Summer fun!

We have been having a blast this summer! Every day, we get out and go to the pool, park or for a hike. Harper and her baby friends are really starting to enjoy each other's company. Last week, we hung out with Levi for a couple of days while his mom went off to work. Harper and Levi were so cute and kept each other entertained all day long! When Levi came down from his nap, Harper smiled and did her "happy dance"!

Harper is just starting to take her first moves forward crawling. She gets very frustrated because she really WANTS to move, but can't. She can pivot on her tummy, roll and push herself backwards to get where she wants to go, but crawling forward is a challenge. She'll move one arm, then one leg, then fall onto her stomach. Any day now... we're definitely ready! She's been fussy because she just wants to get to her toys!

Harper absolutely loves the water! She splashes, laughs and kicks her arms and legs in an attempt to 'swim'. Her favorite move is to "jump" in from the ledge. It brings a laugh every single time.

I'm realizing that Harper needs more interaction with other kids her age at this point. Being home with her is wonderful, but she's definitely missing out on some social time. I'm looking into watching a 16 month old for 2 days this fall. He would come to our house from about 8:30-3:30. Watching Levi last week made me realize how much Harper enjoys other kids. I think it's time... I meet with this other mom tomorrow. Turns out, I know her mother-in-law. We'll see how it goes, but I'm looking forward to it.

Harper is slowly moving toward weaning (pphew). She is eating a ton of solid foods and gradually decreasing how much milk she wants/needs. I'm VERY excited for this transition and I think she is too. She's getting to be such a big girl!

Baby hike!

Yesterday we went for a hike in Eldorado with Derek, Monica and their 11 month old Levi and Grant, Nancy and their 18 month old Porter. We had quite the baby brigade going on! I forgot my camera (grrrr!) but got a few shots with my phone. It was a great time and all of the little ones were so good and had a blast. We followed up with lunch at our favorite spot, the Southern Sun. We should definitely do it more often! It was the first time using our hiking pack, and we LOVED it.

Mass Trip!

We're back from a month long trip to Massachusetts! It was so great to see all of our east coast family and friends! We had a lot of quality time at Memere's house... for 2 weeks we shared the upstairs with Jeremy, Austin and Analyse. It was tight quarters, but we really enjoyed spending so much time with them. Harper enjoyed 2 beach trips and absolutely loved playing in the sand and water. She is definitely a beach baby!

I flew with her by myself both ways, and she was a champ. She is so eager to move these days, so she was very squirmy, but generally content most of the time. Harper also started chowing down on any kind of finger foods we can throw at her. She doesn't like anything pureed and the only thing she'll eat from a spoon is yogurt. In MA, she ate and loved haddock, watermelon, mango, steak, chicken, zucchini, pasta... you name it, she'll eat it. It's great! BUT, she still will not feed herself. She's pretty content being doted on and hand fed by us. Such a princess. (;

Tom and I enjoyed a day of golf, a trip to Fenway for the Red Sox v. Yankees game, and a fun night out for Jeremy & Lindsey's wedding. We haven't had that much time without Harper since before she arrived. It was a nice treat... we were lucky to have so many family members & friends willing to help out so we could make this happen. Thanks everyone! Mom and Granny said she was the best behaved baby in the world. Yup, you heard it, in the entire world. ha ha! Not sure about that, but she really IS a good, fun, energetic, entertaining, smart baby girl.

While we were gone, Harper started to almost crawl... she is soooo close. She also got to try out a baby walker at Memere's house. She thought it was a bouncy chair, so she only moved backwards. We decided we had to have one at home, so we picked one up from someone yesterday and she's getting the hang of it. She can turn and go backwards like a champ, but it takes some effort to take steps forward. Same with her crawling... she can go backwards, sideways and roll everywhere, but hasn't gotten the hang of going forward yet. She's ended up under the couch, crib and dresser with her little head and arms sticking out.

We're getting back into the swing of things here. We have yet to download more pictures, these were taken with my phone. I'll get more up as soon as I get organized.

