Lucky Number 7

Hayden is 7 months old and the time is flying by. She is such a joy and her personality is really coming out.

Hayden is now a professional crawler. She can get anywhere. Quickly. This sounds cool. It's not. We can no longer just leave her in a room without needing to keep a close eye on her while doing quick tasks like cooking dinner, paying some bills, or going out to a movie.

She is also great at going from crawling to sitting which she will do to go across the room to get a toy, then play with the toy. Recently, she has begun to pull herself up into a standing position on things as you will see in the pics. She gets really impressed with herself but the she gets over confident and lets go with one hand or something and she falls backwards on her butt.

She also loves wrestling on the floor with Mommy and Daddy. We lay there and she will climb on us, pin us, and even deliver a forearm shiver to our grill every now and then. Aggressive. All the while she has her tongue out just like her Daddy always did/does.

Below there are 3 movies:

-one where Uncle Ashley plays the mean uncle part perfectly and makes her fall over
-one where she is at the dinner table wanting her dinner and playing with her hair
-and one where she is playing with toys and crawling to Daddy

Enjoy and thanks for all the comments.

Hayden and Uncle Ashley


Hayden at the Dinner Table


Hayden Playing Around

Hayden and Vincent

Hayden's friend Vincent visited recently (along with his dad Vinny and his mom Sheila).

In their second time hanging out together, the two kids are extremely cute with each other. They spent the weekend with Sheila, Savannah, and Heather. Good times.

Vincent has been sitting up for weeks and Hayden hadn't yet done it. But maybe hanging out with him inspired her as she started sitting up by herself during this weekend.

These Boots Were Made for Crawlin'

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Click the above to see a slideshow

Hayden is doing more and more everyday. Just this past week she crawled for the first time - if you call moving along the ground in a low profile manner like you are storming the beaches of Normandy crawling. We do.

She has been on all fours rocking back and forth for the past couple of weeks so we knew she was close but she is now officially mobile. Great and scary at the same time. One of the videos below shows her crawling to a toy.

Also, she laughed for the first time since our last post! It is a small little chuckle that she does but it is wonderful to hear. The other video below shows her laughing - yes, it's quick. But now we know she has it in her.

Halloween went well, although Mommy was sick. But Hayden was cute as a giraffe and she and Daddy went trick or treating with Alden Coy, her dad Mike, and John Damiris. 2 year old Alden was super cute and Hayden had no idea what was going on. Good times.

Hayden Crawls (Sort Of)


Hayden Laughs

Five Alive

Hayden is now 5 months old! She is learning more and more everyday and it is a joy to watch her grow.

This month she was bitten by another kid in day care. She was playing on the floor when another kid crawled over and bit her under the eye. She was pretty sad but she was less upset than Mommy and Daddy. To make her feel better, Daddy bought her a pony - but it didn't seem to make her feel better at all. So much for the myth that little girls love ponys. But the good news is she looked tough for a week with her first black eye.

She also received her first haircut. Mommy and Daddy decided to trim her hair since it has become unruly. The first of many times she will get her hair done.

We also visited Utah where Hayden met her new cousin, Zach, for the first time. Zach turned a month old just a couple of days ago. Zoe is also doing well and is super sharp at nearly 3 years old.

Enjoy the pics and thanks for the comments.

Four on the Floor

Hayden is now over 4 months old and she is developing rapidly. She now can get up on all fours and though she can't quite crawl yet, she moves around with slides, rolls, and shimmies.

She is also smiling regularly, especially when she wakes up in the morning. It seems she is a morning person.

Speaking of sleep, we are no longer putting her in the swaddle or even the sleep sack. She is now sleeping in her pajamas. It was a minor adjustment period but she loves the freedom now and more often than not, she will roll over and sleep on her stomach. The doctor (and several books and websites) says its ok for her to sleep on her stomach now that she can roll over from front to back and from back to front.

We borrowed some toys from friends so now Hayden has a jumper, a bumpo seat, and an exer-saucer to keep her entertained and she loves them so far. Mommy and Daddy also like having her keep herself occupied.

See the videos below, in one she plays with Mommy and almost laughs for the first time. In another she is playing in her bouncer and goes crazy.

Hayden Plays with Mommy


Hayden In Her Bouncer

Lovely Baby

Grandma Sarah took this picture a few weeks ago when she was here visiting.

This is my favorite picture of Hayden. We put it in the last slideshow but I had to post it all by itself because it's such a great shot.

How can you not love that little face?!

