Play Time

The jumperoo and swing are Harper's favorite activities right now. We recently assembled the Jumperoo for her to use. Her legs are still a little too short to touch the ground, so we typically slide a pillow underneath for her to rest on. Although she typically doesn't bounce, Harper enjoys the toys she can play with while in the Jumperoo. She has become very "handsy" and repeatedly runs her fingers over them. The jumperoo also gives her a direct view on the tv! She enjoys watching tv whenever she can, so we try to keep her pointed away from it so she concentrates on the toys instead of the reality tv educational program that mom is watching.

After an extended play session in the jumperoo, Harper likes to kick back in her swing. If we would let her, she would sleep in her swing - she loves the relaxing rhythm. Although she typically naps in her swing, sometimes she watched the mobile above her or plays with a toy. Occasionally, her stuffed monkey sneaks in and they swing together.

4 Months Old

Harper Olivia is already 4 months old! Once again, Harper celebrated by going to see Dr. Peterson for a well visit and a round of shots. She now weighs 13 lbs 5 oz (43%) and is 34.3" long (49%). Dr. Peterson said everything is looking great and sent us on our way!

Harper's routine hasn't changed much in the past month. She still goes to bed shortly after 6 most nights. She still gets up once or twice (or sometimes three times!) a night, but now she is eating up to 8 oz. She is getting very strong  and has great neck control. She can sit for a long amount of time in her bumbo and loves playing in her jumperoo. Harper is a chatterbox and will tell wonderful stories to us. She still adores bath time and time spent on the changing table. She is becoming very aware of her hands and will grab at toys and tries to help hold her bottle - she even had to closely investigate her 4 month old sign.

We love to give nicknames. Harper has a few - Bug and Smunchkin are the two most commonly used. She has also been given the nickname "Drama Queen" because she is very vocal when telling you that she doesn't like something or if we are taking too long to get her a bottle. Her complaints are usually met with smiles from us - it's kind of humorous when she's trying to scold us for making her wait when she's eating already. 

Party Girl

For the past few years, a group of friends and family get together for a monthly party. The "Wii Party" began when my brother got his Wii and we would go over to his to play games and have some adult beverages. Over the years, the parties have changed - typically there are no games played and the average attendee age has dropped as people's family's expanded. This year the group grew quickly as three new party animals arrived on the scene - Harper, Reid and Dylan! The trio is fairly close in age. Dylan is around 5-1/2 months, Harper is 4 months, and Reid is just shy of 3 months. It won't be long until these three kiddos are running circles around the adults!

Harper's Baptism

Harper was baptized into the Catholic Church on Sunday, February 12th, 2012. The sacrament was preformed at St. Mary of Nazareth in Des Moines - the same church where Ross and I were married. Harper wore the same gown that I (and Dave and Renee) were baptized in. Aunt Renee, Grandpa Dick and Aunt Emilie were Harper's godparents. The sacrament was done after the Sunday mass by Fr. Gregory Leach. Harper was enthralled by Fr. Leach and contently watched and listened to him - she must have known he was talking about her! She was well behaved and didn't become upset until her head was dosed with  water and oil was placed on her forehead. Luckily, she calmed down quickly and we were able to continue to hear the rest of what Fr. Leach had to say!

After the baptism, everyone came back to our house for lunch and cake. 18 people in our tiny house! Harper enjoyed being passed around by the grandmas and eventually took a nap on someone's shoulder. Afterwards, Ross and I sat back and thought about how lucky we were to be surrounded by our family on Harper's special day.

Mystery Rash

For around a week, Harper has been battling a rash. The rash will appear suddenly and go away just as quickly. The first time the rash appeared was during the middle of the day. Daycare called to let us know that she had broken out in a rash and was trying to itch her head and face. They put gloves on her hands to prevent her from scratching herself. I made an appointment for her to see the doctor that afternoon. She had just started new medicine for her reflux and we were quite paranoid that she was having a reaction to it. By the time I got to the center to pick her up, the rash was pretty much gone - all that was left was a few red and flaky patches. Since we already had the appointment, we made the trek over to Ankeny to see the doctor. The doctor didn't see anything but some dry skin and suggested some stronger lotions. It was kind of embarrassing to rush to the doctor for some dry skin, but I was happy that Harper wasn't have a reaction to her medication. Since I hadn't seen the rash, I assumed daycare had overreacted because they knew about the new medication.

That night, Ross took the midnight feeding. He woke me up to show me Harper after she finished the bottle - the rash had reappeared! It didn't seem to bother her much other than it might be a little itchy. Within the hour, it had disappeared and she was back to normal except for being a little puffy around her eyes. We discussed the rash with Dr. Peterson (and brought the photos!) at Harper's 4 month check up. As long as it doesn't get worse and doesn't irritate her, we will just continue to monitor it. Luckily, we haven't had a breakout since Friday - hopefully it's gone for good.

Weekend Fun

We love having the time over the weekend to spend time with Harper. We enjoy watching her play with her toys. She is starting to figure out how things work. Her piano is the new favorite - this weekend she learned what happens when she hits the keys. We also discovered that she likes being swiftly lifted into the air - her mouth opens wide and she silently smiles with delight! Someday I know Ross will be throwing her into the air - hopefully when Mom's not home to witness it! Harper also uses the weekends to catch up on her sleep. Daycare is a bit more chaotic and noisy than our house, so she takes advantage of the calm to catch up on some zzz's in between play sessions....and we take advantage of that time to get a little extra cuddling done.