Thursday, December 23, 2010

This Past Week...

...has been hellacious.  It's gone something like this:

Last Thursday: Final class of the semester.  Yay!

Friday: A bit of cleaning.  Dinner for a family member's graduation.  This night, I started noticing that my whole body was aching.  Hmm?  Could I be getting sick?

Saturday: Graduation ceremony.  I was really starting to not feel well.  Mom, dad, Harper, and I tried to do a bit of shopping but had to leave early because I just didn't have it in me to walk around.  Went back to their house where I slept for 3 hours straight (thank you grandparents for watching Harper!) and discovered that night that  I had the stomach flu.  My parents were gracious enough to let me stay at their house in their bed since there was no way I was walking home.  Or moving out of bed for that matter. 

Sunday:  Still sick.  Wade's mom and sister came into town.  I stayed at my parent's until mid-day (watching the Colts...yay for a win!) and then went home feeling pretty good.  I was able to visit for a few hours, but wound up getting sick again that night.

Monday:  Worse day of sickness.  Hadn't eaten for two days.  Couldn't get out of bed without feeling like I was going to pass out.  Thankfully I have been surrounded by so many people who could watch Harper (who was also a bit sicky herself!).  My poor mom even got sick but came to help me with Harper.  Absolutely miserable day.

Tuesday:  Started to feel better!  Finally!  Moved around more.  Harper was started to act better as well, thankfully!  Didn't do much of anything on this day.

Wednesday:  Finally human again!  I was able to clean and get dressed and eat!  Hallelujah! I wouldn't wish this kind of sickness on my worst enemy.

I was so worried that I would be zombie-like for Christmas (and my birthday!) but I think I'll be okay!  Now I'm just hoping that I didn't infect anyone else!  As you can see, there is a lack of pictures in this post, though I know you can all understand why!  There will be plenty of cuteness to share after the holidays. Oh the dresses I have planned for Harper to wear!  Today will be spent wrapping and organizing.  Tomorrow we will celebrate at my parent's house by eating wonderful food prepared by my dad and opening gifts.  Christmas day we will open our gifts with Wade's family at our house and then go to my parent's for my birthday dinner.  This is really a special year!  Harper's first Christmas and both sides of our family celebrating together!  It's really wonderful.

Wishing you all happy, safe, and loving holidays!

Friday, December 17, 2010

6:29 AM

It's 6:29 AM and I'm wide awake.  I don't know if it's because I'm starving, it's cold, or my mind's racing with so many "to do's" but here I sit.  You see that empty space between my two loves?  I'd love to be zonked out right there right now.  So here I sit, at the dining room table where it's quiet and dark, save for the bright screen of my laptop, hoping that writing something will calm me and make me want to sleep for just a little while longer.

::Wishing you all a happy weekend!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Momma-Made Pants




Yes, indeed.  I successfully (sort of) made some baby pants!  Something I've wanted to do for a long time and finally got courage enough to tackle them!  They're not perfect by any means (nothing is ever perfect the first time you try, right??), but they fit and they're adorable.  And easy!  I got the instructions here.  I love the feeling of making something by hand for someone I love!

And yes, that is a thermometer Harper is playing with.  We've been dealing with fevers and sore throats around here.  For the moment we're better so I'm hoping it's passed!

Now back to more sewing!

Monday, December 13, 2010

What do you get...

when you have an eight-month old and a Christmas tree?






What a cheeser!
Trouble.

Friday, December 10, 2010

A Crazy Week!

I had grand plans for posting this week.  You can see that I didn't get very far since my last post was Monday.  Ahem.

Anywho, Monday night was spent not only admiring Harper for standing alone, but also finishing up a 15 page manuscript for my poetry class (along with another 5 pages of self-evaluation.  Bummer.). 

Grandpa Eddie arrived early Tuesday morning and we were all awake, including Miss Harper, around 6 am to greet him.  Tuesday was also a Christmas lunch with some of my mom's friends followed by cleaning, finishing up homework, and class. 

Wednesday we travelled north to be with my aunt who was having gallbladder surgery.  She's doing well now, but it was a rough day followed by a rough night for her so we ended up spending the night at a hotel next to the hospital (along with a trip to Target to get pjs, diapers, toothpaste, etc. since we didn't know we'd be staying overnight!)

Thursday we spent half of the day at the hospital, got home around 3 or 330 and it was about time for me to start getting ready for class once again.  (Thankfully there are only two classes left this semester!)

And today is a low-key kind of day.  I've been catching up on some cleaning, playing with Harper, planning some Christmas gifts, and thinking about what to make for dinner.

I wasn't able to take many pictures this week since I didn't have my camera with me for most of it (and my phone died not long after getting to the hospital) so I apologize for the cruddy quality of the ones I'm about to post.  We got some snow (yay!) and it does wonky thing to the lighting when taking pictures.

Charlie's new friend
All dressed up for lunch at Shirley's
Everyone looks sleepy in this picture

Harper was ENTHRALLED with Grandpa Eddie

Monday, December 6, 2010

A Quick Note...

Harper stood ALL BY HERSELF this evening.  It just happened and lasted mere seconds, but it happened.  Of course, I have no picture to prove this.  It happened and then it was over.  But I just wanted to say that my not-so-little baby girl stood unassisted today.  I'm deliriously happy and sad at the same time.  Ah, such is being a mother I suppose!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Cuteness Caught on Camera!

I'm posting a video of Harper "singing" along with her Baby Macdonald VHS.  But before we can get to the ridiculous adorableness, a few warnings:

Warning #1: Yes, I am singing in the video.  I apologize.  This was the only way I could get her to sing along, too.

Warning #2:  Yes, it is laundry day.  Sorry about the mess behind Harper.

Warning #3:  As previously stated, we are watching a VHS.  And yes I know it's not 1993, but it was $1 and we only have a VHS player upstairs.  And yes, the tracking is WAY off on the video.  I just can't seem to find the remote to remedy this problem.

Warning #4:  I am not a professional videographer.  And 8 month-old children are notorious for wanting to grab things.  Therefore, if you get motion sickness easily, don't watch this video.  I was more focused on trying to get her to sing, trying not to sing too loudly myself, and keep her from grabbing the camera that the footage gets a little shaky at times.  Again, I apologize.

I think that's it.  If after all those warnings you still wish to watch, well, here's your cookie:

So, there you have the ovary crushing cuteness of the day.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Monday, November 29, 2010

8 Months

Sweet Baby Harper,
    This past month has been a flurry of activity.  Here's just some of what has happened:
*You started crawling and I don't think you have stopped since.
*Your first Halloween.
*Your first Thanksgiving.
*As of three days ago you started waving hello/goodbye.  Or signing for milk.  Or motioning at things you want/like.  Either way, it's RIDICULOUSLY adorable. 
*You have started pulling yourself up on things and walking around furniture/people.
*You're getting your top four teeth, though only one has managed to push through the gum.  Poor thing.
*We picked out your first Christmas tree (and our first live tree as a family, too).
*You discovered tantrums.  Not cool.  But we're handling it as calmly as we can.
Big cheeser.  Waiting for her Thanksgiving food.