Football Season is Here!

So apparently we are not allowed to make the switch from weeks to months on our postings as people keep telling us we need to post more. Which makes it harder to find titles for our posts. So here we go.

It's football season.

Some people out there find little teeny clothes of a particular team, throw them on their kid, and refer to them as a "die hard fan."

We are those people.

She looks very cute in sports clothing and since it's football season, she wore her Broncos jersey and her CU Buffs shirt. What do you know, both teams won! She must be good luck. Hayden will also tend to look at the TV which has many shapes and colors moving around while making sounds (great things for babies) but since it's football that is on, her Daddy tells everyone that she "loves football."

Other notable events since the last post, she can roll over from front to back, she reaches out and grabs things with her hands, and she grabs her toes. Nice, but not as cool as her love of football, obviously.

Hayden Rolls from Front to Back


Hayden Tells a Story

From Weeks to Months

Hayden turned 3 months old this past Monday. Where did the time go??? Now that she is 3 months old, we have made the conversion to months to define how old she is. Who made these rules anyway?

Hayden sat up on the couch for the first time this past week (granted her parents propped her up there). It was extremely cute.

We also took her into the pool for the first time. We thought the swimsuit might be a little too big for her but it worked out well. The evening was perfect and the water temperature was exquisite. Hayden absolutely loved it. We hung out in the pool for 15 minutes or so and then gave her a bath and put her down to sleep. All in all a great evening.

We hope everyone is well and thanks for the comments both online and in person.

Hayden Sitting Up


Hayden Swimming

(Not So) Dirty Dozen

Hayden is now 12 weeks old. The time is officially flying by.

A big development this week: she rolled over! When placed on her back, she can roll over to her front. Might not sound like much but this is big news in the Wolach household.

She is smiling more and cooing more often and for longer periods of time. She loves to play with us as she hanging out with us in our arms or on our laps or on the floor. As she is more interactive, she is a lot of fun to be with.

Hayden is also sleeping very well. She will sleep through the night about 75% of the time now and she takes frequent naps during the day. We know how lucky we are.

We usually only post one video, but this week we are poting two as it was too tough to decide which to choose. The first is a video of Hayden rolling over for the first time. You can hear the excitement in Savannah's voice. The second video is of mother and daughter playing after bath time. Hayden was in a great mood.

Hayden Rolls Over


Hayden and Savannah

10 and a Half Weeks

Not to be confused with 9 and a half weeks. No, we just slacked and couldn't post on time.

This week Hayden's Grandpa Dave and Grandma Sarah came to visit. She was thrilled to see them again. Grandpa Dave hadn't seen Hayden since a couple days after she was born so it was a great time. The grandparents even got to watch the little tyke as Mommy and Daddy went out for a nice dinner one night.

Also, Savannah's Best Woman, Kathy Tucker was in town. She came over from LA to meet Hayden and it was great having her here. The 3 girls enjoyed a wonderful weekend.

Lastly, Daddy's buddy Pauly came over to see the new Wolach. He was a little timid to hold her but in the end he did great.

We hope you enjoy our new look. Savannah gave the site a re-design.

Was That a Niner?

Hayden is 9 weeks old today (bonus points if you can name the movie this posting's title comes from).

This week was nice as we were able to relax after our trip last weekend. She is getting more used to her routine (now that those words are in print we're screwed) so she is going to bed easier and taking some good naps during the day.

Also, she is noticing her toes. It is so cute - she will be sitting on our lap and she'll look down and see her toes. You can tell she's perplexed, "What are those things?" she asks herself. She stares at them long enough to convince us she's gone Cameron when he was catatonic in Ferris Buehler's.

She also sucks her hand very frequently so she's learned how to move her hands to her mouth. May not sound like much but everything is a big deal to parents - we are seeing that now.

This week, Grandma and Grandpa Wolach come to town and Hayden can't wait. Also, see the article below as Savannah reset her view of her reunion weekend.

Go Plainsman!

Last weekend was my 10-year high school reunion! It was time to head "home" to Laramie to celebrate with my fellow Plainsman.

Thursday morning Matt, Hayden, and I flew to Denver and then rented a car and drove up to Wyoming. That afternoon we introduced Hayden to several of her family members and then Matt and I headed out for dinner with friends. It was the first time that we left Hayden and it was a little weird. But, it was so nice to have some adult time together! If only our parents lived in Arizona - they could see their granddaughter and babysit more often! (hint hint)

The reunion committee planned a full weekend. We went to a mixer on Friday night at the Alibi, we rode a float in the Jubilee Days parade, attended a dinner and dance on Saturday, and had a family picnic on Sunday. About 100 classmates made it to town for the reunion, out of a graduating class of 260.



