18 Pounds and Counting

March 27, 2010

Because you are dying to know how our week has been, here is an update (and some pics to prove it):

Miss Harper is now weighing in at 18 pounds! She also learned how fun it is to sit up in the tub. Please don't worry about her being bored during her "tubby-time," she has a basket full of bath toys already. You raise your eyebrow when I say "tubby-time." Well that is what we call a bath around here; please don't remind me of my philosophy that one should NEVER baby talk with their child as I don't feel much like putting my foot in my mouth today. We'll leave that to Harper, who sticks her toes (with hot pink nails) in her mouth every chance she gets.

I learned that I can vacuum and wash my car while wearing 5-inch BCBG heels. I'll credit that skill to my pageant days.

Colt recently got some new golf clubs (thanks, Dad!) and tried them out today. He hasn't been in a while but seemed to have a great time. I fear that I'll now be sharing him with two hobbies. At least a game of golf begins at a more reasonable hour than a day of fishing. Seriously, he must really love fishing if he gets out of bed at 3:30 a.m. for it. I will get out of bed at that time for exactly one thing: Harper. Everything else can wait.

For those of you who know my mother or me, you know that we love to snack on exactly one type of delicious cracker: Wheat Thins. Honestly, I'm pretty sure that together, we could put a Family Size box away in one sitting. My nieces are in on this as well. We blame the cracker addiction on my mom, who ALWAYS has a box or two at home and in her car. Well, I'm continuing the chain. Harper tried a Wheat Thin for the first time this week and what do you know... she loved it! She cried when I took it away (apparently also inheriting my spoiled brat tendencies right along with my snack food preferences). It was such a momentous event that I made Colt take a picture. Really, I like Wheat Thins that much.

Because You Just Can't Get Enough....

Here are some recent snapshots of Miss Harper in her 5th month. I can't believe that the 6 month mark is right around the corner. I'm not quite ready for her to hit the half-year milestone because with it will come all sorts of non-babyish things (crawling, waving, teething, and Heaven forbid, walking!)

Here she is in her bouncer. She loves it! She also loves her index finger.

How grown up does she think she is?

Trying out a sippy cup... not so successful, but she did love the mesh food pouches that I bought the same day. They are these fabulous little binky/toy like things that let her sample different foods without the risk of choking. So far, she loves peaches, pears, apples, and ice. I took a peach filled pouch away the other night, bringing on her first tantrum.

So happy

A New Baby is Always Exciting!

My niece Skye (whom you all know that I absolutely love and adore) is pregnant and due to have a baby boy this summer! I heard this most exciting news yesterday and haven't stopped thinking about my forthcoming great-nephew since! I love him already and can't wait to meet him.

There is something really special about nieces and nephews. I've been blessed with three beautiful nieces, two great nephews, and two (soon to be three) great-nephews. I have nieces and nephews with my birth-parent's families as well but I haven't been as close to them. Maranda, Crystal, Skye, Brady, and Zack, however, have been a signifigant part of my life. They all spent a lot of time at our house, sometimes staying for weeks at a time, or in Maranda's case, an entire school year. We have travelled together and enjoyed so many holidays and celebrations with one another. They are all grown now and not as interested in me as they used to be, (in fact, I'm pretty sure they got older and realized that Aunt Abby really is just a big dork and not half as cool as they had fathomed in their elementary years) but I love them still and the fact remains that I'd do pretty much anything for them.

I'm so very excited for Skye and I know that she is going to be an amazing mother. I am also secretly hoping that we can bond on a new level now that we will both be parents. I've been planning zoo and shopping trips in my head all day!

Does This Mean I'm Old?

Miss Payson Royalty

2001

Amanda Anderson (2nd Runner up) Me (in the crown :),

Jamie Provostgard (1st Runner Up), Ashley Dunn (3rd Runner Up)

It's hard for me to believe that this photo was taken 8 years ago today! I won Miss Payson on March 17, 2001. While I am often a little embarrassed to admit that I was once a 'beauty queen,' (whatever that outdated and overrated term is supposed to mean) I must take a moment to offer my gratitude for the learning and growth that came as a result of my pageant experiences. I found a lot of confidence in preparing for Miss Payson 2001 and Miss Utah 2002. I learned how to better express myself, how to organize and lead service and community projects, and most importantly, I learned the art of preparation. My walking, however, is still a work in progress.... as well as my hand waving. Despite having been in 14 long parades that summer, I must admit that I am still an awkward waver... It seems to me that I'm destined to forever be on the clumsy side.

It is so strange to think now that when I won Miss Payson and later became a runner-up to Miss Utah, I thought that I'd reached the pinnacle of my life- that I'd had my biggest and best moments. How very silly I was to think that at 17 and 18, I'd had my most memorable experiences... Experiences which actually in no way compare to genuinely memorable moments such as finding my faith, learning to love, meeting Hazelnut, and most importantly, having my sweet little Harper and planning to marry Colt (with so much happiness, it's no wonder that my crown is collecting dust in the corner). I've changed so much in the past 8 years. For Heaven's sake, I was still in high school when I won Miss Payson and I think I even cried because another girl's dress looked like mine. I didn't know who I was or what I believed. I feel like I have been on a path of discovery since those days of hairspray and cheesy clear shoes. Looking back, I realize that if I were asked the same interview questions today, my answers would be so very different because my world is so much bigger now... my mind and my heart are as well, thank goodness. Still, I'm glad that I found the courage to try out for Miss Payson because 8 years ago when I won, it truly was a dream come true. While I've not yet brought world peace or ended hunger, I do think that I've accomplished some of what I set out to do as a Miss Payson contestant: I've found out who I am. Now all I have left to do is be that person.

March Update!

How amazing is this weather? I absolutely love these spring days! After a long winter of hurrying out and in with Hazel, the weather is finally nice enough for walking. Hazel and I do love our morning walks and since it has been warm the past two days, Harper has joined us in her new stroller (thanks Grandma Paulette). I'm still a little clumsy at juggling leash and stroller but I'll get better. I am just so excited to take my two girls to the park here in the next month or so.

Harper is getting so big! She was 5 months on March 7th. She is sitting up all by herself for long periods of time now and rolling over any chance she gets. She is something of a drama queen, however, crying when mom leaves the room or offering a fake cough if she isn't getting as much attention as she would like. She is eating all sorts of yummy baby foods, a task that is getting less messy on a daily basis. I was doing her laundry last night and had one of those moments where reality hits you like a ton of bricks. As I was squirting Shout on her many carrot and sweet potato stains, I was realized that such a task won't end with baby food. I'll be spot cleaning her clothes for years to come, especially if she is like me and spills even in her teen years! I just forget sometimes that Harper is my baby to love forever and it's nice to be reminded of it, even if it is by an orange carrot stain.

I just can't believe how big (literally) she is. She outgrew her 6 month clothing recently and is fitting perfectly into 9 MONTH CLOTHING! It's not even big on her. At 17.5 pounds, she is taking after her dad when it comes to size. I can barely carry her in her car chair anymore!

Here she is, ready for bed, in a pair of her new (9 month) jammies!

Everything else is moving forward for us. I'm still working as a nanny. Colt is working and getting excited for the softball season. We recently hit a few bumps in the road, but we are moving over them together. Our relationship was really tested but we stuck together and have wound up stronger and closer than I ever imagined we would be. We are so excited to move (excited is an understatement, but i use it here because there is not a word strong enough to describe our happy anticipation of much needed space and privacy) and that is our main focus right now... saving, looking, and preparing to move our little family of four! The thought of my own kitchen is enough to make me crazy with happiness. I can't wait to start cooking again and to finally feel at home somewhere. Seriously, I can barely stand the wait!