It seems like it was just yesterday that...
...I was telling Jonathan to go easy on the bumps as we headed to the hospital.
...I was pleading with the lady in admissions to move faster and questioning (rather loudly) as to why I had to pre-register when this was taking an eternity.
...I was in triage being checked and was quickly dilating.
...I asked for that epidural and was having STRONG contractions while a huge needle was being inserted into my back.
...it was 11:15 pm on August 1 and I was being told the doctor had been called and was 20 minutes away.
...it was 11:30 and I was being turned on my side with nurses literally holding my legs together to keep Harper from making her grand debut.
...I heard the nurses yell for someone to call the on-call OB/GYN and see how far away he was.
...it was 11:50 and I heard the doctor say "Well, you can push now...go ahead." Haha. That thought still makes me laugh.
...four contractions later, a sweet baby girl made her debut at 12:06 am.
...we were a complete family of four and brought our baby girl home with wide-eyed wonder, not remembering what life was like with a newborn.
...Hallie became a big sister, almost instantly losing her "baby-ness".
...Harper learned to roll over both ways.
...Harper learned to sit on her own.
...Harper began crawling and consequently getting into everything. EVERYTHING.
...Harper began solids.
...three months passed...then six...then nine...then twelve!
In fact, it seems like just yesterday that we were bringing Hallie home from the hospital! And Hallie is SIX!
It just seems that we should still be holding this tiny little being who has gotten so big. She's turning into a big girl with all her pulling up to standing and cruising around the furniture, babbling, and uh-oh-ing and big gummy grins. I just can't believe an entire year has passed us by.
I usually want to smack the person in the face who smiles a toothy smile at a crying fit coming from one or both of my children, or the look of exhaustion on my face and says "Enjoy it because it just goes by so quickly". But that wide smiled person is so right. Truer words have never been spoken. It goes by so, so, so quickly. And do you know what? It goes by even faster with Baby #2. So I can only imagine that a mom blinks once with subsequent babies before they're off to college.
I may have a messy house. Dishes may be piled high in my sink...sippy cups, baby bowls and spoons, etc. Laundry may or may not be actually filling the Pack 'n Play right now (I had to do SOMETHING with those clean clothes for the party). And it's possible that I haven't even unpacked from my trip to Alabama...last month. But one thing is for sure. I am enjoying my children. I may be saying, "Hallie, put your sister down for crying out loud!" about a million times a day (give or take a few)...but I'm loving it. I love the awe on Harper's face when Hallie does a flip off the couch. I love that Harper "makes" me stop at the refrigerator so she can smile, wave, and blow kisses to a picture of Hallie. I love that Hallie thinks she's big enough to take care of Harper on her own...yet when I ask her to watch her for just two seconds, she's at the opposite end of the house leaving Harper to her demise just a second after she has been asked to help.
I love being a mommy. And in just a short week and a half, I'll have a dual role of Mommy and Teacher. But I kinda love that, too. Most of the time. :o)
OK...I know y'all didn't come here to read my sappy blog. So here are the pictures of Harper's party!
The party table. I really wish I had gotten more pictures of things close up...and the milk hadn't been put out in this picture. But you can get an idea of the milk & cookies theme. So glad I ran across this idea! I loved how everything turned out. And I love pink and aqua together!
Sweet cookies!
Sweet Audrey playing with the princess castle. :o)
Sweet, sweet friends!
Harper is wondering why I have taken off her clothes and why she is now the semi-naked center of attention. Ha!
She was mesmerized by the candle...she even tried to touch the fire at one point. So glad she didn't!
Harper wasn't too crazy about digging into the cake...even though she had received a message from her cousins that they wanted to see her face smashed in it. Ha! She was very dainty...and it wasn't until Big Sister came to help that Harper would even taste the cake! This from the girl who wants to put everything in her mouth! Silly girl. :o)
I love my little family of four!
Sweet Campbell and Hadley!
Now this is the sign of a good baby party. Haha.
Harper sliding...not too crazy about it either.
These two sillies jumping on the trampoline! Sweet friend, Audrey, and sweet cousin, Esther Margaret.
We were so glad to have Uncle Donnie & Aunt Irene in town from California.
The girls with their aunt and uncle & Gramps and RahRah
So very glad my parents could be in town for Harper's first birthday! I know the trip isn't an easy one, so I'm extremely thankful they wanted to be here!
Nonna & Pop and their girls!
I didn't do a great job of snapping pictures...so thankfully my dad got a few with his camera.
This is Amy (in purple) and her family--Amy kept Harper for us when I went back to school...until she had her little guy in March.
Not so sure about the cake...
The milk & cookies table in action. :o)
**Cake and cookies by Kristy's Kreation. You can find her Facebook page HERE. Her cakes and cookies are absolutely delicious! And she can truly create anything!**
