smiley baby

Harper really started smiling around the first of the year.

At first, they mostly happened when she was just about to fall asleep. Now she smiles when she wakes up, when we talk to her, when she watches Adi and sometimes for no reason at all.

We're definitely biased, but we think she's got the best baby smiles we've seen.

two months

Two months ago we became parents... which, for us, means at least 2 things:
1) we are coming out of the no-sleep fog
2) shots.

I've been worried for about a week about #2. Not sure how Harper (or should I say "I") would handle it. So I made Shiloh come with us to the appointment yesterday.

Our sweet girl was oblivious to what was ahead - giving us smiles and mini laughs while we waited for the doctor. This just made me feel worse.

When the doctor came in for the check up, Harper was a champ. She showed her all her tricks:
Holding her head up during tummy time;
standing nice at tall while stretching her neck up tall too;
watching the doctor's light as she moved it around;
and probably a few more that I don't remember.

The doctor was thrilled, again, with Harper's growth:
Height: 23" (75%)
Weight: 10 pounds 5 ounces (25-50%)
Head Circumference 14 3/4 (25%)

Then she sent the nurse in. She explained there would be one oral vaccine and two shots (I was expecting 4 shots, so that was good news). Shiloh held her arms down to keep her still and I tried to focus her attention on something other than the shots (I don't think that did much). Her little face turned more red than we had seen before and she gave a good squeal (although not as loud and mad as the squeal she gives when we're using the nose sucker on her). She shed a few big tears but then settled down. Shiloh has decided that she is (and will continue to be) a tough girl.

With the exception of seeming to feel a little unsettled, the shots don't seem to have phased her - and they didn't traumatize me as much as I expected either (hope this doesn't mean I don't have a heart). The doctor told us that the shots that tend to be harder on them come at month four... now there's something to look forward to.

Hangin' with Harvey

Our good friends, Rachel & James had their baby, Harvey, a little over a week after Harper was born. Rachel and I often laugh at the thought of Harper and Harvey running into each other 20 years down the road. It has been so fun to get these two together for outings. We've already had some hilarious/ridiculous adventures that have formed great memories.

Skype

A true product of the 21st century, Harper is already becoming familiar with technology. With grandparents too far away for regular visits, she enjoys weekly Skype calls with both the Allens and Mannings. It has proven to be a decent substitute, and we hope that it helps our parents feel a little more connected to this sweet girl.

An added bonus has been our Skype sessions with my little sister, Arrin, who is doing this semester in London. She doesn't have phone access, but we've been able to catch her on Skype every once in a while.

Eight Weeks

Harper turned eight weeks old today. Each week seems to have flown by, but the changes in her are really amazing. When she was born, she felt like only skin and bones. Where her skin used to be baggy, she is now developing some good chub. Over the last few days we've noticed a little double chin developing. A full head of hair quickly turned to hair only on the back and sides, but the top is starting to grow back -- slowly. She seems to be quite long, but we'll confirm that at her 2 month visit this Friday.

She is becoming more and more fun every day. A few mannerisms to remember:
*Harper is very good at keeping her schedule. Not only was she born on her due date, but it has been fairly easy to teach her when to expect meal time.
*When she starts to get hungry she clucks her tongue.
*She loves her binki - and has since day 3.
*When we burp her she straightens her body and stands up, with only a little help balancing.
*Although she doesn't care for "tummy time," her neck is getting very strong. When we hold her up vertically she stretches her neck up and looks all around.
*She is such a happy baby! She started really smiling around 5 or 6 weeks. The smiles have only gotten more and more adorable.
*Harper loves to be talked to and is starting to "talk" back. She'll be carrying on conversations in no time.
*She holds her hands in a very girly fashion - always sticking her pinky fingers up.
*She loves to go on walks. Today, the weather was beautiful so I took her for a walk during her nap time. I carry her in the Baby Bjorn, and she usually sleeps the whole way, but today she woke up halfway through and pleasantly enjoyed the ride while watching the world pass by.
*She doesn't seem to mind "owie face" kisses - or doesn't seem to. ("Owie face" is the scratchy stubble growing out of Shiloh's face)
*She is a great traveler. We have taken her on many outings and has only protested a few times.
*Most of Harper's friends are boys. With the exception of Ruby, all of the babies born around the same time have been (and continue to be) boys. So far she hasn't complained.

12 Day Old Photos

When Harper was 12 days old, our amazingly talented photographer friends, Jon and Melissa, helped us out with a little photo shoot. We had an idea of what we wanted - some pictures that would document how tiny she was - and were thrilled with the results! Below are just some of our favorites.

Enjoy!

snow [12.19.09]

We need to play a bit of catch-up for the next few posts...


[Harper's first snow storm]

Right before Christmas, Virginia got a taste of a real snow storm. It started Friday night and continued until Sunday morning. In case you didn't hear about it, here is one of CNN's stories covering the storm. And here's one from MSNBC.

I'm not exactly sure how much fell total, but you can be sure it didn't slow Shiloh down. Saturday morning Shiloh decided that he still wanted to try to make it to his gym - which is normally a 20-30 minute drive away. So, after getting Harper suited up (and cleaning up her first real diaper disaster... on our bed) we hit the road, plowing through streets that were in serious need of a plow. We were nearly run off the road a few times, but managed to make it all the way to the gym just in time for the manager to let us know that he was closing up for the day. bummer. We were able to stop in to see my Aunt Linda, who lives in the neighborhood. She had been out shoveling her walkway when we arrived. By the time we left -- not much more than an hour later -- another 3-4 inches had accumulated.

On our way home we stopped at a few stores to look for a snow shovel. At Target, they let us know that all of their shovels were gone 8 minutes after they opened that morning. So much for being responsible home owners. Luckily our awesome neighbors shoveled us out and let us borrow their shovels to exhume Shiloh's car.

[Our street, covered in snow & neighbors]

By Sunday, the snow had stopped and the sun was out. Adi had a great time bounding through the snow and exploring our new neighborhood.