Grandpa Elden

After a few years of health difficulties, including a severe case of Alzheimer's, my mother's father, Elden Page, passed away last Friday. I am in Idaho with Harper this week, helping with funeral preparations and reconnecting with my mom's family.

As part of those preparations, I've been pulling together the printed program for the funeral. Everyone decided it would be nice to feature several pictures from his life on the program. As we've sifted through a lifetime of photos, we've found some really great ones - ones that most of us had never seen.

My grandparents when they were young - what a handsome couple!

This is my grandpa as I love to remember him: swinging me and my brother around until we are exhausted from laughing.

We are so grateful that he isn't suffering any longer, but we'll definitely miss him and all of the great times we had together.

15 months... or 16... nope: 17

I started a 15-month post months ago, then it turned to 16 months, and now we're at just about 17. I suppose I'll back-track a bit. But first, a quick hair update... we have curls!

At her 15 month appointment in early March, she weighed 22 pounds (25-50%) and was 31 3/4 inches (90%), which has been fairly normal. However, her head is now up to the 50% range (has been 25% until this trip)!

Harper had a rough few months early in the year. She had loads of colds and other illnesses, transitioning to cow's milk was pretty difficult, and the cold of winter has kept her inside more than she would have like. Her 15 month immunizations were pretty tough on her, causing her to spike a fever and be very cranky for quite a few days. The addition of new teeth and fluid in her ears extended her crankiness nearly two weeks (which explains how miserable she looks in the St. Pat's pictures). Then one Sunday we woke up, and our happy baby was back. We missed her!

Harper has really started to show us her personality. She seems to be a little shy at first, but with familiar people she is adorable and super affectionate. Like her dad, she is quite a tease and is very curious about how things around her work.

Her vocabulary is really taking off. We've officially entered the parrot stage, where she tries to mimic the same words we say. She has really perfected the use of the word "No" and says it with a certain attitude that makes it really difficult not to laugh out loud. Along with words, Harper loves animals and the noises they make. Her elephant impression is awesome.

Adi has found a special place in Harper's heart. We will often find Harper snuggling with the dog on the dog's bed. She loves to take Adi for walks and LOVES to hold her leash. She says "Adi" and "dog" more clearly than most words and is so excited to see her every morning.

Finally, It has to be recorded that Harper loves the park - especially slides. On my days off of work we can (and occasionally do) spend literally hours there with no complaints from her. In fact, when we aren't at the park, Harper spends loads of time sliding down the grassy hill in our front yard. You can tell she's having a great time when she squeals "WHEEE".

leaky

photo courtesy of ehow.com

My bathtub faucet has become leaky over the last week. How does this happen? One week: no problems; the next: a leak that is actually more like a nearly running faucet. Seriously, I can hear the water running through the pipes constantly, and the water is HOT.

AND my repairman who usually fixes such leaks (if you can call this a leak) is away until Friday. Anyone know a good plumber?

Fingers crossed that I don't have to brave a cold shower in the morning.

Good Old St. Patty

Static

For the last week all three of us have been sick. again. We're really tired of being sick.

So, to recall healthier days, please enjoy this gem.

Turns out that we needed to turn on the humidifier during the winter to avoid such static. Problem solved.

fun with a kiwi

Today, I cut open a kiwi to discover this. Channeling my inner high school art student, I had some fun...

One Year - November 30, 2010

On her birthday, I wrote the following list of notes about Harper.

Harper is a happy, happy little girl who likes to:

· Wrinkle her nose

· Twist her tongue

· Pat & rub her belly while bathing

· Say “ma ma ma ma”, “thanks”, “wow”, and “da da”

· Shake her finger when we say the word Monkey

· Dance to music

· Run away from someone who is chasing her

· Play peek-a boo

· Read & look at books

· Eat, not be fed

· Cuddle her dog

· Bark like a dog

· Look out our storm door & wave to people walking by

· Ride on shoulders

· Wave and flirt with strangers

· Brush her teeth

· Take baths

· Push things around

· Playfully flop on our bed

She took her first step at 9 ½ months and started walking when she was 10 months old.

She has 4 teeth, and her head of hair is finally filling in.

She is so lucky to have lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents that love her.

We have loved (nearly) every minute of the last year with her. She has made us better people as we have struggled to learn how to become good parents.

A few days after her birthday we scrambled to throw together a (previously canceled) bubble-themed birthday party. With the help of my mom, who was in town for a basketball game, we pulled it off!


