Meet the (Great & Grand) Parents

We took a quick trip to the Motherland over Memorial Day weekend so that Harper could meet her great-grandparents and a number of other family members. We are so thankful for the opportunity for her to meet everyone and grateful for all of us being healthy enough to travel for the short trip. We packed a lot into our time in Colorado, beginning with a trip to the Denver Aquarium just a few hours after we arrived! We got to spend some quality time with family and a few short visits with friends in Golden. Dan and I were even able to squeeze in a fun run in the Bolder Boulder 10K (but maybe we should have trained) while Harper played with her grandparents. I feel kinda hoodwinked by the weather since the entire time we were in Colorado it was raining, but it was sunny in Anchorage!

Four generations - Great Grandma Bobbie, Nana (Grandma), Mom (me) & Harper

Four generations - Great Grandpa Duncan, Nana (Grandma), Mom (me) & Harper

The whole family crew

Fun riding with Grandpa on the 'tractor' (aka riding lawn mower), it's about time Harper learned how to drive!

A couple of favorite moments:

Harper sitting and eating in the high chair her Great-Great-Great-Grandfather made for her Great-Great-Grandfather (that also her Great-Grandmother, Grandfather and mother all used too). It was awesome to use it for the fifth generation!

Harper sitting and actually rocking in my old rocking chair, as well as this one - it is a hundred year old rocking chair that her Great-Great-Great-Grandfather also made.

Swimming upstream with the rainbow trout

Dad & Harper being silly at the Denver Aquarium.

Watching the giant sea turtle

Harper preparing for another Scuba dive.

Better late than never...

We finished celebrating Dan's birthday last weekend...since I wasn't able to get him his present on time in April I decided to make it a 'Birthday Month' from April to May. We had cake (gluten free, of course) and ice cream (some of it homemade) many times throughout the month, and a few surprise presents showed up throughout. On the last day of the Birthday Month Dan got his main b-day gift (it took a while to organize but he said it was worth the wait)...an encounter with the wolves at the Alaska Zoo! Dan got to spend a couple hours with Stephanie (Zoo Keeper) and the six wolves, preparing their food, cleaning up litter from their enclosure and taking the alpha male, Denali, on a walk around the zoo grounds. After they came back from the walk, Dan and Stephanie fed them 'popsicles' - a bunch of frozen fruit and juices inside a bucket. It was pretty funny to watch the wolves bat the popsicles around and play with them. Harper and I had been watching the encounter from the public path inside the zoo, but we were invited behind the scenes to see and pet the wolves through the fence. The alpha female, Windy, was very curious about Harper and wanted to see her up close. Harper seemed to watch the wolves like she watches el Guapo, and she just smiled at them.

Dan petting Denali (alpha male of the pack) with zookeeper

On a walk in the zoo

Practicing sit commands with Denali

Feeding the wolves in their enclosure

Harper discovers she can grab the camera

Ah Ahhhh

Last night was the funniest night of my parenting life so far...I learned that I can actually make Harper giggle by saying 'Ah Ahhh' (usually a negative thing we say to el Guapo). Harper was on her changing table and beginning to grab at something she wasn't supposed to, so I playfully said the aforementioned saying and she immediately smiled a huge toothless grin and giggled AT FULL VOLUME. This was no ordinary giggle, it was a full body giggle with a loudness to it rivaled only be the giggling she did at el Guapo while playing fetch over the weekend. I thought, wow, what a fluke that she laughed when I told her not to do something...I thought that wouldn't happen until she was a teenager! So I tried saying it again, and SHE LAUGHED AGAIN!! We repeated this for a couple minutes (mostly because it was so rewarding to hear her laugh and see her smile), and then we took her down to Dan to see if she'd do it for him. And she did. He was thrilled, and couldn't believe it either. Sure, we think it's amazing and cute now, and I'm sure in 10 years we will not, but for now it is awesome!!

Teething? She's sitting up pretty much on her own now!

Watching the dog...

Bookworm.

Giggle Monster

Dan went out of town to visit his family for the weekend, so we had our very first girls weekend!! We've been busy starting out in day care for the first time (I survived), shopping for trees, and some long runs around the neighborhood. The yard has dried out enough to play fetch with el Guapo, and who knew that Harper would squeal with delight every time Guap brings the ball to us (I was holding her). She giggled so loud our neighbor heard her and came over to say hi. Harper's just about figured out how to sit up by herself, though she's still a bit tipsy and when she falls over she giggles. And even though she's teething, and it's clearly causing her discomfort and irritation, she is giggling through it all, with minor squeaks and screeches. She has the most amazing disposition - I never thought she would be so sweet! She's just suckering us into having another...! We count our blessings every day with Harper! I was very lucky to spend my first Mother's Day entirely with Harper - what a true joy.

Oh - and we have Harper's stats from her 6 month well baby check up:
Weight - 16 lbs 14 oz (70%ile)
Height - 27.5 inches (97%ile)
Head size - 41.25 cm (20%ile)
And the pediatrician said Harper's about the size of your average 9 month old!

Two words: Swiss Chard

Six Months

It is amazing how fast these past six months have flown by - and I can't remember how we spent our time before our little angel arrived. Harper keeps on amazing us every day with her growth and progression - we are impressed (as all new parents are) with every new thing she does! To celebrate her six month milestone, Harper got to experience near 70 deg F heat in Anchorage today - and she played outside in a short-sleeved dress with bare legs! Is it really May in Alaska? We spent most of the day outdoors in the sun just in case this is all the summer we will have this year...

More feeding photos, avocado this time! When Harper is not grabbing the spoon, she throws her arms wide open (to the sides) like she is a bird flying.



The teeth are still on their way, we haven't seen any break through yet, but the chewing has increased in intensity. When I was feeding her avocado tonight she grabbed the spoon from me and began chomping on it crazily.

Harper tried out a friend's swing last weekend and it was a huge hit, so we went out and bought one last Sunday. Both Harper and Guapo like it! (Not sure what they are staring at in this photo...)

I'll post Harper's 6 month stats once we have our visit at the pediatrician's next week.