"Fixing It"

When Harper gets fussy, she can be hard to please. Typically she is just overtired, hungry or in a little pain from acid reflux. Sometimes just changing how she is being held will satisify her...other times she is more difficult to please. For those situations, we use the Fix It Walk. The Fix It Walk (which was named by Grandma Judy) is simply walking very quickly through the house. Harper seems to think that we are hurrying to fix whatever problem she has....and will immediately calm down!

Relief

Harper has been having a rough time lately. She hasn't been sleeping well and would fuss and scream when awake. No matter how much we tried to console her, Harper would cry for hours. We would walk, bounce, pat her bottom and rub her back. We would rock in the chair and "shhhh." We would offer the binky or the bottle. However, nothing seemed to make her feel better. Sometimes she just seemed fussy and overtired - other times her screams sounded like she was in pain. So, back to the doctor! (We've been there almost every week.)

Dr. Peterson listened to our description of Harper's behavior and looked her over. Of course, Harper was an angel at the doctor's office - the happiest baby in the world! Dr. Peterson wasn't fooled by her cheery disposition and diagnosed her with silent reflux and prescribed ranitidine (Zantac). After just one day, Harper's attitude improved. After a few days of taking the medicine, she is like a brand new baby - happy and content! She is already sleeping better and we hardly see any tears now! It's wonderful to know she is feeling better.

Thanksgiving 2011

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Ross's family in Humboldt this year. We first visited Grandpa Kirk and Grandma Linda's house. The visit was extra special because Ross's grandparents, Joyce and Don, were visiting from Arkansas. They had driven up with Ross's uncle, Dave, and his wife, Yvette. Linda made a delicious meal and it was wonderful to see Ross's grandparents. Everyone was excited to meet Harper and she spent the day being held and loved up by family. Afterwards, we spent a few hours visiting Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Dennis where Harper was loved up even more! She's a very lucky little girl to have so many people who adore her!

Welcome, Reid!

Reid Hamlin Harper arrived on November 22nd (11/22/11). Reid was 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 21" long. Dave, Steph, Abby and Sydney were so excited for their new addition. Reid spent a few days in the NICU, but is healthy and happy now that he is home with his mom and dad! Harper is lucky to have a cousin the same age - I'm sure they will be great friends! Welcome, Reid!

One Month Old!

Harper is already one month old! On November 19th, Harper celebrated her 1 month birthday.

Harper celebrated her birthday by doing things she loved - eating, playing and sleeping! She normally eats around 3 - 4 ounces every three hours. She loves dancing with mom and dad - she is partically fond of Christmas music and enjoys it when we sing while we sway with her. She has gotten quite strong - she kicks and punches the air. Her neck control has gotten much better and she will look around the room. She has begun seeing better and enjoys watching the mobile on her swing. Sleeping at night is still a challenge - but she is starting to realize that it's more fun to be awake during the day. Our little pumpkin couldn't be sweeter!

Our Little Model

Harper had her first photo session with our friend Missie from ML Photography. Missie takes amazing photos so we were very excited to have her photograph Harper. We spent a few hours at Missie's studio. It was interesting to watch her work - each shot took around twenty minutes to set up. She had a space heater and a white noice machine to help keep Harper comfortable and sleepy. She would slowly pose her body for each shot. It takes a lot of patience to pose newborns! She got a lot of fabulous photos. Here are a few of our favorites.

It only comes once a year...

It's that magical time of the year - for a brief period of time the McRib is back at McDonalds! Ross, who practically lived off McDonalds food for a few years, recently disclosed that he had never eaten a McRib. So, of course, I wanted to be there to witness his first bite of the famous sandwich. Ross rated the sandwich around a 5.5 (on a 10 point scale). His inital reaction that it was good, but not great. It reminded him of  the "Mister Rib" sandwich from elementery school. While he is happy he tried the famous McRib, he won't be rushing back for seconds anytime soon.