Holidays 2010

Wow, does time fly!!! Harper is so much fun right now, I just don't want to take the time to blog because we're too busy playing. She is fully verbal now, having full on conversations and it is truly amazing to witness her development. I'm so lucky to still be home with her, it's been a tough transition for me but I wouldn't want to miss a second of this! Just yesterday, we went to the grocery store and she was so good, I gave her some Veggie Booty on the drive home. When I passed it back to her in the car she said, "OH! Pirate Booty! hee hee, ha ha, oooohhh! I so lucky! Oh, it's so delicious Mommy!" I was blown away--the things she says now! She had a bit of a runny nose this weekend and when she got up from her nap yesterday she said, "I feel a lot better." She's so aware and can tell us when her tummy, teeth or head hurts. That sure takes a lot of guess work out of things! She's super helpful too. Anytime you say, "Harper can you help me with..." she's on it! She loves to help me cook (and is much more likely to eat what she helps prepare), clean, etc.

What have we been up to over the past 2 months? Hmmm.... Harper and I flew to Boston to visit family and the two newborns of two of my best girlfriends. Colleen & Scott

welcomed Baby Kellan October 17th, and Becky & David welcomed baby Evie September 10th. We got to visit them bunches, but when I held a baby, Harper screamed, "NO MOMMY! PUT IT DOWN!" Something to work on... we got her a baby doll for Christmas to see if that can help? We also went Trick or Treating in the neighborhood I grew up in (my mom still lives in the same house) and hit all the houses I used to visit when I was little. The same people still live there! It was surreal and it brought back so many great memories. We visited Granny, Gramps, Memere, Pepere, Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Lindsey & the kids and we got to go to the Bouncy House with Cousin Jen and Merrick. It was a busy trip but we got to see a lot of people!

Thanksgiving was great! We were expecting Auntie Karen and Cousin Max to be here while Uncle Sal had knee surgery, but he ended up not doing the surgery so we all got to visit and hang out for three days. It was SO nice to have family here! We cooked a big dinner and had a blast, relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. Harper was in heaven--she adores Max and had a blast jumping on him. (:

I started volunteering at the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Center again once a week. They have a lot of new horses that need to get ready for the program so I'm working with a little Morgan mare named Ruby. She's sweet and I just love being back up there! I reconnected with all of the "lifer" volunteers I have missed so much. It feels right to give some of my time.

Lakota is doing great--he is so happy at his new home! We're riding 2-3 days a week and taking lessons at the barn next door. Life is good for us!

Rudy went through a lot of testing, medications and tons of trips to the vet with an awful skin condition. She was literally wasting away in front of us. She was finally prescribed a steroid and diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder after three weeks of awfulness.

She's on the mend but still has a ways to go. She lost 10 lbs. in under 3 weeks. It was very scary, but we think this medication is working and she's mostly back to herself.

So now, we're gearing up for Christmas, and then we leave for Nicaragua/Costa Rica on

Dec.

28th. It will be Harper's first International trip--we have her adorable passport and she is ready to go!

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Fall is here!

Well... it has been way too long since I've updated this blog! I didn't think anyone was reading it, but I guess some people still are! Which is great, thank you for checking in! Harper is growing like a weed, but is still a little peanut. She celebrated her 2nd birthday on September 3rd and rang in the new year with 10 of her little 2 year old friends. I guess we're lucky that so many of our existing friends had babies at the same time as we did. We set up the pool, play sand, toys and ordered pizza. I made cup cake cones to top it all off. It was a blast!

Harper weighed in at 23.5 lbs at her two year check up and 32 inches tall. She's a peanut compared to most of her friends, but she's on the growth chart and healthy as can be. She had another bad reaction to the two shots she got at her check up, so no more till she's three, and we'll only do one at a time from now on. For some reason, she reacts strongly to any more than one at a time. We're still holding off on a few (MMR, chicken pox, etc.) and will only do them if we have to. I'm leery at this point... ):

We've been busy... that is to say, Harper has been keeping ME busy! Always on the go go go and talking up a storm. She is speaking full sentences now and can communicate exactly what she wants, when she wants it. She's keeping me on my toes and testing limits, as a 2 year old should! We've been to the pumpkin patch twice with Lily, the Zoo, pool, park, indoor play place... anything to get out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather! Got to get it all in before the snow hits... but temps in the 70's the rest of the week, so looking good!

