that meets every Sunday evening — there are only 3 members, and you are one of them! On Sunday evenings, Dad and I sponsor the high school youth group at church. You spend this special time with Nana and Grandpa M. They love spending time with you each week — you are growing so fast and it’s fun for them to watch you change week to week!

Love you,
Mama

The Sunday Evening Club

Playing with Nana

Playing at Nana and Grandpa’s house

Dear Hayden,

You are rolling over everywhere now! Here is a shot-by-shot of it:

(You can see the progression much better by clicking on the first picture and then viewing all of them in slide show mode)

And, for the record… I think this shirt is pretty awesome:

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

We spent the weekend in Tucson. This was a special trip because we had relatives visiting from Jordan. They traveled a very long way and it was neat that you got to meet them. You also got lots of good time with Dad, which is very fun for him because he misses you during the week and you rolled over for the first time on Saturday — from stomach to back!

Love,
Mama

You and Khalto Friel

You and Daddy

Dear Hayden,

You are 5 months old today! You are 27 inches long and you weigh 17 pounds! You are oh-so-close to rolling over, you laugh all the time and you smile so much! It’s hard to believe that you’ve been with us 5 months — the time has passed so quickly!

Love you,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

Today is your first Valentine’s Day! We are having a great day! We went and ate lunch with Dad because he has class tonight so we won’t get to celebrate tonight. We are going out to dinner with Kelly because Bobby is in class with Dad (hopefully they will get out early and be able to join us). It’s a great opportunity for a ladies night… and what a sweet little lady you are!

Love you,
Mama

First Valentine’s Day!

Little Sweetheart!

Dear Hayden,

I came home to this the other day and had to steal a picture:

Love,
Mama

Dear Hayden,

Dad and I bought a new house that we’ll be moving to in October. We love it because it is a great size for you and your siblings to grow up and graduate from high school in. There are great schools right next to it, and it’s only 1 mile northwest of where we live now. Today we went out and walked the lot where it will be built. We can’t wait to watch you grow up there!

Love you,
Mama

The New Lot