Christmas 2012

Santa made a special trip to the Whittlesey house a few days before Christmas this year. He came while Harper was taking an afternoon nap. When she woke up, there was a stack of presents from Santa and Mom & Dad! The Giraffe (yet to be officially named) was by far her favorite toy. When she saw him, her jaw dropped. She quickly recovered and pointed and said "OHHHH." She likes to give the giraffe kisses and needs to stop and say "Hi" to him every time she enters the room. In addition to her giraffe, Harper also got a shopping cart, some movies and puzzles. The Elf on the Shelf must have provided a glowing review on Harper to Santa to get so many great toys!

Miss Independent

Kelly Clarkson may have written the song "Miss Independent," but Harper has claimed title has her own. Harper is determined to do some things without help. It started last week with apple sauce. Normally we feed her and she happily gobbles it up. However, that all changed - Harper demanded on having the spoon and didn't want help holding the container, getting sauce onto her spoon, or feeding herself. In fact, it was a battle to get the spoon away from her AFTER the apple sauce was all gone. In addition, she likes to have bigger pieces of food - she doesn't want her string cheese torn up; she wants the full stick. Slowly our little princess is becoming her own woman - I just hope she slows down and enjoys letting us take care of her (and let's use enjoy it for a while longer, too!)

Winter Storm Draco

We've been lucky with mild weather for the past year. Well, reality came back and slapped is in the face with Winter Storm Draco. We got around 12" of snow overnight - wet and heavy snow. We were really lucky to keep our power and spent the time bundled up inside watching movies and cuddling. We will have some cleanup to do later this winter - Draco split one of our trees in half and took down some large limbs on another three. The storm was full of firsts for Harper - it was her first big winter storm and first snow day home from school! Riley also enjoyed the snowfall and spent time racing around the yard and bounding through the piles. 2012 is definitely going to have a white Christmas!

Stairs

Harper accomplished something pretty big this week - she learned to crawl up stairs! Julie, from Heartland AEA, taught Harper to pull herself up onto the bottom stair around a month ago. Harper would often pull herself up to a standing position on the bottom stair, but wasn't interested in going up any higher. That changed this week and our little climber went all the way to the top on the first try. And then she did it again. And again. In total, I think she climbed the stairs six times that night. The look of pride on her face when she reached the top was priceless.

Out Like a Light

Every child falls asleep in their highchair. Harper finally did it for the first time - and we thought it was absolutely adorable. She zonked after devouring a plate of spaghetti. I can't blame her....who doesn't want a nap after eating pasta?

Visiting Santa in Iowa Falls

Harper and I made a special trip to see Santa Claus in Iowa Falls. Santa visits Main Street in Iowa Falls every weekend and has a special house set up to meet the local families. We went with Renee, Brody, Addison, Grandma Judy and Grandpa Dick to see Santa - it was a full house! The kids were all very polite. Addison asked for an iPad (Santa said that's a common request this year), Brody asked for a football, and Harper asked not to be touched by Santa. It was a fun trip and I hope to repeat it again in the future when Harper is a little more comfortable with large men with white beards.

No Shave November

Ross participated in "No Shave November "this year. That meant that my husband went from his typically smooth-faced handsome man to a rugged and fuzzy-faced man. Overall his appearance didn't bother us too much. The "highlight" (and I use that term ironically) was when Ross shaved his beard into a fu manchu. That is a look that should never be repeated. Ross even rocked the fu manchu at NCMIC's annual Holiday Party at Glen Oaks County Club (yes, being sarcastic again). We are happy that it's December and Ross is back to his normal self.

Thanksgiving 2012

This year we had a two-day celebration with our families. The Thanksgiving celebrations kicked off at the Whittlesey household where Ross's grandparents and aunt & uncle were visiting. Harper was happy to see everyone ....and everyone was happy to see Harper! We spent the day relaxing and talking before devouring a delicious meal. (Thanks, Linda! Mmmm) Harper got to spend some time with her great grandparents again this year - which is an extra special treat for all of them. She also tried out the piano for the first time - of course, I think she is a natural. ;)

Next, we were off to spend time with Grandma & Grandpa Thompson. Harper happily strolled around their house and squealed at the dogs (Beau & Stella). Grandma Ruth put in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and she happily watched the movie. I guess there is a reason it's a classic - it draws the attention of the young and old. After some cuddles, we headed home to sleep in our own beds.

The next day we were off to celebrate with the Connell and Harper clan! Grandma Judy and Grandma Dick outdid themselves and served a huge meal - Grandma Kastel would be proud! Uncle John (Dick's brother) even made the trip from Wisconsin to celebrate with the family - an extra special treat.  The kids played and played. It was a cozy and relaxing day. After a weekend of amazing meals, I hope Harper doesn't come to expect pie with every meal!  It's exciting to think that Christmas will be here in a month and it will be time to celebrate again!

