Another Shutterfly Photo Book: Harper's First Six Months

Since I already have a billion pictures of Harper AND I had a free photo book coupon that was about to expire, I decided to make two photo books of Harper's first year.  So after slaving away during her naps for the past few days, I finally finished the first one.  It was tough!  There are so many pictures that didn't make the cut.  I also didn't have time to edit the pictures other than cropping and fixing red eyes... and I included some pictures taken with my phone.  I think it still turned out pretty good.  Enjoy :)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive layouts and designs so you can make your book just the way you want.

Best. Brownies. Ever.

Symphony Brownies 

I'm not kidding.  I made these brownies for a girls' night with my friends last Friday and they are seriously the best brownies that I have ever had.  Haley, Kim, and Erin were pretty smitten with them, too.  I won't tell you how many we ate.  Jason tried them and thought they were a tad too rich {ridiculous} and wasn't crazy about the toffee crunch in the middle {what a fool}.  These brownies are rich, but also gooey and absolutely delicious.  I will definitely make these again and again :)

I got the recipe from one of the food blogs I follow, My Baking Addiction.  Click here for the recipe.  {A few notes: I used parchment paper instead of foil, Ghirardelli unsweetened baking chocolate, and baked them for only 30 minutes.}  You should really try them with the Symphony bars, but if you don't like almonds or toffee, or a crunch in your brownie isn't for you, you can use plain Hershey milk chocolate bars instead.


Other highlights of my weekend included:
1) beautiful weather!!
2) visiting with my friends at Miller Outdoor Theater on Friday
3) lunch with Harper and my good friend Allison on Saturday at Black Walnut Cafe {where I had the best salad ever... must go back soon}
4) going to see The Hunger Games on Sunday with my friend Kim and her daughter {loved the books and loved the movie!}


Jason's big race is this weekend.  This is his {and team Deadweight's} fourth year to run it.  Say a little prayer for his team.  It's going to be a hot one this year!

Yesterday

In the time it took me to make a sandwich yesterday, Harper not only rolled until she couldn't roll anymore, but she somehow managed to take her kitchen, too.  

I'm trying to enjoy the last few weeks (?) before she will really have me chasing after her.

I do feel pretty blessed to be able to spend my days with this sweet little girl.  I think she likes it, too :)

Just a few pics

Longview folks, listen up!

Jason, Harper, and I took a quick trip to Longview this past weekend to help his mom celebrate her 60th birthday.  My father-in-law and one of her good friends threw her a really nice party with delicious Mexican food and margaritas.  Yum!  Of course, I did not take any pictures at the party.  I'm sorry :(

Another highlight of my weekend included a massage from my sister, Ashley.  I bought a gift certificate back in November to support her as she's getting her business started and I honestly had no expectations, but it turned out to be one of the best massages I've ever had!  {And I've had a lot of massages over the years, at places like the Nordstrom Spa and the Hyatt Regency in Maui.}  I'm not just posting this because she is my sister.  If it had just been an okay massage, I would have told her it was good and then gone on about my day.  But I was really impressed!  So if you live in the Longview area, or if you have family or friends still in Longview {gift certificates make great gifts!}, then check her out and spread the word!  Her office is on the loop at Bill Owens {where the bean bag place used to be}.  Go to www.massagetherapywellness.abmp.com for more info.  

Here are some pictures of her office that I took with my cell phone.  She did a great job with the decor. It is very warm and inviting.  

{I took these pictures after I got the massage so the massage table isn't made up.}

 my sister, Ashley, with Harper

I did get a few good pictures from this weekend that I'll try to post later.  Harper is waking up from her {3 hour!} nap right now...

6 months!

 Yes, our little girl turned 6 months old yesterday.  It's hard for me to believe, too.  You really don't understand the "enjoy it, they grow so fast" that every single person with kids says to you until you have a child of your own.


Harper at 6 months...

• weighed 14# 14.5 ounces and was measured to be 25 inches at her well-child visit yesterday {both 30th percentile according to the doctor}.  This had (has) me a little worried, but the doctor didn't seem concerned at all.  He said it's normal for the growth to slow down after the first few months.  Still, I worry a little...
• still breastfeeds 5 times a day.  She will now take a bottle after being forced to last weekend {she took most of a bottle from Jason on Monday night while I went to bunco, but I still woke her up when I got home because I was afraid she didn't get enough.}
• doesn't want to eat any other food.  After a successful few days of rice cereal {well, successful in the fact that she opened her mouth to take a bite}, she now wants nothing to do with baby food.  At all.  Any advice on this is welcome.  

• still sleeps great!  I put her down around 8 and she sleeps 10.5 to 11.5 hours usually.  She also takes two good naps a day and sometimes a short third nap depending on when she wakes up from the second one.
• poops like crazy!  Well, really only 1-2 times a day, but she has frequent "blowouts" that require a clothing change.  Typically this happens within a couple minutes of leaving the house to run errands.  She's not a big fan of being changed in the trunk either, but it's cleaner than public bathrooms in my opinion.
• sits up very well on her own!  It was amazing to watch her sitting improve over the past month.  I don't time how long she sits, but it's several, several minutes.  Pretty much until she gets tired and wants to lay down or until she lunges for something out of her reach.

