Hayes's 1 Year Pictures

A girl I went to high school with took Hayes's one year old pics for us, and I am SO excited with how they turned out. He is such a character!

The Doggie Door {April 5, 2014}

Hayes has officially found the doggie door, and he could not be more proud of himself. He loves to drop his toys out of it, then dive head first out after them. Luckily, he has been able to catch himself and hasn't banged his chin or his head (yet). I can't believe my little baby is getting to be so big! This guy turns one next week! :)

1 Year {April 13, 2014}

Today Hayesie is 1! I can't hardly believe it! What a fast year that was. Hayes has been such a huge blessing to our family, and I am so glad he's ours.

Right now Hayes likes:
Avocados
Macaroni and cheese
Oranges
Fruit snacks
Oatmeal
Sausage
Drinking water from a straw
Playing with Gator
Being outside
Eating rocks, dirt, sticks, and anything else on the ground
Getting chased
Barking dogs
Dad
Mom
Music
Dancing
Trying to climb
Standing up
Water (Splashing in water)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Putting sticks in his mouth (like the drum sticks from his drum)
The man's room
Balls
Feeding himself
Opening the microwave door
Opening drawers

Right now Hayes does not like:
Doors closing
Bed time
Not being able to go outside
Highchairs
Car seats
Sun in his eyes
When we try to feed him

At his 1 year appointment he weighed 22.7 pounds and was 29 inches long. They checked his iron level and said he was a little low, so we have started him on an iron supplement. Overall, he is happy and healthy and doing great! Just as much as I loved uneventful pregnancy visits, I love uneventful wellness checks.

The only thing we have struggled with is his sleeping. He has struggled to go to sleep and to stay asleep. I talked to the doctor and came up with some solutions (crying it out, gradual extinction, getting him a toddler bed, keeping a consistent night time routine, later bed time, etc). I talked to Sam about it and we decided to try the cry it out method one more time. Sam took the lead and Hayes has done SO well. He goes to sleep on his own and wakes up only  one time a night, and can usually get himself back to sleep when he wakes up. We are working with grandmas on their days to help them not rock him the whole time he naps (this may be our biggest hurdle). Sam said he had "a talk" with Hayes about the sleeping and that's why he is doing so well. Whatever the reason, I think we are all glad he's sleeping better. (knock on wood).

Hayes wears a size 18-24 mths in most things
His feet are small and he still wears 12-18 month shoes (and can still fit in some 6-12 month shoes)
His favorite toy is his little house with the red roof
He loves to watch Story Bots on Youtube
He doesn't like to get his diaper changed, but will sit there long enough for me to change him if I sing "The Wheels on the Bus"
He crawls like a champion now and is getting REALLY fast
He stands up all over the place and walks along furniture
He will bolt for the bathroom if he sees the door open and goes straight for the bolt covers on the toilet, or the bath tub.
When I clean up his room, if I leave books on the side table he will crawl over and immediately pull them onto the floor.
He can tear all his toys down from the shelf in less than 10 seconds
He LOVES his dad
He LOVES when mom crawls on the floor and chases him or hides behind something and scares him.
He thinks its so funny when Sam jumps
He stills laughs when people sneeze
He bounces when he gets excited
He has the BEST laugh!
He talks a lot and waves

I gave Hayes a kiss on the cheek, and this is how it progressed! hahahha 

What a wonderful year it has been. Thank you for making me a mom a year ago, and for blessing our lives beyond measure! We love you forever!!

1 Year

Dear Hayes:

What a crazy year it has been since you came into our lives. You have brought us so much joy, kept us up so many nights, gave so many kisses, made messes, scared us to death, and stole our hearts. You have grown up so much and it has been such a joy to watch you. You have so much personality and I love just being around you. Some times you test my patients or scare me to death, but I wouldn't trade a second since you came into my life. I love that you are so silly. I love that you are so animated and funny. I love that you are determined and strong willed. I love that you are smart and sweet. I love your cheesy smile. I love your laugh and I love to watch you sleep. You mean the world to me.

I love you forever.

Love, Mom

1st Snow Cone

We had to run to Harmon's the other day to grocery shop- I know, its crazy I drive across town to go to Harmons, but seriously, their stuff is way better. Well, as we were coming out, we noticed the snow cone place was opened (and it's the best one in town!) so we had to stop and it one. This is Hayes's reaction: 

It's hard to tell from the last one, but he decided he LOVED it! He kept yelling at us for more! Kid after my own heart, that's for sure! 

Oh, I don't always drive to Harmons, and my only defense is that my work is really close, so that makes up for it right?? : ) 

Hayes's Sunshine Party

Since Hayes is our little ray of sunshine, it seemed only appropriate to have a sunshine themed party for his first birthday. I think everything turned out wonderful and I was so glad so many people came to celebrate this little angel! 

Thanks for being born angel baby Hayesie! 

