Wednesday, March 30, 2011

First Birthday









The celebration of Harper's birthday included:
- Hanging out with Momma (always a good time!)
- Lunch with Grammie
- Wearing owl panties (iron-on from Joann's)
- Making dinner for our family
- Making vanilla cake and cupcakes and decorating them with a little help from KidsCakes 
  (the icing is buttercream and we used blueberries to color it purple. Picture color  looks more grey than it actually was)
- Eating said cupcakes
- Receiving a momma made quilt

Hopefully tomorrow there will be some videos uploaded!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A Look Back

Just born - in the NICU

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

One Year

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy first birthday to the most wonderful, loveable, beautiful, silly, amazing baby girl we could have ever hoped for!  Harper Allegra Leigh, momma and daddy love you with all of our hearts, forever and always!

 Birthday pictures to come tomorrow!  Hopefully a video or two as well!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

So Close

I sit rocking her as I have done everyday since the day we brought her home.  The creak of the chair is so familiar I hear it in my dreams.  I sing the same three songs in the same sequence that I have done for months on end.  Back and forth we rock.  I keep time by patting her diaper.  She lays sprawled on me, wrapped in a warm fleece blanket.  Slowly her eyes flutter and then suddenly are closed.  My singing becomes a hum and the rocking smoother.  It's all so familiar, so routine.  So peaceful.
Yet, something about this night is so different from all the rest.  Suddenly, like lightening striking me, I'm hit with a thought.  I have been doing this for a year.

A YEAR.

My little baby is almost a year.

A shiver runs through me like ice.  How did I let a year slip by so quickly?  How did I know, yet not know, that in just a few days time my beautiful baby girl would no longer be a baby?  I pull her close to me, envelope her in my arms, hoping to cease time for just a bit.  It dawns on me that these are the moments that won't last forever.  Soon she won't need my embrace or my songs to lull her to sleep.  Her needs that are dependent on me are coming to an end.  I wonder, have I cherished these moments as I should?  I have shown her all the love I feel right now?  Though she will never remember these precious moments, will she at least know that I will forever and always be there for her?  That I will love her indefinitely?  These thoughts are ones I've had constantly over the past year, but they have a sense of urgency that they've never had before.  As much as watching her develop, learn, discover, and progress is the greatest privilege I have ever known and as much as I think my heart will explode with all the love I feel for her, I cannot help but choke back tears.  Tears of sadness for what's being left behind and tears for all the years waiting to be discovered.
 

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

I Know How Chambermaids Felt

We bought Harper a potty chair a couple of months back.  I kept it in the bathroom for the most part.  Whenever Momma needed to potty, Harper got to sit on her potty.  Eventually I did some research on elimination communication and whatnot, but didn't follow it precisely.  I just decided to let Harper go diaper-free from time to time.  Now that it's getting warmer out, she can go diaper-free without me worrying about messes on the floor in the house.  Yay for nature!
 Yesterday was the first day (evening and nighttime not included because I had class) that she did not go in a diaper.  She went in the potty in the morning (she's an early morning pooper, by the way), I let her play in the raised beds naked until nap time.  When she woke up from her nap she was dry and so I put her on her potty.  Within a couple of minutes she had peed in it.  I let her go diaper free the rest of the day, during which time she pooed again and peed twice in the potty.  I was overjoyed.  Not only because my little baby was using a potty, but also because I didn't have to change a single poopy diaper!  Amazing!
 We're shooting for the same kind of day today.  So far it's worked just as well.  I just put her on there after naps, after nursing or eating/drinking, and when she toots (TMI, anyone?).  She likes sitting on there and seems to know what to do.  She usually goes within a few minutes of sitting on there.  I wait a couple of more minutes until I'm sure she's done and then take her off.  Usually I clap my hands cause she loves that and then we empty the potty seat (hence the reason for the title of this post.  Ahem.)  This just might be the first steps in potty training her.  I'm trying to push it on her, but rather going at a slow pace so she gets used to it and starts to associate "wake up from nap, potty; eat, potty."  Thankfully I have had to stayed home due to school related things so there's no need to leave and we can focus on this instead.
 She looks proud of herself, doesn't she?

Monday, March 21, 2011

Stressed

I like to keep things light, fun, and positive around here.
 So I won't go into details about how I feel ridiculously stressed right now between home (keeping up on it and remodeling a bathroom, which equals money which equals stress) and school (too many things due, not enough time, and classes that aren't being offered next semester, thereby extending how long it will take for me to finish my degree) and the inner turmoil I face trying to keep this family (and our environment) healthy (by researching chemicals, additives, hormones, and other crap this is added to our food, personal and house products, toys, etc.  Suffice it to say I'm overwhelmed!)
 I also won't burden you by saying that I've been feeling so stressed that I cried this morning over pancakes.  Pancakes, people.  I literally felt like a failure because I couldn't get those damn things to cook (either they burned or they took forever) so I had to resort to making Wade an egg and cheese sandwich to take to work instead of making him delicious, maple covered pancakes.  Woe is me, right?!
But I will tell you that I love that little girl more than life itself, that that little baby girl is only 8 DAYS away from being ONE (more stress? yes), and that I wish you all a very non-stressful, beautiful SPRING day to your week!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

First 2011 Park Visit!










Yesterday was the perfect day for a park outing.  Harper is still a bit too small for the playground equipment, save for the swings (which is one reason why I have no pictures of her at the playground.  That and I forgot to take my camera there with me) so we mostly walked around.  All Harper wanted to do was play with (or eat) the rocks around the picnic tables, hence why so many pictures are of her there.  She wasn't interested in the water or the geese, which surprised me.  But all in all we had a really good time and she fell asleep in the sling while I walked around.

Notes: First, there is a fence behind Harper in some of the pictures.  This isn't because we live in a high-crime area, but rather because there's a pool on the other side.  Second, I took the picture of her sleeping in her carseat while we were stopped by a train.  I do not condone picture taking while driving.  That is all.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Our Monday In Pictures

A little someone has been a wee bit whiney on this cloudy Monday so we've been taking it easy.  Our day has included, but most certainly not limited to:
: Playing hide and seek/dancing while pulling out every magazine on the rack
: Climbing all the over the couch and dogs
: Reading lots and lots of books
: Taking naps (Harper, not me, unfortunately)
: A first ever organic sucker, much to her delight

Hope your Monday has started off right!