• rolls all over.  She can also scoot a little on her tummy {not forward though}.
• is quick!  If she sees something she wants, she lunges for it.  And she wants everything.  I have to be more careful now when holding her.
• is developing a little attitude.  I didn't realize this happened so early!  When she needs a change of scenery or is frustrated, she lets out a growl while straightening her arms and forming fists...  I wish I could explain this better.  I thought it was funny until we went to her doctor appointment yesterday and she did this the whole time we were waiting to be called back.  I guess it's better than crying.
• still wears 6 month clothes, but some of the pants are getting too short.

• still has no teeth...
• and still loves to chew gum on everything.  Straps being one of her favorite things {like on her shopping cart cover, high chair, car seat, stroller...}
• laughs
• smiles all. the. time. :)

And now for a few pictures that never made it to the blog in the past month:

with Uncle B

 hanging out with Daddy

loves those straps!

 Harper had lots of fun playing with Nani last week!

we survived!

Harper and I survived our first night away from each other!  Jason and I attended the wedding of our friends Lauren and Daniel on Friday night in Boerne, TX.  I've known about the wedding since the day before I went into labor, and I have been both looking forward to it and dreading it all at the same time!  {isn't it funny how you can have such mixed emotions?  I also received some news from a friend recently that has me both very happy and very sad at the same time.  Happy for her, sad for me.  More about that later.}

So, in prep for the overnight apart, I have been pumping quite a bit in the past few weeks.  Mainly at 5 am.  But Harper still isn't the best at taking bottles {my fault for not giving them to her more} so needless to say, I was pretty worried.  Jason kept telling me that if she's hungry enough, she'll eat.  Survivor instinct.  Well folks, she took about one ounce from the time we left around 11 am on Friday until she woke up the next morning around 5:30.  And Jason's mom was watching her so I knew she was doing everything possible to get her to eat.  Talk about guilt.  My baby was starving and there was nothing I could do.  Worst. feeling. ever.  I did not sleep well at all on Friday night and was ready to come home early Saturday morning when I got the text that she finally took a whole bottle.  What a relief!

Jason and I did have a great time at the wedding despite worrying about Harper.  Lauren looked beautiful and the venue was really nice.  I just wish it hadn't rained all day with temps in the 40s for her big day.  At least she's soaking up the sun in Maui right now :)

 With the bride and groom, Lauren and Daniel San Martin!

 I got to wear a coat for the first time this winter :)

 They had a photo booth.  So fun!

Soooooo.....  in addition to feeling bad about starving my baby, I also felt bad for missing my nephews play in the 2A State Championship basketball game this weekend.  So after we found out that Harper was eating {she took 3 more bottles by the time we made it home}, we decided to make the relatively short drive over to Austin to go to the game.  I'm so glad we did because they won!!  I am so happy for Skylar, Slade, Hayden, AND my brother-in-law Kevin.  Kevin's dad starting taking him to the state tournament in 1976 and he has not missed a year since!  It was just a dream of his for White Oak to make it to the tournament, but to have them win with his sons on the team... I can't even imagine the happiness he is feeling!

Now for a few days of "normalcy" before another crazy weekend!

All photos were stolen from Haley and Skylar on facebook  :)

play date in Brenham

Harper, Haley and I finally got to meet little Mason yesterday.  Megan {Mason's mom} and I were due on the same day, and Mason was born on September 8th, 5 days before Harper.  We exchanged very frequent emails starting before we were pregnant, then during our pregnancies, and then the first couple of months after the little ones were born.  {I think we're finally getting the hang of the parenting thing so we don't talk quite as often now.}  Anyway, Megan and Mason live in Austin so we decided to meet halfway, in Brenham, so that we could meet each other's babies before they aren't babies anymore!  


It could not have been a more perfect day!  We ate lunch and then found a spot outside to lay out a blanket for Harper and Mason to roll around on while Megan, Haley and I could chat {and eat some pie}.  Both kiddos loved being outside.  And Harper did soooooo good all day yesterday.  I was a little worried with the change in her nap/eating routine, but again, she did great!  She napped/played in the car going and napped coming home, and she was her happy little self the whole time we were in Brenham.  I just love that little girl :)

 Harper and Mason checking each other out

 instant friends :)

 Mason and Harper with their "Aunt" Haley

It's hot!

Where was winter?  Did I miss it?  It's too hot for March 1st.  I'm scared to think about this summer... I thought last summer was the hottest one ever.  Well, at least Harper will get more wear out of her 6-month spring clothes.  My grandmother gave her this cute bubble suit for Christmas so I thought I'd take some pictures for her to see.  {So Aunt Debbie, can you bring Nannie over this weekend to show her??}

 look at me sitting up on my own!

Harper loves to stand 

{holding onto me} 

and chomp away on my finger at the same time

I also had to share some adorable things that I bought for Harp recently.  I'm a sucker for seersucker {sorry, had to say it} and loved the color of the dress on the left.  I'm planning to have it monogrammed with Harper's initials in hot pink {Nani, did you hear that?}.  The dress on the right is from Smocked Auctions.  They have the cutest smocked clothing at discounted prices.  I mostly check out their clothes to get ideas and save pictures of the things I like to show my mother-in-law since she can make Harper smocked clothing {and because "discounted prices" doesn't mean "cheap"}, but I couldn't pass up this butterfly dress.  It's by far my most favorite that I've seen.  I hope Erin and David have another garden party this year.  Harper's got her outfit all picked out :)