Harper Girl

For some reason it seems as most people’s preconceptions of stay-at-home-moms (SAHM-gotta get everyone up to date on the internet lingo) is that they have tons of times and opportunities to nap…or blog for that matter. Well, nope, I have time for neither. At least I know I never want to be a blogger as my profession because it would never get done. The RARE occasion that BOTH children are napping at the same time, will give me an hour if I’m lucky, and then I need to jump straight in to housework. I spent yesterday cleaning, and a good bit of the morning attempting to as well, so I finally am able to sit down (guilt-free) for a few. This is usually the time I brew my second cup of coffee. I am happier and more focused that way.. it’s like my reward for making it to 3:00.

Harper wasn’t mentioned much on my last couple of posts, because I felt she needed her own post. We are almost at 2.5 years old.. and she’s just awesome! We always think that, but I think Kyle would also agree, this is a super fun age. Her personality completely shines through, and it’s interesting to see and hear all that she has to say throughout the day. I’d say she is pretty demanding and high maintenance; she knows what she wants, and wants you to understand her. She will always make sure you understand the harperism she’s trying to communicate, but she also can speak well for a 2.5 year old. She remembers everything you say, too! I always wish I had written funny things down throughout the day, but then usually forget to. I just love our conversations, and how girly girl she is. Like the other day, I made a big deal saying, “On Wednesdays we wear pink!” And then it was Monday and she said, “On Mondays we wear pink!” No..that’s Wednesday. “Well I have on a pink shirt today too!” Or today I asked her if she wanted to go to BabiesRUs, and she said “Yes! What can we get Max? We can get him a pink cradle!” She usually tells Kyle, “Put Max down! Put him in the cradle or hand him to Mommy. Let’s play in my room.”

Some of her favorite activities:
Playing with stuffed animals. And you have to play too! She always says, “this is Harper, this is Daddy, this is Mommy, etc, etc” or “I’ll be bunny, you be Penelope, Max can be the frog.” She personifies every animal, everywhere.
Helping out. I introduced her to cooking, so now anytime I’m in the kitchen, she has to get her step stool, and have a spoon to stir something. She helps me empty the dishwasher, fold clothes, make the bed, put shoes away, water the plants, feed the animals.
Eating. What can I say? Girl loves to eat. Her array at lunch time includes: yogurt, hummus, crackers, cheese, plain bread, applesauce, berries, bananas, leaves and ranch, noodles, chips and guacamole. She wants options.
Playing with Max. She’s not big on wanting to change diapers, but she loves to check on baby brother, make sure his toys are where he can see them, make sure his blanket is flat over him..not bunched up, overseeing bath time, attempting to feed a bottle, helping me pump a bottle (lol), picking out his clothes, and singing songs
Playing with Daddy. Everyone knows she’s a daddy’s girl. If he’s around, she is all about him. He only lets her do what she wants to do, so she’s extra whiney around him. They have lots of fun together though..wrapped around that little finger.
Tea parties. Play dough. Coloring. Stickers. Sandbox. Water table. Being outside.

We have eliminated cable, like I’ve mentioned, but went a step further and took the TV out of the living room recently. Crazy, right?! And yet I still don’t have any extra time. We did it because I rearranged until we get a new sofa, so it’s probably just a short term thing, but I’m not minding it. It took her a few weeks to even notice it wasn’t there. She and Kyle watch her shows upstairs some nights.

Potty training! We are in week two of official panty-wearing-all-day potty training. Everyone says it’s that easy.. they have no choice but to use the potty once you make the switch. We feel she’s definitely smart enough, though she never has made the connection to tell us before she has to go (which is a sign of being ready.) I’ve been putting it off for that reason, and because it means staying at home vs doing errands, and of course cleaning up pee! But we finally were ready to take the plunge..I would like to quit buying pull-ups. First week was like a trial, with setting the timer often. One day I think we had 5 accidents somehow in one hour. Then I wised up and got a sticker chart…that’s going pretty well. It’s more of an accomplishment for ME, if I can get the row filled up for the day, I’m more excited about it, haha! One day she said, “My panties are wet; I want a pull-up.” Then sometimes she cries if I say she needs to put on a pull up (bed time or car ride) because she wants to wear panties. After two weeks, I’d say she would go back to pull-ups no problem if she had the choice! It’s a lot of work for both her and I..she doesn’t like taking breaks from playing and I can’t get much else done, since it requires constant supervision. But we’re going to keep pushing through. Some days she doesn’t have any accidents, and like today, a big one. My floors are getting mopped extra good!

