{My Beanie, H. Beanie, H. Jacket, H. Pants}

As I sit down to write this, I am filled with all different emotions. I reflect back to where I was a year ago… in eager anticipation for little miss’ arrival… being told at every doctor’s appointment that it would be “any day now…” I felt as if we spent the month of December 2015 on Harper watch. Now, here we are, a year later, with a healthy little 11 month old… almost one year old… and that’s the part I can’t believe. How is she almost 1?… and where has the time gone?

{Vest, Onesie, Leggings, Booties)

General Thoughts/Feelings: I feel as if each month just gets better and better. As little miss develops, grows, and her personality begins to flourish I feel as if she is becoming more and more an active member of our family.

Last month I talked a lot about certain phases, and how I realized that most pass within a few weeks… and I’d have to say that perspective helped me a lot in this past month. Having the knowledge that “this too will pass” has helped me to be more present and worry less… yet, don’t let that fool you. My girlfriend hit the nail on the head when she mentioned, via text (that seems to be the easiest way to touch base with friends these days….) that she feels as if she is just “in survival mode.” And, to be honest, sometimes I feel the same way (anyone else??). Not in a negative way, just in the sense that sometimes there are so many things on the plate, that the only items that can get done are those that ensure another day…. spending 30 minutes on the phone just isn’t a luxury on the calendar….

I laugh as I look back on where I was a year ago… in the final preparations for Harper’s arrival… I had all the time in the world to leisurely walk around the mall and pick out her “coming home outfit,” print photos for frames in her room, and wash every item of clothing. Today? Well, if I need to go to the mall it’s a rushed trip, pictures in the frame??… oh, yes, the frame she sticks in her mouth all the time. I say this in a humorous way…. it’s just amazing what can change in a year….

{Dress}

Feeding/Sleeping: Whereas in past months I’ve had much to say in this realm, we’ve been pretty much status quo. Harper continues to sleep, continues to eat (not sure there is anything she doesn’t like), and we have fully weaned….

For a while little miss was becoming pretty demanding at mealtime… even if I was mid-bite… she let me know by screaming at the top of her lungs. So, we worked (hard) on helping her communicate her needs and she is now consistently signing “more” and “all done….” which has made for a much more pleasant mealtime…. next on the list is “please….”

A few items that I have found super helpful when eating out with her include this fold and go placemat (but I just purchased this one to try out), this highchair cover, this neat bib, and we’ve been working on using this sippy cup.

We experienced the first round of illness as parents… Harper came down with a little stomach bug (we went through more diapers than I can count) the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it broke my heart. She developed a terrible diaper rash (btw… Aquaphor was the only ointment that helped it go away and provided her with relief)…. then, as the stomach bug began to pass she developed a little cold… waking up several times in the middle of the night (felt like we were back in the first few weeks!!) because of her stuffy nose and cough. So, we used this nasal aspirator and humidifier and they worked really well for us…and little miss. It was certainly a week for us. … but again, something that I new would pass, with time, and so I tried to find some silver lining… we moved a little slower and enjoyed our Christmas decorations at home.

Body/Fitness: The female body is pretty amazing…. I mean, a human grows inside (!!), is birthed (!!!), and then kept alive (!!!!) all by one woman (!!!!!). Enough said. While there are still parts of my body that are a little more jiggly than I’d prefer (like the 80 year old extra skin hanging around my stomach…. no matter how long I hold that plank….), but I figure that as long as I’m eating nutritiously, and staying active, that’s the best I can do and so be it.

Relationships: I am so excited to report that TJ and I will finally be getting away, just the two of us, this coming weekend. We’re heading up to Los Olivos for Saturday/Saturday evening… and we’re pretty excited. My sister will be taking over parenting duties for the evening….

Before Harper was born, TJ and I were married for 6 years. We spent most of that time traveling…. Europe on several occasions, sporadic weekends away…. we loved getting away, disconnecting, and reconnecting. When Harper was born, we knew this wouldn’t happen with the same frequency, but what we weren’t expecting is that it would come to a screeching halt. With Harper not taking a bottle, it pretty much made a couples getaway null and void. So, since we didn’t want to stop traveling, we brought her along. I couldn’t have been happier that we have spent so much time traveling as a family…. but I also can’t tell you how excited I am for this one day/night. No schedule, maybe sleep past 7:30am, and maybe be a little irresponsible (well… by that I mean maybe have one too many glasses of wine and stay up past 11?? #ParentsGoneWild). I am certain I will text my sister every hour making sure everything is okay….

All that to say, I am excited to invest in us. After all is said and done, the marital relationship is the crux of the family. TJ and I have always believed that a happy marriage makes for a happy family. So, while we’re enjoying a little wine tasting, we will also be working on strengthening those family bonds (insert wink face emoji here!).

Favorite Moments: I honestly don’t know where to begin here. This girl…. well, I’m going to have my hands full (I’m sure it’s payback for when I was little)… she is one firecracker. Such a strong personality…. but I wouldn’t have it any other way (I’m hoping that means she’ll be a strong woman!).

This girl loves to share. Anything…. her bath toys or the piece of salmon she just put in her mouth…

Waving… it’s like she can’t stop, won’t stop….

Her love for Captain (our fur baby)…. and his budding love for her (he was slow to warm)

The fact that she walks like a little drunk human… it’s the cutest thing…. and keeps me busy all day long…

When she’s focusing on something she says, “okaaaay.” It’s the cutest thing.

The little curls that have taken over the back of her head… given that she was bald for so many months, I can’t get enough of them!

Our trip to Park City was pretty memorable too…. the snow, the beauty… I just loved showing her a new place (even if she will never remember it!)…. it’s also where she took her first steps… so that’s a memory TJ and I will always have.

I’m sure there are so many more, but these are the ones that readily come to mind! So, as we enter into our last month of our first year as parents I am hoping to just take it all in… savor all the moments, good and bad, and to just love on that little gal.