This is an incredibly fun age, let me tell you.  You smile almost constantly.  You're always giggling or "talking" no matter what you're doing.  You've started clapping your hands, but only when you get really excited.  You play now, which is so sweet.  You hold books and "read."  You play with baby dolls or blocks or house decorations, crinkle up your nose, and talk a string of vowels.  So.  CUTE.
You've also started trying to put on things.  Shirts.  Pants.  Blankets.  Daddy's (clean) boxers.  You pull these items up to your head and try with all your might to get them to go on.  I'm impressed.
This is the first month that you've paid attention to anything on the television.  Granted, that's mostly because I don't watch television during the day.  Mostly we listen to music.  But I got this Baby Einstein VHS at the library booksale for $1 and thought what the heck?  I don't think these type of movies will make you a genius.  They do, however, grab your attention for at least a minute at a time, long enough for me to use the bathroom or start a chore or do something before you see that I'm not near you.
Oh, and about separation.  You're okay if there's someone else in the room, but if it's just you and me, well, you have to be RIGHT. THERE. with me.  Which is fine.  I love that you want me all the time.  Unless I happen to break a glass and it shatters all over the kitchen floor (this morning) and I need you to play elsewhere.  Or if I need to shower (you do not like showers, by the way.  Tried that a couple of weeks ago).  You do not like the Pack 'N Play or vibrating seat or bouncy seat or jumparoo or walker.  Really anything that confines you is out of the question.  You're still okay with the wrap so I use that, but I don't like to use it often since you're so mobile now.
You're still nursing about the same amount of times, though you must be a champ because it doesn't take  you very long to gulp down several ounces.  Some nights you never wake up to eat and other nights it's every 2-3 hours.  Which means you're still sleeping right next to me.  I'm thinking of side car-ing your crib to our bed because you're a bit of a bed hog.  Oh, and you crawled right out of bed the other day.  I cried harder than you did.  You were just fine.  More scared than anything.  But I don't want that to happen ever again.  So we have to do something.
Harper, my love, you are the greatest thing to have ever happen to us.  You really complete our life and bring us more happiness and love than we ever thought possible.  There are so many moments where we just look at you and wonder what we did before you.  I know I've never loved so much before.  I've never smiled so much before.  And I know I've never kissed someone as much as I have you!  I can't wait to see what the next month brings for you!

We love you always and forever, with all of our hearts,
Momma and Daddy
Daddy,  Momma, and Harper on Thanksgiving Day at Grammie and Grampie's.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Question of the Day...

Is Harper telling me I need to tone up when she mistakenly latches onto my stomach instead of my boob?

Notice her incisors are coming in.  We affectionately call her "redneck baby" 

because of her left tooth.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Last Week...

This past week was a bit of a lazy one for us.
We started off last week with some sort of stomach flu.  Momma even had to skip a class (ack!).
We played a lot, read a lot, and Momma discovered she has an addiction to grocery shopping (seriously).
We also did some eating, as you can see.  It was an uneventful week, but definitely one that we needed.  It was certainly a TLC kind of week!  Thankfully, we're doing better around these parts and preparing for Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Last Days

These are the last days of warm weather and we're trying to make the most of them.  Harper and I spent yesterday enjoying the sun and the warmth and not doing much.  A perfect day for a walk.



Friday, November 12, 2010

Attack of the baby!

Harper is starting to pick up speed.
Even though her crawling is a bit robotic, she's getting pretty good!
I sat down to take pictures of her and as soon as her bottom was on the floor, 
she started propelling herself forward.
And she likes to pull herself up on things 
(otherwise known as trying to give poor Momma a heart attack)
Once up, she feels immensely proud of herself.
Gone is my little, tiny baby.  Before me stands a little person.
So. Adorable.
Let's hope I can keep up with her!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Daddy Love

Despite his crazy schedule of working and going to school, Wade is a devoted father.  The man lights up when he sees his baby girl.  After ditching his oil stained clothes, the first thing he does when he comes home is hold Harper.  He will do anything for a smile from her.

LOVE this one!
 

Be still my heart!
It's amazing to watch him with her.  And I have fallen in love with him all over again because of her.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

I'm Starting Her Early.



A requirement for my Thursday night class is to read James Joyce's Ulysses.  Instead of Dr. Seuss I read this to Harper.  It's a way for me to read to her and to get my homework accomplished.  Please don't think that I'm one of those parents who's thinks that reading this type of literature to a baby will make them a genius.  I'm not.  She prefers the actual book over me reading it to her.  I can't say that I blame her.  Thankfully I'm on the last chapter!  Now we can move on to more interesting topics...like Mary Shelley and Frankenstein.  

Monday, November 8, 2010

We have crawling!

