Progress

Harper's 15 month check up was this morning and thinking about how much she's grown since a year ago is amazing.  She's now 18 lbs, 9.5 oz and 30 inches tall.  It's incredible to think about how much she has changed, not only physically.  She now walks (and is trying to run); signs "more", "milk", and more; has 5 words and can feed herself.  She also sleeps through the night now (most nights), which is very important for her development as well as my sanity!

Here she is at gymnastics class yesterday:

I have made progress lately as well, striving to complete some tasks I've been meaning to get to for awhile.  One major goal has been getting under my pre-pregnancy weight and working towards healthier habits, not only for myself but for Harper's sake as well.  So about 2 months ago I started exercising regularly and trying to eat less and healthier.  As a result, I've lost 12 pounds!  I've also gotten into the routine of taking Harper for a jog after we each eat breakfast.  I get some much needed exercise, we both get fresh air and a dose of sunshine and I feel better each time I run.  Today I ran a 10:54 mile, which meant I achieved one of the goals I set in my mind: running a mile in under 11 minutes.

I also registered for a beginning sewing class on September 10th.  I have fabric and an online tutorial for my first project, and as soon as I learn the basics, I'll be ready to jump right in.  This is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

Here's to making progress!

Being a mother

Now that our home improvements have slowed down (Michael is still working on our front yard area) and Harper is growing like a weed, there are so many projects I have going.  None of them seem to come to fruition.

Free 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly?!  I'm all over that . . . for all of 2 1/2 minutes.  Printing and organizing photos for the baby book so that Harper can lovingly look back on the first days and months of her life?!  Of course! . . . until I find another pile of laundry that needs folding and all of those photos either sit in a queue on Walgreens.com or in a stack in the spare bedroom/office closet.  Keeping up on my blog so family members and friends can enjoy pictures and anecdotes from our lives?!  Ahhh, you get the picture.

My mother-in-law gave me a brand new sewing machine for Christmas almost 3 years ago and guess how many times it has been used?  Twice.  I see all of these cute patterns and ideas for little girls' dresses and rompers on pinterest and think, I'll get out the sewing machine and make tons of cute outfits for Harper, for my friends' children . . . Yeah, right; my child will probably be 14 by the time I sit down long enough to figure the sewing machine out.

Now that Harper is here and I spent all of my days with her, I wonder what I did before her and really kick myself for not getting organized.  Why didn't I figure out the sewing machine in the almost 6 months I owned it before I gave birth?  Why didn't I fill in the baby book while my child was a newborn and slept the majority of the day?  Why didn't I keep up on the blog during nap time so I don't have to email all of my relatives and friends the link for the 147th time?!  

Harper's a TODDLER!

My Harper is a smart, funny, beautiful toddler!  We are almost at the 15 month mark.  She's walking, tumbling, talking, signing, laughing and exploring.

Harper's First Halloween

Michael got me a new iMac for Christmas so I thought I had better start blogging again. Harper is 5 months old now. Time is flying. Here are some pictures from her first Halloween.

With our friends from baby group:

Ready to go downtown for the Spooktacular:
Super excited to trick or treat:

Harper is anxious to crawl and getting up on all 4s and rocking back and forth. I think she might figure it out before Thanksgiving.

Things I've Learned about Motherhood

1. I won't have time to blog!
2. I will be puked on, pooped on, peed on . . .
3. One smile can make all the frustration go away.

More to come!

Spring Time

Here is my first picture in my 30th year, taken March 18th - 29 weeks, 2 days pregnant. Currently 31 weeks, 1 day and will update pictures soon. I'm starting to feel quite uncomfortable - back aches, sore feet and not sleeping very well. Baby W is due two months from tomorrow. I am enjoying the warmer weather and the opportunity to get out and walk more.

Speaking of Baby W, she has a name! Her name is Harper Ann-Marguerite Withouse. I have always loved the name Harper since reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee (her actual name is Nelle Harper Lee). Ann is after my grandma Pat (Patricia Ann Hejl), my dad's mom, whom I am very close to. My middle name is Marguerite and it was also the name of my mom's mom, Marguerite Moore Nusbaum. I had a list of 10 girl names and 10 boy names for Michael to look at, but he refused to discuss names until after we found out the sex of the baby. When we knew we were having a girl, Harper is the name that Michael liked the best. He starting calling her "Harper bug" and so that became her name! I was torn between honoring my grandma Pat, who has been one of the most important women in my life, and keeping the tradition of Marguerite going while honoring my mom's family. I really do think Marguerite is a beautiful, classic name. We decided on a hyphenated middle name to honor both of my grandmothers. Here are the wood block letters we painted and hung in Harper's room:



Michael started his days off the day after my 30th birthday and he definitely spoiled me for my birthday. He picked out some beautiful diamond and aquamarine earrings - I was completely surprised - and took me to stay at a beautiful resort about 20 minutes outside of Moab for the weekend after my birthday. The first day we arrived was beautiful, sunny and warm. We had a beautiful king suite with a stunning view of the Colorado River.



We spent a lot of time reading on the porch.


The second morning was cloudy and windy but we managed to get a long walk in before the weather got too bad.


We also visited the two wineries in Moab, the Hole in the Rock house south of Moab, and the Moab Brewery for lunch. We spent a lot of time relaxing in our beautiful suite, reading and napping. On Sunday morning before we left the resort, we had a couples massage. It was a very relaxing, fun weekend together. I couldn't have asked for more for my 30th birthday.

The Nursery and Other Baby Related Updates

Michael was on his week off last week and for the first time since October, we stayed at home and got some work done (also relaxed a bit, too). I worked on washing baby clothes and organizing baby gear we have on hand. Michael worked on moving around furniture and organizing paperwork that had been in a pile in the closet. We found some bug decals to put on the wall and ordered the baby's bedding (it arrived today!!!). Here are some updated pictures of the baby's room:



As I mentioned, the bedding set we ordered came in this afternoon! It's called Cheerful Critters and is from Pottery Barn Kids. I do not know how Pottery Barn got my information but when I first got the catalog in the mail, I swore I would not order anything from them. However, I did flip through the catalog, only to find the Cheerful Critters set. Unbeknownst to us, the colors we picked for the then-office were Pottery Barn colors (by Benjamin Moore) and this bedding set matched those colors. I absolutely loved this bedding set and when I discovered that the paint matched exactly, I HAD to have it! I checked their website every couple of days and last week, the set went on clearance so I ordered it right away. I put the bumper up just to see what it looks like:



It is just the cutest thing! I have also been working on setting up registries at Target and Amazon.com. I also registered at Colorado Baby (pamperedbuns.com) here in Junction; it is a locally owned business that specializes in cloth diapering supplies. We are going to give cloth diapering a shot. I have received lots of great advice and support from other moms that cloth diaper and it really is a great way to save some money. Plus, the cloth diapers are very cute! Registering can make me feel a little overwhelmed; it's hard for a first time mom to decipher necessities versus luxuries. I've gotten lots of advice from friends who are already moms and of course my mom and grandma and I'm sure I'll figure out what our necessities will be as I go along. Some things are obviously space-wasters - my dad almost fell off of his chair laughing when I mentioned wipe warmers - but there are lots of baby products out there!

Here is an updated picture of me - 25 weeks, 6 days:


The baby is quite active, especially when I am not. She has gotten some good kicks in, which are more jolting than painful. She's started to party in my belly while I'm sleeping and even wakes me up at times. Michael can feel her move now and talks to her regularly to let her know he's here and excited to be her dad. I am feeling pretty good except for some sciatic nerve issues on my right side and some issues with my left hip. These seem to just be aches and pain that come with the territory.