What else? I guess we just love the fact that she’s becoming more independent. Kyle never liked the thought of leaving her somewhere (like Sunday school), when she was too young to understand where and why she is there, and that we would be back soon. Now, she understands, wants to go, has a good time with her ‘friends,’ and can tell us what she did while she was there. She can tell us if she’s hungry, sick, or hurt. And she finally understands about nap time! It’s taken long enough… I posted on Facebook, but I was almost in happy tears the other day for the first time ever where she went by herself and laid down on purpose to take a nap. It was awesome! (Another story when Kyle is home) but naps have come a long way.

Harper will be starting Mother’s Day Out this fall, two days a week, a few hours a day. I just want to see her in a social atmosphere. She loves other children, and I think a routine, with age-appropriate activities will be so fun for her. They work on potty training, if we’re not fully there yet. My big concern was about the nap time, but they say some children just have “quiet time” instead. I’m curious to see how that goes. We have to be there at 8:30 am, yes AM :-O, so our bed time will have to change big time! I think an earlier shift in our day will be a positive thing.

That’s about it! Harper is a great, caring, sweet big sister and we are excited for the rest of the year, and some fun in the sun.

Mommy Magic

Kinda feeling like supermom at the moment, as far as nap time goes! All four days alone, the kids have successfully napped simultaneously, and early in the day. And I was worried! Gives me a little peace and quiet 🙂
Day 2: they both fell asleep on me, on the couch. I was able to wiggle out, luckily!

Our first week solo has been going well. I even got out of the house Wednesday to visit my grandmother, and then Harper started gymnastics that evening. It was also in Hendersonville, so Kyle met us there. This is her first time taking a class of some sort, so Harper and I both were really excited. I was totally the slightly obnoxious  proud gym mom, coaching  watching from the sidelines, cheering her on at every station. And of course capturing it all via iPhone, while little brother slept the whole time.

We had a slight meltdown during the middle of class, where she decided she would rather walk away and go play in the “playroom” she saw upon entering, that had a few doctor’s office type toys in it. She ran out and I followed behind her, trying her coax her back to finish the class. It was time for the big trampoline, and she was timid. My gym mom dreams were quickly fading away, as I realized we wouldn’t be back if she quit right now. Lol, so we got her back participating, and she finally wanted to do the big trampoline. The teacher held her hands and they bounced all the way to the end, and then I heard: “That was fun!” Yay! Mission accomplished, and we are going back next week. 😀

Thursday, I attempted to venture out to the grocery. I promised Harper a kid buggy that she could push herself and help me fit in everything we needed. I saw them at one of the Kroger’s I was at recently, and I thought it was Goodlettsville. She fell asleep as soon as we got in the car, so I decided to do some errands. Drove though the bank, treated myself to Starbucks, and then got to Kroger. Ended up sitting there for a whole hour in the parking lot, because she never wanted to wake up and I knew she needed a good nap anyway. You may think that’s crazy but trying to shop + extremely whiney sleepy toddler + newborn =/= a good time. She finally woke up, and we went inside to low and behold, not find a kid buggy. I tried the little cars they ride in, but Max’s carrier barely fit in the cart, and then no room at all for groceries. I said come on, let’s go try Publix. The things I do for that girl! Then, surprise surprise no kid buggies there either, but they at least had bigger kid-friendly carts that we chose, as well as complimentary pink balloons. I guess the customer service makes up for the over-priced groceries. Anyway, we survived and learned grocery shopping isn’t for the weak! We may continue our search for kid buggies next week.

