Swingin'

We took Harper to ride on the swings for the first time on Saturday and from what we could tell, she had a pretty good time!

Peas, Please

Harper has been doing really well with solids. She's always been a great eater, and it's fun to try new things to see how she'll like them. The other night I actually see if she'd eat edamame and she loved it! Most nights she eats one of her favorite staples: squash or carrots. Though for some reason she doesn't like those two mixed together. Because she's getting better at "chewing" thanks to all the practice Cheerios gives her, I not longer have to puree everything to mush, but can instead leave it rather chunky. I also usually mix in some cooked whole wheat pasta that's been blended to make it smaller into her meal. Peas and green beans are easy to just let her feed herself with, usually after the main meal is over with because we're never sure how many actually make it into her mouth. She's had a yucky cough for the past week or so, which makes chunky food a little tough going down since it sets off her coughing, so we've stuck mainly to squash and rice cereal and she couldn't be happier. I do keep a stock of Earth's Best organic 3rd foods on hand for her in case mom's cooking isn't up to par for the night (ie: she's not in the mood for anything I've cooked for her) and she looooves it. Right now the cupboard has chicken and stars and I think she's convinced it's the best thing ever.

Breakfast is usually a mashed up banana with either applesauce, peaches or pears and some baby oatmeal thrown in. She's very happy with any of these.

These pictures are from a recent pea night. Oh, the adventures.

Sarge's New Shoes

As usual, we're dressing up Sarge again. Such a good sport. This time it was Harper's striped moccassins.

Mornings With Harper

I think I truly have the sweetest girl on the planet. On the weekends, I don't get up until she does. This morning, I heard her stirring on the monitor, babbling this and that. When I walked in, this is how I found her, happily playing with her mirror- huge smiles and full of giggles. I'm so blessed.

Gigglin Girl

This was shot the other night after a cranky day with Grandma and Grandpa. We guess she was saving up all the good stuff for us that night. Either that, or Grandma slipped something in her bottle to make her a bit silly. I was feeding Harper her dinner and as we were nearing the end, I was teasing her about giving me a Cheerio (leftover snack while she was waiting for dinner to heat up). Here's how it went.

Meet Monica Dorothy

Today is her birthday!! A bit of a hippie, she wears crocs, has a butterfly on her shirt, funky tights and a pink streak in her hair that glows in the dark. It will be a few years before Harper can actually play "mom" so we'll keep her safely in her box until then.

One of Harper's gifts from Mimi - who else???

New "Shoes"

Doggy Door

We were wondering how long it would take her to figure out the doggy door was there. This will probably be the only time we'll let her intentionally play with the door - just long enough to snap a few pics.

At the Airport

I debated about whether to post these. I just love these pictures of my parents with Harper, though I hate they were taken when we were saying farewell at the airport.

My mom was sweetly talking to Harper while Fred was unloading the luggage, and Harper was eating it up. I was able to catch these with Harper's face in the mirror. Loved them.

When I handed Harper over for a hug, Fred took her then began walking away. "Okay, see ya later!" This guy with a tough exterior just fell in love with Harper this trip. Harper tells me the feeling is mutual.

9 Months Old!

Harper turned 9 months old on Sunday! Here she's modeling her new outfit with her Rainbow Brite tights.

Sunny Day

Yesterday we had a high of 83 degrees. It was clear, beautiful and sunny. I took Harper for a walk and Jon took down the Christmas lights - in shorts, no less! I let Harper try rolling around in her walker outside just to enjoy the weather a little more, but she can't quite get the hang of shoes yet, so it was just a lot of hangin' out or going for a spurt then stopping.

Today, on the other hand, the high was 35!!! Yes, almost a 50-degree difference. Texas is just plain whacky.

2008 - The Year in Review

I posted a big post on our blog looking back on 2008. It's mostly about Harper, so I'm linking it here. It's a pretty amazing look back on all we've been through, especially how far Harper has come in such a short time.

Check it out - you won't be sorry.