One Year, Two Months

·         You are a traveling queen!  You and Mama took our first trip by ourselves.  We went to see Auntie Jessie and Aubrey in California.  You did awesome on our trip there.  Made friends and chatted with everyone on the plane.  You proceeded to have a stomach bug for the next three days thankgoodness our trip was 10 days long, or it would have been a bust! You and Aubrey were ecstatic and became fast BFF’s!  you would instantly ask for each other when you woke in the morning or after nap.  If you were sleeping opposite nap schedules, you would ask for each other the entire naptime.  You finally mastered walking!  Daddy was so sad to miss our trip it didn’t work out with his work schedule.  We went to Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, went to Coronado Island several times, visited the Navy bases, Seaport Village and Auntie Jess finished her time in the Navy! Aubrey cried for you for days after we left.  You asked for her for days.  You passed out cold on our flight back but woke when we got home and told Daddy alllll about Aubrey and showed off your perfected walking skills!  J

·         Auntie Naomi and Espi came to visit for a weekend during our trip.  You were shy about Naomi but took to Espi right away (again).  Randomly after they’d been down for a day, you started saying, “Yaya?” which is what you called Naomi over Christmas.  It was like you remembered her finally!  Tooooo cute.  It made Naomi’s day. 

·         Once again you were quite obsessed with the ocean and cried when we had to finish swimming.  You and Espi played in the sand, splashed in the waves, chased the birds a new obsession? walked the beach and ate too much sand.  You are a girl after your Mama’s heart – water, outdoors and sun!  Too bad You’re as pasty as your father?  Might you grow out of that?  Let’s hope!

·         We went to stay at the Lake Superior Barn –AH-maz-Zing!  You played and played with Nana, Papa, Gracie and your cousins.  You took a trip around the trails on Mama’s back while cross country skiing.  It was a trip Mama and Daddy will never forget.  We were truly blessed by this weekend getaway.

·         You were sick for a month.  It was the worst month for being sick off and on.  Mama is exhausted from too many sleepless nights and travels.  Finally, I took you to the Doctor.  They did a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia, lung problems, RSV, etc… it was one of the worst moments of my life.  You screamed bloody murder, while being strapped into this contortion-like contraption and Mama held your hands. I had tears streaming down my cheeks.  I pray you we never go through that again.  You are finally better.  Spring BETTER arrive in MN soon as we are FAR over flu and cold season around here.

·         Aubrey and Auntie Jessie came to visit – you and Aubrey remembered each other and were ecstatic to play together.  The weather was decent and you didn’t freeze too terribly.  We visited to MN Zoo, went to MOA and spent a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa. 

·         Easter!  We celebrated with baskets hidden around the house. You and Aubrey were quite excited to find them and play with your treats from Grandma and Grandpa. 

·         Three words: only.child.syndrom.  Oh baby girl, someday if and when we have more children you will go through a BIG change.  You firmly established your place in our hearts, home and life.  It will be quite the shock of someone else taking up any of our time.

·         You are constantly jealous of Mama and Daddy’s time and affection.  If we kiss or hug, you are jealous of our interaction. 

I am so thankful for you, Harper Kendall.  I prayed for a child to love and care for, but I didn’t know it would be a love this strong.  I didn’t know what motherhood would entail and it is far greater than I imagined.  I know you were planned for me and Daddy.  God knew what He was doing when He made you ours.  You are a diamond in our rough world,  in our imperfect family and home.  You are the best spot in my life.  I call you healthy, whole, wise and happy.

We believe:

You ARE smart.

You ARE beautiful.

You ARE important.

You ARE special.

One Year, One Month

·         You cruise everywhere and have finally begun to walk!  You decided at your Birthday party that you would take your “official” steps as a one-year-old.  You rocked it out as WonderWoman and Hanky was Thor. 

·         We had our first time apart, you and I.  Mama took a Girls’ Trip to Phoenix, AZ and desperately missed you the whole much of the time.  It was sooo good to be home and give you kisses and snuggles.  You and Daddy greeted me at the airport – you were all smiles for me.  It was good to be missed.

·         You’ve decided you are more than advanced.  You are now up to 35 words and 30 signs! Woah!  Mama is impressed.  You are too smart for your own good.

·         Bath time is still a favorite.  You would play in the bath all day long.  You will shiver and freeze your tooshy off but you still insist on being in the cold water and are sad to get out.

