Hadley's Birthday!

I am a bit late in putting up Hadley's birthday pictures. My friend took them for us and we just got them back. Unfortunately, most of them were lost, so I don't have any of Hadley blowing out the cake or opening gifts. But there are some cute ones of Hadley anyways. It was an Elmo-themed party, and I made Hadley an Elmo cake and Sesame Street shirt for the party. It was a fun day, even though the wind was so bad so we couldn't go play outside.Yes, a nose-picker picture. Thankfully now she is getting out of this habit.

Ever since her party, every time she sees an Elmo she breaks out singing, "Happy Birthday."

Almost 37 weeks!

Friday I will be 37 weeks. These contractions are getting stronger and I have progressed a little further. My midwife thinks I will make it to my appointment next Monday, but after that they are not sure. They feel like the baby boy should be fine at that point.

I have been staying off my feet as much as possible, but we still get to do some fun activities, with the help of Chris and some friends. Sometimes friends have lent me their children to go to the pool and chase Hadley around. Chris goes on the weekend and has Hadley duty, but this past weekend we got her a swim suit with a floatie tube in it. She was able to get around the pool as she pleased without us constantly rescuing her from the deep end. Only problem is that now she is even more brave and constantly wants to jump off the side.

Hadley has also been getting a few play dates, so she is still playing and interacting with others. We are getting ready for the baby...Chris got the cradle up in our room tonight. My bags are mostly packed, and most of Wyatt's things are washed. His bedding is made, although I still need to make him a mobile and the curtains for his room. I am not sure if those will get done in time, though. Probably not! I also still need to get a rocker or recliner chair! Maybe I will have one waiting when I get home from the hospital :)

Things have been interesting around here the last few weeks. At 33 weeks along one night I started having some pains very similar to early labor pains with Hadley. For a while I had been having some other pains, too when we hiked or when I was speed walking. So I spoke to my doctor about it and she checked. I was dialated between a 2-3 and was sent to the hospital for a few shots. One to stop the contractions that they determined I was having and another to help develop Wyatt's lungs faster in case he came early. I am not supposed to work now, since I lift children at my work and was told to try to stay off my feet as much as possible. Sometimes that can be tough with Hadley. Other times it can be boring. I still have contractions here and there, but not too many. So I stay in more and am trying to keep this baby in a bit longer. In a few more days I will be 35 weeks. The picture below is of me at 33 weeks.And here I am at 34 weeks and feeling full of baby.Below, our garden is doing well and Chris is holding our first green beans. We should have a lot more in the next few weeks.No more hiking until after the baby...doctor's orders. But I had to include this one. Hadley really started to enjoy the Saturday hikes. But no worries, we have a pool here and we have been doing that one some Saturdays.

The Pregnant Trio!

Some of our family memebers may think this was a plan, but it wasn't. It just happened to be the time we all wanted to get pregnant. My cousin (the redhead) is due July 4th. Her baby is her first and is a boy! I am now 33 weeks pregnant (although in this picture I was around 25 weeks), and my sister is 6 weeks behind me and is having her third girl. We all spend Christmas Eve together, so it will be a baby-full holiday. That is so fun because we have always enjoyed holding 'the new baby' at Christmas the last few years. It might be a little chaotic, but the good thing is that there are plenty of aunts and uncles and cousins to help! And they love to help!

Summertime!

Our summer kicked off here with a family reunion in Mesa, Arizona. We got to stay with my sister, Erin and her family in Phoenix, and even escape the heat when we headed to the mountains one day for fun at a cabin that Chris' grandfather had built. We had fun getting to know Chris' uncles, aunts and cousins and it gave Hadley a chance to have fun with her cousins. Previously when being around them she was still 'the baby.' One of our days in Arizona was pretty relaxed, so we went to a splash park and the YMCA to let the kids play in the water. Hadley is such a little fish. She has no fear and will wander right in over her head at the blink of an eye.

Above: I am 31 weeks here. Luckily my suit works good enough for a big belly. I really didn't want to buy a maternity suit.

Pregnant sisters! We sure have 'planned well.' Cousins Hadley and Niyah are 8 months apart (can't say they are buddies yet...they still fight most of the time over toys), and our next babies will be only 6 weeks apart! So fun!Below: Right before the reunion, Chris' folks drove through New Mexico and stayed a few days with us. We took them for a nice hike, and it was the best Hadley behaved on any hike yet!

And below are a few pictures of Hadley getting ready to go swimming here in New Mexico. We got a pool pass to the pool near us. Hadley enjoyed her first snowcone and loved it! She has become queen of the cheesy smile.

Too cute not to post!

I just think these are too cute not to post! Hadley and I went to the Botanical Gardens on Monday. She is getting to be a little poser for the camera, and I love it! She got to run around to her heart's content. The first picture I just took, then I told her to smile and got the second picture. That is so Hadley lately!

Another thing this little stinker has done lately is more repeating. Today she's been saying, "Dang it!" and even a few times, "Dang it, Hadley!" I guess it could be worse, but it doesn't sound the nicest to hear a two year old say that! Oops!

Hiking Trip

With the weather nice in the mornings, we have been trying to get out on the weekends for some hiking. At the end of April we did Bandelier, about 2 hours away. It is just a bit past Sante Fe, and has lots of old Puebloan Indian ruins from homes to ceremonial sites. It is a bit similar to the Anasazi Ruins, which we did years ago when we lived in Utah. Hadley did pretty well...actually hiking a bit over a half mile herself. She had fun picking up rocks and finding holes in bigger rocks to hide them. It was fun to scramble up and down the ladders and the weather was great. It was nice to see some greenery for a change and enjoy the smells of nature.
Below: A random piece of asparagus growing. I couldn't find any others. Chris said he was surprised I didn't pick it to eat it.And no trip is complete without a tantrum...
Hadley liked putting little rocks in holes of bigger ones. The rocks are called tuff and are really porous, so they have lots of holes in them.