Salt Dough Ornaments

On Sunday night we got a little crafty and made salt dough ornaments. We hoped to get some good hand and footprints from Harper to hang on the tree. I have to admit it's a little challenging to press an infants foot into the dough. It's even more challenging to get them to open their hand before pressing it down! We had fun trying and did get a few good ornaments to hang!

Daddy's Helper

One of Ross's hobbies is brewing beer. He has been brewing for a few years now and likes trying new recipes. Last weekend he started working on a New Castle clone . While the brew was simmering, he grabbed Harper and proceeded to educate her on the brewing process. Although she might not be able to recall helping him brew this batch, it will be a fun memory for Ross.

Cousins

Harper and I went to visit Stephanie and Reid this week. It was great to see Steph is doing well and Reid is flourishing. His color is amazing and he is very alert. He was constantly looking around the room and cooing. It was shocking for me to see how big Harper was in comparison to Reid. Both kids were 8 lbs 2 oz when they were born and Reid was 3/4" longer than Harper. While Ross and I thought Harper had been growing quickly, it was surprising to see how BIG she seemed when laid next to Reid. Although the kids didn't seem to notice one another, it was fun to get them together for their first play date.

A Weekend of Firsts

This weekend Harper had her first babysitter and attended her first wedding! On Friday, Ross and I attended my company's holiday party. We had a nice time - it was refreshing to get out of the house and have adult conversation. And, of course, it was fun to catch up with my coworkers. Harper was lucky enough to have Aunt Emilie come over to watch her. Kirk and Linda also stopped by for a quick visit. Harper was well behaved for Emilie so we hope she will be willing to babysit her again!

The next evening, we attended Karl and Heather Stoa's wedding as a family. We were pretty brave (or stupid) to bring a 6 week old baby to a wedding! Harper did awesome - she didn't make a peep during the ceremony and was a happy baby during the reception. Ross commented that he felt like a celebrity because people kept turning around to stare at Harper and were constantly coming over to take a closer look.

"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!