·         “Quack, quack, quack – bang!” Daddy decided you should learn “what ducks really say”.  Oh, my poor child – I sure hope kindergarten isn’t hard due to your father’s antics.  ;)  you love to say “quack” but thankfully haven’t attempted nor mastered “bang!”.

·         You and Gracie share an amazing bond.  If she’s around you would prefer her to anyone else.  If she’s taken her attention off you, even for a moment, you call out to her.  Its adorable!  She is really good with you and loves to take care of you.

·         You and Henry are the best of friends and the worst of siblings… you have officially entered toddler stage where you have moments of love and others of hate.  J You are mastering fighting back!  He used to only beat you up, but now you’ve taken to fighting back!  Your father is proud. 

I am so thankful for you, Harper Kendall.   You challenge who I am, remind me who I should be and teach Daddy and I to love stronger, truer and more faithfully.  You bring a light to our lives that we didn’t know was missing.  You keep me on my toes and light our house with laughter.  I believe you are called for great things and will be a woman after God’s heart.  I appreciate your strength and boldness – I know God has given you both for the future.  I call you are healthy, whole, wise and happy.

We believe:

You ARE smart.

You ARE beautiful.

You ARE important.

You ARE special.

Car Seat Giveaway

I'm always up for a good deal - in fact, much of what we have for Harper was a really great deal!  My best deal, probably is our Bumble Ride Flyer stroller - all including the bumper bar, car seat adapter bar AND footmuff and liner!  In total, a $518.98 stroller for $100 - brand new!

So, I saw this Diono Radian R120 Car Seat Giveaway online and thought some of my mommy-friends would be interested.  Get yourself registered. 

Twelve Months - I'm ONE!

·         You “officially” have twenty words and twenty-two signs!  Your favorites to say are “Sasha” and “Grandpa” and to sign are “all done”, “bath” and “water”. The doctor says your advanced.  But, we could have told her that.  hehe  At first, Dr. MB didn’t believe us when we said all that you said and did – but you told her Goodbye at one of your last appointments and signed “thank you” and she almost fell out of her chair.  You’re such a brilliant baby.  I attribute that to my genes Daddy staying home with you for the past eight months!

·         You tried to open every present under the Christmas tree and when it was final your turn to open presents it was like… Christmas morning!  J You LIVED to tear apart wrapping paper and toss out tissue from gift bags.  You were almost as thrilled with the wonderful presents everyone gave you.  You are one spoiled blessed babe! 

·         You are now on-the-go!  With your Christmas gifts of a walker and a baby stroller you have taken off!  You also love to put anything in your stroller and walk around, whether it’s your baby doll, a book, the remote or lamby. 

·         You are your Daddy’s daughter!  You make friends everyone, cause heads to turn (no, that’s Mommy’s daughter)., and are ALWAYS moving!  Same as in my tummy, your little fingers and toes are moving at all times.  You toss and turn in your sleep, I cannot understand the position you find comfortable – most often, on your tummy with your bum straight in the air! 

·         You are OBSCESSED with bath time!  You are always going into the bathroom and either yelling or signing for a bath.  You always cry when it’s time to get out.  I can’t get enough of your squishy, wrinkly post baby cuteness.  I kiss you til you’ve had enough.  You now put lotion on your tummy and legs… maybe take a lick or two here and there.  I always tell you it’s yucky but you have to double-check every day.

·         You can clean up!  Oh, Mommy has lived for this day. when we (or Auntie Cari) sing the “clean-up song” you begin to pick up your toys and put them away!  How grown up are you?!

·         Your precious heart has grown into someone caring – the other day I was sitting on the ground playing with you.  You walked over and put your little arms around my neck and loved on me.  Then, you got my attention by leaning around to look me in the eye, followed by the sweetest little pats on my back – I think you were telling me that everything was “alright”, that I should just enjoy my moments with you instead of worrying about keeping up with laundry or cleaning our house.  You’ve also perfected the “nice, nice, nice – NOT nice!” except, you are, “NOT nice, nice, nice, nice…”.  You have taken to biting Henry and then promptly patting his back telling him “Ok, ok, ok…” Watch out girlfriend, that boy is going to be much bigger than you in a mere moment you won’t be able to hold you own against him at that time!  Eeeek!

