Rachel, Jason, Harper and Henry Rockin' the Technology

Chuck E Cheese's

2012-02-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

I love having kids. You get to do all your favorite things from your childhood all over again. Also, c'mon-aren't these just the cutest kids ever?

After bath

2012-02-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

basket full of baby

2012-01-17T12:53:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a rite of passage of some kind for siblings?

Snow day

2012-01-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

What is with our winter this year? I don't even like snow and I'm missing it.

Tender

2012-01-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

Love them.

2012-01-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Bringing the outside in

2012-01-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

We're doing our best to get our wiggles out here.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:17:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours!

Gingerbread houses of the graham cracker variety

2011-12-18T20:33:00.001-08:00

Any guesses whose is whose?

:)

2011-12-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

splish splash

2011-12-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

One good thing about having kids close in age...they can both fit in your kitchen sinks.

SANTA!!! I know him......I know him.

2011-12-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

(It's an Elf reference for those of you that didn't get my title.)

So, Harper pretty much loves Santa. Every night she asks us to tell her Santa stories. We have perfected a tale with him and the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny steals his toys, they have a fight, they miss each other dearly, then they reconcile and learn their lessons. Really it ought to be a modern day classic. Anyway, so we went to meet Santa. Harper immediately runs to him, "Santa, Santa-you from the North Pole?" She climbed right in his lap and said she wanted a dollhouse (good thing) and gave him a big hug. Which is good because she just asked us if she can kiss Santa on the lips. Yeah, we're learning about boundaries,

Henry went right to him and sunk in his lap. He didn't want to leave Santa's arms.

We all agreed it pretty much the cutest thing ever. And for some reason Henry looks like

he weighs about 200 lbs here. I blame the carpenter jeans.

The pic turned out pretty cute though!

My babies

2011-12-06T14:51:00.001-08:00

A post about Henry.

2011-09-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Oh Henry. Oh how I love you. But man, you are a lot of work. When Henry was born and people would ask me the dreaded question among questions, "Is he a good baby?" I would honestly feel a flash of heat rush to my face. I didn't know how to answer. That question made me feel defensive, embarrassed, protective and guilty all at the same time. What did that mean? Did he sleep well? Well, no. Was he colicky? Yes, and had some pretty wicked food sensitivities too as I later found out. Did he cry a lot? Sure did. Could you put him down? Never. Ever.

But did that mean he was a bad baby? My baby?

I'm reading The Fussy Baby book, Parenting your High Needs Child by Dr. Sears right now and this is Henry. High Needs. Not special needs, high needs-not the same. There are whole websites dedicated to figuring out this kind of baby: see the fussybabysite.com/high needs. Or askdrsears.com. He said there are 12 Features of a High needs baby, and man oh man if this doesn't describe my guy to a T.

1. Intense-check. I like to say he feels things deeply. There is no gray area with this kid.

2. Hyperactive-check. When people hold him they ALWAYS comment on how he never stops moving and it is true. We have to wind him down with massages and stroke his face before he even can physically get to a point of being ready to sleep.

3. Draining-check. Aww..this one makes me sad, because it's true. I felt like a failure at first because I just felt drained all the time. I was constantly on the search of how to fix my Henry.

4. Feeds frequently-can I double check this?

5. Demanding-check. He has a cry that will get your attention. Or as my neighbor has so kindly pointed out "he's got some lungs on him, huh?".

6. Awakens Frequently-can I triple check this. He wakes up a good 3 times between 7pm and 11pm. Every. single. night. And the fun doesn't stop there folks. All night long is a good mixture of number 4, 2 and 5.

7. Unsatisfied-check. This was particularly bad before I knew he was both dairy and soy intolerant. Poor kid would just complain and fuss and toot all the time.

8. Unpredictable-check. Schedule schmedule.

9. Super-sensitive-check check. Dogs barking, loud sounds, sister squeezes, and now that he's pulling to stand-tripping, bonking, banging of head, me-ahem-raising my voice all makes Henry go bananas.

10. Can't put baby down-check. If you know me well you know that Henry and I were one for the first oh 4-5 months or so. I would literally wear him in a wrap for 3-4 hours a day. Sometimes more. I still wear him every single day in my Ergo. He just NEEDS to be held. And don't say to just put him down more. Believe me, I've tried. It pisses him off. Real bad. See number 5.

11. Not a self-soother-check. Binky, ha. Lovey, haha. Boob, yes. Oh wait, I'm attached to that boob.

12. Separation sensitive-um yeah, check. When playing "pass the baby" at social events, Henry was passed right back. He just doesn't want to be left with people he's not attached to. Period. And I don't mean used to. I mean attached. That means me and daddy. But mostly me. It's not because I stay at home, or because he's held too much. Or because I needed to have more "me time" in the first few months. It's just how he was (is). And this is slooowwllyyy changing. But slowly is the key word. But he actually loves people, just as long as he is watching them from safe arms.

So I know that this doesn't sound very positive. But the thing is, the book is really positive. It made me feel not alone and validated that I'm doing okay by meeting his needs and accepting him for him. He's not a bad baby, he's high needs. Okay, so maybe I needed that label. An explanation. And the book goes on to explain that there are some real great things about being a more challenging baby. And that later on those features will be great to have. Tender, compassionate, loyal, empathetic, sociable, enthusiastic, deep, affectionate, insightful, persistent.

And Henry is just delightful. When he smiles at you it warms you. He loves interacting with people and has a laugh that melts you. When he looks at you and crinkles his noise and grins from ear to ear I just want to eat him up, he's just so delicious. Sure his lows can be quite low but when he is happy (which is more and more frequently) he is just a joy. And I have such a deep connection with this little guy. I am just as attached to him. I get him. So when people asked me if he was a good baby and I would stammer awkwardly "weellll...." I wish I would have just said he's high needs but perfectly fine, just how he is.

Summer means Lagoon!

2011-09-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

From when we went last month when Olivia was here! We "bounced back" and went again because we had so much fun!

Summer means Playing at the Park

2011-09-04T21:55:00.001-07:00

Cousins!
Henry playing with Saan, Armaan and Olivia

Liberty Park with family when Olivia came to visit last month

Playing at the park across from John and Katies on the 4th

Ants!

