Wisconsin Vacation, 2012

Every summer we travel to the Northwoods to visit my parents and spend some time enjoying the outdoors and relaxed atmosphere in Northern Wisconsin. This year's trip was extra special because we were celebrating my parent’s 20th wedding anniversary. The Connell Compound was crowded with lots of family - it was awesome to get relatives from both sides to come out for the event. In addition, this was Harper's first trip to Wisconsin. Her presence obviously diminished the amount of time we spent at resorts, but it was a lot of fun to take her around to our favorite places and let her explore the outdoors. The following are some of the highlights from the trip....

• Dick & Judy's 20th Wedding Anniversary. The Connell Compound was packed with 38 people who all came together to celebrate. Aunt Ruth did the majority of the cooking (Mmmmm, delicious as always). The cousins (Greg, Renee, Annie, Scott & Erika, Sarah and Ross) did a tube ride down the river during the afternoon. After a rowdy Newlywed Game with the relatives, some of us visited Flaters Resort - which was much crazier than normal due to their annual softball tournament. 
• Cousin Greg arrived a day early - we didn't know he was coming, and he didn't have the address. Luckily, his mom (Aunt Nancy) called to ask if he had arrived....and he was soon found wondering around at Flaters!
• Canoeing and kayaking down the Flambeau River - gorgeous as always. This year we saw deer (mother and her fawn) and a bald eagle.
• Harper's first visit to Great Grandma's house. She enjoyed the visit and scarfed down Grandma's mash potatoes and gravy. She also got to visit Irvine Park in Chippewa - the park hasn't changed too much throughout the years so it's a lot like how I remember it as a child!
• Harper went resorting for the first time! Although she was a bit under the weather, she enjoyed seeing the bear at Flaters, meeting Baby Oliver and playing on the bar at MDs (Headquarters). Harper was so comfy at MDs that she even put her feet up on the bar while having a bottle and was later provided toys to play with while we visited with the owners.
• Lunch at the Norske Nook in Rice Lake. The restaurant is known for their Norwegian and American food. Grandpa Dick was the most daring and had a Lefse Meal Wrap (meatball, mash potato rolled up inside lefse). The Norske Nook is also known for their award winning pies - so our table ordered 3 slices. Harper (and Ross) had their first bites of strawberry pie - not surprisingly, they both loved it
• This was the first time that all of the Harper kids (Dave, Renee and myself) have been to the Connell lodge at the same time. It was extra special to see all of the grandchildren (Addy, Sydney, Addison, Brody, Harper and Reid) there at the same time.

 

Bye Bye Bumbo

All good things must come to an end....and it's the end of the Bumbo era! Harper has gotten a lot of great use of her bumbo. In addition to helping to teach her how to sit, we used the bumbo as a mini highchair for months! Since Harper is a peanut, she fit in the chair longer than most kids. But now she is getting a little too long to sit in the chair and her legs are a little too chubby to easily slide in and out. On the upside, now we get to utilize her high chair - and she LOVES it!

Baby Harper - teeny tiny

July - her feet touch the ground

Styling in her new chair

Girls Weekend

Ross goes on a Boys Trip to Missouri every summer. The guys head to the River Ranch Resort in Knoll to canoe down the river. This year, they went down a night early and spent a day playing golf. It's one of Ross's favorite vacations because it allows a group of 30 year old men to act like 18 year old boys. 

While Ross was out of town, Harper and I took the chance to embrace a girls weekend. For the most part, it was pretty low key. We met a friend for coffee, ran to target and the grocery store and spent a few hours visiting her cousins. Harper and I hadn't spent that much alone time together since I was on maternity leave so it was wonderful spend all day (and night!) with my little princess. We received numerous compliments on how well behaved she was which made me a proud momma! Although we really enjoyed our girl time together, both Harper and I were excited to see Ross on Sunday afternoon. 

 

9 Month Check Up

Harper went to the doctor for her 9 month check up. While we waited for the doctor, Harper discovered that the paper on the table made noise. Soon she was kicking and pulling the paper....I thought about stopping her from destroying the paper, but in the end decided it was harmless (and really cute), so I let her play.

