On the Road with Brent & Erika

Many moons ago, my very talented mother crocheted several adorable sweaters, which my brother and I both wore as babies. They now fit Harper, and I just love that she is getting to wear them! We took a little photo shoot of Harper in the red one. Check out all that drool too!

Since cutting her first tooth, Harper has adopted this interesting expression, which we affectionately call her "old man lips" expression. I guess it makes her gums feel better.

Finally, on a completely random note, I have to put in a plug for my latest love...putting things on hold at our local library! If you have a library card, all you have to do is get on the library website and put whatever you want on hold. Right now I am slowly plowing through all the seasons of Gilmore Girls, and also Alias.

The library sends you an e-mail when the items are waiting for you, and there is even a drive through at the back of the library! So I simply drive up, hand them my card through the window, and they give me my holds. I don't even have to get the stroller out! Plus they don't have late fees at our library...greatness.

Weight: 15 lbs., 2 oz. (75%)

Length: 26 in. (95%)

Head: 16 3/4 in. (85%)

Harper is doing great, and she just started rolling over. We knew she was getting close because she would hang out on her side, but finally she went all the way onto her tummy. Way to go, girl! Her hair has also grown and might be a whopping 1/8 of an inch now! I rub it so much in sheer delight that I am probably going to make it fall out.

"I see my mom and dad using this thing, but I'm not sure yet how it goes."

In other news, we have been hit from all sides by repairs. I guess when it rains, it pours! In less than a month's time we have had: three car repairs all of which involved tow trucks, our sink broke, our toilet broke, our computer hard drive crashed and we got a parking ticket. I am beginning to wonder who I need to "make right" with in this world, because I think I have offended somebody! :) But we have fixed everything for the moment (knock on wood), and I'm pretty excited about our new sink!

It has been great having Brent home for two weeks! At the beginning of the week, we went on this hike we like to take because the weather was so nice. We hiked about four miles and Harper did not stay awake for long.

Warning...if there are any children reading this post, the following discussion may not be appropriate.

I think I am one of very few children maybe that grew up never believing in Santa. When my mom found out as a child after recognizing the mall Santa as being a family friend, she felt a little betrayed and decided that she always wanted to be absolutely truthful with us. So we played along with the traditions and had presents signed from Santa, etc., but I always knew it was a game. I knew not to tell other children, and I felt pretty honored that the truth would be entrusted to my brother and me even at a young age. Brent did believe in Santa, though, and so we will have to decide how we want to proceed with Harper next year or the next!

Since I don't have that experience to draw from, it might be weird for me to fully commit to the Santa charade. But then again, since almost all kids find out about Santa at some point and then choose to continue the tradition with their own children, it must be an overall positive experience, right? Like the fun of the magic outweighed the disappointment of the reveal. So anyway, it probably doesn't have to be a big deal either way, but it's an interesting thing for Brent and me to work through as new parents.

And some other Christmas pics...

Harper loves grabbing my hair!

Merry Christmas and as the middle school kids at Brent's school love to say, "See you next decade!"

It's hard to believe that Harper Belle is three months old now...I know every parent says that. Her conversations are becoming quite in-depth, sprinkled in with lots of adorable laughs. She is grabbing things right and left including my hair by the fistfuls! She no longer needs to be swaddled when she sleeps, and she has found her thumb, which is super cute and very handy. It might not be super cute if she is sucking it eight years from now, but we'll cross that bridge later, right?

Over Thanksgiving we spent time with my family in Ft. Worth. Harper got lots of attention from her Nana (my mom)! Grandparents are the best. In addition to lots of eating and relaxing and catching up on Mad Men Season Three, we took a trip to the Kimbell Art Museum and to the Botanical Gardens.

We saw two documentaries (instead of our typical 15 or so), ate at some amazing restaurants, went shopping and took a long hike. Harper was a pro traveler! She slept well in the car and in the hotel and mostly slept soundly through the documentaries.

In other news, Harper is now two months old and is doing great! She has made a recent attachment...her "seahorse friend," as we like to call him. This little guy (which is nearly as big as she is) lights up and plays slow lullabies along with bubble sounds--she loves it! It helps soothe her to sleep and motivates her to do tummy time. I might be buying this as a shower gift for people in the future because it's been such an unexpected, hilarious hit!