Harper and the Hippo.

WUT?! 12 months!?!?

Real talk: I've been in denial about it. All of these "firsts" with Harper are also "lasts" for me as a Mom, so that's been super mega weird to deal with. But we're not here for my therapy session, are we? We're here for this little lady:

Oh my. I know for 12 months all we've talked about is how happy she is - and I must repeat myself for the 12th glorious time: she's just filled to the brim with joy. That's not to say she doesn't have her own, very strong personality--because she does. This girl is fierce, she is strong, she is dramatic and she is determined. But she wears the cape and crown well and uses her powers mostly for good.

But to use an Alex-ism, there are times when she's "just not that into it." Exhibit A:

Patience is not her virtue.

In terms of other milestones, she has taken a few steps here and there, but we have yet to capture any of them on camera. Secretly I think she's waiting for a full-on YouYube contract and her 10% off the top. She's still rocking her two bottom teeth with no others in sight but will eat anything you put in front of her with reckless abandon. Current favorites are green grapes, blueberries, cheese and avocado.

Happy birthday my sweet, baby girl. The day you were born is the day our family became complete. Your Daddy, Alex and I love you a million billion and back again. You are my heart, and I am yours. xo.

Harper and the hippo.

ELEVEN MONTHS...exsqueeze moi? How am I already planning a 1st birthday party for this bundle of sass?! It's not just a river in Egypt, is what I'm saying.

Oh that mischievous little look on her face says it ALL about 11 months. She very much understands the word "no" and very much does not like to hear it. She has the BEST b*tch face and if she didn't put on such a show every time the cameras came out, I'd have a photo of it here to share with you. (Diva,  I'm telling you.) Want a mental picture? Imagine Grumpy Cat but that face above. That's as accurate as I can get with it.

Other notable updates include a TOOTH! She's got one rogue little chomper coming through on her bottom gums and if her crankiness and fondness of chewing on everything of late is any indication, there's a whole set of dentures to follow shortly.

Also, she thinks she can walk...and while I admire her persistence, the reality of the situation is that she cannot walk. Hence the recent meeting of her forehead with the business end of our kitchen cabinets:

One thing is for certain: this girl is confident if nothing else. Where Alex was a shy, reserved and quiet baby, Harper would like everyone to know she's in the room and to pay attention to her always. I suppose she gets that from her Dad? Ha.

Happy 11 months, our sweet girl! Your bright eyes and sweet smile continue to brighten the world, our world.

P.S. - Here's Alex at 11 months for comparison.

Harper and the Hippo.

Hello lovelies! Long time no see. So much has happened since we last chatted. We went on a special Alex-only trip to Chicago to celebrate Kindergarten and on Monday Alex and Harper got another new cousin! More on both of those later...

Let's chat about this little spark of sass, shall we?

She's 10 months old and all up in errybody's business. Still nary a tooth in sight (le sigh) but she's learned she can gum anything to death and pretty much eats what we eat now. And all the people said, "amen!" 

At her 9 month well visit we finally saw some growth outside that 30% mark, which I think is due in part to little Miss Piggy eating entire chicken breasts for dinner, but no matter. She's much more confident in pulling herself up on things and has really started to interact with her toys more. Her personality remains that of a 13 year old, and I've resigned myself to the fact that she's basically a carbon copy of me and I should accept the circle of life.

Truly, she's a joy. It's impossible to be around her and not smile or giggle right along. Additionally, she's hardcore winning at life in the hair department and her eyelashes are nothing short of unfair. I'm so proud to be her Momma.

"Oh, herro dere."

"Who, me?"

Such sweetness.

A true capture of the moment.
Girl's got places to go and toys to find!

P.S. - Here's Alex at 10 months. I CAN'T WITH THE TEETH.

Harper and the Hippo.

We've hit the "out as long as she was in milestone." NINE MONTHS, y'all...and someone is super excited about it.

This girl. She's...ridiculous. She's very nosy and social and must be the center of all the things at all times. If you are paying even the slightest bit of attention to the smallest of things...albeit the tomato plant across the patio or the laundry that needs folding, she's all, "Exsqueeze me? Please pay more attention to me. I am the cutest ruler of this household." And so it goes.

