Six Months

 

Half a year already! Where does the time go?!?!

This month has been a big one for you. You are up to 15lbs 13oz and 26 1/2 inches long.

You have really found your voice--you LOVE to talk. Every time I pick you up at daycare the teachers tell me just how chatty you have been. I love it! You are also really beginning to master some of that hand-eye coordination. You can grab and hold on to your paci and even get it to your own mouth (hallelujah!). You are sitting up on your own and sleeping through the night like a champ. You love eating oatmeal in the mornings and at lunch (though I can't seem to get you interested in any other foods just yet--no apples, no pears, no squash, nothing). 

You still love Lennon and think she's hilarious. You are also beginning to really be interested in toys--you can grab onto them and sling them around in the air! 

Your hair continues to be some of the best looking 6 month hair I've ever seen and your personality is just a delight! We love you SO much! 

Five Months

Another month has come and gone! In our unofficial weighing at home you came in around 14lbs 7oz! You are growing like a weed and beginning to really plump up...sweet little baby rolls on your legs and arms. 

This month you took your first vacation with us to the beach! We even took Lennon along for the ride. You loved the water but mostly just took naps in the warm sun in our laps while we read books and enjoyed the sound of the ocean. You also loved the swing on the beach--we'll need to get you a swing at home I think! 

Your toes finally found their way to your mouth. Well most anything eventually finds its way to your mouth these days :) You are drooling up a storm and watching intently when we eat in front of you (soon, baby, soon!). You love to feel everything--you open your little palm and scratch your fingers across anything that comes your way--books, the couch, your sheets, your clothes, everything. We also discovered that you are a tummy sleeper--once we flipped you on your belly (after coming in several nights where you were arching your back and head like you wanted to flip) you sleep like a champ (usually). 

You continue to be such a happy little bug and we just love watching your personality continue to emerge. You are a little charmer and have the sweetest smile when people talk to you. We love you more and more with each passing day! 

Four Months

We've made it to month four! What a fun month it's been! You are up to 13 lbs 10.5 oz in weight and are 24 inches long. You toughed it out through your 2nd round of shots and are a good, strong, and healthy little girl. And your hair? More awesome than ever! 

This month you started at the Discovery School at Temple Emanu-El and so far you love it there! You love taking rides in the Bye Bye Buggy and sitting up in the Bumbo seat for Circle Time. It's been great for you to meet other friends and begin to develop all of your skills and abilities. You come home SO tired because your brain is learning and growing so much every day. 

You really are a happy and good baby. You spent one week this month with Mimi as she helped us with the gap before day care started. And you also spent some time with Bebe and Pops who helped us when we had other things to do that weren't baby-friendly. You love to talk and grab your toes. You are working really hard to roll over--any day now! You still love to be on your piano play mat--you love to grab all of the toys. (You've become quite grabby now that you realize you can do it!) We also bought a jumper seat for the doorway--though you haven't quite figured it out yet, you do love to be upright and seeing the world around you. Lennon thinks your scary in there and barks at you but you just think she's funny! :) We love hearing your laugh--best part of any day! 

We love you so much little girl and are loving watching your personality begin to shine through! 

Three Months

Three whole months! Each day is more and more fun as Harper's personality begins to emerge. These days she loves to talk--to her toys, to us, to anyone or anything that will listen really! She smiles often and is working really hard to giggle and laugh. It's my favorite part of the day to come home and hear her sweet voice and giggles. She is drooling up a storm and we think beginning to feel the early stages of teething as she is constantly putting her fingers to her gums. 

She weighs 12lbs 5oz and her hair grows more full and poofy by the day! I love it and love putting bows on that full head of hair. We were loaned a piano play mat this month and Harper loves to kick at the piano and pull at the animals. She is really learning to grab on to things and wanting to sit up on her own. She is working towards rolling over but not quite there yet. 

I survived my first few weeks back to work and Matt enjoyed some dad time with Harper. Together they've learned how to master bottle feeding and are working to prepare her for the shift to daycare in only a few short weeks. She has also made the switch to her crib at night and, just like her mommy, Harper loves to sleep! She will often go from about 8:30pm-4:00am and then go back to sleep until I wake her at 7:30am or so. Yay! 

Harper what a joy you are to watch grow and learn! You are loved! 

Two Months

What fun! We have loved watching Harper grow and change during month two! 