Yes, as of last week Harper fully entered the crawling world.  (Didn't I just give birth to her, like, yesterday?!?)  Of course, in true Harper fashion, crawling just isn't enough.  She wants to climb! and walk! and run!  But first she must find balance.  Until then she will continue to stick out her tummy or bottom while we walk her around (so flippin' cute, by the way).  Of course, this means that my otherwise clean house must stay SPOTLESS because, let's face it, mobile children EAT EVERYTHING THEY FIND.  There can be blocks and books and other toys strewn about, but she goes for the microscopic piece of lint that the vacuum didn't pick up.  Because, apparently, that is so much more interesting and tasty than a book.  Yesterday I rearranged the upstairs living room furniture so I could see her while she plays on the rug.  Next up, putting in a new stair railing so my heart doesn't explode when she gets within 12 feet of the stairs.  Who said parenting was easy?



Don't mind the hair on the floor.  I promise I'm clean.  We just have two hairy dogs.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Just Now

Just now, my baby girl woke up crying.  It's almost 10:00 at night and she's had a long day.

Just now, I went to her, gathered her up in my arms, wrapped a blanket around her, and rocked her back to her dreams.

Just now, I glided back and forth in that rocker and felt my heart growing.  A small moment that I will try to remember always.

Just now, I held onto my baby long after she had fallen asleep.  I found it difficult to leave her laying there.

Just now, I felt the happiest I have ever been on such an ordinary day. 

Saturday, November 6, 2010

7 Months

My Sweet Baby Harper,
    Last Friday you turned 7 months.  Instead of feeling sad and wondering how in the world these past 7 months have flown by so quickly, I felt elated.  This past month has really brought out your personality.  You're moving more than ever, babbling more than ever, and you are almost always happy.

The day you turned 7 months. Love the sweater!
You are starting to crawl, though only a little bit at a time.  Mostly you maneuver yourself around until you can pull yourself up on a piece of furniture (ever heard of a heart attack?!).  What you really want to do is walk.  You're happiest when someone is walking you around.  I can now put you in the pack n' play where you hold onto the sides and stand for extended periods of time.  You babble and coo and chew on the sides.  And this makes you ridiculously happy.  You will now sit and play by yourself.  Granted, this doesn't last for very long, maybe 5 or 10 minutes at a time, but I can eat or go to the bathroom during these times.  I'm enjoying it now because soon I won't be able to leave you alone.
You are in the process of getting your top four front teeth (eek!).  So far, so good, though I feel so sorry for you.  Mouth pain is the worst! You've been good during nursing by sparing Momma's nipples and I thank you!
Everyday you change.  Everyday I love you more.  What I really wanted to tell you was just how much I love you and hope for you.  I know I will make mistakes and I will piss you off and we won't always agree on everything.  I get that.  But I have been thinking a lot about being a mom, both now and in the future, and I really, truly hope that I can help you grow into a well-rounded, healthy (both body and mind), mature, happy adult.  I have moments where I freeze up at the thought of helping you grow up in this world.  Will I be able to equip you with the tools you will need to be successful, but also with the tools necessary to pick yourself back up when you fail?  Will I be able to show you the world, both good and bad, and prepare you for it?  Will the knowledge that I have be enough for you?  Will I be able to impart to you the values and morals that were instilled in me?  How can I protect you from all the ills of the world, but let you know enough of it so that you don't go down some life-damaging path?  What I mean to say, my love, is that I worry for and about you.  CONSTANTLY.  And you're only SEVEN MONTHS OLD.  (Imagine how the next 20 or 40 years will be!)  I worry now about the arguments we will have later and whether or not we will have the beautiful relationship that my mother and I have.  You will make mistakes.  You will fail at times.  You will learn the ugly truth about the world and people.  I can't hide you from the bad, as much as I would like to shove you into that plastic bubble.  I know that's not even plausible because you need to be aware in order to persevere.  And while these things I worry about are in the future, they're very close on my mind.  I love you my little one more than anything.  I hope that you will always know that.  I hope that I forever continue to show you the love that I feel right now.  Keep blossoming my love!  I'll be right here to watch every minute and to cheer you on!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Things I Wish I'd Been Told...

about breastfeeding a six-month-old.

