Friday, January 3

Transplant Holiday Party



One of the projects Karl has been working on at IU Health is with the transplant department. Because he is so great at his job, we were invited to their highly exclusive holiday party. It gave us a reason to get a babysitter and to get dressed up for some adult time. We weren't sure what to expect and I didn't know anyone but it was a very elegant party at the downtown Indianapolis Library.  It was a very beautiful set up with food stations of all kinds, drinks and a casino night. Everything was paid for so we just got to relax and play some black jack with fake money for prizes.  The girls did fine with our regular babysitter, Chelsea and there is proof that I actually put on a dress!


This actually did happen! Of course, it only happens when I am playing with fake money for raffle prizes!

Friday, December 6

8 Months Old

Hadley has really changed a lot this month! She is moving all over the house, has her two bottom teeth and is super loud.  All of a sudden she went from sitting up to army crawling everywhere as fast as possible. She can get up on her hands and knees but prefers to just wiggle to get around the house on her belly. She can go in all directions and scoots very fast.Hadley loves to stand, jump and walk around holding hands. Anything but laying down is good for this girl!

Her two bottom teeth popped through right after Halloween. She definitely likes to use them and wants to chew on anything and everything. I can't see any others close to the surface but it looks like her top gums are pretty swollen as well so those might not be far behind. Now that she has teeth she loves to feel them with her tongue and make all kids of funny faces with her tongue and lips. I'm a little worried that she is going to become one of the "biters" because she really loves to get all things in her mouth, much more than Ally ever did so hopefully we can keep it to toys and not people.

Hadley has been eating a steady diet of breast milk and pureed foods but really loves to feed herself snacks. Pretzels and cheerios are her favorite but she will try just about anything. We have given her some meats and she seems to eat best when we can keep her hands occupied either with a spare spoon or something else. She has to be in the right mood to want to sit in her chair and eat because she gets easily distracted. I think carrots are her least favorite food thus far. I am still nursing at home, mostly because she just really likes it. She takes bottles fine if I am no where around or if we are out but she is a mommy's girl and finds it comforting. Her sleep at night is completely dependent on her eating habits so if she doesn't get enough milk during the day, you can guarantee she will wake up sometime between 3 and 5 and want to nurse. Most of the time she sleeps great but I always know I will be up in the night if she grazes during the day rather than taking all of her bottles. The girls are so different in the nursing/eating department so I am doing my best to keep up. We have a big stock pile of frozen milk (even after sharing some with a friend that was having trouble) so we will see how long we can last. Its a small inconvenience for me but  not having to buy formula and the extra snuggle time I get with Hadley when I'm not working is awesome.We are going to start working on the cup with water this week and see how she feels about that.

This month Hadley also experienced her first ear infection so that was not very fun. The whole day care room was infected with colds, ear infections and RSV. She was pretty miserable for a few days but it cleared up after a dose of antibiotics and a few days home.

Again, I did a terrible job taking pictures this month but here are a few. We are almost out of the 6 month clothes and her hair is starting to get thick and curly! She has the best gray/green eyes too.


Tuesday, December 3

Happy Birthday Grandma

We made a secret trip up to Wisconsin to surprise my mom on her 50th birthday. Uncle Corey flew to our house on Thursday then we all drove up to Oshkosh on Friday to get there before my mom got home from work. We had sent her flowers at work and talked to her during the day but she had no idea we were on our way to visit. Grandpa Dew and some other family members were in on the secret to help coordinate the details. When she arrived home from work, it took her a few minutes but she found her "presents" sitting quietly in the living room. Her face was priceless! She was definitely surprised to see the girls but then even more shocked to see Corey sitting on the couch. It was awesome! We celebrated with a family dinner and cake and even though we had strict orders not to have a big party, we still got to give her a 50th birthday surprise. Karl did his best to get the moment on video- not sure why it turns but the audio is the best part anyway. It was a very short visit but worth it to have us all there together.

Tuesday, November 12

Halloween on Nov. 1

 
October 31 was a complete wash out here in Indianapolis, so much so that two days before Halloween they moved the trick or treat to the day after because of the coming storm. It started raining on the 30th and didn't let up until late in the night on the 31st. Ally had a small Halloween party at school  on the 31st where she got to spend the day playing with messy things and eating treats in her costume. It actually worked out really well to move the trick or treating to the next day because it gave us more time doing it on a Friday night. We rushed home and tried to get a quick dinner in before bundling up to go outside before it got dark. Earlier in the week we spent time carving a pumpkin so Ally was excited to put it outside by the candy. We had been tipped off that Halloween was really fun in the neighborhood because everyone just puts a big bowl on their step or hangs out in the driveways with fire pits and candy because there are so many kids. We weren't sure what to expect or if Ally would even be into it this year. We learned that age 4 is definitely when the concept of Halloween clicks in a kids mind because she was all about getting the candy. She walked down a couple of streets collecting one piece at a time and being very polite, even shy at times about it. She liked to stand at the door and yell trick or treat rather than ring the bell and wait for someone to answer but it all works. Hadley rode along in the stroller and passed out towards the end. Once it got dark and cold, the neighborhood quieted down so it was some short-lived excitement but still a great place to be for Halloween. 
 
Spider Girl
Babys first halloween
Little girl leopard

Trick or treating with the Colts DB Pat Angerer




Fall Photos: Packers and Pumpkins