Eight Months Old

Harper Ellen has become my little sidekick -- coming to the office and appointments with me-- and I feel so lucky to be able to spend this time with her.  Of course she doesn't make work easy (girlfriend is distracting because she's so dang cute), but I treasure the extra time I get to spend with her.  The whole reason I started this crazy adventure a couple years ago was for my family and I feel so grateful for these extra moments I get with my daughter.  Being a working mother has its' challenges, the hardest for me being work/life balance, but I honestly believe I have the best of both worlds.  Harps gets cuter + sweeter each day.  Her smile can light up any room and she is such a joy to be around.  She is a very happy baby and only complains at night if she wakes up hungry, which is understandable.  Oh baby girl, you have our whole hearts.

Likes:
-Smiling
-Harrison, Mommy, Daddy, + Didge
-Sitting up
-Food
-The camera
-Attention

Dislikes:
-When we walk out of sight

Schedule:
Harps eats a few bottles a day and is loving the solid food life -- she has mastered the pouch and loves any and all purees, puffs, + yogurt melts.  She's tried some actual people food and is a fan -- bread, turkey, eggs, potatoes, and cheese!

Features:
Her hair is getting thicker and lighter and her eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue.  Her chubby cheeks and double chins are my favorites and every time I look at her I wonder how we got so lucky (twice).  Oh, and she' still all gums.

Milestones:
-Rocking bath and forth on her knees
-Scoots backwards + sideways
-Adult foods
-Says baba, yaya, lala, and of course....dada.

Firsts:
-Commercial (Drools Teething Tools - coming soon to Kickstarter)
-Real people food
-St Patricks Day
-Easter Egg Hunt

Challenges:
Sleeping through the night -- she'll sleep through the night three nights in a row and is ready to party the next four.  We have seen progress, so I can't complain too much, but she has a serious case of FOMO between 11:00 pm- 1:00 am.

Thoughts:
Can I bottle her up and keep her this way forever?  She is so happy + curious and I never want that to change.  This whole parenting thing is challenging, exhausting, emotionally draining, and absolutely the best.

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Seven Months Old

I love this age!  Harper is so much fun these days.  She loves to bounce, laugh at her brother, and ham it up for anyone that looks her way.  She is possibly the loudest child in the entire world and I love each crazy sound she makes.  She is learning every day and it's amazing to watch her take in the world.

Likes:
-Waking up at all hours of the night
-Food
-Baths
-Big brother
-Toys
-Our dog
-Mommy + Daddy

Dislikes:
-Sleeping through the night

Schedule:
On a good day she has four bottles, two snacks, and two long naps.  Days where we are on the go are a little less scheduled, but we manage.  She goes to bed without an issue around 7:15 and sleeps for a few solid hours before she decides it's snack and snuggle time.

Features:
She's lucky she's cute because man are we tired!  She has the best smile in the world and an infectious laugh.  At her 6 month check up, she was 15 lbs, 12 oz and 25 in long...so if I had to guess she is probably almost 17 lbs and a little bit longer now.  She is rocking size 3 diapers and is moving up to her 6-9 month wardrobe.  Have I mentioned how cute girl clothes are?  I can't stop shopping 🙊

Milestones:
-Waving
-Working on consonant sounds -- she's got "B" down!
-Holds her own bottle
-Sits with no problem

Firsts:
Alligator Farm
Valentine's Day
Bath in the tub
Teething Wafers
Walker

Challenges:
The lack of sleep is starting to catch up to us.  I keep telling myself that she'll sleep one day.. right?  RIGHT?!

Thoughts:
Harrison is finally starting to pay attention to her and the giggles between the two of them make me happier than I could have ever imagined.  As an only child, it is really special to me to see the bond forming between them and I look forward to watching it strengthen.  I know we'll have plenty of arguments between those two in our future, but we will also have a whole lot of love.  💚

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Six Months Old

Happy half birthday to my sweet girl!  It's so special that my children share a celebration together -- today my first is three and my second is half a year - oh how time flies.  Harper is such a joy and I am amazed at how fast she changes and grows every day.  She is entering such a fun age of babyhood and I'm enjoying every giggle and smile that she gives me.  Harps seems to learn something new every day and I am just so incredibly amazed by her.  I know the next six months will go faster than the last, so I'll just be over here soaking up every single moment.  

Likes:

Eating- Harper is loving solid foods, especially apples, and would drink milk all day if you'd let her.  

Sitting- Harps is not a happy girl on her back or tummy anymore, she prefers to be sitting up on her own or in her bouncer.  She loves to play with all the toys on her bouncer and jump up and down like crazy!

Big Brother + Didge- No one can make Harper laugh like her brother or her dog.  It's the cutest.

Toys- She has started to really plays with toys and is especially fond of her Minnie Mouse crinkle book.

Dislikes:

When mom or dad are not in sight

Being overly tired 

Schedule: 

It's ever changing, but generally she has four bottles from 6-8 oz of formula a day and one or two solid food snacks.  Her naps are more predictable, typically an hour in the morning and about 45 minutes in the afternoon.  She goes to bed around 7:30 and is officially sleeping in her crib all night!  Don't get too excited for us, she still needs us 2-6 times a night to put her paci back in, but we are making progress.  I get my bed back at night and get my snuggles in when she wakes around 7.   


Features:

Her brown hair is still growing in and her eyes continue to be the most beautiful shade of blue.  She's about 17 pounds (we'll know for sure at her doctors appointment next week) and has rolls in all the right places.  She'll be outgrowing her 3-6 month wardrobe any day now and is in size 3 diapers, although she's currently rocking a 2 because those suckers are expensive.    