1. She will try to twist your boob back and forth, as if it were a bottle, while nursing.

2. She will want to inspect your nipple after feeding.

3. She will want to talk/sing/coo at your boob after feeding.  Her way of thanking it for her nourishment, I suppose.

4. She will come to think that everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, is a boob or nipple.  Freckles. Elbows. Pumpkin stems. Tops of cookie jars. Dog noses.

5. She will try to nurse off of anyone, especially her shirtless father.  (You say ouch; I say, oh well cause he didn't learn his lesson the first dozen times it happened.)

6. No matter what anyone tells you, she will try to nip/bite you more than once, despite having tried all the "tricks" to get her to stop.  If her gums hurt from teething, you're gonna know about it!

7. If you get out of the shower and, heaven forbid don't put a towel or rub around yourself, she will gawk at your breasts like a 13 year-old boy who's never seen boobies before.

8. If she does see you shirtless and braless, she will stare at them with the widest eyes that seem to say, "Wait!  There are TWO of those?!"

9. You will experience engorgement every couple of months when she goes through a growth spurt and her appetite changes and then slows down after the growth spurt.  This is a good time to stock up on milk!

10. You will have made one of THE. BEST. decisions as a mother for your daughter (and yourself, honestly!).  And, hey, it's okay to pat yourself on the back for making it to your first breastfeeding goal of six months (and counting)!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Half a year

Sweet Baby Harper,
    You are six months today.  I was in excruciating pain at about this time.  But we were so exciting that we were finally going to get to meet you!
    And now here we are so many months later.  At this moment, you're sitting next to me in your high chair sucking on a bagel bite and drinking out of your sippy cup.  You're picking things up by yourself; you're able to use a sippy cup.  I can't help but think WHEN DID THIS ALL HAPPEN? cause last thing I remember, you couldn't hold your head up on your own.  Now you're all, Whatever Momma I can do it myself! 

    Honestly, though, you've switched on like a light.  This change was taking it's sweet time and then one day:  Poof!  You could pick things up!  And bring them to your mouth!  You could sit unattended!  All these amazing milestones were taking place.  What's even more is that you're now able to get on all fours and kind of rock in place.  You have still been scooting around like a worm most of the time and you refuse to roll from your stomach to your back (though really, my love, if you would do this you wouldn't get so pissed off all the time!)  You're starting to pull yourself up and you REALLY love to be walked around. 
    You still have only your two bottom teeth, but I think you're starting to work on some more.  You've been using those two teeth to help you rip food apart.  Oh, yea, food.  You're so over baby food.  Instead, you watch us eat with pleading eyes until we give you a nibble.  Some sweet potato here, a piece of bread there, some mashed up something-or-other.  And you want to drink out of our cups, which you're actually pretty good at.  It's really cute to see you open your mouth like a little bird toward our glasses or food.

    I have successfully breastfed you for SIX MONTHS.  It's like old hat now!  I nurse you anywhere and everywhere without a moment's thought.  I don't even have to watch what I'm doing (though I'm always cautious not to flash - you're doing that enough yourself since you get so distracted easily!)  I'm so glad I stuck with it and have made it to my first mini-goal.  Here's to (at least) six more months!  You're nursing every 3 hours or so, unless you're cranky/tired/upset.  Then it's however many times you feel like it however often you want it.
    You're a good sleeper.  You've started being able to lay down , though usually only for about 30-45 minutes.  You don't like Gramie and Grampie's swing as much as you used to, though you still sleep in it.  You still like ours and will sleep 4 hours in it if you need to.  We're still co-sleeping and I don't foresee us giving that up any time soon.  Even though your room is right across the hall, I don't think I'd sleep a wink with you that far away!
    You love to play with dogs and look at yourself in the mirror.  Both of those things make you smile and giggle!  You're all about textures and the way things feel to your hand.  You're constantly petting things (you do this a lot while you're nursing, too)  Oh, and you still love to be sung to.  Now you try to sing along with us (swoon!) 

