Where has the year gone...?!

It's hard to believe, but in just one week Haddie will be a year old! How did that happen!? Well... I guess we've been too busy to stop and think about it. Over the last 6 months we took a trip to Holden Beach & Charlotte, NC, Massachusetts, then Harper started pre-school, we put our house on the market, sold it, bought a new house, moved, I ran a 1/2 Marathon, took another trip to MA and now... we are gearing up for Christmas in the new house! Pphew... the new house is amazing, we love it here. The girls each have their own rooms and everyone is sleeping so much better. We also have amazing views of town, sunrise and sunset. There are 100's of miles of trails right from our front door--I have yet to repeat the same running route. We can walk to a handful of parks within 10 minutes and we can bike into Old Town Louisville to visit a restaurant, Farmer's Market or Street Faire. We're anxious for the summer festivities to begin so we can get down there for all of the great stuff. Harper is still at Douglass Elementary for pre-school since it's still on Tom's way to work. She LOVES it there and we didn't want to disrupt a good thing. Next year she'll go to Coal Creek for Kindergarten and we can walk there in 10 minutes on the bike path. 

Harper is growing like a weed and learning a lot. She can write her own name and any word you spell for her. She can count to 49 and has an amazing memory (she calls it her "remembery book"). She's back on the nap train (YAY!) and naps 3-4 days a week for 2+ hours. She's still in bed around the same time too, so we think it's just catch up because school is so exhausting. She goes Tues-Fri 8-10:45am. We're planning on signing her up for ski lessons for a Christmas present starting in January at Eldora Mountain. 

Haddie is almost a year and has been the most mellow baby--so happy and content most of the time. She naps well, sleeps great at night and is just a true joy. She is eating a ton and has been on bottle strike for almost 2 weeks now... but her doc isn't concerned and doesn't think she needs it. We are totally weaned so that I can take care of my health stuff and start to take medication to clear up my face. It's been a long road nursing her... much harder than it was with Harper. Haddie says "uh-oh" and "Hi" and a lot of other baby babble. She signs milk, all done, more, eat and waves hi and bye. The signing is great, we know what she wants and that makes things a lot easier.

Harper and Haddie get along great most of the time, until Harper decides she wants what toy Haddie has. Haddie lets her know that's NOT okay with a loud screech. Let the fun begin. ( :

We're home for the holidays, enjoying the new house and decorating the tree here. Thinking of a trip in the spring, but not sure where we'll go... trying to plan a summer beach trip with Jeremy & Family and Bee-Paw too. 

Well... that's it in a nutshell. Just a quick update... stay tuned for more. 

Room Share, 6 months, Yummies, Dentist, School, Rockies and Summer Fun!

Wow, Haddie is 6 months old already! Hard to believe! She weighed in at 14lbs 1oz a her check up yesterday--little peanut! She is 100% healthy and got an A+ from the doc. We started her a little early on solid foods since she seemed so interested in what we were eating. She ate like a champ from day one, never spitting food back out but happily chewing & swallowing while humming "Mmmmmmmmmm". So far she has tried (and loved) rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, squash, green beans and apples. We're giving her a few days on the same food to make sure she doesn't have any allergies. It's been fun for all of us, even Harper. When we go out for ice cream Haddie literally drools and watches every bite we take... we feel bad she has to wait several more months before she can have a taste! She continues to be a very mellow, happy baby almost all of the time. She loves Harper and will laugh at her whenever she has the chance. She sleeps 11-12 hours a night, but is generally up pretty early (5:30am) thanks to the sun and birds. She's taking two naps a day, 1 1/2-2 hours each and has been going down great.
Harper and Haddie started sharing a room when Haddie was about 3 1/2 months old and it has been mostly great. We were so nervous they would wake each other up, but that hasn't happened all that often. Haddie generally goes down first while Harper reads books on the couch. When Harper climbs in bed, Haddie rarely wakes up. I do think they wake each other up in the morning, but if one is up we're up anyway so it doesn't matter too much. They really seem to enjoy the company! Harper doesn't like sleeping in there w/ out her baby sister and Haddie wakes up looking around for Big Sis. (:

Sister Love.

Harper riding the train at Boulder Creek Fest

Harper is growing up way too quickly... she is such a chatter box, always talking, singing or having conversations with her "children". She can carry on conversations better than some adults (ha!) and gets this "matter of fact" look on her face and gives full on explanations of things (accompanied by hand gestures). She is too funny, and way too smart. She is usually five steps ahead of us. She is in a very demanding stage of her life, forgetting please and thank you quite often, rather shortening things to one word demands such as "milk!", "Water! With ice!" "Hungry!". It's quite absurd... we're working on manners in speaking as well as at the dinner table. Since Haddie arrived, she has been very good and gentle with her, but goes out of her way to get attention in any way possible when it is not on her. We're working with this, trying to make sure we give her tons of positive praise and attention so she doesn't seek it out in negative ways. She has also stopped napping, so most afternoons are filled with tantrums, screaming, whining and melt downs. She is a disaster when she's tired. Again, a phase of transitioning away from naps. She still does quiet time every day, and will sometimes sleep, but not very often. She's just too busy & can't be bothered.

Harper passed out in the car.

We visited Harper's preschool last week for an Open House/Play date. Her teacher seems good but since the program is new, they still don't have all their ducks in a row. We still don't know if we have morning or afternoon sessions... but it will be her home Elementary School so we really want her to attend so she can feel comfortable being there before Kindergarten starts.
Harper also visited the dentist for the first time and did a great job! She was such a trooper, jumping right up in the chair and opening wide, no fear, no worries. The dentist asked if she was SURE that was her first time at the dentist. She left with a Cinderella toothbrush, toothpaste, kid flossers, chapstick and a timer. She couldn't have been happier and keeps asking when we can go back. (:
We joined the Y this year and they have a great outdoor pool so we're planning on being there a lot this summer. Harper will also go to Sunflower Farm camp this coming week (Wed-Fri) for 3 1/2 hours each morning. They will do pony rides, feed the animals, farm chores, zip line, big swing and sprinklers, among other activities. Hard to believe she is old enough for summer camp!

Harper at her first Rockies game.
Tom took harper to her first Rockies game last weekend... she was very much into the playground, hot dogs, ice cream and walking up and down the stairs, but didn't sit to watch too much of the game. When she got home I asked her if she saw anyone playing baseball and she gave me this confused look and said, "No?"... like she was shocked there was a game going on. Hopefully she'll grow to appreciate sports games as she gets older. Right now it's all princesses, dresses and being outside playing.

We leave for North Carolina on June 23, spending a week at the beach and then three days with Dad in Charlotte (Dad is coming with us to the beach too!). Then we fly to Boston to spend a week with the Greenlaw/Wnek/LaJoie family. We're looking forward to a nice, relaxing, long vacation.

Haddie ready for summer!

We just bought a nice SLR camera (finally) so we can take some good shots of the girls. We're just playing around with it, but hopefully we can get some good pictures posted, instead of ones taken with our phones. The difference in quality is amazing!

Swinging...

Dancing the Months Away...

Haddie--5 mos w/ Squirt

Well, we've been in survival mode and our blog is evidence of this. I have lists in my head of "must do", "want to do" and "may never get to do for a few years"... the blog falls under the second category. (:
Haddie just turned FIVE months old this week, which is crazy. It's going by way too quickly. She is such an amazing, mellow, happy baby, we keep wondering how we got so lucky. She goes anywhere, smiles at everyone and is content 99% of the time. Seriously. I didn't think such babies existed! She's healthy, happy and growing like a weed. She started rolling stomach to back two weeks ago, and within days started rolling back to stomach. She rolls off her play mat and across the living room rug rather quickly. She's taking 2 long naps (most) days and is sleeping 11-12 hours straight through at night. We tried feeding her some solid foods last month, but she had some tummy issues so we figured she wasn't ready yet, so we're holding off a bit longer. We thought 6 months was a good time to start, but her doc recommended 4 months... we're back to thinking 6 is good... but she watches us eat and tries to grab our food, so she is definitely interested. She does great in the gym daycare and really doesn't seem to care who is holding her, as long as she can smile at someone. Her hair is growing in, but it's so blonde she still looks bald. Her eyes are still bright blue and we're starting to think they may stay that way. She ADORES Harper and will smile at her all day long. (:

Harper & Mommy at the dance recital.

Harper completed 16 weeks of dance class and had her recital a couple of weeks ago. As one mom said, "It's the cutest train wreck I've ever seen!" Yup, that about sums it up... but it was so stinkin' cute. They did a 30 second tap dance, a 30 second ballet dance and 30 seconds of freestyle at the end. There were other kids dancing too, so the whole thing was about 1 hour long... Harper watched all the other kids intently, sitting on the edge of her seat and clapping enthusiastically after each one was done. She was acting too grown up for words... hard to believe she is 3 1/2... She was having some behavioral challenges (not listening, tantrums and just generally disobedient) but she seems to have turned a corner. We realized much of it was us being too serious and expecting too much of her. We decided to get silly and give her more time and attention instead of rushing her all the time. It seems to be working well. She is super helpful and is amazing with Haddie--never rough, always super sweet. She talks to her in a high pitched voice and will say things like, "Hi sweetheart! Oh, are you drooling? Oh, how cute, here let me get a burp cloth." Adorable. She's been very imaginative lately... playing with her "children" in her room, cooking for them, changing diapers, cleaning, taking them to the doctor and setting up play dates. It's hilarious. We have good quality time when Haddie takes her morning nap and I think Harper really likes that. She also has time after Haddie is down at night for her bedtime tea and books with Daddy or Mommy. She is not napping these days, but will have Quiet Time in our room while Haddie naps in the afternoon.