Now it’s Friday! What could be better. Hope everyone has a great weekend springing forward 😉

Nursery and Toddler Room!

Better late than never, here is our gender neutral, animal theme nursery and toddler room! It will be a work in progress for a while..still need a matching frame over the crib, area rug, new crib skirt, and I’ve since added a coordinating mobile over the crib. I was torn about what to do with the bumper, since they aren’t recommending them anymore, but the room did not feel cohesive until I added all that. I’m happy with it for now. Harper loves her room so that’s what’s matters! I think Max will approve too 😉 Somehow every room I decorate ends up with the same color scheme. Up next will be the office/playroom when it’s officially clean.

And, embarrassingly I’m adding this picture (left). Last week, this was our garage and I could NOT go into labor with it looking like that. My to-do was so important because about 5 things involved this garage and I hated thinking about it staying this way until spring, and when people are over at my house and open the door to see this. Besides.. once we get our garage remote working, I’d LOVE to park here asap! I’m pretty proud of it, because I cleaned it all myself in a few hours. I even finished it off this morning by taking a huge load of cardboard to the recycle place. Another work in progress, still a lot to eventually get rid of on the left side, but there’s enough room for my vehicle and it looks more orderly. Phew! Oh yeah, I also organized and deep cleaned the “dining room,” fridge and all cabinets/drawers in the kitchen, our’s and Harper’s closets, so that’s definitely nesting! Somehow the house still doesn’t look clean but just a few more things 🙂

 

Harper’s 2 Year Check-up

Sleeping in until 9:00am was glorious! The calm before the storm, I suppose. And now I have a day with no other obligations except to clean and relax with my girl, and then my grandmother’s 80th birthday dinner followed by a little shopping at BRU with the family. Sounds like a great day.

Yesterday was Harper’s 2 year check up. She got a Hep A booster, the flu mist, and routine blood test for anemia. I was concerned last time because she was low percentile for height and weight. This time she was 50% for height, and still 10% for weight, but the doctor likes those numbers. She always calls her lean cuisine, like her mama. Harper still has bad excema, so we have a treatment plan for that. As far as other milestones, she far surpasses all the expectations of a two year old, like knowing 50+ words and talking in 2-3 word sentences. She’s extremely smart, again like her mama! 😉 But even smarter. She can read! Just by memorization but words like: cat, dog, mommy, daddy, Harper, Max, puppy. 

And we will continue to work on potty training. It’s important to be consistent with that, and she took a few steps back with it while she was sick, and it’s also getting hard for me to squat down with her all throughout the day, especially if we are out and about. It would have been nice for her to be out of pull-ups before the baby, but it will happen when we are both ready. She still doesn’t come and tell me when she has to go, and that’s key as well. Sleeping on her own is the next thing.. she LOVES her own bed! Anytime we ask where she wants to sleep, she says “Harper’s bed.” She loves to play in her {new} toddler room, with her twin bed and all her stuffed animals. Anytime someone comes over, she gets them to follow her to her room, to show off. However, night time is a different story. She isn’t to the point of falling asleep on her own. The pediatrician recommended NOT ever laying down in her bed, to get her to sleep, or back to sleep. Obviously this is a challenge for us because that’s how it’s always been and it’s easier on her. Well, it’s not on us and will nearly be impossible once Max is here. Tough transition because we don’t want her to feel like the baby caused her routine to suddenly change, especially when we don’t know if he will come tomorrow or in like two weeks. And it’s also a toss-up, whether she will lay down, grab her animals, read a book, and go to sleep– or she fights, cries, and resists bedtime, until she falls asleep. Some nights she sleeps peacefully until 7 or 8 am, some nights until 3 or 4 am and then needs help falling back asleep. Can you say we are in desperate need of a routine?? Looking forward to working on those things. Once our family is complete, and Kyle has 3 weeks off, that will be helpful in consistency. 