   Your newest trick is blowing raspberries with your lips (like you're doing right now!).  It's kind of like your way of talking.  You do it a lot when you get mad, like you're telling us off!  I think it's really cute (I know, how sadistic of me!)
    Though the time has flown by, it's been so amazingly incredible.  We love you oh so much!  We're so lucky to have such an amazing little baby girl and I'm thankful that I get to spend each and every day watching you grow!  My heart grows with you, let me tell you! 
    We love you so much, baby girl!  Can't wait to see what the next six months bring us!

Monday, September 27, 2010

The Poop Post

I just finished loading the washer.  I tell you this not because it's exciting, because obviously it's not.  I don't tell you, dear reader, this so you can know the mundane details that make up my everyday.


No, no.


I'm telling you that I just did the most disgusting load of laundry.  Ever.


Let me start over.


Harper and I had a lovely mother/daughter day.  We went to campus and then did a little bit of shopping at the mall to pass time before we went to meet Gramie for lunch.  It was such a a beautiful, cool day out that I decided it was the perfect time to take Harper for her very first trip to the park.  So we went there after lunch.  (In retrospect, she's a bit young for the park)  They had this swing:
This thing looks like I could fit in it (though I did not try) and is somewhat of a torture device.   Look at all those straps for crying out loud! She looks thrilled, doesn't she?  There really wasn't anything to do beside the swing and taking her down a slide, which is a bummer because there were loads of things for older kids to do.  She was more interested in the other kids than the playground.  And my keys and camera.  We actually left the playground area because this one little boy wouldn't leave her alone and kept rubbing her face.  She wasn't exactly happy about that.  So we went to another area of the park so Momma could take pictures.  What else!

{On the playground equipment.  Notice the socks with capris.  Go Mom}

{My momma's so silly!]

{Her new favorite chew toy}

{I'm not sure why she does this, but whenever she's lying down she puffs out her chest}

{Posing with Momma}

{Mmmm...toes}



 This last picture is significant because this is, unbeknownst to me, where the poop happened.  Granted, I knew she was pooping cause Harper is a grunting kind of girl.  She makes it known, lemme tell ya.  So I decided that was a good time to head home, knowing I only had like two wipes in the bag.  I gathered up our things and started walking to the car.  About 3/4ths of the way there I saw the poop on my shirt sleeve.  A lot of it.  And then I looked at Harper and saw it on the back of her shirt and pooling around the top of her diaper.  Yes, I said pooling.  As in LIQUID.

(Let me take a moment her to say that I was going to post about our trip to the mall (to buy a wedding gift...I swear we don't go to the mall this often!) on Friday when she pooped all up the SIDE of herself.  And since she was wearing her back-up outfit already, I had to buy her a new outfit.  I learned my lesson and, therefore, I had TWO outfits in the bag today.  Score one for me.)

So, using my decisive reasoning, I laid the blanket on the ground, sat Harper on it, took my shirt off (thankfully I was wearing tank tops underneath) and ever so gently I peeled off her dripping shirt.  After wiping off her back, I laid her down, whereupon poo got all over the blanket and on her arm.  (Did I mention that I had only two wipes left???)  So I had to hold her left arm and leg (boy did she love that!)  and hoist her up a bit while I tried to clean her off.  All the while, Harper is trying to eat the gravel nearby with her free hand.  Finally, I got her all cleaned up and dressed.  I sat her in her carseat with some toys, bagged up the poo clothes and blanket in one bag; the nasty diaper in another (good thing I had gone to the mall and had bags!)  Since she had been sitting on my lap when the pooing occurred, I looked like I had pooed myself.  And, of course, I had no clothes to change into.  Thankfully I had a jacket in the trunk.  I laid it on the seat for me to sit on and we drove home.

And that, my friends, was my crazy day.