Warrior Moms

Mike and I have been blessed with an amazing support group.  Our families and friends have cried and laughed with us.  They don't run away when we say her name.  They join us in telling stories about Hailey and research everything that they can about SIDS and loss.  We are so blessed to have so many who love us and our girl.

After Hailey passed, so many people reached out to us.  It is overwhelming to think back on her visitation and funeral.  Hundreds, literally hundreds, came to show their love and support for our little family.  What has been a blessing that we weren't expecting, was meeting people who have experienced what we were experiencing.  A couple of days after H passed, someone I knew from high school messaged me on Facebook and explained that her older sister had lost their infant son as well. She offered to connect us when I was ready to talk.  This small act of kindness led to one of the greatest supports I have had.  We met Meg for coffee and found that our stories were very similar.  She was able to express feelings that she had at the beginning that were exactly what we were experiencing at that moment!  It was so nice to be able to talk to someone who understood.  It was also nice to see someone who has been on this journey and come out on top.  It gave us hope for our future.

Meg introduced us to a group called Compassionate Friends.  It is a world wide group of parents and grandparents who have lost a child.  We went to our first meeting in October.  Everything was so fresh and painful.  So many tears were cried that night, not just by us, but others crying for us.  Our pain made their pain of loosing their child fresh again.  One of the women there, Tracy, was Meg's biggest support.  Tracy lost her infant son to an undiagnosed heart defect.  She is such a model of strength.  She and her family do so much to keep her son's memory alive...she's even writing a children's book!  A lot of the inspiration for starting this blog came from Tracy.  A few months back, I was reading her blog and she posted this excerpt from a book that a friend had shared with her.  I'm passing it along on my blog just in case there is a warrior momma out there who needs a little boost on this moment in her journey. 

You Are the Mother of All Mothers By: Angela Miller
I have to tell you this. 
You didn’t fail. Not even a little.
You are not a horrible mother.
You didn’t choose this. You didn’t want this to happen. You didn’t do anything wrong. It just happened. To you. Despite your begging, pleading, praying, hoping against all hope it would not. Even though everything within you was screaming no, no, no, no, no.
God didn’t do this to punish you, smite you, or to teach you a lesson. That is not God’s way. You could not have prevented this if you tried harder, prayed harder, or were a “better” person. Nor if you ate better, loved harder, yoga-ed more, did x, y, or z to the nth degree—fill in the blank with any other lie your mind devises. You could not have prevented this even if you could have predicted the future like no one can.No, there is nothing more you could have done. You did everything you possibly could have. And you are the best mother there is because you would have done absolutely anything to keep your child alive. To breathe your last breath instead. To choose the pain all over again just to spend one more minute together. That is the ultimate kind of love. You are the ultimate kind of mother.

So wash your hands of any naysayers, betrayers, or those who sprinted in the other direction when you needed them most. Wash your hands of the people who may have falsely judged you, ostracized you, or stigmatized you because of what happened to you. Wash your hands of anyone who has made you feel less than by questioning everything you did or didn’t do. Anyone whose words or looks have implied this was somehow your fault.This was not your fault. This will never be your fault, no matter how many different ways someone tries to tell you it was.

Especially if that someone happens to be you. Sometimes it’s not what others are saying that keeps you shackled in shame. Sometimes you adopt others’ misguided opinions and assumptions. Sometimes it’s your own inner voice that shoves you into the darkest corner of despair, like an abuser, telling you over and over and over again you failed as a mother. Convincing you if only this and what if that, it never would have happened. Saying you coulda, shoulda done this or that so your child would not have died. That is a lie of the sickest kind. Do not believe it, not even for a second. Do not let it sink into your bones. Do not let it smother that beautiful, beautiful light of yours.
Instead, breathe in this truth with every part of yourself: You are the best damn mother in the entire world. No one else could do what you do. No one else could ever mother your child as well as you can, as well as you are. No one else could let your child’s love and light shine through the way you do. No one else could mother your dead child as bravely. No one else could carry this unrelenting burden as courageously. It is the heaviest, most torturous burden there is.
There is no one, no one, no one who could ever, ever replace you. No one. You were chosen to be your child’s mother. Yes—chosen. And no one could parent your child better in life or in death than you do. You have within you a sacred strength.You are the mother of all mothers.
So breathe, mama, keep breathing. Believe, mama, keep believing. Fight, mama, keep fighting for this truth to uproot the lies in your heart—you didn’t fail. Not even a little. 
For whatever it’s worth, I see you. I hear your guttural sobs. I feel your ache deep inside my bones. And it doesn’t make me uncomfortable to put my fingers as a makeshift Band-Aid over the gaping hole in your heart until the scabs come, if and when they do.
It takes invincible strength to moth a child you can no longer hold, see, touch, or hear. You are a superhero mama. I see you fall down and get up, fall down and get up, over and over again. I notice the grit and guts it takes to pry yourself out of bed every single day and force your bloodied feet to stand up and keep walking. I see you walking this path of life you’ve been given, where every breath and step apart from your child is a physical, emotional, and spiritual battleground. A fight for your own survival. A fight to quiet the insidious lies.
But the truth is, you haven’t failed at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
You are the mother of all mothers.
Truly, the most inspiring, courageous, loving mother there is—a warrior mama through and through.
For even in death, you lovingly mother your precious child still. 