Princess & the Pea

Harper has a unique way of eating peas. As you can imagine, they can be tricky to pick up for a kiddo. Although she has very good fine motor skills and can grasp a pea in between two fingers, Harper has found a new method - poking them with her finger! She pops the pea so it sticks to her fingertip and then gobbles it up. She's entertaining to watch. :)

Growing Up Fast

Our little angel has been a busy girl....she's had lots of accomplishments in the last week. Harper said "Momma" for the first time. That one is my favorite. :) She also says "Hi!" to almost everyone she sees....such a friendly kiddo. Harper also has begun using her walker alone (once we set her into standing position) and pulling herself into a standing position! In addition, Harper also tried coloring a few times. She spends a lot of time moving the crayons from one side of her tray to the other, but occasionally she will put  the crayon to paper and make dots or a line. It won't be long until she needs her first coloring book!

Harper's First Toothbrush

Harper admires our Sonicare toothbrush every morning. She will "ooooh" if you walk into the living room while brushing your teeth. If we let her touch the vibrating bottom, she squeals in excitement. Since Harper now has ten (Yes, you read it right - 10!!!) teeth, we decided it was time for her to have her own toothbrush. Because she is sooo enamored with our brush, we ordered her an electric toothbrush of her own. (They make everything for kids now). Harper was so happy to have her new toothbrush & gum massager  that she spent 10 minutes cleaning up her mouth. She is going to have the cleanest mouth at daycare!

Cousins

We got the cameras back out at the Wii party to capture Harper & Reid hanging out. The cousins are so adorable together. They are very different - Reid is easy going and constantly on the move; Harper is more difficult to please (we still lover her!) and easily contained to a small area. Even though they have different personalities, they very much love to play with one another. They took turns playing with toys and chasing each other around the room.  They shared a bowl of puffs. Harper showed Reid how to remove the floor vent, Reid showed Harper how to look into the kitchen. Harper, who usually sticks to a strict bedtime of 8 pm, stayed until 10 playing with Reid's toys! I think she outlasted Reid AND Sydney! It was fun to see them hanging out and we look forward to watching them play together during the holidays.

Harper's One Year Photos

We went back to ML Photography for Harper's pictures - and, like usual, Missie did an awesome job! Harper is pretty shy around new people so it was hard to get her to crack a full smile. However, with the help of some blocks and LOTS of funny noises from Mom, Dad and Missie, Harper gave a few grins. Missie even gave Harper a beautiful rainbow birthday cake with sprinkles.  But, it turns out that Harper isn't much of a cake person and only tried a few nibbles. It was a fun day for our family and we have BEAUTIFUL pictures to remember it.

Sweet Music

 Ross got out his guitar this weekend for an impromptu concert for our family. Harper enjoyed listening him to play. However, after a few minutes, she wanted in on the guitar action. She happily strummed the guitar with her dad. It is really fun to watch her learn. Ross frequently says, "I can't wait until she can sing along with me." Although he has to wait, I'm sure the time will be here before we know it.

Puppy Love

Harper is smitten with Riley (and Grady, too). She will follow the pets around the house begging for their attention. Riley (who is usually the one begging for attention) handles her affection well and will put with with gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) pats, ear tugs and hugs from Harper. She will even let her steal her bone. In turn, Harper tries to be nice to Riley. When she finds one of Riley toys, she will hold it up and call for Riley to come over and take it - what good teamwork!

Happy Halloween!

Last year we didn't do too much to celebrate Halloween. This year, Harper got dressed up and assisted us in passing out candy. She enjoyed seeing all of the kids in their outfits. However, she doesn't understand her costume and was anxious to take it off. It was a fun night and we are excited to tour the neighborhood next year!

We don't decorate much for Halloween - we didn't even carve pumpkins this year! However, we do have one of the spookiest houses on the block thanks to Riley! She is quarantined to the basement so she doesn't scare any of the small children. Riley can't miss any of the action and will poke her head through the cat door to watch the kids a the door and will sometimes bark - which will result in giggles or screams from the kids. Thanks, Riley, for providing the spooky atmosphere!

Finally, Harper did some creative art at daycare (with the help of her teachers) and brought home a ghost foot print - how cute!

Running

To entice Harper to walk, we've began playing a new game where she runs while we support her weight. She thinks it's a blast and her little legs go as fast as she can move them! Once she learns to walk, we might have a little track star!

Tub Time

It's time for another bath update! Harper is loving all of the new bathtub toys she got at her birthday - she happily splashes, chatters and plays in the water. Now that Harper is standing more often she wants to do it everywhere - including the tub. Here is our little girl showing off!

Busy Girl

Now that Harper is scooting, she is doing a lot of investigating around the house. Finally our house seems big to someone! She likes to get under the end tables and swing, scoot into the bathroom and kitchen and play with the plant. If she is super lucky, Riley will be chewing a bone and she will crawl over and give her hugs. Harper is definitely keeping Ross and I busy!