Happy Easter!

We have had such a great day together as a family! Harper enjoyed her Easter basket... instead of filling it with candy I will eat, I got her a dress and a onesie from Target. They are both pretty cute! We had lunch with some friends and then watched the Masters this afternoon. We go to church on Saturday nights, so we did that last night. Harper did great! I didn't have to go to the cry room this time. And speaking of great, she slept SO well last night. She also went a really long time without eating- which is always a plus for me! :) 

She's wearing her dress that Kay-Kay (my mom) got her when we found out we were having a girl. I wish she was looking at her basket, but instead, she was very interested in the bamboo sticks that are behind our couch. 

I think she was yawning, but it looks more like she is in shock about something!

So sweet! 

She's 1 Month Old!!!

Today marks Harper's 1 month birthday. In a way it seems like much shorter than a month, and in another way, it feels like much longer than that! I think sleep deprivation plays a role in that. Corby was off work yesterday, so we went out to the Arboretum (botanical gardens) for the afternoon. It is absolutely beautiful out there! We walked around for a while, took some pictures, and then laid on a blanket in the sun. Then we went to church for our Good Friday service. The service was wonderful... I am SO thankful to be a part of such an amazing church. Since she didn't do too well last week, I decided to put Harper in the sling, and she didn't make a peep! That might be our trick to keeping her quiet in church until she heads off to the nursery. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the afternoon. Enjoy! 

Laying in the sun... she loved it!

She CLEARLY loves her Daddy!

This is one of my favorite faces that she makes! I love that Corby captured it!

Our group shots weren't very good. 

You can hardly see her, and she was rather upset! 

On a different note... We got a package from Annalise (the precious little girl I used to nanny for), and she had written our names on the card! If you think for one second that this didn't make BOTH of us cry, you are wrong! She is growing up SO fast... I sure do miss her! 

What 4 hours of sleep looks like...

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I rocked her to sleep and was successful. The only problem is that she doesn't understand that once she is asleep, she needs to stay that way for at least 3 hours at a time. Therefore, we both got about 4 hours of sleep last night! Woo hoo! In order to remain sane today, I decided to do something I love and dress Harper up for Easter. I usually find that laughter is the best medicine and today is no exception. 

I got her these socks about a month ago and was SO excited to pull them out today! 

Several items to point out: the bunny ears that my mom brought her- I think she was a fan!, her size 0-3mo jeans that are up to her arm pits, and the socks, again. This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it!  

See??? She is so content with the bunny ears on.

And when laughter doesn't fix the problem, Hershey's eggs ALWAYS do! These are, by far, my biggest obsession around Easter time! They are SO addictive (I've eaten several bags-ha!), which brings me to being SO thankful for the calories you burn while nursing. :) What can I say? I am my mother's daughter. 

And... I'm pretty sure I got an intentional smile from her today!!! It totally made my day! Hopefully I'll catch one on the camera soon! 

Time... you can slow down now.

I can't believe that she is 4 weeks old today!!! The time is flying by SO quickly, and I don't think I'm a fan of that. This picture might be one of my favorites of her! She is just so cute... I can hardly stand it! She got that cute dress from one of my mom's students. One of her classes had a baby shower for her... isn't that so thoughtful?!?!? Harper got a few really cute dresses, and since it was so warm today, she got to wear one of them today. And even though she is in a dress that has pink and purple polk-a-dots... a lady looked in the stroller and said, "Boy?". REALLY?!?!?! Come on people... I realize her hair is out of control, but take a closer look... she's in a DRESS! I simply said, "No... it's a girl. She's in a dress", and we moved on. It made me laugh. I don't take offense to it, but it has taught me to never say anything unless I'm absolutely sure- that works for people being pregnant and the gender of a baby! 

Okay... I need to get in bed. She's asleep and who knows how long that will last! I rocked her tonight before bed, and she fell right to sleep. Whatever works, right??? 

Dear Harper, Please fall asleep. Thank you.

As I type this, she is screaming her head off. Before you panic and think I'm not taking care of her, I go in every 5 minutes to let her know that "I'm here". She did well for about 3 nights with sleeping at night, but the last few have been awful again. Last night she didn't fall asleep until 2:30 am, and I'm afraid tonight we might have the same scenario. She breaks out of her swaddle because she fights it SO hard... so you might be thinking, don't swaddle her. Oh wait... that's currently how she is- still upset. It seems to be a no win situation right now. Right now I can handle it, but at 2am, it just brings out the worst in me. It almost always makes me cry, and when I start to cry, Corby knows it's his turn to take over. He is so helpful in the middle of the night, which is such a sacrifice considering he has to work the next day. I'm not necessarily looking for advice on the sleeping thing because I know it's just a phase... I simply needed to vent. So, thanks for listening. 

But on a very fun note, my friend, Katie, had her baby today at 3am! Harper can't wait to meet her new friend Sawyer... we might just have to have an arranged marriage! He is precious and I am SO proud of Katie! She is going to be such a great mom!!!

I'll post some pictures of Harper tomorrow... I don't have any new ones uploaded. 

A weekend of "firsts"

We had some rough nights of sleep (or should I say no sleep) on Wednesday and Thursday... so I decided that for Friday we needed to make some changes. Harper had been sleeping (clearly that term is so relative!) in the pack n play in our room, but the screaming 4 feet away from me at 3 am was almost too much for me to handle. So on Friday, I put her in her crib for all of her naps, allowing her to put herself to sleep- and she was successful! Last night we put her to bed at 10:30 and she woke up at 3:45 to eat and then 7:45 to wake up! I felt like a whole new person this morning when I woke up! So the first night in her crib went really well... I just hope the second night is just as successful! 

Another "first" for her today, was our trip to church. We go on Saturday nights and haven't been since she was born... so Corby and I were both so ready to be back. She handled most of the music really well, but when I tried to put her in the carrier during one of the last songs, she started screaming. So Harper and I sat in the cry room for the rest of the service. Hopefully next time she'll be asleep before anything begins, and we'll be able to stay in the sanctuary the whole time. That will definitely be our goal until she heads off to the nursery. 

And now... just to please all of Harper's fans... here are a few precious pictures of her! 

Sometimes I think she forgets that she isn't in the womb anymore

Snoozing on her favorite guy... Daddy

Tonight she grabbed my nose as I was talking to her/ trying to calm her down- it was precious! 

Getting big...

Harper had her 2 week appointment today. Her weight was 7lb 11oz (35th percentile). Thanks to such a great weight gain, we no longer have to wake her up in the night to eat! YEA! I realize she will wake us up, but it will make such a difference not waking her up when she is still so tired. We had our first day all by ourselves today, and I think we were successful. I had planned her feedings perfectly for her appointment, but the doctor was running late. So by the time she got in the room, Harper was STARVING and so upset! We got everything taken care of, including a meal... and by the time we got home, she was sacked out! Since she didn't have a morning nap and then such a crying spell, she has been sleeping most of the afternoon. I hope this isn't going to mess up her night time sleep! I'm certainly hoping for the best! Here are a few pictures from the last few days. 

First time in her chair... she loves that it vibrates! 

As Corby said... How can someone be so young and look so old? 

Clearly he's referring to how high her pants are coming up! 

Newborn clothes are just so huge on her! 

Despite the looks of this picture, she really did enjoy her first real bath. 

It's the lotion that puts her over the edge! 

So tired from her hard day at the doctor!