8 Months Old

Where oh where do I begin? Let's see this past month once again has been a blur. Time truly flies with a baby. I mean the days are long, but the months FLY by! This month I feel like my baby has started to transition into a "pre-toddler." I think that is because he got his 2 bottom teeth last week. He'll have teeth for the rest of his life (not those teeth, but teeth in general) so I guess it just seems like he's "growing up."

This month has been a busy month in the life of Harper. I started back to work on Fridays at our church teaching a Kinder Enrichment class, so now Harper goes to "school" on Fridays..... We are also in the process of moving (Movers come on the 29th!) to Montgomery so Harper's new toys are boxes and bubble wrap! I've also had Project Prom most Saturday Mornings so he has had lots of special time with daddy (to make up for the week that daddy left us to go to the Masters) and two of his buddies were born: Charlie and AnnMarie. Whew! It's been a busy month!

Harper is pretty much a text book baby and so easy going. We're so blessed with such a sweet, mild mannered baby. He is a great napper when his mama keeps him on schedule! He still takes 2 naps a day for about an hour and a half to two hours. He wakes up happy and is pretty much happy all day long. He is a great nighttime sleeper. too....now that the teeth are in....he goes to bed around 8pm. We start our wind down routine with dinner at 5pm, followed by lots of play time with daddy, a long bath, a little milk, and then it's off to counting sheep. Harper use to fight going to sleep at night, but now he wants his paci, lamb (or rabbit not really sure what animal it resembles) and the heartbeat machine and he's out! He moves around a lot a night. I never know what position he'll be in when I get him in the morning. He sleeps on his side with his face covered up, it's really cute! I guess it's because when I rock him he snuggles and turns his cheek toward me.

As far as eating goes Harper eats 4 for times a day. He gets milk and oatmeal for breakfast, followed by milk, fruit, veggies, and meat for lunch and dinner, then a bottle before bedtime. He LOVES to eat. He devours everything except green beans....which is really funny because that is one of the only veggies that his daddy will eat. He screams really loud and makes a fist when you don't feed him fast enough. It was really cute at first, but I'm starting to think he's developing a red-headed temper! If he sees anyone else eating he gets really mad and will scream until he gets a bite! I guess that is why he has some serious thunder thighs! Some one even called him a "bruiser" the other day I guess maybe he really is chubby! I've given him pieces of bananas, apples, blueberries, grapes, and green beans. I usually feed it to him or it won't make it to his mouth. For a snack I've given him puffs, biter biscuits (I don't recommend.....totally messy!) and zwieback toast. I'm not really sure when we'll start eating table food, maybe after this move is over with.

Recently Harper has started to pull up on everything. He is not content just sitting in my lap, he'll grap whatever he can and pull up. Last week he was sitting in his bath tub and tried to use the ledge to pull up. I thought it was really cute so I sat back and watched. Well, it wasn't so cute when he toppled face first into the bathtub. My heart stopped. It was his first "accident" and my first horrible parenting moment. I think he was more scared than anything especially as the water splashed in his face. It was awful, I can't even describe it. After he calmed down we finished the bath. He was trying to pull up again so I had to say "No." I can't believe it's already that time. I think he's starting to figure out what that word means.

He still loves to play on the floor with his mound of toys. He loves his Fisher Price Stage and microphone rattle best. He is a master at the ring stacker. He squeals with excitement when he takes off the rings. He has recently gone crazy in the johnny jump up. He bounces vigorously, I mean today after about 20 continuous minutes of bouncing I took him out and he was sweating!! He's working out his legs for crawling. Speaking of crawling he's not too interested in things that involve him being on his tummy. He will scoot backwards, but not fowards. I'm sure he'll start to crawl right as we move! I guess that is good timing, I don't want to baby proof two houses!

I think Harper's laugh will always be one of my favorite sounds. He laughs out loud when he is being tickled. He has several ticklish spots....under his arms, tummy, and thighs. He giggles at Baxter and anytime I throw him in the air. I always try to video his laugh, but he gets serious as soon as the camera comes out.

I still can't believe he's 8 months old. We have already celebrated so many milestones. I am so thankful that he is healthy and happy. It is just a JOY to watch him grow and see him turn into the person that God created him to be.

Happy 8 months Harper! We love you :)

AnnMarie has arrived!

My dearest friend Rachel Spencer Golden gave birth to a precious baby girl on April 16th. AnnMarie Claire Golden was born at 6:54 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was born exactly 10 months after her parents got married! She weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches long.

The Golden Family

Today makes me feel so old...... As little girls Rach and I would talk about our wishes and dreams for our future family and kids, and today we are both moms! I just wish I could be there to meet the little miss and see what an amazing mom Rachel is!

Chompers!!

Well as of last night Harper has 2 teeth!! I have thought that he was teething for the past 5 months because of the enormous about of drool he has been producing! Everytime he would cry or drool I would say "he's teething." I think my friends think I'm crazy, because that has been my excuse for months! His teeth are not very visible yet, but you can definitely feel them. (The front two teeth on the bottom)

Harper's best buddy Cooper bought him The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss to celebrate the arrival of his bottom chompers! Cooper has 8 teeth, so it's time that Harper gets a tooth:)

Boys and Bluebonnets

A post at last!!

