OMG Yes, I'm Still Alive

I know.  I KNOW.  I am absolutely horrible at updating.  It's not that it's unimportant or that I'm so super busy either.  I have every good intention at least once a week of updating, but then I remember to change the washer.  Or run the vacuum.  Or organize the pantry.  Or play with my kid.  Or run some errands.  And what do you know?  A month has passed and still no update.

A thousand apologies to those who have been asking for an update.

So, since you're all just waiting on pins and needles for the all-important answer to "What have the Lockerby's been up to???," well wait no further!

We have:

1.) Gone to Rose-Hulman's Homecoming (which included a pep rally, fireworks, bonfire, and Harper's first ever 5K).

2.) Went to Harper's first dentist appointment (where she got a toothbrush with Sally from Cars on it and was so gooood for the hygienist)

3.) We are THISCLOSE to being completely potty trained (and while this is a cute picture, I have to say that I took it while she was on the potty at Kroger.  So sue me.  She looked adorbs and she's like the little girl from Monster's Inc.  You know, when Boo is waiting for her in the bathroom and she's being all cute and singing and taking FOR-EV-ER.  Yea, that's my kid.  So I get bored easily).

4.) We've been trying to use up as many eggs as we can since we have a metric ton of them (obviously that's an exaggeration BUT we are getting 4 a day which is pretty rockin')

5.) Went to a wedding where we had a blast (excuse Wade.  He couldn't be bothered to put his beer down for a family photo apparently)

6.) And just being the coolest kid you'll ever meet

THE END.

It's September

Yes, I do realize it's September.  No, I did not realize that it's been TWO MONTHS since my last update :(  Way to go, mom!  Sheesh.

Since my last post we have traveled to:
Vermont
Arizona
Nevada
California

We have now seen Las Vegas, Yosmite National Park, and met A LOT of relatives in California.  It was really a memorable and exciting vacation.  Three weeks of traveling and sight-seeing was a lot, though.  I think we are still recuperating. 

When we returned, I was offered a part-time job so I am officially back in the work force.  It's nice to be social again and meet new people.  I only work 8-noon so I still have plenty of time with Harper.  And housework.  And yard work. But not a lot of time for homework.  People, I am THISCLOSE to finishing my Master's paper and yet I can't seem to just get it done already!  It's a very irritating monkey that I've got clinging to my back.  Soon enough I guess.

So, how's Harper, you might ask.  This kid is AH-MAZING.  She's smart and funny and above and beyond adorable.  She has just had a growth spurt, though, so NONE of her 2T clothes fit and we're into 3Ts!  This growth spurt has been a bit difficult for her emotionally and possibly physically.  Add to that the fact that Mommy isn't home 24/7 and she's been out-of-sorts for the past few weeks.  She had a couple of weeks where she was waking up once or twice crying in the middle of the night.  She's also waking up between 6:30 and 7:30 on most days, which means Daddy isn't getting much sleep (she stays home with him since he works nights).  But since he wanted me to get a job, he's dealing with it, I guess.  Harper has also hit a road block in the potty department.  She was telling us when she needed to go or she was going in there on her own, but she is doing none of that now.  She's hiding more often and going in her diaper and THEN says she needs to go on the potty.  I'm at a loss for what to do?!  Her vocabulary has taken off once again and I can pretty much understand everything she's saying.  She's into gymnastics (after seeing the Olympics), reading chapter books (which we do every night.  We just finished The Boxcar Children and now we're reading The Little House in the Big Woods), watching Rugrats, and anything and everything to do with babies.  She's interested in everything and still loves to play outside (it's still where she's most content).  Bubbles are a must in the bath tub.  She would live on chocolate milk, string cheese, and pickles if we let her.  She's become a much more picker eater, but she still will try just about anything.  She's longing to go to school, which she isn't old enough for yet, but I'm trying to use it to get her to go to the potty (we are looking into a Montessori school near-by for preschool next year).  We are still going to Kindermusic once a week which she is always so excited about.  She really loves trains, cars, planes, and matching games.  She's still sleeping with us, which is still working out for all of us.  Our bedtime routine is bath, jammies, three books, lights out, and then I sing to her for a bit.  Usually she passes out before I'm finished singing.  

Now that I've written a novel, how about some pictures?

In utero, newborn, two years-old: her favorite way to fall asleep.

So pretty :)

I made her make this face.  It's her, "Hey! Don't say that!" face.  A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E.