Love,
Mary

Day by Day, Month by Month...

When I was pregnant with Hailey, I found the cutest monthly birthday stickers.  I immediately fell in love with the idea of sticking them on a onesie and putting Hailey through a mini photo shoot every month on the 15th.  Thankfully, I was given three months to do this with her.  Mike loved this moment with her as well.  The third month was one of our favorites because we were able to get some really funny facial expressions out of her.  H's personality was really beginning to shine at the end.

After Hailey passed, my sister came up with the best idea.  Why not continue our little sticker tradition, but attach the sticker to balloons and send them up to Heaven.  That was that.  Helen came over with 4 balloons (one even had her name on it) and Mike and I wrote her a little love note.  We went to her spot and sent them up to her.  We continued this tradition every month after that.  Some balloon releases were more difficult then others.  I remember at one, I couldn't let go of the balloons because it felt like I was letting go of her.  A lot of tears were shed and a lot of smiles were shared on our monthly balloon releases.  
This tradition of ours is something that I am so glad Mike and I did this first year.  It was healing and I love thinking that every month she received a bunch of balloons and a little love note from her mommy and daddy.

4 Months

5 Months

 

 6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

The past 8 months brought waves of emotions.  Every major holiday was celebrated during this time. All of the things we had planned to do with Hailey, didn't get to happen.  Halloween came and went.  So did Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We celebrated Valentine's Day without our tiniest Valentine.  It wasn't an easy time, but we survived.  Mike and I came out stronger as individuals and as a couple.  Our lives continued and we were blessed with little moments of hope in the future that helped us continue on our journey.  As much as I missed having Hailey here physically with us during all of the big moments, I know that she was with us in spirit.  I feel her with me every day.  I see her in my dreams and hold her in my heart.  She calms me when I can't stop the tears and she laughs with me when I'm having fun.

She is my little Rae of sunshine that will always be there...even on the cloudiest of days.

Love,

Mary

My Strength

Michael,

There is so much that I want to say to you.  So much I want you to know.  If it were possible, I wish that you could spend a moment looking at yourself through my eyes.  I hope this will give you a little idea of what you mean to me and how I couldn't have made it through this experience without you by my side.

11 years.  We are coming up on 11 years of being a couple.  Who would have thought that and 18 year old and a 19 year old would have made it through everything we have.  I am so proud of us.

You have made so many sacrifices for our family.  Every decision you have made for your life, you have made with our family in mind.  

Thank you for supporting me.  I got stuck for awhile after we graduated.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life.  You encouraged me and helped guide me during this time.  When I needed your patience, you gave it to me.  I'm sure I was frustrating.  I know financially, it would have been a lot easier for us if I could have figured it all out sooner, but you stuck with me.  Thank you for that.

Thank you for working so hard.  You have struggled with your job decisions too.  You worked hard and it is paying off.   Even though I give you crap for "working from home", I hope you know that I understand how hard you work and the things you do to support our family.

Thank you for making me laugh.  Whether it's threatening me with a round of tickle bull, or when you laugh out loud at a tv show.  I don't laugh with anyone else like I do with you.

Thank you for being the best daddy.  Hailey looked at you with so much love.  She still does.  Our children are blessed to have you as their daddy.

Thank you for holding me up.  I definitely have had my moments these past couple of months.  You're honest with me.  You hold me for as long as I need you too.  You cry with me.  You talk with me.  You make me stronger.  You give me a reason to continue on.  

