Our family is doing well. Hailey is growing and does more than sleep all day. Some of here recent accomplishments and fascinations are included, as well as the latest with Bruce and Rachel.

Hailey
Hailey will be 2 months on February 2!

Hailey in her hat from Aunt Sarah and her Minni Mouse outfit from Grandma Waite.

Hailey in her bouncer. At first she was very tentative about the bouncer, and would lay content for a few minutes if the vibrator was on. She's become much more content, but she has not figured out that she can make herself bounce by kicking her legs.

SMILES!

Sunday, January 17, 2010 Hailey smiled. Bruce was blew in her face when he was holding her at Scott and Lisa Sommerfeldt's and she unexpectedly grinned. She almost always opens her mouth like this picture shows; sometimes it evolves into a normal smile, sometime it doesn't. Since then, she similes often. She doesn't respond to blowing all the time, but she loves some of the other activities that we have introduced.

Hailey riding the washing machine during the spin cycle.

One activity sure to inspire a smile is riding the washing machine. Our washing machine is not level, so whenever the basin spins the whole machine clatters round, shakes the floor, and bothers the neighbors. One day when Hailey was fussing I was in the kitchen and needed to set he down so I laid her on the washer, which then began spinning. She was either so perplexed she stopped crying, or liked it and stopped crying. Now, whenever she is awake and the washer is spinning we let her go for a ride. She loves it (that's a look of joy, not tears).

Hailey nestled in he hammock cocoon.

Hailey Sleeping in her Hammock. We use a ruler to prop it open so she can see out.

Another unit used for Hailey's pleasure is the hammock. We tried the baby hammock when Hailey was first born, but it seemed as though she would fall out is the hammock was swinging, so we made some structural changes to the hammock and have had success. She has napped in it a few times and enjoys the rocking when she is falling asleep.

Hailey in her "Bear Suit" before a run with Rachel.

If Hailey is upset, you have to get her moving. We've found that almost all screaming can be soothed if you start trekking, so we carry her in the Baby Bjorn baby carrier, we bundle her in her "Bear Suit" and take her for runs, or we put her in the car seat a drive around. One of them is sure to soothe her.

Hailey is elated by the discovery of her mobile.

Hailey in her Sao Paulo, Brazil soccer shirt watching her mobile. This is what I'm talking about- check out that face- she's so cute!

Hailey discovered the mobile in her bed recently and she loves to watch it. We have progressed from "scream when my diaper is changed" to "smile and make cute faces" anytime I see my mobile, including when my diaper is being changed. Super fun.


Hailey has also begun standing with the help of her standing toy (Johnny Jump Up). She plays in it independently for 5-10min after she wakes up. It's nice to have something she can do independently, and we figure if she builds strong muscles now she'll be a better athlete later on. :)

Bruce

Accounting
Bruce stays busy with accounting classes. He continues to enjoy them and has applied for a few opportunities which will help him create a network. His grades were good last term, so if all goes well this semester he'll have a good shot at the masters program. He'll apply at the end of this year.
Shelf
We started building a shelf for the living room- it's like a mantel piece- and is almost built. Pictures to come.

Rachel

Classes
Classes are going well. Hailey goes with me to the ceramics lab and sit in the front pack while I throw pots on the wheel. She's adorable and everyone in the lab thinks that's the greatest thing they've ever seen. It's nice to be able to work with her, and not have to make special arrangements to go to the lab.
Volunteering
I'm volunteering at the Utah Mental Hospital for my abnormal psychology class once a week and overall it's enjoyable.
Half Marathon
Training for my half marathon is going well also. I haven't increased mileage too much recently, but I have a running partner and go running on schedule.

Other

Dates
We've had some fun dates the last few weeks. One week we built ice sculptures. It was mostly unsuccessful, but in the end we used water to melt ice blocks in the shape of the word "LOVE." Another week we had a not talking shopping trip where without words we had to get our partner to find the items off our list. Another week we played the board game Acquire with some friends. You buy land and build corporations. Fun. We're looking to buy it.

Water Polo
Bruce and I are both on an inner tube water polo team with some members of our ward. We play in the BYU pool and have a blast. Bruce is fast and strong so he's invaluable to the team. I'm not as strong, but I'm pretty fast and confident in the tube so overall we both contribute well.

Christmas and New Years Day

Hailey. December 30, 2009

Hailey wearing the scooter helmet that Lindsay bought her. We'll be investing in some leather chaps to compete the outfit. :)

Christmas was spent with the Sommerfeldt's in Mapleton. It was my first Christmas at the Sommerfeldt's, and it was fun to be a part of all their traditions including opening presents in pajamas, omlets, and Christmas dinner in Salt Lake with the extended family.

The day after Christmas we drove to Colorado and suprised my family. We decided to have a little fun, since our visit was unannounced, so when we arrived we left Hailey in her car seat on the front porch, rang the doorbell, and ran behind the car to watch. Coleen had a look or horror on her face when she saw the unattended baby car seat on the porch. She picked up the car seat and said something to the effect of "Get this inside, then we'll figure out what to do." We were spotted and caught just moments later by Heather or Heidi (not sure which one caught us behind the car) while Coleen uncovered the bundle and immediately recognized her grand baby, Hailey.

Time with the Waite's was great. It was fun to spend time with family, see Sarah's new baby, and relax some. Bruce redecorated Mark and Coleen's bathroom, complete with tile above the existing shower, tan paint accented with red towels, and new hardware (drawer handles, towel rack, etc). He enjoyed the project and the bathroom looks good.

While at the Waite's we became victims of a virus and each spent some time throwing up. It was short lived and no one in the house was sick for more than 24 hours; Bruce was only sick for a few hours one evening, and I was down about a half day. Hailey was spared.

After some time at the Waite's we visited Bruce's sister, Michelle and her family in Denver. It was fun to spend time with their family. We celebrated the New Year at 9PM (they changed the clocks so the kids thought it was midnight), Bruce perfected his Wii Tennis skills, and I got a running top.

Saturday we drove back to Provo, went for a run, and watched a movie (or more correctly, Bruce watched a movie and I watched 20 min then took a nap).

We end a wonderful vacation and look forward to the start of a new semester on Monday.