Harper-3 Month Stats

9 WEEKS

10 WEEKS

11 WEEKS

12 WEEKS

13 Lbs
23.5 Inches
Size 1-2 diaper, 3-6 Month clothes
(just about to start pulling out the 6 month summer stuff...
the outfit she has on in the 12 week pic is 6 months!!)

This has been a fun month. Harper has really started smiling and "talking!" She especially responds to daddy's voice. She eats about 4 oz, every 3 hours during the day. At night she typically only gets up once. The day she turned 11 weeks old, she went to bed at 9:00 after eating, and didn't wake to eat again till 5am! (I actually kind of like our late-night feeding... I learned from Brax that that phase ends faster than you realize, and then you miss it when it's gone! So I appreciate our snuggle time while the rest of the world is fast asleep.) She has established a pretty predictable eating/sleeping routine, especially on days that I work. I do think she nurses more thru the day when I'm home than when she has bottles when I'm gone.

Tuesday-Thursdays (my workdays) resemble something like this:
6am-nurse with Mommy, back to sleep till 9ish.
9-eat (bottles thru the day when I work Tues-Thurs)
10-11:30 nap
11:30-eat
12:30-2:30-nap
2:30-eat
3:30-4:30-nap
4:30-eat
6:00-nurse with Mommy
6:30-bathtime, while Daddy and Brax play
7:00-snuggle with Daddy while Mommy bathes and puts Brax to bed
8:30-nurse, then bedtime
2 or 3am-nurse

She usually falls asleep easily in her crib and sleeps hard during her naps, but at night time, she is a little restless when we are putting her to bed. A couple times she has managed to land herself in bed with Mommy (who also goes to bed at 9:00!!), where she quickly calms down and falls asleep, then Daddy puts her in her crib when he comes to bed.

She has had a few weeks where she goes a day or so without pooping, which makes for an uncomfortable little girl, but she still never really cries much. She is easy to please-loves to snuggle or sit in her bouncy, or lay on her playmat. She's not a huge fan of tummy time, though. She would rather have you hold her sitting up on your lap so she can look around. She will turn her head from side to side while she sits on my lap, just taking it all in. She seems to really love looking around her room.

Harper loves her bath... now she will kick her little legs like crazy and splash. She also likes batting at her toys when she lays on her playmat.
The BIG milestone for the month was that she rolled over from her tummy to her back (11 weeks/5 days). She was just laying on her playmat and flipped herself over!
I have also had so much fun putting all her headbands and bows on, and painting her tiny toenails! (Her feet always look better than mine!!) Her beautiful, long, dark baby hair is starting to "shed." I'm anxious to see if it grows back in super-blonde like Brax's did, or if she remains a brunette...

Cuties

Harper happy to be getting ready for a bath...
I love her little sideways grin! I think she's going to have a dimple!

Brax, proud of his artwork.

I kept this masterpiece because it was the first thing he's done where I noticed him working very deliberately... He chose each color very carefully to "match" the letters in his name and tried his best to stay on the letter. And he made very purposeful strokes under the letters--little lines here and there, and then big blotches of red and black. Anyway, it was fun to watch him work so hard on it, so we took a photo of the finished product!!

HARPER ROLLS OVER!!!

On Tuesday (while I was at work *sniff*) I got a text from our nanny (Miss Noelle) telling me Harper rolled over! Well, since Brax took his sweet time and didn't roll over for what seemed like forever, I just assumed Harper would be the same. AGAIN, it is proven to me that they are SO different! At just under 3 months, Harper did, in fact, roll from her tummy to her back. I had to see it to believe it! I got the 4th roll on video when I got home from work on Wednesday nite.

Drum roll please.....
Here it is!!
P.S. After you hit play, click on the video box to make it full screen.
My blog layout cuts off half the small screen.

Harper and Her Fist

I just thought this was cute how she munches on her fist and makes a slurpy noise...

UPDATED: Lazy Sunday Turned Best Sunday Ever

Scroll to the bottom to see how this Sunday continued on to be one of the best EVER!

Jace showed up at our door this morning and wanted to play.
It's cool and rainy, so we had a movie morning. They watched Jungle Book together!
Brax was cracking up at this movie! They also had a popcorn snack... Brax has never had popcorn that I know of, and he pretty much ate the whole bag.

Harper enjoyed the show as well during her tummy time.


These are from yesterday...
She looked so cute in her little flower socks and her crochet headband and flower!!
(Her grandmas know how to doll her up right!)

After we did "movie morning," we ate lunch and then took a big family nap!

Mike put Brax down and ended up falling asleep with him for 2 hours.

During that time, I nursed Harper and then laid her in bed with me and we napped together for about an hour as well! (I ran 6 miles Sunday morning... I was pooped!) I really wanted to grab my camera and take pictures but I wasn't about to risk waking everyone up!

