White Man Overbite

Harper inherited Uncle Dave's "White Man Overbite". Dave does it when he dances, Harper does it when she plays hard. Somehow she makes it look good....

Trying New Things

A lot of things bring a smile to Harper's face. Ross and I agree that when she smiles at us, we feel like we've done something incredible. There is no better feeling than making Harper happy! So, we are constantly looking for new ways to make her smile. This week, she tried swimming in the bathtub. This is not a new favorite thing - although we are glad that we tried it, Harper prefers that we stick to her infant tub for now. We also got out one of her pianos and played some tunes. She enjoyed listening to the music and watching the light display. By the end she was hitting the keys and playing along. Harper also listened to Ross read Dr. Seuss's "Oh The Places You'll Go" for the first time. We can only guess at the amazing journey that is in front her her.

On a less fun note, Harper also tried (and succeeded) in scratching her face this week. She woke up from a nap at daycare with scratches - poor pumpkin did a number on herself! (Her nails were trimmed as soon as she got home - mom feels terribly guilty!) But, life is full of ups and downs - not every new experience is a winner. Life is about the journey and Harper is living each day to the fullest that a 3 month old can!

3 Months Old

Harper celebrated her three month birthday this week! Lately we've been commenting on how big she is becoming. Her 3 month clothes are becoming snug and she's even worn a couple of 6 month outfits. Her size one diapers (up to 14 lbs) are also getting tight and we will be moving to size two in the next week. She is eating more - at night she will drink 5 - 6 ounces and is eating 4 ounces on a regular basis during the day.

In addition to growing, Harper is also acting older. She is becoming much more alert and likes to take in her surroundings. She really likes her activity mat. Her favorite thing at daycare is to play with the farm animal activity gym - she frequently spends 30 minutes playing there. She has become much more hands on - she likes to clutch items and hold them close to her. She hasn't been using her binky at all lately, but, likes to bring her hands up to her mouth when she's tired. She will also play with her tongue - she clucks when she sticks her tongue in and out. She's growing up very fast - we know it won't be long until she's rolling around!

Sleeping

Harper is getting very good at her bedtime routine. She typically goes down for the night around 7 pm. She prefers to be rocked and padded to sleep. Ross and I are guilty of giving in to her desire to be snuggled into a deep slumber. Eventually we will have to stop, but it never seems to be the right time - we always say we will start tomorrow. It's so much more fun to snuggle her than listen to her cry at bedtime!

In her room we have two sound machines - both produce the sound of rain. She has matching white noise machines hidden in a lamb - the large version stays in her crib at home and the miniature lamb is at daycare for nap times. At night we will rock on the glider in her room and listen to a cd while she falls asleep. She will often wiggle a lot right before she falls asleep - one minute she is wiggling and writhing and then next she is passed out. Once she is asleep (or if she is content enough to be laid down awake), we swaddle her in two blankets to keep her warm and toasty. No matter how tightly she is swaddled at night, by morning she has wiggled out of  the blankets.

Bath Time

Harper LOVES to be naked.  Diaper changes always put a smile on her face so you can imagine how happy she is to take a bath. She has liked baths since day one (literally you could tell she loved her first one at the hospital) so bath time is the highlight of her day. As she is getting older, her bath is getting deeper. At first we were so nervous about her face getting near the water or her slipping. But now that she is getting older, bigger and stronger, we are much more relaxed during her baths. She loves deep water - the deeper, the better! She kicks and splashes and by the end of the  bath our counter is one giant puddle. She even loves getting her hair scrubbed and then rinsed. We typically let her play for a few minutes after she is officially cleaned up - she gets so excited to kick and slap the water and doesn't even mind when it lands on her face.

However, there is one big downfall to bath time..... getting out of the tub. We immediately place her in a soft towel and begin to dry her off so she doesn't have time to get chilly. Even so, every bath time results in a major tantrum. She cries and cries until she is diapered and dressed. In the scheme of things, a few tears are worth the joy that bath time brings!

New Toys

After Christmas, we ordered Harper an Activity Gym. She's become much more alert and interested in grabbing toys so we thought she would enjoy the activity gym. It turns out that it is fun for the whole family! Harper, of course, loves to play on her new toy. She grabs and kicks at Mike the Monkey, Gerry the Giraffe, Leo the Lion, and  Francisco the Rhino (names are compliments of daddy). She will hold onto the rings and give them a strong shake before screaming out in excitement. 


Although the activity gym was meant for Harper, she's not the only one who likes it. Grady was immediately was drawn to it - as soon as we put it up, he intently watched Harper play under it. When Harper was finally done playing, Grady took a turn slapping the dangling toys before running away in excitement. He will often perch on the edge of the toy and admire all of the hanging toys. Riley has also laid on the edge of the mat - she isn't so much interested in playing, but  just wants to be close to her baby sister. 

Crazy Weather

We have had a wonderful winter so far - and by wonderful, I mean that it hasn't felt like winter! The temperatures have ranged from the 30s to the mid-60s. On January 10th, our family took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and took a walk. That's right - Ross, me, Riley and Harper (12 weeks old) went for a walk in the middle of January! It was awesome to get some fresh air. Riley was especially excited since we have been terrible at getting her daily walks in lately. Harper was a awake for a few minutes, but was tired from a long day at daycare and fell asleep about 5 minutes into the trip. It was likely the last time she went spend an extended period of time outside until Spring....which is hopefully coming sooner than later!