Harper continues to amaze us with everything she says and does. A great age, where she understands what we’re saying, can communicate back, and even think of her own comments and questions. She’s so inquisitive and knows so much.
Her newest thing is to ask all day:

What are you doing? What are you eating?
Can I help you?
Where are the cats? What are they doing?
Do you want to play with me? 
What are you looking at? What are you typing?
Can we read this together?
And then anything else I ask, she repeats and asks me. 

Favorite activities: playing with stuffed animals (they each have a name)-rocking them, wrapping in blankets, etc; tea parties, her playhouse, coloring, finding the cats around the house, playing games on the phone or watching her shows on tv, playing outside, riding her tricycle, and most of all..daddy! 

Favorite foods: yogurt, bananas, pasta, green beans, mandarin oranges, cheese, and rolls. She hasn’t asked for hummus much since she’s been sick. Hoping to get back on more fruits and veggies, as a part of the new upcoming routine. 

Ready for baby? I’m not sure. She’s definitely excited, and knows where baby Max is and wants him to be ready to come out. She says yes he can stay here and they can play. We are going to rock him, and tell him it’s okay when he cries, and read him stories. She says she will hold him, but he can’t lay on her (like I showed her in some photo op ideas.) She says I can hold him, but does not like when I ask if Daddy can. She frowns and starts kicking her feet. Lol! I have expectations of getting good pictures and recording their first meeting, so hopefully that goes good and sweet! 

2 weeks to go!

38 weeks!

I feel like this is an appropriate milestone for a quick pregnancy update- baby is full term! Labor could happen any day now, but I’m still thinking it will be the end of the month. Still feels like he is high in my ribs. But since I didn’t go to the doctor last week, anxiously awaiting my appointment today. It would be a nice surprise if there was any progression, since there was not at all with Harper at this point. Edit: like I thought, nothing has changed. Baby is still way up there! Max can take his time and come when he’s ready… but that’s getting harder to say each day, as I become more uncomfortable. Cherishing even these moments though, the last two weeks with our world just revolving around one little person. My few days of pregnancy I have left, for a long while.

There’s something magic about being pregnant. Duh! You’re carrying around a human being. You– are responsible for taking care of yourself, birthing him or her, and then caring for them their whole life. There’s the huge anticipation, special treatment, and general excitement about meeting your new baby. It comes with a very long wait, all kinds of questions, unknown territory, big expectations, tons of doctors appointments, and a growing growing belly! All leading up to the monumental delivery, and new journey of becoming parents, the day your life changes forever. Once they get here, there’s the insta-falling in love, oohing and ahhing about how cute they are, who they resemble, photo ops, family and friends, and food!! Please order the room service asap because this mama is hungry!! I can say all that now, because I’ve been there done that, but we were definitely scared of it all. Or maybe more of anxiety from the unknown, not sure what to expect, considering all the what-ifs. A big worry.. would she even be cute?! Well, that was silly. I was biased, like all parents, but I thought Harper was the cutest thing in the world. No baby was cuter. I didn’t have an alien newborn! Now I look back at those pictures, and think aw she was cute, but look at her now..She’s way cuter. I thought I loved her so much back then, but over time, just as her cuteness grows daily, so does the love we have for her.

I remember several nights in the beginning Harper was crying, I was crying, and probably Kyle too, because we did not know what to do to make her stop and be happy. As I’ve had a lot of time to reflect the last couple weeks, my anxiety over having two has been replaced with excitement. I could dwell on worries of how I’m dreading breastfeeding the first couple weeks, how sore I will be from that and birth, the lack of sleep, going through the whole newborn stage again of not knowing what they need, or not being able to comfort the colic, or soothe the gas troubles. The concept of having two crying kids, as Harper still fights bedtime often. The anxiety of Kyle going back to work and leaving me with them both, alone. The fear of the hormonal roller coaster, that your body goes through, postpartum… aka crying all the time, and not having control of emotions, “the baby blues.” A new baby is wonderful, but with all that, and the hormone change, and adjusting to a new life.. it’s stressful, to say the least. I could dwell on all of that and probably add 20 more things to that list.  I think of how “hard” life is right now, never ending/emptying bladder, always thirsty and out of breath, sore back, more and more stretch marks, sore ribs..then I think how much harder it will be when he’s actually here, in completely different ways. But.. I’m excited and finally ready for a newborn. I told Kyle yesterday.. when we think back on these moments- 2, 5, or 10 years from now.. none of that stuff will matter. We won’t remember or care how much money we had in our bank account, what size our TV was, how cool our clothes were, how tired and rundown we felt, or even how messy the house was. We will look at our two beautiful, smart, and ever-growing children, and think back and say.. it was all worth it. 