Henry at 5 months

International Peace Gardens at Jordan Park

Summer means Watermelon!

2011-09-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Keegan, the adorable little boy I watch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Him and his brother, Kye have really enriched our lives!

Summer mean Zoo trips

2011-09-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Has ridden this gorilla dozens of times this summer. She love him.

Riding the train with Harper's BFF Piper.

Early summer = fleece at the zoo

My handsome boy enjoying the zoo.

We have a zoo pass and went to the zoo all summer long. Highlights: seeing the animals "come alive" at the "night at the zoo", riding the carousel, picnics with our playdate pals, seeing the gorilla slap the glass furiously at a show off jerk who screamed like a girl. Lowlights: the dinosaur exhibit that scared the bejesus out of my Harper girl.

Summer means Festivals

2011-09-04T21:17:00.001-07:00

From the "Live Green" festival early June.

2011-07-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

"Whatcha doing Harper?" "Shhh...I'm hiding from Daddy."

I heart my new double jogger

2011-07-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

I know I know I'm a babywearing kinda gal. But I figured if I bought a jogger I may actually jog. That's the theory right? Anyway it is awesome and Harper and Henry like it. Harper loves it actually. And Henry likes it too, which is nice considering he's never ridden in a stroller in all of his almost 5 months.

warm fuzzies

2011-04-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

Did you get them too?

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

2 years and 2 months

2011-04-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

At two months my sweet baby is:
24 inches ( 90%) and 13 lbs (75%)
Smiling, "talking" and beginning to laugh
Sensitive little soul. Much less easy going then sis was, but also much more snuggley. And he is so damn cute.
Likes- being held by mama, catnaps, big sister loves, shiny objects, cuddling,
silly faces and noises, being rocked and bounced, farting really loudly.
Dislikes- being alone, sister crying, loud noises, car rides, pacifiers, not being in mama's arms

At two years my gorgeous girl is:
33 inches (25%) and 24 lbs (10%)
Speaking in full sentences and able to carry on a conversation. Man oh man does she say some funny stuff.
Potty trained at home! We're still working on nap, nighttime and when we are out of the house though.
In a testing stage. Everything is "mine" and "no". But I am just loving hearing all the funny things she has to say and she has so much personality. It is impossible not to love this kid.

Likes: all things animal, babies, swings, slides and stairs, her baby brother, going to the library, playing with daddy, playing outside, looking for bugs, cooking with mommy, going to grandma's house, being silly, peeling her own oranges.
Dislikes: leaving fun places, loud music, brother crying in the car, being bossed around, not being allowed to swing in Henry's swing, mushrooms.

Oh how I love these kids!

Busy week!

2011-04-12T15:34:00.001-07:00

We painted.

We went to Jungle Jim's.

We went to the children's museum.

We went to Liberty Park. My cute sister and her cute family.

The girls took a bubble bath together each night.

We went to the Aquarium.

We bounced at the bounce house.

My sister and her family came to visit for a week. We had so much fun!!! My neice Rory is just 4 months younger than Harper. They played together non-stop. We did so many fun things, it was a busy busy busy week.
It was so great for the girls to bond and we miss them so much already.

Harper's Zoo party

2011-04-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hoppy Birthday to You!

2011-03-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning at Jump around Utah bouncing like crazy!
Can you tell the birthday girl had fun?

Henry boy

2011-03-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

So how's the little (big) man doing, you ask? Well, first of all he's huge. He's already 12 pounds! Poor little guy has been pretty colicky. But we are noticing an improvement, thank god!!! It has been so sad watching him struggle with a bellyache.
He LOVES to be held, so he is in my moby wrap a good portion of the day. If I wear him during his cranky times during the day he sleeps and is just fine. He does not like to be alone. He is learning to tolerate the swing for a little bit at a time, but for the most part I hold him. I don't know what I would do without my moby wrap honestly!
He is sooo close to smiling at us. You can tell he wants to but just can't do it quite yet.
He's super strong. He holds his head up like a champ and has survived many near smothering occurrences from his dear sister.
It's so interesting how different siblings can be. Harper was always so independent. She was fine if we held her all day, but was also fine to be put down. She was a super easy infant and we never struggled with any belly issues at all. Henry is my cuddler but is also a bit more high maintenance.
I can't wait to see these two grow up together. Harper just loves her "broder" and he puts up with a lot of abuse in the disguise of affection from her. It is a lot of work but I love my babies, they are worth every sleepless night and the moments of near insanity.

Play Date at Sugarhouse Park!

2011-03-20T13:52:00.001-07:00

Harper and her cute new friend Abby

Piper!

Holding hands!

In an effort to keep my active toddler busy I have joined a mommy meetup group. It has been so good for us! We go to playdates all over the valley. Some are at mommy's houses, sometimes they are places. It has been so nice for Harper to make friends and I have made some friends as well.

bright, sunshiney day

2011-03-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's only like 50 degrees out there. But man, it feels SO good! We went to Liberty Park today and had to drag Harper away kicking and screaming. Literally. But it was so nice to go outside and play. Our attempt to bribe Harper with a snack on the ride home didn't go so smoothly. She promptly sat down in the grass and said "Harper eat snack in grass, no home." She's on to our tricks.
As for Henry, well he could take or leave the park.

Can't get enough of these two

2011-03-01T12:55:00.001-08:00

Brother and Sister

2011-02-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

Henry's first week

2011-02-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Hanging out in the swing in the kitchen while mommy entertains Harper

Love his newborn diapers, so cute!!!

First bath at home

Daddy and Harper holding Henry boy.

This has been quite an adjustment this last week or two. Harper was sick with a little cold when Henry was born and unfortunately the little man caught it. So sad hearing a tiny baby coughing. He is on the mend though and never seemed too bothered by it. Harper had a rough first few days. She wanted to hold Henry all the time and didn't really understand that you can't put all of your weight on a newborn baby. She started acting out quite a bit and just doing little things to be naughty and get attention. Both Jason and I had to be really careful to be patient with her and make her feel special and loved too. Now that I'm feeling better I can do more things with her and as long as she doesn't get bored she acts just fine. Also, the novelty of Henry is wearing off a little so we can occasionally set him down in his swing and not worry about her smothering him in hugs. Henry loves to be held and is just such a sweet little thing. We love just holding him and watching his little smiles and hearing his cute noises that he makes.