I want you to know that I will do my best to be strong for you.  I know that I tend to need you more, but I hope you know that whenever you need me I am here.  I hope I have done a good job holding you up.  I promise to continue to work at it and to remember that we are in this together.  Without you, I don't know what I would do.  Thank you for sticking with me through the lowest of lows and the highest of highs.

Michael William Thomas, you have my whole heart for my whole life.  I can't imagine going through this crazy journey without you.  I love you so much.

Love,

Me

Who am I without her?

Mother.  Mom.  Mommy.  Mama.

This is something I have been struggling with lately.  Do these words describe me now that she's gone?  There are two sides to this struggle...

On hard days when the pain is fresh and the tears are uncontrollable, I don't believe that I am a mom anymore.  With Hailey gone, I have no one to feed. No one to bathe, or read to, or put to bed at night.  

On good days when I feel her with me every second. I know that I am a mom.  I know that for 38 weeks I carried her in my belly.  I helped her grow.  On June 15, 2013 I spent the day waiting for her to arrive. When she did, my heart grew 100 times bigger.  For 3 months and 11 days, I woke up to her sweet face and fell asleep listening to her breathe.  I cared for her.  She is my daughter and I am her mommy.

Even though she is not here with us physically, she is mine and I am hers.  There will always be hard days.  Days when it seems impossible to get out of bed.  Days when I drive to work and cry because my brain gets stuck in our morning routine.  Days when I can't escape how it used to be.  But I need to always remind myself that she is there with me, watching me, and it is my job to make her proud.  To show her that her momma is okay.  It's my new way of caring for her.  

I am Hailey's mom.

Love,

Mary

4:09 pm September 26, 2013

It has been awhile since I have posted on the blog.  I think I have been avoiding it because I knew what post was coming.  This isn't an easy read, it's not a happy post, you may want to have tissues close by.  This blog is my outlet, my release, my therapy.  I may not have been posting on here, but I have been writing it down.  I'm finally ready to make it permanent.  To make it public.  I hope in a way that my story helps someone who is going through something tough.  I hope my story creates an awareness in others about SIDS and loss.  I hope that my daughter lives on and Mike and I make her proud every day as she watches us from Heaven.  All I can do...is hope.

She's just sleeping.

That's what it looked like as I laid on the hospital bed holding my baby girl.  

She's just sleeping.

That's what I told myself when I got home to a quiet house that night.

She's just sleeping.

I couldn't tell myself that anymore when I woke up the next morning and went into her room with an empty crib.

She's just sleeping...with the angels.

Our story from the beginning...

The day was like any normal day.  I was having some major allergy issues and was considering calling into work, but like always, I decided to power through it and try to make it to lunch.  I got up and got ready.  After fixing myself, I went in to Hailey's room to wake her up for the day.  She was not a happy camper...typical.  My girl was a sleeper!  She loved to sleep in and was not quite used to my early morning work days.  I fed her while listening to the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning radio show.  She was such a good eater, even when she was sleepy.  We got dressed and headed out the door for school.  Typically, Hailey would fall back asleep on the drive to daycare, but as I looked back at her in the Starbucks drive through, she was awake :)  This made mama very happy.  I stuck my hand back there and she grabbed my finger.  We rode to day care hand in hand while I rubbed her cheek.   It was perfect.

When we got to school, she was still awake.  We talked with Mrs. Debbie for a little bit and I told her I may be picking her up early since I wasn't feeling well.  I wasn't sure if I was contagious or not, so I kissed her forehead goodbye and headed off to work.  That was the only time I had ever left daycare and she was awake.

School was pretty typical.  I wasn't feeling 100%, but I couldn't get a sub to cover me half day.  I decided to tough it out.  I was working with two of my struggling boys after school when I got a call from Debbie.  It was only 4:09.  I thought to myself, "I wonder what's up...maybe she's out of milk and is screaming her head off."  When I answered it was Debbie's husband.  He said, "Mary, I don't know how to say this..." With that statement my whole world changed.  He began to explain that Hailey was down for a nap and when Debbie went in to get her up for her last feeding, she wasn't breathing.  I don't remember much from that moment, but I think I just froze.  I asked over and over what was happening and what I needed to do.  He couldn't tell me much.  Why? Because there wasn't much to tell.  The paramedics were working on her and weren't explaining much to them.  I ran out of my classroom and told my neighbor teacher I had to go and to take care of my students.  I just stayed on the phone with nothing but background noise.  I could hear babies crying.  Every time I thought it was Hailey...it wasn't.  

