WOW! Children change daily. This weekend really proved this. Haylee has always been quiet...kind of an observer. However, this weekend she really showed us that she has been listening to us. :o)

This weekend she learned some animal sounds:

snake

dog

cow

monkey

lion

and she also has learned and uses the sign for please in the right situation.

 It is really AMAZING!

When I am teaching at school and a student FINALLY understands a concept that you have been trying to teach them it makes you feel proud and happy. When it is your own child...it is 10 times better!!

We hope you all had a great weekend.

 Oh yea...we took Haylee to the zoo this past weekend with her friend Karys and her parents. It was so much fun! The girls seemed to enjoy it. The pictures will be posted soon. I tried to download them but my camera batteries ran out. OOPS! Check back later.

Sorry I am a little late posting a journal entry. We have had a very busy month! Time just flies by so fast.

Our little Haylee is getting so big! She seems to have hit a little growth spurt this month (with her height). Funny story for those of you who haven't heard yet... Travis and I both noticed that Haylee was getting taller and that she was going to be in need of new shoes soon. Well, one weekend we had her playing outside in the back of daddy's truck. Her shoes were filthy so I decided to wash and dry them. I don't know what I was thinking because the dryer obviously shrunk the shoes. We had to go that day to buy her a new pair. When we arrived at Stride Rite the lady came over and measured Haylee's foot. Now, mind you that Haylee's other shoes were a size 2 1/2. So I was thinking she was probably in a 3- 3 1/2. I had been feeling the top of her shoe and thought she still had room. Was I wrong!?!?! Haylee wears a size 5! Needless to say, we felt bad! We were cramming her foot into that tiny pair of shoes. The pair that we bought were a cute little pink and white velcro pair. Which takes us to another story, still about shoes! :o) After 2 weeks of battling Haylee with keeping the shoes on her feet, we took her back to get a pair that tied! This month we learned a lot about shoes! :o) HA!

This month Haylee has really begun to like milk. She drinks a sippy cup full of milk with every meal. Eating is still a challenge. Haylee LOVES fruit! You can always get her to eat it. Vegetables are a different story. We have even gone as far as hiding them in other food to try to get her to eat them. She is really good at eating around them. The next step is trying recipes from the cookbook The Sneaky Chef. Her diet changes from day to day. I will think that I found something she really enjoys and the next day she spits it out.

Talking... Not so much. :o) Haylee loves to babble still and will say dada, or da da, or d d ....She says dada in different volumes, tones, and with different pronunciations (if that makes sense). EVERYTHING is da da. Just like eating, she will say a word once and then never say it again. I am beginning to think that she is just playing a game with us. I know that one day she will just blurt out everything that she has been listening to and probably won't quit talking. Haylee is a VERY smart girl. When reading a story or playing with her Haylee can point to objects or people that we name. She knows what we are saying, but can not communicate back to us.

Haylee really enjoys playing outside. We are looking forward to the Spring weather so she can spend more time outdoors. We just built her a small play area in the backyard so she has a nice, clean, dog-free place to play (pictures are in the March folder). Haylee likes to play on her slide that we have back there. It is really neat because just a few weeks ago she need our help to climb up and get to the slide...but now she is a big girl and can climb up on our own. It is really amazing to see how much the grow in just weeks.

This month will be busy. We are taking her to the zoo this weekend with her friend Karys. The next weekend we are going to Abilene to visit Aunt Kristen and Uncle Dave. I will be off of work for Spring Break. Then it is Easter and Daddy's birthday. March is going to FLY bye!!

Haylee turned 13 months a few days ago. She is getting so big. Maybe I should just say so smart. She is a small little thing. I weighed her a few days ago because we are anxiously waiting to put Haylee in her new carseat and have our little one face forward during car rides, but she is still too small. She has only gained 2 ounces this month. She weighs 19 pounds 7 ounces. We have a little more than half a pound to gain.

I guess part of the reason that Haylee isn't really gaining a whole lot of weight is because she is a picky eater. She will eat any kind of fruit and some meat, but she does not like veggies. She may eat something really well one day and the next not want anything to do with it. It really is pretty difficult trying to get her to eat the right things that she needs to grow. Since switching her to whole milk she has been drinking less. She just doesn't seem to care for the milk. It's been a chore getting her to drink 3 or 4 ounces. The doctor recommends 16-20 ounces a day. So we are far from that. We decided to step back and move onto the stage 2 formula and mix it with half milk. Since doing that we have noticed her drinking more. So maybe after we finish this canister we will try the whole milk by itself again.

This last week Haylee has had a difficult time sleeping. I though it had to do with her not drinking enough milk and waking up hungry, but she has still had a few restless night since going back to the formula. I have come to the conclusion that she is beginning to teeth again. She has the obvious symptoms of constant drooling and hands in the mouth, but I don't feel anything just yet.