Eating eggies from our own chickens!

Okay, so I promise on my next post to put up pictures from our trip!  

Big Girl.

I got to hold a 6-week-old baby the other night.  Holding her both satisfied my urge to have a baby and equally intensified how much I want another one.  But that's not why I'm writing now.  After the baby and her family left, it hit me full on just how big Harper is.  

Harper is non-stop, on the go all the time.  She can feed herself with spoons and forks and even last week learned how to open the refrigerator and brought me the half-gallon of chocolate milk.  She can now go into the bathroom, turn on the light, go potty, flush, wash her hands, and turn off the light when she's done (though she usually forgets to turn off the water).  She helps feed the dogs and water the garden and plants.  She can climb into her swing and buckle herself in.  She can put her sandals on herself and usually on the right feet.  Her make-believe play has gone to another level.  She's talking to her animals and babies and cars as if they were real people.  She's creating pretend situations out of real life experiences.  Her vocabulary is growing each and every day.  She learns songs so quickly and is remembering her favorite book and movie characters.  We went to the movies over the weekend to see Brave and she sat through the whole thing.  Oh and she's using the potty at least once a day and has started to tell  me when she needs to go.  She especially likes to potty while we are out in public.  She loves to swim and can even do so alone with her floaties.  She likes to help weed, wash dishes, do laundry, vacuum and mop, and make the beds.  She is always laughing or singing or talking.  She loves to jump and gallop and climb.  She loves to read stories and go for walks and eat popcorn.  She loves to ask questions and has just started to ask why? about everything.

She is in constant motion and is forever learning.  I know why my days are so full and why some days nothing gets done.  But it is all so beautiful and I am so lucky that I get to experience this all with her each and every day.  And as much as I would love to sit around staring at a new baby all day, I think I'll just chase around my crazy two-year old and love her a little bit more until then.

Her Birthday

Though this post is quite a bit belated (how does time fly by so quickly?), this is how we celebrated Harper's second birthday.

Learning how to do "two" with her fingers.

Eating a birthday treat - ice cream!

Unfortunately, momma had a doctor's appointment on her birthday, but she was still happy!

Opening her presents from Papa and Mimi.

Her birthday treat from Mimi.

The treat table at her birthday party (on Saturday the 31st).

Thanks to everyone who came to the party and made Harper's day that much more special!  Two weeks later and she's still talking about everything she did that day ("kids play in jumpy!" "play in sandbox with kids!" "eat pupcakes!").  I believe that two years-old is going to be a very enjoyable year indeed.

Happy Birthday, My Little Love

Happy 2nd birthday to the little love in my life.  I hope your day is filled with laughter, excitement, good food, and a whole lot of love.  You make my life so much better each and every day.  I love you always and forever, with all of my heart.

Bedtime

I've been trying to find ways to simplify all areas of our life.  We've cut out almost all processed foods, I've been adopting a more Waldorf-like atmosphere in our home (more on this to come), and I've been trying to make our "routines" more simple.  I don't have a set schedule that we follow everyday.  We usually take our time saying good morning and rising out of bed followed by a slow transition to the kitchen for breakfast.  We spend our days either on the go running errands and meeting people for lunch or we stick to the house where we read, listen to music, play with blocks/trains/animals/dolls/instruments, or (if we're lucky at this time of the year!) play outside.  Harper is also into helping me do chores throughout the day.  After all of that (with a little nap thrown in somewhere), we make and eat dinner.  


And that's a very brief overview of our days.


And then there's nighttime.  It used to be a time I dreaded, back when Harper had colic.  Then I tried a more regimented schedule that lasted just a few short weeks.  Between my night classes and Wade's, it was just too difficult.  Our current bed time "routine" is working pretty well and has Harper asleep the majority of the time within 30-45 minutes.  It's like this:


- Take vitamins, let dogs out one last time, last drinks of water, and potty time for everyone


- Dogs in their bed and everyone puts on their jammies


- Snuggle down in bed with a couple of books that get read no more than twice each (otherwise she'd stay up all night looking through them!)


- Lights off and we sing songs like "The Wheels on the Bus" (of course!), "Six Little Ducks","You Are My Sunshine", and "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean."  What's really great about this is that Harper has recently started singing these songs along with me.  I've even heard her singing to herself or her animals/dolls while playing.  Cutest damn thing EVER.