Milestones:

Sits unsupported for a good chunk of time

Rolls all over

Sleeps on belly

Plays with feet 

Sticks out tongue

Makes all of the noises

Firsts:

Fruit

New Years 

Challenges + Thoughts: 

Our breastfeeding journey has come to an end.  When she started skipping night time feeds I knew it was coming, but when the flu hit and I quarantined myself from Harper for two days I knew our morning feed from the previous day was our last.  It's such a mix of emotions - I'm happy to fully have my body back, but sad that the one thing only I could do for her is gone.  It's strange to think that this stage of my life is over... pregnancy, infancy, breastfeeding (unless you want one more Mike??), and my emotions are completely mixed, but at the end of the day I know Harper loves me and that she is healthy and fed, which is what matters most.  Love you Harps- happy 6 months! 

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Five Months Old

Oh month five - you've been a whirlwind.  Between Christmas, potty training Harrison, and life in general, I'm not sure where the time went or even what we did.  It's a blur of food, family, and presents and we are stuffed and happy.  

Likes:
Being held- this girl is a serious snuggler and is happiest when she is in someone's arms
Her brother- she follows his every move
Toys- she likes to hold + chew on toys and push the buttons that light up and make noise on her bouncer
Milk- always
Smiling- this girl always has a smile on her face, like always, because she doesn't sleep
Standing- she definitely prefers to be in an upright position

Dislikes:
"Solid" Food- she's tried carrots, peas, + prunes and hasn't quite come around to real food yet
Sleep- she likes to cat nap during the day and wake up frequently to eat or snuggle at night

Schedule:
We've been trying to follow Harrison's schedule  and I am learning that every baby is different.  The increased food amount has definitely helped her go longer stretches between feedings, but she is nothing like Harrison at night.  Her schedule goes like this most days:

7:30-8:30am- 6 oz bottle
12:00pm- 6-7 oz bottle
2:00pm- Solid food snack
4:00pm- 6 oz bottle
7:00pm- 8 oz bottle
7:30-9:30pm- bedtime? She typically falls asleep for the night during this time frame...then wakes up anytime between midnight to 3am and is up on and off (nursing) until we get up in the morning.

I hear K Cups make great late Christmas gifts. 

Features:
My sweet Harper girl makes me melt.  She has the chubbiest cheeks, the bluest eyes, and her brown hair is growing back in.  She is in size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes and is growing too fast.

Milestones:
Voice-girlfriend loves to chat and we're pretty sure she's mimicking her brother's dino roars
Kisses- if you go in for a kiss she'll open her mouth to kiss you back!
Scooting- she most definitely will not stay in one place anymore- she can roll and move her body around to explore what's around her
Stands with support
Brings toys to her mouth
Plays with buttons and toys on her bouncer 

Firsts:
Christmas
Santa meet + greet
Solid food

Challenges:
Did I mention the lack of sleep?
 
Thoughts:
Christmas this year really made me reflect on being a parent and where life has taken us.  Last year we were struggling financially, newly pregnant, and doubting some of our life choices - Should we have both started new self-employed jobs?  Should we have waited longer to expand our family?  Seriously, what are we doing? But now, those struggles were more than worth it.  We were able to share Harper's first Christmas with both of our families and after a successful year we were able to celebrate Christmas a little more than before.  There is truly nothing better than seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child and we are so thankful for everything 2017 brought to our family, especially Harps.  We are so excited to see what 2018 holds and ready to spend the new year with our two best gifts.

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Four Months Old

This month was a hard one for me. I’m not sure if it was my hormones or the simple fact that I’m having a difficult time with how fast time is going by, but month four was a challenge. I feel like at this point everyone expects you to be back to your normal self, but some days I’m just not. One year ago I started growing a human and just four short months ago I brought her into this world. I'm figuring out my new normal, and I know from experience that this takes time, but I forgot how difficult this stage of postpartum can be.  I honestly feel like I just love my family so much that it's overwhelming.  That might sound crazy, but it's the only way I can explain my feelings.  But let's move on to the fun stuff... look how C U T E she is!! 

Likes: 
-Being held
-Music
-Kicking her feet
-Smiling
-Her elephant + lamb toys
-Using her voice
-Outfit changes
-Baths
-Her brother-- big bro has finally started paying attention to her and she loves it!

Dislikes: 
-Being hungry
-Not being held
-Being in the car and not moving

Schedule:We are still all over the place.  Some days she takes cat naps, and other days she sleeps for hours (usually if we're out and about).  At night this girl is a mystery.  She gets up at least twice a night, but sometimes I feed her up to four times a night.  She's cute.  I'm exhausted.   We spend our days playing on the activity mat, working, and watching big brother.  Every day is different, but we make it work!  

Features: Brown hair, with some awkward balding spots, blue eyes, and the chubbiest cheeks that are to die for.  She recently started wearing size 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diapers...hello new wardrobe!  She is currently 13 lbs 13 oz and 24 inches long.  

Milestones:
-Rolling over- both ways!
-Babbling
-Giggles- is there anything better?!
-Sitting up supported
-Holding + munching on toys
-Holding her own small bottle

Firsts:
-Halloween - she started off as a cop to match Harrison's donut costume and then had an outfit change into Princess Rapunzel.
-Thanksgiving
-Aquarium
-Beach 

Challenges:
Lack of sleep.  I would pay good money for a full night's sleep. 

Thoughts:
As much as I feel like I'm struggling with time flying, I am loving watching her interact.  Her smiles and giggles are infectious and I still can't believe she's mine.

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