Hadley the Jet Setter

Hadley and I just got back from a 9 day trip to Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful time, but missed Brett and the dogs so much! Here are some highlights from our trip:

We went on a total of four plane rides, connecting in Charlotte on the way there and back. 

Hadley slept through all of them. I think the loud humming of the engine and the hot, shakey plane provided her with a soothing, womb-like experience.

As soon as we got off the plane, we attended a party for Aunt Brynn's college graduation. We got to see lots of family there including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents. 

We attended Aunt Emily's graduation from Lehigh, and then a family party afterwards. Hadley met her Uncle Rob for the first time and had lots of fun playing with Mema's windchimes!

We took a trip to Lehigh University, and Hadley saw the church where Mommy and Daddy got married.

Future Lehigh student? It certainly runs in the family.

Hadley got a chance to visit with six of her grandparents and three of her great-grandparents! 

This southern belle will be back up north when we drive to PA for a wedding in a few weeks. We can't wait!

Hadley is Four Months Old!

Today our little girl is four months old! She has changed so much over the past month. She can now roll both ways, sit by herself for a few seconds, and accurately grab her toys. She's more interested in the world around her than ever, and has recently become very interested in interacting with the dogs. She screeches to get their attention, then tries to pet them. Bode is always a willing participant, though Sadie keeps her distance.

Now that Hadley's a little older, we've been venturing out of the house more. We go to baby story hour at the library once a week. Babies sit in their mother's laps while the teacher, Mr. Scooter, teaches them sign language, sings songs, and reads to them. At the end he turns on a bubble machine and the babies get to pop bubbles. Learning sign language during story hour has inspired us to use it with Hadley at home. It allows babies to communicate before they have developed the ability to speak. 

Hadley's also been enjoying going to the beach with us. Even though the water is really cold, she didn't mind putting her feet in it. She was a real trooper, standing in the waves and getting sandy. When she's had enough of the water, she takes a nap in her tent while mommy and daddy get some sun.

Hadley's 4 Month Stats:

Eyes: Blue
Hair: Getting longer and lighter by the day...looking strawberry blonde lately
Height: 24.5 inches
Weight: 13.6 pounds

Likes:
Playing with toys that make noise and light up
Any type of screen she can find (TV, computer, etc) We try to discourage this as much as possible!
Kisses from Bode
Her paci
Sleeping on her side
Books...especially The Hungry Caterpillar and Goodnight Moon
Her peacock toy
Playing with the remote control

 

Dislikes:
Getting her nails clipped.
Being kissed on the cheek
Napping in her crib

Here's a lineup of her monthly pictures!

    

Huggies and Chuggies!

Back when I was pregnant with Hadley, our neighbors threw us a beautiful baby shower, and I have been waiting eagerly to return the favor! Will and Claire's baby, Grace, is due this June. Since Claire already had two baby showers, we thought a co-ed beer and diaper shower would be fun. I hosted the shower with two other girls. It was yellow & purple themed in honor of Will and Claire's Alma mater.

Brett created the chalkboard art for the occasion:

We had a "Diaper Thoughts" activity for guests to write funny notes for Will and Claire to read during late-night diaper changes:

Some koozies for favors:

And lots of yard games.

 After eating some burgers and hot dogs, the boys had a contest to see who could drink a baby bottle of beer the fastest. The guys were all surprised by how difficult it was!

The guest of honor, Will, won the contest!

His prize was a beer cake.

Congrats to Will and Claire! We can't wait to meet baby Grace!