Working on a few things

Hi gang!

What fun we've been having as a family!  It's been super busy around these parts! Want a Harper update?  Ok, here you go!!

           Harper is two years old! know!! GTFOOH!! She is so active! She's still loves climbing, but has added running, hopping and skipping to her amazing physical abilities. Even as I write, she has her older cousin's jump rope in hand and is doing her very best to jump rope, only the rope is way to long and well, she's just jumping all over the place. Oh yes, little miss will be starting gymnatstics very soon!  And I'm sure her dad can't wait dor the day he can sign her up for track.  AAU, here we come, oh boy!

                                     She's such a an amazing learner already! Making the decision to move her and keep her in her current school is really paying off!  Her vocabulary is really soaring, though her favorite word right now is... No.  I really don't like that word..  But it truly is so much fun watching her grow.

Yes, that super cool tutu, was made by yours truly!  I love making them!

My schedule has been super busy as of late, but for good reason (More on that later!!)  Between working, Harper, our commute (ugh!), kickball and life, finding time to blog has been a but difficult.  But I'm working on it!

Can a Working Mom practice Attachment Parenting?

That was my question as I pondered this parenting style and the undeniable fact that I was returning to work.  Nonetheless, I was determined to make it work!

As a teacher/educator, I have the benefit of added in breaks to my work schedule.  Due to the fact that Harper was born via (emergency) c-section, this afforded me 8 weeks as opposed to 6 weeks of maternity leave.  And my maternity leave ended right before Spring break, so I had 9 wonderful uninterrupted weeks with my girl!  I was a babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding junkie!  And I loved every minute of it!  As did Harper.  Due to her small size at birth, I definitely wanted to do everything I could to ensure her health and development stayed on track.

Then came the dreaded day that I had to go back to work.  I had to make sure everything was in place for my girl and our style.  I found a great caregiver.  When I started back to work, I came with breast pump in-tow!  Fortunately, my position and schedule allowed me to sneak away at leaast twice a day to pump.  My body certainly had to adjust to the new schedule.  When it was time to pump, boy was I ready!!!

When we got home, it was babywearing and breastfeeding time!  This allowed my girl and I to reconnect and allowed us to maintain our bond.

Almost a month after I went back to work, a wonderful thing happended... SUMMER BREAK!  Two more months of time with my girl. 

Now my high needs baby is a high needs toddler (different blog post for a different day!).

Yes, you can work and practice attachment parenting.  Work to achieve the right balance for you and your family.  And enjoy the ride!

Harper turns 1!!

Technically it was almost two months ago, but hey, I like remembering good times!

Customize your own digital collage

Wordless Wednesday

Harper turns 1

Harper celebrated her 1st birthday on February 16.  She partied hardy with her friends and family!  Wanna see?

It's my birthday!

I'll cry if I want to!

You see me right?

Singing Happy Birthday is serious stuff!

Melanie and Harper's bonding time!

A cupcake fit for a little Princess!

No updates?

So it has come to my attention that I don't update my blog enough.  I have no idea what you guys are talking about!  Two updates in 6 months sounds good to me!  Ok, here's what I'll do.  I'll do two posts today.  Yes, just for you, I'll do it.  Are you excited? 

A Crosskey Update
Sheriss
I'm good!  I'm back to what I love... working as an special educator at the elementary level.  Enough with the semi, wanna-be adults (high schoolers!).  And I'm back in Tampa!  Having the beaches and beach culture right at my disposal is awesome!  Now, if Ican just find the time to get out there more!  My current challenge?  Balancing all that I do and staying sane.

Johnny
He's doing good too.  His sports league is expanding into Orlanda which is great for him. But it means he'll be traveling a bit, which, of course, we'll miss him.  But you gotta do what you gotta do!  He's also got his hand in a lot of pots and is trying to manage it all.  Pray for him folks!  :)

Harper
Our girl is doing just fine!  Walking, talking (in her own way) and getting into everything!  As of February 16, she turned 1.  Amazing, I know!  Truly doesn't seem like it's been a year.  She's still a little one, weighing 16.5 lbs and standing tall at 27 inches.  Her doctor doesn't seem to be concerned with her small frame and so neither shall I!  She's finally saying mama regularly! 

That will about do it for now! But wait, get ready, here comes another post!

Wordless Wednesday-- 4th of July

God gave me you!

Happy 4 months sweetie!  I can't believe it's been 4 months! She's getting so big you guys!  By the way, in the pic above, her bibs sometimes don't stay in place and end up looking like a cape sometimes.  We call her Super Baby when that happens.