Still no signs of teeth, but she'll nom anything she can get her cabbage patch paws on to death until it's a mushy mound of swallowable goo. Bananas are still a menu favorite, but she's also keen on avocado and watermelon. As noted above, her personality is enormous, and people stop us everywhere we go to comment on her: a) smile b) eyes 3) laugh and d) all of the above.

And yes...if you were wondering, she's totally rocking her Heelarious high heels from Aunt Caitlin. Diva, right here.

"These are very fancy."

"My contractual obligations are up!
I'm outta here. Have your people call my people."

P.S. - Here's Alex at 9 months, for comparison.

Harper and the Hippo.

The irony of this moment is not lost on me. I sit here typing my baby girl's 8 month update from the lobby of the hospital as we all wait for the arrival of my brother and SIL's very first baby, "Rookie."

He and Jill are in the room that will change their life forever. They're Exhausted. Overjoyed. Anxious. The warming table is empty and waiting for our sweet Rookie. Kyle's pacing the floor. Jill is as comfy as she can be in her bed & loving the epidural through the contractions. I'm so proud of them.

I remember that day and those moments before we had Alex. You don't know what you don't know, but all you know is that you want your baby NOW. Or yesterday. You want to just bypass all the crazy and skip right to being a family. It's the worst and best kind of limbo.

And here I sit, five years after my "limbo" with two little munchkins. One who is 5 going on 17 and is kind, funny, loving and sweet. And another who is a bucket full of sugar and sass and is eight months. Time, you are a jerk.

This sweet angel has made quite a bit of progress over the last month. She scooting in an "I can get myself from here to there but it's not exactly crawling" sort of way. She loves her bouncer and exersaucer and her personality is the size of a 3 year old. 

And the girl can EAT. She has a very strong opinion (and lets us know it) about dinner. She knows what we're giving her is flavorless mushy crap, and she is like I WANT RIBS! I WANT TACOS! I keep telling her that as soon as she grows a tooth, I'll be happy to oblige. Girl loves bananas, though.

In summary, she's an absolute delight. Sleeps and eats like a dream, but mighty me she's going to be a HANDFUL. She's a mover, a shaker and a talker. Basically, she's me in a tiny little nugget body and diapers. What's that they say? Karma...

P.S. - Here's Alex at 8 months.

Harper and the hippo.

Oh hello there, sweet girl! You are seven months old today and still sweet as ever.

You are starting to *almost* sit up on your own, but still manage to topple over into a fit of giggles after about 30 seconds. You're a piggly wiggly and love to eat cereal and all sorts of fruits and veggies...although you'd chew on a spatula all day if we'd let you! Which leads me to believe there are some teeth on the way. Nothing yet, but soon!

The sun rises and sets on your Daddy and your biggest fan is still your big brother. I figure someday I'll come in handy...maybe when you need a homecoming dress or help picking out the perfect brand of mascara. Until then, little lady...until then.

You LOVE your jump-a-roo and you do NOT like your swing. Which is funny, because your brother was the exact opposite. You are a mover and shaker, for sure. You're also quite talkative with all the goo goo and gaa gaa chatter from sunup to sundown.

You're still sleeping like a champ, but I'm sad to report we don't swaddle you anymore. Sometimes I still wrap you up at night when I stare at you and rock you to sleep...but I'm only creepy when your eyes are closed, I promise. You won't remember any of my Mom-stalking. Everything else is fair game for your future therapy sessions, though.

I'm SO excited for the summer, Miss Harper, because you are going to get two very special new friends in your life. Aunt Kelli is having a baby boy in August and Aunt Jill is having a baby (something) in June! Alex thinks Aunt Jill and Uncle Kyle's baby is a girl, and if it is you two will have such a special bond...she'll be like the sister you're never going to have. :) Babies, babies, everywhere!

P.S. - Here's Alex at 7 months. He had a tooth by now!

Harper and the Hippo.

Exsqueeze me but when did 6 months happen? Pretty sure I didn't authorize that, but here we find ourselves. Our sweet, smiley girl is SIX months old!