Harper all ready to dance!

Haddie & Granny at The Old Mill

We ventured home for Easter weekend and Memere & Pepere put on quite the production! It was packed with family, tons of great food and an egg hunt for the kids. Uncle Jeremy dressed as the Easter Bunny, which was a huge hit. That was always Gramps' job, so it was nice to have his legend live on. Harper had a blast with her cousin, Analyse, and Haddie was held by people other than us for the entire day. We kind of had a nice "day off" to chat with friends & family. Analyse is coming to visit this summer (but doesn't know it yet) and I think it'll be such a great time for the girls!

Colleen, Scott & Kellan came to visit for a week and we had a blast! We played at the park, went to the Zoo, Pearl Street, Farmer's Market, out to dinner/ice cream, played here... we also traded date nights... Tom and I went out together for the first time since September! Yikes! Long overdue... and I got to go out w/ Colleen for pedicures and dinner. Tom and Scott golfed and went to a Rockies game. Harper and Kellan played beautifully together and she is super bummed they left. We are definitely missing having them around!

We are still using the Y a lot and their outdoor pool just opened up, so I see us being there a lot this summer. Pam, Lily & Michael just joined too, so we can all hang out together, and drop the babies in child care so we can take the older kids swimming. It's gonna be fun!!!
I'm getting ready for my first 5K this Saturday to qualify for the Bolder Boulder 10K on Memorial Day. I just want to get in a wave with my friend, so I have to run it in under 31 minutes... fingers crossed. I've been working out and running 5 days a week on average... getting stronger and the running is improving slowly but surely.

We're gearing up for our big vacation this summer... heading to Holden Beach, NC with Dad at the end of June, then spending a few days in Charlotte... then flying to Boston for a week. It'll be fun! We're all really looking forward to it.

Two months!

It's hard to believe, but Haddie is 2 months old last Wednesday! She had her 2 month check up on Tuesday and got a clean bill of health: 9 lbs. 6 oz., 21 inches long and 15 inch head. She's in the 15% for weight but is gaining nicely. She's just an itty bitty. (: She had to get one shot and was a little sore last night but seems to be back on track today. She is sleeping 6:30pm-7:00am consistently, with one feeing around 2 or 3am. NOT bad at all for a 2 month old! We moved Haddie from the hammock to the crib at night and she'sdoing pretty well with it. Still only up for one feeding a night but is having some trouble soothing herself to sleep, so there is some crying. We're hoping she can figure it out soon, but it's no fun to listen to any crying from her... she's starting to take longer naps, around an hour for the morning and afternoon ones (sometimes as long as three hours) so hoping for more consistent naps soon. She's really making eye contact and smiling big smiles at just about anyone. She is definitely a cuddle bug and remains very calm and mellow most of the time (except 5-6pm... witching hours!).

Harper is going great! She is so smart and "grown up". It's incredible to listen to what comes out of her mouth sometimes. Very clever. We are definitely in trouble. She goes to her daycare/preschool 3 days a week through February, then we'll be back on the Tuesday/Thursday schedule. She has dance every Wednesday and LOVES it. They will put on a recital April 28th and she is super excited. She also go into her "home" preschool starting in August, 4 half days a week (Tues-Fri). It's on Tom's way to work so we're hoping for the morning session... we shall see... we drop off the final paperwork this week. It'll be nice to have her at what will be her Elementary school--fewer transitions and a lot cheaper than a private preschool.

We're heading to MA so everyone can meet Haddie in early April. We'll be home for Easter, which is great! We are looking forward to Easter baskets, egg hunts, celebrating Tom's birthday and visiting friends & family.

We are starting to talk to Harper about Haddie moving into her room... this would mean stacking Harper's beds into bunk beds to make room for the crib. She wasn't thrilled about this until she saw her friend's bunk beds yesterday and now she thinks they are cool. We'll probably stack them soon than later before she changes her mind. And to get it out of the way so when Haddie is ready all we have to do is move her crib. It also means Harper needs to stop screaming for us at night (a ploy to get Tom to sleep in her room) and wait for her alarm to turn green in the morning before venturing into our room. She's been doing great so far, now we're waiting for Haddie to settle into sleeping at night a little better and then we can move them together. Haddie is a good sleeper, but makes a lot of grunting noises, and fusses a bit here and there. Harper will sleep through it, but I cannot. I'm looking forward to some sound sleeping... I feel like my ears are always pricked up waiting for the slightest noise.

