Hunter Patrick Hayes

Month 2 & 3

Being that I have been back at work, free time at the computer is quite precious as some of you parents out there would be able to attest.  Because it has been so long, Hunter has experienced a lot.  Even though it has only been about 2 months since I last posted something it feels like 1 year because so much seems to happen when this little guy's around.  I guess you could equate it to dog years.  Since dogs pretty much sit around and do nothing all day, they need to have more years so when they talk to their dog buddies they can say I haven't done that in 5 years and mean it!  But I digress.

Where to start?  When we last left, I believe I was saying something about Hunter crying a lot.  Believe it or not, he decided that was no longer his style and has reserved his crying only for special occasions.  He eats a lot, and is growing like a weed.  He is off the charts according to the doctor, but once he settles into Dad's diet of Thin Mints and Twinkies I am sure he will level off.

Hunter met a lot of very special people this month.  The first visitors that came through MCO were Don and Jean Hayes (my parents for those following along at home).  The weekend was a lot of fun and Hunter enjoyed being spoiled with attention.  He got a chance to tell Grandpa Hayes about all the fish he caught on the lake.  Hunter also enjoyed his first trip to a restaurant during their visit.  We all went to the Boardwalk at Disney and sat outside and ate.  Thanks to Hunter's amazing math skills, we were able to correctly tabulate the tip!  Hunter really enjoyed meeting his other Grandparents for the first time.

Then Hunter had the privilege of meeting his Great Grandmother Hunter (which is where he got his name!).  After Gram left, Hunter was overheard saying, "I hear she has the hookup on gettin' me some Skittles!"  None the less he enjoyed the time he got to spend with his oldest living relative!

In early May, Hunter got to experience two fantastic things in one fantastic day.  On May 3rd, 2007, Hunter took his first trip to a Disney park, Epcot.  I know, I know some of you are saying "What took you so long, he was already 6 weeks before he got to go to Disney, poor child!"  Yes, we did wait quite a while, but this was the day.  Not only was it his first trip to Epcot and a Disney park, but he went to his first concert, too.  Jose Feliciano was playing at the American Gardens Theater.  Dad likes Jose, most known for writing the theme song to the Chico and the Man television show.  Hunter loved every minute of it.  He was found after the concert looking for a Freddie Prinze t-shirt.

In mid-May we were paid a visit from Hunter's aunt Sara and cousin Abigail.  Abigail and Hunter hit it off right out of the gate.  Hunter had a little trouble keeping up, being that he can't move and all, but they got along wonderfully.  The visit gave us all a lot of time to catch up on what was going on.  During their visit Hunter got to visit Magic Kingdom for the first time.  What a treat that day was (I am not being sarcastic for those of you still with me).  He did it all.  He got his "first visit" button, met Mickey Mouse for the first time, and got some real special attention from the Princesses.  He was in heaven.  Check the photos below to see the highlights of the day.

The next outing for Hunter was Mother's Day.  He was so excited that he got to spend the day with his Mother and Grandmother.  Oh yeah, Dad and Grandpa were there, too.  We enjoyed a fantastic brunch at Epcot followed by a stroll around the park.  Hunter even got to meet Captain Jack Sparrow!

Following that event Hunter had many more people slotted into his busy social calendar.  Hunter had the pleasure of meeting Mom's old coworkers.  There was a get together for Jason's birthday.  After the get together Hunter said "Mom, I totally understand you now!" 

After a small break in the action it was back on the campaign trail for the Huntster!  Uncle Drew and Aunt Fran were the next visitors to grace Hunter's presence.  Hunter enjoyed his time with Drew and Fran very much.  Drew taught Hunter a great deal about life that Dad had not gotten around to covering, like heckling baseball games and rockstar "groupies."  Mom did not approve of the latter lesson.  Hunter did find some time to show Drew how to improve his luck on the lake with the bass.  We all enjoyed some fantastic dinners and conversation. 

Other than that Hunter didn't do much!  His major milestone, which you will notice in some of the pictures, was that he started smiling and responding to us.  His alert and happy times of the day are now far surpassing his fussy "fix me" times of day.  What a treat it is to watch him grow up every day.  Every day he changes but also stays the same.  It is a weird feeling to think that he is not always going to be this little helpless guy that you have to take care of every day.  Someday he will grow up and have thoughts and aspirations.  My friend Tony (Bulldog to some) said it best, "When people tell you kids are a lot of work, it is way more work than you can ever imagine.  When people tell you that kids are unbelievable, they are way more unbelievable than you can ever imagine, too!"

Oh yeah, for those keeping track... we have taken about 2000 photos of Hunter in his first 2 1/2 months of life.  And for those of you wondering if we actually received your gifts, yes we did and thank you.  We suck at organization and are working on them now.  You should see them soon!  Sorry.

 

View Month Two-Three Photos