Easter

We had a wonderful Easter with the family this year. Harper didn't have a clue as to what was going on but next year should be a lot of fun! The Easter bunny brought Harper some new play clothes since she is quickly growing out of her wardrobe. Allie and I took the kids to the mall to get their picture taken with Mr. Easter Bunny. Walker was SO not impressed and Harper didn't have a care in the world. 15 years from now, they will look back at the picture and just laugh. Mom's side of the family had a picnic out at Meyer park so we all met for lunch and had an egg hunt. It was a beautiful day; we couldn't have asked for better weather. Here are some pics of the bunny and park.

Walker and Harper at the park



Uncle Stephen



Aunt Meesh



Harper loves to put everything in her mouth now



Cousins!



Walker trying to share Harper's favorite toy, Sophie



Uncle Stephen and Ashley



Good Ole Easter Bunny



My love!

Happy Spring!

Time is flying by fast. Can you believe it’s April??

Little Harper Caroline is growing up so fast! She went in for her 4 month appointment last week and did very well. She is 15.7 pounds, 26 inches long and in the 85th percentile. Harper is a very strong-willed little girl. She already knows how to be sweet on her daddy, knows how to manipulate mom a little when it comes to going to bed on her own, and knows how to persuade Gigi to buy her fun toys all of the time (okay, not yet but that’s coming soon). We can tell that she is eager to sit up and explore. She is always bright-eyed and attentive to what’s going on around her. Harper is extremely alert and if she were able to get into everything, I guarantee she would. Occasionally I get a snap shot of this unmistakably mischievous look she gives us. My, we’re going to have our hands full! I’ve noticed that when sitting down for a meal I can no longer let her get close to my plate or else her hands would be all in my food. I wonder if the smacking of her lips means she’s ready for food?! Not yet, Dr. Lange says. We have to wait until she’s 6 months old for cereal and baby food.



An update on the Hemangioma…. Dr. Lange feels that it is continuing to grow pretty rapidly so we have been sent over to a specialist with Texas Children’s. Our appointment is April 29th at 9 am. There are several options for treatment but most have moderate to severe side effects. Something I am not looking forward to. I will continue to pray about this….. and I know God is in control.

Harper and Walker have gotten to spend a lot of time together and I can’t wait until they are able to interact a little better. For now, Walker steals her binkie or bow, swats at her and the dogs with wooden spoons or sometimes gives her this look like “what are you crying for, missy?” I’m sure they will be great friends – we are so blessed! Speaking of bows, I might have a small obsession with them. Harper has one in every color imaginable and I keep buying them. I’m sure you have noticed that she has one on in almost every stinkin picture. But they are so darn cute!



Work is going well for Grant and me. A 40-hour work week doesn’t exist for Grant but he’s trucking along and making the BEST of this new opportunity. There are lots of kinks to be ironed out but very soon, his hard work will all pay off. He is very good at what he does and I know he’ll be there for a long while.

Grant and I celebrated his 33rd birthday on Saturday. We had some excellent sushi and quality time together. Happy Birthday, my love.

The Nail Family is in the process of making some big decisions on where to raise our family. There are a lot of options in Houston but it doesn’t seem that we’ve found exactly what we want just yet. Who knows what the future will bring?!

She loves her new swing!



Sportin the baby legs from Mimi and Uggs from Aunt Meesh



My baby love

Auto Pilot

This morning while driving to work I realized that I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in 5 months! I’m a warrior – no really – no one needs their sleep more than I do! Hats off to all of the mothers out there….. we are absolutely amazing!

This weekend wefinally got meet sweet baby Audrey Potter. She was so tiny and beautiful. When I held her it brought me back to when Harper was only a month old. How tiny and uncontrolled their little bodies are. So needy yet so easy. Eat and sleep – a lot! Harper is 10 weeks older than Audrey and she towers over her. Amber mentioned that when they turn a year old you would never even know but my how those 10 weeks make such a difference right now. Harper is such a busy body. She loves to stand up in my lap and has very strong legs. I am thinking she will be sitting up before we know it. Gigi bought her a toy that goes across the handlebar of her carseat and she loves it. I didn’t think she would actually “play” with it but when she’s awake in the car she bats at the frogs and spins the mirror. She’s growing up so fast! We have her 4 month shots on Monday and I am not looking forward to that!

On Saturday night Gigi and Poppa watched Harper so Grant and I could go to the John Mayer concert. It was fabulous! He is such an amazing musician. Although it made for a late evening and crazy morning for church, it was so worth it! His music will melt your heart. On Sunday I prepared our garden for the planting of new platns for the Spring. We pretty much lost all of our flowers in the freeze and the yard was looking pretty puny. I'm really looking forward to planting!

Dr. Young is preaching a series about healing the family over the next couple of months. He has delivered such a strong message about marriage being a profound and marvelous relationship - a mystery, established by God for his glory. Grant and I are so eager to hear each message and what a fabulous way to start out our week.

