Steam Roller

Haley has been recovering from a severe cold since the beginning of last week. Good thing she is finally getting better with just a mild cough and stuffy nose now. Even being sick didn't stop her from smiling and laughing. Her newest feat is rolling over and over and over and over. She rolls from one side of the room to the other. And when she hits an obstacle like the couch, she just rolls back the other way. She would be great at the game steam roller.

Today while I was folding her clothes I put out her stacking cups. She loved to pick on up and try to eat it. Then throw it down and go for another color. I was amazed watching her reach for her cups and try to figure out how to get them if she couldn't reach, hence the rolling.

Look at all my cups (they were all neatly placed until I got a hold of them)!

Hmmm...I want that purple one

got it...boy it tastes good!

Tomorrow she is taking her first airplane ride to El Paso to visit Grandma and Grandpa Vara. I know they are very excited to see how much she has grown and I bet she'll have a blast with the Vara side of the family. I'll post pictures of her trip when we get home.

Texas Bluebonnets

Spring is one of the best seasons here in Texas. The weather has been beautiful and the bluebonnets are finally out. Last weekend we found a great patch in Montgomery and took some photos of Haley. It was really sunny so it was a hard for Haley to open her eyes wide but she managed to on occassion. She was more interested in grabing the flowers when we would sit her in the middle of the patch, though. We tried to get Buster and Cade (my mom's schnauzer) in a few photos but two dogs, a baby, lots of people and bees didn't make for a good picture.





This video is from a couple of weeks ago when we bought Haley a ball. She had lots of fun with one at Uncle Mark's house. She gets a kick out of it but can't figure out how to get it in her mouth yet!

Haley has come down with her first cold this week and it's so sad to hear her cough. She doesn't seem too bothered by her stuffy nose and coughing yet but we're keeping an eye on it. Hopefully she will get better soon :)

It's swim suit weather

Good news! Matt took Haley to the eye dr. today and she said her eyes look great! Now that means her slight head tilt is likely a muscular issue she probably developed in the womb. She just didn't have enough room to move around :) We have to exercise her neck muscles and it should correct itself.
I started back to work this week so we are all getting adjusted to the new schedule. Overall Haley has done pretty good. It's a relief that my mom is watching her during the day so that made the decision to return to work easier. I miss her tons but at least my new job is still in The Woodlands so I can be close to home.
Here are some photos of Haley in her bathing suit at the Lake last weekend.

Showing off the bow in the back!

Haley and Daddy

I love to stand!

Daddy this water is FREEZING!!! Get me out!

Look who is 6 months!

Wow, already half a year has flown by since Haley was born! She had her 6 month checkup and she is doing great. She weighs 16.2 lbs (50-75%) and is 25 inches long(25-50%). She had 4 shots and did really good, only crying when they first stuck the needle in. By the time the nurse was done and I picked her up she was already done crying. I think she was more mad about being held down then the shots! The doctor did diagnose her with a mild case of torticollis in her neck. It appears she favors her left side, especially when she is tired, and he was a little concerned that if left untreated her neck muscles on her left side could become tight. So he gave us some exercises to start with at home to help stretch her muscles and we are likely going to send her to therapy as well. He also wants her to see a pediatric ophthalmologist to make sure her vision is ok because sometimes a vision problem can cause the neck problem. She has an appointment on Wednesday with the eye Dr. so we'll wait and see what they have to say.
On Wednesday Haley met her Uncle Brian for the first time since he was in town from California for a business trip. She has now met all her Uncles - she has 5! - and still no Aunts.
Haley with Uncle Mark's hat on - the only time she is allowed to wear Texas Tech gear.

Haley and Uncle Brian


On Thursday Grandma Jean, Haley and I went up to Burleson to visit Great Aunt Jan and the Clifford clan (My cousins and kids). Haley had a good time watching Sarah and Abby, who are 6, and Tim, who is 11, play and run around. She loves to watch other kids and I think once Haley is a little older they will love having another playmate. At Great Aunt Jan's house Haley sat in a real highchair for the first time since we use a booster seat at home. She must have thought it was comfy...she feel asleep in the middle of eating her green beans!

Getting big!

We can't believe how big Haley is getting! She has her 6 month checkup later this week so I'll update then on the specifics but we have noticed her feet and hands are looking bigger everyday. She is on track as far as clothes sizes go, just about outgrown her 3-6 months and ready for 6-9 months.
She has really started "talking" a lot, with a few squeals as well! The other day we were outside and Matt heard her screetch from the backyard. I thought something was wrong but it was her just talking.

Here's our silly chunky monkey!


Playing with Buster


She loves this toy but she kept pushing it and making me go get it! So I finally put a blanket in the way so it wouldn't roll as far. I have a feeling when she starts crawling she will love it.


Grandpa Jeff and LeeAnn came to visit on Saturday and brought Haley some adorable outfits, including her first sunglasses. To our suprise she kept them on. As you can see she is just too cool!


Haley loves to be standing so we bought her a walker to go along with her jumper. She has a blast in the kitchen where she can get it to go backwards. Hasn't quite figured out how to get it to move forward yet. And she loves to teeth on the toy. I've been waiting for teeth to apear but nothing yet.

A week of firsts

We had a very adventurous week filled with lots of firsts for Haley. It started with her first bath with toys! She had a blast playing with her rubby duckies and splashing the water everywhere. She was trying to catch all her duckies at once and couldn't figure out why they would float away. She managed to "throw" them overboard some too.
This is fun!!!

I caught the princess ducky:)

I caught the pirate but...wait..what is that blue one? How can I get all three?


For Easter we went to Lake Conroe to relax and took Haley on her first boat ride. She wasn't too into the life jacket to say the least. But once the boat was moving at a reasonable speed she was out. On Saturday Matt, Haley and I went out on the boat without extra help and had some lunch. Haley did great and we were really proud of her being such a big girl at lunch. Getting her back into the life jacket wasn't as much fun but she eventually went back to sleep.

Here she is on her first boat ride with Grandma holding her. She is under that life jacket somewhere. It was also my first time on the boat to not be pregnant - it's much more fun.


Once we got back on land Haley was hanging out on the swing. She loves being outside.


She enjoyed fishing with Daddy too but was asleep when he caught his fish. Her first Easter was great. Grandma and Grandpa Vara and Uncle Michael sent her lots of Easter goodies from El Paso and Great Aunt Gloria sent a basket too. Uncle Mark made her a special gift for her room as well. She didn't have any Easter eggs yet - maybe next year. The best Easter gift of all is our beautiful daughter who fills our hearts with joy everyday!

Check me out - I can sit

Look who is sitting up on her own! She is still unsteady some of the time but for the most part she is liking her new sitting position. She likes it so well that she tries to sit up in her carseat now, which makes it a little hard to strap her in at times. She is also sitting in a highchair at restaurants, at least for part of the meal. She seems to know when the food is coming and always wants out at that time. The days of her sleeping thru the meals seems to be behind us already.

Haley sitting in front of her sing-a-long toy. She loves it because it has lights, a mirror and plays songs. What more could a little girl want?


Sitting up in the bathtub for the first time.


Buster had just given Haley kisses and she was excited.


Tonight we were listening to some music and Haley really got into it. Apparently she likes Ferggie and a little Hip Hop - it was a nice change from "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" (which I have been listening to over and over again and singing in my sleep), but I think her days of listening to hip hop are already over :) I was dancing with her, and for her, and she was laughing away. I'm not sure if she was laughing because she was having fun or laughing because her mom has no dancing ability...either way we were entertained and she was burning off some extra energy before bed.