#1 Nuggets Fan

Since the Celtics are out, Harper decided she'd be the #1 Nuggets Fan. Fair enough, she was born in Colorado! After a Nuggets win, she woke up with this Birdman hair-do. No joke, we didn't touch it, this is how she woke up! (I did photoshop in the "jersey")

Harper and I leave for Massachusetts in a few hours... we're very excited but wish we didn't have to have a day of travel to get there. Thankfully, she's a good baby, so we should be okay. I've got $$ in my wallet, so if all else fails, I'll buy drinks for the folks around me (thanks for the tip Andrea!). And, a string tied to her favorite toys will keep me from searching under the seats at the end of the flight (thanks for the tip Rebecca!). We sure are lucky to have so many great Mom friends!!! We'll be sure to update the blog while we're gone. See you in 4 weeks Colorado!

Da Da Da!!!

SO MANY NEW THINGS! Every single day!!! Harper's latest is saying, "Da da da" and blabbing as if she is having a conversation--lots of times, with herself. Tom is, of course, loving this new babble, since it sounds like Daddy! When she's tired, upset she says, "Mum, mum", but when she's happy it's now "Da da". What's wrong with this picture?! (;

She's also moving along to finger foods. She's eating egg yolks, beans, cheese, potatoes and she even tried some chicken, courtesy of Da da da. No wonder she loves him so much!

She's still rolling here, there, everywhere. We had to set up the pack & play outside the bathroom so she can sit and play while I shower. She seemed to like it, as it has all of her favorite toys inside!

Last night, she went to bed screaming because it was so HOT in her room.  We played with her for a bit and got her room cooler so she could sleep.  When I put her back down, she was still a little upset, so I handed her "Piggy".  She smiled, hugged and "kissed" piggy and immediately calmed down.  When I checked on her later, she was sound asleep, on her tummy with her legs curled under her and using Piggy as a pillow.  It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.  I gently moved Piggy and turned her over, without a peep from her.  I think Piggy will be her lifelong favorite.  (We aren't even sure where Piggy came from!)

Back on the Food Train

After a phase of not wanting to eat, Harper has finally jumped back on the food train! For the past week, she has been loving just about everything we can throw at her: yogurt, peaches, peas, prunes, soggy Cheerios, pears, avocado, sweet potato, toast, pancakes, croissant... she loves trying new things! I make most of her food, but gave in to some jarred baby foods when she wasn't wanting to eat. Making all of that food just to be tossed was getting annoying. Now, she eats mostly homemade stuff, some jarred (prunes, pears).

Harper is a rolling machine! She mostly rolls to the left... so she rolls the length of her room and then has to be turned around to roll on back. She LOVES it... smiles & giggles the whole time and looks so proud of herself when she reaches a toy.

She continues to be a good baby... hardly fusses at all (really, truly), sleeps great, naps, plays, loves to go for walks & drives, is content as can be when she's outside.

Harper & Squirt 8 months

We had our very first Mother's Day last weekend. Daddy & Harper cooked brunch while I went to my endurance swim group... I came home to my favorite flowers (calalillies & tulips), a nice card & photo of the two of them and an amazing brunch! It was the perfect first Mom's Day!

Summer seems to be offically here! The sun is out, flowers are in bloom, weather is nice... which means it's time for CUTE summer dresses!

Clever Baby!

Well, we always knew Harper was pretty smart, but last night she blew us away!  I happened to be up around 3am and thought I heard a little peep from her room.  I tip-toed to the door and low and behold, there she was in her crib, playing with her feet and cooing softly.  The crazy part is, her ocean wonders fish tank was illuminated and playing music.  She had turned it on all by herself.  I've seen her turn it off, but thought it was dumb luck that she had hit the button on the front of the tank.  This morning, when she woke up, I went in to feed her and she had turned it on again!  I have to think it is deliberate and she does it to have something to play with or to soothe herself.  What a clever little girl!  We are so proud!

Our month of visitors has sadly come to an end.  Grandpa, Memere and lastly Grandma & Crow, who left this morning.  Harper really enjoyed spending time with all of them!  Today, she is exhausted!  So much socializing has made her want to catch some good zzzz's, which is fine with me!  

She is now just over 8 months old.  She can now roll from her back to stomach (but doesn't care to, she much prefers to sit up or lie on her back), says "mum, mum" and "Ba, ba, blah", is back to eating some solid foods--but is as picky as her Daddy--her favorite being soggy Cheerios, sleeps all night, takes 2 naps a day and is generally very happy and content.  She is so inquisitive and serious at times, you have no question what she is thinking--all you have to do is look at her expression.  She is a very animated baby.

Harper and Mommy head back to Mass for 4 full weeks on May 27th!  We're so excited to visit everyone without rushing, and to go to Jeremy & Lindsey's wedding!