9 months

I say it with all my babies no matter how cliche it is, and I'll say it with this one as well. Derek, you have been out as long as you were in! You are nine months old now! You have the cutest little personality. You have this sweet little giggle, you love to come over to mom when I sit on the floor and just bury your head into me, I'm not sure why you do it, but I am going to think it's your way of saying you love me. You have two teeth now and you still love to eat! Sometimes you get a little testy with what we give you. You desperately want more finger foods and foods you can eat independently, but because you only have two teeth, our options are limited. I always know when it's been awhile since I've given you finger foods because you swat your baby food away until I give you something you can pick up and put in your mouth. After a few bites of that you are ready again for the baby food. It's been fun to watch how you communicate what you want.

You weight 16 lbs (7th percentile
You are in the 1st percentile for height
and 60th percentile for head circumference.

You might be little, but oh are you precious! The whole family adores you! Well, almost the whole family. Haley is pretty neutral when it comes to you, but we found out this month that she is fantastic at feeding you! She's so gentle and slow and you seem to love it! It's not really her favorite thing to do, but she likes being a helper, so she'll do it after a little coaxing. I hope you never lose your contagious smile and your easy going demeanor. We love you, Little Bear!

8 Months

Derek is such a happy boy. I've said it once and I'll say it over and over, this baby is so dang happy all the time! He is so patient and can so easily entertain himself! He really is what I prayed for with our third baby. He's growing all the time and he is exploring more and more. He LOVES food! He might be a little guy, but don't underestimate his appetite. That boy can eat! He sleeps really well, but he does like to get up with the sun, just like his sisters. He's crawling faster and faster all the time and he tries so hard to keep up with his sisters. Kinley still loves him and loves carrying him around and loves making him laugh. We love you cute boy!

7 Months

Derek is seven months old and is getting so wiggly! It's been so fun watching him grow. He loves watching Kinley and Haley run around. You can see in his eyes that he is chomping at the bit to try and keep up with them. He's learned to sit himself up and he is loving all the new foods he is trying. We're still working on getting him to pinch with his thumb and index finger, right now he grabs everything he can tries to put it all in his mouth at once. He is very much a boy and we love having him around.

Six Months

Mr. Derek Scott is now six months old. Time is flying by with this little one. It seems to me like the first 3 months with Derek were slow and snuggly and sweet and once he hit four months, it's like time started to fly! We are loving this stage with our little man. This is honestly my favorite baby stage! He is such a sweet baby with the cutest personality. His smile can light up a room full of people and his dimples are still to die for! He is a social butterfly and as long as people are nearby he is a happy camper.  Here are some milestones:

He can sit up independently
Rolls from back to tummy AND tummy to back
No teeth yet
Weighs 13.9 lbs
Length is 27 inches (I think)
He is self soothing and putting himself to sleep in his crib
Starting to sleep longer stretches and hopefully sleep through the night soon

He is still on the small side. He is in the less than 1 percentile, but all our babies are small and he is developing as he should and is so strong! Seriously, from the beginning this boy has been a strong one. We have no worries whatsoever with him. He is loving solid foods and now that he is fully formula fed he is growing and filling out much more. For some reason I only seem to produce "diet milk" and honestly, he wasn't great at nursing either. It was a recipe for disaster, but I made it to 6 months and I'm proud I was able to do that, but formula is honestly what is best for my babies.
Here's to another month with "little brother". We are quite smitten and can't wait to see what's up next!

5 months old (Derek)

Derek is five months old now. And here comes the classic line after that sentence... "I don't know where the time has gone!"  In all seriousness this is my favorite time in the baby year. I love months 5-9. There is so much development that goes on I feel like that's when babies really start to develop their personality and open up. Derek is such a smiley baby and he loves being around people, which is the nice way of saying he can't be put down for a second! Sometimes he's in rare form and he'll chill on his play mat for a minute while I put a load of laundry in the wash, or can fill my dishwasher with dirty dishes or heaven forbid, interact with my other children! But most of the time he is literally attached to my hip. He is a mamma's boy through and through, and honestly... I don't hate it. He is a good little buddy and when he is attached on said hip, he's pretty easy going and just happy to be wherever I am.

Kinley is pretty obsessed with him and does everything she can to get him to laugh. Haley interacts with him every now and then, but sometimes Derek is so entranced by Haley when she's around and it's so fun to watch! Derek is still pretty chill for the most part and we are excited to see what comes next!