With that said, I have a whole lot on the agenda today, and things to cross off my big to-do list in order to feel ready and stress free! Yesterday it was cleaning out the fridge, as you can see 😉 Hope to have a post about the nursery very soon!

Give a cat a hug, and have a great day!

Sick Daze

Well Harper has a Really Sucky Virus known as RSV. A lot of people aren’t familiar with it, including myself until today, unless you have had or known a child to have it. Very contagious and easily spread through droplets in the air from someone’s cough, or even through touching hard surfaces like a doorknob or grocery cart that an infected person has touched. It’s a “respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages.” In adults, it would just show up as a cold, but in little people it can be pretty serious because it makes it hard for their tiny airways to breathe. It’s especially dangerous for infants, so Harper will probably be just fine, but we definitely want the germs out of the house before Max makes his arrival. The doctor said we have to take it a day at a time, because other worse symptoms such as ear infection or bronchiolitis could show up, or the cold could run it’s course and be done. Typically RSV lasts 7-21 days. He said he expect a fever for about two more days, and then a cough for about two more weeks. Poor baby girl! I hate that she is sick, and spending the first days of her third year of life this way. The only upside I see to it is maybe the sickness will build immunity and it would make her less likely to get sick next time. The good news is that she doesn’t have the flu. The bad news is– no antibiotics help viruses. But we have been doing all the “comfort care” measures to make her feel better– tylenol and motrin to lower the fever, Vicks on her chest and feet, suctioning out all the mucus from her nose, keeping her hydrated, and using a humidifier.

Luckily I did decide to take her in today to the doctor. We were for sure going to after last night’s fever of 102 and very congested chest; but, this morning she woke up with fever 98.8, and then was playing a lot and in a good mood so I thought she was better. Her fever got up to almost 102 again by noon so I made an appointment. Looks like we’ll spend the rest of the week on the couch, cuddling, and playing when she feels like it. Glad it’s in my job description to cuddle and hold baby all day! It’s making me more looking forward to deep cleaning the house to be ready for Max. I think I’m being a good nurse, and Kyle is supportive from afar because it breaks his heart to see her sick. So thankful for him to be home every evening though to play and take care of her so I can rest a little too. It’s been a long day! Say a little prayer for a speedy recovery and then go wash your hands!! 😉

Terribly Awesome Twos!

Happy Birthday Harper!

I seriously cannot believe how fast the last year has gone by. I miss my little baby, but love the little person she is becoming. The pictures below aren’t all in chronological order, but somewhere in the past year she transformed from a baby just learning how to walk and talk, to a bright and beautiful little girl. There have been so many wonderful milestones this year! From probably 10,000 pictures to choose from, I have narrowed it down to these- some of our favorite moments and memories of being one! We’ve not only started a new year, but now I foresee many exciting times in 2014 with a two year old. And new baby brother! Looking forward to the day Max comes so much, just to see her reaction and be finally joined as a complete family.

One of the best things about Harper is that she constantly make me laugh. She’s so funny and cute– everything she does and says. I love how smart she is, she impresses us daily with all that she knows. She has a huge heart for animals, and every single one of her stuffed animals has a name. I’ve tried sometimes to go through and narrow her collection down, but she genuinely cares about each of them. Just like her mommy! But everyone knows a huge Daddy’s girl. From the time he gets home every day, and every weekend, she wants him at all times! She’s lucky to have such a great father. She’s starting to have more testy moments, and can sometimes push our buttons, but we would probably both agree she’s still pretty sweet most of the time. Fingers crossed we continue making success with potty-training and are able to go at it full-force soon. She loves her twin bed in her room, at least! Doesn’t want to sleep anywhere else.

