Day 4: A Stranger

It's funny, you go to a park with a kid and there are immediately more smiles. More smiles from me. From Harper. From strangers. I think it's because at a park anyone can act like a child, and no one looks at them differently. Neal can balance and dip on the balance beam while Harper watches adoringly. You look across the way and two grandparents are sitting on the swing next to their granddaughter and they are all young at heart. Two teenagers slide down a slide and they're still considered cool. It doesn't matter how old you are, when you're playing at the park you are transported back to your school days when the best parts of your day were recess and nap time.

This POD was hard for me today because of the old "Why is this crazy taking a picture of me" fear. In the second picture Harper was absolutely cropped out. And in the top one, I totally pretended like I was taking Neal and Harper's picture, when instead I was creeping on this guy watching his two boys play.

And because most of you are family and all you really want to see are pictures of Harper, here is Harper during our day at the park...

Day 3: Hands

He's hooked. I watch him watch her, and it's clear...he is wrapped around her finger already.

Those hands will be there to wipe away her tears, to catch her when she falls, and help her walk along the path. And when she can stand alone, those hands will be there for her to run to, and jump into; they'll clear away the dirt and build her treehouses or dollhouses or both.  They will steady the bike and let go before she even knows she's ready. When she's grown, those hands will pat her back along with an, "I'm so proud of you." They'll clap for her when she walks across the stage to accept her diploma. And they'll walk her down the aisle to the man who loves her almost as much as he does.

She is safe in his hands. She is loved. And he is hooked. 

Challenge Day 2: Words

Feb. 2 Challenge: Words

Dreams. Oh, how I have dreams! Dreams for me, dreams for Neal, for our family, and of course for Harper. So far, my dreams and my dreams for my family have come true. I am married to my best friend, and I have a beautiful, happy baby girl. 

Here are some things that I dream for Harper:

I hope she learns to share...her earthly possessions as well as the gifts that God has given her.

I hope she isn't afraid to try new things.

I hope she loves freely.

I hope she gets everything she works hard for. 

I hope she never forgets how much I love her.

I hope she ignores the doubts that creep into her head.

I hope she becomes a strong, independent woman.

I hope she respects the adults around her.

Your View Today

So I'm jumping on a Pinterest Photo-a-Day bandwagon. I mean, that's how this blog started, isn't it?! I've totally slacked on the blog front and needed some motivation to get my real camera out. I'm bumping it up a notch, and am going to try and write for each picture as well. So since today is actually day 2 of February, here's yesterday's POD (Bruce and Becky, you were so ahead of the game here!!):

It's official. I have a mover. She's everywhere. It started a little bit before her half birthday with an adorable army crawl. She just pulled her whole lower half wherever she wanted to go; pure dead weight. She has to have some serious upper body strength for that. Then right around Christmas she started rocking, and going from sitting up to all fours...she stayed like that for awhile. But was like she needed an audience...we went down to Austin for the holidays and she was off. It was slow, and a lot of times a mixture of crawl/army crawl. In the beginning the army crawl was faster, more efficient. Then she got the hang of it, and I can hardly catch her now. I'll turn around for a minute and when I go to look for her, I have to guess which room she's wandered into. She's not afraid of the dark, and she loves the maze of the dining room table.

Now that she's pulling up all the time, her next move will be cruising. She loves to "walk" with Mommy and Daddy. She's had the steps down for awhile, but now she's getting the strength to stand and move along her crib/couch/TV console.

There's so much to learn from such a little creature. She's fearless; she loves to explore. She never gives up, no matter how long it takes or how many obstacles are in her way. When did I stop being like that? I hope that as her mom, I encourage that sort of mindset in every aspect of her life. We talk about the dangers she runs into and the things she shouldn't do (standing up against the stove, chewing on the new TV table). We let her bump her head and get stuck because that's how she'll learn to persevere. It's hard to watch her fall and not catch her; but I know that every bump, every tear, every scratch is a learning process.

In the span of my lifetime, 8 months is nothing. But to look back to June when we brought home  our sweet Harper and all we did was watch her lay in one place or sleep in our arms, and only 8 months later she's a moving, clapping, babbling little babe...8 months is HUGE!

So there's my view from today...trying to catch Harper!

Happy Harper!!

I'm putting this everywhere I can think because it's the cutest thing EVER!! I can't believe that she played along with the camera actually rolling...

I LOVE my happy girl!!!

I've watched it so many times, and every time I do Harper starts clapping next to me. So happy!!

One Word

Once again, my favorite stranger blog got me thinking. She asked, “If you had to focus on one word for 2012, what would it be?” This was actually really easy for me to answer. And if I stop to think about it, I don’t like that it was so easy for me. That means I’ve been thinking about it too much. 

