On Wednesday, Hadley visited her doctor for her two month well baby check up! We were equal parts excited and nervous for this visit. We were very anxious to see how much our sweet girl had grown in the last 8 weeks, but did not look forward to her having to get her first round of vaccinations! 

Here are Hadley's 2 month stats:

• Weight: 10 lbs, 8 ounces (50th percentile)
  
• Length: 23 1/4 inches (80th percentile)
  
• Head circumference:  (60th percentile)
  

At our last doctors visit, when Hadley was only 2 weeks old, she was only in 10th percentile for weight, 25th for length, and 25th for head circumference! Our little girl is growing like a weed! The doctor was pleased with her progress and says developmentally she is right on track!

Our family was teasingly giving me a hard time because I found a video online that showed what tests the doctor's give babies at the 2 month checkup to distinguish between typical and atypical development. I just may have been doing little practice sessions with Miss Hadley to make sure she'd pass her "test" with flying colors! So what if she had a little edge...? It's the teacher in me, I can't help myself! ;) 

Anyway, at the end of the appointment it was time for the dreaded vaccine shots! I'm definitely pro-vaccination, but I'm anti seeing my little girl scream out in pain. Luckily, our nurse was very efficient. Hadley took one vaccine orally and then got three consecutive shots in her upper thighs super quickly! Mommy and Daddy held onto her and comforted her throughout and though she definitely lost it, we were able to calm her down after about a minute of crying.

Our brave little girl. Can't believe she is already 11 weeks old today! Time sure is starting to fly now that we are getting into the swing of things! 

Oh, and in case you're interested (or are just a crazy helicopter Mama like me)...here's the 2 Month Old Baby Development video of the things I was coaching Hadley on... :) 

Say hello to my little friend!! No, not Hadley...she's old news! ;) 

I'm talking about THIS: 

The Graco Pack 'n Play Play Yard Snuggle Suite LX! 

It's the Cadillac of Pack 'n Plays! This little beaut has taken residence in the corner of our bedroom and has made diaper changes a breeze. Like seriously we couldn't live without it! Okayyyy... fine... we probably could, but it sure is handy and Hadley freakin' loves it! I plop her down on the changing section in the morning and she will just stare at the ceiling giggling to herself while I brush my teeth, use the potty, or check to see if my stomach has magically deflated itself any further overnight! It's like the best 3 minutes of the day! ;) 

While the changing table is a daily staple of ours, we had never really used the removable bouncer feature on the left. Well, I take that back... Mason used it to hang his work pants from. But mostly it just sat there all neglected looking, collecting dust.

Then low and behold... a miracle happened. While watching the timeless classic "Knocked Up" for the umpteenth billion time, I caught a Graco commercial for this very same product that I happen to be the happy owner of. The mom in the commercial lifted the bouncer out of the Pack 'n Play and sat her little nugget down in it while she did important things like file her nails and pour a glass of red. That's when the light bulb turned on above my head! Hey WAIT A SECOND!!! Why aren't I using this gadget that I already have!?! I want to file my nails too!!!

If you recall, Hadley isn't the biggest fan of being put down... and I'm totally down with stuffing her in my baby carrying bjorn pouch on occassion, but 11 pounds mounted to your front side for too long isn't very easy on the 'ol back, plus I'd hate to spill wine on her head (talk about a waste)! :)

 Could this magical bouncer be just the tool I've been searching for? Like cat nip for babies? To find out I made Mason bust out the Phillips head and batteries for a little Sunday night project. Suffice it to say he was beyond thrilled! 

But guess what folks?  She LOVED it! Not only does this baby bounce, but it vibrates too! Which babies are into I guess? Who knew!?! 

Not only does she love it, but I LOVE IT because it gives me the gift of time! Yesterday, she sat in that puppy contentedly for a good 30 minutes while I took a quick shower, put on some makeup, and got dressed (relax CPS...she was in the bathroom with me)! 

Then this morning, I pushed my luck a little further and I took a bath and SHAVED MY LEGS! While DRINKING COFFEE!! It might as well have been Breakfast at Tiffany's up in here! 

This device has also allowed me to get back in the kitchen. While she's vibing on down, Mama's whipping up a healthy dinner to enjoy for when Daddy gets home! I've lost 2 pounds since Monday!!! It's a MIRACLE MACHINE! 

If you've got a bun in your oven, you MUST add THIS to your registry. Go on and getcha one! You'll thank me later! 

