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| Harper didn't cry. She was very interested in Santa. |
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| She is also very interested in Christmas trees and ornaments. |
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| A happy baby while Mama bakes! |
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| How much longer? |
Friday, December 21, 2012
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
I love this time of year. Getting to spend extra time with family and friends is the best gift ever. Add to that looking at all the beautiful Christmas cards and baking up a storm in the kitchen -- perfection. John and I are thinking of ways to incorporate Jesus into our Christmas traditions (a little crazy that we have to do that -- I mean, think about it) aside from Christmas Eve service. I love that Jason, Betsy, Hadley and Hayden bake a birthday cake for Jesus. I also want to create my own advent calendar with 25 Bible verses along with the sweet treat. It is so easy to get caught up in Santa and Rudolph and getting that doorbuster, but I want Harper to know that is not why we celebrate Christmas. That being said, Harper is completely unaware of Christmas this year. She is not even 9 months old. I mean, she plays with wrapping paper as I wrap gifts, she hangs out in the kitchen while I bake until there is no counter space left, and she loves playing with our tree. She has multiple Christmas dresses and had her picture taken with Santa. All of this is for us. She is just along for the ride. I am looking forward to the day when she can take part in all of our traditions and be excited about it.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
A Trip to Athens
John had a business trip last week in Pasco, Washington. Harper and I decided to drive to Athens and spend the night at the Gober's house. Carson is 2 years old -- he will be 3 in May. Lauren and I have been friends since Kindergarten. Girls scouts. Camp High Harbor. Panama City. Breckenridge. Lake Burton. So many of my childhood memories involve Lauren. She was one of my bridesmaids. Lauren (and her family) are so special to me.
The months leading up to Harper being born and the months following her birth, I called Lauren all the time. Is this normal? What do I do? What do you recommend? She was such a great resource, but an even better friend. I love that our children will be friends. Oh, and they will also be married. It's perfect.
I had a great time at their house, but I think Harper and Carson had the most fun. Lauren and I found ourselves sitting silently by and watching the two play together. Carson was so sweet and gentle with Harper. And Harper? She was so loud and made so many funny noises -- Carson loved it! (and often mimicked her.)
Let's not forget about Chris! He was so sweet...he offered to watch Harper and Carson so that Lauren and I could go out to dinner. Knowing that Harper was "off" her normal schedule, I wouldn't put him through that. Chris and I did convince Lauren to watch Duck Dynasty. She was not too impressed.
The months leading up to Harper being born and the months following her birth, I called Lauren all the time. Is this normal? What do I do? What do you recommend? She was such a great resource, but an even better friend. I love that our children will be friends. Oh, and they will also be married. It's perfect.
I had a great time at their house, but I think Harper and Carson had the most fun. Lauren and I found ourselves sitting silently by and watching the two play together. Carson was so sweet and gentle with Harper. And Harper? She was so loud and made so many funny noises -- Carson loved it! (and often mimicked her.)
Let's not forget about Chris! He was so sweet...he offered to watch Harper and Carson so that Lauren and I could go out to dinner. Knowing that Harper was "off" her normal schedule, I wouldn't put him through that. Chris and I did convince Lauren to watch Duck Dynasty. She was not too impressed.
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| Middle school? Yes, this picture is definitely from middle school. :) |
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| Carson and Harper meet -- Harper is 3 months old. |
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| during our sleepover -- they had so much fun! |
8 months (and 10 days...eek!)
It is hard to believe that 8 months have gone passed since our little girl was born. The first month was the longest one of my life -- and since then, time has passed so quickly.
Harper is close to crawling. She just has such long legs -- it's hard to maneuver them! She claps, although no sound is produced. The other day she whistled -- completely on accident -- and then she spent the next 5-10 minutes trying to make the sound again. It was funny to watch. She is doing very well with a sippy cup (water and very, very little juice) and wants to be independent. Oh dear. It is happening already.
She loves books. She likes when I read them, but she prefers chewing on them and turning the pages on her own. She has successfully found every Christmas tree needle that has fallen on the ground. She practiced unwrapping presents has I was wrapping them.
We are looking forward to visiting Santa later this week. I am sure I will get some great pictures from that!
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| Harper loves bath time. Bath time listening to the Sound of Music? It doesn't get much better. :) |
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| Headed to the Army/Navy Party |
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| ahhhhh..... |
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| smiling at my daddy.... |
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| those eyes. |
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| Harper loves being on her daddy's shoulder. |
She loves books. She likes when I read them, but she prefers chewing on them and turning the pages on her own. She has successfully found every Christmas tree needle that has fallen on the ground. She practiced unwrapping presents has I was wrapping them.
