10 Months! (Over a month late!)

CLEARLY I FAILED - THIS IS MY 10 MONTH POST!! But, I want to save it so I'm still posting!

I was behind on posting Harper's 9 month post so I'm hoping to do better this month.

Before I proceed, let me give you Harper's stats when we went to her 9 (actually 9 1/2 month) appointment!

Her head is now in the 94% -- we have a smart girl on our hands! ;-)
Her height is in the 44% -- so she'll probably be a shorty like her Mama.
Her weight is in the 32% -- weighing in at 18lbs 5.5 ounces.

Her weight percentage dropped quite a bit but the doctor wasn't concerned at all because she's still growing in length.  She's thinning out a bit because of her growth and all of her crawling! She's such a busy body these days and it's precious!

Now for pics from the last month...

Our good eater! You love lots of different foods!

So cozy in your poncho! :)

I just love this picture that Sister Kylie took of you!

I came in one day and found Harper reading in her crib!

Now for my 10 month letter:

Dear Harper,

You are 10 months old. It's amazing that we are in double digits now! Time flies when you're having the time of your life!  This past month has been great but it's also brought it's challenges for sure.

Right before Christmas you were diagnosed with RSV, a bad respiratory virus that causes cough, congestion, runny nose and overall yuckiness.  That was a bummer but you didn't let that get in the way of enjoying your first Christmas!  You finished up your "sick run" with an ear infection and had to take antibiotics for 10 whole days, and that was NOT fun for any of us...but we made it through!

You are hilarious. You are always cracking us up these days.  You love to turn your head to the side, clap anytime anyone says "yay" or pretty much any time that you do a good job at anything, you love to laugh and we've gotten into some giggle fests lately that have been so fun!  You love to crawl, pretty fast I might add, all over the house. We have to keep a close eye on you because you are quick!  You are also pulling up on everything and have started "cruising" along the couches and other furniture to get around.

You are eating like a champ.  At school, Miss Shannon started doing community meals and you love eating with your friends every day.  Your favorite is pumpkin bread but you've tried so many yummy things like pancakes, ravioli, pasta, oranges, cheese, chicken, bananas, lots of veggies, etc.  We are so grateful that you love to eat!

We are so glad you are finally starting to feel better. You are such a joy and a love.  You are amazing, sweet, fun and funny. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.  Happy 10 months baby girl!

Much love,
Momma :-)

9 Months (LATE!) & Holiday Happenings

I'm SO behind on my blogging. I hate that. But, I'm going to still do Harper's 9 month post any way. I thought I'd have tons of time over the holidays to get stuff like this done but that just wasn't the case.  Harper got sick with a nasty virus called RSV at the start of the break and it all got worse from there. She ended up having to do breathing treatments every four hours, paired with snot suction (aka torture in her mind), benadryl and lots of TLC...it was quite a routine.  Jeff also got sick and was sick the whole time too, I had a horrible crick in my neck that lasted for days and we were pretty much home bound with the exception of a few minor excursions to see family on Christmas Eve and then a few days later to celebrate again.  Kylie got a little cough but nothing serious. Needless to say, we were quite a sight for a few days there!  But, despite it all, it was a beautiful holiday season in the Johnson house!

Sweet sick girl sleeping with her head in my lap. :-(

A glimpse into our world with a sick baby for a week and a half!

Despite not feeling great, Harper had a wonderful first Christmas.  She was such a trooper. Even with her croupy cough, runny nose and watery eyes, she was such a joy to watch and be around.  Seeing the wonder and excitement in a child's eyes at Christmas is something that I wish could be bottled and sold. Then again, pretty much every day in a baby's life there's something that amazes them - so you get glimpses of that greatness all year long. Christmas is just special because it's so much at one time!

Here are a few pictures from Christmas since I probably won't have time to do a separate post...

Harper loved meeting Santa and wasn't scared one bit!

Christmas Eve pics - 

Mimi got you a cute pink convertible walker/bouncer. You loved it! 

Riding in style! :-)

Sweet sick girl. :-(

Opening presents with Dada!

