In the past year I have fallen off the wagon in "blog keep up" and I dread the day Hadleigh comes to me and asks, "Mom, why didn't you blog about my first years like you did with Avery?" And I will say, "well, there just wasn't enough time in the day... and you had many more friends than Avery because I socialized you more quickly... so it evens out." See that? Excuses are my thing. But really, Hadleigh does deserve her time on this blog page and since we've been so busy there is much to write about in regards to our beautiful baby girl.
The first thing anyone should know about Hadleigh is that she is the sweetest, cuddliest little girl alive. She always enjoys a good cuddle and is more than happy to flash a smile to anyone who is willing to look in her direction. In fact, not only will she smile and flirt with everyone, but she smiles so big, so widely that you think there is no way she can smile more largely... you really could fit a hanger in her mouth because she just smiles harder than any human would ever think possible. She's been a happy baby (if not a bit whiny sometimes, but we'll get to that later) and if a person is willing to give her a moment of their day she will reward them with cuddles, smiles and sweetness because if there is one thing this girl loves, it is to be in someone's arms that cares about her. And how could you not love this face?
Hadleigh is a great little sister, not only because she loves her older sister with all of her being and wants to do everything Avery does but because she still loves her when Avery wants nothing to do with her. Avery has had a bit of a hard time adapting to going from an only child to a big sister who has to share many of her toys and doesn't have the attention of everyone around her. Yes, Avery does love her little sister and can be very sweet with her but at first I don't think she cared to acknowledge her existence. Adapting = Difficult. Hadleigh, on the other hand, is more than willing to share anything and everything with Avery and follows her big sister around constantly... so much so that I think Avery is almost starting to enjoy her. Hadleigh's favorite place in the house is Avery's room simply because she gets to play with all her big sister's toys and gets to be in her presence.
Milestones are a bit of a delayed practice around our house. Avery didn't hit all her milestones as quickly as I thought she would and Hadleigh is on the same learning curve although she is a bit faster and I think that is due to having a toddler to mimick. Hadleigh learned how to crawl in her ninth month and is the fastest crawler you have ever seen. My favorite moments of the day are when I am chasing Hadleigh so that she doesn't get into something she knows she is not supposed to and her little knees and bum are hawling as fast as she possible can go because she doesn't want me to catch her. There is nothing more entertaining than catching her and hearing her squeal and laugh in the aftermath of it all. Sometimes I pretend to chase her just because it's such a cute sight and can brighten my day. She has just recently started pulling up and cruising the furniture and you've never seen a child so proud of herself in your life! It's pretty much the only thing she does as of late. All day long it's a repetitive movement of her crawling to find something she can pull up on and then standing there as long as she can. It doesn't take much to entertain this girl of ours.
It shouldn't be surprising that Hadleigh loves to talk... I am her mother after all, she's had a good teacher. The first word Hadleigh ever spoke, after "mama" and "dada" of course, was "okay." And it is one of the cutest things you've ever heard. Until you've heard a nine month old say "okay" you can't say that you've seen the most darling thing in the world. She has mastered "buh-bye" and "hi." She also likes to say thanks and yell Avery's name but they come out more like, "anks" and "aaa-eee". Other than those core words she jabbers all day long... seriously. ALL. DAY. LONG.
Hadleigh has a core of favorite people, although if you have two minutes alone with her and pamper her completely you will become a favorite of our girl. She's a lovely child in that way. I'm somewhat chuffed to say that I think I rank as the top dog on her list but that's probably only because I rescue her from her sister the most often... and I LOVE to cuddle with her... oh, and I feed her.
Quickly following behind mommy is her daddy as she loves him mightily. Rob loves to tease her and plays around with her and Avery on the floor so he definitely ranks high on the "fun" list!
As I've already said, Avery is the person Hadleigh most looks to in the way of learning and wants nothing more than to run around after her and do everything her big sister does... now if only her legs would cooperate! Soon, very soon.
Grandma Bowen always gets a great smile out of Hadleigh and she loves her even more for all the cuddles she gets from her, oh, and the chocolate, Grandma Bowen always seems to have some sort of chocolate stashed away for her! A
untie Di-Di is both of our girls' favorite person on the planet. I wish I could say that Rob and I are the ones that get the girls all happy and giddy but unfortunately, this is not so. All we have to do to see the kids get really excited is to open the door to our house and have Di-Di walk through the door. It's insane, you've never seen two little girls get so excited to see someone. Diane is a phenomenal aunt and Hadleigh and Avery are very well aware that they have the most awesome and fun aunt on the planet... who else is going to play on the floor of their bedrooms for hours on end with them?
Avery has a wonderful aunt, uncle and cousin who live way too far away from us. Deneen, Michael and Alec live in Texas and are the first people who are waiting on the other end of email to tell us how great the photos are of Hadleigh and are there to welcome us when we get into town, whether it be California, where we all vacationed or in Texas when we come to visit. (They also send her some pretty great loot! See... she's a spoiled girl!) Although the time they are able to spend with Hadleigh and Avery is limited, they always make the most out their time together.
And finally, Grandma and Grandpa Johnston are on the list as well. Hadleigh gets to "talk" to them every Friday or Saturday on the phone since they live in Houston but she loves hearing their voices each time we get them on the phone. She also loves video conferencing with them but more than anything she loves seeing them up close and personal when they visit us or when we go to see them... Grandma and Grandpa always have plenty of fun things planned for the girls and spoil them ferociously!
Hadleigh is surrounded by a wonderful family and I firmly believe she knows that, even as young as she is... what with all the happiness she's putting out into the universe, I have a hard time believing she thinks her life is rough.
Due to the friends Avery and I have met during the past few years (seriously, we have the most wonderful friends on the planet) Hadleigh was brought into the world surrounded by instant friendships. Whether it be the fellow moms in our playgroup or the children who love to coddle and play with her, she is encompassed by a huge amount of love. She adores all of our friends, who love her in return, and is always so happy to see her friends each week when we get together for activities. She's a child that has been on the move since she was born as she has a mother who has a hard time staying inside her home and would much rather be out and about. The poor girl has probably had more naptimes in her carseat while her mother carts her older sister around the city to different activities but because of that she also seems to be a child who can roll with the punches much more easily than her sister did. She's a charming girl at all times... almost.
The only time Hadleigh isn't so charming is when she is whining. I don't know if it is due to the fact that she has to compete for attention with Avery or if it is just her personality but there are times that I think if I put her in a whining contest, my girl would win. The whining always seems to kick into high gear when I am trying to fix dinner and if she doesn't have the perfect toy or snack to keep her entertained she will make sure you know how she feels about it! I'm hoping this trait will soon change itself into a good self confidence and knowing what she wants rather than just something that drives her parents insane... if it doesn't, I'm pretty sure that both of her parents will go prematurely bald.
In the end, Hadleigh is a lovely girl with a lovely temperament. She can bring a spot of sunshine into anyone's life just by smiling at them and flashing her lovely blue eyes (the one trait she gets the most compliments about) their way. She has the most superb giggle and hearing her laugh makes my heart leap. Beyond anything, she's ours... and that is the most wonderful thing I can say about her... that we are the ones who get to love her day in and day out and receive her love in return. Being her mother is an honor I'm so glad God entrusted me with.
Happy 1st Birthday to our Baby Hadleigh! We love her more than words can say!