After a great dinner of fish tacos, Spanish rice and beans

(my new favorite meal to make-I should have taken pictures of this too, and posted the recipe!),

we headed to Dairy Queen where they were having buy-one-Blizzard-get-one-for-25-cents!

So we got two large blizzards and I completely negated my 6 mile run from that morning...

The best part of this DQ run was the fact that Brax was STILL in his jammies!

He was styin'...

He LOVES ice cream as much as his mommy does.
He had fun going back and forth between Mike and I's Blizzards, saying, "Can I have a bite?" after EVERY bite!

I want every Sunday to be like this one!

Momma and Me

Ok, so she's not a mini-me, but we sure look cute together anyway, right?
Why do us moms always hope that at least one of our kids looks like us? It's like we feel that since we put in all the time and effort baking them in the oven, they should at least return the favor by resembling us so everyone knows who to give the credit to.
Hee Hee Hee

Brotherly Love

Well, it's been almost 3 months,
and Brax hasn't asked to send his baby sister back yet.
He is still so sweet to her--he always wants to run and get his step stool so he can see her better, whether it's in her crib while she's sleeping or while I'm changing her diaper in the pack 'n play. Every now and then he asks to hold her, and he will frequently insist on putting her nite-nite (pacifier) in her mouth himself. (He has even learned which way is the right side up, and how to do it gently so she doesn't gag!)

He wanted to make sure her nite-nite stayed in her mouth because she kept spitting it out and crying.

I was trying to get her weekly picture next to her doll, but Brax kept insisting on being in the photo. I actually got some cute ones!!

Enjoying the Backyard

I would grill out every night if the weather would allow...
Here are some of my favorite pics from last Monday when we were cooking out!

Bathtime and Bedtime

Is there anything better than a baby fresh out of the bath???

A couple of nights last week Harper came to bed with me (something I am usually very against!)
She was really fidgety and restless in her crib and I was exhausted... She falls asleep immediately when I snuggle her, so we did just that for a few hours until Daddy came to bed and put her back in her crib. I do love snuggling her, but I don't sleep very soundly because I'm so afraid of rolling over and suffocating her!

Sweet Girl

This was so cute-Harper was perched on the couch, just kicking and stretching and smiling.
I wish I had a picture of me at this age... I keep wanting to believe that she looks like me!

Fieldtrip to Deanna Rose

I am SO loving having Mondays and Fridays off... Friday is our "chore day" where I try and get all the laundry done and grocery shopping done. Then on Mondays I try and take the kids on a "fieldtrip." Last week we went to the Deanna Rose Farmstead... I love that place!

Brax antagonizing the chickens.

Playing in the water.

This was his favorite--the "tractor engine" he calls it.

Petting the calves. I learned that a dairy cow produces 6-7 gallons of milk a day...
And I thought I was good...

Brax thought the tepee was pretty cool...

...but riding the tractors was the most fun!

Watching others fish. You can buy buckets of worms and rent a pole...
The kids we were watching were having more fun with the worms making "worm bracelets" than watching their grandparents fish!

This was so sweet... he stopped to pick some "flowers" for me.

Swim Lesson Success and Lollipop Love

Brax had his 3rd swim lesson on Friday. During the first two, he belly-ached through most of them and I had to sit behind the viewing window so he wouldn't cry for me the entire time. Both times, however, he would say, "That was FUN!" once we got in the car! He gets a sucker (sugar-free, of course!) after each lesson, so that helps too...
(Click on the link to buy these awesome lollipops--they are infused with licorice extract which has been proven to kill cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth. It's a win-win... kids love them, and they are GOOD for their teeth!!)

Anyway, this 3rd lesson was a success! I reminded him that as long as there were no tears, Harper and I could stay and watch him. He did GREAT! He even put his face in the water as he swam back to the wall! I got a short video (it's a little dark though), right before Harper dropped a load in her britches and it blew out up her back, all over both of us... She is 3 for 3 on pooping while we're at swim lessons. Does the scent of chlorine act as a laxative????

2 Yr/9 Mo Stats

HEIGHT/WEIGHT/:
39 1/4 inches (he's grown over an inch since January!), 31.2 Lbs (still a lightweight!)

NEW TRICKS:

• Opens doors (can turn the door knob, I mean)
• Golfing! (Daddy is SOOOOO happy!)
• Will take his dirty dishes to the sink if I remind him (I want to make this a habit, but I forget! I refuse to raise a son that just leaves dirty dishes around for his wife to pick up!)
• Puts his clothes in the hamper (Again, you're welcome future wife.)
• Helps me empty the trashcans around the house-he will hold the big trash sack as I dump them in, then he drags it down the stairs and sets it by the door. Such a big helper!
• His imagination is taking off. He makes his toys talk, and pretends that toys are other things than what they really are (like a car will fly like a plane, etc.)
  

FAVORITE FOODS:
Tried (and loved) tiliapia and salmon, and oranges; loves asparagus (but it turns his wet diapers into stink bombs!); he'll eat TWO packages of instant oatmeal AND an adult sized container of yogurt for breakfast, LOVES chocolate milk (milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast in it--somewhat healthy, right?).