Hayes and dad

The bond that these two have is seriously the sweetest thing. Hayes LOVES his dad, and Sam is totally obsessed with Hayes. Nothing makes a Mama's heart happier than seeing her husband and her son totally love and admire each other. Hayes knows that the weekends Dad is home and literally wants to spend the whole day on Saturday doing what Sam does. He doesn't even like me to hold him that much- he just wants Sam. 

I am so glad that Sam is such a sweet Daddy to Hayesie. 

I'm not sure who loves the carrier more, Hayes or Dad? 

First Popsicle.. He LOVED it! 

A little jogger off roading. We got lost once on a trail we use ALL the time, ya, we struggle sometimes! 

This is my MOST favorite picture of these two to date! Have you ever seen a cuter Daddy/ Hayesie combo? I sure haven't! 

Walks

I am feeling  so much better than I was on my last post. I think sometimes you just have to get things out, and then they don't seem quite so big. My sweet grandma is always looking out for me and building me up. Where we I be without sweet people in my life that build me and tell me its ok?? I can't even imagine. 

Since the weather is seriously so gorgeous, we have been spending as much time as possible out and about. On my days off, I love to take Hayes and Gator and walk. I have some favorite places to go that make me feel like I'm in a movie, they are the most darling. I like to talk to my sister Alyson along the way. She loves to talk, and its the perfect combination. Hayes gets a good little morning nap in, Gator is literally beaming, and I feel so much better. It's a lot of winning for the Weldin crew. We have quite a few interesting things we can walk by too, like an Alpaca farm! I get nervous because I'm not sure if they are nice or not, but we like to look at them. We also have cows, horses, a golf course, a stream, a candy store, a cute little family owned gas station, a fruit market, a park, an orchard, a community garden, a skate park, and so many other things we find a long the way. I give myself too much credit and call it educational. It's really nice whatever it is. 

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Don't let that face fool you, he LOVES his stroller, its the hat he hates but he so white I worry he is just going to get fried out in the sun. Better safe than sorry. 

The other day our walk was a little more eventful than usual. I am such a freak about getting attacked by dogs (probably because when I was pregnant Gator and I got attacked twice, by the same stupid dog), so I carry mace on my at all times. So, we were walking a long a pretty busy main road in our area, I was actually making a work call at the time, when a German Shepard came bolting out from a house across the busy street. I yelled "No! Go Home!" ... and kept yelling it. The dog was pretty determined and continued to bark, and started to try to cross the street towards us. I was freaking out! A truck skidded and luckily missed the dog, but got dangerously close, so the dog turned around, but tried to cross two more times. Each time it tried it almost got hit by a car. Finally, it got into the middle lane and tried to cross, by this time a line of cars had stopped to let the dog pass. Meanwhile, I am still screaming a the dog to go home... and trying to go as fast as I can in the opposite direction. The dog came up behind us, and kept barking. I got my masce out and sprayed it- it hit the dog right on the nose- the dog, literally feet away from us, hunched down pawed it's face and ran home! Whoa! Two people stopped and asked me if that dog was mine?? Seriously? Do most people mace their own dogs? I said no, and kept walking. Gator, was basically peeing his pants trying to hop into the stroller- he was terrified. I was SO glad I carry my mace. I don't know what that dog would have done had he gotten to us, and to Gator. I was shaking and freaking out for the next mile and a half home, but so glad too! I guess I'm glad I learned my lesson before. 

Most of our walks are not nearly that eventful, and man, am I glad they aren't. 

Motherhood {March 23, 2014}

I have been thinking a lot about motherhood lately. I keep finding all these things that I just have to laugh at, like the other night I was sleeping and rolled over to find a pair of baby shoes in my bed, or I was at the store looking for my wallet in my purse and pulled out 3 toy cars, or I started cleaning out my cabinets only to find a stock pile of gold fish crackers, animal cookies, fruit snacks, and baby food. It's been funny. I think I am feeling really nostalgic because Hayes is getting ready to turn one. It's a little weird to think back to what I was doing last year at this time, oh how times have changed. I slept through the night, I took a nap during the day, and I was GIGANTIC pregnant. How grateful I am to be on this end.

Being a mom is a hard thing. This may sound weird, but before Hayes was born I really thought I would be a better mom than I am. (Is that horrible?) I think I looked at it and said "I am a great aunt, I play with the kids, I teach them, I've fed them. I mean really, how much harder could it be?" I feel like I am constantly failing at being a mom. Every time Hayes gets sick or if we have a hard day, I find myself feeling disappointed with myself. I get frustrated too easily. I get lazy. I don't read to him all the time. I don't take him to the park every day. He has a messy face sometimes. His clothes get messy. He doesn't take good naps. I feed him treats. He probably spends too much time in the car running errands. I make Sam get up with him in the morning. I can't usually just rock him to sleep. I don't know how to do his hair, and the list goes on. I know that even the most perfect mom's get sick kids, or have bad days, but it feels like I should have done something better when it happens to Hayes. I feel the absolute worst when we are at home and I am (in my own definition) a lazy mom. When I sit on the couch and let him play, or let him have a messy diaper until we get home instead of changing him on the spot, I feel terrible. I lay awake at night and just beat myself up about it. I hate it, and I hate feeling like others feel the same way about me that I do.