Some nights, if she's worn out enough, the singing alone is enough to soothe her to sleep.  But if she's particularly wound up, we snuggle up next to each other and she has to hold my hand(I love holding her hand, but this is something she has to do for security, I think)(or rub the skin under my neck which becomes unbearable after awhile), and I usually have to redirect her several times to lay still and close her eyes before she falls asleep.  We have had very little tears doing this.  If she does cry it is because she A.) Doesn't want to go to sleep, even though she's beyond tired or B.) Doesn't want to put on jammies so we just wear a diaper and t-shirt.  Obviously, this is all subject to change as we approach new milestones, but, hey, it works right now and I love it.  It's happy, peaceful, and honestly fun!  Having her in our bed is something I will always remember and cherish.


P.S. Harper has lately become very into what belongs to whom.  At night we have to identify which pillow belong belongs to Momma, Daddy, and Harper.  And heaven forbid if one of us is on the wrong one!  Still, another absolutely adorable thing she does.  But then I'm biased, right?

23 Months

Harper - 
   You're just a few short weeks away from turning two years-old.  I'm incredibly excited.  You are expanding and growing and learning every moment of everyday.  You are, without even knowing, teaching me along the way.  There are many days where we struggle together, but each time we come out better than we were before.  You astound me with how much you're absorbing: ABCs, the lyrics to songs, realistic make-believe play (with dolls, trains, household chores, etc).  You're speaking in small-ish sentences and there are always a few words that just about anyone can decipher.  Of course, most of the time they just look at me for translation.
    You're very into modes of transportation (which our trip to California helped to bring to life!)  Trains are by far your favorite, but you also love school buses (you call all buses and many other things "boo buses," which is really adorable), planes (you especially love to see the planes from the small airport nearby fly "up in da skies" as you say), and big trucks.
   You're starting to learn your colors.  The thing is, when we ask you what the color of something is, you always answer "blue."  However, you will point at things and say the correct color.  I know this in not a fluke because it happens quite often.  This is similar to when you first started to learn what sounds animals make and you always answered "moo."
   You're also starting to learn how to dress yourself (though not always successfully) and you're learning right from left.
   I know I say this every time, but this is such a fun age!  Even on the difficult days there's always some sort of fun to be had or love to be shared.  I'm so thankful that I've been lucky enough to be part of your life everyday for the past 23 months.


I love more forever and always, with all of my heart,
Momma

21 Months (and counting)

Harper is quickly approaching 22 months, which means (obviously) we are THISCLOSE to TWO YEARS OLD.  She is now talking in 3-4 word sentences (although she can string a ton of her own "words" together and make a whole story or song for you!).  She's independent, feisty, determined, stubborn, sweet, loving, and intelligent.  I know, I know.  I'm biased, but really it's all true.  She's adorable and beautiful and all her own person.  Lately we've begun our passage into the "Terrible Twos" that everyone knows and loves so much (haHA). A majority of her words include "NO" and "MINE."  Getting an almost two year-old to understand sharing and when Momma says "No" Momma means know is, well, frustrating to say the least.  But we're working on it.

Love the cheesy face!

We're also working on potty training, which is still pretty much nonexistent.  Harper will sit on the toilet to brush her teeth, read a book, get her hair combed...pretty much anything except use it for its intended purposes.  Even if I know she needs to go (you know, all those adorable red-faced, breath holding visual cues kids give?) and I put her on the potty, she'll hold it until she's back in a diaper or roaming the house naked.  Thankfully, I'm not easily put off by small human bodily functions.

Yogurt eggs...yum

As always, she still loves music and singing and dancing.  Her favorites include: The Wheels on the Bus (still!), You Are My Sunshine, anything with Choo-Choo trains, Rock-A-Bye Baby, Hush Little Baby, and some other little jingles that we make up.  She is also into her ABCs. She basically just says the sounds she hears, but she definitely gets inflection in her voice while singing.  She is also really into make-believe stories and playing.  She loves to hear "The Three Little Pigs" and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."  She also like to hide under blankets and pretend there are fairies flying fast and slow, high and low (this is something we do at night that wears her out and then calms her down a bit).
She still loves playing with our dogs, too.  She's into taking them for a walk, or leading them to their water dish to drink, or helping to feed them (scooping out their food and carrying their dishes to them).  She also loves to climb, sit, roll, ride, and pinch their (ahem) nipples.
She's a really good eater and will scarf down just about anything you put in front of her.  She loves broccoli, carrots, yogurt, nuts, raisins, dried cherries, just about all fruit but oranges, cheeses, noodles, and, of course, milk.