We had a great time at each event and my favorite was the family picnic at the park. The food was great, the weather was perfect, and there were tons of kids and babies there. Plus, it was really neat to see some of my friends as parents.

Being home was wonderful. It was the first time that I had been home during Jubilee Days since I moved to Phoenix. Growing up, Jubilee Days was one of my most favorite times of year. It was great to be there and to feel like a kid again. Well, a kid who is married to a fantastic guy, and has a beautiful daughter, and is 10 years out of high school...

L-A-R-A-M-I-E...Go Plainsman!

Ohhhh, Yes Wyoming!

This weekend not only was Hayden's 8th Week birthday but it marked Hayden's first trip to see her family in Wyoming. What does the above title make reference to you ask? Click the link below then on the Playbill in the lower left of the screen:

Hilarious Wyoming Song

Now try and get that song out of your head for the next 72 hours. Don't blame me. Ok, you can blame me.

Hayden met all kinds of family and friends that loved her and yet she never knew. All tolled, she met 3 Great Grand Parents, 2 Grandpas, 1 Grandma, 4 Great Aunts, 4 Great Uncles, 1 Uncle, and 2 First Cousins once Removed (whatever THAT means). Bonus points if you can name all of these people. Throw in dozens of Mommy's friends and it makes for one long and tiring weekend.

It may have caught up with the little one as the plane ride back was her first tough plane ride. The plane was hot and the air did not turn on while we were on the ground, then she soiled her diaper so we changed her which was lucky that we had one diaper left. Then she fussed and cried. Then she soiled her last diaper and in doing so the "soil" left the diaper and magically shot all over Daddy's shorts. That's when Mommy and Daddy invented a new diaper called the "damn we are totally out so let's make a blanket diaper". Look for it in stores near you.

Yet it was a fantastic weekend. From seeing Grandpa and Grandma's new house, to the Laramie Jubilee days parade which Mommy starred in, to hanging out with the McNierney family, to visiting Denver where Daddy was born, all good times.

Thanks to everyone for your nice words about Hayden and thanks especially to Coleen, Mark, Bob, Susan, and Shelley who played the role of babysitter at one time or another so Mommy and Daddy could go out and have some fun.

We also learned that many of you are keeping up with the blog more than we thought. Thanks for doing so (or at least thanks for lying to us to make us feel better). Please leave comments so we can feel warm inside.

Oh Yes Wyoming!

7th Heaven

Hayden is 7 weeks old today and she gets cuter everyday. Her smiles are more frequent, and she is starting to focus on objects better as her sight gets sharper. She now notices the little spinning things above her swing. Her hair is still staying full, though some has fallen out in the back where she rests her head when she sleeps.

Her first 4th of July was fun, though there were no fireworks as we were at a friends house for a barbeque.

Start Spreading the News

At nearly 6 weeks old, we took Hayden to visit her new buddy, Vincent, in New York...no not that New York. Rochester, New York.

We were fearful that the plane flights would be tough but she was a doll as she slept most of the way.

Spending time in Rochester with Vin, Sheila, Vincent, and the rest of the family was fantastic. A great weekend was highlighted by a terrific surprise 30th birthday party for Sheila and a great christening celebration for Vincent.

Speaking of Vincent, he is adorable. You can see both of his parents in his features and they are doing an awesome job of raising him. It was also extraordinarily cute to put Hayden together with Vincent.

Good times that leave us with great memories and wanting more. The video below is of Vincent and Hayden as their fathers put them together to see what would happen. Thanks to the Carmodys for the matching onesies.

5 Golden Weeks

We celebrated Hayden's 1 month birthday on the 18th this past week. She is developing quickly as we love to spend time with her.

Also, this weekend, the Roberts Family, Beth, Phil, and Zoe came to visit so that they could meet their niece and cousin. We spent the weekend mostly in the pool as the hot heat of the desert has officially set in. Blistering air temperatures made for fantastic pool temperatures and we had some good times in the water.

No, Hayden did not get in the pool. She was inside with the baby monitor. On the flip side, Zoe loves the water. She splashes around in the kiddie pool area (about 1.5 feet of water). She cannot wait to come back.

Father's Day!

Hayden, who turned 4 weeks old today, wished Daddy a very happy Father's day. She has been very cute lately.