As you can assume from the amber necklace she's sporting, girl has started to teethe. She's a drooly monster of saliva and will triceratops chomp on anything you put in front of her face. Anything. And yet, she remains the happiest baby on earth.

She's recently started to eat cereal and other various pureed delicacies and true to her genetic makeup, loves food. She's really starting to chunk out--fitting nicely into her 3-6M clothes and size 2 diapers.

She loves to be outside and as long as her brother is in sight, she's cool with whatever activity we do. Stroller or Bjorn, carseat or Bumbo, she just wants to be around people all the livelong day. She certainly gets her social side from Momma (not Daddy!).

Sleep is still amazing, and for that we are so thankful. There are a few other new-ish Moms at work and I see them walking around like zombies and count my lucky stars. Plus, her Daddy is a real morning person and loves to get up with her for the first morning bottle. Amen.

Spring is here to stay in Michigan, so we're looking forward to setting up the patio furniture and spending our summer evenings outside. I expect we'll have a crawler by then!

P.S. - For those interested, here's Alex and the WIPpo at 6 months.

Harper and the Hippo.

Hi, silly girl! You are 5 months old now. What does that look like? CUTE is what that looks like.

• You are wearing all your 3-6 month clothes pretty consistently and we just moved you up to a size 2 diaper.
• You're still a hungry, hungry hippo, eating 4-5 ounces every 4ish hours. We tried solid foods this month...and you're getting the hang of it!
• You get the sleeping seal of approval! Still going strong from about 9p-5a. As you start to teethe I'm getting up once just a few nights every week to put your binky in for you, but then you drift right back to sleep.
• You LOVE your Daddy. I suspect this is because he gets up with you every morning to feed you your first bottle, but he's also a pretty easy guy to love. I simply cannot blame you for that.
• You also love your brother so, so much. As he does you! Every morning, you two spend about 20 minutes playing together on our bed as we get ready for work--Alex will sing to you and "read" you books and you just smile and coo at him the whole time.

Little Miss Harper, you are such a joy. You are full of spunk and sass and you complete our family in a way your Daddy and I never could have dreamed. xoxo.

P.S. - Here's Alex @ 5 months if you're interested in comparing!

Outtakes.

Lest you think I was kidding about Harper's general state of happiness yesterday, here is every single photo I took during our time with the Hippo. She's. Always. Happy.

Harper and the Hippo.

To say that this girl is the happiest child on earth is probably the understatement of the century. She is so loved and so special. Just this morning, we had her in the bassinet while we were getting ready for work and Alex wheeled her into his room for "special brudder/sister time." I went in there about 10 minutes later to check on them and he was sitting next to her and reading her a book. She also had 7 blankets on her because "babies like to be warm and snuggly, Mom." My heart is so full.

So, Miss Harper, what are you up to at 4 months?

• You've started laughing--and it sounds like a strange combination of donkey noises and coughing on a hairball, but it's cute in its own way.
• You're eating 4 oz. bottles every 3-4 hours and are still in a size 1 diaper. Your clothes have mostly transitioned into the 3M stuff, but you can still wear some NB things.
• You still sleep through the night - about 9pm-5am straight through. We moved you into your own room and crib when I went back to work and you transitioned like a rock star. Daddy gets up with you at 5 every day because he is an angel and Mommy loves her sleep...but I also know he just treasures that special early morning time with just the two of you.
• You love discovering your voice. When you hear yourself you get louder and louder with your "talking" until you pretty much scare yourself into silence. Your brother swears you say his name, and maybe you do, but to us it just sounds like you're raving at a baby Metallica concert.

It's such a wonderful feeling--completeness. Every night at the dinner table when it's just the four of us eating whatever cereal, leftovers or actual meal that we've had the time and energy to prepare, I am in disbelief that this is my life and these are my people. I know that's probably very cheesy and somewhat annoying to read like "blah blah blah her life is so perfect" but I can assure you that it's NOT perfect. It's my perfect. We have our fair share of drama, crazy, disappointment, fights, tears and general life situations, but every day the good outweighs the bad and we move onto the next, choosing to find joy in the simple things.