I have to consciously tell myself, that its ok. I don't let Hayes sit in a messy diaper longer than just a few minutes, and its good for him to learn to play on his own. I supervise him and make sure he doesn't get hurt. At my core I love that kid more than I love anything else in this world, but I have to tell myself it's ok more than I care to admit. Do all mom's go through this? Do all mom's feel the constant sense of failure? It seems like when you become a mom  you gain all this additional attention and scrutiny from others as well from yourself. It's exhausting.

I love being Hayes's mama, and literally everything I do goes back to him and trying to make his life better. Even down to me getting back in shape, I use to want to get in shape for myself a, and now I want it so that I can do things with him and so he doesn't have a mom that he's embarrassed by. When I go to work, when I stay home, when I exercise, even when I eat- it literally all goes back to being a better mom for him.  I guess at the end of the day, it goes back to the old saying of "It's the thought that counts." because all of my thoughts go back to whats best for my Hayesie. I guess, I just need to hold on to that.

Life Lately {March 17, 2014}

Life lately has been a little crazy. It seems like between work, family, Hayesie, and errands my days are one big blur. They go by so quickly, I swear nearly everyday I look up and its already 4 p.m. Certain days I really appreciate how fast time is going by, but most days I feel like I am falling behind or missing something. It's not my favorite thing.

Work is work. We are super busy and I am constantly bringing things home to do, then putting them off, and getting back to work even farther behind than when I left. I did good today and worked later and actually did a project I brought home. Progress. I am glad that things are so busy, and I am really glad to have a job that makes it possible for us to do the things we want to do, and that I can still stay home for a portion of the time with Hayesie. I try not to forget how lucky I am. In the same respect though, I work REALLY hard. I put a lot of time and energy into my work, and I do my best to always do a good job. I am grateful I got trained when I did, and that I actually learned what I was taught. That has really paid off for me, and I'm grateful for that.

Hayesie is a wild man lately. He is crawling all over the place and is getting SO fast! He is absolutely a handful now. I never realized how easy he was before. He is so silly lately. He is talking so much and loves when we laugh at him. He loves when we scare him or crawl around the room and chase him. He is such a thrill seeker. He LOVES his dad lately. Today when Sam was in the shower, Hayes left all his toys in the living room, crawled all the way across the house and sat in front of the bathroom door to wait for Sam to get done. He tried to squeeze his hands under the door and tried to bang on it to tell him to hurry. He was ecstatic when Sam finally came out. He also loves when Sam sits down and eats oatmeal with him in the morning. Its like its their time, and to be perfectly honest, I am so grateful for that time because Heaven knows I need those extra minutes to wake up in the morning.

Sam is as busy as ever at work, which is such a nice thing. He has started wakeboarding again, this just worsens the boat ache. He is desperate to get one and can hardly wait until its time. He spends 90% of his free time either looking at boats or trucks, another 5% telling me his plans for the boat, and the other 5% playing with Hayes. He has a one track mind- and he has his mind, heart, soul, etc set on getting a boat. I think if we don't get one soon, he may explode. (ok I am exaggerating, but you get my point). Sam has been doing such a great job taking care of our yard. We literally have the nicest yard on the block. Sam really prides himself on keeping it nice. I planted flowers in my pots and sewed some new pillows to go on my bench. Our talents combined outside for the cutest porch ever, if I do say so myself.

I have been spending a lot of time getting things planned and going for Hayes's birthday, Disneyland, and summertime. I hope things come together for Hayes's party- my next big task is invitations. I watched my friend's little boy one day last week. He was so good, and is such a smarty. He is almost exactly 1 year older than Hayes, and I'm not joking he knows all his letters, their sounds, colors, shapes, and numbers. It was fun to have him here, and I think it was really good for Hayes to see other kids doing kid things. I was completely exhausted by the end of the day and realized I need to find more things to do to entertain him. I really appreciated my job by the end of the day. I don't think I have ever come home that exhausted from work. Props to babysitters, that is not an easy job. He will be coming again this week for one day, and then I think next week.

I am super nervous/excited for Disneyland. I think I have made about a hundred lists of what to pack. I am most worried Hayes will get sunburned/ dehydrated. I have been trying to think of a bunch of different things we can do to shade him and keep him hydrated. Traveling with a baby is a lot more work than traveling with me and my sisters. I think Hayes is going to LOVE California.

We have been trying to go spend some good quality time outside while its actually nice and we can, before we know it it will be way too hot. We have loved to go walk around the lake, walk Chuckawalla, go to the park, and Town Square. Its so nice to get out with my family and enjoy the nice weather and area. We really live in the most beautiful part of the world.

Swinging {March 4, 2014}

I took Hayes to the park today and we swung on the swings, and he loved it. He is such a thrill seeker and would get mad when we wasn't going high enough. It was one of those mom moments where I felt like I was doing something right and we were having the best time. I was in heaven.