Feeling very sentimental today. I could sit and cry all day thinking of her growing up, experiencing loss or pain, getting hurt or sick, boy troubles, future disagreements we may encounter, when she goes off to Kindergarden and eventually to college, when she cries. Gosh things totally change when you become a parent! But, I will choose to think of the happy times. All of the fun vacations we will go on, the birthday parties, starting new holiday traditions, and just the simple moments that are actually my favorites–like the mornings she would wake up in our bed, with the biggest smile on her face; when I walk in and find her completely laying on top of snuggling with the cats; when her face lights up when we give her something new; when she says I love you. So many things. Most recently, she’s started sleeping in her own bed. Although I’m so relieved, to have the space and freedom, and proud of her independence, I will miss her. I will miss the tiny person snuggled next to me. She’s only going to be small for a short time, in the grand scheme. I’ll always cherish those moments and look forward to a thunderstorm or reason for her to come running back, occasionally.

Today our little babe is officially 2. I’ve spent my day with a sick birthday girl, curled up on the couch. She’s only been sick one other time in two years, and then today she wakes up sick on her birthday. What a bummer! I feel so bad. Although I’ve been a great nurse, it’s hard to see her so puny with a fever. Hoping and praying it’s just a cold!

Anyway…drumroll… some favorite pictures. Thanks to social media, these have been there over the year, but it’s fun to look back! Everyone always tells me how they love following Harper and seeing her pictures, and it really means a lot, to know how many people love her so much! She’s a blessed little girl for sure. Thank you all for loving, reading and keeping up with us. Can’t wait to see what the next year holds.

First Birthday!

Meeting new puppy

One of many pictures with Harlow

One of many trips to eat FroYoFirst babydoll

Having fun outside

6 weeks old and a year and 6 weeks old- Valentines day

Outside with Cooper… and a golf club

What mess?Miss IndependentMommy and Me Session ~16 months

Loving on baby, Cooper, and Kitties. Says good morning to them every day Fun times outside
Her babies..or ETFamily<3

Loves small dogs like Flossie!

Sweet Girl

Had lots of fun with her distant cousins! Loves playmates

‘Twas the year for weddings!

Loving on Max, and Cooper

Bath time chaperones

First tea set, and first tea party at Burdettes

Has to sit up here a lot!

Ball games with Coach Stephanie- “Cheer Crew!”

Fall break and first time at the beach! Never wanted to get sandy or in the ocean.

Spent lots of time at Granny’s pool

And one day on the lake!

Anniversary trip to Gatlinburg with Barry and Karen

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We had MANY great days at the zoo this summer!

Funwith daddy

Cutest monkey around, and our pumpkin

Always cheesing’….in style

Our announcement to family..very happy day!

And studying up on baby names…

Loves going on walks

Loves all of her “real” pillow pets

Easter Sunday

Visiting the first grade

Having fun with cousins

Tricycle then…and now

Bathtime..Early in the year, and more recently

Best chair ever for tv and books

Feeding the donkeys!

Second birthday!

And this was taken when most everyone left the party, when we finally let Cooper back in. It’s seriously one of my favorite pictures ever! Glad I could capture such a sweet moment between them 🙂

Happy Birthday Catnip!
Everyone send some positive vibes she gets to feeling better.

Yawn

All I can think about is how tired I am lately.. like right now. We’ve been staying up late and it’s been my busy week, so I could definitely use a good night’s sleep. Instead, I’d rather blog because I’m too tired to get off the couch after Christmas decorating the last few hours.

We hit a major milestone with Harper last Sunday.. she spent her first night away! We always eat at Kyle’s grandparents’ for dinner with all of the family, and we were talking about when she would stay over at his mom’s. She asked, and we decided it would probably be best it was a spur of the moment decision like that, so we wouldn’t have time to dwell on it. I knew she would do great, and she did! I was more worried about Kyle and me missing her. But we did fine too! He played video games, and though holding back tears several times, I was productive in my craft room and went on to bed. It was a quiet night for once, after 674 nights with her sleeping very near. Good practice for everyone before baby comes.. we plan to do it a few more times before he does!

