Yum!

First sippy cup!

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Daddy feeding me!

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Super Baby!

Here's an update on our favorite girl:
Four months old on October 5! She got her 4 month shots several days later and she took them like a champ. She cried, but not as hard or as long as last time, and she didn't sleep as long when we came home, though she did snooze it out for several hours. However, she did get a low grade fever that evening and it continued to drop and spike for over 24 hours. The highest it got was 101.3 and she was not feeling well at all. We just cuddled up and watched 'toons on the couch all day. I was happy when she awoke the next morning and it had broken. The doctor told me that she weighed fourteen pounds, nine ounces; and was twenty five inches in length. This put her in the 75th percentile for height and 90th for height. We're going to tall girl, I think. I'm going to guess around 5'6 or 5'7. Yesterday morning, on October 15, she decided it was the day to roll over from her back to her tummy! My mom saw her do it first (I was getting ready to attend a service.) She ran to get me, and sure enough, Hayden did it again! She's continued to show off for everyone now the last two days, we've all seen her do it. She is a very strong baby, as this is usually a five month old trick. She's done everything early so far, so we're on track for an early walker, Lord help us! I had a feeling this new streak of independence would be coming on, and I started breaking her of her full swaddle a couple of weeks ago. While it was a little hard going at first, she is slowly adjusting. She had been rolling up to her side in the middle of the night, and it really scared me that she would roll all the way over fully swaddled and would suffocate herself without her arms to help her. Seems like I made this decision at just the right time-- it must have been my mommy instinct. I think once she rolls over to her belly at night, she will be a tummy sleeper. I'm so scared of SIDS, though, so if she wants to sleep that way, she's going to have to get there herself. Her pedi agreed, with the sound advice, "We don't ask for trouble." Yes ma'am. Fine by me! On another developmental note, Hayden has also started taking her first sippy cup! It's a 4 month trainer. She has refused bottles for the past eight weeks like we were some kind of idiots for even thinking she would take such a thing. I don't raise no fool. However, that has made it a little stressful whenever we want or need to venture away from her for several hours. We introduced cereal a couple of weeks ago, which she loves, so that has been a big step and a little weight off our shoulders (she's not starving) but we are so happy with this new step! She's also started taking a little juice (per pedi's orders for her tummy troubles) from her sippy and is just quite the happy baby! We are very proud of our growing girl!

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Family Day

The first week of October, Will took his week vacation at work. We didn't plan on doing anything special, just staying at home being a family and catching up on things we've been meaning to do at the house. He got a full dose of just what goes on at the Luker house while he's at work. While he loved it (and was a huge help), I think he was a little surprised to see just how much work it is to be a stay at home parent! He always listens to me and understands when I have a hard day, but I think he described it best: "I have always sympathized with you, but I've never been able to empathize with you." Well-- now he can! He sure helped with the baby a lot, and did laundry, dishes, cleaned out the garage-- I almost became convinced it was an extended weekend, not a vacation! I actually started to feel a little guilty and tried to let him sleep in as much as I could (though for Will, "sleeping in" is 7:30 am.) He reassured me, though, that he was "taking a vacation from work, not his family." Those are the words of a good man. A good husband and father. Seeing as how we were in desperate need of a good time as a family, though, my parents generously offered for us to have a family day on them the Thursday he was home. So we loaded up the truck and headed to Kemah for our first stop. We strolled the Boardwalk and ate a delicious lunch at The Aquarium. I hadn't eaten there is quite some time. Will took Hayden around to look at the fish inside the 50,000 gallon aquarium in the middle of restaurant. I was happy and surprised to hear her laughing away at the fish! Every time a school of silver fish would quickly jet by in front of their eyes, she would let out a loud giggle.So cute!
From there, we headed over to our next stop, NASA- Johnson Space Center. I'm ashamed to admit that I've lived here my entire life and have never been to JSC. Not even a field trip-- as a student or teacher! They had a replica of the Endeavor right out front for us to gaze at. It is still upsetting to me that Houston got gypped out of our own space shuttle. Really, after Cape Canaveral (Kennedy Space Center), we should've been next on the list. Aeronautical museums, or whatever, should not take precedent over the fact that Houston alone has Mission Control and that we were even the first word spoken from the moon. But, whatever. So after looking at the shuttle, we headed inside where we discovered that we wouldn't be on our own exploring a museum-- we were going on a 90 minute tram tour with forty other people! Oh, Lord. We were those people. Those people with a four month old baby on board. Will and I looked at each other nervously. The look we exchanged said it all. First, "Haha," then, "oh crap," and last, "Please Lord don't let this baby start screaming." Away we went. While we were both pretty tense at first, as the time passed, we relaxed. Hayden was great; on her best behavior. The only time we hit a snag was when we were in Mission Control and she started a little fussing. At the first whimper, Will whisked her out of there though and hung outside the door. Thankfully (for us) everyone was distracted shortly after by a man getting ill and having to have an ambulance come get him. Everyone forgot about us. She was nothing short of perfect for the rest of the trip. We heard a lot of interesting facts, saw many cool things, and took some great pictures. My favorite part of JSC was seeing the shuttle in front, the Mission Control room (until 1996), and seeing Rocket Park. Saturn V, one of the rockets they have housed there is HUGE at 363 feet tall, or the height of a 36 story building. Neat!
We made it out with a mind full of new knowledge and a happy baby. Thanks Mom and Dad for the chance to spend a great day together as a family!

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Haute Mommies and Bella Babies!

When I was preggers, looking cute was a must, and it seemed that so many places out there (while trying really hard to be cute) just didn't have quality clothing. Until.... I stumbled across Haute Mommies and Bella Babies in Clear Lake (Houston), Texas. While having cute things for me to dress my burgeoning body (including nursing gowns, dresses for my showers, and more!), they also had super adorable sleepers, outfits, bloomers, bows, and everything else you can think of for my soon-to-be baby! Hayden has the sweetest pajamas from HM & BB, and we also found her coming-home outfit and bow there. One of my favorite things about Haute Mommies-- they love to support local artists and domestic goods. They are huge supporters of USA made items and Houston artists. Another favorite thing-- the owner, Darcy, is always in store and on hand to give you a happy greeting as you visit. She makes the shop feel really personal and it feels good to be remembered upon your subsequent visits. They have baby registry available there as well. Be sure to check it out if you are in the neighborhood, and if you don't live nearby, fear not-- Haute Mommies and Bella Babies is online at www.hmandbb.com! Free shipping via UPS on orders over $99! 

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