I’ve had a hard time recently finding my “niche” as a new stay at home mom. I’m not the crafty stay at home mom (although I do have two craft projects going...both sort of at a stand still right now though, ha!). I’d prefer not to be a “stay at home all day every day” sort of stay at home mom. I’m never going to be the stay at home mom that spends all sorts of money putting my kid in all sorts of programs so that I really don’t have to actually spend time with my kids. But I’m also not the go-getter, put myself out there, call up everyone I know and have a playdate kind of stay at home mom either. Although, that’s the kind I want to be. 

Ever since I left the small pond of Panhandle and entered the big sea called College, my ability to meet new people or put myself out there has really sucked. In college, I swore I was going to meet new people and not just hang out with “Panhandle People” (uh, can you say snob?). Well, as it turns out, I didn’t. And I hated my first two years of college because of it. 

I’m not the kind of person who when I get bored, I think of something I want to do and call around until I find someone to go do it with me. In fact, most of the time I’m pretty content just sitting at home being bored (What’s the saying? Only the boring are bored? Something like that...). But I hate that about myself. Even with my best friends...I just wait around until one of them calls me to do something, and then I immediately drop the absolutely nothing I’ve been doing all day and jump on the opportunity to hang out with my girlfriend(s). What's ridiculous is that I've also turned down so many of those invitations for no good reason that it's a wonder they still want to be friends with me. 

So...I want to be more of a doer. Granted, there is definitely a fine line here between being a doer, and being too busy. I don’t want to over-“do” it here. I want Harper to keep her naps; I want to be able to play with Harper, just the two of us sometimes; I don’t want to over commit to where I don’t enjoy the things I’m doing. But it shouldn’t be everyone else’s job to entertain me. 

This is even more important now that Harper is here. I want her to meet new people, to be comfortable in new situations, to be a doer herself. I’ve gotten better, too. Instead of sitting at home now, just the two of us, we’ll get out and go to Baby Bounce at the library or walk down to the park (yes, it’s January and we’ve been playing at the park...it’s been gorgeous here). But it’s still just the two of us more often than not. Yes, we have playdates occasionally, and yes, we have MOPS meetings we go to; but I’m finding lately that I need more. I need more adult interaction. I need more fellowship. I need to feel a part of something. I need to know I’m doing everything I can to give Harper everything she needs to be the person I want her to be (and, let’s be honest here...so I can be the person I want to be).  

So what’s the one word I’m going to focus on for 2012? It could be confidence. It could doing. I think I’m going to go with relationships, though. Because I know that there are women out there who can enrich my life and Harper’s. I know that some of these women are a part of my life already, women that I already love and respect and look forward to hanging out with more often; but I also know that there are others that I haven’t met yet (or haven’t gotten to know) somewhere out there (hopefully with kids Harper’s age) who will help me be the best stay at home mom I can be. Because it takes a village, right? 

*edit: After writing this post last night, I told myself that I was going to go to the Mommy and Me playdate at the church where we attend MOPS this morning...no backing out. And wouldn't you know it, my old self started to seep in as we were backing out of the driveway. " I'm scared...I"m not going to know anyone...Who am I going to talk to...We should probably just stay home..." BUT I sucker punched my old self, and went anyway. Even though there was only one other mom there, I"m still so glad we went. Harper engaged with the little boys that were there, and I got to talk to two women who I normally wouldn't have introduced myself to in a different situation. So even though I would've been completely content staying home and playing with Harper...I'm focusing on being relational. It's going to be a good year. 

7 Months!

Wow! Month seven was a big one developmentally for one Harper Louise. She can crawl; she's got the pincer grasp down and can feed herself (which means she's trying lots of new solids); she started pulling up; AND she's got a tooth finally breaking the gums. That's BIG stuff for such a little one!

She's spent a lot of time in her diaper...it seems easier for her to crawl and stand without her clothes slip sliding all over the hardwood floor. Plus, who doesn't love a baby in a diaper!

She got to see a lot of family this month; she celebrated her first Christmas; and she rang in a new year (not that she even knew!). 

Unfortunately, Harper is no longer the star sleeper that I used to rave about (gotta be that tooth, right?). She wakes up at least once (screaming usually), and we don't know know whether to feed her, let her cry it out (brutal), or give her ibuprofen. It's a freaking conundrum every night! I know it's just a phase, but I'm ready for her to go back to being the awesome sleeper so I don't have to stay up worrying about my poor parenting anymore! 

This month, I am loving playdates--watching her  and her little "friends" figure each other out is priceless. Harper tends to go straight for other people's mouths. But she's tough...she doesn't mind when she gets poked in the eye or when Ellie wrestles her to the ground with one of her awesome hugs...she just rolls with the punches. And Ellie is definitely teaching Harper a few things!

It's been an unspeakably hard month for some "mommy" friends of mine. Every time I think of Sweet Adeline or angel Conner, I hold Harper a little closer and thank God for every second I get to spend with her.