The Itis

This past weekend mom and I picked up a stomach bug or food poisoning -- can't figure out which but it was brutal. We were both up all night and day and couldn't eat or drink anything. In fact, tonight was our first meal and it was soup and vermacelli noodles. We were both scared to eat after the whole ordeal but we're finally feeling back to normal. Weird thing is we never get sick, especially mom. Praying for all who come down with the nasty stomach bug that is going around.

Grant is super busy with his new job and traveled to Vegas for a big meeting and presentation. He is doing so great at the company and I am so very proud of him!

Three, Tres, तीन, Trois, Drei

Harper is 3 months old! Oh my how time flies when you’re having fun. We wake up every morning to her babbling away, smiling and laughing at anything and everything. Such a refreshing moment. What a great way to start your day, right?

Such a Ham!



Big girl



Fun Rocking Chair from the Law Family



Harper weighs 14.5 pounds, is 24 ¾” long and is getting bigger by the day. She eats 4 oz every three to four hours and is in size 2 diapers. As you can tell, she’s still got the good ole double chin and yummy jelly roll tummy. Nanny Margaret always says she’s bringing beans over to make up some ham bone soup with her “ham hocks”. We have yet to graduate to the crib at night but mom and dad will start on that soon! She still has a very strong moro reflex and wakes herself every half hour needing reassurance or a pacifier. If I had to get up every half hour during the week, I would lose my mind and possibly my job! Zombie brain only works for so long.

Grant started a new job this week and it is fabulous opportunity for him. He is the director of sales and marketing so it’s definitely a promotion in his career, salary – you name it! He has worked very hard to get where he’s at and I am so proud of him. Work keeps us very busy during the week but we have been able to balance everything nicely thus far.

Hanging out in the nursery



Her Trusty Thumbie



You can definitely tell this is our first child. We want everything to be perfect. A special Easter basket, cute little outfits, spoiled rotten kiddo – heck, I think Grant would even respond to the “daddy, will you buy me a pony?” question. The next thing you know, we’d have one standing in our backyard. I can’t even imagine what it will be like when she gets older. Speaking of outfits, she is beginning to get a little snug in her 0-3 month clothes. 3-6 month clothes ready or not, here we come. Did we really just spend that much $$ on something she wore for 6 weeks? Yikes! Thank goodness we have not had to buy too many toys yet!

Mimi and Harper



Sweet V-Day outfit Gigi bought her

Twenty Twenty

We took Harper in for a check-up with Dr. Gonzales, a Pediatric Opthamologist, last week to make sure the Hemangioma growing above her eye wasn't pushing on the ocular nerve or causing any harm to her vision. He dilated her eyes and everything looks perfect. We go back in three months for a re-check however he said that he doesn't think it will cause her any problems. Generally when they move onto the eyelid that's when it becomes an issue. I am glad that we were proactive about it and that I do not have to worry about anything!

Harper had her first day at church this past weekend and everything was smooth sailing. Of course mom dressed her up in a cute dress, tights and a bow! The nursery ladies are so very sweet and she didn't seem to mind at all. Most of all, mom and dad survived. It is good to be getting back into the Sunday morning routine :) Makes out for a wonderful start to our week. I am waiting for the day she plays and sings the little songs she learns in Sunday school. Amber and Brian, our friends, are have recently posted about how their son sings Jesus Loves Me to his new baby sister. A sure way to melt a mother's heart and I can't wait.

Harper has developed a little bit of a shyness towards "strangers". If I'm holding her and someone talks to her, she'll give them a big smile and hide her face in my chest. She must get that from me because her daddy knows no stranger. She is much more verbal lately and it is so fun to listen to. Even the high pitch screaming she does when she doesn't get her way. Although, she seems to have started that waaay too early. We may be in trouble!

Bathtime has been quite exciting at our house. Harper moves her arms and kicks her legs, splashing water everywhere. It is fun to see her get so excited and I hope to post a video of this soon.

Surviving

If you are all wondering.... I have survived almost two weeks of being back at work! The transition was smooth and frankly quite easy, thanks to me having a fabulous person work my desk. The first day I left Harper with mom so it was easy on my mind. How can my awesome mom, a mother of five, not know how to handle any situation presented to her?

I am still breastfeeding but as you can imagine having an electric pump attached to both boobs and praying that my boss doesn't need anything during that 15 minutes can stress me out! The day flies by and before I know it, my little peanut is in my arms again. Our evenings are no longer about deciding which recorded program we are going to watch or what restaurant we might go to but rather how fast I can eat before she wakes up or how many tasks I have learned to do one-handed. I am a pro at that!! My life is consumed with our precious baby but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Harper is getting to be so much fun with her laughter, smiles and how observant she is. She can hold onto things now and of course they head straight for the mouth. I can't wait until she's eating dirt off of the ground or puts her mouth on a shopping cart - EWW! Someone will have to remind me that Purell is for external use only. Grant can tell you.... germs freak me out. Another big milestone for her is that she can now roll over. She doesn't do it often but it happens and mama and papa are so proud. The littlest things melt our hearts. Mornings are my favorite as she is in her best mood. She coos, kicks and laughs as we sing our whacky songs and make funny noises. What can I say, every moment with her is an absolute joy and we love her so very much!

Please pray for us and our efforts to raise her in a Godly home.