So many presents to open!

Santa filled our stockings!

Presents from Santa and the cookies and milk he ate!

Fun on Christmas Morning...

Did I mention we got a WHITE CHRISTMAS?!?

But we only got out in the snow one day to go to the doctor since you weren't feeling well :-(

Coco and Popo were in Costa Rica for Christmas so we went and celebrated with them on Dec. 30th. Trey and Suzanne were there too! It was a blast! They opened a college fund for you for Christmas - a gift that will keep on giving for sure! Thanks guys!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Finally feeling better! 

A few 9 month pics...

You weren't too thrilled about the 9 month sticker this time - so we had to improvise. You recover quickly and that's a great quality to have! :-) That lamb keeps getting smaller and smaller next to you big girl!

Pics from the last month! Please forgive me - I don't have the Tucson pics on my phone so I can't upload many of them - I promise to do a post about the trip ASAP!


Cruisin' through DFW - about to get on your first airplane! 

On your first plane ride!

Arizona gear! 

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's! 

Got to see more family after Thanksgiving! :-)

You got your first tooth on Nov. 30th and your second one on Dec.3! Big girl!

Waiting in line to see Santa on December 14th!

Silly girl. You're always making the cutest faces.  We call this "Baby Alcatraz!"

Now for my 9 month letter...

Dear Harper,

Wow. Now you've officially been on this earth as long as Momma was pregnant! That's so crazy! The past month has been a very fun and eventful one! The most exciting part of the past month was our trip to see Grandma and Grandpa.  You got to go on your first airplane and fly all the way to Tucson, Arizona to see some of our very favorite people! You did so good in the airport, going through security like a champ and boarding the plane like an old pro! (Thank goodness for the Baby Bjorn!)  Once we got on the plane, you did great too and ate, napped a bit and then played with Momma and Daddy for the rest of the flight.  We are so blessed that you are such an easy-going, laid back baby.    It was a very exciting trip because Sister Kylie got to come with us at the last minute so we got to surprise Grandma and Grandpa with her being there.  

We spent a whole week in Tuscon for Thanksgiving so Grandma and Grandpa got to love on you lots, see how much you've grown and changed and we all worked with you on your crawling skills.  You would get up on your knees and rock back and forth but we didn't see any crawling while we were there. You saved that for when we got back to Dallas!  We ate lots of good food, saw some fun movies, played games and just hung out. You even got to go on your first hike on Mt. Lemmon while we were there - and that was really special for Daddy.  He used to camp up there with Grandma and Grandpa all the time when he was a little boy so bringing you and Kylie back to the place where he remembers from when he grew up was special. Trust me, you'll become very fond of Mt. Lemmon and we'll go there each time we visit Gma and Gpa! Grandma, Grandpa and Sister watched you while Daddy and I went to the Arizona game.  You got your very first Arizona cheerleader outfit  - you looked adorable!

Thanksgiving was a special one because it was our first with YOU. I am so very thankful for you my precious daughter and I feel like every day is Thanksgiving to me because I just want to thank God over and over for you.  I couldn't have imagined a love like this.  

Not long after we got back to Dallas, you ended up getting sick. This was your first time to be sick.  There was a stomach virus going around your school so we thought you had that but it turned out you had strep! It was so sad to see you sick and not be able to know what was bothering you.  We stayed home from school/work together and I nursed you back to health.  You are such a resilient little girl.  

In the last month, you've learned to crawl and now you're getting fast! You've also started pulling up on everything! We had to install a gate at the top of the stairs to keep you safe.  You are on the move! You are fearless and want to explore any and every thing!  You got your first two bottom teeth and love showing them off with a big grin. You love to wave hello and goodbye, clap, bounce to the music and laugh all the time.  You also make some funny faces. You purse your lips like you're giving a kiss or blow bubbles. You also grin so wide and squeal if we look at you with a funny face. You're so happy.

You love almost all food - and we are getting more into solids every day! Your favorite treat is pumpkin bread from Starbucks. You love getting little nibbles of that from me at the mall. :-)  Your face is priceless when you taste it for the first time- you get so excited!