We are looking forward to visiting Santa later this week. I am sure I will get some great pictures from that!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
A Day in the Life -- Updated
Harper is almost 8 months old and SO MUCH has changed. Our day looks completely different now. That being said, I am still completely exhausted at the end of the day and and just thrilled to hear the garage doors open. Not because I want to get away from Harper -- I just need a minute.
Morning:
Harper wakes up between 6 and 7. If she wakes up earlier, I nurse her and she goes back to sleep until maybe 8...if we are lucky. John will usually get her in the morning and change her. She goes in the swing in our bathroom while he gets ready for work. This gives me a little more time to rest. Once that bathroom door opens I know that I am on the clock. I take Harper downstairs, she nurses and then plays on the floor or in her bouncer. I use this time to pump. Without going into too much detail, I am a producer and must pump ASAP in the morning. I have been told that this is a good problem to have. (I have also been told that this is why not all of the baby weight has come off...that and chocolate.)
About an hour after Harper nurses, I give her oatmeal mixed with some veggies. She does quite well eating. She really loves the cereal puffs that she can feed herself. I still have to be careful that she doesn't a) choke on them, and b) feed them all to the dogs.
Two (or so) hours after she wakes up, Harper goes down for her morning nap. This is at least 1 hour, but no more than 2 hours. I would like to say that this is when I go on the treadmill or clean the house...and sometimes I do. Sometimes I like to nap. [side note: the dogs know when I put Harper down for her morning nap. they are usually waiting for me in my bed. honest. they need cuddle time, too. i don't want to neglect my dogs. i am just resting for their sake, not mine.]
Afternoon:
Harper is usually awake between 10:30 and 11:30. We like to go to story time at the library. We have three different ones we go to...on Mondays we go to the Central Library, Tuesdays are at Kemp Memorial Library on Due West Road and Wednesdays are in downtown Kennesaw. Wednesday is the best day. There are a many more kids Harper's age at Wednesday story time. Now -- here is the problem. The end of story time sometimes marks the beginning of her nap time -- meaning that I have to keep her awake all the way back home. Sometimes I win this battle, but more often that not, Harper is victorious. If I can keep her awake, she eats when we get home (mixed fruits and veggies) and then goes down for a nap. This nap can last anywhere from 1-2 hours.
Harper will usually be awake around 3. We will go get the mail, play with the dogs, visit Nana and Popi....find things to keep us busy. She is a happy baby as long as she is doing something. Lately, we have been making many trips to craft stores.
John gets home around 5:30. Sometimes I will start dinner as soon as he gets home or we might cook it together. SOMETIMES dinner was cooking all day in the crockpot. Those are glorious days.
Evening:
Harper will start to get sleepy/fussy around 6. We usually let her nap for 30-45 minutes. We don't want to her to sleep too long and mess up bedtime, but if she doesn't take a little cat nap, she will be a nightmare until bedtime. Once she wakes up, we prepare her dinner. This consists of banana oatmeal and either a fruit or veggie (depending on what I gave her for breakfast.)
7:00 means it is time to start our bedtime routine. We give her a bath every other day, although sometimes we do it everyday. She loves bath time. We play music for her (the Raffi station on Pandora is the best. hands down. If you don't know Raffi, get to know Raffi.) She loves to splash and play with the 6 ducks, 1 squirrel, 1 whale, 1 octopus and fish that she has in the tub. (I know there are more but I can't think of them.)
Once Harper starts getting visibly tired, we take her out of the bath. It is lotion and pajama time. We will let her play for a little bit before we give her a bottle. Now -- since I pump in the morning I have a whole bottle for her. She will not nurse very long at night...giving her a bottle lets me know exactly how much she is taking. Some people says that it doesn't matter, but I want to know. (This also means that I have to pump before bed -- but I just use that milk to make her oatmeal the next day.)
Since I also pump at night, it gives me the chance to go on the treadmill. Like I said before, I am a producer, so jogging is not fun for too long. Jogging at night is also tough because I am so exhausted. I try to jog every couple of days. I try. I also try to straighten up the kitchen at night before bed -- a messy kitchen messes with my head.
If Harper wakes up at all, it is just because her pacifier came out. If we pop it back in her mouth, she goes back to sleep. She may wake up at 3:00 or 5:00 to nurse, but that doesn't happen everyday. She is a wonderful baby. A sweet baby. We adore her.
Morning:
Harper wakes up between 6 and 7. If she wakes up earlier, I nurse her and she goes back to sleep until maybe 8...if we are lucky. John will usually get her in the morning and change her. She goes in the swing in our bathroom while he gets ready for work. This gives me a little more time to rest. Once that bathroom door opens I know that I am on the clock. I take Harper downstairs, she nurses and then plays on the floor or in her bouncer. I use this time to pump. Without going into too much detail, I am a producer and must pump ASAP in the morning. I have been told that this is a good problem to have. (I have also been told that this is why not all of the baby weight has come off...that and chocolate.)