·         I can’t believe a year ago we were impatiently waiting for you to make your arrival!  My, how the year has changed us and our world.  It is so much better to have you in it.  I constantly remind myself to live IN the moment and forget about what lies ahead.  Enjoy every second I get with you, as it is few and far between.  You are more than anything I could have imagine. 

I am so thankful for you, Harper Kendall.  Motherhood has made me a new woman; someone who looks to be present and not anticipating something else coming up.  I love to live this life with you.  I told your Auntie Mandy the other day, that Motherhood is the most challenging and wearing BUT rewarding title you’ll ever bear. I pray, that Daddy and I can raise you right.  3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”  I pray that you will walk in truth and that we can raise you to know that truth.  I call you are healthy, whole, wise and happy.

We believe:

You ARE smart.

You ARE beautiful.

You ARE important.

You ARE special.

 

Eleven Months

·         WORDS galore!  You say “Mama, Dadda, Yeah, Bye, Hi, All Done, Sasa (Sasha), Nana, Papa, Bopa (Grandpa)…

·         Thanksgiving!  You loved the turkey, mac-n-cheese and cooked veggies.  Mashed potatoes, not so much. 

·         You’ve decided you are too mobile and busy for nursing.  With the exception of “dark”.  Once it is dark outside, you are fine with nursing – before bed, if you happen to wake-up in the middle of the night or early mornings.  The rest of the day, you can’t be bothered to hold still so long. 

·         You are a mover and a shaker!  You are constantly moving, walking, run-crawling (usually, escaping somewhere you shouldn’t be) all over the place!  You are trying to master walking, but we are letting you take our sweet time so we don’t have to chase you yet you can perfect it.

·         You learn something new every day. literally.  Whether it is a new word, sign or action you are a sponge for life and all it holds.

·         You’ve begun to eat mostly regular food and we are tossing our attempts at baby food out the window!  Your independence has created a stubborn self-sufficiency we are trying to allow you to meet.

·         You are trying to “find your place” and “make your mark”.  In a room of 50 people, everyone knows you are there.  You make yourself known.  Whether it be your ridiculously adorable looks or by chiming in on the conversation or stealing the show with adorable tricks.  You are a social butterfly!

·         We are full-fledged into the Holiday season and I am learning a new love for all that CHRISTmas represents.  I am thankful for a young teen, so long ago, who sacrificed her life to bring Christ into this world.  I am in awe at how she mothered, so perfectly, a young babe and raised him to be the man who would save our dying world.  She is a far better mother than I am, something I strive to do and be better at each day.

I am so thankful for you, Harper Kendall.  Just as Mary mothered Christ with the constant help of God, I desire the same.  I want to raise you to be a Godly woman, someone others admire and strive to be like.  I pray that you dream of goodness and all that it entails.  Most days, I feel like I am making it through as your mom, then others I achieve something great and feel accomplished.  I hope someday you can look back and see all I have achieved and less of what I failed at.  I truly love you to the moon and back.  I call you are healthy, whole, wise and happy. 

We believe:

You ARE smart.

You ARE beautiful.

You ARE important.

You ARE special.

Ten Months!

·         WORDS galore!  You say “Mama, Dadda, Yeah, Bye, Hi, All Done, Sasa (Sasha), Nana, Papa, Bopa (Grandpa)…

·         You are moving and grooving! You are trying to get everywhere!  You are learning to “run” with your crawling!  You literally can move like nobody’s business on all fours.  You transitioned from your perfected Army crawl to the up on all fours run-crawl.

·         You are I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T!  oh my goodness, are we in for it when you are bigger!  You’ve already begun to stake your boundaries and let us know what/when/how you want our help, guidance and parenting.  Oh child, this will be hard for you when you are older.

·         Food fan! You are such a good eater.  You are fully eating food now, both baby-food and grownup food.  You haven’t quite tossed food over with disgust, but you are beginning to learn what you prefer… bananas and pears are some of your favorites.

·         You now play with other kids.  You enjoy watching and learning from other kids what they do, say and how they act.  You are such an observer, it’s incredible how receptive you are to everything that is going on around you.

·         Teething!  You now have five.five teeth.  The four middle are through and two on your right side (top and bottom) are there – but not fully in place.  You’re slightly lopsided! J  Because of teething, everything is in your mouth! 