Many new developments now as she follows us with her eyes as we move. Also, Savannah and Grandma Sarah figured out that with her baths, the water was too cold - no wonder she hated them! They warmed up the water a bit and now little Hayden LOVES bath time.

She is eating very well and putting on pounds as she grows. We are very proud of her (that goes without saying).

Once, Twice, Three Weeks a Lady

Hayden turns 3 weeks old today and she is as cute as ever. She is eating well, growing (near nine pounds) and sleeping better every week.

Daddy was out of town for the past 2 nights with his charity group so it was the first time that Mommy was alone with Hayden. The little girl did great and Mommy took great care of her (of course). Daddy missed the lady Wolachs and is glad to be home.

In the video below, Hayden tap dances with Daddy earlier this week.

What is a Fortnight?

14 days or two weeks. That's how old little Miss Hayden is today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortnight

She is absolutely adorable and we are enjoying every minute. Savannah's mom went back home and she was a huge help so we are now on our own. However, we are starting to have more "easy" nights than difficult nights.

Thanks to everyone for the calls, comments, cards, and gifts. We enjoy them very much.

Dreams Really Do Come True

We have enjoyed every minute with little Hayden (well, at least the minutes where she wasn't crying her eyes out). But she even looks cute when she's crying - don't we sound like lame parents?

The video below highlights some of our favorite images of Hayden from her short time with us.

One Week Old!

Our little one is officially one week old and we can't believe how the last week has flown by! The days have kind of started to run together but we're really enjoying every minute with Hayden.

Friday was her first "official" doctor's appointment. We found out that she's already above her birth weight, which is great news! Sometimes it can take a few weeks to get above the birth weight so it means she's getting plenty to eat. She has also grown 1/4 of an inch as well so she's on her way to being tall like her daddy!

We gave her a sponge bath this afternoon (we can't give her a full bath until her umbilical cord falls off). She was a little chilly since we couldn't put her in the water so she wasn't very happy. But, she was so cute! We got her hair wet and out came the curls!

We look forward to the coming weeks and learning more about her as she grows.

Home Sweet Home

Yesterday we came home from the hospital and introduced Hayden to her home and her room. She told us she loves it so that was a relief. Phew.

Our last night in the hospital was the toughest so far as Hayden woke up every hour to feed. Savannah is a true supermom already as she diligently did her job of feeding the little one. Although the hospital was excellent and took great care of us, we were excited to leave and return to our home. It was also during checkout that we had our first picture as a family (Savannah, Matt, and Hayden).

Our first night home was easier as Hayden only woke up a couple times. She is eating well and still loves to look around and explore the things around her. We can't wait to see this trait develop as she gets older.

We will try in the next days and weeks to get her on a schedule of eating and sleeping so that both our lives, and her life, will be easier. Everyone with kids is now laughing at their computer screen. We will see how successful we are.

Thanks again for the comments - we have now made it so that no registration is required as some of you told us you had troubles.

Lots of Things Going on Around Me

By Hayden Wolach - These last couple of days have been very exhausting. It all started a few days ago.

I was very comfortable and enjoying life just swimming around and sleeping all the time, although it was dark and I couldn't see a thing. Then all of a sudden, the room around me started moving and pushing me down. It was very scary! After several pushes and what seemed like forever, it all stopped.

That's when I saw the knife.

Darkness no more as a beam of light cut into my room and the brightness was too much so I shut my eyes. Then some hands were grabbing me and pulling me out of my room. I was so afraid I cried! And, as soon as I came out of the water, something weird happened - I breathed in air.

These nice people cleaned me up and then they handed me to some dude they called "Daddy." I didn't recognize this guy, but then he spoke. It was a sound that was very familiar to me and very comforting. I just looked into Daddy's eyes as he looked into mine. Daddy introduced me to this lady he called "Mommy" but she was very tired and laying on a table.

Daddy walked me down a hallway to a room, and Mommy came shortly thereafter. She held me and again, I recognized her voice - more so than Daddy's. What a soft and soothing voice and I looked into her eyes as she held me.

After that, it has been a couple of days of me being held by several people, eating, getting checked on by "Nurses", having everyone hold this little object that flashes in my face about a hundred times (I hate that thing), and sleeping. Oh man do I love this sleep thing. They bundle me up tight and set me down and in 2 seconds flat I am out. Ahhhhh.

Mommy and Daddy tell me that people from all over the country have written in to give their best wishes to me and to Mommy and Daddy. How nice of these people and I can't wait to meet them.