About an hour after Harper nurses, I give her oatmeal mixed with some veggies. She does quite well eating. She really loves the cereal puffs that she can feed herself. I still have to be careful that she doesn't a) choke on them, and b) feed them all to the dogs.
Two (or so) hours after she wakes up, Harper goes down for her morning nap. This is at least 1 hour, but no more than 2 hours. I would like to say that this is when I go on the treadmill or clean the house...and sometimes I do. Sometimes I like to nap. [side note: the dogs know when I put Harper down for her morning nap. they are usually waiting for me in my bed. honest. they need cuddle time, too. i don't want to neglect my dogs. i am just resting for their sake, not mine.]
Afternoon:
Harper is usually awake between 10:30 and 11:30. We like to go to story time at the library. We have three different ones we go to...on Mondays we go to the Central Library, Tuesdays are at Kemp Memorial Library on Due West Road and Wednesdays are in downtown Kennesaw. Wednesday is the best day. There are a many more kids Harper's age at Wednesday story time. Now -- here is the problem. The end of story time sometimes marks the beginning of her nap time -- meaning that I have to keep her awake all the way back home. Sometimes I win this battle, but more often that not, Harper is victorious. If I can keep her awake, she eats when we get home (mixed fruits and veggies) and then goes down for a nap. This nap can last anywhere from 1-2 hours.
Harper will usually be awake around 3. We will go get the mail, play with the dogs, visit Nana and Popi....find things to keep us busy. She is a happy baby as long as she is doing something. Lately, we have been making many trips to craft stores.
John gets home around 5:30. Sometimes I will start dinner as soon as he gets home or we might cook it together. SOMETIMES dinner was cooking all day in the crockpot. Those are glorious days.
Evening:
Harper will start to get sleepy/fussy around 6. We usually let her nap for 30-45 minutes. We don't want to her to sleep too long and mess up bedtime, but if she doesn't take a little cat nap, she will be a nightmare until bedtime. Once she wakes up, we prepare her dinner. This consists of banana oatmeal and either a fruit or veggie (depending on what I gave her for breakfast.)
7:00 means it is time to start our bedtime routine. We give her a bath every other day, although sometimes we do it everyday. She loves bath time. We play music for her (the Raffi station on Pandora is the best. hands down. If you don't know Raffi, get to know Raffi.) She loves to splash and play with the 6 ducks, 1 squirrel, 1 whale, 1 octopus and fish that she has in the tub. (I know there are more but I can't think of them.)
Once Harper starts getting visibly tired, we take her out of the bath. It is lotion and pajama time. We will let her play for a little bit before we give her a bottle. Now -- since I pump in the morning I have a whole bottle for her. She will not nurse very long at night...giving her a bottle lets me know exactly how much she is taking. Some people says that it doesn't matter, but I want to know. (This also means that I have to pump before bed -- but I just use that milk to make her oatmeal the next day.)
Since I also pump at night, it gives me the chance to go on the treadmill. Like I said before, I am a producer, so jogging is not fun for too long. Jogging at night is also tough because I am so exhausted. I try to jog every couple of days. I try. I also try to straighten up the kitchen at night before bed -- a messy kitchen messes with my head.
If Harper wakes up at all, it is just because her pacifier came out. If we pop it back in her mouth, she goes back to sleep. She may wake up at 3:00 or 5:00 to nurse, but that doesn't happen everyday. She is a wonderful baby. A sweet baby. We adore her.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Thanksgiving Day
This year marked the 10th anniversary of Marietta's Gobble Jog. John and I decided to sign up...no, not for the 5k (which would have been more appropriate), but for the 10k. I have been running 2-3 miles every few days as I begin training for my half marathon. I have yet to get to 6 miles. John said we should just go for it. Well...we did.
Ricky's fiancee, Keri, and her brother, David, joined us Thanksgiving morning and we drove to the Marietta Square. I was so nervous. I hadn't run this far since before I got pregnant. Yikes! My goal was to finish.
As we were approaching the finish line, the kids participating in the Tot Trot turned the corner. I started laughing because I knew this meant that we will be finishing in a sea of children. Watching these kids run was precious. I just know my finish photo looks like I ran the kids race. :)
After our 10k, we raced home to shower and pack up the car to head to Macon. We timed it perfectly so that Harper would nap on the way down. Hooray! We were looking forward to spending time with the Millers and the Conklins, and Grandmama and Grandaddy Clark. 6 kids in one house was crazy, but fun.
I had seen this turkey dress online and I felt like I could make it. With John's mom's help (and lots of it!) we made the turkey dress for Harper. Donna then made dresses/jumpers/shirts for the rest of the cousins.
After a delicious meal, there was lots of shopping, lots of napping, lots of crying and laughter. The next day there was a family portrait session, shopping, playing, napping, crying, a bonfire -- a fiery blaze that made the Clark men proud, smores and bedtime.