I've never driven panicked.  Surprisingly, my focus was heightened.  I was able to think through the fastest route to the hospital, what school zones to avoid, back roads to take, and I dialed in Mike on the phone.  He was walking out the door to go pick her up.  Walking out the door.  I will never forget the panic in his voice when I explained what was happening.  He still can't drive quickly through our neighborhood without getting anxiety because of that day.

Mike got off the phone when he got to the hospital.  At that point, I didn't know what to do.  I called my sister.  She's working.  She won't pick up.  I pulled up to the hospital and ran through the parking lot.  I called my mom.  She will be there quickly.  I get inside and every person I talk to knows something bad has happened. You can see it on their faces.  They put me in a waiting room.  Mike is back with Hailey.  Finally, after what felt like 10 minutes, they take me back to the room.  

There she was...my little baby.  Lying on the hospital bed.  Tubes, IVs, and doctors all around her. 

She looks like she's sleeping. 

Around 5:00pm the doctor came over to Mike and I and explained that with how long she has been without oxygen that the life she would have, if they were able to get her heart pumping again, would be very limited.  There was no sign of brain activity or heart activity at that point.  My girl was gone. We decided to ask him to stop.  We didn't even have to talk about it...we just knew.  He didn't give up though.  He pushed one more round of epinephrine and gave it another try.  No one wants to walk away from a baby, even if they know it's over.

At this point we were able to hold her.  My parents had arrived at some point in the whole ordeal.  I remember hearing them screaming for us in the hallway.  We were there for awhile longer.  The police came in a questioned us, our Pastor came and baptized Hailey, the medical examiner explained what was going to happen, our friends were there, family too, we gave them things to do and people to call.  For the most part, all of this was done while Mike and I held her.  It didn't sink in until the medical examiner had to take her away.  I had kept it together until that point.  How? It was like she was sleeping.  I knew that she wasn't, but at the same time, I didn't.  Leaving her was the hardest thing I had ever had to do up to that day.

Mike and I drove home together.  My sister took my car and went to get us some food. Chick Fil A.  I didn't think I could eat, but I did.  Helen stayed with us for a little while and then went to my parents house.  I remember sitting on the couch with Mike.  We were watching The Big Bang Theory.  It was odd how "normal" everything felt.  Finally, we went to sleep.

Loosing someone that is your every day is the weirdest thing.  That moment when you are home after everything you have been through and it just feels "normal" doesn't seem like it should be possible.  Why am I not crying?  I should be crying!  I guess you just go numb.  I went numb.  All I wanted to do was go to sleep and wake up with my baby in her bed.

She wasn't there.

She still isn't there.

Hailey's 3rd Month

Hailey's third month was so much fun.  She was beginning to become mobile and very expressive.  For me, this month was just one step closer to month 4 and trying baby food!  There were some hard times this month...I started back at work and that meant putting Hailey in daycare. We were lucky enough to have an in home day care, but it still meant our time together was about to be cut short.

Here are my favorite things about month 3 with Little Miss...

I made the mistake of taking her 3 month pictures right before nap.  There was nothing that could make her smile...

10. Are you ready for some football?!
Mike and I are HUGE Texas Tech Football fans.  Hailey is one by default.  Eventually we would let her make her own decisions about what college team she wants to go for, but until then we will do everything in our power to push Tech on her :)  I love how cute she looks in her football gear...weekends are football weekends in the Cardell house!

 

 

9. Facial Expressions

Little Miss became very expressive this month.  Her smiles were easier to get :) Mike and I probably looked like crazy people trying to get her to smile.  My heart lights up when she smiles.

 

 Not only was Hailey showing us her feelings, she was also starting to tell us how she felt.  Hailey is an eater!  Because of her reflux, I had to stop nursing her after a few minutes on each side so that she could burp.  My goodness was my girl mad about this!  She would scream and push off of my shoulder while I tried to burp her.  The moment she got back to business she was fine.  It was hilarious!  I would laugh and laugh while she screamed.  I sound so horrible saying that, but I knew she wasn't hurt...she was just ticked off that she wasn't getting what she wanted.  My feisty little miss...

8. Snuggles
Sleepy baby.  That is one way to describe Hailey.  Ever since our trip to Austin Hailey slept through the night.  She loved sleeping and she didn't care where she slept...just like her mommy :)  As the summer ended, I really started letting her nap wherever.  I didn't care if I was spoiling her...she could sleep on my chest, lap, swing...anywhere that was close to me.  I missed her when she was in her crib.  As selfish as it was for me, I cherish those naps like you couldn't believe.