One month in...

Well, Haddie is a month and a week old today and we feel so very lucky to have such a good baby! She was up to 6lbs 1.5 oz at her 2 week check up (she was 5 lbs 12 oz at birth) and at a
month we weighed her here and she was 8 lbs! She is gaining rapidly! She's fitting into clothes that didn't fit Harper till she was 2 months old. She is proving to be a great sleeper too! Right around 2 1/2 weeks she started giving us a good 4-5 hours of sleep to start off the night (8p-12a or something like that)... now she is sleeping roughly 7p-1a and thenup again at 4 & 7. Not too shabby for a month old! She's still just cat napping during the day, but we figured out that she naps for a long time in the afternoon if we are out & about... or sometimes she'll take a longer nap in the swing with the vacuum cleaner sound going on my iPhone. I discovered she liked that the other day when the actual vacuum put her to sleep. Aaahh ha! She is also super mellow, happy to hang out and only fusses when she's hungry, tired or just uncomfortable. I don't think she's cried for more than 30 seconds at a time. She's feeding well and took to the bottle right away--we tried it much earlier than we did w/ Harper because waiting seemed to turn Harper off of it. She's easy to soothe, loves to cuddle and adores Harper. She actually smiles at her! She's starting to really look you in the eye and track where you go. Not sure how much she can see at this point, but she will follow Harper with her eyes.

(:

Memere was here for 9 days after Haddie was born and was a huge help. Karen was around a lot too to help with Harper and bring meals. We had some amazing friends who also brought us food and took Harper on outings in the first few days at home. I don't think we cooked at all for the first three weeks--what a treat! When Memere left, Tom went back to work and us 3 girls were on our own. Daycare was closed for Christmas and then Harper got an ear infection so we were really on our own for two weeks! But we survived, figured a few things out and now we're back on our normal schedule. Harper enjoys her daycare days so she can play with her friends, and I enjoy the "quieter time". Haddie and I are getting to know each other quite well.

Harper is doing GREAT! She has never been unkind to Haddie and loves holding her, playing peek a boo and "Where's Haddie?" (she'll look all over the house for her as a game, really cute!). She loves to give her eskimo kisses, gentle pats on the head and tickle her cheeks. She has also helped me with all of Haddie's baths--gently washing her and helping me fill the tub with warm water. She is very much into the baths and even took a bath herself in the small baby tub. Cute. It's amazing how nurturing she is with Haddie... couldn't be happier with that! The rest was a bit of an adjustment but she seems to accept when Haddie needs attention or needs to eat, go to bed, etc. She's testing our limits and wanting us to do things for her we know she

is capable of doing, but I think some regression is expected. We are all tired but trying to be fair and kind to each other

Harper started a dance class on Wednesday morning for 16 weeks--ballet and tap. She LOVES it and does such a great job listening to the teacher. They will put on a recital at the end of the class, can't wait for that!

The days I'm home w/ both girls has been an adjustment, but we're at a point where we are getting out and about and having a blast! I had a major set back with nursing Haddie due to a thrush infection and about threw in the towel,

but a doctor's check up 2 weeks into the infection found I was allergic to the cream I was using to treat the thrush, so the rash, pain & burning was due to that, the thrush had cleared up in the first 48 hours. That was not fun! Good news is hydrocortisone cream & Benadryl cleared it up in 2 days. Pphew! Really glad that's over! So now I can pump milk again and have a little freedom... Harper and I had "Mommy Harper Morning" today... we went to her favorite restaurant (Huckleberry) for breakfast, picked up some art

supplies and played at the park. I think she needed some 1:1 time with me.

Tonight is the Patriots/Broncos game and Harper said she wants my team to win. (: Good girl! We picked up some supplies and made a Patriots onesie for Haddie (Littlest Patriots Fan) and a t-shirt for Harper (I love Tom Brady).

Julie comes to visit in 2 weeks (yeah!) and then we're hoping to plan a trip to MA in March/April sometime so everyone can meet Haddie. We're plugging along and having fun... baby stuff seems a bit easier the 2nd time around. Maybe we learned a little the 1st time?!

When Haddie was 11 days old we did a newborn photo shoot with our friend Megan Pisha of Make the Moment Last Photography. She is incredibly talented and got some amazing shots. The pictures on today's blog are a few of the ones she took. Enjoy!