One Year Old

Dear Haley,

Happy happy birthday my sweet girl! We are so excited to celebrate this last year that we had with you. I woke up the morning of your birthday with memories in my head of the previous year. We had you induced and I was so nervous that morning, but at the same time I was so anxious to meet you. You have been such a joy and a teacher of patience in our lives! I've learned a lot of patience with you throughout this last year, with your colic as a newborn, all of your colds and sinus infections in the first 3 months, teaching you to sleep through the night, which took a good two or three months, I think, your angry scream and your constant need of attention and entertainment. But you are worth every bit of it, my dear! You have such a sweet disposition and like I have said time and time again, your smile can light up a crowd. Your giggle and your silly sounds and facial expressions always keep us laughing. You are so curious and are so busy! I think you became a much happier baby once you became mobile and definitely when you learned to walk. You have always been on the go and are always keeping me on my toes. You have dealt with Kinley pretty well while she has learned to be a big sister. We still have a ways to go, and I'm sorry she is so mean sometimes. Dad and I definitely feel for you because we are both 2nd children. But you still love to play and interact with Kinley. I hope that continues to be the case and you and Kinley can learn to be great friends, that is one of my greatest hopes and wishes for the two of you. Let's get to some stats:

-You weigh 18.5 lbs
-You are 28 inches long
-You have 5 teeth (2 center top teeth, 2 center bottom teeth and one molar on the top right side)
-You are currently allergic to strawberries
-Totally weaned from formula and are loving warm, whole milk
-You love any and all kinds of foods, except avocado
-Walking full time at about 11 months and one week

We spent your birthday celebrating with a wonderful visit from Nama and Papa. We took a drive to Murray to the historic Wheeler Farms where we walked saw some farm animals and had a fun little photo shoot with you. Then we headed back to Heber for dinner at the Ranch House Grill, which was so good, but I will admit, I think we had a little more fun there then you did. You were a little anxious to get home. Probably to your chocolate cupcakes. We got home and quickly delve in to the cupcakes, quite literally for you, Miss Haley. You LOVED the cupcake, and it's safe to say you are a fan of chocolate just like mommy, and let's be real, most women out there.

 We love you more than you know Haley Elizabeth. You really have been such a joy and the perfect addition to our growing family. We can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you and we are so excited to see more of your personality come through.

Love you Haley Lou


Love, Mom

Last nap as a "baby" (day before her birthday)

Eleven Months

Dear Haley,

Happy 11 months! Where has the time gone? Seriously, this can't be right that you are almost a year old! Time has flown, but I have loved watching you grow. You are such a darling and sweet little girl. Your smile lights up my day, but your scream is almost deadly! You keep me on my toes, that is for sure!

-You have 5 teeth
-brown eyes
-strawberry blond hair (I hope that is here to stay)
-a full head of hair, although thin, it's still a full head and it's still growing
-The only real word you still say is, "Mamma" although you are jabbering more and more
-You eat everything we put in front of you. So far, I think you are allergic to cucumbers, and you don't enjoy avocado very much, but those seem to be your only complaint
-You are learning to walk!

Technically you took your first steps when you were still 10 months. It was July 2nd. We were out in the backyard of Gigi and Grandpa's house. Dad and I were playing with you on the grass and you took your very first steps! We were thrilled for you! I would have preferred you wait another month... or three, but I am still so proud! You still prefer crawling as your main mode of transportation, but you are getting better and more confident with yourself all the time.

We love you, sweet girl. Your laugh is infectious, you are SO busy! You love to explore and are always on the move! You still are not all that snuggly. You don't mind being held, but as far as rocking you before bedtime, like I still do with Kinley, you don't seem to care for it. All you need to fall asleep is your "sleepy elephant", your thumb in your mouth, and sleep sheep on the "whale" setting. You still take two naps a day and sleep great at night. You wake up whenever Kinley does, because let's be honest, the WHOLE family wakes up when Kinley does. And as far as your relationship with Kinley goes, it's... sort of hot and cold, with cold being more dominating. I hope as you and Kinley get older you will start to get along better. I'm sorry for all the abuse you put up with from her, but just think, it will make you stronger, and I'll let you get a push in every now and then to even the score. ;-)

We love you little Hales. We couldn't imagine our family without you. You are sweet and spunky and curious and smart! We wouldn't have you any other way!


Love, Mom