Well a couple of weeks ago Angela, Ashley, and I went to Creekside Park in The Woodlands to take pictures of the boys. Clark graciously volunteered to take the boys pictures, little did he know they would EAT the bluebonnets, rocks, and dirt! Let's just say we could have been on America's Funniest Home Videos to get the boys to smile. At one point we were all yelling Baxter, Tallulah, and Madi to get the boys to smile. We had to tell Clark that those were our dogs names!! We got a couple of good pictures. Harper wasn't feeling so photogenic during this photo shoot, check out those lips!!

Luscious Lips!

A Spring Day with Harper!

For Bear Pa and Char Char's birthday we got them a photo session with Harper. Harper was quite a trooper, we were singing, dancing, fake sneezing, and making crazy faces for him to smile. Jamie always captures some great shots! Here are some of the pictures from our session.

7 Months Old

I feel like I should ask my parents to write this post since they have had Harper most of the month! I'm still in shock that he is SEVEN months old. I'm reminded of a poem that a friend of my moms gave me and how TRUE it is....

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow,

For babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep!

I am starting to realize how true that poem is.......babies don't keep! I miss my lumpy, dumpy newborn, now he is a wiggly, giggly boy! I really love this stage because he can do so much (except crawl!!) He can sit up, roll around, grab toys, kick, scoot, play peek a boo, and let me read to him. He laughs when I do something silly and giggles when you say BOO! He flirts with everyone we come in contact with and is just so happy! I can leave him for a minute and he's till relatively in the same place when I come back. If I leave something on the table during dinner he'll grab it. He wants everything and of course puts it in his mouth. We had our first spill at a restaurant, I know that is the first of many!

This past month Harper has started to eat fruits. He now gets fruits, veggies, and milk...a balanced meal! I'm supposed to start meat, but it just smells so darn bad! I think I might cheat and do the chicken with rice instead of each individual meat. Harper loves to eat, he hasn't missed a meal. I put some frozen blueberries in a strained spoon and he LOVED it, now he has a permanently stained purple bib! When I get out the jars of baby food or cereal he goes crazy. He starts grunting and kicking his legs. He is so excited when I put his bib on and put him in his high chair. He is still a toothless wonder. I knew for sure that he was getting a tooth because of his drool.....it seriously floods.....but to my surprise it was an ear infection. He has been such a healthy little guy, but this month he got his first ear infection. I never had problems with my ears when I was a baby, but Cam had tubes. So we're about to find out whose genes he got!

Harper's favorite things to do this month consist of playing with Baxter (what cheap entertainment!), swinging at the park, playing with his fisher price stage, taking a bath, being held, watching Praise Baby, being lifted high in the air, and listening to Mama sing. (I only sing for Harper) His least favorite things are diaper changes and eating meat.

Harper is still a great night time sleeper. We had a few nights, mostly when we got back from New Zealand, where he wouldn't sleep. That's when we found out he had an ear infection so we'll excuse those 2 LONG nights! He goes to sleep around 7:35 and wakes up between 7:30 and 8:00. I've gotten pretty accustomed to him sleeping in so I sleep in too. I need to not be so lazy! Harper has now mastered putting his paci back in his mouth. This works out great for the middle of the night. He often rolls around so much at night that his paci is no where near him, which poses a problem! I never know what position I will find him in when he wakes up in the morning.

We are about to move and I know is going to start crawling as soon as we move. I haven't bothered to baby proof this house, but I must starting thinking about the new house. I'm getting sad thinking about all the memories we've made in this home. I love Harper's nursery and I'll be sad to leave it. I hope the next people will enjoy it as much as we do.

So goodbye six months, hello seven months! I can't even imagine how much he is going to change over this next month!

In Loving Memory of Ross Franklin Boerstler

My Granddaddy died on Monday, March 3rd around 9 pm. He had just celebrated his 87th birthday in January. My Mom, Harper, and I were in town to spend time with him for his birthday weekend. We asked him what he wanted and he replied…. “ A new heart!” Well on Monday he got a new heart as he went to Heaven to be with his Lord and Savior. Of course this is a very sad time for our family as we lost a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and dear friend, but it’s almost hard not to be jealous as he is in Heaven tonight. He went peacefully without any pain, and the nurse even said what a blessed man to go so quietly. The last hour of his life he spent with his baby girl, my sweet Aunt Jan, who watched America’s Funniest Home Videos with him while he “belly” laughed the entire time. What a way to spend your last hour! I have the assurance that he is in heaven singing with a choir of angels.

We arrived in Henryetta tonight and it was so hard to walk into the house knowing Granddaddy would not be there. I could still see him at home..... sitting in his recliner, singing hymns as he got ready in the morning, drinking his sweet tea (and sighing) at the head of the table, and making silly faces at all of his grandchildren.

Meeting Harper, his first great grandson!

I am so blessed to have him as my Granddaddy and I can't wait to see him again one day in heaven.....I know this is not a goodbye, just a see you later.