Harper you are now 22 inches long and 10lbs 7oz. You are working really hard to hold your own head up all the time--you love to pull up and show off how strong you really are. You kick like crazy all the time and have the longest little legs! This month you've started to interact with us, which we love. Your smiles are just the sweetest and we love to hear you coo and talk. One night you even let out a little giggle in your sleep--now to get you to do it when you're awake! 

This month you had the chance to meet your cousin Ava (who was fascinated by all of your hair!), your Aunt Mary Beth and Uncle Caleb, and took some beautiful Gilbert family photos. You made your first visits to First Church and met lots of the people that love you.You enjoyed Symphony in the Summer at Railroad Park and love to ride in the car. You survived your first round of shots (but let out the saddest little tears I've ever seen).

Your little personality is slowly coming out and you love to chatter all the time! We love you Harper and can't wait to see where the next month take us! 

One Month

I can't believe it's already been ONE whole month! And what an adventure!

Harper is growing and changing by the second. She is super strong and working hard to hold her own head up. She pushes with her arms and legs all the time and loves to look up. She has gained weight really well and is now up to 9lbs. 8 oz. She is sleeping fairly well--once she actually falls asleep. And overall she isn't a very fussy baby. We love watching her take in the world around her! She is such a joy and we are loving being her parents! 

My Birth Story--Delivery

It was finally time to push! Dr. Thomas actually came in for the entirety of my pushing and delivery (most doctors come around mostly to catch the baby!)--she said this was the best part and why would she want to miss it! 

Once I was in position they would help me know when a contraction was coming and then we would push for 3 counts of 10 as hard as I could and then rest. Jenna and Dr. Thomas were really great coaches and Matt was very encouraging. We had to move positions a couple of times to try and navigate the pelvis but with patience and persistence we did it! Very early on you could see and feel that tiny head of hair! It was encouraging to see and feel progress. 

Dr. Thomas worked VERY hard to keep from having to perform an episiotomy or from having me tear. I was so thankful for the effort she put forward because I know many doctors would not have been so patient. In the end, however, there was simply no way that Harper was going to make it into this world without it. And so she made a small incision to try to help us get her out. Somewhere along the way Dr. Thomas also noticed that we both felt really warm. Upon taking my temperature we discovered that I'd spiked a fever somewhere around 99 degrees or so. They immediately got me some Tylenol to try to reduce the fever. Unfortunately we had no such luck and my fever continued to climb with it's highest being somewhere around 101.8. They started me on an antibiotic and told me that the baby would for sure be headed to the NICU because of the infection. Apparently in long labors moms can spike a fever because of infection in/around the uterus at the time of it's opening. I honestly don't understand it all but because the baby is exposed to that infection she has to be treated with antibiotics as well. I was heartbroken but at this moment all that mattered was getting her out. 

So we pushed on and finally at 2:05pm I felt her whole body slide out. They were able to VERY quickly set her on my chest and let Matt cut the cord before whisking her away to the NICU team for suction and assessment. Once she was finally a bit more clean and ready they brought her over to me in the picture above. She smiled at me and blew bubbles--this moment/picture might be my most prized possession and memory from that day. They then took her back to the NICU team and Matt was able to go with her and make sure she was settled and well cared for. 

In the mean time, my small cut had become a 3rd degree tear that needed some serious stitch work. Dr. Thomas began work on that because the placenta was taking it's sweet time to come out (she wasn't too concerned at this point). However, my epidural was wearing off. I could wiggle my toes and feel my feet. So the pain of the stitches was pretty significant--she injected some lidocaine to try to help but I could still feel her working. She finally finished the stitches and made it back to work the placenta out. You have 30 minutes to deliver the placenta or else that have to retrieve it manually. Alas, we didn't make the time table and so Dr. Thomas had to reach in and get the placenta out herself. It was THE most painful thing I've ever experienced. It didn't want to come out and my epidural was wearing off. I screamed and cried. Finally it was all over and Matt made it back from the NICU to tell me everything was going to be ok. 

Now they needed to clean me up and monitor my infection and fever before we could go see my baby girl. It seemed like the longest hours of my life but finally around 5 or 6 so we were able to go back and meet Harper Christine for real. 

It wasn't exactly how I'd imagined labor and delivery going--and definitely wasn't what I'd hoped for our baby's first few days of life--but it was all still a beautiful and miraculous process. I can't believe that I carried and nourished that beautiful child for 9 months and then successfully pushed her out to experience life in this world! Let the adventures begin!