Hadlee is growing. 9 month update...

Hadlee is 9 months old today and I am thrilled to see how far she has come and what a blessing she is in our lives.  She was a very sick baby at birth. She required some pretty invasive procedures to help stabilize her. It was a very difficult 2 weeks while she was in the NICU. (Which compared to many stays is just a blink of an eye. But no matter how long the stay, the NICU is hard.) However, our prayers were heard and she was able to join us at home for Christmas. Because of her prematurity, we limited her contact with people. Until she was a couple months old, I think there were only a half dozen of people who actually held her. What may seem like a strict, annoying policy, it kept Hadlee from returning to the hospital from illnesses such as RSV. She never even got sick.

From birth, she has been the most mellow baby. She hardly cries. She sleeps like a champ and I can't completely comprehend that I received this tiny miracle and that she is mine. Loren and I are good parents but there is something special about Hadlee that I think has made Loren and I even better, more patient parents...probably because of her endless patience with us. 

I've really been struggling lately with the fact that I can't have more babies. As crazy as it sounds, I want one more baby. Although, if I were to get pregnant again, I think my dr would fire me as a patient. :) I think there is a bit of a mourning period associated with permanent birth control options due to medical reasons. I've shed many a tears because of that but, with time, I'm sure that ache will lessen.  

Anyway, back to Hadlee. I haven't met a single sole who hasn't complemented us on her quiet, gentle, smart demeanor. She is so content and happy. So enjoy a few pics from 9 months ago. These pictures usually cause weepy eyes with me and Loren because it was such a difficult time. Going from home to hospital and home to hospital as often as possible and helping w Syd's homework and managing her diabetes and trying to spend quality time with Morgan and also pumping every 2-3 hours religiously was tough. I was torn between so many places I had a little anxiety attack and mini breakdown in front of the NICU nurses...lol I'm surprised they sent Hadlee home with me! The nurses were wonderful though and made that experience much easier to bear.  After the pics, I will end my post on a much more positive note. :) 

To get to where we are today, a place where I can't imagine being able to love and enjoy her anymore than we currently do, has had to come from where we were with a very complicated pregnancy and beginning of Hadlee's life. You can't enjoy the sunshine as much without the rain. Right? ;)

Some Hadlee facts...

~She is just so happy all of the time. She hardly cries...literally she doesn't cry very often. She will whimper and do a grunt thing to let us know she wants something but, other than that, she has a gentle, fun-loving, easy going manner about her. Everyone who meets her, loves her. I can't seem to hold her enough. I would keep her in my arms all the time if I could do that and keep up with my wifely/mom chores. And, having known 2 mothers this year who lost their babies unexpectedly, I think that is the advice they would offer...hold them as much as you can. Love them all the time because you never know when the Lord will need them Home again. 

**She loves to pull herself up to things and is starting to walk along them.

**We are amazed at how quickly she is developing not only with baby sign language, but also "speaking."

**Her vocabulary consists of, "mamma, dadda, baba (bottle), more (sounds like mo-a), arf arf--although it's not that clear, we can tell what she is saying cause she only does it in the presence of a dog. She says and signs "done." Although when she says it, it is while she is doing the sign and it sounds like "D."She is learning so quickly and the girls and Loren and I love teaching her new things.

**She eats off our plate. She can gum textures really well and never gags or chokes. (She hates baby food.) Sydney seemed to choke and gag on everything so this has been nice to have a non-gagger. :)

**She got her first 2 little teeth on the bottom at 6 months old but hasn't gotten anymore yet.
 

**She can crawl but refuses to do it correctly. She army crawls super quickly where ever she is wanting to go but won't lift her belly off the ground. I think she will walk before she figures out real crawling but that's ok. I want to keep her little as long as I can. 

**She is tiny but developing right on track for her actual, not adjusted age.

**She still loves to be swaddled and snuggled.

**I just can't imagine how it could be possible to love her more. She is so special to us and her sisters. There is a 5  year age gap between her and Morgan, and that was not on purpose.  Since we waited a while for our little caboose to get here, I guess it is allowing us to enjoy her better.

Sweet Hadlee, you have a great smile that you radiate to anybody. You love life and family. It is no surprise that mommy is her favorite person--I can't blame her. :) And I love how much you enjoy snuggling with me. Your daddy and sisters adore you and, much like mommy, they can't get enough of you. I hope you continue to be so happy, healthy, and content.

Much Love, 

                            Your Family

PS---We are still behind on reaching our goal of 5K for Sydney's annual Walk For the Cure. Please take a moment to click HERE on the link and donate what you can to help Sydney reach her goal. Everyone has been wonderful before. Keep up the great work! Tell people you know...help them donate. Together, we can hit our goal!!