Friday, October 26, 2012

Life is good this October!

October has been FULL.  We have been doing playdates, spending time with family, going on excursions, and doing lots of things around the house.  I've been doing quite a bit of sewing (personally and professionally).  It's both fun and time consuming, but I enjoy the outlet and the extra cash.  Harper is growing like a weed - in lots of ways.  She's just a cute little toddler now and not so much of a baby anymore.  We have gone to the fair and camping and fishing, spending lots of time outdoors in this awesome fall weather.  My sister finally moved in to her new house and we've spent some time over there helping unpack and decorate.  Busy month - but FUN month. 



We have tried getting her to say "Whoop" during the A&M games.  It comes out like a scared, little, "Eeep."  I'm not sure why, but she seems certain that she is repeating it just like us.  A&M has had an interesting year so it's a little tense over here on game days.  But as least we get to dress up in cute clothes and cheer on our Aggies!

Stacking tupperware

She loves to dance.  She bobs up and down and flails her arms around.  She lifts one leg and bounces around in a circle.  And sometimes, she dances so much that when she tries to move her arms and her legs at the same time, she falls on her rear.  And let me just say this now - its definitely white girl dancing. 

Separating baggies

She is talking like crazy now!  She actually says Night Night Dada/DogDog before going to bed.  She says "what's that" all the time while pointing at everything in sight.    Except that it comes out "Wassat?"  She says "Outside" when we ask her where the dog is.  She likes to talk into the phone and can say "Hello".  And she can say "TayTay"which shouldn't be taken as a vote for favorite aunt.  

Playing with hairbands (a morning ritual)

Her curiosity has been sparked and she loves to explore how things work and what they do.  She loves to stack, pull apart, separate and categorize.  She is also seriously into stairs.  She loves climbing, crawling up on high things, and getting up on little ledges and steps.  Kind of dangerous, but she is so determined.  She can climb down from the couch and up onto her tricycle and into the bathtub.  She likes to try to stand up on this little 9 inch by 3 inch window ledge but hasn't made it yet.  And yesterday it took her awhile, but she finally stood with both feed balancing in a little bowl.


She is becoming a ketchup fiend.  She gets ketchup on her sweet potato fries and her chicken.  But she also likes to dip her noodles, carrots, and various foods into the ketchup as well.  She still eats really well.  She loves all carbs (bread, muffins, waffles/pancakes, etc).  And funny enough, she likes coffee.  I dip my spoon in my mug and let her drink the drop on the end, and she just wants more and more and more.  Crazy kiddo.  She still eats Cheerios like they are gold.  I admit that she gets Cheerios for snack, in the car, running errands, and any other time that she gets the box out herself.  Yes, it's a lot.  Don't judge.


She is still a shoe freak, and it's gotten worse now that she has her new winter shoes.  She loves to undo the velcro the minute we get into the car or the house.  And she wants shoes on even inside.  She has also recently started walking in our shoes, which is funny to watch.  


She is very determined and unshaken when she decides she wants something.  She has even started getting behind you and pushing you in the direction she wants you to go.  Her temper tantrums are somewhat getting better but she still gets mad when she doesn't get her way.  She does know that she can get her Dad to console her when she is sad or mad.  He is totally wrapped around her cute little finger.  He would do anything for her, even watch MMC in the morning and be a little late to work.   


She does this weird thing where she switches her pacis repeatedly.  When she sees a new paci, she spits out the old one and pops in the new one.  And this can repeat over and over again within a 20 minute period.  We try and take her paci away during the day so she will talk, but she absolutely loves her paci and still wants it quite a bit.  She got her 2 upper 1st year molars this month and it was brutal.  But since then, her demeanor has totally changed.  She is suddenly this rambunctious, crazy, happy toddler who runs around dancing and playing and laughing.  She seems to have a harder time getting teeth than some kids (and she seems to get 2 at once!).

Watching Marcus HS volleyball with Dad 

She likes to help dress herself.  She holds out her feet for her pants, socks and shoes.  She will also put her arms through her shirt, but only one at a time because she has to switch whatever she is holding from one hand to the other.  She is also never completely dressed without her mardi gras beads - such a fashionista.

Riding with Grayson from his house to KK's house
She kept giving him her paci, so he finally put it in his mouth and she was like, "What?"

But she loves G and watches everything he does in awe.  I love that they love each other.  He is starting to like his new school, which is awesome.  And he has this new big boy room that is so stinking cute.  Kristen says he always talks to Reese and tells people his name is Grayson Henry McCoCcool (there's a lot of extra syllables in there).  He is this crazy talented athlete right now.  It's like he can play any sport.  He's just seriously all boy.

She started in this chair watching MMC after she woke up from nap.  But when we went back in the room, she was sitting all the way in the back of the room, holding on to Reese's car seat while she watched.  

Helping Kristen move in was fun, but long.  It's hard to unpack boxes, organize, and decorate a house with kids running around and needing your attention.  We got more done during their afternoon naps then the morning and afternoon combined.  Harper loved being there.  She loves her Aunt Krissy because Krissy spoils her rotten and loves on her even when she's being bad or grumpy.  And she adores her cousin, Reese.  She likes to rock her car seat, give her a paci (that she probably stole first anyway), and pat her head when she's crying.  


Reese is doing good and getting so big.  She still has her chicken legs, but has a massive double chin.  She gets her formula stuck in there all the time and it congeals and gets gross.  She only takes this one paci so I'm impressed that they have not lost it in the past 8 weeks.  And if you talk real sweet, you might get a smile out of her.  She does has acid reflux, which is what has bothered her, but she is getting a new formula.  Hopefully this helps her feel better and stop spitting up so much (because she can projectile spit up with the best of them!).  