After her play session on the table, ehe was happy to see Dr. Peterson and was very well behaved during the appointment. She sat quietly while they listened to her heart and looked into her eyes and ears. Harper is up to 18 lbs 8 oz (42 percentile) and is 27.8" long (53 percentile). Dr. Peterson was happy with her growth and ok'ed for us to continue trying new foods. Overall the doctor was happy with Harper's development. We need to continue working on gross motor skills (standing, crawling, etc) and will continue to work on her communication skills, but the doctor was very impressed by her fine motor skills and problem solving skills.

I'm Going to Get You!

Harper has yet to find the motivation to crawl. I think Riley (or Puppy as Harper knows her) is going to be what finally pushes her over the edge to be mobile. Harper LOVES anything related to the puppy - her bones, her ball, her Kong. She will stretch out to get a bone or a toy. The best thing is if she actually gets to touch Riley. The other night she almost rolled into a kneeling position while straining to pet Riley. Watch out, Riley, it won't be long until Harper is chasing you!

9 Months!

Harper turned 9 months old while we were in Okoboji. Looking back, it's amazing how much she has changed in the past month (and, no, she isn't crawling). In the past few weeks, Harper's personality has grown. She loves to babble - only her babbles are starting to sound more like words. She will frequently tell us stories that sound like "Dadadadada dadadad daa maadadamaa!" The expression on her face is priceless - she is definitely trying to tell us something.

Although she isn't crawling, Harper is REACHING for items. She will strain to get something - however, she will not drag herself or roll to get anything. If she really wants something, she will cry long and hard until someone eventually gives in or picks her up. (She's stubborn - we might be in for a loooong childhood!) She is very good with her hands and likes to pick up toys and examine them. She is big on slapping her toys or slamming them down on the ground - making loud noises must be fun!

Harper has recently taken to eating wagon wheels and crackers - she loves to hold the items and gnaw on them. Although she loves her new treats, she still adores eating puffs! She also now has two additional teeth - they are very small, but both front teeth have broken through her gums. She is a great vegetable eater and does ok with eating fruit. We started mixing meat into some of her babyfood and she hasn't noticed a difference. She is eating bottles throughout the day - and still only eats between 4 and 6 ounces at a time. The best news - we are no longer on medicine for acid reflux! Wohoo!

It's hard to believe that we have a 9 month old. Time is absolutely flying and our little angel  will soon be a little girl. In the meantime, we are going to continue to embrace every day we have with our Smunchkin and continue to load her down with kisses, hugs and snuggles!

Okoboji Vacation

Vacation Season has started! We went up and stayed with Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Dennis in Okoboji. This was Harper's first vacation and we were all very excited to get away for a few days. The first day we met Ruth, Dennis, and Aunt Em in Humboldt. We hung out for a few hours before traveling over to Okoboji. Ruth and Dennis recently acquired a beautiful 3 bedroom condo on East Okoboji. We spent the afternoon and evening sitting on the deck enjoying the view, cocktails, finger foods and good conversation.

The next day, we rented a 22' boat to cruise around on the lakes. It was a great way to see all of the lakes and the gorgeous waterfront homes. Harper was bundled up in safety gear - which was quite a lot for someone so small! Although she was bundled up and likely warm, she didn't complain and enjoyed spending the day on the lake. We stopped for lunch at the Barefoot Bar before jumping back on the water. Later, Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Dennis took Harper back to the condo to cool down while Ross, Em and I went boating & floating some more. We all got a lot of sun and it was a perfect way to spend the day. That evening we had a true Iowa meal back at the condo - steak and sweet corn! Wow, what a treat!

On our final full day in Okaboji, we ran to the Central Emporium Shops and to look at some boats. (It's sure fun to dream about owning one!) After lunch we split up - Ruthanne and Dennis ran to more shops and Harper, Ross, Em and I went to the waterpark at the resort. The condo is attached to Boji Splash Indoor Waterpark. Although Harper is a bit young to run around the waterpark right now, we wanted to check it out. We spent a little while splashing in the water and going around the lazy river. Ross even took her down one of the kiddie slides! That evening we had a relaxed dinner at Roccos, which overlooks the water. Afterwards we went down to Arnolds Park to walk around. There was a band playing at the band shell which was a neat addition to the beautiful sunset.

Overall it was a fabulous vacation. It was great to spend time with family and do some relaxing. The only downside was that Harper began teething at the beginning on the trip - and when Harper is uncomfortable, she will let you know! Even with her mouth hurting, she was a trooper and I would say that our first family vacation was a success!