I also had a great first appointment with the new OB this week. She was very thorough and just sat and talked with me, so it was a refreshing change. I felt bad to cut ties with the other and officially say I’m switching, but it’s just the business. I’ll now be at the same doctor as my step-sister, and same office as several friends. Even Harper liked it there.. there were toys, pictures of babies in the room, and they gave her a sticker..what could be better?!

That’s about all I can stay awake to write. Goodnight!

Woah, where did October go?

The past month has flown by! For everyone else too? I knew it would, which is why I’ve been a little stressed and anxious to get things done. Slow as ever on updating the blog, and adding photos. That’s never been my speciality, but the main reason is because the living room and such are still not presentable. I’d like them to be complete before showing them off, and we still have a bit to do. Mainly needing new wall hangings, pictures, etc. which requires extra $ because I want nice, new ones. Hope to have everything complete before the holidays, so the house will be ready for guests. Kyle and I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas! We wish we already could, and while I cleaned out the attic last week, we kept out one Christmas tree, so it’s already upstairs along with his year-round Christmas movie room, mood lights.

This week was our vacation. I didn’t end up closing my Etsy shop, because I got it down to like 1 order, which seemed manageable. I got a couple more on my trip, which was a good thing. Now I have t-minus six more days to get ready for my big craft show in Lebanon. I’m extremely excited and hope I do well. I have had more time to prepare, although I know I’ll be working right up to the last minute. Planning to do a name-change and new business design/concept as well kinda, so that’s exciting. Then I have two smaller events at GES and GHS I will be doing. Was going to sign up for two other larger ones, but they’re a lot of upfront cost, and I’m not completely sure how successful I will be and how much product I will have. It will be what it will be!

Oh yeah..vacation. We went to Destin, FL this week, left Sunday morning. Met Kyle’s mom and friend there and stayed in a nice, beach front condo. It was really nice, with beautiful French/beach decor, a really nice kitchen, and spectacular view. Roge and Stephanie were down too, with her parents, so we got to see them as well. Harper liked the sand, if she was sitting on a blanket and playing in it some. She got more used to it, but still never wanted to walk in the sand or her feet to touch the ocean. Daddy had to carry her around the whole week, basically, so he was worn out vs relaxed. With a 21 month old, there was little relaxing, although we did go to dinner one night, while she played with Granny. My best meal was a Hawaiian burger from McQuires, we got to-go and brought back to the room. Not sure if it was Kyle’s favorite meal because he ate later his in the car, while we were trying to get Harper asleep. She didn’t nap that first day and was in an awful mood..”jet” lag? Anyway, it was kind of funny at the restaurant, I had to pick up the food at the bar, so I stood there about 30 minutes waiting. The bartender finally offered me a drink on the house, which I had to turn down and say that I can’t drink. He asked if I was 21, and I said yes, but looked down at the huge stomach below, and gestured. “Oooh! sorry, I didn’t even notice.” He brought me a root beer in a kids cup. The week, overall was good. By Thursday, Harper was done with the beach, and just wanted to stay in the room and play on the iPad. We had planned to go to a nice dinner and then take family beach pictures that evening, but we decided to go ahead and head home rather than staying until morning. We attempted pictures of just us 3, but they weren’t cooperating and it was so bright we were just all squinty-eyed. Maybe next year! We definitely made some fun memories of her first time at the beach.  Pics to come… one day. I must say.. we were SO proud of her on the way home. We stopped only once and that was to eat dinner. She did awesome, and occupied herself with her dvd player, iPad, and napping. Yay! That means another road trip is in our future 😉

Harper is high-matenence, for sure. But she’s so much fun. She still has her fussy/mean/babyish moments, but she’s super sweet, loving and smart. She is starting to speak in sentences and phrases, that I find pretty impressive. I like to document the milestones. Some I jotted down from recently:

Be a good boy, Cooper
Little boy flying a kite
Granny eating watermelon, yes.
You’re funny, daddy!
Open the garage, daddy!
Harlow, Maxi eating cat food

She also is cutting a lot of teeth. I don’t even know how many on top and bottom, but several on each. Favorite foods are still hummus, yogurt, and pasta.. She likes cheese, drinks almond milk mostly, and eats guacamole, broccoli, green beans, cheerios, oatmeal, and fruit often. She loves graham crackers and teddy grams. We had to bribe her a few times with a sucker the past couple weeks!