Chunky Monkey Reese

What a sweet face - All swaddled, ready for nap

Monday, October 22, 2012

Visiting the State Fair

Thursday Cody took off work and we went to the state fair.  We knew it would be a long day and she would miss nap, but we thought it would be worth it.  We usually get this day off school and get free tickets, so we have been going every year since we got married.  We only missed last year because Harper was only 4 months old.


We had a great day.  We walked around all the pavilions and the car shows.  I couldn't find Cody for awhile, but it seems he was spending some time looking at some motorcycles.  Funny, right?  There wasn't really any new gadget this year.  Same old shammies, vitamix blenders, and miracle blade knives.  But Cody got to catch a cooking show and Harper loved seeing so many people everywhere.


Harper got to meet Big Tex.  She was a little scared, but kept pointing at him and staring at how big he was.  It seems that he had an electrical problem and burned down the next day.  Poor guy!  So we are glad we got this picture just in time.


Cody and Harper took a picture with The Dominator.  It's a vehicle that is used on a reality show called Storm Chasers that Cody watches.  These two guys run around in this Tahoe that they have made into this indestructible vehicle, chasing tornados and getting cool videos.  


We got a corn dog, a fried cinnamon roll, and saw the dog show.  All requirements for the fair.  This year we added The Little Farmer to our list.  Harper absolutely loved it!  She got to pretend to be a farmer, feed chickens, milk a cow, plant and harvest vegetables, and ride a tractor.  I'm not sure why this was so fun for her, but she just didn't want to leave.  They even paid her for her "work" and she got to pick out a treat in their store (which I put back and picked out something more appropriate).  






We had a great time at the fair and Harper loved being outside in the crowds all day.  We were all so tired though that we literally laid around all evening.  Until next year...

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Pumpkin Patch

We visited the Flower Mound pumpkin patch again this year.  It was a great day, beautiful and not crowded at all.  We went with a friend from playgroup who has 2 boys (2 1/2 and 10 months).  They are sweet, sweet boys and Harper really enjoyed playing with them.  

We played in the miniature house, took a hayride, looked at pumpkins, and hung out with the characters they had.  She had a fabulous day being outside and running everywhere.  She wasn't keen on the bounce house yet.  It was a little big for her, but she liked sitting in the entrance and watching the boys bounce around.  It was just a great day to be outside enjoying fall!

I mentioned this picture reminded me of her uncles.
They didn't think it was funny. 

Harper and Brecken 

Hayride

Meeting her friend, Mickey Mouse

Her old pals from Yo Gabba Gabba

So big compared to last year!

Picking pumpkins

Riding the tractor with Brecken 

Bane had to get in on the action

Missing Cody because he was working

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Top 10 things you need to know when you are covered in puke

So Harper got a stomach bug the other day, and it. was. bad.  I mean, BAD.  She went to bed fine, acting like she felt completely normal.  At 1 am, I woke up to hear her fussing so I checked the monitor.   At that moment, I watched her throw up and it was like all in one second I felt sad for her, grossed out by the throw up, and sad for me that this was about to become a very long night...

She continued throwing up every 20 minutes from 1-4.  Then she slept from 4-6, and then threw up every 30 minutes until 8.  She finally stopped throwing up just in time for us to see her doctor.  Her doctor said she seemed better and that hopefully it was all done.  She was definitely tired, fussy, and sickly the rest of the day, but she was done throwing up and was starting to feel better.

So I had hours of time to think about all of this while Harper was continuously throwing up, and I decided that I wish someone had told me a few things before I had to learn them the hard way.  Let's just say I had to change my clothes 4 times, Harpers' clothes 4 times, used 8 washcloths, 10 hand towels, 4 bath towels, and dirtied 2 sheets and 2 big blankets.  So if you haven't experienced this yet, here are some words of advice.


1. Don't assume they are done throwing up.  When you stop expecting it, it will happen.  Always be on guard.

2. Don't put them back in their crib, thinking they are done throwing up, hoping you can get a little sleep.  They will just end up throwing up again, all over themselves, their clothes, their hair, etc.  Plus, you'll just have to wash another sheet.

3. Your husband, who probably has to work in the morning, is going to be grumpy and need sleep.  But it's hard to clean throw up off yourself, the baby, the room, and console your sick child all at the same time.  It sucks, but it's life.

4. It will take at least two showers and a full day to get the throw up smell out of your head.

5. Saltines are a good choice of snack after they are feeling a little better and need some food.  It makes them thirsty so they drink more water, and the salt helps the body absorb more of the water.  Plus, it's funny to watch them try to talk with saltines in their mouth.

6. The first time they throw up on you, you'll be grossed out.  The third time, you'll just be annoyed.  The fifth time, you might just ignore it.

7. No matter how hard they fight you while they are throwing up, hold them as still as possible.  If they flail about, you'll just end up with throw up in your hair or down your back.  It seems mean, but it's not.  It's saving tons of time and energy.

8. This day, it is 100% acceptable by all people, that your child can sit and watch cartoons.  All day long.  There are few times when most moms will allow so much tv, but this is it.

9. As soon as your kid gets the stomach flu, immediately send the husband to the store to buy a huge bottle of grape juice.  100% grape juice - no cocktail, white grapes, or any other added element.  Many people swear by this remedy for preventing you (the parent that is having to clean throw up and cuddle your germy kiddo) from getting sick too.  Crazy enough, it worked for us.  And it reminds you of being 6 and taking communion and Jesus and helps you not be so angry that your sweet child just threw up on you again.

10. Just accept that the next 24 to 48 hours are now gone.  Don't try to go run errands or visit family thinking that they are better.  They still feel gross (it really took about 48 hours) and they will be crabby and needy.  Stay home, relax, and you'll be back to your normal life in a few days.