Do we get to keep her if we guess correctly?

Sorry, Michelle. No one guessed the exact weight so it looks like Hayley will be sticking around here. The winner of the best guess award goes to Miss “I can’t remember how much babies are supposed to weigh at that age” Marliese, with a guess of 10 lbs 8 oz.

Hayley weighed 10 lbs. 9 oz.! And that puts her in the “less than 5th” percentile. Not bad considering that at her two-week checkup she wasn’t even on the percentile chart! Oh, and she is in the 10th percentile for height. Yep, that’s how we grow them around here. The good news is that she still fits into size 1 diapers, she hasn’t outgrown many of her clothes, and she is still easy to carry around all day, which is just the way she likes it. She takes after her sister Alyssa who was also a very slow gainer. When I asked the doctor back then if I should change my diet and eat more fat or calories to help her grow, he helpfully pointed out, "Your body has plenty of fat on it already, it just doesn't know how to use it." Hmmm. Not much has changed.

You'll never guess what the pediatrician suggested: Feed her chocolate to fatten her up. (Works for me!)

See how much she loves it? Takes after her mother. (Real story: Corinne, I told you not to kiss Hayley because you have a cold! I didn't, Mom, she says innocently with chocolate chip cookie remnants all over her mouth. Right.)

Guess how much she weighs?

Hayley is 4 months old and just had her official dr. checkup, shots and all.  Because she was so small at 2 months (7 lbs. 15 oz) the doctor suggested supplementing her with a little formula.  I’ve been doing that for the past few weeks, along with nursing her every 3-4 hours, so take a guess how big she is now!  Leave comments and I’ll let you know who’s guess is the closest.

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Way to go, Grant!  He worked hard and earned his Webelos Badge and his Arrow of Light and was presented with both at a special ceremony during last night’s Blue and Gold Banquet.

You can tell it was a big night for him.  Grant is such a hard worker and is very focused on achieving goals.  He has had some terrific leaders and three great years of fun.  Unfortunately, due to our move and the decision not to have Pinewood Derby races every year, Grant has never participated in a race as a Cub Scout.  He groaned in frustration last night when it was announced that the Derby will be in March because he turns 11 at the end of the month.  What injustice.

One last note:  as proud as I am of Grant, the title of this post was for me, not him.  I apologize in advance for rubbing this in to all of you with little boys, but WE ARE DONE WITH PACK MEETINGS!!!  WAHOO!

If you need me…

I’ll be in the laundry room.  Yes, I’m a little bit behind.  And I wish this was it, but this picture doesn’t even show Hayley’s clothes, or the bedding I need to wash.  Not to mention what I might find on the floor of my kids’ rooms.  And there is currently a load both in the washer and the dryer.  I actually don’t really mind the washing part—it’s the sorting and the folding and the putting away that seem to take forever!  By the time I finish there will be a stack this big waiting for me again. 

Anyone else have this much trouble keeping up?  I used to be on top of things,  and Jillian has noticed the difference because she said to me in frustration a few weeks ago when she couldn’t find her favorite clothes:  “Mom, just because you had Hayley doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the laundry!”

Really???  And she didn’t think I was very funny when I begged for everyone’s help:  “Can all of you give me a break and stop wearing clothes?  Please, just for a few weeks?  It would save me so much time!”  Don’t worry, no one took me seriously.  And if they had, I wouldn’t be posting pictures.

Overheard

Corinne: Dad, where do you put all the money that you make for us?
Dad: It's in the bank.
Corinne: Why do you give it to them? I thought it was for us!!
Dad: The bank just keeps it safe. They give it back to us when we need it.
Corinne: Oh, good, because I need it!
Dad: You do?
Corinne: Yes, so I can go to the mall.

Why Don’t I Post More Often?

Because this is what happens when I try to put Hayley down! But I can handle it because she is a great sleeper at night. Oh, how I love these moments:

And when I really need to get something done, this is what I do:

I wear her around! Thanks, Tracy, for the swing and Brooke for the Bjorn—what would I do without those things?

I can’t believe that Hayley is already 3 months old. We blessed her two weeks ago and she was such an angel.

When I hold Hayley these days I think of my little nephew Dexter and how much his parents want to take him home and cuddle him all day. It keeps things in perspective and reminds me to savor these moments. Monette and Aaron—we love you and pray like Corinne that Dexter “will get out of the hospital soon and stay healthy forever!”

The Saddest Day of the Year

Jillian loves Christmas! She was so excited to decorate the house after Thanksgiving. She made sure that we went caroling, made a gingerbread house, watched Christmas movies, drank hot chocolate, made wrapping paper, decorated cookies, read Christmas stories, went to Temple Square, and much more during the month of December. It's all very important to her and she was so excited for the big day. We had a wonderful Christmas Day as a family but when I tucked her in that night she was in tears because it was all over. I assured her that we still had some fun things to look forward to in the next few days, including a New Year's Eve party at Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Dave's house. She cheered up and we had a good week sledding, swimming, going to the aquarium, and playing with friends. But on New Year's Day when we started un-decking the halls, she was inconsolable. "This is the saddest day of the year!," she sobbed. "The next holiday is a whole month away." "You mean Valentine's Day?" I asked. "No, Groundhog's Day--and it's not even a very fun holiday because we hardly celebrate it at all!" Hmmm, I guess I need to start putting up our groundhog decorations??? And making groundhog cookies???