A lot of the pictures of Harper since she's become increasingly more mobile (i.e., running) are with her in her high chair because it's the only place where she's still for a least the 4 seconds it takes to snap a picture.

She has also hit a silly stage: trying to make us laugh, doing silly faces, getting us to make her laugh.  This has really been a big highlight of this age.

Her latest silly face that we call "Crazy Eyes"

19 Months

On Saturday Harper turned 19 months.  We are now on the latter side of one, pushing towards two.  This past month has been exciting as far as her development goes.  

- She can count to two (two days ago she even did "two" with her fingers.  I was more excited than she was!)
- She is putting small sentences together..."Get down, Macie!" "Stand-y up!" "Move on back!"
- She is into tattling.  She says, "Mooooma!" and then proceeds to explain what the offender did to her.  Always with a look of indignation on her face.  It's too cute.  For now.
- She loves to throw things away.  This is good and bad.  She will empty her plate in the trash or throw things away into the proper receptacle.  But sometimes things end up in the toilet.

- She has pretty good manners.  She says "Thank you, momma!" for lots of things.  Getting her to say "Please" usually takes prompting, but not always.  Sometimes she even says, " 'cuse me!" especially if she burps.
- It's usually very easy to get her to go to sleep at night.  We lay down in bed, she rustles around until she gets comfy, and then she either plays with my hand, collar bone, or arm until she passes out.  Naps aren't usually this nice.  2/10 times she'll fall asleep without me rocking her.  9/10 times she'll fall asleep on the way home from lunch or errand running.  The rest of the time I end up rocking and patting her butt.  This is super tough now.  Usually she just wants to stare around and not sleep which leads to a very frustrated me.
- She is OBSESSED with Elmo.  And that is an understatement.  It's also super annoying, but also helpful if I want to use the bathroom alone or do homework.

- Dancing, singing, and reading books are still some of her favorite things.
- She knows how to work my iPhone better than me.  True story.
- She loves -dolls
                 - jewelry
                 - dogs
                 - chocolate
                 - outside
                 - noodles
                 - cheese
                 - climbing
                 - baths
                 - shoes
                 - babies
This age is absolutely wonderful and challenging and funny.  She loves to make people laugh and she loves to get attention.  She's hard-headed and strong willed and very independent.  But she still has those moments that are baby-like and completely dependent.  It's been completely amazing to watch her develop new skills and awareness each day.  I'm so lucky to have this sweet little girl. 

Pre-Terrible Twos

Harper is still far off from the "Terrible Twos" phase that everyone claims toddlers go through.  However, she's been giving us all a taste of what that's going to be like for the past few weeks.  I know she's got it rough.  She's able to comprehend what's being said to her far better than she can communicate which often leads to frustration and anger.  Sometimes this frustrated anger is expressed through tears or grunts of exasperation, but there are other times when she gets overly emotional and hits someone (or something, including the poor dogs).  For the most part, we redirect her.  We tell her it's wrong to hit and try to distract her with something else.  But sometimes she likes to get her point across and lashes out again.  So we've been trying Time Out.  At first it was very effective.  One minute sitting in an area that is completely removed from distractions was enough to get the point across that we aren't going to tolerate hitting.  After the minute is up, we go to her tell her the offense that is unacceptable and ask her if she would like to say she's sorry.  98% of the time this works.  Lately, though, "no" has become her favorite word (wait, haven't I been saying this for the past few months???).  For example, after her minute was up in Time Out the other day the situation went like this:

Me: Harper, you know Momma doesn't like it when you hit.  Can you tell Momma you're sorry?

Harper: No.

Me: You aren't sorry for hitting Momma?

Harper:(shyly) Nooo.

Me: Hmm, okay.  Well, do you want to stay in Time Out until you're sorry?

Harper:  (very excitedly) YES!

