Wow Hailey Bear, it’s been quite the month. It started the weekend of July 4th when your Grandma Karen, Grandpa Bruce, and cousin Jacob came to visit from Iowa. They really miss you and are sad that we live so far away. We knew you were getting close to walking before they got here. Grandma told me I couldn’t let you start walking until she got here. Although I didn’t have anything to do with it, her wish came true. You took a step or two, but didn’t really start “walking” until that weekend. Grandma and Grandpa were very excited to be a part of such a special milestone. In addition to walking, you also started to learn to stand on your own. You’ve got the stubbornness and persistence of your father. You tried to stand non-stop for 10 straight minutes. Grunting, huffing, puffing, sweating, and red faced – you didn’t give up until you stood up at least once. Although brief you were SOOOO PROUD! By the end of the weekend you were really getting it figured out.

Then two weeks later you had your first sleepover. You spent the night at Grandpa Nash and Grandma Abby’s house. For as close as they live we don’t get to see them quite as much we’d all like. In the morning before we picked you up we decided to grab some breakfast at IHOP. It was VERY weird to not have you in tow. It’s only been a year, but it’s already starting to get hard to remember life before you. You’re such little angel, it was actually rather a uneventful evening, but I think you all had a blast! You get so tickled at grandpa’s dachshunds, Manny and Ashley.

The next weekend Grandma Luli came to visit from Wichita Falls. All your Grandparents absolutely adore you to bits. But for some reason there’s a unique twinkle in Luli’s eye that sparkles in just a little different way when she sees you. She loves you so much and she has so much fun every time you are together. You seem to have a special bond with her, too. When she leaves the room, you cry in an effort to get her to stay close by. She was also kind enough to watch you while mom and I went to a movie. Toy Story in 3D. 3D movies are now the newest hottest thing – about 1 in 50 new movies are now in 3D. I can’t wait to see what movies are like when you are our age.

So here we are about 3 weeks after you started walking, you’re now ripping around the house like a little mad woman. You stumble every now and again, but standing and walking are pretty effortless now.

It’s been an action packed month with lots of milestones and tons of love for one lucky little girl!

Love,
Daddy

After much practice, I think it’s safe to say you are officially walking. Though you have trouble getting from a sitting position to a standing position, when given a standing start you’ve taken as many as 15 steps at one time! It’s soooo cute to see how proud you are when you succeed!

You are talking a lot more…using different sounds and sylables. You LOVE to play pick-a-boo and will stand behind the wall or cover your face with you lovey and and say “boo!”…well, it sounds more like “Bha”. So it makes sense that you love to be surprised! From getting caught off guard to quick movements…if it startles you, it makes you laugh!

You are growing like a weed! You are by far the tallest one in your class and you carry your weight very solidly so you are heavier than you look. As soon as you are 100% comfortable walking, you will have to move to the toddler room. Which means you will no longer have Catrina as your teacher anymore. 🙁

You are still a big fan of sucking your thumb but aren’t addicted to the pacifier like a lot of children your age. You learned over the weekend how to drink from a straw! It’s already come in handy a few times. You are incredibly smart and you are showing signs of being analytical and methodical…just like your father!

You like to dance (move your body & arms) when you hear music. Your hair is super long…and oh so pretty! It’s got a great color with natural highlights, too. Your eyes are a mystery color. Sometimes they look really blue and other times they look more hazel. The bottom line: you are absolutely beautiful….both inside and out!

It’s only a matter of time now. You are weeks, maybe days, away from walking. This weekend you practiced standing on your own quite a bit…and you did a pretty good job of it! You even took a couple of steps a few different times! It’s only a matter of time before you are up and at ’em!

You have 8 teeth now: 4 full ones on bottom, 2 full ones on the top middle, and the 2 on either side of the top front teeth are about half in.

You’ve been in the pool a few times this summer and LOVE the water. You don’t however, like to be confined to your floatie, just like out of the water, you love to be moving ALL the time!

Oh, and your diaper rash is finally getting better…thank goodness!

A few years from now you can ask me if I remember the time you had the worst diaper rash ever. The answer will be YES! Assuming of course, you never have one that rivals this one!

It all started when we began incorporating cow’s milk into your diet. Thinking your acceptance of it was the only concern, we forged ahead full speed. About 2 weeks in we realized your willingness to drink it was the least of our worries. The big dirty diapers you had in the mornings was our first, and most obvious, indication that something wasn’t right since you NEVER have more than a urine diaper after a full night sleep.

Many poopie diapers and a painful red butt later, we figured out your little digestive system is probably not quite ready for cow’s milk. We immediately stopped giving it to you (about a week ago) but your poor bottom has not quite recovered.

Tonight we took a bath with oatmeal in it which really seemed to help sooth the sore spots. Then you got to play DIAPER FREE on a blanket on the living room floor for about an hour. Though I was fully prepared for it, you surprised me and didn’t go potty at all! YAY!

We’re crossing our fingers that we are hopefully on the road to a full recovery.

Your grandpa Bruce was trimming some trees in the backyard on Sunday when all of a sudden things went terribly wrong. He ended up on the concerete with lacerations in his head and a broken arm! Luickly a few stiches and a sling are going to fix him right up. Be careful Grandpa Bruce!!!

Wow!  Everyone told your mom and I how fast time would fly.  But as first time parents you just don’t get it until it actually happens to you.  It seems like just yesterday your mom called to tell me they were checking her in to the hospital and that you were soon to be on the way.  I have a feeling the coming years are going to go just as fast. 

We are cherishing every beautiful moment with you.  It’s been truly amazing to watch you grow in front of our eyes and the best is yet to come.

Happy first birthday baby girl…