Pictures update better than my words can, so here are some pics of Harper with her friends Gracyn & Lily and a few others from the past couple of months. Enjoy and thanks for checking in! If you still read the posts, would you comment below so I know if I should keep going with this? Thanks!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Things in the Lastick household are going great! We just got back from a trip to S. Lake Tahoe and Wine Country California. We all flew in together last Wednesday (Harper was an angel on the plane!) and then Harper spent Fri-Sun with Auntie Alice, Uncle David, Forrest (5) & Spencer (3). She. Had. A. Blast! Tom and I ventured up to Sonoma for a beautiful wedding at a vineyard and had a relaxing weekend with friends while Harper played with her cousins in Tahoe. We all flew back to Denver on Monday and again, Harper was wonderful on the plane.

She is talking up a storm, putting 2, 3 & 4 words together. She can pretty much relay her needs verbally all of the time now. The trouble beings when the answer to her request is "no". Then, she turns into a 2 year old. Most

of the time she is fun, energetic and on the move! She LOVES water--we hit our neighborhood "beach" at the lake almost every day. She loves to have Mommy catch tadpoles for her and squeals with glee when they squirm in her hand. I am already teaching her to let them go quickly and not to catch the same one twice. Harper spends Tuesdays & Thursdays at daycare with Jackie and her two boys Brody & Wyatt and another little girl Ava. She is in love with all of them and talks about them constantly. Silas is still with us on Wednesdays. On the other days, we spend almost all day outdoors and going on adventures to the beach, pool, hiking trails, Zoo, etc. Harper is so content when she is outside!

We finally broke down and bought a used pop-up camper! I think Harper will love sleeping outside in her camper bed... hiking, exploring & just being with Mommy & Daddy. She is so fun, and we are enjoying every second we have all together. Camping will make us get out and have fun instead of sticking around to do house projects...

Harper has been singing a lot lately. As soon as we get in the car she says, "Singing. Beep beep bus." so we sing the wheels on the bus... over and over. (: Sometimes she'll sing but we can't really understand the words, but it sounds so sweet!

She still sleeps great! Mostly 7:30p-7:30a with a 1 1/2-2 hour nap in the afternoon. We're having so much fun at night, we don't want to put her to bed. We have dinner & go for a walk in the wagon while Harper has her after dinner treat--yogurt & fruit pop, watermelon or ice cream. This is a favorite part of the day for all of us, especially the dogs.

Here is a video of Harper singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star from her book, and then singing about other random (undecipherable) things. Enjoy & thanks for reading!

I love my boyfriend!

Harper and her little boyfriend, Levi haven't seen each other in a while. He came over today to play and Harper instantly fell back in LOVE!

Bear Fun

Harper is feeling SO much better this weekend! She is back to her normal, mostly happy self. She's playing on her own a bit more and really enjoying the company of Memere, Karen, Max, Dixie & Domino. Today, she chose Big Bear as her favorite toy. Here is a video for Daddy, who is still in India:

I love you Daddy!

For Daddy:

We Miss Daddy!!!

It's been a pretty eventful month in the world of Harper. She's growing like a weed and talking up a storm! She's starting to put 2 & 3 words together, which blows us away every time! She had her 18 month check up when we got back from San Diego and all was well. She is a peanut, weighing in at 20lbs 6 oz, but is 100% healthy. She's been going to daycare on Tuesdays & Thursdays which is great for all of us! I can get a lot done around the house and Harper has made a lot of new friends. She seems to really like it, but is much more clingy with me when she gets home. She's also having trouble getting herself to sleep these days. We started helping her by rocking her to sleep, but that really isn't doing anyone any favors, so we're trying to break her of that.

Tom left for India last Wednesday, and Memere arrived on Saturday. She's supposed to be here for 2 weeks, but may need to go home later this week to help take care of Granny. We'll see--but fingers crossed she stays! She is such a big help! Harper was really sick Fri & Sat, so she's been clingy with her Mommy, not letting Memere do much with her, but Memere has been helping in other ways--gardening, weeding, clearing leaves, cleaning up and a much needed extra set of hands (aka--pack mule). Yesterday we went to Pearl St Mall to shop and play and had a great dinner out with Sal & Max. Today, we met up with Pam, Lily & Lily's Grammy, and Tenica & Gracyn at the Denver Zoo. Harper still isn't 100% back to herself, but her fever is gone and compared to Friday, she's doing great!

Here is a video of Harper smelling a flower and putting on a show to send to Daddy! Hoping to post more videos soon, as Tom has the picture camera...