Haylee has become quite the "babbler". Not many real words yet, but I know the are soon to come. Haylee will repeat something you say once and never say it again. Maybe she is going to be quiet like her mama. Haylee will point to the things that she wants and shake her head yes or no (something recent within the last day or so). This is very helpful since she isn't talking.

Haylee still really LOVES books. With all of the toys she received for Christmas, she chooses to play with books. She will be one smart little girl when she grows up! Also, her love for music is so funny. Anytime Haylee hears music, whether it be on the radio, t.v., or in a book, she will dance. She will sway her head back and forth, bounce up and down, clap her hands, and now twirl in a circle. It is so cute. We get a big kick out of watching her new dance moves.

Be sure to keep checking for updates on our soon to come NEW FAMILY BLOG. Haylee's totsite expires next month and costs quite a bit of money so I am in the process of creating a family blog. As soon as I get it up and running I will be sure to let everyone know.

WOW! This year has really flown bye. Everyone told us that they grow up fast. I can now say, they weren't lying.

Haylee went for her 1 year check up this morning. Yes, I took her for shots on her birthday, but I didn't want her to feel bad for her party and trip on Saturday. Her appointment went well. She is in the 25th percentile for her weight. She is now weighing 19.5 pounds. Haylee is also in the 50th percentile for her height, she is 29 1/2 inches. A year ago today she weighed 6.2 pounds and was 18 3/4 inches. Our little girl started off small and is still tiny. :o) Since she is small, the doctor said to keep her facing backwards in her carseat until she is uncomfortable (when her feet touch the seat or when she just pitches a fit in the car). Other news from the doctor... Haylee can be taken off formula now. She can drink whole milk. This is exciting! Mommy and Daddy will have a few extra dollars in our pockets since we don't have to buy formula anymore. We decided that we would start on the whole milk when we get back from our trip to Georgia. We don't want to change anything and cause her to feel bad or become uncomfortable during our trip. Haylee had shots. She had Measles, Mumps, and Rubella shot, Chickenpox vaccine, and one other I can't remember what it is called. She also had a TB test. She was NOT happy. After a hug from mommy and her binkie she was all better! (The pacifier always works!) The last thing that they did, actually it was before the shots, Haylee had a vision test. ???I do not know how this works. The results say she has 20/20 vision but has an astigmatism. Apparently most babies have astigmatisms but grow out of it by 12 months. So she will be retested at 15 months.

New actions, words, and discoveries...

* Haylee now points to things that she wants. This is very helpful!

* We know Haylee has said some new words, it is hard to get her to repeat them though. She has said "chicken" and "turkey". We swear she has said "I like it".

* Running...Haylee has learned to do this. She loves to chase the dogs and run from us.

First Christmas- Haylee had a VERY busy week of Christmas. She enjoyed every minute of it, but she was definetly tired. She became really good at opening presents. Our house looks like the fisher-price aisle at toys r us. Haylee is very thankful for all of her gifts and will enjoy playing with them throughout the year!

This year has been the best year. I always knew how much I loved children, but when its your own...It is so different. We love being parents! It has been a year of learning and a lot of laughs! We are so proud of everything our little girl has learned. She has taught us a lot and has brought us more joy than you could imagine. We are looking forward to what 2008 has in store for us.

 Thank you to everyone who has helped us this year and given us advice. We couldn't do it without the support of family and friends.

Love,

Travis, Jennifer, and Haylee Reese

Ok, the santa poll results...

Haylee DID NOT like Santa! Maybe she was just tired from waiting in line for so long. We all woke up this morning and went out for breakfast as a treat. After breakfast we went to Katy Mills Mall, we arrived around 10:45 because on a Sunday the mall opens at 11:00. When we got to where Santa should be there was a sign with the times listed. Santa doesn't arrive on Sundays until 12:00. So we began walking around and Travis decided, maybe we shouldn't walk around but wait in line. GREAT idea Travis!! We got back to the line about 11:05 and were first. Not too long agter that did the line begin to grow and grow. Luckily we were first. Santa arrived late, 12:15. Haylee was really very good. She didn't begin to get squirmy until right before Santa got there. As soon as we put Haylee on Santa's lap Haylee began to cry. I guess that is what we can expect for her first time visitinig the big guy! :o) We will see what happens next year.

I thought of a few new things Haylee is doing that we think are absolutely adorable. Haylee loves books. She has for a long time now. Everynight we read something to her. Now, she will pick out a book (always the same one, My Thanksgiving Prayer), bring it to Travis or myself, then she will turn around for us to pick her up and put her in our lap to read the story. I think this is too cute!! I am so glad she loves books. She will be a great reader one day!

