Harper is 4 Months!

Happy 4 Months to our sweet Baby Girl!

From this (at 4 days old)...

To this...

 

It's crazy how fast four months can pass.  It seems to pass faster now that I am back at work.  This past month has been busy (as usual) with lots of fun for Harper and our family!


Harper got to enjoy her first 4th of July (also Grandma's Birthday) and saw her first Fireworks, which she loved and wasn't scared a bit! Of course, we had to have an outfit for July 3rd AND 4th :-)

 Fun on July 3rd...

 Harper's Birthday Message to Grandma!

So much fun on July 4th at the Hobbs' House!

I was luckily off for almost two weeks and it was great to be off right away after coming back from maternity leave.  While I was off, Harper and I had a great time! 

We spent a day at the mall with Sister Kylie and Aunt Mikael.  The girls were showing you the best way to shop...and you got to meet Sammye, Coco and Popo's new pup. Kylie and Mikael are getting so grown up and both love Harper so much...she's going to be one spoiled little girl with so many people who adore her.

We had her first day at gymnastics which was a blast! Kate and Ashley were there and we got some great pictures of the girls...

This past weekend, we took a dip in the pool and as usual, Harper loved it.  
Especially with hew new froggy float!

Look at that cute swimsuit and her chunky knees!! LOVE!!

Harper loves her snuggle time on the couch with Daddy. He's so in love with his newest daughter and is always jumping at the chance to hold her, change her diaper or feed her when he can.  He's had a couple of one-on-one times lately while I've had girl time and he loved it so much!

Lastly, this has been Harper's favorite sleeping position for the last several weeks. We just love it and it cracks us up every time. It looks like she's on a beach some where or in a hammock just chillin' :-)

Life's a beach! At least for this little one! :-)

Now for my monthly letter...

Dear Harper,

I just can't believe you are 4 months old. Our time with you has gone by so quickly and I'm starting to understand how my parents felt when they said that children grow up too quickly...it's SO true! 

You are the most amazing baby. Yes, I know I'm your Mom so I might be biased but I really don't think so. You are so happy, expressive and easy to be around.  Your smile can melt anyone's heart, your coo's and gurgles are the most precious thing ever and we could all snuggle with you for hours!

This month you've gotten much more vocal and it's the cutest thing ever. It's like you are having a conversation with us or trying to tell us about your day.  You've also found your feet and you love to grab your toesies.  You're also very strong and holding your head up like a champ, standing every chance you get and pulling yourself to try and sit up! STRONG GIRL! You've had so much fun going with me to Baby Boot Camp where I work out and we sing and act silly and loved going back to Infant Yoga since I was off work.  You also had your first day at gymnastics which was so fun!

Mimi watched you for a full day when I had to work last week and she had a blast! She loved getting to spend an extra long time with  you and can't wait to do it again.  I loved you being at Mimi's because I could sneak away at lunch and see my sweet girl! 

You've been taking longer afternoon naps and sleeping through most of the night, usually only waking up one time around 3 am.  You also started sitting in your Baby Einstein jumper and love playing with the fun toys and blinking lights!

You missed your friends at Miss Shannons while you were gone, but we stopped by and played with them one day and Miss Shannon said you and Lyla were talking up a storm on your first day back...if we could only understand what y'all were trying to say to each other!

Sweet girl - your Daddy, sister and I love you so very much.  You are such a blessing and it's hard to even remember what our lives were like without you because you bring so much love and joy into our home. 

I'm the luckiest girl in the world to be your Mama.

Happy Four Months Darlin'!

Mom

Mom & Dad love you to pieces!!

Fun at Miss Shannon's and with the Fam!

I've been back to work for 2 weeks now and we are adjusting to our new routine.  I think the adjustment period has been so smooth because of Miss Shannon.  She takes such good care of our girl that I am never worried for a second about her. Of course I still miss her like crazy, but it helps to know she's in excellent hands!

Harper has so much fun while she's there and Jeff and I love getting updates and pictures from Miss Shannon! Shannon just told me yesterday that she is planning on keeping this group of babies through Pre-K! We are beyond excited knowing that Harper will grow up with such a loving person taking care of her - and also with the same group of kiddos! 

I think Lyla and Harper will be BFF's! :-) (See below) Lyla's Mom Monica and I know each other through my good friend Lauren. Monica is Lauren's sister. She's the one who told us about Shannon and we are so glad she did!  I love this pic of the girls staring at each other :-) Pretty soon they'll really be playing together!

Here are a few pics from the last two weeks at Miss Shannon's...

Seeing that sweet smiling face in the middle of the day just melts my heart!

Miss Shannon's isn't the only place Harper has fun! 

Last week she went to the movies with her big sister Kylie & saw Brave. A cute movie and Harper was a trooper. :-)

After the movie, we took sissy home and then went to dinner with Mom, Dad, Kris & Ty!

She sure loves her Daddy. :-)

Showing off her cute pink dress at Mimi's house 

Here's a little "Best of" Collage for Week 14...

Puppy snuggles, loving on bunny from Mimi, chillin' at Mi Cocina and fun at Shannon's - life doesn't get much better than that!

Well, that's it for now, we can't believe Harper will be 15 weeks on Friday! Jeff has been out of town for business in Wisconsin and we can't wait for him to get back on Friday. Hurry home Daddy!

MOM! No more pictures please!!! ~ Harper 

Feeling very blessed :-)

Love to all,

Kasey

Harper is 3 Months!

It's so hard to believe that our sweet angel is already 3 months old. Time sure flies when you're having fun!  I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised at how easy Harper is. To celebrate being 3 months, we had a fun weekend!

Saturday, we went to a pool party at the Loeffler's and Harper got to show off her swimsuit and get in the pool with us for a bit.  We had a great time seeing friends and the Loefflers made some awesome food! Thanks again guys!  We'll have to do it again soon!

Sunday was Father's Day and Jeff got to celebrate being a father of TWO this year! :-) We had a fun day with breakfast, presents, Daddy and Kylie planting things in the back yard, a trip to the mall, movie time and ended the day with some NBA Finals and snuggling on the couch. We are so blessed to have such a loving, devoted Daddy who loves his 4 girls (Marley included) more than anything! Thank you for being the great father/husband/provider that you are!

Daddy & 3 of his girls...Marley is snuggled in the middle!

Hugs for Daddy in her sleep!

I am stealing the below idea from a friend (Thanks Monica, what a great idea!)


Dear Harper,


I've officially been your Mom for 3 months and my how the time has gone quickly.  This past month has been full of firsts and milestones for you.  You are such a happy baby. I love walking into your room and peering into your crib, only to be greeted by your sweet grin that melts my heart.  


I went back to work last week and it was one of the hardest things I've had to do so far, but I feel so comfortable and lucky to have Miss Shannon that it's getting easier! I love her updates on how you're doing.  When she sends me a picture of you I just can't help but smile and count down the hours until I can see you and snuggle with you again!


Since your 2 month birthday we've done lots of fun things...You got in the swimming pool for the first time and LOVED it! We went on a road trip to Houston to see the Birches and you were a trooper in the car and at the hotel...we are so blessed that you are such an easy, fun, loving baby!  You also started sleeping upstairs in your crib, such a big girl!  We also had lots of play dates with friends and Mimi babysat you for Mom & Dad's first official night out since you've been born! 


You're now holding your head up great, kicking and pushing off the side of the bath tub or on my legs .  You smile at the drop of a hat, when you hear a familiar voice, see a smile from Mom or Dad or just when you are content.  Bath time is one of your favorite times of the day and you can be tired and fussy and the second you get into that warm water, you are in heaven!  We started sitting you in your Bumbo this month and you like to sit there and play with your giraffe or rattle, or stare at Marley who is usually close by trying to steal a kiss from her baby sister!


You are the light of our lives and we can't wait to see what each next month brings - we just hope they don't go by too fast because we treasure every day with you. 


Love you precious angel,
Mom

Harper Quinn

From now on, our time will be stamped "BH" (Before Harper) & "AH" (After Harper) - just like "BC" and "AD" because our lives have been forever changed for the better.  The last 13 weeks have been a whirlwind of incredible moments, sleepless nights and milestones left and right! We are so incredibly blessed!


I'm going to catch everyone up on the last 3 months and then we'll be good to go...and hopefully I will be more diligent about my blogging!


Our sweet Harper Quinn was born on Friday, March 16th at 10:55 am. She weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces and was 19 inches long.  I had an incredibly easy delivery, I was in labor for 6 hours total and pushed for 20 minutes...so easy that I'd sign up to do that again 10 times! (Don't worry honey, I don't want 10 kids!!Ha!)  Everyone says it's such a life changing moment that you can't quite describe - and it's so very true.  I've never knew I could love someone so instantly and intensely. 

 Making her presence known! She's got a set of lungs on her!!

 Snuggles with Mom & Dad

 Finally getting to meet each other - Mom & Daughter  

Proud sister meeting her baby sister.

That's the face of a Proud Papa :-)

In the weeks following Harper's Birth (AH) we were so lucky to have so many friends and family who came and visited, brought us dinner and sent us prayers and encouragement.  Mimi stayed with us for the first few days and it was so helpful to have my Mom there to lean on and help out! Other family visited like Uncle Tay, Coco, Popo & Mikael, Nana & Papa, etc.  and then Jeff's parents (Grandma & Grandpa) came and stayed a week when she was 6 weeks old! 


We started taking monthly pictures so we can see how much she grows each month, I can't wait to see the one at 3 months!  

Month 1 - April 16, 2012 AH 

The first month was hard because she wasn't too happy to be getting her picture taken!

Month 2 - May 16, 2012 AH

Our goal is to take the picture in her glider next to her lamb each month so you can see how much she's changed and grown!

Other than having some good Mom/Daughter bonding time, we've enjoyed lots of fun things, including: 

Snuggle time with Daddy

Story time with Sissy

BATH TIME! (She LOVES her baths!)

Playdates with Kate & Ashley

Walks at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

Playdates with Myka & Lindsay

Infant Yoga Classes

Bring your Baby Matinee Movie

Trips to the mall

Arboretum with Grandma & Grandpa

Newborn Pictures with Kelly Alexander

First Easter - April 8th

First Memorial Day - May 28th

Mom's 30th Birthday! - April 28th 

First Swim in the Pool with Daddy

First Road Trip to Houston to visit the Birches

Dinners with Kris & Ty

First Pool Parties

Harper is such a good baby and she only gets up once at night - at about 5:00 am, which I guess really isn't the night, it's just too early for Momma to wake up! She's sleeping in her big girl bed now too! She's all smiles these days and is starting to make fun squeaks and squeals when she's happy or excited! 

Our sweet girl now...

So hard to believe she is 13 weeks today and 3 months on Saturday!

I promise I'm going to be better about posting from now on! (Fingers crossed!)

~Harper's Mom :-)

Harper's Nursery

I am finally getting around to posting pictures of Harper's nursery.  We are so excited and absolutely love her room - and can't wait to bring her home to enjoy it! It's so hard to believe that our baby girl's birthday is THIS WEEK!! :-)

Crib & matching letters given to us by a good friend! 

They are hand painted to match the bedding! 

 Our awesome red glider from Mimi!

 Changing table & Frame - just waiting for sweet pics of Harper!

 Bookshelf that was in Kylie's room when she was little. :-)

 Our armoire and beautiful hand painted monogram done by my cousin Amber!

 Red chandelier (also from Mimi) that Jeff & Ty hung for Miss Harper - 

it was quite a project! 

 This girl has quite the wardrobe! 

Fun details like our baby pictures, red piggy bank & a special book from Uncle Trey and Aunt Suz - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :-)

I always thought I'd be nervous or scared at this point in my pregnancy, but I'm not. I'm totally relaxed and excited - I can't wait for Friday to get here and feel so blessed to be having our sweet baby girl so soon. 

Pictures to follow of her birthday! 

Harper's 3D Sonogram Pictures!

Last Saturday we had our 3D Sonogram done to see Miss Harper! While the pictures weren't as clear as we would have liked, it was great to see her again and we got to see a few details that we wouldn't have otherwise seen.  

We can't wait to meet her in person in just over 9 weeks! :-)

 You can see her cute nose and lips and one of her eyes. She was up against the side of my uterus so that is why the other side is distorted!

Here her little hand was in front of her eye. 

 Here she is sticking her tongue out at us! :-)

 This is a short clip...at the beginning she sticks her tongue out, then you can see her hold up a finger like "One moment please" and then you can see her foot up in front of her face! (It's getting pretty cramped in there!) It may take a second view to see it all! 

"One moment please, I'm not ready for my close-up!"

 Here is a group shot of everyone that came to the 3D Sono...definitely a full house! 

Harper is so loved! 

We know our out of town relatives were there in spirit! 

Our almost family of Four!

We have been so blessed throughout this pregnancy and hope the next couple of months fly by so we can welcome Harper into such a close loving family! 

Love you all,

The J Crew

The Wild Feathers

Hello there! It's been a long time I know! Life has been busy with holidays, preparing for baby girl and just the normal day-to-day stuff that keeps me busy 365 days a year! 

Today I want to write about my brother's band - The Wild Feathers.  They have been touring for the last month and I am just so excited for the guys and proud of my brother.  They made a stop in Dallas on November 13th and I got to see them play with a full band - and it was AMAZING.  If I could attach music on here, I totally would. I swear I'm not being a biased sister but they are one of the best bands I've heard in a while! 

Here are a few pics from the night they played...

 Haven wanted to have a picture backstage photo proving she was there in the beginning! 

 Ricky, Joel, Taylor & Aaron 

(Preston wasn't in this one for some reason)

Taylor stopping mid-song to take a pic with me sporting my Wild Feathers shirt! 

Tonight is a big night. They start their tour with PAUL SIMON! I am so excited and nervous for them! They are playing in Durham, NC and the show is sold out! 

I'm even more excited about tomorrow - because I get to see them in Duluth, Georgia with 13,000 other fans! I am flying out tomorrow morning to Chattanooga to visit my friend Kristin and then we're driving into Georgia for the show.  I looked it up online and I am overwhelmed at the thought of seeing my brother play in this arena...

Talk about big time!! Well, I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories to tell when I get back.  I'll also have family pictures and baby updates.  

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I can't believe we only have 24 days until Christmas! I better get shopping!