For the love of Bob: 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

May 2011

So, here it is the end of 2011 and I'd like to get this blog caught up.
I feel terrible that I haven't documented Harper's infancy the way I did with Ethan. Please be sure, Harper, I am WITH you each moment, enjoying you, even if all of your milestones aren't documented here. You are growing and changing so quickly and I've never been busier or happier.
In May according to my iPhone...

Harper was still in love with her froggy.

We celebrated her Christening Day.

We played outside a lot. Ethan still insisted on wearing his cute boots with shorts, making them even cuter.

I set Harper up under this umbrella while I golfed with Ethan one morning.

I looked over moments later and she was sleeping. She didn't put herself to sleep at this point in her life EXCEPT while outside and when it was time to go inside for lunch.

Molly, a neighbor dog, stopped for a treat nearly every evening along her walk.

Harper found her feet!!

Loving Springtime at our new house and new neighborhood.

Days of grocery shopping while wearing a baby.

Eating her feet... and ahhh, that fuzzy, bleach blonde hair!!!

We visited Strausburg and the trains.

The Choo Choo Barn was a hit! We weren't sure if Ethan would be into it but he loved it.

Ethan was able to pet this little fawn!!!

Lucky, lucky boy :)

Harper's Christening Day

We started off the month of May with Harper's Christening Day.

Father Snyder told a story about how the beautiful stained glass windows in our church used to hang in an orphanage. It was the same orphanage his mother lived in. He shared that he likes to think of how his mother prayed under the same windows as he does today. I'm grateful that he told that story on this day.

Everyone commented on how well Harper did during the service. It made me laugh because I wondered if they saw what I had to do to keep her content. I never stopped moving even trying to pay attention and responding during the ceremony - there I was keeping my baby in motion while sitting in the pew. Finally, Harper had enough and cried through photos. Here she is with her Godparents.

And then her froggy calmed her down.

I loved her gown and bonnet and can still smell the anointing oil when I look at this photo.

With her Great Granddaddy

Time to change into her party dress!!

So peaceful.

Ethan loved the ham, edible fruit arrangement (fruit on a stick - of course he loved it!), and his favorite - the cake! Here we asked him where the icing went.

Looking at these photos makes me want to go squeeze her and smell her bonnet to see if it still smells like the she did on her special day.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

April 2011

We started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Harper wasn't screaming quite as much. We made advancements in sleep. Half way through the month Harper didn't need the hairdryer on to fall asleep anymore. It wasn't silent but quieter as we weaned her from the hairdryer to the sound machine set on "ocean" at it's highest volume. We also weaned her from using the "swaddle me". At first we swaddled her with an Aden and Anais swaddle blanket (best things ever!) to put her to sleep and by her 2nd or 3rd nursing session of the night, she was completely unswaddled. We were still cosleeping and Harper was still nursing nearly every hour of the night. To get her to sleep I snuggled next to her in bed and nursed her. When she was fully asleep I slipped away until her first wake up, an hour later. For that HOUR of not having a baby attached to me... I joined Matt and Ethan for Ethan's bedtime routine or cleaned up from the day and dinner or just sat and watched tv or at the computer. I re-read what I just wrote and wonder if I'll look back on that time and miss having a baby attached to me for so many hours a day. Yes, I will miss it but when you're in the trenches of a cranky baby and nursing every 2 hours during the day and every hour at night, and listening to the hairdryer or a loud sound machine for hours every day, that hour that I had partially to myself was sweet.

Harper's 4 month milestones:
Enjoyed blowing raspberries and bubbles.
Reached out for our faces with both hands - SO CUTE!
Weaned from hairdryer and swaddle me at night.
Weighed 16lbs, 6oz and measured 26 3/4 inches long at her 4 month check up.
Her first and second teeth broke (left and right bottom, central incisors) through at 4.5 months old.
Celebrated her first Easter.
Started grabbing her feet to play with them.
Laughed for Ethan for the first time!

Ethan was still a busy boy ...

Shortly after we moved into this house Ethan learned how much fun racing cars, trucks, buses, etc up and down the hallway is. What makes it even cuter is those jammie pants! I love them!

Having a picnic with a monkey. Pretend play is growing.

Time to play golf outside again! YAY!

He loved hitting balls out of the dirt.

Pointing to where his shot will go.

Teething baby

That is cookie dough all over Ethan's face- we were making dairy, egg, and soy free sugar cookies for Easter.

Ethan is saying "Baby's too wittle for cookie dough." He loves to remind us that she's too little for just about everything that he gets to do.

My little pea pod.

Of course she's chewing on her hands behind there!

Sibling love.

Party of Four.

Ethan learned to catch a ball.

Cold cuddly mornings.

Ethan is really into cars, tractors, anything that can be pushed, rolled, etc.

Matt cuddling his girl before heading out to play golf. He didn't get to golf as much this year. I'm sure he'll make up for it when the kids are older.

Golf. Lots and lots of golf. Our neighbors walk by, cheer him on, and compliment his skills. Some even thought we didn't have any other activities b/c Ethan is always playing golf :)

SPRING!! After a long winter these were so happy.

This was my favorite spring dress for Harper.

Ready for sun shiny days ahead!

FOUR months already! And I caught a smile for a monthly photo :)

Harper is still in love with her froggy and we love how she holds onto his legs and cuddles him.

Matt and Ethan had been practicing Ethan's "follow through". Yes, in the house.

Ethan found party hats and insisted that we wear them. Harper was not amused.

Attempt#1 at getting bunny ears shot of both of them - obviously a failure but still funny.

Ethan's art show at school. One of the cutest events we've been to.

Easter Egg Hunt at Ethan's school.

He's given that look since the day he was born.

I bought these boots for Ethan during the winter months but he wanted nothing to do with them. In April he decided that he liked them because he could put them on "all by myself" and they became his favorite shoes. This led to wearing boots everyday -even when it warmed up and was time for shorts! Cutest little boots, even with shorts.