7. Mover and a Shaker
Hailey has always been a mover.  I remember when I was pregnant...she would kick and punch me all day long.  The only time I didn't feel her moving around was when I was sleeping....thank goodness!  During this month she really started to pick up the kicking and grabbing at her animals on the play mat.  Even though it was probably a fluke...she rolled over!  On August 28th she rolled from belly to back for the first time.  Tummy time was definitely a favorite thing this month.

6. Pool day!
Mike's dad has the most amazing pool.  The two of us have spent so many summers by that pool with is brothers and friends.  We couldn't wait to have Hailey join in on the fun.  Dr. Sickler had told us to wait until Hailey was 8 weeks old to get in the pool.  We decided that Labor Day weekend would be the best weekend.  It wasn't too hot and our good friends, Jeff and Lauren, were able to join us.  It was so fun!  Hailey loved the water.  She didn't show a lot of expression, but she was so calm.  It was funny to see her in a huge sun hat with a diaper that looked like it was going to explode.  It was definitely worth the wait.

5. School Days
August meant one thing...back to school.  This is a very bittersweet topic to write about.  I am blessed to have the job that I have and to be surrounded by all of the wonderful people at my school.  I have always been someone who loved to work.  I was very excited for the new school year, but sad (and scared) to leave Hailey.  I knew she was in good hands, but there was always a question in the back of my mind about whether or not I was making the right choice.  Some days...I wish I would have listened to it...

 

 

4. Bedtime Routine

The routines really started to set in this month.  A lot of it had to do with me returning to work.  I needed the structure and so did she.  She was having to wake up earlier so we could get to Mrs. Debbie's in time for me to get to work.  There was a lot going on! It was stressful and wonderful all at the same time.  My favorite routine was her bedtime stories.  Mommies-the BEST books are by Sandra Boynton!  I absolutely love them.  My favorite is "Good Night Pookie".  Hailey's favorite is "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".  I love how interested she looks in some of these pictures.

 



3. Doggie Love
Finally!!  The dogs learned to love Hailey this month.  She also became very aware of them.  Tucker started to relax and Duke would get close to her.  I think Duke took to Hailey the most this month.  In the mornings, I would hear him go in her room and lay down on the dog bed we had in there.  He would follow me in her room when we would read stories before bed.  He even started to lay with her on the floor.  A wonderful friendship between a girl and her dogs started to form this month. 

2.  Bumbo!
It was time to practice sitting up.  Hailey finally had enough neck strength to give the Bumbo a try.  This picture says it all...

1. Monkey Hair
Hailey really started to loose her hair this month.  Poor thing was balding.  On the back of her head she had a little circular bald spot.  I smile every time I see it in pictures.  The dark head of hair she had was being replaced by what Mike and I call "Monkey Hair".  After naps she would wake up with crazy bed head that it reminded me of a baby orangutan!  She quickly took on the nickname "Monkey".

Month 3 was so much fun with our Little Miss!  My little baby girl grew so much physically and emotionally.  Mike and I had so much fun getting to know Hailey.  Her personality was starting to shine and we just knew the best was yet to come.

Love,
Mary

 



2 months!

Hailey's second month was busy, busy, busy.  Hailey experienced her first road trip, had her first bottle, started sleeping through the night,  and met a lot of new friends.

Here are my top 10 Hailey moments from month #2:

10. Her first bottle.
This was a moment that I will never forget.  Since H would be starting daycare in about a month, we figured she needed to get used to drinking from a bottle.  At first I was so excited because it is such a "big girl" thing for Hailey, but once I saw her doing well with it I lost it.  I cried and cried.  She didn't need me anymore.  So silly to think, but that's all I kept saying.  So many mixed emotions.  I was proud of her for doing such a good job, happy that she could take the bottle, and sad because she was getting bigger.

9. Bath time
Bath time was getting to be more and more fun!  I liked to give her baths in the sink, but daddy loved giving her baths in the tub.  She was starting to show so many expressions during bath time and it cracked us up.  This was one of the first routines that H started to rely on.  It is crazy to see how much of a schedule they put themselves on after they get out of the first month sleepiness.



  

8. Nap time

This month we spent a lot of time napping together.  I was still off of work and it was way to hot to be out and about.  I knew the days of napping together were coming to an end, so I had a hard time putting her down once she fell asleep. Those were some of the best naps I've ever had.

