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!

And now we are complete.

Oh, hey there. Long time no blog. We've been busy around here...you know, adding to our family and stuff. In the last week we've gotten new furniture, a new shed, and a new baby. We sort of go all out when it comes to chaos and change.

But what you really want to know...we're all doing great. Better than great, actually. Harper's birth story will come later when I have more time to sit and thoughtfully write it, but the Reader's Digest version is that it was a night and day version of what it was with Alex. If I can go so far as to say it was an amazing experience, I will say that. Other than the dizzyness of coming down from anesthesia (which can't really be avoided), I felt and continue to feel amazing.

As for Harper, she's the world's greatest (and most beautiful) baby. If you don't already, check out my Instagram feed (link at right) to see loads of photos. She eats like a rock star and I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say she already damn near sleeps through the night. She goes down at 11 or 12, wakes up at 3 for a quick 2 oz bottle, and then sleeps again until 6 or 7. I actually feel like a human, instead of a more seasonally appropriate zombie.

As for Alex, he was BORN to be a big brother. He's so loving and protective of her and loves to hold her and feed her. He wants her to do EVERYTHING with him--here they are in a Sunday morning snuggle, something I hope continues at least into their teen years. He's adjusting well and I'm a proud Mom to report our house is a peaceful, happy, sleep-filled place for all.

For your viewing pleasure, here's the video taken when Alex met Harper for the first time (thanks for capturing it, Mom!). And yes, he's wearing toddler scrubs that say "big brother" on them...a real hit with the nurses! (Available here.)

 

TOMORROW.

OMG. The day I thought would never, ever arrive is FINALLY HERE.

As the great Mary Katherine Gallagher would say, my feelings would best be expressed through a monologue of song sung by a magical (then) 2.5 year-old boy who's going to become a big brother...you know, TOMORROW. I feel how he does riiiiight about :48 into it. Fist pumps all day, yo.

SUPERSTAR!

Big brother.

I realize this blog has been very overwhelmingly "look at all the cute/hilarious/awesome things Alex is doing" lately, but pretty soon I'll have to start balancing between Harper and Alex, so I'm getting my fix in while I can. Deal.

Anyway, this morning he decided to wheel Harper's bassinet from our room into his room because "she should sleep in MY room, Mom, because I love her the most."

Then, when he finally brought it back into our room, it looked like this:

That's his beloved "sleep toy" Jake & Emma, resting on a Tractor pillow (because "Harper will need a pillow, Mom") and covered with his Cars blanket "to keep them soft and snuggly."

"This is how Harper will sleep in here, Mom."

Someday when I'm crazy and sleep deprived and want to run away to the beach and live by myself in a tiki hut while surviving on nothing but sunshine, fish tacos and margaritas, someone remind me of this magical moment, mmmmk?

This kid is a DREAM.

Yesterday on the way to daycare, Alex asked to play with his Magna Doodle to draw me a picture. (Mom tip: the small bin of car-friendly toys I keep in the backseat has saved my life more than once.) Of course, I obliged and when we got to our destination I asked him what he drew for me.

"Mom! I drawed Harper! She has eyelashes and a ponytail."

This boy loves his sister so much already, I honestly can't imagine how it will grow when she's here. This morning he told me he can't wait to teach her math. MATH.

Alex, I am SO proud to be your Momma. You are one cool cat and your sister is so lucky to have you for a big brother. xoxox.

Hump Day, Bump Day!

bV is the size of a honeydew! 
She's still in the 17.2- to 18.7-inch and 4.2- to 5.8-pound range and continues to beef up.

bV at 36 weeks:
- She's getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on her own.
- Her skin is getting smooth and soft and her gums are rigid.
- Her liver and kidneys are in working order.
- Circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too.
via thebump.com

Remember back when it seemed like Jessica Simpson was pregnant for 14,563.92 years? Yeah. I get it. So today you get her terribly unflattering picture instead of mine. Partially because I forgot to take mine, and mostly because I'm too lazy to do it now. Enjoy & you're welcome.

Also, today I made a hair appointment for October 8, knowing full well that I will be there. But secretly, I'm hoping not to be. I know with a scheduled C-Section that I'll just want everything to go delightfully & uneventfully according to plan, but I'm sooooooooo very, very over this whole thing that a part of me also hopes maybe she'll come early.

And in "I'm not totally sucking at this parenting thing" news, last night we asked Alex what the "best part" of Harper would be, and he told us her "smart brain." Turns out he's listening, after all.

Things Alex says.

"Mom? Harper is coming soon, right? Because you are going to explode."

