Harper's First Swim

Harper's first time in the pool was while we were on vacation in Orlando.  I expected her to cry, but she really had no reaction to the water.  She was pretty chill.  The water to me was cold, but it was no big deal to her.  She'll be a water baby for sure.

Tiny Dancer

I always knew when I was a kid that I wanted to have a daughter that enjoyed dance as much as I did.  I started dancing when I was three years old and continued to dance until I was nineteen.  As I've been told by my mother, she put me into dance class because I was so clumsy.  I had two left feet so to speak.  I think she hoped it would help me with my coordination and to be more graceful.  From the day I started dance I have always loved it.  It came naturally to me and led to so many other opportunities.  I've always been a shy person, but on the stage I shined.  I felt comfortable there because I was doing something that I was good at.  I was in several musical productions, dance recitals and eventually dance performances and cheerleading in high school.  Dancing was my passion.

Delaney has shown an interest in dance.  I knew that as soon as I could, I would sign her up for a class.  Most dance studios take kids starting at age three.  With Delaney being a few months shy of three years old, I found a parent and toddler dance class through the city.  This class is specifically for two year old children.  Last Saturday was her first class.  I had mentioned to her a couple days prior that she was going to take a dance class and she was so excited.  The morning of the class she asked me, "Am I going to dance class today?!"  I didn't have to remind her.  She knew it was happening.  That's all she talked about from the moment she woke up until her class started at 10:30am.  I will also mention that dance class sounds more like "chris cass" coming out of her little two year old mouth.  Pretty dang cute.

She did pretty well following directions.  I mean she is two, so she did get distracted a few times.  And she  may have ran off to a small trampoline that was in the corner of the classroom more than once.  We sang songs, danced and tumbled during that 45 minute class.  When we left she told me, "Mommy I love chris cass!"  She's also been asking to go back.  We only go once a week on Saturday mornings.  So waiting an entire week is an eternity for her.  I'm looking forward to the next class as well! 

I hope my sweet angel loves dance as much as I always have.

Starting Solids

I was going to wait until Harper was 6 months old to start solids.  I mean really, what's the rush?  But she's been showing signs that she may be ready.  So on Monday, June 5th we decided to give it a try.  Daddy set up the high chair (a gift courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa F).  Delaney wanted in on the action and insisted on being my helper.  "I do it Mommy!"  All while I'm making sure she doesn't shove the spoon too far back in her mouth.  This independence stuff can be hard to handle at times.  Delaney is so strong willed.  I have no idea where she gets that from.  Wink =)  Back to Harper.  She has been watching us eat for a while and is going through SO much formula throughout the day.  She took the spoonfuls of rice cereal like a champ, but not knowing what to do with it once it was in her mouth, she spit it out.  We haven't tried to feed her the rice cereal again since that day.  I'm planning to try again this weekend.  She'll get the hang of it soon I'm sure.

   

Epcot

Two things.

1) I'm mad at myself because most of the pictures I took while on vacation SUCK.

2) I want a new fancy camera VERY badly.  But that's not going to happen anytime soon.

All of the pictures I posted in my previous vacation post were from my cell.  The actual pictures on my little Canon aren't great.  I love taking pictures and would love to take a photography class someday.

Anyways, moving on.  I'm skipping the pictures from Magic Kingdom because there weren't many.  It rained a lot that day and I was busy keeping children happy.  Plus it was crowded.  So let's skip to Epcot shall we?

Epcot was nice because it wasn't crowded at all.  It rained very little that day.  And I was able to drink a margarita.  Holla!

Wonder where I get my pasty paleness from?  That man right there in the middle.  Mi Padre.  Poor Jordan has inherited that trait too.  Lucky him!  But we're awfully cute together aren't we?

 Posing for his Mom.  He knows me so well.  Thanks Jordan!

The highlight of Delaney's day was meeting Daisy.  She adored that cute little duck.

We also visited the World's showcase.  Jordan enjoyed Canada. 

 Kierstin's favorite was France.

And me?  M-E-X-I-C-O!!  That's my mango margarita right there.  Yum!

That is all.

Five Months Old! 06.07.12

Harper Leigh you are FIVE months old!!

Sleep: You continue to amaze me and sleep like a champ.  You are so easy to lay down at night.  You give me a big smile.  I kiss your head and turn on the crib toy that lights up and plays music.  Within 5 minutes you are out.

Feed: You are still eating every 3 to 4 hours and anywhere from 4 to 6 ounces. We did start some rice cereal which I will talk more about later in another post.  We switched your formula to Emfamil Nutramigen which was suggested by your pediatrition.  You've had some tummy troubles and the change seems to be helping.

Weight:  The last time you were at the doctor you weighed 15 lbs 13 oz (May 16th).  I'm guessing that you're around 17 lbs now.  You are a chunk!

Length:  We haven't checked your length since you were 4 months old, but your 6-9 months clothes fit great in length so I know you're still above average for your length.

Diapers:  You are wearing size 3 diapers.  Usually Huggies or Costco brand.

Clothes:  You are wearing some 3-6 month clothes, but mostly 6-9 months.

Hair Color:  Your hair seems to be getting more blonde, but there's still some light brown in the back.  I love to smell your hair and kiss your head.

