Hadley at Nine Months!

Hadley has officially been out of the womb longer than she was inside! What an amazing month this has been. Almost every single day Hadley does something huge, like learning to crawl and starting to say her first words (mama and dada). We have had so much fun with her!
Here are some nine month factoids:
• Hadley is a fantastic crawler. She can get from point A to point B in a blink of an eye and we're already much more on our toes than we have been before.
• She loves cords. She finds cords plugged into any and everything and will suck on them, much to my horror. Short of squirting her with a squirt bottle, I'm not sure how to discourage her from doing this :)
• She can pull herself up on anything. Unfortunately, this includes her crib so each night we wake up to her crying because she has stood up and doesn't know how to let go of the railing and fall to her bum, so she hangs on for dear life, crying, until one of us comes and gets her.
• Hadley can walk all by herself, if she's pushing something like her stroller. She grabs on to the part underneath the seat (where I stow my purse) and she stands up and pushes the stroller. It's insane!
• She's getting bored quickly with toys. We're having to come up with creative ways to keep her entertained. She still loves her bath though, and would stay in there until she was wrinkly if she had it her way.
• She is a cautious little girl, and doesn't freely smile or laugh at strangers. She has to study a person for a little while before she'll warm up to them and then she *might* give them a half smile. This shyness is fascinating to me. She reminds me a lot of Eliza, when Eliza was her age. I should be so lucky that she grow up as nice and sweet as Eliza has. What a great role model for Hadley!
• She is still a huge daddy's girl. When Levi comes home from work, she will start screaming until he picks her up and plays with her. He has to set her down to get in the shower and she'll fuss and cry until he gets out and picks her back up. What a drama queen!

I could go on and on. Hadley has become such a delight this last month and I cannot WAIT to see what we're in for this next month!

Hadley and her best friend Eliza.

Christmas Card 2011

I didn't have the time to create Christmas cards this year (I haven't had time to do much of anything lately, including blowdrying my hair) so I decided to go the digital route and create something fun.
We are super excited to celebrate Christmas Eve with the Gates, followed by Hadley's first Christmas at Papa Brad's house. I think she'll be asleep for most of it, but it's still very, very exciting for us. Three years ago I was praying and praying that we'd someday have a baby to take to the Gates party. Two years ago I prayed for the same thing. Last year I couldn't believe our fortune and was five months preggo with our little Hadders. And now, FINALLY, we get to celebrate with our little angel.
This has been an amazing year for us and we love each and every one of you who supported us through the years. I still can't believe how blessed I am to have not only been born into an incredible, loving family...but to have married into one too! How great is that?
Well, we love you all and can't wait to see what this new year brings.

XoXo
Carly, Levi, and Hadley Gates

Thanksgiving 2011

What an amazing Turkey Day we had! Levi, Hadley, and I drove down to Utah the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and had such a great time. Although it was a quick visit, and we had to leave after eating on Thursday, it was a blast and we are so grateful that we got to see everyone.
Hadley was quite the little bear and was not looking her best. For some reason, she had a major rash all over her face and was also tired and teething during the trip. I swear, Utah family, she's usually really cute and sweet! Ha ha! We got to see Scott's cute family, both of my grandpas, plus Aunt Bonnie and her adorable family.
Thank you to Laurie and Justin for (once again) putting us up in your beautiful home. We love visiting and it's so fun to watch Hadley get spoiled by all those cuties in your house!
To list what I am thankful for this year would take all day. Here are just a few things

• My amazing husband and our beautiful daughter. Where would I be without these two?? Levi has seen me through thick and thin (literally!) and his love for me is what keeps me going.
• My family. My incredible mom, my sweet sisters, my loving brother, not to mention a gaggle of aunts, uncles, in-laws, etc. etc. that make life so great.
• Our jobs. Even if I complain, the fact that Levi & I both have jobs that allow us to have a nice home, running cars, and food to eat is something I am so grateful for.
• The internet. Seriously, I am able to do so much as a mom thanks to this tool. This includes saving time by Christmas shopping online, uploading photos of Hadley so I'll never lose them, catching up with old friends on Facebook, and having the ability to look up all kinds of baby info (not to mention talk online with my awesome moms group.) The internet has made life so great and I'm so happy that I grew up knowing what life was like before the internet so that I can appreciate what life is like now.
• Christmas. Yep, I am truly thankful for Christmas. The music, the decorations, the excitement for the big day, you name it. I love listening to Christmas music on Pandora while wrapping presents on my day off, especially now that I get to watch Hadley play in the living room while I do this. What a great thing!!
Anyway, I love you all and thank you for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Every little girl needs the influence of strong Jacobson women.

An adorable note written by my niece Rachel, after we had our second miscarriage. Could she be any sweeter? PS Laurie, I'm taking her up on her babysitting/move to Idaho offer!

More spoiling by the cousins.

The necessary trip to Ikea.

My sweet, sweet Grandpa.

All I want for Christmas...

...is Hadley's two front (top) teeth! Poor little baby has had the roughest couple of days. Her top lip pokes out because her gums are so swollen. We've been rotating tylenol/ibuprofen and giving her lots of love, but she is not a happy camper. A couple of weeks ago, Hadley was sleeping through the night and finally getting used to napping in her crib and now all of that has been undone. We've been letting her sleep in our bed again, since it's about the only thing that comforts her through the night. I know this is temporary, but man, I am tired!

On other fronts, Levi and I have been having a busy holiday season. Work for me has been crazy and I am definitely looking forward to the calmness of February. People have been especially grumpy this season, not sure why. I'm trying to stay positive and just be thankful I have a job, but sometimes I really want to ask people why they are so rude. It isn't necessary, it isn't helpful, and it certainly isn't the "reason for the season." Ugh. Levi's work has been steady and we are very, very grateful for that. Knowing that we can afford our house and our car and celebrate Christmas is a great motivator to not give up.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Utah, I'll be posting pictures later. I miss my family down there so much and sometimes I wonder about us eventually moving there, but I know that Boise is our home and I'd love for Hadley to be raised here, but it would be fun to have all her cousins around all the time. She is so adored by them all!

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. Take care!