"Let Me See Your Eyes"

Harper doesn't like it when Ross wears his sunglasses. She's getting smart enough to fix the problem herself.

Equals

Well, it took 7 months, but it finally has happened.....

Grady and Harper weigh the same.

Both of them weigh in around 17 pounds right now. Grady is a big cat and Harper's a bit of a peanut, so it took a while to reach this event. I think we have a loooong time before Harper is equal to Riley.

Pounding Out an Email

For the last few weeks, Harper has been very excited to see the computer. We don't spend a lot of time in the computer room (other than for diaper changes), so it was weird that she was so interested in the computer. We finally let her play with it a few times this week. She slams her hands down on the keyboard and concentrates like she's writing a serious letter. Ross and I joke that she is pounding out an email - typically she is writing to one of her grandmas. Ross likes to narrate her messages. It usually sounds like this....

"Dear Grandma. Please send more toys. The louder, the better. The puppy kissed me today and I tried to grab the kitty's tail. I love you and miss you.

 - Harper

P.S. I was serious about the toys."

7 Months Old

Harper is now 7 months old. This month seemed to fly by even more quickly than the last. Harper has matured a lot over the past few weeks. She has become better at going with the flow and we can spend an afternoon running errands and shopping together. Because she loves to watch people, a busy store is very entertaining place to her. She has become good at sitting up by herself and enjoys playing with her toys this way. She has begun to roll a little bit a daycare - however, at home she has yet to show off her talents. Time continues to fly and our little baby is turning into a little girl!

Sleeping Beauty

I have to admit that I love to go into Harper's room and watch her sleep. It is so tempting to climb into her crib and cuddle up against her. (I didn't say it was logical - just that it sounds amazing!)

Harper still isn't sleeping all the way through the night  - we continue let her get up for one bottle. She tends to skip her evening bottle and sometimes won't eat more than an ounce all evening long .... so we baby our baby and continue to let her get us up once a night. They are only this age once, right? And although I sometimes miss that 20 minutes of sleep, it's nice to be able to spend a few more minutes with our sweetie.

Summer Has Arrived

Although we have been blessed with an exceptionally warm winter and spring, I'm still thrilled that summer has arrived! The garden is planted, the flowers are blooming and we are excited to show Harper off to the neighborhood. We try to spend at least a few minutes outside everyday with her. She enjoys being carried around the yard and hanging out in the Little Tikes playset. She fits in the swing perfectly now. It's amazing to think that by the end of the summer she might be trying to crawl up (or down) the slide, but for now she is content to sit on the landing (with the help of Ross) and look around at the toy.

The Greatest Toys...

Although Harper is constantly surrounded by lots of wonderful toys, she often selects household items to play with instead. When she is sitting on the kitchen counter, her favorite item is always the paper towel holder (minus the paper towels). She loves to swing it around and bang it on the counter top. Evidently we should have just splurged for a set of metal bowls instead of all those toys!

Cuddles, Part 2

Riley was feeling extra needy last week - she tried to curl up next to Harper and I during an afternoon jam session. She does so good with Harper and, in return, Harper loves her puppy. My money is on "puppy" being her first word someday.

Making Her Mommy Proud

Last week, Ross pulled a branch off of the cilantro plant in the garden. Although we struggled to keep it alive last year, it came back stronger than ever this spring. He gave the branch to Harper who happily waved it around. Eventually the branch and leaves ended up in her mouth (she is a baby, you know). Although the taste of cilantro is strong, it didn't seem to faze her. Harper happily munched and sucked on the leaves until I took it away. I think all that Mexican I ate while pregnant prepared her for this event. She's not officially eating spices yet so this was her first experience with such a blast of flavor - and it turns out she likes it!

Addison's Birthday Bash

Our little Addison is no longer little - she just celebrated her 5th birthday! Addison requested a party with her cousins to celebrate her birthday, so all headed to Iowa Falls for a fun-filled day. Everyone had a great time munching on walking tacos, playing with toys in the yard, and jumping on the trampoline. Addison had asked for a pinata and she and Sydney had a great time taking turns hitting it. When they finally broke it open, a mountain of candy (and not vegetables like their Uncle Ross said) poured onto the ground. 

In addition to Addison's birthday party, we also attended her dance recital that evening. This was Addison's first year in dance and she did a wonderful job - she's a natural and didn't even look nervous on stage! Harper was enthralled by the show and stayed up WAY past her bedtime to watch all of the dances. Much to our surprise, her eyes were glued to the stage for the majority of the night. Judging by her reaction, we might have a future dancer in our house!

Mothers Day 2012

This Mothers Day was a bit different than previous years - we celebrated all the work that I do for our family! Ross was a super husband and father (like always) and let me sleep in all weekend. In addition, he gave me up a super sweet card. We had previously gotten a beautiful Schwinn jogging stroller and agree that it was to be our combination Mothers & Fathers Day gifts. On the special day, we ran a few errands and were productive in the morning. But, by the time mid-afternoon rolled around, we grabbed some lawn chairs, a sheet and Harper's toys and plopped down in the yard. Harper happily played and we enjoyed a cocktail - it was a relaxing and perfect way to spend the day with the people I love most. 

The Return of the Garden

We are hoping the garden is going to be better than ever this year. Ross got it cleaned up this week and soon it will be filled with plants. A big thank you to Grandpa Dick for lending us the tiller! The cilantro is a voluntary plant from last year - we've already harvested some and it's delicious. Check back for more pictures later this summer.

Rodeo

Big dog, little baby - it only makes sense that we try to let Harper ride Riley.

Harper & Sophie the Giraffe

Harper was lucky enough to receive one of the "Must Have" infant toys of the year from our friend Sam - Sophie the Giraffe. Sophie is a rubber teether and makes a squeaky noise. Originally I didn't think it was going to be possible for her to use it - one squeak and Riley would be snatching it out of her hands. Riley has been amazingly respectful of her giraffe and Harper can happily play with it on the floor without being bother by her puppy. Harper is starting to working on her next set of teeth so Sophie is her favorite toy right now.

Standing

Although she doesn't like to roll, Harper is already working on the next accomplishment - standing! She can't stand on her own for very long, but she can do it! I'm thinking she might just skip crawling and go straight to running....

Great Grandma & Grandpa Whittlesey

Last week, Great Grandma & Grandpa Whittlesey were in Des Moines. We went over to Em's house to see one another and had a delicious meal. Ross's grandparents had met Harper at Thanksgiving last year and they were excited to see how much she had grown since then. Harper gobbled up the attention and happily chattered and flashed them her gorgeous smile. They even brought Harper a present - an adorable jumper to wear outside this summer! The best part of the present (for all of us, I think) was watching Harper tear the paper off it. It was the first time she's shown interest in opening a present - and she LOVED ripping the paper. We will need to be sure to watch her around presents going forward - she is very proficient at unwrapping. The evening ended too quickly but we look forward to seeing them again sometime in the future.