So I left her sitting in Time Out and went back to whatever it was I was doing before.  She was devastated so I didn't let her sit there much longer before going back and repeating what I had asked her before.  This time she jumped up and put her arms around my neck and laid her head on my shoulder.  We're trying to get her to see that we don't hit her when we're upset or angry and when we do do something that hurts someone else or we do something that they don't like, we apologize and make them feel better.  It seems to be working somewhat.  She understands that being sorry means giving a hug or a kiss.  Time Out isn't enough to get her to stop hitting or throwing things, etc. but she does think twice about doing the action (either while doing it or right after you can see it in her face or she immediately hugs you).  Sometimes I feel that Time Out is ineffective and is just making her feel bad about herself.  Sometimes I feel that it is just teaching her the wrong thing - do something bad to someone/something, hug them/make it right, everything's okay but really nothing's changed - and we're not getting the right point across to her.  But I'm at a loss for what to do differently.  I do get on her level and talk with her, but I know that she's only 17 months old and cannot comprehend everything I say.  We really try to not spank as I feel hitting equals more hitting (at least that's how it is with Harper).  I don't like yelling because it scares her and sends the opposite message.  So until I can figure out another way of handling these types of situations, we're sicking with Time Out.  I know things will getting better as she learns how to express herself more through words.  I also know none of us is perfect and there will always be outbursts.  My hope is that we're teaching her the right way and that there will be more outbursts of love and happiness rather than anger.  This parenting thing is not without it's challenges.  But when those little arms go around my neck I feel like melting into a sappy puddle right on the floor.

Nursing No More

Today was the first day Harper has ever gone without nursing.  For the past few months she's gone from 3-4 times a day, to just morning and night, and recently down to either morning or night.  I knew the inevitable was coming, but I didn't expect the progression to happen this quickly.  She's just over 15 months and I expected us to go until at least a year and a half.  In a way this is a good thing.  Wade and I are going on our first out of town trip.  We'll be gone for 3 days.  The longest we've ever left her was around 7 or 8 hours and that was when she was around 4 months old.  I didn't know how she was going to handle 3 days without nursing, but it looks like that won't be a problem.  That's good for all of us, I think.  I must admit, though, that a part of me is mourning the loss of this closeness that we've shared for so long.  It means that my little tiny baby is no more.  It's forcing me to accept the fact that she's growing and so is the dynamic of our relationship.  She's becoming more independent each day.  It's absolutely amazing to watch her grow and develop and while I am outwardly cheering her on, the inside of me is selfishly clinging to the little baby she once was.  Oh the anguish we parents must endure so our children can grow, huh?  And we've only just begun!  I'm proud that we were able to last this long.  We surpassed my goal of a year and so I can't complain.  Now, let's see how I handle being away from my sweet little girl for 3 days!  Eek.

Harper Walking

Don't mind what I'm saying during the video, just watch the cuteness!  She just started doing this on her own today!  I'm one proud momma!

Sleep These Days

She's no longer night weaned.  In fact, her nursing at night has increased dramatically.  She's been teething and on the verge of walking.  She's saying all kinds of words and understanding things we didn't know a one year-old could.  Perhaps it's these things that keep her up at night.  I know when my mind is full of things it's difficult for me to sleep.  Thankfully, I don't need a boob every hour to help me go back to sleep.
For almost the past three weeks it's been not-so-good.  She's eating like a newborn again.  And some days it's round the clock.  Honestly, there were some days where I dreaded hearing her ask for milk.  "Tisk, tisk" is what she says and I could feel my boobs wince in pain.  Yes, I am being serious.  They hurt so very, very much.  But there was no way of consoling her at night other than nursing.
Let me tell you, it's affected our sleeping tremendously.  I don't think either of us has had any deep sleep for a long time.  Our nights have been something like: sleep for an hour, wake up crying/wake up to her crying, find binkie/refuse binkie, "tisk, tisk, tisk!", nurse, repeat cycle.  And Harper has been going to bed between 9 and 10, some nights as early as 830.  I've been placing her in her room in her crib so that most of the noise of the house is blocked.  One night she slept for 5 straight hours in there.
That was a fluke.
She averages 30 minutes to 2 hours in there.  Enough time for me to relax, or clean up something, do some laundry, talk to Wade, and get ready for bed.  If she wakes, I try not to nurse her unless she's upset and won't resume sleeping any other way.
After about a week of her constant night waking/night nursing I was (I hate to admit it!) ready for her to be weaned.  We are opposed to her crying-it-out so that was never an option.  I was just done.  On top of being exhausted, having sore/swollen/ridiculously tender breasts, I have been feeling just a wee bit guilty.  I have felt guilt for thinking nursing is a chore.  For dreading our nursing sessions.  For trying to distract her for just five minutes more so she will stop asking for milk.  For selfishly wanting her to wean so we could sleep for maybe a few straight hours.  For losing my patience with her more than once.  I have felt like a terrible Momma daily.
I know this won't last forever.  I know there are phases and cycles she must go through and that I must endure.  I know I am hard on myself for everything everyday and that I must try to be nicer to myself.  Afterall, I am only human, right?  And while having her latch on or having a let down is super painful right now and I don't look down at her and relish the moment, I have so very many other moments throughout the day to look at her, to kiss her, to hold her, to play with her, to tell her just how much I love her.  And if that's all I can do on just a few hours sleep, well then, I think I'm doing pretty darn well.