And just so we're all clear...

*I was not paid for endorsing this product, but Graco - feel free to hook a Mama up! ;) 

**I only put Hadley in her bouncer a few times a day, so that she won't get bored with it and/or develop a vibrating addiction! :) 

Fellow parents... What are your baby gadget must haves??

Allllll by mysellllffff, don't wanna be allllll by myysellfffff anymore... Celine girl, you said it best!

No, but seriously... sitting at home practically all day with an infant is hard y'all. She is not yet at the age where we can play or do fun activities and there is a strict limit set on the number of errands I can drag her along with me on (as seen by her explosive tantrum thrown inside Baby Gap last Friday). I always rolled my eyes at the nay-sayers who said, "Ughhh, I could like NEVER stay at home with a baby all day - I'd be soooo bored!" (this quote is best read in a valley girl voice - at least that's how I read it in my mind) ;) 

My argument, of which, was that I'm not really the type of person that depends on others for entertainment. I can happily fill my days by running errands, reading, working out, and testing out new recipes. The thing that no one tells you is that you can't really do those things with a newborn. I mean yes, here and there I might be able to read one chapter of a book or squeeze in a short trip to the mall, but mainly it's a lot of hanging around the house. And while Hadley is a pretty good napper, she won't take a substantial nap of any kind unless it is on top of Mommy, thus limiting my options even further. 

And trust me, I know I should relish these sweet moments of her wanting me as her personal mattress and I truly am, but sometimes I long for the careless days of my summer freedom that I used to take for granted. Part of me finds myself wishing she was old enough to go swing on the swings at the park or go on a trip to the zoo. Hell.. I can't wait to take her on a trip through the car wash - because WHO DOESN'T love going through the car wash...Am I right!? But on the other hand, I know these precious baby days are fleeting and will be over in a blink. 

So what does one do as they patiently wait for their child to be able to interact with the world around them? You find some other schmucks who are in the same stage of baby captivity that we are in to befriend. The ol' if you can't beat 'em join 'em method... 

Though we have plenty of friends with babies in Houston, we have close to zero in Dallas (although to be fair, many of our buddies are beginning to breed...YAY)! We are starting to have to put ourselves out there to find some peeps who can appreciate our new lifestyle of early-bird dinner dates and having to peace out on outings early because if I don't go home RIGHT NOW  my boobs might explode! The kinds of things only new parents can really appreciate. 

Mason, Hadley, and I went out to dinner on Friday night (so far Hadley is a pro at being an angel baby when we go out to eat - praise the Lord for that) and we met another couple as we were waiting at the valet stand. They saw us walking out with Baby Girl in tow and started chatting us up about their 4 month old. We said our goodbyes as their car pulled up, but Mason and I were left wondering if we should have exchanged numbers. Call us....maybe!?!? :)

Then yesterday, Mason and I went to an informational meeting about joining a nearby church. We looked at the pamphlet of sunday school classes offered, one of which was for married couples with infants, which we are considering joining, even though that is soooo outside of our comfort zone.  We are usually not pimping ourselves out for new friends, but for real, we are in serious need of some fellow parent amigos. 

And I know beggars can't be choosers, but... I was approached by a leader of a "Mom's Club" at the mall a few weeks ago, whilst standing in line at the Starbucks with a dozen other Mommys in serious need of caffeine, who asked me if I was apart of any Mom's groups yet. I optimistically replied, "Ohh! No, not yet!",  thinking YES! This is it! I've found my people. Then she whips out a "business" card where I could look up their group on Facebook for info on their weekly stroller workouts at the mall. 

Am I there? Is this my life? Making laps with my City Jogger past the food court with these unknown ladies to keep my sanity? I'm not sure if I'm quite at the Mommy Mall Walkers of America stage. Are there any mom's groups who sneak wine spritzers in their water bottles and go for strolls down Greenville Avenue? Those are my people! Maybe I should just start my own group? Who's in? :)

We were a little nervous about how Hadley would handle riding in the car seat for four hours straight as we attempted our first road trip to Houston. We decided to time our journey to coincide with her bed time, leaving Dallas around 8pm. She slept the ENTIRE time! Such a little angel! :)

She must have known that she would need her energy, because the next day we took her for her very first swim at GiGi and Pops' pool!

Our little mermaid did such a good job in the pool that we let her take the plunge again the next day, too! 