"The park at Aunt Jane's house is very familiar to me because I play at it every day."

"Can Harper have some ice cream in your belly button?"

"...but I said 'please' so that means it can happen!"

"I pick you flowers every day because that means I love you. Can I marry you someday?"

And a recent fave that was told secondhand...

Aunt Jane was telling the kids about Grandma Davis' recent 92nd birthday, to which Alex replied, "Wow! That's old! She should go to heaven!"

Hump day, bump day!

bV is the size of a banana!
She weighs about 10.2 ounces and measures about 6.5 inches. She's still got a lot of growing to do though.
bV at 20 weeks:
- She's got working taste buds.
- Now, she's gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day -- that's significantly more than before.
via thebump.com

Halfway there, baby! As you can see, Alex is really digging this big brother stuff. He's aware that she's "coming out" right before Halloween, so this morning on the way to Aunt Jane's we were discussing possible Halloween costumes. He told me it had to be "little" to fit her, and asked if his giraffe costume would fit her, since he wore that "when he was only 2." Then I told him when he was a baby, he was Superman for Halloween...so he decided his sister should be Superbaby.

More Alex-isms.

When I tucked him in last night, he asked if he could give his sister a kiss and offered my belly a sweet little smooch. And then he poked his finger into my belly button and said, "Coochie, coochie, coo! I'm tickling you, baby!"

And then when he woke up, the first thing he did was run into our room and ask me how the baby slept.

My heart might explode soon.

Big brother's reaction.

So we told Alex tonight at dinner all about the impending arrival of his little sister, because quite frankly, we couldn't really wait much longer. It far and away exceeded any expectations we had about his reaction.

His biggest concern at first was which highchair she would sit in at Aunt Jane's (because all the"little kids" sit in high chairs during meals and circle time and at the moment they are all occupied...most notably by the littlest munchkin, baby Olivia.)

I can't even with all the things he lists that he wants to teach her and share with her. And that the biggest things he can't wait to do with her is "bring her to Aunt Jane's," "learn her to read a book" and watch TV? Please. And teach her Spanish? Watch for yourself here:


After I shut the camera off, he continued to ask a bazillion questions about his sister and I had to get a notepad out to take notes so I wouldn't forget all of the ridiculous and adorable things he said. In random order:

• He repeatedly asked me to "open my mouth wide" because he could "hear her talking to him through my pipes."
• He asked, "When does she come out? And when does she turn 2? Because then she will have a birthday and we will sing to her." And then he sang the birthday song and I died a little on the inside.
• He urged that we "need to go shopping!" because we need to buy the baby "clothes and bottles and diapers and a crib because babies need these things."
• "Mom! We don't have a changing table. We need to get one of those because mine is old."
• He offered to give her all his sleep toys--even Jake & Emma which is a BIG, BIG deal, people.
• He asked how old she was right now. This was tricky to answer. I went with 'zero,' which I think was both satisfying and technically correct.
• "If she gets sick can I give her my orange medicine?"
• "She cannot glue things by herself yet. Aunt Jane will have to help her, you know."

And the all-time Emmy winner best of the night... "Mom, did you have a crunch her up with your teeth to get her down there in your belly?"

Judging by how the rest of dinner went, he's unfazed about having a sister vs. a brother and already loves her just as much as we do. This, of course, comes as no surprise but it's nice to have it on lock.

We're going to sleep on her name a few more nights and then tell that news...and for those that think they know, I promise you don't!

Big brother.

After yesterday's announcement, we got a lot of love via the social medias. (Thanks, btw!) What most people asked after the OMG! OMG! Congratulations! was how Alex is taking the news, which I LOVE because that means you people all love him as much as we do and can pretty much assume that his reaction will be Oscar-worthy.

The funny thing is, we haven't actually told him yet. Sure, we've talked about being a big brother and babies and he asks all sorts of questions about family and what that means, but we haven't really said the words, "Mommy is having a baby!"

You see, he's wicked smart. He's like a 17 year old pursuing a Ph.D. in that little mind. So when we DO tell him, he will get it. He will totally understand and want a baby, like, ASAP. He's already told us that he would like to be a big brother to "teach the baby to sing and color," and that he will "help feed the baby tiny bottles and change diapers...even if they are poopy, Mom."

So, heaven forbid we travel down that same road we've been down before and we have to UNtell him. How do you do that? I don't know that I could.

So we're going to wait awhile--maybe until I'm showing a little more--to really explain it to him. But in the meantime, thank you for all the heartfelt congratulations and wishes of health and happiness. I sure do love the internets.