Henry Dean Dix

2011-02-27T16:10:00.001-08:00

A few minutes after he was born

Our little love was born on Valentine's Day!
8 lb. 8 oz. 20 inches long
Not much hair, seems red and sometimes blonde depending on the lighting.
Hearty appetite. Eats every 1 to 2 hours!
LOVES to cuddle. Wants to be held pretty much all the time. Even likes when big sister holds him- good thing, because that is pretty much all the time too.
Really smiley already. Also, really gassy (perhaps the two are related?)
The perfect addition to our family.

Birth story:
Starting having contractions around 2 in the afternoon. By 4 they were strong and I hopped in the bathtub. Jason's mom came and picked up Harper around 5. Jason lit some candles and helped me through contractions, in between them I sipped some red wine (it was Valentine's Day afterall). Around 7 we called Midwife, she heard me over the phone and said we should come right in. We weren't sure because I wanted to go unmedicated and we knew that I should labor at home as long as I could. Jason packed up the car and by then my contractions were on top of eachother and I could barely walk-this should have been a sign to us. When we got to the hospital they couldn't decide if they wanted to put me right in a room or check me in triage. During this time my water was leaking a bit. They finally decided to check me and imagine everyone's surprise that I was dilated to 9 cm.! They rushed me in to the room and it was time to push. Yay! I was going to do this unmedicated, with not so much as an IV! I began pushing and he was born 40 minutes later. It was hard work to push him out, but so worth it in the end. He came right out and wanted to nurse. What a great experience! Short labors are the way to go! We were home after 24 hours.

The belly

2011-02-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

Almost 40 weeks

About 30 weeks

About 20 weeks

With Harper I took a picture every month. Not so much this pregnancy. Poor second child, you just don't document everything like you do with the first-at least I didn't. This pregnancy was a lot different than Harper's. Nausea was still pretty extreme at first but only lasted through half of the pregnancy instead of the whole time. I really only gained in my belly this time. My belly seemed big, but I was surprised I had a 8 lber crammed in there. That explains why it felt like he was trying to bust out and break my ribs at the same time. I had an extreme sweet tooth this time and had more of an appetite. My back still ached in the same spots, but overall it was an easier pregnancy. And with a toddler it FLEW by!

(nearly) A year in review

2011-02-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

Harper likes to point to each one of us, say our names and say "family".

Yay, brother is here! This is when Harper and Henry first met.

Big girls need big girl beds.

Finger painting fun!

Helping mommy in the kitchen. Such a big girl!

In January we were getting ready for baby brother.

We had a great Christmas. Harper was spoiled!

Pumpkin Patch!

In the Fall. Look how much Harper's hair grew in just a month!

We went on vacation to visit Jason's sister and family in New York and my family in New Hampshire! It was Harper's first time at the beach.

We went to barbeques at our friends houses. This was for Pioneer Day!

We went camping when Lisa, John and Harper's cousins Olivia and Quinn came to visit!

Harper and cousin Saan at Michelle and Sheldon's wedding.

Summer meant lots of trips to the park. Liberty Park was our favorite.

So what's my excuse for slacking for nearly a year? Well, I got pregnant and our camera was on the fritz, but mostly I got lazy. Then I couldn't decide if I should review the time I've missed or just start back up. But for the most part I was busy and pregnant and tired. Lots happened though. We decided to have another baby and got pregnant early summer. I was a little less sick then with Harper but still pretty pukey. But this time I had a toddler and life had to go on, sick or not. Harper had such a great summer! Cousins visited and then we visited cousins, both first and second. We went camping and Harper chased squirrels. We played outside every day! Harper mastered the little bikes at school.

Fall got a little busier. Harper started talking up a storm and now speaks in sentences for the most part. She is such a verbal little thing. It is so fun hearing all the things she has to say. She has such a sense of humor and is so smart. We decided that after Fall semester I would be staying home with the kids. I really admire moms that can do it all. Working 9-5, time for their kids, family and friends. I really struggled to balance it all and the thought of bringing another baby to work with me at a very busy (and stressful) job just was not going to work for our family. So now the baby is here I am home. We have been keeping busy though. Henry is such a joy to have. We just love him, especially Harper. She is in LOVE! We are staying busy going to storytimes, playdates and doing fun activities here at home. Harper for the most part really loved going to school. She had friends and did really fun things there. It will be a full time job for me to keep her busy, engaged and learning. So far, so good. I think in the Spring I'm going to watch a couple of children here part time. A little extra income will be nice, but I also want to keep Harper interacting with a constant group of children on a regular basis. Having friends is already important to her.

I am really going to be better at keeping up with the blog now. Children really do grow up soooo fast!!!

More time to stop and smell the flowers

2010-05-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

Summer semester has begun at the U and I am now working 3o hours a week. Which means I now have 3 day weekends and only work 7.5 hours a day. We also have lower enrollment of children and I have half the amount of staff to manage, needless to say I'm pretty stoked.

I am so so excited to spend a little more time with my favorite girl- who is doing great by the way. I will give a proper Harper update soon.

Hats!

2010-05-03T20:32:00.001-07:00

Or as Harper would say, "Haaa", Haaa", Haaa".

This girl has a thing for accessories.

How in the world did I get such a girly girl already?

More Easter pics

2010-04-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Easter now and then

2010-04-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

2009

2010

Zoo

2010-04-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

Harper is a huge animal lover so the zoo was the perfect place to go for her birthday. She loved the small animal house where she could get right up to the glass and see the animals. But her favorite part of the trip was the gift shop, yes, the gift shop. The giant stuffed animals were almost too much for her to take. She gasped, ran over and did a group hug. Priceless.

One year old

2010-04-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late here, but this post was too important to miss.

Last month Harper turned one, as in a whole year she has been alive...CRAZY!!!

She is my sunshine. What an amazing little person, I know, I know every mother thinks that. But really she's pretty great.

She had some big changes from her 11 month post.