 

 

7. Road Trip!

Hailey took her first road trip to Austin the weekend of July 31st.  We went to visit her second parents and Skyler and Tristan.  Hailey did so great on the trip down there.  She slept the whole way down and stayed asleep most of the night.  I was very impressed with my little girl.  The Doerings had not seen Hailey in person since she was born, so it was fun to see how much she had changed to them.  Needless to say, she was held and fought over all weekend.  The trip back went pretty great.  We left during the day and Hailey napped most of the way.  I woke her up in Waco to feed her and she went right back to sleep.  She was the perfect little road trip buddy.

 

6. Sleepy girl!

Hailey was a good sleeper from the beginning.  She wasn't to difficult to put down and she slept really well.  Before our Austin trip, H could do 4-5 hour stretches at night.  While we were there, Little Miss decided to sleep 7 1/2 hours! I thought this was just a fluke because she had spent the day wide awake at the outlet mall.  Seriously, no nap that was longer than 20-30 minutes.  From that weekend on Hailey slept through the night.  She would go down between 10:30 and 11:30pm and sleep until 9 am!  It was heaven.

 

5. Naked baby!
We found out in Hailey's second month that she loved to be naked! This silly girl loved sitting on the changing table just hanging out in her birthday suit. We would get some great smiles during these times. 

 

4. Gassy baby

Hailey loved to toot.  She would let the gas go all the time.  Sometimes she would get some pretty bad gas bubbles that would make her very cranky.  We were starting to worry because as funny as the tooting was, we didn't like it when it made her upset.  Hailey also started having reflux around this time.  She would spit up a lot.  It worried us.  Dr. Sickler calmed a lot of our worries with instructions on keeping her upright after eating and supplementing with formula if we needed.  It all started to work itself out as she grew that month, but the gas still stuck around.  Pappy was the best at getting the gas bubbles out.  Mike and I could rarely get the gas bubbles gone as quickly as Pap could.

 

 

3. Chunky monkey and baby acne
Hailey really started to fill out this month.  She went from 6 lbs 3 oz at birth to 10 lbs 5 oz at her 2 month check up.  Her Aunt Des used to thank me for giving her a baby with rolls :)  I didn't realize just how much she had chunked up until I saw this picture:

Seriously! Check out those cheeks...and that double chin!  Hahaha.  I crack up every time I see this picture.  This month also brought baby acne.  Hailey had it all over her face.  If you look really closely, you can see it in the picture above.  I thought it was an allergic reaction to the soap we were using, but it turns out that a lot of babies get this because of a balancing out of hormones.  It went away the weekend we went to Austin.  Katie and Marc had this amazing baby soap that cleared it right up!

 

2.   Date Nights

Month 2 was filled with lots of dinner dates with our Little Miss.  We had Pappy's birthday at Capital Grille, dinner dates with daddy and mommy, lunch dates with Aunt Helly and Grandma, and girls nights. 

 

 

Hailey loved going on dates.  Her favorites were dinner date.  She hated to be left in her car seat.  She wanted to be in someone's lap watching what was going on. 

 

 

My favorite dinner date was with the girls at Grimaldi's.  She barely napped all day (probably because she was so excited) and then when we got there she was awake the majority of the time! It was about a 3 hour dinner and she was the star of the restaurant.  She got to meet Amy that night.  She loved her mini nap in Amy's arms.  Aunt Lauren had fun showing her off to the entire restaurant! Hahaha.  I still crack up thinking about her taking Hailey from table to table introducing her to people. 

 

 

Mike and I loved taking Hailey to dinner.  She was the best little dinner guest.  Dinner dates with Hailey became a favorite weekend activity for us.

1. Play time
Hailey began to love playing on her mat this month!  She would stare at her animals and the lights for a long time.  She was really starting to take notice of things that light up and make noise. 
The TV was quickly becoming on of her favorite things to stare at.  It was so funny to watch her "watch" TV.  She would stare at the screen for a long time with no emotion on her face.  It cracked me up.

 

My favorite part about play time was the noises she was starting to make.  She would grunt, squeak, and "talk" to us and her friends.  During tummy time she could follow our voices and turn her head to look at us.  Playtime with Hailey was definitely the highlight of month 2 :)

 Hailey found her hands this month too!  She couldn't control them yet, but she would try so hard!  It was so funny to watch her try to grab these things that moved around and hit her in the face. 

Hailey's second month went by faster than I would have liked.  We were getting closer to the end of the summer and the beginning of day care and work.  It really is true what they say...time goes by so fast. 

Love,

 

Mary