Six Month Photo Shoot

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!

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.

Quality Time

 *Warning: Loads of pictures ahead!*

{Just snuggling with  my Momma}

{Watch for falling drool}

{I'm going to eat your camera}

{New game of trying to pull everyone's face off}

{Momma kisses are the best}

{Harper thinks french kisses are better}

{So much love}

{Hmmm...}

Harper Leigh

{Silly girl!}

{Her first two teeth!}

 {Crazy hair}

 {My beautiful baby girl}

Around Here

It's been busier than usual around here.  I'm taking two graduate school classes this semester; first time taking classes again in a year and my first time back on campus in at least two.  Since I'm majoring in English, with a specialization in literature, there is a lot of reading.  Take for example that I have to read Ulysses.  All of it.  And that's just one book I'm required to read this semester.  Along with 15 pages of poetry for my workshop class.  Did I mention I haven't written poetry in well over two years?  I used to write poetry when I was feeling down or out of sorts.  Now I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life.  I've never written happy poetry before and I think it's going to be difficult for me to switch gears.  Is there really anyone else that's going to read 15 pages of poetry about how much I love my daughter, how much she's bettered my life, or how I love breastfeeding?  Yea, I think I'm the only one.
Harper has also been hard at work.  Her two front bottom teeth have come in.  She had a rough couple of days trying to get them to come through, plus about a week of acting like she was getting the flu.  It was really quite sad.  I've been trying to get pictures of her little white teeth, but I've not been successful yet.
Wade is also taking classes so we miss each other a lot.  He has class every night but Tuesdays.  And Tuesdays is my poetry workshop.  Bummer.  But we just have to keep remembering that it'll all be worth it in the end. 
Therefore, it's been much more difficult to update this blog.  I'll try to update as often and as much as I can.  I want Harper to have these memories recorded.  I hope that all the pictures I take will help with that.

5 Months

Sweet Baby Harper,
    Wow.  Five months old!  You've had five months of kisses, hugs, giggles, slobbers, smiles.  And that's just part of the good stuff!  You're all about eating your toes and hands and everyone's faces.  You're able to push yourself up when you're on your belly and push yourself around.  No crawling yet, though you're dying to go places.  You've got two bottom teeth that are trying to pop out.  They're already a little above your gum line.  I'm nervous what that means for our nursing relationship.  You're getting better about sitting up alone, but not quite there yet.  You love love love to stand up and to have us "walk" you around.  If we would do it all day you would be the happiest baby ever.  You're big on giggling and smiling.  You really get going when there are dogs around.
   You're eating all kinds of foods, but you're still nursing a lot.  You weighed over 17 pounds at your last appointment two weeks ago.  You've been drinking out of our glasses (usually water, sometimes tea) but you're not too sure about your own cups.  You're still sleeping well at night; usually just two or three sleep-feeds.  You don't take as many or as long of naps during the day.  You're down to two, maybe three, naps a day.  Every so often you'll get a good two or three hour one in, but usually they're only an hour.  You're not very good at laying down to sleep, mostly you nap in your swing.  But I'm trying to get you to lay down more during the day.  You don't have a problem laying down at night to sleep so I find it odd that you won't during the day.
  You're doing really well with your hands now, too.  Nothing is sacred when it's within your reach!  I think you're a much happier baby now that you can grab things.  You also love when we sign to you.  It's so incredibly adorable when you try to sing with us! 
   You've really grown so much in the last month!  It's so amazing!  One day I look at you and the next you're a different baby!  I really and truly love you more and more each day.  I can't wait to see what the next month will bring!

We love you with all of our hearts, forever and ever!
Momma and Daddy