She now:

*Walks since 11 1/2 months and now runs!

*Says or has said a few times: mama-all the time, dada-not as much, baby-all the time, ball-all the time, doggie-not as much, kitty-not as much, bye-not as much.

*Has 5 teeth. She just got 3 at once!!! Ouch!

*Is obsessed with dress up. She loves hats, scarves, necklaces, bracelets and the occasional bag on the head.

*Has suddenly gotten SO loving. She is so huggy and kissy. She hugs you and pats your back. She will walk up to children she doesn't even know and lay her head on their chest and hug them. She hugs and kisses inanimate objects too, like babydolls and stuffed animals (cute) and a stone turtle at the park (a little odd :)

* She loves to "cozy up" in your lap and read books, play with blocks, dolls and instruments. But most of the time she is walking around the house proudly displaying whatever scarf, hat or other item she wrapped around her body.

This year has really flown by. Their has been so many magical moments and I love being a mom so much. Parenting is soooo worth the little sleep you get.

Harper's Birthday Party

2010-03-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm...not bad for a low-sugar cake.

Opening presents with Mama.

Giving hugs and kisses to her new puppy.

Max showing Harper how to go through the tunnel.

Sunday was Harper's 1st birthday party. It was a flower theme and was pretty relaxed and fun. We had friends and Grandma DeAnne over, opened presents, ate cake and celebrated our wonderful little girl. She had a great time. She loved the flowers hanging from the ceiling, the balloons tied to her high chair and all of her new toys.

Thank you so much to those that came!

Little Ham

2010-03-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

and I'm not talking about deli meat.

Harper thought it was funny to put this hat on her head and walk around the house.

It was all her idea and she really thought she was pretty cute.

Silly little thing.

She's a walker

2010-03-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

Harper started walking yesterday. Umm...you could say we're a little excited.

Morning glow

2010-03-02T19:46:00.001-08:00

Harper is 11 months!

2010-03-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

I am teary just thinking about next month.

I cannot believe my little Harper Lily is about to turn the big 0-1.

This month had big changes and lots of sickness.

Harper started "school" Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She loves coming. She loves it even more when I can stay in her class and play with her. She has been busy making friends, singing songs, painting pictures, playing in the texture table and playing in the sandbox outside.
Due to her starting school she got her first big sickness. Croup, then yucky cold, then even yuckier ear infection. After 10 days on antibiotics she's on the mend. She is much happier now.
She is sooooo close to walking. She is taking steps like crazy, 8 is her most at once. She will walk all over the place just holding on to one of your hands. She also walks all along the walls and then steps from furniture to furniture. And she gets going really quick. I really think it is just a matter of days.
She is saying several words. So far she says Mama, Dada and Daddy, ball, hi and hey. She also signs milk. She is very persistent about it too. She will rip at my shirt, look me right in the eye and sign "milk" "milk" "milk" over and over until I comply.
Harper is doing awesome. She is just the cutest little thing. She is silly and social and independant with a stubborn streak. I am all nostalgic lately because she has suddenly turned into this little toddler with such personality and I can't believe how quickly time has gone by. I am really going to savor these next three weeks of infanthood.

Playdate with Max and Tessa

2010-03-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Max and Tessa came over to play. Well Tessa mostly sat there and looked cute.

Harper was a bit more aggressive than Max cared for, but he warmed up and we had a lot of fun.

My laundry buddy

2010-02-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Harper hearts the Ergo too!

Waking up to a camera in her face.

Harper napping in the Ergo baby as I do some laundry.

Sorry about the three week hiatus everyone but this is as exciting as it gets in our household right now :)

But seriously mommies (and dads) this carrier is a lifesaver. I get everything done around the house and she still gets to be close by. It is so comfy and after a little practice I can easily put her on my back myself. It takes two snaps to put it on, that is it. I know it looks similar to a Baby Bjorn, but it is worlds apart. SO much more comfortable for mom (and dad) but especially for baby. They sit in the Ergo, but hang from their crotch in a Bjorn, which sounds more comfy to you?

I heart my Ergo baby! Check it out http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/

Harper Lily is 10 months old

2010-01-26T16:24:00.001-08:00

Harper is getting close to the big 0-1!

She was a busy little bee last month. A couple of weeks ago Harper got super verbal, literally over a weekend. She has always been more physical rather than verbal, but now she is "talking" up a storm. She is pretty much saying bababababa, mamamamamama all day long. She is practicing a lot of consonant sounds too. The mama melts my heart I gotta say. Especially when she is tired and cries "Mama" with her arms up to me, it is just the sweetest thing ever. She has also started pointing at everything and looking at us and say "ah". Sort of like she is asking us to tell her what it is. Interesting how their baby brains work.

She is working hard on walking. She now realizes that we get really excited when she stands on her own. So as soon as we start praising her she gets a big smile and puts out her arms for balance, she tries to stand and long as she can and then will lunge to us. She has a push walker that she walks all around the house with. She loves it and gets going pretty fast.

She is getting a little better with sleeping, that 8-10 month time is not great for sleeping at night. She was so consumed with standing that the moment she woke up she was on her feet. She is now starting to sleep through the night again, which is nice.

Next month she starts school 3 days a week. She has been transitioning for the last couple of weeks. She spends an hour or two a week in the classroom and loves it. My work is like her second home so I'm sure the transition will be smooth. I am so ready to have her with me on a more consistent schedule though. She spent nearly the whole month of December with me and then has been home with daddy a lot since the new semester started. And of course she loves her "Grandma day" on Tuesdays.

Harper is doing great. She is keeping us busy that's for sure.

End to cabin fever

2010-01-18T14:02:00.000-08:00

We took the dogs out for a bit today. We all needed it. This air has been just awful and we were going a bit stir crazy being stuck indoors.

The dogs ran and ran and Harper played in the snow.

Huge mood boost for all.

Mmmm.....blueberries

2010-01-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

Harper Lily is standing on her own!

2010-01-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

The last couple of days Harper has been getting pretty bold with standing. Last night she stood without holding on in the bathtub (of all places) for a good 5 sections and today at the museum she stood a few times even longer.

It won't be long until my little bitty baby is walking.