FAVORITE BOOKS:
Thomas the Train "Early Readers." We got a book that has a collection of 6 Thomas stories in it at Sam's, and he would seriously have me read the whole thing over and over every night if I'd do it.

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:
Riding his big boy bike (he can pedal like a champ now!), playing with his little toy motorcycle/trucks/cars, hitting golf balls, drawing with sidewalk chalk (especially after pouring water on the concrete-it makes a bright, chalky paste that's SO fun to rub all over your hands!)

DAILY ROUTINE:
Up around 7:30, nap around 1:30, to bed around 8:30. There have been a few days this month that he hasn't fallen asleep during nap, but instead sings and talks to himself and his moose, whale and cars that are in bed with him! I don't care if he doesn't fall asleep, but we will continue to have daily "rest time" for awhile. Maybe more for me than him.... HA!

FAVORITE SONGS:
He's been coming home from school singing new songs... like "I'm squishing up my baby bumblebee... Won't my mommy be so proud of me... OUCH-he stung me!!"
It's really cute to hear him sing "Jesus Loves Me."

DISLIKES:
Waking up, usually. Changing his diaper (way too busy for that.)

POTTY TRAINING STATUS:
Because I went back to work and our new nanny started this month, I put potty training on the back burner. However, every now and then Brax will feel like peeing in the potty and he'll do it (I'd say he's done that all of 5 times this month), but other than that, we haven't really done much in the way of making progress! Towards the end of the month, he moved up to a new classroom with 3 and 4 year olds at his Montessori preschool, and the teacher encouraged us to send him in Pull-Ups for a week or two and then try sending him in underwear. She said it typically only takes a couple of accidents at school (which she doesn't mind dealing with) to prompt kids to pee in the potty. So we'll see how next month goes...

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET/BRAXISMS:

• We were at my grandma's house, and my cousin's little boy was there (he's almost 2). Brax moved in to give Ethan a big hug, and Ethan pushed him away (he has a big sister who I'm sure has conditioned him to be on the defense!!!) Brax shook his finger in Ethan's face and said, "Don't push!" and then forced another hug on him!
• At the park one day, another kid took one of his precious sticks (he collects sticks WHEREVER we go!) He put his hand out in true Dora fashion and exclaimed, "SWIPER, NO SWIPING!!"
• I forget what he was showing me, but he asked, "Can you imagine what's this?" [what this is]
• Sitting on the potty, waiting for pee to come. He laughed and said, "I'm gonna shoot my pee pee at you!"
• I forget what I said, but he responded, "You are certainly right."
• "This is a competition."
• "I'm curious."
• We are working on him waking up with a smile and a "happy attitude" instead of a hateful yell. He has been getting better--when he IS in a good mood upon waking, he will exclaim, "I HAVE A HAPPY ATTITUDE!!!"
• One day he figured out how to attach some trains that have hooks on them. He was so proud of himself-"I'm a big boy! I did it all by myself!"
• When I tuck him in, I tell him how special he is. One night he added, "And I'm funny."
• He likes me to make his food "talk." When he says he doesn't want to eat any more, I will pretend like his food is talking in a funny voice saying, "Oh, please eat me too, Brax! I really want to be in your tummy with my food friends! Please pick me with your fork!" Sometimes the bites even fight to be the next bite in his mouth... It always gets him to clean his plate! (Even though I sound like a dork.)
• Early one morning while I was getting ready I noticed him stirring in bed on the monitor. I watched as he reached over and got a Kleenex from his nitestand, wiped his own little nose, layed the tissue back on the nitestand and then went back to sleep. This really isn't big exciting news, but I couldn't help but think about how big and independent he is getting. He doesn't need me to wipe his nose for him anymore!!!
• I also noticed one day as we were snuggling on the couch watching cartoons that his little hand has outgrown my palm. Before I know it, his hand will be bigger than mine altogether!
  

2 1/2 Month Comparison

It is amazing how strikingly different siblings can be. Even my pregnancies with each of my kids were polar opposites (Brax-a breeze, Harper-made me not ever want to be prego again!) and I'm learning more and more about how even tho they have the same parents, Brax and Harper are nothing alike! Brax was always (and still is) extremely animated and easy to amuse. He was a very busy, antsy baby, and is full of energy. Harper, on the other hand, is very content, quiet and laid back-she loves to just sit and snuggle. And the girl makes me do cartwheels and stand on my head for the smiles you see in pictures-she is not as easily impressed with my photography antics as Brax was! She usually looks very serious in her shots, giving me a look that says, "Mom, you are SUCH a dork," where he was usually grinning from ear to ear with his mouth wide open.

Here are several photos of each of them around 10 weeks old.
Harper has so much more hair than he did, and I always thought he had alot!
Each pic of Harper is followed by one of Brax. I just love going back thru his baby pics... I can't believe he's such a big boy already!