I'm looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings as this new world has been very interesting and exciting. They tell me we will go to some place they call a "House" tomorrow.

-Hayden

I Wasn't Born Yesterday...Oh Wait

Hello everyone - mama here!

First, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has posted a comment, sent an email, texted, called, or visited us! It has been so great to hear from everyone and know that you're thinking of us.

Second, isn't my husband wonderful? He's been so great about updating the website with new information about Hayden - I hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as we have! Plus, he was my biggest fan and supporter on Saturday and has continued to be amazing to both me and to Hayden. I love watching him cuddle with Hayden, sing to her and fall in love with her.

Today was our third day in the hospital and everything has been going really well. I was finally allowed to eat "real food" so I thoroughly enjoyed pancakes, hashbrowns and bacon for breakfast! My doctor told me that today would be one of my hardest recovery days and she was right. I have had a lot swelling in my knees, ankles, and feet. But, it's totally worth it when I pick up Hayden and get to snuggle with her.

Our little princess had her first tantrum today. She screamed and yelled and we did all of the things that we've learned so far but none of them worked. Then we accidentally found out that she was just gassy - so she's back to being a princess. But, now we know one more trick to try! She's started in on her "feeding frenzy" so she's been a lot more alert today and excited to eat.

It's been a long third day so we're going to retire - at least for a few hours until her next feeding. Enjoy the slideshow and hope to hear from you all again soon!

Brave New World

Hayden has been doing great alternating between long deep naps and long periods of hanging out with mommy and daddy exploring the world that is our hospital room.

1 Day Down, 36,500 to Go

Hayden is officially one day old now. After some trying early sessions, she is now feeding very well and getting the hang of it. If she's anything like her parents, she'll be eating a lot for a long time to come (we think she'll start requesting some dessert soon too).

She is very good with people holding her and rocking her. She loves all of the friends and family who have come to visit here at the hospital. We will be here for 2 more days so if anyone in the area would like to visit, feel free to swing by (please call to make sure we are ready for you).

Momma is doing great - moving around, joyful, eating solid foods, and excited to be a mom - and the medicine has worn off so she can certainly feel her incision now. They said today would be her toughest day in the recovery so she is prepared for it. Savannah looks so beautiful even after all she's been through in the last couple of days.

More pictures below. Click the images to see them magically "embiggoned".

Also, thanks so much for all of the comments and emails! We LOVE seeing them and reading them as it is our contact with the outside world. Sorry we cannot respond as we are somewhat occupied but thanks for caring.

Miss Sunshine

Another video of Hayden, this time with Grandma Sarah. Thanks to all for the comments - we love reading them and Savannah especially loves seeing the well wishes for you all. Thanks so much for caring.

A Cutie Pie

We are loving our new baby girl, but we are already missing sleep as it was a busy night! Mother and daughter are doing great. See a video of Hayden below.

It's a Girl!!!

After an 18 and a half hour labor and 2 hours of pushing, the Doctor realized that Hayden did not want to leave her nest easily and thus a C-Section was ordered. Soon after, at 3:08am this morning Hayden emerged and was as beautiful as could be!

She weighed in at 8 pounds, 2.5 ounces and 20.75 inches long. Her most notable feature is her long dark hair. She has more hair than some 5 month olds.

Savannah was a trooper through the long hard labor, even cracking jokes deep into the night. She truly showed her strength and perseverance.

Hayden is a doll so far into her young life, only crying on a couple of occasions. She was awake and alert for her first 3 hours of life and looks pensively into the eyes of whoever is holding her.

We couldn't be more proud of our little girl. See the slideshow below for pics.

Still Waiting

Savannah experienced a few hour's worth of contractions before they gave her an epidural which has made her feel much better. Now she is resting nicely and the contractions are growing stronger. She was off the pitocin for a little bit as Hayden's heart rate was a little low. Once it got back to normal, they started the pitocin back again. Now it's just a waiting game...

At the Hospital

We were awakened at 6am this morning with the hospital calling us in for induction. After finishing our packing and making sure we had everything, we arrived here at 7:15am (Pacific Time). It will be awhile to wait for the induction medicine to work. More to come later.

Hayden is coming soon!

Hello all. It has been some time since we last posted in this space but another significant event is quickly approaching.

Hayden is due in less than a week!

We will post news about her birth, pictures and more right here so you can see our little girl. If you like what you see, please post comments and let us know. If you don't like what you see, just tell us you think she's cute anyway.