Can you tell that she hated it!? ;) She's always been a big fan of floating around in the bathtub, so I knew being in a larger body of water wouldn't phase her. I just didn't know if she'd be into the cooler water temperature, but it didn't seem to bother her one bit. Of course, we kept her time in the pool limited so that she wouldn't get too cold!

After a few days of swim practice it was time for the main event -  Fourth of July! Which to Mommy means - Red, White, and Blue Dress Up Day! :) 

We had several good friends come and join in on the fun, including Lauren & Justin and Liz, Jeff, & Benjamin!

Later that evening, we headed to the streets for a "professional" fireworks display conducted by Mason, our in-house pyrotechnic expert! ;) 

It actually, wasn't a half bad show. Too bad Miss Hadley decided that she'd rather catch up on her beauty sleep with Pops, who was happy to join her. 

After celebrating the Fourth, we spent our remaining days in Houston introducing Hadley to a few more friends, taking Mommy & Me (and Daddy & Me) matching photo shoots, and lounging by the pool! 

Hadley had a fabulous time on her first trip to Houston! Oh... and our sweet baby slept the entire way home to Dallas, as well - in broad daylight! :) She's the BEST BABY EVER! :) 

Here are a few videos of Hadley's first swim experiences: 

Our little Star-Spangled beauty turned 2 months old on the Fourth of July! 

Happy 2 Months Hadley!!

And can you even believe that I got this perfect smiling shot of her on the very first try?! My, my... what a difference a month makes! Guess she's getting used to posing for Mama! Aside from baby modeling, here are some of her other favorite things this month...

She is getting more interactive each day and is growing by leaps and bounds! We weighed her this morning and she was 11 pounds!!!! Her 2 month check-up is next week, so I'll update her official stats then. 

Milestones this Month:

• Smiling! Which is just about the best thing ever. Nothing cuter than a baby smiling up at you. 
  
• Holding her head up. She is getting really good at stabilizing her neck when we sit her up.
  
• 1st Swim! She loved getting in the pool and floating around on her baby raft.
  
• 1st Roadtrips! We traveled to Tyler and Houston this month. She is great in the car and slept the entire way TO and FROM Houston  (four hours each way) - such an angel baby! 
• Starting to coo and "chat" with us!
  

Clothing/Diapers: 
Still amazingly wearing Newborn diapers although we are about to transition to Size 1. In clothing  she still fits in Newborn sizes as well, but is slowly making her way into the 0-3 month category. 

Sleeping:
Hadley sleeps on average about 6 hours straight, before she wakes up to nurse and then she'll go back to sleep on and off for another couple of hours. Her longest stretch of sleep so far was 7.5 hours! Can I get a hallelujah!? She is still sleeping swaddled up in her Rock 'n Play in Mommy & Daddy's room, but we are about to switch her to the Pack 'n Play because her long legs are beginning to be a little squished! 

Nicknames: 
Had, Hads, Boo Boo

Favorite Toy: 
Her swing

She is such an easy going and content baby. We are so enjoying watching her grow each day! 

Hadley, here are a few things that Mommy & Daddy have loved best about you this month...

Mommy Loves: 

• That you recognize his voice and will turn to look at him!
  
• How you throw your arms up when you're startled (He calls them your symphony arms because it looks like you're conducting a symphony!)
  
• You're beautiful big blue eyes (We thought for sure you'd be a brown eyed girl!)
  
• Going on trips to the popsicle stand (Steel City Pops)! 
  
• Watching you smile and make new sounds!
  
• Diaper time - especially in the morning when you are all smiles on the changing table.
  

Month two has been a great one! We can't wait to see what's up next! We love you sweet girl! XOXO!

Yesterday, Mason and I celebrated 3 years of matrimonial bliss. 

In years past, we have always celebrated in grand fashion by taking a trip somewhere fun!
 
For our first anniversary we took a trip to San Francisco. 

On our second anniversary, we took a pretty extravagant trip to Europe (knowing that it might be our last big trip for awhile). 

This year, our third year, was pretty scaled back by comparison. Ha!

My, my how the times have changed.... But in many ways for the better! We'll get back to our glamorous vacationing one of these days, but until then we are enjoying our cute anniversary present that we gifted ourselves this year! 

A special thank you and shoutout to Aunt Claire for babysitting while we snuck away for a dinner date at Uchi to celebrate! 

Happy Anniversary to a great husband and daddy, Mason! Love you!