Day at the Museum

2010-01-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

Midway through Harper wanted to nurse and promptly fell asleep.

It was a busy day for a little girl.

Loved these little bikes!

She wanted to ride on it for a good portion of the time.

We headed over to the Discovery Gateway, children's museum today. Harper had a BLAST! She played and played, passed out then played some more! She loved the house, shopping carts and the toddler section the best. By the end she was a little overstimulated, one bonk on the head from a dump truck and she was done.

We will definitely go again, especially while this weather is cold and yucky and especially while she is free!

Harper Lily is 9 months old!

2010-01-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve Harper turned 9 months old, can you believe it?!

She is still busy, busy, busy

-trying to walk

-mimicking like crazy (the latest is animal noises, hilarious!!)

-sprouting teeth (two so far!)
-waking up at night (she's too busy for sleep after all)

-kissing (anyone and anything)

-clapping

-crawling after the cat

-getting into drawers, doors and shelves

-reading books (okay mostly ripping them)

-growing up too fast (as usual)

But everyone once in a while she finally settles down for a minute and turns into the sweetest little cuddle bug and I just stop what I am doing and melt into her and smell her hair and enjoy it. Because then she is up and moving again.

New Year's 2009

2010-01-03T18:30:00.001-08:00

This was actually the day before New Year's Eve. We went over and listened to DJ Jazzy Jeff and took part in the 3VE festivities with Dan, Kate, Dave and Paul. Harper was toasty warm in her snowsuit and riding in the Ergo. She loved the music and dancing!

You can't tell by my expression but I had a great time!
Harper had so much fun she passed out.

For actual New Year's Eve everyone came to our house for drinks and then I went to Fleming's with all of our awesome friends. DeAnne was so nice to come and watch Harper.

Unfortunately, Jason had to work, boooo! We rang in the New Year together on the phone.

The food was so good and the wine and company wasn't too shabby either.

Then I went home to watch the ball drop and kiss my sweet baby at midnight.

Photo credit: Kate and our waiter or was it Natalie(?)

Christmas

2010-01-03T16:50:00.000-08:00

Sitting with Uncle Russ kissing her new baby doll from Grandma.

Harper with cousins Armaan, Saan and Nadia

Surrounded by loved ones at Grandma Jo's.

Yes, Santa still brings presents for River and Ava too.

Playing with the activity cube from Santa.

I'm a little late on this post, but what can you do-the holidays have been busy.

Christmas was really, really fun and really, really busy.

In the morning we opened our stockings and saw what Santa brought us, then Harper's Grandma DeAnne came over and we opened presents and had breakfast.

Harper got so much stuff, but honestly she plays with all of it.

That little girl loves toys.

Then we went over to Grandma Jo's and stuffed our faces. Harper got to play with second and third cousins. She loved it! Then we headed home to make dinner for Grandpa Jack. Jason was pretty proud of his crockpot ham.

Christmas really special. You only get one first Christmas with your first baby. She may not remember a thing but I will remember it forever.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

The night before Christmas was just us.

We drove over to Christmas Street in Sugarhouse and looked at Christmas lights then changed into jammies, listened to Christmas music, Harper played with her bus, we took pictures and just spent time together waiting for Santa to come.

Christmas Party with the Family

2009-12-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

Harper and Melayne having a tea party. Melayne was very patient considering Harper was not a very dainty and delicate guest. She wanted to taste EVERYTHING including the fine china.

Harper kissing Grandma Jo. She is really on a kissing kick. She kisses everyone and anything you say to kiss. And man are the sloppy.

Harper hearts Grandma.

Harper was Aunt Connie's secret santa

And Aunt Connie was Harper's secret santa

Christmas Eve was spent at our family party at my mother-in-laws. We do a gift exchange, eat lots of yummy food and hang out. Harper was spoiled as you can see. She was a little trooper with very little sleep that day. She just kept going and going and playing and kissing.

She was quite the party animal.

Lights at Temple Square

2009-12-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

Last year when we went and saw the lights Harper was in my belly.

What a difference a year makes!

Hard to believe next year when we go she'll be running around.

Almost time.

2009-12-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas is so fun with a baby in the house.

I can't wait to see her tear into those presents, all that fun paper to rip and eat.

Oh yeah and toys too.

Harper is 8 months old!

2009-12-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

Last week Harper turned 8 months old!

She is doing so much right now.

This month has been full of new exciting milestones for little Harper Lily.

A few things Harper can do now:

Crawl
Eat finger foods along with some purees
Pull up and walk along furniture
Understands the word no and for now, will listen to it.
Dances and bounces
Leans over and gives kisses if you ask for them and she's feeling in the mood. Just watch out they are open mouth with a little bit of tongue.
Has got her first tooth! It is about half way up and she is a drooly mess.
She still isn't saying mama or dada but she is really getting a lot more vocal. She loves to say mmmmmm.... aaayyyyooohhhhhh..... and screams up a storm. She also is laughing a lot lately.
Waves and signs milk, but she uses these somewhat interchangeably. We think she just likes our reaction when she does these.

Wow, she has really accomplished a lot this last month!

Cute Cousins

2009-12-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

Harper Lily

8 months

Rory Elyse-Starr

4 months

Reunited and it feels so good

2009-12-01T18:45:00.001-08:00

River went to Jason's moms, Ava to his dads.

River did great and did not seemed bothered in the least, Ava pined for us and wouldn't eat. Go figure, Ava is complicated.

Took this pic this morning, needless to say they missed each other.

Thanksgiving trip to Oklahoma

2009-12-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

Rory

Harper

Dada and Harper Lily

Going for a walk on Thanksgiving.

Harper and Rory BFF

Rory and I.

Poor little sicky cuddling with Mama.

Hanging out with Uncle Ian

Harper Lily and Granny

Playing in Rory's room, man does she have a lot of clothes! Harper especially liked this hat.

Playing in the tent with Uncle Jeff and cousin Julian.

Well, we survived the trip.