Haylee also likes to listen to music and dance. This is kinda hard to explain in words, but she has learned to make a "clicking" sound with her tongue. She likes to click her tongue when we sing to make noise with us.

 She is just so smart and learns something new everyday. We will keep you updated! Have a good weekend! :o)

11 months have flown bye. It makes me sad to think that my little baby isn't really a baby anymore, but almost a toddler. She is the most precious little thing and brings so much joy to our lives every day.

Haylee is really busy now. She loves to play games with you. She likes the "where's Haylee game", the "I'm going to get you game", and "hands up". We have so much fun playing with her. She loves to laugh and clap after playing a game. She also loves music. Haylee likes to clap along to the music and "dance". It is so cute. You can see her dancing along to some Christmas music in the video section. Haylee still loves playing with the dogs. I guess I should say Macy (the lab). Roxy doesn't want anything to do with her. When she sees Haylee coming, Roxy is running away. Haylee also loves other children. Her face lights up at the sight of other children at the house or in pictures. She laughs at the pictures of herself on the refrigerator.

Haylee is eating mostly solid foods now. Every now and then I will give her baby food if she isn't eating well. She is still on formula for 1 more month. I have introduced her to whole milk with her dinner. She seems to like it. Haylee always makes a face at things she tries.

This month we have been battling sinus/allergies and ear infections. We have had an ongoing battle with the sinus/allergies for a few months now, and they have diagnosed it as seasonal asthma. Haylee is to use the nebulizer treatment 3 times a day with a liquid steroid as needed. It has really helped in the last week with her breathing. I haven't heard any weezing from her since we began the steroid last week. Even the doctor commented on the improvement yesterday when she went in for an ear infection. This is her second ear infection in 3 weeks. We are starting to see a pattern. Sinus infection then a week later ear infection. Hopefully it won't continue.

This next month will be super busy with the holidays, her FIRST birthday, then a trip to Georgia! We are excited with all that will be going on this month. We hope that everyone has a blessed holiday season.

One year ago today I went into pre term labor and was put on bedrest. Ten months ago today we were blessed with a precious little baby girl. It made my eight weeks of bedrest well worth it! Haylee has changed our lives in the best way possible. Travis and I both cannot wait to get home from work each day to spend time with our baby girl.

A typical evening at home with Haylee goes like this:

After I pick Haylee up we come home to begin cooking dinner. Haylee will either play in her exersaucer or sit in her high chair and have a snack. Around 6:30 Haylee will eat dinner. She loves diced ham. We also give her peas (yuck), carrots, or green beans and some kind of fruit. She likes banana's. Then all three of us go into the living room to play for an hour. Lately we have been practicing walking. Travis and I will sit on the floor and Haylee will walk back and forth between us. We play roll the ball and now thanks to her new friend Karys, we taught her to clap and play pat-a-cake. Haylee has an activity table that plays songs, she likes to push the buttons and dance. She looks like she is a hula dancer. It is really cute! She is also getting really good at walking. Right now she can go from sitting to standing without help or pulling up on anything. She can also take a few steps and bend down to pick up something. She prefers to try to walk rather than crawl now, unless she is on a mission and needs to get somewhere fast. After playtime, Haylee gets a bath and night time bottle at 7:30, then she is usually in bed by 8:00.

Talking...hmmm.... :o)

Her favorite word by far is dada. She talks and talks about dada. I guess she has a lot to say about him. Haylee loves her dada. When she cries, she will say mama, but that is the only time. Haylee has started making a "b" sound so maybe soon she will say something else. I am thinking ball since we play balll everynight.

Kisses...

Kisses from Haylee are the BEST! She has learned that when you say kisses to give you a kiss on the cheek or nose or chin or eye, basically anywhere she can get to first. It's the open mouth slobbery kind. It is so sweet. Haylee is so proud of herself for all of the new things she is learning to do.

 Last weekend we took Haylee to the pumpkin patch for a little photo shoot. She was not in the best mood. Haylee fell asleep on the way and when we arrived she woke up not too happy. We tried and tried to make her smile (check out the photo section) but she wouldn't flash us that cute smile. So, we decided to walk around the nursery for a few minutes before we tried again. Luckily that worked. Before we chose our pumpkin we tried another picture. Finally she gave us a smile!! So we ended up with a cute 1st Halloween picture. We are excited about Haylee's first Halloween. Be sure to check later this week for Halloween pictures. She is going to be a butterfly!

Wow! Haylee is getting so big! I remember when I would rock her and she would fit cuddled up in my arms and now her feet stretch across the whole glider! Two months and our little one will be 1! It will be a fast two months due to the holidays.

We hope that everyone is doing great! We would love to hear from you.

Love,

Travis, Jennifer, Haylee and the puppies too!