·         I am loving enjoying all of your first Fall things!  The pumpkin patch, the apple orchard and Thanksgiving!  I can’t believe a year ago we were impatiently waiting for you to make your arrival!  My, how the year has changed us and our world.  It is so much better to have you in it.

I am so thankful for you, Harper Kendall.  I am in awe that God entrusted you in my arms.  I pray that we would learn to love better, care more and be kinder from you.  All I want, is to give you the life you deserve and need, to be a good mom and to raise a woman who is good.  You bring such joy to everyone around you, even strangers at the mall or random places are blessed to just have met you.  People constantly comment on how wonderful your smile and laughter are.  You are my sun, brining life and light to everything you are a part of.  I call you are healthy, whole, wise and happy. 

We believe:

You ARE smart.

You ARE beautiful.

You ARE important.

You ARE special.

You ARE the best!

Mommy Lessons; regrets, faith and ability

I’ve been a Mom for 9 months and 11 days… not that I’m counting or anything  This has been probably the most fulfilling and challenging role I’ve ever played in my life.  Unfortunately, in such a short time I can already look back and see where I wish I would have done things differently. 

Growing up, my Grandma Brown always told me – don’t live life with regrets.  Acknowledge your mistakes, failures and decisions you would change looking back – take those moments and choose to learn from them.  If you live life with regrets, you will eventually regret your life away. 

So, I choose to learn from my parenting choices and drive forward being the best Mom I know how to be.  I have learned a few Mommy lessons I thought I’d share.

1.       Take pictures, video, scrapbook, blog, write things down, etc…  10 years from now or even next week, you’ll barely remember that amazing-silly-random thing that your child did, that happened to your family or that you just want to remember.  People have always made fun of Jeremy and me for taking so many pictures.  We literally have 1000’s of photos documenting our relationship and now, Harper.  I will never regret.  Nor, will I regret this blog.  As high level as it is, it is my way to remembering my Harpsicle.

2.       Find a support system.  Ask for Advice.  Neither makes you weak or a bad parent.  But, you should not parent by yourself.  Even if you are a single mom, you should always have a support system; your mom, your grandma, your pseudo-mom, your best girlfriend who’s had a baby or is going through motherhood at the same time, your sister, your neighbor, a stranger you meet at the bus station.  I don’t care.  Millions of Moms are out there, and willing to share their experiences, offer advice and mostly, just listen when you need to cry, laugh, boast or find out how someone else survived another sleepless night. “it takes a village”

3.       Don’t lose yourself.  Remember who you were before getting pregnant.  Hold on to whom she is for dear life while embracing your new role as a mom.  Someday. you will have an empty nest and what will you do then?  Search for your identity again?  Sure, there will be adjustment to being an empty-nester, but you will look back wistfully wishing you were still that young and amazing woman you were before becoming a mom.  You can still be that amazing woman AND be a mom.  It will take work, but your children will benefit from it.

4.       Let the things go.  You will make mistakes.  You will let your baby cry too long, you will forget diapers at home, you will miss a soccer game… life has moments you wish to re-do.  But, you cannot dwell on the bad.  Cherish your accomplishments and learn to redirect after a mistake.

5.       Do not compare your child.  Your child is your own.  They will learn, grow and develop at their own rate.  Comparing to someone else’s child will only disappoint or cause you to be prideful.  Celebrate your child for who they are and their accomplishments.  This will carry you as a parent until they are old… and you are too.

6.       Sometimes you’ve gotta get dirty.  Whether you let the kids run in the puddles, finger paint or just plain skip cleaning the bathroom, your life will pass you by if you do not enjoy it.  You can wake up someday and look back without memories made.  Enjoy your child(ren).  They will not be yours to hold forever.  Someday, they will be grown and on their own… as will you. 

7.       Cherish your spouse.  You cannot redo your relationship after your kids are grown.  As you should take care of yourself, take care of your spouse.  Make them a priority over your kids.  Yes, that sounds strange… but your kids rely on parents who are in a strong, caring relationship.  If you aren’t with your child’s parent anymore, you must have a good relationship.  It is the only way to raise a child well.

8.       Trust God.  God has given you the ability to raise a child.  Every moment of life as a parent, is based on trust that God will provide, guide and guard.  God says he equips up, guards up and directs us.  Are you looking to Him?