Unfortunately, the drive was WAY too long and Jason, Harper and I all were sick. But despite that we had a very good time. We drove right to my mom's house where it was a beautiful 70 degrees. We went for a walk around the property and hung out and talked, played with the babies and ate. And ate and ate. Man, my mom stuffed us. We had turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, coconut cream pie, cherry pie, cookies. And if that wasn't enough the next day instead of just eating leftovers she made clam chowder and a lemon cake and butterscotch pudding. Yep, we came home a little bit heavier.

Harper started getting sick the drive down. Which was hell by the way. This was her first real cold or flu we are still not sure which yet. She has never had a runny nose or cough before and it was pretty pathetic. But she still played like crazy and was mostly all smiles. She just napped a ton and needed some extra snuggles.

After spending a few days with mom and Ian we headed to my sister's and stayed a couple days with her and went and saw my brother and his family. It was cute to see Harper's cousin Julian acting like a big boy and sharing his toys. We also got to spend some more time with sweet little Rory who is getting big fast. The girls got pictures together which turned out pretty cute. The last day we had lunch with Darci and Eric, unfortunately Harper was pretty exhausted by this point and we had to keep it pretty short. The drive home was not nearly as bad, although I started getting sick, Harper slept nearly the whole time and we went the Southwestern route and saw some cool sights, but I will do a whole post on that.

All in all it was a great Thanksgiving and jam-packed trip.

A video of some firsts

2009-11-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

Yay my first video! Excuse the dorky mama and focus on the cute baby. Harper has learned two new tricks, standing in her crib and waving. She is so very proud of her new talents which has made naptime just a little trickier. This video was taken a few days ago when she was supposed to be napping but instead chose to do some exercising.

Swinging at Liberty Park

2009-11-08T17:01:00.001-08:00

Harper is digging the swings.

Photo credit: My talented husband-he's getting good at this picture taking thing.

Does this diaper make my butt look big?

2009-11-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

So, we have decided to start cloth diapering part time.

I have always said if I were a stay at home mom I would cloth diaper Harper. Ya know, better for the planet, no chemicals on baby, saves money over time. It has recently occurred to me, why not?-she is home most of the time anyway, we can save the disposables for when she is at grandmas once a week and with me at work. We are starting slowly, so far we only have a few- all-in-one cloth diapers can get pricey. We got this one at a consignment store for a great price.

Isn't the pirate print great? Plus, I'm a sucker for a big booty baby.

Harper's First Halloween

2009-11-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

Cute little bumble bee.

Halloween was awesome.

Harper and Jason trick-or-treated with the kids from my work at the Union and President's office on campus Friday, twice! She thought all the other kids looked funny in their costumes.

Then we went to the Archer Halloween bash. Harper slept through most of the craziness, so she was out of the loop on all the good stories.

On Saturday we went to Gardner Village and then to the Aviary for some trick-or-treating with the birds and did a Music Together class. It was a beautiful day and a great Halloween weekend.

John's birthday/Halloween Party

2009-10-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

We were pig farmers for about 2 minutes until our pig decided to poop on her costume then we were just farmers with a baby.

I know, frightening stuff.

You can barely tell Denee is pregnant here and you can't see Ryan's jean shorts but trust me Hilarious!

At the end of the night. Our little piggy was such a good girl.

Terri and I with child. Only mine is on the outside.

Last Saturday was Johnny's awesome costume party. There was some really funny stuff. A few cases of Swine Flu, Stewart and his mom, Jon and Kate, A shot gun bride w/classy groom, a ghetto fabulous pregnant Terri, two ghostbusters complete with proton packs and many more. It was awesome. Harper did so good. Aside from the major blow out she was no trouble at all :) She spent most of the night sleeping in the Moby wrap.

Very fun night, Happy birthday John!

Harper is 7 months old

2009-10-26T16:17:00.001-07:00

and has an orange nose.

Wow, I think we might need to lay off the carrots, pumpkin and acorn squash!

6 months old was the most fun month yet, I am excited to see what this month brings!

Harper can now:

*Almost crawl! She does a scoot, crawl mix and she is quick when she wants to be! She is working hard on this, even in her crib.

*Makes kissey noises. LOVES it when we kiss back.

*Can pull herself up on things, but promptly topples over. Doesn't deter her though. She really is on a mission to be upright.

*In addition to lots of breastmilk eats three meals a day. She has quite the palate already-I hope she stays that way. Harper LOVES pears, peaches, mango, pumpkin, carrots, applesauce, cantaloupe. LIKES squash-yellow and acorn, green beans, bananas. Can take or leave avocado and peas. She is also eating a multigrain cereal, baby yogurt and puffs on occasion.

*FINALLY consistently sleeps through the night, 8-9pm to 6-7am. So so nice.

*We have noticed lately Harper gets a little shy around groups of people. She clams up and holds on tight to mama and dada. I'm wondering if she will be a little more shy as a child like Jason was, or it's just a phase and will be a ham like I was. Interesting how genetics work, huh?

Anyway, she's healthy and happy and perfect to us.

Love that girl.

Family pics and Harper's 6 month outside pics

2009-10-18T18:24:00.001-07:00

These were taken a few weeks ago by our good friend Sheldon and his brother Shayne. They are starting a photography business up and we were really pleased how they turned out. She wasn't in the smiliest of moods (it was encroaching on her bedtime) but there were still so many good ones to choose from.

Do you guys have a favorite?

Harper's 6 month studio pics

2009-10-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

I can't even pick a favorite. She is so damn cute.

I'm not ready.

2009-10-03T09:13:00.001-07:00

Although she looks pretty cute in her cold weather gear.

Can't we have some 60's and 70's just a little bit longer?

Today Harper is 6 months old...

2009-09-24T20:02:00.001-07:00

Finally you're sharing with me!

Hmmmm...
Not bad.
I'll have some more please.

All done, all done!!!

and ate solid food for the first time! We are going to keep trying the avocados.

Today my baby turns 1/2 a year, I really can't believe how fast it went.

Harper is now:

*Sitting up!

She is really good at this now, she can sit for a long time, lean over to pick up things and then goes into the laying on tummy position.

*Scooting!

She loves to scoot all around the kitchen floor.

*Mostly sleeping through the night.

She will wake up once in a while around 4am for a feeding but is doing pretty good.

*In a big time mommy phase.

She only wants me these days, which is breaking her father's heart. I told him not to worry he can have her teenage years.