Harper had a great time with all her friends. My mom was the star of the event - she entertained the kids with songs and Ukulele music. Thanks so much mom!

New Year's Card

Life has gotten away from me. I completed our New Year's card on New Year's Eve, as we watched the ball drop. It may be arriving to mailboxes a little late, but at least it's done.



Yep, that's three posts for the day. If you know me, you know I'm kind of a numbers nerd and I couldn't pass up a blog post (or three) on 1.11.11!

Kissing Skills

We've been up to serious business here in the Allen home. After months of extremely open mouth kisses, Harper is making awesome progress on her kissing skills.

(Panda, am I crazy or does she look like Jack in this picture?!)

Luckily, she is still holding on to her apprehension of men - which although we're not encouraging, we're not exactly discouraging. especially considering this new... skill.

Rewind: Thanksgiving 2010

A few days before Thanksgiving, Harper came down with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. We had originally planned to travel with my family to my hometown to watch the High School football game and eat with friends. Not wanting to spread H's germs, the three of us stayed back in New Jersey and had our own dinner, while my family traveled.

We woke up late and were pleasantly surprised by a little snow storm. Harper had so much fun playing in the snow and trying to catch some on her tongue...

...until she realized that she was cold.

In the days following, we woke up at unreal hours to get some great deals on Black Friday, explored my parents historic (and adorable!) new town, and laughed at lots of viral videos with my family.


We completed the weekend by celebrating three birthdays, including Harper's first (where she was completely spoiled)! It took her some time to figure out what presents were all about, but was a pro in no time.


When cake time arrived, Harper performed flawlessly. She surprised all of us when she blew out her candle on her own. I'm sure she's been practicing for months.

Happy Halloween

It has been years since we really dressed up for Halloween. As usual, Harper has made the festivities so much more fun.


Last night, we transformed our storage room/basement into our "spooky" basement, complete with haunted house, spider webs, witches, bats and ghosts. This evening we had a little pre-Halloween bash with a few of our friends - many of whom have kids close to Harper's age.

The costumes were awesome!


My lovely friend, Krysta, made ALL of the delicious food. It was so cute, creative and delicious.


Earlier this week, my dad was able to come spend the evening with us. That night, our church was having the annual Halloween party. We had a great time!

eight months

On July 30th, Harper turned eight months old. At the time, we took a few notes, but have not had a chance to give a full update. So, without further adieu...

This month Harper had several firsts: her first plane ride, first camping trip, first family reunion, introductions to her great grandparents and the first time playing with her cousins, among several others.

Eating - Harper mastered eating real food this month. She enjoyed a meal of Gramma Jan's spaghetti and meat sauce while we were in Montana. The noodles disappeared into her little body (and to the seat of her high chair) nearly before we had a chance to take a bite of our own food. It was as if she had been introduced to a whole new world - and hasn't looked back. Ever since that trip, Harper protests the idea of eating pureed baby food. The only way we have been able to get her to eat it is by offering her some real food, wait for her to open her mouth, and then slip in a spoonful of peas, squash or some other nearly unrecognizable food. Before too long she had figured us out and would spit out the baby food as soon as she recognized it.

In other eating-related progress, Harper is doing really well at drinking out of a cup. She doesn't care much for her sippy cup, but loves drinking out of water bottles, glasses, or whatever else we are drinking from. This month, Harper also discovered the joy of snacks. It is amazing how many baby snacks there are. During a mountain trip in Montana, Harper even learned to share her baby "cheetos" with her Aunt Arielle.

Mobility - Harper has gone from an army-crawler to a bona-fide crawler. She really mastered the art while chasing her cousins around her Gramma & Grampa Allen's house. This month she also started pulling herself up on couches, coffee tables, legs of chairs and in her crib. As expected, this development has not been without its bumps and bruises.

Teeth - Harper got her second tooth this month, which was a much easier process than the last tooth. In fact, we didn't notice or suspect it was happening until it had already broken through.

Dexterity - Along with being able to pick up small foods, Harper has started to examine objects by turning them over and over in her hands - it's adorable.

Other items and pictures of note:
Harper started laughing a lot this month. However, the laughs sounded more like clearing her throat. She would "laugh" nearly all the time and would have laughing conversations with anyone that would humor her.

Playing in the mirror:

Enjoying occasional visits from Grandpa Manning while he's in town for business:

Riding on shoulders/tearing my hair out:

Hair update: