Scrapbook Moments

Harper and Gavin are the cutest little buddies.  I could not have asked for a better sibling relationship at this point in their lives.  Sure, there are moments where they bite each other, get into competitions at the dinner table to see who can scream the loudest, and (funnest of all) try to steal each others food.  But to that I say, who doesn't?!  I am so happy that my kiddos have each other's friendship- they are quite the sibling duo.  Here are some fun moments that I have been allowed to be a part of as Gavin and Harper's mama:

Peek-a-boo:
Gavin loves to try and teach Harper how to play peek-a-boo.

He is so enthusiastic to get to teach her something and she is so enamored with her big brother. She hasn't quite yet mastered the art of peek-a-booing herself, but what's the rush when you have this guy to crack you up?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: 

Okay- this is only the best children's book in the history of the world.  No arguments. Where else can you learn colors, fruits, days of the week, counting, the life cycle of a butterfly and that eating a whole lot of junk food on a Saturday will give you a stomach ache?  This is also the newest book that Gavin has started reading...and I seriously mean reading.  (Okay, I probably mean "memorizing what happens on each page and learning a few key phrases that will make his mother squeal with delight when she hears them", but that didn't stop the "My baby can read" people, did it?!)  Gavin loves to read the "patter book" talk about each of the fruits on their day of the week and says "he's still hunnry.." Genius?  I think so.

It's especially cute when he reads to Harper.  She usually has to be preoccupied with something else to help her not to try to grab at the pages while brother is reading, but she is none-the-less very impressed with Gavin's reading ability.

Little Miss Messy: 

Okay- so I seriously have no idea how this happened.  One minute, I'm bringing this tiny baby girl home from the hospital and the next minute, I'm picking up banana puffs that she poured over the entire living room.  

No joke.  Harper can now pull up...and is also enjoying the culinary wonder that is (are?) Gerber baby puffs.  The other night I left a container- lid closed- on top of the coffee table.  Harper managed to crawl over, pull up on the table, grab the container, sit back down, open them and then proceeded to eat her coveted snack.  

I know that some people might think of this as the minutia of life.  We've traded in a social life for banana puffs, reading about current events to reading patter books and traveling the world to making trips back and forth to the potty. I'm reminded daily thought that these moments are fleeting; that while the days seem to creep sometimes, the years really do fly.  To those that think this is life's minutia, I'll say that the world can wait. I've got a floor full of banana puffs to treasure, tiny little butts to wipe, wet noses to catch and snuggles to soak in.

8 Months- December

While the world celebrated Mary and Joseph knocking on Bethlehem inn front doors, Harper was celebrating her 8 month birthday. 

Sidenote: I only mention the Bethlehem innkeepers due to the fact that this was the primary part of the Christmas story that we focused on with Gavin this year.  We spent significant amounts of time this Chrismas season with our Fisher Price Little People nativity walking Mary and Joseph down the streets of "ahem", I would knock on the wall and say "do you have any rooms?" and Gavin would shake his head emphatically.  "No room, no room," he'd say.  Ergo, the shout out...and a sweet 2012 memory tucked away. 

BUT back to the main note. Harper is 8 months old (I can hear a little voice of mommy guilt ringing in my head saying "and has been for 13 days now." To which I say, "Shove it, mommy guilt.").  I'll say it again since I've clouded it with many superfluous other things- Harper is 8 months old!!!

Harper is a very sweet and sassy 8 month old; mostly sweet and occasionally sassy. 

She loves to smile, eat, clap, wave, make funny faces, laugh at her brother, crawl and be tickled.  All of the important things in an 8-month-old's life, I suppose. 

Two of the funnest things this month have been starting to clap and wave.  If you'll recall, Harper waved for the first time at Thanksgiving- in true hostess fashion, but has definitely fine-tuned the skills over her eighth month.  We were also thrilled to have her clap for the first time at my sister's birthday party earlier in December.  I'm pretty sure I stopped the party and bragged on her the rest of the night.  Not sure about any of the adult birthday parties you've been to lately...but I'm guessing we're going to see fewer birthday party invitations for Matthew and I in 2013...

Harper is still pretty little.  She weighs about 16 or 17 lbs.  I sometimes forget how old she is because of her size.  We went to the doctor this month and he diagnosed her with an upper respiratory infection and said "that would be pretty bothersome in a baby, but with a child her age..."  I was so sad to hear that she's not considered a "baby" any more.  

Harper does like to eat though!  So far she hasn't turned anything away!  Sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, peaches, pears, bananas, peas...and her new favorite- Cheerios!  I love watching her eat Cheerios.  Rather than pick them up with her two fingers, she'll make sure she gets the tip of her pointer finger good and wet and then will just point her finger out until the cheerio sticks to it and then will pop it in her mouth.  You can see the finger tip pointing motion situation kind of illustrated below.

Another big event this month is that Harper can MOVE!  She's a crawling machine- not really on all fours yet, but definitely on her belly.  Home girl can scoot!  She can also stand up against a table or something else supportive.  We're just waiting for her to balance and stand by herself.  She's almost there. 

When she's not busy dancing in her high chair or sucking on her socks, Harper is busy talking.  She's a very serious "dadadada" warner.  She tells us very adamantly and various times throughout the day.  She also likes to squeal in response to Gavin.  

 Another month of joy in the books- another month thankful that God knew what we needed more than we did.  We're thankful for our little surprise.  She's a delight to our lives.