*Super entertained by her dogs.

She was always interested in them, but now thinks they are hi-larious! She laughs out loud watching them.

*Blowing raspberries like a pro.

This girl's main form of communication lately is looking at us and blowing raspberries. She loves it when we join in on the fun.

She is just getting more and more fun!

We love you Harper Lily!

Big girl

2009-09-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Doesn't Harper look so old in these pictures?

We were playing around with the dogs this afternoon and Harper was CRACKING UP! Every time they would try to lick her she would giggle and laugh like crazy.

Harper and Annie say GO UTES!

2009-09-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hanging out watching some football.

Goodnight.

2009-09-13T20:21:00.001-07:00

End of summer hike

2009-09-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Oh this face, I'm in love with this face.

Family shot.

not pictured: River and Ava

Harper enjoying the "hike hold" in the wrap.

My little Koala bear

The weather was beautiful today so we took the dogs for a little hike in Memory grove/City Creek. We have really enjoyed our hikes this summer. Harper is always so happy being outside! This was the first time I carried Harper on my back. She seemed to enjoy the view, she kept trying to look for me, I think it was strange for her to feel me and hear my voice, but not see my face. This has been such a wonderful (and short) summer, I am hoping we have a nice mild Fall, so we can be outside as much as possible.

Hard to believe next summer this little one will be walking!

Sleeping Beauty

2009-09-07T20:39:00.001-07:00

Nothing cuter than a sleeping baby.
Well, maybe when they wake up with a smile.

Look who can sit in a highchair on her own...

2009-08-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Harper and I am growing up too fast.

This milestone is crucial to the enjoyment of eating out!

Harper is such an independent little soul.

We went to brunch at the Oasis Cafe (love it there) and it occurred to us that she might be ready for a high chair. We don't feed her solids yet, so she has never had this opportunity before.

Well, she loved it!

We gave her some toys and she was set.

Yeesss!!! No more juggling the baby back and forth and taking turns to eat!

Harper is 5 months old...

2009-08-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

and getting so big!

A few things Harper is doing these days:

*She is sitting up unassisted for about 30 seconds at a time. She sits up for a long time with a little help from us or the boppy.

*Spending more time at home with daddy when mommy works.

*Spends one day a week with Grandma.

*Holds her own bottle and can feed it to herself. We will start her on a sippy cup next month.

*Makes the cutest little squeals and babbles

*Is ticklish! She laughs when you kiss her neck.

*She is trying to scoot to grab toys, she is working really hard on this.

*Is still waking up a couple of times a night. She loves her late night feedings!

*Still very social, but occasionally gets shy and turns away strangers.

*Loves to play with blocks, balls and cups. Loves to be read to...but most of all to be

SANG TO!

She is just an amazing little thing. Her personality is so cute and sassy.

~We are loving our little Harper Lily~

Oklahoma visit

2009-08-23T16:13:00.001-07:00

Harper and Rory

I love this pic. She looks like a little tough guy.

Harper and Granny

My mom and my neice.

Cousins.

Whoa, my sis is a mommy!!!

Cute little Rory. She is so so so adorable!

Cousin Julian.

Uncle Jeff and his neice.

Harper showing Aunt Madeleine some love. :)

C'mon Rory help a cousin out.

Little baby and littler baby.

Harper hanging out with Uncle Ian.

Me and my sis, with our babies.

Rory taking a nap.

Harper and I went to Oklahoma for a week to visit my family. My sister just had a baby a month ago and she is so freaking cute! Madeleine is a great mommy too. We had a lot of fun just hanging out with our babes and sharing mommy stories. Harper and Rory are just 4 months apart and it is pretty cute to see them together. We also stayed with my mom and my brother, Ian. We had fun talking and having family time. My mom is pretty much in heaven with her grandbabies! We also visited with my brother, Jeff and nephews Julian and Chevy. And, not pictured, (I forgot my damn camera) we spent the day with my good friends Darci and Eric.

It was great seeing all our loved ones.

Harper and I missed Jason terribly.

Harper was out of sorts for a good part of the trip and would light up when she heard Jason on the phone. The plane ride went fine, but between messed up sleep schedule, slight nursing strike and missing daddy Harper was so ready to be home!

Sunday stroll at the Peace Gardens

2009-08-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

So much to see!

Sleepy baby

We went to the Peace Gardens/Peace Market today at Jordan Park. Every Sunday they have a small Farmer's market that we go to occasionally. It is much smaller but MUCH less crowded then the Pioneer Park one. And it's really shady and right next to the Peace Gardens which we love love love. It was such a gorgeous day and the flowers were amazing. We ate empanadas and looked around at all the stuff then sat in the grass and listened to poetry, or as Jason called it "had a snooze-fest".

Boating in Deercreek

2009-08-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

We went boating on Saturday with some of my people from work. It was so fun! We were definitely wishing we had a boat after this. Jason tried wakeboarding and we both tubed. Yeah, we're a little sore today. Harper seemed to enjoy herself, but did not like the life jacket, as you can see it wasn't too comfortable. She slept most of the time, but when we took the life jacket off for lunch she was all smiles.

Harper is 4 months old

2009-07-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

On Friday Harper turned 4 months old!

She now:

*really loves playing with toys.

*has a predictable bedtime-and all hell breaks loose if we don't honor that.

*Laughs!!!!!

*grabs at her doggies.

*puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, including her toes-she loves those toes.

*bounces in the exersaucer.

*turns to you when you say her name.

*wiggles and kicks like mad when you change or dress her.

*still loves taking baths, she never fusses during bathtime.

*thinks daddy is hilarious and loves cuddling with mama.

She is growing SO fast, 26 inches long and 16 pounds. She's a big girl.

We miss you guys.

2009-07-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

SO CUTE!!!

We had a surprise visit from Kosta, Anya and Sasha. So great to see you guys and to finally meet Sasha. Let's do it again really soon-and a little longer :).

1st time at the pool

2009-07-12T22:12:00.001-07:00

Where's my thumb? Okay all better.

Well, it's not terrible.

Not so much daddy.

I'm a sucker for ruffles on the butt.

I love this pic, if only her glasses didn't give her a funny looking ear.

