Allow me a moment to be incredibly sad that this is the last month that we have a baby in the house. How can she be almost one, already? While I love seeing her hit each milestone, it makes me so sad to see her grow up so quickly. Soon she’ll be in school, and driving, and going to college, and leaving me forever. Dramatic? Yes. Accurate? Pretty damn close.

Hadley’s new discoveries during month eleven: repeating words and phrases, WALKING(!!!), interactive play, Cheez-its, drinking out of a straw, blowing kisses, making people laugh with silly faces, fake laughter, and “gentle touches” when petting Oscar, the jerk.

Things that suck about month eleven: getting food spit on my work clothes five minutes before we have to leave, seeing the word “toddler” on my baby’s clothing tags, remembering to keep all cups out of HJ’s reach, forgetting to keep all cups out of HJ’s reach, and the constant tumbles that come with learning to walk.

Mommy’s favorite things about month eleven: seeing how excited she gets when she walks an especially long distance, play time after work, having HJ start to really communicate with us, a baby that still loves to snuggle, and the curls that have started to show up at the ends of her blonde hair.

Next month, prepare for a sob fest.

Hadley’s new discoveries during month ten: real crawling, pulling up to stand, standing unassisted, drinking from a straw, grilled cheese sandwiches, clapping, and making new friends at her sitter’s house.

Things that suck about month ten: the flood of milestones that keep reminding me of how quickly she’s becoming a non-baby, baby proofing the house, grabby hands at restaurants, grabby hands that wander under shirts of other people, and constantly picking that dumb sippy cup off of the floor.

Mommy’s favorite things about month ten: she said Mama!!!! That is all.

Hey, I waited a long time for that.

Fans flocked to Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, Kan. after the Kansas Jayhawks defeated Ohio State to advance to the NCAA National Championship.

And we had a babysitter.

RCJH.

I know. I’m so sorry.

A lot is going on around here:

- I went back to working away from home. WHAT?! I know.

- Hadley started crawling, pulling up and standing solo all in the same week.

- The girl said “Mama”. On my 1st day back to work. My life is now complete. That girl is GOOD.

- She’s started daycare at a place that she loves and with someone who is absolutely awesome.

- KU made it to the Final Four and I have no room for much else as work has consumed me…but I love my job so it’s quite alright.

I’ll make legit updates later. I’m blogging from my phone and desperately need sleep.

(For the record, I cannot believe that she’s officially been out as long as she was in. I feel like she was just born last month.)

Hadley’s new discoveries during month nine: the “Army man” crawl technique, the local indoor swimming pool, hearing the word “no” when trying to get into the trash can or Daddy’s Wii storage drawer, pulling up to her knees on things, making b sounds, p sounds and t sounds (still no Mama), and mastering the sippy cup

Things that suck about month nine: the word “no” has little to no affect on changing current behavior, a baby that’s currently terrified of being left alone to sleep in her Pack n’ Play, a baby that bites while nursing, and a baby that eats like a truck driver (great for growing, bad for Mommy’s free time away from making baby food)

Mommy’s favorite things about month nine: watching Hadley hit all of her developmental milestones, seeing the look of glee spread across her face when she finally gets one of our phones, having a baby that now dances to music, finding enough hair on her head for hairbows (HOORAY!), and having a girl who really loves her Mama.

I love you too, Jane. You’re the best adventure ever.

Allow me to narrate this situation:

HJ: Foofa?! What are you doing here?!

HJ: Brobee? Is that really you?

HJ: OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod….MOM!!!!!

HJ: DID YOU SEE WHO’S HERE?!!!!

This video was sponsored by the lovely friends we made in Singapore. Thank you all for helping us to tire our kid before bed.

Hadley’s new discoveries during month eight: silly faces make Mommy and Daddy laugh, how to say “Da-Da”, positioning herself so Mommy thinks she’s about to crawl only to fall flat on her face, her first “adult” food (homemade chicken and dumplings), and figuring out how to run at full speed in her walker.

Things that suck about month eight: the lack of the word “Ma-Ma” around here, the thought that this eight-month-old will be a one-YEAR-old in just four months, the constant worry that she’s behind because she’s not crawling yet, a baby that still doesn’t sleep through the night, and having a baby that reaches down my shirt or puts her mouth on my boob in public because she’s hungry.

Mommy’s favorite things about month eight: hearing all of the different sounds she mimics everyday, seeing HJ wave her arms frantically to be picked up whenever I come close, putting a more independent baby in the seat of the shopping cart instead of lugging the car seat out, and teaching her new things like rolling a ball or knocking blocks over.

This photo was taken on Labor Day weekend 2010. And yes, like I said, that is the most recent photo of myself without a baby/fetus attached to me somewhere.


Do you know why?


Because ninety-nine percent of the time, I look like hell and avoid cameras. Hadley looks great. Me? Not so much.


What pre-baby me didn’t know was that when you have a baby, you spend so much time feeding, diapering, wiping, pureeing, laundering, soothing, rocking, and teaching that the second you have a free block of time, it is gloriously spent doing absolutely nothing productive. Showering, putting on make-up and getting dressed everyday? That’s a solid hour and a half each day that I could spend relaxing on the couch with Dance Moms, Pinterest and a glass of Trader Joe’s wine.


I put forth as little effort as possible into myself to get through that day. It just seems selfish to spend hours every week getting all dolled up when I could be teaching HJ her ABCs or how to freakin’ say Ma-ma already.


I left the house yesterday for the first time since the 8th grade with not one stitch of make-up anywhere on my face. And I didn’t care. Granted, I knew I wouldn’t see a single person that would know me, but still, that was a huge deal in my mind. I never would have done such a thing before Hadley arrived.


So to all of you whom I judged silently in my head in the past, I apologize. And now I’ve joined your ranks.


To all of you non-moms out there judging me now, plop out a baby and then we’ll talk.