We just went and met Santa and had your picture made with him and you loved him! You weren't scared a bit and sat in his lap like a champ! He said he was going to take you to the North Pole to be one of his elves but we said "No way!" :-)

We can't wait to experience each new day with you sweet girl and hope this next month doesn't go by too fast! 

You are the light of our lives. We love you beyond measure.

Love, 
Momma

Happy 8 Months!

This post is a week and a half late, but for good reason. We left for Tucson the day after Harper's 8 month birthday so I haven't had a moment to sit down and reflect on the last 30 days with our little cutie.

Here are the latest 8 month pics...

Our sweet girl was so tired after a long day but we still took the pics. It's so amazing to see how big she's gotten so quickly!

Also on her 8 month birthday was the Thanksgiving Potluck at Miss Shannon's. The babies and their families had a blast! Here are a few pics...

All ready for the party - she was wearing the pearls that my her great great grandmother passed 

down to my Mom, and then to me.

 Harper and Mimi! Our little Indian girl!

Harper and her best bud Lyla

She was getting a little worn out towards the end of the party. I love when she snuggles like this!

The last month in pictures...

We celebrated your first Halloween! You were a cute little bunny! 

We went to see Meems, Mimi and Uncle Kris before we went trick-or-treating! 

You loved celebrating Halloween with your big sister Kylie and we even got to see 

Aunt Mikael, Coco and Popo!

The weather finally got cold so we could start to break-out your winter wardrobe!

You are so ready to crawl and you practice all the time at school! 

You still LOVE bath time and even though it's gotten tougher because you're all over the place!

You watched lots of football games with Dada. Although you usually couldn't make it until the end of the game! :)

You and sister had another round of shots! This time it was only one for you and one for her!

Now for my letter...

Dear Harper,

It's hard to believe that you've almost been alive as long as I was pregnant! This time last year, I felt like it would be an eternity before I could meet you and snuggle with you and kiss you all over! But, as they say, time flies when you're having fun and I am having a BLAST. I thank God every day for YOU.  

This past month has been a fun one! You had your first Halloween! You were a cuddly little bunny! You didn't mind your costume one bit and wore it like a champ, even though it was a little warmer than normal.  Miss Shannon had a Halloween party at school and we had fun taking pictures of you with your school buddies.

You're about to crawl any day and the last few weeks you've been getting up on your hands and knees, rocking back and forth, scooting backwards and figuring out how to get where you want to go, whether you're crawling or not! 

You've also had a bottom front tooth that looks like it's about to come through any day - for about 2 weeks! We thought it would be here by now but so far, it's just hanging out right under your gums.  

It's been fun introducing you to new flavors and foods.  You've had some protein in the last month including turkey and chicken! The thought of pureed meat doesn't sit too well with me so we may hold off on more meats until you can chew up tiny pieces.  You're also getting so good at holding your sippy cup with both hands like a big girl! 

You've continued doing "No, no, no" and shaking your head side to side but have also started "Yes, yes, yes!" and shake your head up and down. It's so funny to us when you do it at the correct time. Like when I'm singing to you and can't carry a tune and you shake your head "no!" or when I ask if you like your food and you shake your head "yes!"...so very precious.

We all hit a big milestone this past month - our first night apart! It was time for Momma and Daddy to get some alone time to celebrate our anniversary so we packed up everything and you stayed with Mimi for the night! She had so much fun taking care of you and it put our minds at ease to know you were in such good hands! You got a little off schedule, but Daddy and I agreed - that's what grandparents are for! Fun, not routines! :-)

Harper, thank you for choosing me to be your Momma and for choosing Daddy to be your Daddy. We feel like you were the missing piece in our family and are so in love with our two daughters - - you and your big sister Kylie!  

I love you more than words and can't wait to celebrate the next month with you which is my favorite time of year - Christmas! I can only imagine how amazing all the lights and presents will be from your perspective!  

Love always, 

Momma