The weather in Destin was super nice, and now we get back to this cold, rainy stuff. It’s official fall I guess, and time to turn on the heat. Oh well, I’ve been loving making soups and chili lately. And tried my first ever pumpkin pie. It was yummy! Hoping tomorrow will be nice enough to take her to Honeysuckle Hill Farm!

This is super long, I’ll have to do pregnancy updates tomorrow!

19 months

My little one is 19 months old today!

Harper loves little puppies!

I can’t believe I missed her 18 month, 1/2 birthday post, but better now than never. Last update was 3 months ago. So much has changed I feel like since then. The biggest is how much she talks. Her pediatrician said she should be saying at least 5-10 words by now. Wow, she can literally say 100 or even way more. I lost count. But proud of her. Here’s a few of our favorites:

I love you! “I wuv ew”
Can count 1-20
Most of her ABC’s
“Hey big guy!” to Cooper
“Harlow” and “Maxi”
Her animals and animal sounds
Guacamole “Wak-a-mankee”
“Yogurt, Oatmeal, and Milk”-all the time
And repeats most everything we say
Oh and her VERY favorite- “No!” all the time

We haven’t started potty training, but that can come sooner if she can express to us when she has to go. I will probably start working with her soon. Really haven’t yet because I know it will take a lot of time, and we’ve been busy! Also, we plan to get new laminate floors in, in a couple weeks, haven’t decided if I should do it before or after this. No doubt, she’ll do great. She’s already been introduced to the potty.

I mentioned this in the last post, but Harper will be a great big sister. She loves babies. She has several that she plays with and understands how to “be easy.” She rocks them and cuddles them. She isn’t around many babies and children, but when she is she always watches them and is very intrigued. Sometimes she points to my stomach and says baby, but it will be very interesting to see how that first meeting goes, and the weeks to follow. She’s still at the young age where it will just be like, oh okay, now we will always have this new baby around. And I’m sure she will be able to talk much more by then. Already having anxiety about leaving her a couple nights, while we’re at the hospital, even though I know she will be great. We plan to get a couple nights in before that, as practice.

II just packed all her 12-18 month clothes up, and some of the 18 months, getting ready to pull the 24-2T out that I have. :-O She’s getting big quick! But still on the small, petite side at 20 pounds. She may be in size 3 diapers forever! She eats a lot of food, maybe she will have a growth spurt. Ordered her a Bobcats shirt for football season yesterday, we’re definitely ready for that!

I don’t think I updated on weaning. She is no longer breastfeeding! We went up until 17 1/2-ish months, and it was finally time for both of us to be more independent. That’s been nice and the transition went smoothly. Big benefits for her, as she’s never been sick and has a high IQ, so I’ll definitely try to go that long, or at least a year with the next baby.

Next month is Kyle and I’s two year anniversary. We find out sex of the baby. Then it will be October- our first trip with Harper to Florida, Halloween, then comes Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everything will be here before we know it, so trying to enjoy the rest of my baby being 1! Pictures to follow.

Here are a few random pictures from the last couple of months, not in any particular order.

When Daddy walks with us, Harper does NOT want to ride in the stroller.

 

Classic lake picture. We went once this summer, and she did great! It was a lot of fun.  And she loves getting in the pool.

 

Harper loves her cousins and when they visit!

Helping in Aunt Stephanie’s classroom! She wanted all the goldfish on the desks, but got her own bag. Loved looking at books, play dough, coloring, stuffed animals, blocks, and magnet numbers. I think she will love school!!

 

Getting frozen yogurt, one of our favorite treats.