Ricky's fiancee, Keri, and her brother, David, joined us Thanksgiving morning and we drove to the Marietta Square. I was so nervous. I hadn't run this far since before I got pregnant. Yikes! My goal was to finish.
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| Before the race. So excited for Keri to officially join the family in October 2013! |
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| Just...so....cute! |
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| Just finished the race. David and Keri were patiently waiting for us. My parents were volunteers at the event, so they were waiting for us with bottled water and bananas. |
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| Keri and her brother, David |
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| The Clark Family |
As we were approaching the finish line, the kids participating in the Tot Trot turned the corner. I started laughing because I knew this meant that we will be finishing in a sea of children. Watching these kids run was precious. I just know my finish photo looks like I ran the kids race. :)
After our 10k, we raced home to shower and pack up the car to head to Macon. We timed it perfectly so that Harper would nap on the way down. Hooray! We were looking forward to spending time with the Millers and the Conklins, and Grandmama and Grandaddy Clark. 6 kids in one house was crazy, but fun.
I had seen this turkey dress online and I felt like I could make it. With John's mom's help (and lots of it!) we made the turkey dress for Harper. Donna then made dresses/jumpers/shirts for the rest of the cousins.
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| all the cousins |
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| Hunter, Mason and Caroline |
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| Baylee and Madison |
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| Harper |
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| Harper and Madison |
[Perry] Thanksgiving
I hope that everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. We had a great time. The Perry Family celebrated the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. My Mewmaw and Uncle Doug were unable to attend because Memaw had shoulder replacement surgery a few days earlier.
It is always nice when we can all get together. We all live close to each other (the furthest away being in Atlanta), but that doesn't mean we always spend quality time together. I feel very blessed that I have such great relationships with my brothers and their spouses (or soon-to-be-spouse!) My parents have always told us that it comforts them to know that when they are no longer here, we will have each other.
Unfortunately, the nap schedules of Hadley, Hayden and Harper did not coincide, so we didn't get any pictures with them before we had to take Harper home. All in all -- the day was a success. It was my first time making the dressing and pecan pies with my mom. I am very excited to carry on that family tradition.
It is always nice when we can all get together. We all live close to each other (the furthest away being in Atlanta), but that doesn't mean we always spend quality time together. I feel very blessed that I have such great relationships with my brothers and their spouses (or soon-to-be-spouse!) My parents have always told us that it comforts them to know that when they are no longer here, we will have each other.
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| Philip, Harper and Kelly |
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| Ricky and Keri |
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| Happy Jason and Happy Harper |
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| Fussy Jason and Fussy Harper |
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| Betsy and Harper |
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| John, Harper and Alyson |
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Nashville
Friends of ours were getting married in Nashville. We decided that it would be nice to attend this wedding and spend a night away from Harper. John's parents were so kind to drive up from Macon to take such wonderful care of Harper. I cried...a river...when we left Harper. Eventually I get into finding music on XM and shopping at the outlet and was able to get past leaving her.
Arv and Jess' wedding was on Sunday, but we left Saturday morning. We met up with some friends at our lovely hotel bar, then we went to dinner.
After a great dinner (one to which John and I are not accustomed) we met the wedding crew at a bar. At this point I realized that I am a) not as young as I used to be, and b) stubborn as always.
This was the first Hindu wedding that John and I have ever attended, and it was great. I remember going to my first Bar Mitzvah and wanting to be Jewish. This wedding made me want to be Hindu. I love my religion -- I just really like how other religions celebrate various occasions.
I would also like to add that I am so thankful for GE. John met Kevin through GE. Kevin is married to Cindy. I love them both. They are great people. Kevin introduced us to Allan and Leah Sicat. The Sicats are also wonderful people. I feel very blessed to know such great people and to call them our friends.
.JPG)
Arv and Jess' wedding was on Sunday, but we left Saturday morning. We met up with some friends at our lovely hotel bar, then we went to dinner.
After a great dinner (one to which John and I are not accustomed) we met the wedding crew at a bar. At this point I realized that I am a) not as young as I used to be, and b) stubborn as always.
This was the first Hindu wedding that John and I have ever attended, and it was great. I remember going to my first Bar Mitzvah and wanting to be Jewish. This wedding made me want to be Hindu. I love my religion -- I just really like how other religions celebrate various occasions.
I would also like to add that I am so thankful for GE. John met Kevin through GE. Kevin is married to Cindy. I love them both. They are great people. Kevin introduced us to Allan and Leah Sicat. The Sicats are also wonderful people. I feel very blessed to know such great people and to call them our friends.
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| John, Me, Al, Leah, Kevin and Cindy. |
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| At the wedding |
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| John, Jess, Arv, Me |
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