We went swimming at Harper's Aunt Stefanie's today.

We got her all dolled up and Harper lasted about 5 minutes in the pool before it started to rain and she was done.

But at least she got to wear her cute suit.

Harper is 3 1/2 months

2009-07-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

I'm liking it, I'm liking it.

I will eat it.

Hmm...what is this thing?

Am I hearing music too? This thing has it all.

and loving the exersaucer.
Harper is getting so big. She loves toys and playing with her feet. Pretty soon she will be driving. She is becoming so much more animated too. She will look at you and smile and "talk" and just be so freaking cute.
This whole motherhood thing just keeps getting better and better.

4th of July/Jason's Birthday recap

2009-07-10T21:44:00.001-07:00

Watching the fireworks and the ridiculousness that was the cop/parking situation.

Harper was sad that her daddy had to go to work.

Admiring my ghetto fabulous cake.

Happy birthday honeybunny

Damn candles wouldn't stay lit.

Last weekend was a busy and sentimental one for our fam. 4th of July, Jason's birthday and the anniversary of when little Harper was created-I know Terri TMI-but it's special to us. My hubby turned 34 and we celebrated by BBQing with friends. I made a cake, we drank beer and had a great time. We went to Katie's parents place for the 4th-unfortunately Jason had to work and couldn't stay long, but Harper and I stuck around. As always we had the best views of the fireworks and the company was excellent. The next day we had family time and spent Jason's actual birthday together, just the three of us. We ate breakfast at Millcreek eggworks and grilled for dinner.

Whew.....what a weekend!

Hiking in Moab

2009-06-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Goblin Valley

So many beautiful flowers!

The view where we ate lunch.

Isn't she pretty?

We took Harper on her first real hike last Saturday on our camping trip. We hiked Negro Bill Canyon, which was GORGEOUS it was 4.8 miles and took us about 4 hours. Harper was a trooper. She had a few break downs when she realized she had to nap in the Baby Bjorn and not lying sprawled out like she prefers, but she finally fell asleep and napped pretty much the whole way back. The weather was great, 70's and overcast-perfect hiking weather. The dogs were in absolute heaven. That evening we took the dogs to the river for a swim, somehow Ava sprained her foot. I think the long hike, then swimming against the current might have been a little much for her. She's fine though, she just pouted the rest of the trip-poor pathetic Ava May.

On our way home we stopped by Goblin Valley but it was windy and sunny so we didn't hike long. I can't wait to bring Harper there when she is older- I have always been sad I didn't experience that place as a child, I think it would have blown my mind.

Camping in Moab

2009-06-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Napping in the back of the Sub. as we packed up to go to Goblin Valley and head home.

(don't ya just love those chunky thighs?)

Hanging around camp.

The views around us.

Playing as we got ready for our hike.

Our campsite right next to the river and red cliffs.

Last weekend we went camping in Moab, UT for Father's Day. It was so great. The weather was really mild (70's/low 80's) and the only storm was at night when we were sleeping. We played trivia in our tent, ate s'mores and hobo dinners and went hiking and just enjoyed spending time together talking and laughing. On Sunday we went into town and ate breakfast then headed over to Goblin Valley and hiked a bit there. My idea of a perfect weekend. Harper did awesome! She napped in the tent and slept like a baby at night. She loved sitting in her bouncer seat and staring at everything. We were really proud of her and encouraged that we will continue our adventures even with children.

We love you Daddy!

2009-06-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Harper,

You are such a lucky little girl. Your daddy loves you more than anything in this whole world. I had a feeling he would be a good dad but I really had no idea how devoted and caring he would be. You have enriched both of our lives so much and it is so fun to see your silly dad make you smile. His favorite things to do with you are sing and dance with you, have "daddy" time when mommy is at work, and carry you in his big, strong hands. I can't wait to see your love for your daddy grow and grow, and I love seeing his love grow for you too.

Love,

Mommy

Just another day at the office.

2009-06-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

So, what does Harper do when she comes to work with me, you ask?

Oh, lots of stuff...

Tummy time as I do paperwork, swings as I work on the computer, naps as I have meetings with staff or parents, nurses as I take phone calls, practices making eye contact and smiling at the children as I help out in classrooms, rides in the baby bjorn as I push kids on the tire swing on the playground...

She lives a very busy life.

Ol' blue eyes

2009-06-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

Sweet Harper enjoying the sights and sounds of the festival.

Pride 2009

2009-06-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we went to the Gay Pride festival.

Sadly, our parade was rained on. We love going to Pride, so much that Jason took the day off. We intended on using the whole day to support our Salt Lake GLBT population but the weather pretty much sucked.

We missed the parade but the weather cleared up enough for us to spend some time at the festival.

Good music, good entertainment and excellent people watching. We will be back next year for sure!

2009-06-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Laura's bachelorette party.

We went to Cafe Molisse and had yummy food and yummy wine. Then we headed over for some drinks and some girl time.

It was the first time I've had an evening away from Harper girl.

It was fun ladies!

Part monkey, Part human

2009-06-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

What is Ava doing?

1st baseball game

2009-06-03T21:56:00.001-07:00

Hanging out at Deirdre's after the game.

Flexing her baby muscles

Her Bees hat is a little big.

Harper went to her first Bees game last weekend. It was dog day at the ballpark so we brought the whole clan. It was a little much for me I gotta say, but it was fun hanging out with everyone. Unfortunately Harper was nearly trampled by a runaway dog (not ours) and got a retractable leash to the face.

Yep, and totally got a bruised nose and slight black eye from it.

Yep, black eye at 9 weeks old.

Other than that we had a great time!

2 1/2 months

2009-06-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Harper can now:

Smile...a lot, and is so close to laughing.
Flirt with mommy and daddy.
Hold up her head most of the time.
roll over, but only when she really wants to be on her back instead of tummy.
stares at her toys and smiles in her mirrors...I'm pretty sure I caught her batting at one of toys the other day too.
wear bows in her hair.
sleep at night for 5 hours straight...wonderful.
drool.
pull herself up to the seated position, with our help of course.
wear 3 to 6 month clothes. She is tall and thin with long limbs.
continue to be adorable.