Twelve Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

I simply cannot believe that today we are celebrating your first birthday!  Where did this year go?  It flew by for me.  I just keep thinking back to a year ago, and the anticipation that I felt waiting to meet you, and knowing how much all of our lives would changed once you came into this world.  I knew that your sister was about to get a great gift by having a younger sibling.  I knew that I would love you as much as I loved her.  I never once doubted that my heart could love enough for both of you.

This month you mastered crawling and pulling up and walking while pushing things.  You speed around the house now.  You took two, very hesitant, unassisted steps towards me one day.  That's it.  All other walking is cruising along furniture, or pushing objects.  You doubt your ability to do it.  I know that you'll get it.  It's cute to watch you contemplate it.

One day, you picked up Annelise's water cup, tilted it up to your mouth, and drank right out of it.  I never taught you or showed you how, but you knew exactly what to do.  Probably from watching Annelise.  You like to drink water, and I give you some at meal times and in between meals.

Eating is still hit and miss.  Some days you seem to love everything and gobble it up faster than I can feed you, and some days you seems irritated by food and only eat the bare minimum.  You don't like plain fruit at all.  What's the deal with that?  I still give you a pouch or two a day to make sure that you're getting some fruits and veggies.  Crackers are a big hit.  Any kind of cracker is usually devoured pretty quickly.

You sprouted a couple more teeth this month, both of your upper lateral incisors.  These teeth were a little harder for you to handle than the first few.  You were definitely whiny and cranky, and ran a low fever.

Sleep is still amazing!  I thank God so much that you are such a good sleeper.  Nothing has really changed routine wise from last month.

We do have some work to do in the speech department.  You babble and screech a lot, but don't really have any words.  Occasionally you'll say "mama", but it's hard to tell if you associate it with me, and occasionally you'll say "dada", but again, I don't think you necessarily associate it with Daddy.  That's it for words.  You say the "ba", "fa", and "ya" sound sometimes.  You don't even sign, even though I consistently sign "milk", "more", "eat", "please", and "water".  You understand what I'm saying, and I can understand that you would like something by your body language.  When I ask you if you want something, you straighten your legs and wiggle your whole body.  It's pretty adorable.

You and Annelise are an absolute riot!  You both love each other fiercely!  She loves to come get you in the morning once you've woken up, and you always have a huge grin for her.  If Annelise has gotten in trouble and is sitting in time out, you just can't resist crawling over there and seeing what she's doing.  You both are going to give me a run for my money once you're able to keep up with her.  I love watching your relationship grow and change.  I hope that you always remain close.

You weigh 21 pounds 8 ounces and are 28 1/2 inches tall.  You are the exact same height that Annelise was at one year!  You are still in 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.  Both have plenty of growing room.

My boy, I just simple can't believe that you are now a year old.  You aren't my little baby anymore, even though I'll still act like you are sometimes.  I have so enjoyed watching you grow and learn and change this past year.  I can't wait to see what the next year holds.  If I've learned anything from your older sister, it's that the second year flies by much faster than the first.  Don't grow up too fast, ok?

Love you forever,
Mommy

Eleven Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

Buddy, we are just one short month away from your first birthday!  Can you believe it?  I certainly can't!  This month has definitely been the most fun with you and I think that you've been the happiest you've ever been.

You finally figured out how to crawl!  It was very slow at first, and you wouldn't go far, but every day you got better and went further and further.  I loved to watch you cautiously try to figure it out and put your hands in front of each other and move your legs forward.  It took so much concentration.  You started crawling at the beginning of the month, and by the end, you're flying around the house!  You can get where you want to go quickly.  You're a pro at pulling up now too.  You use the walker toys and Annelise's shopping cart to help you walk around the house.  You also push around the activity table, Maya's food bowl stand, laundry baskets, and anything else you can get to move.

You have started to be a little troublemaker!  You know the things that you are not supposed to do, like get into Maya's bowls, but you crawl over to them every time you're in the kitchen.  I'll look at you and say, "Harrison, no sir" and you'll stop crawling, sit yourself up, look at me, and grin.  Then, you take off crawling towards the bowls again.  You naughty little boy!  It makes me giggle a little bit.  You like to get into things more than your sister did.  She never messed with cords or outlets.  You, on the other hand, are obsessed with them.

You tried lots of new foods this month, and you seemed to love everything.  Cheese, oatmeal, animal crackers, mostacolli, "baby cheetos", goldfish, it was all a hit.  I usually give you yogurt and Cheerios for breakfast, and then nurse you afterwards.  Dinner is a pouch, some cheese, and some crackers.  I'm working on coming up with some options for fruits and veggies for you to eat on your own.  You don't seem to be a fan of fruits on their own.  You might be better with them now since you're eating better.

Sleep is still going very well.  Naps are hit and miss.  Some days are good, some days are bad.  Night sleep is awesome!  I give you dinner around 5 PM, then I get you ready for bed around 6 PM.  You are usually sleeping between 6:30-7:00.  You wake up in the morning between 6:30-7:00 AM usually.  Definitely awesome!!  I'm so thankful that you've become such a good sleeper, especially since I'm here by myself most of the time.

Words are pretty non-existent.  Occasionally you will say "mom" or "mama".  That's about it.  You've starting saying "da" a little more frequently, but you don't associate it with Dad.  You don't talk a lot at all.  You screech and squeal and whine, but that's about it.  You have your paci in your mouth often, so I'm sure that attributes to the lack of words.

You are wearing 18 month clothes, but they are still a little big.  You've definitely slowed down your growth the past months.  You are still in a size 4 diaper.  I bought you a pair of sandals that are a size 4.

I just can't believe that we have one more short month until we are celebrating your birthday.  You are so much fun and I love to watch you grow and change and learn.  I love you more than words can say!

Love forever,
Mommy

Ten Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

I'm not sure why, but turning double digit months always makes me a little sad.  I think it's because I know that your first birthday is right around the corner.  I know that I will blink and it will be here, and you'll no longer be my "baby".  I've started thinking about your birthday party and putting ideas together.  I'm very excited for it!

You sprouted three more teeth, and now have four total, the two middle on the top and the two middle on the bottom.  I'm so used to seeing your gummy smile that it still catches me by surprise to see your teeth.  You have bit me a few times while nursing.  I'm not a fan!  I'll tell you to stop biting and if you do it again, I'll make you stop nursing.  Usually by that point you're done eating and just playing around anyways.  I'm going to have to get some crib rail guards for your bed.  I can see little beaver teeth marks on the side where you stand.

You are starting to eat pretty well.  I'm still taking it slow with you, but I've introduced a few new things.  You have had some scrambled eggs and bread now.  Eggs you weren't so sure about, but you loved the bread.  I think it helps that Dad feeds you.  You always seem to eat better with him.  You still love yogurt, applesauce, and the pouches.

Mobility is coming soon!  You pulled yourself to standing in your crib the other day.  I lowered the mattress down as soon as you woke up from your nap.  Now, you can pull up on most things that you are close to.  You got onto your knees and then sat back down one day.  I know that you are going to start crawling very soon!  I can see you thinking about it and trying to figure it out.  It will click very soon, I'm sure.

All of a sudden, you are sleeping much better!  Nighttime is going well and even naps are pretty consistent.  I have noticed that you don't like to go to sleep unless you get some milk first.  You definitely know the routine to things.  You usually wake up around 6ish, but some days you will sleep a little later.  Some days you take two naps, and some days just one.  I still start getting you ready for bed around 6-6:15.  It works well, even though sometimes it would be nice to not have to have you down so early.

You finally clapped the right way, and you love clapping now.  You will constantly clap.  It makes me laugh because I think that's how you try to tell me "yes" to something.  If I ask you if you want milk, even though I sign "milk", you will still clap your hands.  I sign "more" to you too, and I think that you'll pick that one up quickly.

It's starting to be a challenge to change you because all you want to do is sit and stand up.  You have no time for that laying down business.  I try to distract you by singing, giving you toys, or playing with you.  But, I definitely have to make changing you a quick job.  I can get you dressed and everything else with you sitting or standing, but a diaper needs to be done laying down.  I usually take your pictures without Daddy because he's gone.  This month was HARD!  All you wanted to do was stand up and move.  You were definitely interested in my camera.

I am beginning to transition you to 18 month clothes.  They are still a little big.  You are still in a size 4 diaper.

Buddy, I love you so much!  You are starting to interact and move and be so much fun.  I just can't believe how quickly ten months have flown by.  You make my heart happy!

Love you forever,
Mommy

Nine Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

My sweet boy, it's hard to believe that you are only three short months away from celebrating your first birthday!  How can you be so close already?  Weren't you just born three days ago??

You have finally decided that I'm not trying to kill you with food.  You absolutely love yogurt.  Annelise is not a fan of sharing her yogurt with you.  I'm going to have to buy a ton more so that you both can each get your own.  You also like the Earth's Best pouches a lot too.  However, anything solid, and you still think I'm trying to kill you.  You make the worst faces and spit it out.  If you do happen to like something, you gag on it pretty badly, and often make yourself throw up from it.  It's hard for me to watch.  I gave you some ice cream at Annelise's birthday party, and of course you loved that.  I'm glad that we're starting to make a little progress here.

You can sit yourself up from a lying position now.  You mainly do it in your crib when you are supposed to be sleeping.  You haven't really figured out how to lay back down yet, so you just slump over and fall asleep.  It's kind of adorable!

You show no interest in crawling.  However, you have started to try and pull up on things.  You don't actually make it up, but you try so hard.   I think it's just a matter of you building your strength up some and you'll pull up.  It's so adorable to watch you try and become mobile.  I just can't wait until you start crawling.  You may not crawl, but I have a feeling that you'll be doing some sort of moving soon.  I think that you'll be much happier when you can get around yourself.  You always want to be in on the action.  Your sister is going to love it too, until you start getting into her stuff!

Sleep is still so-so.  You've started sleeping in a little later in the mornings.  I've also started putting you to bed just a tiny bit earlier.  I start getting you ready sometime between 6:15-6:30 PM.  You still get a bottle at bed, and you're usually in bed by 7 PM.  It helps to have you down by then.

You got some teeth!  Your first tooth poked through a few days ago.  It's the upper middle tooth on the right, and the left one is not too far behind.  I joked that you got some bunny teeth in time for Easter.  You like to bite on the clasp for your pacifier now that your teeth have popped through.  I could definitely tell that you were in some pain with them.  You didn't like me to touch your gums.  Some tylenol helped.

I think that you might be trying to clap.  You bring your hands together and then sort of shake them up and down.  I have started signing to you a little bit.  You just look at me like I'm nuts.  But, if I say "milk", I can see your eyes light up.  You definitely know what that is.

You have started to be more verbal.  You've had "mama" for quite some time, but now you've thrown in some "ba", "da", and "ya" with it too.  And some screeches!  I love to hear you talk and babble.

You weigh 20 pounds 11 ounces (52nd %ile) and are 28 1/4 inches (49th %ile) tall.  You are still in 12 month clothing and are wearing a size 4 diaper.

As you grow older, I grow to love you more and more.  I just can't believe that you've been here for nine months already and that I am going to start planning your first birthday party.  Slow down my boy!

Love forever,
Mommy

Eight Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

Another month has flown by and you just keep growing and changing right before my eyes.  One of the most exciting new developments, at least for me anyways, is that you said "mama".  At first I didn't know if you associated it with me, but you definitely do.  You will say "mama" and then when I look at you, you get a huge grin on your face.  Most of the time you only say it while you're whining, but you have said it a few times when you're not whining.  You have also made the "ba" sound.

You have been sleeping on your belly and you seem to prefer that the most.  At first, you rolled onto your side and slept like that, but then when you rolled onto your belly, you would wake up and freak out.  Now, you almost immediately roll onto your belly and stay there all night.  Sleep is going fairly well, with typically only one wake up before you're up for the day.  You still get a bottle before bed.  Recently, you haven't been falling asleep while you eat.  However, once you're finished eating, I give you a kiss and put you in your bed and you fall asleep.  I'm proud of you!  I've even done that during some nap times.  You don't fall asleep nursing, so I just put you in bed.  Most of the times for naps you fuss or cry some, but you go to sleep quickly.  I think that you just don't like being alone.  Well actually, I know that you don't like being alone.  But, you fidget and wiggle when I rock you, so I just put you in your bed.

Changing your diaper is starting to get interesting.  If you're on your changing table, you twist yourself around and try to reach whatever you can behind you.  I keep a few things on your table which help hold your attention for the few minutes that it takes to change you.

You have no desire to crawl or become mobile at all!  If I put you on your belly, you tolerate it for a few minutes, but don't try to move at all.  You never even really try to roll around.  You'll figure it out.  I know that once it clicks, you will love being mobile.  I have a feeling that you are going to be into everything!

You still aren't crazy about food.  I try to give you tastes of things, but you just aren't interested.  However, we all went to lunch at Olive Garden one day and I let you have a taste of my chicken and gnocchi soup.  Oh boy!  You absolutely loved that!  I couldn't spoon it into your mouth fast enough.  Same with crawling, I know that once you are ready, you will love food.  I mean, you are your father's child after all!

I am so anxious to see what this next month holds for you.  I know that the next few months will be so full of exciting changes.  I'm sure that you'll start teething, and becoming mobile.  Things are about to get so fun.  I know that your sister is going to be thrilled when you start moving around.  She's so anxious for you to keep up with her!  Her thoughts might change a little bit when you start getting into her stuff though.  She'll still love you fiercely.  We all do, buddy.  We all love you fiercely!

Love you forever,
Mommy

Seven Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

This past month has been so exciting to watch you develop.  I love to sit and watch you explore.  I can see your little brain trying to figure things out.  It's neat to watch you move and manipulate things.  I'll sit you on the floor with some toys and you will look at something and go after it.  You've gotten very good at grabbing things.  Those things usually go straight into your mouth, which is to be expected.

However, there are certain things that you don't put in your mouth.  Want to know what that is?  Food. You don't put food in your mouth!  What is wrong with you?!?!  I have started trying to give you solids and you have hated basically everything that I've tried to give you.  Pureed squash, applesauce, pureed carrots, oatmeal, banana, strawberry, puffs, pickles, mashed potatoes, granola bar.  You have hated it all!  I have given you one thing that you have seemed to actually enjoy.  A peanut butter cracker.  Oh, and let's not forget about the small taste of whipped cream, that I thought was ice cream, that Daddy gave you at Rainforest Cafe.  You really liked that, of course.  How can you hate all foods?  You are so very interested when we eat and reach for us, as if you want a bite.  But, whenever I put the spoon near your mouth, you turn away and want nothing to do with it.  I'm going to keep trying and hope that you eventually start to like things.

You have started growling this month.  I think it's absolutely adorable.  It always makes me giggle because your sister did the same thing.  You also scream/screech a lot.  Occasionally, you'll make the "ma" sound, and it's usually done as you're whining.  I say "mama" to you a lot and try to get you to say it back, but you usually just grin at me.  Good enough!

You went on your first plane trip this month.  We flew to Houston to visit Daddy.  You were a pretty good traveler.  The descent hurt your ears, and you cried, but that's totally expected.  Once on the ground, you were fine.  You grew sick of being in your car seat while we were traveling.  I tried to keep you out, or wear you as much as I could.  You like it when I wear you now.

We have to talk about sleep, don't we?  I feel like we really haven't had any improvements in this area.  You wake up 2-3 times at night.  At your first wake up, I change you, because you're usually pretty wet.  If it's after 3 AM, I'll nurse you and you fall back to sleep.  If it's before, I just rock you back to sleep.  Then, you usually wake up again a couple hours later.  I nurse you again.  Depending on what time it is, sometimes you fall back to sleep, and sometimes you're up for the day.  Naps are still pretty consistent.  Occasionally there will be a small hiccup, but you usually get right back on track.  You nap somewhere around 9:30ish AM for maybe an hour or so.  Then, you nap again around 1:00ish PM for a couple of hours.  You no longer take a third nap, and because of that, you are typically pretty cranky long about 6:00 PM.  I try to keep you entertained until about 6:45 PM and start to get you ready for bed around then.  You're typically down to sleep by 7:30 PM.

You have also started to sleep on your side.  Sometimes, you even roll onto your belly.  You've slept on your belly twice for a few hours.  When you wake up though, you hate it, and let me know by screaming your head off until I come rescue you.  Buddy, you can flip back over.  I've seen you do it.  One night, you flopped your legs all around and managed to rotate in a complete 360* in your crib.

You definitely love your pacifier now.  You sleep with it, and have it in your mouth for a good portion of the day.  I have a love/hate relationship with it.  On one hand, it keeps you from squawking and complaining all the time, and it keeps the drool to a minimum, but on the other hand, it prevents you from talking as much, and I don't get to see your smile.  You have gotten good at picking it up from where it's hanging from your bib and putting it in your mouth.

I love that you have started to put your head down on my shoulder, almost as if you're giving me a hug.  Those sweet little moments make my heart burst with love.  I am so thankful for you and for all the joy and happiness that you bring.

Love you forever,
Mommy

Six Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

This month has had so many fun and exciting changes!  I just can't believe how big you're getting.  Both in size and in your development.  We celebrated your first Christmas this month.  You won't remember it at all, but it was fun for the rest of us.  You actually really seemed to enjoy tearing the paper off of your presents.  It was so fun to watch you experience something new.

I took you to a Kindermusik class for the first time with Annelise.  You seemed to enjoy yourself.  I can tell that you like music, because you like when Annelise and I sing.  I plan on taking you to more classes and I hope that you grow to love them like your sister does.

You can sit all by yourself now.  I started working with you shortly after you turned five months, and within a matter of just a few days, you were sitting very well on your own.  Your strength gets better every day.  Every once in a while you'll have a little balance issue, but not too often.  I feel pretty comfortable leaving you to sit on your own.  But, I still try to avoid a hard surface, like the kitchen floor, just to be safe.

Remember how last month I said that I hoped to be talking about what a great crib sleeper you are this month?  Well, I got my wish!  Daddy worked with you on getting you to sleep in your crib and you adjusted amazingly.  I think that you were ready for it.  You like to sleep with your arms all sprawled out, but sometimes you tuck them behind your head.  You only sleep on your back.  One time, I laid you down and as I did, you turned on your side a little bit.  So, once you slept on your side, but that's it.

You have zero interest in rolling.  You despise tummy time, and will usually only tolerate it for a minute or two.  If I'm being honest though, I don't make you do it nearly enough.  I'm going to have to start making you do tummy time more though so that you can learn how to get into the crawling position and learn to crawl.  I'm sure that you'll do it in your own time, but I know that you'll enjoy learning how to become mobile.

You finally kicked the sickness that hung around for about six weeks.  I took you to the doctor earlier this month to have you checked out and he said that it was just a common cold and that it can last a long time in babies your age.  Now that it's finally gone, you've started talking again.  I missed hearing your little coos and screeches.  You don't have any recognizable sounds or syllables, just screeching.  I will look at you and slowly say "mama" and you watch me so closely.  You have also developed the habit of spitting your lips.  I mock you back and you think it's hilarious.  When I blow raspberries with my tongue, I can see you trying to figure out how to do it with your tongue.  You're so cute when you're trying to concentrate!

I gave you some solids yesterday.  I bought a few containers of pureed foods, and decided to try some squash first.  I put a bib on and you spent more time trying to eat the bib than the food.  Once I was able to get the bib away from your mouth, and get the squash in, you just kept spitting like you do.  I think you liked it, you just weren't sure how to use the spoon and eat it.  Doing purees is definitely not my idea of getting you to eat solids.  I plan on moving on to more of a baby-led weaning approach this month.  I think that you'll enjoy eating food.

I just switched you into 12 month clothing.  You are still wearing a size 3 diaper.  You weigh 19 lbs 1.5 oz (74th percentile) and are 27 inches (67th percentile).

I can't believe that a whole half a year has flown by and that you are already six months old.  I always tell new parents that the first six months are so hard with all of the different changes, but now we've made it through.  I know that there will be more challenges coming, but we have a lot of the hard stuff behind us.  I love you so much buddy!

Love always,
Mommy

Five Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

Another month has flown by!  You have done a lot of fun things this month.  You took your first "vacation"/road trip to Georgia for Thanksgiving.  We drove overnight so that you and Annelise could sleep in the car.  You both were amazing travelers.  On the way down there, you woke up twice to eat, and on the way back home, you only woke up once.  I really think that driving at night helped to make it an easy trip.

You have discovered your feet this month!  At first, you just grabbed your toes while sitting in your Bumbo, but now, you grab them while you're laying on the floor and work so hard to get them to your mouth.  You're a little chubby, so it's hard to get them there, but you make it work.  It's so adorable to watch you play with your feet.

The jumperoo continues to be your favorite toy.  You love to go in there and bounce away.  I'm amazed that you play with it as well as you do.  You can even turn yourself all around in it.  I think that your sister was older than you were before she figured it out.  I love when you look at me while you're in it with a big grin on your face and just start jumping away.

You have grown very vocal this month.  You started squealing when you're happy and "talking" to me some.  Then, you came down with a nasty cold, and you sort of stopped talking.  I miss it!  I want you to talk to me again.  I try to encourage you, but it doesn't help any.  I wonder if your throat hurts some and that's why you've stopped.  Either that, or the congestion makes it hard for you to talk.

Another big change is that you moved to your room to sleep.  You are still sleeping in your Rock N Play, but you have been in your room for naps and overnight for half a month now.  You have done very well.  And honestly, I like having my room back!

Your sleep is still awful!  You wake up twice a night usually.  I'm exhausted from it.  Some nights you go right back to sleep after a quick snack, but some nights it takes a long time to get you back down.  Naps are pretty good, for the most part.  I'm going to start working on transitioning you to your crib.  It's time buddy.  Hopefully my next letter will be talking about what a good crib sleeper you are.  ;)

You visited Santa the other day.  The nice thing about taking you to see Santa at this age is that you really haven't gotten into the "stranger danger" phase, so you didn't really care that he was holding you.  You gave me a big smile once I played with you and we got an adorable picture.

You are still in 9 month clothing and size 3 diapers.  You are right around 18 pounds and 25 1/2 inches.  I have a feeling that you will be moving into 12 month clothes right around or shortly after Christmas.

My boy.  Sometimes I just can't believe how much I love you.  When you smile or laugh at me, my heart just melts into a thousand pieces.  The joy that I get watching you and your sister can't be put into words.

Love always,
Mommy

Four Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

I feel like this past month has been forever.  For some odd reason, it feels like time has slowed down.  Maybe it's listening to me?  This month has seen a huge leap in your awareness and social responsiveness.  I adore watching you watch things.  I can just see your little brain working to process it all.

This month has been the suck for sleep!  Buddy, what happened to my good little sleeper??  You went from sleeping so well at night to waking two and three times.  I'm exhausted!  This sleep regression has been rough.  Naps are still pretty much the same, but there's been a decline in the quality of those too.  I know that we'll get back on track, I'm just anxious for it to happen.  I also need to start working on getting you into your crib to sleep.  Naps are still in your swing, and nights are in the RNP in Mom and Dad's room.  You had your first crib nap this month, and did fairly well.  It lasted about 35-40 minutes. Not too shabby.  I just need to get better at working on it with you.

Your hands are ALWAYS in your mouth.  I keep telling you that I'm going to have to watch you because one day I'll look down and see that you've chomped off a finger.  You are also a horrible drooler.  I've had an amber necklace on you for weeks now, but I haven't seen any improvement in the drooling.  I keep checking your gums, but I don't feel any teeth.  If you teeth like your sister, it'll be a while!

My favorite thing that has happened this month is that you've started giggling!  It's so soft and quiet, but it absolutely melts my heart.  Of course, I make a fool out of myself trying to get you to giggle.  You usually oblige!  I got you to crack up in the bathtub one night.  I was so sad because I wasn't able to get it on video.

I've noticed that your spitting up and colic have gotten a little better.  You still do spit up, but it's not as severe as it used to be.  You also seem to be the most cranky when you're tired, instead of just all the time.  I try to watch for clues that you give when you're tired, but it's hard.

This month brought a bunch of fall firsts for you.  We took you to the pumpkin patch, the apple orchard, and Halloween.  You really didn't care, but I loved being able to take you.  As I watched your sister run around, I kept thinking about what you'll be like next year when you're running around with her.

I can already see such a deep love between you and her.  You both are infatuated with each other. As your mom, I hope that that love continues to grow and strengthen.  I hope that you both are each other's biggest fans.  Annelise always asks to hold you and wants to play with you and love on you.  You watch her with such intense interest.  When you light up and smile as you watch her, my heart skips a beat and I know that having the two of you so close together was worth it.

I transitioned you into 9 month clothing this month.  Yes, you are a big boy!  Everybody always comments about how big you are.  I feel like I got jipped out of my tiny, squishy baby because you seemed to grow up overnight.

My boy, I never once doubted that my heart would expand to love you.  I look forward to each day and watching you grow and learn.

Love always,
Mommy

Three Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

So many fun and exciting things have happened in the past month.  Watching you grow is so fun for me.  You are growing so fast.  You are wearing 6 month clothing and size 3 diapers!  I transitioned you to size 2 diapers, and then a little over two weeks later, you needed to move up a size.  Unreal!  I just can't believe how big you've gotten already.  A part of me is so proud because I know that you are growing well because of me.  And let me tell you, you sure do eat!

Your sleep has definitely regressed this month.  You went from sleeping until at least 5 AM, to waking up around 3 AM, then getting up every two hours or so after that.  Buddy, Mommy is exhausted.  Naps are hit or miss.  Some days are pretty good, some days are awful.  You are still sleeping at night in the Rock N Play in Mommy and Daddy's room, and naps are in your swing.  My goal is to start working on transitioning you to your crib this month.

I've been a slacker on tummy time for you.  You're just so cranky usually, that I don't want to make it worse.  And the times that you are happy, I don't want to ruin it by sticking you on your tummy.  I've been trying to make an effort to put you down more.  I laid you down on your tummy one day and you rolled over to your back.  I sort of set you up for it though, because you were already sort of on your side.  When I lay you on the floor on your back to change your diaper, sometimes you will roll onto your side.  I think it will be a little bit before you actually complete the roll, but part of me feels like you might roll back to belly first.

Your two month appointment was almost a week after your two month birthday.  At first, you didn't mind it, and didn't even scream during the weighing and measuring.  However, while waiting for the nurse to come back in for your vaccines, you got quite impatient and started to scream.  You were not a fan of the shots, obviously, and then ran a fever the next day.  But, in spite of the fever, you were still pretty smiley.

You had your first "cold" this month.  Basically it was just a little congestion.  I noticed it particularly after you were laying down.  Once I sat you up, you didn't seem as bad.  I think that sleeping inclined in the RNP helped.

You have started to really love watching Annelise.  If she's close by, she has all of your attention.  I love to see you watch her.  She loves playing with you, and I know that she's looking forward to the day when she doesn't have to be quite so gentle with you.

You have also started to take an interest in the tv.  I catch you watching it all the time.  I think you just love the lights and colors.  I set up the activity mat for you, and you like it, but only for a little bit.  I think that you get a little overwhelmed with it all.

This next month will be very busy with lots of activities for your first fall.  I can't wait to experience all these firsts again with you.  I know that you won't remember any of it, but I'll take lots of pictures for you.

Love you forever,
Mommy

Catching Up

Annelise has been in Kindermusik since she was about 9 months old.  We have both loved taking the classes.  During the summer break, Drew and I debated about whether or not we should re-enroll her in Kindermusik, or if we should sign her up for another class that is a little more physical.  We ultimately decided to sign her up for a gymnastics class.  We started that earlier this month.  She has absolutely loved it!

I have been the one in the class with her, although Drew and Harrison have come and sat outside in the viewing area.  At this point, I think that Annelise just thinks it's one big playground, and I usually have a very difficult time getting her to listen and focus on what she's supposed to be doing.  I'm hoping that after a few more classes, that she'll relax a little bit and start working on some of the skills that they are trying to teach.

If I'm being honest, I miss Kindermusik classes.  The instructor has started doing a First Friday Playdate and I think that I'm going to take Annelise to those.

Annelise has developed the habit of climbing out of her crib.  At first, I thought it was just a fluke and I tried explaining to her that we don't climb on the furniture, or out of the crib, and it seemed to work.  For about a day.  After a couple days of her climbing out of her crib, I realized that it was now a habit and there was no going back.  We even tried dropping the mattress all the way to the floor and that didn't deter her much.  So, this happened:

Yep, the toddler bed.  She usually goes to bed around 10 PM and will get up between 7:30-8:00 AM.  The first night in her toddler bed, she didn't go to bed until midnight and she was up at 5:45 AM!  Needless to say, the transition has been a little rough.  She's been up around 6:00 AM since we set it up.  We bought a gate to go in her doorway to try and contain her a little bit, although she has already scaled that once.  Toddlers, nothing but trouble I tell ya!  This morning I did manage to convince her to go back to bed for a little bit and she slept for about an hour longer.

Harrison has been growing like a weed!  I've transitioned him to 6 month clothing and I put him in size 3 diapers yesterday.  I stepped on the scale with him and he's about 14 pounds!  Have I mentioned that he's not even 3 months old yet?  He's a tank!

We all went to the Madison zoo on Thursday.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day and there were hardly any people there.  Perfection!

Both of the kids were so good.  Annelise walked the whole time since Harrison rode in the stroller.  She loved being able to see the animals and roam around.  With the exception of a small battle in the parking lot to hold our hands, she listened very well.  It's so fun to take her places when she's happy and well behaved.  I love to watch her as she grows and learns things.

Drew started a new job at O'Hare earlier this month.  He commutes with a few other guys that work the same shift as him.  He really seems to enjoy the new job more than his last one.  I'm happy that he's happier at work.

I've been second shooting weddings and I absolutely love it.  It gives me an opportunity to get out of the house and "work" some.  It doesn't really feel like work though.  I really enjoy shooting and I enjoy working with Kristen.  October is going to be such a busy month and it will probably fly by.

Two Months - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

It feels like you should be so much older than two months.  I can't remember what it was like before you were here.  Well, I do remember that it was a little quieter, and I had a little more free time.  But, both are changes that come with a new baby and you are so worth it.

Sleep is still going very well.  I'm so thankful that you sleep as well as you do.  I almost hate to talk about it because I don't want to jinx it.  You can put yourself to sleep often, and that makes me very proud.  Basically, you sleep all night.  Some nights are harder than others to get you down, depending on how overstimulated you are.  Once you're asleep, you usually sleep until at least 5 AM.  Most of time, you sleep even later.  Typically, you will fall back asleep after eating and sleep for a couple more hours.  Honestly, you really do sleep all morning, with a little awake time if I really force it on you.  However, once you wake up in the afternoon, you're generally up until it's time for you to go to bed.  This needs to be fixed.  You get so cranky at night from both overstimulation and exhaustion.  Buddy, just take a late afternoon/early evening nap and we'll all be happier!

You started smiling this month.  I had forgotten just how absolutely thrilling it is for a newborn to smile.  I feel like you love me so much when you give me that huge, gummy grin.  You've even started to coo a little bit as you smile.  It's small and quiet, but you'll say "Ahh" and I just melt.

Mommy went back to "work" this month and you've stayed with Daddy all day.  I miss you so much while I'm gone, but I know that you're in great hands, and that it's good for both of us for me to get away a little bit.  I was fully expecting you to nurse like crazy when I got home, but you didn't seem to miss it that much.

Daddy got the Bumbo out yesterday and put you in it for the first time.  You really seem to like to be able to sit up and see everything.  You smile and look all around.  After a little bit, you start to slump some and I know that you're over it and we need to switch to a different position.  I can't believe how strong you are already.  You hate tummy time, of course, but we need to work on it more so that you can work on rolling.

Annelise still adores you.  One day, she decided that she would pick you up out of your swing and put you on the couch.  Daddy discovered you both.  I was a little terrified when he told me.  I'm so thankful that she didn't drop you, and now we're watching her even closer.  I never thought that she would actually pick you up.  You are starting to watch her even more and you have a look of contentment on your face.  However, you save all the smiles for me.  I won't be selfish, you can give your sister some too!

You weigh 12 pounds 15.5 ounces (73rd percentile) and 23.5 inches long (65th percentile).  You are in a size one diaper, and 0-3 month clothing.  You are 1 pound 13 ounces and 2 inches bigger than your sister was at her 2 month appointment.

Harrison, I knew that I was going to love you, but I never imagined that it would be this much.  It's amazing how much my heart just swells with love when I see you.  Watching you grow and get bigger and reach new milestones is so bittersweet.  With your sister, I was so anxious to have her grow up and do new things.  With you, I know how fast it goes and I want it to slow down.  It's so crazy how different things are, but different in such a good way.

Love always,
Mommy

One Month - Harrison

Dear Harrison,

I just can't believe that a whole month has flown by since you were born!  I have a feeling that your first year is going to go much faster than your sister's did.  I've been a bit of a slacker so far, but I'm going to work very hard to make sure that I do as good of a job, if not better, at documenting it.  I remember making your sister's first year book and wishing that I had taken more pictures.  I don't want to look back and think the same for you.

Let's start with sleep.  You are a pretty decent sleeper.  You go to bed between 10-11 PM every night and sleep until at least 3 AM, sometimes even later.  So, we get a stretch of four to six hours.  After that first wake up, you'll get up again an hour or two later, eat, and usually fall right back to sleep.  Most of the time I let you snooze on me until I get out of bed to get your sister up.  You usually wake up shortly after that.  Naps have been a challenge some days.  You love to sleep on me, which is to be expected.  Sometimes I can sit there and let you sleep, but some days it's not really possible.  I've noticed that you like to sleep on your side.  So, if I put you down in your swing, I prop you on your side and you'll sleep longer that way.  I need to work on getting you to nap in your crib.  However, I need to order a monitor for your room.

Breastfeeding has gone wonderfully!  You latched on right away at the hospital and haven't had any issues at all.  You spit up like crazy though, and it really bothers me.  I hate it because I feel like it's something that shouldn't happen and I don't want you uncomfortable.  I try to burp you during your feedings and stop you before you get too full, but it doesn't always help.  I've also tried to cut dairy out of my diet, but I don't feel like it really matters much.

You also had your first bottle this month.  I took your sister to Kindermusik and left you at home with Aunt Rachel and Daddy.  You were hesitant about the bottle at first, but once you realized that you could get milk, you liked it.  The same thing happened with your sister.  You haven't had any issues with taking a bottle, a paci, and going back to the breast.  I'm so thankful for that!

You have started to become more aware and alert.  I like to interact with you, even if you are quite boring at this age.  I'm so anxious for you to smile and "talk" to me.  I've forgotten how boring this age is.  You are quite cranky in the evening though.  It's very hard to do dinner and bedtime for your sister when I'm home by myself and you just want to be held all night.  I feel so bad when I have to put you down and you cry so hard.  It really does break my heart.

Annelise is obsessed with you!  She is always asking to hold you, and if you're crying, she asks if you're ok.  She gives you a ton of hugs and kisses.  I can see that you've started to become interested in her and will look at her.  She has some work to do with being gentle with you, but I know it won't be long before you're able to hold your own against her.

I stepped on the scale with you and it said that you weigh 10 pounds.  I don't think I believe that, but it could be true.  I have already moved you into size one diapers, even though they are pretty big.  I've also been putting you in 0-3 month clothes, even though those are fairly big too.

I almost don't remember what life was like before you arrived.  You have fit into our family and I love being the four of us now.

Love always,
Mommy

Harrison's Birth Story

I checked into the hospital on Wednesday, July 2 at about 6 PM.  I was taken to my room and changed into a gown and got into bed to get hooked up to the monitors.  The day nurse was finishing up her shift and she worked on getting all the paperwork filled out.  Once the night nurse, Megan, came in, she started my IV and got me hooked up to the monitors.  Thankfully, the IV was less drama than last time!  I told Megan that Harrison was not a fan of the heartbeat monitor and that he would probably be a pain to monitor and keep running away from it.  I was right, and Megan spent the majority of her shift in my room trying to keep him on the monitor.

Pitocin was started at about 8:15 PM.  It was gradually increased every half an hour, but only as long as Harrison stayed on the monitor long enough to watch his heart rate.  At one point, Megan asked another nurse to come in and try to find his heartbeat.  She succeeded, but it was short lived.

At around 1 AM, my contractions began to intensify to the point where I had to focus and breathe through them.  I was surprised at how quickly they escalated.  Before then, I wasn’t feeling much in terms of contractions.  All of sudden, they came strong!  I ordered the epidural at 1:30 AM, and the anesthesiologist came in to administer it at around 2:00 AM.  Once he was finished, I laid flat on my back and waited for it to take effect.  My toes were very tingling and I commented that I didn’t feel like that last time.

Megan checked my progress once the epidural had taken effect.  I was a “loose 1”.

Harrison was still running away from the heart rate monitor, and now that I had both the Pitocin and the epidural going, it was even more important to keep him on the monitor.  He wasn’t cooperating.  After Megan had spent a great amount of time trying to find him, she asked another nurse to come in.  This nurse decided to move the contraction to the bottom and the heart rate monitor to the top.  She found his heartbeat and I commented that it was weird that it was so high.  He said that sometimes the machines pick it up in weird sports.  She left, and I laid there and rested for eyes for a little bit.

Shortly after 4 AM, Megan came back into the room.  She told me that she hated to ruin the surprise, but that we would get to witness Dr. Manas’ awesome bedhead.  We had been joking earlier in the night that it was too bad that I wouldn’t be delivering overnight because Dr. Manas comes in with awesome bedhead.  I asked why I would get to see him and she said that they called him and he wanted to come in and scan me because he thought that Harrison was breech given where the heart beat was found.  My heart sank!

Dr. Manas arrived around 4:20 AM and immediately did an ultrasound.  His suspicions were confirmed and Harrison had indeed turned breech.  Dr. Manas ordered that the Pitocin be stopped and let me know that we would have to do a c-section.  I was heartbroken, and everybody could see it.  Dr. Manas said that he couldn’t send me home because of the meds, and he didn’t want to risk turning the baby and rupturing my bag of waters and causing complications.  I, of course, agreed to the c-section and once everyone had left the room, I cried.

There were c-sections already scheduled for the morning, and since it wasn’t an emergency, I was told that I would go back at about noon.  Drew and I called everyone that needed to know, and filled them in on the situation and that I would be having a c-section.  Dr. Manas said that Dr. Holden would be in for the surgery too.  He came in to see us and we chatted with him for over an hour about what he was doing since he was no longer practicing at ARC.

It was around noon that I began getting prepped for the surgery.  Nurses came in to fill out paperwork, Drew was given his scrubs, and I was given a nasty drink to drink that would help lower the acidity in my stomach.  Once Dr. Manas ordered the c-section, I was no longer allowed to have any sort of liquid, even ice chips.  So, I was actually a little glad for the nasty drink because I was very thirsty.

I was wheeled back to the OR and entered at exactly 1:00 PM.  I remember seeing the clock on the wall.  I moved over to the operating table and everyone in the room began to get prepared for surgery.  There were three anesthesiologists; one main one, an intern, and a student.  The main one basically stood back and supervised the other two.  Once they had dosed up the epidural, Dr. Manas asked if I could feel anything.  I told him no, and he called for Drew to be brought in.  Then, he asked for a knife and I started crying.  I was completely overwhelmed and still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that I was having a c-section.

The rest of the surgery was a bit of a blur.  I felt nauseous and threw up a few times.  The anesthesiologists were very kind and helped to reassure me, especially since I was crying.  I remember it being very hard to keep my eyes open and I felt extremely tired.  I later learned that my blood pressure was very low and the main anesthesiologist was keeping a very close eye on it.

I heard Dr. Manas call out that there was extra fluid, and then I heard a splash on the floor.  Harrison was born quickly later at 1:17 PM and he was immediately taken to the warmer.  I heard him cry and I felt awful that I couldn’t comfort him.  I kept looking over to try to see him, but I couldn’t see anything and it was still hard to keep my eyes open.  After just a few minutes, he was wrapped up and brought over for me to see.  Before surgery, I had been told that I could hold him if I wanted to and do skin-to-skin.  I wasn’t stable enough, so Drew took him out to the nursery.  Harrison weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 ¾ inches long.

Dr. Manas finished up with the surgery.  A benefit of having the c-section meant that he could look at the endometriosis.  He cleaned up the endo from my uterus, tubes, and ovaries, and then sewed me up.  I was taken to recovery.  My blood pressure was still very low, so I was being monitored closely for that.  It was still hard to keep my eyes open.  Drew came in and told me that I needed to breastfeed Harrison soon because his sugars were low.  I could tell that the nurse was a little concerned because my blood pressure was still low.  I told them to bring him in so that I could nurse him.  Drew left, and returned a little bit later with a lactation consultant who brought Harrison in.  Harrison latched immediately and did a great job nursing.  I was finally allowed to have some ice chips!  Ice never tasted so good.

I stayed in recovery until about 4:15 PM and was then moved to my room.  Once I was all set up in there, Rachel brought Annelise to the hospital to meet Harrison.  She loved him and kept kissing him and hugging him and wanted to hold him.  

Even though the birth didn’t turn out how I imagined it, I was so happy that Harrison arrived safely and he was healthy.


All images compliments of Photography by Kristen.