The Climbing Stage

Yep.  Harper's in the climbing-on-everything-every-minute-of-everyday-stage.  Some times it's cute and I'm amazed at her abilities.  Other times, like when she wants the laptop or to pull every item off the end table, it's not quite so cute.  I keep a very watchful eye on her while she climbing on the couch, footstool, chair, or any other object in her way and I've done a pretty darn good job of it.  Minus yesterday when she was climbing on the loveseat and didn't quite have a grip while climbing on a pillow and just kept sliding down.  Oops.  No tears or look of fear in her eyes and thankfully I caught her before she hit the floor.  She just got back up and kept climbing.

 All that work just for a phone.  She'll be using it before she can walk, I swear!  But my oh my, how time flies!

Night Weaning

As some of you may know, we have a family bed, which means Harper sleeps somewhere nestled up against Momma or Daddy in our bed.  We've been doing this since she was just a couple of weeks old after screaming from colic for hours and hours would only sleep laying on me.

I have been breastfeeding Harper for over a year now (minus those times when she was in the NICU and I wasn't there, ergo formula supplement).  I have always nursed on demand, for comfort, for sleeping, for whatever reason that she needed milk.  I am all for baby-led weaning.  Or at least I am for the day time.

This whole nursing-at-night-sleeping-with-us has been more of the nursing and less of the sleeping as of late.  Harper does use a pacifier (which we call a binkie) and if she loses it in the middle of the night she tends to wake up searching.  And searching and searching.  Until she wakes herself up and me (possibly even Daddy) and wants to be nursed back to sleep.  My boobs have been so sore for the past couple of weeks it's ridiculous.  I thought maybe she was teething or sick or was missing out on cuddle-time during the day.  I thought perhaps she was on the verge of a major milestone, like walking, and that was keeping her up.  After a few weeks (months?) of this I decided to look up night weaning.

Let me just say that the results, so far, have been fabulous.  

Since starting this night weaning during the past week, Harper has gone from waking at least 4 times a night wanting to nurse, to once a night (I did not nurse her when she woke, just soothed her and give her her binkie, even held her and sang until she fell asleep), to sleeping for 7 hours straight.  Granted, she woke up once during that 7 hour period looking for her binkie, but I quickly gave it back to her and she went back to sleep for another 2 hours.  I could not tell you the last time I got to sleep for more than 3 consecutive hours.  Rejuvenating, I tell you!

Basically, we have a set bed time routine: bath time (which includes warm water and lots of splashing), getting a new diaper and jammies on, reading a book (so far I've read the same one every night - Rainbow Fish - and I literally know it by heart, word for word), snuggling up on me, wrapped in a blankie, while I rock and sing her to sleep.  I then lay her down in her crib so I can get myself ready for bed and do any extra things around the house before she "wakes up" and I bring her to bed with us.  May not be the ideal situation, but it has worked wonders for us.  Did I just jinx myself???  Even if she were to get 5-6 hours straight of sleep a few nights a week I think I would see an improvement in myself.  Oh, and that's another thing!  Harper has been less whiney, less tempermental since starting this.  Fluke?  Possibly.  But I'm sticking with it!

I still fully intend on nursing her during the day until she's done.  Gradually she's eating more and more solid foods and drinking from a regular cup.  I still enjoy our nursing sessions, though they are now reserved for the living room.  I don't nurse her while I rock her or right before her nap.  I read that the last thing they remember before falling asleep shouldn't be the breast (or bottle).

So, for any Momma's out there struggling like I was, here's to you!  It will take time and it's not always easy, but what about parenting is?  I just remember that this time is fleeting and we have to make the most of it.  If night weaning will help you enjoy the time you have with your little one even more, go for it!  I hope this might help someone else.  If anyone has any questions, let me know, or if you have any suggestions or stories of your own, share them in the comments!  I'd love to know if this worked and how it worked for other Mommas out there!

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!