And speaking of "nexts" and simple things, have I mentioned recently that Alex turns 5 in pretty much 2 minutes? GAH. He wants bunk beds for his birthday, and considering the fact that he looks like an overgrown adult sleeping in his current race car toddler bed, I think we're going to need to make that happen. Bunk beds. Stay tuned for that adventure.

P.S. - If you're curious, here's Alex & The WIPpo at 4 months. Basically, he's a bald Harper. Or, she's Alex with hair. We only make 1 model of baby.

Harper and the Hippo.

3 months in a blink. To prove that time is not my friend, I go back to work in 2 weeks. Ergo, I'm starting to sink into a deep pit of depression regarding that. All sorts of emotions in that stew.

Anyway, here's our happy little Harper at 3 months:

I KNOW, RIGHT? She's just a happy little girl. Full of smiles and as chill as can be. Her faboo hair accessory was a gift from her Auntie Sarah of so sarah designs. We'll unveil 2 new ones at 4 and 5 months!

A few notes about our girl at this milestone:

• She laughed for the first time on January 17. I was kissing her on her belly and my hair must've brushed against and tickled her and she let out a laugh/snort/grunt right from the tips of her toes. I'm guessing she'll have a very loud and very, um, unique laugh like her Momma.
• She's 100% on formula now (hip, hip, horray for my boobs being my own again!) and burps like a grown man. She gets many high fives from her brother for this feat.
• Her hair remains out of control, and there's no real hope for containing it. We're all so curious what she'll look like in a year with all that dark fluff.
• She still sleeps like a dream come true. 9pm-6am every day and I can't clap my hands hard enough to show my appreciation. A DREAM, I tell you.
• She's a tall skinny minny. 16% for weight, 50% for head and 70% for height.
• Speaking of brother, he's still her #1 fan. I can't gush enough about how wonderful he is and how much he loves her. In fact, he wanted to be a part of our little photo shoot because "brudders and sisters should be together!"
  

Regarding the GIANT in the above picture, I have no idea what you're talking about. It's not just a river in Egypt, people. Even Harper can't deal with how much he's grown, as you can see.

Harper & the Hippo.

Oh my sweet, smiley girl--you are already two months old! Let's recap what you're up to these days:

• You LOVE to smile and coo. You are very, very chatty with your brother and I think the two of you are already sharing secrets and all sorts of things I'll never know about. Your brother loves to sing to you and "read" you books and he always wants us to leave you with him alone in the toy room for just "Harper and Alex time." I hope that's something the two of you will always want--time together without your Mommy and Daddy. It warms my heart to know you are creating a secret, special bond!
• You have a healthy appetite, eating 3 ounces about every 2-3 hours. Mommy's still going strong with the pumping, but the pump is going to become part of the chimney soon, methinks. I love you more than anything, but I want my boobs back, kiddo.
• I'm almost afraid to talk about it, but you are an AMAZING sleeper, just like your brother was (and still is)! You sleep from 9pm-6am every day...because of that, we sacrifice some longer naps during the day, but that's AOK by me!
• Your hair is so long, so thick and so dark. It's always the second thing people comment on, right after how big and beautiful your eyes are.
• I will never stop telling you how smart and special you are. You and your big brother are the two best things I've ever done, next to picking your Daddy to be mine. I love you, my girl!

Harper and the Hippo.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted Harper's monthly pictures to be posed with, but I always came back to our friend, Mr. WIPpo. He was named  "WIPpo" because Alex's nickname in the womb was "WIP" for Work In Progress. I couldn't think of anything creative to do with bV (Harper's nickname), so we're going to stick with Mr. WIPpo and rename him Hippo so I can appease myself that, at a minimum, I used alliteration. Yay, me.

Anyway, here's my girl at one month old!

I KNOW, RIGHT? Gah. I can't get enough of her! She, however, definitely had enough of our photo shoot about two minutes in...

Also, mothers of girls: please stay tuned for a post later this month begging for help regarding hair bows. They confuse me and I don't know how they work.

And, if you're curious, here's Alex @ 1 month old.