 What is she up to these days?

• Harper loves to stand!  I think she thinks she can walk.
• She's sleeping through the night!  Well tecnnically!  She gets up at 3, is back down by 4, and sleeps until 10.  My kinda girl!!
• She was napping like a champ, but lately she's back to the 10 minute power nap. 
• She freakin' loves her dad.  Stops crying when he walks in, smiles whenever she sees him.  Out of control.
• She's a tummy time queen! She's raising herself up and turning her head.
• She's teething now, which is awesome!  Crankiness, extra drool, screaming at me when she eats.  Love it!
• She went for her first swim with her dad this past Sunday

She so much fun and seems to literally do new thngs each day. We love watching her grow.  This one's for you baby girl.

Fun Friday!

We made it! Friday is here!  (OK, technically it's Thursday, but close enough, right?)

It's time to catch up with Harper.  Would you believe she is just over 10 weeks old?  Outstanding, I know!!  She handled last Friday's round of shots very well.  Of course, she weighed in.  McFatty now weighs 8lbs 8oz!  I was so surprised to hear that!  I though maybe 7ish, but now she's over 8 pounds!

Almost forgot!  Harper's uncle (my brother) came for a visit two weeks ago.  The two of them hit it right off. And promptly went to sleep.

 

Harper is sharing more smiles with us lately...

She's also sharing something else... lots and lots of gas!!!  Which her doctor says is fine, but good lord it's a lot of it and it's loud!!  I'm just waiting for the day she decides to share during a quiet moment at church.  It's coming; I can feel it!

So, Johnny likes to put his head next to Harper's from time to time and just smile this huge kool-aid smile...

He's so happy she looks like him.

So after countless times of him doing this, I got jealous of their twin moment and tried to have one of my own...

Yeah, not quite the same. 

Oh well!  Happy (almost) Friday!!

Harper at two months

Can you believe it?  We have a two month old!  We also just realized that we get to celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day this year. Crazy, right?

Harper and I have been pretty much inseparable these past two months. After all of this quality time, this is what I know:

• Harper looks just like her dad.

• She loves being near her dad and being held upright.

• Harper is a fan of extremes. She’s either really happy

 or really mad.

• Harper is a huge fan of cloth diapers, especially pocket diapers right now.

• She has to be completely asleep before we put her down.

• She loves to eat! She knows the breast is best! Our 4lb 15oz newborn now weighs 6lbs 8oz. Let’s hear it for McFatty!!

• She’s a sweet little person and we love her very much!

Easter 2010

Harper's first Easter was so much fun!

Part 2

Tuesday, February 16
After laboring all night, I just knew I was fully dialated.  Just knew it.  They checked me in the morning and  wouldn't you know it, 1cm.  That sucked.   But then, my mom walked in!  Bright spot in the morning! Now here's where my memory gets fuzzy.  Towards noon, I'm checked again.  1cm.  Good lord!  Why am I not dialating?!  Then my midwife comes in with the bad news.  She wants to give me Pitocin to speed up my labor, in the hopes that I'll dialate more.  Pitocin, you guys, is the devil!  But I handled that bad boy as long as I could!  Then after hours of ridiculous pain and no break in between, I said the dreaded words.. " Give me the epidural".  I hated it, but it had to be done.  I know I could have handled contractions without it, I was doing it!  But that Pitocin?!  Yikes!  So I think I fall asleep then.  During this time apparently the nurse is coming in and checking monitors, checking the baby's heart rate.  Which, apparently, had been going down.  No one thought to clue us in!  Then this random person comes in to take my blood, saying it's routine with C-sections.  Hold on a doggone minute!  No one said anything about a C-section!!  But at this point, my water had been broken for over 40 hours, which isn't good.  So I'm wheeled in, given more drugs and cut open!  When Harper came out, she didn't cry at first.  But I wasn't worried.  Then I heard the faintest cry and my heart melted.  My baby was here!  All 4lbs and 15oz of her!

Harper had a few things to deal with at first.  They felt she'd swallowed her own #2, so they placed her on antibiotics and had an IV going into her little arm.  Then her sugar was low.  She was born at 5:21pm.  After they took her away, I didn't see her again until 9:45.

She stayed in the hospital for a week.  So did I!  So many emotional ups and downs that week, just trying to make sure our daughter was ok.  We learned about blood platelet counts, white blood cell counts, jaundice, and other infections.  But God is good!  Our tiny one came home WITH us that Saturday. 

And wouldn't you know she's been making her presence known ever since?!  And we are soooo in love!