Eye Color:  You have beautiful blue eyes.  I love them.

Milestones:  You reach and grab at everything now.  You hold toys with one or both hands and put them in your mouth.  If I have your bottle in my hand in front of you, you get excited, grab it and put it in your mouth.  You laugh all the time now.  Big Sister D can make you laugh like no one else can.  You think she's hilarious.  Also, when we lay you down on your back to change your diaper you immediately flip over onto your belly.  You're so fast!

Favorite toy:  Your newest favorite toys are your feet!  You grab onto them all the time.  You still love your play mat, the activity bouncer where you can sit up and look around and of course your hands.  You also like to hold onto blankets and chew on them.  I'm pretty sure by the amount of drool that we've seen lately that you're teething.

You've had so many firsts this past month!

First time on an airplane 05.27.12

First time in Orlando 05.27.12

First trip to Magic Kingdom 05.29.12

First trip to Epcot 05.30.12

First time swimming 05.31.12

First trip to Hollywood Studios 06.01.12

First trip to Universal Orlando 06.02.12

First vacation!  05.27.12-06.03.12

First taste of solid food 06.04.12

First day at daycare 06.05.12

I have so much love for you Harper.  Each month keeps getting better and better.

XOXO

Mommy

Vacation Highlights

We just got back from a fabulous week long vacation in Orlando, Florida.  While traveling with kids is stressful, we managed.  Getting thru airport security was the absolute worst.  Then trying to keep an infant and toddler happy on the flight was a close second.  We may get on a plane again when Harper is oh...18 years old.  HA!  Not kidding!  I plan to blog more about our vacation, but thought I'd post a few highlights for now.

Delaney did fairly well on her very first plane ride.  She hated wearing her seatbelt so that was a constant battle, but she loved looking out the window.  We kept her occupied with snacks and movies.

Thanks to my Dad and Step-Mom we stayed at this beautiful resort!  We had a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom suite that  accomodated our huge party of ten.  It was complete with living room, dining room, full kitchen, washer and dryer.  We also had a large open balcony that overlooked the pool area.  Absolutely perfect!  Being able to do a load of laundry when I needed it was such a lifesaver.  We were also able to eat at the hotel room instead of spending a fortune at a restaurant and trying to keep the two little ones happy at the same time.

 We took a family photo inside Magic Kingdom.  I do believe this is the first family of six photo since Harper was born.  Not too bad.

Delaney loved every carousel we came accross.  She road the one at Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney and Universal.  Her absolute favorite for sure.

It rained off and on while we were there.  Not exaclty ideal when you're pushing two strollers and carrying a diaper bag etc. but we dealt with it.  Friday at Hollywood Studios was the worst day.  It poured rain for hours and they cancelled the Star Wars stuff that was going on.  This is my favorite park because it has the best rides.  So that was a bit disappointing, but we did ride our favorites and had a good time.  

 Our sweet princess wearing her big sister's hat!  She did so well being drug around the parks and slept well at night in a crib she wasn't used to.  Such a trooper.  We usually had a chorus of screaming coming from the backseat of the SUV between Harper and Delaney.  My poor dad.  It's a lot to take in when you're not used to it.  Welcome to my life!

 Kierstin and Delaney loved the princesses.  Kierstin bought and wore a Princess Jasmine costume.  Pictures of that to come later.  I tried to get Delaney to wear a princess costume, but she wanted nothing to do with it.  Sigh.  Maybe on our next Disney vacation.

 We visited the Wonderful Wizardly World of Harry Potter inside Universal.  It was smaller then I thought it would be, but still AMAZING.  Jordan and I tried the butterbeer, complete with the butterbeer stach.  It was like drinking carbonated butterscotch with vanilla foam on top.  Way too sweet.  Jordan may have drank too much butterbeer before riding a few extremely fast rides and ended up tossing his cookies in the trash can in front of Honeydukes.  Not his finest moment.  Poor kid.  I don't think he'll ever want butterbeer again.

Right inside Epcot we spotted Daisy Duck.  Delaney FLIPPED OUT when she saw her, which surprised me.  I thought she'd for sure be terrified of these characters walking amongst the parks.  But she was the exact opposite and couldn't wait to go hug her!  She kept saying, "Hi Donald."  We corrected her, but she insisted that she was saying hi to Donald.  Love it!

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW.  MORE TO COME!  

My One and Only

Jordan will always hold a special place in my heart.  He is my first born.  My one and only son.  He and I were on our own for six years until I married Rob.  He was my man.  My main squeeze.  My entire world revolved around one little boy.  Those days seem so long ago yet I remember them like they were yesterday.  Life wasn't easy, but he has always brought so much joy into my heart.  I've always wanted to do what's best for him and give him the best of everything that I'm able to.  He's so special and will always be my baby boy.  Just showing my boy some blog love today. 

 He's becoming so handsome the older he gets.  He's going to break many hearts.  Watch out girls!

 He's the best big brother.

He's almost a 6th grader.  I cannot believe it!

 He's often goofy and trying to make everyone laugh.

He loves his little sisters and they are lucky to have him as a big brother.

He's going to be taller then me very soon.

Love you Jordan Alexander.  To the moon and back.

xoxoxo

Mom