My brain has officially reached full capacity. I have been running around like A.D.D. girl for the past couple of months and I suppose with the holidays coming, family gatherings and a trip back home, that’s not going to change any time soon.

I feel like I’m missing out on updating a lot of the fun things that have been happening in Hailey world. It’s hard to remember everything. Like her ever increasing vocabulary and understanding of this crazy world. Like how she talks to “Grandma Peggy” on her “cell phone” every day or how she’s “so sorry” that she cried at the doctor’s office or how she says, “I’m ok” after she falls or bumps into something. There are “I love yous” thrown around constantly and “squeezers” as they are known as around these parts. Squeezers are the best. If you receive one of those from Hailey, you know you’re someone special. I wish I could blog every minute of every day and just record those special little things that she does but that’s become virtually impossible. She requires more of our time and attention now than ever. She just loves to play and to have us there by her side “showing her the ropes”.

We let her decorate the tree this year. It was fun watching her place each ornament just where she wanted them to go. I love not having to say, “Hailey, don’t touch the tree”. We’ve basically just let her have rein over it and she leaves it alone, other than the occasional repositioning of ornaments.

She’s been sick and cranky for the better part of the last two weeks. Lots of coughing and tough times sleeping. She usually wakes up between 10:30 and 11pm, coughing. Most of the time putting herself back to sleep but sometimes crying for mommy or daddy. We made a quick trip to the ER last Sunday because of the persistent cough. Chest x-rays were done and there were no signs of pneumonia. I made a follow-up appt. for her, which was today, and a strep test was done. The test came back negative, thankfully. We’re doing all of the right things for her, so we just need to let this long-lasting cold run its course.

We were only able to play outside on a couple of occasions because we didn’t want to make things worse with her cold. She just loved being outside. She just wanted to eat the snow. Her daddy took her sledding one day. I wasn’t there but I heard she had a blast. I’ll be there next time, snapping pictures for her. Yes, we have ONE hill in Illinois, which Hailey calls a “mountain” bless her little heart.

Anyway, I went a little Crate and Barrel ornament crazy this year (30% discount, can ya blame me?) So, without further ado, I present you with La galerie d’ornement Mueller: