It's Someone's Birthday!!!!

This guy's!!!!

Happiest birthday, Declan Christopher Maple!!!  

A year ago, you were born into this world...wow.  I know it was a very scary day for your mommy and daddy.  Things took a different path than was planned, as things often do.  But the end result--you--better than anything they ever could have dreamed.  You were perfect from the beginning, and I have loved to watch you grow and be such a big part of your life.  You are adorable, full of charm, and truly SO good-natured.  One of a kind, for sure.  You have strengthened my bond with your mommy even more.  Tara, we have shared so much this past year.  Years ago, we would be staying out late together, gossiping, doing college girl things...and today, we're breastfeeding on the couch together, discussing nap strategies!  What a journey!  I seriously thank the heavens that we've been able to make our way through the challenges and joys of motherhood together!  It is SO bittersweet to watch our babies grow up.  It all just happens so quickly.  I cannot believe that today, Declan is ONE!  Tara and Jonathan, you have raised one amazing, sweet, bright, kick a$$ one-year-old!!!  Biggest hugs.  Tears of Joy.  High Fives.  :-)  Happy Birthday, Declan.

It's Wednesday!

And, guess what I am NOT doing today??  Going to work!!!!!!

Wednesdays have previously been my work days, but as of last week, I have fully taken the plunge into my stay-at-home-mom role.  It was a tough decision.  My work situation was really idyllic.  But, my financial contribution v. the stress of me going was just not worth it.  For some reason, I felt a pressure to continue working (in some form or fashion).  But, since Josh is coaching diving, he has been working 12+ hour days since November, and in order for me to go to work on Wednesdays, he also had to work a half day on Saturday.  At this point, we both decided it was just not worth it anymore.  Our time together is simply more important.  I know this is a decision I will never regret.  Financial freedom may be a little more tight, but the answer is, this is just more important.  I've also been thinking deeply about a whole philosophical side of being a mom.  Could go on and on...but basically my thoughts are:

-Raising secure, happy, loved children is the only thing that matters in this world.  

-THAT is the legacy we leave behind more than anything else.  

-Motherhood is not valued enough in our culture.  Wake up, America!!!  

Okay, enough of my short rant.  Anyway, no one ever says they wish they had spent less time with their babies and family and more time at work :-)  So, to the future!  To raising secure, happy, loved children!!!

Lots o Love

Getting ready to sweeten our house up for Valentine's Day!  I love to change out our mantel photo of Harper to follow whichever approaching holiday is next.  Cheesy!  But what can I say?  I'm a sucker for holidays and home decor.  So, I took these photos of the sweeeeetest thing in our house today, Harper!  Check out a couple from our photo shoot :-)

Baby's Best Friend!

Look at these adorable photos of Mia and her pet, Harper!  Oh wait, other way around!  Or is it?  :-)  Mama Mia just loves 'her' little baby.  Wherever Harper is, Mia is never far behind!  Thank goodness for sweet doggies.

Eight Months!

Yeehaw!  I haven't posted in our blog in forever, and now you're getting a doubly whammy today!  Lucky readers ;-D  Harper Doodle is EIGHT MONTHS!

((Hardest Photo to Snap, Yet!))

Good Gosh Almighty Joe Friday, I can't believe it!  Eight is my luckiest and most favorite number, so this is bound to be an awesome month for us.  Currently, Harper is just as busy as ever crawling, pulling up, and cruising all over the place.  She's also become very verbal and finally started saying her 'm' sound a while back.  Yay!  That means she constantly says "mamamamamamama" now.  I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I love it!  She also likes to smack her lips together and 'talk' in a really high-pitched voice, almost like she's singing!  She has her bottom two front teeth, and by the way she's been teething, I know more are close behind.

As far as foods go, solids have been a challenge.  It seems that everyday she dislikes something she liked yesterday, or likes something that she detested three days before that!  I feel like I'm just experimenting each day to try and find *something* that she will eat and enjoy.  It's been very unpredictable, but I am trying!  Luckily, Harper still gets a huge amount of nutrients and everything she needs from breastfeeding.  Yep, we're 8 months strong breastfeeding and lovin' it.  Her favorite activity these days is the bath!  She loves bathtime...she loves to splash in the tub, play with her bath toys, and pull up and plop down in the water (scares me to death).

She cries when it's time for bathtime to end.  She is also very opinionated these days and will tell you exactly when she doesn't like something, or if she really does like/want something.  She waves her arms up and down in excitement--it's very funny and cute, too!  My Grandma and I got a KICK out of her going crazy with this newspaper today!  Watch her play with it, too funny!  ((Just ignore the large mess in the background, though ;-) ))

Happy 8 Months, Wild, Sweet Girl!  Every day with you is better than the last.  We love you.

Life Update!

Hellllo blog world :-)  I have seriously been slacking on my blog updates.  Shame on me!  So what have we been up to??  Spending some time with great friends (been having weekly dates with Mama Tara and Declan, had a great catchup lunch with Megan, Devon, and Arantha last weekend, AND got to see Devon and Rachel for happy hour last night), going on outings, watching Josh participate in the Splash n' Dash last Sunday...lots of good stuff!

Josh and Harper Post-Race

Handsome Hubby!  Finished 5th Overall!

Also, I am just so abundantly grateful to report that Harper has been sleeping MUCH better. Thank goodness.  You know, I hate to get all caught-up and obsessed with my baby's sleep patterns, but WOW what a difference it makes when we are all well rested.  Really.  The hardest thing for me about being a mom has been the lack of sleep.  You hear about it before you have a baby.  **Everybody** tells you about it.  In fact, I SO hated hearing the words when I was pregnant, "sleep now while you can!"  ((I will NEVER tell ANY of my pregnant friends this stupid 'advice'!))...But even hearing about it from others, nothing can prepare you for months and months of sleep deprivation.  Not even 9 weeks of Bikram Yoga teacher training ;-D  Sleep is one of our basic human needs.  Josh and I were broken down to the last shreds of exhaustion-eyes hollow, souls drained.  I dreaded nighttimes in my gut.  I cried daily.  Having a wakeful baby can be harder than marine bootcamp.  I mean, getting exhausted that way reallllly shows you what you are made of at your core of your core.  I've always enjoyed pushing myself to that level physically; ie doing Bikram Yoga, having a natural childbirth.  I've always been fascinated to see how far my body can take me on a physical level; because, "you're so much stronger than you know"...This line from the poem The Invitation,

"I want to know if you can sit with pain,

mine or your own,

without moving to hide it,

or fade it,

or fix it."

I 'enjoy' going to that place physically.  I guess this was just the other side of the coin.  Pushing myself to that breaking point mentally.  Mentally, "you are so much stronger than you know," too.  Thankfully, I feel like *maybe* we are on the up-and-up as far as getting our mental/emotional health back.  Even getting just a few nights of more than 2-3 hours of sleep at a time, and, POOF!  The joy of motherhood is in full force!!!!

She's Joyful, Too!

It's like my foggy goggles have been replaced with some brand new, shiny, polished, newly prescribed spectacles!  I'm sure my foggy goggles will have their days, just hopefully less and less.

Enough about all that.  Check out our cute baby on the move!

What is a 'weekend'?

"What is a 'weekend'?" <--- Okay, that's a shout out to any of you Downton Abbey fans!  Favorite hilarious line from the Dowager Countess.  So excited for the Season 3 premier which starts in 20 minutes!  Woohoo!!!

Well, we are all still trying to completely kick this nasty cold.  Josh and Harper both still have a lingering cough and I am still hella congested.  Harper is also still taking the antibiotics for her ear infection (yep, we went to the doc and she had her first ear infection as a side effect from her first cold!).  But, we started RE-sleep-training Harper this weekend, so hopefully some good sleep is just a few days away.  I know that's what we all need to get fully healthy.  Last night was our first night of re-sleep-training and we got a magical 5 straight hours....awwww....sooooo nice.  I am still skeptical, but HOPING and PRAYING this is a new trend and that we have turned a corner.

Despite the fact that we were all still slightly under the weather, we managed to have a nice weekend--even with a bonus date night for Josh and I, too!  Happy Sunday Funday, all :-D

Resolutions

One thing I love about the New Year are resolutions!  I know, some people really roll their eyes at New Year's resolutions, but I absolutely love to make them.  Usually, I am pretty good about sticking with them, too.  I'm just a person that likes to set goals, work towards them, and make them happen.  Regardless of how big or small they may seem.  A couple of years ago my goal was to lose some weight, and I did and kept it off (cough cough, until I had a baby).  A couple of years before that, my goal was to waste less food.  Ever since then, I plan our menus every week (eating leftovers for lunches, using the same ingredients spread through meals through the week, etc.) and we waste a LOT less food than before.  I am open to embrace a reason to reflect on the important things, start fresh, and with an excited, positive attitude towards a new goal.  So, my 2013 resolutions:

- Take better care of my teeth.  I know, sounds weird...but really, I need to step it up a notch when it comes to flossing and getting my teeth cleaned by my dentist a couple of times a year.

- Lose the remaining 10 pounds of baby weight!  I haven't been too hard on myself about the ten pounds I gained with having Harper.  After all, I grew a human in my belly and am still her main source of nutrition at this point.  But, I think now it's time to make it a priority, and get back to the weight I was more comfortable with.

- Do something for myself everyday that makes me happy.  I have been pretty bad at this since becoming a mom.  It's really hard some days to do this  Especially being as sleep deprived as I have been.  Confession: a lot of days, the most I have been up for is surfing pinterest in my free time...But in 2013, I really want to go to yoga, go to choir rehearsal, get a pedicure, go to happy hour--just do something (preferably outside of the house) for 'just me' daily.  Being a stay at home mom takes its toll.  Sometimes the boundary feels a little blurred between you and your baby.  Maybe this goal seems selfish, but I know for me it's really important.

There you have it, folks!  My 2013 resolutions.  Are you making any resolutions this year?

Auld Lange Syne

First things first...Harper slept from midnight-5am last night!  HALLELUJAH!

Second thing...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I've been working on this post for the last week and intended to post it earlier.  With a sick baby and sick me, it's taken me until today to finish!  So here ya go  :-)

So, this past week was that 'heavy feeling' week after Christmas.  The 'after Christmas' heaviness always feels hard for me!  Thank goodness there's the arrival of the New Year to look forward to just one week ahead.  It truly is perfect timing.  All of the excitement and anticipation for Christmas has passed.  Just like 'that' Christmas is gone!  Boo.  But, now it's time to look ahead to the upcoming new year with grace, excitement, and positivity.  Also, a great time to reflect on the past year-Auld Lange Syne: times gone past, especially those remembered with affection and nostalgia.

I certainly have a lot of things remembered with 'affection and nostalgia' for 2012!  Yes, this was a HUGE year for us.  I survived a beautiful, healthy pregnancy.  I loved being pregnant!  I don't think I've ever felt better about the way I looked!  I just loved toting around and showing off my big ol 'bump' ;-D Then, I survived a beautiful, natural birth.  Wowza.  I truly felt like superwoman.  Then, just like 'that', I became a mother.  The best thing I've ever done.  The hardest thing I've ever done.  Josh became a father.  The role he was meant to play, his whole entire life.  He nails it, everyday.  Even though I feel like we are still in 'survival mode' a lot of ((most of)) the time with a little one under a year old, we are doing a heck of a job for just surviving!  Even in a sleepless haze a lot of the time, we managed to have a lot of fun and make some great memories in 2012.  We braved air travel, and went on two vacations with Harper!  Harper celebrated her first Fourth of July, Gramma's Birthday, Daddy's Birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas!  PHEW!  She smiled, laughed, rolled over, learned to 'grasp,' started crawling, got her first couple of teeth, learned to babble, learned to pull up, and can entertain herself (to a certain degree) now.  Damn, it has been a HUGE year for her too!  And she's only been here since May!  Harper definitely accomplished A LOT in 2012!  ;-)

Overall I'd say 2012 was the biggest year of our life.  Life changing.  Very difficult and very rewarding.  However, I have to say, I am looking forward to 2013 with even more excitement.

xoxoxoxox,

Wishing you all a happiest 2013!